Enduring a grueling physical toll while maintaining speed and fending off potential surprise attacks from all directions—this was the challenge Jiraiya set for Minato on his first training session. Even Jiraiya himself didn’t expect much; he doubted that Minato, under these harsh conditions, would be able to finish 40 ps before noon.

  It was a test of endurance, willpower, and reflexes—challenges that could rival even the Chunin Exams. For a seven-year-old, it was undeniably a tough ask.

  By noon, the streets of Konoha were almost deserted. Minato was running around the outskirts of the vilge, so few people were in his path.

  Whoosh! Whoosh!

  At first, the attacks aimed at Minato were sporadic and not very intense. But Minato quickly adapted to the rhythm.

  This was all thanks to his enhanced visual reflexes. Most lower and mid-ranking ninjas might have a speed advantage over ordinary people, but very few trained to the level of adapting their vision to match that speed.

  When everything around a person starts moving faster, their vision often becomes blurry, struggling to keep up.

  Minato had been training his visual and physical coordination for some time now, and thanks to this, he could evade Jiraiya’s surprise attacks, relying only on his reflexes and body movements.

  The speed at which Minato adapted was astonishing. Within half a p, he was already dodging attacks while maintaining an even faster pace.

  What was even more remarkable was that the exhaustion that had been building in his body seemed to be gradually dissipating. And he hadn’t used any chakra to recover his stamina.

  Jiraiya, watching from the shadows, couldn’t help but feel his expression shift with a mix of surprise and curiosity.

  “That’s strange…” Jiraiya murmured, his mind racing. He had gone through simir training exercises when he was younger. The result of his first attempt? He’d been a mess, overwhelmed by the attacks coming from all directions. Even his peer, the man who would ter become the Third Hokage, had slowed down significantly during such a trial, failing to complete the training.

  Though Jiraiya was confident that his current abilities were on par with the Third Hokage’s, there was still a gap between their skills. And back then, Jiraiya was training three disciples simultaneously—now, he only had Minato.

  But this progress… it was leagues ahead of what he’d achieved at the same age.

  Minato might have thought he was relying on his enhanced visual reflexes to coordinate his movements, but Jiraiya could see it differently. The key to Minato’s success was less about conscious control and more about reflexive, passive reactions.

  It was like a seasoned fighter who could sense the murderous intent of an enemy before the bde even touched them—this kind of awareness could only come from years of experience, not from just a year at the Ninja Academy.

  At seven years old, Minato couldn’t have developed such a skill on his own. Even Uchiha En, who had been trained since childhood in the harsh ways of the Uchiha cn, couldn’t boast such a refined instinct.

  “Jiraiya-sensei, your attacks are slowing down.” Minato grinned as he spoke, noticing that Jiraiya’s movements were becoming sluggish, perhaps due to the toll his own concentration had begun to take.

  Jiraiya paused, blinking at Minato’s comment, and realized with a slight chuckle that this could only be expined as a natural talent. Perhaps Minato had an innate ability for speed, something Jiraiya himself had never seen in a child so young. It was as though Minato had already grasped the essence of high-speed movement—something Jiraiya had spent years perfecting.

  That confirmed it. His choice of training for Minato wasn’t wrong. The boy might even surpass the Second Hokage as the next “fastest in the ninja world.”

  With that thought, Jiraiya’s expression shifted back into focus, and his attacks once again grew sharp and relentless.

  Despite the sweat running down his face, Minato remained smiling, as though thoroughly enjoying the process.

  "Whoo!"

  The combination of high-speed running and dodging attacks demanded far more stamina and energy than simply running. By the 39th p, even though Minato had regained some energy, he was panting heavily.

  But his teeth were gritted, and he kept pushing forward. His body had accumuted some dirt and dust from Jiraiya’s attacks. It wasn’t just shuriken Jiraiya was throwing; rocks and debris littered the ground, all aimed at Minato.

  Though his reflexes were fast, Minato still took a few hits. Even though Jiraiya had purposely softened the blows, the pain from where they nded still caused him discomfort.

  Despite the soreness, Minato endured, pushing through to finish the st p—completing the full 40 ps with three minutes to spare.

  Minato lowered his head, exhausted, and pced a trembling hand on the ground to support his weary body. His muscles were sore, but he knew he couldn’t let himself rex too quickly; after intense exercise, immediately going into rest could bring about uncomfortable reactions in the body.

  Slowly, he let himself unwind.

  As he did, Jiraiya emerged from his hiding pce and pced one of Minato’s arms over his shoulder, lifting him up.

  “You did well,” Jiraiya said with a smile, his eyes filled with admiration.

  Minato, still breathless and exhausted, forced a weak smile. “I still have a long way to go. You’ve been attacking me from the shadows, but you don’t seem tired at all. I’m really weak compared to you…”

  Jiraiya had been sending Minato surprise attacks from all directions while concealing his own movements. Yet, Jiraiya had shown no signs of exhaustion—his strength far surpassed Minato’s at this stage.

  “Heh. Is that so? But your performance today has made me feel a bit of the frustration I haven’t felt in years,” Jiraiya said with a sigh. “I’ve achieved what I have today through over ten years of hard work. When I first did this kind of training, I was much worse off than you, and I didn’t even finish it.”

  Minato blinked in surprise. When would any other high-ranking ninja or teacher say something like that to their disciple?

  It was a rare kind of humility, and Minato knew only his teacher could speak so openly.

  “So, what’s next for the afternoon training?” Minato asked, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten. Despite his physical weariness, his excitement had only grown.

  “Heh, you’ve forgotten the three rules I set for you?” Jiraiya chuckled, his tone light. After all, the intensity of today’s training had already pushed Minato to his limits. But Jiraiya had said those rules not only to pique Minato’s curiosity but also to test whether he would remember them.

  Minato blushed slightly, realizing he had indeed forgotten.

  Seeing the anticipation still in Minato’s eyes, Jiraiya smiled. “Training for today ends here. But there’s someone I want you to meet—someone who happens to be your senior...”