Is it reasonable for a child to possess an Earth attribute when neither of their parents do? Of course not.
At this moment, Namikaze Minato naturally had such doubts in his heart. As Naruto launched another attack from both the front and the back, Minato simply turned sideways, then spun around and delivered a kick to Naruto's shadow clone, striking its abdomen and dispersing it into a puff of white smoke.
He then raised his rock-covered arm and blocked Naruto's direct attack. Naruto clearly hadn't expected his father to lift that arm so easily. Without thinking, he punched the rock, only to regret it instantly.
A sharp pain shot through his hand, bringing tears to his eyes. However, Naruto didn't cry out. Instead, he quickly retreated, rubbing his aching fist while grinning. After a moment, he felt chakra surging from his lower abdomen, and as it spread, the pain in his arm vanished completely.
Minato initially felt a bit distressed upon seeing Naruto wince, ready to check on him. But to his surprise, just as Naruto had been rubbing his hand in pain, he suddenly recovered and charged at him again.
"What's going on?"
"That punch should have hurt a lot. Did Naruto just endure it? Or…"
Minato glanced at the rock covering his arm, wondering what had happened. At that moment, Naruto was already upon him again, launching another punch. At the same time, the ground beneath Minato unexpectedly shifted—two rock spikes shot up from the earth, aiming directly at him.
"Earth Release again? And it looks like a C-rank jutsu—Earth Spear! When did this kid learn such a technique? And he didn't even use hand seals?"
Minato was finally unable to remain indifferent. His six-year-old son was not only using Earth Release ninjutsu but was also performing it without hand seals. This wasn't just a matter of talent—this level of ability was something that even a genius couldn't easily explain.
Naruto's attack successfully blocked all of Minato's escape routes. Unlike the previous shadow clone attack, this time, the ninjutsu struck much faster—so fast that even Minato was momentarily surprised.
Just as the earthen spikes closed in, a uniquely shaped kunai suddenly appeared in Minato's hand. With a flick of his wrist, he threw it to the ground nearby.
"Whoosh!"
A second later, the spikes struck—but Minato, who had been standing there just moments ago, vanished in an instant. When he reappeared, he was at the spot where his kunai had landed.
"He actually forced Minato to use the Flying Thunder God?!"
"Naruto, you did an amazing job!"
From the stands, Kushina jumped up in excitement, waving her arms as she cheered for her son.
On the judges' platform, the three examiners exchanged glances, momentarily at a loss for words. It was Nara Shikaku who finally broke the silence, but his words left the other two stunned.
"Tell me, is it possible for parents with Wind and Water attributes to have a child with an Earth attribute?"
"Could it be an intergenerational inheritance?"
Shikaku wasn't focused on Naruto's impressive ninjutsu display—his attention was entirely on the boy's chakra nature. This was something neither Fugaku nor Hiashi had even considered.
"Hmm, intergenerational inheritance should be possible," Uchiha Fugaku replied thoughtfully.
But Hyuga Hiashi rubbed his forehead in exasperation and said, "What are you two even thinking?"
"From the start of the battle, I've been watching Naruto with my Byakugan. He has two completely different chakras inside him. The chakra he's using for Earth Release—it's not his own."
"Have you both forgotten? Naruto isn't just any ordinary child."
"He's a Jinchūriki!"
As soon as Hiashi said this, his expression turned serious. He had figured out the real reason Naruto was able to use Earth Release ninjutsu, but the truth was even more alarming.
A frightening issue now stood before them—Naruto was only six years old, yet he could already access his Tailed Beast's chakra and use it to perform Earth Release ninjutsu without hand seals.
There are only two ways for a Jinchūriki to use a Tailed Beast's chakra: either they have perfect control over it, or the seal is unstable, allowing the beast's chakra to leak.
Given Naruto's age, the idea that he had already achieved perfect control was highly unrealistic. That left only one answer—the seal had loosened, and the Tailed Beast's power was leaking out.
Konoha had experienced the devastation of a Tailed Beast rampage before, and its people remained deeply wary of such power. While both generations of the village's Nine-Tails Jinchūriki—Uzumaki Mito and Uzumaki Kushina—had never had any issues, that didn't mean every Jinchūriki would be so fortunate.
Historically, Konoha's Jinchūriki were the only ones who had never lost control. In contrast, nearly every other village's Jinchūriki had, at some point, suffered a Tailed Beast rampage, bringing massive destruction to their homes.
Both Shikaku and Fugaku immediately grasped the severity of the situation after hearing Hiashi's words. They were about to warn Minato—
But before they could, Minato had already announced the end of Naruto's assessment.
With the exam over, Naruto returned to the other candidates, while Kushina, still beaming with pride, left the stands and walked over to talk with him. Mother and son both wore wide smiles.
Seeing this, Minato seemed to realize the reason behind Naruto's Earth Release ability. He turned toward the judges' stand and gave a slight shake of his head.
Understanding Minato's reaction, Shikaku chuckled and muttered to himself,
"Looks like we were worried for nothing. Who would know Naruto's condition better than his own mother?"
"Raiden's elder sister isn't just the vice president of Konoha Hospital—she's also a master of sealing techniques!"
"It's incredible. For him to already be controlling some of the Tailed Beast's chakra at such a young age, Naruto must have exceptional talent in chakra control."
"And in his fight against Minato, he demonstrated remarkable combat instincts."
"He's definitely a promising ninja."
As Shikaku spoke, he glanced toward his own son. Both Fugaku's and Minato's sons were proving to be prodigies, and it was slightly frustrating. Sure, his son, Shikamaru, was exceptionally intelligent, but his laid-back nature made it difficult for others to recognize his brilliance.
Shikaku's praise for Naruto resonated with Fugaku and Hiashi. Indeed, Naruto was outstanding. Based on his performance in battle, his combat instincts were even sharper than those of Sasuke and Karin—he was the most impressive candidate so far.
With the assessments of the top three concluded, the remaining students took turns battling one another. Though none of them were as exceptional as Sasuke, Karin, or Naruto, there were still many promising young talents.
For instance, Hyuga Hinata, who had already awakened her Byakugan and could engage in battle at the age of six, showed great potential.
However, such gifted children were rare. Most of the students were like Sakura—lacking combat experience, not yet proficient in ninjutsu, and without inherited bloodline abilities, relying solely on taijutsu to fight.
By the time the entire exam concluded, the sun had already set.
(End of Chapter)