After dinner, Enso wiped his mouth and leaned back with a satisfied sigh. The backyard was peaceful, lit by the soft glow of paper lanterns hanging from the porch.
" Minato Sensei, would you spar with me?" Enso asked casually.
Minato raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly. It wasn't unusual for Enso to seek training, but there was something different tonight. Curious, he agreed with a nod.
What he didn't expect was for Enso to pull out a sealing scroll, swiftly unfurling it with a flick of his hand. In a puff of smoke, a pair of Wakizashi appeared. Enso unsheathed their polished blades, the steel catching the soft light.
Minato raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. He pulled out his custom Kunai, feeling the familiar weight in his grip. With a smooth twirl, he shifted into a combat stance.
Enso made the first move.
Using "Void Step," he blurred forward, closing the distance almost instantly. His feet barely touched the ground as he slipped into Minato's range, blades flashing. Minato met him head-on, receiving the incoming attack with confidence.
Enso had never once revealed his skill in swordsmanship to his mentor. Now, it was time to test and refine it through combat training.
Wielding his Wakizashi with fluid grace, Enso unleashed the Dynamic Blades style he had developed. His attacks were fast, sharp, and unpredictable, flowing one into the next with seamless precision. Each movement fed into the next, setting the pace that forced Minato into a defensive position.
Minato blocked and deflected, careful not to take the full force of Enso's strikes. He could feel the weight behind each blow—heavy enough that a direct hit might shatter lesser weapons. Fortunately, his custom Flying Thunder God Kunai was no ordinary blade. Shorter and denser than a typical sword, it held up well against the power of Enso's slashes. Still, there is no need to damage it in a sparring match.
Parrying Enso's blade, Minato noticed something else: the incredible fluidity of the young man's technique. Every time their weapons met, Enso flowed into another strike, making it nearly impossible to fully disengage. It was like fighting a river—redirecting one stream only led to another crashing down.
Their clash was lightning fast. Minato didn't rely solely on his kunai; his feet struck at every slight opening, intercepting the sword's motion
Minato attempted a counterattack, but Enso parried Minato's counter and pushed him back with a smooth follow-up, forcing the Hokage to retreat.
From this short exchange alone, Enso began to understand his mentor's deeper combat strategy. Minato was a pure technician, using no wasted movements, every step and strike timed perfectly. The strength of his technique wasn't in flashy power but in the precision and polish that came from years of mastery and experience.
Enso, feeling the thrill of the fight, chose not to chase. Instead, he took a half-step back, lowering his blades slightly, inviting Minato to come at him. He wanted to see how well he could defend when Minato shifted into attack mode.
Minato smiled at the silent challenge.
Without warning, he flicked his wrist and threw several Kunai into the air, each one spinning lazily at first glance. But Enso knew better—he was preparing to use the "Flying Thunder God" technique.
Enso adjusted immediately. He waved one of his blades smoothly and shifted the grip of his left-hand sword into a reverse hold. Normally, reverse grip wasn't ideal—Wakizashi were longer than daggers or standard Kunai—but Enso knew it wasn't about attacking; it was about setting up the perfect counter.
Above him, one of the thrown Kunai glinted—and in the next instant, Minato appeared midair, gripping his Kunai with both hands, aiming a powerful downward slash at Enso's head.
But Enso was already moving. His right-hand blade flashed up diagonally, parrying the blow just in time. His body turned naturally with the motion, and he followed up with a quick, vicious slash from his reverse grip blade, aiming to catch Minato before he could recover.
Yet Minato, as expected, teleported away the moment his attack was deflected. Enso's counter sliced through empty air. If it weren't for the speed of "Flying Thunder God," Minato would have been hit.
Landing lightly, Minato hurled another flurry of Kunai into the sky. This time, the air buzzed with chakra as he infused each blade mid-flight. To sweeten the spot, he added the Shuriken Shadow Clone technique, multiplying the chakra-enhanced Kunai into a storm of deadly steel, raining down on Enso from all directions.
Enso's eyes lit up with excitement. Gripping his Wakizashi firmly, he stepped into the incoming storm of Kunai.
With clean, efficient movements, he parried the Kunai that were on a collision path and twisted his body to dodge the ones he couldn't easily deflect. The sound of steel meeting steel echoed through the backyard, a rapid beat of sharp clashes. He had already shifted both blades back to a normal grip, maximising his defensive coverage without exposing any critical openings.
But Minato wasn't relying just on Kunai.
From the corner of his eye, Enso caught a flicker of light. Minato teleported again, appearing behind him, ready to press a Kunai to the back of his neck and end the match.
Yet Enso, smiling slyly, reacted.
Pouring chakra into his Wakizashi, he unleashed Licht technique—"Origin Flash: Rampage."
The chakra surged violently through the blades, and sensing the explosion of danger, Minato instantly teleported away, barely escaping.
Enso stood in the centre of the clearing, empty-handed.
Both Wakizashi had shattered under the stress of the technique, fragments of gleaming steel raining down and scattering across the ground. The backyard looked like a battlefield after a brief but furious storm.
Enso raised his hand in surrender and calmly formed the Seal of Reconciliation, ending the bout with dignity.
Kushina, who had been watching from the porch, broke into applause, her face bright with pride.
"You actually made Minato run away!" she cheered, laughing with genuine joy.
Minato approached, chuckling as he shook his head.
"Your dual-wielding style... it's full of potential," he said, clearly impressed. "I want to see more of it next time."
His gaze drifted to the broken fragments of the Wakizashi scattered across the ground, and he sighed lightly.
Enso held up the broken blade, his voice calm. "Normal swords snap the moment I put real strength behind them," he said. "This Wakizashi... It's the only one tough enough to survive my swings. But it's not built to handle rapid bursts of Chakra flow."
Minato sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I don't think it's just the blade, Enso," he said, a small grin tugging at his lips. "Your technique is... unorthodox. Normal Chakra Flow is about a steady, continuous stream, but yours? It's like you're channelling multiple bursts in a single motion. No wonder the metal's cracking under the strain."
Enso was surprised that Minato had figured out the mechanics of his technique so quickly. Though his Wakizashi had been broken during their bout just now, Enso didn't seem particularly upset about it. He took it as a good sign. He was now fully aware of his weapon's limitation, and it was far better to discover this early on in a controlled sparring match rather than during a real battle when his life could be on the line.
Enso mulled it over in his mind. Though the sword couldn't withstand a burst of multiple Chakra flows, it could still be used for a normal version of his technique, 'Origin Flash.' That was good enough for now. Still, it was a shame. The weapon wasn't heavy enough for his liking to begin with, and now, after just one match, one of his few pairs was already gone.
Minato scratched the back of his head awkwardly. After all, he had been the one pushing Enso to reveal more of his technique during their sparring. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty about the sword's destruction.
But at the same time, seeing Enso's powerful technique firsthand stirred excitement in him. It wasn't every day someone forced him to move seriously in a friendly match. "How about I compensate you for the sword?"
Enso casually waved him off with a grin. "It's fine. I got it at a 50% discount anyway."
Minato raised an eyebrow. "Discount? What do you mean?"
Enso chuckled lightly. "Swords that can handle my strength aren't exactly easy to find. So, I ended up clearing the whole stock."
Minato nodded, but then Enso's curiosity was piqued. "By the way, where did you get your Custom Kunai, Sensei? With how hard we were going at it, your weapon didn't even chip. That kind of durability is way beyond standard Shinobi equipment."
Minato smiled at Enso's question. "The same as your blades, I also got it from the Land of Iron, the homeland of the Samurai. The quality there is far superior to anything made around here." He grinned, then added, "Next time I go there for the Kage Conference, I'll bring you along. We might be able to find something better suited to you among their craftsmen."
Enso's grin widened. "Sounds good. I'll take you up on that offer." After cleaning up Minato's backyard, Enso returned home.
The sky had already begun to dim, the last light of the sun painting the clouds in streaks of orange and purple. Inside his room, he pulled out another pair of Wakizashi from the sealing scroll.
Without wasting time, Enso began practising his 'Dynamic Blade Styles.' His movements were slow at first, deliberate, each step and swing reinforcing the patterns into his body. Every shift of his feet, every rotation of his wrists, was an effort to engrave the new techniques into his muscle memory.
At the same time, he worked to remove the minor flaws from his techniques, thanks to the sparring session with Minato. In the stillness of his home, the soft sound of feet sliding on the wooden floor and the faint whistle of blades slicing through the air filled the room.
It wasn't about speed tonight. It was about feeling every motion until it became second nature.
Only after a few solid hours, when his arms started to grow heavy with fatigue, did Enso finally set the blades aside and retreat to bed, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Meanwhile, Kushina couldn't contain her curiosity. After Enso left, she turned to Minato, her eyes shine bright with interest. She had been watching the entire sparring session and was eager to hear her husband's perspective.
"Did you go easy on him? Or is he just that good?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
Minato didn't respond immediately. His usually relaxed expression grew serious as he thought about it carefully. The clash earlier still lingered vividly in his mind — the feel of each exchange, the sharpness of Enso's timing, the refined yet adaptive movements. After a long pause, he finally turned to Kushina, the weight of his thoughts clear in his gaze.
"I wouldn't have lasted that long without 'Flying Raijin' and my experience fighting Kumogakure ninja during the Third Shinobi War," Minato admitted. His voice was calm but honest.
"His techniques and timing are already above most Jonin. Even the elite Shinobi from Kumogakure and the Land of Iron Samurai aren't capable of pushing me that far. Although I still held back considerably… I can tell. He's still refining his techniques. Every clash, every movement — he's getting sharper."
Kushina blinked, momentarily speechless. Hearing it from Minato — someone who had personally faced Enso's blades and truly respected the experience — made her realise just how talented her student was in Kenjutsu.
After a moment of thoughtful silence, Kushina spoke again, her voice softer.
"I feel like his swordsmanship is more suited for a double-edged sword," she mused aloud, sharing her impression. "The way he moves... It's more balanced, more flowing. A double-edged blade would match him better than a Wakizashi."
Minato nodded, agreeing with her assessment. His mind was already turning over the possibilities. As Hokage, he was well aware that double-edged swords weren't exactly common in Konoha. Still, something came to mind.
"Don't we have a pair of unbreakable Chakra Rods sitting somewhere in the warehouse?" Minato said, a thoughtful smile tugging at his lips. "They're not ordinary weapons — and once he gets more accustomed to fighting with swords in real combat, maybe we can gift them to him."
Kushina smiled, her eyes sparkling with approval. "That weapon would be a perfect fit for Enso," she said. "With his raw strength, it would suit him like no other."
Enso's future would be filled with obstacles, but seeing his progress brought Minato and Kushina a sense of relief. With that comforting thought, they fell asleep peacefully in each other's embrace as the last light faded from the sky.