The next morning, at the Seventh Training Ground—
"Finally, you're here. You must be Obito."
A young ninja with blond hair, bright blue eyes, and an infectious, sunny aura greeted him warmly.
Standing beside the cheerful youth were Rin, who wore a bright smile, and Kakashi, arms folded across his chest, half his face concealed by a mask.
In front of them stood Obito, hunched over with both hands clutching his abdomen, panting heavily.
"Finally caught up!" Obito wheezed, struggling for breath.
"You're too slow, Obito," Kakashi said with an expressionless tone.
"I've been waiting for you," Rin added gently, as kind and patient as ever.
"I'm Namikaze Minato, your squad leader starting today. I look forward to working with all of you."
Minato introduced himself energetically, hands resting confidently on his hips.
"Yoshi!"
Obito, now recovered, stood up straight, gave a thumbs-up, and flashed a bright grin reminiscent of Might Guy.
"Alright, let's begin with our first drill," Minato continued, turning his attention to the newly assembled team. His eyes landed briefly on Obito, who had just rejoined the group. "This exercise is designed to test your teamwork."
"Teamwork?" Rin asked curiously, tilting her head.
Minato smiled and pulled out two bells tied with red strings from his pocket. "The rules are simple. Your objective is to take one of these bells from me. Anyone who fails... goes back to the Academy."
Rin and Obito listened intently, unaware that Kakashi had already begun analyzing the situation. He had seen this test before.
The bell test... classic.
Kakashi's mind raced.
Our opponent is Namikaze Minato—Konoha's elite Jōnin and future Fourth Hokage.
He possesses reaction speed far beyond the average shinobi, and his Flying Thunder God Technique gives him instant mobility across space.
If he gets serious, we won't stand a chance.
Fortunately, the objective wasn't truly about winning a battle—it was a test of cooperation among rookie Genin. That gave them a fighting chance.
But even so, Kakashi wanted to seize this rare opportunity—to push Minato hard enough to force him to use Flying Thunder God.
"This is the rule," Minato declared. "You have 100 seconds to hide and come up with a strategy. Once time's up, the drill begins."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the three Genin exchanged glances and vanished into the surrounding forest.
Their synchronized movement spoke of the deep understanding they'd developed from long nights of training together.
In a small clearing, Kakashi crouched and spoke in a low, rapid tone.
"Let me summarize the key points."
"First, the test's true purpose is teamwork. The idea that failing to get a bell sends you back to the Academy—that's a ruse. Meant to stir conflict."
Obito's and Rin's eyes widened.
"You can ignore that part entirely," Kakashi assured them. "Next—our opponent."
"He's an elite Jōnin who can use Flying Thunder God—a space-time ninjutsu that allows him to teleport to any location marked with his special seal."
"Think of it as the Body Flicker Technique—but instantaneous. He can appear anywhere, instantly."
"So if he goes all-out, we won't stand a chance."
"But..." Kakashi's voice grew firm, "he doesn't know how much we know. That's our advantage."
Obito and Rin nodded, faces serious. When it came to battle, they always followed Kakashi's lead.
After a quick discussion of tactics, the three Genin stepped out of hiding and returned to the clearing.
Minato raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh? Not going for the classic sneak attack?"
Kakashi, standing between Rin and Obito, shook his head. "That would be suicide against an elite Jōnin like you."
"I see... then let's begin." Minato smiled gently, but his tone turned serious.
Kakashi gave the signal.
"Now!"
"Water Style: Water Barrier!"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A thick wall of water erupted around Minato on three sides. At the same time, a massive orange fireball, supercharged by the gust of wind, barreled toward him from the front.
Just as the fireball closed in, the water wall expanded, sealing off the last escape route.
BOOM!
Minato vanished, narrowly dodging the incoming fireball.
The fireball struck the water, triggering an explosion that sent shockwaves throughout the training ground.
Inside the water wall, a cloud of steam and smoke burst forth.
Beautiful.
Kakashi analyzed the attack mentally:
Water Style to trap and contain... Wind to amplify Fire Style... And the compressed Great Fireball, triggered by steam pressure, becomes a powerful detonator.
From behind them, Minato's voice rang out—surprisingly impressed.
"What a brilliant combination."
Kakashi felt a chill on his back just before Minato's foot slammed into him, launching him backward.
"Kakashi!" Rin cried out, launching herself at Minato with a punch.
Minato sidestepped with ease, but his expression shifted. Where Rin's punch landed, the ground shattered violently, sending shockwaves through the earth.
It reminded him eerily of Kushina when she was angry.
"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"
A pair of hands burst from the ground and yanked a startled Minato waist-deep into the earth.
It was Kakashi—the real Kakashi—who had been underground all along, while a shadow clone had taken his place in the earlier attack.
"Obito!"
"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Claw Red!"
Obito spat out a flurry of small fireballs and launched flaming shuriken in tandem, turning the sky into a storm of fire.
The burning shuriken scattered like red flower petals, surrounding Minato from every angle.
Bang!
The target was struck—only for the figure to vanish in a puff of smoke.
A Shadow Clone!
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. The three regrouped quickly, forming a tight triangle, backs to each other, eyes scanning every direction.
"Where is he?"
"Above!" Obito shouted, eyes flaring red beneath his goggles.
His newly awakened Sharingan spun furiously.
"Impressive insight—but not enough."
Before he could react, Obito felt a tap on his shoulder—and everything went dark.
In the blink of an eye, Minato had him pinned to the ground ten meters away, a knee pressed into his spine. A kunai glinted coldly at his throat.
"Obito!"
Rin froze in place, panicked.
Flying Thunder God...!
Kakashi's thoughts raced. The ding from the system confirmed it—Minato had activated the technique, and Kakashi had successfully recorded the data.
"You're still too slow," Minato said softly, finishing his earlier thought.
He glanced at the other two.
"I've seen what you're capable of. You're not ready to pass this test. However..."
Minato's tone changed.
"I'll give you a choice."
"Leave him behind," he said, pressing the kunai closer to Obito's neck. "If you walk away now, I'll pass you both."
"That way, you don't have to go back to the Academy."
His voice was calm—but the temptation was real.
"Never!" Rin shouted. "We'd never abandon a teammate!"
Minato turned to Kakashi.
The silver-haired boy shrugged. "What she said."
"Oh?" Minato's brows lifted.
"Think about it. If this were the battlefield... saving him could mean failing the mission. Would you still choose the same?"
Minato studied them carefully.
"A ninja who breaks the rules is scum," Kakashi said slowly, "but a ninja who abandons their friends is worse than scum."
He pointed toward the pinned Obito.
"If you ask that idiot, I bet that's exactly what he'd say."
Obito's heart clenched.
Kakashi...
That is exactly what he'd say.
"And besides," Kakashi added, "I don't want this idiot looking down on me."
"Hundred Healings Mark, Release!"
With a sharp cry, the diamond-shaped mark on Kakashi's forehead glowed and spread chakra lines across his body.
In a flash, Kakashi vanished.
Minato's eyes widened. He barely managed to block with his kunai as Kakashi appeared behind him, blade swinging fiercely.
Clang!
Their weapons clashed with a deafening ring.
Kakashi's strikes came fast—blindingly fast—each slash packing far more power than before.
This is... the Hundred Healings Technique?!
Minato stared at the curse seal extending from Kakashi's forehead to his wrist.
He recalled Jiraiya mentioning it—Tsunade's legendary technique that boosted regeneration and physical ability to terrifying levels.
Minato gritted his teeth, his right arm numb from the impact. He reached into his pouch with his left hand and threw a dozen kunai in all directions.
Flash.
In the next second, yellow light shimmered across the field.
Kakashi's strike missed.
A moment later, searing pain bloomed across his body—he'd been struck in dozens of vital spots all at once.
He froze.
Behind him, Minato held a kunai to his neck.
Kakashi didn't move.
He knew—those strikes weren't meant to kill. If Minato had used the sharpened blades, he'd already be critically injured.
This is the Yellow Flash's true power.
I still have a long way to go...
Everything had happened in the blink of an eye.
Obito and Rin, who had just gotten back on their feet, hadn't even realized the fight had ended.
"I lost," Kakashi admitted, sheathing his sword.
Seeing their downcast expressions, Minato chuckled.
"Well then... I officially declare all three of you passed—with full marks!"
Silence.
Minato looked around.
No celebration. No questions. Just blank faces.
Huh? Aren't they supposed to cheer now?
Where's the drama? The shock? The gratitude?!
Minato scratched his head awkwardly, feeling like a pit had opened beneath his feet.
"Pfft—" Rin was the first to break.
"Hahaha!" Obito burst into laughter.
"Minato-sensei," Kakashi explained, "we figured out the true purpose of the test beforehand."
Minato blinked. "And all that earlier drama?"
"Don't worry about it. Even if we knew the test's purpose, everything we said—we meant it."
Kakashi looked serious.
Minato studied their faces—and smiled.
He believed them.
Their coordination, their concern for each other, the way they fought side by side—it had all been genuine.
"I think you all understand now," Minato said.
"For a ninja team, the most important thing isn't power."
"It's teamwork."
"One person's strength is just the surface."
"True strength comes from unity."
"Konoha has survived two great wars—not because of powerful leaders alone."
"But because every shinobi, and every villager, stands together."
Obito and Rin fell silent, reflecting on his words.
Kakashi nodded in agreement.
He really is the right man to become Hokage.
If only... he hadn't died in the future.
Minato saw their expressions and knew his message had landed.
"Starting tomorrow, Team Minato begins its official missions."
"Yeah!" Obito shouted.
The team's journey had officially begun.