*Boom!*
White Fang delivered a lightning-fast spinning kick. Satoru crossed his arms to block.
Though the jonin's kick didn't seem too strong, it sent Satoru flying several meters back.
"Minato! Yoshime! Teacher White Fang is very strong! He's not easy to handle!" The transmigrator had never faced Kage-level shinobi power before and, honestly, had underestimated his opponent a bit.
He'd thought even hiding his trump cards, he could prevail over White Fang. In truth, he'd gotten too full of himself. His abilities were strong, sure, but he needed the chance to use them.
White Fang's sword was short, and at first the transmigrator thought it unsuitable for direct combat. But now he understood: the shorter the sword, the faster the kills.
"I said, fight me with intent to kill—that's the only way to take this bell," White Fang repeated.
"We must act together, Satoru, Minato," Yoshime suggested, casting aside all former prejudices. She wanted to unite their efforts to steal the bell from the shinobi world's legend—White Fang.
"Smoke Screen!" Namikaze, seizing the moment, tossed several smoke bombs. The trio of young shinobi vanished into the smoke instantly.
"These kids are very strong. Polish them properly, and they'll be fine gems," Hatake noted, standing still and gazing toward the swirling smoke.
Meanwhile, Satoru had already discussed a plan with his comrades.
This plan carried some risk for Satoru, as he'd have to use the Flying Thunder God Technique, which he didn't master perfectly yet!
Satoru had already placed Hiraishin marks on his two comrades.
"Go!" The System's owner commanded, ready.
"Shadow Clone Technique!" The Earth native and the young genius used shadow clones simultaneously. Both created plenty of copies, which burst from the smoke screen.
"Spreading their forces? What are they planning?" Sakumo watched their actions with great curiosity.
The shadow clones of Namikaze and Satoru emerging from the smoke naturally charged at White Fang. He, unmoving, swung his White Fang again, destroying the clones appearing before him.
*Sh-sh-sh!*
At that moment, Yoshime suddenly leaped out. She jumped into the air and, falling from above, formed hand seals and shouted loudly:
"Wood Style: Minor Birth of the Wood World!"
Countless trees erupted from the ground instantly. Growing from below, they entangled White Fang's legs.
White Fang swung his White Fang and effortlessly sliced the vines binding his legs. At that exact moment, the real Satoru and Minato charged from the front.
Simultaneously, the girl fell from above.
"So that's it. Diversion, then attack from multiple directions?" White Fang noted.
He was about to kick Minato and Satoru away, then deal with Yoshime, when he noticed the young genius grab the younger one by the hand and hurl him straight at him.
"Using collision force? Laughable. A bit of agility is enough to neutralize it," White Fang thought with a mental smirk.
"Armament Haki!" Both of the Earth native's hands blackened with Haki as he rushed at White Fang.
Kakashi's future father decided to ignore Yoshime attacking from above with relatively weak force for now and first handle Satoru, strong in close combat.
But the instant all three should have collided, a whistle sounded, and Satoru vanished right in front of White Fang.
"This?! Body Flicker Technique?" White Fang was extremely surprised. He'd never heard of a Body Flicker Technique that didn't require hand seals.
"The bell! Got it!" Satoru shouted loudly, drawing White Fang's attention. Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, Satoru had teleported upward.
"Not so simple!" White Fang demonstrated his terrifying sword mastery again, using the back of the blade to repel both Satoru and Yoshime simultaneously.
But at that exact moment, Namikaze smiled slightly, and White Fang sensed something amiss.
*Boom!*
It turned out the Satoru and Yoshime repelled by White Fang were just shadow clones! They vanished, enveloping everything in smoke.
"Bad!" Sakumo immediately checked his pouch. He found the bell that had been there was gone.
And at that very moment, Satoru appeared on the training ground. He tossed the bell in his hand and spoke:
"Teacher White Fang, we took the bell."
"We can graduate now, right?" Satoru asked with a smile.
Hatake instantly understood their battle tactic. It was all to distract and delay him. The bell was likely stolen when he attacked the shadow clones.
Since White Fang was overconfident, he hadn't tied the bell with string, so a mere touch was enough to pull it out.
And the transmigrator, using the Flying Thunder God Technique, his chakra-sensing ability, and his teammates' help, managed to take the bell.
"Incredible! Not for nothing, Satoru! But you two will have to return to the Ninja Academy for retraining," White Fang still pretended to be extremely disappointed.
But Satoru just smiled slightly:
"Come on, Teacher White Fang, no need to pretend anymore. The bell test never meant expulsion. Teacher Sarutobi tested Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru the same way."
"The purpose of this test is to help us three bond, get to know each other better, and adapt to each other's fighting styles. Don't worry, Teacher White Fang, we'll diligently grow stronger in the future!"
Satoru not only took the bell with his comrades but fully grasped the test's meaning. Even the jonin didn't know what to say.
"Seems you're not just strong but understand these things well. Since you get the fight's point, I have nothing more to say," White Fang's serious expression finally softened.
"So that's it?!" Minato and Yoshime smiled satisfied too.
"Yes, you've truly become genin. From now on, I'll be your temporary mentor," Sakumo revealed. "I'll be your teacher, and I have just three rules."
"First: whatever I order, you do it."
"Second: whatever I forbid, you don't do."
"Third: if you have objections or other thoughts, tell me immediately. Silence means no objections. And if no objections, follow the first two. Questions?"
Satoru thought a bit and realized Hatake Sakumo was an enlightened leader.
As ninja, naturally obey superiors' orders. White Fang's first two rules were basic for shinobi. The third meant the jonin allowed differing opinions and was open to dialogue. Where else to find such a good boss?
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan