We Can Only Say There's No Cooperation

"Teacher is so slow, I wasn't even late, and he's the one who's late, darn it!"

"Obito, the teacher might have had something come up."

"..."

Kakashi glanced over, unsure how to express his frustration.

You know you're always late?

But it was true.

As a Jonin, punctuality was an indispensable professional creed. How could he be this late?

Could he be observing us in secret!

He gripped his White Fang short blade, silently scanning their surroundings.

After a moment, Kakashi stiffened, slowly turning his head to look at a tree not far behind him.

"Good afternoon, everyone."

The next instant.

Minato appeared before them.

So fast!

Kakashi was astonished.

This speed...

Of everyone he'd met before, only Kyoichi possessed such terrifying Body Flicker Technique. Now, he'd met a second.

"Teacher, you were very late!"

Obito said angrily.

"Hahaha, actually, I arrived a long time ago and have been observing you. Clearly, only Kakashi has a sense of vigilance. You two... are unqualified!"

"Huh?"

Obito was dumbfounded upon hearing this.

Unqualified?

The test hadn't even started yet!

"Of course, Rin has the talent of a medical ninja and started learning Medical Knowledge at a young age. She's the type of ninja we urgently need, so I'll officially pass Rin. But you... Kakashi, Rin, you can vote on whether to keep Obito."

Minato Namikaze's smile was gentle, but his words were anything but.

He had previously tried to be serious and stern, but Kyoichi had told him he lacked presence and suggested he say such things with a smile.

Now, he saw.

Indeed, it had plenty of presence.

Obito was stunned, his mouth moving, not knowing what to say.

Good grief!

I thought I was here for an exam, but before it even started, I'm already out?

Kakashi, meanwhile, was thinking seriously.

Obito...

He really wasn't good enough.

It wasn't an issue of strength, but rather that this kid was too restless and undisciplined. It would be very difficult to get him to cooperate. He was seriously considering whether to replace Obito.

However.

Before he could even speak, Rin cut in, "Teacher, how can you do this... Obito works very hard too, give him another chance."

"He wasn't late this time, he has indeed been working hard."

Minato nodded with a smile.

"I, I won't be late again in the future!"

Obito panicked.

Judging by this, the Jonin really intended to kick him out.

They didn't doubt Minato's abilities.

Because they all knew, more or less, that Minato was Konoha's youngest Jonin ever and a disciple of Jiraiya, one of the Sannin. Getting rid of Obito was just a matter of his word.

"What about you, Kakashi?"

"Me? If you ask me to choose, I definitely wouldn't keep him, but... forget it, whatever."

Kakashi saw Rin's pleading gaze and didn't say anything further.

"Then, the assessment begins. The assessment is very simple. You'll pass if you can injure me. The assessment starts now..."

Minato Namikaze squatted there, seemingly with no defenses.

"Disperse!"

"As expected."

Kurenai Yuhi sighed.

Expecting Obito to understand tactics was a difficult task, especially when the order came from Kakashi Hatake.

Ever since enrolling a few years ago, Obito and Kakashi had been at odds.

Asuma's face darkened. He glanced at Shisui, then at Obito, who remained rooted to the spot in the distance.

How bold.

His opponent was a Jonin!

The three of them, devising various tactics and cooperating to their absolute limit, still couldn't even touch Kyoichi. And he, Obito, was just one person.

"That's not to say, at least his Great Fireball Technique is pretty good."

Kyoichi chuckled.

Obito wasn't without his strengths.

His Great Fireball and shuriken were both proficient, and he handled his kunai well. He just lacked common sense, his judgment and thinking skills were lacking.

Simply put.

Others were dead last because they lacked talent. Obito was simply brainless.

It was a shame, though...

It was truly difficult to injure someone with the Great Fireball Technique.

As expected.

What he hit was just a substitute.

Rin had no choice but to come back and rescue him, but Kakashi didn't hesitate at all, merely throwing shuriken from a distance to provide cover.

Shisui asked, puzzled, "Why is he hiding?"

"Hmm?"

Asuma tilted his head, not quite understanding his question.

Kurenai Yuhi, however, offered a slight explanation: "Kakashi is like this. It's hard to explain in a few words."

"Shisui, what do you think should be done at this moment?"

Kyoichi didn't answer directly.

"Obito and Rin have been held back. As the strongest combatants in the squad besides the Jonin, we should definitely assist them in retreating."

Shisui said.

"Let's keep watching."

Kyoichi was noncommittal.

At this moment, the situation on the field changed.

Minato had made his move!

Although Obito and Rin tried their best to resist, how could they be his match?

They were on the verge of defeat.

Just then, a flash of a blade shot out from underground.

Kakashi!

"Such fast sword skills."

Asuma was greatly astonished.

This was the first time he had seen Kakashi go all out. His speed was incredible, his attacks decisive and ruthless. He was like a veteran of countless battles, not at all like someone their age.

However.

It was useless. Minato was faster.

The sound of weapons colliding could be heard even from this distance.

Obito and Rin attempted to join the fight, but they couldn't get involved at all.

Although they attacked constantly, the effect was very ordinary.

"What do you guys think?"

"Their fighting is off."

"There's no coordination; they're fighting chaotically."

"I think so too."

Shisui and Kurenai voiced their opinions one after another. By the time it got to Asuma, there was nothing more to say, so he simply repeated what they had said.

Actually.

It couldn't be said they didn't cooperate, only that there was no cooperation at all.

Originally, Obito and Rin had some coordination and tacit understanding, but once Kakashi joined, the battle became so chaotic it was unbearable to watch. Forget about playing to their individual strengths; it was questionable if they could even utilize their own abilities.

Team combat has never been about individual performance—

Unless someone is overwhelmingly strong.

Clearly, Kakashi wasn't that strong.

"If I had the three of you go, would you be confident in defeating Kakashi and the others?"

Kyoichi asked.

"Us? I don't think there'd be a problem."

Asuma said after some thought.

Shisui and Kurenai also nodded gently.

Kakashi was strong, but he was only one person. As long as they dealt with Obito and Rin, then turned to face Kakashi, would three people fighting one still be wiped out by him?

"Minato, let them go in a moment."

"Alright, then I'll finish this quickly so they don't deplete too much chakra."

The Shadow Clone said and immediately dispersed.

The next moment.

In the battlefield, Minato's speed suddenly doubled.

With a "clang, clang" sound, the forehead protectors of Kakashi, Obito, and Rin were all knocked off.

"All of you are unqualified!"

Minato's expression was stern.

He looked at the three, finally settling on Kakashi, and said, "If this is what you think being a ninja is, then I advise you to go back to school. Don't go to the battlefield and harm yourselves and others."

"..."

Kakashi clenched his short sword, glanced at Obito, and snorted coldly, clearly quite unconvinced.

"Unconvinced? Fine, coincidentally, I've invited Jonin Kyoichi and the first squad. You can spar with them and see what other teams are like."

Minato was quite blunt.

He was genuinely a bit angry, starting to understand why no Chunin team wanted Kakashi, and why the Third Hokage had to assign him to his own squad for reorganization.

How could this attitude work?