A Passing Answer

In an instant, wave after wave of ninjutsu bombardment ravaged the training ground, completely engulfing it.

Water dragons and earth dragons coiled around each other with roaring cries. Massive waterfalls rose one after another, while sharp Earth Spears constantly burst from the ground, working with towering Earth Style: Earth Walls to reshape the battlefield.

Tejima Shinichi's original body and four Shadow Clones were like five spell turrets, relentlessly pouring out ninjutsu as if their Chakra were inexhaustible.

Yamato looked as though he had seen a ghost as he weaved and dodged through the dense barrage.

He had barely used a Wood Golem Wall to block a Water Dragon Jutsu from one side when an Earth Spear shot up beneath his feet from the other, forcing him into a clumsy sideways roll.

Before he could regain his footing, the aftershock from the massive waterfall crashed down from above. He had no choice but to form seals again and raise a wooden shield to block it.

Water and mud soaked his clothes. The Jonin, usually so composed, now looked somewhat flustered.

The offensive had already continued for nearly two and a half minutes—

Yet there was no sign that Tejima Shinichi's ninjutsu casting frequency was slowing in the slightest.

Faced with the overwhelming, ceaseless barrage of ninjutsu, Yamato furrowed his brow.

No. I can't let him drag me into a battle of attrition. This brat's Chakra reserves are absurd. I have to get close and break his rhythm!

He formed a seal with both hands, and his figure flickered.

"Wood Release: Wood Clone Jutsu!"

Two Wood Clones appeared instantly, circling around from both sides to surround Tejima Shinichi's original body.

At the same time, Yamato himself used the cover of a Wood Golem Wall to swiftly close in.

As long as I get close, I can suppress him with Taijutsu and experience!

Watching Yamato rapidly approach, Tejima Shinichi's eyes sharpened. He immediately saw through Yamato's intentions.

"Trying to get close? It won't be that easy."

He had no intention of tangling with Yamato head-on. His original body retreated without hesitation while his hands formed seals once more—

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three more Shadow Clones appeared, replacing the earlier clones that had dispersed after exhausting their Chakra. Without pausing, they continued forming seals!

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique!"

New ninjutsu instantly took shape. Like artillery turrets that never stopped firing, they blasted toward Yamato and his Wood Clones as they attempted to close in.

Yamato and the Wood Clones nimbly evaded the attacks, trying to reduce the distance.

"Damn, his reactions are fast!"

One Wood Clone barely dodged a Water Dragon Jutsu and rushed toward a Shadow Clone, only for the ground beneath its feet to suddenly bulge—

"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"

"What?!"

The Wood Clone hurriedly leaped back, narrowly avoiding it.

The other Wood Clone tried to ambush Tejima Shinichi's original body from the flank, but it ran straight into a thick Earth Style: Earth Wall. A Water Dragon Jutsu then blasted in from behind and scattered it.

He saw through everything...

Yamato's original body tried several times to launch a surprise attack from underground with Wood Release: Silent Killing Bind Technique, seeking to bind Tejima Shinichi's ankles.

"Got you!"

Wooden branches burst from the ground, but in the next instant, Tejima Shinichi broke free!

Tejima Shinichi either used Earth Release in advance to alter the terrain and defend himself, or simply used the Body Flicker Technique to evade.

"It's useless, Teacher Yamato. I'm not giving you any openings."

Tejima Shinichi even had the spare breath to speak while directing his Shadow Clones to keep suppressing Yamato's position with ninjutsu.

For a moment, an absurd yet astonishing scene unfolded across the training ground:

An experienced Jonin was being led around by the nose by a Genin using this sort of hit-and-run tactic.

When Yamato pursued him, Tejima Shinichi ran while countless ninjutsu rained down on him. When Yamato stopped to defend or tried to restrain him, Tejima Shinichi used the chance to widen the distance further and summoned new Shadow Clones to maintain the intensity of his firepower.

"This guy..."

Yamato dodged another Earth Dragon Jutsu and looked at Tejima Shinichi in the distance. Shinichi's breathing was only slightly hurried, and his hands were already forming seals for another round of ninjutsu. A powerful sense of helplessness rose within Yamato.

Does his Chakra really never run out? And he's completely forgotten that the point of this test is to steal the Bells. He's basically treating me like... a punching bag! If this keeps going, it'll never end!

Yamato had every reason to suspect that Tejima Shinichi was quietly getting revenge for that earlier Earth Spear!

He tried rushing in and restraining him several more times, but Tejima Shinichi countered them all in similar ways.

Tejima Shinichi simply gave him no chance to engage in close combat, pushing the advantages of his enormous Chakra reserves and long ninjutsu range to their limits.

"He's as slippery as an eel!"

Yamato stopped moving and no longer gave chase.

With a wave of his hand, he dispelled his last Wood Clone. Standing where he was, he looked at Tejima Shinichi, who remained vigilant in the distance with three Shadow Clones around him, and sighed helplessly.

"Forget it. Continuing would just be a waste of time. Without using serious force against you, quickly subduing you would require me to pay quite a price. This has completely strayed from the purpose of the test."

"All right, Shinichi." Yamato called out, wearing a rueful expression. "Stop."

Hearing this, Tejima Shinichi paused. The Shadow Clones beside him also stopped, but they did not disperse and remained on guard.

"That's it? I could have kept going for quite a while."

Yamato's face darkened slightly. Looking at him, he shook his head.

"You passed the test."

He untied the two Bells from his waist and weighed them in his hand.

"There's no point in continuing this fight," Yamato said frankly. "Without being able to use serious force against you, I really would have difficulty subduing you quickly without paying a certain price. This... tactic of yours, relying purely on overwhelming Chakra and ninjutsu, may not involve much skill—"

He paused, then added, "But it is effective."

He had to admit that even for him, an opponent with enough Chakra to squander freely who was absolutely determined not to fight at close range was somewhat troublesome within the limited rules of this test.

Tejima Shinichi looked at the Bells in Yamato's hand, then at the helpless expression on Yamato's face. Only then did he slowly form a seal and dispel all his Shadow Clones.

He calmed the surging Chakra within him, and his breathing gradually steadied.

It seems that simple quantitative change still can't properly bring about qualitative change against a true elite Jonin... Of course, maybe my quantity still isn't enough. But... forcing Yamato to stop on his own isn't bad either.

Not far away, Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu, who had watched the entire "unbelievable" battle, had gone completely numb.

"H-he forced a Jonin teacher to stop and admit defeat?" Kobayashi Ken's mouth was wide enough to fit an egg inside. He rubbed his eyes hard. "I'm not seeing things, am I? What did Shinichi even grow up eating? Is his Chakra infinite?"

Sato Yu rubbed his still-aching neck. Looking at Tejima Shinichi, his expression was complicated.

"It's not just that he's strong... His Chakra is like the ocean... And Shinichi never even considered taking the Bells. He was just... just directly competing with Teacher."

A sense of powerlessness mixed with shock filled both their hearts.

At that moment, Yamato tossed the two Bells to Tejima Shinichi.

Tejima Shinichi caught them. The cool touch of metal met his palm, and the Bells rang with a crisp jingle as they moved.

He lowered his head to look at the Bells in his hand, symbols of "passing," then looked up at his two teammates, who were still slumped on the ground nearby with complicated expressions.

Yamato's voice sounded at just the right moment, carrying a testing note. "As you can see, there are only two Bells. That means one of you must fail the test and be sent back to the Ninja Academy."

Those words instantly made Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu stand at attention!

Yamato's gaze swept across the three of them before settling on Tejima Shinichi. "Shinichi, the Bells are in your hands. According to the rules, you have the right to decide who... stays with you."

Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu both tensed at once and instinctively looked toward Tejima Shinichi.

They had discussed all this before the test, but now that the moment had truly arrived...

Tejima Shinichi barely hesitated before walking toward Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu.

Under their slightly nervous and puzzled gazes, he placed a Bell into each of their hands.

"Take them."

"Shinichi? You..." Kobayashi Ken stared blankly at the heavy Bell in his hand.

Sato Yu also gripped his Bell tightly, his eyes full of astonishment. "This... You should keep one yourself..."

Tejima Shinichi straightened up, his back to Yamato as he faced his two teammates.

"Whether I stay or you stay, the result is the same. If a so-called team needs to sacrifice a companion to earn qualification, then such a team isn't worth staying in."

"Besides," he paused and glanced back at Yamato, "I believe Teacher Yamato didn't set up this test to make us kill each other. So I'm willing to make this choice... and I won't regret it!"

This kid... Yamato's heart stirred, though his expression remained unchanged.

Kobayashi Ken looked at the Bell in his hand, then at Tejima Shinichi's calm face. He suddenly gritted his teeth and shoved the Bell back into Tejima Shinichi's hands.

"What are you talking about?! Shinichi, we've always believed in you, but... you're only guessing the purpose of the test. You shouldn't gamble. You're much stronger than us! This Bell should be yours! I... I can always come back next year!"

Sato Yu also made his decision. He held out his Bell, his tone firm. "Ken is right. The strongest person should stay. Even if Teacher Yamato really set up such a test, we... can't hold you back."

Seeing Sato Yu make the same choice as him, Kobayashi Ken felt considerably relieved.

At least when faced with this difficult decision, neither of them had betrayed Shinichi's trust.

Sato Yu looked at Kobayashi Ken as well. They exchanged a smile, one that carried both relief and bitterness.

"Maybe..." Kobayashi Ken took a deep breath, calming himself. "Maybe Teacher Yamato is right. Whoever fails should return to the Ninja Academy... This test showed us our true strength."

Sato Yu nodded and added, "When facing a true strong person, we can't even manage effective coordination. Maybe people like us... really should return to the Ninja Academy and build a solid foundation again."

Hearing this, Yamato, who had been silently observing the situation, immediately looked more troubled.

Oh no... His heart skipped a beat as he saw the thoughtfulness and disappointment on the two children's faces. Did I go too far? Or did Shinichi's strength, so far beyond that of his peers, crush their confidence?

He had only wanted to test the bonds of teamwork, yet he might have personally extinguished the fighting spirit that had just begun to burn within two young seedlings.

Tejima Shinichi looked at the two Bells shoved back at him, then at his two unwilling teammates. His brow furrowed slightly.

These two idiots...

Just as he was about to speak again, Yamato's voice rang out urgently.

"All right."

The three of them looked at him simultaneously.

For the first time that day, Yamato showed a genuinely relaxed smile. He stepped forward and took the two Bells from Tejima Shinichi's hands.

"The true purpose of the test was never to make you fight over these two Bells." Yamato shook them lightly, producing a pleasant sound. "It was to see whether, in desperate circumstances, you would choose to trust your companions, and whether you would give up your own interests for them."

As he spoke, Yamato's gaze moved over Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu.

"Even when you could barely protect yourselves, you were still willing to give the opportunity to the companion you believed was stronger." He then looked at Tejima Shinichi. "And you, from the very beginning, never cared about the Bells. Your goal was to defeat me. After receiving the Bells, your first choice was to give them to your companions. You were even willing to leave the team rather than accept a qualification gained by sacrificing them."

Yamato gently placed the Bells on the ground between the three of them.

"You three all 'failed' perfectly." Yamato looked at their astonished faces and announced with a smile, "But as a team, you have passed! And with flying colors!"

His smile faded as his expression turned solemn.

"Remember the choice you made today. In future missions, you must entrust your backs to one another. Trust, sacrifice, protection—these are the reasons a ninja team exists. They are far more important than individual strength... And this is what my seniors taught me!"

"Team 1," Yamato declared in a booming voice, "I recognize you!"

Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu froze for a moment, then their faces erupted with ecstatic joy.

"Th-that's great! We passed!"

Sato Yu excitedly threw his arms around Kobayashi Ken beside him, nearly squeezing him until his eyes rolled back.

Tejima Shinichi watched his cheering teammates, then glanced at the two Bells on the ground, which no longer held any meaning as a means of selection. The corner of his lips lifted slightly.

Trust and protection... That doesn't sound too bad.

After the cheering subsided, the excited atmosphere on the training ground gradually cooled.

The joy on Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu's faces slowly faded, replaced by hesitation and unease.

Kobayashi Ken scratched the back of his head.

"But... Teacher Yamato, did our performance just now... really deserve the title of 'Genin'? Before you, we couldn't even withstand a single move..."

Sato Yu also lowered his head and looked at his palm, reddened from gripping his Kunai tightly. He softly agreed.

"Yeah. Compared with Shinichi, the gap in our strength is too great. Can people like us really become qualified ninja? Won't we just hold everyone back on missions?"

Clear self-doubt appeared on both their faces. The helplessness they had felt during the test weighed heavily on their hearts.

Seeing the genuine confusion and frustration on the two children's faces, Yamato's heart sank.

As expected, I really did hurt their confidence...

He silently cursed his mistake. He could not let his first time as a Jonin Instructor ruin two students.

"Listen," Yamato hurriedly said as he crouched down to meet their eyes. "Strength is only one criterion for judging whether a ninja is qualified, and it is by no means the only one."

He pointed at the Bells on the ground.

"True strength does not simply mean being able to use powerful ninjutsu or having fast Taijutsu. More importantly, it is here—" He tapped his chest. "It is having a heart that protects companions and never gives up."

"When I was your age," Yamato said, his tone tinged with memory, "I also felt that I wasn't strong enough. I also went through countless failures and setbacks. But it was precisely those experiences, along with the trust and support of my companions, that allowed me to reach where I am today step by step."

"Differences in strength can be made up through future missions and training. But what you showed today—a willingness to think of your companions and not easily abandon them—is a precious quality that many ninja cannot attain even after years of training."

Yamato's gaze swept over Tejima Shinichi before returning to Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu.

"So lift your heads. Through your actions, you have proven that you possess the most important qualities needed to become excellent ninja. I, Yamato, as your Jonin Instructor, firmly believe that."

Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu listened in a daze as the confusion in their eyes was gradually replaced by a new light.

Inside the Hokage's Office.

The glow of the Crystal Ball slowly dimmed before finally returning to the clear brilliance of ordinary crystal.

Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly leaned back in his chair. The pipe in his hand had not been raised for a long time, and he allowed its tiny ember to slowly die within the bowl.

The office was silent, with only the faint bustle of Konoha drifting in from outside the window.

After a long while, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally exhaled a long breath of stale air that had been building in his chest.

His face, which had witnessed countless storms and upheavals, was now filled with complicated emotions.

"Tejima Shinichi..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen softly repeated the name.

"He forced Yamato to stop on his own..."

The conclusion echoed through his mind, bringing him a shock far greater than when he had seen the Rasengan.

He knew Yamato's strength better than anyone.

Yamato was an elite Jonin tempered by years in the Anbu, fused with the First Hokage's Cells, and capable of wielding Wood Release!

Even in a test where he could not use lethal force, his strength was far beyond that of an ordinary Jonin.

"Relying only on that uninterrupted bombardment of high-level ninjutsu and those unfathomable Chakra reserves..." Sarutobi Hiruzen lightly tapped his fingers against the desk. "That child has already truly reached the threshold of a Special Jonin in destructive power and endurance alone. Perhaps... he has even surpassed it."

A Genin who had only just graduated!

This level of talent was already no less than Kakashi's!

His talent and potential were no less than Kakashi's back then. Sarutobi Hiruzen silently added in his heart. If not for the fact that he grew up in peacetime, leaving his combat experience and responses somewhat immature, then perhaps...

Yet what stirred Sarutobi Hiruzen's emotions even more was the final, unexpected yet perfectly reasonable scene of the test.

His gaze seemed to pass through the walls, once again seeing Tejima Shinichi unhesitatingly stuff the bell into his companion's hands on the training ground, hearing those words.

"Trust... sacrifice... protection..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen murmured to himself, a relieved smile gradually appearing at the corners of his mouth.

"He did not become intoxicated by his own great strength, nor did his talent make him arrogant. Instead, even while possessing strength, he could still recognize the importance of his companions..."

At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen recalled the First Hokage's original intention in founding the village, the Second Hokage's efforts to perfect its systems, and the Fourth Hokage's sunlike smile and determination to sacrifice himself for the village.

"Where the leaves dance, the fire shall endure... The firelight will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout..."

Wasn't this precisely the Will of Fire he pursued!?

Tejima Shinichi, this new sprout brimming with limitless potential—what he had displayed was none other than an embodiment of the Will of Fire!

"Perhaps..." Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up his pipe again and slowly packed it with fresh tobacco. A tiny flame sprang from his fingertip and lit it. "...this child will become a unique light illuminating Konoha's future."

"Yamato, guide him well. This sapling is worth pouring your heart into."