Yang Xing was quite satisfied with the spot and didn't notice anything happening beside him. When the wind stopped and a calm voice spoke, it nearly made him jump.
"Yo, kid!"
The moment he heard the voice, Yang Xing instinctively grabbed a kunai. It was a reflexive move; as he spun around, he flung the kunai with both hands in a flash.
The kunai cut through the air, leaving everyone around them stunned.
"Ah! Lord Fourth Hokage!"
The bespectacled teacher's shout made Yang Xing look toward the figure not far away. The blond Minato Namikaze was leaping backward with a cocky grin, dodging Yang Xing's kunai with ease.
"Haha, this kid's hilarious. The first person in Konoha Village brave enough to throw a shuriken at the Fourth Hokage." There were clearly others present, and judging by the childish voice, the speaker seemed to be around Yang Xing's age. "Right, Kakashi? Hey, Kakashi, don't look so glum. I'm not thrilled about being on your team either, but what can we do? It's the teacher's decision."
"Were you talking just now? Sorry, I was thinking about something and didn't hear you. Could you say that again?"
"You jerk! Are you looking for a fight? Fine, bring it on! We can finish the fight we never got to have at school. As if I'm afraid of you!"
"Kakashi, Obito, we're teammates. Don't fight. Lord Fourth Hokage is here, too."
The three bickering boys made quite a lively scene.
"Good, now everyone's here." Minato Namikaze landed and smiled. Looking around at them, he said, "There are four of us in the group, but that's not bad. Two against two makes things nice and even."
He spoke loudly, but unfortunately, two of them were already fighting, their fierce movements completely drowning out his words.
"Kakashi, I've had enough! I'm challenging you to a one-on-one fight!"
"You can't beat me."
"Gah! That attitude of yours is what really pisses me off! I'm going to smash that face of yours today, no matter what!"
"We're all teammates! Don't fight, please!"
A flustered little girl and two boys were grappling—no, one was chasing the other, while the other toyed with him. It was obvious that Kakashi, with his deadpan expression, didn't take Obito Uchiha seriously at all.
Rin Nohara kept waving her hands from the sidelines, but she couldn't stop them.
Yang Xing watched with interest from the side, with no intention of stepping in. If anyone was going to stop them, there was someone far more suited for the job.
"Hey, you two..." The calm voice rang out, and a figure appeared between them in an instant. Minato Namikaze grabbed each boy by the collar and lifted them off the ground. "Fighting isn't good."
The words rang out without a hitch, and he'd done it all in the time it took to say one sentence.
Yang Xing's heart gave a sudden leap. He didn't even need to voice his surprise.
"So fast!" The shock on Rin Nohara's, Kakashi's, and Obito's faces showed how impressed they were by Minato Namikaze's strength.
Even Kakashi, who had looked so glum just moments ago, couldn't hide the surprise in his visible eye.
"All right. You'll have plenty of chances to fight later, but you can't fight your teammates." Minato Namikaze set them down and clapped his hands, smiling. "Now, listen to what I have to say. And if you don't, I'll use that same move to toss you onto the treetops over there. Got it?"
The Fourth Hokage kept smiling, but his smile sent a chill down their spines.
At that speed, getting tossed would probably feel like being launched by a rocket. He wasn't joking.
Obito and Kakashi knew exactly how strong Minato Namikaze was, so they behaved themselves. They even nodded with great enthusiasm.
"Now, then... Right, your name's Yang Xing, isn't it? That's a nice name. Come over here." Having settled things with Kakashi and Obito, Minato Namikaze called Yang Xing over.
Yang Xing had no choice but to go.
His stand-in teacher had already left. It looked like this man would be his instructor from now on.
No wonder that bespectacled nerd had said his butt was itching.
He hadn't expected the Fourth Hokage to be the one training him. Thinking about it, who else in Konoha Village could a special instructor trust so much?
Though reluctant, Yang Xing stepped forward and joined the other three.
The four of them made a unique, somewhat strange group.
With a pair of sworn enemies among them, the atmosphere was unusually quiet. They didn't even greet one another.
"Well, let's introduce ourselves. Whether you like it or not, you'll be training for over a year starting today. We'll begin on the left."
"Yeah." Though reluctant, Obito managed to compose himself and said, "I'm Obito Uchiha. Well, my name speaks for itself."
"Someone from the Uchiha Clan. Mm-hmm. Next."
"Kakashi Hatake." Kakashi wore the same deadpan expression and acted just as aloof. You'd think saying one more word was too much trouble.
"I-I'm Rin Nohara."
Her nervous little face turned slightly red.
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