Training Ends, Time to Part

After half a month of intensive training, the strength of the three members of Team Minato had improved qualitatively.

Uchiha Obito's body had become more robust, Nohara Rin's ninjutsu had progressed rapidly, and Hatake Kakashi's swordsmanship had grown sharper.

Compared to these, the mental state of the three had undergone a complete transformation.

Within those fifteen days, Team Minato had engaged in a total of six battles.

Four of these were chance encounters with Sand Ninja, while the other two were initiated after Sen Chisato located the enemy using his Perception Technique and led them to engage.

From encounter battles to ambushes and pursuit missions, Team Minato had experienced them all.

In these six battles, Namikaze Minato and Sen Chisato did not intervene casually, choosing instead to lurk in the shadows to provide a safety net.

After every battle, Namikaze Minato and Sen Chisato would conduct an analysis and summary, picking apart every detail from the initial decision-making to the mistakes made during the fight.

Through repeated combat, the three shifted from fighting as individuals—relying solely on personal strength and encountering various problems—to becoming cautious, learning to formulate careful plans, and understanding the importance of coordination during battle.

Uchiha Obito was no longer reckless and had become much more composed; Nohara Rin had a clearer understanding of her role within the squad; and Kakashi had reluctantly integrated into the team, realizing the importance of his companions and no longer viewing himself as a lone wolf.

Although there was still a long way to go before they became a qualified squad, they at least looked like a team now.

Moving through the forest with his back to the rising sun, Sen Chisato brought up the rear, staring at Uchiha Obito ahead of him and occasionally releasing killing intent to conduct "desensitization" training.

Every time he felt the killing intent, Uchiha Obito's heart would tighten, yet his pace never faltered.

After so many days, he had grown accustomed to the killing intent; he would no longer be intimidated when facing an enemy.

Now, he just wanted to encounter an enemy again so he could showcase the results of his training and show off in front of everyone.

As he fantasized about defeating all his enemies, receiving praise from Namikaze Minato, gaining recognition from Sen Chisato, hearing a begrudging compliment from Kakashi, and seeing the admiring gaze of Rin, a voice suddenly rang out from behind him:

"If you discovered an enemy right now, what would you do?"

Caught in his daydream, Obito hadn't fully recovered, and the answer branded into his brain spilled out without a second thought: "Alert my teammates and hide immediately."

"And if the enemy hasn't discovered you yet?"

"Confirm the number of enemies, their strength, and their status."

"The number of enemies doesn't exceed what you can handle, but their strength is unknown. What then?"

"Then try a sneak attack first!" Uchiha Obito answered confidently, his smile growing even brighter.

This kind of Q&A had happened many times over the past few days. Sen Chisato would always ask questions at unexpected moments; it was fine if he answered correctly, and acceptable if he didn't know, but if he dared to answer carelessly, he would definitely be punished.

Fortunately, he had memorized the answers to most of the questions, though he had suffered many beatings for it over the past few days.

As for this last question, he hadn't been asked it before. However, that was exactly how Kakashi had answered last time, and he had memorized it carefully, ensuring not a single word was off!

Heh heh, let's see how you find an excuse to torture me this time, Uchiha Obito thought to himself with a grin.

Then, he heard an emotionless evaluation: "Wrong answer!"

Sen Chisato instantly leaped over his head and delivered a swift, fierce kick to his abdomen, moving too fast for him to react.

Bang!

The powerful force slammed into his gut, sending Uchiha Obito flying backward, doubled over, until he crashed heavily onto the ground.

Clutching his stomach, Uchiha Obito scrambled up in a sorry state and roared indignantly, "Damn it, what did I do wrong?!"

But Sen Chisato ignored him entirely and turned to "harass" Kakashi instead.

Seeing this, Uchiha Obito grumbled and cursed as he resumed his pace.

Nohara Rin sighed and shook her head, slowing down to walk beside Obito. "Obito, you started spacing out yesterday after you eavesdropped on Kakashi's answer, didn't you?"

"Eh?" Uchiha Obito looked surprised. "Rin, how did you know?"

"Because that answer was already rejected by Chisato," Nohara Rin said helplessly.

"But I don't see what's wrong with doing that," Obito protested, unconvinced.

"Chisato said that while a sneak attack is fine, you must set a trap first, then attack. If you succeed, it's a happy ending, and if you fail, you can lure the enemy into the trap to increase your chances of winning," Nohara Rin explained earnestly.

"We never made things this complicated when we encountered enemies before," Obito muttered, thinking it was a real hassle.

"Chisato explained that, too. In the past, we were always on tight mission schedules, and Minato-sensei was there to cover for us, which is why our methods were so 'rough'... after all, Minato-sensei is very busy."

"But that won't work anymore. The war situation is getting worse, and Minato-sensei will be busier and busier. He might even leave us to carry out dangerous missions and won't have time to guide us," Nohara Rin said, a trace of worry appearing on her face.

"Then, then what are we supposed to do in the future?" Suddenly hearing this news, Obito, who had always been carefree, was caught completely off guard and began to feel anxious.

"It's highly likely that Kakashi will lead us on future missions," Nohara Rin said.

"What?!" Obito couldn't accept this arrangement, his face twisting in frustration.

Nohara Rin sighed and said, "Minato-sensei and Chisato said that Kakashi's leadership, planning, and execution skills have improved significantly during this time, and he is already qualified to be a squad leader."

"Besides, if other ninja were added to the squad, it would likely disrupt the current chemistry of Team Minato, so it's better to just let Kakashi lead."

"But Kakashi is only a Chunin, how can he be a captain?" Obito was very annoyed; he simply refused to accept Kakashi.

Nohara Rin rolled her eyes at him. "Obito, have you forgotten? A Chunin can serve as a squad leader."

Or rather, most ninja squads were led by Chunin to begin with. Only special squads or classes of new geniuses were led by Jonin captains and teachers.

Thinking that he was still a Genin and didn't even qualify as a candidate, Obito looked resentful. He clenched his fists and vowed, "Hmph, just you wait. I'll definitely train hard, surpass Kakashi, and make Minato-sensei choose me as captain!"

"Then you might not get that chance," Sen Chisato's voice suddenly rang out, "at least not right now."

Obito froze, looking up to realize that Namikaze Minato and the others had already come to a halt.

"What's wrong?" Obito and Nohara Rin hurried to catch up.

They were currently standing at the edge of a cliff, overlooking a lush, verdant forest below.

Namikaze Minato reached out and pointed ahead: "We have reached the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire."

"In other words, this cleanup mission is just about finished," Sen Chisato added.

"Huh?" Obito wore a look of disappointment. "Does that mean..."

Kakashi and Nohara Rin also looked reluctant to leave.

The mission ending meant they would have to part ways with Sen Chisato, and their special training would come to a close as well.

Although their time together had been short, they could clearly feel the immense improvement Sen Chisato had brought them.

They hadn't even had the chance to express their gratitude before being faced with this sudden separation.

Sen Chisato curled the corner of his mouth, just about to speak, when he suddenly sensed something.

Closing his eyes to perceive his surroundings carefully, he said to Obito: "It seems you have one last chance to prove yourself."