A Familiar Tactic

He took a sharp breath, and his long white hair suddenly surged as if it had come alive, transforming into sweeping white whip-like shadows that struck all three Shadow Clones at once.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

All three Shadow Clones exploded into puffs of white smoke and vanished.

Jiraiya froze for a moment.

All three were Shadow Clones? Then where was the real body?

Before he could think it through, a massive Fūma Shuriken came spinning in from his blind side at incredible speed, slicing through the air with a piercing shriek.

Zhili had thrown it, and its timing and angle had been perfectly chosen for the instant after he swept away the clones, when his balance was still unstable.

"Tch—these little brats work together pretty well!"

Jiraiya twisted his body into an absurdly contorted position, forcing himself aside with power from his waist and abdomen.

The Fūma Shuriken grazed past his waist, cutting through the air behind him!

That was close. It nearly sliced through the bell cord.

Just as Jiraiya was about to praise them for their quick reactions, he saw Izumi Uchiha's lips curl slightly.

With a light flick of her wrist, the thin wire wrapped around the tail of the Fūma Shuriken snapped taut—

"Manipulated Shuriken Technique!"

Tugged by the wire, the Fūma Shuriken traced an arc through the air before suddenly turning back from behind Jiraiya, spinning as it slashed once more at his lower back!

Jiraiya's pupils contracted. He had no time to turn around and could only force chakra into his legs, springing straight up into the air in an utterly ridiculous pose.

The Fūma Shuriken flashed beneath his feet.

"Close, close..." Jiraiya let out a breath and looked down from midair. "But you're still too—"

The word "young" caught in his throat.

Because the Fūma Shuriken exploded into a puff of white smoke halfway through its return flight, then turned into a person.

Golden spiky hair, blue eyes, and a hand already reaching for Jiraiya's waist—

Smack.

The bells were yanked off in one grab.

Minato Namikaze landed on both feet, clutching the two jingling bells as he took three steps back to open the distance.

Wearing his signature little-sun smile, he waved the spoils in his hand at Jiraiya. "Jiraiya-sensei, I got the bells!"

Jiraiya landed on the ground and looked down at his now-empty belt, then up at the bells in Minato's hand. He stood there stunned for quite a while.

Then he burst out laughing.

"You're a good one, kid!" He strode over and vigorously ruffled Minato's hair.

"You used the Transformation Technique to turn into a Fūma Shuriken, then canceled it during the second return swing to snatch the bells—did you come up with that tactic on the spot?"

"Hahaha, Mirai and I came up with it when we used to spar!" Minato said with a laugh, pointing at Mirai behind him. "He told me to focus entirely on waiting for an opening, while Zhili created one."

Jiraiya turned to look at Mirai Uzumaki.

The red-haired brat had both hands in his pockets, his expression calm.

The tactic had indeed been good, but the real key was Mirai Uzumaki's Adamantine Sealing Chains. They had put the most pressure on Jiraiya, leaving him no room to think too much.

"Alright, not bad." Jiraiya nodded, then abruptly changed his tone. "But—you got the bells, yet I told you already. At most, only two people can pass.

There are three of you and only two bells. Discuss it among yourselves. Who's dropping out?"

The excitement from snatching the bells instantly cooled by half.

The three looked at one another. Minato lowered his head to look at the bells in his hand, then glanced at Mirai and Zhili, his brows furrowing.

Then he spoke first. "Um... I think, since we're graduating early anyway, there are still things I haven't fully mastered. I should drop out! I can go back to school and train for a while longer."

He scratched his head, his smile still as gentle as ever. "I'll come find you guys once I've gotten stronger."

Zhili glanced at him and coldly added, "I'll drop out. I don't want some pervy old man as my teacher, and I'm from the Uchiha Clan. Joining the Police Force would be fine too."

Veins bulged on Jiraiya's forehead. "...Hey, how am I pervy?"

Unfortunately, facing three pairs of sparklingly bright eyes, Jiraiya found himself rather lacking in confidence.

Mirai Uzumaki smiled. Sure enough, it was developing just like the original story!

The bell-snatching exercise was only meant to test whether a ninja possessed the spirit to sacrifice for their teammates.

In other words, teamwork.

He raised a hand. "Forget it, I'll drop out. Kushina just got assigned to Tsunade's team, and she's probably bored right now. I can go keep her company."

Jiraiya watched the three compete to drop out, a gratified smile appearing on his face.

These three little ones really would make fine disciples!

He burst into laughter. "Alright, alright, stop fighting over it. Congratulations—you all passed!"

"Huh?" Minato and Zhili froze at the same time.

Mirai had expected it already, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

"The bell-snatching test was truly a test of your unity and willingness to sacrifice."

Jiraiya held up three fingers. "A lack of strength can be trained away. Poor talent can be polished. But a selfish ninja, no matter how strong, is still a menace.

All three of you were willing to give the opportunity to someone else—so you've passed this test."

He reached out and patted their shoulders. The force was light, but it carried the weight of approval.

"Team 7 is officially established! Starting today, you are Genin of Konoha."

Mirai fell into thought. Was it Team 7 again, as if fate had ordained it?

"Meet at the entrance of the Hokage Building at eight tomorrow morning. I'll take you to receive your first mission."

After saying that, Jiraiya turned and walked toward the door. Halfway there, he looked back and added, "Oh, and remember to bring packed lunches tomorrow. The mission location might be a little far."

He waved, and his white-haired silhouette disappeared at the end of the corridor.

The training ground fell quiet for a while.

Minato looked down at the bells in his hand. "So... what do we do with these?"

"Keep them as souvenirs," Mirai said casually.

Zhili silently brushed the dust off her sleeve and walked out without expression.

When she reached the door, she paused briefly and tossed out a sentence without looking back. "Don't be late tomorrow."

Early the next morning, Mirai, Minato, and Zhili gathered outside the Hokage Building.

The three stood in a row, full of energy, their forehead protectors polished bright. They looked entirely like they were about to carry out some earth-shattering mission that day.

Then they waited from eight in the morning until eleven.

The sun climbed overhead, and its rays baked the ground until it was scorching hot.

Minato had been smiling at first, but eventually squatted on the ground and began drawing circles.

Zhili leaned against the wall, her expression shifting from blank to blank with a trace of impatience.

Mirai remained calm. He found a patch of shade, leaned against a tree, and closed his eyes to rest.

Someone who had been late yesterday—was there any reason to expect him not to be late today?

He silently decided that next time, he would go back to sleep for a while before coming out.