Think What Minato Would Do

That afternoon, at Konoha No. 2 Park.

"What's going on?"

Watching Kushina rummage nonstop through her little bag, apparently searching for something, Obito quietly asked Ying Shu.

"She said Minato-sensei had something to do... Just go along with it. She's our teacher's wife, after all," Ying Shu quietly replied.

"Stay sharp." Kakashi wore a serious expression. "My dad said our teacher's wife is no joke. They call her the person in Konoha you should never provoke. When she gets angry, even the Hokage has to hide at home and refuse to come out."

"Anyway, whatever you do, don't make her angry."

Ying Shu, who felt the same way, nodded. Obito, however, looked thoroughly confused.

"Kushina... I mean, our teacher's wife is that scary? She seems pretty gentle to me. And generous, too."

Obito truly was the kind of person who could call Orochimaru amiable.

His impression of Kushina was still stuck on that deluxe bowl of Ichiraku Ramen.

"How strange... I clearly remember bringing it. Ah! Found it, found it!"

At last, Kushina found her "teaching tool" among the jingling treasures in her little bag—a delicate bell.

Kushina placed the bell in her palm and gave it a ring. Smiling with narrowed eyes, she said, "Kids, the test is about to begin."

"No matter what method you use, as long as you can snatch this bell from my hand, you pass!"

As she spoke, Kushina kept shooting Ying Shu meaningful looks, seemingly trying to confirm something.

"..." Ying Shu had no idea how to respond.

I could help bring you to the meeting spot, but I can't tell you what the test is about too, can I? Wouldn't that be admitting I leaked the questions?

Looking at the lone bell in Kushina's hand, Ying Shu found himself in a difficult position.

There should have been two bells, and the test was supposed to examine the trust and bonds between teammates.

But Kushina clearly had not thought that far ahead. She had probably only heard "grab the bells" from Minato.

"Then... shall the test begin?" Kushina announced in a questioning tone.

The three boys, Ying Shu included, froze for a moment. The first to react was unexpectedly Obito.

"Then excuse me, Kushina!" Obito charged straight at her!

After all, in the eyes of the Uchiha Clan's number-one genius, the meaning of life was to attack without end!

"You should call me teacher's wife!"

Kushina merely gently placed her fist on top of Obito's head, and then...

Boom.

The Uchiha Clan's number-one genius had fallen.

Kakashi, Ying Shu: !!!!!

The two exchanged a look and saw the signal to retreat in each other's eyes!

Damn, this test felt even harder than the graduation exam!

Minato was strong. He would seriously test the three boys, holding back while still giving them the greatest possible pressure.

But Kushina was different!

They looked at the huge bump swelling on Obito's head, which even seemed to be faintly smoking.

The two immediately realized that this test was absolutely not simple!

Ying Shu's mind buzzed. This wasn't how you grabbed bells! Judging by this, did they have to risk their lives for it?

"What do we do?" Kakashi swallowed and asked.

Perhaps Kakashi himself had not noticed that in certain situations—special circumstances like this one—he had developed a habit of relying on Ying Shu.

"We can't fight her head-on, can't confront her directly, can't... Anyway, let's save Obito first! Cover me, Kakashi!"

Ying Shu said through gritted teeth.

Snatching a bell did not warrant pulling out their strongest moves, but they could not just leave Obito there to die.

The two looked at each other, nodded in tacit understanding, then charged Kushina from opposite sides!

"Hm?" Kushina, who had been wondering whether she had hit too hard, raised her pretty brows at the sight.

The two little ones came at her fiercely, and one sentence echoed through Kushina's mind: Think what Minato would do.

Mm, she had to test them seriously.

So Kushina raised both fists.

"Damn!" Kakashi, who had rushed ahead the fastest, immediately slammed on the brakes. Reaching into his ninja tool pouch, he flicked his wrist and chose to let shuriken charge in his place.

Then he witnessed something he would never forget for the rest of his life.

Kushina coated both hands in chakra. Without even moving her feet from where she stood, she caught the shuriken barehanded!

Kakashi had thrown five in total. The little chili pepper caught two in one hand and three in the other, even having time to think for a moment after catching them before bringing both hands together and squeezing hard.

With a crack, all five shuriken became a pile of scrap metal!

Gulp—

Kakashi's throat bobbed, and his mouth instantly went dry.

If he had failed to stop in time...

By then, Ying Shu had already charged forward.

Panic rose in Kakashi's heart, yet instinctively, he wanted to give Ying Shu a thumbs-up. What a warrior!

Ying Shu rushed before Kushina, looking as though he would follow in Obito's footsteps the very next second.

"Hello, teacher's wife! You look so beautiful today!" Standing before Kushina, Ying Shu unleashed an unprecedented will to survive.

Sure enough, it worked. Kushina's fist turned into a delicate finger pose, and she smiled as she prepared to flick Ying Shu on the forehead.

"What a sweet mouth..." Kushina intended to go easier on him, while also lamenting that educating children truly was not so simple.

But Ying Shu had no intention of trading blows with Kushina. He would rather fight Root to the death, the kind where whoever ran was a grandson, than provoke the little chili pepper.

Ying Shu suddenly dropped low—not with a taijutsu ground technique, but to grab Obito, who was lying there like a corpse!

"Kakashi! Smoke bomb!"

Ying Shu shouted, and Kakashi did not let him down. The smoke bomb was ready almost the instant Ying Shu called out.

Bang! Smoke exploded outward.

Ying Shu immediately tried to drag Obito away amid the cover, but a small hand on his shoulder—and the immense strength contained within it—made his heart jolt!

"You can't run away, little Ying Shu."

Kushina's voice was so gentle, gentle like a demon from hell.

At that moment, a sentence suddenly popped into Ying Shu's mind: Angels made themselves ugly to frighten demons. Demons took the forms people loved most to tempt all living things.

Now was not the time to pretend he was cultured!

Ying Shu gritted his teeth, released Obito with both hands, and kicked him flying before rapidly forming hand seals.

Kakashi decisively caught him, but his heart sank halfway.

Trading Obito for Ying Shu—how were they supposed to keep fighting now?

But Ying Shu's voice soon sounded beside Kakashi again.

"Run, run, run!" Ying Shu, who had escaped by using the Substitution Technique, frantically urged him onward!

The three boys fled in disarray. They vaguely heard another crack behind them. There was no need to guess—the wooden post used as a substitute was probably doomed!

Kakashi and Ying Shu felt like crying. It had been a perfectly normal test, a perfectly normal bell-grabbing exercise, yet it had turned into hell difficulty!

"Lord Hokage! I'll go stop Kushina right away!"

In the Hokage's office, Minato watched the scene in the crystal ball threaten to turn into a horror film and hurriedly volunteered. Cold sweat already covered his forehead.

"Uh..." Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned for a long while. He glanced at the crystal ball, then at the beard in his hand.

His beard had been falling out rather quickly these past two days...

"Well... Minato, Kushina should know her limits. Don't worry too much just yet."

"If you spoil them too much, it could backfire."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was indeed an old hand. With one sharp-eyed remark, he tossed the three boys of Team 7 into a vat of oil.

And fried them over and over.

Minato's mouth fell open, his shocked expression gradually turning blank.

Watching the three boys flee wildly in the crystal ball, Minato had something he did not know whether he should say...