Teamwork

The subdued Inuzuka Kawa showed none of the panic or helplessness Minato had expected.

Instead, he lowered his head and sneered.

"Minato-sensei, don't underestimate us either."

Then he turned and grabbed Minato.

"What?!" This time, Minato was genuinely startled. There was only one possibility for an opponent to ignore the kunai in his hand: this was a Shadow Clone.

Given the Inuzuka Clan's foundation, it was not particularly surprising for someone their age to have mastered the Shadow Clone Technique. But choosing to use a Shadow Clone against him was simply too foolish.

With a Genin's level of chakra control, a single Shadow Clone would consume half their chakra. Not only would it weaken the user, but it would not produce any significant effect.

That was why he truly had not expected it to be a Shadow Clone.

A Shadow Clone carrying an explosive tag, no less.

When the three had discussed tactics in the dense forest earlier, Kakashi had proposed using explosive tags. Inuzuka Kawa was not afraid of the backlash from a Shadow Clone being blown up and was confident he could withstand it, but both he and Aburame Haru had worried that this chain trap might injure their Jonin instructor.

However, under Kakashi's look as though he were staring at idiots, the two compromised.

Blowing up the future Yellow Flash with explosive tags was the sort of thing that was fine to imagine... Anyone who took it seriously was an idiot...

Sure enough, when faced with a genuine unexpected situation, Minato's strength revealed itself.

He kicked Inuzuka Kawa away, then used the Body Flicker Technique to leave the spot.

By the time the explosion went off, Minato had already concealed himself in the shadows of the bushes, observing his surroundings.

So far, both Inuzuka Kawa and Kakashi had made their moves. But Aburame Haru, the third member of the team, had yet to appear. Although he knew something of the Aburame clan's secret techniques, there were surely many more techniques he had never seen, so he had to remain cautious.

Based on their performance so far, Minato was very satisfied with them. Their tactical awareness was no worse than his own had been at the time.

As Minato patiently waited for his students to launch their next attack, he suddenly sensed a slightly unfamiliar chakra fluctuation approaching.

His brow furrowed slightly, but this was no time for deep thought. He instantly left his hiding place and began moving at high speed.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the shadowy spot he had occupied earlier struck by a bolt of lightning. Judging by its form, it seemed to be the Earth Walk Technique.

But why was the lightning a deep blue tinged with purple? And why was it far more powerful than ordinary Earth Walk?

Before Minato, moving at high speed, could stop to observe carefully, he was struck by a series of attacks from all directions.

Some were ninjutsu, while others were attacks with ninja tools.

The strength of the ninjutsu astonished Minato. He could hardly believe this was the level of Ninja Academy graduates. As expected of that person's child, perhaps?

As for the ninja tool attacks, their accuracy was also excellent. Several had even anticipated Minato's next move.

At the beginning of this battle, Minato had used strength at the level of a Chunin. But as time passed, he had been forced to raise his level step by step. By now, he was barely using the strength of a Jonin.

At this point, Minato had already decided to let the three pass the test. Their level of teamwork had greatly satisfied him.

It seemed the three students had exhausted their supply of ninja tools and chakra. The attacks in the forest gradually decreased until they stopped.

Just as Minato was about to end things by displaying overwhelming strength,

he discovered that the three chakra signatures, which had originally been hiding at suitable distances, were suddenly rushing toward him.

"Oh, is this your final attack formation? Then let me see it." Minato waited with great interest.

The first to appear was not Inuzuka Kawa, but the faster Kakashi.

The instant he arrived, a dazzling white light descended from above.

Just as Minato prepared to dodge, he discovered that both directions to his left and right had been sealed off. Aburame Haru and Inuzuka Kawa, arriving a moment later, had used ninja tools to block every opening around him.

Minato could have escaped the blanket barrage of ninja tools. But it would have delayed him for a moment, and that moment would be enough for Kakashi to entangle him.

So facing Kakashi head-on seemed to be Minato's best option.

He had no intention of dodging in the first place. As they clashed head-on, sparks erupted between them. On one side was Kakashi, skilled in swordsmanship; on the other was Minato, wielding the specially made kunai, the Ninja-Loving Sword.

The two exchanged blows at high speed, while Minato also had to guard against sneak attacks from Kakashi's two teammates nearby.

Another heavy collision rang out. Minato felt the force behind Kakashi's strike against his kunai suddenly withdraw. The inertia made his body sway, while Kakashi used Minato's pushing force to leap into the air.

He raised the index and middle fingers of his right hand.

"Damn!"

"Drink!"

Having realized the danger, Minato ultimately failed to evade it this time.

The explosive tags hidden beneath the battlefield detonated instantly. Thunderous explosions rang out without end.

A few seconds later, the smoke dispersed.

Under the slightly worried gazes of Aburame Haru and Inuzuka Kawa, Namikaze Minato appeared where he had been. The only difference was that his Jonin flak jacket was slightly blackened, the result of the explosion he had not completely blocked.

Seeing that their Jonin teacher was still alive, the two exchanged glances and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Although they had followed Kakashi's battle plan, they had still worried about taking things too far. Fortunately, Minato-sensei truly was powerful. He seemed completely unharmed.

The observant Aburame Haru glanced once more at Hatake Kakashi. She found that the eye exposed above his mask had not changed in the slightest from beginning to end.

He seems to know Minato-sensei's strength very well?

She was no ordinary Genin without experience. As one of the few genius female ninja of the Aburame clan, both her parents were Jonin. Though they were not Elite Jonin, given their abilities, they certainly could not have emerged completely unscathed from such a battle plan.

"Well, that was truly an excellent plan. Though I've already praised you, I can't help praising you again."

Despite being treated so "cruelly," Namikaze Minato still looked at his students with a bright smile.

"This plan began with Inuzuka launching the first attack, with the goal of making me lower my guard. Next, you used a Shadow Clone in an attempt to deal the first blow. Then came Kakashi's long-range ninjutsu support. After I hid, Aburame must have used the parasitic insect she placed on me to locate my position."

As he spoke, Namikaze Minato opened his palm, revealing a small insect lying quietly within it.

The insect, which had been playing dead, immediately flew from Minato's palm toward its master.

It was precisely because this insect had survived that Aburame Haru sincerely admired Minato's strength. In that hurried moment, while dealing with the explosive tag formation, Minato had still had the spare capacity to protect her parasitic insect.

As an insect user, she could sense the life and death status of her insects at any time.

"After driving me from my hiding place, you used uninterrupted attacks to guide me into this trap. Both the concealment and execution of your tactics were excellent. Above all, your coordination was what satisfied me most."

As he said this, Minato happily gave them a thumbs-up.

"The moment I showed any intention of deviating from the route you had set, you increased the intensity of your attacks, forcing me to instinctively continue in the predetermined direction."

"Then, when I reached this spot, came the best part. The ambush you prepared here—that slime. It was snake saliva, wasn't it, Kakashi?" Though Minato phrased it as a question, he sounded entirely certain.

"Yes, Minato-sensei. Without some trick, even an explosive tag formation wouldn't have been able to hold you with your strength."

Kakashi had hidden a thick layer of snake saliva beneath a thin layer of soil in the previous area.

As the intensity of their battle rose, the glue-like substance beneath the ground gradually stuck to Minato's feet, preventing him from using the Body Flicker Technique to leave at the critical moment.

Otherwise, with Minato's almost bug-like reflexes, Kakashi had not been confident he could complete the final step of the plan.

Unless he used Senjutsu.

But Kakashi, who had already mastered Senjutsu, could clearly sense the somewhat faint aura of natural energy within Minato's body.

At this time, Minato had already begun training in Senjutsu.

Not wanting to reveal too many of his trump cards, Kakashi had not used Senjutsu in this ordinary test.

"So that's how it was. You did very well—far better than I expected. Whether in strength or teamwork, for you to achieve this level on the very day your team was formed... You have passed my test!"

"I hereby announce that Team 7 is officially established!"

"Yeah!" The delighted Inuzuka Kawa jumped into the air.

Beside him stood his two companions, their expressions impossible to see.