Splash! Splash!
Water gathered and formed two Water Clones identical to the original, appearing on Mikami Yu's left and right. The three spread out by several meters and stood in a triangular formation, their six eyes vigilantly sensing their surroundings and the tremors beneath their feet.
"Over here!"
One Water Clone suddenly pointed at a slight bulge in the ground to the left.
Almost at the same moment, Kakashi burst out from underground behind that Water Clone like a cheetah! The kunai in his hand stabbed straight for the clone's back!
Whoosh!
The instant Kakashi launched his ambush, Mikami Yu flicked his wrist as if he had predicted Kakashi's position beforehand. Three kunai shot toward Kakashi's neck with piercing whistles, their timing and angles impeccable!
"Tch..."
Kakashi frowned.
He had not deliberately chosen to attack a Water Clone. He simply did not have the Byakugan or Sharingan, so he could not tell which of the three Mikami Yus was real. He could only pick a lucky contestant at random and test the waters with an attack first.
But he had not expected Mikami Yu's original body to react so quickly, as though he had eyes in the back of his head.
A Water Clone with only ten percent of the original's chakra was nothing to fear. But if he took that hit and injured his wrist, it would severely affect his combat ability. He had no choice but to change tactics at the last moment, give up on the Water Clone within reach, and block the incoming kunai first.
In that brief delay—
The attacked Water Clone and the other Water Clone pounced at once! One tightly seized Kakashi's right arm holding the kunai, while the other locked his legs from behind!
Meanwhile, Mikami Yu's original body had already finished forming hand seals:
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
"Got him!!"
That last shout came from Obito, who was still buried underground. His eyes were wide as he watched Mikami Yu and Kakashi fight, as though he were the one making the attack.
Kakashi was genuinely flustered now. He suddenly exerted force, chakra bursting from within him and blowing apart the two Water Clones with two splashes. Then, in his haste, he drew the White Fang Short Sword from his back and slashed forward!
Slash!
The blade flashed!
That strike should have split the fireballs apart directly, but the dancing Phoenix Flowers twisted and leaped as if they were alive, narrowly evading the blade before continuing to crash toward Kakashi!
"?!"
Kakashi's expression shifted slightly. He threw himself sideways in an awkward roll while rapidly forming three hand seals. "Water Style: Wild Water Wave!"
Whoosh!
A stream of water sprayed from his mouth, barely extinguishing the several fireballs pursuing him.
But Mikami Yu, using "Partial Transformation: Might Guy's Body," had already arrived before him. His kunai stabbed at Kakashi before he could regain his footing! Kakashi swung the White Fang Short Sword in response, and a dense barrage of metal clashes erupted in an instant amid scattering sparks!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two figures collided at high speed in the center of the clearing, separated, then collided again!
Though a longer weapon held the advantage, and Kakashi's swordsmanship was systematic and far more refined and fierce than Mikami Yu's, the sudden turn of events and Mikami Yu's seizing of the initiative allowed his relentless, storm-like offensive to keep them evenly matched for a time!
[ Ding! A high-quality potential target has been detected: "Hatake Sword Technique"! ]
"?!"
Mikami Yu's eyelid twitched. Kakashi seized the opening and immediately turned the tide with a fierce barrage. With danger looming on all sides, Mikami Yu used the Substitution Technique and, with a whoosh, returned to his initial position, dozens of meters away from Kakashi, where he adjusted his breathing.
Kakashi recovered even faster. With a flick of his wrist, he returned the White Fang Short Sword behind his back, and his hands began forming seals at a dazzling speed. In just a few seconds, he had already formed more than twenty seals!
"Uh..."
Mikami Yu's eyelid twitched. What kind of bullshit Ninjutsu needs this many hand seals? Could it be that Water Style with forty-four seals?
"That's enough!"
Namikaze Minato appeared between them, wearing a gentle smile as he raised a hand to signal them to stop.
The purpose of the exercise had already been achieved. There was no need to keep fighting. There would be plenty of opportunities to spar in the future.
Upon receiving the order, Kakashi instantly stopped forming seals. The sharpness in his eyes receded, and he returned to his listless state, silently slipping both hands into his pockets.
Mikami Yu also sighed in relief and released "Partial Transformation."
"Yu, are you all right?"
Nohara Rin came over with Obito, looking worriedly at Mikami Yu before glancing at Kakashi in the distance.
"I'm fine."
Next,
Namikaze Minato began his summary. "The exercise ends here. Yu, there was nothing wrong with your battle plan itself, and your tactical choices against Kakashi were quite impressive. But carrying out a plan requires dependable teammates.
"Obito, your Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu was reckless and straightforward. You gave no consideration to your teammates' positions or the developments that might follow, so you were easily countered. Rin, your Shuriken cover was not forceful enough, and your close-combat ability urgently needs improvement. After Yu relieved the pressure on you, you failed to reorganize your position and provide effective support immediately."
Obito lowered his head in shame and vigorously picked at the mud on his hair.
Nohara Rin nodded seriously. "Yes, Minato-sensei. I understand."
Finally, Namikaze Minato looked at Mikami Yu. "Yu, your individual abilities are excellent. Although you have not mastered many Ninjutsu, you use them very well—almost on par with Kakashi. What you lack is real combat experience, as well as Taijutsu combat ability. We can conduct focused special training for those later.
"However, I also need to remind you that ninjas fight as a team. An individual's weakness is also the team's weakness. How to make up for your teammates' shortcomings and bring out the team's strength will be an important lesson for you from now on. Against real enemies, any flaw could be fatal."
"I understand."
Mikami Yu nodded earnestly.
Although he had deliberately kept his distance from Obito before, lest the guy stab him in the back someday, now that they had been assigned to the same team, there was nothing he could do about it. Even if Obito would still go dark in the future, for now, he could only play the role of a good teammate.
Besides, the real crisis was the Kannabi Bridge incident several years from now. If worse came to worst, he could find a way to avoid it and simply not take that mission.
After the evaluation ended.
Namikaze Minato paused, then revealed his signature warm smile again. "All right, the objective of this exercise has been perfectly achieved. Starting tomorrow, our team will officially be formed. Neither the missions nor the training will be easy, so...
"Let's take the rest of today off. A little later, we'll go to Barbecue Q together. My treat—you can eat as much as you want."
"Oh!!"
Before you continue