New Target: "Hatake Sword Technique"

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 a few meters and stood in a triangular formation, their six eyes vigilantly sensing their surroundings and the vibrations in the ground beneath their feet.

"Over there!"

One Water Clone suddenly pointed at a slight bulge in the ground to the left.

At nearly the same moment, Kakashi's figure burst 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 in advance. Three Kunai shot toward Kakashi's neck with piercing whistles, their timing and angles utterly precise!

"Tch..."

Kakashi frowned.

He had not deliberately chosen to attack a Water Clone. He simply lacked the Byakugan or Sharingan and could not tell which of the three Mikami Yus was real, so he could only pick a random lucky target and test the waters first.

But he had not expected Mikami Yu's real body to react so quickly, as if 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 second, abandoning the Water Clone within reach to block the incoming Kunai first.

In that brief delay—

The attacked Water Clone and the other Water Clone pounced at the same time! One tightly grabbed Kakashi's right arm holding the Kunai, while the other locked his legs from behind!

Meanwhile, Mikami Yu's real body had already completed his hand seals:

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

"Got him!!"

That 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 attacking.

Kakashi was genuinely flustered now. He suddenly exerted himself, chakra erupting from within him as two pops blasted apart the Water Clones. Then, in his haste, he drew the White Fang short blade from his back and slashed forward!

Swish!

The blade flashed!

That slash should have split the fireballs apart directly, but the dancing Phoenix Flower flames twisted and leaped as though alive, narrowly evading the blade's edge before continuing toward Kakashi!

"?!"

Kakashi's expression shifted slightly. He threw himself into an awkward sideways roll while swiftly 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 reached him. His Kunai stabbed at Kakashi before he could regain his footing! Kakashi responded by swinging the White Fang short blade. A rapid series of metallic clashes, accompanied by flying sparks, erupted in an instant!

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The two figures collided at high speed in the center of the clearing, separated, then collided again!

Although a longer weapon held the advantage, and Kakashi's swordsmanship had a proper system behind it—far more refined and fierce than Mikami Yu's—everything had happened too suddenly, and Mikami Yu had seized the initiative. Under his relentless, storm-like barrage, they actually fought to a standstill for the moment!

[ Ding! High-quality potential target detected: "Hatake Sword Technique"! ]

"?!"

Mikami Yu's eyelid twitched, and Kakashi seized the opening. A fierce barrage immediately turned the tables. In the midst of danger, Mikami Yu used the Substitution Technique and flashed back to where he had first attacked, several dozen meters away from Kakashi, taking a moment to steady his breathing.

Kakashi recovered even faster. With a flick of his wrist, he sheathed the White Fang short blade behind his back and began rapidly forming hand seals with both hands. They moved so quickly they were dazzling; in just a few seconds, he had 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 forty-four-seal Water Style?

"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 drill had already been achieved. There was no need to continue fighting. They would have plenty of chances to spar in the future.

Upon receiving the order, Kakashi instantly stopped forming seals. The sharpness in his eyes receded, returning him to his listless appearance as he silently shoved both hands into his pockets.

Mikami Yu also let out a breath 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 assessment. "The drill ends here. Yu, there was nothing wrong with your battle plan itself, and your tactical choices against Kakashi were excellent. But carrying out a plan requires dependable teammates.

"Obito, your Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu was reckless and straightforward. You gave no thought to your teammates' positions or subsequent developments, allowing yourself to be countered easily. Rin, your shuriken cover was not strong enough, and your close-combat skills urgently need improvement. After Yu got you out of trouble, you failed to immediately regroup and provide effective support."

Obito lowered his head in shame and vigorously picked the mud out of 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 the ones you know exceptionally well, almost on par with Kakashi. What you lack is combat experience and taijutsu ability. We can arrange focused special training later.

"However, I also need to remind you that ninja fight as a team. An individual's weaknesses are also the team's weaknesses. How to make up for your teammates' shortcomings and bring out the team's strength will be an important subject for you going forward. Against real enemies, even the smallest opening can be fatal."

"I understand."

Mikami Yu nodded earnestly.

Although he had deliberately kept his distance from Obito before, in case Obito decided to stab him in the back someday, they were now assigned to the same squad. There was nothing he could do about it. Even if this guy still went 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 worst came to worst, he would find a way to avoid it and simply not take that mission.

After the assessment was over,

Namikaze Minato paused, then revealed his trademark warm smile again. "All right, the goal of this drill has been perfectly achieved. Starting tomorrow, our squad will officially be formed. Neither the missions nor the training will be easy, so...

"Let's take the rest of today off. Later, we'll go to Barbecue Q together. My treat—you can eat as much as you want."

"Yeah!!"