Minato-sensei's "New Toys"

On the last night of his vacation, Shuo slept soundly-perhaps because he had eaten too much during the day, or perhaps because no one finally came knocking.

In any case, he slept straight through until broad daylight, when the sunshine outside his window dutifully woke him up again.

He opened his eyes and stared blankly for a while before remembering that his vacation was over and training resumed today.

Sigh... He sighed inwardly and slowly dragged himself out of bed.

Three days off felt like a dream, gone in a flash.

He washed up, changed into his combat clothes, and checked himself in the mirror.

Hmm, the dark circles have faded a little, and my complexion isn't as bad. Looks like lying around really is good for body and mind.

He dawdled over breakfast, dawdled over packing his ninja tool pouch, and finally left home reluctantly, ambling toward Training Ground Three.

By the time he reached the training ground, everyone else was already there.

Minato stood at the edge of the field, smiling as he watched Obito and Rin practice throwing shuriken at moving targets.

Kakashi leaned against a tree trunk with his arms folded and his eyes closed, resting-or perhaps he had entered a meditative trance over Icha Icha Paradise.

"Morning, everyone."

Shuo offered a yawn by way of greeting.

"Morning, Senior Shuo!"

Obito immediately waved, sending his shuriken off target and into a nearby tree trunk.

"Obito, focus!"

Rin reminded him quietly.

Kakashi opened his eyes, glanced at Shuo, then closed them again.

Minato turned around with a gentle smile. "Shuo, how was your rest?"

"Not bad."

Shuo nodded. "Just feels like... I haven't rested enough yet."

"That's good."

Minato seemed not to hear the complaint in his words and clapped his hands. "Everyone's here. Starting today, we'll have some new training exercises, mainly to prepare you for more complex and unpredictable combat environments, and... further develop everyone's strengths."

He looked at Shuo. "Shuo, the sensory abilities and precise long-range strikes you demonstrated during the border mission were excellent. But in real combat, enemies won't stand still, and conditions won't always be ideal. So our upcoming training will focus on your ability to detect, lock onto, and strike fast-moving or hidden targets in dynamic environments with interference."

Shuo's heart sank.

Dynamic? Interference?

Fast-moving? That sounds exhausting already.

Minato walked to the center of the training ground and took several fist-sized, silvery-gray metal spheres from his ninja tool pouch.

He placed them on the ground, then formed a complex hand seal with both hands.

"Ninja Art: Mechanical Puppet Formation!"

As chakra flowed into them, the metal spheres immediately began humming. Intricate seal patterns surfaced across them, and then, with a series of clicks and clacks, they transformed and assembled into six compact metal puppets, each about half a person's height!

The puppets had rudimentary limbs and heads, with two rotating crystals where their eyes should have been.

"These are specially made training puppets."

Minato explained, "They can simulate basic ninja movements-running, jumping, and rolling-at roughly chunin speed. Their eyes can fire harmless, low-intensity flash projectiles that interfere with vision, and their joints can release faint pulses that disrupt chakra sensing. They'll move randomly around this training ground, coordinate with one another, and attempt to 'attack' you-just simulated contact, of course."

"The exercise is simple."

Minato pointed at Shuo. "Shuo, your task is to leave clear marks on them while avoiding their 'attacks' and flash interference, using whatever you're good at-taijutsu, ninja tools, or your 'light.' There's no restriction on where you mark them, but every mark must accurately hit a moving puppet's torso or a limb joint. As for the number... let's start with ten."

He then looked at Kakashi, Obito, and Rin. "Your task is to protect Shuo from excessive interference while he marks them, and help create opportunities for him. Of course, you should also do your best to avoid being marked or 'hit' yourselves. This is a team coordination exercise."

Obito's eyes immediately lit up. "Protect Senior Shuo? No problem! Leave it to me!"

Rin nodded earnestly too.

Kakashi said nothing, merely straightening up and resting a hand on the hilt of the short sword on his back.

Shuo looked at the six metal lumps, already shifting restlessly from side to side as their crystal eyes flickered, and felt a headache coming on.

Six of them... moving randomly... firing flash projectiles and interference pulses... and I need ten precise marks?

Minato-sensei... have you misunderstood something about my post-vacation slump?

"Ready?"

Minato asked.

"Wai-"

Shuo had just started to speak.

"Begin!"

The instant Minato's words fell, all six metal puppets moved at once!

They scattered rapidly along irregular zigzag paths, their crystal eyes flaring!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-!

Several dazzling but weak white flash projectiles shot toward the four of them from all directions!

At the same time, faint but unmistakable chakra interference pulses spread outward from the puppets!

"Whoa! So bright!"

Obito cried out, instinctively closing his eyes and turning his head away.

Rin immediately formed hand seals. "Water Release: Water Formation Wall!" A thin wall of water rose, blocking several flash projectiles aimed toward her and Shuo.

Kakashi flickered out of sight, reappearing behind a puppet attempting to approach Shuo's flank. The back of his short sword struck precisely at one of its joints with a crisp clang! The puppet faltered.

The sudden flashes and pulses left Shuo a little dazzled too.

He narrowed his eyes and instantly activated Light Perception.

Although his vision was disrupted, the changes in airflow caused by the puppets' movements, the faint reflections on their metal surfaces, and the chakra pulses they emitted were as clear as fireflies in the night under Light Perception's "scan."

His feet remained still, but his body swayed minutely from side to side, narrowly avoiding two flash projectiles that skimmed past him.

At the same time, his right hand drew three ordinary shuriken from his ninja tool pouch.

He added no light energy-it cost too much, and he only needed to leave marks.

He locked onto a puppet rapidly weaving from side to side, attempting to circle behind Rin.

The instant it changed direction again, Shuo flicked his wrist and released a shuriken!

But just as the shuriken was about to hit the puppet's back, another puppet nearby abruptly flashed its crystal eyes in that direction!

It wasn't a flash projectile, but a stronger interference pulse!

Shuo felt that the shuriken's trajectory seemed to be affected ever so slightly. Combined with the puppet's own movement, the shuriken that should have struck the center of its back hit the edge of its shoulder with a ting and skidded off, leaving only a faint white scratch.

These things... can cover each other too?

Shuo raised his eyebrows.

"Senior Shuo! On your left!"

Obito shouted, blasting a Great Fireball (small) toward a puppet attempting to rush in from the left and forcing it back.

Rin's Water Formation Wall had already dispersed. She switched to a kunai and nimble footwork, blocking scattered flash projectiles while attempting to disrupt nearby puppets' joints with a Chakra Scalpel-with limited success, as their metal shells were very hard.

Kakashi darted among the puppets, moving far faster than they did. The constant clang of his sword's blunt edge effectively kept at least two puppets occupied.

Shuo drew a deep breath and calmed himself.

He stopped rushing for results and began carefully observing the puppets' movement patterns and coordination.

He discovered that although their movements were random, they seemed to follow a simple logic: one or two always attempted to occupy or disrupt them head-on with flash projectiles, while the others circled around the flanks or rear. Their interference pulses could also overlap, with a particularly noticeable effect on ranged projectiles.

Ranged attacks aren't working... time for a different approach.

He put away his shuriken and began moving.

His footwork still carried his distinctive "energy-saving" style. He didn't seem fast, but he always slipped through gaps between flash projectiles and lunging puppets.

Rather than attempting long-range throws, he began actively approaching puppets temporarily occupied by Kakashi or Obito.

One puppet was being driven back repeatedly by Kakashi's flashing blade, its crystal eyes flickering furiously at him.

Shuo slipped up like a ghost. The instant the puppet's attention was completely absorbed by Kakashi, he extended his right index finger, a tiny point of concentrated golden light appearing at its tip-not an attack, just a mark.

He gave a gentle "tap," poking the center of the puppet's back.

Sizzle!

A small scorched mark appeared as the golden light sank into the puppet's shell.

The puppet jerked to a halt. A seal pattern on its back lit faintly, then went dark.

Its movements immediately became slow and stiff, as though being "marked" had placed it in some sort of restricted mode.

"One."

Shuo spoke quietly, already sliding away to avoid another puppet's lunge.

Watching from the edge of the field, Minato's eyes showed approval.

He found the trick so quickly-using the openings his teammates create to mark them up close with minimal effort.

Shuo repeated the process. Like a slippery fish, he roamed the training ground, seldom initiating attacks. He always appeared in the right place at the right moment, then marked the puppets with that faint golden light at his fingertip, just strong enough to leave a clear trace.

Sometimes it was the back, sometimes a shoulder, and sometimes even the leg joint of a rolling puppet.

Obito and Rin gradually found the rhythm of their teamwork too.

Obito stopped throwing fireballs around indiscriminately and instead used Fire Release to create barriers or force the puppets to reposition.

Rin used medical chakra to create temporary Chakra Threads, slightly impeding the puppets' movements or indicating the best angle for Shuo to approach.

Kakashi remained the main force keeping them occupied, his speed and swordsmanship leaving at least two puppets struggling to keep up.

The seventh, the eighth, the ninth...

The marking process grew smoother and smoother.

Shuo even began experimenting with more "energy-saving" methods-for instance, when a puppet lunged at him, he neither dodged nor retreated, merely turning slightly to let its attack skim past while the golden light at his fingertip lightly traced the inside of its attacking arm.

The tenth!

When the golden light at Shuo's fingertip touched the crystal on the last puppet's forehead, it stopped moving entirely. The light in its eyes went out, and it stood frozen on the field.

The training was over.

Obito panted heavily, but his face was excited. "We did it! Senior Shuo, you're amazing!"

Rin wiped away her sweat and smiled too.

Kakashi sheathed his sword and looked at Shuo without speaking, though his gaze seemed a little less scrutinizing than before.

Shuo shook out his slightly aching right index finger. Repeatedly condensing and releasing that tiny light with such precision had demanded considerable control.

Minato walked over and nodded in satisfaction. "Very good! For your first coordination exercise, the results exceeded my expectations. Shuo, your timing and positioning were extremely precise, and your close-range marking approach was clever. Kakashi, Obito, Rin, your cover and diversion work were excellent too."

He looked at Shuo. "However, Shuo, I noticed you barely used your 'light' for ranged attacks or interference throughout the exercise. Was that to conserve energy, or..."

Shuo rubbed his finger and answered honestly, "At range... their interference could throw my attacks off, so it wasn't worth it. Up close... takes less effort."

Minato smiled. "A very practical consideration. However, on a real battlefield, you won't always have opportunities to get close. We'll gradually increase the difficulty of your training, including restricting close contact to force you to make precise strikes at medium and long range."

Shuo: "..."

I knew it!

Minato patted his shoulder encouragingly. "Don't worry. One step at a time. Everyone did well today. Take a break. This afternoon, we'll work on chakra control and team tactics analysis."

They dispersed, each finding somewhere to rest and drink some water.

Shuo walked into the shade at the edge of the field, sat against a tree trunk, and brought up his system panel.

[Successfully completed 'precise close-range marking' training in a dynamic environment with heavy interference, demonstrating excellent environmental adaptability and 'energy-saving' tactical execution. Imitation Points +35.]

['Light Garment · Prototype' remained continuously active during rapid movement and minor collisions. Proficiency increased slightly.]

[Current Imitation Points: 555/1000 (requirements for unlocking the next stage have increased substantially).]

They went up again. But the Imitation Points needed for the next stage have doubled outright? Looks like it only gets harder from here.

He closed his eyes, reviewing the training.

Those puppets' movement patterns and interference methods... could combining them with the Yata Mirror Hypothesis offer a cleverer way to handle them?

For example, slightly adjusting the flash projectiles' trajectories so they collide?

Or disrupting the chakra flow at the puppets' joints so they jam themselves?

Hmm... I could try that next time.

As he pondered, Obito came over and handed him a water flask. "Senior Shuo, have some water!"

"Thanks." Shuo took it and had a sip.

"Senior Shuo, your movements looked so strange when you got close earlier. How did you always manage to dodge by just enough and get a poke in too?" Obito asked curiously. "Is there a secret?"

Shuo glanced at him, thought for a moment, tapped his temple with his index finger, then pointed at the motionless puppets on the field.

"The secret is..."

"Don't think of them as moving lumps of iron."

"Think of them as..."

He paused, finding a suitable comparison. "...a bunch of 'roadblocks' that are a little noisier and brighter."

"Then," he took a sip of water and continued unhurriedly, "find the easiest 'route' around them, or... gently 'push them aside.'"

Obito scratched his head, only half understanding. "Roadblocks? Push them aside?"

Beside them, Kakashi suddenly spoke in a cool voice. "He means achieve your objective with the fewest movements and the least energy. Don't be fooled by an enemy's outward appearance. Go straight for the core."

Obito: "Oh..."

He seemed to understand, yet also seemed not to.

Shuo gave Kakashi a look that said, "You really summed that up well."

Kakashi turned his face away and went back to resting with his eyes closed.

Shuo smiled and closed his eyes too, feeling the cool breeze beneath the trees.

Morning training was tiring, but... maybe it wasn't so bad?

At least my teammates are fairly reliable.

And Minato-sensei doesn't seem to be planning to train me to death just yet.

This afternoon's tactical analysis...

Hopefully it won't take too much brainpower.

With that thought, he gradually relaxed.

In the distance, Minato watched the four resting beneath the trees, especially Uchiha Saku, who looked so weary and lazy yet always delivered surprises at crucial moments. The smile lingered on his lips for a long time.