The next morning, at Training Ground Seven.
"Finally, you're here. You're Obito, right?"
A young man with blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a sunshine smile greeted warmly.
Standing beside him were Rin, who smiled brightly, and Kakashi, arms crossed and eyes half-lidded under his mask like he'd rather be anywhere else.
Right in front of them was Obito, hunched over and gasping for air.
"Finally caught up...!"
Obito clutched his abdomen, panting heavily.
"Too slow, Obito," Kakashi muttered, equal parts annoyed and unimpressed.
"I've been waiting," Rin said gently.
"I'm Namikaze Minato, your superior from today forward. Looking forward to working with you," the blonde ninja said cheerfully, placing his hands on his hips.
"Yoshi!" Obito, having caught his breath, straightened up and threw a thumbs-up, beaming with the energy of a freshly unwrapped Guy.
"Alright, let's start with a basic drill," Minato said, eyeing Obito now that the team was assembled. "This will test your teamwork skills."
"Teamwork?" Rin asked, tilting her head in confusion.
Minato pulled two small bells tied with red cords from his pocket. "That's right. The exercise is simple…"
As Minato explained the rules, Rin and Obito listened intently.
Kakashi, on the other hand, already had a bored look in his eye. He'd seen this movie before. He was already running the sequel in his head.
Bell test. Classic. Let's see if the legendary Namikaze Minato lives up to the hype... or if he just wants us to learn about friendship and trauma bonding.
Minato, Konoha's elite Jōnin—and future Fourth Hokage—wasn't just fast. He was a human teleportation glitch with reflexes that made lightning look lazy.
If he got serious, none of them had a chance. But since this was only a Genin evaluation, he probably wouldn't go full Hokage mode.
Still… Kakashi planned to make him work for it. He wanted to see the Flying Thunder God in action.
"This is the rule," Minato continued. "I'll give you one hundred seconds. Use that time to hide and strategize. When time's up, the exercise begins."
The moment he finished, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin exchanged a glance and vanished into the surrounding woods without a word.
This level of unspoken coordination came from months of late-night training and missions.
"I'll start with the intel," Kakashi said quickly, his voice low and precise.
"First, the purpose of this drill is teamwork. The 'fail-and-go-back-to-academy' thing? Obvious bluff. Ignore it."
Obito blinked. "Wait, for real?"
Kakashi didn't even pause. "Second, our opponent is an elite jōnin with S-rank space-time ninjutsu: the Flying Thunder God. Anywhere he's placed a mark, he can instantly teleport to. Think Body Flicker, but upgraded to cheat codes."
He paused just long enough for the message to sink in.
"So... if he gets serious, we're toast. Burnt. Extra crispy."
Rin and Obito nodded, their faces serious now.
"Which means we have to strike while he's still underestimating us. One shot—use everything."
They quickly coordinated their plan. Then, instead of hiding, the three Genin boldly stepped back out and faced Minato head-on.
"Oh? No sneak attack? No dramatic buildup?"
Minato smiled with interest.
"Minato-sensei, please," Kakashi deadpanned. "Splitting up against an elite jōnin is basically assisted suicide. Let's not pretend we're that stupid."
"In that case," Minato replied, his smile widening, "show me what you've got."
Kakashi's gaze sharpened. "Now."
"Water Style: Water Barrier!"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A wall of water surged around Minato from three directions, sealing him in.
At the same time, a solid one-meter-wide fireball rocketed forward, boosted by a violent gust of wind—and aimed straight at the only opening.
The water wall closed behind it, boxing him in completely.
Boom!
Minato vanished just before the fireball hit.
The fireball collided with the water, exploding in a burst of steam and pressure that rocked the clearing.
"Trap the enemy with Water Style. Boost Fire Style with Wind Style to increase force and area. Compress the fireball for maximum pressure and trigger it inside a sealed water dome for internal blast."
Minato's voice echoed from behind them, calm and almost impressed.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed a split-second before a foot slammed into his back and launched him forward.
"Kakashi!"
Rin lunged at Minato with a furious punch.
Minato sidestepped—
And immediately regretted it.
BOOM—!
The spot she struck crumbled like brittle clay, shaking the ground. A cloud of dust exploded into the air.
Minato winced.
That punch... That felt like Kushina when I forget date night...
"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"
Hands erupted from the dirt below and yanked Minato into the earth up to his neck.
It was Kakashi—his clone had been the one kicked earlier. The real one had been underground the whole time.
"Obito—now!"
"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Claw Crimson!"
A series of fiery blasts erupted from Obito's mouth, followed by flaming shuriken that lit up the air like scattered flower petals.
Minato was hit multiple times—then vanished in a puff of smoke.
Shadow Clone.
Kakashi's pupils contracted.
The trio regrouped back-to-back, eyes sharp, scanning their surroundings.
"Where—?"
"Above!" Obito suddenly shouted, Sharingan spinning behind his goggles.
"Nice catch, but... too late."
A tap on his shoulder—and Obito found himself face-down in the dirt, a knee in his back, and cold steel kissing his neck.
"Obito!"
Rin took a step forward, but froze. One wrong move and—
That's Flying Thunder God...
Kakashi processed instantly.
A system notification pinged in his head—he'd successfully captured the technique.
But Minato's voice was calm, almost apologetic.
"Still too slow."
Then came the offer.
"I've assessed your capabilities. As you are now, you can't complete this mission. But... I'll give you an out."
Minato glanced at Rin and Kakashi.
"Give him up," he gestured to Obito, "and I'll pass the two of you immediately."
"No retakes. No extra training. A clean win."
Tempting. Calculated. Classic test bait.
Rin's answer came instantly. "Never. We don't abandon our teammates."
Minato turned to Kakashi.
Kakashi shrugged. "What she said. Besides…"
He pointed lazily at Obito, still face-planted. "If I left this idiot behind, I'd never hear the end of it."
Obito blinked. Wait… that's exactly what I'd say.
Kakashi smirked under his mask. "And I'd rather lose than be out-moral'd by him."
"Creation Rebirth: Byakugō Release!"
The seal on Kakashi's forehead glowed. In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
Minato's eyes widened.
CLANG—!
His special kunai intercepted Kakashi's blade just in time. The masked Genin pressed forward, his body faster and stronger than before.
Minato's mind raced.
Byakugō Seal? That's Tsunade-sama's Forbidden Technique...!
He dodged swiftly, blocking multiple strikes—but his right arm began to go numb.
His speed… strength… they've skyrocketed.
Minato's casual expression dropped. He flicked his wrist, sending a dozen shuriken across the field—and each one flashed golden as it spun.
Flying Thunder God: Level Two.
Kakashi missed, and in the next instant—
Wham! Wham! Wham!
He was struck in multiple vital points, his body freezing as pressure built in every joint.
A cold touch graced the back of his neck.
"Gotcha," Minato said softly.
Kakashi didn't move. "Let me guess… that was you going easy?"
Minato gave a sheepish smile. "A little."
Kakashi sighed, sheathing his sword. "Fine. I surrender. For now."
Obito and Rin had just recovered and were about to act—only to see the fight already finished.
Too fast. They hadn't even blinked.
Minato clapped his hands together. "In that case... I declare all three of you pass—with full marks!"
...
Silence.
Not a peep.
Minato blinked. "No cheers? No shocked gasps? C'mon, I even paused for dramatic effect…"
He scratched his head, feeling like a crater just opened under his feet.
"Pfft—!"
Rin finally broke into giggles.
"Hahaha!" Obito howled with laughter.
"Minato-sensei," Kakashi said dryly, "we kinda figured out the test's real purpose."
"Oh," Minato chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "What about all that heartfelt talk earlier?"
Kakashi replied, "It was real. We just already knew what you were trying to teach us."
Minato nodded, reassured. He'd seen how they fought together—how they protected each other without hesitation.
They got it.
"I'm glad you understand. Teamwork is everything in this line of work."
"A lone ninja might be strong—but a united team? That's what keeps a village standing."
"Konoha didn't survive two Great Ninja Wars just because of its leaders. It was every ninja, every villager, holding the line together."
The three Genin listened quietly.
Obito and Rin's smiles softened.
Kakashi nodded to himself.
Yeah. This guy's the real deal. He should've lived to lead.
Minato saw their reactions and smiled warmly.
"Starting tomorrow—Team Minato's missions officially begin."
"Yosh!"