Tenten showed no sign of joy after her victory. She used a scroll to retrieve her mechanized suit, cast a glance toward Sasori's location, then ran out of the examination hall without looking back.
Neji and Lee both called out to her, but received no response, leaving them slightly puzzled.
Seeing this, Anya sighed inwardly and said to Sasori, "She wanted to win using only her own strength. I understand your decision, but you should've discussed it with her beforehand."
Sasori, his expression complicated, replied, "Big Brother Kurotsuchi, some things aren't solved by discussion. Back then, my parents went off to war without asking me either."
Anya's body shuddered slightly at those words. Sasori had never spoken of this topic in all these years; yet this buried wound had just been reopened because Tenten nearly got hurt. So, Tenten meant even more to Sasori than he had realized.
"It's okay," Anya patted Sasori's shoulder and said, "she will understand."
After saying this, Anya's soul left his body and chased after Tenten, who had already left the area.
"Tenten, hello. It's me, inside your spiritual realm," Anya's soul form, vastly different from its usual ink-black appearance, looked almost identical to a real person now.
Tenten recognized him immediately. "Oh? How did you enter my spiritual realm? What ability is this? Is it the Yamanaka clan's secret technique?"
"No," Anya didn't hide anything, "[Spirit Transformation Technique]. Don't be angry at Sasori—he was just afraid you might get hurt."
"I know," Tenten replied, her cheeks puffed up in annoyance. "But I still feel upset. It's like he cheated to win. That kind of victory isn't what I wanted."
Anya laughed. "You silly girl, you're a ninja. It's a fight—of course you're supposed to use every trick in the book to win. The puppet was given to you by Sasori—it belongs to you. Why wouldn't you use it?"
"But…" Tenten still felt uneasy somewhere inside.
"Hear me out, Tenten," Anya became serious, putting away his smile. "Unlike you, Sasori lost his parents at a very young age—they perished in war. From that moment on, he grew cold and distant. Except for me, you are the first person who truly entered his heart. To Sasori, his parents' death is an irreversible wound he can never overcome, so he absolutely doesn't want history to repeat itself with you—even if it means protecting you from the slightest injury."
Tenten was shocked. This was the first time she'd heard of Sasori's past, and she never imagined that such a powerful person as Sasori could carry such deep sorrow inside.
Suddenly turning around, Tenten quickened her pace and returned to the training field. When she pushed open the door, her eyes locked directly onto Sasori. Before he could react, she stepped forward and gently took his hand, whispering, "Thank you."
Sasori stared at Tenten in astonishment. After a long moment, he turned his head slightly and muttered, barely audible, "You silly girl."
The ninja battle continued. The commotion caused by Tenten hadn't drawn much attention from others. Shikamaru easily defeated a female ninja from the Sound Village using only his intelligence.
Next up was the big showdown: Hornet vs. Naruto Uzumaki!
"Finally, it's my turn! Everyone's waited long enough — get ready, 'cause I'm gonna blow this away!" Naruto shouted excitedly as he leaped down from the second floor, raising his fist toward Minato and declaring, "Hey you, masked weirdo! I won't hold back, so get ready for my big moment!"
Minato smiled beneath his mask. As he stepped forward, looking at the now-grown Naruto, countless emotions welled up inside him. He also felt deep gratitude toward Anya for bending the rules — giving him the chance to see just how far Naruto had come.
"The match begins."
At the examiner's signal, Naruto rushed forward eagerly to launch his attack.
"Wait a second."
Minato raised his hand, displaying a hand signal to pause the fight.
"Huh? What's going on?" Naruto, charging with momentum, came to a sudden stop, looking confused.
Up above, Sakura couldn't stand it anymore. She shouted at Naruto, "Don't stop! Take this chance and knock him down with one punch!"
"Hahaha," Minato chuckled softly, pulling out a bell from his pouch and tying it to his waist. "From what I've heard, Konoha's instructors always use bells to test students, right? For this match, if you can steal this bell from me, you win."
Naruto was taken aback for a moment, then his face turned red with anger. "Damn it! You masked weirdo actually look down on me! Don't underestimate me!"
Naruto charged again in a fury, swinging wildly at Minato — but couldn't land a single hit.
"Huh, this scene..."
Watching from above, Sakura felt like she'd seen this before. Tilting her head, she glanced at Kakashi beside her and suddenly remembered — the scene was exactly like when Team 7 had first formed, with Naruto trying to snatch the bell from Kakashi.
"Master Kakashi..." Sakura called out, but noticed Kakashi showed no reaction at all.
"Hey, sensei!" Sakura shouted louder, calling again.
Kakashi finally snapped out of his thoughts and asked, "Oh? What is it?"
Sakura pointed at the fight below, explaining, "Don't you think that masked ninja called Hornet seems strange? Actually, I should say all three of them feel off — they give me a weird vibe I can't explain."
Kakashi focused intently on the battle below, nodding unconsciously. "Yeah."
"What do you mean by 'yeah'? That's such a half-hearted response, Master Kakashi!" Sakura expressed her dissatisfaction.
Kakashi gave an awkward laugh and fell silent. No one could understand what he was feeling inside — his heart twisted with emotion. That figure, the clean and efficient movements, the patient teaching style... this wasn't a real fight at all; it was a lesson. There was something so familiar about this person...
Panting heavily, Naruto glared at Minato after failing to land a single hit. They had been fighting for five minutes straight, yet not once had they engaged in direct combat.
Seeing Naruto pause, Minato asked gently, "What? Are you giving up?"
"Haha, definitely not." Naruto calmed himself, replying firmly. "Forget about trying to make me give up. If one me isn't enough, then I'll bring in some help. I've already figured out a new technique!"
[Shadow Clone Jutsu]
"Naruto created eight Shadow Clones encircling Minato. Laughing, he said, 'Now that I've been watching you, I've figured out your weakness. Don't even think about beating me by draining my energy—I won't go down that easy!'
Behind his mask, Minato's smile widened. 'You've got fighting spirit, Naruto.'
'Here I go.'"
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