"Sensei is so slow! I wasn't late this time he was late, damn it!"
"Obito, maybe Sensei had something important to do," Rin said gently.
Kakashi glanced over, frowning, but said nothing. He didn't even know how to respond to that. Obito complaining about tardiness wasn't that ironic?
Being on time was a key principle for a Jōnin. How could their teacher Minato-sensei, the famed Yellow Flash be late?
Shouldn't he already be observing them from the shadows?
Kakashi held his White Fang tanto tightly, staying alert, his gaze sweeping across the surrounding terrain.
Then, suddenly, he froze. His eyes locked onto a tree behind them. A second later, a familiar voice spoke.
"Good afternoon, everyone."
Minato Namikaze appeared out of nowhere, his body flickering into view with a soft swirl of leaves.
So fast!
Kakashi's eyes widened. That speed… the only other person he'd seen move like that was the mysterious ANBU operative, Jingyi. Now Minato had matched it effortlessly.
"Sensei! You're so late!" Obito barked.
Minato chuckled. "Actually, I've been here for a while watching. Only Kakashi showed proper awareness. You two? Completely unqualified."
"What?!"
Obito stood frozen, stunned by the blunt declaration. Unqualified? The exam hadn't even started yet!
Minato's tone remained light, but his expression was firm. "Rin has been studying medical ninjutsu since she was young. That alone makes her valuable to the team. But Obito… Kakashi, Rin, I'll let you vote. Should he stay?"
He smiled kindly, but his words were razor sharp.
Obito gaped. This wasn't an exam it was an execution!
Kakashi didn't speak immediately. He glanced at Obito, expression unreadable. Obito had potential, sure, but his freewheeling attitude made teamwork difficult. Very difficult.
Before he could voice anything, Rin interjected, flustered. "Minato-sensei! That's not fair. Obito is trying really hard. Please give him another chance."
"I wasn't late this time!" Obito added quickly. "I really tried!"
Minato gave a soft nod. "Alright, I'll allow it. But this is your last chance."
Kakashi muttered under his breath, "If I had a choice, I wouldn't keep him. But... whatever."
Minato clapped his hands. "Good. Let's begin. The test is simple land a hit on me. That's all. Ready… go!"
He crouched casually, appearing vulnerable.
"Let's go!" Obito shouted, charging forward.
---
Elsewhere, behind the scenes, several genin and Jōnin watched the scene unfold.
"Predictable," muttered Kurenai Yuhi, arms crossed.
Obito had charged in recklessly again. Kakashi had tried to control the flow, but they weren't working as a team. Their rivalry was too strong.
"Even we couldn't touch Jingyi-sensei during our test," Asuma said, glancing at Shisui, who stood silently, observing.
"Obito's fireball was decent," Jingyi noted with a hint of amusement. "And his shuriken technique has improved. But he still doesn't think before he acts."
"Yeah," Kurenai agreed. "It's not a matter of skill it's mindset. Obito acts first, thinks later."
On the field, Obito's Fireball jutsu roared but hit only a shadow clone.
Minato's real form struck from behind, forcing Rin to retreat. Kakashi moved swiftly, throwing a shuriken to cover her.
Shisui tilted his head. "Why'd Kakashi pull back?"
Asuma blinked. "Huh?"
Yuhi Hiroshi answered instead. "That's Kakashi for you. He acts logically, even when it's cold. But it's more complicated than it looks."
Jingyi chimed in. "Shisui, what would you do?"
Shisui responded without hesitation. "Support the team's retreat. We can't match a Jōnin head-on."
"Keep watching," Jingyi said, cryptically.
Minato was holding back, but now the clone vanished and his real self appeared, faster than before.
The sound of clashing metal rang out Minato had disarmed all three in a flash, forehead protectors knocked away.
"You're all unqualified," he said firmly.
Kakashi gripped his tanto tightly. Minato's words hit harder than expected.
"If this is your idea of teamwork," Minato said, eyes locked on Kakashi, "then you're not ready. Go back to the Academy before you get yourselves or others killed."
Kakashi turned away, scowling.
"Still not convinced?" Minato asked. "Good. I've invited Jingyi-sensei and Team One. Let's see how you fare against a real team."
He turned to Jingyi. "Send them in."
Jingyi nodded. "Alright, but let's not waste chakra. Finish this quickly, Minato."
Minato's clone poofed away and the real Minato blurred into action.
Before anyone could react, it was over.
Minato's strike disarmed all three in one breath, and his eyes were cold as he looked them over.
"You fail," he said. "Until you learn the meaning of teamwork, none of you are ready for the field."