Chapter 17 — Minato Namikaze's Trial
Obuya fell to the ground as the girl barreled into him, collapsing on top of him.
"Rin, you're so heavy! You're going to break my bones!"
Obuya howled in pain.
Rin quickly scrambled off him, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and indignation.
"I'm hurt! Pull me up!"
Obuya feigned weakness and extended a hand.
"Hmph!"
Rin swatted his hand away.
"I'm not falling for it! Tōki was only captured alive because you tricked him! Get up—I have something to tell you."
Obuya sheepishly got to his feet.
"Is it good news again? Every time you rush over excitedly, you forget to knock."
"Alright, alright. I was reckless this time; it won't happen again."
Rin pouted, but then remembered her real purpose for coming and her eyes brightened with excitement.
"Obuya, do you know who sent me to find you?" Rin said mysteriously.
"Sent you? I don't know… who?" Obuya frowned.
"Can't you at least guess?" Rin looked slightly annoyed at his honesty.
"Is it… Lord Minato?" Obuya guessed tentatively.
Rin's face fell. "Boring! You guessed it immediately."
Obuya forced a small smile.
It wasn't that he had expected to guess correctly—he just couldn't think of anyone else in all of Konoha who could make Rin come to him besides Minato Namikaze.
"Lord Minato wants something from me?"
Rin suddenly smiled. "The teacher sent me to tell you that starting today, you, me, Obito, and Kakashi will train under him directly."
"What? You mean Lord Minato is going to personally teach me ninjutsu?"
Obuya's eyes widened in surprise.
Rin nodded repeatedly. "The teacher said it himself."
"Oh wow! It's getting late. Let's go! He might already be waiting for us."
Before Obuya could protest, Rin grabbed his hand and pulled him along.
…
Behind Konoha's Hidden Village, there was a small forest, usually used for ninja combat exercises.
At a clearing within the trees, two figures stood: one large, one small.
The taller figure was Konoha's elite Jonin, Minato Namikaze. Before him stood a white-haired Kakashi, masked as always.
"Teacher…"
At Rin's voice, the two figures leapt between the trees and, within a few breaths, were before them.
"Lord Minato…"
Obuya maintained the proper etiquette.
Minato smiled and nodded.
"The reason I called you here, Rin has surely told you. This isn't just my decision—it's also the Hokage's. From today onward, you will train under me!"
Obuya had no reason to refuse and promptly agreed.
The four of them waited, left and right, but Obito did not arrive.
Half an hour passed.
"Obito, that kid…"
Minato, though not angry, looked exasperated.
Being late was Obito's trademark. Minato had warned him multiple times to be punctual, or he wouldn't become a qualified ninja.
Yet each time, Obito would agree, then turn around and be late again next time. This constantly troubled Minato.
Obuya had been curious about this before and had privately asked Obito. According to Obito, each tardiness was unavoidable.
Once, for example, he ran into an elderly woman struggling to walk and helped her home. There were countless such incidents. Whether true or not, it remained a mystery.
"Obito being late is a disease. There's no cure." Kakashi said expressionlessly, mocking him.
Rin awkwardly laughed. "Teacher Minato, please wait a moment. Obito must have been caught up in something urgent; he'll be here soon."
"I'm here, Teacher Minato!"
With a shout, a figure rushed in, panting heavily.
"Kakashi! You sneaky little devil, you've been talking behind my back again, haven't you?" Obito gasped, still trying to spar verbally.
"Fool, Everyone sees it for themselves; I don't need to badmouth you." Kakashi retorted.
"You…"
"Alright, enough. Why are you two fighting again?"
Rin hurriedly interrupted.
"Eh? Obuya, you're here too?"
Obuya smiled. "For future training, we might all be together. Lord Minato has permitted me to train with you."
"What? That's amazing! Hahaha…"
Obito's excitement was palpable as he looked at Kakashi.
"Now that you've joined, our team is unstoppable. We completely compensate for Kakashi's weak point, and our Team Seven will become the greatest class in Konoha."
Kakashi smirked. "Overestimating yourself. You know perfectly well who the weak link is."
Obito inhaled, about to retort, but was interrupted by Minato.
"Enough. Today, I've come to tell you that one of you may not be able to participate in the upcoming Chunin Exams."
"What??"
Obito's face went pale.
"Teacher Minato, it must be Kakashi who can't go, right?"
Minato smiled. "It might be Kakashi, it could be you, or perhaps even Rin."
Seeing their anxious expressions, he cut straight to the point:
"This Chunin Exam is a team event for the preliminary round, so each team must have the same number of participants—three per team.
"As you can see, with Obuya joining, my class now has four members—one extra. That means one of you will be eliminated. Naturally, the strongest will remain."
"Ah?"
Rin's eyes widened in surprise. She couldn't bear the thought. To her, none of the three teammates should be left out, and she certainly didn't want to give up her once-a-year chance to advance to Chunin.
"Fair."
Kakashi was the first to nod in agreement.
Obito shot him a look. "Fair? You'll see who gets eliminated. I'll bet a hundred ryō it's you."
"A hundred ryō? What ambition!" Kakashi sneered.
"Enough talk. I'll explain the competition rules."
Minato silenced their bickering.
Hearing "rules," the four perked up.
Minato extended a hand, and with a flick, three bells tied with red cords dropped with a "clang."
"These three bells are your tickets to the Chunin Exams. Whoever grabs one earns the right to participate."
"So, the problem for the four of you is this: cooperate to grab a bell, but at the same time compete against each other. Only three bells exist, so inevitably, someone will go home empty-handed."