At Training Ground Nine, while Minato and Tsunade were talking, several figures appeared one after another—Higashino Shinichi, Yūhi Kurenai, Kakashi, and a girl with short brown hair and a gentle smile—Nohara Rin.
When the two sides met, both showed a trace of surprise, but soon exchanged simple greetings.
Kakashi merely cast a cold glance, which counted as a greeting; Shinichi, Kurenai, and Rin politely nodded in acknowledgment.
After greeting each other, they each walked toward the area where their respective teacher was.
However, the moment Minato saw Shinichi, his eyes suddenly lit up. The originally gentle smile on his face instantly became even brighter, even carrying a kind of almost impatient enthusiasm.
His figure swayed slightly as he took the initiative to step forward, just right to stop in front of Shinichi, and asked eagerly: "You're Higashino Shinichi, right? The Shinichi who developed the Higashino Shinichi Light-Blade Launch: Super Roaring Spiral Sphere!"
"???????"
What kind of messy name is that?
As the words fell, a brief silence appeared on the training ground.
Even Tsunade, who was standing nearby with her arms crossed watching the scene, could not help but raise an eyebrow, revealing a look that clearly said, What the hell is this kid talking about?
Shinichi was also stunned. He blinked, somewhat uncertain, and asked tentatively: "Senpai… are you referring to the Rasengan?"
"Higashino Shinichi" should refer to the name of the technique's developer—that part made sense.
"Light-Blade Launch"? Could that be referring to the inspiration he got after seeing Asuma's glowing chakra blades?
"Spiral" was the core form of the technique, describing the rotational motion of chakra.
"Sphere" referred to the final spherical form the technique condensed into.
Then what exactly was "Super Roaring"?
Were they just cool-sounding filler words?
Shinichi's brain spun rapidly, trying to dissect this strange name using Minato's rather unique naming logic.
"Right, right! Rasengan! Look at me—I accidentally said the name I gave it. Ahahaha…" Minato only realized it at that moment and awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"S-sorry," Minato said with a smile, trying to ease the awkwardness. "It's just that your technique is really excellent, so I couldn't help but… well… give it a name. Rasengan is a great name! Very concise too!"
This kid really was unexpectedly airheaded in certain ways.
Tsunade shot a glance at Minato, who was still trying hard to keep up that sunny smile, and silently complained to herself.
He was clearly a genius jōnin with overwhelming strength and a clear mind, yet when it came to naming aesthetics he had such a bizarre, one-of-a-kind deviation.
Just then, another figure rushed in from the training ground entrance.
Shizune came running over, panting hard. Fine beads of sweat clung to her forehead, and her face looked a little flushed from running and anxiety.
"S-sorry! I'm late!" As she adjusted her breathing, she hurriedly apologized. Her gaze quickly swept over Shinichi and Kurenai first, then finally landed on Tsunade. In her eyes was obvious relief—and a faint, subtle complaint. "Tsunade-sensei! So you were here. When I got up this morning and saw you weren't there, I thought you'd gone and…"
She didn't finish, but the meaning was obvious: she thought Tsunade had run off to some gambling house or tavern again and stayed out all night, even completely tossing aside the serious business of today's team test—so she had panicked and gone looking, which delayed her.
Tsunade's mouth twitched as she looked at the girl she had raised with her own hands. "In your eyes, am I really that unreliable?"
Hearing that, Shizune pressed her lips together and didn't answer directly.
Seeing that, Tsunade felt even more speechless. A vein seemed to throb at her temple. With an irritated wave of her hand, she said, "Alright, alright—don't stand there like an idiot. Fall in! Next time, remember to come straight to the meeting point. Don't go running around looking!"
Off to the side, Minato very tactfully turned his gaze into the distance, pretending to study the trees on the training ground as if he hadn't heard a thing.
At that exact moment, the entrance brought the last latecomer—along with his signature loud shouting and a mess of hurried, chaotic footsteps drawing closer.
"S-sorry! I'm late!!!"
Uchiha Obito came sprinting in at full speed, drenched in sweat as well. His goggles had even slid crooked, and his face was filled with anxiety and regret.
He rushed up, braked unsteadily, and almost crashed into Kakashi. He quickly steadied himself and bowed in apology. "I'm really, really sorry, Minato-sensei! On the way here, I ran into an old granny whose cane fell into a ditch. It was hard for her to bend down, so I helped pick it up. But then she said she couldn't see the road clearly and asked if I could help her cross the street. After we crossed, the granny said she couldn't find her home—she's old and her memory's not good—so I helped carry her things and asked people along the way based on her vague description, and it took forever, but I finally got her home!"
"And then, on the way here, I even ran into a black cat that suddenly jumped down from a wall and blocked my path. It just stared straight at me, and no matter how I tried to go around it, it kept blocking the way, so that delayed me for a bit…"
Only after quietly listening to Obito's detailed account of the whole process of helping others did Minato smile and say, "Alright, Obito. Fall in."
Only then did Obito straighten up as if he had been granted a pardon. He wiped the sweat from his face and quickly went to stand beside Rin, even secretly making a face at the expressionless Kakashi.
Tsunade, with her arms crossed, looked at the three students on her side who had finally all arrived, then glanced at Team Seven already gathered nearby. As if suddenly thinking of something, she raised an eyebrow and spoke: "Minato, just testing each team separately isn't very interesting. How about the two of our classes do a joint test?"
"A joint test?" Minato paused slightly and looked toward Tsunade.
Tsunade called Minato aside and exchanged a few quick words with him in a low voice. After hearing Tsunade's proposal, a trace of hesitation crossed Minato's face, but in the end he still nodded. From the two bells he had originally prepared for his own class, he took one and handed it to Tsunade.
The two then returned to the front of the group. Tsunade stepped forward, cleared her throat, and her sharp gaze swept across the six young faces before her—some calm, some nervous, some excited—as she spoke loudly: "Brats of Team Seven and Team Ten, listen up! The rules of the test are very simple!"
Tsunade tossed the bell tied with a red cord in her hand lightly, and Minato also raised the one in his.
"See these two bells? Minato and I will each keep one. Your task is to snatch them from us within the time limit!"
"There are only two bells! Whoever grabs a bell personally passes the test! If one class manages to grab both bells at the same time, then everyone in that class passes!"
At this point, Tsunade's voice suddenly grew heavier: "As for the other class that ends up without a bell—every single one of you is eliminated! Get back to the Ninja Academy and spend a few more years studying, and think carefully about whether you're actually suited to be a ninja!"
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