"Oh?"
Shinichi's cold voice broke the deathly silence as he sneered, "So you do care about your father's honor after all? Then what exactly have you been doing these past three years, Kakashi?"
He stepped forward, staring straight at Kakashi's lost and vacant face, and asked that same question again: "So why are you so weak?"
Kakashi's body trembled. The hollow look in his eyes seemed to be pierced by those words, regaining a trace of focus.
"Three years ago, what did I say to you?"
Shinichi's voice was not loud, yet every word was clear, striking Kakashi's memory like heavy hammer blows.
"I said that if you didn't know what to do, then work hard to become stronger—strong enough that you would try not to fall into the same predicament your father faced back then, strong enough that perhaps, even in a desperate situation, you could tear out a third choice with your own hands!"
"But what have you done in these three years? You graduated early and desperately carried out missions. You shout about rules above everything else, as if doing that proves you are already right—already superior!"
"But deep inside? Every moment you are in pain, constantly struggling. You long for someone to tell you that your father's choice was not wrong! You are trapped in a cage you built yourself, tearing back and forth between denying your father and understanding him, tormenting yourself in an endless hell!"
Shinichi pointed toward the shattered metal on the ground.
"You are only interrogating yourself without end, simulating dilemmas in your mind, agonizing over what you would choose if it were you—whether your father was wrong or not. You have spent all your energy on this inner struggle and on proving yourself, using an obsession with rules to cover the fear and confusion inside your heart! You have never truly faced the future and gathered the strength needed to break through dilemmas and surpass the choices themselves!"
"A swordsman's blade is the blade of his heart!"
Shinichi's gaze swept across the broken White Fang, his tone heavy. "When the White Fang was in your father's hands, it became an indestructible legend that shook the shinobi world because it carried his unwavering conviction, his clear resolve, and his burning determination to protect his comrades! It was a blade that resonated with his very soul! But in your hands…"
He shook his head, his words sounding like a final verdict.
"It is only a mirror, reflecting nothing but the hesitation, fear, and self-imposed shackles in your heart. A person whose heart is full of contradictions and who cannot find his own path—no matter how sharp the weapon he holds, even if it is a divine blade, it is destined to be fragile and unable to withstand a single blow."
"If that is the case, then this blade might as well remain broken."
The scene fell into a heavy silence. Everyone looked at each other, even their breathing growing lighter.
Kurenai and Shizune wore complicated expressions. Rin clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest, staring at Kakashi's back with a worried face.
Obito looked at the motionless Kakashi, then at the stern-faced Shinichi. He opened his mouth, but in the end only muttered quietly, "What he said isn't wrong… but—but that was a bit too harsh…"
In his memory, Shinichi was not like this.
Back then, he was someone with a gentle, friendly manner. If you ran into him on the road, he would nod, and he got along well with the other students. Sometimes, walking along the street, you could even see him helping the villagers. He had never once been seen giving anyone a cold look or losing his temper.
Obito hadn't spoken to him more than a few times, but that impression—"this is a good person"—had always stayed with him.
But now, the person standing in the middle of the scene had not the slightest smile on his face. His eyes were cold, like bitter winter reeds, and Obito suddenly felt a little unfamiliar with him.
Yet for some reason, looking at Shinichi like this, the first image that rose in his mind was not those icy words from just now—
It was something else.
Back then, when Obito had just started at the ninja academy, every morning he would rush into the school gate in a hurry, and he would always be able to see someone by the edge of the training field. That person had a stone strapped to his back and ran around the field, one lap, one lap, and then another.
The stone was huge—several times bigger than the person himself. At first Obito thought it was some upperclassman, but later he learned it was someone in the same year from the neighboring class, named Higashino Shinichi.
'What a nutcase,' Obito had thought at the time.
Later he discovered that person didn't run only in the mornings. During the midday break, when everyone else was eating lunch, chasing each other down the corridor, or clustering in the classroom to chat, that person would stand under the cherry tree by the edge of the training field, holding up a sword.
Just holding it up—again, again, and again.
Obito would lean on the railing, still chewing a mouthful of lunch he hadn't swallowed yet, and think: What's the point of this? Isn't he tired? Isn't he bored?
No one answered him.
Later, Obito stopped leaning on the railing, but when he happened to pass by, he would still unconsciously glance over in that direction.
That person was still there. The posture hadn't changed, the place hadn't changed, even the rhythm of his sword swings hadn't changed.
It was as if time had stopped on him, and yet it was also as if time kept moving forward, while he always stood in the same place, doing the same thing...
"Pick it up."
Shinichi's voice rang out again, cutting off Obito's thoughts before they could go deeper.
Kakashi's body jolted. His hollow eyes turned mechanically and fell on Shinichi's face.
"I told you to pick it up! Kakashi!"
Shinichi's voice suddenly rose.
"The blade broke—you can reforge it! Your conviction wavered—you can make it firm again! If you've gone down the wrong road, then turn back for me!"
"Throw away that fucking self-made multiple-choice trap of yours! From this moment on, there's only one thing you're allowed to think about—getting stronger!"
"Carry the resolve that you must become stronger, pick up that broken blade! Then use your own hands, use every bit of strength you earn in the future, to reforge it!"
"Use your will to temper it, use your resolve to sharpen its edge! Let it witness how you cut through your confusion step by step, how you become ten times, a hundred times stronger than you are now! Strong enough to protect everything you want to protect, strong enough that no one can ever force you to make a choice again, strong enough that you yourself become the one who can rewrite the rules and create a third path!"
...
"This brat's mouth is still as sharp as ever." Tsunade snorted, as if recalling something.
Hearing this, Minato realized that Tsunade and Shinichi seemed to have had some kind of past interaction or story, but he thoughtfully did not press further. He simply smiled gently. "Although his approach was a bit intense, Shinichi truly is someone who values his companions very much and hopes they can become stronger as well. Perhaps that, too, is a kind of unique kindness."
...
In the field, Kakashi gripped the half-broken blade tightly, the cold edge of the hilt almost digging into his palm.
"I…" He slowly raised his head, his voice hoarse. "…I understand."
He spoke very softly, yet it seemed to take all the strength he had at that moment. He said nothing more—no grand declarations—only carefully and solemnly gathered the half-broken blade and the surrounding fragments, treating them as something precious.
Seeing this, Shinichi did not say anything further.
He stopped looking at Kakashi and turned to face the others, his voice returning to its usual steadiness.
"That interruption ends here. Don't forget the real reason we gathered here. The test is still ongoing."
He paused briefly. "First, we need a temporary captain to coordinate this joint operation. I nominate myself for the position. Does anyone have any objections?"
Kurenai and Shizune were the first to nod. Rin also nodded lightly in agreement. Obito looked at Kakashi, then at Shinichi, scratched his head, and said, "I don't have any objections… someone has to make the calls anyway."
Kakashi remained silent, which counted as tacit consent.
"Good." Shinichi nodded, then moved straight to the main point. "As the captain, I need to understand what each of you is good at so I can formulate tactics. Just give a brief overview…"
After learning the basic information, Shinichi quickly assigned roles such as reconnaissance, luring the enemy, containment, and main assault, combining the terrain with the possible action patterns of the two instructors. He also emphasized timing and signals for coordination.
Some time later, the joint operation began.
Under Shinichi's command, the six youths from the two classes displayed coordination and tactical execution that exceeded expectations.
As Minato and Tsunade exchanged moves with them, approval gradually appeared in their eyes. They had never intended to truly block these children—the core of the test was to observe their character and cooperation.
Seeing that their objective had been achieved, the two tacitly seized an opportunity to ease up, allowing a reasonable flaw to appear in the defense of the bells.
In the end, under a carefully planned feint and coordinated effort, Shinichi and Kakashi each snatched a bell—from Tsunade and from Minato respectively.
"Alright." Tsunade crossed her arms, a playful smile at the corner of her mouth. "Now the two of you have both grabbed a bell. So what are you going to do next? There are only two bells."
The atmosphere became subtle again. The rules lay clearly before them.
Two bells, six people.
Shinichi, however, remained calm. He walked up to Kakashi and held out his hand.
"Give me that bell."
Kakashi hesitated slightly, but still handed over the bell in his hand.
Holding both bells, Shinichi turned to Tsunade and asked, "Tsunade-sensei, now that both bells are in the hands of our Team Ten, according to the rules you announced, our Team Ten counts as having passed the test with all members, correct?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow and nodded. "That's right. By the rules, your class has passed."
"Very good." Shinichi turned around and, without hesitation, handed both bells to Kakashi.
Then he looked at Minato and asked in the same clear tone, "Minato-sensei, now that both bells are in the hands of Team Seven, according to the rules, Team Seven also counts as having passed the test with all members, correct?"
The entire scene fell silent for a moment, and then everyone suddenly understood.
Obito was the first to react, jumping up excitedly. "That's right! You can do it like that! Great! None of us have to be eliminated!"
Rin looked at the two bells, then at Shinichi, her eyes filled with gratitude. Kurenai and Shizune also revealed relieved smiles.
Kakashi looked at Shinichi, his expression complicated.
Minato watched the scene before him, a warm and gratified smile appearing on his face. Beside him, Tsunade snorted, but did not voice any objection.
"Ah, that's right." Minato nodded with a smile. "Since the two bells are now in the hands of Team Seven, then according to the rules, Team Seven has also passed the test with all members. Congratulations—both classes have passed!"
His announcement placed an unexpected yet happy ending on this joint test, which had been full of twists and surprises.
The test was successfully concluded.
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---