Back at the Ninth Training Ground, while Minato and Tsunade were talking, several figures began to arrive one after another.
It was Shinichi, Kurenai Yuhi, Kakashi, and a girl with short brown hair and a gentle smile—Rin Nohara.
Both groups looked slightly surprised to see each other, but quickly exchanged simple greetings.
Kakashi merely offered a cold glance as his greeting, while Shinichi, Kurenai, and Rin nodded politely.
After the greetings, they each walked toward the area where their respective instructors were standing.
However, the moment Minato Namikaze laid eyes on Shinichi, his eyes lit up. His already gentle smile instantly grew significantly brighter, carrying an almost eager enthusiasm.
He blurred into motion, proactively stepping forward and placing himself perfectly in Shinichi's path. He asked eagerly:
"You must be Shinichi Higashino, right? The Shinichi who developed the Shinichi Higashino Light Blade Initiation: Super Dancing Roar Spiral Sphere!"
?????
What the hell is that gibberish?
As his words fell, a brief, dead silence descended upon the training ground.
Even Tsunade, who was standing off to the side with her arms crossed watching the show, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, shooting him a look that clearly said, What kind of nonsense is this kid spouting?
Shinichi was also momentarily stunned. He blinked, then asked tentatively, unsure, "Senpai, are you talking about the Rasengan?"
'Shinichi Higashino' was obviously the name of the jutsu's creator. That part was fine.
'Light Blade Initiation'? Was that referring to the inspiration he got from seeing Asuma's glowing chakra blades?
'Spiral' was the core form of the jutsu, describing the rotational movement of the chakra.
'Sphere' referred to the final condensed shape of the jutsu.
But what in the world were 'Dancing Roar' and 'Super Dancing Roar' supposed to mean?
Were they just purely meant to be cool, flashy exclamatory particles?
Shinichi's brain worked rapidly, trying to decipher this bizarre name using Minato Namikaze's notoriously unique naming logic.
"Yes, yes, yes! The Rasengan! Look at me, I accidentally blurted out the name I came up with for it, ahahaha..." Minato finally realized his slip-up and rubbed the back of his head, looking slightly embarrassed.
"S-Sorry," Minato laughed, trying to smooth things over. "It's just that I thought your jutsu was absolutely brilliant, so I couldn't help but... well, give it a name. But 'Rasengan' is a great name! Very concise!"
This kid... he really is surprisingly dense in some areas, Tsunade thought to herself, glancing at Minato, who was still trying to maintain his bright smile.
He was a phenomenally powerful, clear-headed genius Jonin, yet he possessed such a bizarrely skewed aesthetic when it came to naming things.
Just then, another figure burst through the entrance of the training ground.
Shizune ran up, panting heavily. Fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead, and her face was flushed from the sprint and anxiety.
"I-I'm sorry! I'm late!" She quickly apologized while trying to catch her breath. Her gaze swept rapidly past Shinichi and Kurenai before landing on Tsunade. Her eyes filled with obvious relief mixed with a subtle hint of complaint. "Tsunade-sensei! So you were here! When I woke up this morning and saw you were gone, I thought you had..."
She didn't finish the sentence, but the implication was clear: she had thought Tsunade had run off to some casino or tavern, stayed out all night, and completely forgotten about today's squad test. That was why she had been frantically searching for her, making herself late.
Tsunade's mouth twitched. She looked at the girl she had practically raised. "Am I really that unreliable in your eyes?"
Shizune pursed her lips and chose not to answer directly.
Seeing this, Tsunade felt even more speechless. A vein seemed to throb on her forehead as she waved a hand in annoyance. "Alright, alright. Stop standing there looking dumb and get in formation! Next time, just go straight to the meeting point! Don't go running around looking for me blindly!"
Beside them, Minato Namikaze very tactfully averted his gaze, pretending to study the trees surrounding the training ground as if he hadn't heard a thing.
Right at that moment, the final latecomer arrived at the training ground entrance, accompanied by his signature shouting and the sound of frantic, chaotic footsteps rapidly approaching.
"I-I'm sorry! I'm late!!!"
Obito Uchiha was sprinting like he was running a 100-meter dash. He was also dripping with sweat, his goggles knocked askew, and his face a picture of anxiety and frustration.
He skidded to a halt in front of them, nearly crashing into Kakashi because he couldn't brake in time. He hurriedly steadied himself and bowed deeply. "I am so, so sorry! Minato-sensei! On my way here, I saw an old lady drop her cane into a ditch. It was hard for her to bend over, so I helped her get it. But then she said she couldn't see the road clearly and asked if I could help her cross the street. And then, after we crossed, she said she couldn't find her house! Her memory is bad because she's old, so I helped carry her things and had to ask around based on her vague descriptions, and I finally managed to walk her home!"
"And then, on my way here after that, a black cat suddenly jumped down from a wall right in front of me! It just stared at me! No matter which way I tried to go around it, it blocked my path, so I got delayed a little longer..."
Minato Namikaze listened quietly to Obito Uchiha's detailed account of his good deeds before smiling. "Alright, Obito. Get in formation."
Obito finally straightened up as if he had been granted amnesty. He wiped the sweat from his brow, quickly jogged over to stand next to Rin, and secretly made a face at the expressionless Kakashi.
Tsunade stood with her arms crossed, looking at her three students who had finally all arrived, then glanced over at Squad 7, which was also now fully assembled. A thought suddenly seemed to strike her. She raised an eyebrow and spoke up.
"Minato, it's boring if we just test them separately. Why don't our two squads hold a joint test?"
"A joint test?" Minato was slightly taken aback and looked at Tsunade.
Tsunade pulled Minato aside and quickly exchanged a few whispered words with him. After hearing her proposal, a flash of hesitation crossed Minato's face, but he eventually nodded. He took one of the two bells he had prepared for his own squad and handed it to Tsunade.
The two instructors then returned to the front of the groups. Tsunade stepped forward, cleared her throat, and swept a sharp gaze over the six young faces before her—some calm, some nervous, some excited. She announced loudly:
"Listen up, you brats from Squad 7 and Squad 10! The rules of this test are very simple!"
Tsunade tossed the bell tied with the red string lightly in her hand. Minato also held up the bell in his hand.
"See these two bells? Minato and I will each hold one. Your mission is to take them from us within the time limit!"
"There are only two bells! The individual who grabs a bell will pass the test immediately! If a squad manages to grab both bells simultaneously, the entire squad passes!"
Here, Tsunade's voice suddenly grew heavy.
"As for the squad that fails to secure a bell—the entire squad fails! You will drag yourselves back to the Ninja Academy, study for a few more years, and think long and hard about whether you're really cut out to be shinobi!"