Obito hadn't said much to him, but the impression that he was a good person remained with him.
But now, the person standing in the middle of the field had no smile on his face, and his eyes were as cold as a kunai in winter.
Obito suddenly felt a little unfamiliar with him.
But for some reason, looking at Shinichi like this, the first image that popped into his mind wasn't those cold, hard words from before; it's something else entirely.
Back then, when Obito had just entered the Ninja Academy, he would rush to the school gate every morning and always see someone on the edge of the playground, carrying a stone and running around the playground.
The rock was huge, several times larger than the person himself. At first, Obito thought it was an upperclassman, but later he found out it was a student from the next class in the same year, named Shinichi Higashino.
"He's crazy."
Obito thought at the time.
Later, he discovered that the person not only ran in the morning, but also during the lunch break, while others were eating lunch, chasing each other in the corridor, or chatting in groups in the classroom, that person stood under the cherry blossom tree by the playground, swinging a sword.
Obito leaned against the railing, still chewing his half-eaten lunch, thinking: What's this guy doing all this for? Isn't he tired? Isn't he bored?
No one answered him.
Later, Obito stopped leaning on the railing, but he would still subconsciously glance at that spot when he occasionally passed by.
The person was still there, in the same posture, in the same place, and even the rhythm of his sword swings remained unchanged.
It was as if time had stood still for him, yet it was also as if time kept moving forward, while he remained in the same place, doing the same thing...
"Pick it up."
Shinichi's voice rang out again, interrupting Obito's deeper thoughts.
Kakashi's body trembled, and his empty eyes mechanically turned to Shinichi's face.
"I told you to pick it up! Kakashi!"
Shinichi's voice suddenly rose in pitch.
"A broken sword can be reforged! A wavering belief can be reaffirmed! If you've strayed from the right path, turn back!"
"Throw away that self-imposed trap of a bunch of bullshit multiple-choice questions! From now on, you're only allowed to think about one thing: get stronger!"
"With the determination to become stronger, pick up this broken sword! Then, with your own hands, and with every bit of strength you earn in the future, reforge it!"
"Temper it with your will, sharpen it with your awareness! Let it witness how you cut through the 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 force you to make choices anymore, strong enough that you yourself are the one who can rewrite the rules and create a third path!"
"That brat's mouth is still so sharp."
Tsunade snorted, seemingly remembering something.
Upon hearing this, Minato realized that Tsunade and Shinichi seemed to have some kind of connection or story, but he considerately did not delve into it, and simply smiled gently: "Although the method was a bit intense, Shinichi is indeed someone who values his comrades very much and hopes that his comrades can also become stronger. Perhaps, this is also a unique kind of gentleness."
In the training ground, Kakashi gripped the broken sword 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 softly, yet it seemed as if he had used up all his strength at that moment. He didn't say much, nor did he utter any grand words. He simply, carefully, and preciously put away the broken sword and the surrounding fragments.
Seeing this, Shinichi didn't say anything more.
He stopped looking at Kakashi, turned to face the others, and his voice returned to its usual calm: "That's enough of the interlude. Don't forget the real reason we've gathered here; the testing continues."
He paused briefly, then said, "First, we need a temporary captain to coordinate this joint operation. I've volunteered for the position. What are your thoughts?"
Kurenai and Shizune nodded first, and Rin Nohara also nodded slightly in agreement.
Obito Uchiha looked at Kakashi, then at Shinichi, and scratched his head: "I have no objection... anyway, someone has to make the decision."
Kakashi remained silent, which was taken as a tacit agreement.
"Okay."
Shinichi nodded and then got to the point: "As the captain, I need to understand everyone's areas of expertise in order to formulate tactics. Please give a brief overview..."
After understanding the basic information, Shinichi quickly assigned roles such as reconnaissance, luring, restraint, and main attack, taking into account the terrain and the possible action patterns of the two teachers, and emphasized the timing and signals for coordination.
After some time, the joint operation began.
The six students from the two teams, under Shinichi's command, demonstrated a level of teamwork and tactical execution that exceeded expectations.
During their exchange, Minato and Tsunade gradually revealed expressions of approval in their eyes. They had no intention of truly stopping these children; the core of the test was to observe their character and cooperation.
Having achieved their goal, the two tacitly sought an opportunity to let the bell slip through their defenses, creating a plausible opening.
Ultimately, through a carefully planned feint and coordinated attack, Shinichi and Kakashi each managed to snatch the bells from Tsunade and Minato, respectively.
"Alright."
Tsunade crossed her arms, a playful smile on her lips. "Now that you two have both gotten the bells, what are you going to do next? There are only two bells."
The atmosphere became subtle again, and the rules were clearly laid out before them.
Two bells, six people.
Shinichi remained calm. He walked up to Kakashi and held out his hand: "Give me your bell."
Kakashi hesitated slightly, but still handed over the bell in his hand.
Shinichi, holding two bells, turned to Tsunade and asked, "Tsunade-sensei, now that both bells are in the hands of our team 10, according to the rules you announced, does that mean that all members of team 10 have passed the test?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow and nodded: "Not bad, according to the rules, your class has passed."
"Very good."
Shinichi turned around and handed both bells to Kakashi without hesitation.
Then, he looked at Minato Namikaze and asked in the same clear tone, "Minato-sensei, now that both bells are in the hands of Team 7, according to the rules, Team 7 is considered to have passed the test with all members, right?"
There was a moment of silence, then everyone suddenly realized what was going on.
Obito Uchiha was the first to react, jumping up excitedly: "That's right! We can do that too! Great! We don't have to be eliminated!"
Rin Nohara looked at the two bells, then at Shinichi, her eyes filled with gratitude.
Kurenai Yuhi and Shizune also smiled with relief.
Kakashi looked at Shinichi with a complicated expression.
Minato Namikaze looked at the scene before him with a warm and gratified smile on his face.
Tsunade snorted but did not object.
"Ah, yes."
Minato smiled and nodded. "Since both bells are now in the hands of team 7, then according to the rules, team 7 has also passed the test. Congratulations, both teams have passed!"
His announcement brought an unexpected yet happy ending to this joint test, which was fraught with twists and turns and unexpected events.
The test has thus been successfully completed.
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