Kagutsuchi Shin's words startled both Ken and Yumi.
"Trust you?" Ken repeated instinctively, his face showing confusion and lingering unease. "Shin, what do you mean?"
Yumi looked at Shin, her gaze thoughtful.
Shin didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Do you really agree with the rules Yamato-sensei mentioned? There are only two bells, so one of us is destined to be sent back to the academy."
"Of course I don't agree!" Ken shot back immediately, his tone agitated. "That's completely unreasonable! We've already graduated!"
Yumi remained calmer. She studied Shin carefully before asking, "Shin, have you figured something out?"
Shin nodded slightly, his gaze moving between the two of them. "This isn't a real elimination test. It's an assessment."
"An assessment?" Ken frowned.
"That's right." Shin continued evenly, "Think about it—what matters most for a shinobi? Teamwork. But Yamato-sensei only brought out two bells, deliberately creating a situation where the three of us have to compete, where one of us must be sacrificed. That doesn't make sense."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"If his goal were truly to eliminate someone, there would be no need for this setup. He could've done it during the graduation exam. After all, he's a jonin. So what he really wants to see isn't who takes the bells… but what choices we make under these conditions."
Yumi's eyes widened slightly as realization dawned. "You mean… he wants to see if we'll turn on each other? Or… if someone would give up for the team?"
"Exactly," Shin confirmed. "This is a test of teamwork and trust. If we start doubting each other or fighting over the bells, then we've already failed."
As Ken listened, the tension on his face slowly eased. Understanding replaced confusion.
"So… instead of thinking about how to steal the bells, we should be working together to figure out a solution?"
"At the very least, we can't fall into the 'competition' trap he set," Shin said calmly. "We need a plan—one built on the idea that we are a team."
He looked at both of them and asked again,
"So, do you trust me? Are you willing to put aside your fear of the rules and face this test together, as Team One?"
Ken and Yumi exchanged a glance, both seeing the same resolve reflected in each other's eyes.
"I trust you, Shin!" Ken nodded firmly. "You're right—we can't start fighting each other before we even begin!"
"I trust you as well," Yumi said, her voice collected. "We need a plan. You're the strongest among us—you should lead."
Seeing them reach a decision so quickly, Shin felt a quiet sense of relief.
Fortunately, they weren't slow to understand. That saved him a great deal of effort.
"Alright." Shin didn't waste time. "Our objective isn't to 'take the bells.' It's to prove we have the qualities our instructor is looking for."
—
Training Ground Three.
Yamato leaned against a large tree, his brows slightly furrowed as he pulled out the crumpled notebook again. He flipped through it under the filtered sunlight, muttering to himself.
"According to Kakashi-senpai… do this… then that… and then observe their reactions…"
His finger traced the uneven handwriting. "…test whether they'll sacrifice for their teammates… or act alone…"
Yamato closed the notebook and let out a slow breath. "Alright. As long as I follow the steps, there shouldn't be any problems."
He glanced toward the entrance of the training ground, estimating the time.
Those three should be struggling right now… caught between doubt and suspicion because of the rules.
After all, being told your teammate might become your opponent…
Just then, three figures appeared at the edge of the training ground.
Yamato straightened immediately, preparing himself. But when his eyes landed on Shin, Ken, and Yumi—walking side by side—he paused.
Something felt off.
There was no fear. No hesitation. Instead… they exuded calmness.
Suppressing his surprise, Yamato cleared his throat and spoke as planned. "It seems you're ready. As I've explained, there are only two bells—"
"Yamato-sensei," Shin interrupted calmly, "may we begin?"
Yamato stopped mid-sentence.
He looked into Shin's dark amber eyes—there was no confusion there, no hesitation. Only quiet confidence.
Ken and Yumi stood beside him with the same unwavering resolve. This… wasn't what he expected.
Still, Yamato reacted quickly. He secured the bells at his waist and faced them.
"Then… begin." The moment he finished speaking, he vanished into the trees.
The training ground fell silent once more.
Shin didn't move immediately. He simply tilted his head slightly.
"As planned."
Ken grinned, showing his teeth. "I've been waiting for this!"
Without hesitation, Shin formed hand seals the moment Ken finished speaking.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique!"
The ground trembled violently. Soil surged upward as a massive earth dragon burst forth, charging straight toward Yamato with overwhelming force.
Boom—!
Trees splintered as the attack tore through the training ground, sending debris and dust flying everywhere.
Yamato leaped out of the smoke, his eyes widening in clear shock. It wasn't just the speed of Shin's hand seals.
It was the sheer scale, chakra control, and stability of the jutsu. This level of chakra wasn't something a newly graduated genin should be capable of.
"Let's do it!"
With a loud shout, Ken and Yumi rushed forward from opposite sides at the same time.
Kunai and shuriken cut through the air in sharp arcs, sealing off Yamato's movement to both the left and right, leaving him little room to evade.
Yamato casually deflected the incoming ninja tools with minimal effort, his movements smooth and precise. As he did, he gave a faint nod of approval.
Not only did they avoid internal conflict, but their coordination is already in place… and they even set up a basic tactic.
In the next moment, Ken and Yumi closed the distance, moving in for close-quarters combat, attempting to restrain him with taijutsu.
"Too slow."
Yamato stepped lightly to the side, easily avoiding Ken's straight punch. At the same time, his right hand tapped Ken's wrist with a seemingly gentle motion.
Yet that light contact carried an unexpected force.
Ken's body lurched forward uncontrollably, his balance broken in an instant.
At the same time, Yumi's sweeping low kick was effortlessly stopped—Yamato simply pressed his foot down onto her leg.
"The intent is too obvious," Yamato commented calmly as he applied a slight downward force.
Yumi let out a muffled grunt and was forced to retreat several steps before regaining her balance.
"…Damn it!" Seeing their coordinated attack dismantled so easily, Ken clenched his teeth and charged forward again without hesitation.
He shifted from a punch into a palm strike, aiming straight for Yamato's throat.
Yamato tilted his head slightly, catching his wrist with one hand before pivoting his body.
Then—
"Bang!" Ken was lifted off the ground by a powerful force and slammed heavily onto the earth.
"Ugh—!"
He cried out, his back erupting in pain, a numb, jarring sensation spreading through his body as if his insides had been shaken loose.
"How… how is this possible…" He lay there momentarily, unable to rise, frustration boiling over as he struck the ground with his fist.
Yumi, witnessing the entire exchange, froze where she stood.
"Both attacks… completely countered… Even Ken… who's the good at taijutsu…" Her grip on her kunai tightened, her hand trembling slightly.
"Is this… the strength of a jonin…? We can't even force him to move seriously…"
Yamato's gaze shifted toward Yumi. "Losing focus in battle is a fatal mistake for a shinobi."
His figure blurred as he moved, instantly closing the distance between them. Just as he was about to strike—
"Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!" Shin's voice echoed from beneath the ground.
"Good timing…" Yamato remarked, but his chakra surged instantly as he leaped upward.
From below, Shin burst out of the ground, launching himself forward.
But mid-air, Yamato struck. A precise chop landed against Shin's shoulder and neck.
Then—
"Bang!"
Shin's figure dissolved into a cloud of white smoke.
"A shadow clone?" Yamato's expression changed instantly, a chill running down his spine.
"Then the real one is—"
Before he could finish, a sharp intent flared behind him.
Yamato barely had time to turn his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a figure moving at incredible speed.
Shin had already appeared behind him.
His right hand formed a fist, a dense sphere of blue chakra spinning violently within it, emitting a sharp, oppressive pressure.
That speed?! Yamato's pupils shrank.
And then—
That chakra flow…Is that… the Rasengan?!
Though shocked, his body reacted instantly on instinct.
The moment he recognized the technique, he completed a one-handed seal and swung his arm back sharply.
"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"
From the ground behind him, thick wooden branches surged upward, twisting and intertwining in an instant to form a dome-shaped defensive barrier.
"Boom—!!"
The Rasengan slammed into the wooden shield with explosive force.
A deafening roar echoed through the training ground. The condensed chakra collided violently against the dense wood, tearing and grinding against it.
The air surged outward in waves, sending Yamato's clothing and hair whipping wildly.
Fragments of wood splintered apart under the invisible crushing force, scattering in all directions.
The hastily formed shield caved inward, a deep indentation carved into its center as the wood fibers fractured layer by layer—yet it held. Barely.
Yamato's mind raced. This kid… he actually mastered the Rasengan? And to this degree? How did he even learn it?
Even though his attack had been stopped, Shin remained completely calm.
Using the recoil from the collision, he flipped backward gracefully and landed several meters away without a sound.
At the edge of the battlefield, Ken and Yumi, who had just managed to recover, stood frozen.
They had completely forgotten their earlier struggle. Their eyes were locked onto the shattered wooden dome… and the jonin standing behind it.
"W-what… what kind of jutsu was that?" Ken stammered, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Wood… growing out of the ground…?"
Yumi pointed toward Yamato, equally stunned. "Sensei… what was that technique just now? I've never seen anything like it…"
—
Inside the Hokage's office, the crystal ball clearly displayed everything happening on the training field.
The moment Shin charged forward at that astonishing speed and unleashed the Rasengan, Sarutobi Hiruzen shot to his feet abruptly, nearly dropping his smoking pipe.
"Rasengan?!" Shock filled his aged face. "How could he have learned it? Who taught him?!"
The Rasengan was notoriously difficult to master. Aside from Minato and Jiraiya, only Kakashi was known to have fully grasped it within the village.
Hiruzen's gaze locked tightly onto the black-haired boy within the crystal ball.
The Rasengan that Shin unleashed was perfectly stable in form and exhibited an astonishing level of chakra concentration, clearly demonstrating an exceptionally high degree of mastery. It was a truly complete and destructive.
This wasn't some crude imitation.
Jiraiya is rarely in the village… It's unlikely he taught him. Kakashi? He has the ability… but why would he? And there's been no report of it.
There's no known connection between the Kagutsuchi family and Kakashi…
Having ruled out all known methods of learning, the remaining possibility made Hiruzen's heart sink.
Did he… figure it out on his own?
The thought seemed absurd at first, yet when he considered the boy's performance during the assessment… it no longer felt entirely impossible.
If he really developed it by himself…then this isn't just talent. This is genius.
Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe. But even the thick smoke did nothing to calm the growing storm in his mind.