In an instant, wave after wave of Ninjutsu bombardment erupted across the battlefield, as the raging techniques completely blanketed the entire Training Ground.
Water dragons and earth dragons twisted together as they roared across the field. Massive waterfalls crashed down one after another, while sharp Earth Spears continuously burst upward from beneath the ground.
Earth Flow Walls rose in succession, reshaping the terrain itself and turning the battlefield into a chaotic zone of destruction.
Shin and his four Shadow Clones looked less like Genin and more like five living artillery turrets, unleashing Ninjutsu without pause, as though his Chakra reserves were completely limitless.
Yamato looked as if he had seen a ghost.
His body flickered constantly as he dodged through the dense storm of attacks, weaving through explosions of water, mud, and shattered earth.
He had only just raised a Wood Locking Wall to block a Water Dragon Bullet from the left when an Earth Spear suddenly erupted beneath his feet from the opposite side, forcing him into an awkward roll to evade it.
Before he could even regain his footing, the aftermath of a Great Waterfall Technique crashed down from above like a flood, forcing him to rapidly form hand seals again and erect another wooden shield to block the impact.
Water splashed everywhere. Mud stained his clothes.
The usually composed Jonin now looked visibly disheveled.
And the worst part was, the bombardment had already continued for nearly two and a half minutes.
Yet Shin's pace of releasing Ninjutsu showed absolutely no signs of slowing down. Faced with this endless, oppressive storm of attacks, Yamato's brows furrowed deeply.
No… I can't let him drag me into a battle of attrition. This kid's Chakra reserves are outright cheating. I need to get close and break his rhythm.
His hands moved rapidly through hand seals. "Wood Release: Wood Clone Technique!"
Two Wood Clones instantly emerged, splitting apart as they flanked Shin's original body from both sides.
At the same time, Yamato himself used the cover provided by his wooden defenses to rapidly close the distance.
As long as I can force close combat… I can suppress him with experience and taijutsu.
Watching Yamato approach at high speed, Shin narrowed his eyes instantly, immediately seeing through his intention.
Trying to close the gap? Not happening.
Without the slightest hesitation, Shin retreated rapidly instead of confronting him head-on. At the same time, his hands formed another seal.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Three new Shadow Clones appeared instantly, replacing the previous ones that had already dissipated from Chakra exhaustion.
The newly created clones immediately resumed forming hand seals without interruption.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Fresh waves of Ninjutsu exploded forth once again, surging toward Yamato and his Wood Clones like artillery fire that never ran out of ammunition.
Yamato and his clones moved swiftly, narrowly dodging the incoming attacks while continuing their advance.
Tch… his reaction speed is ridiculous.
One of the Wood Clones barely evaded a Water Dragon Bullet before lunging toward one of Shin's Shadow Clones.
But the earth beneath it suddenly bulged upward violently.
"Earth Release: Earth Spears!"
"What?!" The clone hurriedly leaped backward, narrowly escaping being impaled.
Another Wood Clone attempted to flank Shin's original body from the side, only to slam directly into a thick Earth Flow Wall.
Before it could react further, a Water Dragon Bullet fired from behind blasted it apart instantly.
He's reading every move…
Yamato's real body attempted several times to launch surprise attacks from underground using Wood Release restraints to bind Shin's ankles.
"Got you!"
Wooden vines burst upward from beneath the ground, yet in the next instant, Shin had already escaped.
Either he altered the terrain in advance with Earth Release to disrupt the attack… or he simply used the Body Flicker Technique to evade cleanly.
"It's useless, Yamato-sensei." Shin's calm voice rang out across the battlefield. "I'm not giving you the chance."
Even while speaking, he still maintained control over the battlefield, simultaneously directing his Shadow Clones to continue suppressing Yamato's position with nonstop Ninjutsu fire.
For a moment, an almost absurd yet shocking scene unfolded across the Training Ground. An experienced Jonin was being completely controlled by the pace of a Genin.
Whenever Yamato advanced, Shin retreated while endless Ninjutsu rained down upon him.
Whenever Yamato stopped to defend or attempted to regain control of the battlefield, Shin widened the distance even further and replenished his Shadow Clones to maintain constant firepower.
It was a perfect example of long-range suppression warfare.
This brat…
Yamato narrowly avoided another Earth Dragon Bullet and glanced toward Shin in the distance.
Despite maintaining this level of Ninjutsu output for so long, Shin's breathing was only slightly hurried, while his hands were already moving to prepare the next round of attacks.
A deep sense of helplessness slowly rose within Yamato's heart.
Is his Chakra really endless?
And somewhere along the way, he completely forgot the goal was to steal the bells… He's basically treating me like a training dummy now!
At this rate, this battle will never end!
Yamato even had reason to suspect that Shin was secretly taking revenge for that earlier Earth Spear attack.
He tried several more rushes and control techniques afterward, but every attempt was neutralized in nearly identical fashion.
Shin simply refused to engage him in close combat at all, pushing the advantages of his massive Chakra reserves and overwhelming Ninjutsu range to their absolute limits.
He's slippery as hell… Finally, Yamato stopped moving altogether.
He waved one hand, dispersing his final remaining Wood Clone, then stood there staring at Shin, who remained alert in the distance alongside his three Shadow Clones.
A helpless sigh escaped him.
Forget it… Continuing this is pointless.
Unless I start using genuinely dangerous force, I'd have to pay a considerable price to subdue him quickly. At that point, the entire purpose of this assessment would be lost.
"Alright, Shin." Yamato finally called out, looking both exasperated and amused. "That's enough."
Hearing this, Shin paused.
The Shadow Clones beside him also stopped forming hand seals, though none of them dispersed, remaining fully vigilant.
"It's over already?" Shin asked calmly. "I can still continue for quite a while."
Yamato's expression stiffened slightly before he shook his head helplessly. "You pass."
He untied the two bells from his waist and weighed them lightly in his hand.
"There's no point continuing this fight," Yamato admitted honestly. "Without using heavy-handed methods against you, subduing you quickly would require me to pay a serious price."
He glanced around at the Training Ground that had practically been reshaped by Shin's attacks.
"This fighting style of yours…" Yamato paused briefly before continuing. "…purely relying on overwhelming Chakra reserves and bombarding the enemy with nonstop Ninjutsu…"
A helpless smile appeared on his face.
He truly had to admit it.
Against an opponent with absurd Chakra reserves who absolutely refused to fight in close quarters, even an experienced Jonin like him found the situation extremely troublesome within the limited rules of the assessment.
Shin looked at the Bells in Yamato's hand, then at the helpless expression on the Jonin's face, before slowly forming a hand seal to dispel all of his Shadow Clones.
Poof. Poof. Poof.
The clones vanished one after another into white smoke.
Shin gradually calmed the surging Chakra flowing through his body, and his breathing slowly returned to normal.
It seems that relying on pure quantity alone still isn't enough to easily create a qualitative gap against a true Elite Jonin…
Of course, maybe my quantity still isn't sufficient yet… but forcing Yamato to stop the fight on his own initiative is already good enough for now.
Not far away, Ken and Yumi, who had watched the entire unbelievable battle unfold from beginning to end, had already gone completely numb from shock.
He… he actually forced a Jonin instructor to stop fighting and admit defeat? Ken's mouth hung open wide enough to fit an egg.
He rubbed his eyes repeatedly, almost suspecting he had fallen under some kind of Genjutsu.
Does this guy even have a limit to his Chakra?
Beside him, Yumi rubbed her still-aching neck while staring at Shin with an extremely complicated expression.
"It's more than just strength…" she muttered softly. "His Chakra feels endless… like an ocean…"
"And from the start, Shin never even cared about stealing the Bells. He was just… directly fighting Yamato-sensei head-on."
A mixture of shock, helplessness, and admiration filled both of their hearts.
At that moment, Yamato tossed the two Bells toward Shin.
Shin casually caught them.
The cold metallic sensation spread into his palm as the Bells gave off a crisp ding-ling sound from the movement.
Right then, Yamato's voice rang out at the perfect moment, carrying an obvious undertone of testing.
"As you can see," Yamato said calmly, "there are only two Bells. Which means one of you must fail the assessment and return to the Ninja Academy."
The moment those words fell, Ken and Yumi immediately stiffened.
Yamato's gaze slowly swept across the three of them before finally landing on Shin.
"Shin," he said, "the Bells are in your hands now. According to the rules, you have the right to decide who… remains on this team."
Hearing that, both Ken and Yumi subconsciously looked toward Shin, their expressions tightening involuntarily.
Even though they had already discussed this possibility before the assessment began… Now that the moment had truly arrived, the pressure still felt completely different.
However, Shin barely hesitated at all.
He stepped forward toward the two of them.
Under their slightly nervous and confused gazes, he directly stuffed one Bell into each of their hands.
"Take them."
"Shin… you…" Ken froze completely as he stared blankly at the Bell in his palm.
Yumi also tightened her grip on the Bell, confusion filling her eyes. "This… We can't..."
Shin stood calmly before them, his back facing Yamato as he spoke in an even voice.
"Whether I stay or whether you stay, the result is the same."
"If a so-called team requires sacrificing comrades just to obtain qualification, then that kind of team isn't worth staying in to begin with."
He paused slightly before glancing back toward Yamato.
"And besides… I don't believe Yamato-sensei's purpose in setting up this assessment was ever to make us fight each other."
"So I'm willing to make this choice."
"And I won't regret it."
This kid… Yamato's heart stirred slightly, though his expression remained calm on the surface.
Ken stared silently at the Bell in his hand, then suddenly clenched his teeth and forcefully shoved it back toward Shin.
"What kind of joke is this?! Shin, we trusted you from the beginning, but this is still just your guess about the test!"
"You shouldn't gamble your future on something uncertain!"
His voice grew louder as emotion surged within him. "You're way stronger than us! These Bells should belong to you! I… I'll just come back next year if I have to!"
Beside him, Yumi also seemed to make up her mind.
She stepped forward and handed her Bell back as well, her voice firm despite the hesitation in her eyes.
"Ken is right. The strongest person should stay. Even if Yamato-sensei really intended this as some kind of teamwork test… we still can't become your burden."
Seeing Yumi make the same decision, Ken suddenly felt an odd sense of relief wash over him.
At the very least, when faced with this difficult choice… neither of them had betrayed Shin's trust.
Yumi glanced toward Ken as well.
The two exchanged a faint smile, one carrying both bitterness and relief.
"Maybe…" Ken took a deep breath as his emotions gradually steadied,
"Maybe Yamato-sensei was right after all. The people who fail should return to the Academy…"
"This test made us realize how weak we really are."
Yumi nodded quietly before adding softly, "When facing a truly powerful opponent… we couldn't even coordinate properly."
"People like us… Maybe we really do need to go back and strengthen our foundation first."
Hearing those words, Yamato—who had remained silent while observing everything—suddenly felt his expression stiffen slightly.
Oh no… A sense of guilt suddenly rose within him.
Looking at the disappointment and complicated seriousness appearing on the faces of the two children, his heart sank a little.
Did I go too far? Or did Shin's overwhelming strength completely crush their confidence?
He had intended to test the bonds within the team, but he hadn't expected to nearly extinguish the fighting spirit of two newly graduated Genin instead.
Shin looked at the two Bells being pushed back into his hands, then at his two stubborn teammates, and couldn't help slightly furrowing his brows.
These two idiots…
Just as he was about to speak again, Yamato suddenly interrupted. "That's enough."
The three of them turned toward him at the same time. For the first time that entire day, a genuinely relaxed smile appeared on Yamato's face.
He stepped forward and gently took the two Bells from Shin's hand.
"The true purpose of this assessment was never to make you fight over these two Bells."
Yamato lightly shook the Bells, producing a clear and pleasant ringing sound.
"It was to see whether you would still choose to trust your comrades even under desperate circumstances."
"And whether you would be willing to sacrifice your own interests for the sake of your teammates."
As he spoke, Yamato looked toward Ken and Yumi.
"Even when your own positions weren't guaranteed, both of you were still willing to hand the opportunity over to the comrade you believed was stronger."
Then he turned toward Shin.
"And you… From the very beginning, you never cared about the Bells at all. Your real objective was simply to defeat me."
"Even after obtaining the Bells, your first instinct was to give them to your teammates rather than secure your own success."
"You were willing to leave the team yourself rather than accept qualification gained by sacrificing your comrades."
Yamato slowly placed the two Bells on the ground between the three of them.
"The three of you…" A faint smile appeared on his face. "…have failed this test perfectly."
Ken and Yumi froze.
Even Shin raised an eyebrow slightly.
Then Yamato continued, "But as a squad…"
"You pass. And not just barely. You passed brilliantly."
His expression gradually became serious again. "Remember the choice you made today."
"In future missions, you must entrust your backs to one another.
Trust. Sacrifice. Protection. That is the true meaning behind a Ninja squad's existence. It is far more important than individual strength."
A trace of nostalgia flashed across Yamato's eyes.
"…And it's also what my senpai once taught me."
Then Yamato looked directly at the three of them and declared clearly:
"Team One—"
"I officially acknowledge you."
For a moment, Ken and Yumi remained frozen in place.
Then, pure joy exploded across their faces.
"Great… that's great! We passed!"
Yumi excitedly threw her arms around Ken beside her, hugging him so tightly that his eyes nearly rolled back from the pressure.
"Y-Yumi… I can't breathe—!" Ken struggled awkwardly, flailing his arms in panic while she laughed in relief.
Shin watched his cheering teammates, then lowered his gaze toward the two Bells lying on the ground, no longer symbols of elimination or competition.
A faint curve slowly appeared at the corner of his mouth.
After the excitement had settled down, the heated atmosphere on the Training Ground gradually cooled.
The joy on Ken and Yumi's faces slowly faded, replaced by hesitation and unease.
Ken scratched the back of his head awkwardly before finally speaking up.
"But… Yamato-sensei…" His expression became conflicted. "Our performance just now… are we really worthy of being Genin?"
"In front of you, we couldn't even last a single exchange…"
Beside him, Yumi lowered her head quietly, staring at her palms, which were still slightly red from gripping her kunai too tightly.
"Yeah…" she said softly. "Compared to Shin… the difference in strength is just way too big."
"Can we really become competent ninjas like this? What if we just end up dragging everyone down during missions?"
The self-doubt in their voices was unmistakable.
The crushing sense of helplessness they had felt during the assessment still weighed heavily on their hearts.
Seeing the genuine frustration and uncertainty on the two children's faces, Yamato's heart skipped slightly.
I really overdid it…
He inwardly cursed himself.
There was no way he could allow his very first experience as a Jonin instructor to completely destroy the confidence of two fresh Genin.
"Listen carefully," Yamato said as he quickly crouched down so he could speak to them at eye level.
"Strength is only one standard used to judge a ninja. And it is absolutely not the only one."
He pointed toward the two Bells resting on the ground nearby.
"True strength isn't simply about how destructive your Ninjutsu is or how skilled your Taijutsu might be."
"What matters even more…" Yamato gently tapped his own chest. "…is what's here."
"A heart that protects comrades and refuses to abandon them." His tone softened slightly as traces of memory appeared in his eyes.
"When I was your age, I also believed I wasn't strong enough. I failed countless times. I experienced setbacks over and over again."
"But it was precisely because of those experiences… and because of the trust and support of my comrades… that I was eventually able to become who I am today."
"The difference in strength between people can always be narrowed through training, missions, and experience."
"But the thing you showed today…"
Yamato looked seriously at both of them.
"…the willingness to think about your comrades before yourselves…"
"…the refusal to abandon each other so easily…"
"That is a quality many ninja fail to obtain even after years of training."
As he spoke, his gaze briefly shifted toward Shin before returning to Ken and Yumi.
"So hold your heads high. You already proved through your actions that you possess the most important quality required to become an excellent ninja."
"As your Jonin instructor…" Yamato smiled faintly. "I'm absolutely certain of that."
Ken and Yumi listened blankly. The confusion and discouragement in their eyes slowly faded, gradually replaced by a new light.
—
Inside the Hokage's Office.
The glow of the crystal ball slowly dimmed before eventually returning to its original transparent state.
Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly leaned back into his chair.
The pipe in his hand had remained untouched for quite some time, the tiny ember inside gradually fading away on its own.
The office remained silent.
Only the distant bustle of Konoha drifting in from outside the window could be heard faintly in the background.
"Kagutsuchi Shin…" Hiruzen quietly repeated the name. Forcing Yamato to stop the battle on his own initiative…
No one understood Yamato's strength better than he did. An Elite Jonin forged within the Anbu.
A survivor who possessed the First Hokage's cells.
A ninja who wielded Wood Release.
Even while heavily restraining himself during an assessment, Yamato's strength was still far beyond that of an ordinary Jonin.
And yet… Hiruzen's fingers lightly tapped against the desk. Relying solely on relentless high-level Ninjutsu bombardment and those bottomless Chakra reserves…
This child has already reached the threshold of a Special Jonin in terms of destructive capability and endurance alone… perhaps even beyond that.
And Shin had only just graduated from the Academy. This level of talent already rivaled Kakashi's back in his youth.
No… Hiruzen silently corrected himself inwardly. In terms of raw talent and potential, he may already be comparable to Kakashi during his peak years as a prodigy.
If not for the current era of relative peace… and if his combat instincts and experience weren't still somewhat immature… perhaps…
Hiruzen's eyes gradually deepened.
But more than Shin's overwhelming power, what truly stirred his heart was the final scene of the assessment.
His thoughts replayed the image from the Training Ground once more, Shin calmly handing the Bells over to his teammates without hesitation.
A relieved smile slowly appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Despite possessing overwhelming talent and power…He did not become intoxicated by strength.
Nor did he grow arrogant because of his own gifts. Instead… he still understood the importance of comrades.
At that moment, Hiruzen thought of the First Hokage's dream when he founded the village.
He thought of the Second Hokage's efforts to establish the village system.
And he thought of the Fourth Hokage's warm smile and unwavering resolve when he sacrificed himself for Konoha.
"Where the leaves dance… the fire also burns… The light of that fire will continue illuminating the village… allowing new leaves to sprout…"
Wasn't this precisely the Will of Fire he had pursued his entire life?
And wasn't Shin—this new sprout filled with limitless potential—the very embodiment of that will?
"Perhaps…" Hiruzen slowly picked his pipe back up before calmly filling it with fresh tobacco. "…this child may one day become a unique light capable of illuminating Konoha's future."
The smoke slowly drifted upward through the office.
Hiruzen's gaze turned toward the distant direction of the Training Grounds as he spoke quietly:
"Yamato… guide him well. This is a seedling truly worth nurturing with everything you have."