Chapter 17 — Minato Namikaze's Trial
Obuya was knocked flat as the girl barreled straight into him, the impact sending both of them tumbling to the ground with her landing squarely on top of him.
"Rin, you're so heavy! You're going to break my bones!"
Obuya cried out dramatically, clutching his chest as if he had suffered a fatal blow.
Rin immediately scrambled off him, her cheeks flushing red with a mix of embarrassment and irritation.
"I'm hurt! Help me up!"
Obuya stretched out a hand toward her, still putting on a pitiful act.
"Hmph!"
Rin slapped his hand away without hesitation.
"I'm not falling for that again! Tōki only got captured alive because you tricked him! Hurry up and get up—I came here for a reason."
Obuya let out a sheepish laugh and got to his feet.
"Is it good news again? Every time you come running over this excited, you don't even remember to knock."
"Alright, alright. I know, I know—I was reckless this time. It won't happen again."
Rin puffed out her cheeks, clearly unhappy with herself, but then she remembered why she had come. The irritation vanished instantly, replaced by bright excitement in her eyes.
"Obuya, do you know who sent me to find you?" she asked, lowering her voice as if sharing a secret.
"Sent you? I don't know… who?" Obuya frowned, thinking.
"Can't you at least try to guess?" Rin looked slightly annoyed at his lack of effort.
"Is it… Lord Minato?" Obuya ventured cautiously.
Rin's expression immediately collapsed.
"Boring! You guessed it right away."
Obuya forced a small, helpless smile.
It wasn't that he had expected to guess correctly—there simply wasn't anyone else in Konoha who could send Rin personally to look for him aside from Minato Namikaze.
"Lord Minato is looking for me?"
Rin suddenly grinned again, unable to hide her excitement.
"Minato-sensei sent me to tell you that starting today, you, me, Obito, and Kakashi will all train under him directly."
"What? You mean Lord Minato is going to personally teach me ninjutsu?"
Obuya's eyes widened in genuine shock.
Rin nodded eagerly. "That's what he said himself."
"Oh wow… It's getting late—let's go! He might already be waiting for us."
Before Obuya could say anything else, Rin grabbed his hand and pulled him along without hesitation.
…
Behind the Hidden Leaf Village lay a small forest, a place commonly used for ninja training and combat drills.
Within a quiet clearing surrounded by tall trees, two figures stood facing each other—one tall, one small.
The taller one was Konoha's elite jōnin, Minato Namikaze. Standing before him was Kakashi, his white hair unmistakable, his face still hidden beneath his usual mask.
"Sensei…"
At the sound of Rin's voice, both figures moved at once. They leapt through the trees with practiced ease, crossing the distance in mere breaths before landing in front of the group.
"Lord Minato…"
Obuya straightened slightly and greeted him with proper respect.
Minato smiled warmly and gave a small nod in return.
"The reason I called you here—Rin should have already told you. This isn't just my decision, but also the Hokage's. From today onward, you'll be training under me."
Obuya had no reason to refuse and immediately agreed.
The four of them waited together, glancing around from time to time—but Obito was nowhere to be seen.
Half an hour passed in silence.
"Obito, that kid…"
Minato didn't sound angry, but there was a clear note of helplessness in his voice.
Being late was practically Obito's defining trait. Minato had warned him more than once about the importance of punctuality—how a ninja who couldn't manage his time could never be considered reliable.
And yet, every time Obito promised to improve, he would end up late again the next time. It was a constant source of frustration.
Obuya had once been curious about this and had asked Obito about it privately. According to him, every instance of tardiness was unavoidable.
Once, for example, he had run into an elderly woman struggling to walk and insisted on helping her home. There were many such stories. Whether they were all true or not… no one could really say.
"Being late is practically a disease for him. There's no cure." Kakashi said flatly, his tone completely devoid of emotion as he mocked him.
Rin gave an awkward laugh. "Minato-sensei, please wait a little longer. Obito must've run into something urgent—he'll be here soon."
"I'm here, Minato-sensei!"
A loud shout cut through the clearing as a figure rushed in, breathing heavily.
"Kakashi! You sneaky bastard—you were talking behind my back again, weren't you?" Obito snapped between breaths, already picking a fight.
"Idiot. Everyone can see it for themselves. I don't need to say anything." Kakashi replied calmly.
"You—!"
"Alright, that's enough. Why are you two arguing again?"
Rin quickly stepped in, cutting them off before it could escalate.
"Eh? Obuya, you're here too?"
Obuya smiled slightly. "Looks like we'll be training together from now on. Lord Minato allowed me to join your group."
"What? Seriously? That's awesome! Hahaha…"
Obito's excitement was obvious as he turned to Kakashi with a grin.
"With you joining us, our team's unbeatable now. We completely make up for Kakashi's weaknesses—Team Seven is going to be the strongest in Konoha!"
Kakashi let out a faint scoff. "You're overestimating yourself. You know exactly who the weak link is."
Obito inhaled sharply, clearly ready to fire back, but Minato raised a hand and cut in.
"That's enough."
The brief clash died down instantly.
"Today, I've gathered you here to inform you that one of you may not be able to participate in the upcoming Chūnin Exams."
"What?!"
Obito's face immediately went pale.
"Minato-sensei, it's Kakashi who can't go, right?"
Minato smiled lightly. "It could be Kakashi. It could be you. Or even Rin."
Seeing the tension rise among them, he continued without delay.
"The preliminary round of this Chūnin Exam is conducted in teams. Each team must have the same number of participants—three per team."
He glanced at them.
"As things stand, with Obuya joining, my team now has four members. One too many. That means one of you will be eliminated."
A brief pause followed.
"Naturally, only the strongest will remain."
"Ah…?"
Rin's eyes widened, clearly shaken. She couldn't accept it. To her, none of her teammates deserved to be left behind—and she didn't want to lose her chance to advance to Chūnin either.
"Fair enough."
Kakashi was the first to respond, nodding without hesitation.
Obito shot him an irritated look. "Fair? Just wait and see who gets eliminated. I'll bet a hundred ryō it's you."
"A hundred ryō? That's all your confidence is worth?" Kakashi replied with a faint sneer.
"Enough."
Minato's voice cut cleanly through their bickering.
"I'll explain the rules."
At the mention of "rules," all four of them immediately focused.
Minato raised his hand slightly, and with a flick of his wrist, three small bells tied with red cords dropped into his palm with a crisp clang.
"These three bells… are your tickets to the Chūnin Exams."
He held them up where everyone could see.
"Whoever manages to take one earns the right to participate."
His gaze swept across the four of them.
"So your situation is simple: you must cooperate to obtain the bells… while also competing against each other."
He let the words settle.
"There are only three bells."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"So one of you… will inevitably walk away empty-handed."