Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

After saying that, Tsunade turned around decisively and disappeared into the woods at the edge of the training ground in a few leaps, leaving the heavy atmosphere and the difficult problem to the boys and girls present.

Minato Namikaze, who remained where he was, also lost some of the gentle smile on his face.

He looked at the three students in his class, then at Class 10 across from him, and said, "Alright, the rules have been clearly stated. There are only two bells, and there are six of you. How do you devise a strategy? Do you prioritize cooperating to snatch the bells from me or Tsunade-senpai, or do you have some other method? You can discuss and decide for yourselves."

He paused, then added a special reminder: "However, be careful of Tsunade-senpai. Her strength is far beyond what you can currently imagine. Any rash, head-on attack will have absolutely no chance of success. Make good use of this last bit of preparation time."

After saying that, he also flashed away, using the Body Flicker Technique to leave the spot, leaving the space completely to the six young ninjas from the two classes.

For a moment, the two classes in the center of the training field exchanged six pairs of eyes and fell into a subtle silence.

Obito Uchiha was the first to lose his composure. He grabbed his messy black hair, his face filled with anxiety and struggle: "This...this rule is too cruel! We have to grab the bell, but there are only two bells! We're not in the same class! I...I don't want to attack my comrades, but I don't want to go back to the Ninja Academy to study again! That would be too shameful!"

Nohara Rin stood beside him, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed, her eyes also filled with worry.

She glanced at the people from Team 10 across from her, then at Kakashi and Obito beside her. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something to ease the tension or offer advice, but in the end she just sighed softly and swallowed her words.

Kurenai and Shizune exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.

Kurenai took a deep breath, stepped forward, and spoke in as calm and clear a voice as possible: "Minato-sensei is right. The two teachers are far stronger than us, and we have almost no chance of winning if we act alone. I think the most sensible choice for our two classes right now is to cooperate temporarily. Let's concentrate our efforts and try to take the bell back from the two teachers. As for who gets the bell after that, we can..."

"There's no need."

A cold voice cut her off.

Kakashi Hatake stepped forward, his gaze sharp as a knife, fixed directly on Shinichi Higashino.

"Shinichi Higashino," Kakashi said directly, without any probing, "The rules are clear: whoever gets the bell passes. Wasting time on pointless cooperation and maneuvering will only reduce efficiency and increase the risk of being picked off one by one by the teachers."

"They can't keep up with our pace. In front of Tsunade and Minato, they are just distractions and obvious openings. The two of us working together have the highest chance of getting the bell. The others are just dragging us down."

"You bastard Kakashi! Who are you calling a burden?!" Obito Uchiha instantly bristled, his face turning bright red as he pointed at Kakashi and roared.

Kurenai and Shizune also looked grim, and Rin Nohara looked anxiously at Kakashi, whispering, "Kakashi, don't say that..."

However, Kakashi ignored Obito's roar and the ugly expressions on his companions' faces; at this moment, his gaze could only accommodate one person.

"Kakashi, I will not abandon my comrades."

Shinichi shook his head, rejecting the offer directly.

Kakashi frowned and said in a cold voice, "I thought that now that you're a Chunin and have gone through missions, you should be able to understand reality more clearly—in the face of an absolute difference in strength, meaningless bonds and burdens will only lead to total defeat. I didn't expect you to still be holding onto those naive ideas from the Ninja Academy."

His gaze swept over the other four again, and he said calmly, "These newly graduated genin are just a burden in this level of combat. Acting on emotion will only make things worse..."

"Enough, Kakashi!"

Shinichi's voice suddenly rose, interrupting Kakashi.

"The test hasn't even started yet, and you're already trying to undermine morale, sabotage potential cooperation, and belittle your comrades!" Shinichi stepped forward, his sharp gaze fixed on Kakashi: "You don't even understand the most basic principles of teamwork. Are you really a qualified ninja? It seems that graduating too early hasn't helped you grow; instead, it's made you lose your way."

"You call them a burden? I think you're the one creating internal rifts, the biggest destabilizing factor in the team, the real burden! You're the one who should go back to the Ninja Academy and study for a few more years to learn how to be a ninja properly, Kakashi."

"What did you say?"

Kakashi's eyes suddenly turned cold, the surrounding air seemed to freeze, and a suppressed yet sharp aura emanated from him.

The shadow of his father Sakumo Hatake's suicide was like the heaviest shackle, and also his most obsessive driving force.

He graduated early, worked tirelessly to complete his missions, adhered to those cold rules, and suppressed all the emotions he considered weak.

Everything he did was to prove his father wrong, to prove that prioritizing missions and efficiency is the right path for a ninja, and to prove that he would not repeat the same mistakes.

Now, Shinichi Higashino actually rebuked him to his face for not being a qualified ninja, saying that he was the burden and even making him go back to the ninja academy to repeat his studies.

This is not just a clash of ideas, but a complete denial of all his struggles, all his perseverance, and all the beliefs he has used to support himself over the past three years!

"What, you're not convinced?"

Shinichi stepped forward as well, not giving an inch.

"Kakashi, if you believe your reasoning is the only truth, and that strength is the only standard..." Shinichi's gaze sharpened like a sword, his voice echoing clearly in the silent training ground: "Then, let's resolve this in the way you most approve of."

Challenge!

Kurenai, Shizune, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara all held their breath, watching in shock as the situation took a dramatic turn for the worse.

No one expected that before the test even started, infighting would break out between the two classes, and it was a direct confrontation between two core Chunin!

"Red, may I borrow your sword?"

"Huh? Oh, okay!" Kurenai Yuhi was stunned for a moment before she realized what was happening and quickly unfastened the sword from her waist and handed it over.

Her sword was different from the common samurai sword with a slightly curved blade; it was a straight, double-edged longsword with a slender blade that gleamed with a cold metallic luster.

Shinichi took the longsword. It felt slightly heavy in his hand, and the feel was a little different from the katana he was used to, but it did not hinder him.

"I remember it clearly. Four years ago, during the ninja academy's combat training grounds, you said that you would definitely defeat me the next time we faced off."

With a flick of his wrist, Shinichi's longsword emitted a clear, resonant hum, its blade rising and pointing towards Kakashi.

"Then, right now, let me see just how much you've improved in the last four years."