Chapter 28: Combat Training, Minato’s Lesson

In the forest, Minato led Kakashi and Obito to a clearing and stopped. After carefully surveying the surroundings, he nodded with satisfaction.

"Alright, we'll conduct the training here," he said.

Kakashi and Obito exchanged a glance, their eyes brimming with excitement.

Minato formed a series of hand seals and called out in a firm voice:

"The shadow clone jutsu!"

In the blink of an eye, the area around them was filled with layers upon layers of Minato's shadow clones. The once-spacious forest clearing was now crowded with identical figures.

Obito's enthusiasm flared as he marveled at the sight.

"Minato-sensei, this is so cool! Can you teach me this technique?"

Minato smiled, but before he could answer, one of his clones interjected.

"I will—if you can pass the upcoming combat training."

"Yosh!" Obito's motivation soared at the mention of a reward. He adjusted his goggles and eagerly asked, "So, Minato-sensei, what's the training?"

Minato slowed his speech, explaining carefully.

"In a moment, I'll throw shuriken at you two from within the forest. As long as you can hold out against my attacks for thirty minutes, you'll pass the training."

Obito froze, his excitement giving way to apprehension as he glanced at the crowd of Minato clones.

"Uh... this seems a bit extreme..."

Kakashi, however, kept his composure and said in a low voice, "Minato-sensei, we're ready to start."

Minato nodded, his gaze sweeping over his two students as he offered one last piece of advice.

"If you can't hold out, call for a stop immediately. Don't push yourselves too hard—you could get hurt."

"Understood, Minato-sensei," they both replied.

At their confirmation, Minato's clones dispersed into the forest. His voice echoed from all directions.

"Then... let the training begin!"

Kakashi drew his short sword with a practiced motion, its blade gleaming. Obito grumbled but pulled out two kunai, gripping them tightly.

The forest came alive with the sound of shuriken cutting through the air.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The attacks came from all angles, each trajectory perfectly calculated to cut off their escape routes.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Kakashi's short sword became a blur as it deflected every incoming shuriken, creating an impenetrable defense. Sparks flew as metal clashed against metal.

Not to be outdone, Obito's kunai worked just as furiously, knocking shuriken to the ground until they littered the clearing.

Hidden in the shadows, Minato nodded in approval.

Kakashi's skill is as expected, but Obito's performance is a pleasant surprise, he thought.

"Looks like I need to increase the difficulty a bit," Minato murmured to himself.

Twenty minutes later

Obito muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible.

"Minato-sensei's hand speed is insane... How does Kushina-sensei even keep up with him?"

The shuriken attacks grew faster and more relentless, giving them no time to catch their breath. It seemed as though Minato's clones were tireless, shortening the interval between each wave of projectiles.

Obito glanced at Kakashi, who was visibly struggling but still maintaining his stance.

"Hey, Kakashi, how long has it been?" he shouted.

Kakashi's breathing was heavy, his exhaustion evident.

"Probably over twenty minutes. Ten minutes left at most."

Encouraged, Obito grinned.

"Yosh! Let's push through!"

But his enthusiasm waned quickly. After a few more rounds of attacks, he felt his arms growing numb. His relentless training with a sword had built his endurance, but even he had limits.

As another wave of shuriken hurtled toward him, Obito clapped his hands together and slammed them onto the ground.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Walli!"

A short, dog-headed earthen wall rose just in time to shield him. The shuriken struck the wall with a cacophony of metallic thuds, leaving Obito momentarily safe but deeply unsettled.

Kakashi glanced over mid-deflection, raising an eyebrow.

"You used up what little chakra you had left to carve a dog head into your earth wall? Why...?"

Obito clicked his tongue, ignoring the jab.

Look who's talking. Last time you overexerted yourself, you were holding Raikiri and whining for half the episode. Not borrowing you my account this time!

As the timer ticked down to the final thirty seconds, Obito exhaled in relief.

Looks like we've got this in the bag!

Just as the thought crossed his mind, Minato appeared behind him in a blur of yellow and sent him flying with a swift kick.

"???"

Obito soared through the air, confusion written all over his face. Seeing Kakashi land beside him in a similar fashion brought him some small comfort.

They groaned as they picked themselves up from the ground. Kakashi looked at Minato with confusion.

"Minato-sensei, what was that for?"

Minato's expression turned serious, his usual warm demeanor replaced by a stern intensity.

"This is your first lesson in real combat: In a battle, the enemy will never follow the rules or act according to your expectations."

"On the battlefield, they will use every method to catch you off guard and overwhelm you. If you're not prepared for the unexpected, you'll be courting death."

Kakashi and Obito mulled over Minato's words, their expressions gradually shifting as understanding dawned.

After a moment, Kakashi nodded.

"I understand, Minato-sensei."

"Me too," Obito added, though his tone was tinged with disappointment.

Guess I'm not getting the Shadow Clone Technique today. Being broke hurts.

Seeing their acceptance, Minato's serious expression softened into a smile.

"You both performed well. Consider this training a success."

He formed another set of hand seals, summoning a shadow clone.

The clone spoke to Obito.

"Obito, come with me. I'll teach you the Shadow Clone Technique."

Meanwhile, the real Minato turned to Kakashi.

"Kakashi, stay here. We'll continue sparring to refine your taijutsu."

"Yes, Minato-sensei!" the two chorused.

Obito followed the shadow clone to a quiet area. Minato began explaining.

"The Shadow Clone Technique is a B-rank jutsu developed by the Second Hokage. It creates physical clones using chakra—just like the one you see now.

"Each clone has independent thought and a certain level of resilience. When the technique is dispelled, all of their memories and experiences return to the original body, ready to be used again."

As Obito listened, he nodded enthusiastically.

Shadow clone bros are so selfless. Willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Truly touching.

The next day.

Just as Obito had expected, their team's first assigned mission was none other than finding a missing cat.

The three decided to split up and meet back at the designated spot before lunch.

"Nope... Not here either…"

Rin wandered through the streets and alleys, diligently searching every corner, but the cat was nowhere to be found.

Rounding a corner, she ran into Kakashi and quickly waved him over.

"Kakashi! Did you find it?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"No, I came up empty-handed on my side too."

Rin sighed, brushing her slightly messy hair out of her face.

"Me neither… Who knew finding a pet could be this troublesome?"

Kakashi nodded in agreement.

"Even so, if we can't handle something this simple, we'll never be ready for real missions."

"Oh, by the way, where's Obito?"

Rin shrugged helplessly.

"Obito said he had an idea he wanted to try out. No clue where he ran off to."

By midday, at their agreed meeting point, Obito appeared with a big grin, carrying a small cat in one arm and several bags in the other.

"Look! Found the cat! Big thanks to the grandmas who helped out." He raised the bags with a proud smile.

"They even gave me some snacks. Let's share them later!"

Rin exclaimed in amazement, "Obito, your popularity with grandmas is incredible! All those times being late have finally paid off."

Obito puffed up with pride, tilting his head smugly.

"Well, of course! They don't call me the Grandma Whisperer for nothing. If I ever wanted to take it easy in life, I could coast on soft meals until the end of my days!"

Minato chuckled and added, "A small kindness brings great rewards. Obito, this is the fruit of your goodwill."

Obito glanced at Kakashi, who stood silently nearby, looking a bit disheartened.

"Tch, tch, tch," Obito clicked his tongue, shaking his head.

This guy's still young—he doesn't understand how important connections are yet.

Just look at the past Hokages.

If you know, you know. If you don't, well, explaining won't help.

That afternoon, the four gathered at a training ground near the forest.

For a ninja, completing missions was important, but daily training was essential.

"The soles of your feet are the hardest place to gather chakra. Climbing trees with your feet will help you refine, maintain, and control your chakra more effectively," Minato explained. He clapped his hands with a smile.

"Rin, you go first."

Rin nodded, looking a little nervous as she charged toward the nearest tree.

Just before reaching it, she leaped up, planting one foot on the trunk.

One step, two steps, three steps—

"Ah!"

The chakra in her feet suddenly dispersed, and without the adhesion, she flipped backward off the tree.

Looking sheepishly at Minato, Rin waited for his reaction.

Minato smiled encouragingly and nodded. "Not bad for a first attempt. Keep it up!"

"Next, your turn, Kakashi," Minato said.

Kakashi gave a small nod and stepped forward. Without hesitation, he placed a foot on the tree and began walking upward effortlessly.

He moved as if strolling on flat ground, steadily making his way to the top of the tree.

Rin watched in awe. "Kakashi, you're amazing! You did it so easily!"

Kakashi said nothing, turning to glance down at Obito. With a graceful leap, he descended smoothly from the treetop.

!!!

Obito fumed inwardly.

To him, Kakashi's actions screamed provocation.

"What's the big deal? It's just walking! Anyone with legs can do it!"

Obito stormed toward a tree, his tone defiant.

"Watch me show you something even cooler!"

Oh?

Minato raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Was Obito about to demonstrate some new chakra control technique?

Even Kakashi focused, curious about what Obito had up his sleeve.

"Go, Obito! Be careful!" Rin cheered, pumping her fists.

Obito turned, flashing a confident thumbs-up and his brightest grin.

"Got it! Just watch, Rin!"

Then, to everyone's shock, Obito pressed himself against the tree and began wriggling upward… like a snake.

With his waist twisting fluidly, he slithered up the trunk in a coiling motion, occasionally flicking his tongue like a serpent tasting the air.

Minato's hopeful expression froze.

Rin's jaw dropped.

Kakashi's eyes widened, almost bulging out of their sockets.

The three were utterly dumbfounded.

Who would even think of such a pose?!

Was this something a mammal was supposed to do?!

Even Orochimaru would call him a natural!

When Obito finally reached the treetop, he agilely flipped around and slid back down in the same bizarre manner. Landing lightly, he struck a triumphant pose with his hands on his hips.

"Well? How was it, Rin, Minato-sensei?"

"This method I developed trains chakra control and strengthens core muscles. Genius, right?"

Minato opened his mouth but seemed at a loss for words.

Inwardly, he regretted not vetting his students more thoroughly.

Obito turned to Kakashi, his gaze challenging.

Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing deeply.

He wondered why he'd ever expect anything normal from Obito.

Rin remained silent, too shocked by the spectacle to respond.

"Uh… Did I mess up again?" Obito scratched his head awkwardly, noticing their reactions.

Minato finally found his voice.

"No, no. Obito's method is… unique, creative, and, uh… impressive."

Obito frowned slightly. Why did those compliments feel so off? Was Minato-sensei really praising him?

Before he could dwell on it, Minato continued.

"Kakashi, Obito—you both already have solid chakra control. From now on, your training will focus on combat practice."

Forming a hand seal, Minato called out, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

With a puff of smoke, a clone of Minato appeared.

"Follow me. We'll train deeper in the forest," said Clone Minato to the two boys.

Kakashi and Obito nodded, following him into the woods.

Meanwhile, Original Minato turned to Rin with an encouraging smile.

"Rin, keep practicing tree climbing. I'll stay here to help."

Rin nodded firmly. "Got it, Minato-sensei!"

Watching the three disappear into the forest, Rin clenched her fists and steeled her resolve.

Rin, you have to work hard! Kakashi and Obito are both so talented—you can't fall behind!

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