123

Haruto woke to the sound of a firm knock at his door. Still groggy, he quickly shook off the last remnants of sleep and stood up. As he opened the door, there was no one there, but a neatly tied scroll rested on the floor.

Curious, Haruto picked it up, untied the string, and quickly read through the contents.

"Sakumo-sensei is back," he muttered to himself, a small grin forming on his face. "And today is the 3-on-1 challenge."

Haruto wasted no time. With a flick of his wrist, he dispelled the clone that had been practicing overnight, feeling the familiar rush of memories and information flood his mind. He briefly entered his hyper-focus state, processing everything the clone had learned. Still stuck at the basics of fūinjutsu, he had made little progress without advanced material. But that didn't matter right now—today was all about the challenge.

Deciding not to create a new clone for the day, Haruto wanted to be at his absolute best. He needed to be 100%, and that meant no extra chakra expenditure. He glanced down at his arms, tapping the weighted seals attached to them. With a sigh, he deactivated the seals as well, knowing today's exercise would push them to their limits.

After a quick, healthy breakfast filled with protein and complex carbs to fuel his body, he went through his usual stretching routine, limbering up for what was sure to be an intense session. By the time he was ready, the early morning light had started to stretch across the village.

On his way out, he spotted Daichi waiting by the front of their apartment building. The Uzumaki grinned as he saw Haruto approach, clearly excited about the upcoming challenge. "You ready for this?" Daichi asked, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet, full of energy as usual.

Haruto smirked. "Ready as ever."

The two teammates fell into step together as they headed to the training grounds, discussing the possible strategies they might use. As they arrived, they saw that Shisui was already there, his calm, serious demeanor a stark contrast to Daichi's high energy. Shisui was focused, likely already planning out their approach.

The early morning mist still clung to the trees as Sakumo Hatake stood in the center of the clearing. The red flag fluttered gently in the breeze, standing stark against the surrounding forest. His three students—Shisui, Haruto, and Daichi—stood at the edge of the treeline, focused but unsure of what to expect.

Sakumo's voice cut through the still air, calm yet firm, "The task is simple: capture the flag."

The three Genin exchanged glances, sensing the challenge was far from easy.

"I will be defending the flag," Sakumo continued. "Your objective is to take it without being eliminated. You have thirty minutes."

It sounded straightforward enough, but they had learned from experience that nothing was simple when it came to their sensei's training exercises.

"To make things more interesting," Sakumo added with a slight smile, "I will place some limits on myself."

Haruto's eyes narrowed in curiosity, while Shisui's Sharingan activated instinctively, as if trying to read their sensei's next move.

"I will not use any ninjutsu to defend the flag," Sakumo said. "That means no jutsu—just taijutsu, traps, and anything I've set up in advance. You, on the other hand, are free to use your jutsu, but remember: you need to outthink me, not overpower me."

Shisui nodded, understanding the advantage they had. Still, Sakumo's taijutsu alone was formidable.

"And one more thing," Sakumo added, his voice steady. "If you make too much noise or come within 20 meters of the flag, I'm free to counterattack. This will be about stealth, strategy, and teamwork. If any of you attempt to act on your own, I will activate traps I've placed, and that will be the end of your attempt."

Daichi grinned at the challenge, while Haruto already began thinking through the possibilities. Shisui's eyes gleamed with calculation—this wouldn't be a straightforward task, but it was exactly the kind of test he thrived on.

"Work together, or you'll fail," Sakumo concluded. "You may begin."

Failure After Failure

The first attempt fell apart almost immediately.

Shisui, always thinking ahead, suggested that Daichi take the lead with a frontal water-based attack. Shisui would follow up with a Fireball Jutsu, creating enough chaos for Haruto to flank from the side with his Shadow Clone to grab the flag. It seemed like a solid plan—direct yet tactical.

But Sakumo's reputation as the White Fang was not undeserved.

As soon as Daichi launched his water jutsu, the crack of tree branches gave them away. Sakumo reacted in a blur of motion, moving faster than they anticipated. He intercepted Haruto's clone with minimal effort and swept Daichi off his feet with a precise taijutsu maneuver before the boy could follow up with another jutsu. Shisui's Fireball Jutsu was rendered ineffective as Sakumo quickly shifted positions, staying well ahead of their attacks.

Within moments, all three Genin were sprawled out across the clearing, panting from exertion. Sakumo stood by the flag, untouched and composed.

"You'll need to be quieter," Sakumo said, his voice calm but with an edge of amusement. "And you need better coordination."

Frustration simmered between the three Genin, but they quickly regrouped.

The second attempt fared no better. This time, Shisui decided to rely on his Genjutsu skills. He cast an illusion, making it seem as though the three of them were approaching the flag from different directions. The real Haruto and Daichi waited behind a large rock, ready to strike once the genjutsu took hold.

But Sakumo wasn't fooled. As soon as the false images got close, Sakumo triggered a series of traps he had set beforehand. A burst of smoke filled the air, followed by nets dropping from the trees. Haruto and Daichi were ensnared before they even had a chance to react.

"I told you," Sakumo said as the smoke cleared, "I'll know if you're not working together."

By the time they untangled themselves, they had used up a significant chunk of their time.

With only five minutes remaining, the three Genin gathered at the edge of the clearing, bruised but not beaten.

Shisui's mind raced as he tried to formulate their last attempt. They were running out of time, and they hadn't even come close to capturing the flag. Sakumo's defenses were impeccable.

Haruto, ever the quick thinker, spoke up. "Wait. What if we use Daichi to lead? He charges in a second before the rest of us, forces Sakumo to come at him, and then he spams his jutsu to delay him. That'll pull Sakumo away from the flag and give us the opening we need."

Shisui's eyes lit up, the gears turning in his head. "Yes! If Daichi can hold his attention for even a few seconds, we'll have time to move in from different directions. The key is making Sakumo focus on Daichi while the two of us take the flag."

Daichi grinned. "I'm good at being a distraction, and I've got plenty of chakra left for spamming jutsu. Leave it to me!"

Shisui nodded, finalizing the plan. "Okay, we'll split into three directions again, but Daichi, you'll charge first. Haruto, you'll follow with your clone and Lightning Ball Jutsu from the side. I'll move in once Sakumo's busy dodging. If Daichi keeps him engaged long enough, I'll be able to grab the flag."

The plan was risky but necessary. Daichi would have to tank Sakumo's attention, while Shisui and Haruto exploited the opening.

"Let's do it," Haruto said, steeling himself for the final push.

They quickly moved into position, setting themselves up in a triangle formation like before, each just outside the 20-meter range around the flag.

Daichi led the charge, his chakra flaring as he bombarded Sakumo with a relentless stream of jutsu. Water Whip Jutsu lashed through the air, and Water Bullet Jutsu followed, all aimed to overwhelm Sakumo and keep him pinned down, by spamming the jutsu. But Sakumo, ever the experienced shinobi, wasn't easily fooled by Daichi's tactics.

With a fluid movement, Sakumo sidestepped one of Daichi's water jutsu and closed the gap between them in an instant. Before Daichi could react, Sakumo delivered a quick but controlled blow, taking Daichi out of the fight. Daichi fell back, winded but not hurt—out of the game for now.

That left Haruto and Shisui.

Haruto saw Sakumo pivot toward the flag after taking down Daichi. In that split second, Haruto's mind raced. He knew that if Sakumo reached the flag, it would be over. He needed to slow him down—just for a moment.

So he changed directions intending to cut his sensi off, otherwise Sakumo would get their first, dude was scary fast!

Haruto formed the hand seals rapidly, Lightning Ball Jutsu crackling to life in his palm. He hurled the lightning ball directly in Sakumo's path. The ball of crackling electricity soared toward Sakumo, forcing him to swerve to avoid the jutsu.

But Haruto didn't stop there. With his Two Minds ability, he not only kept up the barrage of lightning but also focused his second mind entirely on defense, dodging Sakumo's counterattacks with remarkable precision. Sakumo, surprised by Haruto's ability to maintain both offensive and defensive tactics at the same time, had to constantly adjust his positioning. The lightning strikes, while not powerful enough to defeat him, slowed him down significantly.

Haruto smirked as he dodged a sweeping kick from Sakumo. He knew he couldn't win in a direct confrontation, but all he needed to do was delay Sakumo long enough for Shisui to make his move.

And then it happened.

Sakumo, with his masterful taijutsu, finally managed to slip through Haruto's defense, taking him out with a swift and controlled strike. Haruto crumpled to the ground, breathing hard, but satisfied with how long he'd been able to stall their sensei.

Shisui's Sharigan Seals the Victory

Now it was all up to Shisui.

Sakumo, moving toward the flag again, could feel Shisui's presence approaching. His Sharingan spun, reading every movement, calculating every shift in Sakumo's stance. Shisui hadn't moved in yet, waiting for the perfect moment, his mind calm and focused.

Sakumo, despite being delayed by Haruto, still had enough time to guard the flag. But the delays had worn down his reaction time just enough. Shisui knew this was his chance.

He moved like a shadow, his Sharingan allowing him to predict and read every twitch of Sakumo's muscles, every movement of his feet. He dodged each counterstrike Sakumo threw at him with razor-sharp precision, narrowly avoiding every blow. It was like watching a dance of deadly skill—Sakumo's strikes were flawless, but Shisui was just a fraction faster, his Sharingan giving him the edge.

Sakumo's eyes flickered with admiration. "Impressive."

But Shisui wasn't done. Using the Sharingan to its fullest potential, he closed in on the flag, dodging Sakumo's last-minute lunge with an agile roll. His hand reached out, and just as Sakumo turned to intercept him—

Shisui grabbed the flag.

For a split second, the clearing was silent. Then, a smile tugged at the corner of Sakumo's lips.

"Well done, Shisui."

Shisui stood, panting heavily, but victorious. Haruto slowly got to his feet, and Daichi recovered from where he had been taken out, both of them joining Shisui in the clearing. Daichi grinned widely, even though he had been knocked out of the fight earlier.

"Not bad, huh?" Daichi chuckled, despite his exhaustion.

Haruto shook his head, a smirk on his face. "That was way too close, but we pulled it off."

Shisui looked down at the flag in his hand, still catching his breath, but a smile of triumph crossed his face. They had done it. They had beaten Sakumo—barely.

Sakumo straightened, the pride in his students clear in his expression. "You all showed exceptional teamwork. Daichi, you led the charge and forced me to engage. Haruto, your ability to delay me and dodge simultaneously was impressive. And Shisui—your use of the Sharingan was perfect. You waited for the right moment and seized it."

He gave them all a nod of approval. "This is what it means to work together. You may not always succeed individually, but as a team, you can overcome any challenge."

Sakumo continued with a rare smile crossing his face. "You've impressed me today. As a reward, each of you may request something reasonable tomorrow," he said, pausing for a moment. "But for now, BBQ on me for lunch." Daichi's face lit up instantly, and even Haruto couldn't help but grin. Shisui gave a small nod of acknowledgment, as composed as ever. Together, they followed Sakumo back to the village, their minds already drifting to the well-earned feast ahead.