Chapter 22: Namikaze Minato's Special Training!

The midday barbecue was thoroughly enjoyable, though Namikaze Minato's recently earned mission reward ended up covering the bill.

It couldn't be helped—while Minato himself didn't mention it, Hoshita Shūichi and the other two had bottomless stomachs.

After lunch, the group of four arrived at the edge of Konoha Village, standing before a dense forest.

"Rest for one hour," Minato said before vanishing into the trees.

As they watched him disappear, Kurama Sanyō grinned and suggested, "Shūichi, how about a taijutsu spar?"

Hoshita Shūichi agreed without hesitation. "Sure!"

With Uchiha Shisui acting as referee, the two clashed the moment he gave the signal.

Shisui observed silently, quickly noting, "Sanyō's movements are completely predictable to Shūichi. This ability…"

It reminded him of the Sharingan's dynamic vision.

Despite being two years older, Kurama Sanyō's hand-to-hand combat skills were only on par with Shūichi's. Soon, Sanyō drew a kunai, prompting Shūichi to do the same. The metallic clang of kunai colliding filled the air, but the flow of the fight remained unchanged.

Five minutes later, the two disengaged.

"Impressive!" Sanyō gave Shūichi a thumbs-up, genuinely impressed even though taijutsu wasn't his forte.

Shisui stepped forward to analyze the spar, pointing out flaws in both their techniques. His keen combat intellect was immediately apparent. After the review, Shūichi seized the opportunity to ask Shisui for advice on short sword techniques.

The hour passed swiftly, and Minato reappeared. "The next training exercise is to navigate through this forest along a designated route," he announced. "The direction is straight ahead, in a straight line."

With that, he vanished again.

Sanyō turned to Shisui. "What's the plan?"

Shūichi also looked to Shisui, as he was the most experienced and skilled among them.

Shisui replied, "I'll take the lead, Sanyō in the middle, and Shūichi at the rear. We'll advance in a single-file formation."

The other two nodded, and the trio charged into the forest.

The moment they entered, Shisui activated his Sharingan, while Shūichi, at the rear, entered a state of 100% focus. He avoided using the 10x concentration boost from his [Genius] trait—it drained too much stamina.

Hidden in the shadows of the forest, Minato observed their progress. Suddenly, he severed a thin wire with his kunai.

A pre-set trap triggered instantly, launching a barrage of kunai and shuriken at the trio—specifically targeting Sanyō in the middle.

"Watch out!" Shisui reacted first, halting mid-stride and hurling a kunai to intercept the incoming projectiles. Sparks flew as his kunai deflected four or five shuriken aimed at Sanyō.

Shūichi was a split second slower but more prepared, throwing two kunai to intercept two shuriken. He and Shisui then closed in on Sanyō, drawing their blades. Sanyō gripped a kunai in each hand.

The next moment, a storm of projectiles rained down. The three deflected them with swift, precise strikes, the clang of metal echoing through the forest.

Sanyō couldn't help but wryly smile—had he become the team's weak link?

After clearing the first obstacle, they pressed on.

Soon, Shisui's ears twitched. "Shūichi!" he called.

Shūichi heard the whistling of projectiles behind him and spun around to face a hail of kunai and shuriken. Instead of drawing his sword, he grabbed two kunai and clenched a senbon between his teeth.

Activating 200% focus, his arms moved like windmills, deflecting the projectiles with precision. Behind him, Shisui and Sanyō were also under attack from the front and sides.

The trio formed a back-to-back triangle, weathering the storm of blades. When it ended, the ground around them was littered with kunai and shuriken.

Shūichi's kunai were now chipped and dented, and the senbon he'd spat out had intercepted a shuriken at a critical moment. The intensity of this training was leagues beyond the academy's—one misstep could mean serious injury.

Shisui and Sanyō were in similar states, with Sanyō sporting two shallow cuts on his arm.

Shūichi quickly examined them. "Just grazes," he reassured, placing his hands over the wounds. Using a basic Healing Jutsu, he sealed the injuries in under a minute.

The trio resumed their advance, this time in a triangular formation.

They encountered more challenges: an Explosive Tag trap, ambushes by Minato's Shadow Clones, and finally, they emerged on the other side of the forest, panting heavily.

Shūichi shuddered at the memory of the Explosive Tag trap—neither he nor Sanyō had detected it. It reminded him of Nawaki's fate.

The shinobi world was far more dangerous than he'd imagined. It also made him understand why ninja rankings weren't solely based on combat prowess.

"You all did well," Minato said, reappearing with a smile. "Rest for an hour."

The three collapsed onto the ground, pulling out water and snacks to replenish their energy.

After the break, Minato created three Shadow Clones. "Each of you will face one of my clones," he instructed. "Treat them as enemies you must defeat."

"Yes, Minato-sensei," they replied in unison, each engaging a clone with full force while Minato observed from a distance.

Since the morning mission, he had been evaluating his students. The afternoon's training doubled as an assessment.

"Shisui is the strongest," Minato mused. "His Sharingan grants him exceptional insight, genjutsu prowess, mastery of the Body Flicker Technique, and swordsmanship. His experience is also the richest—he's already capable of being a chūnin."

"Sanyō excels in genjutsu but lacks slightly in taijutsu and experience. Still, he has the potential to become a chūnin."

"Shūichi… his Fire Release hand seals were so fast I couldn't even see them. Was it concealed hand seals, or hand seal-less? His fire affinity is astonishing. And his reflexes are as exceptional as the Third Hokage noted."

Minato analyzed silently, preparing to tailor their training accordingly.

For Shisui, there wasn't much to teach technically—the Sharingan was its own system. His role was to refine Shisui's combat and mission experience.

Sanyō needed to shore up his taijutsu, but his focus, like Shisui's, was on gaining experience. The Kurama clan's genjutsu heritage was already formidable.

As for Shūichi…

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