"Kanda Kyoichi is truly devious!"

  Yuhi Shinku couldn’t help but sigh.

  This guy had trick after trick up his sleeve!

  But, to be fair, it worked!

  Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eyes narrowed slightly.

  Faced with such a situation, anyone would hesitate and struggle. Ultimately, their choices would reveal their true character.

  Every ninja starts from a pce of weakness.

  However...

  No one wants to team up with a ninja overly obsessed with their self-is—especially if that ninja happens to be a Uchiha.

  Shisui, what will you choose?

  If Shisui chose not to give up his spot, Hiruzen would have no choice but to exclude him. He would relutly add Shisui to the list of those who o be kept in check.

  Kyoichi hadn’t discussed his exam structure with Hiruzen beforehand, but the oute aligned perfectly with the Third Hokage's expectations.

  His satisfa with Kyoichi grew stronger by the minute.

  ---

  At that moment, Shisui was iruggling internally.

  Before the test, Kyoichi had given him a “guaranteed pass” assuranow, however, he resented with a choice that, by all appearances, made the test impossible to pass.

  But...

  If he abandoned Asuma and Kurenai, would they still be sidered a team?

  Shisui took a deep breath and finally said, "Sensei, I choose to retake the test!"

  "Shisui…"

  Asuma and Kurenai looked at him, stunned.

  They were four years older than Shisui, yet before this, they’d barely ied with him and didn’t know him well.

  So...

  They had never expected Shisui to give up his spot for them.

  The same shistered on Hiruzen Sarutobi and Yuhi Shinku’s faces.

  They uood the i behind Kyoichi’s test.

  Everything in the exam, from start to finish, had been building toward this one question. It wasn’t just Asuma and Kurenai beied—Shisui was being assessed too.

  The exam was a test of human nature and psychology, far mrueling than the bell test.

  A...

  Shisui’s answer erfect.

  Whether he had seen through the test’s i enuinely felt this way, his decision proved that he was worthy of cultivation.

  "Are you certain?"

  Kyoichi’s face turned serious.

  "Yes. As the temporary captain, I failed the mission. My strategy and decisions were fwed. But I trust Asuma and Kurenai. If we try again, I believe we succeed!"

  Once Shisui stated his choice, he felt an immediate sense of relief.

  It’s just a retest, right?

  So what if he had to go back to school?

  No big deal!

  "And what about you two?" Kyoichi asked with a smile, looking at Asuma and Kurenai.

  "Sensei, Shisui’s strategy wasn’t the issue. The problem was my inability to execute it. I’m willing to return to the academy."

  "Me too…"

  her of them hesitated much.

  While their talents might not be on par with Shisui’s, both were proud heirs with a strong sense of self-respect.

  This time, Shisui had clearly outshohem. His strategiing, logical thinking, and execution were all leagues ahead.

  There was no way they could let him bear the responsibility alone.

  Moreover...

  Even if they tried again, it was clear they weren’t going to beat Kyoichi.

  This was a jonin!

  "So, you ck fidence?" Kyoichi smirked.

  "No, I’m fident that with another year of training, I’ll catch up. But right now… the gap is undeniable."

  Asuma’s tone carried a hint of frustration.

  Previously, he thought he might not be the best, but at least he could keep up with his peers. This exam, however, made him realize how far he gged behind.

  Dragging down his team, failing to hold the front line—how could he let Shisui give up his spot for him?

  "Gonizing your own shortings is the first step to improvement. At least you’ve learo evaluate yourself. However, your overall tactics weren’t wrong: Kurenai for support, Asuma for front-line defense, and Shisui for infiltration."

  "The real issue is… I’m just to. So… I hereby decre that you’ve all passed!"

  Kyoichi cpped his hands and sheathed his sword.

  The trio stood stunned.

  They passed?

  Just like that?

  Shisui pondered for a moment, recalling some of Kyoichi’s teags. Realizing something, he hesitated briefly before saying, "Sehe key to this test… was that final question, wasn’t it?"

  "Exactly. A team will iably have both strengths and weaknesses. Some will shine while others must sacrifice. Together, however, a team should achieve a synergy where one plus one equals three. The cssic example is the Ino–Shika–Cho trio."

  Kyoichi smiled, his voistructive.

  After all, there was a reward for teag.

  "Thank you, Sensei. I uand now."

  The trio bowed deeply.

  From the looks of it, they were already beginning to form a cohesive team.

  "e on. To celebrate the formation of the First Squad, I’m treating you to ramen."

  Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eyes narrowed slightly.

  Genjutsu Swordsmanship?

  The teique bore a striking resembo an old method.

  But...

  Though the theory seemed rooted in Tobirama Senju’s work, it had clearly been refined. After p for a moment, Hiruzen dismissed his doubts and turned his focus back to the exam.

  "What do you think?" he asked Yuhi Shinku.

  Shinku, a seasoned jonin with extensive experieraining genin, pted for a moment before replying.

  "Brilliant! That kid’s methods are yered and interected, even more devious than our old bell test. One misstep, and you’re caught off guard."

  "If we made this approach standard, I doubt many kids would graduate."

  Hiruzen sighed.

  The method was effective, but the bar was set extremely high. By this standard, 80% of the children wouldn’t qualify as genin, which made it impractical to implement on a rge scale.

  Still...

  The preheure of the evaluation was undeniable.

  After careful thought, Hiruzen said, "We could use this for elite squads… Let’s trial it with Minato’s team."

  "Agreed. Have Minato e by to discuss it."

  Shinku nodded in agreement.

  If it was ae squad, the expectations should be higher. Minato’s team wasn’t just Rin and Obito—it also included Kakashi, a seasoned in.

  Kyoichi’s standards weren’t excessive for them.

  Before long, Minato Namikaze’s shadow e arrived.

  His inal body was currently occupied meeting with Obito, Rin, and Kakashi.

  "Lord Hokage…"

  "Minato, Kyoichi’s squad just pleted their test. We observed the whole process and found some aspects worth adopting."

  Hiruzen cleared his throat as he spoke.

  In essehey had spied on Kyoichi’s methods.

  But...

  It shouldn’t be an issue, right?

  At worst, they’d make it up to him ter.

  Hiruzeailed the valuable insights from the exam.

  At first, Minato uzzled. But as he listened, his eyes gradually lit up.

  Ingenious!

  As expected of Kyoichi, each yer of the test was intricately ected.

  There was o wait until m—he could start the evaluation that very afternoon.

  The only was…

  "Lord Hokage, while this is an excellent framework, there’s one issue. What if, and I mean hypothetically, Kakashi fails to grasp the cept and insists on w alone?"

  Minato’s initial excitement gave way to caution.

  "Uh…"

  Kakashi was indeed a .

  Both Hiruzen and Shinku fell into deep thought. After some deliberation, Hiruzen finally said, "If Kakashi refuses to cooperate, we’ll revoke his in rank. If that doesn’t work, we’ll send all three of them back to the academy."

  That harsh?

  Minato inhaled sharply but ultimately nodded.

  He didn’t know Kakashi well yet, only that the boy had a poor reputation among his peers—few were willing to work with him.

  So...

  If the test failed and a in had to be demoted back to the academy…

  That would cause quite a stir.

  But...

  Judging by Hiruzen’s firm stance, he clearly wasn’t willing to promise. If Kakashi truly failed to grasp the importance of teamwork, there would be no room for leniency.

  With that reassurance, Minato felt more fident. Still, he po invite an additional observer to oversee the process.

  Gcell