Uchiha Yujin needed a full minute just to accept the fact that he had become a member of "Team Seven."
But this Team Seven… was far too high-end.
There was Hyūga Neji, the Hyūga clan's genius taijutsu prodigy.
There was Kurama Yakumo, the Kurama clan's gifted genjutsu user.
And then there was himself—Uchiha Yujin—already wielding a fully awakened Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
When had Hatake Kakashi ever led such a wealthy lineup?
Even so, the necessary team-forming ritual could not be omitted.
The traditional test passed down since the Third Hokage's era — the Bell Test.
Kakashi pulled out two small bells.
"Before the sun sets, you must take these bells from my hand. If you succeed, the team is officially formed. If you fail, the team disbands on the spot."
The young Hyūga Neji and the not-yet-awakened Kurama Yakumo stood confused.
Neither had the slightest idea how to steal bells from a full-fledged jōnin.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Yujin stood to the side with a completely indifferent expression, flipping a black feather between his fingers, entirely different from the two anxious children.
The Bell Test was, in truth, an impossible mission.
But also the easiest one to pass.
They simply needed to show teamwork and value their comrades.
As long as they demonstrated that, the bells didn't matter—they would pass.
Unfortunately, Neji and Yakumo believed they actually had to defeat Kakashi.
The two of them panicked, desperately trying to come up with ways to attack, terrified of losing this rare chance to graduate early from the academy.
Five minutes passed.
Kurama Yakumo was still huddled with Hyūga Neji, discussing a battle plan.
On the edge of the training field, Kakashi lay lazily across a tree branch, holding his novel.
He glanced down at Uchiha Yujin, who was also resting beneath the tree.
"You're not going to help them come up with a strategy?" Kakashi asked.
"What kind of plan could three genin make that would beat you?" Uchiha Yujin replied, tossing the feather up and catching it again.
"I give up.
Just disband us."
"Uh…"
Kakashi was stunned by Uchiha Yujin's straightforward surrender.
But actually disbanding them… he found himself unwilling.
Ever since Rin Nohara, Uchiha Obito, and Namikaze Minato had each left his life, Kakashi had spent years alone in the ANBU.
For the first time in a long while, he felt the warmth of having a comrade again—from Uchiha Yujin.
When they were surrounded by the Kage-level threat, Kakuzu, Uchiha Yujin could have escaped alone.
Yet he chose instead to risk his life for Kakashi.
For a mere genin to show such resolve—willing to sacrifice himself to save a comrade even when facing a member of the Akatsuki—
That was a quality far beyond ordinary.
Even Obito couldn't compare to Uchiha Yujin's sense of character, right?
Kakashi was still lost in that memory when a figure suddenly appeared beneath the large tree.
Hyūga Neji hurled two shuriken upward at Kakashi.
The angle was sharp and precise — aimed straight for Kakashi's eye.
"Pretty ruthless."
Uchiha Yujin couldn't help commenting as Neji leapt high into the air and kicked toward Kakashi, who had just started to dodge on the tree trunk.
Kakashi shifted his body lightly, avoiding the fierce kick with ease.
But Neji didn't stop.
Using the momentum from his missed strike, he twisted in mid-air.
His other leg swept toward Kakashi like a spinning gale, carrying a powerful force that cut through the wind with a sharp howl.
Kakashi pushed back and landed on another branch, watching Neji with a glint of approval in his eye.
Neji, however, didn't pause for even a heartbeat.
His hands blurred through hand signs as he shouted, "Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotation!"
A fierce surge of chakra burst from his body, forming a rapidly spinning barrier around him.
Then Neji shot forward like a cannonball.
The rotating chakra shield ripped through the branch Kakashi had just left, splintering it into fragments as wood chips scattered everywhere.
"He already knows Rotation at this age?" Uchiha Yujin was genuinely surprised.
What he didn't know was that during the time Yujin had been gone from Konoha, Neji had trained relentlessly to master this technique.
Kakashi frowned as well — he hadn't expected someone so young to already use such a jutsu.
He quickly jumped from the tree, and Neji's Rotation shredded the branch completely.
Kakashi had barely touched the ground when Neji attacked again.
He ended his Rotation, slammed his feet into the earth, and in a flash appeared right in front of Kakashi, striking with the Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist.
Neji's hands moved like swift serpents, each strike aimed precisely at Kakashi's chakra points.
Kakashi dodged again and again.
His movements looked relaxed, but he was steadily being pushed backward.
Neji's Gentle Fist grew faster and faster.
His eyes were filled with determination — he wanted that bell in Kakashi's hand.
Seeing an opening, Neji thrust both palms forward, sending a surge of powerful chakra shooting straight at Kakashi.
Kakashi's hands moved rapidly through a series of seals, and he muttered, "Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu."
His body instantly sank into the ground and vanished.
Neji's chakra-infused strike missed and slammed into a nearby tree trunk, carving out a deep crater.
While Neji was searching for Kakashi's silhouette, Kakashi suddenly emerged from the earth behind him, reaching out to grab him and drag him into the pit created by the Earth Style jutsu.
But Neji moved as if he had eyes on his back.
He lowered his body in an instant, dodging Kakashi's hand, and swept his leg toward Kakashi.
Kakashi leaped into the air to avoid it, but Neji pushed off the ground in a fluid kip-up, rushing toward him again.
His hands shifted rapidly into a different pattern.
"Eight Trigrams: Three Palms!" he shouted.
Neji was still young, so he could only perform the Three Palms, but even that was enough to shock everyone present.
Among the Hyūga clan over the years, Neji's talent might very well be the highest.
His three strikes landed on Kakashi with incredible speed.
The moment his palm touched Kakashi's body, he felt a solid, undeniable impact.
A spark of joy burst in Neji's heart—he thought he had finally landed a clean hit, and victory was within reach.
Taking advantage of Kakashi's supposedly sealed chakra, Neji immediately reached out for the bells in Kakashi's hand without hesitation.
However—just as his fingers were about to touch the bell, a loud bang rang out.
Kakashi's body burst into a puff of white smoke and disappeared without a trace.
Neji froze on the spot, completely stunned, confusion and disbelief spreading across his face.
He stared wide-eyed at the empty space before him, mumbling, "What technique was that? I clearly felt myself hit him…"
Standing off to the side, Uchiha Yujin shook his head lightly and explained, "That was an advanced version of the Clone Technique—the Shadow Clone. It can create a clone identical to the real body, and the clone even has physical substance."
As he spoke, a flicker of envy flashed in Yujin's eyes.
Shadow Clone Jutsu was something he had always wanted to learn, but it was notoriously difficult.
Neji showed a faint expression of realization at Yujin's explanation, but before he could fully recover from the shock—
He suddenly felt the ground beneath his feet turn soft.
A tremendous force surged upward from below, dragging his body downward in an instant.
He struggled in panic, but his body was already firmly trapped underground.
Only his head remained above the surface, making him look rather pitiful.
****
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