The next morning, Hana and Minato were getting ready around the same time. Kushina, already awake, hummed in the kitchen as she plated breakfast.

"So," Hana said casually as she passed Minato in the hallway, tying her hair back. "Are you gonna tell me what the exercise is today?"

Minato smirked. "And give you an unfair advantage before the rest of your team even gets there?"

"Worth a shot," she grinned.

Kushina was already in the kitchen, plating breakfast for them. The morning was quiet, peaceful—almost deceptively so. They didn't talk much about the team or the test. Minato was calm as always, but Hana could feel the tension building in her stomach.

After breakfast, he left first to prepare the training grounds.

"Try not to beat up your teammates," Kushina teased as Hana slipped her boots on.

"No promises," Hana called back, grabbing her pouch. "Love you!"

"Love you too! Be careful!"

Hana stepped outside and glanced around. No sign of Obito.

Weird.

He usually met her by now. Maybe he already went ahead with Rin... she tried not to overthink it. By the time she reached the training ground, Rin and Kakashi were already there.

"Obito wasn't with you?" Rin asked.

Hana shook her head. "No. But he'll be here."

"He's probably just running late again," Rin said, folding her arms with a small shrug. "He always makes it."

Kakashi sighed. "Some ninja. Can't even be on time."

"He'll show," Hana said firmly. "He wouldn't miss today."

Sure enough, several minutes later:

"Sorry I'm late!"

Obito's voice rang out, and he came jogging into view, a candy stick in his mouth, grin wide.

"Told you," Rin said, nudging Hana.

Kakashi crossed his arms. "Let me guess. Another old lady?"

Obito scowled. "Actually, yeah! She had a ton of groceries, alright?"

"Sure she did," Kakashi replied flatly.

Minato smiled faintly, stepping forward. "Now that we're all here, let's begin."

He held up three small silver bells, the soft jingling catching everyone's attention.

"Your goal is to take one of these from me," he explained. "Whoever doesn't get a bell... fails."

Hana blinked. "Wait—there's only three."

Minato gave her a knowing look. "Exactly."

Obito tilted his head. "Huh? But what does that—"

"One of us won't make the cut," Kakashi cut in. "Keep up."

Obito's eyes widened. "What?!"

Minato sweat-dropped slightly. "Excellent observation. Let's begin."

The moment he gave the signal, Hana darted forward like a shot. She wasn't about to sit around and waste time overthinking. She had a plan—and for a second, she felt unstoppable.

Water clones flanked her left and right as she moved in a fluid, sweeping arc. Let the others hesitate. She was going to take the bell and prove she belonged on this team.

Her real body dropped from the trees just as her clones lunged in from both sides. Minato shifted his stance, brushing the clones away without blinking.

Exactly what she wanted.

She landed behind him, just out of his line of sight, and reached—

Only to grasp empty air.

What?

Minato had vanished.

Before she could process it, a firm arm wrapped around her from behind, stopping her mid-motion.

"Overconfident," Minato said calmly, holding her in a light, non-harmful choke. "You moved too soon. You had a good setup, but you assumed it would work instead of preparing for it not to."

Hana tensed.

"If this were a real mission, overestimating yourself could get you killed," he added, releasing her gently.

She stumbled forward, catching her footing. Her face flushed—not from embarrassment, but frustration. He was right. She'd banked too hard on the opening and hadn't thought far enough ahead.

"I just thought—" she started, teeth clenched.

Minato gave her a faint smile. "Thinking is good. But don't let confidence drown out caution. Pride makes you loud. Strategy keeps you alive."

And with that, he vanished again—leaving only the sound of jingling bells in the breeze.

Hana stood still for a beat, then blew out a breath and muttered, "Okay. Noted."

Hana slipped into the brush, trying to catch her breath—and nearly ran straight into Kakashi, already crouched there like the spot belonged to him.

He didn't even look her way. "You're fast."

She raised a brow, a little surprised. "I try."

"That wasn't a compliment."

Her smirk faltered. "Wow. Someone woke up pleasant."

"You've clearly trained for speed," he said, voice flat. "Probably got pointers from Minato-sensei himself."

She didn't answer—but her silence said he wasn't wrong.

"But speed without patience? All that flash just makes you easier to take down."

She let out a sharp breath. "You done analyzing me like a mission scroll?"

Kakashi finally looked at her, one visible eye bored and unreadable. "Don't waste what you're good at."

Then, like she was never there, he turned his attention back toward the field. Kakashi dashed out of the bush without another word, heading straight for Minato.

Hana waited a beat, then slipped out the other way. She wasn't about to rush in again without a plan—not when she knew how that would end, not with Minato. This time, she'd think it through.

Rin and Obito launched their own attacks. Rin's traps were clever, well-placed—but Minato moved through them like wind. Obito was pure energy, relentless and fast, but Minato still saw him coming every time.

Eventually, Rin called out, panting. "We're not gonna win if we keep going at him alone!"

Hana skidded to a stop behind a tree, catching her breath.

"She's right," Obito said, regrouping. "We have to team up."

Hana nodded, adjusting the grip on her last kunai. "Alright. Let's hit him from all sides."

The plan was quick and risky. Rin set the snare, Obito drew Minato in, and Hana was the blade in the dark.

It worked—almost.

As Minato dodged Obito's charge and stepped over one of Rin's tripwires, Hana came in silent and fast. She barely touched the ground as she slipped behind him and swiped a bell clean off his waistband.

Her eyes went wide.

"Yes!" she gasped.

But the victory was short-lived. The moment she pivoted, a hidden wire snapped tight around her ankle and flung her into the air.

"Wait—NO!"

She dangled upside down, swinging like laundry on a line. Her hair spilled downward, the bell slipping from her hand. She barely caught it, clutching it tight to her chest with both arms.

Below, her open pouch scattered her remaining tools across the ground.

"Of course," she muttered, dizzy and fuming. "Perfect."

From above, she watched helplessly as Kakashi secured his bell, and then Rin did too. Her stomach dropped when she realized it was over—and she was still hanging like an idiot.

Minato called the exercise.

Hana groaned. "Seriously?"

She closed her eyes, letting the rope sway as her head throbbed.

Then—footsteps. She opened her eyes to see someone crouching beneath her, calmly picking up her kunai one by one.

Kakashi.

He didn't say anything. Just gathered her gear, then looked up.

"You're gonna black out if you stay up there much longer," he said dryly.

"I had it handled," she said, unconvincing even to herself.

Kakashi started climbing. She tensed as he reached the branch, expecting him to just cut the rope. Instead, he carefully undid the knot and lowered her hand over hand until her fingers brushed the ground.

"I'm ready," she muttered.

He let go. She dropped with a dull thud, wincing, then rolled to her feet with a breathless huff.

By the time she stood upright, Kakashi had already jumped down beside her. He set her kunai at her feet.

"Thanks," she said, brushing her hair from her face.

He gave a small shrug. "Would've been a waste if you knocked yourself out after all that speed."

Hana blinked.

It wasn't exactly a compliment, but coming from him...it almost felt like one.

She watched him walk away, then looked down at the gear he'd returned without a word. Her lips tugged into a small, quiet smile. She felt a slight stir of something—was it respect? Maybe he wasn't such a jerk after all. Maybe he had a point with everything he'd said.

Her mind was still turning over that interaction when Minato's voice cut through her thoughts. He stepped up in front of them, his gaze calm but sharp, like he was preparing to cut through any remaining doubt about their performance.

"Kakashi," he started, his eyes locking onto the silver-haired boy. "You worked fast, but you worked alone. A ninja doesn't fight alone, especially on a team. You might be able to handle yourself, but what about your teammates? In the real world, you have to rely on others, not just your own skills. Working together is the only way to ensure success." He paused, letting the weight of the words sink in.

Kakashi remained silent, no defense, no excuse. He just nodded slightly, acknowledging the point.

Minato's gaze shifted to Obito, who was still catching his breath.

"Obito," Minato continued, his voice unyielding. "You spent more time trying to compete with Kakashi than working with him. This isn't a race. It's not about who's faster or who gets the bell first. You need to learn to work with your teammates, not against them. Trying to make it a competition only drags you all down."

Obito flushed slightly but didn't argue. He nodded, clearly understanding what Minato meant.

Minato's gaze softened for a moment as it landed on Rin, who was standing a little more to the side. She had been mostly quiet throughout the exercise, focused on the team.

"Rin," Minato said, his tone acknowledging her quiet contribution. "You showed good teamwork. You recognized that you couldn't do it alone and suggested working together. That's the kind of thinking we need. You kept the team focused."

Rin gave him a small, proud smile, but Minato moved on quickly. He wasn't going to let any of them get too comfortable.

Finally, Minato's eyes turned to Hana. He exhaled slowly, his expression neutral. "Hana," he began. "You're fast. There's no denying that. But speed without careful thinking can get you killed. Charging in without assessing your opponent first—that's reckless. You were confident, but confidence alone doesn't win fights. You need patience, strategy, and staying calm under pressure."

Hana didn't take it personally—she knew he was right.

"Overconfidence is dangerous," Minato continued, unwavering. "You're talented, but talent alone won't save you if you don't learn to think before you act. You could have been seriously injured today if things had gone differently. Don't let that happen again."

Minato paused momentarily and looked at the group as a whole. His expression softened, and a faint smile pulled at his lips.

"But I know you all have the potential to get better," he said, his tone warmer now. "Don't let this discourage you. These are lessons you'll need to learn, and you've all shown promise today. Work together. Think before you act. And next time, you'll do better."

He gave them all one last look.