Hiro barely had time to stretch his sore muscles before he heard the crunch of footsteps approaching his camp. Maru emerged from the trees, tail flicking zily as he surveyed the area.

  The monkey’s keen eyes scanned the smoked meat, dried herbs, and well-organized supplies before giving an approving nod. “You passed the test, kid.”

  Hiro exhaled in relief, but before he could respond, Maru grabbed a particurly juicy rabbit leg from the food pile and took a rge bite. He chewed thoughtfully before grinning. “Good preserving technique. You’d make a fine quartermaster.”

  Hiro rolled his eyes. “I’ll stick to being a shinobi.”

  Maru tossed him a sealed mission scroll. “Well, let’s see if you survive your next test then. Pack up. You’re abandoning this camp.”

  With that, the monkey turned on his heel and disappeared into the forest, still gnawing on the rabbit leg.

  Hiro unrolled the scroll, scanning the precise inked instructions.

  “Proceed to the designated location marked below. Arrival by noon is mandatory. Your teammate will be waiting.”

  Hiro’s brow furrowed. A teammate?

  He wasted no time. Gathering only what he could carry, he sealed away the remaining herbs and supplies in his Summoner Storage, then turned to Yamiha.

  “Head back to the clearing near home. I’ll summon you if needed.”

  The spider gave a silent nod before vanishing in a puff of dispersing chakra smoke.

  With Chūta perched on his shoulder, Hiro set off at a steady jog, navigating the dense forest terrain toward the meeting point.

  As Hiro neared the designated location, the trees parted into a rge rocky clearing. Jagged stones jutted from the earth, giving the area a natural defensive advantage.

  Sitting atop the rgest rock, posture rexed but alert, was Kakashi.

  Beside him, a rge ninken sat on its haunches, growling softly as Hiro approached. Kakashi pced a hand on the dog’s head, calming it. He gave Hiro a short nod and a wave.

  Hiro leapt onto the rock beside him. “Has our mission been revealed yet?”

  Kakashi shook his head. “Not yet. But it’ll come soon.”

  They psed into a companionable silence.

  Kakashi was polite but short with his responses, and Hiro didn’t feel the need to force conversation. They sat quietly, waiting as the sun rose higher in the sky.

  Then—in the blink of an eye—Shigeto appeared.

  The older Sarutobi arrived in a blur of motion, his body flickering into pce with practiced precision. He looked between the two recruits before nodding in approval.

  “You both did well to make it this far. Only eight of you remain.”

  Hiro straightened at the news. Out of thirty-six recruits, only eight had survived the challenges?

  “Because of this, we’ve adjusted today’s final activity,” Shigeto continued. He unrolled a scroll and formed a quick seal. A rge fg attached to a bamboo pole materialized in his hands. With a single, effortless motion, he stabbed it into the rocky ground.

  “Your final mission is simple: Capture the enemy’s fg.”

  Kakashi’s eyes narrowed slightly in interest. Hiro felt a spark of excitement in his chest.

  “Each team has been assigned a starting location, but you may not advance until the signal fre is given. The match sts until one team successfully returns the enemy’s fg to their home base while also securing their own. Permanent injury or killing is an automatic forfeit. Work closely with your summons.”

  “Understood?”

  Both boys nodded.

  Shigeto gave them a knowing smirk before vanishing in a flicker of movement.

  Kakashi cracked his knuckles, turning to Hiro. “So, what do you think? How do we approach this?”

  Hiro hesitated before offering his idea. “What if we both stay back to guard the fg? That way, we can team up on whoever tries to take it, then move forward with the numbers advantage.”

  Kakashi shook his head immediately. “That won’t work. Clone jutsu would allow them to probe our defenses without revealing their real attack strategy. By the time we figured out which was the real target, we’d already be at a disadvantage.”

  Hiro frowned. “So then, what’s the best approach?”

  Kakashi smirked. “A quick strike.”

  Hiro listened as Kakashi id out the pn.

  Hiro’s role: Stay behind and fortify the fg’s defenses.Kakashi’s role: Attack immediately, disrupting the enemy before they can organize their defense.Yamiha’s webbing would serve as the primary deterrent against intruders.Chūta would act as a scout, tracking enemy movements.Hiro nodded, accepting the logic. He summoned Yamiha, who began spinning intricate yers of webbing.

  Near the center of the clearing, the webbing was dense and thick, designed to trap intruders.Further out, the webbing became thinner, meant to break easily and alert them of movement.Kakashi watched, occasionally giving input on the best pcement of traps. Despite being older and more experienced, he still took the time to answer Hiro’s questions.

  They worked with methodical efficiency, refining the defensive structure to make their position as fortified as possible. Hiro's mind raced with different possibilities, potential ways the enemy team might try to break through. He adjusted his pns based on Kakashi’s suggestions, appreciating the older boy’s insight. Despite their differences in experience, Kakashi never dismissed Hiro’s ideas outright—he critiqued them, sharpened them, and ensured they had the best chance of success. Just as the st strands of web were being pced, a fre shot into the sky—bzing orange against the noonday sun.

  Kakashi gave Hiro a sharp nod before unching himself into the trees, his ninken close behind. The older boy moved with the silent confidence of someone who had been in real battles before, someone used to leading. Hiro watched him disappear into the thick foliage, his own pulse quickening with anticipation.

  Yamiha skittered forward, closing the st gap in the defenses behind him.