"In that case—"
Thud!
Uzumaki Kushina stomped on the ground and charged forward, leading the assault on Saigoji Youmu. Calm and unmoving, Youmu silently awaited Kushina's attack. Though the distance between them was short, in the blink of an eye, Kushina was right in front of him.
"Ah…" Kushina snorted lowly and punched directly at Youmu's stomach.
"Your attack is too naive, Kushina," Youmu remarked as he effortlessly caught her fist. With a swift twist, he redirected her momentum, hurling her toward Uchiha Mikoto.
Thud!
Kushina adjusted her posture mid-air and landed lightly.
"Come on, Kushina," Mikoto encouraged.
"Um…" Kushina offered no further comment. Both she and Mikoto were exceptionally talented ninjas, and she instantly realized that a single effort was never enough to unsettle Saigoji Youmu.
"I'll go first," declared Uchiha Mikoto as she pulled a shuriken from her ninja bag. With a sharp whir, the shuriken sliced through the air toward Youmu. At the same moment, Kushina surged forward once more.
"A wise decision," Youmu observed with a slight nod upon seeing their combined efforts. "However, your coordination still needs work."
Stretching out two fingers, he effortlessly caught the shuriken mid-air. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it clattering down toward Kushina's feet.
Bass!
A cold flash of light marked the shuriken's impact as it embedded itself firmly in the ground just a stone's throw from Kushina. Fortunately, she halted in time, avoiding injury.
"Keep it up," Youmu said, tying the bell around his waist with a faint smile.
"Damn it…" Kushina muttered, her earlier excitement now giving way to frustration.
"Take it easy, Kushina," Mikoto advised calmly. As someone well-versed in the Uchiha tradition and guided by the clan elders, Mikoto understood that facing a master like Youmu was a daunting task for freshly graduated ninjas.
Their successive attacks—both close and ranged—had little effect. Kushina and Mikoto attempted to press their advantage together, yet their coordination faltered. Their combined assault not only failed to overwhelm Youmu but sometimes even hindered each other. Recognizing the problem, Mikoto, less proficient in Taijutsu, retreated to support Kushina with shurikens and kunai from a distance.
Ten minutes later, with another resounding impact, Kushina folded her arms to block one of Youmu's swift strikes. The force of the attack sent her sliding backward, leaving two long gouges in the ground—from Youmu's position to just inches from Kushina's feet.
"Good—great progress," praised Youmu. Although their attack had ended in failure, he noted that Kushina and Mikoto's teamwork had improved significantly.
"Sensei, you're too strong." Kushina admitted with a mix of awe and exasperation.
"It seems we can only earn our reward by seizing that bell," Mikoto replied wryly. For the first time, Kushina truly grasped the extent of Youmu's strength—without even moving, he had easily repelled their combined offensive. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't shake him. Now, she understood why Youmu insisted that if they could force him out of the circle at his feet, they would not only pass the test but also receive extra rewards.
"Yes," agreed Mikoto firmly.
"Come on, Mikoto," Kushina urged. "We can't give up—otherwise, Mr. Youmu will underestimate us."
"Um…" The two exchanged determined glances before launching another coordinated attack on Youmu. This time, their goal shifted from merely forcing him out of the circle to also capturing the bell tied around his waist.
Boom!
A resounding impact echoed as they pressed forward.
After much hard-fought effort, Uchiha Mikoto finally found an opening.