"The Three Ninja Arts—Taijutsu!"
Kakashi slowly emerged from the shade of the trees. Watching Naruto stand ready with his sword, the jonin's expression was no longer lax; he admitted he had underestimated this boy.
Swish, swish!
Several kunai flew out from the woods. Uchiha Sasuke had arrived, fashionably late.
Kakashi's figure flickered, weaving perfectly through the gaps between the kunai, without so much as a thread of his clothing being disturbed.
Seeing his enemy rush towards him, Naruto suddenly sheathed his sword. Just as Kakashi closed in, he drew it again with blinding speed; under the sunlight, the flash of steel was like a clap of thunder.
[So fast!]
Kakashi's pupils contracted. Just as he was about to dodge, more kunai flew from Sasuke's hand.
[I've lost face…] That was the only thought in Kakashi's mind at that moment.
The sharp blade slashed across Kakashi's waist, and his form vanished in a puff of smoke.
[A clone technique? No, regular clones are just illusions; they don't have this kind of combat capability.]
Naruto was certain. From the moment this opponent had appeared until now, this was what he had been fighting. The two bells left on the ground were proof enough—an illusion couldn't carry physical bells.
As Sasuke approached, Naruto tossed him one of the bells. If it hadn't been for Sasuke's assist just now, his own slash might not have connected with Kakashi.
"Was that a type of clone jutsu?" Naruto asked. Uchiha Sasuke hailed from a renowned clan; his knowledge of ninjutsu was surely greater than that of a layman like himself.
"Shadow Clone Technique—a ninjutsu that creates tangible shadow clones," Sasuke explained, catching the bell.
Naruto nodded, asking no further questions.
Clink.
He sheathed his sword.
Naruto walked towards the river. As expected, the simple dam he had constructed earlier had successfully trapped a few small fish. Thanks to Kakashi's "kind reminder" yesterday, not a grain of rice had entered his stomach yet.
Although he had experienced going several days without food in his past life, it was precisely because of such experiences that he now had an almost obsessive pursuit of sustenance.
Hunger… it was truly more terrifying than death.
His scabbard moved in a swift arc, stunning the swimming river fish. With a few kicks, he dismantled the makeshift dam. He was hungry, yes, but not so desperate as to drain the pond to catch every last fish, cutting off their path to life.
His catch wasn't large—just three or four palm-sized river fish. But it was enough to offer some solace to his rumbling stomach.
When he returned to their initial meeting point, Kakashi and Sasuke had already roused the fainted Sakura.
He wasn't good at offering psychological comfort; in fact, he was completely incapable of it. The world of the undying didn't care if you had mental health issues. Constant warfare, famine, natural disasters… Strictly speaking, in that world, anyone who survived had at least some psychological scars.
Cooking food was the priority now.
Seeing that Naruto genuinely had no intention of consoling Sakura, Kakashi sighed inwardly. The Third Hokage's greatest fear had come to pass: this boy truly had issues with social interaction. But whenever he—or the Third—thought about the root cause of these problems, they could only remain silent.
"Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke have both passed the test. You…" Kakashi said, his eyes subtly observing the two boys holding the bells. Either of them, no, just one would do. If anyone was willing to share their bell with Sakura, he would pass all three of them.
But alas, neither Naruto nor Sasuke made any move.
"Wuu…" Clearly, Sakura also understood her predicament. She hugged her knees and began to sob quietly.
"This is troublesome." Naruto scratched his head, having discovered an extremely serious problem: no seasonings…
As for Sakura potentially being sent back to the Academy, he didn't feel there was anything wrong with that. Being a ninja wasn't about love and romance; it was about the clash of blades, a struggle between life and death. From the fight just now, it was clear that Sakura's concept of a ninja was still stuck in the realm of childish games. Making her an official ninja now would only be detrimental to her. If she returned to the Academy and still couldn't change her perspective, then living an ordinary, stable life as a civilian wouldn't be a bad thing at all.
Sasuke, needless to say, felt similarly. Haruno Sakura's theoretical knowledge was strong, but her current mentality clearly made her unsuitable as his teammate.
"You… have disappointed me!" Kakashi said sternly. "Those who don't cherish their comrades are worse than trash!"
With that, he vanished in a Body Flicker.
Sasuke let out a small sigh of relief internally. Since the jonin hadn't sent them directly back to the Academy, it meant they had passed. For him, the process wasn't important, as long as the outcome was what he desired.
Quickly gathering his ninja tools from the ground, Sasuke headed back the way he came. He needed to reflect on why he had been so lazy.
Naruto wrapped the grilled fish in some leaves. He remembered a hunting spot not far from here; there should be seasonings there. Food without seasoning was bland and tasteless, and a noisy environment wasn't conducive to savoring a good meal.
As for Sakura, today's outcome was merely the result of her past choices. She had no one to blame but herself. Consolation was something he didn't know how to offer.
Hokage Tower.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, watched the images relayed by his Telescope Technique, taking a deep drag from the pipe clenched between his teeth.
His greatest fear had materialized.
Konoha was already beginning to show signs of a generational gap in talent. He had assigned Kakashi to teach Naruto and Sasuke precisely because he hoped to quickly cultivate a few high-level combatants. Though the heirs of other major clans were also gifted, frankly, their ultimate growth potential was largely capped by the example of their parents. For the current Konoha, this offered no significant advancement.
Naruto and Sasuke, however, were different. One was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the other the last scion of the Uchiha clan. If nurtured properly, they could absolutely support Konoha through the turbulent times ahead.
Among all of Konoha's current jonin, Kakashi was undoubtedly the most suitable teacher for them. The Sharingan allowed Kakashi to both effectively guide the Uchiha heir and to greatly suppress the Nine-Tails within Naruto.
But the most critical problem right now didn't lie with the students, but with the teacher. Kakashi's past experiences had led him to place an excessive emphasis on camaraderie.
Whenever Hiruzen thought about this, he felt a pang of regret. He shouldn't have, for the sake of a little 'reputation,' assigned Haruno Sakura to their team. If he had assigned a ninja from any minor clan, the current situation wouldn't be nearly so awkward.
As for sending all three back to the Ninja Academy…
Haruno Sakura could certainly be sent back…
But the other two…
"Lord Third."
Hiruzen sighed. "I know everything. Tell me your thoughts."
"Sasuke has cooperative awareness. Haruno Sakura values her comrades. I am willing to teach them," Kakashi said in a low voice, his hand touching his covered left eye.
"…I understand." White smoke slowly curled from Hiruzen's nostrils as he nodded slightly.
Kakashi's form vanished.
After a long period of contemplation, the room now thick with the smell of tobacco from his constant puffing, Hiruzen removed the pipe from his lips. "Have Gekko Hayate come see me."
An ANBU operative wearing a fox mask appeared abruptly, acknowledged the order, and then vanished just as quickly.