Chapter 15: The Answer
"Still haven't gotten the bells," Naruto muttered quietly.
The three of them were hidden deep within a forest, using tall shrubs as cover. All around was silent, and Kakashi seemed to still be waiting in that open field.
"Kakashi-sensei is way too strong. We're no match for him," Sakura sighed, the image of Kakashi's hand seals still vivid in her mind.
Those seals, so fast they left multiple afterimages—two seals per second, no, maybe even three or four?
"His hand seal speed is terrifying. It's beyond what a human should be able to do."
At her words, Sasuke's face grew grim, while Naruto remained calm as ever. Of course Kakashi's seals were fast—the title of "the number one technician in the ninja world" wasn't for nothing.
This was the man who, after the Third Hokage, was the first in Konoha to possess all chakra natures and was rumored to have mastered over a thousand jutsu.
He might not have been as overwhelmingly strong as the Third, but he was undoubtedly a genius.
"We have to coordinate, or we stand no chance," Sasuke said expressionlessly. "I'll launch the main attack, Sakura will provide interference, and Naruto, you grab the bells."
"Wait, I…" Sakura panicked slightly. "I'm no good—my genjutsu won't work on Kakashi-sensei…"
"This is our only chance," Sasuke said firmly.
"I…" Sakura lowered her head.
At that moment, Naruto patted her on the shoulder, speaking with quiet reassurance.
"Sakura, we'll buy you the time you need. You just have to take the shot and hit Kakashi-sensei with genjutsu. We'll have your back. Believe in yourself."
After a brief hesitation, Sakura gritted her teeth and nodded.
The ninja world was harsh—you either could, or you couldn't. Naruto had realized that neither Sasuke nor Sakura's personalities were as exaggerated as in the manga.
They were just normal personalities—Sakura wasn't boy-crazy, and Sasuke wasn't arrogantly aloof. They were both standouts among their peers, and overall, decent people.
Perhaps his own display of strength had something to do with it, but for now, there was a healthy pressure between them.
With Naruto's earlier intel sharing and their growing coordination, Team 7—though not officially formed yet—was already developing genuine teamwork.
No hostility, no pride—only a shared belief in cooperation.
Blazing sun overhead. The field.
Kakashi leaned leisurely against a post, eyes scanning across the pages of Make-Out Paradise. He seemed utterly unguarded against his surroundings.
A breeze whispered through the forest. Kakashi's hand paused mid-page. Two sharp whistles of air sliced through the silence, breaking the stillness of the field.
Shuriken flew, sunlight flashing twice off their spinning steel, aimed directly at Kakashi by the post.
Thud-thud. As expected, the shuriken missed, embedding deep into the post. Kakashi had already leapt aside—but before his feet even touched the ground, Sasuke burst out from his flank.
"Weren't those shuriken just thrown by Sasuke?" Kakashi thought, slightly surprised.
Well, it made sense. The Third's file on them showed Sasuke had the best marks in shurikenjutsu. Instinctively, Kakashi had assumed those earlier shuriken were his.
"The power behind those throws… not Sakura. Then it must've been Naruto," Kakashi murmured. "Unexpectedly good."
As Kakashi remained airborne, Sasuke's hands blurred through seals the instant he emerged. Noticing this, Kakashi's eye narrowed on Sasuke's fingers.
"Ram seal? A Fire Release?"
Snake–Ram–Monkey–Boar–Horse–Tiger—five seals flew in rapid succession. The Great Fireball Technique formed. A surge of flame roared forth, engulfing the air toward Kakashi, forcing him to dodge again.
But as he moved, he suddenly realized something was wrong. Though he had avoided the fireball, his movements felt sluggish—unnaturally so.
Genjutsu?
He didn't dispel it immediately but instead turned his gaze toward one direction. There was Sakura, struggling to maintain her genjutsu seal.
In that instant, Kakashi understood—but before he could react, the faint jingling of bells rang right at his waist.
With a poof of white smoke, his vision blurred, and a gust of wind brushed past. Kakashi felt a sudden lightness at his waist. When the smoke cleared, the bells were already clutched in Naruto's hand.
Seeing Naruto succeed, the other two sighed in relief and slowly approached.
Kakashi, too, lowered his stance.
Even if he'd gone easy on them—Pacific Ocean levels of easy—the fact remained: they'd gotten the bells.
"Congratulations," Kakashi said with a squinting smile. "You've successfully captured the bells. And I'll add—out of all the genin teams I've seen, your teamwork is the best."
At that, smiles spread across all three faces. Sakura especially looked relieved, the tension easing from her features.
But the next moment, Kakashi's tone shifted sharply, turning serious.
"You only have two bells. That means only two of you can pass… or maybe just one."
The words hit like a hammer. Sasuke and Sakura's eyes immediately locked on Naruto, who held both bells.
"You can give one to someone else… or you can keep them both. Hmm, if I train just you alone, you'll probably learn much more from me," Kakashi said casually.
"After all, I'm a jōnin. Outside of missions, I don't have much free time to teach. Training one is much easier than training two."
His words sent a wave of tension through the two without bells. They looked at Naruto, anxiety rising.
Kakashi's offer was too tempting. Both Sakura and Sasuke knew Naruto was the strongest among them.
If he chose to keep the bells for himself, they couldn't argue. They'd resent it, sure, but…
Sakura's heart sank like a stone into icy water. Even if Naruto gave one bell away, it probably wouldn't be to her. Who would want a useless teammate?
"Well?" Kakashi asked, smiling faintly, arms crossed. "Made up your mind?"
"This isn't even something to think about," Naruto said, raising the bells in his hand.
At his words, Sakura and Sasuke's expressions froze. So it was going to be like that? Going solo, taking a jōnin's personal instruction—of course, that would mean faster growth.
Kakashi's smile deepened, lowering his arms. Just as he was about to speak, Naruto spoke again.
"I'm already this strong. I don't need any guidance!"
"What?" Sasuke blinked.
Sakura held her breath, staring at him in disbelief.
With that, Naruto tossed the two bells backward. They floated gently, almost like leaves, landing neatly in Sakura's and Sasuke's hands.
"As for a jōnin's guidance," Naruto said, scratching his ear and flashing a brilliant grin under the sun, "this guy doesn't need it at all!"