The survival exercise had officially begun.
Sasuke Uchiha didn't bother hiding. Instead, he grabbed Naruto Uzumaki's arm. "What other intel have you gathered on him? Tell me now!"
"Didn't you say you don't need it?"
"Idiot! Did you sleep through your culture classes at the academy?" Sasuke yelled at him. "Every piece of intelligence about the enemy is important!"
"You're the one who said you didn't need it!"
"How was I supposed to know a ramen shop owner would know so much about Kakashi!" Sasuke pulled his arm forcefully and said with a serious expression, "There might be something important in there. Hurry up and share it with me!"
"See for yourself! I'm going in first!" Naruto took out his notebook, threw it to Sasuke, and turned around with a smile. "The contents will surprise you, so don't break it!"
"Darn it! Can't you discuss tactics with me first?" Sasuke cursed under his breath as he fumbled to catch the notebook, then quickly found a corner to hide. To defeat a Jonin, the most important thing was to know yourself and your enemy.
However, when Sasuke hid in a bush and carefully opened the notebook, his eyes immediately froze.
"That guy Kakashi… was Itachi's captain? And the Fourth Hokage's student?"
The notebook contained a clearly drawn relationship chart. Sasuke could see several names at a glance, but the one that caught his attention the most was Itachi Uchiha. Most people in Konoha wouldn't know the connection between Kakashi Hatake and Itachi Uchiha, but in the notebook, an arrow pointed from Itachi's name directly to Kakashi.
The arrow was labeled: Captain.
The note explained that after an ANBU mission, Kakashi had taken his only subordinate, Itachi, to Ichiraku Ramen for a meal. The handsome young Uchiha had caught the eye of Ayame, who was the same age. Unfortunately, that handsome young man later defected from the village.
Sasuke studied every one of Kakashi's relationship lines. Among them, the name Obito Uchiha was circled with a question mark next to it. It seemed Kakashi Hatake had quite a few connections to the Uchiha clan.
A new passion ignited in Sasuke's heart. He looked up at the white-haired Jonin locked in battle with Naruto and clenched his jaw.
That was Itachi Uchiha's former captain.
That was the student of Konoha's Fourth Hokage.
That was a former comrade of his own Uchiha clan members.
He had to pass this test and become Kakashi Hatake's student. As long as Kakashi was willing to teach him ninjutsu and guide his training, he would surely be able to kill Itachi and get his revenge. After all, no matter how strong a subordinate is, can they truly surpass their superior?
With a curious heart, Sasuke flipped through Naruto's notebook. He landed on a page that happened to have his own name on it, and a string of negative words met his eyes.
Arrogant, conceited, childish…
Sasuke gritted his teeth as he saw the final evaluation written at the bottom of the notes: This person will definitely attract the enemy's attention.
"This guy!"
Just as Sasuke was getting angry enough to tear the notebook apart, a flash of light caught his eye. He looked up and saw a ninja forehead protector glinting in the sunlight. It was Kakashi Hatake.
How did this guy suddenly appear here? Why was he attacking him?
"Of course, it's because of the notebook," Naruto said from below. His Rasengan slammed into the Kakashi beside him, which disappeared in a puff of smoke—a shadow clone.
"I only mentioned some intel, so Teacher Kakashi would inevitably get a little nervous," Naruto continued, looking up at the clash between Sasuke and the real Kakashi with a low laugh. "The notebook might contain some stories that could damage his image. He has no way to stop me from spreading the intel, so he'll definitely go after the source. He used a shadow clone to keep me busy while his real body searched for you, Sasuke."
"You noticed again?" Kakashi's brow furrowed. Dealing with Sasuke was easy enough, but the words from the yellow-haired kid below were a bit chilling. This kid's intelligence was nothing like his mother Kushina's.
A chakra vortex gradually formed in Naruto's palm as Wind Style chakra automatically flowed into the Rasengan. He formed the jutsu as if he had used it countless times before. "Wind Style: Rasenshuriken!"
He held the Rasenshuriken high. The intense chakra fluctuation had already caught Kakashi's attention. While blocking Sasuke's attack, he asked, "Are you using that technique? Do you want to kill me and your teammate at the same time?"
"No," Naruto said, smiling and shaking his head confidently. "I've traded blows with Sasuke, and I just fought your shadow clone. I can estimate about how long he can last against you, Teacher Kakashi. If Sasuke lasts too long in a taijutsu battle, it must be because you aren't using your full strength, right?"
"So you think your ninjutsu can definitely hit me?" Kakashi gritted his teeth and looked at Sasuke. Since his plan had been exposed, there was no longer any need to keep him around.
Kakashi dodged Sasuke's fist, slammed a knee into his chest, and then, with a burst of power from his calf, sent Sasuke flying with a side kick.
Just as Sasuke went airborne, Naruto threw the Rasenshuriken. The sharp, chakra-wrapped vortex flew rapidly toward Kakashi.
An Earth Flow Wall won't stop it...
Kakashi immediately made a judgment. With a kunai hanging between his fingers, he had no choice but to prepare the hand seals for another jutsu.
Boar—Hare—Ox!
A ball of lightning suddenly bloomed in his hand. The lightning flowed like water and, under his control, completely enveloped the kunai. Then, Kakashi threw the lightning-infused weapon.
"Lightning Blade: Kunai Thrust!"
He wouldn't dare face a Rasenshuriken while holding a Lightning Blade himself. Who knew if the explosion from the two jutsus clashing would send him to the hospital? A supervising Jonin being sent to the hospital by a new graduate would be a huge joke. People would probably forget all about Ebisu from yesterday and nail his name to the pillar of shame for Konoha's Jonin.
Bang!
The Lightning Blade instantly exploded upon contact with the Rasenshuriken. The shockwave kicked up a cloud of dust, obscuring everyone's vision.
Just as Kakashi was about to use the opportunity to press forward, another Rasenshuriken suddenly flew out of the dust cloud.
Kakashi did his best to dodge the attack, his expression turning bitter. "Sigh, it's just an ordinary survival exercise..."
Pssh!
Fortunately, the shockwave from the explosion had pushed him back a step, allowing him to barely dodge a direct hit. However, due to the angle, his arm was inevitably grazed by the swirling chakra. A rather deep wound gushed with blood.
Kakashi gritted his teeth, violently tore a strip of cloth from his uniform, and forcefully wrapped the wound.
He looked at the ugly, makeshift bandage, his expression growing strange. "I remember… back then, I just grazed Teacher Minato's sleeve with a shuriken..."
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Bonus:
Minato Namikaze: "Karma always comes back around."
Kakashi Hatake: "You're seriously still holding a grudge because I didn't replace your shirt back then? And now your son nearly chopped my arm off!?"
Minato Namikaze: "The whole situation that came from that shirt was… complicated."
Kakashi Hatake: "You could've just bought a new one."
Minato Namikaze: "We were trying to save up to have a kid back then. Kushina was a full-time homemaker, and, well, money was tight."
Kakashi Hatake: "You could've at least stitched it up."
Minato Namikaze: "Kushina tried, but… you know her temper. The shirt didn't get fixed — but I sure got beaten up."
Kakashi Hatake: "Forget it. I'll just head to the hospital and have my arm stitched up."