Fourteen years ago, Kakashi Hatake and his two teammates faced Minato Namikaze's bell test. As an already experienced ninja, Kakashi used an opening created by his teammates to successfully slash Minato's sleeve with a shuriken.
Fourteen years later, Minato Namikaze's son, Naruto Uzumaki, used an opening created by his teammate, Sasuke Uchiha, to launch two consecutive Wind Style: Rasenshurikens, nearly severing Kakashi's arm.
Kakashi clutched his right arm. He could barely manage to form hand seals with it. If this turned into a taijutsu battle, he would have to face the three rookies of Team 7 with only one arm.
When I heard yesterday that Ebisu was hospitalized, I guessed today's survival drill would be difficult. Just what I'd expect from Minato-sensei's son...
The jonin gazed at the small figure barely visible through the dust, drawing another kunai from his pouch. The weapon spun nimbly between his fingers before settling in his palm.
Gripping the kunai, Kakashi rushed forward, blurring into a black shadow and appearing before Naruto in an instant. The sharp edge of the kunai stopped just above Naruto's forehead.
However, a Rasengan also stopped just shy of his chest.
"Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto looked up, offering a gentle smile to the white-haired jonin. "I'm sure your taijutsu is much better than Ebisu's... but did you really think I'd make the same mistake I made yesterday?"
Yesterday afternoon, Ebisu had beaten him black and blue with taijutsu. There was no way he would let another jonin force him into a close-quarters fight during today's drill.
Kakashi took a few steps back and sighed faintly. "Your ninjutsu... doesn't it consume chakra?"
To counter a simple frontal assault, Naruto had casually unleashed an A-rank ninjutsu. That kind of extravagant chakra use was painful for Kakashi to watch.
Naruto gave him a strange look and said, "The chakra for one Rasengan? I can recover that almost instantly."
"..."
This year's students really aren't cute at all.
Kakashi's original intention was to warn the kid not to waste chakra, not to have him show off how fast he could recover it. A sour feeling washed over him. He looked deeply at Naruto. "Naruto, have you even thought about snatching the bells?"
"No one wants to become a ninja more than I do." After speaking, Naruto shook his head. "But if I only focus on the bells, I'd be giving up my advantage in ninjutsu. Maybe once you're exhausted, Kakashi-sensei, I'll make a move to snatch them then."
"So rational... you're really not like the Naruto I remember from the Academy."
"The old me had his body in darkness, but his heart was reaching for the light." Naruto spread his hands, his gaze growing profound. "As for the me you see now... aren't I more like a proper ninja?"
A deeply hidden part of him whispered that darkness wasn't so frightening, but rather more real. And the light wasn't as great as he had once thought; it was merely a contrast to the darkness.
Kakashi paused for a moment, not answering Naruto's question. He vanished from the training ground, and the jingling sound of the bells disappeared with him.
Not long after, a girl's scream echoed through the woods.
Sakura Haruno had been attacked. The pink-haired girl hadn't dared to show her face, and the tracks she'd left were laughably easy for a jonin to find.
Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other and rushed toward the sound, only to find Sakura lying unconscious on the ground.
"Hey, Sakura!"
"Sakura!"
Just as they reached her side, the ground beneath them suddenly split open, and their bodies tumbled into a fissure.
"Earth Style: Fissuring Earth Turning Palm!"
Kakashi's voice called out the jutsu. He had used this same technique to bury his best friend long ago. Now, he intended to use it to subdue his two students.
However, as the earth began to close, Naruto slammed his hands onto the soil on both sides and let out a low shout. "Sealing Art: Devouring!"
The chakra within the surrounding earth was instantly consumed by him. The Fissuring Earth Turning Palm jutsu came to a violent halt.
Naruto and Sasuke leaped out of the fissure, warily scanning their surroundings. Their supervising jonin had to be nearby.
Naruto frowned. "If Kakashi-sensei just keeps hiding like this, it'll be too hard to find him."
"A jonin wouldn't be that pathetic," Sasuke scoffed. "If he has to hide from three genin who just graduated, it would be beneath his status." Sasuke shook his head. Someone with overwhelming power should crush their enemy head-on, breaking their spirit with absolute strength.
Naruto didn't quite agree. "That's hard to say. Maybe some jonin just don't care about their pride."
As Naruto was bad-mouthing him, a hand shot out from the ground and grabbed his ankle. Another grabbed Sasuke's. Two hands, trying to drag them down.
"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"
"Rasengan!"
Naruto's palm quickly formed a Rasengan, and he slammed it onto the ground. He judged that if Kakashi dared to stay underground, the force of the explosion would be enough to severely injure him.
The ground trembled under the Rasengan's impact.
Underground, Kakashi sensed the chakra gathering and reluctantly abandoned his perfect opportunity to attack. He couldn't understand how Naruto could form a Rasengan so quickly. According to the Third Hokage's intel, the kid had only learned it a few days ago.
Why did it feel like Naruto's speed and power with the jutsu already surpassed his own teacher, Minato Namikaze?
If Naruto just kept relying on his massive chakra reserves to counter every possible attack, Kakashi would have to go all out. The battle would spiral out of control.
A supervising jonin, facing three genin, unable to control the situation. And with two of his peers also leading graduating teams, that would be far too embarrassing.
Looks like I'll have to find a way to save face myself.
Kakashi jumped out from the ground, one hand gripping the two bells, the other pointing at the unconscious Sakura. "Seeing as you two are so skilled, I can give these two bells to you."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed slightly. "But... have you considered who to eliminate? For example, that pink-haired girl who's been lying on the ground. She doesn't seem qualified to be a ninja, does she?"
Sasuke was silent for a moment, then spat in disgust. "We just became ninja, and you want me to eliminate my own teammate?"
"This is a tricky problem," Naruto said, shaking his head gently. "Kakashi-sensei, give us the bells first. The three of us will discuss the rest ourselves."
Kakashi was speechless. What's with this kid? Where did he learn to demand payment upfront? Fortunately, this was all an open scheme, designed to see what choice they would make.
When the two bells rolled to their feet, Naruto picked them up with one finger. He glanced at the fallen Sakura, then suddenly tossed both bells to Sasuke. "Sasuke, you decide how to distribute them."
After catching the bells, Sasuke's face flushed red. "Are you... insulting me?"
"No. I'll agree with your decision," Naruto said seriously. "Whether you eliminate Sakura, eliminate me, or even choose to sacrifice yourself..."
Standing by, Kakashi's expression suddenly became complicated. He had wanted to test these three, but he never expected this wide-eyed kid, Naruto, to turn around and test his own teammate.
"I don't want your charity!" Sasuke snapped. He tossed one bell to Naruto and then threw the other onto Sakura's chest. "Tch. Just consider it payment for her liking me all this time. From now on, I don't owe her anything."
In truth, after reading Naruto's notebook, Sasuke believed that becoming Kakashi's student was his best path to defeating Itachi. However, Sakura had liked him for a very long time at the Academy. Sasuke was well aware of her feelings. If he could use this to settle things between them, he could face her with a clear conscience in the future—for example, when telling her to get lost and stop pestering him.
There were many paths to killing that man, right? If an idiot like Naruto could find that intelligence, then as long as Sasuke was in the village, he'd have a chance to uncover traces of Itachi's past.
From now on, I'll have to eat at Ichiraku Ramen more often.
When Sakura slowly woke up and noticed the bell beside her, she listened to their explanation, and her expression grew tense. "Sasuke-kun, you gave me the chance to become a ninja?"
Sasuke stood up and coolly stated, "So, from now on, stop pestering me."
"Wait!" Sakura stepped forward to stop him, her expression heartbroken. "If you're not here, Sasuke-kun, what's the point of me becoming a ninja?"
"..."
Kakashi and Naruto looked at each other. They could almost feel the awkwardness hanging in the air, and their expressions twisted into pained grimaces.
Just as Sasuke was about to continue his domineering act, Kakashi quickly waved his hand. "Alright, alright, let's save the romance for later."
"Although things went a bit off-track, and someone's romantic prospects have soured, I have no choice but to announce that you three... have passed."
"Great. Now get me to the hospital, immediately!"