Kakashi felt it immediately.
The chakra sustaining his shadow clone was nearly gone. He shifted his weight, preparing to disengage and look for an opening to restrain Sakura instead of clashing head-on.
He failed to move.
For an instant, the lake seemed to rise. Translucent arcs of water danced through his vision like glass leaves caught in the wind.
So this is it.
Genjutsu.
His mind snapped into focus as he recognized the technique.
A close-range illusion layered into movement, designed to bind perception and body at the same time. No seals. No warning.
Kakashi forced his remaining chakra through his Sharingan and tore himself free just as Sakura burst through the curtain of rain.
"Running?" she shouted, voice sharp with breath. "Don't joke with me!"
Her speed surged again, faster than before. Water exploded beneath her feet as she crossed the lake in a blink, fist drawn back.
That movement—
Kakashi's eye widened.
"That Shunshin…!"
There was no time left.
The clone couldn't evade. Sakura's punch landed cleanly.
The impact erased the shadow clone in a burst of white smoke.
Sakura landed hard, chest rising and falling as she took several steadying breaths. The exchange had drained her. Advanced water techniques, genjutsu, and high-speed movement pushed her close to her limit.
Still, it was worth it.
That shadow clone carried experience and pressure comparable to an elite chūnin. Defeating it head-on meant something.
Her lips curved briefly, then she stilled, replaying Kakashi's last words.
"Sensei's Shunshin…"
She frowned, thinking.
During the past two years, Kosuke Maruboshi had taught her many techniques. Leaf-Style Willow. Shadow Clones. Shuriken Shadow Clones. Advanced water techniques traced back to the Second Hokage. And Shunshin.
She had assumed it was simply refined movement.
But Kakashi's reaction suggested otherwise.
"…Was that Fourth Hokage–style Shunshin?"
The realization settled slowly.
Kosuke had served alongside the Fourth during the war. She knew that much. A trusted comrade. Someone taught directly, not casually.
Her eyes lit up.
"Wait," she murmured, then laughed aloud. "Second Hokage's water techniques. Third Hokage's shuriken techniques. Fourth Hokage's Shunshin…"
She pressed a hand to her chest, grinning despite herself.
So that's how it is.
The thought faded as quickly as it came. Sakura clenched her fist, expression sharpening.
"Using that kind of illusion on me…" she muttered. "I'm not letting that slide."
She vanished in a leap, racing back toward the others.
Elsewhere on Training Ground Three, Kakashi stood in silence.
Naruto's teacher still troubled him. A retired shinobi with taijutsu strong enough to overwhelm a shadow clone. No name came to mind.
Then Naruto's final technique surfaced in his thoughts.
Kakashi coughed lightly, the corner of his mouth twitching beneath the mask.
"…Unexpectedly effective," he muttered, then cleared his throat.
And Sakura's teacher. Second Hokage techniques. Third Hokage techniques. Fourth Hokage movement.
How is someone like that still a genin?
The thought lingered.
Moments later, Sasuke watched him with faint amusement as Kakashi gave an awkward laugh.
"Well," Kakashi said, rubbing the back of his head, "it seems my students are all… exceptional."
Sakura and Naruto arrived, flanking Sasuke and forming a triangle around him. Naruto's eyes burned with excitement. Sakura's fists were clenched tight. Sasuke stood calmly at the center, unreadable.
Kakashi glanced at the three of them and felt a bead of sweat slide down his temple.
He smiled.
"In team coordination and individual combat, you've shown solid judgment, restraint, and ability," he said. "Taken together—"
He produced the bells and placed them into Sasuke's hand, quickly, as if eager to be rid of them.
"All of you pass."