…Even though I had successfully passed the exam and taken the bells from our instructor, the outcome remained the same—I was still tied to the post.
…Kakashi looked at me with an irritated, judgmental gaze. I had a feeling he was more angry at himself, but he was venting that frustration on me instead.
…Sakura-chan and Sasuke came out of hiding and silently watched the situation, clearly unsure of what to do.
"Well then, Naruto… congratulations. You've successfully passed the test, and since both bells are in your hands, it's up to you to decide who will be your teammate—and who will be sent back to the academy," Kakashi-sensei finally said, breaking the awkward silence.
"Um… could you untie me first?" I asked.
"No," he replied flatly.
"Why was I even tied up in the first place? I didn't do anything wrong!" I protested indignantly.
"Out of the question. Even though you got the bells, as your teacher I am obligated to punish you for indecency," Kakashi said, his voice slightly irritated.
…Sasuke and Sakura exchanged glances, then looked back at me.
"Now choose. Which of them will be your teammate?" Kakashi repeated, nodding toward the two of them.
"I refuse to choose! We were assigned as a team—so we stay that way!" I declared firmly.
"…?!" Sasuke and Sakura clearly hadn't expected that answer. They stared at me in shock.
"Very well," Kakashi said after a brief pause. "Then the one who will be sent back to the academy… will be you."
"Hey! That's not fair!" I protested immediately.
"The world is full of injustice. Get used to it, Naruto," Kakashi said philosophically, then turned to Sasuke and Sakura. "As for you two—congratulations. Here are your lunches. Go ahead and eat. However… do not even think about feeding this pervert. Understood?"
"This is tyranny! I'll report you!" I snapped angrily.
"Enjoy your meal," Kakashi said, ignoring me. "And remember—if you feed Naruto, you'll be joining him." With that, he walked off toward the forest.
That bastard… Even though I passed his test, he decided to test Sakura and Sasuke too! Damn Kakashi… he's so annoying, I thought.
…Meanwhile, my teammates sat down and began opening their bento boxes.
Grrr… My stomach growled loudly at the smell of food. It was embarrassing.
"If you weren't such a pervert, you wouldn't be tied to a post, Naruto," Sakura said suddenly, calmly eating with her chopsticks.
What a bitch! My outrage knew no bounds.
…Sasuke, on the other hand, hadn't touched his bento at all. He was silently watching me with his cold eyes.
"Hey, Sasuke… I know we don't exactly get along, but could you feed me? I'm really hungry…" I said, as my stomach growled again.
Talking to Sakura was pointless. Sasuke was our only option. He was smart—and he didn't hate me, I thought, looking at him.
…Sasuke remained silent, thinking it over. After a moment, he began unpacking his lunch.
"Don't drag Sasuke-kun into trouble! Suffer in silence, Naruto!" Sakura snapped.
"…Eat," Sasuke said simply. Unlike her, he wasn't a jerk. He stepped closer and began feeding me with his chopsticks.
"W-What?! But Sasuke-kun, what about Kakashi-sensei's orders?" Sakura panicked.
"So what? I don't care if I get sent back to the academy. Naruto deserves to be on this team, no matter how he did it," Sasuke replied calmly, continuing to feed me.
…Sakura hesitated for a few seconds, then lowered her head in guilt and offered me her bento as well.
"Thanks, guys," I said. I didn't really want to accept food from Sakura, but I chose not to be petty.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! DIDN'T I TELL YOU NOT TO FEED HIM?!" Kakashi suddenly appeared, glaring at them with exaggerated anger.
In the end, while Sakura panicked again, unable to decide between her idol and the rules, Sasuke stood firmly on my side. After an awkward silence, Kakashi finally announced that we had passed the test and congratulated us. He also gave us a lecture on the importance of teamwork. I was untied and given my own bento.
Before leaving, Kakashi ordered us to come back early the next morning to begin missions. After that, we all went our separate ways. Sakura tried to invite Sasuke to celebrate with her, but he naturally refused.
"What do you want, Naruto?" he asked, noticing me following him.
"First of all, I wanted to say thank you," I said. "We don't get along very well, but you stood up for me. That says a lot about you."
"I don't need your thanks—especially for something you achieved yourself," Sasuke replied coldly and turned away.
"Wait," I called after him.
"What now?" he asked, turning back.
"Since we're on the same team… I thought maybe we could train together? It's only noon. We've got the whole day," I said awkwardly.
"Why would I?" he asked bluntly.
"Whether we like it or not, we're in the same boat. I know I'm the weakest link on the team—and I want to fix that. So I was hoping you could help me improve…" I admitted, still feeling awkward.
…Sasuke stared at me silently. For a moment, I even saw surprise in his eyes.
"Please," I said, swallowing my pride and bowing my head.
"…Fine. But if you slack off or slow my progress, I'll throw you out," he said after a pause.
I didn't bother him with unnecessary questions on the way. About ten minutes later, we arrived at the Uchiha district. As expected, it was empty and gloomy. Even years after the massacre carried out by Itachi and Obito, traces of the tragedy remained. I lowered my head, imagining what Sasuke must feel. Occasionally, he glanced at me—probably analyzing me.
Eventually, we reached a small park-like area with training dummies and targets tied to trees.
"We're here," Sasuke said, dropping his bag.
"Alright. Where do we start?" I asked.
"With this." Whoosh!Clack!Ting! Sasuke pulled out shuriken and nailed every target dead center with effortless throws.
Yeah… no way I can pull that off at that distance, I thought.
"You're far from that level, but you need to improve your accuracy," Sasuke said coldly, voicing my thoughts.
"Alright!" I replied, unfazed—I knew my weaknesses.
The next hour, we practiced shuriken throwing. While I worked on basic targets, Sasuke practiced advanced techniques—throwing multiple shuriken at different speeds and angles so they collided midair and redirected into the target. It was impressive. He occasionally corrected my form as well.
After a fifteen-minute break, an awkward silence settled in.
"…What was that strange technique you used against Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke asked.
Didn't expect him to initiate conversation, I thought.
"That was the Shadow Clone Technique. It creates physical clones, but it requires a massive amount of chakra," I explained.
…Sasuke nodded.
"If you want, I can teach it to you," I offered.
"…Alright." Surprisingly, he accepted.
I didn't expect things to improve this fast. I used to think Sasuke was arrogant and egotistical—but now he feels like a completely different person, I thought.
We trained for several more hours. Sasuke learned the Shadow Clone Technique—though not easily. He didn't like it, complaining that it "consumed too much chakra." He had no idea about its real advantages, but I didn't explain.
After that, we sparred for about an hour. Losing every time was frustrating, but necessary. Sasuke's taijutsu was far more adaptive than what we learned at the academy—it constantly exploited my weaknesses. I was punched, kicked, and thrown around.
After resting, I recovered quickly—being a jinchūriki had its perks, and the Uzumaki were known for their vitality. Later, Sasuke insisted I attack him with multiple shadow clones. He wanted to train against several opponents. I had to admit—he held his own well against me and three clones, but this time he took a beating.
When training ended, he escorted me out of the Uchiha district. Whether it was goodwill or concern that I might get lost, I couldn't say—but our relationship was clearly improving.
For me, this was a huge step forward. I could now grow stronger in a meaningful way—and I had no intention of stopping.
When I got home, I made instant noodles and looked out the window at the Hokage Monument.
I will become Hokage, I vowed to myself.