Arriving at the Academy at the expected time, I walk up, seeing all the other Jonin already here. Asuma and Kurenai up front.
"Seems like you all are eager."
The Jonin smirked at him, Asuma speaking up after one final drag of his cigarette.
"We have a bit more motivation than you to become sensei. You've been a sensei for a while after all. How has that kid been anyway? Has he ever managed to cut that leaf?"
Kakashi nodded.
"The leaf, a branch, a rock, and a waterfall."
Asuma nearly dropped his cigarette, quickly stubbing it out and stuffing the pack back into his vest. He's truly not what most think, he mused, a small chuckle escaping him. The village would be shocked to see the "dead last" of two years ago, now wielding such masterful control over an element. Naruto had risen from the bottom, leaving everyone in the dust—proof that it wasn't the blonde's fault, but the fault of the village.
"Good, I'm glad to know he has come so far in such a short amount of time."
The classroom door slid open, allowing the Jonin to walk in one by one to pick up their team. Being the last in line, Kakashi walked in, waved, and vanished in a body flicker after saying.
"Meet me on the roof."
Kakashi turned, his gaze tracking Naruto's precise chakra control as the boy scaled the wall and landed lightly on the roof. Naruto gave a nod of acknowledgment, met with the signature crinkle of Kakashi's eyes. The brief calm was shattered by rushed footsteps, and the door slammed open. Sasuke appeared, his expression immediately darkening—a silent frustration—as he realized Naruto had beaten him once more.
Kakashi clapped his hands together once, the sharp sound forcing his Genin to pay attention. "Okay, okay. Now that you two slow-pokes have arrived, we can get to the introductions," he said, his voice dripping with a calm coolness. He blatantly ignored the hand shooting up from the pinkette. "I want to hear your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, hobbies, that sort of thing. Naruto, you start us off."
Naruto straightened subconsciously before he began his introduction.
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I'm 12 years old. My likes include good food, training, and my sensei. I don't like it when others judge me before getting to know me. My dream? My dream is to become the Hokage."
Kakashi nodded, seeing the growth, but Naruto was still Naruto at his core, and he was happy for that.
"Uchiha, you next."
Realizing the speech was identical to the original, Kakashi blocked out the familiar, sullen atmosphere; Sasuke was brooding, Sakura was fawning, and he was already bored.
Kakashi informed the three of the real Genin test with glee, noticing the obvious nervousness of Sakura, the clenched fists of Sasuke, and the calm determination in Naruto's eyes.
"Meet at Training Ground 7 at 5 am. Oh, and I recommended you don't eat breakfast, or you'll puke."
With that said, Kakashi vanished with a casual wave, followed quickly by Naruto, who vanished in a body flicker as well, missing the growing jealousy and anger of Sasuke.
Training ground 11:30 am -
Arriving alongside Naruto, Kakashi covered his ears as he noticed Sakura about to screech. The other two weren't so lucky, being hit full force by the sonic-based attack. Kakashi explained the bell test, the lunches, and set the timer. Immediately tilting his head back and blocking as Sasuke wasted no time with a kick aimed for his head, contorting his body, now upside down, and making a grab for the bells on Kakashi's waist.
With a swift pull, Kakashi caught Sasuke's outstretched hand and countered with a knee straight to the head, rattling him. Instead of finishing the bout, Kakashi let him jump back and recover. The moment Sasuke began forming hand seals, Kakashi blurred out of sight, reappearing immediately to plant a kick in his chest. Sasuke skidded across the dirt, breathless.
"An opponent won't give you time to think," Kakashi chided. "Speed up, create a diversion, or attack unexpectedly. Only fools stand in the open and weave signs."
Sasuke swiftly reached behind his back into his pouch and flung out three shuriken, one heading straight for Kakashi and the other two arching toward him on both of his sides.
Flicking out his own shuriken, Kakashi kept his senses sharp, not forgetting about Naruto or Sakura for a moment.
Shifting his stance, Kakashi
recognized the sharp whistle of a wind-infused kunai—the blade's reach extended by invisible, razor-sharp chakra. 'Using wind chakra to extend length and cut the strings... not bad,' he thought, tracking the lethal trajectory. With a flick of his wrist, Kakashi launched a counter-strike. His own kunai connected with a soft poof, dispelling a hidden shadow clone. He scanned the clearing, his single visible eye narrowing as he realized the spot where Sasuke had been standing was empty.
'No, the attack was just a diversion. His real target was Sasuke.' A ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of his mask. 'He figured out the true nature of my test. Now, let's see if the other two have the sense to follow his lead.
Kakashi blinked in surprise as a torrent of Naruto clones rushed him minutes later. So, talk-no-jutsu failed, he thought, ducking under a frantic punch and redirecting a flying kick. He dispelled three clones with a swift sweep, tossing one into two others. When a pair tried to snag the bells from behind, a sharp flare of lightning chakra fried them instantly.
Distracted, Kakashi didn't immediately notice Sasuke—transformed into Naruto—at the edge of the fray, formed seals alongside Naruto.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
'Wind Style: Great Breakthrough.'
Naruto's clones parted instantly, allowing the combined torrent of wind and fire to roar toward the Copy Ninja. Kakashi reacted instantly, hands blurring before slamming them onto the ground. 'Earth Style: Earth Wall!'
A reinforced earthen barrier erupted upward. The enhanced fireball slammed into it, shaking the structure. Edges cracked and crumbled, but the fortified center held firm against the blazing inferno.
Kakashi walked out from behind the earth wall, eye-smiling at the two, before two Kakashi's popped out of the ground and pulled the two into the ground.
"The Naruto in the ground vanished into white smoke, much to Kakashi's expectation. 'Hmm, not bad,' Kakashi conceded, watching the boy. 'But what are you going to do now? Your teammate is captured. Will you continue the mission, or risk everything to save him?" Kakashi waited for the answer, the image of his father lingering in his mind.
Kakashi tilted his head, letting the kunai whistle past his ear before snagging the ring pommel with his index finger in a single, fluid motion. He idly twirled the blade on his fingertip, his gaze never once wavering from Naruto's position as the third team member finally revealed herself.
"Good job, Sakura. Aiming for my head while I was seemingly distracted, but it didn't work."
The remaining clones from earlier tensed before relaxing, having been given orders from their boss after he summoned and dispelled a clone elsewhere.
Kakashi watched as the clones got into an encircling formation, him at the center, before the clones began charging him two at a time, looking for the perfect opportunity to snatch the bells. With every clone dispelled, the remaining ones began moving sharper, more fluent, and more coordinated. Finding Kakashi's flow and requiring him to put more focus on the clones.
As Kakashi was busy, Sakura used the opportunity to free Sasuke.
The two quickly come up with a simple plan as Sasuke joins the clones once more, staying himself this time as he weaves in and out to defend a clone or probe a blind spot.
Kakashi smiles, feeling with his chakra sensing ability that Sakura was quietly sneaking up by using the cover of the clones and his 'distracted' state as cover. When Sakura lunged, Kakashi purposefully reacted later and let Sakura snatch the bells as he was satisfied with their teamwork.
"So, who gets to pass Sakura?"
I smile softly, putting pressure on her.
Sakura looks down at the bells and fidgets before tossing Naruto and Sasuke a bell each.
"I wasn't really much help; they deserve to pass more than me."
Naruto cut his bell in half and tossed it to Sakura, who numbly caught it in confusion. Sasuke followed Naruto's example a moment later and gave Sakura another half of a bell.
Kakashi's gaze hardened into a lethal glare. An oppressive weight filled the air as chakra rolled off him in visible waves, the sheer pressure causing the earth beneath his sandals to spiderweb and crack.
"So," he began, his voice dropping to a dangerous chill, "this is your answer? Well then..."
The crushing intensity vanished instantly, the light tremors stopping just as quickly as they came, as if they had never existed. His eye curved into a closed-eye smile. "You pass".
Chapter End -
There are some things that Kakashi will address in the next chapter, as well as the training of the other two up to standard for the Chunin exams. Sakura won't be allowed to be dead weight, and Sasuke won't be as arrogant with this version of Naruto being more intelligent, skilled, and powerful. Kakashi was, of course, holding back and could have actively sought them out and made them realize the purpose of the bell test sooner, but I felt it was better to let them come to that understanding on their own. Thoughts on the chapter?