Chapter 7: Help: I'm Eliminating Naruto and Sakura?
"Sakura?"
Elsewhere, Uchiha Sasuke suddenly heard Sakura's terrified scream, and immediately understood that she had been taken out as well.
"Now you're the only one left. So, what are you going to do?"
At that moment, Hatake Kakashi walked out of the forest while reading her novel with her head lowered.
"I'm not like those two."
Uchiha Sasuke looked at her and spoke calmly.
"That's true."
Kakashi lifted her eyes to look at Sasuke. At this stage, Sasuke really was stronger than Sakura and Naruto. Even among Genin, he could be considered one of the better ones.
Actually, there was no real need to continue the test.
There was no way they were getting the bells anyway.
This test was mainly meant to assess their ability to cooperate and their bond with their comrades.
As for teamwork, that clearly wasn't there.
As for bonds...
"Hm?"
At that moment, when Uchiha Sasuke heard Kakashi agree with him, he could not help being a little surprised.
But what Kakashi did next shocked him even more.
She casually took off the two bells and tossed them toward him.
"The bells are yours."
"A trap?"
Uchiha Sasuke reacted quickly. Instead of catching them, he instantly jumped backward, avoiding the bells Kakashi had thrown.
"It's not a trap. I just think you do meet the qualifications to become a Genin. But there are only two bells, so who do you plan to give the remaining one to, Naruto or Sakura?"
After saying that, Kakashi turned and walked away.
Watching her back, Sasuke could not help doubting her.
Was it really not a trap?
But just to be safe, he still found a branch and used it to hook the string between the two bells, fishing them over.
"It really isn't a trap?"
Even after getting the bells into his hands, Sasuke still found it hard to believe.
He had gotten them that easily?
But very quickly, he fell into thought again.
Two bells.
Who should get the other one?
Eleven-thirty.
By the Memorial Stone, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura had all gathered.
The other two were both stunned when they saw the two bells in Sasuke's hand.
"As expected of Sasuke! You actually managed to take the bells from such a strong teacher!"
After coming back to her senses, Sakura could not help praising him. At the same time, she was full of anticipation, hoping Sasuke would give one bell to her so the two of them could stay together.
"Hmph. If I hadn't let my guard down, I could've done it too."
Naruto refused to admit defeat with his words, but inwardly he was deeply shocked as well.
"I didn't take them. She gave them to me directly."
Sasuke said with a dark expression. He had not done it himself, so he would not claim credit for it.
And that teacher was clearly using this to put him in a difficult position and force him to make a choice.
"What?!"
Hearing that, Naruto and Sakura were both startled and looked confused.
"Then these bells..."
Naruto was the first to react. Since Sasuke had told them the truth, that meant he did not intend to keep both bells for himself, nor did he intend to decide their ownership by himself.
"Split them apart. Each of you takes half."
Sasuke spoke sharply. Since she wanted to make him struggle over the choice, then he would just break the rules.
Because she had directly handed him the bells earlier, he felt a certain sense of humiliation, so he did not want everything to unfold according to her expectations.
"Huh?"
Naruto and Sakura both stared with their mouths open in shock after hearing Sasuke's choice, unable to say anything for a moment.
When they finally recovered, neither of them objected.
After all, there was no better solution than this.
In the end, after a lot of effort, they finally managed to split the bells into halves.
Just as they were about to smile, Kakashi suddenly appeared.
"Destroying test equipment. Naruto and Sakura, the two of you are eliminated!"
"What?"
Hearing that, Naruto and Sakura instantly turned pale with fright.
Even Sasuke looked somewhat lost.
Because of a decision he had made on impulse, Naruto and Sakura had been eliminated?
"Very good, Sasuke. Cold and ruthless. You're exactly the kind of talent fit to become a ninja."
Kakashi then turned to Sasuke and praised him.
"Huh?"
Naruto and Sakura both looked at Sasuke in confusion.
Even Sasuke himself had no idea what she meant by that.
"The condition for me giving Sasuke the bells was that he had to find a way to eliminate the two of you. I didn't expect him to accomplish it so easily. This is exactly the kind of promising ninja Konoha needs!"
Kakashi smiled lightly as she explained to Naruto and Sakura.
"Sasuke, so that's what you were thinking?"
After hearing that, Naruto became furious. He turned and grabbed Sasuke by the collar, lifting him up.
"Sasuke, you...?"
Sakura was not as impulsive as Naruto, but disappointment still appeared on her face.
"That's not it. I didn't!"
Only now did Sasuke finally realize it.
This had been a trap from the start.
No wonder she had handed him the bells so easily.
"Naruto, let go. Sasuke has already passed the test and become a Genin. A student like you, who has to repeat a year at the Academy, has no right to lay hands on a Genin."
Seeing that, Kakashi scolded him sternly.
"Damn it!"
Only then did Naruto let go unwillingly.
"Come on, Sasuke. Your teacher will treat you to grilled meat to celebrate your official becoming a Genin."
Kakashi turned and invited him.
However, Sasuke clenched his teeth and did not move.
If he had not done something, he did not want to take the credit for it.
"What? Do you want to go back to the Academy with them and repeat a year like a loser? Don't you want to kill that man as soon as possible? Are you really planning to waste another whole year in school?"
Kakashi turned back to look at him.
Sasuke lowered his head, his heart filled with conflict.
Should he choose to become a Genin, or should he tell the truth and return the bells?
"A year from now, your Jonin instructor won't be me anymore. Think carefully. Among Konoha's current Jonin, there are only two with the ability to fight him, and I'm one of them. The other one became an instructor over a year ago and is already leading another team."
Kakashi lied without batting an eye and said it smoothly. Just as she expected, the moment Sasuke heard that, he suddenly raised his head and stared at her.
"You know who I'm talking about?"
"Of course. He used to be one of the members of my squad. His strength really is great. Ordinary Jonin stand no chance against him."
"Then how do you compare to him?"
Sasuke asked immediately.
"About fifty-fifty. But in a fight to the death, he would die."
Kakashi bragged without the slightest trace of embarrassment.
"That's impossible!"
Sasuke rejected it without even thinking. In his eyes, Itachi, who had slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan, the strongest clan in the ninja world, was absolutely the strongest.
And now this Jonin from who-knows-where actually dared to say she was stronger than Itachi?
"If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do about that."
Kakashi spread her hands and spoke casually, then turned and started to leave.
"Wait."
Seeing that, Sasuke called out to stop her again and took out his bell.
"I'll give my bell to the two of them and let them pass!"
He, Uchiha Sasuke, would not accept this unclear favor, nor did he want to owe anyone anything.
Naruto and Sakura had been eliminated because of him.
So what if he gave this opportunity back to them?