50: Chapter 50 Class 7! The Meaning of PartnersHis words came out in fits and starts, and the sentence that ostracized Sasuke seemed to be stuck in his throat, he couldn't finish it.
Finally, Naruto, who had been silent, took a deep breath, his eyes becoming unusually determined.
He walked behind Sakura and Sasuke and deftly untied the ropes binding them.
Then, to Sasuke and Sakura's astonishment, and under Kakashi's seemingly reading but actually subtly watching gaze, Naruto solemnly placed the two bells in his hands, one in each of them, into Sakura's and Sasuke's hands respectively!
"I've made up my mind!"
Naruto turned around and loudly announced to Kakashi under the tree, his voice booming and clear, "Let them both graduate!"
"What?"
"Naruto?"
Sasuke and Sakura both exclaimed in surprise.
Sasuke gripped the bell tightly in his palm, the cold metal digging painfully into it.He jerked his head up, his dark eyes burning with offended anger and a hint of barely perceptible panic.
"What do you mean?Naruto Uzumaki!I don't need your pity!Take the bell back!"
Sakura was also anxious.Looking at Naruto's empty hands, her eyes were filled with guilt and confusion:
"Naruto!How could you.how could you do this!This is the qualification you need to become Hokage!Didn't you want to graduate?"
Even Kakashi, standing under the tree, put down his book, revealing his inquisitive, dead-fish-like eyes, his tone carrying a hint of guidance:
"Oh?Won't you reconsider?This is a qualification to become a genin that's within your grasp."
In response to the three's reactions, Naruto simply raised his hand and scratched his dazzling blond hair, revealing a bright and cheerful smile that seemed to dispel all gloom:
"Hehe!I've thought it through!"
He first looked at Sasuke, his eyes sincere and firm: "Although you are usually quite arrogant, always acting like you're not to be approached."
He paused, his tone becoming serious, "I don't know what this 'goal that can't be called a dream' you're talking about is.but!"
Naruto raised his fist towards Sasuke, as if declaring to himself, "As a temporary teammate, I support you!Isn't this the meaning of camaraderie?"
Sasuke was startled!
His knuckles turned white from gripping the bell so tightly, and he looked into Naruto's pure, sincere blue eyes.
Feeling that unreserved trust and support, my cold and hardened heart seemed to be hit hard by something, and a very complex and indescribable emotion flashed through the depths of my eyes.
He pursed his lips tightly, ultimately saying nothing, but lowered his head and gripped the cold bell even tighter.
Naruto then turned to Sakura, his face showing a hint of apology before parting: "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan."
He scratched his cheek."I've played a lot of pranks on you before, and I've caused you a lot of trouble."
Sakura's eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up: "Naruto."
"but!"
Naruto suddenly straightened his back and swung his fist forcefully, as if to encourage himself and to declare to the world, "Don't worry about me!I've never forgotten my dream!"
He raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the training ground, as if he saw the portraits of the Hokage of each generation on the Hokage Rock.His voice was filled with unprecedented power and determination:
"To become Hokage—you must gain the approval of everyone in the village!"
"But what if even your own teammates don't approve of you."
Naruto's gaze swept over Sasuke and Sakura, finally settling on Kakashi.His smile was incredibly confident and dazzling."How could I possibly become Hokage?"
"I, Naruto Uzumaki—will surpass all previous Hokage!I will gain everyone's recognition!I will become the greatest Hokage!"
He silently and resolutely added to his mind: 'I want to surpass Ichigo and Luffy and become the boss!'
Upon hearing this, Kakashi, who was leaning against the tree, finally closed the book "Make-Out Paradise" and solemnly put it back into his ninja tool bag.
He straightened up and walked step by step to the three people.His usually lazy, dead-fish eyes were now filled with seriousness, relief, and a sense of having experienced many vicissitudes.
"Since this is your choice."
Kakashi's voice was deep and powerful, "Then.congratulations."
His gaze swept over the three men, each with a different expression, and he announced clearly and solemnly:
"You—you've all passed!"
"What?"
"all?"
"But there are only two bells."
Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto stared wide-eyed at Kakashi, completely bewildered by the outcome.
Kakashi's gaze drifted into the distance, as if he had traveled through time back to that rainy night filled with regret.
"I didn't understand the meaning of companionship before either."
His voice carried a hint of heaviness, "He only regarded the cold, hard rules of the ninja world as ironclad laws, believing that missions were above all else."
"until..."
Kakashi paused slightly, his voice tinged with deep longing, "One of my comrades reminded me of this with his life and his actions."
His gaze deepened, and he uttered, word by word, the maxim that had changed his life: "Those who do not abide by the rules of the ninja world, we call them trash."
Kakashi's gaze swept over the three who were listening intently, and his tone suddenly became more forceful, carrying a deafening power: "But—those who don't know how to value their comrades.are even worse than trash!"
After speaking, Kakashi slowly turned around, revealing a quiet and solemn memorial stone standing not far behind him at the edge of the training ground.
"The person carved on it."
Kakashi's voice lowered, filled with indelible pain, "They were all heroes of Konoha.They all sacrificed themselves to protect the village and their comrades."
His fingers, seemingly unconsciously, extremely lightly.The ground brushed over a specific name on the stone tablet.
"My partner… is engraved on it."
Kakashi's voice was barely audible, filled with heavy regret, "It's a pity.I only truly understood the meaning of those words after they left me."
A somber atmosphere filled the air.Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto silently gazed at the memorial stone, then at Kakashi's somewhat lonely figure.
At this moment, without words, a bond called "partnership" and the cherishing of this bond quietly took root in their hearts.
They looked at each other and saw recognition, understanding, and a shared sense of responsibility for carrying on this legacy in each other's eyes.
After a moment of silence, Kakashi turned around, his face once again displaying that familiar, slightly lazy yet much warmer smile.
He looked at the three teenagers in front of him, who, although immature and flawed, already had the beginnings of a team in their eyes.
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