Sasuke stared at the bell in his hand, then looked at Naruto and Sakura.
The air froze for several seconds.
Naruto scratched his head and grinned.
"Sasuke, you got it. You should pass."
"Naruto…"
Sakura looked at him in surprise.
"Anyway, I…"
Naruto's voice trailed off.
"Anyway, I'm dead last at the academy, so it doesn't really matter if I go back and retake the course…"
But his fists were clenched tight, his nails digging into his palms.
Anyone could see how unwilling he was to accept that outcome.
Sasuke kept staring at the bell, silent for a long time.
Scenes from the battle replayed in his mind.
Without Naruto's Shadow Clones pinning Kakashi down, and without Sakura's tactical commands, there was no way he could have taken the bell.
This bell… belonged to all three of them.
"Kakashi."
Sasuke suddenly spoke.
"There's still one bell left."
"Hm."
Kakashi nodded. "There are over three hours remaining. You can continue trying to take it."
"No need."
Sasuke handed the bell to Sakura.
"You take it."
"Eh?!"
Sakura froze. "Sasuke-kun, you—"
"The strategy earlier was planned by you," Sasuke said calmly.
"Without your commands, we wouldn't have succeeded. You deserve this bell."
"But…"
Sakura accepted the bell, her eyes turning red.
This was the first time Sasuke had truly looked at her—
the first time he had acknowledged her.
"Then what about you, Sasuke-kun?"
"I…"
Sasuke paused. "I'll take the other bell."
He turned toward Kakashi, his gaze sharp.
"There's one bell left. I'll get it myself."
"Oh?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
"It took all three of you working together just to get one. And now you want to do it alone?"
"I'm sure."
Sasuke began forming hand seals.
"I said I want to become stronger. If I can't even pass this test, how can I talk about revenge?"
Chakra surged within him, fiercer than before.
"Wait, Sasuke!"
Naruto suddenly rushed forward. "I'll help you!"
"Unnecessary," Sasuke said coldly.
"It is necessary!" Naruto shouted.
"You gave the bell to Sakura, and now you're fighting alone! How could I just stand by and watch?"
"Naruto's right," Sakura said, stepping forward.
"We're on the same team."
Sasuke was stunned.
Ever since the night his clan was massacred, he had shut everyone out, carrying his hatred alone.
No one understood him.
No one cared.
But now—
These two teammates he had only just met, despite already having a chance to pass, chose to stand beside him.
"You guys…"
Sasuke's voice trembled slightly.
"Enough talking!" Naruto formed hand seals.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A large number of Shadow Clones appeared once more.
Sakura drew a kunai, ready for battle.
"Let's go together, Kakashi-sensei!"
Kakashi looked at the three of them, satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
[Ding! Detected that the problem students have undergone a qualitative transformation!]
[Uchiha Sasuke: Opened his heart, accepted companions—core issue breakthrough!]
[Haruno Sakura: Established self-worth, broke free from dependency—core issue breakthrough!]
[Uzumaki Naruto: Gained recognition, team awareness fully matured!]
[Congratulations! All three problem students have been activated simultaneously!]
[Rewards obtained: C-rank Character Card · Uchiha Sasuke x1, C-rank Character Card · Haruno Sakura x1, System Points +300]
[Special reward: Performance exceeded expectations—B-rank Character Card draw ticket x1]
Kakashi was ecstatic inside, though his expression remained calm.
"Good resolve."
He unhooked the final bell from his waist.
"Then come on. Let me see your—eh?"
Before he could finish—
Naruto's Shadow Clones had already swarmed in.
Sasuke attacked from the flank, shuriken flying like rain.
Sakura commanded from the rear.
"Naruto, circle from the left! Sasuke-kun, watch Kakashi-sensei's blind spot!"
Their coordination was even smoother than before, as if they had trained together countless times.
Kakashi handled them with ease—but he was also starting to take it seriously.
"Not bad. Now this feels right."
His movements were ghostlike, dispersing Shadow Clones while evading Sasuke's attacks.
"Sasuke-kun, Fire Release!" Sakura shouted.
Sasuke immediately formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The massive fireball roared toward Kakashi.
Kakashi was about to dodge when he noticed thin steel wires beneath his feet again.
"Again? The same trick…"
He leapt into the air.
But this time, the attack came from above as well.
Dozens of Shadow Clones dropped down from the trees, trapping him from both above and below.
"A pincer from top and bottom?"
Kakashi twisted midair, knocking away several clones.
At that moment—
A thin steel wire shot in from the side, looping around the bell at his waist.
Sasuke!
Taking advantage of Kakashi being distracted, Sasuke used the wire to hook the bell.
"Pull!" Sakura shouted.
Sasuke yanked hard.
The bell tore free and flew toward him—
But Kakashi reacted faster.
With a flick of his finger, a kunai sliced through the wire.
The bell traced a smooth arc through the air.
"I've got it!"
One of Naruto's Shadow Clones leaped forward and caught the bell.
"Success!" Naruto shouted.
Poof!
The Shadow Clone vanished, and the bell fell—
—but before it could hit the ground, Sakura rushed in and caught it cleanly.
"Got it!"
On the training field, all three smiled at the same time.
Kakashi landed, glanced at his now-empty waist, and smiled helplessly.
"I've been completely outplayed."
"Hehe!" Naruto scratched his head proudly.
"This plan was all Sakura's idea!"
"Sasuke-kun's wire, Naruto's Shadow Clones, and my backup plan," Sakura said, holding up the bell.
"Only by working together could we pull this off!"
Even Sasuke showed a rare hint of a smile.
Kakashi walked over to them.
"So now… all three of you have bells."
He paused.
The three of them tensed nervously.
"Congratulations," Kakashi said at last.
"You all pass."
"Eh?!"
All three froze.
"But…" Sakura said hesitantly.
"There were only two bells…"
"That was just the rule," Kakashi said with a smile.
"But in the ninja world, rules are rigid—people aren't. You worked together and secured two bells. That already exceeded my expectations."
He looked at Sasuke.
"Giving up the bell for your teammates means you're beginning to understand the strength of teamwork."
Then Naruto.
"Even without a bell, you chose to support Sasuke. That's true camaraderie."
Finally, Sakura.
"You've found your own value and no longer exist just by relying on others."
"You three are already qualified ninja."
Naruto's eyes reddened.
"Kakashi-sensei…"
Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes as well.
Sasuke turned his head away, but the slight curve of his lips betrayed his mood.
"Alright." Kakashi clapped his hands.
"It's 10:30 a.m. There's still some time before lunch."
"I'm starving!" Naruto clutched his stomach.
"I haven't eaten since last night—I'm about to collapse!"
"Same…"
Sakura looked pale with exhaustion.
Sasuke didn't say anything, but the sweat on his forehead said enough.
Kakashi looked at the three of them and smiled.
"Since you've passed, let's go get a proper meal. My treat."
"Really?!" Naruto's eyes lit up.
"Of course."
Kakashi turned and walked out of the training ground.
"Follow me."
"Awesome! Long live Kakashi-sensei!"
Naruto cheered as he ran after him.
Sakura smiled and followed close behind.
Sasuke hesitated for a moment—
then stepped forward as well.