Hoshiyomi's ridiculously absurd excuse was, of course, something Naruto and the others didn't believe for a second.
But Hoshiyomi didn't bother arguing with them. Instead, he pushed Kakashi forward and said:
"Complaining won't change anything. If you ask me, you should turn your anger into motivation—think about how you can land a few more punches on Kakashi in the exercise later. Now that's the best way to vent."
Kakashi shot Hoshiyomi a look, rolling his eyes internally at the shameless almost-fifty-year-old man, though his face showed nothing.
Holding Icha Icha Paradise in one hand, he reached into his clothes with the other and pulled out two bells, giving them a jingle.
"The content of today's exercise is this:
You must do whatever it takes to take these two bells from me.
If you fail, you fail the test entirely—your forehead protectors will be confiscated and all of you will return to the academy for another year.
And don't say I didn't warn you:
If you want to get these bells and continue as shinobi, you must be prepared to come at me as if you intend to kill me."
Hearing that, the three kids' expressions instantly shifted.
They had just graduated—none of them had any intention of going back to school.
If word got out that the Academy's top two graduates had failed the test and were sent back to repeat…
They might as well bash their heads into tofu and end it.
Seeing the fighting spirit ignite in all three pairs of eyes, Hoshiyomi chuckled, then pulled a small alarm clock from his clothes and set it on the ground.
"I'll be the referee.
The time limit is one hour.
If you can't get the bells within that hour… even I won't be able to help you.
Oh, and one more thing:
If you fail to get a bell, you'll also get no lunch and will be tied to a post to watch us eat."
The three glanced at each other, and suddenly their breakfast felt nonexistent—their stomachs growled as if they hadn't eaten at all.
On the other side, Kakashi clapped his hands.
"All right. The test begins."
And with that, he lowered his head and continued reading Icha Icha Paradise.
He didn't believe these three brats could force him to take things seriously.
Meanwhile, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura exchanged nods and then—
WHOOSH—
Sasuke and Sakura vanished into the bushes, while Naruto let out a wild yell and charged at Kakashi with a kunai drawn.
In the bushes, Sasuke and Sakura slapped their foreheads in unison.
So… what exactly were you nodding about just now, Naruto!?
"Sasuke-kun, what do we do? Should we go help Naruto?"
Watching Naruto recklessly rush at Kakashi, Sakura grabbed Sasuke's sleeve with worry.
Sasuke tugged his sleeve free and said coldly:
"Naruto isn't as weak as you think. Let him go test the waters.
I can look for an opening from here."
Meanwhile, Naruto charged forward screaming—
But midway, his expression changed.
A snapping sound came from above—
THWIP!
A rope trap tightened and hoisted him upside-down into the air.
Naruto thrashed awkwardly like a caught animal. Kakashi tilted his head.
"You're even worse than I expected.
You didn't even notice such a simple trap.
At this rate, you'd better calm down up there for a while."
Then he resumed reading.
In the bushes, Sakura gasped again and leaned close to Sasuke.
"Naruto fell into Kakashi-sensei's trap! Sasuke-kun, shouldn't we help him?"
Sasuke frowned impatiently.
"Naruto is NOT as weak as you think. Let him probe the enemy. I'll find an opening."
He added, annoyed:
"I just said Naruto isn't that simple.
Just stay here and watch."
Just as Sasuke finished speaking—
Naruto's eyes flashed with sharp light.
His flailing stopped, and suddenly his body showed excellent coordination.
He curled his body, performed a midair kip-up, swung his leg, and cut the rope—
Then launched himself like a leopard straight toward Kakashi, both hands reaching for the bells at Kakashi's waist!
Sasuke's eyes glinted coldly.
His hands flew into a series of seals—so fast they finished in the blink of an eye.
He cupped his hands at his mouth, ready to fire a Fireball Jutsu to support Naruto at any moment.
Sasuke completed his hand seals just as Naruto reached Kakashi.
Naruto's hand was about to grab the bells—
But Kakashi suddenly leaned backward and kicked Naruto away.
Sasuke's pupils shrank sharply.
Now!
He took a deep breath, and a massive fireball shot out of the bushes, flying toward Kakashi—precisely aimed so it wouldn't hit Naruto.
At the same moment the fireball was released, Sasuke hurled several shuriken, sealing off every possible escape route.
After completing this sequence, Sasuke drew two kunai, burst from the bushes, and charged toward Kakashi alongside Naruto, who had just scrambled back to his feet.
On the side, Sakura stared wide-eyed.
She knew Naruto and Sasuke were the top two students in their class, but she never realized they were this strong.
Both Sasuke's Great Fireball Jutsu and Naruto's display of raw taijutsu ability were far beyond anything she imagined.
Seeing their performance, Sakura felt an unexpected pang of inferiority—
She had always been in the top five at school, yet right now she was nothing but dead weight.
Naruto and Sasuke's coordinated assault made both Kakashi and Hoshiyomi nod subtly.
Hoshiyomi in particular felt satisfied—under his guidance, the boys had improved at an astonishing pace.
Their combat experience surpassed their original-story counterparts at this age by a huge margin.
Kakashi's eyes also flashed with approval.
Naruto and Sasuke were already strong individually, and this combination attack was simple but extremely effective.
Based on this alone, the two had already shown enough to pass the test.
But Kakashi still wanted to see how far they could go.
Thinking this, his expression turned slightly serious.
He didn't use Body Flicker Techniques—
Instead, he began forming hand seals at high speed.
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall.
Just as the fireball and shuriken were about to turn him into a pincushion, four earthen walls erupted from the ground in front of him, blocking all attacks—
And completely obscuring Naruto and Sasuke's line of sight.
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance.
Both could read the danger in the other's eyes.
They immediately tried to retreat—
But it was already too late.
Two voices sounded at the same time:
"Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu."
Two arms shot out of the ground beneath their feet, trying to drag them underground—
But with a puff, Sasuke transformed into a log, and Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke.
Meanwhile, the real Naruto and Sasuke hid behind separate trees.
They exchanged a quick look—then Naruto leapt out.
While still in midair, he formed hand seals and shouted:
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
POOF POOF POOF—
Dozens, then hundreds of explosions of smoke erupted.
In seconds, the training ground was filled with over a hundred Narutos, completely blocking all visibility.
A moment later, over a hundred Narutos rained down like a storm, charging the visibly shocked Kakashi.
...
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