The moment the word "begin" left Kakashi's lips, Naruto and his teammates immediately scattered, diving into the surrounding bushes to put distance between themselves and their instructor.
"Making distance and concealing your presence to observe…" Kakashi stood perfectly still, nodding with approval. "Not bad. It looks like you haven't forgotten your academy training." He nonchalantly went back to reading his book.
Seeing Kakashi's casual attitude, Naruto bristled. He felt underestimated.
"This Kakashi isn't even trying to dodge," Naruto muttered. "He really doesn't take us seriously at all! Does he think I won't call Menma out to beat him up?"
Hearing Naruto's boast, Sakura spun around, her eyes wide with anticipation. "Naruto, I agree! If Menma fights, we'll definitely grab those bells and pass!"
She remembered the way Menma had dismantled Mizuki yesterday. It had been terrifying, sure, but also undeniably cool. She liked that kind of power.
"Uh…" Naruto scratched his head, glancing at Sasuke. "We should probably rely on ourselves for this one, right, Sasuke?"
He'd said it casually, but Sakura took it seriously. He couldn't bring himself to crush her hopes directly, so he looked to Sasuke for backup.
Sasuke gave Sakura a cold glare; his disgust was palpable. "Naruto already said he'd try to avoid having Menma step in. If you have a bad memory, go get your brain checked."
Being looked at with such disdain by Sasuke made Sakura want to cry. He was the one who had said it first; she was just hoping for an easy win, and now she was getting blamed for it.
"I didn't mean it like that," she said defensively. "I just thought… well, if Naruto doesn't want to use Menma, that's fine by me."
Sasuke didn't bother arguing further. He turned his focus back to Kakashi. "Stick to the plan. Naruto, you lead the attack. I'll support, and Sakura provides ranged cover. Watch for opportunities. Any objections?"
"No." Naruto and Sakura shook their heads.
"One last reminder," Sasuke added, his voice low. "This test is about teamwork. We score points through mutual cooperation."
Sasuke's body crouched low, his legs tensing like springs.
"Attack!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The words barely left his mouth before the three of them blurred into motion. Naruto took the lead, Sasuke flanked him, and Sakura, kunai in hand, leaped onto a high branch for a clear line of sight.
"Teamwork," Kakashi murmured, though his eyes never left his book. He was tracking them with his peripheral vision. "They have better tactical awareness than most first-timers. Far better than the idiots who just think about showing off."
Even if they failed the final objective of prioritizing camaraderie over the mission, Kakashi was impressed. With this kind of instinct, he could correct their mindset later. They didn't necessarily have to be eliminated.
The team, of course, didn't know they had already passed in his book. Their only focus was the bells at Kakashi's waist.
"Ready, Naruto?" Sasuke whispered. "Use Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu when you close in. I'll draw his attention."
"Got it!"
They breached the clearing. Naruto stopped abruptly, hands flashing through seals. Behind him, Sasuke twisted his wrists, shuriken flying from both sides to bracket Kakashi.
"Uchiha-style Throwing Technique!"
"A straightforward barrage like that won't work," Kakashi said.
He didn't even look up from his book. With a few quick steps back, he dodged the shuriken, then ducked forward to evade a second volley from Sakura's position above.
"Pincer attack, solid," Kakashi commented with a smirk. "Though the volley from the rear was a bit sloppy. If that had been tighter, I might have actually needed a weapon to block it."
"Stop showing off!" Naruto shouted.
"Watch this! Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With Sasuke and Sakura distracting him, Naruto managed to create ten shadow clones. They swarmed Kakashi from all angles.
Sasuke caught up to Naruto and whispered, "Restrain him. Use the clones to hold him down, then pull back, real body."
Naruto didn't question it. He nodded, falling back while the clones surged forward. They latched onto Kakashi's limbs, grappling him tightly as hands reached for the bells on his waist.
"Quantity over quality," Kakashi noted calmly.
He pulled his left hand from his pocket—no weapon needed—and delivered a series of chop strikes. The clones cried out in pain and were forced to release their grip. Still, ten clones meant ten bodies. Kakashi was momentarily entangled.
Seeing Kakashi restrained, Sasuke smirked. He wove through rapid hand seals—Snake, Sheep, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger.
"Too late, sensei."
Sasuke's cheeks puffed out, index and middle fingers pressed to his lips.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A blazing sphere, over a meter wide, erupted from Sasuke's mouth. It surged toward Kakashi, who was still tangled with the remaining clones.
"That's a C-Rank jutsu!" Kakashi's visible eye widened in genuine surprise. "I didn't expect that kind of power from Sasuke, right after Naruto."
Joy flickered across his face, but it was cut short as the flames engulfed him.
"Sasuke, you idiot!" Naruto roared, whirling on his teammate. "You'll burn me, too!"
Sasuke scoffed, ready to retort, but Sakura's voice cut through the smoke.
"It's a Substitution Jutsu! Look out—above!"
"Above?!"
Naruto and Sasuke looked up, but a shadow was already dropping.
"Starting a fight before checking the opponent's condition?" Kakashi's voice came from the tree branch above them. He was still holding his Make-Out Paradise book. "That's a point deduction."
He reappeared directly in front of them in a blur, a rope already in hand. Poof! Several coils of rope materialized out of thin air.
Kakashi gave a light tug. The ropes snapped taut, wrapping around Naruto and Sasuke before hoisting them into the air, suspended from the tree branch by their ankles.
"Too fast…" Sasuke gasped, swinging upside down. "Is this the strength of an Elite Jōnin?"
The movement had happened in the blink of an eye. He hadn't even had time to react.
"You ambushed me!" Naruto shouted, flailing his arms. "That doesn't count! If you're so tough, fight me fair and square!"
"There's no such thing as a fair fight on the battlefield," Kakashi said, tightening the rope to secure them fully.
He leaned in slightly, looking at Naruto.
"So, how about we let that 'thing' inside you out? Otherwise, I'm just going to go collect Sakura next."
"No need! I can beat you myself!" Naruto struggled, kicking his legs, but the ropes were tied tight. Without external help, he was stuck.
"Tsk. Still so childish," Kakashi taunted, looking back at the book. "All talk, no action. Better let him out, or you'll really lose."
"Menma isn't scared of you!" Naruto roared, his voice cracking. "If he really comes out, I can crush you with one hand!"
"Oh?" Kakashi's expression turned slightly colder. He loosened the rope in his hand, then yanked it up.
Naruto and Sasuke bounced up and down, treated to a round of improvised bungee jumping.
Inside Naruto's mindscape, Menma watched the scene with mounting irritation. He hadn't planned on interfering—this was Naruto's test, after all. But if Kakashi was going to provoke him personally?
Fine.
"I have a way for you to win," Menma's voice echoed in Naruto's head. "Without even coming out."
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