White smoke drifted through the air.
A shattered wooden log clattered to the ground where Kakashi had been standing a split second ago.
'Substitution Jutsu. Of course.'
I wasn't surprised. A former ANBU captain and elite Jonin wasn't going to get taken down that easily. Still, the fact that he'd been forced to use it at all? That was satisfying enough.
Kakashi reappeared on a tree branch about twenty meters away, his posture relaxed but his eye sharp and calculating.
"That defense," he said, studying me carefully. "It's made of chakra, isn't it?"
I could see him piecing it together—the faint shimmer of energy that had been surrounding my body, the way his jutsu had shattered against me like waves against a cliff.
"That's right," I confirmed. "It's a technique I developed myself. I call it Armor Transformation."
"Armor Transformation..." He repeated the name slowly, as if tasting it. "You created this yourself?"
"Is that surprising?"
Behind me, I heard Sakura gasp. "He made his own jutsu? That's incredible!"
Even Naruto seemed impressed, though he probably didn't fully grasp what that meant.
Sasuke, predictably, was clenching his fists so hard his knuckles had gone white. I didn't need to read his mind to know what he was thinking.
'I'm too weak. I need to get stronger. Itachi. Revenge. More brooding.'
Same song, different verse.
"Shall we continue, Sensei?"
I settled back into my stance, Armor Transformation still active.
Kakashi's eye twitched. "You're really not going to let this go, are you?"
'You insulted my dream. What did you expect?'
Of course, I wasn't actually angry. But he didn't need to know that. As far as Kakashi was concerned, I was a talented but hot-blooded kid who'd taken his provocation personally.
Perfect cover.
"Lightning Style: Ground Flash!"
"Wind Style: Wind Cutter Technique!"
"Earth Style: Corpse Soil!"
Kakashi cycled through jutsu after jutsu, each one a testament to why they called him the Copy Ninja. Over a thousand techniques at his disposal, and he was throwing them at me like they cost nothing.
Too bad none of them worked.
Every technique that hit me shattered against my Armor Transformation. Lightning crackled and dispersed. Wind blades broke apart. Earth crumbled to dust.
I just kept walking forward.
"How sturdy is that thing?!" Kakashi actually sounded frustrated now. "Fine, but with such a straightforward attack pattern, you'll never actually—"
Now.
My hands blurred through seals I'd practiced thousands of times.
"Genjutsu: Mental Confusion!"
I saw the moment it hit him. His movements stuttered, his eye losing focus for just a fraction of a second as vertigo and disorientation flooded his senses.
That was all the opening I needed.
I closed the distance instantly and threw everything I had into one devastating punch. The combined force of Superhuman Physique and Armor Transformation behind a single strike.
BOOM.
The impact sent a shockwave across the entire training ground. Dust and debris exploded outward, obscuring everything in a thick cloud of smoke.
"Did he get him?!" Naruto was practically vibrating with excitement.
I stood in the settling dust, frowning at my fist.
'No solid contact. He dodged.'
The smoke cleared, revealing Kakashi standing a few meters away. Unscathed.
But his headband had been pushed up.
The Sharingan was spinning lazily in his left eye socket.
"That was too close," he muttered, and for once, there was no lazy drawl in his voice. Just genuine relief. "If I hadn't activated this at the last second..."
He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to.
We both knew that punch would have put him in Konoha Hospital for a very long time.
I raised my fists again, ready to continue.
"WAIT!"
Kakashi held up both hands in surrender. Actually surrender.
"The test is over! You pass!" He was speaking quickly now. "Those things I said about your dream—that was just to provoke you into fighting seriously. I apologize. Sincerely. Please stop trying to hit me."
'Aww. And here I was enjoying having such a high-quality training dummy.'
But I knew pushing further would raise too many questions. Reluctantly, I let my stance drop and allowed the chakra around my body to dissipate.
"I apologize as well, Sensei," I said, bowing slightly. "When you mocked my dream, I lost control for a moment. I wasn't holding back."
"Holding back?" Kakashi's eye twitched again. "Kid, I'm a Jonin. You don't need to hold back against—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Reconsidered.
"...Actually, maybe you do."
The admission seemed to physically pain him.
"Congratulations," he said finally, his composure returning. "You pass. Officially."
I let myself smile—the excited, relieved smile of a young ninja who'd just achieved his goal.
"Thank you, Sensei!"
"YEAH! SAIKI PASSED!"
Naruto jumped up, pumping his fist in the air like he'd been the one fighting.
Kakashi's dead-fish stare immediately locked onto him.
"Why are you celebrating? Your test hasn't even started yet. Who said you're going to pass?"
Naruto's enthusiasm died instantly. His face went pale.
"W-Well, bring it on!" He recovered quickly, crossing his arms with forced confidence. "I'm not scared of any test!"
'Sure you're not, buddy.'
That EveningIchiraku Ramen
The smell of pork broth and fresh noodles filled the small restaurant as Team 7 sat in a row at the counter.
Naruto slammed down his empty bowl with a satisfied sigh. "Old man! Another one!"
Teuchi, the owner, looked at him with an amused smile. "That's your tenth bowl. You sure you want to keep going?"
"Of course!" Naruto said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Kakashi-sensei is treating us! Don't worry, he definitely won't dine and dash!"
I glanced over at Kakashi.
The man looked like he was watching his life savings evaporate in real-time. His eye had gone completely dead, fixed on the growing mountain of empty bowls beside Naruto.
"I didn't think..." he mumbled, almost to himself. "How can one person eat this much...?"
'You offered to treat us after Team 7 passed. This is what you get.'
Sakura was eating at a normal pace, stealing glances at Sasuke between bites. Sasuke was brooding into his bowl, probably plotting his next training session. And I was enjoying a nice, calm meal while watching Kakashi's wallet suffer.
"K-Keep them coming," Kakashi said weakly, his voice cracking.
Naruto cheered.
This was the real test, apparently. Not the bell test. Not fighting a Jonin.
Surviving Uzumaki Naruto's appetite.
'Welcome to fatherhood, Kakashi-sensei.'