The clock's hand slid past the thin line between 10:14 and 10:15.
Sasuke exhaled a long and quiet breath. When he looked up, his eyes had changed. One tomoe in his right eye and two tomoe in his left.
'There it is,' Kakashi thought. 'He already has two tomoe in his left eye? Looks like he's been practicing this past week.'
For Sasuke the world slowed down. Every twitch of Kakashi's fingers and every subtle shift of weight was clear to him now. Without wasting another second, he lunged forward. His body moved as if it was a blur.
Kakashi tilted his head and dodged a punch aimed straight at his face. 'He's a little bit faster now.'
Sasuke followed the missed attack with a spinning kick to the Jonin's torso. Kakashi blocked it and noticed the increased power behind that kick.
A clang of impact rang through the air.
Sakura and Naruto looked at their teammate and were shocked at the speed the boy showed.
'So that's Sasuke's Sharingan huh. There's no way he won't be able to get a bell now.' Sakura was absolutely certain of the boy's skills.
Meanwhile the Uchiha stepped into Kakashi's space and began an intense Taijutsu battle with him. His attempts at getting the bell were starting to bear fruit. Just several seconds into the battle and his finger touched a bell and almost clasped around it.
But immediately Kakashi increased his strength and slapped away the hand. The bells jingled violently as they struggled.
Nearby, Naruto ground his teeth as he saw Sasuke touch a bell. "Damn it, he's going to take a bell before me."
"Yeah." Sakura smiled as she saw the scene but there was also worry in her heart. 'Chhaaaa! Damn it. At this rate I'm gonna be left behind.'
Meanwhile Kakashi saw what he had expected to see from a newly awakened Sharingan user. 'He's faster. But that new Sharingan... it's reading too much. His body can't keep up yet.'
Kakashi flickered out of sight. Sasuke's eyes darted wildly, tracing after the sudden motion — but his body hesitated a fraction of a second too long.
Suddenly a hand gripped his wrist from behind. "Got ya." Came the Jonin's lazy voice.
Sasuke sent a backhand but Kakashi jumped back and easily dodged.
"That new Sharingan is messing up your timing, huh Sasuke?"
The boy heard the mockery in the man's tone and it made him annoyed but he took a deep breath and kept his focus. 'Can't let him get to me. I need more speed.'
Pumping chakra through his body, Sasuke pushed himself to go even faster. 'I have to get a bell before I waste too much energy.'
Their next exchange of fists went even faster. The Uchiha threw several jabs at Kakashi's vital areas but they were all blocked. As time went by, the Jonin watched Sasuke move with growing precision.
'His initial missteps, the slightly overshooting strikes, early reaction to feints… They're all slowly disappearing. He's adapting to the Sharingan's perception latency much faster than I expected.' Kakashi noted silently.
Sasuke came in low, attempting a sweeping kick. Kakashi leapt over it and twisted his body, already preparing a retaliatory strike. But Sasuke ducked forward before the counter could land.
Without wasting his chance, Sasuke spun and sent a kick to Kakashi's left knee. The Jonin took a step back, avoiding the attack and kicked the boy in his chest.
A second later Sasuke vanished in a puff of smoke and a log appeared before the Jonin. Kakashi's eyes narrowed. 'Substitution?'
Immediately he sensed movement from behind. Sasuke came fast from Kakashi's blind spot and his fingers once again touched the bell.
But this time Sasuke used chakra to make the bell stick, even if only the tip of his finger was touching it. Kakashi sensing a shift in weight and the pull on his belt, immediately understood the boy's plan and sent a fast two finger jab below the elbow. It contained a small amount of lightning chakra which disrupted Sasuke's chakra control and the bell got away from him again.
"Argh!" Sasuke winced at the sudden pain and jumped a few feet away.
'That was close. He has keen reflexes. And sharper judgment. He's reading me better now…' Kakashi kept his thoughts to himself and his visible eye curved in amusement as he looked at his prospective student. "Not bad."
He immediately shifted his posture and effortlessly caught a shuriken flying toward his flank. He gave it a glance and then turned his gaze towards the treeline.
More followed—three in rapid succession, then five more from another angle.
'Ah… Sakura. Average academy throw, corrected for wind. Good for her age.' "Trying to be clever?" Kakashi muttered as he deflected the projectiles with the shuriken he caught.
Sasuke saw Kakashi's shuriken skills and it reminded him of Itachi and Daichi. 'His skills are incredible. No wonder he was assigned as Daichi's teacher. Even when fighting me, he still has complete awareness of his surroundings.'
From the shadows, Sakura emerged with a determined shout and her hands flashed through hand signs. "Clone Jutsu!"
Two copies of her appeared at her side. They all rushed in with basic academy-level taijutsu.
Kakashi didn't even move. His left hand flicked, breaking through the first Sakura with ease. The clone vanished in a puff of smoke. Sakura tried to get Kakashi's attention on her clone while she sneakily tried to get a bell but it was a failure.
'She's trying,' Kakashi noted. 'Not nearly as skilled as Sasuke, but she's not hesitating anymore.'
"Your timing's off. And your footwork needs polishing," he said, catching her wrist as she lunged.
Sakura gritted her teeth. "I'm not going to be left behind!"
Kakashi gently flipped her away and released her before she hit the ground hard.
"Ow! Damn it, I had a feeling that wouldn't work." Sakura muttered to herself and quickly got to her feet. 'Chaa! Why did this stupid test have to be so difficult? Couldn't this guy come up with something easier.' Her inner Sakura screamed.
Just then, a group of Naruto clones charged in, yelling loudly.
"Let's gooo!" one screamed.
"Shadow clone Barrage!" another shouted.
"Twelve of them? Looks like you forced yourself to create more clones huh." Kakashi mused as the first wave came in. "Persistent. I'll give you that."
He ducked, weaved, and struck with precision. Each shadow clone burst with a puff of white smoke as he knocked them away with open palms, kicks, and subtle parries. Within seconds, half the group was gone. But even as he was fighting Naruto and Sakura, Kakashi didn't ignore Sasuke. He prioritized him. The boy was the only one who consistently threatened the bells.
'He's ahead of his teammates, just like Daichi. But unlike him, Sasuke spent his time with these two. Let's see what you'll do when the time comes.'
From a branch above, the real Naruto watched everything with narrowed eyes.
"Damn it! Even all my clones teaming up with Sakura isn't working!" he muttered. "Sasuke's the only one who's been able to touch one of those bells till now…"
On the ground, the Uchiha stood still for a brief moment, watching Kakashi effortlessly dismantle another of Naruto's clones. 'He's too strong. Even with the Sharingan, I'm not good enough to beat him head-on. If I go all out now… I might burn all my chakra and fail the next test.'
He glanced at Naruto and Sakura. 'But if I can't out muscle him or out pace him then…'
Suddenly some of Daichi's words during one of their spars came to his mind.
''When your opponent is stronger, you steal strength. We're ninja. Not samurai. Use your allies, enemies, the ground, the air. Tricks aren't a weakness. It's not shameful to use them if the alternative is dying. And when attacking with a team, make sure your allies don't give away your plan."
Sasuke's eyes briefly glanced at the Naruto shadow clones surrounding Kakashi. 'I don't need to beat him. Just need one bell. Thank you for the advice, Daichi.'
Soon Sasuke's eyes pictured a ring in his head. He pictured smoke. He envisioned a trap that didn't look like a trap.
'I got it.' The second a plan formed in his mind, he took off sprinting and easily weaving around Naruto's remaining clones.
Kakashi noticed Sasuke circling around him and the Naruto clones at high speed. 'Are you planning to rush me from my blind spot?'
Sasuke increased his speed while he kept Kakashi at the center of his circle. He ran around in a wide arc, maintaining his distance while reaching into his pouch. He pulled out a small grey ball.
'Smoke bomb. But not a big one… I need just enough to obscure his sight. But I can't risk losing sight of him in the haze even for a second.'
He threw the ball in front of him. It burst in mid-air, and a light smokescreen spread across the area. Just thick enough to blur Kakashi's peripheral vision.
"Hey—watch the smoke!" one of the Naruto clones hissed.
Sakura watched from the side lines in confusion. 'What is he trying to do?'
From the blur of smoke, a kunai flew. But not at Kakashi, but into the trees beyond him. The sharp weapon zipped through the air and embedded itself near one of the trap lines Sasuke had rigged earlier.
Kakashi's eye flicked to the forest. 'Trap activation? I don't see any movement. Hmm… Perhaps a delayed trap. He's waiting for another distraction. Tch… too predictable.'
At this time, when Sasuke was directly behind Kakashi and out of his direct line of sight, he made a few seals as a small smirk formed on his face.
A second later, Naruto and Kakashi saw the Uchiha coming to a stop several meters away to the Jonin's left side. He immediately entered a Taijutsu stance.
Kakashi looked at Sasuke and narrowed his eyes. 'Is he waiting for his traps to trigger before attacking me?'
Meanwhile Naruto saw that Sasuke was about to attack again and got anxious. For him this was a test to become a Genin but it was also a competition to beat Sasuke and get a bell first.
"Hey! I'm not gonna let you take all the glory! I'm gonna pass first. Believe it!" Naruto growled and rushed towards Kakashi with his shadow clones.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Another wave of Narutos joined the fray.
Kakashi sighed as the incoming barrage started again. "Kids these days…" He swept his leg under one, elbowed another in the gut, and grabbed the real Naruto mid-charge and held him up with his left arm.
"You've already used too much chakra," he said casually, lifting Naruto off the ground. "This is just wasteful."
Another Naruto approached from the other side and attacked him with wild swings. Kakashi loudly sighed, barely looking at the clone. "Sloppy."
The clone jumped to attack, but Kakashi knocked aside the incoming fists and punched the clone in the stomach.
Pop!
Smoke appeared around the clone as if it vanished from existence.
"See. Pointless." Seeing that he destroyed the shadow clone, Kakashi turned his head back toward the struggling real Naruto—but that was when the Jonin suddenly sensed a fast movement coming towards him from the side.
A kick came towards his head, sharp and fast. Kakashi raised his forearm just in time to block the kick. The impact rattled bone just enough to earn surprise. 'Oh?'
The wind generated from the impact blew the smoke away and Kakashi saw Sasuke's figure instead of Naruto's. 'What?'
Suddenly Kakashi felt a faint pull on his belt and realized that Sasuke was pulling on a bell. He let go of Naruto and tried to stop Sasuke but it was too late.
Sasuke's eyes glinted as he was upside down in the air. Just a few moments before Kakashi released Naruto, Sasuke had moved his hands as fast as he could and clamped around the first bell his fingers touched.
Seeing his goal achieved Sasuke immediately disengaged and jumped back several feet. He was breathing hard and shakily brought his hand up. He opened his fingers and saw the bell in his palm. His face had a wide grin as he looked at the silver orb.
Kakashi looked down and saw only two bells tied to his belt. He turned his attention to the boy with a calm face. 'He took one. So that's why… His kick came at me from such an angle that it blocked my view of the bells and his hand. He also wanted to make sure both my hands were occupied when he went for it… He got me.'
Kakashi looked at Sasuke standing a few feet away, breathing hard but holding a silver bell between his fingers. "…Well," Kakashi muttered, cracking an eye open fully for the first time in a while. "Color me impressed."
Sasuke didn't respond immediately. He was still catching his breath.
Naruto and Sakura stared, stunned.
"You—" Naruto pointed, eyes wide. "That wasn't my clone?"
Sasuke smirked, just a little. "You were too focused on him."
"But then who the hell is that?" Naruto shouted pointing at the Uchiha standing in a Taijutsu stance.
Sasuke smirked and made a seal. The next moment, that person vanished as if it never existed.
Sakura's eyes widened as she understood what had happened. 'That wasn't real. That was a simple clone jutsu. An illusion.'
Kakashi smiled under the mask.
"What just happened?" Seeing Naruto's confused expression, Kakashi began to explain. "Sasuke threw the smoke bomb to divert our attention. I'm assuming when he was out of my line of sight for that split second, he used two jutsus. A transformation jutsu and a simple clone jutsu. He transformed into you, Naruto and blended with the crowd trapped in the smoke. Then he threw the kunai into the forest to pull my focus but there was never any trap. And his illusion clone was in my peripheral vision to keep my attention. Did I get it all right?"
"Yeah." Sasuke nodded with a smirk. 'He's quick on the uptake.'
"And I'm assuming you destroyed one of Naruto's clones so I wouldn't find anything suspicious?" Kakashi asked the Uchiha with a smile.
"Yeah. I needed to be sure." Sasuke nodded his head.
"Hey, what the hell Sasuke!?"
Sasuke ignored Naruto's shout and kept his eye on the silver haired Jonin.
"Using the most basic tools and techniques to deceive a stronger enemy. That was well executed." Kakashi complimented the boy.
He stepped forward and came near the boy. "Congratulations, Sasuke. You got the bell."
Sasuke didn't move but he was weary. 'It's been almost 10 minutes since I began using the Sharingan. I can't believe it has this much of a chakra drain.'
He was still panting from the strain. The Sharingan faded and his eyes turned from red back to black. Kakashi raised a hand and placed it on his shoulder.
"You passed the first test. Go and rest. You've earned it. You'll need the energy for the second phase."
Sasuke nodded and walked toward a tree several meters away and dropped down heavily. Sweat ran down his face. His chest rose and fell rapidly, and he wiped the back of his hand across his brow.
"Tch!" Naruto crossed his arms and looked away, grumbling. "I almost had it."
'He really got it… He actually pulled it off.' Sakura stood frozen, processing the whole sequence. Then she smiled wide and cheered for the boy. "Congratulations Sasuke. You got a bell. I knew you could do it."
While she was happy for her crush, she was also worried about herself. 'Sasuke got a bell. Now I have to get it no matter what. Or else I won't be in a team with him.'
'Cha! Come on Sakura. You have to get a bell. Even if you have to team up with stupid Naruto. We can't fail this.' Inner Sakura screamed in her head and Sakura sighed. 'That's the best plan I have now. Otherwise we'll fail.'
Kakashi turned his attention back to the two Genins on the field. "Two bells remaining. And only one hour left."
Both Sakura and Naruto were tense as the clock ticked away.
"Whenever you're ready," Kakashi said with a menacing glint and it only made the situation more tense.
—---------------
Author's note:–
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