The moment the word "start" fell—
Naruto and the other two immediately put some distance between themselves and Kakashi-sensei.
Together, they vanished into the surrounding bushes.
"Opening up distance first, then concealing their presence to observe… not bad."
Standing where he was, Kakashi nodded in satisfaction.
Then, as if nothing concerned him at all, he calmly lowered his head and continued reading the book in his hand.
Seeing Kakashi act so arrogantly, Naruto felt a surge of irritation from being underestimated.
"This Kakashi-sensei didn't even try to hide!" Naruto whispered angrily.
"He really doesn't take us seriously at all!"
"Is he not afraid I'll call Lock out to beat him up?!"
Hearing Naruto's bluster, Sakura immediately turned around, eyes shining with expectation.
"Naruto, I agree with you! If that guy inside you comes out, we'll definitely grab the bells and pass!"
Recalling how Lock had beaten the fake teacher yesterday, Sakura felt a strange excitement rise in her chest.
Maybe… she really did like the cool, powerful type.
"Ah? Th-that…" Naruto scratched his head awkwardly.
"It's better if we rely on ourselves for this test. Sasuke, don't you agree?"
He'd only said it offhandedly—he hadn't expected Sakura to take it seriously.
Unable to directly refuse her, he looked toward Sasuke for help.
Sasuke gave Sakura a cold glance.
The disgust and disdain in his eyes deepened.
"Naruto already said he'd try not to let his sub-personality fight," Sasuke said flatly.
"If your memory is that bad, go get your brain checked."
Being stared at like that again, Sakura felt so wronged that she nearly cried.
Naruto was the one who said it first—she had only followed along—yet somehow it became her fault.
"I didn't… I was just saying it casually," she muttered.
"If Naruto doesn't want to, I have no problem with that…"
Sasuke didn't bother arguing further. He refocused on Kakashi and spoke decisively.
"Same plan as before. Naruto is the main attacker. I'll provide support. Sakura oversees the situation and provides long-range backup."
"Any objections?"
Naruto and Sakura shook their heads.
"Then remember," Sasuke added, voice low,
"this test is about teamwork. Cooperation is the key."
His body crouched slightly, calves tensing.
"Move!"
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
In the next instant, all three turned into afterimages and shot forward.
Naruto led from the front.
Sasuke followed close behind.
Sakura leapt into a tall tree, shuriken in hand, commanding a clear field of vision.
"Team division of labor?"
"To have this kind of awareness on their very first mission…"
Kakashi's visible expression remained lazy, as if he were only interested in his book—
—but the corner of his eye never stopped tracking them.
"They're far better than those idiots who only know how to show off."
Even if they failed the final ideological test—
'Comrades are more important than the mission'—
With this level of tactical awareness, Kakashi felt he could correct them without actually failing them.
Naruto and the others, of course, didn't know they had already passed halfway.
Right now, they have only one goal.
Snatch the bells from Kakashi's waist.
"Once we're close, use Multi-Shadow Clone," Sasuke whispered.
"I'll draw the teacher's attention."
"Got it."
The two burst out of cover at the same time.
Naruto skidded to a halt, hands flashing through seals.
Sasuke's wrists flicked, sending a dozen shuriken screaming toward Kakashi from both sides.
Uchiha Style Shurikenjutsu!
"Throwing hidden weapons openly won't work."
Without even raising his head, Kakashi dodged backward in a few light hops.
Then he bent forward, slipping past Sakura's shuriken from behind.
"A pincer attack from front and back—nice," Kakashi commented calmly.
"Though the throw from the rear lacked precision. Otherwise, I'd have needed to block."
"Stop being so smug!"
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto's distraction worked.
Ten shadow clones burst into existence and charged Kakashi together.
Sasuke immediately followed up, whispering urgently,
"Use the clones to restrain him. The real body should hide!"
Naruto nodded instinctively.
His real body lagged half a step behind as the clones swarmed Kakashi—
grabbing his arms, clinging to his legs, reaching for the bells at his waist.
"High quantity without quality is still useless."
Kakashi finally removed his left hand from his pocket.
Without drawing a weapon, he used precise hand chops to force the clones to cry out and release him.
Still, under the relentless pressure of ten bodies, Kakashi was briefly pinned.
Sasuke's eyes gleamed coldly.
His hands flew through seals.
Snake – Ram – Monkey – Boar – Horse – Tiger.
"Sensei," Sasuke said quietly,
"you lose."
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball nearly a meter wide roared from Sasuke's mouth, swallowing Kakashi whole.
"A C-rank Ninjutsu?!"
"Besides an anomaly like Naruto, there's also a genuine genius here!"
Kakashi's eyes widened—not with fear, but delight.
The flames engulfed him.
"Kakashi-sensei!?"
Naruto shouted in shock.
He immediately grabbed Sasuke by the collar, furious.
"You idiot, Sasuke! You went too far!"
Before Sasuke could reply, Sakura's urgent voice rang out from above.
"It's a Substitution Jutsu! Watch out above you!"
"Above?!"
Both stiffened—
—and a voice drifted down.
"Points deducted for infighting before confirming the enemy's status."
Kakashi was perched casually on a tree trunk, still holding Young A-Ming.
In the next instant, he appeared in front of them, rope in hand.
Loops of rope whipped through the air.
With a single tug, they tightened—binding Naruto and Sasuke and hoisting them upside down against the trunk.
"So fast… so strong…"
Sasuke stared in disbelief.
"Is this the strength of an Elite Jonin…?"
Naruto, however, thrashed wildly.
"You used a sneak attack! That doesn't count!"
"If you've got the guts, fight me fair and square!"
"On the battlefield," Kakashi said calmly, tightening the rope,
"There's no such thing as a sneak attack."
He secured them firmly, then looked up at Naruto.
"So? Why not let that guy inside you come out?"
"Otherwise, I'm going to go catch Sakura."
"No need!" Naruto roared, struggling uselessly.
"I can beat you myself!"
The ropes were too tight. Escape was impossible.
"Tsk. Childish bravado," Kakashi muttered.
Without looking up from his book, he continued provoking.
"Better let him out. Otherwise, you really will fail."
"What, is he scared of me?" Kakashi added lazily.
"Is that why he won't come out?"
"Lock would never be afraid of you!"
Naruto roared furiously.
"If he comes out, he could kill you with one hand!"
"Oh?"
Kakashi's expression darkened slightly.
He loosened the rope—
—then yanked it tight again.
Naruto and Sasuke jerked up and down like bungee cords.
At that moment, inside Naruto's consciousness—
Lock had seen enough.
He hadn't planned to interfere.
But since Kakashi insisted on provoking him…
There was no harm in teaching him a lesson.
Lock finally spoke.
"Naruto," he said calmly,
"I have a way for you to win."
"…without me coming out."
---
A/N: Advance Chapter Will Be Uploaded By Tomorrow. If you haven't subscribed to my patreon please consider doing so.
Support: patreon.com/Narrator_San