As he spoke, Sasuke also threw his bell to the ground just like Naruto. Seeing the two of them perform the exact same action, Kakashi's face darkened, his eyes narrowing slightly as if he were quite displeased. He then asked once more.
"I'll confirm one last time is this really your choice? Once this is decided, there's no going back."
"Of course. Furina already said we're teammates how could we possibly abandon a teammate? Kakashi-sensei, don't say any more. We've made up our minds."
"Yeah, Kakashi, no need to say anything else. I won't do something that would disgrace the Uchiha pride."
"Is this your final answer? Alright then, I declare "
Kakashi paused midway through his sentence. Seeing this, both Naruto and Sasuke couldn't help but feel a surge of nervousness in their hearts. Although they had already made their decision, when it actually came to this moment, they still couldn't maintain complete calm.
"You all… pass."
"What?" ×2
After hearing Kakashi announce that they all passed, Naruto and Sasuke instinctively exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with astonishment. Clearly, this sudden twist was far beyond what they had expected.
Furina, watching the scene unfold, couldn't help but sigh inwardly at how sneaky old Kakashi was being. Even at this point, he still had to give them one last scare. Alternating between despair and joy like that aren't you worried their hearts can't handle it?
Seeing the stunned expressions on everyone's faces, Kakashi gave a slight smile and finally stopped teasing them, explaining on his own initiative.
"Actually, the bell-snatching earlier was only the surface-level test. The real examination was whether you could face difficulties together with your teammates. As long as you could do that, you would pass my test."
"Oh, so that's how it is. But if snatching the bells was just a surface test, then how did Kakashi-sensei's bells end up with Furina?"
Faced with Naruto's question, the smile on Kakashi's face instantly faltered.
This kid really knows how to hit where it hurts. He had just acted all enlightened a moment ago why bring this up now?
"You don't need to know about that. Anyway, I declare that Team 7 is officially formed starting now. Beginning tomorrow, we will officially begin carrying out missions."
After brushing off Naruto's question, Kakashi quickly changed the subject. Come on he still had to be their teacher in the future. If they found out he had even used his Sharingan and still couldn't protect the bells, he'd die of embarrassment. How could he face being their sensei then?
It was better to let them guess on their own at least that way he could preserve a little dignity.
"Hey, wait Kakashi-sensei, aren't you forgetting something?" Seeing Kakashi about to leave right after speaking, Furina quickly called out to stop him.
"Hm? Is there something else?" Hearing this, Kakashi couldn't help but feel puzzled. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't recall anything he had forgotten, so he could only look toward her.
"Haha, Kakashi-sensei, since Team 7 is officially formed today, shouldn't we celebrate a little? And after all that running around just now, I'm starving to death."
Although Furina phrased it rather tactfully, Kakashi hadn't lived all these years for nothing he naturally understood what she meant. Still, he didn't refuse. He simply gave a helpless smile and then announced that everyone could do as they pleased today he was treating.
"Kakashi-sensei is treating? That's awesome! What should we eat later? How about Ichiraku Ramen?"
Faced with Naruto's simple idea, Furina subtly shook her head without showing any reaction. This kid since someone was treating, how could just eating ramen be enough?
"Naruto, Ichiraku Ramen is great and all, but Kakashi-sensei is a renowned elite jōnin. If the one time he treats us we only eat ramen, wouldn't that be a loss of face for him? I say we should at least go for yakiniku or something. Right, Kakashi-sensei~?"
Although Kakashi really wanted to say no he wasn't afraid of losing face, and Ichiraku Ramen would be perfectly fine when faced with Furina, who had already come right up to him and was looking at him with expectant eyes, he opened his mouth but ultimately couldn't bring himself to refuse.
"Yeah… Ichiraku Ramen isn't really suitable for a celebration meal. Let's go eat yakiniku instead."
Although a yakiniku meal wasn't cheap, it wasn't a big deal for Kakashi. After all, the money he had accumulated from years of missions was quite substantial. Since Furina wanted to go, then they would go.
It could also be seen as a little care on his part toward someone who had lost both parents at a young age. He understood the feeling of growing up alone all too well.
Furina, of course, had no idea about all the thoughts going through Kakashi's mind. Right now, she only felt delighted at the prospect of fleecing Kakashi for a good meal.
After all, yakiniku was considered quite luxurious. She had only eaten it a handful of times growing up. Now, with this chance to indulge, her mood was naturally excellent.
After finishing the yakiniku, everyone went their separate ways, resting up and preparing for their first mission tomorrow.
...
After completing who-knows-how-many D-rank missions that felt like filler such as finding lost cats Team 7 finally received their first real mission.
At the client's location, an old man wearing a straw hat and glasses was standing there. He was the client this time: Tazuna.
"Hey, these are the ninja protecting me? They look like a bunch of kids who haven't even grown up yet. Can they really keep me safe?"
After confirming that Naruto and the others were the ninja who had taken his mission, his face clearly showed doubt.
"Hey, what did you just say, you old geezer? What do you mean 'haven't grown up'? I'm just not fully grown yet! I'll have you know I'm an amazing ninja!"
After watching Naruto's loud outburst, the suspicion on Tazuna's face grew even stronger. Clearly, Naruto's behavior made it hard for him to believe.
And he was carrying the hopes of his hometown's people he couldn't afford to mess up here.
"Don't worry. I consider myself fairly reliable as a ninja. We'll keep you safe."
Seeing the client's lack of trust, Kakashi spoke up to reassure him. Hearing this, Tazuna also turned to look at the other three Kakashi, Sasuke, and Furina.
After noticing that Kakashi, Sasuke, and Furina all looked reasonably dependable, the tension in his heart eased a little. He then began explaining the general details of the mission.
"The mission is roughly like this: you just need to protect me while I build the bridge. That's pretty much it nothing else."
"Heh, you make it sound so easy."
Looking at Tazuna's nonchalant attitude, Furina felt a touch of disdain in her heart.
From the way he acted, someone who didn't know better might really think this would be a relaxed trip. But she knew that during this mission, they would encounter Zabuza Momochi's ambush.