Chapter 7 The True Meaning of the Exercise"I'll protect your smile!"
Naruto smiled at Sakura, holding up the bell.
Naruto was so dazzling in the sunlight that Sakura was momentarily stunned. Naruto...he...
"But there are only two bells."
Sakura's words plunged all three into silence. Only two bells meant one person was destined to be eliminated.
Naruto had snatched the bell, so who would get the other? It seemed the loser could only be Sasuke or Sakura.
"Ah, you two take the bells. I've already proven my strength. If Kakashi-sensei doesn't allow it, I can always go back to the Ninja Academy. For me, my comrades are the most important."
Naruto handed the two bells to Sakura and Sasuke respectively, speaking with righteous indignation.
Sakura looked at the bell in Naruto's hand with delight, about to take it but then hesitated.
Sasuke, on the other hand, stared at Naruto in disbelief. What? This idiot actually wanted to give him the bell? Didn't he know that losing it would send him back to the Ninja Academy? Did he not want to be a ninja anymore?
[Take it. With the bell, you can officially become a ninja. I am the hope for the revival of the Uchiha clan. I still have a deep-seated hatred to avenge. I can't waste my time at the Ninja Academy. Just this once, be selfish. I'm sorry, Naruto...]
Sasuke's dark side was frantically brewing, but the words that came out were: "Idiot, who wants your charity?"
"At worst, I'll just have to go back to the Ninja Academy for another year. With my talent, graduating is just a matter of time. But you, you should cherish this opportunity. After all, you're such a loser, you even barely passed your graduation exam."
Naruto, who had been grinning foolishly, was immediately displeased by Sasuke's words. What?! I offered you the bell, and you don't accept it, but instead you turn around and criticize me?
Besides, he already knew the outcome of the exercise. As long as they understood the importance of comrades, they would all pass. Why was Sasuke, this idiot, making things worse?
"Baka, what are you saying? Just take it."
Sasuke: "No."
Naruto: "Listen to me this once, take it."
Sasuke: "I won't take anything from a loser."
Naruto: "What did you say? Say it again?"
Sasuke: "Loser."
Naruto: "Baka! You loser!"
"Loser!"
"Loser!"
"Last-of-the-class!!!"
"Loser!!!"
...
"Enough! You two stop arguing!"
Sakura, anxiously watching the two locked in a stalemate, shouted at the top of her lungs.
Naruto and Sasuke stopped their standoff and looked at Sakura. Even Kakashi, who had been enjoying the spectacle, glanced at Sakura with some surprise.
Sakura forced a smile and said, "Take the bells, don't refuse. Please let me finish."
"I don't want to be a ninja anymore. The more I see the cruelty of the ninja world, the more I feel I'm not up to the task. I'm simply not suited for this role."
"What nonsense are you talking about, Sakura? You did so well on the exam!"
Naruto was exasperated. He couldn't accept Sakura's self-doubt.
Sakura avoided Naruto's gaze and continued, "Naruto, thank you, but I'm really not as good as you think. You might not believe it, but I've always been insecure. Born into an ordinary family, I don't have any special talents or ambitions. Heh, if it weren't for wanting to surpass Ino, I probably wouldn't have graduated."
She truly didn't have any dreams. If she did, it was that she liked Sasuke, but that liking was superficial. She merely admired Sasuke's strength and looks, and her efforts were mostly to outdo Ino. She knew nothing about Sasuke's past, his family, or his dreams. Could that really be called liking? No wonder Sasuke disliked her.
But Naruto and Sasuke were different. They both had their own dreams. Seeing how hard Naruto and Sasuke worked, Sakura felt even more out of place, as if she were the real loser.
Since she was going to face failure sooner or later, why drag her companions down?
"Naruto, didn't you want to protect what you cherish? Sasuke wants to revitalize the clan, right? You both have reasons why you must become ninjas."
"Compared to that, I only want to become a ninja to spite my friends. Even if I don't become a ninja, at most I'll be laughed at, it's no big deal. That way I can go flower shop, that's something I like. You guys have to come and patronize it!"
"No way!"
Naruto and Sasuke spoke in unison, their eyes meeting in mid-air, sparks flying. Two people with completely different personalities, yet their words were in unison.
"Hey, hey, it's not your turn to speak yet."
Kakashi interrupted Naruto and Sasuke, then looked at Sakura meaningfully.
"Is this your final decision? If you've made up your mind, you'll be sent back to the Ninja Academy immediately. You can't back out now."
A patch of grass beneath Sakura's feet was already wet, but when the girl looked up again, she still had a forced smile on her face.
"I've made up my mind, Kakashi-sensei, no, Kakashi-senpai."
Was she sad? Of course she was. Born into a commoner ninja family, she graduated with excellent grades, always the pride of her parents, and now...
"Sigh, I see..."
Kakashi sighed somewhat irritably, then smiled and said, "Congratulations, you passed."
"Your resolve is quite good. This is the first time I've encountered students like this. In the ninja world, breaking the rules is scum, and not valuing comrades is the worst of the worst."
Hearing Kakashi say she passed, Sakura finally broke down. In just a few minutes, her emotions went from heaven to hell, and then back to heaven again. Tears streamed down her face like a burst dam, she cried uncontrollably, looking awful.
But Naruto didn't mind. He quickly went to comfort her, gently patting Sakura's back.
"Sakura, it's okay, it's okay."
The girl's sweet fragrance intoxicated him, and his expression unconsciously turned lecherous, his mouth practically watering.
Sakura didn't notice at first, but Naruto's hand still made her uncomfortable. Seeing Naruto's perverted expression, she could easily understand why.
"Naruto, you bastard!"
"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, Sakura, I'm sorry."
Naruto's left eye instantly became a panda eye, and that was only because he admitted his mistake in time; otherwise, his eyes might have become symmetrical.
Sasuke remained silent, maintaining his cool demeanor, but a closer look revealed a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth.
As for Kakashi, he fared much worse. Embarrassed to go barefoot in front of the three children, he had to cut off half of his shoe sole to escape. He's probably going to become the unluckiest team leader in Konoha history.
"You three, you're responsible for cleaning this place up tomorrow!"
"Huh...no way!"