Chapter 17: Empty Mirror
"Yata Mirror!"
Naruto transformed into light and retreated from the forest, returning to the open area outside.
The dense trees severely limited his vision, which was why he hadn't even noticed when he fell into Kakashi's genjutsu.
Observation Haki is really necessary, Naruto thought.
He glanced at the alarm clock on the wooden post nearby. The time read 11:55.
That meant they had only five minutes left. If they couldn't take the bells by noon, they would officially fail.
Waiting passively like this wasn't an option.
But if Kakashi didn't want to be found, there was nothing Naruto could do.
The battle-hardened Kakashi had just given him a harsh lesson on what a true "hexagon warrior" looked like and why concealing one's presence was a ninja's basic skill.
"Does a max-level Glint-Glint Fruit really can't handle a single jonin?"
He refused to believe there was no other way besides Yasakani no Magatama.
An awakened Glint-Glint Fruit should have limitless potential.
His current limitation was that he was still thinking within the box of how Borsalino (Kizaru) had used it.
Naruto began exploring more possibilities for the fruit.
Light… what else can it do?
He played with the light in his hand and suddenly murmured, "Light isn't just for shooting lasers."
Naruto fired a beam toward the surface of the lake.
The light refracted repeatedly in the air, forming a massive golden mirror floating in the sky.
Empty Mirror!
This was an improved technique Naruto had created based on the Yata Mirror.
Through this aerial mirror, he could gain a bird's-eye view of the entire battlefield, reflecting everything below onto its surface.
And with it, he could instantly teleport to any position the mirror illuminated.
"Now you have nowhere to hide, Kakashi!"
With the overhead perspective, Naruto quickly located Kakashi's hiding spot — on a tree about ten meters behind him.
"Yata Mirror!"
Naruto created another Yata Mirror in his hand and connected it to the Empty Mirror in the sky with a beam of light.
In the next instant, he traveled through the pathway of light and appeared directly behind Kakashi, delivering a powerful kick.
Another Shadow Clone.
"But with your chakra reserves, how many Shadow Clones can you actually make?" Naruto said expressionlessly.
"Empty Mirror!"
He rotated the golden mirror in the sky.
Within seconds, he found Kakashi's real position again.
Using the Yata Mirror to open another light pathway, Naruto instantly appeared behind him and kicked out.
This time, it was the real Kakashi.
However, because Kakashi had received the memories from his clone, he had some understanding of Naruto's new technique. The moment the Empty Mirror locked onto him, he used Substitution Jutsu.
He managed to dodge the fatal blow… but not completely.
While Kakashi escaped, the bell at his waist was accidentally kicked off by Naruto.
Naruto picked up the bell from the ground, held it in his hand, and looked at Kakashi not far away with a faint smile.
"Looks like I win, Kakashi."
A bitter smile flashed across Kakashi's face beneath his mask before turning into his usual smile. "Congratulations on obtaining a bell."
He only congratulated him on getting the bell — he didn't say they had passed the test. The implication was obvious.
Naruto understood the hidden meaning and his smile faded. "Where are Sasuke and Sakura?"
Kakashi pointed toward a nearby thicket. "They both failed. One is sleeping, the other can't move."
Naruto walked over and parted the bushes. He saw Sasuke buried in the ground with only his head sticking out.
Sakura lay unconscious on the ground, her face still frozen in terror.
She looked badly frightened.
The conscious Sasuke looked at Naruto and couldn't help asking, "Did you get a bell?"
If it had been the old Naruto, Sasuke wouldn't have bothered asking.
But the current Naruto's strength was too unpredictable, so he had no choice but to care.
Naruto pulled out the bell with one hand and swung it in front of him, while using a laser with the other to blast a hole in the dirt around Sasuke.
"You idiots. I told you not to act alone," Naruto said as he pulled Sasuke out.
Sasuke glanced enviously at the bell in Naruto's hand, then turned to leave without even saying thanks.
"Where are you going?"
"There's not much time left. I need to find Kakashi and take the bells."
"Forget it. Time's already up."
Sasuke stopped in his tracks, finding it hard to believe. "Time's up?"
"Yeah. I only managed to get this bell in the final few minutes," Naruto said, glancing at the unconscious Sakura.
After a moment's hesitation, he walked over and slapped her awake.
Slap! Slap!
The pain brought Sakura back to consciousness.
"Hiss!"
"Naruto? Sasuke?"
"Why are you here? I remember… hiss~ why does my face hurt so much?"
Naruto didn't tell her he had slapped her. Otherwise, the crazy woman would definitely throw another tantrum.
"The test is over. Let's go."
Without waiting for them, Naruto headed toward the meeting point.
Sakura was still dazed. She turned to Sasuke and asked, "The test is over? What does that mean? Did we pass?"
Sasuke gave her a speechless look. Don't you know your own level?
"We both failed. Only he got a bell."
"How… is that possible?"
Sakura stared blankly at Naruto's back, unable to believe it.
Is this really the Naruto I know?
"Um… Sasuke, do you think it's possible that this Naruto is fake? Maybe he's actually Kakashi-sensei in disguise?"
Sasuke frowned, staring thoughtfully at Naruto's retreating figure.
Seeing that Sasuke didn't respond, Sakura continued, "Think about it. Naruto was clearly the dead last in our class. How could he suddenly become this strong? Even Kakashi-sensei didn't dare fight him head-on!"
"So there's only one truth!"
"This Naruto has been Kakashi-sensei pretending from the very beginning, deliberately putting on a show for us!"
"..."
Although Sasuke couldn't think of a reason why Kakashi would do that, it seemed like the only explanation that made sense for why Naruto had suddenly become so powerful.
And soon Sakura filled in the missing piece.
"I think Kakashi-sensei did this to test our observation skills! As for that guy Naruto, he was probably eliminated early because his strength was too weak!"
"That also explains why there were only two bells!"
Sakura pointed a finger dramatically toward the sky, speaking with great confidence and successfully convincing Sasuke.