Afternoon, classroom.
The three of them sat idly in the classroom, waiting for their Jonin instructor. Naruto knew Kakashi's habit of being late, so he had long since sprawled across his desk and fallen asleep.
Sasuke sat by the window, his slender, knuckled fingers interlaced on the desk as his gaze drifted over the lush treetops outside.
Sakura lowered her head and stared at her desk, looking somewhat dejected.
Though she had just received comfort from her companions, once the surroundings fell quiet, she still could not help feeling lost.
No one knew how much time had passed before the classroom door was finally pushed open.
Team Seven's Jonin instructor had arrived late. The moment he stepped into the classroom, his lazy voice rang out first.
"Yo, sorry, sorry. I accidentally came late."
"I'm your Jonin instructor, Kakashi Hatake."
The Jonin calling himself Kakashi looked young, around twenty years old. His silver hair stood upright like scallions, and he wore a black mask, with one eye slantedly covered by his forehead protector.
He wore a black combat uniform beneath a green Jonin flak jacket. As he spoke, his eye curved into a crescent moon.
Naruto had already woken up when he heard the voice.
The three of them looked at Kakashi together, their gazes complicated.
"Sensei, you're way too late," Naruto complained first.
"Well, I was helping an old lady cross the street, so..." Kakashi scratched his head and came up with an utterly absurd excuse.
"You're lying!" Sakura said.
Kakashi looked a little embarrassed. He gave an awkward laugh and forcibly changed the subject.
"Anyway, come with me. Let's talk somewhere else."
As soon as he finished speaking, the three of them rose in a rush and followed Kakashi out of the classroom. Throughout it all, they maintained a tacit silence.
Kakashi had previously obtained some information about the three from the Third Hokage. One was a survivor of the Night of the Uchiha Clan Downfall, and one was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Naruto Uzumaki?
The days ahead would not be easy.
Walking ahead of them, Kakashi felt a slight headache coming on.
The village higher-ups' actions were truly difficult to understand. They had made that decision, yet now they wanted to train these two children into ninja.
After sighing inwardly, Kakashi took a deep breath and pulled himself together.
Before dawn the next day.
Wearing casual clothes, Sakura walked out of an alley and paused briefly in a brightly lit area, seemingly trying to determine her direction.
"Over here!" Naruto waved at Sakura.
She waved back, a smile appearing on her face.
Only after walking closer did Sakura discover that Naruto was standing outside a small restaurant. Their last information-sharing session had been at a barbecue restaurant, and this time it was another eatery.
"Didn't Kakashi-sensei say we weren't allowed to eat breakfast?"
"He said it was best not to eat because we might throw up." Naruto spoke indifferently. "Eat. It's fine. Throwing up is better than going hungry."
Sakura froze for a moment. She had just been about to refuse, but seeing that both Naruto and Sasuke had ordered, she nodded as if possessed and sat down as well.
After the three finished breakfast, they hurried to the agreed location and waited.
They waited for several hours. Only when the sun was high in the sky and the scorching sunlight hung overhead did Kakashi finally arrive late.
"Um. There was a little girl who got lost on the way." Kakashi smiled shamelessly, utterly lacking any awareness that he was late.
"Honestly, Kakashi-sensei, that's too much!"
"Exactly! What a perfunctory excuse."
"Tch."
All three had eaten breakfast, so they went through the motions of complaining in tacit agreement. This instead surprised Kakashi, who thought they did not look like they had come on empty stomachs.
Since his objective had not been achieved, Kakashi did not dwell on it. He pulled two bells from his pocket, shook them before the three of them, and said,
"Well, first, let me tell you the rules of the test."
"I only have two bells. Only those who seize a bell before noon will be qualified to become ninja. In other words, one of you will be eliminated."
"Eliminated?" Sakura immediately grew nervous. "Kakashi-sensei, what will happen to the person who gets eliminated?"
"Heh heh!" Kakashi's eye curved like a crescent moon. "Unfortunately, elimination means you failed the assessment and lack the qualifications to become a ninja. You'll also be tied to a log until sunset."
"If no one manages to seize a bell, then all of you will go back to the academy for retraining."
"During this time, you may use any means necessary. Don't worry about hurting me. At your current level, that would be nothing but a dream."
As he spoke, Kakashi paused and hung the bells back at his waist.
"Is that clear enough now?"
The three said nothing, while Sakura's face had turned pale.
It was actually a practical battle? What she excelled at most was theoretical and intelligence analysis; actual combat was her weakness. Forget taking bells from Kakashi—even getting close to a Jonin would be difficult.
If one person truly had to be eliminated, then without question...
Naruto stood to one side with no particular expression. After yesterday's barbecue restaurant meeting, he had not shared any more information. Some things were difficult to explain, and there was no need to reveal too much in advance.
The original purpose of the bell-grabbing exercise was to test the three's awareness of teamwork, but after yesterday's conversation, their relationship had already become much closer.
Yet once they were faced with a choice, Naruto could not say for sure what would happen.
For that very reason, he had not continued sharing information and had chosen silence instead. He wanted the two of them to take fewer detours, but he had never intended to walk the path for them.
Besides, Naruto also wanted to know their attitudes when faced with a choice.
Suddenly, the familiar mechanical synthesized voice rang out in his mind again.
Option One: Use all your strength to seize the bells, then give the bells you seized to Sakura and Sasuke. Reward: Lava Release Ninjutsu Option Two: Do nothing. Lie down directly in front of Kakashi and honestly allow yourself to be tied to a log. Reward: Wood Release Ninjutsu
Looking at the panel that had appeared, Naruto nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Wood Release Ninjutsu and Lava Release Ninjutsu?
Holy shit!
Two gold-tier rewards at once?
How was he supposed to choose? The Four-Tails' Lava Release was insanely powerful. If he really obtained Lava Release, if he really obtained Lava Release...
It would still pale beside absurdly powerful Water Release.
But even if he chose Wood Release, though it was rare, it would be impossible to wield its power like the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
This time, the system had not specified his mastery level of Wood Release. It was probably only an entry-level Wood Release chakra nature.
If he chose Lava Release, he could also earn some companion points in front of Sakura and Sasuke. But seizing the bells would not be easy, and he could very well fail.
But if he lay down, Sasuke would be the only one left to face Kakashi. The chances of the two of them obtaining bells would also be minuscule.
While he hesitated, Kakashi had already announced the start of the test.
Almost the instant his words fell, Sasuke and Sakura vanished from the spot with two whooshes, leaving Naruto alone standing there in a daze.
Before you continue