The Answer

"The bells aren't in hand yet," Naruto said quietly.

The three of them were hidden in a forest, using the tall bushes for cover. Silence reigned all around; Kakashi seemed to be waiting for them on the grassy field.

"Teacher Kakashi is too strong, we're no match for him," Sakura sighed, the image of Kakashi forming hand seals still vivid in her mind.

The speed of his seals, which created multiple afterimages, was incredible. Maybe two seals per second? No, it was more like three or four.

"His sealing speed is terrifying, it's not something a human can do."

Hearing this, Sasuke's face was filled with gravity, while Naruto remained calm. Of course, Kakashi's sealing speed was fast; the title of Ninja World's number one technician wasn't earned for nothing.

He was the first in Konoha after the Third Hokage to possess all chakra nature transformations and was a copycat who knew a thousand types of ninjutsu.

Although Kakashi didn't have the Third Hokage's immense power, his genius was undeniable.

"We have to coordinate our attack, otherwise, we have no chance of winning," Sasuke said expressionlessly. "I'll handle the offense, Sakura will provide interference, and Naruto will grab the bells."

"Wait, I..." Sakura panicked slightly. "I can't do it, my Genjutsu against Teacher Kakashi..."

"This is our only chance," Sasuke said gravely.

"I..." Sakura lowered her head.

At that moment, Naruto patted Sakura's shoulder comfortingly.

"Sakura, we'll buy you time. You seize the opportunity to use Genjutsu on Teacher Kakashi. We're counting on you to have our backs, you have to believe in yourself."

After a moment of hesitation, Sakura gritted her teeth and agreed.

The ninja world was inherently cruel. You either could or you couldn't. Naruto realized that neither Sasuke nor Sakura's personalities were as exaggerated as depicted in the manga.

They were just normal personalities; Sakura wasn't that infatuated, and Sasuke wasn't that aloof. They were both outstanding among the new generation, and overall, their character was quite good.

Perhaps it was also related to the powerful strength Naruto had displayed. In any case, for the time being, a healthy pressure had formed between the three of them.

Coupled with Naruto's prior information sharing and their recent tacit cooperation, Team Seven, though not officially formed, already possessed good chemistry.

There were no grudges, no arrogance, only the belief in mutual cooperation.

The scorching sun hung high in the sky, over the grassy field.

Kakashi leaned casually against a wooden post, his gaze scanning Make-Out Paradise. He seemed completely unguarded against his surroundings.

A wind rustled through the trees, and Kakashi stopped flipping the pages. Two sharp whistling sounds came from the jungle, breaking the tranquility of the grassy field.

Shuriken flew, their reflections flashing rapidly under the hot sun, targeting Kakashi by the wooden post.

With two dull thuds, the shuriken missed as expected, embedding themselves firmly in the wooden post. Kakashi had already leaped away, but before his feet touched the ground, Sasuke suddenly charged from his flank.

So Sasuke was the one who threw the shuriken just now? Kakashi thought to himself.

It made sense; according to the data provided by the Third Hokage, Sasuke had the best shurikenjutsu scores among the three. This led Kakashi to subconsciously assume that Sasuke had thrown those shuriken.

The throwing power was immense, it couldn't have been Sakura, so it must have been Naruto, Kakashi murmured. Surprisingly good.

While Kakashi was still in mid-air, Sasuke charged forward and immediately formed hand seals. Kakashi also noticed Sasuke's surprise attack and glanced at Sasuke's hands.

The Snake Seal? Fire Style?

The Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, and Tiger seals flew rapidly, and the Great Fireball Technique was formed. A torrent of flames instantly surged towards Kakashi, forcing him to evade again.

However, with this evasion, Kakashi instantly felt something was wrong. Although he had dodged, his body's movements seemed to have become much slower.

Genjutsu?

He didn't dispel it immediately but looked in one direction. Sakura was struggling to maintain the Genjutsu hand seals.

Suddenly, Kakashi seemed to understand something. But before he could look down, he heard the faint jingle of two bells.

With a bang, white smoke billowed. As his vision blurred, a gust of wind swept past, and Kakashi felt his waist suddenly become empty. When the smoke cleared, Naruto was already holding the bells in his hand.

Seeing Naruto's success, the other two members of the team breathed a sigh of relief and slowly approached.

Kakashi also stopped his movements.

Even though he had gone easy on them, the fact remained that the bells had been taken by the group.

"Congratulations, you successfully obtained the bells," Kakashi said with a smile, his eyes narrowed. "By the way, you're the team with the best coordination among the Genin graduates I've ever seen."

Hearing this, smiles appeared on all three of their faces. Sakura, in particular, was relieved, her worried expression improving slightly.

But the next second, Kakashi's tone shifted abruptly, becoming serious.

"You only have two bells, so only two of you can pass, or perhaps just one."

As his words fell, Sasuke and Sakura's gazes immediately focused on Naruto, who held the two bells.

"You can share one bell with another person, or choose not to. Well, if I were to train just one of you, you could probably learn more from me."

"I am a Jonin, after all. Excluding my regular mission time, I don't have much free time to teach disciples."

"Teaching two is not as good as teaching one, and it would be much easier for me."

Kakashi's words immediately made Sakura and Sasuke, who didn't have bells, tense up. They looked at Naruto in a panic.

Kakashi's words were too tempting. Sasuke and Sakura both understood that Naruto was the strongest among the three of them.

If Naruto chose to take the bells for himself, they wouldn't be able to say anything. Although they would still have complaints, Sakura's heart sank even further, feeling as if it had plunged into an ice cave.

There were only two bells. Even if Naruto was willing to give one up, it was unlikely he'd give it to her. Who would need a teammate who couldn't help at all?

"So, what do you think?" Kakashi asked, watching Naruto with a smile and his arms crossed. "Have you made up your mind?"

"There's no need to think about this," Naruto said, holding up the bells in his hand.

Upon hearing this, Sasuke and Sakura's expressions froze. Is it really going to be like that? they thought. He'd probably progress faster if he received guidance from a Jonin alone.

The smile in Kakashi's eyes grew even wider, and he lowered his crossed arms. Just as he was about to speak, Naruto spoke again.

"I'm already so strong, I don't need any guidance!"

"What?" Sasuke blinked in surprise.

Sakura held her breath, looking at Naruto with disbelief.

As he spoke, Naruto tossed the two bells behind him. As if they had eyes, the bells floated down like falling leaves and landed gently in Sasuke and Sakura's hands.

"Guidance from a Jonin or anything like that," Naruto said, picking at his ear with a brilliant smile in the sunlight, "I don't need it at all!"