So Impressive

"I-I'm ready too."

Saito Daisuke was stunned by Kagami's strength.

Suzuki Genji smiled faintly.

"Then I'm fine here too."

Kakashi's figure flashed, and he appeared in the center of the training ground, both hands tucked into his pockets, the bells hanging casually from his waist.

"Then, begin."

Kakashi would not take the initiative during this trial. He would only defend passively. So even after he said to begin, as long as Kagami and the others did not attack first, Kakashi would not make a move.

Kagami had no intention of attacking right away, either. He first looked toward the other two and asked,

"I think that, if possible, we should introduce our abilities first. You just saw mine. I'm good at the Body Flicker Technique. Other than the Three Body Technique, I also know the Great Fireball Technique and the Flower Scattering Dance Crimson Claw Technique. What about you? Of course, it's fine if you don't want to say. I just think introducing our abilities first will help with our cooperation later."

Suzuki Genji looked at Kagami with some amusement.

"Hey, Kagami, do you think—or rather, do you believe—we can cooperate?"

Kagami pursed his lips and said nothing. He knew what Suzuki Genji meant, but he couldn't answer right away, either.

Suzuki Genji continued,

"There are only two bells, after all! Kagami."

That was precisely the problem. Kagami knew that they could pass this trial if they all worked together, but did the other two know that?

They didn't. In their eyes, there were only two bells, so one person had to be eliminated. If that was the case, what was the point of cooperating? Anyone could be eliminated. In other words, everyone was an enemy, and cooperation was impossible.

Kagami took a deep breath.

"Let's cooperate. I'm willing to give up my bel—"

"But I'm willing to cooperate with you."

Kagami hadn't finished speaking when Suzuki Genji interrupted him.

Kagami looked at Suzuki Genji strangely. He couldn't understand her. Just seconds ago, she had seemed to be pointing out the crux of the problem and refusing to cooperate, yet now she was saying that she was willing to cooperate.

Kagami didn't know what she was thinking, so he could only offer a word of thanks.

"Thank you."

Then Kagami turned his gaze toward Saito Daisuke.

"Daisuke, what about you? Let's cooperate. I'm willing to give up my qualification and let both of you advance."

Daisuke looked at Kagami in disbelief. Then he said angrily,

"Damn it!! Are all Uchiha guys as arrogant as you?! Don't treat becoming a ninja like it's nothing, you bastard! Give it everything you've got and fight for the bells! I'm willing to cooperate with you, but on one condition: you must do your absolute best to seize the bells. You absolutely, absolutely cannot deliberately give them to me. Got it? Damn Uchiha!"

Looking at Saito Daisuke before him, Kagami felt a little touched. He said with a laugh,

"It's fine. I don't mind."

Saito Daisuke became completely furious.

"Genius! Genius! Genius! Is this what you geniuses are like? You obtain what other people want with ease, and then think it's nothing, is that it? You graduated from the Ninja Academy after just one year. In your eyes, being a Genin is nothing special. But—but do you know how ordinary people like us feel? The Genin you geniuses can obtain effortlessly, and even look down on, is the result of six years of giving everything I had to study! Don't you dare look down on being a Genin, bastard!

"I don't want to be eliminated here, but I want even less to see the dream I worked toward for six years being looked down on! That—that was my dream for six years!"

Kagami couldn't help feeling moved. He fell silent. Then he bowed to Saito Daisuke and said apologetically,

"I'm sorry, Daisuke. Let me say it again. Daisuke, are you willing to cooperate with me? However, I won't give up the bell that belongs to me."

Saito Daisuke spoke indignantly.

"Of course. Let me talk about myself first. I know the basic Three Body Technique, but as for anything else... Hmph! Even so, I'll definitely seize a bell and become a ninja!"

Clearly, Saito Daisuke's talent was average. Like many ordinary students, he had only learned the Three Body Technique by the time he graduated. As for other areas, such as shuriken and taijutsu, he was not particularly outstanding.

Suzuki Genji smiled faintly.

"I know the basic Three Body Technique too. Likewise, I won't give up my bell."

Suzuki Genji's meaning was obvious: she was saying that she was no different from an ordinary student.

While the three of them continued discussing things, a trace of warmth flashed through Kakashi's eyes. Looking at Saito Daisuke, Kakashi felt as though he were seeing Obito from back then—someone of mediocre, even somewhat poor, ability, yet possessing the determination and drive to fight with everything he had for his dream.

Saito Daisuke's words had touched Kakashi, too. Yes, hadn't he once looked down on so-called Genin as well? A Jonin at twelve, basking in the limelight—back then, when he looked at Obito, who was a Genin, he had simply regarded him as someone who held him back. If only he had valued Obito and Rin back then and actively cooperated with them...

A sharp pain twisted through Kakashi's heart. He refused to think any further. Turning his head toward Kagami, Kakashi seemed to see his former self in him. He, too, carried the name of genius, and he, too, won the trust of his teammates through his strength. Would someone like him value his teammates?

Thinking of Kagami's apology just now—a genius bowing and apologizing to an ordinary person—Kakashi smiled faintly and thought,

Perhaps he really is different from me.

Kagami and the others had also finished discussing their plan.

"All right, then. Begin the operation!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the three of them began moving. They quickly circled around Kakashi.

This was a formation taught at the Ninja Academy. It was a very simple formation: three people continuously circled their target and launched attacks in turns, preventing the target from dealing with the attacks coming one after another and ultimately defeating him.

This formation was actually of little use against a Jonin like Kakashi, but Kagami had no other choice. He couldn't think of a better plan in such a short time. For now, their best option was to use tactics everyone had learned. At least that way, they could put up a decent fight.

Suzuki Genji attacked first. She suddenly broke from the formation, extended her hand, and reached for the bell at Kakashi's waist.

Kakashi turned around and easily dodged Suzuki Genji's attack.

But Saito Daisuke's attack came immediately afterward!

Of course, although it was called an attack, in Kagami's eyes, it was no different from simply running over and trying to seize the bell. There was nothing special about it.

Kakashi easily dodged Saito Daisuke's attack, circled behind him, and shoved him hard in the back, sending him tumbling a long distance away.

And after Saito Daisuke came Kagami!

Kakashi instantly seized a hand reaching toward the bell from the front, then turned without hesitation and kicked toward the side.

"Pfft!"

Kagami's real body was kicked away viciously.

The Shadow Clone Jutsu he had sent to go for the bell and draw Kakashi's attention also transformed into a cloud of white smoke and disappeared.

While fending off the attacks from the other two after Kagami, Kakashi said,

"Your Body Flicker Technique and Shadow Clone Jutsu aren't bad, but don't expect me to fall for the same trick twice."

Kagami didn't care about what Kakashi was saying. He only wanted to complain: Why are you kicking me so hard?

After that, Kagami and the others launched attacks without pause.

At that point, Kagami noticed that when dealing with Suzuki Genji, Kakashi always simply dodged her attacks and left it at that. When dealing with Saito Daisuke, he merely toyed with him, making him trip and fall or something. But when dealing with Uchiha Kagami, Kakashi came at him with one powerful kick after another. Although Kakashi controlled his strength and didn't seriously injure Kagami, the unequal treatment was enough to make Kagami despair.

There was nothing worth mentioning about the three-way battle. It was hardly any different from ordinary people fighting over bells, except that they were a little faster. The only one with any real hope was Kagami, but he also discovered that when Kakashi dealt with Saito Daisuke and Suzuki Genji, he was just playing around. When dealing with him, he was seriously bullying a weakling.

Kakashi seemed to be taking especially "good care" of Kagami, causing Kagami—who had originally had the best chance of seizing a bell—to currently appear to have the least hope.

After some time, Suzuki Genji and Saito Daisuke could still rush in and exchange a move or two with Kakashi. But Kagami? He rushed in and was kicked back. He rushed in and was kicked back. Kakashi didn't waste even a moment.

Kagami declared that there were three words he absolutely had to say today! He had been kicked over and over like this—did Kakashi really think Uchiha Kagami had no temper? Even if he had to risk his life, Kagami would shout those three words.

Then, after looking at Kakashi's kind eyes, Kagami shouted,

"So impressive!"