Naruto's Questioning

Kakashi decided not to hold back this time.

As one of Konoha's top Elite Jonin, even though he deliberately avoided using his Sharingan and Genjutsu, his Taijutsu alone was enough to crush the vast majority of opponents.

Facing Naruto's seemingly effortless attitude.

Kakashi truly had no intention of holding back this time.

With a flash of Kakashi's body, he instantly closed in on Naruto.

Every attack was incredibly sharp.

Every move targeted Naruto's seemingly weak points.

Of course, all were controlled within the scope of "teaching a lesson" rather than "inflicting harm."

Even so, Kakashi's offensive assault was like a fierce storm.

It almost stunned Sakura and Sasuke, who were hiding in the forest.

However, even though Kakashi unleashed his full power in Taijutsu.

Naruto's expression only became slightly more serious.

Although he possessed combat experience accumulated over countless Reincarnations, this current body was still in its initial state, lacking systematic training. He couldn't unleash his full power from his prime.

But it was enough to deal with the current Kakashi...

Based on past experience, it would be over in a few Ninjutsu at most.

Naruto's eyes were focused, and every dodge of Kakashi's attack was perfectly timed.

Every block precisely deflected the force of the attack, and he could even counterattack the moment Kakashi retracted his move.

After a few rounds, Kakashi became increasingly alarmed.

Was this really just a newly graduated Genin?

Such seasoned responses, near precognitive dodges, even his teacher Minato back then...

He probably didn't have such outrageous talent, right?

Seeing that Taijutsu wasn't giving him an advantage, Kakashi decided to use Ninjutsu.

He decisively leaped back to create distance, then formed hand seals.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A blazing fireball shot straight towards Naruto.

Naruto stood his ground, unhurried, and also began forming hand seals, his speed matching Kakashi's.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

There was a river nearby, providing ample water, and Naruto's Chakra was bottomless.

He had a ton of Chakra!

A massive water dragon soared into the sky, its size more than three times that of the fireball.

The immense water dragon and fireball collided instantly with a roar!

"Ssss!"

Water and fire met, and white mist billowed.

The water dragon, with overwhelming momentum, engulfed the fireball and continued rushing towards Kakashi!

Kakashi's pupils constricted. With no time to think, he quickly formed hand seals and slammed his hands onto the ground.

"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"

A stone wall instantly rose from the ground.

Carved onto the wall were three dog head statues, never forgotten.

"Boom!"

The water dragon fiercely slammed into the earth wall, splashing water everywhere, and several cracks appeared in the wall.

Kakashi, hiding behind the wall, was already experiencing a tempest in his heart.

From the intelligence about Naruto defeating Mizuki, it only mentioned that Naruto had mastered Shadow Clones.

How could he use a Ninjutsu like Water Dragon Bullet so proficiently?

And his Chakra reserves were this exaggerated?

Was this the Uzumaki Clan?

Before Kakashi could recover, Naruto's next move had already arrived.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

And this fireball.

It was several times larger than Kakashi's just now!

Sensing the scorching wind rushing towards him, Kakashi could only use Earth Style to dive underground and evade.

He mentally grumbled, What kind of monster Genin is this?!

But just as he burrowed into the earth, he clearly heard Naruto's voice from above, seemingly calling out a warning.

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

"Bang!"

The ground exploded violently.

Kakashi was forced to leap out, only to find himself surrounded by a dense fog.

At some point, Naruto had quietly used the Mist Technique.

His vision blurred, Kakashi only heard the sound of extremely rapid footsteps closing in. Before he could react, he felt a lightness around his waist.

The two bells had been taken.

The mist slowly dissipated, and Naruto stood in place, the bells dangling from his hand, his expression as calm as if nothing had happened.

Kakashi stood frozen, speechless for a moment.

He'd snatched the bells from him so easily?

No, that wasn't the real issue, was it?

Naruto's strength was just too monstrous...

However, Naruto didn't even glance at the bells in his hand. He called out Sasuke and Sakura, who were hiding and observing, and casually tossed them in their direction.

"Catch."

Sasuke and Sakura instinctively caught them, their faces full of confusion.

Kakashi finally snapped back to reality, his voice laced with confusion, "Naruto, what are you doing?"

"I got the bells, and now I've given them to Sasuke and Sakura, so they both passed the exam," Naruto said nonchalantly.

"And you?" Kakashi frowned. "Voluntarily withdrawing?"

"You can interpret it however you like," Naruto shrugged. "I just felt your rules weren't very reasonable, so I expressed my protest this way."

"Unreasonable?" Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly. "Are you referring to..."

"Yes."

Kakashi's anger flared slightly. "So you think three people fighting for two bells is unreasonable..."

"Then I'll tell you the truth. The reason I set these conditions was to let you know that the strength of three Genin is not enough to snatch the bells from me, an Elite Jonin, so you must cooperate as a team."

"Similarly, during missions, ninjas must face all sorts of unreasonable situations, even the sacrifice of their teammates' lives!"

"That's why I must select ninjas who can understand these harsh conditions in desperate moments. To push your physical limits, I even deliberately made you start five hours early and scared you by saying you hadn't eaten breakfast..."

"Of course, there was one slight unexpected development."

Kakashi glanced at Naruto as he spoke his last words, his tone suddenly becoming awkward.

Naruto's strength was no longer within the Genin category.

He was far beyond an Elite Jonin, even giving Kakashi a feeling of being surpassed.

Therefore, Kakashi revealing the true purpose of this test now meant he had made his final judgment on Naruto in his heart.

A genius who doesn't follow rules and disregards teamwork is dangerous.

"Naruto Uzumaki."

Kakashi's voice returned to the serious tone of a Jonin Instructor. "Your strength is immense, even beyond my imagination."

"However, you haven't understood the true meaning of this test, nor have you shown any spirit of teamwork."

"Therefore, you have failed. Go back to the Ninja Academy and retake the course."

Sakura beside them immediately tensed up, and Sasuke also frowned deeply.

But Naruto suddenly smiled, a hint of mockery in his grin.

"I saw through it long ago, Teacher Kakashi. You just want us to learn that 'teamwork' stuff, right?"

As someone who had experienced multiple Reincarnations, Naruto naturally knew under what conditions Kakashi would let them pass and under what conditions he wouldn't.

He remembered in his first Reincarnation, Naruto had gotten a bit too cocky.

He'd snatched the bells by himself, leading Teacher Kakashi to deem him a failure.

So, this development was within Naruto's expectations.

It had taken him a lot of effort afterward to convince Kakashi that he was someone who would adhere to teamwork, ultimately allowing everyone to graduate.

But that was all unimportant now.

This time, Naruto was here to break the rules.

Kakashi didn't deny it. "Since you saw through it, why didn't you just play along?"

"Because this time, I don't want to follow your rules," Naruto stared directly at him, his voice clear and calm. "Like I said before, I'm protesting this unreasonable rule and... making a change!"

"Oh?" Kakashi crossed his arms, finally showing a hint of interest. "Then tell me, what exactly is unreasonable about it?"

What is a surprise?

So this is what a surprise is!

I'd like to see what kind of surprise this is.