"Is this really the kind of power a C-rank Wind Release can have?!"
In the storm, Kakashi lowered his center of gravity as much as possible and held one hand in front of him. His feet clung to the ground to keep him from being blown away.
With his other hand, he lifted his Forehead Protector. The three Tomoe in his left eye turned slowly, revealing the abundant, seemingly bottomless chakra surging within Naruto and his many Shadow Clones. "Even when divided into over a hundred portions, his chakra is still this immense? How much chakra does he have in total? What on earth did my sensei's wife give birth to?!"
Kakashi's shock had barely begun to fade when he spotted a figure charging straight toward him through the storm.
"That left eye, Kakashi-sensei. Are you finally taking this seriously?"
Naruto didn't rush to attack. He stopped a short distance from Kakashi. "Sasuke, Sakura, and I tried working as a team earlier, but we couldn't get the bells. Next, I'm going to try fighting alone, defeat you, Kakashi-sensei, and take the bells."
"I can give you one bell."
Kakashi suddenly said, "But you can't attack me after that."
"That sounds pretty good, but I refuse!"
Naruto flashed a brilliant smile. "Get ready, Kakashi-sensei. Here I come!"
"I admit you have a lot of chakra. But you haven't forgotten the conditions for passing the exercise, have you?"
Kakashi adopted a delaying tactic. "It'll be noon soon. Can you take a bell from me before then?"
"I don't know."
Naruto's smile didn't fade. "But I have to try!"
The air still vibrated with the sound of his voice, but Naruto had already rushed in front of Kakashi with astonishing speed and overwhelming momentum. He threw a punch with unstoppable force.
"So fast!"
Kakashi tensed, focused his chakra, and shifted his body, preparing to evade Naruto's attack. Given the difference in their chakra levels, the risk of taking a full-force punch head-on or trying to block it was far too great.
But just as Kakashi was about to dodge, the force radiating from Naruto suddenly vanished. He unclenched his fist, spread his fingers, rotated his wrist halfway around, and grabbed Kakashi by the shoulder.
Kakashi felt a force rapidly building where Naruto had grabbed him. Before it could erupt, Kakashi barely managed to finish forming a hand seal.
Bang!
With a sharp crack, half of Kakashi's left shoulder was crushed.
"The feel's wrong."
Naruto turned to look around. Kakashi, his shoulder shattered, had become a piece of wood with part of it crushed.
"He's not up there, and he's not nearby. So he must be below."
Naruto made his judgment, but didn't waste time searching carefully. He raised his right foot a few centimeters and stomped. His sole struck the ground like a meteor crashing down, sending a shockwave rippling outward from the impact point for more than thirty meters. The ground caved in wherever it reached, and the shattered earth and rocks were compressed by the force, bulging upward.
"This is... Taijutsu?!"
Kakashi burrowed out of the ground before the earth and rocks could crush him. His eyes widened in confusion. "Its power even surpasses Lady Tsunade's Heavenly Foot! Where did Naruto learn a move like this, and from whom?!"
When Kakashi accepted the responsibility of leading Team 7 from the Third Hokage, he had taken the time to learn about its three members.
All three had been born and raised in Konoha and had never left the village. Kakashi quickly learned about their pasts.
Afterward, only Naruto's circumstances left him with questions. About five years ago, Naruto's performance at the Academy had suddenly begun to improve. His grades rose steadily in every subject, and even his social skills seemed to improve day by day.
It was highly unusual.
Kakashi couldn't help remembering the conversation he'd had with the Third Hokage three days earlier, when he accepted the assignment:
"Kakashi, I'd like you to become the jōnin leader of Team 7."
"Team 7... the teacher's child?"
"That's right. The child Minato and Kushina left behind. His name is Uzumaki Naruto."
"Uzumaki? I thought my teacher never married into his wife's family."
"He's a lot like Minato. If they had the same surname too, people might suspect he was related to Minato and figure out that he's a Jinchuriki."
"Is that really the only reason?"
"At least for now."
"Is there anything you need me to do?"
"In the past, Naruto liked attracting people's attention with pranks. But one day, five years ago, he suddenly stopped pulling pranks, and his grades began to improve steadily. It was as if someone were secretly teaching him. But the Anbu assigned to watch him have all confirmed that Naruto hasn't come into contact with anyone like that."
"If even the Anbu haven't noticed anything, I doubt I'll find anything."
"That's fine. The important thing is your left eye. With you by his side, certain people will be able to feel at ease."
"Including you?"
"Including me."
"I understand. But I have my own methods and principles. I hope you'll understand."
"On that point, I think those three children—especially Naruto—will satisfy you."
"I am satisfied, but isn't this a little too dangerous, Lord Hokage?!"
Watching the fist inches from his face and feeling the wind tear at his skin, Kakashi was certain that even a glancing blow would leave him gravely injured on the spot. "I can only see Naruto's movements thanks to the Sharingan, and I have to stimulate my body with Lightning Release Chakra just to keep up with his speed. I have to think of something, or I'll be the first to run out of steam!"
Just then, Naruto suddenly spoke. "Kakashi-sensei, you're about to reach your limit, aren't you?"
"?!"
Kakashi was startled, but his powerful self-control kept him from showing it. His voice retained the same leisurely tone as before. "Your Taijutsu is stronger than I expected, but if that's all you've got, you won't get the bells before the alarm goes off."
"I figured as much."
Naruto suddenly stopped, but Kakashi clearly saw the chakra inside him speeding up. "So let's add Sealing Jutsu."
Dozens of the Shadow Clones Naruto had created at the start remained. They had spread out around them at some point, and now they all appeared at once, surrounding Kakashi.
As more than a hundred Golden Chains wove together into an inescapable net, the light faded from Kakashi's eyes...
After Kakashi was subdued, the bells were naturally taken from him as well. With a blank expression, Kakashi announced that all three had passed, then began carefully explaining the real purpose of the survival exercise (omitted).
"If Naruto had gone all out from the start, I wouldn't have accepted that you passed, even if you'd managed to get the bells."
Kakashi spoke sternly, then softened his expression a little. "But you didn't do that. Naruto especially. I'm not boasting when I say that I'm among the strongest jōnin, yet I still couldn't beat you."
"That's because Kakashi-sensei didn't go all out."
Naruto remained calm. "In this exercise, you didn't use a single offensive ninjutsu."
Hearing Naruto say that, Sakura and Sasuke noticed it too.
Kakashi was at a loss for words. At last, he sighed and gave them their instructions. "Starting tomorrow, you'll officially begin taking on missions. Meet at the Hokage Building, then go to Lord Hokage to receive an assignment."
With that, Kakashi vanished on the spot.
Before you continue