"Really? I knew you were still so generous, Naruto!" Sakura said, failing to catch the deeper meaning behind his words. Her face lit up with joy.
She wanted to use this mission as an opportunity to do everything she could to bring Naruto back to the way he used to be.
As his teammate, she wouldn't hesitate to use even some special methods when the time came.
Don't get the wrong idea, you guys!
A trace of relief flickered in Kakashi's eyes. Then he said, "Then it's settled! Let's go, Naruto!"
However.
"No rush..." Naruto said, waving a hand lightly. A hint of amusement entered his gaze as he looked at Kakashi, and the corners of his mouth lifted. "Kakashi-sensei, do you remember the team-entry test?"
"Huh?!" Kakashi looked confused, not understanding what he meant.
"The bell test?" Sakura mused.
As soon as the words left her mouth, in the blink of an eye—
"Eek—" Cold sweat trickled down Kakashi's temple, and his face twitched violently. "Naruto, you're not thinking of challenging me again..."
"As expected of Kakashi-sensei. You catch on fast!" Naruto gave him a thumbs-up.
Kakashi's face immediately darkened until it was black as the bottom of a pot. His pupils went pale. "Naruto, are you trying to break me?!"
You've got to be kidding. Playing a game of stealing bells with Naruto, who now had control of the Flying Thunder God?
That was like the author challenging Tyson to a one-on-one fight!
Besides, Kakashi couldn't shake the feeling that his back had gone cold when Naruto said that...
Seeing this, Naruto smiled. "If you won't play, then I won't go..."
"..."
In the end, Kakashi still gave in to Naruto's overwhelming pressure.
Konoha training ground. The wind howled.
Whoosh—
The autumn wind swept across the ground, blowing Kakashi's mask this way and that. It seemed unable to contain its curiosity, eager to see what lay beneath.
However, Kakashi was completely focused.
He fixed his gaze on Naruto and Sakura across from him and said helplessly, "Go easy on me, kids."
As he spoke, Kakashi slowly lifted his Forehead Protector.
His left eye slowly opened.
"Swish—" A flash of scarlet light flickered like lightning, carrying an incredibly terrifying ocular power. The Three-Tomoe Sharingan of Obito Uchiha appeared before them.
"Sharingan right from the start. Looks like Kakashi-sensei is getting serious!" Sakura exclaimed, then turned to Naruto.
She found that he remained completely calm, not changing in the slightest, as if everything were under his control.
Only then did she remember that Naruto's strength had long since surpassed Kakashi's!
But Sakura had a fierce pride of her own. She knew she couldn't hold him back.
She raised both fists and cried, "Naruto! I'll cover you!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, the next instant—
Bang!
Sakura slammed both feet into the ground, cracking it beneath her. Her body shot toward Kakashi.
In the blink of an eye, she was upon him!
Whoosh— Sakura's right fist was now coated in a layer of blue chakra. With enough force to crush anything in its path, it came crashing down on Kakashi!
"Strength of a Hundred Fist!"
Three years of training under Tsunade had transformed Sakura. She was no longer the person she had once been!
"A lethal move right from the start..." Kakashi said helplessly.
But words were one thing.
Kakashi's hands formed Hand Seals at lightning speed, then he slammed them against the ground.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
The next moment—
Rumble—
The earth before Kakashi shook violently, like a giant beast roused from its slumber. A massive earthen wall carved with a dog's head burst from the ground and rose up in front of him.
Seeing this, Sakura immediately yelled,
"Don't underestimate me!"
As she spoke, her aura grew even stronger.
Her fist struck the dog's head on the wall like a meteor.
The next instant—
Rumble—
The dog's head shattered under her terrifying strength. The Earth Wall shuddered, and cracks spread across it like a spiderweb. In the blink of an eye, it was about to collapse!
"Smash!" Sakura shouted again, her voice ringing with power.
In the end, her overwhelming strength won out.
Boom—
The wall shattered completely, crumbling into rubble and kicking up a cloud of dust. The thick haze made it impossible to see what was happening inside.
But Sakura wasn't afraid in the slightest. She shook both fists, then charged through the swirling winds!
However, in the next instant—
Hum—
Sakura's body stiffened, her fists frozen in midair.
Because, at that moment—
A Kunai had somehow come to rest against her back, and Kakashi's voice came from behind her like a ghost.
"Sakura, it's not a good idea to rush in when you don't know what the enemy is doing..."
The scene shifted.
Kakashi had somehow appeared behind Sakura. He held a Kunai in his right hand, its tip pressed against her spine.
In an instant, it seemed the winner had been decided.
However, just as Kakashi finished speaking—
Suddenly—
Whoosh— A small stone, radiating strange Space-Time Ninjutsu fluctuations, shot through the air and silently arrived beside him.
"Damn, it's the Flying Thunder God!" Kakashi cried out in shock.
As the Fourth Hokage's student, he knew the Flying Thunder God Mark better than anyone!
In fact, when he was promoted to jonin, Minato had even given him one.
And now—
The stone that had flown to his side bore a perfect replica of his teacher's Flying Thunder God Mark!
As expected, the next instant—
Whoosh—
An incredibly dazzling black-and-gold light burst from the stone. Terrifying space-time power filled the area, and Naruto appeared beside Kakashi in an instant.
The moment he appeared, Naruto reached beneath Kakashi.
That was where the bells were kept.
"My body can't react in time!" Kakashi's Sharingan spun like a rapidly turning windmill. His mind could barely keep up, but his body was nowhere near fast enough to follow Naruto's movements!
Kakashi finally understood why the other great nations had feared his teacher so much.
You didn't even have time to react before you were sent to the afterlife. Who wouldn't be afraid?!
But that was only to be expected.
After all, as an S-rank Space-Time Ninjutsu, it could slaughter anyone below Kage Level as easily as killing a chicken...
Indeed, apart from peerless Six Paths-level powerhouses, no one could keep up!
That was the absolute confidence of the fastest shinobi in the Shinobi World!
Then, just as Naruto's hand was about to touch the bells—
Suddenly, the next instant—
Bang—
Kakashi's body exploded like a bomb, turning into a cloud of smoke that filled the area.
At the same time—
Boom—
The ground behind Naruto split open as if torn apart by a giant beast. Kakashi leaped out, both hands slicing toward Naruto with a rush of wind.
That's right. The instant Sakura smashed through the Earth Wall—
Kakashi had taken the opportunity to form a Shadow Clone and send it to restrain Sakura.
Meanwhile, his real body had sneakily slipped beneath the ground, ready for Naruto at any moment!
And now, the time was right!
"I win!" Kakashi said with a soft laugh.
However—
"Kakashi-sensei, how could you use a Shadow Clone in front of me?!" Naruto said, his back still to Kakashi, a teasing smile on his lips.
As he spoke—
Naruto's body exploded as well, turning into a cloud of smoke.
"What?!" Kakashi froze, stunned in place.
He hadn't seen Naruto form any Hand Seals at all!
Unfortunately, before he could recover—
"Whoosh!" A brand-new stone, marked with the Sword of Shinobi Love, pierced through space like a shooting star and raced toward Kakashi's back at incredible speed.
Once again, he couldn't react in time.
Whoosh—
An incredibly dazzling black-and-gold light burst from the Sword of Shinobi Love Mark, and Naruto's real body instantly emerged with it.
The moment he appeared—
Naruto brought his hands together and crouched down.
His face wore an utterly frenzied expression as he roared,
"Flying Thunder God: Thousand Years of Death!"
As the words fell—
Boom—
Naruto thrust both hands forward with tremendous force, striking toward Kakashi's backside at an incredibly terrifying speed.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
[Konoha Ultimate Taijutsu Thousand Years of Death hit Kakashi, Villain Points +93!]
His chrysanthemum was shattered, leaving wounds across the ground...
Before you continue