"I never thought Naruto could be quick-witted."
After Naruto seized Kakashi, astonishment surged into Haruno Sakura's eyes. She clearly hadn't expected the usually careless Naruto to pull off something like this.
"How could Kakashi-sensei be captured so easily?"
Far from feeling excited, Sasuke, who was watching the fight, grew worried.
"Heh... Kakashi-sensei, I'm giving you back the punch you hit me with!"
While Sasuke was worrying, the real Naruto's eyes sharpened. He stomped the ground and used the force to launch himself at Kakashi. Clenching his fist, he drove it straight into Kakashi's chest without any fancy moves.
Kakashi struggled as Naruto flew toward him, but the two Shadow Clone Narutos had him in too tight a grip. In the end, all he could do was watch helplessly as the fist came crashing down.
Under the gazes of Haruno Sakura and Sasuke, Naruto's fist landed on Kakashi's chest like a heavy stone, unleashing its formidable force.
Kakashi's body and the two Shadow Clones were sent flying together, before crashing to the ground some distance away.
"Boom!"
The next moment, Naruto's two Shadow Clones vanished in puffs of white smoke, while Kakashi, the one who'd been attacked, had mysteriously turned into a log.
Whoosh!
Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Sasuke all fixed their gazes on the log on the ground.
"Substitution Technique?"
Staring at the log, Naruto and Haruno Sakura cried out at the same time.
The Substitution Technique was one of the basic ninjutsu techniques. It allowed the user to instantly switch places with a plant or animal to evade an attack.
Kakashi had used this technique to escape Naruto's attack.
"Naruto, watch out!"
As Naruto stood stunned, a distorted figure quietly appeared behind him. Fortunately, the observant Sasuke noticed in time and shouted a warning.
Hearing Sasuke's warning, Naruto quickly stomped his foot and sprang forward.
"Heh... do you think you can get away?"
Watching Naruto leap into the air, Kakashi reappeared with a faint smile and prepared to strike.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
But just as Kakashi was about to move, a scorching fireball came hurtling toward him.
"Whoosh!"
The fireball shot through the air, roaring as it streaked past. One could imagine how badly Kakashi would be injured if it hit him.
"Uchiha Clan Fire Release Ninjutsu?"
Kakashi glanced at Sasuke, who had performed the technique, and muttered under his breath. He gave up on attacking Naruto and retreated, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the fireball.
"Bang!"
Not long after Kakashi retreated, the fireball slammed into the spot where he'd been standing. Scorching flames erupted in an instant, and the incredibly hard ground exploded into a mass of flying dirt and debris. Smoke billowed everywhere.
"Whew... good thing I dodged in time!"
As the smoke cleared, Kakashi saw that the spot where he'd been standing had become a deep crater. He was still shaken.
"Not good!"
Kakashi frowned. He had just breathed a sigh of relief when his heart suddenly tightened. He pulled out several Shuriken and quickly threw them.
"Whoosh..."
With a faint whistle, several Shuriken shot from Haruno Sakura's hands. She'd chosen the perfect moment to launch her surprise attack, but in the end, Kakashi's Shuriken deflected every one of them with a series of clinks.
"Kakashi-sensei, it's not over yet!" Sasuke shouted.
Somehow, Sasuke had gotten hold of a giant Fuma Shuriken. With practiced ease, he threw it.
The Fuma Shuriken spun at high speed like a whirlwind, sending the air trembling with a piercing whistle.
It was so fast that, in the blink of an eye, it had reached Kakashi.
"What? A follow-up attack?"
Kakashi had thought he'd escaped the danger, but he hadn't realized the Fuma Shuriken was the real follow-up.
The attack came too suddenly for Kakashi to counter it, so he drew on his years of combat experience. Judging by the height of the Fuma Shuriken's trajectory, he lowered his head and body slightly, preparing to dodge it.
"Whoosh!"
With a sharp rush of air, the Fuma Shuriken skimmed right over Kakashi's head.
"Whew..."
Feeling the Fuma Shuriken pass behind him, Kakashi breathed another sigh of relief.
Being pushed this far during a rookie's trial left Kakashi feeling close to breaking down. He felt as if he weren't facing three prospective Genin, but an elite team that had worked together for years.
"Wow, it worked!"
But Haruno Sakura wasn't disappointed by the Fuma Shuriken's failed attack. Instead, she jumped up excitedly.
Haruno Sakura's unusual reaction made Kakashi realize something was wrong. He quickly turned to look at the Fuma Shuriken.
But it was too late. The Fuma Shuriken that had just flown past Kakashi's back had somehow turned into Naruto.
"Kakashi-sensei, the bells are ours!"
Laughing loudly, Naruto steadied himself in midair and lunged straight for the bells hanging from Kakashi's waist.
"Transformation Technique? How is that possible?"
Naruto's voice rang in Kakashi's ears like a thunderclap. Kakashi had never imagined Naruto would use the Transformation Technique to turn into a Fuma Shuriken.
As Kakashi wondered when Naruto had transformed into the Fuma Shuriken, the Naruto beside Sasuke suddenly vanished in a puff of white smoke. It was clearly just a Shadow Clone.
"Could it have been then?"
Seeing the Shadow Clone he'd always taken for the real Naruto disappear, Kakashi finally understood.
The fireball's explosion had blocked Kakashi's view. Naruto had taken advantage of that moment to use the Shadow Clone Technique and summon a clone in place of his real self, while the real Naruto transformed into a Fuma Shuriken in Lin Feng's hand. Then Haruno Sakura had thrown the Shuriken...
"They graduated from the Ninja Academy in just three months. It wasn't a coincidence after all—they really are exceptional!"
In the blink of an eye, Kakashi pieced everything together. Sasuke and the others' flawless attack plan left him marveling inwardly.
"Even so, I won't give up that easily..."
He could already feel Naruto's hand reaching for him. Kakashi gathered all the chakra in his body into his feet. He would use his speed to turn the situation around.
"Jingle~"
The moment Naruto's right hand touched the bells, they rang out sweetly.
Just as Naruto was about to grab the bells and pull them off, Kakashi instantly moved away from him.