The Scarred Left Eye

Naruto would not recklessly tear away the mask Kakashi went to such lengths to keep in place.

He would, however, make it happen by accident, catching Kakashi off guard so the mask would fall on its own.

Hinata was indeed putting in a massive effort to snatch the bells from Kakashi's hand; she nearly succeeded with a few sneak attacks, but Kakashi dodged them all with effortless grace.

Kakashi had faced little pressure while in the Anbu, spending these years merely relaying messages for Minato Namikaze, so he had grown quite lax in his training. However, his fundamentals were solid, allowing him to still make incremental progress.

The only one not taking action on the field was Sakura Haruno. She had no idea how to coordinate with Naruto and Hinata. In the Ninja Academy, her academic grades were excellent, but in terms of ninjutsu, she only knew the Three Body Technique and how to throw shuriken.

She was simply too ordinary.

Kakashi jingled the bells. "Naruto, time is running out. If you don't snatch a bell, you'll have to head back to the Ninja Academy. I'm being serious."

"Kakashi-sensei, can you tell me what the point of this bell test is?" Naruto asked loudly, stepping forward. With Hinata flanking from the other side, they once again had Kakashi surrounded.

Kakashi formed hand seals: Clone Technique!

Kakashi's clone blocked Hinata's attack.

Kakashi said, "Naruto, the meaning behind this is something you need to realize for yourselves. If I say it out loud, it loses its meaning."

Naruto activated the first gate of the Eight Inner Gates, the Space Gate. Accelerating instantly, he formed his hands into claws and lunged, one after the other, to snatch the bells from Kakashi's hand.

Kakashi let out a shout: "Guy's signature move! Naruto, you've grown to this point already."

Kakashi still had enough leeway to dodge.

But Naruto's true intent was not the bells; it was Kakashi's mask.

In the close-quarters scramble, Naruto pushed himself directly to the fourth gate, the Gate of Pain. The speed of his hands surpassed Kakashi's own.

Clang!

Kakashi felt a sharp pain in his hand. The bells flew out in an instant, caught by Naruto as he vaulted into the air.

Not only that, but Naruto had also emitted a blade of chakra from his fingertips, precisely severing the fastenings of Kakashi's mask.

The mask fell, the headband loosened, and Kakashi's face was revealed to Naruto and Hinata.

What a handsome man!

Naruto quite liked Kakashi's dashing features, even with the deep scar running through his left eye.

Hinata took a few glances before immediately closing her eyes, waving her hands. "Kakashi-sensei, I didn't mean to see that! I absolutely, truly respect you, and Naruto didn't do it on purpose either!"

Kakashi picked up his mask and put it back on, seeing right through the fact that Naruto had come prepared. "Fine. You managed to snatch the bells, but only two people can pass the test. I'll give you ten minutes to come to a decision."

Kakashi pulled out his favorite novel and walked to the side, cursing Guy under his breath. Damn you, Guy! If you had told me earlier that Naruto knew the Eight Inner Gates and could open the fourth gate, would I have made such a fool of myself today?

Sigh! My beauty, hidden for so many years, how could it be seen by a bunch of kids first? Kakashi thought, feeling troubled.

In the middle of the clearing.

Sakura Haruno listened to Naruto in embarrassment. Throughout this test, she hadn't contributed a single thing. She watched Hinata, who didn't show a hint of stage fright, and watched Naruto move so fast he left afterimages in the air.

She felt as though she and they belonged to two different worlds.

So, were she and Sasuke also from two different worlds?

"Hinata, keep it up. You take one bell so Kakashi-sensei doesn't find an excuse to fail us," Naruto said. "Sakura Haruno, I don't know you well, but looking at your performance in school, you shouldn't be this passive. If Kakashi-sensei were a real enemy, you would likely be the first one killed. I'm giving this bell to you as a warning—think about it more!"

Hinata encouraged her, "Naruto, I think Sakura is excellent. She made it this far entirely on her own. Both you and I had help; if Sakura had the same opportunities, I believe she could also become a ninja who can stand on her own."

Sakura Haruno woodenly took the bell.

Naruto turned around and said to Kakashi, "Kakashi-sensei, send me back to the Ninja Academy! I gave the bells to them."

Kakashi clapped twice, praising Naruto's decision. "Turning the tables on me, are you? The Fourth Hokage was my teacher and your father. By that logic, I can be considered your uncle. Therefore, I declare that you have all passed the test."

"Sakura, you lack practical experience. From now on, I will teach you slowly in that regard."

Sakura Haruno said gratefully, "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

"Team 7 is officially formed. Starting tomorrow, I will take you on missions to earn some pocket money, and then we'll have a lively barbecue," Kakashi said with a clear mind. "Dismissed."

Kakashi prepared to leave toward the west, and Naruto followed him.

Naruto was thick-skinned enough to ask, "Kakashi-sensei, I'm very curious—how did you get the scar on your left eye?"

Kakashi walked slowly. "You really want to hear my story? It'll cost you. You're paying for our first barbecue, how about that?"

Naruto thought it was a fair deal. "No problem."

"That year, I was just twelve. Minato-sensei hadn't yet become the Fourth Hokage, and I was already a powerful Jonin."

What a humble-brag!

"There was a mission to complete at the time. Team Minato was carrying it out: myself, Rin, and Obito."

"Minato-sensei split up from us. Rin was captured by Rock Ninja, and Obito and I had a disagreement. I believed completing the mission was most important; Obito believed saving a comrade was just as important as the mission."

"Although Obito was a coward, he didn't fear the powerful Rock Ninja when it came to saving Rin. I was persuaded by him, so we went together."

"During the battle, my left eye was slashed, but we managed to take out all the Rock Ninja. However, an accident occurred—a giant boulder fell, crushing half of Obito's body."

"Before Obito sacrificed himself, he gave me his left eye. From that day on, I gained a Sharingan and earned the title of Copy Ninja."

It was a tragedy.

Naruto asked with a heavy heart, "Did Sister Rin sacrifice herself as well?"

Yagura had already been judged, with Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, personally intervening to extract and seal the Three-Tails from within him. Having lost the Three-Tails, Yagura spent his final, agonizing days in a Konoha prison.

Kakashi tacitly confirmed Naruto's speculation: "It is a matter of time and fate."

Kakashi felt no burden in sharing the sorrowful story within his heart with Naruto; once he finished, he felt much lighter, as if Naruto had helped him shoulder some of the weight of those memories.

"Goodbye, Kakashi-sensei!"

The two parted ways.

As Naruto walked home, he thought: The Masked Man who orchestrated the clan's annihilation also possessed the Sharingan, yet there were very few people in this world capable of awakening the Sharingan, and he knew them all.

Could it be Uchiha Obito?

Naruto suddenly felt that there was a possibility it was him.