The Scarred Left Eye

Naruto wouldn't recklessly expose the face Kakashi deliberately kept hidden.

Instead, he'd let Kakashi's mask fall by accident, without seeming to do it on purpose.

Hinata really was trying hard to snatch the bells from Kakashi. Several times, her sneak attacks had nearly succeeded, but Kakashi had deftly dodged them.

Kakashi had faced little pressure in Anbu. Over the years, he'd only passed messages to Minato Namikaze, so he'd become rather lax about training. Still, Kakashi had a solid foundation and had made a little progress.

The only one who hadn't done anything was Sakura Haruno. She had no idea how to coordinate with Naruto and Hinata. At the Ninja Academy, she'd excelled in academics, but the only ninjutsu she knew was the Three Body Technique, and she could throw Shuriken.

She really was ordinary.

Kakashi jingled the bells. "Naruto, we're running out of time. If you can't get the bells, you'll have to go back to the Ninja Academy. I'm serious."

"Kakashi-sensei, could you tell me what the point of this bell test is?" Naruto called out. He stepped forward, with Hinata in front of him, and they once again surrounded Kakashi.

Kakashi formed Hand Seals. "Clone Technique!"

Kakashi's clone blocked Hinata's attack.

"​​Naruto, the point is something you have to figure out for yourselves. If I tell you, it'll defeat the purpose."

Naruto opened the first of the Eight Inner Gates: the Gate of Opening. He accelerated in an instant, reaching out with both hands, one after the other, to snatch the bells from Kakashi.

Kakashi cried out, "That's one of Guy's signature moves! Naruto, you've grown this much already?"

Kakashi still had enough leeway to dodge.

Naruto's real target wasn't the bells—it was Kakashi's mask.

At close range, Naruto went straight to the fourth gate, the Gate of Pain. His hands moved faster than Kakashi could react.

Clink!

Kakashi's hand stung, and the bells flew into the air. Naruto leaped up and caught them.

That wasn't all. Chakra blades burst from Naruto's fingertips, precisely slicing through the ties holding Kakashi's mask in place.

The mask fell, and his Forehead Protector slipped askew, revealing Kakashi's face to Naruto and Hinata.

What a handsome man!

Naruto rather liked Kakashi's handsome features, despite the deep slash across his left eye.

Hinata glanced at him a few times, then hurriedly shut her eyes and waved her hands. "Kakashi-sensei, I didn't mean to see! I really, really respect you, and Naruto didn't mean to do it either."

Kakashi picked up his mask and put it back on. He saw through Naruto's preparations at once. "Fine. You got the bells, but only two of you can pass. I'll give you ten minutes. Tell me your decision then."

Kakashi took out the novel he loved and walked off to one side, cursing Guy in his heart. Damn Guy! If you'd told me Naruto knew the Eight Inner Gates and had opened the fourth, would I have embarrassed myself today?

Ugh! How did these kids end up seeing the handsome face I've kept hidden for years? Kakashi thought, vexed.

In the middle of the clearing,

Sakura Haruno listened awkwardly to Naruto. She hadn't contributed anything to the test from beginning to end. She looked at Hinata, who seemed completely at ease, and at Naruto, whose movements left afterimages in the air.

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

Did that mean she and Sasuke belonged to two different worlds, too?

"Keep it up, Hinata. Take one bell, so Kakashi-sensei doesn't give you a hard time," Naruto said. "Sakura Haruno, I don't know you very well. From the way you performed at the Academy, you shouldn't be this passive. If Kakashi-sensei were really an enemy, you might be the first one killed. Here, take this bell. Think of it as a warning. Give it some thought."

Hinata encouraged her. "Naruto, I think Sakura is amazing. She made it this far all by herself, while you and I both had help. If Sakura had the chance, I believe she could become a ninja who can stand on her own."

Sakura mechanically took the bell.

Naruto turned to Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, send me back to the Ninja Academy. I gave them my bells."

Kakashi clapped twice, applauding Naruto's decision. "You've turned the tables on me. The Fourth Hokage was my teacher, and he's your father. So, in a way, I could be your uncle. I hereby declare that all of you passed the test."

"Sakura, you lack field experience. I'll teach you more about that from now on."

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

"Team 7 is officially formed. Starting tomorrow, I'll take you on missions so we can earn a little money, then we'll have a lively barbecue dinner," Kakashi said, his thoughts already in order. "Dismissed."

Kakashi headed west, and Naruto followed him.

Naruto had no shame about asking. "Kakashi-sensei, I'm curious. How did you get the scar over your left eye?"

Kakashi walked slowly. "Do you really want to hear my story? It'll cost you. You can pay for our first barbecue dinner. How's that?"

Naruto thought it was a good deal. "Sure."

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

What a humblebrag!

"We had a mission to complete. The members of Team Minato who went on it were me, Rin, and Obito."

"Minato-sensei split off from us. The Rock Ninja captured Rin, and Obito and I disagreed. I thought completing the mission was most important; Obito believed saving a teammate was just as important as completing it."

"Obito might have been a coward, but he wasn't afraid of the powerful Rock Ninja when it came to saving Rin. He convinced me, so we went together."

"During the fight, my left eye was slashed, but we took out all the Rock Ninja. Then disaster struck: a boulder fell and pinned half of Obito's body."

"Before Obito died, he gave me his left eye. From that day on, I had a Sharingan—and the title of Copy Ninja."

What a tragedy!

Naruto asked sadly, "Did Rin-neechan die too?"

Yagura had already been judged. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had personally extracted and sealed the Three-Tails from inside him. After losing the Three-Tails, Yagura had spent a painful final stretch of his life in Konoha's prison.

Kakashi confirmed Naruto's guess. "It was fate."

Kakashi felt no burden telling Naruto this sad story from his heart. Afterward, he actually felt much lighter, as if Naruto had helped him shoulder some of the weight of those memories.

"Goodbye, Kakashi-sensei!"

The two parted ways.

Naruto headed home, thinking, The Masked Man who planned the massacre had a Sharingan, too. But there aren't many people in this world who can awaken the Sharingan, and I know them all.

Could it be Uchiha Obito?

Naruto suddenly thought it was possible.