Bell Assessment

From eight in the morning until noon, Kakashi Hatake had yet to appear despite the agreed-upon time, and by now, Mufeng Uchiha had already taken out his bento and begun eating on his own.

"Sit down, Naruto, come and have some."

Mufeng Uchiha ate his bento while picking up the one stacked to the side and handing it to Naruto Uzumaki, while Sasuke Uchiha sat beside him, eating his own meal in silence.

"Brother Mufeng, didn't the teacher say not to eat breakfast and not to bring any bento?"

"You have to know how to be flexible, Naruto. Besides, these might all be tests from Kakashi Hatake for us. Isn't that right, Kakashi Hatake?"

Mufeng Uchiha set down his bento and turned his head toward a nearby tree, where Kakashi Hatake, who hadn't appeared yet, had been hiding all along.

To think I was discovered, Kakashi Hatake couldn't help but smile bitterly, scratching his head with his hand.

This kid's sensory abilities are getting stronger and stronger. I originally wanted to see the patience and adaptability of these little ones, but now that's all gone to waste.

"Oh my, I ran into an old lady this morning and wasted some time helping her."

"Teacher, you haven't even cleaned the corner of your eye properly."

Kakashi Hatake subconsciously raised his hand to his eye, only then realizing he had been played, and was met with the disdainful gazes of all four students.

However, looking at Kakashi Hatake's black and white hair, it seems my technique has improved; perhaps he hasn't even noticed that the unique scent emanating from his black hair reveals his position at all times.

In the world of Hokage, Kakashi Hatake is a master of the shadow clone; even Pain was fooled by his Lightning Clone, so to avoid any personal vendettas, I must prepare in advance.

"Alright, first of all, you should know that every team only has three people. You've probably noticed that there are four of us here. So, the four of you will have to snatch the three bells in my hand. Those who fail to get a bell will be eliminated and sent back to the Ninja Academy to start over."

Kakashi Hatake held the three bells and made a playfully menacing face, which managed to scare everyone except Mufeng Uchiha.

"I'll give you three minutes to discuss your strategy. After three minutes, the bell-snatching test will begin immediately."

The group gathered together, and the three pairs of eyes turned toward Mufeng Uchiha in the center.

"Sakura Haruno, you just need to act according to the situation and provide cover for us at any time. Naruto, you have free rein to draw his attention. Sasuke, use your ninja tools and ninjutsu to pin him down. I will wait for the right moment to take the bells from Kakashi Hatake."

After the brief exchange, the bell-snatching test began. The other three immediately chose to hide in the woods, while Naruto Uzumaki had no intention of hiding, standing in place with his index fingers extended in the Ren Seal.

In the blink of an eye, thousands of Naruto Uzumaki appeared on the scene. Kakashi Hatake was instantly stunned; such a massive amount of Chakra—as a teacher, I am definitely not jealous!

"Naruto Uzumaki, your Chakra is indeed vast, but you'll soon experience for yourself why the Multi Shadow Clone Technique is classified as a forbidden jutsu."

Kakashi Hatake gave a wicked smile, acting as if he were about to teach Naruto Uzumaki a lesson, and suddenly crouched down, slamming his hands onto the ground.

Earth Spikes erupted from the ground, and Kakashi Hatake thought maliciously about whether Naruto Uzumaki would be rolling around in pain soon, letting him experience the sinister nature of adults.

"Kakashi Hatake, you've fallen for it!"

Naruto Uzumaki wore a mischievous grin, still holding the Ren Seal. The Multi Shadow Clones were dispelled, and Mufeng Uchiha and the other two, who had been hidden among the clones, were exposed. Sakura Haruno didn't hesitate to throw a smoke bomb.

As smoke filled the air, Sasuke Uchiha, who had already memorized Kakashi Hatake's position, threw dozens of shuriken under the cover of the smoke, using Uchiha Style Shurikenjutsu to control the projectiles and aim for Kakashi Hatake's blind spots.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

The thrown shuriken were engulfed in flames, and a large number of burning projectiles surrounded Kakashi Hatake, forcing him to drop his playful demeanor and get serious.

"Water Style: Water Wall!"

Kakashi Hatake finished his hand signs, and four walls of water rose up, causing the shuriken to fall as they were blocked by the Water Wall.

"Lightning Release: Chidori Current!"

Mufeng Uchiha descended from the sky and slammed his palm onto the area above Kakashi Hatake, releasing a powerful current of electricity that ravaged the area like countless venomous snakes biting toward Kakashi Hatake.

"Oh my, it seems I have to get a bit more serious now."

The Chidori Current only hit a Lightning Clone; the real Kakashi Hatake emerged from the ground and buried Naruto Uzumaki, who was still trying to sneak an attack, leaving only his head exposed.

After doing this, Kakashi Hatake used a Water Style: Water Whip to bind Sakura Haruno. At this moment, Sasuke Uchiha seized the gap, pushing his Total Concentration: Thunder Breathing to the limit, aiming for the bells at Kakashi Hatake's waist as he sprinted forward.

"Your speed is good, but your combat experience is still lacking!"

The moment Sasuke Uchiha touched Kakashi Hatake, the Lightning Clone exploded with a massive amount of electricity, shocking Sasuke Uchiha all over and causing him to collapse to the ground unconscious.

In the blink of an eye, Kakashi Hatake had taken down three people by himself. Mufeng Uchiha, who had been observing from the shadows, couldn't help but remark that Kakashi Hatake was truly going all out now.

Relying on the scent, Mufeng Uchiha had already determined that all the Kakashi Hatake on the scene were fakes, a mix of clones using five different elemental styles, while the real Kakashi Hatake had been hiding underground, waiting for an opportunity.

"Sneaky, Kakashi Hatake, just get out of the ground!"

Mufeng Uchiha raised his foot high, activating the Stomp skill of Lucario, and brought his foot down onto the ground above Kakashi Hatake's head.

"As expected, you are the most difficult to deal with. Mufeng, let me see your true strength."

Kakashi Hatake had already pulled up his headband, revealing his Sharingan, and gathered Chidori in both hands, clapping them toward Mufeng Uchiha as lightning bolts like snakes surged forward.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Snake!"

This was a new move Kakashi Hatake had devised after seeing Mufeng Uchiha's techniques; this Lightning Snake was fast and lethal, making it nearly impossible to dodge at close range.

"Kakashi Hatake, we've won this time."

The Mufeng Uchiha who had been struck by the lightning snake dissipated into wisps of electricity, while the real Mufeng Uchiha had already snuck up behind Kakashi Hatake and stolen the three bells.

"Kakashi Hatake, I suppose we've all passed now."

Kakashi Hatake held his forehead; Mufeng had already figured out the entire purpose of this test, making his own efforts seem a bit redundant.

"Your coordination was decent, but how will you choose your teammates now?"

Kakashi Hatake still wanted to see what Mufeng Uchiha would say, and Mufeng Uchiha crushed the three bells without a moment's hesitation.

"I choose none of them. Either we all become teammates, or we all go back."

"That's right, Big Brother Mufeng is right!"

"Hmph, next time, I will definitely win!"

"I want to advance and retreat together with them."

As soon as the words fell, Kakashi Hatake pulled all four of them into a hug. "All of you have passed."

"Eh? Didn't you say every team only has three people?"

"Mm, because there weren't enough people this year, the Hokage specially approved Team 7 to form a four-person squad. Don't dwell on it so much; to celebrate you becoming true genin, your teacher is treating you to barbecue."

Kakashi waved his hand grandly, looking at the four children before him. Especially for Mufeng Uchiha and the other two, whom he had taught all along the way, seeing that Mufeng had grown to a level that even he had to take seriously, he couldn't help but reveal a gratified smile.

He seemed to understand the feelings of Minato a little better now; it turned out that watching one's own students grow was such a fulfilling thing.