I Don't Need to Become a Ninja

Naruto stared at the two bells hanging from Kakashi's waist, then glanced at Sakura and Sasuke beside him.

His mind raced as fast as it could.

Two bells, three people. Their rotten teacher was clearly trying to make them fight over them.

But eliminate Sakura or Sasuke? No way.

Then they could only take the bells together and punch that rotten teacher in the face.

Sakura's fingers rubbed against the handle of her kunai. She bit her lip, thinking about how to coordinate their roles so all three of them could pass.

Before she and Naruto could discuss it with Sasuke, he had already walked over.

His right hand moved to the ninja tool pouch on the outside of his thigh. His thumb flicked open the leather clasp, and he hooked out a shuriken. With a snap of his wrist, he hurled it straight at Kakashi's face.

Then he pushed off with both feet, his whole body rushing right behind the shuriken's path as he charged at Kakashi.

"You're attacking without saying a word?!" Naruto leaped from where he stood. Chakra had already begun compressing and vibrating around his right fist, warping the air into ripples.

"Naruto, left! I'll take the right!" Sakura cut in from the side, her kunai angled toward Kakashi's ribs.

"That's more like it!" Kakashi tilted his head slightly, dodging the shuriken.

He blocked Sakura's kunai with his right arm and pulled his left hand out of his pocket, casually swatting away Naruto's chakra-charged punch.

The three attacks came almost simultaneously, and Kakashi dealt with them just as quickly.

After that exchange, Kakashi was at a loss for words.

You're telling me this lot came here to take the Genin exam?

Third Hokage, Jiraiya, what have you done?!

The three quickly coordinated a second wave of attacks.

Sakura pulled back her right fist, then drove her left fist toward Kakashi's abdomen, blue light glowing as chakra gathered around it.

Naruto chopped down at Kakashi from above with a knife-hand strike.

Sasuke formed Hand Seals with both hands. His chest swelled, and he spat out a Great Fireball, its flames blocking Kakashi's path of retreat.

Kakashi leaped backward, turning halfway around in midair. He lightly touched the flames at the edge of the Great Fireball with his toes.

As he flipped over, he drew two shuriken from his pouch and flung them downward. They struck the ground right in front of Naruto and Sakura, forcing them to stop short.

"Good teamwork." Kakashi landed three meters away and adjusted his slightly crooked Forehead Protector.

"But it's not enough."

The four of them quickly clashed again, and the sun slowly climbed toward its zenith.

Naruto was already getting dizzy. Several times, he had clearly seen his chakra-charged knife-hand strike hit Kakashi's shoulder, only for Kakashi to turn into a log.

Kakashi's Substitution Technique was terrifying.

Fine beads of sweat had appeared on Sakura's forehead, too.

She felt that Kakashi's Taijutsu was smoother than anyone she had ever seen, as if he could predict her every move.

Sasuke was driven back by Kakashi's elbow.

Kakashi caught Sasuke's wrist from behind and yanked him forward, then lightly hooked his foot around Sasuke's ankle. Sasuke lost his balance and went tumbling.

His back hit the ground, sending up a ring of grass clippings.

Naruto and Sakura immediately abandoned their attacks and retreated together, landing on either side of Sasuke.

The three formed an angled stance again, with Sasuke protected behind them.

Kakashi didn't pursue. He stood where he was, looking at Sasuke on the ground as he pulled a book from his ninja tool pouch and turned a page.

"Sasuke Uchiha, your Taijutsu is pretty good, and your Fire Release is better than I expected. But your chakra reserves—"

"Kakashi-sensei." Sasuke sat up, brushed the grass clippings from his shoulder, and cut him off.

"You've been keeping an eye on me before, haven't you?"

Kakashi stopped turning the page of Make-Out Paradise, the page caught between his fingers.

"You knew?" Kakashi narrowed his right eye.

"I did." Sasuke stood up.

"Three years ago, Lord Hokage had you watch me near the training grounds, didn't he?"

Kakashi fell silent for a moment, then closed the book and tucked it back into his ninja tool pouch.

"So?" Kakashi pulled his hand out of the pouch. "What are you trying to say?"

"So you know I have summoned beasts." Sasuke lowered his gaze to the shadow at his feet. "Can I use them?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

But what interested him more was why Sasuke had gone out of his way to ask permission—when he could have summoned them without warning and caught him off guard.

"I told you before, you have to be prepared to kill me if you want to take the bells." Kakashi's eyes curved into a smile. "Summoning Technique is part of your strength. Use whatever you want."

Naruto and Sakura both turned to look at Sasuke.

They knew better than anyone how much trouble his summoned beasts could cause: Shiro and Black Dog's coordinated Taijutsu, Escaping Rabbit's overwhelming numbers, and Round Deer's Reverse Cursed Technique.

Sasuke shook his head.

"If I came here prepared to kill my teacher..."

The shadow beneath his feet began to churn, and three animal shapes stepped out of it.

Black Dog shook his fur and scanned Kakashi with golden eyes. He didn't look particularly interested in fighting.

White Dog bared his teeth, his tail wagging wildly behind him. Warm breath spilled from beside his red tongue and vanished into the mist.

Escaping Rabbit looked up at Kakashi, then at Sasuke, and considerately waited for him to finish speaking.

"Then my teacher would definitely die."

Kakashi felt as if a thin sheen of sweat had appeared on his forehead.

His smile, which had remained relaxed as he dealt with the trio's coordinated attacks, stiffened noticeably.

"You little brat..."

Kakashi swallowed the thought, What a show-off.

"That's mean. Do you think your teacher's weak?"

Before Kakashi could finish, White Dog shot toward him in a blur.

Black Dog silently circled around to block Kakashi's escape route.

Escaping Rabbit twitched his ears, and countless white rabbits surged in from every direction, flooding toward the center of the clearing.

The gust of wind from White Dog's claws scattered Kakashi's hair. He didn't plan to take the hit head-on. He had only formed half the Hand Seals for the Body Flicker Technique when he realized Black Dog had already blocked his way out.

He had no choice but to take the blow on his arms. His whole body spun through the air before he landed.

Then three more Escaping Rabbits slammed into his left leg, forcing him to lean backward to avoid them.

Naruto and Sakura watched the sea of rabbits blanketing the clearing and silently clenched their fists.

"Sasuke-kun's summoned beasts are just ridiculous, no matter how many times I see them." Sakura's voice held a complicated note of sympathy.

"Exactly! It's always like this when we fight that guy! He lets dogs and rabbits—"

Naruto kicked aside a few clumps of white rabbits, ready to keep complaining, but then noticed a rabbit rubbing against his trouser leg and climbing up.

It had a bell in its mouth.

Sakura looked down. A rabbit had also climbed onto her ninja sandal, with a bell in its mouth.

Kakashi was crouching on a nearby tree branch, with several rabbits still clinging to his pant leg.

"Ah, well, I guess I lost." Kakashi jumped down from the branch and stood in front of the three of them.

He took the bells from the rabbits' mouths, then held up two fingers.

"The rule is that you pass if you get a bell. Now you've got both bells, Sasuke."

"But there are only two bells. Sasuke, you can choose one person to become a Genin alongside you. In other words, someone has to be eliminated."

Naruto stamped his foot impatiently. "You white-haired weirdo! What kind of ridiculous rule is that? You're forcing Sasuke to give up one of his teammates!"

Sakura tightened her grip on the hem of her clothes. "It's okay, Sasuke-kun. I can—"

Before either of them could finish, Sasuke had already tossed the two bells.

They arced through the air and landed in Naruto's and Sakura's hands.

Naruto stared down at the bell. He looked as if he'd been stunned, his mouth opening and closing several times before he finally managed to choke out a question.

"W-what are you trying to say?"

Sakura clutched the bell's string, her eyes beginning to redden.

"Sasuke-kun... are you giving up your chance to become a Genin?"

"My goal is Impure World Reincarnation," Sasuke interrupted her. "Not becoming an elite Jonin or the Hokage."

He turned to look at Kakashi.

"If I can't become a Genin, I'll go on missions with Jiraiya. The Third Hokage will still recognize my achievements."

"Then I'll still be able to obtain Impure World Reincarnation."

"If I have to eliminate one person, I choose not to become a ninja."

After he finished, Sasuke stood where he was, waiting for Kakashi's response.

Sakura froze. She looked from Sasuke to Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, it's not really the way Sasuke says, is it?"

"If Sasuke doesn't become a ninja, he shouldn't be able to get Impure World Reincarnation, right?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head.

"Come to think of it, Sasuke might actually be right."