Facing Kakashi's gaze.
Naruto smiled faintly and replied without a hint of panic.
"I wouldn't say I knew in advance. It's just that yesterday, after I found out Kakashi-sensei would be our Jonin instructor, I went to ask Iruka-sensei a few things about him. Kakashi-sensei, this isn't the first time the Third Hokage has assigned you a team, is it? But none of the previous graduates assigned to Team Kakashi ever stayed on. Obviously, they all failed the test you set. And when I put that together with what Kakashi said at yesterday's introductory meeting, there's only one explanation: today's special survival exercise is the final graduation test you've set for the three of us. Am I right, Kakashi-sensei?"
Kakashi fixed his gaze on Naruto. Then he raised his brows slightly, a smile appearing on his face, and nodded.
"That's right. Just as you said, Sakura and Sasuke, you're not the first graduates I've been assigned. I've led teams several times, but no team has ever officially been formed. The reason is just what Naruto said: they failed the test I set. And remember, this test isn't special to you. Every team has one. The only difference is the difficulty. But I can tell you with confidence that the pass rate each year is only thirty percent. You should understand what that means better than anyone, right?"
His first remark had been directed at Naruto. The rest were mostly an explanation for Sasuke and Sakura. After hearing Kakashi—and especially Naruto—Sakura's face turned uncontrollably pale, while Sasuke's expression grew even more serious.
The one-in-three pass rate Kakashi had mentioned was frightening enough on its own.
And Naruto had said that every graduate assigned to Team Kakashi over the past few years had failed. If that was true, then the pass rate was zero?
That number surfaced deep in Sakura's mind.
She couldn't help shivering.
Would they end up following in the footsteps of all those graduates before them?
Sakura looked at Kakashi, who was smiling cheerfully, and thought uneasily.
"All right, that's enough chatting. Now we'll begin the actual test. As I said before, you can only act as official Konoha Genin if you pass my test and earn my approval."
Kakashi seemed to have built the atmosphere up enough. He clapped his hands lightly, drawing all three of their attention.
"Hmm, it's eleven now, so let's set the deadline for twelve. If you don't achieve your goal, you fail. And if you don't finish before the time limit, you fail as well. As for the test itself, it's simple."
Kakashi smiled faintly.
"Jingle, jingle..."
He took two bells from his pants pocket, hung them from his waist, and continued.
"You can use any means you like. If you can take the bells from me before the time runs out, you pass!"
Kakashi raised his brows slightly as he looked at Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura, a meaningful smile on his face. Then he spoke softly.
"Here's a piece of advice: if you aren't prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bells."
Kakashi's words shocked Sasuke and Sakura once again.
Especially Sakura. As she stared at the two bells hanging from Kakashi's waist, an ominous feeling rose in her heart.
"Um... Kakashi-sensei? You said we have to get the bells to graduate? But there are only two bells... Does that mean...?"
Sakura asked in a timid voice.
"Heh heh! That's right, Sakura. Just as you thought, there are only two bells. So at most, two of you can graduate. Or maybe only one of you will. Or perhaps you'll all have to go back and repeat the year!"
Kakashi raised his chin slightly. A chilling look flickered in his eyes, and the hint of bloodlust in his voice, along with his sinister tone, made Sakura's body tremble uncontrollably.
"Huh? No way!"
The moment her prediction came true, Sakura's eyes widened.
She felt utterly miserable.
Only two people could pass?
Then wouldn't that mean she...
Sakura couldn't help glancing at Sasuke and Naruto beside her. Her mood immediately sank to rock bottom.
Sasuke's expression beside her had also turned grim.
Steal the bells from a Jonin?
He didn't know exactly how powerful this Jonin named Hatake Kakashi was, but becoming a Jonin was undeniably a mark of strength. Sasuke was arrogant, but he understood this far better than most of his peers. After all, he had once been the young master of the Uchiha Clan.
What being a Jonin meant.
Sasuke understood better than anyone.
Steal the bells from someone like that?
Sasuke thought the odds were incredibly low.
But no matter what Sasuke thought,
he still had to take part in this survival exercise!
He had no interest in wasting another year at the Ninja Academy!
He had to pass this test today.
Sasuke looked at Kakashi, determination flashing in his eyes.
Naruto showed no emotion on the surface, but inwardly he curled his lip.
It wasn't that Naruto thought Kakashi was bluffing.
In fact, putting aside what he knew from the original story in his previous life, in this life Naruto had genuinely learned from Iruka that Kakashi's team tests were exceptionally strict. As many as three or four previous teams had failed Kakashi's test.
The bell test was also one of the most direct and commonly used methods Konoha used to test Genin.
The overall pass rate of one in three was real, too.
But that was where the truth ended.
The rest of what Kakashi had said was meant to mislead them.
Because the main criterion for passing this test
was teamwork, not actually stealing the bells from the Jonin Kakashi.
If they could steal them, all the better.
If they couldn't, that was fine, too. As long as they met the test's requirements,
they could still pass.
And the most important thing was this:
after all, this was only a test. Kakashi would never use his full strength. He might even deliberately go easy on them at certain moments. Otherwise, the test would lose its purpose.
The only thing they needed to be mindful of was that Kakashi was the one in control.
Kakashi would be the one to decide whether they passed!
That was what Naruto needed to keep in mind as well.
Although Naruto didn't think they would fail, and although this test wasn't like a written exam where knowing the right answer guaranteed a pass, their odds of passing were well over eighty percent if they understood the goal and the key to the test.
Next,
Naruto needed to find a way to let Sasuke and Sakura realize this without making it obvious.
Or he could take the lead, bring the team together, and pass the test!
With that goal accomplished,
he would use this opportunity!
With Kakashi as his opponent,
he'd find out exactly where his limits were!!!