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Almost at that very same moment,
as Kakashi was engulfed by flames,
and the huge crater left by the explosion appeared before them,
Sakura, who had been hiding in the forest and watching, leaped out.
"You actually killed Kakashi-sensei? This is just a test! Sasuke! Naruto!"
Sakura cried out toward Sasuke and Naruto, her face showing shock and fear. The moment she saw her appear, Sasuke frowned, and Naruto's expression changed. He shouted sharply in her direction.
"Sakura! Don't come out! Get back!"
"Huh?"
But Naruto's warning came a little too late.
As Sakura stood there, momentarily stunned, she suddenly felt someone pat her shoulder. She turned instinctively, and Kakashi's smiling face came into view. Before Sakura could react,
Kakashi quickly formed Hand Seals.
"Genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique."
In an instant, Sakura's once-clear eyes grew unfocused.
The next moment—
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
A piercing scream rang out.
As Naruto watched with a helpless hand pressed to his forehead,
Sakura's body went limp and crumpled to the ground.
One down, just like that.
Honestly,
Naruto didn't know what to say.
If Sakura had stayed put in the forest, Kakashi—who was holding back against them—would never have gone after her. But Sakura had jumped out on her own, giving Kakashi a reason and an opportunity to take her down.
Seriously.
She knew Kakashi was a Jonin.
How could he possibly be taken out so easily by the two of them?
And then she came charging out with that "you've made a terrible mistake" look on her face.
At the time, Naruto didn't even know how to respond. Haruno Sakura had consistently ranked near the top in theoretical studies at the Ninja Academy. From that perspective, she should have been pretty clever.
So why, in the few days they'd known each other,
had Haruno Sakura kept lowering the bar for Naruto's estimate of her intelligence?
And she'd graduated as a Genin after six years at the Ninja Academy, too.
If they just sent her straight out into the world like this,
forget the other Genin from the Five Great Villages—even rogue ninja from Takigakure, Kusagakure, Amegakure, or unaffiliated groups could easily defeat her, or even kill her.
This was seriously dragging down the average standard of Konoha's Genin.
And with Sakura cleanly eliminated,
Naruto's other plan had gone up in smoke.
They no longer had bait.
There was no way to put the plan into action.
"Now it's really going to be even harder..."
Watching Kakashi set Sakura aside, Naruto couldn't help letting out another sigh. He muttered under his breath.
Sasuke could tell Kakashi was strong by instinct.
But Naruto knew exactly how strong Kakashi was at the moment.
Even while holding back—without going so far as to throw the match—
he was still beyond the reach of two rookie Genin like Naruto and Sasuke.
It was like two noob players who'd started with a couple of cheap items going up against a level-eighteen boss in full gear.
Even if the boss sold all his gear and disabled every skill, they'd still get stomped. The only difference was whether it would be a little painful or a lot more painful.
If the three of them had worked together a bit better from the start,
Naruto's original plan would have had a decent chance of succeeding. But now...
"Plan A failed outright, Plan B never even got off the ground. Now we can only see if Plan C works..."
Naruto looked at Kakashi in the distance, then at Sasuke, who had used the chance created by Sakura's defeat to put some distance between himself and Kakashi and move to Naruto's side. Sasuke watched Kakashi warily. Naruto took a deep breath, and a faint golden light surfaced in his eyes.
The odds were slim, but they still had a chance.
Besides, he'd already said it: this was the best place to test his limits. He couldn't give up so easily.
Naruto drew a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. His eyes closed, and his emotions gradually settled. Deep inside, his mind turned as still and cold as ice, without a ripple. Before Kakashi's gaze could return to him, Naruto seemed to sense it. His eyes snapped open, deep as a pool and cold as ice. A bone-chilling aura, as if it could make the air itself plummet in temperature, filled the space between them.
The moment their eyes met,
Kakashi paused, then raised an eyebrow, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"I guess you really are a ninja who's been through life-and-death battles. It looks like taking Naruto down is going to take a lot more effort..."
Kakashi watched Naruto and Sasuke standing shoulder to shoulder, but focused most of his attention on Naruto. Sasuke was excellent. Compared with most kids his age, he was undoubtedly a genius. But next to Naruto, he seemed too raw and inexperienced.
It was fair to say
that Naruto was the only one here who could pose even the slightest threat to Kakashi while he was "holding back." Judging by Naruto's expression, he clearly had a strategy in mind. That was what interested Kakashi most. He was eager to see whether the kid could surprise him even more.
"I'll draw his attention. Sasuke, look for an opening. Remember, our only goal is to take the Bells. You know how big the gap is between us and Kakashi-sensei. There's no way we can beat him!"
Naruto bent slightly at the waist, his muscles tensed all over. With a grave expression, he spoke to Sasuke beside him.
Sasuke maintained his usual arrogant air and gave a cool nod without saying much. But the increasingly icy look on his face made it clear that he'd entered the fight in earnest.
This was an important test that would determine whether he could graduate.
The pride of the Uchiha Clan wouldn't allow Sasuke to fail here.
His ambitions, his goals—
That man was waiting for him somewhere out there!
"Well? Have you decided on a strategy? I'll say it again: unless you're prepared to kill me, you won't get the Bells!"
Kakashi lightly jingled the Bells at his waist, still looking as utterly languid as ever. As the clear ringing faded,
"Jingle, jingle..."
Kakashi's lightly teasing words rang in Naruto and Sasuke's ears.
"Heh. Then you'd better be prepared, too, Kakashi-sensei!"
Seeing Kakashi's expression,
Naruto smiled. A bold, exuberant air flared around him in that instant,
making Kakashi pause.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
The next moment,
Naruto swiftly formed Hand Seals. His voice rang out clearly.
"Poof, poof, poof, poof!"
A thick cloud of white smoke burst out and spread in an instant.
Even though Naruto had held back,
hundreds of solid clones still appeared.
Not only Sasuke beside him,
but even Kakashi's pupils contracted slightly. Deep in his eyes, a look of shock emerged.