Team 7 Officially Forms

Naruto wore a smile, while Sasuke looked calm.

And Sakura Haruno, who had just regained consciousness.

She stared at Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto with a bewildered expression.

"Well, that was a perfect tactic. I was truly deceived by the two of you. You did indeed complete the mission objective, but as I said before, grabbing the bells only means you have the qualifications to pass. There are only two bells, and only two spots for passing. Are you choosing to let yourself and Sasuke pass directly?"

Kakashi's gaze was fixed on Naruto as he spoke these words directly.

Beside them, Sasuke's expression became somewhat subtle.

Not far away, Sakura, who had still been in a daze, snapped back to reality the moment Kakashi's words fell.

Huh?

What was happening?

Naruto and Sasuke had grabbed the bells?

And now he was asking who would pass?

Her thoughts were chaotic, but she quickly sorted them out.

Sakura stood up from the ground and looked at the bells in Naruto's hand not far away. She was dazed at first, but as she fully processed the situation, a look of gloom appeared on her face. Since Naruto and Sasuke had grabbed the bells, they would certainly graduate smoothly, while she had contributed almost nothing.

Listening to Kakashi's words.

Sakura believed that returning to the academy to retake the course was the inevitable outcome.

Although for a fleeting moment, Sakura felt the urge to speak up.

She wanted to graduate!

She wanted to stay!

She wanted to be on the same team as Sasuke!

But she forcibly suppressed those thoughts immediately after.

She had no qualifications, nor did she have the courage to speak.

Sakura knew very well.

The bells were obtained through the cooperation of Sasuke and Naruto, and in terms of strength, the two of them were far superior to her. The ones who could graduate smoothly were Naruto and Sasuke, not her, who had been taken out from the very beginning.

Sakura thought to herself silently.

Although it was painful, this was a fact she had to accept.

That was what Sakura believed.

Sasuke, over there, also felt that Naruto would make such a choice, or rather, he thought such a choice was the most appropriate. They had just formed the team, and Sasuke had no special feelings for Sakura; he was even a bit annoyed by her (she had no strength and was just a fangirl).

Kakashi, on the other hand, thought Naruto might surprise him once more.

It might just require a bit more consideration.

However, the next moment, Naruto's actions once again exceeded the expectations of the three people present, especially Kakashi.

There was no struggle, and even less hesitation.

Almost within seconds of Kakashi's words falling.

Naruto smiled faintly, used a bit of force with his hands to pull the two bells apart, and then, to the utter astonishment of both Sakura and Sasuke, tossed them toward the two of them.

Before Sasuke and Sakura, who had both caught the bells, could react.

"Then I'll just choose to give the bells to Sasuke and Sakura."

Naruto chuckled and said this while looking directly at Kakashi, who also wore a look of astonishment.

"Naruto, why are you giving the bell to me? It should be for you and Sasuke. Just like Kakashi-sensei said, I didn't contribute anything at all. The bells were grabbed by you and Sasuke-kun together, so you two should be the ones to pass!"

Before Kakashi could speak.

Sakura, who had caught the bell, spoke up first with a firm expression.

Although the moment she caught the bell.

A sense of excitement and anticipation had involuntarily welled up deep inside Sakura's heart, but it was extinguished completely after only a second. Sakura knew very well that Naruto was giving this to her, not that she had earned it through her own strength. Although Sakura's strength was poor at this time, her mindset wasn't great, and she was even a bit of a fangirl, she was by no means a fool. She knew clearly what should be done and what should not.

This bell was not something she deserved.

Therefore, she could not take it.

She wanted it so badly, she was so reluctant to let it go, but she could not accept it.

In that very instant.

Sakura made her decision and wanted to throw the bell back.

But before she could throw it.

She was directly stopped by Naruto.

"No, Sakura, only if I give it to you can we all graduate together, right? Kakashi-sensei."

Naruto waved his hand toward Sakura in the distance.

Under the gaze of Sasuke's slightly furrowed brows and Kakashi's smiling expression, he spoke with a confident grin.

"Eh? Graduate together?"

Sakura stood frozen in place, as if she hadn't quite understood.

As for Sasuke, after his brows had furrowed, a flash of realization seemed to cross his mind. His brow slowly smoothed out, though the look he cast toward Naruto at that moment was filled with a complex meaning.

"Oh? And why would I let you all graduate just because you gave the bells to Sasuke and Sakura, Naruto?"

Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest, a playful look appearing on his face as he stared straight at Naruto and said with a smile.

"Because the focus of this survival exercise is whether the three of us have a sense of teamwork! Whether it was the bell-snatching battle earlier or the sharing of the bells now, what Kakashi-sensei wanted to test was whether the three of us could become a real team! Only by achieving that can we be considered to have met your requirements, Kakashi-sensei. Otherwise, even if we snatched a bell, if we fought alone, we would still fail in the end! And since Sakura decided to return the bell to me in the end, it proves her team spirit. Therefore, all three of us are qualified! Right, Kakashi-sensei?"

Naruto tilted his head slightly, looking up at Kakashi standing before him, and spoke in a clear, loud voice.

Wisdom, boldness, composure, and decisiveness when necessary.

Extremely sharp perception.

Most importantly, he believes in himself while also trusting his teammates.

It must be said.

Naruto's performance far exceeded Kakashi's previous expectations.

Looking at Naruto like this.

Deep in Kakashi's mind, the image of his former jonin instructor, Naruto's father, the Fourth Hokage—Namikaze Minato—undoubtedly surfaced.

"Sensei, your child has truly grown up."

Kakashi looked at the Naruto before him, his pupils reflecting a mix of relief, lament, and reminiscence. However, it lasted only for an instant before Kakashi completely suppressed it, immediately turning to face the three different expressions before him.

Kakashi finally stopped teasing them and nodded gently.

"Mm! All three of you have passed!"

These words rang out steadily.

Naruto and Sasuke showed no change in expression.

As for Sakura not far away, after a brief moment of shock, a look of disbelief and extreme joy appeared on her face.

Passed!

She had finally passed too!

She didn't have to go back to the Ninja Academy! She could continue to be teammates with Sasuke!

At this moment.

Sakura could not, or perhaps did not want to, suppress her emotions.

The look she cast toward Naruto was filled with gratitude.

Because of Naruto, she was able to graduate.

On this point.

Sakura saw things very clearly.

And with Kakashi's final verdict.

The graduates of this year!

Team 7 was officially formed!!