A Clash with Elite Jonin Kakashi!

"Um... about yesterday, those people didn't give you any trouble, did they?..."

Naruto and Sakura were both present at the scene.

Although Sasuke didn't explicitly mention the heavenly punishment brought down by the Sword of Indra yesterday, Gekko Hayate reacted instantly upon hearing this and smiled.

"Of course not. Don't forget, I am a Special Jonin of the Anbu..."

Hearing this, Sasuke immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

It was better to be safe than sorry.

His wings had yet to fully grow, so it was better to remain steady for now...

Just as Su Jian was calculating to himself, another "whoosh" sounded!

A slender figure appeared out of thin air at the scene.

"Huh? Gekko Hayate, Uzuki Yugao?"

"Why are you two here?"

Kakashi noticed Gekko and Uzuki the moment he appeared.

He then glanced at Sasuke without a trace.

Could it be, he thought, that these two suddenly showing up here has something to do with the thunder over Konoha yesterday?...

Thinking this, Kakashi's heart sank for no apparent reason.

To be honest, compared to Naruto, Sasuke was much more to his liking.

Not only was he as handsome as he had been in his youth, but his talent was also cut from the same cloth.

With this thought in mind, Kakashi made up his mind!

If these two wanted to give Sasuke a hard time, he, as his teacher, would have to find a way to pull Sasuke through...

"Uh... haha, long time no see, Kakashi. You probably don't know this, do you?..."

"What?..."

"Actually, Sasuke was secretly taken in as a disciple by my master a long time ago."

"So, even though our master has disappeared for the last few years, strictly speaking, Sasuke is a fellow disciple of Yugao and me..."

"Fellow disciples?..."

Seeing that the expressions on Gekko and Uzuki's faces didn't look like they were joking, and seeing Sasuke nod calmly toward him, Kakashi rolled his eyes and asked with a smile:

"Are you two here today to take this opportunity to see the strength of your little fellow disciple through me?..."

"Hahahaha..."

Gekko Hayate laughed at these words.

"Kakashi, although you were the number one genius of our generation back then..."

"I don't mean to discourage you."

"But if my little fellow disciple had been born a few years earlier..."

"I reckon your position as Konoha's number one genius back then wouldn't have been safe!~ Cough, cough, cough..."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Kakashi finally stood opposite the three members of Team 7, ready to get down to business.

He said solemnly:

"Before we begin the test, I will state the rules one last time."

"The three of you must work together and coordinate with each other."

"The rules are simple: as long as you ring the pair of bells in my hand, you pass the test."

As he spoke, Kakashi hung the pair of bells, which were about half the size of a palm, onto his waist.

"And Naruto!"

"Remember! Young people shouldn't try to be clever!"

"On a real battlefield, no one will show you mercy, so I will absolutely not go easy on you during this test..."

"Ah? This..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the look on Naruto's previously calm face immediately turned ugly.

He didn't even know how he had graduated, let alone how he would face Kakashi going all out right from the start...

Naruto paused, swallowing hard.

He crept slowly toward Sasuke and Sakura, furrowing his brows as he whispered mysteriously, "I think we should come up with a foolproof tactic and ambush Kakashi-sensei. We'll do this, then that, hehehe, and finally..."

Naruto spoke with great flourish, but Sasuke let it go in one ear and out the other, not taking a single word in.

At some point, he slowly closed his eyes, turning his body toward the direction where Kakashi stood, remaining as still as a mountain.

The aura around him began to rise steadily.

He was like a Ninja Sword about to be unsheathed, his sharpness fully exposed!

A gentle breeze brushed past Sasuke's temples, lifting fallen leaves from Konoha to dance in the wind.

An invisible, murderous intent began to brew in the air, climbing ever higher.

At a certain moment.

A solitary leaf drifted past Sasuke's side.

The next instant.

As if it were a signal, Sasuke's eyes snapped open!

Whoosh!

His figure flickered, and in a flash, he vanished from where he stood!

"Sakura, what do you think of my plan? Hehehe..."

"I don't think much of it..."

"After all, among the three of us, Sasuke is the most handsome and the best fighter. Maybe we should listen to his suggestion first..."

"Sa... Hey! Sasuke! Come back! Don't act on your own!..."

Naruto and Sakura were still sneakily planning their ambush on Kakashi.

But in the blink of an eye, Naruto saw that Sasuke had already charged out alone, his body turning into a whirlwind!

He desperately wanted to call Sasuke back, but it was already too late...

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

His figure flickered as he reached a certain distance, his hands weaving through seals like blooming flowers!

His chest swelled, and the next moment, a massive fireball, as scorching as the sun, erupted forth!

"Hmm... judging by the density of this chakra, he's already reached the level of a Chunin. He truly is someone I've taken a liking to..."

As the heat surged toward him, Kakashi remained unhurried.

Seeing this, he simply formed a few hand seals.

The next moment, with a loud boom, a three-meter-high wall of earth slowly rose from the ground.

Like a screen, it firmly intercepted the Great Fireball Sasuke had unleashed.

This was one of Kakashi's signature defensive techniques: Earth Style: Earth Wall!

The damp earth and the scorching fireball tore at each other.

Before long, the moisture and weeds within the soil were scorched, sending up thick smoke and rising steam!

The distinct scent of scorched vegetation filled the scene, pungent and foul!

But just as the thick smoke obscured the two of them, several shuriken suddenly flew out from the haze, their cold light gleaming and sharp.

"Oh? A feint? So this was the real move? That's... quite interesting..."

With a soft chuckle, he reached to his waist.

The next moment, a kunai appeared in Kakashi's hand out of thin air.

Swish, swish, swish!

The shuriken flew like meteors, streaking toward Kakashi from all sides.

Though there were many, their accuracy was lacking.

Only a few shuriken hit their mark, and those were easily deflected by Kakashi.

The rest of the shuriken scattered like disorganized troops.

They struck the grass, rocks, and tree trunks, landing everywhere.

"Sigh... although having this kind of combat awareness at his age is already quite rare."

"But if he were to face a top-tier Jonin like Kakashi..."

"He would still be far, far too lacking..."

Seeing this, Uzuki Yugao let out a sigh.

Although Sasuke was merely a child.

At this moment, she hadn't even realized it herself.

Ever since the moment the Ninja Sword acknowledged its master yesterday.

She had already begun treating Sasuke as a peer, viewing him as the future hope of the Konoha Style...

Beside her, Gekko Hayate seemed to catch the note of reluctance in his partner's tone.

Instead of rushing, he chuckled:

"Things aren't that simple."

"Perhaps, Yugao, you have truly underestimated Sasuke this time..."