"What?!..."
The few people watching from a short distance away cried out in unison again.
They had never imagined that Sasuke's battle instincts would be so seasoned, as if they had been honed with care for decades.
Each move led into the next, cycling endlessly, one after another.
At that moment, they repeated the same words they had said before.
They were like broken record players, just standing there in a daze.
"So this is your real trump card?..."
Turning his head slightly to look at Sasuke, Kakashi suddenly understood.
If this had been a test of individual strength,
Kakashi would have given Sasuke a perfect score without hesitation.
But this test had always been about teamwork.
His teacher, Namikaze Minato, had tested them the same way back then.
"So... sorry, Sasuke, but I can't let you pass just yet!..."
At that thought, Kakashi's lips curled into a sly smile beneath his mask.
He simply changed his hand signs.
The next moment,
there was another bang!
A cloud of white smoke burst out. In the blink of an eye, all that remained was a neatly cut log, which fell to the ground!
"What?!..."
The four onlookers cried out in shock once again.
It was as if those were the only two words they knew.
Or maybe they were four mutes who could only shout "Aba, aba..." whenever they got excited.
They had already lost count of how many times they had said those two words.
But that did nothing to lessen their shock.
Sasuke acted as if he hadn't even noticed the log on the ground.
He stayed where he was, the corners of his mouth lifting into a triumphant, conspiratorial smile, and stood there with his hands on his hips, watching the show.
"Ah... Is it over?..."
"Seriously, Kakashi? It's just a test! Why are you taking it so seriously? Did Sasuke's unbelievable talent hit a nerve or something?..."
Gekko Hayate was so angry his teeth ground together.
But just then,
Kakashi's figure suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of Naruto, who stood dazed a short distance away. He reached out to grab Naruto by the collar!
"Watch out! Kakashi's going to ambush Naruto and take them down one by one!..."
Uzuki Yugao's beautiful eyes narrowed sharply as she cried out.
But even though she warned them at the first possible moment,
it was already too late.
Naruto looked terrified, while Sakura stood rooted to the spot, without the slightest chance to fight back.
And Sasuke, the only one who could have fought back, was on the lawn in the distance, arms folded and completely motionless.
It was as if he had simply given up.
But just as Kakashi smugly reached out to grab the terrified Naruto,
at the very last moment,
there was another bang!
A cloud of white smoke burst out!
But this time, Naruto didn't turn into a log.
Instead, to everyone's surprise,
he turned into Sasuke!
"This..."
Sakura's emerald eyes were filled with confusion.
Although she was now the closest person to Sasuke,
even she couldn't tell whether this Sasuke was a Shadow Clone or the real one.
As Kakashi reached out to grab him,
Sasuke's lips curled into a sly smile.
The next moment,
a scarlet glint flashed in his eyes.
Then,
he shouted furiously:
"Sharingan, awaken!"
Like a bugle call,
the sudden attack caught Kakashi off guard.
The instant their eyes met, it was as if Kakashi had been dragged into a world drenched in blood-red light!
Though the space was only a few feet across, he couldn't escape it for a moment!
"Sha... Sharingan!"
"He's already awakened it!..."
Only at the moment before he succumbed to the illusion did Kakashi finally understand.
He had always assumed that at Sasuke's age, even a prodigy like him would need another two years or so to awaken his eyes—just as he had once thought of Obito, the teammate he still felt he had let down.
But he had never expected that
Sasuke had already awakened his eyes!
And he hadn't even used them from the start!
Had he been holding back?
Good grief! When had a genius like this appeared in the Shinobi World?
At that thought, Kakashi was shaken to his core. His pupils kept contracting in disbelief.
But the next moment, under the genjutsu, his consciousness sank into that blood-red world!
His body grew heavier and heavier, as if weighed down by a thousand pounds.
"Now!..."
Seeing Kakashi's outstretched hand droop limply,
Sasuke knew his chance had come, but he had only this one moment.
If he lost it, he'd get nothing!
At that thought,
Sasuke instantly stirred up all the chakra he had left.
He only had to shift his body slightly before snatching the pair of bells from Kakashi's waist!
But how could a mere One-Tomoe Sharingan genjutsu make up for the vast difference in their strength?...
Kakashi was dazed for only an instant.
The next moment, he came back to his senses, his eyes clear again.
As he had said before,
if this had been a test of individual strength,
he would have let Sasuke win.
But the real purpose of this test was teamwork.
So no matter how outstanding Sasuke had been at this age, or in this test,
Kakashi absolutely wouldn't go easy on him!
"As expected of the man I want, Sasuke!"
"You're so cool!..."
Sakura's cheeks flushed as she lowered her head, who knew what naughty things were going through her mind.
Every so often, she even swallowed and giggled foolishly.
She didn't notice that Kakashi, right beside her, had already woken from the genjutsu.
Gekko Hayate was the most skilled person here.
And since he was also a sensory ninja,
he noticed right away that Kakashi had woken up, and hurriedly called out:
"Sasuke! Watch out! Kakashi's awake!..."
At this crucial moment, he no longer cared about the rules.
Sasuke had already performed far beyond expectations.
And yet Kakashi, a renowned elite Jonin, was seriously going after a junior?
He had no shame!
If Kakashi was going to be so unfair,
then Hayate wouldn't bother following the rules either!
Although Gekko Hayate's warning came at just the right time,
Sasuke acted as if he hadn't heard a thing. He stood motionless, still holding the pair of bells and grinning foolishly.
"This is bad..."
Uzuki Yugao sighed inwardly.
After all, Sasuke was her junior.
Though there was a vast gulf between their strength,
how could she be willing to accept his defeat?
But what good would that do?
Just as Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao had given up,
and Kakashi smiled, thinking the outcome was already decided,
Sasuke's figure suddenly vanished like a wisp of smoke!
Then Kakashi staggered, his outstretched hand grasping at empty air!
"This... He can still use the Body Flicker Technique at a time like this!"
"Could the rumors that Uchiha generally have low chakra reserves be false?..."
Staring blankly at his empty right hand, Kakashi fell into deep thought.
Just then,
from the treetop in the distance,
Sasuke's calm, unruffled voice suddenly rang out:
"Kakashi-sensei, thank you for going easy on me..."
Before you continue