Bell Grabbing Test

Kakashi was still the same as in the show. The instructors of the other teams had already taken their students off to begin preliminary training, but only Team 7's meeting point was still empty.

Duanmu leaned against a tree trunk, both hands in his pants pockets, eyes closed as he rested, while Sasuke sat on the steps off to the side.

Naruto had already run back and forth through the middle of the training field several times, muttering nonstop, "Who the heck is our teacher? Why is he so slow!"

Sakura stood beside Sasuke, sneaking glances at his perfect profile from time to time, an infatuated blush on her face. She had no attention to spare for Naruto's complaints.

Duanmu kept his eyes closed, but his mind was working at high speed.

Kakashi's lateness was probably no accident. This "Copy Ninja" had always been known for being lazy and unpunctual, but every time he was late, it seemed to carry some kind of test.

When Duanmu had watched the anime in his previous life, he had known Kakashi would use his lateness as the first trial for the new genin, observing their patience, discipline, and reactions when faced with unexpected situations.

"Hey, do you think our instructor's gonna be some super-amazing big shot?" Naruto finally tired himself out and stopped to catch his breath, asking with a face full of anticipation.

Sasuke remained silent, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.

Sakura snapped back to herself and hurriedly chimed in, "Of course! Anyone who can guide us has to be one of the village's best jonin! Maybe... maybe even one of the Sannin!" Her eyes were filled with fantasy.

Duanmu slowly opened his eyes, glanced at Sakura, and said evenly, "The Sannin are all very busy. It's not very likely they'd come lead rookies. Still, our instructor is indeed quite a famous jonin." He thought of Kakashi's name, which resounded throughout the ninja world, as well as that mysterious Sharingan of his.

Just then, a lazy voice came from not far away. "Oh my, looks like I'm late."

Everyone looked toward the sound and saw a silver-haired ninja leaning at an angle against the railing of the training field. His forehead protector covered his left eye, a faint, barely there smile hung at the corner of his mouth, and both his hands were tucked into the pockets on either side of his ninja tool pouch. He looked utterly loose and unruly.

Kakashi spotted Duanmu at once and greeted him casually. "Yo, Duanmu. We haven't seen each other for a while since you got out of the hospital, have we?"

After Naruto and the other two heard Kakashi's words, they all showed surprised expressions and looked toward Duanmu.

So Duanmu had known this seemingly powerful jonin for a long time already?

Naruto's eyes widened even more, and he leaned curiously toward Duanmu, asking in a low voice, "Duanmu, you know him? Who is he? He looks so cool!"

Duanmu met Kakashi's gaze and nodded neither humbly nor arrogantly. "Yes. Thank you for taking care of me at the hospital before, Kakashi-sensei."

He did not explain too much. After all, Kakashi had still been in the Anbu then, and at that time, he had just happened to be responsible for protecting Duanmu.

As Duanmu spoke, he walked forward, drew close to Kakashi, and asked, "How is Izumi?"

A barely perceptible ripple passed through Kakashi's eyes, but he soon returned to that lazy expression. His voice dropped extremely low, low enough that only the two of them could hear. "She's still under observation. Her mood isn't very stable, but there's nothing seriously wrong with her body. She's asked about you a few times."

Duanmu nodded in silence, slightly relieved.

"Hey, hey! What are you whispering about?" Naruto shouted in dissatisfaction. He hated it most when people kept things from him.

Only then did Kakashi move his gaze away from Duanmu and sweep it over the four boys and girls before him. The smile at the corner of his mouth did not change, but his tone carried a hint of scrutiny. "Sorry, sorry. Something came up on the road and delayed me. Well then, I'm your supervising jonin, Kakashi Hatake. Starting today, I'll be responsible for guiding Team 7." He paused, his gaze passing over each of their faces in turn. "Before we officially start taking missions, let's do a little test first."

"A test?" Naruto immediately perked up and rubbed his fists together. "What kind of test? Fighting?"

Kakashi raised one finger and wagged it, that punchable smile still hanging on his face. "Not fighting. It's very simple. It is now 9:03 in the morning, and I'm giving you a mission. Before noon, you need to take the two bells in my hand here in this training field." He shook the two silver bells tied around his wrist. "The rule is, as long as you can take a bell from me, you pass. However—"

His tone shifted, and his gaze suddenly turned sharp. "If you still haven't taken a bell when time is up, then anyone without a bell will be unqualified to become a ninja and will be sent back to the Ninja Academy to repeat their training. Also, I only have three bells here. That means... at least one of you is going to fail."

"What?!" Naruto and Sakura cried out at the same time.

"And," Kakashi added, "during the test, food and water are forbidden. If anyone tries to secretly eat, or help each other, that will also count as failure. All right, the test begins now!"

The moment his words fell, Kakashi's figure vanished from the spot like a ghost, leaving only a faint wisp of white smoke behind.

"Huh? Where'd he go?" Naruto looked around, his face full of shock and confusion.

Sasuke abruptly stood up, his solemn gaze sweeping across the surroundings, his hands already prepared to form seals. The speed Kakashi had just displayed made him feel pressure unlike anything he had ever felt before, but it also stirred the competitive spirit in his heart.

Sakura, on the other hand, was completely flustered. She looked at the empty surroundings, then at the serious-faced Sasuke and the anxious Naruto, standing there at a loss. "W-what do we do? This is basically an impossible mission!"

Duanmu had been quietly observing Kakashi the entire time. He remembered this bell test. In the original storyline, it had taken place the day after Naruto and the others officially became genin.

He had not expected that because of the variable that was himself, Kakashi would actually start the test ahead of time, and the rules also seemed slightly different from what he remembered—originally, there had been two bells for three people, but now it had become three bells for four people, meaning at least one person was still destined not to pass.

Of course, Duanmu knew that the so-called bell test was only a pretext. What truly decided whether they could become genin was whether they possessed awareness of teamwork.

What Kakashi wanted to see had never been a scene of them doing whatever it took to seize the bells and crushing one another, but whether, in a desperate situation, they could give up personal gain for their companions, and whether they could truly understand the responsibility and bonds carried by the word "ninja."

Duanmu understood this very clearly, so the instant Kakashi announced the start of the test, he did not impulsively rush around searching like Naruto, nor did he immediately go on guard like Sasuke. Instead, he stood in place, rapidly thinking through a plan.

"Hey, Duanmu, why aren't you moving?" Naruto shouted anxiously. He was already unable to stop himself from wanting to rush out and search for traces of Kakashi. "We've gotta hurry up and find him and snatch the bells! Otherwise we'll be sent back to the Ninja Academy!"

Duanmu looked at Naruto and said calmly, "Naruto, don't be impulsive. Kakashi-sensei is that fast. If we search aimlessly like this, it'll be completely useless. Besides, think carefully. Three bells, four people—that itself is a trap."

"A trap?" Sakura looked at Duanmu in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is," Duanmu paused, his gaze sweeping over Sasuke and Sakura, "if each of us only thinks about getting a bell for ourselves, then the final result will very likely be that all of us fail. What Kakashi-sensei wants to test is probably not just our strength."

Sasuke gave a cold snort, clearly dismissing Duanmu's words.

In his view, strength was everything. As long as he was strong enough, he could get a bell. As for the others, they had nothing to do with him. He ignored everyone else, his figure flashing as he swiftly darted toward the other side of the training field. Clearly, he intended to act alone and seize a bell with his own power.

"Sasuke!" Seeing this, Sakura subconsciously wanted to chase after him, but just as she took a step, she stopped again. She looked at Naruto and Duanmu, hesitation appearing on her face.

"Hmph, sure enough, he only knows how to think about himself." Naruto curled his lip in dissatisfaction, but then immediately looked toward Duanmu again. "Then what do we do now? We can't just stand here and wait, right?"

"Of course we can't just stand here and wait," Duanmu said. "We have to find a way to locate Kakashi-sensei, but we can't act separately."

Duanmu turned to look at Sakura and Naruto beside him, and his head immediately ached. One reckless brute, one "theory war god."

Put these two together, and they were practically a negative example of teamwork. Still, it was precisely because of that that they needed someone to guide them. Duanmu took a deep breath and worked hard to keep himself calm. "Naruto, Sakura, listen to me. Kakashi-sensei's strength is far above ours. Going head-to-head gives us absolutely no chance of winning. And he just said that helping each other is forbidden. That itself is a test. If we really all fight alone, then we'll be doing exactly what he wants."

Naruto scratched his head, seeming to half understand. "But... if we can't help each other, and we can't each fight on our own, then what are we supposed to do?"

"Very simple." The corner of Duanmu's mouth lifted slightly. "We look for an opening in the rules. He said helping each other is forbidden, but he didn't say we couldn't 'accidentally' appear in the same place, or 'carelessly' create opportunities for each other. The key is that we have to let him see that even in this kind of test, which seems to rely only on individual strength, we still have a sense of teamwork."