Grab the Bells? Run First

"There are only two bells. That means at least two of you will fail—possibly all of you—and be sent back to the Academy."

Kakashi swept his dead-fish eyes over the four of them, his tone lazy yet carrying undeniable pressure. "Use any means necessary. Come at me with the intent to kill, or else... you won't stand a chance."

The moment he finished speaking!

A burst of white smoke erupted, and dozens of Naruto's Shadow Clones came screaming as they charged at Kakashi like a tidal wave!

"Oh? Shadow Clones? And this many?" Kakashi seemed a little surprised, but he did not move an inch.

"Die, you sour-faced teacher!"

"Take this!"

Countless Narutos instantly buried Kakashi beneath them, piling into a human pyramid.

"Success!" Naruto's real body shouted smugly from the bottom.

"Idiot," Sasuke spat coldly.

Almost at the same time, the "Kakashi" buried beneath them suddenly turned into a wooden log.

"What? The Substitution Technique?!" Naruto's clones cried out before vanishing one after another.

"Behind you!" Sasuke reacted quickly, instantly flinging several shuriken toward Kakashi, who had suddenly appeared behind Naruto.

Kakashi casually tilted his head to dodge them. With a flick of his finger, he somehow looped a rope around Naruto before he could react and hoisted him directly into a tree.

"First one." Kakashi clapped his hands.

Sakura let out a frightened scream.

Ling Yue instantly tensed up. So fast! Is this the strength of a jonin? I couldn't see his movements at all!

"Now then..." Kakashi turned his gaze toward the remaining three.

Without wasting a word, Sasuke charged straight at him, attacking with swift, fierce taijutsu.

Kakashi blocked casually while continuing to read Make-Out Paradise. "Mm-hmm, your movements are fairly standard. Too bad you're too impatient. There are too many openings."

Ling Yue did not move. She took a deep breath and tried to maintain [Thunder Breathing], forcing herself to calm down.

I definitely can't beat him head-on. I have to watch and find an opening!

Sakura, meanwhile, had completely panicked and had no idea what to do.

"Sharingan!" Sasuke seized an opening, leaped back, formed hand seals, and opened his eyes again!

...Yet nothing happened.

"Oh? You tried to copy my Sharingan? Too bad your chakra control isn't there yet." Kakashi closed his book, his voice carrying a hint of teasing.

Sasuke's expression turned extremely grim.

Just then, Kakashi suddenly appeared in front of Sakura.

"Ah!" Sakura screamed in fright.

"Girls really shouldn't take part in this sort of fighting and killing." As Kakashi spoke, he instantly tied Sakura up with rope as well and hung her beside Naruto.

"Second one."

Now only Sasuke and Ling Yue remained.

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke charged at Kakashi again, even faster than before!

Kakashi shook his head, and his figure blurred.

"Third one." As his voice fell, Sasuke too was bound with rope and hoisted into a tree.

Too fast! We're not even on the same level!

Only then did Kakashi turn his eyes toward Ling Yue, who had not moved the entire time. Tilting his head, he said, "Oh? You're the only one left. Aren't you going to give it a try? Or have you already given up—"

Before he could finish, Ling Yue moved!

But she did not attack. She ran! Spinning around, she bolted at full speed into the woods behind her!

"Hmm?" Kakashi froze for a moment, clearly not expecting that reaction. "Choosing to retreat and preserve your strength? You're a little smarter than those reckless brats."

He did not immediately pursue her. Instead, he pulled out Make-Out Paradise again and leisurely resumed reading. In his eyes, a genin's speed was simply not enough to escape his grasp.

In the woods, Ling Yue pushed [Thunder Breathing] to the limit of what she could currently endure. Chakra clung to the soles of her feet, making her far faster than usual.

At the same time, she activated [Zetsu] without hesitation, suppressing her presence and chakra fluctuations as much as possible.

After running a long way in one breath, she hid in the crown of a thick, leafy tree and finally dared to catch her breath.

"Phew... phew... That's insane, absolutely insane..." Her heart pounded wildly. If she had charged in with the others just now, she would definitely be hanging there like cured meat too.

Carefully peering through gaps in the leaves, she could vaguely see Kakashi's relaxed figure in the middle of the training ground, as well as the three unlucky people hanging from the tree.

What do I do? There's no way I can just take the bells by force. The solution in the original story was teamwork, but with things like this...

Naruto was shouting and making a scene over there. "Let me go! You sour-faced Kakashi! Fight me one-on-one if you've got the guts!" Sasuke glowered in silence. Sakura was trying to persuade Naruto to calm down.

Kakashi ignored them completely and kept reading.

Time passed second by second.

Ling Yue's mind raced. Teamwork... how are we supposed to work together?

She could not rescue all of them by herself and then attack together.

Maybe... I can try a different approach?

Looking at how completely unguarded Kakashi seemed, a bold idea surfaced in her mind.

A sneak attack!

While his attention is on his book and those three, I'll use my fastest speed, snatch the bells, and run!

I don't need to beat him. I only need to touch the bells!

She definitely could not use [Thunderclap and Flash], but with the speed boost from [Thunder Breathing], plus the stealthy approach of [Zetsu]...

It's worth trying!

Taking a deep breath, she confirmed once more that [Zetsu] was in perfect condition. She slipped soundlessly down from the tree like a feather and used the forest's shadows to inch closer to Kakashi.

Her movements were light and slow, reducing her presence to the absolute minimum.

Closer and closer... She could already clearly hear Naruto's cursing.

Kakashi seemed completely unaware as he turned another page.

Now!

Ling Yue's eyes sharpened. She instantly released [Zetsu], and [Thunder Breathing] erupted at full force! The chakra beneath her feet exploded!

Like an arrow released from its bow, she shot toward the bells at Kakashi's waist at the utmost speed she could achieve!

She was so fast that she cut through the air with a sharp rush of wind!

"Hmm?" Kakashi seemed to notice only then. He looked up, and genuine surprise flashed through his exposed right eye.

So fast! That speed is nothing like a genin who just graduated!

Ling Yue's fingers were about to touch the bells!

At that very instant—

Kakashi's figure lightly shifted to the side at an angle and speed that utterly defied common sense.

Ling Yue's certain grab... missed!

She had not even seen how he moved!

The immense momentum carried her forward, and she nearly fell.

"Not a bad idea. Your speed isn't bad either." At some point, Kakashi had already closed his book. Looking at Ling Yue after she regained her footing, his tone remained lazy, but there was something else in his eyes now. "Too bad your intentions were too obvious."

Ling Yue's heart sank. I failed... The gap is still too great.

"Still..." Kakashi stroked his chin and looked at her thoughtfully. "What you used when you charged at me just now wasn't an ordinary chakra burst, was it? That breathing rhythm, the stimulation of your chakra... interesting."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Ling Yue's chest, which rose and fell slightly from her intense breathing, and her hands and feet, where chakra like faint arcs of electricity still lingered.

"And that technique you used to hide your presence at the start was pretty unusual too."

Kakashi's voice was not loud, but everyone present heard him clearly.

The three people hanging from the tree also fell silent.

Sasuke raised his head and stared fixedly at Ling Yue. His Sharingan unconsciously tried to activate again, as if he wanted to see the unusual flow of chakra within her.

Naruto's mouth dropped open. "Huh? Was Yue really awesome just now?"

Sakura looked utterly bewildered.

Ling Yue's heart skipped a beat.

Oh no... I went too hard and caught his attention!