The Test Begins

The two days passed quickly, and Menma's taijutsu improved by leaps and bounds.

However, Kushina still had no clue about the seal. She had been studying it day and night at home, dark circles under her eyes.

Today was the day of Kakashi's team-entry test. Menma arrived early at the entrance to Training Ground Two and found that Sakura and Sasuke had already arrived as well.

"Yo, good morning, Sakura! And Sasuke!" Menma greeted them. "Have you eaten breakfast?"

"I have!" "Me too!" Sasuke and Sakura replied.

"Then let's come up with a battle plan for later!" Menma said.

"Alright, but before we make a plan, I suggest everyone talk about their strengths first.

After all, only by understanding our teammates can we coordinate better." Sakura smiled sweetly.

"Agreed. I'll go first!

I'm good at the Shuriken Throwing Technique, my taijutsu is decent, and as for ninjutsu, I know the C-rank Great Fireball Technique," Sasuke said.

"Mm, I'm good at taijutsu. According to my dad, even against an ordinary Chunin, I could remain undefeated for a short time.

As for ninjutsu, I only know the Three-Body Technique," Menma continued.

"My turn. My taijutsu is average, and I only know the Three-Body Technique too.

But I know the C-rank genjutsu This Place Is Not Here Technique and Hell Viewing Technique.

Though if I'm up against a Jonin, I don't know how much effect they'll have." Sakura also shared her information.

"According to the information my father gave me, this test is mainly meant to verify our strength and teamwork.

So Jonin Kakashi won't fight us at full strength. As long as we demonstrate strength beyond that of ordinary Genin, we should be fine."

Menma revealed the information he had gotten from Minato.

"No, merely surpassing ordinary Genin won't be enough.

I also learned some things about Kakashi from my father. He places great importance on the strength of the ninja in his squad.

He tested several groups of graduates in previous years, and without exception, all of them were eliminated. There were even geniuses among them who ranked near the top of the Ninja Academy."

Sasuke Uchiha frowned and shared his own information.

"If that's the case, we need to work out our team plan carefully.

I've thought about it a little. In the test later, I'll handle close-range fighting.

Sasuke will provide long-range suppression and use ninjutsu to finish things in one blow.

Sakura will observe from the shadows and use genjutsu to interfere. If Sasuke and I lose, she'll use smoke bombs to cover our retreat," Menma proposed.

"Mm, the plan is simple, but we won't come up with anything better in such a short time. Let's do it this way!" Sakura said.

"Should we go into the training ground first and set up a few traps?" Sasuke suggested.

"If we use Explosive Tags, even a Jonin would get hurt if he got blown up, right?"

"No. Explosive Tags are far more dangerous to us than they are to a Jonin. If one of us steps on a trap, we're done for." Sakura frowned in opposition.

"I agree with Sakura. It's only a test. There's no need to use something with that much destructive power."

"I have a tactic. We do this, then that..." Sakura suggested.

"Alright, I'll listen to you two." Sasuke readily accepted.

"Then let's rest for a while, refine some chakra, and warm up later..."

"I'm afraid we don't have time to rest or warm up." Sakura looked at Kakashi approaching in the distance.

"Look, Jonin Kakashi is already here."

Sasuke and Menma turned their heads. Though they knew it was unnecessary, they still stepped in front of Sakura.

When Sakura saw their little gesture, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"Yo, morning!" Kakashi walked over and greeted them. "Have you all eaten?"

"We have!" x3

"Then that's really too bad." Kakashi sighed.

"Why do you say that?" Sasuke asked.

"Because you might throw it all up later!" Kakashi replied.

"Alright, everyone, enter Training Ground Two. The test begins!"

Inside Konoha's Training Ground Two, Kakashi stood face-to-face with Menma's group of three.

Kakashi pulled his hands from his pockets and formed a cross-shaped hand seal.

With a bang and a cloud of smoke, another Kakashi appeared.

"Alright, today's test is for you to defeat my Shadow Clone Technique at any cost," Kakashi said.

"But don't worry, I won't make things too hard for you. My shadow clone only has the strength of a Chunin.

I'll choose two of you to become my subordinates based on your performance in battle. As for the remaining one, they'll return to the Ninja Academy and study for another year!"

"Only two people can pass?" Sasuke asked, his expression darkening.

"That's right. Or you can discuss it among yourselves and choose someone to sacrifice. Then the other two can pass the test.

That would be much easier than defeating my shadow clone!" Kakashi said with a smile, making a sinister suggestion.

Sasuke's face darkened as he looked at Menma, then at Sakura.

His meaning was simple: join forces with Sakura, defeat the annoying Menma, and take the two available spots.

But then he closed his eyes. The pride of the Uchiha Clan would not allow him to do something so despicable.

After a moment, Sasuke opened his eyes, as if he had made up his mind. "Kakashi, I have a reason why I must pass, but I will never achieve it by sacrificing my teammates."

"Well, well, I admire your way of thinking, but no matter what, one person will still be eliminated!"

Kakashi scratched his cheek with a finger and spoke lazily.

"Kakashi, how about this? Give the two passing spots to Sakura and Menma.

As for me, I'll fight your shadow clone alone. If I win, how about adding one more passing spot?" Sasuke said with a serious expression.

"No. A ninja's strength is everything. A ninja without strength is trash, even if he joins my squad!" Kakashi said sternly.

"And the purpose of this test is to pick out the trash among the three of you and kick him back to the Ninja Academy for retraining!"

"Hmph. Even though it annoys me that you're acting cool all by yourself, I'm not some useless trash who needs your charity!" Menma snorted and continued.

"I have a proposal. Since one of us has to be eliminated, how about the three of us join forces, beat up the Jonin in front of us, and drag him back to the academy for retraining?"

"Are you an idiot?

Kakashi is a Jonin who's been famous for years! How could we possibly beat him?!"

Sasuke was astonished by Menma's overestimation of himself and could not help roaring.

"Even if it's an idiot's idea, it does suit my tastes," Sakura said at that moment.

"Besides, I'm the orphaned daughter of the Fourth Hokage.

Sasuke, you're the young master of the Uchiha Clan.

Menma is the last descendant of the Uzumaki Clan.

With identities like ours, would any Konoha ninja really dare to hurt us?"

"...Sakura, you have a point. Then let's do it!"

Sasuke considered it for a while and found no better option.

"Then we'll follow the plan we made earlier. Get ready!" Menma clenched his right fist and struck it into his left palm, making his knuckles crack.

"...Heh heh heh, hahahaha, hahahahaha..."

As though he had heard something hilarious, Kakashi threw his head back and laughed. Then he lowered his head, his face turning grim. "What are you three babbling about on your own?

What do you think a Jonin is?

Do you think a few loudmouthed brats can defeat a Jonin?"

"Whether we can beat you or not, we'll only know after we fight!"

Menma stared directly at Kakashi without backing down.

"Heh heh heh, interesting. Truly interesting!" Kakashi said it was interesting, but there was not a trace of amusement in his eyes.

"It's been a long time since I heard such an interesting joke. To reward you, I've decided to personally break all four of your limbs!"

As he spoke, Kakashi released a terrifying killing intent. For a moment, Menma and the other two seemed to see man-eating demons and asura amid seas of blood.

Their bodies trembled uncontrollably. Forget attacking—they could not even move.

Was this Kakashi's strength?

Menma gritted his teeth and held on bitterly. From the corner of his eye, he saw cold sweat streaming down Sakura's face, her complexion deathly pale.

Sasuke was no better off. His forehead was drenched in sweat, and his eyes had turned crimson.

"Heh heh heh. You three pieces of trash actually dare provoke a Jonin who has experienced the battlefield?" Kakashi said coldly.

No, he had to do something. Otherwise, they would collapse on their own before Kakashi even made a move.

Menma hardened his heart, stuck out his tongue, and bit down hard.

The intense pain and heavy scent of blood temporarily eased the effects of the killing intent.

"Sakura, look into my eyes, then use the This Place Is Not Here Technique on me!" he shouted.

Hearing that, Sakura immediately focused and cast the This Place Is Not Here Technique on Menma.

Then Menma saw the unfinished proposal on the computer screen before him and the clock in the lower-right corner showing three minutes until midnight.

"What could possibly be more terrifying than endless 007 workdays and proposals that never get finished?!"

Menma roared and broke through the illusion. Though his body was still shaking, he could barely move now.

"Sasuke, aren't you supposed to kill that man? How can you fall here?!" Menma shouted at Sasuke.

After hearing this, the hatred in Sasuke's heart surged, and his pupils shook violently.

He suddenly squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, a single tomoe appeared in each of his blood-red eyes, slowly spinning.

"Oh? His eyes awakened under stimulation?" Kakashi was slightly stunned by Sasuke's change, and the killing intent around him lessened a little.

"Here we go! Sasuke, attack me!"

Menma crouched, pushed off the ground with both feet, pulled out a kunai and gripped it in reverse, then charged toward Kakashi like an arrow leaving the bow.

At the same time, Sasuke immediately pulled a kunai tied with an Explosive Tag from his ninja tool pouch and threw it at Menma's back.

"Hm?!

An Explosive Tag?!!

You're really out of control!"

Kakashi's expression changed. He withdrew his killing intent and flashed behind Menma.

He kicked Menma away while reaching out to catch the kunai with the Explosive Tag, then hurled it into the distance.

With a thunderous boom, the Explosive Tag exploded far away.

"Sasuke, were you trying to kill Menma?" Kakashi demanded, his expression displeased.

"No. Sakura and Menma both reminded me just now. We were only gambling that you wouldn't stand by and watch someone die!" Sasuke glared at him with his single-tomoe Sharingan.

"That's right. I was the one who told Sasuke to attack me. The facts prove that we won our bet!" Menma got to his feet, holding his kunai in reverse as he explained to Kakashi.

"After all, this is only a test. A Konoha Jonin would never watch a Genin from the same village die right in front of him."

"Besides, our identities are special. Kakashi, you absolutely wouldn't dare let anything happen to us!"

Kakashi was furious when he heard that. These three lawless Genin were ruthless not only toward enemies, but also toward themselves.

Just as they had said, he would never let them get hurt no matter what.

Though their method was somewhat shameless, ninja were that kind of profession—one that would stop at nothing to achieve its goals.

"Now the plan changes. I'll attack Kakashi. Sakura, Sasuke, the two of you attack me with everything you have!" Menma shouted, then charged at Kakashi.