The Bell Test of Team 7

Dead silence.

The rooftop fell into a deathly hush, as if even the wind had become heavy and slow.

Sakura's mouth fell open as she stared at Naruto in shock. The Naruto who had already begun to feel unfamiliar to her now became even more blurred in her eyes.

Was this another new prank to draw attention?

Even Sasuke's face, so full of vengeance, showed pure shock for the first time.

Had this dead last gone crazy?

All the laziness and casualness vanished from Kakashi's exposed eye.

In their place was an unprecedented sharpness and gravity.

The "danger" he had heard about from the Third Hokage was nowhere near as chilling as seeing it with his own eyes.

Those were not words a twelve-year-old should have spoken. Even if a fifty-year-old veteran had said them, Kakashi would have found them heavy.

Teacher... what had led to the current situation? Was it Konoha?

Every word seemed to carry profound personal experience behind it.

"Very good... a very distinctive self-introduction."

Kakashi forced out a smile, trying to regain control of the situation.

"Then, starting tomorrow, we'll conduct a survival exercise."

He deliberately emphasized his words, with a hint of menace in his tone.

"Let me remind you, this isn't a game from the Academy. For teams of three Genin, the final pass rate is less than thirty-three percent."

He wanted to use pressure to test the reactions of these three children.

"Understood."

Naruto answered calmly.

His mind had already automatically analyzed Kakashi's intentions: psychological tactics meant to weaken the examinees' stamina and willpower.

Kakashi looked at Naruto's utterly expressionless face and shrugged helplessly.

"Well, well, this class seems a little difficult to handle. I really am someone who easily runs into trouble. See you later, you three troubles."

He said no more. With a flicker, he vanished from where he stood.

A vengeful avenger.

A lovestruck girl.

And one... guy who was hard to describe.

What the hell was a political commissar?

Kakashi felt like he had not taken over a Genin squad.

But an arsenal that could blow up the entire village at any moment.

The sun shone brightly over the training ground.

Sasuke leaned against a wooden post with his arms folded, his expression growing increasingly impatient.

Sakura sat nearby, occasionally sneaking glances at Sasuke and adding a few complaints of her own.

"Kakashi-sensei really treats being late like a habit. From now on, we should set our actual arrival time an hour later than the agreed time."

Only Naruto stood perfectly straight, like a spear nailed into the earth.

One hour.

Two hours.

By the time the silver-haired, masked man with sleepy-looking eyes finally appeared before the three of them, it was already noon.

"Yo, everyone. Nice weather today."

Kakashi greeted them lazily.

Sakura and Sasuke's displeasure was practically written on their faces.

Naruto, however, did not complain at all.

He merely scrutinized the man before him inch by inch with those cold blue eyes.

\n[Strength Assessment: Kakashi Hatake.]

[Possesses the Sharingan, proficient in a thousand ninjutsu, with outstanding tactical analysis ability. His Lightning Style ninjutsu is masterful, and he is especially skilled with the S-rank ninjutsu Chidori. He possesses abundant combat experience and extremely strong adaptability.]

[Conclusion: As one of Konoha's elite jonin, his overall strength ranks among the very best. He is a rare and powerful individual on the battlefield.]

"The rules are simple."

Kakashi shook the two bells in his hand, producing a crisp ringing sound.

"Before noon, take these bells from me, and you pass. Those who fail to take one will get no lunch and will be tied to those posts."

"Remember, come at me with the intent to kill."

The moment Kakashi finished speaking, Sasuke and Sakura's bodies tensed. Following the textbook teachings of the Ninja Academy, they scattered in opposite directions and vanished into the forest to seek cover.

Only Naruto remained on the vast training ground.

He stood without moving an inch, like a lone Zero target, becoming the most conspicuous mark beneath the sunlight.

Kakashi folded his arms and lazily walked away, casting Naruto an amused glance.

Was this dead last putting on another foolish, clumsy display?

However, Naruto ignored him and instead turned toward the empty woods.

His voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly across the entire area.

"Sasuke, Sakura, assemble here immediately."

After several seconds of silence, Sasuke emerged from behind a large tree, undisguised contempt written across his cold, handsome face.

"Don't order me around, dead last."

Sakura's voice came from another direction as well, carrying a trace of panic.

"Naruto, you idiot, hide already! Sensei will catch you!"

Naruto did not argue.

His right hand shot into his ninja tool pouch and drew out a shuriken.

He swung his arm.

"Clang!"

A metallic tremor exploded through the woods.

The shuriken embedded itself deeply into the trunk beside Sasuke at a speed and angle he could not possibly react to. Its tip stopped less than three inches from his cheek.

The icy killing intent made Sasuke feel as though the blood throughout his body had frozen.

"Your goal is revenge."

Naruto's voice was cold, as precise as a scalpel cutting open Sasuke's heart.

"You want to grow stronger. You want revenge against that man. My command is the optimal shortcut to power. Obey, or continue indulging in your inefficient self-satisfaction. Choose."

He turned, his gaze falling on Sakura, who was trembling with fear. There was no emotion in his eyes.

"Sakura Haruno, your combat value is Zero. But you can serve as a battlefield variable and fulfill your role."

"Your task is to obey every command I give without question or delay. This is the only way you can contribute to the team."

Sasuke's pride suffered an unprecedented blow, and his fists clenched tightly.

But the shuriken still buzzing beside his ear, along with those blue eyes that seemed to see through everything, choked every rebuttal in his throat.

After a brief struggle, he chose silence. Step by step, he walked out from behind the tree and stood beside Naruto.

Sakura had been frightened out of her wits by those words and that imposing aura. She could only nod repeatedly on instinct and run over.

In the first minute of the exercise, command of Team 7 changed hands in an almost brutally forceful manner.

Kakashi, watching from afar, saw everything.

The laziness and casualness on his face had long since vanished.

What he saw was not children playing house, but a method of establishing superior-subordinate relations that he had only seen in Root—no, one even colder and more efficient than that.

Just what was this Naruto...?

"Sakura, go thirty meters east and make noise. Draw the target's attention as much as possible. This is a feint."

Naruto swiftly issued his first command.

"Sasuke, stand by ten meters to my left. Once the target is drawn in by the feint, I'll give the signal. Use Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu to attack the target's predicted evasion point."

Though Sakura was afraid, she immediately ran to the designated position and randomly hurled kunai and shuriken in Kakashi's direction.

Kakashi was indeed drawn to her. He easily dodged those harmless projectiles, even finding the situation somewhat amusing.

I'll go tease Sakura first.

The instant he moved, Naruto arrived at his side at incredible speed and launched into a fierce taijutsu assault.

Kakashi's heart tightened. He had no time to consider how Naruto had crossed dozens of meters in such a short time. All he felt was a heavy blast of wind—not the swift force of a ninja, but a battering ram smashing directly into his ribs.

There were no flashy movements, only the most direct, most violent linear attack.

Kakashi instinctively raised an arm to block.

"Thud!"

A dull impact rang out, and his entire arm instantly went numb. That brutal force forced him half a step back, leaving a shallow depression in the ground beneath his feet.

This was absolutely not the strength a twelve-year-old should have had!