Bell Test of Team 7

Dead silence.

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

Sakura's mouth fell open as she stared at Naruto Uzumaki in shock. The Naruto Uzumaki she had already found somewhat unfamiliar now became even more indistinct in her eyes.

Was this another new prank meant to draw attention?

Even Sasuke's face, usually written with vengeance, showed pure shock for the first time.

Had this dead last gone insane?

All laziness and nonchalance 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 witnessing it himself.

These were not words a twelve-year-old should have said. Even if a fifty-year-old veteran had said them, they would have felt heavy.

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

Every word seemed to carry a profound depth of experience behind it.

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

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

"Starting tomorrow, we'll be conducting a survival exercise."

He deliberately stressed his tone, carrying a hint of menace.

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

He wanted to use pressure to test the three children's reactions.

"Understood."

Naruto Uzumaki replied calmly.

His mind had already automatically analyzed the other party's intentions: psychological tactics aimed at weakening the test subjects' stamina and willpower.

Kakashi looked at Naruto Uzumaki'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 troublesome kids."

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

A vengeful avenger.

A lovestruck girl.

And one... person who was difficult to describe.

What was a political commissar supposed to be?

Kakashi felt like he had not been assigned a Genin team.

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 crossed, his expression growing increasingly impatient.

Sakura sat off to the side, stealing glances at Sasuke from time to time and occasionally joining in with a few complaints.

"Kakashi-sensei really treats being late like a habit. From now on, we should add an hour to the agreed time and treat that as his actual arrival time."

Only Naruto Uzumaki 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, hello, everyone. The weather's pretty nice today."

Kakashi greeted them lazily.

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

Naruto Uzumaki, however, did not complain at all.

He merely used those icy blue eyes to scrutinize the man before him inch by inch.

[Strength Assessment: Kakashi Hatake.]

[Possesses the Sharingan, proficient in a thousand Ninjutsu, with outstanding tactical analysis abilities. His Lightning Release Ninjutsu is masterful, and he is especially skilled in the S-rank Ninjutsu Chidori. He has extensive combat experience and extremely strong adaptability.]

[Conclusion: As Konoha's elite Jonin, his overall strength ranks among the very best. He is a powerful individual rarely found on the battlefield.]

"The rules are simple."

Kakashi shook the two bells in his hand, making them ring crisply.

"Before noon, take a bell from me, and you pass. Those who fail to take one won't get lunch and will be tied to a wooden post."

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

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

Only Naruto Uzumaki remained on the vast training ground.

He stood exactly where he was, unmoving, like a lone target and the most conspicuous mark beneath the sunlight.

With his arms crossed, Kakashi lazily walked into the distance and cast Naruto Uzumaki an interested glance.

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

Yet Naruto Uzumaki ignored him and instead turned toward the empty forest.

His voice was not loud, but it clearly carried throughout the entire area.

"Sasuke, Sakura, assemble at my position immediately."

After several seconds of silence, Sasuke emerged from behind a large tree, undisguised contempt on his cool, handsome face.

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

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

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

Naruto Uzumaki did not argue.

His right hand flashed into his ninja tool pouch and pulled out a shuriken.

He swung his arm.

"Clang!"

A metallic tremor exploded through the forest.

At a speed and angle Sasuke could not possibly react to, the shuriken embedded itself deeply in the tree trunk beside him. Its tip stopped less than three inches from his cheek.

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

"Your objective is revenge."

Naruto Uzumaki's voice was cold, precisely cutting open Sasuke's heart like a scalpel.

"You want to become stronger. You want to take revenge on that man. My command is your most efficient shortcut to power. Obey, or continue indulging in your inefficient self-satisfaction. Choose."

He turned his head, his gaze falling on Sakura, who was trembling with fear. There was not the slightest emotional fluctuation 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 you, without questions 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.

Yet the shuriken still humming by his ear and those blue eyes that seemed to see through everything made every rebuttal stick in his throat.

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

Sakura had been frightened out of her wits by those words and that overwhelming presence. 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 brutal manner.

Kakashi watched all of this from afar.

The laziness and nonchalance on his face had long since vanished without a trace.

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

Just what was this Naruto Uzumaki?

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

Naruto Uzumaki swiftly issued his first command.

"Sasuke, stand by ten meters to my left. Once the target is drawn in by the feint, I'll signal you. Use Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu to attack the position where you predict the target will dodge."

Although Sakura was afraid, she immediately ran to the designated spot and wildly threw Kunai and shuriken toward Kakashi.

Kakashi's attention was indeed drawn. He easily evaded those utterly harmless projectiles and even found the situation somewhat amusing.

I'll go tease Sakura first.

The instant he moved, Naruto Uzumaki appeared beside him at incredible speed, launching into fierce taijutsu.

Kakashi's heart tightened. He had no time to wonder how Naruto Uzumaki had crossed dozens of meters in such a short time. All he felt was a heavy gust of force—not the swift strike of a ninja, but like a battering ram smashing straight toward his ribs.

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

Kakashi instinctively raised an arm to block.

"Bang!"

A dull impact rang out, and his entire arm instantly went numb. That savage force made him involuntarily stagger back half a step, leaving a small depression in the ground beneath his feet.

This was absolutely not strength a twelve-year-old should possess!