He leaped into the air and drove a kick straight into Kakashi's waist.
Small as he was, the force behind his kick was anything but weak, sending Kakashi flying in an instant.
"I underestimated you!"
"You really surprised me."
"Now I'm interested in seeing what other surprises you have in store!"
Kakashi rose from the ground and brushed the dust off his clothes, amusement showing in his one exposed eye.
These three little kids really had surprised him.
Not only was their strength far beyond that of their peers fresh out of the Ninja Academy, but even their understanding of what it meant to be a ninja—and a person—seemed different from everyone else's.
"Sasuke, warm-up's over!"
"This guy isn't all that strong!"
"We can beat him!"
Naruto shouted.
Sasuke nodded at his words. "All right!"
"Sakura!"
Naruto turned his head toward her next.
"Huh?"
Sakura responded blankly.
At that moment, she was stunned by her two teammates' strength. Somehow, she seemed to have become dead weight.
"Let's attack together!"
"So what if he's a Jōnin!"
"If I can't beat him here today, how am I supposed to become Hokage?"
Naruto knocked his fists together, his face brimming with confidence.
Surprised, Kakashi laughed. "You've certainly got confidence and drive!"
"Unfortunately, you're still a long way from passing my test!"
As he spoke, he flicked the bells at his waist.
Naruto's expression changed at once.
The next second, he brought his hands together and rapidly formed hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
A series of pops rang out, and five shadow clones appeared in the blink of an eye.
The moment they appeared, they charged at Kakashi.
"He can use this many shadow clones at his age?!"
Kakashi was startled.
At the same time, three kunai came flying straight at him.
"And you,