"All right, you pass."
Seeing Sakura finally muster the courage to charge at him too, Madara knew this little formality was finally over.
Madara caught Sasuke's arm with his left hand and pinned him straight to the ground. At the same time, he kicked Naruto away, then caught Sakura's arm with his right hand and flung her away as well.
Over on the other side, Madara's Shadow Clone fighting Naruto's and Sasuke's Shadow Clones got serious and instantly smashed both of them into clouds of smoke.
If Madara had been ten years old, Naruto and Sasuke might have been able to hold their own against him for a while, provided he did not use any powerful ninjutsu. But right now, Madara had the body of a seventeen-year-old. Apart from his Rinnegan, which were being kept by someone else, and Hashirama's wood release cells, his strength had almost returned to its peak. Taking down twelve-year-old Sasuke and Naruto was still incredibly easy.
"What do you mean, we passed? We haven't even gotten the bells yet!"
Naruto Uzumaki emerged from the woods, rubbing his back, utterly baffled by his sudden success. Meanwhile, Sakura struggled to her feet, while Madara Uchiha pulled Sasuke up himself.
"The main purpose of this test was to assess your teamwork. The moment you all found the courage to attack me together, you passed."
Once Madara Uchiha finished speaking, the ANBU who had been following him withdrew.
"He really won't put on an act for even a moment longer."
In the Hokage Office, the Third Hokage, whose face was already marked with age spots and whose hair and beard had turned white, could not help chuckling as he watched Madara Uchiha take the easy way out and declare that they had passed.
"We really passed?"
Sakura looked at