Kakashi stood before the three of them, holding two bells, his tone as lazy as ever.
"Good morning."
Naruto stared at him suspiciously.
"Kakashi-sensei, did you take the wrong medicine today?"
The corner of Kakashi's eye twitched.
Of course he wanted to be late.
But could he afford to be late today?
Those two legendary figures were coming to observe.
If he dared keep Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha waiting, just thinking about the consequences made his scalp tingle.
Kakashi cleared his throat.
"Today's test has changed a little."
All three looked at him.
Just then, footsteps came from the woods.
Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha emerged from the shadows of the forest, one behind the other.
Hashirama wore a gentle smile.
Madara folded his arms and swept his gaze over the three.
At that moment, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke all instinctively fell silent.
Sakura took half a step back without thinking.
"Who are these two?"
Sasuke stared fixedly at Madara.
He didn't know why, but the moment he saw the long-haired man, it was as if something had stirred the blood in his veins.
Oppressive.
Familiar.
Yet unfamiliar.
Naruto shrank back too, but refused to back down.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, are they examiners too?"
Kakashi braced himself and nodded.
"Let me introduce them."
"These two are today's special guest Jonin."
"Hashirama Senju."
"Madara Uchiha."
The three kids looked bewildered.
They still hadn't truly realized what those two names represented.
But Zhang Yu, watching the scene from the tavern, was already laughing his head off.
Kakashi continued, "Today's rules are simple."
He shook the bells in his hand.
"No."
"To be precise, you have to snatch the bells from these two."
Hashirama took one bell and hung it at his waist.
Madara took the other and casually hung it on himself.
The moment Naruto heard they had to snatch bells, he perked up.
"What?"
"We just have to get the bells?"
"That's easy!"
Sakura looked at Hashirama and Madara, feeling a little uneasy.
Sasuke said nothing, his gaze fixed on Madara the entire time.
Kakashi looked at the three of them and sighed inwardly.
Easy?
This test was no longer at the level of a Genin graduation exam.
It was asking three newly graduated kids to snatch things from two legends of the Shinobi World.
Forget Team 7.
Even if every Jonin in Konoha joined forces, they might not be able to get so much as a touch on the bells.
But he couldn't say that.
Kakashi set the timer, his tone growing a little more serious.
"The test begins."
As soon as he spoke, Kakashi used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat behind a large tree in the distance.
At Training Ground 3, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke stood in the middle of the clearing.
Kakashi had retreated to a tree in the distance.
He held Icha Icha Paradise in one hand and a beer in the other. He looked relaxed, but inwardly, he was anything but.
The difficulty of today's bell test had become something else entirely.
Kakashi looked at the two men in the clearing and couldn't help taking another swig of beer to steady his nerves.
"Let's begin."
Madara stood with his arms folded and the bell at his waist, showing no intention of lifting a finger.
Hashirama, meanwhile, smiled amiably.
"Don't be nervous. Just treat this as an ordinary combat exercise."
The moment Naruto heard that, he erupted.
"Ordinary combat exercise, my foot!"
"I'm the man who's going to become Hokage!"
"Watch me get a bell first!"
Sakura hurriedly shouted, "Naruto, don't just rush in!"
But Naruto had already charged off.
Sasuke didn't move.
He stood where he was, staring fixedly at Madara Uchiha.
He had felt uncomfortable ever since this man appeared.
It was more than simple fear.
It was an instinctive sense of oppression.
As though something deep in his blood had been held down.
Sasuke was proud and arrogant, never willing to admit he was weaker than anyone else.
But now, he had to admit that these two so-called "special guest Jonin" were unfathomable.
Especially that long-haired man.
Just standing there, without even releasing Chakra, he made Sasuke's chest feel tight.
"This guy..."
Sasuke gritted his teeth.
"Who the hell is he?"
Meanwhile, Hashirama couldn't help smiling as he watched Naruto charge at him.
"This boy is Asura's reincarnation in this life, right?"
"He certainly has a lively personality."
Madara said flatly, "Lively?"
"I'd call him reckless."
Hashirama gave it some serious thought.
"He is a little reckless."
"But he's full of vitality."
Madara's gaze fell on Sasuke.
"That Uchiha kid isn't bad."
"He's clearly unwilling to accept it, but he didn't rush in immediately."
"He knows how to observe and bide his time. He's steadier than that blond."
Hashirama glanced at Sasuke, then looked back at Naruto.
"Naruto has his strengths too."
"At least he's full of drive."
Madara sneered.
"With nothing but drive, he'll just die faster."
Hashirama sighed.
"Madara, you're still as harsh as ever."
Madara ignored him.
Naruto had already charged up to them and reached for the bell at Hashirama's waist.
Without even moving his feet, Hashirama simply raised one finger and gently tapped Naruto on the forehead.
Bang!
Naruto flew backward, hit the ground, and rolled several times.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
Naruto clutched his forehead and climbed to his feet, his face full of defiance.
"Damn it!"
"How is this old man so strong?!"
The smile on Hashirama's face stiffened.
"Old man?"
Kakashi nearly sprayed out the beer in his mouth.
Sitting behind the bar at the Undead Tavern, Zhang Yu saw the scene through the observation view and was delighted too.
"Naruto really has guts."
"Calling the First Hokage an old man to his face."
In the image, Hashirama quickly recovered his smile and murmured, "Forget it. He's just a kid."
Madara glanced at him.
"You're being awfully accommodating."
Hashirama was just about to reply when he suddenly pulled two bottles of beer from inside his clothes, as if by magic.
Madara frowned.
"Where did you get those?"
Hashirama handed him a bottle and said quietly, "I swiped them from the tavern before we left."
"The boss has plenty more."
Madara took the beer and glanced at him.
"You really don't stand on ceremony."
Hashirama gave an awkward laugh.
"We're on a mission. We have to keep ourselves in shape."
At the Undead Tavern, Zhang Yu watched the scene, the corner of his mouth twitching sharply.
"Well, would you look at that."
"Hashirama, you really do make yourself at home."
"You just swipe the tavern's booze whenever you feel like it?"
He decided to have Tobirama add a rule later: employees caught sneaking drinks would have their pay docked.
At the training ground, Madara opened the beer and took a sip.
The ice-cold beer, full of fine bubbles, rushed into his mouth. Its malty aroma carried a hint of bitterness, followed by an indescribably refreshing sensation.
Madara paused.
Hashirama's eyes lit up.
"What do you think?"
Madara took another sip.
"It's all right."
Hashirama smiled.
"If you say it's all right, that means it's really good."
Madara said coldly, "After the mission, buy some to keep on hand."
Hashirama nodded.
"I was thinking the same thing."
The two of them drank beer just like that as they watched the three members of Team 7 gang up on them.
Watching the scene, Kakashi found it so absurd he wanted to put a hand to his forehead.