Afternoon, in the classroom.
The three sat idly, waiting for their jōnin instructor. Naruto knew full well about Kakashi's habit of being late, so he had already sprawled across his desk, napping.
Sasuke sat by the window, his long fingers interlaced, elbows propped against the desk, eyes wandering over the lush treetops outside.
Sakura kept her head down, staring at her desk. Though she had just been comforted by her teammates earlier, once the classroom grew quiet, a sense of confusion and unease crept back in.
After who-knows-how-long, the door finally slid open. Their instructor strolled in with a lazy drawl.
"Yo, sorry, sorry—I accidentally lost track of time."
"I'm your jonin instructor—Hatake Kakashi."
The man who introduced himself as Kakashi looked fairly young, probably in his early twenties. His silver hair spiked upwards like leeks, a black mask covering his face, and his forehead protector slanted to cover one eye. He wore a black combat uniform beneath a green flak jacket, and when he spoke, his visible eye curved like a crescent moon.
Naruto had already stirred awake when he heard the voice.
The three of them turned to Kakashi with mixed expressions.
"Sensei, you're way too slow!" Naruto was the first to complain.
"Well, I was helping an old lady cross the street, so…" Kakashi scratched his head, giving a ridiculous excuse.
"Liar!" Sakura snapped.
Kakashi gave an awkward laugh and quickly switched topics.
"Anyway, follow me. We'll talk somewhere else."
Without further explanation, he turned and left, the three quietly trailing behind.
Kakashi had already read some files from the Third Hokage—one was the last survivor of the Uchiha clan, the other the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails.
Uzumaki Naruto, huh?The days ahead wouldn't be easy for him.
Kakashi sighed inwardly. The higher-ups of the village were truly incomprehensible—making decisions like that, and now training these children as shinobi? He shook his head, then forced himself back into focus.
The next morning, before dawn.
Sakura stepped out from a narrow alley, her casual clothes swaying slightly as she paused at a lit corner, checking her direction.
"Over here!" Naruto waved at her.
She waved back with a smile, realizing he was waiting outside a small restaurant. Last time their intel-sharing had been at a barbecue shop—this time, another little eatery.
"But Kakashi-sensei said not to eat breakfast…"
"He said it's best not to eat, or you might throw up." Naruto shrugged. "But hey, better to throw up than go hungry."
Sakura hesitated, wanting to refuse, but since both Naruto and Sasuke had already ordered, she gave in and joined them.
After breakfast, the three made their way to the training ground.
They waited for hours until the sun was high overhead before Kakashi finally appeared.
"Well… there was a lost little girl on the way." Kakashi grinned shamelessly, showing no sense of guilt for his lateness.
"Honestly, Kakashi-sensei, you're too much!"
"Yeah! That excuse is so lame!"
"Tch."
The three, full-bellied, complained in unison—something Kakashi hadn't expected. They didn't look like they'd skipped breakfast at all. Still, he let it slide and pulled out two small bells, jingling them before their eyes.
"Alright, here are the exam rules."
"I have only two bells. By noon, only those who manage to take a bell will qualify as genin. In other words—one of you will be eliminated."
"Eliminated?" Sakura's heart clenched. "Kakashi-sensei, what happens to the one who's eliminated?"
"Hehehe." Kakashi's eye curved with a smile. "Too bad—but elimination means failure. You won't qualify as a shinobi. And you'll be tied to a post until sunset."
"If none of you get a bell, then all three of you will go back to the academy."
"Use any method you like, don't worry about hurting me. At your level, it's impossible anyway."
He clipped the bells back to his belt.
"Now, is that clear?"
None of the three answered. Sakura's face had turned pale.
A real battle? Her strengths lay in theory and analysis—combat was her weakness. She couldn't even imagine getting close to a jōnin, let alone stealing a bell.
If someone had to be eliminated, the answer seemed obvious…
Naruto stood quietly. Since yesterday's barbecue talk, he hadn't shared any more intel. Some things were better left unsaid—no point spoiling everything.
The real purpose of the bell test was to examine teamwork. But after yesterday's conversation, the bond between them had already deepened.
Still, when faced with this kind of choice, Naruto didn't know what the others would decide. That's why he chose silence. He wanted to guide them, not walk the path for them.
Besides—he wanted to see how they'd react when forced to make a choice.
Suddenly, the familiar mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[Option 1: Go all out to seize the bells, then hand them to Sakura and Sasuke. Reward: Lava Release.][Option 2: Do nothing, lie flat before Kakashi, and obediently get tied to the post. Reward: Wood Release.]
Naruto almost spat blood.
Lava Release and Wood Release?!
Damn it!Both are gold-tier rewards! How the hell was he supposed to choose?!
The Lava Release of the Four-Tails was insanely powerful—if he got it… oh man…But Wood Release, though rare, would be tough to master to the level of the First Hokage. This option probably only gave him a beginner's Wood Release chakra affinity.
If he picked Lava, he could impress Sakura and Sasuke with his "team spirit." But taking the bells from Kakashi wouldn't be easy, and failure was a real risk.
If he picked Wood, he'd just lie flat and leave Sasuke and Sakura to face Kakashi alone—the odds of them succeeding would be almost zero.
While Naruto hesitated, Kakashi's voice rang out.
"The test begins!"
Almost instantly, swish, swish—Sasuke and Sakura vanished from sight, leaving Naruto alone, standing dazed in the field.