"What? Go back to the Academy?!"
"Kakashi-sensei, you're not joking, right?!"
Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened in shock. In this moment, Sakura forgot all about maintaining her refined "good girl" image. Being sent back to the Academy for retraining would be an absolute disaster!
She would be laughed to death by her friends and family!
That was something Sakura absolutely could not accept.
Naruto felt the same way.
Sasuke, too, wore an icy expression, staring daggers at Kakashi.
He had no intention of wasting time back at the Academy.
He was already leagues behind that man. Every second from now on was precious!
Is it coming? The Bell Test!
Menma also stood up, his face serious.
"Heh, joking? Do you think I would joke about something like this? This is a set rule. Don't assume that just because you passed the graduation exam, you can call yourselves ninja. Every graduate assigned to a squad must undergo a second test. Only by passing this can you truly graduate. If you fail, sorry, but you'll have to go back and relearn everything. By the way, the pass rate for this test is only 33%. I won't go easy on you!"
Kakashi hardened his expression, deliberately speaking with a cold, stern demeanor.
His goal was to put psychological pressure on Naruto, Menma, Sakura, and Sasuke!
And it worked.
As soon as Kakashi finished speaking...
The tension on the four faces was visible to the naked eye.
However, among the four, Menma's expression was mostly an act. Others might not know, but Menma knew that while other squads faced a high risk of being sent back, the chances of Team 7 being rejected weren't exactly zero, but they were infinitely close to impossible. The main reason was the complex composition of Team 7!
Especially since Menma Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, was a key strategic asset for the village. From the perspective of the village's interests, the Third Hokage had to develop Menma as quickly as possible so he could fight to protect the Leaf in times of crisis.
So Kakashi's words were purely meant to "intimidate" the four members of Team 7!
Of course, knowing the truth was one thing.
On the surface, Menma still had to play the part.
Otherwise, he wouldn't fit in.
"Hmph! Then we just have to pass, right? Just tell us, Big Brother Kakashi, what is the test? I'm not gonna lose to anyone!"
Naruto adjusted his mindset quickly, slapping his chest with gusto and speaking with full momentum.
Sasuke also revealed an unprecedented seriousness.
Menma maintained his calm facade.
Only Sakura was truly anxious inside. She was genuinely terrified of failing and being sent back to the Academy!
"Heh, confidence is good. The test is simple: a special survival exercise. Here, look at this. You have until noon to take these bells from me. The method doesn't matter. As long as you get a bell, you pass. But if the time runs out and you haven't gotten one, you'll obediently go back to the Academy! That will prove you aren't qualified to be ninja at all!"
Kakashi pulled out an alarm clock and placed it on a nearby stump, then took out three bells and tied them to his waist, speaking in a serious and stern tone.
"Remember, if you don't come at me with the intent to kill, you won't succeed!"
"But, Kakashi-sensei, there aren't enough bells, right? There are only three?"
Sakura, who was paying the most attention to the details of the test, noticed the bells on Kakashi's waist and raised her hand timidly to ask.
"Heh, correct. Only three. That means at most, only three of the four of you can graduate. What will you do? That's up to you four to decide."
Kakashi chuckled softly.
To Sakura, that chuckle sounded like the whisper of a demon.
Her heart instantly went cold.
Leaving aside the success rate...
There were only three bells.
No matter how she looked at it, she was the weakest link in the team. There was no way she would be the one to grab a bell, right?
In that moment, Sakura felt like she could already see her bleak future!
Naruto's eyes widened, and he was about to say something...
"Alright, the test officially begins! If you waste any more time, you'll all be going back to the Academy!"
Kakashi leaned forward slightly, issuing a threat filled with pressure.
Then, he waved his right hand.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Menma, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura instinctively leaped away, scattering into the surrounding bushes and trees to hide.
Survival exercises.
This was one of the most frequent lessons they had practiced in the Academy over the past few years. The standard procedure was ingrained in them!
Teamwork. Easy to say, but hard to do. Especially since this is a brand-new, makeshift team!
Menma hid at a moderate distance, watching Kakashi standing leisurely in the center of the clearing, and thought silently.
However, they didn't necessarily need to display flawless coordination. Just showing the intent to work together would be enough. Kakashi wouldn't treat them as serious opponents. A Jōnin versus Genin? That would just be a one-sided slaughter!
Kakashi would 100% hold back. As long as they executed a "perfect" surprise attack relative to their current strength...
Kakashi would definitely let them take the bells.
The key issue is how to form an effective attack. But having someone test the waters first is not bad!
Seeing Naruto standing brazenly in the open, directly facing Kakashi just like in the original story instead of hiding, a faint light flickered in Menma's eyes.
"I say, Naruto, didn't I just tell you this is a survival exercise?"
Kakashi looked at Naruto with a hint of exasperation.
"Hehe! It's called a survival exercise, but the goal is just to grab the bells, right? Every time we sparred before, you always brushed it off, Big Brother Kakashi. This time, I'm going to defeat you fair and square! Take this!"
Naruto grinned.
Boom!
He launched himself forward.
Swish!
Swish!
Swish!
Along with his charge...
His hands moved rapidly, throwing over a dozen shuriken.
They flew in a semi-circular formation, aggressively targeting Kakashi's position.