Smoke burst from the figure. The transformation broke, revealing Sakura holding a clenched fist and a big smile.
Kakashi blinked. "A transformation jutsu…" His gaze turned towards the bushes.
Sasuke stepped out calmly with an unreadable expression. Sakura had a big smile as she looked at her teammate. "We did it, Sasuke. We got all the bells."
Naruto was confused as he looked at Sasuke who was walking towards them and then the one sitting under the tree. "Um… So if you're Sasuke, then who's that?" Naruto asked, pointing at the seated Sasuke.
Sakura smiled and motioned to that person. Sasuke who was sitting under a tree stood up and a moment later, smoke covered him. The next second everyone saw Naruto standing in his spot.
"Huh?!" Naruto was confused seeing his clone pretend to be the Uchiha. "What's going on?"
Hearing that question Sakura smiled and thought back to the plan Sasuke had told her.
—-
"We're getting those two bells." Sasuke said calmly as he looked at his teammate.
Her eyes widened. "You mean—?"
"Yeah. I've got a plan. I need you to do exactly as I say." He leaned closer to her and Sakura slightly blushed red at the close contact. 'Ohh this feels like one of those secret romantic meetings I read about in those romance novels.'
"Sakura. Are you listening?" Sasuke asked, internally groaning, seeing her dreamy state.
"Huh?" Sakura immediately shook her head and got serious again. "Yes! Yes."
"I'll help you," he said simply. "But you'll be the one who has to get close to Kakashi."
Sakura blinked. "What!? Me?"
Sasuke gave a small nod. "Yes. I'll support you with shuriken jutsu. But you're the one who has to grab the bells."
"Are you sure about this plan?" she asked hesitantly. "Shouldn't we tell Naruto too? I mean… maybe we can all coordinate—"
"No," Sasuke interrupted, firm. "He might give it away without meaning to."
Sakura frowned but reluctantly nodded. 'He's not wrong… Naruto might get too excited and blow the whole thing. Guess it's better if he doesn't know.'
Sasuke activated his Sharingan for a brief second and glanced at her. "Before we begin… show me your shuriken throw."
She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"I need to match your throwing style," he said. "I'll be throwing in your place. If we want it to look believable, I need to replicate your exact force, spin, speed and trajectory. I need to copy it precisely. With the Sharingan, I can do that... but I need to see it first." Sasuke replied with a calm face.
"Oh… right." Sakura blinked, startled by the level of detail in his thinking. But she quickly nodded and stepped back. She pulled out a few shuriken and launched them at a nearby tree.
'Straight grip. Arc angled to compensate for her weaker wrist strength. Good distance control, but not as much force…' Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he memorized every nuance.
He deactivated his Sharingan and turned toward her. "Use transformation jutsu. Turn into Naruto."
"Why Naruto?"
"You'll be moving around Kakashi as a fake Naruto. He won't suspect anything if you blend in with his clones. Meanwhile, I'll make him think you're still hiding and throwing shuriken."
"Right…" Sakura nodded and formed the hand signs. "Transformation Jutsu!" A puff of smoke surrounded her and a second later, Naruto stood there with a wide grin and crossed arms.
Sasuke glanced over her, then gave a subtle nod. "Alright. It'll pass." He then formed his own hand seals and transformed into her. Long pink hair, red top. He examined himself and took a breath. "You'll move first. Throw the first wave of shuriken and then get out of there quickly."
Sakura—disguised as Naruto—nodded.
"Once we start, I'll barely stay in Kakashi's sightline and make it look like you're the one throwing shuriken. You need to stay hidden, get close in your Naruto disguise, and wait for the signal."
"Signal?" Sakura asked, tilting her head.
Sasuke nodded. "I'll throw three waves of two shuriken in quick succession. That's your cue to get ready. After that, I'll throw five more, but one of them will have my ninja wire attached to it so I can guide its path. That's when you move."
Sakura—still disguised as Naruto—nodded, absorbing every detail.
Sasuke continued, "I'll aim to cut the strings on the bells. You'll only have a moment. Don't get too close—use wire or something if you can. If you rush in too early or too close, Kakashi will know something's off."
"Got it," Sakura replied. "Um… Not that I'm doubting you Sasuke, but can you really aim that precisely with a wire mid-air without sensei noticing?"
"I'll manage," Sasuke replied curtly.
"And… what if he notices me?"
"Don't get too close. If he sees through the plan, then you and Naruto will fail."
Sakura exhaled and nodded her head. She knew she needed to keep a calm head to pass this exam. "Okay. I'll be careful."
"One more thing," Sasuke added, eyes narrowing. "Once you leave after throwing the first wave, find one of Naruto's clones. Get him to transform into me without anyone seeing and place him in Kakashi's line of sight. Away from the fight but visible. Make it look like 'Sasuke' is watching from a distance. Don't let him do anything else."
"Ah… so he doesn't suspect the switch." 'CHAAAA! Sasuke, my love. You're sooo smart.'
"Exactly."
Sakura's mouth fell open slightly in realization. "Wow. You've… really thought this through, huh."
Sasuke shrugged. "Just doing what I have to. Besides, this is the guy who trained Daichi for a year. I get the feeling that no amount of preparation from us will be enough to deal with him."
"Ready?" he asked.
Sakura inhaled deeply. "Okay… Let's do this."
The two nodded to each other, then leapt into motion. They got ready and soon Sakura threw the first shuriken wave. A second later, the two Genin moved to different locations.
Flashback End.
Sakura exhaled. 'He really thought it all out… Every detail. Even after saying we had to do this on our own… he still helped.'
She glanced toward Naruto. 'And Naruto didn't hesitate either. He fought until the end… even when it looked hopeless. I couldn't have gotten the bells without them.'
Kakashi exhaled through his mask. 'So that's it. They tricked me. Sasuke devised the entire plan, huh.' He gave a small smile, hidden beneath the mask. 'Good. There's hope for this team yet.'
Naruto had a big smile as he looked at Sakura. He didn't care who came up with the plan. As long as they all passed. "Wait. So we got the bells?" He asked with a wide grin and came near Sakura.
The kunoichi nodded with a big smile and she looked at her two teammates. "It was all thanks to Sasuke… And you too, Naruto. You kept him distracted so I could take the bells."
Sasuke came near them but kept silent. Seeing their victory, Naruto immediately laughed and pointed at Kakashi. "Haha! Who's the loser now? We passed your stupid exam. We got the bells."
Hearing that, Kakashi made an ominous smiley expression with his face that made the Genin involuntarily shiver. "Are you sure about that?"
That question wiped the smile off the Genin's faces.
Sakura immediately brought her closed fist and opened them. She gasped as she only saw one bell in her palm.
"Jingle." The chime of a bell rang through the training ground as Kakashi held a bell for everyone to see. "You did well. But it wasn't perfect. You missed one." 'She must not have noticed that she was only holding one bell because of the adrenaline.'
Sakura looked in horror at Kakashi's bell. "N-no. That can't be." 'He must have snatched it from me before I could pull them in.'
Sasuke was also slightly tense. 'His reaction speed is fast. Sakura used her tether to grab those strings as fast as she could and still he took one back…'
Ring!
At that moment the sound of an alarm going off was heard throughout the training ground. Everyone looked towards the clock on the tree stump and saw that it was exactly 11:30am.
"The first test is over. And since Sakura is the one who got a bell, you pass and Naruto fails the first test." Kakashi spoke with a cold and strict tone.
"But-" Sakura wanted to argue but Kakashi cut her off. "Have you forgotten what I told you yesterday? I make the rules for this exam. My decision is final."
She looked at Kakashi, who now stood with his arms relaxed at his sides and was watching them all with a neutral expression.
And then her eyes fell on Naruto. His clenched fists and tightened jaw, and the small tear at the corner of his eyes told her everything he wasn't saying aloud. 'We got one bell... but it wasn't enough. Dammit. This isn't what I wanted.'
Sasuke frowned as he looked at the Jonin leader. 'Even though I passed the first test, why am I not happy.'
Naruto was depressed and he didn't even have the energy to throw a tantrum now. He didn't even realize that he fell to his knees and was sitting on the soft grass. 'How could this happen? Even after I trained so hard, I still failed. I let down Iruka sensei… Old man Hokage. And I let down Daichi.'
Even after everything that happened, Naruto only felt sad that he didn't pass and was disappointed in himself and didn't blame Sakura or Sasuke.
Seeing the funeral-like atmosphere, Kakashi sighed. 'Am I going too far?... Naaa!'
"Alright, alright. Cheer up. This isn't the end. I have a proposition."
The Genins frowned and looked at the silver haired man with some confusion.
Kakashi glanced at Sakura. "Do you remember what you asked me when I first told you about the rules of this exam?"
Hearing that question Sakura frowned and quickly recalled the conversation.
—-
"Sensei, what happens if we fail to get the bells before then?" Sakura asked with a raised hand.
Kakashi's visible eye curved faintly. "We'll get to that when the time comes."
Naruto meanwhile grimaced. "That means it's bad."
—-
Sakura's eyes widened. "You didn't answer my question regarding the failure in this part of the exam."
"Yes. I wanted to keep it a surprise." Kakashi replied with a jovial smile.
"So what is it? What happens to those who fail the first part?" Naruto asked seriously.
Kakashi smiled as he looked at the boy. "Since you tried so hard and since I'm such a nice guy…"
The three Genins deadpanned.
"-I'm willing to give you another chance. You have two options."
Kakashi raised a single finger. "One: You can take the remaining bell and qualify for the second part of the test."
Naruto's eyes widened. "Really!?"
"Now hold your horses, Naruto. There's a catch." Kakashi placed the bell on top of one of the three wooden stumps. "If you take this bell, you won't be allowed to eat your lunch."
"Huh!?" Naruto blinked as if he heard the wrong thing.
"You'll go into the second test on an empty stomach. If you're fine with that, the bell is yours." The Jonin laid out his terms looking Naruto straight in the eye.
Naruto stared at him, his stomach letting out a faint growl as if on cue. "Oh come on! I'm already soo hungry, I'm going to faint!"
Sasuke frowned. "What's the other option?"
"Option two…" Kakashi continued, "Naruto quits the team. Permanently. No bell means no second test. For him or anyone who got the bell. He'll be right back in the academy and you two will automatically pass. And since two of you got the bells, this decision has to be a majority choice."
Naruto sat still as he heard that. Sakura and Sasuke were also surprised to hear that condition.
Kakashi looked at the three with a calm expression. 'Now what will you do? Will you abandon him or press forward?'
Naruto realized the implications and for some reason, he was afraid to look at his teammates.
Sasuke looked at the Jonin with a frown. 'What is this guy up to? At the beginning he tells us there are two parts to this test and now he's pulling this… Is he serious?'
Sasuke then turned his attention to Naruto who was silently sitting still with his head down. 'If this Jonin is serious and if Sakura and I make the choice then–'
"I vote to give Naruto a bell and continue with the test."
At that moment Sakura suddenly spoke up with a determined voice.
Hearing those words, Naruto snapped his head towards her with shock. "Sakura. You…"
"Don't look so surprised you dummy. Without you, Sasuke and I wouldn't have gotten the bells. We're in this together." Sakura looked at the blonde boy with a smile and spoke calmly. She then turned to Sasuke and had an apologetic smile. "Sorry Sasuke. I know that this is risky but…"
Hearing her decision, Sasuke clenched his fists for a few moments and then internally sighed as he let go of the tension. 'Well, that's that.' "Forget it."
The Uchiha looked at the Jonin instructor and spoke with a determined voice as well. "Yeah. I agree with Sakura. Give that bell to this idiot. I don't need to take the easy way out. I'll survive and become a Genin without doing it in such a pathetic way."
Naruto turned his head and looked at Sasuke now. He had a small hope that the two of them would choose this option but it was a very small part in his heart. But hearing them make the decision without even arguing almost made him cry. "You guys."
Sasuke kept a grimaced expression as he looked at Naruto. "A shinobi isn't supposed to show any expression on the battlefield. Don't you know that, you idiot?"
Kakashi was genuinely surprised. 'Well done you two. Color me impressed.'
He turned to the boy on the ground and his eye softened. "So what do you say Naruto? If you take the bell and they fail the next part, all of you will be sent to the academy. Are you willing to accept such a burden?"
Naruto immediately stood up despite the fatigue. "I won't fail. No matter what. Believe it! Even if I have to skip lunch, I'll find a way to pass. No problem!"
He turned to Sakura and Sasuke and spoke with a serious tone. "I won't let you guys down. I promise."
"You're sure?" Kakashi asked Naruto again in a light tone.
Naruto nodded his head and there was a determined fire in his eyes. "Yeah! I don't care if I'm hungry. I'm not quitting the team!"
Kakashi tilted his head with amusement. "If you decide to go ahead with this you'll be so weak and exhausted that you won't survive the next test. You'll just hold your team back."
"No I won't." Naruto didn't falter. "I can do it! Believe it!"
At that moment Sasuke narrowed his eyes and asked a question that was on his mind. "Why didn't you tell us about this earlier?"
Kakashi glanced at him and his visible eye curved slightly. "Simple. If I'd told you this from the start, some of you might have slacked off during the test, knowing there was a fallback option. I wanted to see what you'd do under pressure."
Sasuke clicked his tongue and looked away. "Tch."
Kakashi then looked at Sakura and Sasuke. "You two are free to eat your lunch." He waved a hand at the boxes they'd left behind earlier, untouched near the tree. "Go ahead. But—" His tone suddenly darkened as he stared at them, "—you're not allowed to give Naruto even a bite. If you do, all of you will be disqualified."
His eye narrowed slightly, and his voice lowered just enough to make a chill crawl up their spines. "I'm going to say it again just so there's no confusion. If either of you feeds him… I'll send all of you back to the academy."
There was a long silence.
Kakashi gave a small nod and turned around. He stretched his arms above his head lazily and exhaled.
"Well, I've worked up quite the appetite after all this." He gave a lazy stretch. "I'm in the mood for some barbecue. I think I'll head to that new yakiniku place near the mission hall. Here's your bell." Kakashi tossed the last bell and Naruto clumsily caught it.
He then stared at the Jonin incredulously. "Wait. You're— you're going to eat barbecue right now?!"
"Mmhm." Kakashi took a few steps, paused next to the clock. "Timer's off for lunch. But I'll be back at noon sharp and we will resume." He looked over his shoulder without turning his body. "Remember the rule." With a casual wave, he vanished in a puff of smoke.
A silence settled over the clearing.
Sasuke grabbed his bento box and sat down on a rock. Sakura followed suit, unwrapping her chopsticks.
They began eating quietly as no one spoke.
But after a few bites, Sakura glanced over at Naruto.
The blonde Genin sat back down on the grass, trying his best to ignore them—but his eyes betrayed him every time they flicked toward the food.
"Grghhhhh."
"…Ugh…" Naruto grimaced and clutched his abdomen. "Stupid stomach…"
Sasuke paused, chopsticks in mid-air. His eyes narrowed in thought. 'Three of us barely managed to get two bells from him… and that too, only because he was holding back and just defending. If Kakashi had actually attacked, even a little…' He exhaled through his nose.
Another growl from Naruto's stomach echoed embarrassingly through the clearing.
"…This is messed up," Sakura muttered under her breath and stopped eating as well.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Believe…it!" Just finishing that sentence made Naruto tired.
Sasuke didn't respond at first. He continued chewing, then finally said, "Three against Kakashi is better than two."
Sakura turned to him. "Huh?"
He looked up, meeting her eyes. "You saw how hard it was with all three of us. And he wasn't even trying. If we have someone starving on the team during the next test, it'll only be a problem for us."
Sakura's expression softened, understanding what he meant. "But you heard what he said!" Sakura spoke worriedly. "We already took a big risk. Now, if he finds out we gave him food, we'd be disqualified—!"
"He's not here," Sasuke muttered and then added, "Besides… it's not like Kakashi will know we fed him."
"…You think so?" Sakura asked, hesitant. "But what if he does?"
Sasuke was quiet for a short while and sighed. "Unless he's hiding behind a tree nearby and is watching us right now, I doubt it." Sasuke used all his senses to try and find if Kakashi was nearby but failed. 'He's either really good at stealth or he's not here.'
Sasuke closed his eyes and after a few moments of internal struggle, he opened his eyes. "It's a risk we have to take. If just the two of us try to defend against him, I'm not sure we'd last long."
Naruto blinked and looked between them. "Wait… are you guys…?" He slowly stood and came near them.
Sasuke didn't answer. He just picked up a rice ball, tore it in half, and casually gave the bigger piece to Naruto.
Naruto took it, his eyes wide in surprise. "Are you sure?"
Sakura smiled faintly and pushed some of her food onto a small leaf plate and gave it to him. "Here."
"Y-You guys… Thanks!" Naruto's voice cracked slightly from emotion and hunger.
"Shut up and eat before we change our minds." Sasuke grumbled.
Naruto didn't need to be told twice. "You guys are the best!"
"You better not pass out during the next test." Sasuke muttered, taking another bite of his food.
Naruto grinned wide and nodded rapidly. "You got it!"
He devoured the food with almost terrifying speed.
But just as Naruto was taking the last bite of his lunch,
POOF!
Smoke exploded beside them, and Kakashi reappeared, crouched low with his eye glowing menacingly. "WELL, WELL, WELL…" he said in a low growl.
"GYAAAH!" Naruto jumped, mouth still stuffed and he nearly choked on his rice ball.
Sasuke stood with clenched his jaw and narrowed eyes. 'Damn it. He was watching?'
Sakura dropped her bento in shock. "K-K-Kakashi-sensei!?"
Kakashi stood up slowly. "I told you not to give him food. And you disobeyed."
Sakura took a step back. "W-We just… we didn't want him to pass out during the next test!"
While Sakura took a step back Sasuke took a bold step forward. "We all want to pass this exam and become a Genin. All three of us trained hard and we all deserve to wear our headband."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed and killing intent flowed from him which frightened the Genin. "All of you deserve to pass? You can take back your words and maybe I can forget about what I saw."
"No way! We're a team. And we will pass your stupid test. All of us!" Naruto shouted through his gritting teeth and stood firm.
"Well in that case…" Kakashi folded his arms. His single visible eye squinted in what looked like judgment. Suddenly the dangerous intent from Kakashi vanished and he gave a genuine smile. "You all pass."
All three of them froze.
"…Eh?"
"I said…" Kakashi smiled under his mask, "You pass. You're all officially Genins."
Naruto blinked rapidly. "W-What? But… I didn't even get a bell!"
Kakashi shook his head. "The bell was never the real test. The test… was about teamwork."
Sakura's eyes widened. "Teamwork…?"
Kakashi nodded. "You didn't abandon your teammate when it could have been the easy choice. And then you saw your comrade struggling, and you helped him—even when I told you not to. That's the correct decision. You broke the rules," he continued, "but you did it for the right reasons."
The trio stared at him, confused.
"In the real world, there will be missions where rules must be followed… but there will also be moments when helping your comrade is more important than following orders."
Naruto had tears in his eyes and snot in his nose. "You know, you're kinda cool, sensei."
"What about the second part of the exam?" Sasuke asked cautiously.
"Well… I decided to skip it. I've seen enough." The Jonin said with a shrug.
He smiled as he looked at the 3 fresh ninja. "You're the first Genin to pass my test as a team. Even Daichi's teammates failed at that. In fact, all the teams I've had fell into every trap I laid out. They did exactly what I said. They couldn't think for themselves. Remember this. A ninja must see through deception."
He looked at them seriously. "Those who abandon the mission are scum… but those who abandon their friends…"
He paused and looked his three new students in the eye.
"…are worse than scum."
The three Genins smiled and let out a breath of relief. Kakashi turned and walked a few steps away, then stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Team Seven… starting the first of next month, you'll begin your official missions."
He pointed at them. "Be here at 8 a.m. sharp." And with those words, he vanished in a swirl of leaves.
The three genin stood in stunned silence.
Then Naruto whooped. "Yes! I'm a Genin now! Wohoo!"
"I can't believe we did it." Sakura smiled, clutching the bell in her hand.
Sasuke crossed his arms and gave a small grunt. But for the first time all day… he looked content.
—---------------
Author's Note:-
Finally, It's done. We'll be focusing the story back on Daichi from now on.
This is my take from Kakashi's POV on the test if it was modified. Did you guys like the strategies I used? There is a bit more to this test but you'll understand it in the next chapter.
If you like my story and want to read ahead, then check out my P.a.T.R.E.0.N page. I've uploaded up to 30 additional chapters there.
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