The spar had dragged on since morning, and by the time afternoon settled over the training ground, Kakashi had finally won. He'd defeated Sasuke by relying on his immense combat experience, but the victory had cost him.
Leaning against a tree, Kakashi looked completely spent, his breathing ragged. It was always the same with him, the moment he activated his Sharingan, his limited chakra reserves began to burn away, leaving him drained regardless of his opponent's strength.
In contrast, Sasuke, the loser, was unharmed. He stood off to the side with his hands stuffed in his pockets, his expression sullen. He had the speed and the strength to overwhelm Kakashi, but he lacked the instincts of a seasoned shinobi. Against an all-rounder like Kakashi, that gap in experience was everything. He was simply outmatched.
"Kakashi-sensei, did we pass?" Naruto asked cheerfully. "If not, we can go again tomorrow!"
Kakashi, who looked half-dead, clearly just wanted to rest. He managed a weak wave at Naruto, followed by a thumbs-up.
'Absolutely not? Tomorrow, I'm sleeping in.' he thought, clearly relieved.
"He said we passed!" Naruto announced, then turned back to his sensei with a grin. "But I have to say, Kakashi-sensei, as your student, you should really cut back on those perverted books. Look how exhausted you are."
His smile faded as his gaze shifted to Sasuke.
"Sasuke." Naruto's voice took on a sharper edge.
Sasuke stood obediently before Naruto, head bowed and silent, his gaze fixed on his toes. He looked like a student caught red-handed, awaiting his teacher's judgment.
"I won't say much about taijutsu here," Naruto began, his voice low and serious. "I trust you've already figured out what you did wrong there." He paused. "As for ninjutsu... well, you didn't use a single one." Naruto had taught Sasuke all the ninjutsu he'd learned in Root and Hozuki Castle. Even if Sasuke didn't command as wide a range of techniques as Kakashi, he certainly possessed enough annoying tricks to vex most opponents.
"Did you think you could defeat a Jonin with taijutsu alone? Did you really think you were that good?" Naruto's tone sharpened. "Well, could you? No. You couldn't."
He paused, letting the words sink in. 'He did well, all things considered,' Naruto thought. 'Sasuke's already more impressive than Kakashi was at twelve. But Kakashi held back. If this were a real fight, he would have opened with his Chidori and it would have been over in minutes. The experience gap is just too wide.'
Fortunately, Kakashi had aimed to gauge Sasuke's true strength, which led to a prolonged war of attrition focused solely on stamina. For Kakashi to engage in a taijutsu-only battle of attrition with Sasuke... against the Turtle School style? No wonder he's so worn out. After all, the Kakashi who had spent years in a state of decadence was no longer the brilliant sword-fighting genius he once was.
Naruto continued his lecture: "A special point of criticism here. When your taijutsu is restricted, what should you do? Use ninjutsu! Do I still need to teach you something so basic?"
To only use taijutsu against Kakashi was a severe underestimation. Despite Kakashi's current drained appearance, if truly pushed, he could still last for hours. This was the man, after all, who constantly claimed to have low chakra while simultaneously unleashing Chidori. Moreover, Kakashi also knew the Eight Gates, even if he could only open one or two.
"And your genjutsu," he added. "You have the Sharingan, yet your resistance is pathetic. You're only using it for its predictive sight and to copy moves, but you're completely ignoring its greatest strengths. And don't even get me started on how many times you got distracted during the fight. The only reason you're not on the ground is because Kakashi went easy on you."
Naruto was baffled by Sasuke's distractions against Kakashi. It only confirmed that Kakashi had gone incredibly easy on him. In summary, Sasuke possessed the strength of a Jonin, but not yet the mindset.
As he was about to continue his lecture, another voice cut in.
"Naruto, why are you being so mean to him?" Sakura marched forward, hands on her hips. Her words came out in a rush. "Kakashi-sensei is a Jonin! Of course Sasuke-kun couldn't beat him! He was clearly trying his best! Do you have any idea how hard he trains?!"
She jabbed a finger at him. "Someone like you, with no family to teach you any manners, wouldn't get it!"
"Shut up! Stupid woman!" Sakura's tirade was cut off abruptly before she could finish.
The one who interrupted her was none other than Sasuke, the very person she was defending. His face was stern, his eyes cold as he stared at her. The almost murderous gaze frightened Sakura to her core and made her shrink back. Congratulations to Sakura, she had successfully hit Sasuke's raw nerve.
Sasuke's voice was dangerously low. "Who do you think you are? What right do you have to interfere in our business?"
Though Sasuke didn't voice it, his respect for Naruto ran deep. Naruto could scold him twice as harshly, and Sasuke would still stand there obediently, listening. His current strength, comparable even to Kakashi's, had been taught entirely by Naruto.
Moreover, during Sasuke's most helpless and confused period, it was Naruto who had stayed by his side, forging a bond that went beyond words. And Naruto's words last night, 'Indra, I am your brother Ashura', had shattered the final walls around his heart.
How much did Sasuke, who believed he had lost his parents and clan, yearn for family affection? The colder his exterior, the more intensely he yearned within.
For Sakura to step in and scold Naruto at this moment was pure foolishness, an act of asking for trouble.
"You're annoying," Sasuke finished, turning away from her.
'Idiot,' Naruto thought, shaking his head in disapproval. Sakura had done absolutely nothing throughout the entire process. Wouldn't it have been better for her to just quietly cheer from the sidelines? What was this arrogant attitude for? Did she truly believe she could remain useless and then demand attention the moment she felt like 'helping'? He had no romantic feelings for her, why was she acting so self-righteous?
"B-but... aren't we teammates?" Sakura stammered, flustered. Had anyone else said it, she would have retorted instantly, but it was Sasuke.
Naruto's eyes widened, a look of genuine disbelief on his face. "Teammates?" he asked, his voice flat. "When did you get an idea like that? You need to wake up. No one here considers you part of the team."
Kakashi, watching the exchange, tried to stand, but he was utterly out of strength. 'This is what's most concerning issue with the team,' he thought to himself. Naruto was right. 'They simply don't consider Sakura a teammate. Would lions befriend rabbits?'
In the days that followed, Kakashi led them on several D-rank missions, hoping the work would build some camaraderie.
It didn't.
Their dynamic remained cold, with Naruto and Sasuke consistently excluding Sakura. Kakashi didn't know how to fix it, he was never good at that sort of thing, which was part of why he'd become so withdrawn himself. If he were stronger, maybe he could force them to cooperate.
But the reality was, he could barely manage a draw against Sasuke. And as for Naruto... the Third Hokage had told him Naruto could already use the Nine-Tails' power. Kakashi couldn't help but picture his teacher's wife, her fiery red hair blazing with chakra. How could he possibly fight something like that?
His head throbbed.
Another week passed. Feeling that things couldn't go on as they were, Kakashi decided to confront the issue head-on. "Naruto."
"You can't undertake missions if you can't function as a three-person team," he started.
"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto interrupted smoothly, "the Academy teachers assign genin teams based on academic scores, correct? Since it's essentially random, it's inevitable that some teams won't be compatible. You of all people should know what happens when a team is divided."
He met Kakashi's gaze without flinching. "Her abilities don't fit with ours. The gap is too vast. If she stays on Team 7, she'll only hold me and Sasuke back."
Naruto was speaking the truth. Genin team assignments upon graduation were not fixed for life, they were constantly adjusted based on compatibility and complementary abilities. Many prodigies in Konoha had changed teammates more than once. Kakashi himself had changed teammates several times after graduating at five, only settling down after meeting Obito and Rin.
"But Naruto," Kakashi countered, "only nine genin graduated this year. Unless you're both willing to wait for next year's class, you can't form a two-man squad."
'That's what I was waiting to hear,' Naruto thought.
"Don't worry," he said aloud. "Grandpa Danzo has already arranged a new teammate for us."
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