Kakashi might have looked like he was reading, but his attention had been fixed on the few brats not far away.
He wanted to see whether, when faced with danger, this newly formed little team would actually cooperate...or if one of them might suddenly unleash a surprising amount of power.
On the other side, Shinju, who was busy thinking about how to pass the exam, suddenly came up with a great idea.
He quickly formed hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
FWSSSHHH—!
Hundreds of shadow clones filled the training ground.
Kakashi, holding his book: (꒪⌓꒪)
Naruto creating dozens of clones earlier was already something—but this kid just made hundreds?!
Do all kids these days have this much chakra?!
Kakashi's left eye held Obito Uchiha's Sharingan, and keeping that eye active consumed a huge amount of chakra.
That's why he was perpetually low on chakra, often finding himself drained after just a few jutsu in battle.
Now, seeing that the kids in his squad—one after another—possessed such ridiculous chakra reserves...he couldn't help but feel seriously jealous.
When Naruto saw Shinju using the same "dumb" tactic as him, he quickly warned,
"Shinju, Shadow Clones won't work on Kakashi-sensei. His physical skills are insane—he can kick a clone apart with just one hit."
"It's fine, I want to give it a try."
Shinju smiled.
At that moment, a light breeze swept across the training ground.
It lifted Shinju's red hair and the forehead protector tied around his head.
In the sunlight, Shinju smiled.
Kakashi glanced up—just in time to see this scene.
He froze.
It was a strange feeling.
That was clearly just a boy not even thirteen years old… yet to Kakashi, he felt like a star.
A small sun.
This year's students… maybe they really wouldn't disappoint.
The thought came to Kakashi for no reason.
But just as he got lost in thought—
"Sensei, this is no time to be spacing out," Shinju's voice suddenly rang out.
Hundreds of Shinju clones spoke in unison—the sound was so overwhelming that Kakashi's ears rang.
The next moment—
Shinju gave the order.
All the clones charged toward Kakashi!
"Let's go!"
Looking at the tide of Shinju clones rushing in, Kakashi silently formed a hand seal.
Before he could finish, he suddenly sensed something brushing against the bell on his waist.
He looked down—one of Shinju's clones was trying to snatch it in the chaos!
"Just like Naruto—using clones as a distraction while the real body grabs the bell?"
"Still too young!"
Kakashi immediately judged the situation.
With a sharp sidestep—
Clink!
The bell that had just touched Shinju's fingers was instantly whisked back by Kakashi.
The next instant, Kakashi completed his hand seal!
POOF!
His body vanished from sight!
In his place—a chunk of dead wood.
The Substitution Jutsu—used by shinobi to escape dangerous situations.
After using it, Kakashi appeared atop a large tree on the edge of the training ground.
His thinking was simple:
Shadow Clones might create countless real bodies, but each one had its own independent thoughts.
Independent thoughts plus huge numbers meant internal conflict could arise between clones.
Kakashi planned to use that to not only escape, but also trigger chaos among Shinju's clones.
But something was wrong.
These red-haired clones…
When they saw him vanish, they didn't talk, didn't react—they just stood there blankly.
Like robots whose mission had already been completed.
"What… is going on?" Kakashi muttered.
Just then—
SWOOSH!!
Shinju appeared right behind him!
In midair, Shinju snatched the bell from Kakashi's waist and landed lightly!
Kakashi: (°Д°≡°Д°)
Wait!
What just happened?!
How did this kid suddenly appear behind me?!
Naruto stood frozen nearby as well.
Same opening move—Shadow Clones—so why was the result so different?!
Sasuke, too, was stunned.
He had hidden himself in a concealed grove the moment Kakashi announced the start of the test, waiting for the perfect moment to strike in one decisive blow.
But now… Shinju's direct attack seemed way more effective than his cautious plan.
And he didn't even know what jutsu Shinju had used—he had just appeared behind Kakashi like it was nothing!
"Sensei, does this mean I passed the test?" Shinju asked humbly.
After the last time—when his arrogance had, in his mind, driven away Yamato-sensei—Shinju had been unfailingly polite and respectful toward teachers.
Hearing this, Kakashi didn't answer immediately. Instead, he carefully examined the bell in Shinju's hand.
With his years of ANBU experience, Kakashi noticed something unusual right away.
There was a tiny tree-like mark on the bell's surface...and it radiated a familiar space-time chakra signature.
Kakashi knew this feeling better than anyone—
Because...it was the same technique his own teacher, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, had mastered—the Flying Thunder God Jutsu!
Created by the Second Hokage and perfected by the Fourth, this jutsu was insanely powerful.
It was thanks to the bizarre, lightning-fast Flying Thunder God that Minato had earned the terrifying nickname "Yellow Flash" from enemy shinobi!
But the problem was—learning it was extremely difficult.
It was an S-rank jutsu with harsh requirements—few could even begin to master it!
Where the hell had this brat learned it?!
◝₍ᴑ̑ДO͝₎◞
From the Third Hokage himself?!
And even with a teacher, without insane natural talent, you'd never get it.
Even Kakashi, who became a jonin at twelve, had never mastered this technique!
Now Kakashi finally understood why, before he came here, the Third Hokage had warned him not to be too shocked.
That was his "shock-prevention" notice!
Twelve years old, already an S-rank jutsu user, and with monstrous chakra reserves…
Sure, his combat experience wasn't perfect yet.
But the kid was smart.
A little genius—maybe already catching up to Kakashi's own level at that age...no, probably surpassing it.
"Sensei, if you think the way I got the bell was unfair, I can try again," Shinju said nervously when Kakashi stayed silent, thinking he was being scolded for using underhanded tricks.
"Try again?" Kakashi repeated.
Truth be told, he was thinking about it, but not because he thought Shinju's win was undeserved.
He just wanted to see...what other surprises this kid might have in store.
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