Kakashi stood still as he observed his students. 'So they made preparations, huh...' They seemed to have figured out what the test included, 'I guess, given the amount of time they had, they were bound to figure it out. They did better than most.'
Well, it did not matter what plan they made if they could not figure out the true objective in the end. With that, he took out two bells tied to a string.
"Well, I am sure you are dying of curiosity trying to know what kind of test you are about to have." He pointed the bells at them. "It's quite simple, really, all you have to do is get these bells from me."
Kakashi watched as they suddenly looked ahead seriously.
"That's it?" Sakura asked.
"Yes... Although there is a catch. As you see, there are only two bells. You will have one hour. Whoever doesn't manage to get at least one bell... will have to go back to the academy. You may start as soon as I say 'begin.'"
As he said that, he waited for complaints to flood in, but surprisingly, none of them complained. In fact, they seemed to glance at each other before nodding.
'Well... that's surprising.'
Normally, they would have already started arguing or fighting each other, but they seemed unusually calm. 'Just how much have they figured out...' Well, he was about to find out.
He looked at the makeshift clock he had brought in as it ticked by. "Begin."
As soon as he said that, Sakura instantly threw a smoke bomb that engulfed them, blocking his vision. Kakashi sighed as he brought out his book to read. The smoke cleared, and he noticed Sasuke still standing in his original position, alone.
'So they aren't working together after all?... No, they are.'
"Hm? Aren't you going to hide like the rest?"
Sasuke drew his chokutō. "I don't need to."
Kakashi stared at him before he sighed. 'The famous Uchiha arrogance...' He looked at Sasuke as he slowly approached him, and suddenly he vanished.
Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine as all his instincts screamed at him to dodge. He instantly did a bowing motion, dodging a horizontal slash. A gust of wind brushed against his face from the sheer pressure of Sasuke's swing.
'W-what the hell?' Kakashi was surprised. He didn't expect the sudden burst of speed, especially from a genin fresh out of the academy.
Sasuke didn't let him regain his footing, instantly applying more pressure as he unleashed a flurry of vertical slashes. The reason he hadn't hidden with the others was simple — he was the distraction. His job was to keep Kakashi busy long enough for the others to set up.
Kakashi took a Kunai from his pouch and countered. They clashed for a few seconds, exchanging blows, before Kakashi flipped back into a somersault to create distance.
Sasuke threw his sword up into the air before his hands blurred and he huffed [Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique]. A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, burning hot like a miniature sun, quickly heading toward Kakashi.
His eyes widened at the attack as he jumped to the side to avoid it. Just as his foot landed, a seal instantly appeared and began glowing.
"Shi—"
Before he could curse, it exploded. A cloud of dust rose, and Sasuke's eyes narrowed when he saw movement. Kakashi had leapt up just in time to avoid the blast, though he hadn't come out of it unscathed.
While still airborne, Kakashi observed Sasuke catching his sword. Before he could land, chains suddenly burst out of the ground. With no way to dodge in midair, he was instantly caught.
"Sakura, now!" Naruto's voice rang out.
Kakashi looked up and saw Sakura dropping from the sky in an axe kick. Her strike landed, but Kakashi puffed into smoke. "Dang it! It's a clone."
Sasuke immediately threw a kunai into a nearby bush. Kakashi sprang out and landed, quickly throwing his own kunai at a tree.
"Damn," Naruto cursed, jumping out of the way as he appeared in the clearing.
Kakashi stared at his students. He was not just impressed, he was speechless. 'Their coordination is some of the best I have ever seen Genin have...they came up with this in a few hours...'
His eyes narrowed on Sasuke.
'His kenjutsu is good... too good. That chokutō, I assumed he brought it with him because he was starting to learn, but the skill he displayed was not that of a beginner. His style is way too refined for only a few days of practice. He must have been training with it for years...Yet the files said nothing about him training in kenjutsu... then again...'
His gaze shifted to Naruto. 'Nothing in the files said he had access to his clan's adamantine chains... If I hadn't used a shadow clone during the explosion's smoke and been the one caught, I'd have been in trouble.'
Finally, his attention landed on Sakura. 'She hasn't shown much, but the fact that she managed to shatter a shadow clone said to have three-fifths of the original's endurance in one strike, her physical ability was clearly exceptional.'
Kakashi smiled behind his mask. 'What monstrous students...' He would have been almost happy to teach them, the keyword being almost.
'Sadly, my freedom is still more important... let's take it up a notch.'
He walked toward them. "I got to say, I am impressed... I didn't expect you to have this level of coordination." Slowly, he lifted his headband, revealing his mature Sharingan.
"Well, I am about to kick it up a notch... get ready."
His hands blurred.
The students instantly took positions, ready for the attack.
[Lightning Release: Lightning Beast Tracking]
The sound of crackling lightning filled the clearing as chakra surged forward, forming into a dog-shaped beast that charged straight at them. They scattered, but the beast gave chase, following Naruto.
Naruto cursed, thrusting his hand forward as chains burst from his chest, stabbing at the lightning construct. But the beast moved like it had a mind of its own, dodging easily before slamming into Naruto.
He let out a groan in pain. "Damn it!"
Sasuke wasted no time. He rushed at Kakashi at frightening speed. Kakashi prepared to leap back when the ground erupted again, hands bursting forth to grab his ankles, another aiming for the bells.
'So he had clones hidden underground.'
He slashed quickly to break free, only to immediately block Sasuke's blade with his kunai. Lightning gathered in his palm, forcing Sasuke to click his tongue and retreat as Kakashi disengaged.
Suddenly, Sakura appeared at his side, finishing a string of hand signs [Genjutsu: Leaf Blizzard]. Kakashi's vision was obscured in a storm of swirling leaves. He quickly flared his chakra, dispelling it, and scanned his surroundings.
Then his eyes widened.
'You've got to be kidding me...'
Naruto and Sasuke had just finished a sequence of hand signs.
[Fire Release: Great Flame Technique], [Wind Release: Great Breakthrough]
They inhaled deeply and released their jutsu together. Alone, Kakashi could have handled them. Combined, however...
Fire and wind merged; they did not extinguish each other, but fueled each other, turning into a raging inferno. A devastating sea of flames roared toward him.
Kakashi's eyes widened. 'Do...they even still want the bells?'
He sighed as his hands blurred. [Water Release: Water Colliding Wave]. A torrent erupted as a wave of water collided with the flames. Steam exploded outward, covering the entire training ground in mist.
He sighed as he felt the drain on his chakra. Summoning water out of thin air required tremendous reserves, not to mention keeping his sharigan open.
Before he could recover, he heard rapid footsteps. His guard shot up, but when he looked, two glowing red orbs pierced the mist. He stared at it, confused, realizing what it was. His heart sank.
Sasuke burst out, his Sharingan spinning wildly already in a swinging motion.
"Ah..." Kakashi realized his mistake a fraction of a second too late. He tried to jump back, but he had already made eye contact with Sasuke. His body froze and stopped moving, just for a second — but it was enough.
Sasuke slashed, severing the rope holding the bells, and caught them in his hand.
'Mission accomplished,' he thought with a smile.
Kakashi blinked back into reality, staring at the bells in Sasuke's hand. Well... there goes my free time...
Footsteps rushed closer. "So did you get him?" Naruto asked as he and Sakura burst through the mist.
Sasuke nodded.
Naruto and Sakura cheered, high-fiving before realizing what they just did, and coughing in embarrassment as Kakashi looked on with a blank stare.
"Well, the test is not finished... only those who have the bell get to pass—"
Before he could finish, Sasuke tossed the bells into the air, and Kakashi's eyes followed the bells as it arced in the air. Sasuke's sword blurred, slicing them into four equal parts with precision. Catching the pieces, he handed one to Naruto, one to Sakura, then flicked the last shard to Kakashi, who caught it effortlessly.
"Who said we didn't have bells?"
Kakashi stared speechlessly. Naruto frowned and hmphed. "Show off..."
Kakashi felt emotions stir in his chest, though he hid them well on the outside.
'Obito, Rin...'
He looked up, smiling faintly behind his mask. "Congratulations, Team 7... You pass."
Naruto and Sakura cheered again, Sasuke smiling faintly as well.
Kakashi studied them one last time before lifting his gaze to the sky.
'Well, this will be interesting indeed.'
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I believe I showcased team fights adequately. It's a weakness of mine that I really want to improve on... Let me know your thoughts!
Also, should I add sound effects for the fights, such as 'BOOM' or 'CRASH'?
Thx for reading!