"Bell? Are we supposed to steal the bell? Is this one of Konoha's traditions?" Lucien muttered thoughtfully.
Hatake Kusuo tilted his head. "What does it mean?"
Hyuga Akaicho's eyes widened as a realization struck her. "Could it be…?"
"That's right, Miss Hongdie," Hizashi confirmed with a calm smile. He dangled the bells between two fingers. "There are two bells. But there are three of you. That means at least one will fail."
A hush fell over the training ground as his meaning sank in.
"The one who fails to grab a bell," Hizashi continued serenely, "will lose their qualification to become a Genin. Either cooperate and defeat me to earn the bells, or strike down your comrades and take theirs. The choice is yours."
A sharp jingle of metal followed as he clipped one bell to his waist and tossed the other straight into Akaicho's trembling hands. His expression then hardened entirely.
"Begin!"
The Clash
In a blur, Hizashi activated his Byakugan. Veins bulged around his pale eyes as his sight penetrated through every chakra meridian of his three students.
"We're starting this seriously?!" Lucien clenched his fists. Even he hadn't expected the Jonin to unleash his clan's dojutsu so swiftly.
Kusuo Hatake was the first to move. His gaze was cool, his demeanor fearless. "I'll take him head-on."
Drawing the blade strapped across his back, Kusuo dashed forward in a blur. Steel hissed through the air. "Grey Fang!"
Hizashi's lips tilted faintly. "Hatake swordsmanship… formidable indeed. But too naive!"
Pivoting smoothly, Hizashi struck Kusuo's chest with pinpointed force. The full momentum reversed in an instant, and Kusuo was hurled backwards, rolling across the ground.
"Damn it… so this is Jonin power!?" Hatake growled, struggling up.
"Next." Hizashi's pale eyes flickered toward Lucien and Akaicho, unyielding.
"Wait, Sensei!" Akaicho pleaded, looking conflicted. "This is only training… you don't have to go all out!"
"What a childish thought," Hizashi replied sharply. "If you can't withstand this, you'll never survive the battlefield. Now fight!"
In a flash, Hizashi lunged.
"Soft Fist!" His palm blurred toward them.
Lucien's hands blurred into seals instantly.
"His hand seals are so fast?!" Hizashi's eyes briefly widened.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!" Lucien slammed a palm into the ground, raising a thick wall of stone in front of himself and Akaicho.
The ground trembled as a solid barrier rose between master and students.
"Oh?" Hizashi actually smiled. "To already wield earth-style ninjutsu with such efficiency… impressive. He protected his teammate without wasting a drop of chakra. But…"
Hizashi's palm struck. "Eight Trigrams: Empty Palm!"
A concussive wave hammered into the wall, shattering it into rubble instantly. The young Genin stared wide-eyed.
"What power…" Lucien thought, his teeth gritted.
Akaicho used the opening to launch her own attack. "Soft Fist strike!"
From behind, Kusuo reappeared with his sword, his movement fluid—a perfect pincer.
But Hizashi had already seen them through his 360-degree vision. Effortlessly, he seized Akaicho's wrist with one hand and Kusuo's collar with the other. Their momentum reversed violently, and both were hurled aside.
Lucien didn't waste the chance. Hands forming seals, he moved in. "Shadow Clone Technique!"
Smoke exploded as clones rushed Hizashi from either side, one lunging for the Jonin's bell.
Hizashi dispersed them with a single strike, surprise flashing across his eyes. "But where—"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
From a distance, Lucien finished his seals, inhaled, and unleashed a roaring inferno across the training ground.
The blistering flame towered, blasting furiously toward Hizashi.
But Hizashi only laughed under his breath. "Such capacity… a true prodigy. But—this won't be enough."
"Eight Trigrams: Kaiten!"
He spun like a tornado, chakra erupting around him in a circular shield. The fire slammed against the vortex… and broke apart, dissipated into waves of hot air.
When the smoke cleared, Hizashi stood tall and calm, dusting off his kimono as if nothing had happened.
"That's enough." He deactivated his Byakugan, his gaze gentle again.
"Kusuo, Shigure, the truth is your strength is not enough to defeat me. And as for Akaicho…" Hizashi's glance softened slightly before he hardened his words, "you were nothing but dead weight. If you two are wise, you'll steal her bell and advance without her."
"That's the Hokage's order."
Kusuo sneered coldly. "Take a teammate's bell? That's no different from killing them. Women or not, we're comrades. I'll never do that."
"And you, Uchiha Shigure?" Hizashi pressed. His sharp gaze bore into Lucien, testing him.
Lucien smirked darkly, his tone dripping with confidence. "Teacher Hizashi… I never planned to steal from my teammates."
He raised his hand. The faint sound of metal rang out.
"Because the bell on your waist… is already in my hand."
For a moment, silence.
"What?!" Hizashi's expression finally cracked. He touched his side, only to feel the empty strap where the bell should have hung.
Akaicho gasped, covering her mouth. Kusuo's eyes narrowed in disbelief.
The silver bell dangled between Lucien's fingers, its soft chime echoing through the stunned training ground.
P.S. This chapter brings the Bell Test to its height: Lucien reveals not just power, but cunning, proving he can seize victory without betraying his comrades. For the first time, Hizashi is caught off guard, and the unity of Team 7 is truly tested.