As the bells, struck by Hinata's chakra blast, whistled through the air and landed squarely in Naruto's hands, the expression beneath Kakashi's mask shifted from professional observation to sheer astonishment.
Kakashi's ties to Hyuga Shinichi were deep, and as a former disciple of Minato and a veteran Jōnin, his understanding of the Hyuga clan far surpassed that of the average villager.
Most people saw the Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm as just another wind-style attack, but Kakashi knew the truth.
It wasn't a ninjutsu; it was a high-level application of the Gentle Fist. It required the user to expel a massive, explosive burst of chakra from the palm's Tenketsu points with such precision that it compressed the air into a projectile. This was a feat of chakra control that many adult Hyuga struggled to master.
For Hinata to perform this at her age meant she didn't just have discipline—she had a level of innate genius that Kakashi had completely failed to anticipate.
He had assumed that a solid grasp of the basic Gentle Fist was her ceiling for now. Instead, she had waited for the exact moment his guard dropped to unleash a move that left him zero room to react. Even though she hadn't secured a bell for herself, she had achieved her primary objective: getting them to Naruto.
Kakashi glanced back at Hinata. Even unconscious, a faint, satisfied smile played on her lips.
Impressive, he thought. Truly impressive. By his estimation, if he compared her to every Academy graduate in the history of Konoha, Hinata was now knocking on the door of the "Elite" tier.
The Bait
Kakashi stood up and placed his hands on his hips, his gaze turning stern as he looked at Naruto.
"Well... both bells are in your hands. The exercise is over. Naruto, since you hold both, you are the only one who passes. You alone have the right to eat lunch."
Kakashi then walked over to Hinata and pinched the philtrum under her nose—a sharp stimulus to snap her back to consciousness. A moment later, Hinata groaned, rubbing her sore shoulder as her eyes found Naruto holding the silver bells. She beamed.
Kakashi repeated his declaration to her: "Hinata, even though you struck the bells down, you didn't catch one. Therefore, you failed. Do you understand?"
The smile vanished. To Hinata, "failing" didn't just mean a missed lunch or being tied to a post—it meant being sent back to the Academy and being separated from Naruto. A wave of profound loss washed over her. But then, looking at Naruto's safe status, her smile returned, albeit tinged with sadness.
"I understand," Hinata said softly. "I accept the punishment. As long as Naruto passes, that's enough."
Kakashi's eye twitched. He was a bachelor through and through, but even he could see the blatant devotion in the girl's eyes. Realizing he wouldn't get a "selfish" reaction from her, he turned his focus to the boy.
"Naruto, these two will be tied to the stumps to watch you eat. You are strictly forbidden from sharing your food with these 'failures.' If you do... You will also be disqualified and sent back to the Academy. You are the only Genin today. Once they finish their punishment, I will send them away."
He then looked at Sasuke. "Let's go. Time for your punishment."
The Uchiha's Despair
Sasuke glared at the bells in Naruto's hand, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white.
The pressure on Sasuke's shoulders was a weight few could fathom. He was the son of the Uchiha Clan Head, and above him stood a brother, the entire village hailed as a once-in-a-century genius. Uchiha Itachi had graduated at seven, mastered the Chunin exams at ten, and became an ANBU captain at twelve.
Sasuke's only dream was to hear his father say the words he always reserved for Itachi: "As expected of my son."
He thought becoming a ninja would be his chance to prove his worth. Instead, he was being discarded on day one. The world around him seemed to grow cold and hollow. As Kakashi tied him to the post, Sasuke's eyes lost their focus. He didn't even hear the wind in the trees anymore.
A Shared Meal
Once the two were secured, Kakashi handed Naruto two lunch boxes and vanished into the shadows to "observe."
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called out. "Since both bells are mine, can I give one away?"
Kakashi paused in the shadows, his eye narrowing. He expected Naruto to give it to Hinata because of their bond—and because Hinata was the reason he had them. But the Jōnin decided to play along to see if Naruto would truly ignore the third member of the team.
"Fine," Kakashi's voice echoed from the trees. "Who do you give it to?"
"Hinata gets one," Naruto said immediately. "She's a big eater; she didn't have breakfast, and she'll starve if she skips lunch. Besides, I wouldn't have these bells without her."
Kakashi flicked a kunai, slicing Hinata's ropes. She was free. Naruto handed her a box, and her heart swelled with warmth. I didn't choose the wrong person, she thought happily.
But as Hinata began to eat, Naruto didn't sit down. He walked over to the silent, brooding Sasuke.
Sasuke was spiraling. What have I been doing all these years? How can I ever catch up to my brother if I fail here?
The intensity of his self-loathing was so great that, for a brief moment, his pupils turned a deep, bloody crimson. A single black tomoe swirled in his vision before fading just as quickly as the scent of grilled fish hit his nose.
Sasuke blinked, his vision returning to normal. He looked at the lunch box Naruto was holding out and frowned. "What are you doing? Didn't you hear him? If you break the rules, you'll be sent back too. If you're pitying me, don't bother."
"Pity?" Naruto laughed, a bright, genuine sound. "I don't have the right to pity you. I didn't steal those bells—Hinata did. Technically, I failed just as much as you. If we're going back to the school, we're going together."
Naruto's expression softened into a grin. "Besides, we're a team now. That means we share the good and the bad. I want to surpass my father, the Hokage. And I know for a fact... he would never let a comrade go hungry."
The Final Verdict
Sasuke was stunned. Comrade?
Before he could respond, Hinata walked over and held out her own chopsticks. She didn't say anything, but her gesture was clear: Eat.
Just as Sasuke was about to take a bite, a massive plume of white smoke erupted behind them. The air grew heavy with a dark, suffocating killing intent. Kakashi appeared on top of the center post, his eye curved into a menacing glare that made the children freeze.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Kakashi roared. "Have you forgotten the rules already?"
"We haven't forgotten!" Naruto stood his ground, shielding his teammates. "But I won't watch my teammates suffer while I eat. Whatever punishment you have, I'll take it!"
"I didn't even eat their food!" Sasuke barked, trying to protect them in return. "The rules don't apply to them!"
Kakashi stared at them for a long, silent beat. Then, the killing intent vanished. The dark clouds broke, and he let out a relaxed, cheerful laugh.
"You three... all pass!"
The Brother's Reflection
In the Hyuga tea room, Shinichi pulled his vision away and took a slow sip of tea.
The personnel changes in Team 7 had worried him, but seeing them interact, he realized that passing Kakashi's test was never going to be an issue. Their chemistry was different, but the core of "comradeship" was even stronger than in the original timeline.
However, one thing bothered him.
I didn't know Hinata had mastered the Vacuum Palm, Shinichi thought, a trace of guilt touching his mind. Did Father teach her? Or did she learn it just by watching me?
He realized he had been so focused on his own growth and the village's politics that he had overlooked his little sister's progress. She wasn't just a follower anymore; she had the potential to be a powerhouse in her own right.
"I suppose," Shinichi murmured to the empty room, "it's time I started paying more attention to her training."
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