"Damn it, he took them back…"
Tenten grit her teeth in frustration.
She'd been this close to getting both bells!
"Heh… well done, all of you. But a friendly reminder—your time on the hourglass is running out."
Kakashi's teasing voice drifted from all directions.
A surround-sound trick…
Silent Killing technique?
"Your coordination is decent," Kakashi continued.
"But you have one glaring weakness. Yes, I'm talking about—"
CRACK!
A branch snapped.
"Ahhh!"
Tenten fell from the tree.
Midair, a rope swung up like a snake, wrapping around her.
Just as Kakashi was about to finish her—
WHSSSH!
A row of wooden spike traps blasted toward him.
He substituted away in a puff of smoke and reappeared behind Tenten.
Souma moved instantly to intercept.
Kasumi too attacked, slashing the trap mechanism, then melting back into the shadows.
But—
A cold voice whispered behind her.
"Got you."
"What—?"
Kasumi turned, shocked.
She hadn't sensed anything—not a breath, not a shift in chakra.
BAM!
A flying kick sent Kakashi skidding backward.
That kid—
How did he shake off his shadow clone?
Unless…
Guy really went overboard teaching him, Kakashi thought with a twitch.
He pushed his forehead protector up, revealing the Sharingan.
But then—
He froze.
Souma hadn't opened any of the Eight Gates.
What?
He reached that physical peak… purely by controlling his muscles?
What kind of monster is this kid!?
Souma panted lightly.
"You okay?"
"N-No problem… but what about Tenten?"
"She cut herself loose and is tying up one of the clones. Come on—we need to back her up."
"Right!"
"Whoa… both sides are amazing."
Maya's jaw nearly hit the floor.
Compared to this fight, their own genin test felt like child's play.
Neji's fists tightened.
A mere civilian…
No bloodline, no clan, no kekkei genkai—
How could someone like that overturn his fate in two short years?
It was wrong.
It shouldn't be possible.
Yagyu Souma…
You're a glitch in fate itself.
Lee's anxious whisper cut in:
"Guy-sensei… could you do what he just did?"
"No."
Guy answered without hesitation.
At first, he thought Souma might've rediscovered the Eight Gates.
But watching carefully, he realized—
This wasn't Gate Opening.
This was Souma's own "pseudo-opening," achieved by extreme muscle control and chakra precision.
"But beating Kakashi will still be difficult," Guy added.
"Kakashi hasn't used real speed yet. Nor ninjutsu. And not even the Sharingan's full ability."
Kakashi still hadn't gotten serious yet.
"When you fought Kakashi-sensei… how many percent did you use?"
Lee asked.
"Ahahaha! Keep watching!"
Guy deflected the question instantly.
He wasn't about to break their spirit.
And—
The battlefield was changing rapidly.
BOOM!
BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!
A chain of explosions shook the forest.
Kakashi emerged behind a tree, catching his breath.
Tch… I really underestimated her.
Tenten—
this girl was terrifyingly… loaded.
Five explosive tags buried just for a test.
Coordinated with chakra threads and wire manipulation.
If he hadn't used Decapitation Earth Jutsu, Substitution, and Body Flicker—
He'd have taken real damage.
"Don't underestimate me, jerk!!"
Tenten roared.
Dozens of kunai danced like living serpents, all controlled by threads.
Kakashi dodged—
then abruptly disappeared.
His speed spiked.
He materialized behind a tree, kunai flashing like a fang.
CLANG!
Kasumi barely intercepted.
Kakashi's speed was overwhelming.
"S-Souma! Help!"
Kasumi retreated under a rain of kunai—hers and Tenten's.
But Kakashi was too fast.
Only Souma could keep up.
And Kakashi knew that—
so he matched his speed exactly to Souma's limit.
Unless Souma burned himself with his extreme mode,
he wouldn't catch him.
Then—
"Wha—!?"
Two hands burst from the earth, seizing Tenten's ankles—
Decapitation Earth Jutsu!
Tenten was dragged into the soil.
Souma rushed in—but Kasumi was still in danger too.
A heartbeat of hesitation—
Souma cut down the remaining trap triggers and shot them forward using chakra threads.
Kakashi didn't notice—
until a spike grazed his mask.
Kasumi saw her moment.
She split into three shadows and dove in—
Konoha-Style: Crescent Moon Dance!
A perfect angle—
too perfect.
Kakashi vanished.
The "body" became a tree trunk.
Above her—
A rope whipped down, wrapping Kasumi and hoisting her into the air.
"Lesson one," Kakashi said calmly.
"On the battlefield, the best-looking opportunities… are usually traps."
JINGLE— JINGLE—
Kakashi blinked.
…His bells had fallen?
When!?
He looked down.
The bell strings had been perfectly severed.
Only one possibility—
Souma used his chakra threads to cut them.
Souma caught both bells cleanly.
But the moment he did—
The hourglass emptied.
Time was up.
"So?" Souma asked.
"Does this count as passing?"
Kakashi shrugged with a smile.
"I relaxed for just a moment and you seized the opportunity. Impressive. You can be my student."
"And them?"
"They failed. Naturally, they'll return to the Academy."
Souma shrugged casually.
"Oh. Well, then I won't graduate either. We're a team—without them, I wouldn't have passed anyway. Why not accept them and I'll take an extra year? I don't mind reading a bit more."
"Absolutely not!"
Tenten and Kasumi shouted together.
"This isn't a negotiation," Kakashi said lightly. "If you refuse to pass by yourself, then all of you—"
"Sensei, let him—"
"Pass."
Kakashi interrupted.
"…Huh?"
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