"So that's it. I wonder if the boss knows anything about that person. Hmm, after the exercise, I'll go to the internet cafe and ask him."
Regardless of whether Ge Liang knew anything about that person, Sasuke felt it was worth asking. What if the boss knew? It wouldn't cost anything to try.
"An exercise, huh."
At the mention of the exercise, Naruto's expression immediately turned strange.
"Uncle said that ever since Obito died, Kakashi-sensei's personality changed drastically. He went from a diligent and aspiring good young man to a lazy, decadent man who doesn't care about anything."
"And Uncle specifically warned me that Kakashi-sensei's favorite thing to do is be late."
"So, we should be prepared for Kakashi-sensei to arrive at noon, or even in the afternoon."
Damn it, at this moment, Sasuke and Sakura wanted to strangle Naruto.
Such important information, and he waited until the very end to say it.
"So, what do we do now? Just wait? I really want to go back to sleep."
Sakura was originally quite resentful about getting up so early, as lack of sleep affects one's skin. Now, hearing Naruto say that, her resentment grew even stronger.
"No, if Kakashi comes and we're not here, he might find an excuse to get angry."
Sasuke and Naruto were still rational, knowing that they were at a critical juncture. Whether they could successfully graduate and become Ninja depended on Kakashi, their squad leader, and his attitude towards them.
If things went badly and Kakashi was displeased, directly declaring them unqualified, then it would be a huge problem.
"We're just sitting around anyway, so let's discuss how to deal with Kakashi-sensei later."
"Okay."
Naruto and the two others were not weak now, and they had accurate information about Kakashi. With careful planning against an unprepared opponent, no matter what the exercise content was, being prepared was always better than not being prepared... By the time the sun was high in the sky, it was almost lunchtime.
It was at this time that Kakashi arrived, fashionably late.
Glancing at the empty, large lunchbox, Kakashi still maintained his lazy demeanor, as if nothing mattered to him.
"Sorry, I got lost on the path of life."
It was clearly a perfunctory excuse, which greatly displeased Sakura and Naruto.
If you're going to make an excuse, at least come up with a better one. Such a perfunctory remark clearly showed he didn't care about them.
"Seeing you all so full of energy, I'm relieved."
Ignoring Naruto and Sakura's displeasure, Kakashi pulled out two bells from his pocket and said, "It's almost lunchtime now, so let's make today's exercise simple and try to finish early."
"See these two bells? No matter what method you use, as long as you snatch these two bells, I'll consider you passed."
After speaking, he hung the bells on his waist.
"Wait, you only have two bells, but there are three of us..."
"That's right."
Facing Sasuke's question, Kakashi nodded, stating as a matter of course, "So, one of you will be sent back to the academy by me."
"So, who among the three of you will it be?"
Kakashi had originally thought that after he said this, Naruto and the others might show some pessimistic or angry emotions.
However, he found that these three little rascals completely ignored him. Instead, they distanced themselves and whispered something.
"This quality... not bad."
On this side, Kakashi was satisfied with what Sasuke and the two others were doing.
On the other side, the trio began to discuss in low voices.
"Is Kakashi-sensei messing with us? Which Ninja squad nowadays isn't a team of four? If one of us gets eliminated, wouldn't we become a three-person squad? Would Konoha allow such a squad to exist?"
After Naruto finished speaking, Sasuke continued, "Then the problem arises: the main objective of this exercise definitely isn't as simple as snatching the bells. It must have a deeper meaning. Otherwise, if snatching the bells eliminates one person, and not snatching them eliminates everyone, no matter what, at least one person will be eliminated. Such an exercise is simply playing games."
"Thinking carefully about Kakashi-sensei's past, I guess the true purpose of this exercise should be to teach us teamwork, to trust our comrades, and so on."
Ultimately, it was Sakura, the top student, whose mind worked quickly, roughly guessing the purpose of Kakashi's exercise.
Sasuke: "Hmm, that's most likely it."
Naruto: "Sakura's right."
Since they had reached a conclusion, the trio's strategy emerged.
What kind of strategy was it, exactly?
Don't ask, the answer is one word: Charge!
"Have you decided?"
"That's right, Kakashi-sensei, bring it on!"
"Alright, since you're ready, I declare the exercise to begin!"
With a command, Kakashi back-flipped to create distance from the trio, then took out his icha icha paradise from his Ninja tool pouch and began reading.
Seeing Kakashi's show-off demeanor, the trio exchanged glances. Sasuke and Naruto charged forward with a swift stride, while Sakura began circling Kakashi.
'They're not hiding themselves? It seems these three are quite confident in their abilities.'
His eyes narrowed slightly. Kakashi didn't think the three were all reckless. From their disregard for his advice, eating breakfast, and their earlier discussion, it seemed they had gathered some information about him, more or less.
Since they knew about him and still dared to charge, they must have something to rely on.
"Sasuke, you go left, I'll go right."
"Okay, Naruto."
Along the way, Sasuke and Naruto split, one going left and the other right, each employing their martial arts to fiercely attack Kakashi.
"Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms."
"Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill."
Both the Dragon Subduing Palm and the Dragon Elephant Skill were incredibly powerful palm techniques. Judging by Sasuke and Naruto's actions, they weren't planning on snatching the bells at all, but rather on beating Kakashi to death.
"Swoosh~"
Based on the sound of the palm winds and the duo's relentless Aura, Kakashi judged that the power of their attacks would likely not be small. To be cautious, he chose not to meet them head-on, but instead dodged their attacks.
Stepping back, creating space, and utilizing that space, Kakashi perfectly evaded their attacks.
Seeing that their martial arts couldn't hit anyone, Sasuke and Naruto exchanged glances and both unleashed their light-body techniques.
Sasuke's Flickering Shadow Step was well-suited for small-range movements, while Naruto's Divine Speed Hundred Changes was like an eel, darting here and there.
With the assistance of their light-body techniques, Kakashi was now under double the pressure.
'What's going on? I, a dignified Jonin, am being pressured by two kids?'
'Don't I have any Face?'
Thinking this, Kakashi's expression changed. He had roughly understood Sasuke and Naruto's taijutsu abilities and felt that if he didn't bring out some real skills, he might suffer an unexpected defeat.