章 21: Battle for the Bell

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After the simple greetings, Menma found a spot and sat down, closing his eyes to focus. If the original plot stayed the same, they'd have to wait at least five or six hours. Kakashi probably wouldn't show up until around 10 or 11 o'clock.

In the meantime, it made sense to conserve energy.

Seeing Menma's attitude, Naruto shrugged helplessly, giving up on trying to chat with him. Naruto had hoped that since they were all on the same team now, they could start getting along better. However, Menma and Sasuke both seemed unchanged.

Sakura looked like she wanted to speak but hesitated, her hands nervously fidgeting together. The atmosphere was completely different from the original Team 7.

As the four of them waited in silence, time slowly ticked by—one hour, two hours, three hours. The sun rose higher in the sky.

By the time it reached eight o'clock, there was still no sign of Kakashi.

Veins bulged on Naruto's forehead.

"Argh! Kakashi-sensei is such a jerk! You can never trust him. He's late again—it's already past eight o'clock!" Naruto fumed.

"Maybe there was an emergency on the way…" Sakura said weakly, though she didn't believe her own words. Beneath her seemingly calm exterior, she was raging inside.

Getting up at four in the morning to rush to the training ground before five, only for the person they were waiting for to not show up after three or four hours—it would be strange if this didn't frustrate her!

Sasuke's expression had also darkened noticeably.

It was still March, and the early morning chill was still in the air, especially without breakfast. Even someone with a calm temperament would likely be irritable by now.

Only Menma remained composed, sitting as if nothing had happened.

This wasn't just because he was familiar with the original plot. Upon his arrival, Menma had used his vast perception ability to locate Kakashi in advance. Kakashi must have thought it impossible for the four of them to detect him. He had chosen the simplest concealment method, hiding nearby to observe them. Unfortunately for Kakashi, Menma's **Kagura's Mind Eye** easily detected him.

In today's ninja world, there were many who could defeat Menma, but few who could escape his perception. The **Kagura's Mind Eye**, a powerful sensory technique from the Uzumaki clan, was a formidable tool.

"Tch, an emergency? No way. He's just late, as usual. I'm going to report him to the Third Hokage. Kakashi-sensei is totally unreliable!" Naruto said with an angry expression.

This wasn't the first time Naruto had been let down by Kakashi. They had even planned to get ramen together once, but Kakashi had stood him up. Naruto's frustration was reaching a boiling point.

Kakashi, who was hiding not far away, shook his head slightly.

*Naruto is still immature. Sakura, well, not much better. Sasuke's okay, but Menma seems to be the most stable one,* Kakashi thought as he observed his team.

Unlike his usual indifferent lateness, this time Kakashi was intentionally late to secretly observe his four subordinates. This was part of his strategy to better understand and guide them.

While Sakura wasn't a major concern, Kakashi had to take the other three seriously. To guide them effectively, he needed to gather more information and understand them from all angles. This was also a small test for the four of them.

*What is a ninja? Only those with patience can be called true ninjas. Missions often involve unexpected challenges, and how a ninja handles these can determine the success of the mission—and even their survival.*

Kakashi could see that Naruto and Sakura were still struggling to understand what it truly meant to be a ninja. *This needs to be addressed,* he thought, considering his future teaching plans.

For now, Kakashi had no intention of revealing himself. Testing the patience of these little ones was still important. He was especially curious to see if Sasuke and Menma would show any signs of frustration if they had to wait longer.

Especially Menma.

As the **Kyuubi Jinchuuriki**, Menma's mental state was of particular concern. Jinchuuriki with unstable mentalities were the most likely to lose control. The Third Hokage had given Kakashi specific instructions to pay close attention to Menma's mental state.

Time continued to pass. By the time it reached ten o'clock, Menma and the others had been waiting for five hours. Menma still remained calm, with no sign of agitation.

Kakashi nodded to himself in approval.

"Whoosh!"

He straightened up and appeared before the group with a smile on his face.

"Good morning, everyone!"

"Good morning? Good morning?! Do you even know what time it is? It's almost eleven o'clock! You're more than five hours late, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exploded the moment he saw him.

"Haha, sorry, sorry, Naruto. When I was leaving this morning, a black cat crossed my path. I had to wait until it passed before I could continue, so I was late," Kakashi explained with a laugh.

"Kakashi-sensei, do you really expect anyone to believe that?" Naruto asked, his face a picture of ultimate resentment.

Sakura, sitting nearby, looked at Kakashi with an expression that screamed, *You dare to be angry, but you dare not speak out.*

At that moment, Kakashi mentally labeled Haruno Sakura as completely unreliable.

"Ahaha, okay, let's get to the point. As I mentioned yesterday, today's test might be your last mission. If you fail, you'll have to go back to the Academy," Kakashi said, his expression turning serious.

Upon hearing this, especially the part about potentially returning to the Academy, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and even Menma—who was playing along—had their expressions change.

"What? Go back to the Academy?"

"Kakashi-sensei, are you kidding me?" Naruto exclaimed, his voice full of disbelief.

Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened in shock. Sakura, now a poised young woman, couldn't fathom the idea of returning to the Academy. The thought of redoing her training was horrifying. It would be an utter disaster—one that would have her friends and family laughing at her for years.

There was no way Sakura could accept that.

Naruto felt the same way.

Sasuke, on the other hand, maintained a cold, intense gaze at Kakashi. He had no intention of going back to the Academy and wasting precious time. He was still so far from his goal, and every second mattered.

Menma also stood up, his expression serious.

"Haha, do I look like I'm joking? This is a standard rule," Kakashi replied, his tone cold and stern. "Don't think you can call yourselves ninjas just because you passed the graduation exam at the Academy. Each of you has been assigned to a team, but there's a second assessment you must pass before you can truly graduate. If you fail, it's back to the Academy for more training. And just so you know, the pass rate for this test is only 30%. I won't be going easy on you!"

Kakashi's face was serious, and he deliberately adopted a harsh expression, aiming to put psychological pressure on Naruto, Menma, Sakura, and Sasuke.

As expected, the expressions of the four genin grew visibly tense.

However, among them, Menma's expression was mostly a facade. He knew what the others didn't—that while the other teams might actually be sent back to the Academy, the chances of Team 7 failing were close to zero. The main reason was that Team 7's composition was unique.

Menma, as the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki, was crucial to the village's power. The Third Hokage knew this and would ensure Menma's growth was prioritized to protect Konoha in times of crisis.

So, Kakashi's words were really just meant to 'scare' Team 7 into taking the test seriously.

Of course, being mentally prepared was one thing. On the surface, Menma still needed to play along with the others.

"Hmph, just tell us the task, Kakashi-sensei! I'll pass it, no matter what it takes!" Naruto declared, quickly recovering his confidence and pounding his chest.

Sasuke's expression grew more serious, while Menma remained calm.

Only Sakura was genuinely worried. She was afraid that she might fail and be sent back to the Academy.

"Haha, it's good to see you're confident," Kakashi said with a chuckle. "The task is simple—a survival exercise. The goal is to take these bells from me before noon. Use any method you like. If you manage to get a bell, you pass the test. But if time runs out and you haven't taken a bell, it's back to the Academy for you. This will prove whether or not you're truly qualified to be a ninja!"

Kakashi pulled out a clock from his pouch and set it aside. Then, he took out three bells and clipped them to his belt, his tone serious.

"Remember, if you don't come at me with the intent to kill, you won't succeed!"

"But, Kakashi-sensei, there are only three bells...?" Sakura noted, her voice trembling slightly as she raised her hand.

"Haha, yes, there are only three. So at most, three of you can graduate. What happens next is up to you," Kakashi said with a soft smile.

To Sakura, it sounded like the voice of a demon. Her heart sank instantly. She knew she was the weakest in the group, and the chances of her getting a bell were slim.

Naruto was about to say something when Kakashi cut him off.

"Alright, the assessment begins now! If you waste any more time, you'll all be going back to the Academy!" Kakashi declared, leaning forward slightly with a threatening tone.

He then waved his hand, signaling the start.

"Whoosh!"

Naruto, Sasuke, Menma, and Sakura immediately scattered, hiding in the surrounding bushes. Survival drills were something they had practiced many times during their Academy days, so the basic procedures were second nature to them.

'Teamwork is easier said than done, especially since we're a newly formed team,' Menma thought as he observed Kakashi standing leisurely on the lawn.

However, even if perfect cooperation wasn't necessary, they had to at least put on a good show. Kakashi wasn't going to treat them as real opponents. A jounin like him facing a group of genin would be a one-sided massacre.

Kakashi would undoubtedly hold back, so long as they gave him a convincing 'surprise attack' based on their current skills.

'The key is to coordinate an effective attack. But first, someone needs to test the waters,' Menma thought, watching Naruto, who, just like in the original story, didn't bother hiding at all and stood facing Kakashi head-on.

"Naruto, I just told you, this is a survival exercise," Kakashi said with a hint of exasperation.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you! But it's really just about grabbing the bells, right? You've beaten me every time we've sparred, Kakashi-sensei. This time, I'm going to win fair and square!" Naruto replied with a grin.

"Boom!"

With that, Naruto launched himself forward.

"Whoosh!"

As he charged, he hurled a dozen shuriken in Kakashi's direction, forming a semi-circle around him.

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