Chương 22: Teamwork

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**A Fair Fight**

This is a method that suits Naruto's personality well.

Although it might seem similar to how he acts in the original series, the reasoning behind his actions is quite different. Naruto's personality is straightforward, but that doesn't mean he's a fool. Often, he chooses not to overthink things, not because he can't, but because he simply doesn't want to.

This proactive frontal assault...

This is Naruto's answer.

"You're a bit faster than before!" Kakashi noted, watching Naruto flash closer.

Kakashi's eyes revealed a hint of relief. Even though he didn't pull out his "secret weapon" like in the original story, Naruto's current attack was still not much of a threat in Kakashi's eyes.

"Swish!"

With a light step to the left, Kakashi sidestepped and evaded.

After quickly dodging the shuriken Naruto had thrown, Kakashi delivered a powerful kick aimed at Naruto's face. The swift attack caught Naruto off guard, and he instinctively raised his arms to block.

"Bang!"

A loud impact echoed as dust burst out from the ground.

Feeling the force of the blow through his arms, Naruto's expression changed, and his body was sent flying back.

Kakashi pressed forward.

Just as he was about to close in and continue his assault...

"Swoosh!"

Sasuke and Menma appeared from the left and right.

They had set up a pincer attack.

"Shua!"

In an instant, they were on top of Kakashi, closing in fast.

But Kakashi's expression remained unchanged, as if he had anticipated this move. With a smooth movement, he stepped back and twisted his body, slipping out of their trap.

Their cross-attack missed completely.

However, Menma and Sasuke were prepared for this.

"Swoosh! Swoosh!"

Both of them turned, pressing forward from the sides.

"Swish!"

Each pulled out a kunai, aiming directly at Kakashi's vital points with deadly precision.

This was a real killing intent.

Kakashi's eyebrow raised slightly as he crossed his arms.

With a swift motion...

"Keng! Keng!"

He blocked the kunai strikes from Menma and Sasuke with ease.

The sparks that flew from the clash and the force behind it made Menma and Sasuke's faces tense. The overwhelming power Kakashi displayed couldn't be compensated for by mere technique. The most shocking part was that this was just a casual defense on Kakashi's part.

The gap between them was truly terrifying.

'Without using the Nine-Tails' chakra, I still can't match up to a high-level jonin!' Menma realized.

There was no need for a prolonged clash. A single parry was enough for Menma to see his limits clearly.

This was the expected outcome.

He lacked real combat experience. Over the past 12 years, he either trained alone without guidance or received only basic education at the Ninja Academy.

Rapid progress? That's impossible!

Why was Kakashi promoted to jonin at age 12? Because, after graduating at age five, he had been fighting on the most dangerous front lines, much like Uchiha Itachi.

The more talented the shinobi, the more they needed to be tempered by battle.

That's why Menma always felt a sense of urgency—he knew exactly what he was up against!

"Sasuke!" Menma shouted, determination flashing in his eyes. There was no hint of retreat in his voice.

At the same time, another Sasuke appeared behind Kakashi on the left.

"Oh?"

The new Sasuke was identical to the original. Even Sakura, who was still hiding in the bushes, was surprised. But Kakashi remained calm. With his level of skill, he had already sensed the presence of someone nearby.

'Shadow Clone combined with the Transformation Technique? This is already beyond the level of an ordinary genin,' Kakashi thought.

Menma pressed forward from the front.

Sasuke closed in from the back.

Kakashi's eyes showed a hint of admiration as he nodded to himself. For fresh Academy graduates to coordinate an attack like this was impressive, definitely above average.

'But... they're still too young and a bit too hasty!' Kakashi thought, narrowing his eyes.

Chakra quickly surged through Kakashi's body.

The next moment...

"Bang!"

As Menma and his clones tried to pin down Kakashi, Sasuke threw out a wire that wrapped around Kakashi's body in an instant.

"Snap!"

Sasuke quickly formed a hand sign.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

By genin standards, Sasuke's speed at forming seals was exceptional. A large amount of chakra gathered as Sasuke released a massive fireball that shot toward Kakashi.

Menma, having retreated to a safe distance, watched as the flames engulfed their sensei.

From afar, Naruto had already adjusted his stance, taking advantage of Menma and Sasuke's flanking attack to form his own seals.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

A huge gust of wind shot forward, feeding the flames.

The fireball swelled, completely consuming Kakashi!

"You... you actually killed Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura shouted in shock, her eyes wide as she emerged from her hiding spot. She couldn't believe what had just happened and screamed at Naruto, Sasuke, and Menma.

It was completely childlike.

When Naruto heard Sakura yell, he couldn't help but twitch his lips in exasperation.

If such an attack could really kill Kakashi, then he would have been dead long ago! Not to mention, Naruto was starting to wonder how Sakura even managed to graduate from the Academy.

"Ah, Sakura, you really need to be more careful."

As expected, the next moment, Kakashi appeared beside Sakura, his voice calm and collected.

"Ahhhh!?"

Sakura screamed as Kakashi swiftly completed a series of hand signs.

"Earth Style: Head Hunter Jutsu!"

With a quick grab, he pulled Sakura into the ground, leaving only her head sticking out.

Menma sighed inwardly.

His original plan was to pressure Kakashi with their combined attacks, to at least show some teamwork at the start. In the next attack, as long as Sakura found an opening and landed a hit, they could claim some semblance of teamwork.

This would meet Kakashi's minimum requirement. Snatching the bell was the ideal outcome, but he had to be realistic. Even if Kakashi held back, their current level of strength wasn't enough to actually take the bell. Displaying solid teamwork was the only way they could pass this assessment.

As long as Sakura didn't make a fatal mistake!

Kakashi would never target Sakura first, after all.

But even the best plans can go awry.

'Still a ninja without the right instincts,' Menma thought helplessly as he watched Kakashi charge directly toward the three of them.

**"Poof!"**

**"Thud."**

**"Boom!"**

With barely a tenth of his power, Kakashi easily outmaneuvered Menma and the others.

Not only was there a massive gap in experience and skill, but Kakashi's strategy was flawless.

It only took a moment.

Sasuke was taken down by a genjutsu.

Then, a simple wind-style jutsu blew Naruto away.

Finally, Kakashi used taijutsu to subdue Menma.

In less than ten minutes, Kakashi showed Menma, Naruto, and Sasuke what a true difference in strength looked like.

Kakashi had held back, wanting to assess their teamwork rather than crush them completely.

"It seems you still have a long way to go," Kakashi said, his arms crossed as he looked down at the four of them sitting on the ground, disappointment evident in his voice. "You couldn't even last ten minutes, let alone grab the bell from me."

"No! That doesn't count! Kakashi-sensei, we were just caught off guard!" Naruto shouted as he jumped to his feet, fists clenched in frustration. "Give us another chance! We'll definitely get the bell this time!"

The thought of failing the assessment and being sent back to the academy was unbearable for Naruto. His pride couldn't take it.

Sakura appeared just as nervous, and Sasuke's brow furrowed as he processed the situation.

"Another chance? Naruto, what do you think this is? A game? A mission failure is a failure. If you can't pass, you go back to the academy, just as I said before."

Kakashi's expression was stern, his gaze focused on Naruto, who froze, wide-eyed like a startled cat.

"But," Kakashi continued, his tone shifting, "since you did show some promise, I'll give you one more chance."

"Really?!" Naruto exclaimed, eyes shining with hope.

"Yes," Kakashi said with a sly smile. "But I'll only give this chance to three of you. I have three bells here." He reached into his pocket, pulling out three familiar silver bells. "Whoever has a bell will move on to the second test. The one who doesn't… will go back to the academy."

He tossed the bells into the air, and Naruto instinctively caught them.

The meaning behind Kakashi's words sank in quickly, and Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all stared at the bells with wide eyes.

"What? Can't figure out how to divide them?" Kakashi asked, his voice calm but with a slight edge. "Or would you rather settle this with a fight? That's one way to decide."

Naruto and Sasuke shared a tense look, both of their gazes fixed on the bells in Naruto's hands. Sasuke's right hand twitched, as if he wanted to grab one, but he restrained himself.

Sakura stood quietly, staring at the bells in Naruto's hand. Hope and anxiety flickered in her eyes.

She desperately wanted to graduate, to avoid returning to the academy.

But she knew she had no right to ask for a bell. In her mind, Menma, Naruto, and Sasuke were all more capable than her.

At that moment, despair washed over her.

'There's no way I'll make it. I'll definitely be sent back to the academy,' Sakura thought. 'I'm the weakest. I don't deserve a bell…'

Naruto opened his mouth as if to say something but hesitated, unsure of what to do. The tension was palpable, and a heavy silence fell over the group.

Menma, however, broke it.

With a soft chuckle, he stepped forward and said, "Just give the bells to the three of them. I don't need another chance, Kakashi-sensei."

Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke all looked at him, stunned.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, impressed by Menma's quick thinking.

'He's already seen through the test,' Kakashi thought to himself, though outwardly he maintained a neutral expression. "Oh? Are you sure, Menma? You do realize that by giving up this chance, you'll be stuck in the academy for another year?"

Kakashi's gaze deliberately flicked toward Sakura, whose shoulders tensed.

Sakura bit her lip, her mind racing. Then, after a long pause, she spoke up.

"Menma-kun… no. You should take the bell. I'm the weakest one here. It wouldn't be fair for me to take it." Sakura's voice trembled, but she pushed through her anxiety. "I'll wait until next year."

Her words came out with great effort, but once spoken, she felt a strange sense of relief. She knew that fighting for something she couldn't win was pointless.

She wasn't strong enough to pass Kakashi's test, so why bother?

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