Around five o'clock the next morning, Naruto got up, packed up, put on a sharp new outfit, and went to the training ground where Kakashi had instructed them to meet.
Even though he knew Kakashi would mess with them, he still decided to get up early. He wanted to pass the time and make a good impression on Kakashi, hoping that this might lead to individual training sessions.
"Ohayou! (Good morning)," called Sakura, approaching with sleepy eyes as she greeted the figure standing ahead.
When she realized it was Sasuke, she instantly woke up, looked down shyly, blushing, and didn't say a word.
Sasuke glanced at her briefly and then looked away, uninterested.
Naruto, sweating and out of breath, ran over. After giving Sasuke and Sakura an odd grin, he continued jogging around the training ground.
Actually, even if Kakashi hadn't set the meeting for five, Naruto would have woken up early to get in extra practice.
Becoming stronger isn't something you just talk about; it can't be completely dependent on outside help either. He knew he had to start with himself, pushing forward step by step.
Sasuke wasn't in the best shape either. He had trained until almost midnight to finally master tree-climbing, leaving him with only about four hours of sleep. But seeing Naruto's diligence, he quickly became more alert and started training on a nearby post, finally deciding in his heart that teaming up with Naruto might be worthwhile.
Naruto noticed that Sasuke's physical training was completely different from what they learned at the academy, which only made him want the Uchiha clan's ninjutsu scrolls and Kakashi's personal guidance even more.
"I'll show Kakashi how good I am today and try to grab the bell! If he sees how impressive I am, he'll definitely want to train me one-on-one."
With that in mind, Naruto picked up his pace.
However, it wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that Kakashi finally showed up.
By this point, Sasuke and Sakura's stomachs were growling with hunger.
Only Naruto had thought to eat breakfast early and sneak in a few rice balls during his self-training.
"Ohayou, everyone!" Kakashi greeted them, his right eye squinting with his usual lazy look.
"You're so late!" Sakura said, clearly annoyed.
"That's because a black cat crossed my path," Kakashi said with a sigh, as though it couldn't be helped.
Seeing the doubtful looks from everyone, he coughed awkwardly, then placed an alarm clock on the wooden post at the center of the training ground.
"I've set the alarm for noon," Kakashi said as he pulled out two bells.
"The goal of today's exercise is to grab these. Anyone who doesn't manage to get a bell will have to skip lunch and will be tied to the post to watch the others eat."
"Nani?" the three of them asked in shock, with Naruto's voice the loudest as he pretended to be surprised.
"Growl~"
Sasuke and Sakura's stomachs gave another rumble of hunger.
It was only then that the two of them realized why Kakashi told them not to eat breakfast.
"But why are there only two bells?" Sakura asked after catching on.
"That's because at least one of you will end up tied to the post and sent back to the academy for failing the mission," Kakashi continued with a grin.
"You can use shuriken if you like, because without the intent to kill, you won't have a chance of getting a bell!"
The three of them took his words to heart, and their faces grew serious.
"Ready... go!"
As soon as Kakashi finished speaking, all three of them scattered and vanished.
Before that, Naruto was still carrying his school bag and hadn't even set it down.
…
"Sasuke, we should work together," Naruto whispered to him while hiding in the bushes.
"Sakura, we should work together," [Sasuke] whispered to Sakura as they hid in the grass.
…
As a seasoned Jonin, Kakashi wasn't particularly worried about them. Instead, he stood not far from their hiding spots, casually reading "Make-Out Paradise."
It was a blatant show of disdain.
Suddenly, Sasuke threw a Fuma Shuriken in Kakashi's direction.
"Fuma Shuriken: Shadow Windmill!"
"Whoosh!"
The massive shuriken flew towards Kakashi at high speed, slicing right through him—only for it to be revealed that Kakashi had used the Substitution Jutsu, completely evading the attack and disappearing somewhere nearby.
The moment Sasuke and Naruto threw the Fuma Shuriken, they exposed themselves. Quickly, they moved towards Sakura, joining her in hiding again.
In reality, Kakashi had known where they were hiding all along. It wasn't a matter of sensing their presence; rather, their hiding techniques were simply too weak for an experienced Jonin like him.
Now, Kakashi casually circled around them, trying to draw them out for an attack and teach them a lesson.
Naruto nodded to Sasuke, and in the next second, another Fuma Shuriken flew toward Kakashi.
At the same time, Naruto burst from hiding, creating dozens of Shadow Clones, while Sasuke, having thrown the shuriken, followed closely behind.
This time, Kakashi didn't use the Substitution Jutsu. Instead, he dodged the Fuma Shuriken and used Taijutsu to fight the Shadow Clones. This was exactly what Naruto wanted.
But Naruto's physical skills weren't very strong, and Kakashi easily dispatched each Shadow Clone, leaving clouds of smoke around him that began to obscure his vision.
Seeing this, Kakashi smirked slightly.
"Genjutsu!"
At that moment, one of Naruto's Shadow Clones silently crept up to Kakashi and cast a Genjutsu, causing him to freeze momentarily.
"Now!"
Another Naruto Shadow Clone rushed in with a kunai, launching a fierce physical attack on Kakashi.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Kakashi quickly recovered, still holding "Make-Out Paradise" in one hand while using a kunai in the other to fend off the attacks.
But he soon realized something was off, as this Shadow Clone's physical techniques were unexpectedly strong.
He was forced to put away "Make-Out Paradise," using both hands to fight the Clone properly, slowly being maneuvered toward a specific spot.
Right at his feet lay the Fuma Shuriken that Sasuke had thrown earlier.
Yet, despite this Shadow Clone's strong physical moves, it was no match for Kakashi. After a dozen exchanges, it was kicked back, transforming with a "poof" into Sasuke.
It turned out Sasuke had used the Transformation Jutsu to become Naruto.
Likewise, the Naruto Shadow Clone that had used Genjutsu on Kakashi was actually Sakura in disguise.
"It's now!" shouted Sasuke and Sakura together.
Boom!
The Fuma Shuriken at Kakashi's feet transformed into Naruto, who lunged forward.
At the same time, Sasuke and Sakura hurled a flurry of shuriken toward Kakashi, not only aiming at him directly but also cutting off his escape routes.
Both of them had top shuriken skills at the academy, so at such a close range, their throws wouldn't miss.
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