In the clearing of the training ground, Kakashi glanced towards the sky-high flames in the woods. The crackling noise startled many birds.
"Quite lively over there." Kakashi remarked, holding a copy of Icha Icha Paradise and effortlessly dodging Naruto's attacks with a very contemptuous attitude. Amidst a flurry of punches from seven or eight shadow clones, he maneuvered with ease.
"It seems I have to speed up too." Kakashi's eyes shifted slightly as he noticed a pink figure finally emerging. It is Sakura who ran anxiously towards the flames.
…
Whoosh.
Logan appeared, carrying the tightly bound Sasuke, and dropped him on the ground in the clearing.
" Dammit, you used Jonin-level Chakra to overpower my Great Fireball and talked about lasting ten seconds... That's unfair!" Sasuke rolled on the ground, his humiliating position as a defeated participant making him extremely angry.
"The enemies on the battlefield will not treat you fairly." Logan ignored Sasuke's glare, placing his hands behind his head and looking up at the sky, 'At times like these, generic sayings never fail.'
"Kakashi-sensei, get me down from here!" On a tree not far away, Naruto was hanging upside down by a rope by one foot, swinging back and forth while shouting in protest.
An unhappy Sasuke took a look at Naruto's fate, which seemed even more miserable than his own, and felt miraculously better.
Kakashi clapped his hands and walked out of the woods. He then saw Logan and Sasuke who was tied up on the ground.
"Yo."
"You've solved it too?" Logan then looked around, "Where's Sakura?"
"She passed out." Kakashi replied calmly, with a hint of disappointment and helplessness in his tone, "That little girl kept mumbling about seeing Sasuke, so I scared her with a simple Genjutsu."
"I see." Logan nodded in understanding, then nudged the restless Sasuke on the ground with his foot. "It seems that all three members of the team failed."
"There's still time left." Sasuke argued stubbornly while still lying on the ground.
Naruto was also unusually energetic, struggling against the ropes. Seeing this, Logan shrugged noncommittally: "Sure, sure, keep it up."
After saying that, he ignored Sasuke on the ground and walked towards Kakashi.
"How bad?" Logan asked softly as he approached.
"Sakura... well, let's just say she needs work. Naruto surprised me with the Shadow Clone Technique." Kakashi gave Logan a look, "How about your side?"
"The best graduate has not disgraced his classmates. If you're not careful, he might actually snatch a bell from you." Logan replied, thinking back to his brief exchange with Sasuke, and teased Kakashi.
'That was high praise.' Kakashi nodded and did not respond. No matter how good the individual is, if the team cannot unite as a whole, he will still not give it a pass.
After the exchange of teaching content between the leading teacher and the teaching assistant was completed, Logan found a clean place to sit down. The survival exercise's time was almost over, and after this, he would just watch Kakashi's performance.
The sun climbed to its zenith, and the intense sunlight made Team 7 sweat from the exertion and stress of the exercise. There were no surprises in the subsequent development. After Naruto and Sasuke broke free from their restraints, they tried to seek opportunities again, but failed repeatedly.
"You still didn't understand the meaning of this exercise at all." Logan sighed as Sasuke, headstrong as ever, confronted Kakashi alone and ended up being buried in the ground by the Double Suicide Decapitation Technique.
"The meaning of this exercise?" Sasuke, looking uncomfortable buried in the ground, turned his head with difficulty upon hearing Logan's words.
"Figure it out yourself." Logan tossed a small stone that accurately hit Sasuke on the head, causing him to cry out in pain.
Ring, ring, ring!"
The alarm clock signaled noon, marking the end of the exercise.
Sakura, who fainted twice and only demonstrated how to faint in front of the teachers, Naruto, who mindlessly stumbled into low-level traps, Sasuke, who was repeatedly getting knocked down, none of them managed to get a bell. All members of Team 7 gathered together in front of the memorial stone, the atmosphere somewhat depressing.
"What should I say about you guys?" Kakashi scratched his masked face, looking at the three calmly, "Congratulations, none of you need to return to the Ninja Academy."
"Does that mean we passed?" The disappointed Naruto raised his head and asked in disbelief.
"Could it be that I passed too? Even though I could only faint..." Sakura said with an uncertain and embarrassed look. Well, it seemed that she also knows she performed poorly.
Sasuke smirked arrogantly, convinced they passed because of his strength.
"That's right, you don't need to go back to school. All three of you should quit as Ninja." Kakashi delivered the cold verdict, " There's no point in going back to the Academy for retraining."
…
"Kakashi, is it really okay to demoralize them like that?"
Logan, holding a small stool, coughed lightly after watching Kakashi's performance, which mirrored the original work.
"It'll be fine." Kakashi said nonchalantly.
The two left together, only to return and hide nearby after a few moments.
"Well, you are the leader." Logan shrugged, "But to be honest, your assessment is too strange. What should we do with those children who have worked hard and graduated through diligent study?"
Kakashi turned his head and said, "Diligent study?"
"Uh, pretend I didn't say that."
Both Kakashi and Logan hid in a concealed spot. Kakashi had already explained to Logan earlier (though Logan was already familiar with the plot) that the real test was how Team 7 would react. He had given them another chance to grab the bells in the afternoon but with the condition that Naruto, who had broken the rules, wouldn't be allowed to eat.
As they quietly observed, time passed in silence. Logan noticed Kakashi was kept staring at the monument with a focused expression.
'In his heart, he really hopes these three kids understand the importance of teamwork and pass the test.' Logan thought in his heart, which contrasted sharply with Kakashi's outward demeanor of 'I'm not interested in teaching you three happy things at all'.
Through the gaps in the branches, Logan spotted the familiar trio in the distance. Thinking that something familiar was about to happen, he thought for a moment, wondering what was his mood when he first read this work. He was still young at that time. He just remembered that the rough picture quality had formed many childhood memories for him.
The sound of branches snapping nearby caught Logan's attention, "These kids really dare to defy my instructions."
Over there, Sasuke and Sakura still decided to share their lunches with Naruto. Despite Sasuke's cautious scanning for Kakashi, Logan wondered why he had Sakura feed Naruto.
"I'm going in." Kakashi said, waving his hand before disappearing in a flash.
Shaking his head, Logan also came out of his hiding place. The midday sun shone directly on the green field as he approached. He then saw Kakashi's sudden appearance scared Team 7 into screaming.
"Huh!"
"Didn't you hear what I said clearly?!"
'This is a good start for Naruto, and there are many exciting and interesting places later. At that time, I was so happy and excited to watch it, and I really want to experience the past in person. But now, according to my experience, there are still countless shurikens and dangerous chasms involved.'
"Sensei, didn't you also say we should work together because we're on the same team? "
"How can we get the bells if this dead-last is hungry? He'll just be in the way..."
"Yeah, yeah! Kakashi-sensei, I..."
Kakashi's face was stern, and his expression could not be seen under the mask. Then suddenly, his tone lightened and there was a hint of a smile in his eye.
"Congratulations, you all pass!"
"...?"
Logan slowly made his entrance, clapping and smiling in approval. Then, the scene froze here.
[To be continued…]