With a punch full of determination, Naruto shouted, "Let me show you what I'm made of!"
Then he was thrown out.
"Thud."
After the two came into contact, the smaller one was sent flying, tracing an arc through the air before landing in a nearby stream.
"Are you trying to show me that you're made of water?" Logan twisted his wrist and said with a smile. Naruto's straightforward attack meant nothing to him. He easily shook the person's center of gravity and tossed him away.
Seeing that no one was challenging Kakashi yet, Logan glanced over, recalling Naruto's trajectory just now, 'Tsk, I didn't hold back enough.'
"Damn it!" After being easily dealt with and mocked, Naruto slapped the water, scrambling back onto the shore, "Don't get cocky, this is just the beginning!"
Pulling a kunai from his ninja pouch, Naruto charged again with a shout, his speed and strength slightly increased.
"Oh, getting serious now, huh?" Logan said without much expression. As the kunai stabbed forward, he sidestepped and cut in from the center. With different physical qualities, he easily grabbed Naruto's Wrist.
Naruto followed with a kick, but Logan didn't move. He only blocked it with his other hand and grabbed Naruto's ankle.
This is almost a replica of Sasuke's fight against Kakashi in the original work. However, unlike Sasuke, Naruto didn't use the opportunity to grab Logan's bell, but instead headbutted fiercely at Logan's chest.
Clearly, Naruto felt embarrassed by being easily tossed earlier and was now fighting fiercely without caring about the bell.
In fact, under the influence of the Internet, Logan's ability to casually perform fatal taunts is too strong.
Not wanting to counter Naruto's headbutt with a knee, as it would be too harsh, Logan hesitated for a moment before taking a large step back. Using the guiding force, he spun and once again threw Naruto away.
With a smack, Naruto made close contact with the grass, feeling utterly defeated, "Ah, it hurts!"
"Hey, you need to adopt a protective posture before landing. Rolling with the momentum would make it hurt less..." Logan reminded him warmly and considerately.
After being tossed around twice, Naruto was almost back to his original position, now closer to Kakashi.
"Naruto, a Ninja must first hide when facing a strong enemy. Charging straight ahead from the start makes you an idiot!" Kakashi couldn't help but comment as he watched Naruto, who was very close to him.
"That idiot." Under a certain bush, Sakura looked at the miserable Naruto and muttered helplessly, 'How could he possibly win against a sensei who is a Jonin head-on?'
Sasuke, hidden in a tree, was intently observing Logan, who was clapping his hands after throwing Naruto. It was easy to foresee that Naruto wouldn't get the bell. Sasuke had been lying in wait, looking for the right moment to strike.
'There are many openings, but...' Sasuke pursed his lips. The rough branches pressed against him, and the cramped space brought heat, making him hesitate. He glanced through the foliage at Kakashi on the other side, "Both of them are too casual. They don't take us seriously at all."
"Hey Naruto, why don't you try someone else?" Logan suggested, finding a stone to sit on and shouting at Naruto from a distance. He pointed at Kakashi who was quite leisurely, "Ninjas must be brave enough to be flexible. When you encounter major setbacks on your path, you should consider if there are other paths to take. Don't be too rigid in your thinking..."
After this lecture-like speech, Logan paused and continued: "Besides, Kakashi-sensei seems to be quite free. I'm just the assistant teacher, so me having too many teaching tasks is unreasonable."
Kakashi half-opened his right eye and looked at the assistant instructor who had his leg propped on the stone, 'You have too many teaching tasks? What have you taught? And do you really look less free?'
When Naruto heard this, he really felt that what Logan said made sense, 'As expected of a teacher, giving me hints during the test...'
Reinvigorated, Naruto stood up, full of fighting spirit. He then pointed at Kakashi's waist, "Kakashi-sensei, you must be weaker, right? I'm going to get that bell and become a Ninja!"
"..."
"Idiot." Sasuke couldn't help but complained, frustrated for having such a teammate. Logan laughed heartily on the grass, feeling almost embarrassed for Naruto's straightforwardness.
"Talking big and saying useless things, well, maybe that's what people with less strength tend to do." Kakashi sighed, then raised his head and said.
"What did you say?!" Naruto immediately snapped back at Kakashi, "Old man, you have the weirdest hairstyle!"
Then, Naruto rushed forward again.
Watching the teacher and student fought against each other, Logan shook his head. This so-called survival exercise was really meaningless from a Jonin's perspective. After all, he could just toss Naruto aside with minimal effort, which highlighted the gap between them and the recently graduated kids.
But Kakashi is different from Logan. No matter what, he is genuinely performing the duties of a Jonin Instructor. Whether it was during this brief observation or in the original work, Kakashi carefully incorporated teaching into the exercise. Despite it being somewhat unnecessary and troublesome, he still demonstrated various basic techniques like Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and the three basic techniques. If Logan hadn't appeared, he would go over the basic things and show them to Team 7.
'He doesn't say it on the surface, but he's doing very well on the inside.' Logan sighed, 'There seem to be quite a few tsundere Ninjas like that.
"But..." Logan pulled up a blade of grass and tossed it aside before standing up, "Those two hiding… aren't they coming out yet?"
Under the shadowy bushes, Sakura was lying on the ground, already feeling a bit numb. She her head, looking around anxiously, "Where is Sasuke..."
She muttered worriedly. By this time, quite a while had passed since the exercise began, and with the time limit set to end at twelve, there wasn't much time left. Her idea was to find Sasuke first and then try to get the bell together. This contained both the blindness of her crush and a subconscious reliance on a stronger teammate, given that Sasuke is the best graduate in their grade.
Of course, the idea of finding Sasuke and completing the task together— Sakura is thinking too much. The current Sasuke would definitely see her as a burden.
On the other side, Sasuke, who was in a tree, was still trying his best to conceal his presence. After observing Kakashi and Naruto's fight for a while, he still couldn't make a decision. If it weren't for the condition that failing to get the bell meant not becoming a Ninja, he would have loved to spar with Logan. But the consequences of not getting the bell were too severe. If he launched an attack and failed, making another move would be much harder.
Estimating the remaining time, a drop of sweat ran down Sasuke's cheek. He turned his head and wanted to continue observing Logan who was sitting... 'Huh? Where is Hattori-sensei?'
The stone on the grass was now empty.
"Have you not decided who to get the bell from yet?" The calm voice startled Sasuke, making his eyelids twitch. "Sitting around is boring, so I decided to come to you instead."