Afternoon, in the classroom.
Team 7's members sat idly in the classroom, waiting for their Jonin Instructor. Naruto, well aware of Kakashi's habit of being late, was already dozing off on his desk.
Sasuke sat by the window, his fingers interlaced on the desk, his gaze wandering among the lush treetops outside.
Sakura lowered her head and stared down at the desk, feeling somewhat despondent.
Although she had just been comforted by her companions, once the surroundings became quiet, she couldn't help but feel lost again.
After what felt like an eternity, the classroom's door finally opened.
The Jonin Instructor of Team 7 arrived fashionably late, and the moment he stepped into the classroom, a lazy voice was heard first.
"Yo, sorry, sorry. I was accidentally late."
"I am your Jonin Instructor, Hatake Kakashi."
The Jonin, who called himself Kakashi, probably in his early twenties. His silver hair stood up like a scarecrow's, he wore a black mask covering his face, and a forehead protector tilted to cover one of his eyes. He was dressed in a black combat outfit with a green Jonin vest, and his eye curved into a crescent as he spoke.
Naruto was already awake when he heard the voice. The three of them then looked at Kakashi with a mix of expressions.
"Sensei, you're way too late." Naruto took the lead in complaining.
"Well, it's because I was helping an old lady cross the street, so…" Kakashi scratched his head, giving a ridiculously far-fetched excuse.
"Liar!" Sakura retorted.
Kakashi, a bit embarrassed, laughed it off and quickly changed the subject, "Anyway, follow me. We'll talk somewhere else."
After the words fell, the three of them stood up and followed Kakashi out of the classroom. During this time, the three of them maintained a tacit silence.
Kakashi had already gathered some information about the three from Sandaime, one of whom was a survivor of the Uchiha Clan's massacre, and the other was the Kyubi's Jinchuriki.
'Uzumaki Naruto, huh?'
'The days ahead will not be easy.'
Walking ahead, Kakashi felt a slight headache.
'It's really hard to understand the decisions made by the village's higher-ups are doing. After making such decisions, they now wanted to train these two kids into Shinobi.'
After sighing in his heart, Kakashi took a deep breath and geared up for the day.
Early the Next Morning.
Sakura was wearing casual clothes. After walking out of the alley, she paused for a moment in a brightly lit area, as if she was trying to determine the direction.
"Here!" Naruto waved at Sakura.
The latter also waved with a smile on her face.
As she got closer, Sakura realized that Naruto was standing at the entrance of a small restaurant. The last time they shared information was at a barbecue restaurant, and this time, it was at a small food restaurant again.
"Didn't Kakashi-sensei say not to eat breakfast?"
"He said it's best not to, since it might make you throw up." Naruto said nonchalantly, "But it's better to throw up than to fight on an empty stomach."
Sakura hesitated, intending to refuse, but seeing Naruto and Sasuke both nodded at her, she nodded as well and sat down.
After breakfast, the three of them rushed to the agreed location and waited.
They waited for several hours, until the sun was high in the sky at noon, when Kakashi finally arrived.
"Well, there's a little girl who got lost on the road." Kakashi smiled shamelessly, without any sense of guilt for being late.
"Really? Kakashi-sensei is too much!"
"That's right! What a lame excuse."
"Tch."
Having had breakfast, the trio's complaints were more routine than genuine. This surprised Kakashi, who noted that they didn't seem to be hungry.
Kakashi didn't care that his goal was not achieved. He pulled out two bells from his pocket and dangled them in front of the three.
" Alright, here are the rules for the test."
"I only have two bells. Only those who manage to get a bell before noon will qualify to become Shinobi. In other words, one of you will be eliminated."
"Eliminated?" Sakura suddenly became nervous, "Kakashi-sensei, what happens to the person who gets eliminated?"
"Hehe!" Kakashi's eye curved into a crescent moon shape as he smiled, "Unfortunately, the person who gets eliminated will not qualify to become Shinobi. They will also be tied to a log until sunset."
"If none of you manage to get a bell, you'll all go back to the Academy for retraining."
"During this test, you can use any means necessary. Don't worry about hurting me; with your current abilities, it's nothing but a dream."
With that, Kakashi paused and then tied the bells to his waist, "Now, have I made myself clear?"
The three of them didn't answer, and Sakura's face turned pale.
She didn't expect it would actually be a real battle. Her strengths lay in theoretical analysis and intelligence gathering, and combat was her weak point. Let alone taking the bell from Kakashi, it would be difficult for her just to get close to a Jonin.
If one person had to be eliminated, it was undoubtedly going to be her.
Naruto stood silently beside her. After the conversation at the BBQ restaurant yesterday, he hadn't shared any more information. Some things were better left unsaid, and there was no need to spoil everything.
The true purpose of this bell test was to assess their ability to work together, but after yesterday's talk, their relationship had already tightened significantly.
However, when faced with the dilemma of who to sacrifice, Naruto was unsure what the others will do.
That's why he chose to remain silent. He wanted to help them avoid unnecessary detours, but he didn't plan to carry them through the journey. Additionally, he wanted to see how they would handle this choice.
Suddenly, a familiar mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[Option 1: Use all your strength to snatch the bells, and then give them to Sakura and Sasuke. Reward: Lava Release]
[Option 2: Do nothing, lie down in front of Kakashi, and accept being tied to the log. Reward: Wood Release]
Looking at the panel that popped up, Naruto nearly choked.
'Wood Release and Lava Release? Holy crap!'
'I got them at the same time?'
'What to choose?'
'Yonbi's Lava Release is so powerful. If I really get Lava Release, would I still be afraid of Water Release?'
'But even if I choose Wood Release, although it is rare, it is not likely I would be able to use Wood Release as the same level as Hashirama.'
'This time, the system did not indicate the level of mastery of Wood Release, so it's probably just an entry-level Wood Release Chakra Attribute.'
'Choosing Lava Release can also allow me to display my strength in front of Sakura and Sasuke. However, snatching the bell is not an easy task and I might fail.'
'But if I chose to lie down, Sasuke would be left alone to face Kakashi, and the possibility of those two getting the bells would be slim.'
While Naruto was caught in his dilemma, Kakashi had already announced the start of the test.
Almost as soon as the words fell, Sasuke and Sakura disappeared from their spots, leaving Naruto standing there, lost in thought.