A gentle breeze swept through the room as Sasuke silently left.
Sakura clenched her fists, feeling a twinge of frustration. If Naruto hadn't suddenly blurted out those baffling words, she would have had a rare opportunity to be alone with Sasuke, and now it was all wasted.
Three hours later, the three of them met at the entrance of the ninja school.
"Have you all gathered your intel?" Naruto asked softly. "Let's start with you, Sakura."
The way he addressed her took Sakura by surprise. Once upon a time, she had longed for Naruto to call her that instead of the often-whined "Sakura, Sakura." But now that he used this title, it felt somewhat strange in her heart.
"I went back and asked my dad," Sakura replied. "He said that Kakashi-sensei is a very powerful jonin."
"He has titles like 'Copy Ninja,' 'Konoha Technician,' and 'Sharingan Kakashi.'"
Sasuke nodded gravely. "The information I collected is similar to what Sakura found."
He furrowed his brows, deeply puzzled. Ignoring Sakura's shy request to just call her "Sakura," he contemplated the Sharingan. This was a bloodline limit unique to the Uchiha clan, a power only those with Uchiha blood could possess. How could someone with the surname Hatake have it? Was it possible that the Uchiha in Konoha were more numerous than just himself?
"I have slightly more detailed information than you two," Naruto said, pulling out a sheet of paper. "Hatake Kakashi, 26 years old, is the most talented ninja in Konoha's history."
"He graduated from the ninja academy at five and became a chunin at six."
Sasuke couldn't suppress his disbelief. "How old is he when he became a chunin? Six?!"
"Is he really that impressive?" Sakura exclaimed. The description her father had given didn't quite register until she had this detailed age comparison, which made everything much clearer.
Naruto continued reading: "His father is Hatake Sakumo. After graduation, he was mentored by the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his classmates included Rin Nohara and Obito Uchiha."
He paused, staring at the name "Minato Namikaze."
Just as expected, there was a connection with Naruto's father; he had been Kakashi's disciple.
Sasuke clenched his fists, hearing the name of his clansman. "The origin of the Sharingan?"
"He became Konoha's youngest jounin at age twelve."
"His records from fourteen onward are mostly blank and hidden," Naruto continued reading. "He reappeared at twenty, exhibiting overwhelming strength and quickly earning the titles Sakura mentioned."
"He knows over a thousand jutsu."
"The summoning contract is with ninja dogs."
Sakura was staring at the paper Naruto held, suddenly realizing why everything felt so out of place. "Naruto, where did you get such detailed intel? What is that paper?"
With a calm expression, Naruto replied, "I retrieved Kakashi-sensei's file."
The two stared in shock. Stealing a file? It could be done like that?
"Naruto, isn't that a bit wrong?" Sakura asked nervously.
Naruto stood his ground. "It's the quickest and most accurate source of information."
Before Sakura could object further, he handed the paper to Sasuke. "In a normal scenario, a newly graduated genin team wouldn't stand a chance against someone like him, an elite jounin."
"Survival in the field should test both aptitude and mindset."
He thought from the perspective of a "seat holder" and "administrator."
"Knowing what type he is and preparing accordingly should suffice."
Even under the most stringent conditions, three genin would not defeat a battle-hardened jounin.
Sasuke didn't rush to look at the file; instead, he scrutinized Naruto. What did he mean by "normally"? Did he have confidence in confronting Kakashi?
"Make sure you remember the information on this file," Naruto said as he stood. "I'll head back now."
He began to look forward to the next day, anticipating meeting Kakashi, the man directly connected to his father.
The next day arrived at the third training ground.
Kakashi was late once again.
Facing Sakura's scolding, he smiled without a hint of shame, pulling a clock from his bag and placing it atop a tree stump. The hour and minute hands pointed to "10:15 AM."
"Yesterday, I mentioned we'd be on a mission."
"Now, let's discuss the mission objective."
Kakashi pulled out two bells from his pocket. "I've set the alarm for noon."
"Your task is to steal the bells from me before they ring."
"And—"
He shook the bells gently, creating a jingling sound. "There are only two."
"This means one of you will inevitably fail the task and be eliminated."
Naruto and Sasuke remained composed, while Sakura felt overwhelmed, the pressure of the situation setting her on edge.
"Good expressions, but it's still not enough," Kakashi said, lifting the bells. "Naruto has quite the boldness to go as far as stealing my file."
"Well, now you all understand what kind of ninja I am."
Naruto wasn't surprised that Kakashi knew.
During his visit to the Hokage building, aside from Sarutobi, there had been four distinct chakra signatures watching him.
Kakashi tied the bells around his waist, his tone casual. "Since you've all performed so well, here's one more reminder."
"If you don't harbor the resolve to kill me, you won't be able to steal them."
"Now."
"Let's start."
The moment his voice fell, two figures leaped into the trees behind the training ground and concealed themselves.
Naruto remained still.
Kakashi looked at him. "Aren't you going to execute the same strategy as them?"
"Concealing your presence and hiding is fundamental."
Naruto shook his head gently. "Kakashi-sensei, the objective is the bells, which are on you."
"The teacher knows we exist and that we would try to take them from you."
"Hiding or not hiding makes no difference."
Kakashi mused, "So that's how you think?"
"But I'm a jounin. Direct confrontation would be disadvantageous for you."
Naruto smiled, his demeanor gentle. "Perhaps I'll surprise you, sensei."
He slowly unsheathed his blade.
Unlike during his time at the academy, he now sported two swords at his waist.
"A sword?" A hint of nostalgia flickered in Kakashi's revealed eye. "I didn't know you wielded such a weapon."
"Plus, you brought two."
"Is one for backup? But carrying them around must be cumbersome."
"They look good, though."
"Yet mastery of the blade isn't something you can achieve in just a few days."
"And as a ninja blade, it's too long."
Naruto grinned, chakra flowing beneath his feet.
With a swoosh, he vanished.
Kakashi's eyes sharpened.
This was a different kind of "instantaneous technique" than what he had seen before—faster than he had encountered just half a month ago.
Clang!
Naruto swung his sword down, Kakashi countering with two kunai, the blades meeting, sparks flying.
Kakashi's brows furrowed.
The kunai became dull, the one in his right hand even showing cracks.
It wasn't just because of the force.
It was the blade.
This dark red sword was a prized artifact.
Where had he gotten it?
Surely no blade in all of Konoha could match its excellence.
Naruto twisted and delivered a diagonal slash.
In the short exchange of a dozen strikes, Kakashi was taken aback.
Naruto's swordsmanship couldn't be called extraordinarily powerful or perfect, but it displayed an impressive level of proficiency with barely any significant flaws.
Such mastery couldn't be achieved overnight.
Even for himself, reaching this level of skill in swordsmanship had taken him four to five years, with his father's guidance.
He had never heard the Third Hokage mention Naruto secretly practicing swordplay.
So, was it... talent?
Were all those with blond hair monsters?
(End of Chapter)