Chapter 23

T/N- A bit late cuz I was busy.

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The moment the two words hit the ground.

Naruto and Kakashi on the opposite side immediately distanced themselves.

They took cover in the surrounding bushes together.

"Create distance, conceal your presence, and observe. Not bad, it seems you haven't returned the knowledge from the school."

Kakashi, who stood still in place, nodded in satisfaction.

Then he continued to lower his head and look at the book in his hand, paying no attention.

Seeing Kakashi's indifference, Naruto felt somewhat annoyed and underestimated.

"Kakashi-sensei didn't even bother to dodge? He doesn't take us seriously at all!"

"Doesn't he fear that I'll summon Kaze and beat him up!"

Upon hearing Naruto's complaints, Sakura immediately turned her head with anticipation.

"Naruto, I agree with your idea. This way, we'll definitely be able to snatch the bells and pass the test!"

Thinking of the way Kaze had beaten up the fake teacher yesterday, Sakura inexplicably felt excited.

Maybe she just likes that kind of cold, powerful type of person.

"Huh? This... the test would be better if we rely on ourselves, right, Sasuke?"

Naruto casually said, not expecting Sakura to take it seriously.

But he couldn't bring himself to reject Sakura either.

So he looked to Sasuke, seeking help.

Sasuke, on the other hand, gave Sakura a cold glance.

His eyes showed more disgust and disdain.

"Naruto already said to avoid using the alter ego as much as possible. If your memory is bad, then go treat your mind."

Being looked at with that kind of gaze again, Sakura couldn't help but feel wronged and teary-eyed.

It was Naruto who said it in the first place, but now it seemed like it was her fault.

"I didn't mean that. I just said it casually. If Naruto doesn't want me, I have no objections."

Sasuke also didn't bother to argue further and shifted his gaze back to Kakashi, speaking again.

"Just like we discussed earlier, Naruto takes the lead, I'll assist, and Sakura will provide long-range support while observing the situation."

"Does anyone have a different idea?"

"No," Naruto and Sakura shook their heads.

"Then let me remind you once again, the test is about teamwork. Cooperation is the key to scoring."

Sasuke slightly bowed his body, his legs tense.

"Let's begin!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

As the words fell, the three of them turned into blurs and rushed forward.

Naruto in the front, Sasuke in the back, and Sakura held her kunai in hand, occupying a high branch with a wide field of view.

"Teamwork, huh?"

"To have such determination on our first mission, we're much better than those who only think about showing off!"

Although Kakashi's face showed an unconcerned expression, as if he only wanted to read his book, his peripheral vision was always observing the three of them.

He was quite satisfied with their current performance as well.

Even if they didn't pass the test due to their belief that companions are more important than the mission, with this keen awareness, Kakashi believed he could help correct their thinking without actually eliminating them.

Naruto and the others were unaware that they had already qualified at this moment.

They had only one goal in mind, to snatch the bells from Kakashi's waist.

"Naruto, use Shadow Clone Jutsu when you get close. I'll distract the teacher."

"Alright."

After a brief conversation, the two of them arrived in front of Kakashi.

Naruto suddenly stopped his footsteps and began to make hand seals.

Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Sasuke's wrists swiftly moved, and about ten shurikens were divided into two sides, left and right, shooting toward Kakashi.

Uchiha-style Shurikenjutsu!

"A straightforward throwing of hidden weapons won't work."

Without even lifting his head, Kakashi took a few steps back, dodging the incoming shuriken.

Then he bent forward and lowered his body, evading Sakura's shuriken from behind.

"A pincer attack, not bad. It's just that the shuriken from behind was a bit lacking. Otherwise, I would have had to use my weapon to block it."

Kakashi smiled and continued with his evaluations.

"Don't get cocky!"

"Watch my Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

After attracting attention from both sides, Naruto successfully created ten shadow clones and they all charged towards Kakashi.

Sasuke quickly caught up with Naruto and whispered, "Naruto, use your clones to restrain him while you hide your real self."

Though he didn't understand why, Naruto understood the need for cooperation and nodded.

Immediately, his real self took a step back while the clones surrounded Kakashi, tightly holding onto his limbs and feeling the bells around his waist.

"Quantity over quality, but it's still useless."

Kakashi pulled out his left hand from his pocket, not using any weapons, and with a few swift strikes, he made Naruto's clones cry out in pain and let go.

However, with more and more clones replacing the fallen ones, Kakashi was temporarily entangled in the same spot.

Sasuke, seeing Kakashi successfully trapped, smirked and quickly formed hand seals.

Snake - Sheep - Monkey - Boar - Horse - Tiger.

"Sensei, you're defeated."

Sasuke clenched his fists, raising his index and middle fingers in front of his mouth, puffing up his cheeks.

"Fire Style, Great Fireball Jutsu!"

A massive fireball, with a radius of about one meter, was expelled from Sasuke's mouth, targeting Kakashi, who was entangled by Naruto's clones.

"It's a C-rank ninjutsu!"

"Didn't expect that besides Naruto, there's also Sasuke, a promising young ninja!"

Amidst Kakashi's shocked and wide-eyed gaze, there was a mixture of joy.

Soon, his entire body was engulfed by the fireball.

"Kakashi-sensei!?"

Naruto also shouted in disbelief.

Then he turned angrily towards Sasuke and grabbed his collar.

"You bastard, you've gone too far!"

Sasuke was about to say something when he heard Sakura's urgent voice from a distance.

"It's a substitution jutsu, be careful above you!"

"Above us!?"

Both Naruto and Sasuke were startled, and as they tried to dodge, they heard a voice coming from above their heads.

"You shouldn't fight among yourselves without confirming your opponent's status. That's worth deducting some points."

Kakashi crouched on a tree trunk, holding the "Young Ah Ming" book in his hand.

But in the next moment, he appeared in front of them with a noose in his hand.

At the same time, several coils of ropes suddenly appeared in mid-air.

With a gentle pull from Kakashi, the ropes quickly contracted, binding both Naruto and Sasuke, suspending them from the tree.

"So fast, so powerful!"

"This is the strength of an elite jonin!"

Sasuke exclaimed in shock, realizing it was a bit too late.

The actions just took a blink of an eye to complete; he had no time to dodge.

Naruto, on the other hand, was shouting and protesting, clearly feeling unsatisfied.

"You attacked by surprise! It doesn't count! If you're so capable, face me openly!"

"In a battle, there's no such thing as a surprise attack or not."

Kakashi tightened the ropes, completely binding both Naruto and Sasuke to the tree trunk.

Then he looked up slightly, facing Naruto.

"So, how about letting that guy inside you come out?"

"Otherwise, I might go catch Sakura!"

"No need, I can defeat you on my own!" Naruto desperately struggled, waving his limbs.

But the ropes bound by Kakashi were too tight, and without external force, they couldn't break free.

"Tch, such a childish temper, always boasting."

Kakashi sneered, looking at the "Young Ah Ming" book in his hand but still provoking with his words.

"Let him come out then, or else you'll truly fail."

"It can't be that he doesn't dare to come out because he's afraid of me, right?"

"Kaze wouldn't be afraid of you!"

Naruto angrily roared, "If he comes out, I can defeat you with just one hand!"

"Oh?" Kakashi's expression turned cold as he loosened the rope in his hand, then pulled it up again.

Naruto and Sasuke went up and down like they were playing bungee jumping.

At that moment, Kaze, within Naruto's consciousness, couldn't bear to watch anymore.

Initially, he had no intention of interfering, but since Kakashi dared to provoke him, he decided to give him a taste of failure.

He spoke up, "Naruto, I have a way for you to win without me coming out."

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