Answer  

"The bell hasn't been caught yet." Naruto said softly. 

The three were hiding in a patch of jungle, using tall bushes for cover. The surroundings were completely silent, and Kakashi seemed to be waiting for them on the grass field. 

"Kakashi-sensei is too strong, we're no match for him." Sakura sighed, recalling the image of Kakashi forming hand seals. 

The speed at which he formed hand seals was almost like multiple afterimages appearing, perhaps two seals per second, no, maybe three or four? 

"His hand-seal speed is terrifying, it's not something a normal person could do." 

Hearing this, Sasuke's face was full of seriousness, while Naruto remained calm. Kakashi's hand-seal speed was indeed fast; after all, the title of the best technician in the ninja world wasn't given for nothing. 

He was the first in Konoha after the Third Hokage to master all chakra types, capable of copying over a thousand ninjutsu. 

Although Kakashi wasn't as powerful as the Third Hokage, he certainly deserved the title of a genius. 

"We need to work together, or we don't stand a chance." Sasuke said expressionlessly. "I'll focus on strong attacks, Sakura will handle interference, and Naruto, you grab the bell." 

"Wait, I..." Sakura was flustered. "I can't do it. My genjutsu... it doesn't work on Kakashi-sensei..." 

"This is our only chance." Sasuke said in a low voice. 

"I..." Sakura lowered her head. 

At this moment, Naruto patted Sakura's shoulder and comforted her. 

"Sakura, we'll buy you time. You take the chance to use genjutsu on Kakashi-sensei. We'll cover you from behind, you have to believe in yourself." 

After a brief hesitation, Sakura gritted her teeth and nodded. 

The world of ninjas is harsh—either you can do it, or you can't. Naruto realized that both Sasuke and Sakura weren't as exaggerated as they were in the manga. 

They had normal personalities. Sakura wasn't so infatuated, and Sasuke wasn't so arrogant. They were both elite members of the new generation, and overall, their character was good. 

It may also be related to Naruto's display of great power, but for now, the three of them had formed a positive pressure among themselves. 

With Naruto's earlier information sharing and their tacit cooperation, the Seventh Squad, although not formally established, already had good teamwork. 

There was no conflict, no arrogance, only a belief in mutual cooperation. 

The scorching sun hung in the sky above the grassy field. 

Kakashi leaned lazily against a wooden post, his gaze moving back and forth as he observed the scene. It seemed that he wasn't worried at all about his surroundings. 

The wind was weaving through the trees when Kakashi paused his book. Suddenly, two sharp sounds of the air whistling through the jungle broke the silence of the field. 

Shuriken were thrown, and the light reflected off them, flashing rapidly as they aimed at Kakashi by the wooden post. 

There were two muffled thuds as the shuriken hit the wood, but Kakashi had already jumped away. Before his feet even touched the ground, Sasuke suddenly rushed from his side. 

"Wasn't that Sasuke throwing the shuriken?" Kakashi thought to himself. 

It made sense—according to the information from the Third Hokage, Sasuke had the best shuriken throwing skills among the three, so Kakashi instinctively thought it was Sasuke who threw those shuriken. 

"The throwing power was immense, it couldn't have been Sakura, so it must have been Naruto." Kakashi muttered, "Unexpectedly good." 

Taking advantage of Kakashi still being in the air, Sasuke quickly formed hand seals with both hands. Kakashi noticed Sasuke's surprise attack and glanced at his hands. 

"Serpent seal? Fire Style?" 

Sasuke quickly completed the hand seals and unleashed a great fireball technique. The flames surged, rapidly heading toward Kakashi, who had to dodge again. 

But just as Kakashi dodged, he sensed something was wrong. Although he avoided the attack, his movements felt much slower. 

Genjutsu? 

He didn't break it immediately but looked toward a certain direction, where Sakura was struggling to maintain her genjutsu hand seals. 

Suddenly, Kakashi seemed to understand something, but before he could lower his head, the sound of a bell ringing reached his ears. 

With a puff, white smoke filled the area, and a gust of wind blew past. Kakashi felt an empty space at his waist. When the smoke cleared, Naruto had the bell in his hand. 

The other two saw that Naruto had succeeded and breathed a sigh of relief, slowly approaching him. 

Kakashi saw this and also stopped his movements. 

Even though he had shown considerable leniency, the fact that the bell had been taken was undeniable. 

"Congratulations, you successfully grabbed the bell," Kakashi said with a smile, "By the way, you're the best team I've seen among the graduating Genin in terms of teamwork." 

Hearing this, the three of them smiled. Sakura, in particular, looked relieved, her worried expression easing. 

But the next moment, Kakashi's tone turned serious. 

"You only have two bells, so only two of you can pass, or maybe just one." 

As soon as he finished speaking, Sasuke and Sakura's gazes immediately turned to Naruto, who held both bells. 

"You can give one bell to someone else, or you can choose not to. Well, if you choose to be trained alone, you'll probably learn more from me." 

"I'm a Jonin, after all, and aside from my usual missions, I don't have much free time to teach disciples." 

"Teaching two isn't as good as teaching one. This way, I'll have an easier time." 

Kakashi's words immediately made Sakura and Sasuke, who didn't have a bell, anxious. They nervously looked at Naruto. 

Kakashi's words were very tempting. Both Sasuke and Sakura knew that Naruto was the strongest among them. 

If Naruto chose to take both bells for himself, they wouldn't be able to say anything. They might have some complaints, but... 

Sakura felt as if her heart had dropped into an ice cave. 

There were only two bells. Even if Naruto was willing to give one away, it probably wouldn't be to her. Who would need a useless teammate? 

"So, what will you do?" Kakashi asked, smiling, his arms crossed, looking at Naruto. "Have you made up your mind?" 

"This doesn't need much thought." Naruto raised the bells in his hand. 

At his words, Sasuke and Sakura's expressions froze. So it was as expected. The fastest way to improve was for Naruto to take the Jonin's training alone. 

Kakashi smiled even more, lowering his arms. Just as he was about to speak, Naruto spoke again. 

"I'm so strong now, I don't need any guidance!" 

"What?" Sasuke was stunned. 

Sakura gasped, looking at Naruto in disbelief. 

With that, Naruto tossed both bells into the air. The bells seemed to have a life of their own, fluttering like leaves and landing gently in Sasuke and Sakura's hands. 

"Jonin guidance, huh." Naruto scratched his ear, flashing a brilliant smile under the sunlight. "I don't need that, I'm the boss!"

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