You did well, my young padawan

Naruto failed to touch the bells, and Kakashi merely allowed him to lose his footing before tripping. He was still young, and though Aoto and others had taught him a lot, he was still not at a high level.

"Naruto, you asshole... Did you just make a plan without telling us what you wanted to do?"

"Were you born with a bump on your head or something?"

Sasuke and Sakura instantly flared up and shouted at Naruto for blindsiding them and going solo. Naruto couldn't help but smile embarrassedly, guilty of what he had just done. He had never paired up with anyone, so his mind didn't think of making a plan with others.

He just assumed his teammates would magically know his plans, which was dumb. Meanwhile, Kakashi took off his mask and lowered it again to hide his Sharingan.

"Aye... I didn't expect Naruto to use such dirty tricks. It would require more than just some light attack," Kakashi said.

"Kakashi-sensei, just watch. We will take the bells from you no matter what," Naruto said. Unlike the original story, the three of them didn't go after Kakashi separately. After the first mishap, Naruto actually took the initiative and asked the two of them to join forces. Naruto even suggested that Sasuke could plan, and he would follow them.

This surprised everyone, even Kakashi, who was eavesdropping on them from afar. It was known how Naruto and Sasuke hated each other, or could be termed as some form of rivalry. But for the first time, he had actually asked Sasuke to lead.

Though Sasuke was taken aback, he gladly accepted the role and outlined a plan for them to work together. He even asked for the strengths and weaknesses of each of them.

"Naruto, use your golden rings..."

"Those are called Tao mandalas."

"Whatever they're called, send them flying towards sensei, and I will distract him with a fire release. Meanwhile, Sakura, you will be the one to touch and take the bells. Is that clear?" Sasuke said. Everyone understood that it was the best plan at the moment, and there wasn't enough vegetation around.

Naruto brought out some shurikens and imbued Tao mandalas onto them. Now the shurikens had Tao mandalas around them, and he threw them at Kakashi. Kakashi had seen them before, so he knew that their sharpness was not to be underestimated.

He had to dodge a bit, and Naruto wasn't very skilled at shuriken jutsu. Though his aim was way off, it did cause Kakashi to pay heed since Naruto had thrown them at insane angles, giving Kakashi a small headache. But that wasn't all. What followed was a huge ball of fire that appeared just after Kakashi dodged another shuriken-mandala.

Kakashi's lazy eyes widened when he saw that and had to bring forth an earth wall to stop the attack, putting his hands on the ground. This was enough for Sakura to make a run for it and touch the bells.

Sakura was successful in snatching the bells, but as she pulled them, Kakashi's body vanished and was replaced by a log of wood.

"Substitution jutsu?" Sakura watched, her eyes filled with surprise and horror, realizing that she had just failed her mission.

Naruto and Sasuke came around the wall, and seeing the log of wood, it was enough to understand what had transpired.

"You have done well to come together against me. You three pass the test."

"Huh?"

"Eh!"

"But... But we weren't able to touch the bells," Naruto said.

"It was never about touching or taking away the bells. It was about teamwork, which you three have displayed by coming together. Besides, do you really think you can take away the bells from me?" Kakashi said, embarrassing each of them, but they did see the gap between him and the three.

"So, did we pass the test?" Sakura asked. Kakashi nodded.

But it also dawned on them that they had passed the test and were ready to take on missions, which brought them immense joy. Each of them had now officially taken steps toward their goal, and they were cheerful about it.

"Why don't you guys come to my place for a celebration? My brother said that if we pass the test, we can come for a celebratory feast," Naruto said.

"I am going home," Sasuke replied. Sakura wanted to say something, but upon hearing Sasuke, she hesitated.

"He made onigiri," Naruto whispered in his ears. Onigiri was Sasuke's favorite, and that was enough to perk up his ears and make his mouth water.

"I will not be there for more than an hour. I have practice later," Sasuke said.

"Sure, sure. Kakashi-sensei... Why don't you join us too?" Naruto said. Kakashi, who had been reading a manga while lying down on a tree branch, closed it and looked down. After a brief thought, he jumped down and accepted the invitation. Naruto was beyond happy.

Normally, Shikamaru, Choji, Hinata, and sometimes Ino would come to his place, and Edward once called him out for having only these friends, vowing to bring in more friends. But he had failed, and now he could finally say that he had friends.

They soon arrived at Aoto's home, which had remained the same since he opened his first shop. The shop had expanded over time, with many shops on the side belonging to Aoto.

Their company had grown over the past years, involving blacksmithing, entertainment, food, and technology. They had started inserting their hands into all walks of life, and Aoto could be said to be the most influential person in the whole village while being a non-ninja.

He showed that being a ninja didn't mean their life would turn to mediocrity but could have the same influence as an S-ranked shinobi. He was living proof. Only the higher-ups knew that Aoto was more dangerous than an S-ranked shinobi, practically a walking monster.

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