Two Bells

"N-Naruto, what is that guy spacing out for at a time like this?!" Sakura crouched in the bushes, her face filled with anxiety.

The exam had already started, and what was he doing standing there motionless?

Sasuke stood on a tree branch, furrowing his brows, watching. He couldn't figure out what Naruto was planning.

Kakashi squinted his eyes, smiling as he stared at Naruto, asking:

"Are you planning to forcefully take the bells?"

Naruto didn't answer. The two options on his menu weren't going to work, no matter which one he chose.

If he wanted to forcibly take the bells from Kakashi, he would at least need to be a special Chuunin or higher, which meant he would inevitably need to use the Nine-Tails' power.

But if the condition to pass the exam was that if one person got a bell, the whole team would pass, it might be worth trying.

However, Naruto already knew Kakashi's intent wasn't like that. He needed to see them demonstrate the spirit of valuing their comrades and teamwork before allowing them to pass.

On the other hand, if Naruto did get the bell from Kakashi, how would it be divided?

If he gave it to his teammates, there were only two bells…

With Kakashi's personality, if he just laid down and did nothing, it was very likely that they'd be judged as failing because of their negative attitude.

Having mastered the rare Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, it could cause a series of problems. Danzo wouldn't let him off, and the Third Hokage wouldn't stand by either.

In that case, he might as well use everything he had! Sooner or later, he would have to use the Nine-Tails' power.

Anyway, the higher-ups, like the Third Hokage, valued his Uzumaki clan's chakra constitution and his status as a Jinchuriki. They wanted to brainwash him into being a firm supporter of the village.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have set up the previous situation, trying to make him steal the Forbidden Jutsu Book, and even prepared the Shadow Clone Jutsu for him.

This jutsu wasn't very useful to others. If the chakra was insufficient, it was no different from a regular clone.

[Nine-Tails' Acknowledgment 2.2%] 

This was the power he could use right now.

"Grab the bell!" Naruto slightly bent his knees, taking a stance to attack. "As long as I get the bell, right?"

"Of course." Kakashi fiddled with the bells on his waist, smiling as he responded, "Get one, and the exam is passed."

"Then I'll take both!" 

Kakashi felt like Naruto had suddenly changed into someone else. A very familiar feeling surged from Naruto.

Red chakra swirled around him, and Naruto's face faded.

His small body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. In the instant Kakashi's pupils widened, Naruto sprang into action. The grass underfoot was uprooted, and fresh soil flew into the air.

Naruto's speed was astounding. With the Nine-Tails chakra boosting him, his body was unbelievably agile.

Almost in the blink of an eye, Naruto threw a punch, which Kakashi dodged by tilting his head. Missed the punch, Naruto swept his elbow sideways, his body twisting violently in the air.

As the elbow strike missed, Naruto's left leg came down hard.

"N-Naruto! He!" Sakura gasped, staring with her mouth wide open in the bushes.

A thought flashed in her mind, and she suddenly realized something. Trying to grab the bells from a Jonin's hands, without Naruto, it was impossible.

Now that Kakashi's attention had been diverted by Naruto, she had to do something!

It was just a thought, but her body moved instinctively, running in a circle around Kakashi while reaching for her ninja tools.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had already thrown six shurikens from the tree. They spun at high speed, cutting through the air, forming six arcs to block Kakashi's escape.

Kakashi, looking as relaxed as ever, quickly increased his speed, dodging Sasuke's six shurikens.

With a sharp ringing sound, three kunai followed. Sakura had synchronized with Sasuke's attack, though her position wasn't ideal. She was too close to Kakashi.

Thud, thud, thud, the three kunai embedded into the trunk of a large tree, all of them missing.

"Genjutsu!" Sakura nervously formed hand seals as Kakashi approached.

"Genjutsu!" Kakashi quickly made his own hand seals, using the same technique against her, though it wasn't a very advanced illusion.

It was just a genjutsu that Sakura could use, cast on her first. Stuck in the illusion, Sakura froze and collapsed stiffly onto the grass.

"Too slow." Kakashi commented, while turning his head and dodging a spinning kick from Naruto without even looking.

In that instant, Kakashi grabbed Naruto's foot and threw him to the ground with force.

Naruto hit the ground with a thud, but didn't make the expected painful scream. Instead, there was a puff of smoke. A replacement jutsu?!

Kakashi froze. He hadn't realized it was a substitution jutsu. Though Kakashi hadn't been taking it too seriously, he had indeed grabbed Naruto's leg, and the texture of it had fooled him!

A substitution jutsu used by a kid who wasn't even a Chunin, yet it was perfect enough to fool a seasoned Jonin.

"Not bad." Kakashi said, feeling somewhat pleased.

But then he realized something. Looking down, he saw that Sakura, who was trapped in the genjutsu, was being carried away by Sasuke.

"Caw!" A crow flew overhead, its blood-red eyes gazing down at the scene, taking everything in.

Kakashi stood alone on the grass, and the area fell silent. There was no sign of Naruto or the others.

"Was it just to distract me? The goal was to have Sasuke rescue Sakura," Kakashi mused as he stretched his neck, cracking it. He leisurely reached into his ninja tools pouch and pulled out a book titled *Intimate Paradise*.

After taking a glance at it, Kakashi lazily drawled:

"Well, now it looks like it's starting to get interesting."

With that, he walked towards the river, calling out to the surrounding area:

"Well, if you want the bells, you better show some real skill."

In the bushes, Naruto glared at Sasuke and grumbled:

"What are you looking at me for? I can't break the genjutsu."

Before he could finish, Sakura opened her eyes. Her pupils dilated suddenly, then contracted again. When she saw Naruto and Sasuke in front of her, she finally relaxed.

"Kakashi-sensei is really fast with his hand seals," Sakura said, still recovering from the shock.

Seeing that Naruto and Sasuke were looking at her, Sakura blinked, then looked behind her. Seeing no one, she asked in confusion:

"What are you looking at me for?"

"How did you wake up on your own?" Naruto asked.

"Genjutsu can be broken," Sakura explained. "I'm good at it, so I just took some time to break it myself."

"It's mainly because Kakashi-sensei held back. He didn't use his full strength."

Naruto stayed silent. Sakura was truly the limit of an ordinary person. She had no special bloodline to get this far—she only made it through by having a sharp mind.

Perhaps the blow she received yesterday had affected her, as she seemed much more composed. Her smile was forced, and her face looked exhausted.

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