Chapter 135 One Bell Each

"Ah, sorry, I'm late."

At eleven o'clock, Kakashi walked slowly to the training ground from a distance. Seeing the three nearly lifeless students, a barely perceptible smile flickered in his eyes. He quickly spoke, one hand raised in apology and the other scratching the back of his head.

From another direction, Logan also arrived, "Everyone, morning, um... good afternoon." Jumping down from a tree, Logan was met with the piercing gazes of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.

'It seems we are too slow!'

Logan chuckled awkwardly, took a step back, and stood behind Kakashi. He refused to take the blame.

"Hattori-sensei, you do know it's already noon!" Sakura's expression was strained. If not for her concern about maintaining a good girl's image, she would have erupted.

"Why are you so late?!" Naruto shouted unhappily.

Kakashi coughed lightly and said nonchalantly: "Ah, it's because I saw a stray kitten on the way here, so I..."

Logan glanced at Kakashi, 'Your excuse was too weak!' Then, he said, "Kakashi-sensei saw a kitten, huh? Haha, what I met happened to be a stray puppy..."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura squinted skeptically, clearly not buying such an excuse.

Unfortunately, as the students, they had to suppress their anger towards these two eccentric teachers. The upcoming test would determine if they could become real Ninjas.

They originally thought that gathering at five o'clock meant it was going to be a prolonged exercise, but they were now baffled that it was already noon and the test hadn't even started.

"Actually, from another perspective, I can be considered 'on time', it's eleven o'clock... really." Logan muttered, a prompting Kakashi to turn his head.

"Stop talking."

Logan couldn't help but roll his eyes at this.

"It's getting late, so let me tell you the rules of survival exercise." Kakashi clapped his hands to draw the students' attention.

Although they wanted to continue complaining like 'You know it's getting late', the mention of the test, which had worried them all night and morning, made them listen intently.

Kakashi pulled two bells from his pouch. The small metal objects clinked, making a crisp sound.

"The goal of the exercise is to snatch these bells from me." Without saying another word, Kakashi tossed one bell to Logan, who caught it with a puzzled look, "You can choose to grab one from me, or you can choose to steal it from Hattori-sensei."

Logan was a bit surprised by this. He had planned to take it easy, but seeing the eager looks from the recently graduated protagonists directed at him, he felt a bit speechless.

Noticing Sasuke's particularly eager expression, Logan nonchalantly tied the bell to his waist and chuckled lightly. Speaking of which, it had indeed been a while since he had sparred with Sasuke. And although the outcomes were always predictable, he felt that today would be a good chance to test Sasuke's progress over the years.

"The time limit is until twelve o'clock." Kakashi said, pulling out a clock like a magician and setting the timer before placing it on the nearby memorial stone. "Getting a bell means passing the test. Those who fail not only won't get lunch, but they'll also have to return to the Ninja Academy for further training."

'No lunch...'

Although the consequences of being sent back to the Academy for further training are terrible, the currently starving Team 7 was more focused on the food. They looked at Kakashi and Logan with even more resentment, realizing that the early start was a deliberate ploy to make them hungry. It was a truly devious plan.

"But why are there only two bells? There are three of us..." Sakura pointed out after Kakashi finished explaining, confused by the discrepancy.

Kakashi did not answer directly, and said expressionlessly: "There are only two bells."

"Yosh!" Naruto stood up and shouted, trying to pump himself up. His energy seemed to return as his eyes darted between Kakashi and Logan, deciding which one would be easier to target. He eventually set his sights on Logan.

"Time is limited, let's start quickly!"

Seeing Naruto's action, he looked at Naruto with empty eyes, 'Do I look weaker?'

With the explanations over, the test of taking something from a Jonin was undeniably challenging. Sasuke and Sakura grew serious, their bodies tensing in preparation.

However, in reality, both Logan and Kakashi intended to go easy on them, to make the gap between their abilities less intimidating. But even so, typical graduates would find it nearly impossible to get the bells. This exercise is originally to let the team members understand the importance of teamwork and collaboration, rather than just completing the mission alone.

As long as they put aside their grudges and show that everyone in the team is working together, they can pass the test. The presence of only two bells was a hint, though it seemed Team 7 hadn't picked up on it yet.

"Remember to use ninja tools, otherwise, you three brats may not even be able to touch the corners of our clothes." Kakashi provoked, eliciting a twitch from Naruto's eyebrow. It was obvious that he was very dissatisfied and his hands and feet started moving wildly, but when he thought that his goal was Logan, he just endures it.

Logan stroked his chin at this, 'It was really strange. Naruto wanted to attack me, so he avoided the tragedy of attacking Kakashi preemptively and then being subdued by Kakashi instantly.'

Kakashi glanced at Naruto, surprised the boy didn't challenge him.

"In that case... let the exercise begin!"

Whoosh…

After Kakashi finished speaking, within a few moments, Sasuke and Sakura had disappeared, leaving Logan, Kakashi, and Naruto in the field.

Although the training ground was not large, it featured diverse terrain with lush grass and dense woods. Upon hearing the start command, Sasuke and Sakura followed what they're taught at the Academy about concealing their presence, finding suitable hiding spots.

Unfortunately, the area was limited, and Logan's keen senses quickly locked onto the immature presences as their movements ceased.

'Three o'clock and seven o'clock.' Logan furrowed his brows slightly, 'Should I pretend that I didn't know where they were hiding... Well, Sasuke hid well.'

Logan cast a look at Kakashi, sending a message of 'Isn't it tiring to confront three Genin in an orderly manner?'

However, Kakashi just ignored him.

"Speaking of which, Naruto, it's not too wrong for you to stand in front of me so carelessly, hahaha." Logan said something that made Naruto feel confused. He couldn't understand why Logan chuckled like that.

'Damn it, is he looking down on me?'

Logan glanced around at the pleasant surroundings. The gentle breeze, trees, and water mitigated the summer heat.

"Kakashi, then I'll stand over there. It'll be better if we spread out a bit." Logan said casually, pointing to an empty spot on the other side.

"Oh." Kakashi responded nonchalantly.

Logan walked over nonchalantly as if taking a walk, then turned around and waved to Naruto, who was particularly conspicuous in the scene, "What are you doing standing there in a daze for? If you're not going to hide, come at me."

"..."

Naruto felt that he had been greatly slighted, and his face turned red, 'Is the significance of me standing in the field so insignificant?'

"You look so young that calling you sensei is really annoying. Let me tell you, no matter how powerful your Body Replacement Technique is, it's useless against me!"

After holding his breath and saying harsh words, Naruto clenched his fists and rushed forward very uprightly.

"Ah." Logan smiled and effortlessly caught the future Hokage's punch without dodging, "I'll take that as a compliment from you."