Kakashi sat on one of the stumps at Training Ground 7, reading his book while occasionally glancing at the alarm clock placed on the central pillar. The clock showed ten minutes to noon.
By the time Kakashi arrived with the little kunoichi slung over his shoulder, all of Naruto's clones on the field had already been dispelled. The jonin's copy had dealt with them without much trouble. After receiving the information about the clone battle, the man assessed Naruto's skill level. Not bad for a kid who had been considered the worst of his graduating class. Shadow Clones, fire jutsu—albeit mediocre ones. Decent iron-throwing skills. For peacetime standards, it was respectable, especially considering the lack of proper teachers…
Originally, Hatake had planned to walk right into the genin's trap. However, after spotting Sakura—defenseless in the forest—arguing with one of Naruto's clones, he changed his mind. And not because he was afraid, no.
First, he simply couldn't resist the opportunity to make things harder for them by taking Sakura "hostage." Second, because the boys needed to learn that things don't always go as planned. Better they grasp this lesson here, during a bell test on a training ground, than during a mission where failure could cost them their teammates… or their own lives.
Kakashi glanced at one of the pillars where the unconscious Sakura was tied up. The girl was snoring softly, her head lolling to the side. The tear tracks had dried, and it seemed like nothing remained of her earlier distress.
—Yeah, maybe I overdid it with the genjutsu…— Hatake recalled the girl's reaction. He wondered how Naruto would respond once he remembered his clone's actions, given that Sakura—apparently—liked the blond. And she, in turn, liked Uchiha. What a funny little love triangle…
The jonin dismissed the unnecessary thoughts. The kids could attack at any moment.
Pretending to monitor his surroundings, Hatake only feigned reading his book. In reality, he was fully alert, expecting an ambush at any second. Besides, the Hokage had made it abundantly clear that Kakashi should go easier on the genin this time and finally take his responsibilities as their instructor seriously. So, it seemed like dodging his duties as a jonin-sensei wouldn't fly this time…
—They're taking their time…— Hatake thought. Five minutes remained until noon.
But the next moment, several kunai came whistling toward the jonin. Without looking up from his book, he twirled his staff and deflected every projectile.
The kunai landed in the ground in front of him, forming a neat line.
—You weren't in a hurry,— Kakashi remarked, tucking his book into his pouch. Hopping down from the pillar, he leisurely strolled toward the edge of the forest.
Now wasn't the time for screwing around. The kids were still genin, but they were talented. And Uzumaki, on top of that, was unpredictable.
The boys slowly emerged from their hiding spots. While Sasuke wore his usual brooding, focused expression, Naruto radiated murderous intent. Clearly, Kakashi had pissed him off.
—Wonder if he's this mad because of Sakura or because of the "Two-Finger Secret Technique"…— flickered through Kakashi's mind.
—You've got five minutes left,— Hatake began, stopping in place. —Get the bells—and you can continue your path as shinobi. Fail—and it's back to the Academy…
—You're gonna pay for this, dattebayo!— Naruto snarled, cutting the jonin off. His dark gaze swept over Sakura before his hand inexplicably reached for his lower back.
—If that'd been the real me, my ass would still be sore!— the boy yelled.
Forming a hand seal, he created two clones and immediately charged with them. This time, neither he nor his clones carried weapons. Instead, all three were rapidly weaving hand signs for a fire technique mid-sprint.
—Did he lose his mind from anger?.. Idiot, Sakura's behind me!— Kakashi gritted his teeth. He could've used a substitution, but then the fireballs might've hit the sleeping kunoichi. So, the jonin had no choice but to use a chakra-intensive technique.
—Doton: Dirt Wall!
A surge of earth jutsu erupted from beneath the grass, forming a barrier that shielded the man and the unconscious Sakura from the enraged genin's attack. Kakashi didn't hold back on chakra, so the wall stretched about twenty meters long and seven meters high.
That should buy him a few seconds. Maybe Uzumaki would realize he'd almost injured his teammate and calm down.
But the next instant, a pair of clones appeared from above. Pushing off the wall's peak, they completed their fire jutsu. Then, mid-flight above the jonin, they immediately hurled kunai before dispersing with a *poof*.
Kakashi braced himself to tank the fireballs, reinforcing his body with chakra. But to his surprise, the jutsu missed him entirely, only igniting the grass behind him and creating a screen of flames and smoke. The two kunai thrown afterward also—for some reason—landed in the ground in front of him, with two more embedding themselves to his left. That struck the jonin as odd—Naruto hadn't shown any issues with accuracy before.
Hatake heard a noise and turned. Through the smoke, he saw Uchiha cutting the ropes and freeing Sakura. The genin was sprinting full-speed away from the pillars with the kunoichi in his arms, and Kakashi sensed something was off.
Taking a closer look at the kunai, he finally noticed the explosive tags wrapped around their handles.
The jonin immediately leaped to the right—but to his shock, the projectiles embedded in the ground dissipated into smoke.
—Shadow kunai? But why?—
The moment Kakashi landed, a swarm of small hands grabbed him. Naruto's clones. He'd sensed them earlier but hadn't bothered dodging. Strangely, the clones made no attempt to grab the bells. Maybe Naruto had forgotten the test's main objective…
—Planned my landing spot in advance. So what?—
Hatake decided against using a substitution right away. A bunch of kids couldn't seriously harm a jonin. Still, Kakashi reinforced his body with chakra just in case.
—Done, boss!— the clones shouted, tightening their grip on the shinobi.
—Now what?— Kakashi drawled. The clones just grinned in unison. There were five of them.
On top of the wall, a smirking Uzumaki appeared. Probably the real one.
He swiftly formed the Snake seal and shouted:
—Katsu!—
***
The explosion was glorious. But Naruto wasn't worried about the Copy Ninja's safety—after all, the man was an S-class jonin. If Kakashi got caught in such a simple trap and got hurt… well, maybe it was time for him to retire.
Yeah, Naruto had come up with the idea of combining clones and explosive tags. It seemed genius: plant tags on the clones' clothes, and when they got close—detonate.
Only a Hyūga with their Byakugan could've seen it coming.
The tactic was nearly flawless. Its only downside was the need for a massive stockpile of explosive tags—either bought or self-made. The first option was expensive. The second wasn't feasible yet due to his lack of fuinjutsu skills. But in the future, Uzumaki decided that—on top of his regular training and Iruka-sensei's lessons—he'd take a few classes in sealing techniques…
When the dust settled and the smoke cleared, Naruto was met with the sight of a very disheveled—but pissed—jonin. Clearly, retirement wasn't on the man's mind. Despite the singed clothes, slightly smoking hair, and soot around his eye, Kakashi looked relatively unharmed. Even his staff was intact, making the genin wonder what material it was made of.
Kakashi shook his head once, then again, trying to clear the ringing in his ears. Then his eye widened, and with a trembling hand, he reached into his pouch, pulling out his treasure…
Only half of Jiraiya's book remained. The spine was intact, but the pages were smoldering, shrinking before his eyes. Hatake's body swayed, and the book slipped from his fingers.
His gaze went hollow as he muttered under his breath:
—The book… Jiraiya-sama's gift… Jiraiya-sama's autograph…
—Oops…— slipped out of Naruto's mouth.
—Naruto…— the jonin growled. —Seems you want to experience Konoha's secret technique firsthand…
—Boss, I think it's time to bail!— one of the observing clones called out.
—Yep,— Uzumaki nodded.
He backflipped off the crumbling wall, creating a dozen clones mid-air.
The swarm of blonds scattered in all directions, trying to confuse the furious jonin.
But Kakashi also made two clones and began systematically taking out Naruto's copies. The shinobi moved like lightning. His clones kept pace effortlessly.
—What a faker!— Naruto fumed. —He doesn't even need that cane to walk—just to chase poor genin around easier…—
Watching the clone massacre from the corner of his eye, Naruto concluded that they needed to wear Kakashi down. But the problem was time—there wasn't enough for that strategy to work…
—Or…— A wide grin spread across Naruto's face on its own…
***
Hatake was swiftly dealing with Uzumaki's clones. The blond kept creating new "copies," but it wasn't helping much.
—Just how much chakra does this idiot have?— Sasuke thought.
—Katon: Fireball Jutsu!—
A powerful blast of flames shot toward one of Kakashi's copies, which had been too engrossed in the "find the real Naruto" game. The jonin's clone vanished with a *POOF*. Uchiha smirked crookedly.
Earlier, the boy had carried his unconscious teammate away from the battlefield and now decided to join the fight. Only a few minutes remained until noon.
Before Sasuke could even sigh in relief, the second Kakashi clone attacked him. It was obviously a clone—the original looked thoroughly battered, while this one was pristine and lacked a staff.
Uchiha threw a kunai, then another, followed by a couple of shuriken. But every projectile missed—the clone dodged effortlessly. When they clashed in close combat, Sasuke felt the full force and speed of a jonin's strikes. He could barely keep up.
—Tch! Just a clone, but this strong…—
After taking a few hits, Uchiha abruptly broke the distance. His hands blurred through hand seals. A moment later, another fireball—even stronger than the last—hurtled toward Kakashi's copy.
Sasuke didn't hear the usual *POOF*, but he still hoped the clone was destroyed. Because he couldn't fight anymore. He'd burned through too much chakra—his body swayed, his vision slightly doubled. In this state, ninjutsu was beyond him, and taijutsu against a jonin was pointless.
—Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu!—
The next instant, Sasuke was dragged underground, leaving only his head exposed. A few breaths later, he saw the looming silhouette of the jonin blotting out the sun like a small mountain.
—Well…— The shinobi scratched his chin thoughtfully. —I'm disappointed. If this is all the last Uchiha can do, then…—
The jonin paused briefly before continuing:
—…Then the Uchiha clan has no future.
Sasuke's face twisted. He gritted his teeth in frustration, fury boiling inside him. This boy swore vengeance against his brother—an SS-rank nukenin—yet couldn't even handle a local jonin's clone.
—I'll get stronger,— Sasuke muttered darkly, lowering his head.
—Hope so,— Kakashi replied curtly before forming a hand seal and dispersing.
Suddenly, beyond the noise of battle, the brunet heard the crack of branches. His peripheral vision caught someone emerging from the forest.
It was Sakura, rubbing her eyes and scanning the area in confusion. Her gaze locked onto Uchiha, her eyes widening in shock before she shrieked, "Sasuke-kun!" and fainted.
The boy clicked his tongue in annoyance and started struggling free from the earth trap while keeping an eye on the field.
***
—Katame-sensei, I promise I'll buy you a new book!— a chorus of Naruto Uzumaki's voices shouted.
—Hold still, you brat!— Kakashi snarled. —Quit hiding among clones. Come out and take your punishment like a man!
—Yeah, right,— Naruto thought. —No sane man would take *that* kind of punishment…—
The clones kept leading Kakashi farther from the alarm clock pillars. The jonin chased a group of a dozen blonds nearing the forest's edge. Meanwhile, Naruto finally made his move.
He whistled sharply, and the clones scrambled up the trees. Naruto blended in among them, scaling a trunk with chakra adhesion.
But Kakashi appeared right in front of him.
—So fast! How did he—?—
Naruto didn't get to finish the thought before Hatake swung his cane and rasped:
—No whistling—no money.
Naruto barely blocked the staff strike with crossed forearms. His muscles ached, but he stepped back, then—still clinging to the tree—flipped sideways and hurled two kunai. The jonin deflected them effortlessly.
Uzumaki formed a seal—with a *POOF* of smoke, a giant fūma shuriken appeared in his hands and was instantly flung at Kakashi.
Hatake leaned right, letting it sail past.
—Useless!— the jonin commented.
Suddenly, the shuriken behind Kakashi transformed into a Naruto clone, who latched onto the trunk and reached for the bells on the jonin's belt.
The blond's fingers brushed the bells—but Kakashi stepped forward abruptly, dispelling the clone with a blind staff strike.
Naruto clicked his tongue in irritation.
—Could've just let me have 'em, dattebayo,— he grumbled, shifting into a fighting stance.
The Copy Ninja braced for another spar, but Uzumaki suddenly turned and leaped down. Kakashi followed—only for a barrage of shuriken and kunai to fly at him from all directions. The clones *had* been positioned for a reason.
For a moment, it seemed Hatake was riddled with projectiles—but then the illusion faded, revealing a falling log.
—I hate Kawarimi!— Naruto hissed, bolting toward a nearby lake. Kakashi chased him out of the forest.
Seconds later, Uzumaki stood on the water, facing his instructor. Locking eyes with the jonin's smirk, he formed a seal—likely preparing a mass Shadow Clone assault.
—You're not bad,— Kakashi said. —For an Academy graduate, your skills are impressive… Shadow Clones, fire jutsu, tree and water walking. The explosive-tag-clone idea was creative too…—
The jonin paused. Sasuke (now freed) and Sakura (now conscious) reached the water's edge, both looking stunned. Probably their first time seeing shinobi stand on water.
—But against an elite jonin? Child's play. Still…— He glanced at the other two genin before refocusing on Naruto. —Good news: none of you have to return to the Academy…
At this, Uzumaki relaxed, scratching his head with a wide grin. The others exhaled in relief.
—Yes. You three can forget about being ninja,— Kakashi finished.
Sakura gasped, Sasuke scowled, and Naruto's smile froze—before twisting into a predatory grin.
—We've still got time to take those bells, Katame-sensei. So your words mean nothing,— Naruto crossed his fingers into a seal. —I'll be the strongest shinobi and the greatest Hokage. Some random jonin's opinion doesn't interest me.
Kakashi just huffed. Sakura glanced between him and Naruto nervously.
—Didn't wanna use this, One-Eye… but you left me no choice.— Naruto's voice darkened. —The Forbidden Jutsu of the Uzumaki…—
A palpable wave of killing intent crashed over the field.
Kakashi frowned. Sakura trembled in fear, but Sasuke just smirked. Naruto weaved several seals.
—Harem Jutsu!—
The clearing flooded with smoke, revealing a crowd of stunning women—blondes, brunettes, redheads—all in swimsuits, with flawless figures.
Kakashi lost focus and sank knee-deep into the lake. The beauties waded in, swarming him.
—Kakashi-san, you're so cute~— a blonde cooed, running fingers through his silver hair.
—Kakashi-san, go on a date with me?— a brunette pouted, pressing her ample chest against his arm.
—Kakashi-san, you're *delicious*…— a petite redhead purred, jumping onto his back and pressing her "hills" against his head.
Kakashi seemed to short-circuit. He swallowed hard. Without his mask, everyone would've seen the nosebleed.
For a moment, he thought he'd reached Paradise—until a *cling!* snapped him back.
—The bells…—
Hatake turned his head—just as the brunette dangled the bells with a sly smile.
The redhead flipped gracefully in mid-air and landed before him, barely splashing.
—Mission complete, Katame-sensei!— Her smile turned sharp—then she drove a fist into his gut. The force lifted him slightly, ribs *cracking* audibly.
The brunette tossed the bells to the redhead—then Naruto dispelled the technique. The blond stood before the wheezing jonin, shaking the bells.
—That's for Sakura,— he said, then whispered: —And for my ass.
Uzumaki rejoined his teammates. Sasuke hid his smirk, resuming his usual scowl. Sakura stared between Naruto and Kakashi, cheeks red—clearly torn between outrage and embarrassment over *that* jutsu…
—*BR-R-R-R-RING!*—
The alarm clock's shrill cry marked the test's end. A clone smacked it silent.
—Just in time,— Naruto grinned, walking over.
Kakashi finally recovered, straightening slowly.
—Now what, Naruto?— the jonin asked. —There are three of you… and only two bells.
Uzumaki smiled sadly. He tossed a bell to each teammate.
—If someone has to go back to the Academy, it'll be me. I've got gaps in my knowledge—repeating classes will help. I'm out. Later, guys!—
He waved and walked off. Sasuke and Sakura stared at the bells in their hands.
Uchiha frowned, then nodded to himself and fixed Kakashi with a sharp glare.
—I'm leaving too.— He threw his bell back and strode after Naruto.
Sakura gaped after her crush—but only for a second. She rushed to Kakashi, apologized, handed her bell over, and scampered after Uchiha.
—Sasuke-kun, wait!..—
***
The brunet caught up with Naruto. Soon after, Sakura joined them.
— Are you sure? — Uchiha shot a displeased look at the grinning Uzumaki, who ignored his question. — What if you're wrong?
The small kunoichi stared at the boys in confusion:
— What are you talking about?
Suddenly, Kakashi materialized right in front of them. He looked furious.
— You... — The jonin's voice sounded demonic.
Sakura trembled like a leaf in the wind, Sasuke tensed up, and Naruto kept grinning stupidly—though a drop of sweat rolled down his temple.
The weather abruptly changed. A strong wind picked up, clouds darkened the sky, lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled. A storm was brewing.
— Do you have any idea what you've done?! — Kakashi roared.
The girl's legs gave out, and she collapsed. Sasuke assumed a fighting stance. Naruto's dumb smile remained, but the sweat on his face betrayed his nerves...
— ...You passed, — the jonin's eye curved into a smile as he scratched the back of his head. — Congratulations. Good job.
The weather instantly returned to normal. The sky cleared, the wind died down—as if the storm had never happened.
Naruto and Sasuke exhaled in unison. Sakura jumped to her feet, about to say something, but their sensei cut her off.
— Team Seven, you have successfully passed the test, — Hatake began. — The primary objective was to evaluate your teamwork—whether you could set aside personal interests and work together toward a common goal...
Kakashi twirled his staff before leaning on it, studying the genin intently.
— ...And while only Sasuke and Naruto actually worked as a team, — the shinobi continued, giving the girl a pointed look, — at the critical moment, you all made the same decision: to return to the Academy. Each of you was willing to sacrifice your own goals for your teammates' sake. That's commendable...
The jonin paused for a moment, lost in thought.
— Well, that's all for today, — he waved dismissively. — Rest up. Tomorrow, we start missions.
In an instant, he vanished in a whirl of leaves.
— Whoa, so cool, — Naruto muttered enviously. — I wanna make an exit like that. And that scare he gave us earlier—Sasuke, was that a genjutsu on the environment? Either way, our sensei's pretty awesome...
Sasuke just snorted and turned away. Sakura, meanwhile, was too busy ogling the brunet with heart eyes to even hear Uzumaki's rambling.
***
— Phew...
Kakashi slumped against a tree and slid down slowly. His last shunshin had drained the last of his chakra. The jonin couldn't even muster the strength to walk home, so he decided to stay in Training Ground 7's forest for a while.
His students must never see him weak.
—Either I haven't fully recovered from that bald guy, or I'm losing my edge,— Hatake thought.
To think a genin had nearly beaten him. Sure, he could blame it on his health, on not being at full strength, on holding back—but those were just excuses. A true shinobi must always be ready for battle.
Today, the jonin had severely underestimated his student. The explosive tags in the clones had been a complete surprise, costing him a lot of chakra to mitigate the damage. Then the Dirt Wall. Multiple Kawarimi in quick succession didn't help either—they drained him further.
Prolonged combat, clones, techniques... In the end, chakra exhaustion.
—Clever brat,— Kakashi smirked to himself.
He'd noticed during the chase that one of Naruto's clones had turned the alarm clock back by five minutes. The kid had given himself and his team ten minutes instead of five.
—And that Harem Jutsu...—
Kakashi prodded his ribs. One felt broken.
—That last hit wasn't bad either. Chunin-level, maybe low jonin...—
Of course, if Hatake had been prepared, if Naruto hadn't caught him off guard, he wouldn't have taken any damage. But battles don't tolerate "what ifs." You either react to your opponent's moves, or you die.
Good thing Naruto had reminded him of that. Never underestimate an enemy—no matter how harmless they seem.
Now, Kakashi needed to sift through the mountain of jutsu stored in his Sharingan's memory. Maybe he could develop a few new techniques based on what he had. And perhaps it was time to remember which end of the sword to hold—back in his youth, he'd favored tantō. Even today, the staff had felt more natural in his hands.
—Decision made. Visiting the weaponsmith tomorrow...—
Hatake tried to stand, leaning on his staff, but his body refused to cooperate.
—Heh...— he chuckled weakly. —Minato-sensei... you'd be proud of your son.
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself up and trudged slowly toward home.
—...I'm sure of it, Minato-sensei. Naruto will become a great shinobi...—