The next morning, the air was crisp, the sky streaked with the soft hues of dawn. Kakashi stood in the training field, arms crossed as he waited for Team 7 to arrive. Today was the final test.
He had already abandoned the bell test, but this was still an important moment. Naruto had understood the lesson. Sasuke and Sakura were close, but they needed to prove they understood. Otherwise, they'd fail.
Well, fail in my version of the test, anyway.
He smirked slightly beneath his mask as his students finally arrived. Naruto looked eager as usual, Sasuke was silent and focused, and Sakura had a determined expression, though there was clear nervousness in her stance.
"Alright," Kakashi said, stepping forward. "This is your last chance to prove you deserve to be Genin. Today's test is simple: You'll face an opponent together. If you can work as a team, you pass. If you don't, you fail."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Who's the opponent?"
Kakashi's smirk widened. "Me."
Naruto's grin faltered. "Wait, what?"
Sakura looked horrified. "We have to fight you?"
"That's right," Kakashi said, flexing his fingers. "Don't worry, I won't kill you. But if you don't come at me seriously, you'll regret it."
Sasuke's hand instinctively twitched toward a kunai. Naruto clenched his fists. Sakura gulped.
"Your goal is simple," Kakashi continued. "Land a single clean hit on me. That's it."
Naruto blinked. "That's all?"
Kakashi tilted his head. "That's all."
Sasuke's expression hardened. "This is a trap. There's something you're not telling us."
Kakashi chuckled. "Figure it out, then. You have until sundown."
The Battle Begins
The second Kakashi said begin, Naruto charged forward.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he yelled, creating three identical copies of himself. They swarmed Kakashi from different directions.
Kakashi sighed. Predictable.
With fluid movement, he sidestepped one clone, ducked under a punch from another, and casually kicked the third into the first. The remaining Naruto rushed forward, aiming a punch straight at his face.
Without hesitation, Kakashi caught Naruto's fist mid-swing, twisted his wrist, and flipped him onto his back.
"Too reckless," Kakashi said simply, stepping back.
Naruto groaned. "Ow…"
Sasuke had already moved, flanking Kakashi's right side. He threw a kunai, then rushed in low, aiming for Kakashi's legs.
Knew he'd take the smarter approach.
Kakashi effortlessly blocked the kunai with his own, then jumped over Sasuke's leg sweep. Before Sasuke could react, Kakashi flicked him on the forehead, sending him stumbling back.
Sakura, who had been waiting for an opening, saw her chance. She lunged from behind, aiming for Kakashi's back.
Kakashi vanished.
Sakura's eyes widened as her fist hit empty air.
"Too slow," Kakashi's voice echoed from above. He landed lightly on a tree branch, looking down at them.
Naruto sat up, groaning. "Geez… he's impossible to hit!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth. "There's no way he's that fast… He's reading our moves ahead of time."
Sakura looked down, frustrated. "So what do we do?"
Kakashi waited, watching them.
Come on. Figure it out.
The Realization
Minutes passed as Team 7 huddled together. Kakashi could hear their whispers.
"We need a plan," Sakura said. "Just running at him isn't going to work."
Sasuke crossed his arms. "We should attack in waves. Overwhelm him from all angles."
Naruto frowned. "Yeah, but even if we do that, he's way too fast. We need a way to force him into an opening."
Silence. Then—
Sakura's eyes widened. "Wait. Maybe we're thinking about this all wrong."
Sasuke and Naruto both turned to her.
"This isn't just about landing a hit," she said. "Kakashi-sensei isn't just testing our fighting ability. He's testing our ability to work together. That's the whole point!"
Naruto blinked. "Ohhh… I get it! So if we work as a team—"
Sasuke smirked. "Then we can win."
Kakashi watched as the three finally stood up with a new level of confidence.
"Alright," he murmured. "Show me what you've learned."
The Final Strike
This time, their attack was coordinated.
Sasuke moved first, throwing a barrage of kunai to limit Kakashi's movements.
Naruto followed up immediately, charging straight at him.
Again? Kakashi thought, preparing to counter—
Then he saw it.
A shadow clone substitution.
The moment Kakashi went to counter, Naruto's clone vanished, revealing the real Naruto directly behind him.
Knew he'd do something like this, Kakashi thought, already moving—
But that was when Sasuke appeared above him, a kunai aimed at his blind spot.
Good.
Kakashi dodged—only to realize too late that his movement had been led into a final attack.
Sakura lunged from the side, aiming a punch directly at his side.
For a brief second, Kakashi considered dodging again.
Then he smirked.
Sakura finally took the initiative.
The punch landed.
A light tap against his side.
Kakashi straightened, hands in his pockets. "Well. Looks like you did it."
Naruto froze. "W-Wait, we actually hit you?!"
Sasuke let out a small breath, lowering his kunai. Sakura stared in shock.
Kakashi chuckled. "Yep. You worked together. You planned around each other's strengths and weaknesses. And that's why—"
He raised his hand in a casual gesture.
"—you pass."
Naruto whooped, jumping into the air. "YES! I knew we had it!"
Sasuke smirked slightly. Even Sakura smiled, relieved.
Kakashi looked at them, proud in a way he hadn't expected.
He had done things differently. He had made his own choices instead of just copying the past.
And now, Team 7 was his Team 7.
"Alright," he said, turning. "Starting tomorrow, we begin real missions."
As they cheered, Kakashi sighed to himself.
Hope they're ready for D-rank hell.