The morning sun filtered through the trees of Training Ground 7, casting long shadows on the grass. Team 7 had been waiting for hours, stomachs growling, tempers flaring.
It wasn't just the newly formed Team 11 that was going through changes, but also the fan-favorite Team 7, which had many unseen changes yet to be revealed.
"Where is he?!" Naruto yelled, pacing back and forth. "He said morning! It's almost noon!"
Sakura sighed, arms crossed. "Honestly, how are we supposed to take a sensei seriously if he can't even show up on time?"
Sasuke leaned against a tree, silent as usual, but his eyebrow twitched at Naruto's constant noise. Not just Naruto though, Kakashi had thoroughly annoyed him.
How can a jonin be so late? Sasuke himself had started to value his own time ever since his mindset was corrected by Sukuna. So the time he wasted here, waiting for that jonin to show up, almost felt criminally misused.
A mindset that was good for growth but didn't allow one to rest well, with a constant urge to be productive. He didn't mind, though.
Finally, with a puff of smoke, Kakashi appeared, hands in his pockets, eyes half-lidded. "Yo."
"You're late!" Naruto, Sakura, and even Sasuke shouted together, though Sasuke quickly looked away after joining in.
Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, sorry. I got lost on the road of life."
"Ah, this excuse. Why does everyone use this kind of excuse? Sukuna does the same all the time!" Naruto barked, irritated. Both Sakura and Sasuke grunted in confirmation, recalling the annoying face of the pink-haired boy who pulled all sorts of unreasonable excuses all the time.
Amused but still ignoring him, Kakashi lifted two small bells, dangling them in front of the team. "This is your test. I have two bells here. Your job is to take them from me by noon. Whoever doesn't get a bell… fails."
Sakura blinked. "Wait—there are three of us but only two bells?"
"That's right," Kakashi said cheerfully. "At least one of you will go back to the Academy. Maybe two. That's up to you."
Naruto clenched his fists. "That's not fair!"
"Life isn't fair," Kakashi replied calmly. He tied the bells to his waist and pulled out a timer. "And one more thing—come at me with the intent to kill, or you won't stand a chance."
The three genin stiffened at his words.
'Why does this phrase sound so familiar?' They recalled Sukuna saying the same things in training before beating the shit out of all of them.
Past PTSD started to resurface, which they pushed down with pure rage toward their pink-haired friend.
They looked at each other. All three of them had suffered at that guy's hands. It might not be him, but they wouldn't let that happen again.
An unspoken agreement passed through them. No matter what, they would make sure to beat this jonin sensei.
"Alright then," Kakashi said, breaking their trance, sliding his hand into his pocket and opening a little orange book with the other. "Begin."
"Huh… what's up with the book?" Sakura blinked in confusion.
"Ah, don't worry about it, it won't matter whether I'm reading it or not. Come on, your time has started." Kakashi waved his hand nonchalantly, but this simple act made all three of his genin mad.
Naruto was the first to charge. "I'll show you!" He rushed at Kakashi with a flying kick.
Kakashi didn't even look up from his book. He simply tilted his head and Naruto's kick whooshed past harmlessly. The boy stumbled, spun, and came back with a punch. Again, Kakashi dodged lazily, flipping a page in Icha Icha Paradise.
"Stop reading that dumb book!" Naruto shouted, throwing a barrage of punches and kicks.
"Hmm? You're pretty energetic," Kakashi said, sidestepping with ease. "But too straightforward."
"Don't underestimate me!" Naruto shouted, forming a cross-shaped seal. "Let me show you my new jutsu Jiji gave me."
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In an instant, four Narutos appeared, rushing Kakashi from all sides.
Naruto didn't make more. He could make many, but for someone who had learned how to fight properly by now, he knew just adding numbers wouldn't help him. He had to make the most of the number of clones he summoned first.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Impressive… for a genin." He ducked under a punch, blocked another, then caught Naruto's real self by the wrist. "But you'll need more than numbers." With a flick, he tossed Naruto into his clones, dispelling them all in a puff of smoke.
Naruto groaned, lying flat on the ground. "Ow…"
Sakura, hiding behind a tree, whispered to herself, "Naruto's improved so much… but Kakashi-sensei's on another level."
Sasuke, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes. He hadn't moved yet, analyzing every detail. And he saw more than others. By now he had developed his Sharingan to three tomoe. After years of training, it was a given.
He saw Naruto intentionally not giving his all. The dope had enough chakra to fill the entire training ground with clones—at least that's what Sukuna said, if he recalled it right. And yet, here was Naruto limiting himself to only four clones.
Sasuke understood. Just like himself, Naruto too was getting a feel for Kakashi's skill and power.
Kakashi glanced his way. "You, brooding one. You're up next, aren't you?"
Sasuke stepped out of the shadows. Silent and quiet but not trying to hide himself. A big mindset shift for him was to fight head-on. If it wasn't a life-or-death situation, then fighting head-on would make him grow more.
Only in real fights could he grow—fights which he was lacking. Fighting did help, but that boy was only limited to taijutsu and had a very straightforward fighting style.
Sasuke couldn't complain when he kept on losing to that straightforward fighting style again and again, but still, in a real ninja fight, deception was the key. And that, he could only experience when fighting a real shinobi. This was his chance.
"Tch. Don't order me around." his precision and calm were already far ahead of most. He dashed forward with fluid speed, his kunai aimed for the bells.
Kakashi snapped his book shut at last, catching the kunai between two fingers. "Finally. A bit more serious."
Sasuke twisted his body, following up with a sweeping kick, then lunged again, feinting for Kakashi's face before aiming at his waist.
Kakashi dodged, impressed. "You've got talent. Fast, sharp, and focused. But you're still green." With a puff of smoke, the Kakashi Sasuke struck turned into a log.
"Substitution Jutsu…" Sasuke muttered, spinning quickly. His eyes scanned the trees, but Kakashi was already behind him.
"You should have used your Sharingan." Kakashi flicked Sasuke on the forehead, hard enough to knock him back a step.
Sasuke grit his teeth, rubbing his head. "Deception indeed…"
Kakashi chuckled softly. "Don't look so sour. You're good. Very good. But don't get arrogant."
Meanwhile, Naruto had gotten back on his feet. "I'm not done yet!" He formed the cross seal again, chakra bursting around him. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In a massive burst of smoke, dozens of Narutos filled the training ground. The sheer number of them shook the air.
Sakura gasped. "H-he can actually pull it off!"
Watching from afar, Sakura had her mouth dangling. The number of clones was ridiculous. 'Just how much chakra does Naruto have?' she questioned herself.
Kakashi's visible eye widened slightly. "Ah, I expected it but still… it's a bit annoying seeing how gifted someone can be in certain areas," he said, almost annoyed.
"Get him, boys!" every Naruto shouted in unison, charging forward.
The ground shook as the clones piled onto Kakashi, fists swinging, kunai flashing. For the first time, Kakashi had to move quickly. He weaved between blows, blocked a kick, ducked under a punch, and struck clones that burst into smoke around him.
"Not bad, Naruto," Kakashi admitted, catching one clone's wrist before tossing him into another. "Your stamina is insane. If I weren't careful…"
One clone nearly snagged the bell, but Kakashi twisted away at the last second, forcing him to finally stash his book away.
Sakura's jaw dropped. "He… he made Kakashi put the book down…"
Sasuke folded his arms, hiding a smirk. "At least he's good for something."
Kakashi stood in the middle of a pile of smoke clouds, the last clone dispersing with a pop. He dusted off his uniform, his eye serious now.
He felt it—while the kid was a bit childish and lacked any planning when he attacked, his foundation was solid, basics were clear, and training showed.
With those clones alone, Naruto could defeat even a chunin. Even without them, Naruto was easily a genin-rank shinobi.
Just as Kakashi was about to teach Naruto a lesson, he felt chakra fluctuation around him.
'Shun-Shin…' He instantly recognized the chakra signature.
He quickly turned around and found a pink-haired girl… and a punch.
...
A/N : Just a reminder that Sakura isn't exactly like Awaken Maki. But better than pre-awaken Maki.
As for why show team 7, cause they will have much changes this time around.
xxx
Please Consider Donating Power Stones if you like the Chapter.
Every 250 Stones for an Additional Bonus Chapter.
"Thank you Very Much for All Your Support"
If you want to read up to 20+ Chapters in advance, check my Patreon on
Patreon.com/Kamidemond