Naruto smirked, hands behind his head."Who in Konoha doesn't know you're the King of Tardiness, Kakashi-sensei? Anyone who shows up on time for you is just asking to be called an idiot."
Kakashi blinked. Then laughed—awkwardly. "Haha… you really shouldn't say that out loud, you know."
He rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed. Being roasted by your own students wasn't part of the job description.
"Bastard! Naruto! Who are you calling an idiot?!"Sakura's voice cracked like thunder. Her face ballooned in fury, teeth sharpening like a shark's.
Naruto blinked at her transformation, sighing. "Eh~ that slipped out. Chill, Sakura. You'll wrinkle early like that."
Sasuke's eyes flicked over from the side. "…Idiot."
Naruto groaned. "Man, why are all the cool guys allergic to fun?"
"Alright," Kakashi cut in, the lazy smile gone. "That's enough emotional bonding. Time to begin your first official mission—the Survival Exercise."
The three of them straightened instinctively.
Kakashi pulled out a small silver alarm clock and set it on a wooden post. "You've got until noon," he said, his voice suddenly sharp. Then he dangled two small bells from his fingers, their metallic chime slicing through the morning air.
"Your goal is simple—take these bells from me before the timer rings. Anyone who fails gets tied to that log over there and watches me eat lunch. No bell, no food."
Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke exchanged glances.
"So that's why we weren't allowed breakfast…" Sakura muttered, her face darkening.
"And since there are only two bells," Kakashi continued, "at least one of you will fail. That person will go back to the Academy. Maybe for good."
The air tightened.
He gave them a lazy half-smile. "Use any weapon you want. But unless you've got the resolve to come at me like you mean to kill, you won't touch these bells."
Sakura swallowed hard. "Wait… but we already graduated!"
Kakashi tilted his head. "Did your instructors tell you that some graduates still get sent back? If you're not ready for real missions, you're not a ninja. This is your final test—to prove you're ready to be one."
He let the bells jingle again. "Now… begin."
shhhh—
In a flash, all three genin disappeared into the surrounding brush.
Kakashi straightened and looked around. "Hmm. Not bad. You've got some stealth." His hand slid into his ninja pouch. "But…"
flip
He pulled out a familiar orange book—Icha Icha Paradise.
He crouched down, opened it to a bookmarked page, and started reading with a perverse little grin.
"..."
From the bushes, Sakura's jaw dropped. "He's… he's seriously reading right now."
Even Sasuke looked mildly offended.
Naruto, crouched farther back, grinned. "Yup. Classic Kakashi-sensei."
He pressed his hands together. "Shadow Clone Technique."
poof!
White smoke bloomed, and two perfect copies of Naruto appeared beside him. One nodded, then sprinted toward Kakashi with a battle cry.
"Take this!"
BOOM!
Kakashi didn't even flinch. He flicked his wrist, smacking the clone's punch aside. With a single, precise counter, he struck the clone's chest—poof.Gone in a puff of smoke.
Kakashi sighed. "Predictable."
At that exact moment, another Naruto burst from the shadows, trident-shaped kunai in hand. His chakra flared, body flickering with Flying Thunder God markings.
Kakashi's eye widened slightly. So he's mixing Minato's technique with raw speed… impressive.
clash!
Their kunai met midair. The impact rang through the clearing.
Naruto's stance was solid, but Kakashi's experience dwarfed it. He knocked the boy's weapon aside with ease.
But the older shinobi couldn't help glancing down at the unique shape of Naruto's kunai—the triple-pronged blade gleamed with sealing marks. For the first time, Kakashi's expression turned serious.
A flicker of respect crossed his face. "You've got nerve, kid."
Naruto jumped back, flipping another three marked kunai toward him.
ding—ding—ding!
Each one was deflected before it even neared its target.
When Kakashi looked up again—Naruto was gone.
The clearing fell silent.
Kakashi exhaled, slipping Icha Icha Paradise back into his pouch. "Looks like this won't be as easy as I thought."
His visible eye sharpened. Then he turned toward the weakest chakra signature—Sakura.