"Isn't this... a bit much for Sakura?" Naruto muttered, glancing toward Sasuke.The scene before him was absurd—Sakura swinging a feather duster like it was a deadly weapon, Kakashi looking more miserable by the second. Naruto's stomach hurt just watching it.
"I think you'd better hurry up," Sasuke said dryly, arms crossed. "If this keeps going, Kakashi-sensei might actually die."He sighed, side-eyeing Sakura, who looked like a pink-haired demon on caffeine. For the briefest moment, Sasuke wondered if fate hated him for putting him on the same team as her. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple. "Khan… tragic doesn't even begin to cover it."
Naruto stared blankly for a beat, then vanished in a flash of gold light—the mark of his Flying Thunder God technique. The test needed to end now.
"Having fun, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto's voice echoed as his form materialized near the exhausted jōnin. His grin was pure mischief. "You look like you're really enjoying yourself."
Kakashi didn't even flinch. "I'm having the time of my life. Want to try? It's... refreshing." His tone dripped with sarcasm, though his single visible eye never left Naruto. Sneak attacks were practically this kid's love language.
"Maybe later." Naruto shrugged, but his eyes gleamed. "Right now, I'm only interested in that."His gaze flicked to the pair of bells hanging from Kakashi's belt.
"Then you'll have to take them, according to the rules." Kakashi smiled faintly. Even knowing he couldn't catch Naruto outright, he trusted his reflexes enough to protect what mattered.
"Fair enough. But, Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto's grin widened. "You might want to look around."
"What?" Kakashi blinked and followed his gaze—and froze.Kunai. Shuriken. Even wooden stakes, all marked with Naruto's golden seals, littered the clearing. Each was infused with the Flying Thunder God Formula. Every inch of ground around him had become Naruto's personal domain.
"You've got to be kidding…" Kakashi muttered. He was surrounded—completely within Naruto's Field of the Flash.
"Nothing's impossible, Sensei," Naruto said, his voice echoing from every direction. Golden light rippled outward, forming spinning trails around Kakashi like a cage of light.
Slash.A kunai zipped past, grazing Kakashi's shoulder. Before he could counter, the golden light winked out—and so did Naruto.
"How's that?" Naruto's voice teased from nowhere. "Hand over the bell, and nobody gets hurt."More flashes followed—six Narutos surrounding Kakashi in perfect synchronization.
"It's now or never!" Kakashi lunged toward the one on his right—the one closest to the bells.
But his kunai sliced through empty air.The clone shimmered, then dissolved in a burst of gold. The rest flickered too, their light converging as the real Naruto appeared behind him, bells jingling faintly in his hand.
"The bell's mine, Kakashi-sensei."He dangled it with a smug grin. Ding... dong. The sound of victory.
Kakashi let out a long sigh. "Guess I walked right into that one."
Naruto turned toward the trees. "You can come out now. The test's over."Two figures emerged from hiding—Sakura looking ecstatic, Sasuke calm but satisfied.
"Finally! We did it!" Sakura cheered, practically yanking the bell from Naruto's hand.
Sasuke said nothing, but a rare smile tugged at the corner of his lips. For once, even he seemed pleased.
"Alright," Kakashi said, raising a hand. "You've got the bells. Now comes the real question: which two of you stay... and which one goes back to the Academy?"
His tone was calm, but his eye gleamed with that familiar teasing cruelty of a sensei who enjoyed tormenting his students just a little too much.