"You lost."
Naruto's voice rang out clearly, still carrying the lingering excitement of victory as the bells jingled in his clenched hand.
For a brief moment, the training ground fell silent.
Then—
"Naruto turned into a shuriken and stole the bells?!"
In the distance, Sasuke and Sakura stood frozen, mouths slightly open, eyes wide with disbelief.
They had both seen the entire sequence unfold from start to finish. From Naruto and Sasuke being tied up, to the frantic shouting, to the sudden coordinated counterattack—it had all felt desperate, almost reckless. Neither of them had truly believed they could succeed. In their minds, that last rush had been nothing more than a final, futile attempt to vent frustration.
And yet—
Naruto had won.
Not by overwhelming power.
Not by brute force.
But by deception, timing, and precision.
Sakura's thoughts felt scrambled.
That wasn't Naruto at all…
The Naruto she knew charged forward blindly, shouted first, and thought later—if he thought at all. This plan had been layered, deliberate, and coldly effective. It relied on understanding the opponent's habits, exploiting his weaknesses, and coordinating every movement down to the smallest detail.
Sasuke, standing beside her, felt a strange mixture of shock and relief.
Relief… because the plan hadn't come from Naruto himself.
If Naruto—the same Naruto who used to sit at the bottom of the classroom, doodling instead of listening—had truly devised something like this on his own, then the gap between them would have become unbearable.
But this?
This made sense.
Even Kakashi Hatake, his visible eye half-lidded beneath the forehead protector, looked genuinely displeased as he approached Naruto. He clapped slowly as he walked, each sound measured and deliberate.
"Using the content of the novel to seize my attention," Kakashi said calmly, "forcing me to split my focus so I couldn't think carefully."
He stopped a few steps away.
"Then deliberately expressed a desire for revenge to guide my expectations. And finally, hiding a transformed shadow clone among the thrown weapons to slip past my guard and steal the bells."
His gaze sharpened.
"One step after another. Seamless. Meticulous."
Kakashi's eye narrowed further, his tone losing all trace of laziness.
"That wasn't something Uzumaki Naruto could have come up with on his own."
The air seemed to tense.
"As expected," Kakashi continued, "of the existence capable of writing that novel."
His eyes locked onto Naruto.
"Lock."
The name landed heavily.
"So this plan was Lock's."
Sakura blinked, then suddenly nodded to herself, understanding rushing in all at once.
"That explains it…"
Of course it did.
The terrifying, ruthless personality that had fought a Jonin head-on—the same presence that radiated overwhelming pressure and cold malice—that being coming up with a plan like this was far more believable.
Sasuke let out a slow breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Good.
If the plan belonged to Lock, then the comparison ended there. That monster wasn't someone Sasuke needed—or wanted—to measure himself against.
Naruto, exposed so cleanly, scratched the back of his head with an awkward laugh. The smugness on his face faded into something sheepish.
"Ah… you noticed, Kakashi-sensei."
He puffed his chest slightly, stubborn pride creeping back in.
"But Lock is still part of me. So that means I won, too, right? You're not going to deny it now, are you?"
Kakashi snorted and turned his head away.
"A loss is a loss. I'm not so petty that I'd go back on my word with a few Genin."
Sakura let out a breath of relief, shoulders loosening.
But then—
"However…"
Kakashi's voice shifted.
A familiar, unsettling smile curved beneath his mask as he turned back toward them.
"There are only two bells."
The words fell like stones.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura stiffened.
"So," Kakashi continued lightly, "have you decided who's going to be eliminated and tied to the post to watch me eat lunch?"
"…Huh?"
Sakura stared at him, completely thrown.
"Isn't that just a trick to break our teamwork?" she asked, confusion and anxiety creeping into her voice. "We worked together. We got the bells. The mission was completed. Why would someone still be eliminated?"
Kakashi studied her quietly for a moment, then sighed.
"So you really did see through the purpose of the assessment from the beginning."
His gaze flicked back to Naruto.
"That must've been Lock again."
For the first time, fatigue crept into Kakashi's posture.
So this is what it's like, he thought. Trying to teach teamwork while a far more dangerous influence is guiding them from the shadows.
On the surface, though, his voice remained even.
"Who told you I was bluffing?"
His tone hardened.
"The rules were clear from the start. Two bells. One failure."
The joy drained from the three Genin's faces.
Kakashi didn't prolong the tension.
"If you won't choose," he said flatly, "then I will."
He turned and pointed.
"Sakura Haruno. Based on performance, you were the weakest just now. You're eliminated."
Sakura's mind went blank.
"W–what…?"
"You two," Kakashi added, looking at Naruto and Sasuke, "tie her to the post. Then we'll start lunch."
Sakura's legs gave out. She sank to the ground, staring ahead in disbelief.
But—
Naruto didn't move.
Neither did Sasuke.
Naruto's hands clenched at his sides as he hurriedly called out inwardly.
Lock… what do I do?
The answer came immediately, calm and unhesitating.
"Refuse."
Naruto swallowed.
"And then?"
"You stand your ground," Lock replied. "If even one of you had been missing earlier, the plan would've failed. Remember that."
Naruto inhaled deeply.
Then he looked up, eyes burning with resolve.
"Kakashi-sensei," he said loudly, "I refuse to follow that order."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? You want to take her place instead?"
"If you insist on eliminating someone," Naruto said without hesitation, "then eliminate me."
Sakura's head snapped up.
"Naruto—!"
"We got the bells together," Naruto continued, his voice growing stronger with every word. "Not because I was smart. Not because Sasuke is strong. Not because Sakura watched from the rear."
He clenched his fists.
"But because all three of us were there."
He looked between them.
"If Sasuke hadn't pressured you, Kakashi-sensei, you wouldn't have stayed engaged. If Sakura hadn't supported us and cut the ropes, we wouldn't have moved. If I weren't there to distract you, the plan wouldn't have worked."
His voice rang out clearly.
"We're not separate pieces. We're one team. Team 7."
Sakura felt her throat tighten.
Beside Naruto, Sasuke straightened.
"I agree," he said coolly. "A mission completed by three people, but judged by sacrificing one—that's unreasonable."
He turned away slightly.
"If this is how you evaluate teams, then I'll quit. This place isn't suitable for my growth."
Kakashi's eye narrowed.
Then he turned to Sakura, his voice dropping.
"They've chosen elimination for themselves. What about you?"
Sakura trembled.
"If you repeat a year," Kakashi added coldly, "you'll still face me. And you'll still fail."
She looked at Naruto.
At Sasuke.
Her chest tightened painfully.
Then she clenched her fists and stood.
"I give up, too," she said, voice shaking but firm. "They're right. We're comrades. We succeeded together."
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then Kakashi exhaled.
The sharpness drained from his posture. His voice softened.
"…Very good."
All three froze.
"Congratulations," Kakashi said lightly, a smile hidden beneath his mask. "You pass."
"WHAT?!"
The clearing exploded.
Sakura stared. Sasuke blinked. Naruto nearly shouted himself hoarse.
Kakashi gazed off into the distance.
"Missions are important. Those who fail them are trash," he said quietly. "But those who abandon their comrades to succeed… are worse."
Naruto's eyes stung.
So this is what being a ninja really means…
"So cool," he whispered.
Sasuke smiled faintly.
Sakura jumped in place.
"Dismissed," Kakashi concluded. "Starting tomorrow, Team 7 begins real missions."
As the three left together, laughter and excitement trailing behind them—
Kakashi remained.
And when Naruto didn't notice, Kakashi followed at a distance, book in hand.
Watching.
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