Chapter 230 - 8

Chapter 8: Next is My Share!"As a penalty for being late, Kakashi-sensei, give me your share of lunch!"Naruto crouched slightly, preparing for battle."Good, you've got spirit!"Kakashi gave Naruto a thumbs up. "What was your name again..."Halfway through his sentence, he pretended to think hard before suddenly waving his hand. "Forget it, the name of a dead last isn't important anyway."There was even a hint of relief in Kakashi's voice.A simple sentence of self-muttering was enough to make one deeply feel his undisguised contempt."Oh no, Naruto is definitely going to be furious!"Sakura immediately looked at Naruto.Sasuke, on the other hand, stared intently at Kakashi, thinking to himself, 'A clumsy provocation, but effective. That dead last will definitely take the bait. It's a good chance to observe this guy's strength.'However, the result was unexpected.Naruto stood in place, nonchalantly picking his ear. "This kind of reverse psychology is a bit too low-level, isn't it? Sorry, I'm not falling for it."Sakura and Sasuke looked over with expressions of disbelief.Was this still the hot-headed dead last? He hadn't been possessed by someone else, had he?Kakashi spread his hands with a smile. "So you saw through it. In that case..."A good opportunity!Naruto's gaze sharpened.Even though he knew the other party was using provocation, he had already intended to test Kakashi's strength.Seizing the moment when the opponent was distracted was the perfect time to strike.Naruto flicked his finger, hooking a Kunai from the Ninja tool pouch on his leg."An opening!"Naruto leaped forward.The Kunai spun once around his middle finger before he gripped it in a forward hold, stabbing directly toward Kakashi's chest.However, in front of a Jonin, Naruto's surprise attack was full of holes.Kakashi even had the leisure to yawn after stepping aside to dodge the thrust.He then grabbed Naruto's wrist with one hand, stopping the movement and giving it a gentle twist."?!"Naruto was frozen in place, his arm twisted around by Kakashi, with the tip of his own Kunai pointing steadily at the back of his own head."So strong!"In an instant, The Three Little Ones marveled in unison in their minds.Naruto was the most surprised of all.After all, Kakashi was a Jonin. Even if his behavior was a bit poor, Sakura and Sasuke still had some expectations of his strength.Naruto was different.He had experienced many battles on Earth and seen many powerful people, so he was very confident in his own strength.Moreover, when he had just traveled back the day before yesterday, he had easily defeated a Chunin.Therefore, even knowing that Kakashi was a Joninand his strength was not to be underestimated, Naruto didn't think his Taijutsu was much worse than the other's.But after a brief exchange, he realized that the Jonin of this world seemed...Very strong!Great! That's what makes it exciting!Naruto grinned, showing an excited smile."It's over, Naruto has really been driven crazy!""What is this dead last grinning about?"Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other.Kakashi didn't see Naruto's smile; he used his free hand to hang the Bells on his waist. "You're too impatient, dead last. I haven't said start yet.""Huh? We have to wait for a start?" Narutoprotested dissatisfiedly. "You're not going to say it didn't count because you didn't yell start after I grab a bell, are you?""Don't worry, I won't resort to word games to deal with you kids.""So, are we starting now?""Of course!"Before Kakashi's voice could fade, Sakura and Sasuke leaped up simultaneously, disappearing into the nearby woods in a few bounds.The opponent was a Jonin. Pulling back temporarily to think of a tactic and wait for an opening was the simplest and most effective method.After all, there were still two hours until the alarm would go off; they had plenty of time.But Naruto was an outlier."Hmm?"Kakashi felt Naruto's wrist become as slippery as a loach, escaping his grasp with a simple twist.However, his movements weren't slow either. Taking advantage of the moment Naruto broke free when his grip was weak, he flicked the Kunai with his fingertip.Clang!The Kunai flew out of Naruto's hand, spinning into the sky.Yet even without a weapon, Naruto had no intention of retreating. Instead, he turned around and took a combat stance."Even after being easily subdued just now, you still want to fight me with Taijutsu? This dead lastreally can't think straight."Kakashi stood in place, his eyelids drooping, completely disregarding his opponent."Shadow Clone Jutsu!"Naruto didn't launch an attack but instead formed a cross seal.Poof!White mist exploded above his head, and the summoned Shadow Clone stepped on the shoulders of the Naruto below.Using that force, the Shadow Clone performed a somersault in mid-air.This super idiot, even if he wants to attack from above, the movement is too big...Sasuke, hidden in the distant woods, frowned.He had originally intended to observe Naruto's fight with Kakashi to find the latter's weaknesses.But looking at Naruto's performance now, it was impossible to gauge the opponent's true level at all.Compared to the spectating Sasuke, Kakashi's brow twitched as he noticed a flash of cold light in mid-air and tilted his head to dodge.Clink!The Kunai shooting down at an angle severed a few strands of hair and embedded itself deeply into the ground behind Kakashi."Using a somersault as a distraction for the Shadow Clone to kick the Kunai I just sent flying into the air as an attack—it's quite creative, but..."Kakashi saw through Naruto's tactic instantly and then launched a kick."You can't fool me!"Thump!Naruto, rushing forward in a crouch, had his arm outstretched, only centimeters away from the Bellson Kakashi's waist, when he was kicked in the shoulder and sent flying backward.That's right, whether it was the somersaulting Shadow Clone or the downward-shooting Kunai, they were just smoke screens Naruto had put up.His real goal from the start was only the Bells."That idiot Naruto was defeated as expected. After all, that's a Jonin."Sakura, hiding under the bushes in the distance, wore a 'just as I thought' look.She hadn't seen through Naruto's chain of tactics at all; she could only see the final result of the battle.Sasuke's observation was much sharper, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth. 'When did this dead last become so capable? And that Kakashi is no simple character either...'Kakashi hadn't held back his kick. Judging by the speed at which Naruto flew back, he wouldn't land until he was at least a dozen meters away.This meant he had lost the advantage of close-quarters combat. For a Genin who fought with Taijutsu, this attack could already be declared a failure.However, just as Sasuke made his judgment, a sudden change occurred.The Shadow Clone from before plummeted and landed behind Naruto.Thud!Naruto crashed into the Shadow Clone's arms, stopping his backward flight.Immediately, before bursting into a cloud of white mist, the Shadow Clone gave Naruto a forceful shove on his back, sending him lunging toward Kakashi at an even greater speed."It's not over yet!"As Naruto shouted, he flicked his right hand, sending several cold stars flying.Shuriken? At this distance? Did he do it?Seeing the situation change again, Sasuke's eyes widened in the shadows."A Ninja must know how to be flexible. Your attacks are too straightforward, kid."Watching the attacking Naruto, Kakashi remained unperturbed, his voice still lazy.With just a side step, the incoming Shurikenwhizzed past.And the lunging Naruto was in mid-air, unable to use a Shadow Clone to help change direction. After Kakashi dodged, he stepped on Naruto's back.Bang!Naruto slammed heavily onto the ground, unable to move as Kakashi pinned his back down with his foot."A Ninja must be calm and think carefully," Kakashileaned over slightly, looking down at Naruto. "Your offensive seemed to be one link after another, dazzling and forcing your opponent to scramble to cope, inevitably revealing a weakness.""But conversely, you have to attack continuously, actively putting yourself in a predicament where you can't deliberate carefully and can only maintain the offensive. Once the enemy doesn't fall for it, it ends up like this...""Your next line is—"Naruto suddenly looked up, his face showing no shame at being pinned, only a confident smile of victory."Remember it well, dead last!""Remember it well, dead last."Startled by the successful prediction, Kakashi had a momentary lapse in concentration and didn't notice the faint sound of something cutting through the air.Jingle—The sound of the Bells was like a clap of thunder, exploding in Kakashi's ears.He realized something and quickly reached for his waist, but his hand met only air.Looking down, he saw two severed thin strings fluttering in the wind.Meanwhile, Naruto reached out and caught the falling Bells.Kakashi glanced over and couldn't help but marvel. "It was the Shuriken from before. After colliding behind me, one of them changed direction and flew back to cut the string holding the Bells!""Was being subdued by me and predicting my words all just to cover the sound of the Shuriken?"Kakashi narrowed his eyes. Although his face was covered, making it hard to see his expression, the corners of his mouth quirked up slightly.He withdrew his foot, and Naruto leaped up."Sakura and Sasuke's lunch is settled. Next, I'm taking my share!"Naruto opened his palm, displaying his spoils of war while declaring his intent to continue fighting.