Chapter 240: A Skill That Amazed Everyone!
Time passed.
By the time Naruto opened his eyes again, the sun was already high overhead.
He glanced toward the sky.
Nearly noon.
Sakura was visibly irritated.
Sasuke stood nearby with his arms crossed, saying nothing, though even his patience was clearly beginning to wear thin.
Then, at last, footsteps approached.
Kakashi emerged from the trees at an unhurried pace.
"Good morning, everyone."
Sakura's eyebrow twitched.
"Morning?!"
Kakashi ignored the hostility in her voice and walked toward a tree stump.
He removed a small alarm clock from his bag, placed it on the stump, and adjusted the time.
"All right."
He turned toward the three Genin.
"Let's begin."
Kakashi reached toward the two bells hanging from his waist.
"The alarm is set for noon."
"Your task is simple. Take these bells from me before the alarm rings."
His visible eye curved slightly.
"Anyone who fails will be eliminated."
Naruto looked at the bells.
Two bells.
Three students.
He immediately stepped forward.
"So only two people can pass?"
Kakashi glanced toward him.
A trace of approval entered his eye.
"Good observation."
He tapped the bells lightly.
"That's right."
"At most, two of you can pass."
He paused.
"Of course, there's also the possibility that none of you will pass."
Sakura's expression tightened.
Kakashi continued.
"You're free to use kunai, shuriken, ninjutsu, or anything else at your disposal."
His voice remained casual.
"If you aren't willing to come at me with the intent to kill, you'll never take these bells."
He raised one hand.
"Ready?"
The three Genin focused.
"Start."
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Naruto remained standing where he was.
Sasuke, who had clearly been preparing to scatter into the forest, stopped as well.
His gaze shifted toward Naruto.
Sakura looked between the two boys, uncertain what they were waiting for.
Elsewhere in Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally found a rare moment of peace inside the Hokage's office.
He brought out his crystal ball.
The Telescope Technique activated.
The image within the crystal gradually changed, revealing Training Ground Seven.
Hiruzen leaned back slightly in his chair.
He had been waiting to see Naruto's performance.
Yet when the image became clear, he found Naruto simply standing there.
Hiruzen frowned.
"What is he thinking?"
Back at the training ground, Naruto finally spoke.
"Don't fall for it."
Sasuke looked toward him.
Naruto kept his eyes on Kakashi.
"He's a Jonin."
"If the three of us fight separately, we have almost no chance of taking those bells."
Kakashi remained silent.
Naruto glanced at his teammates.
"Let's cooperate."
The corner of Sasuke's mouth rose slightly.
He had come to the same conclusion.
"Fine."
Sakura hesitated.
She knew perfectly well that she was currently the weakest member of Team 7.
If the test truly allowed only two people to pass, cooperation might place her in the worst position.
But after a moment, she nodded.
"All right."
She stepped closer.
"We'll take the bells together."
Beneath Kakashi's mask, a smile appeared.
That was enough.
Team 7 had already satisfied the real purpose of the test.
But Kakashi did not intend to end things yet.
He wanted to see what these three could actually do.
Especially Naruto.
Naruto formed a hand seal.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
Poof!
Smoke erupted across the clearing.
When it dispersed, seven Narutos stood before Kakashi.
One Naruto remained in the center.
"I'll keep him occupied."
He glanced toward Sasuke and Sakura.
"You two look for an opening."
The seven Narutos moved at once.
Kakashi's visible eye sharpened.
Fast.
Much faster than he expected from a newly graduated Genin.
The nearest Naruto crossed the distance in moments.
A kunai flashed toward Kakashi's throat.
Kakashi leaned aside.
Another Naruto attacked from his blind spot.
Kakashi blocked.
Clang!
Metal struck metal.
A third Naruto swept low toward his legs.
Kakashi jumped.
Two more were already waiting above him.
For the first time since the test began, Kakashi's casual posture changed.
These were not ordinary clones.
Every Shadow Clone moved with purpose.
One attacked.
Another covered the retreat.
A third forced Kakashi toward the next strike.
Their coordination was nearly flawless because every one of them shared the same mind.
Kakashi landed and immediately caught one Naruto by the collar.
"Not bad, but"
Poof!
The Naruto in his hand disappeared.
Kakashi paused.
A Shadow Clone?
His eye shifted.
So the Naruto standing in the center earlier had deliberately spoken first to make Kakashi assume he was the original.
Clever.
Movement came from behind.
A hand shot toward the bells at Kakashi's waist.
Kakashi stepped sideways and caught that Naruto by the back of the neck.
Poof!
Smoke again.
Another clone.
Kakashi's interest deepened.
Where was the real one?
"Now, Sasuke!"
Naruto's voice rang through the clearing.
Sasuke was already forming hand seals.
Tiger.
He inhaled sharply.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Flames erupted from his mouth.
A massive fireball tore across the clearing toward Kakashi.
Heat washed over the surrounding grass.
Kakashi's eye curved with amusement.
"They really are attacking like they want to kill me."
His body vanished.
Body Flicker Technique.
The Great Fireball tore through the place where he had been standing.
Sakura sensed movement behind her.
Too late.
Kakashi appeared directly at her back.
His hand reached toward her collar.
Sakura's eyes widened.
Two kunai cut through the air.
Kakashi shifted his attention.
His hand snapped out.
Clink!
He caught both kunai between his fingers.
That brief distraction was enough.
Sakura jumped away.
Kakashi did not pursue.
His attention had shifted to the weapons in his hand.
There was a formula inscribed upon them.
Four characters.
Asuramaru.
Kakashi narrowed his eye.
"Asuramaru?"
The instant he spoke the name, space distorted.
Naruto vanished.
Kakashi's pupil contracted.
A blond figure appeared directly in front of him.
There had been no approach.
No Body Flicker.
No burst of speed.
Naruto simply appeared.
His hand swept past Kakashi's waist.
The bells disappeared.
Before Kakashi could react, Naruto vanished again.
He reappeared several metres away beside another marked kunai.
Two bells jingled in his hand.
Silence descended over the training ground.
Kakashi stared.
For the first time that morning, his composure genuinely broke.
"That technique..."
His eye widened.
"Flying Thunder God?"
Naruto smiled.
Sasuke stared at him.
Even after training together, he had never seen Naruto use that technique.
Sakura looked between Naruto and Kakashi, completely lost.
"Flying Thunder God?"
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi had risen from his chair.
His pipe nearly slipped from his hand.
He stared at the image inside the crystal ball.
Naruto.
The marked kunai.
The instantaneous movement.
There was no possibility of mistaking it.
Flying Thunder God.
Hiruzen had personally witnessed Minato use that technique countless times.
Naruto had learned it.
And he had done so only days after seeing the Scroll of Seals.
For several seconds, Hiruzen could only stare.
Then joy flooded his face.
"Already..."
His voice trembled slightly.
"He learned it already?"
Even Minato had required far more time to master the technique.
Naruto's talent had exceeded Hiruzen's expectations by an absurd margin.
And that was only ninjutsu talent.
Naruto possessed enormous chakra reserves.
He carried the Nine Tails.
He had shown restraint, intelligence, loyalty, and a desire to become Hokage.
His potential seemed almost limitless.
If Naruto truly grew into the next Hokage...
Many of the problems hanging over Konoha could eventually disappear.
To Hiruzen, the boy was no longer merely Minato's son.
Naruto was the future of the village.
And Hiruzen would not allow anyone to interfere with that future.
A smile appeared on his face.
It had been a long time since the Third Hokage had looked this genuinely happy.
"Minato..."
He stared at the blond boy inside the crystal ball.
"You may be gone, but you left Konoha something truly precious."
Hiruzen raised one hand.
Several figures appeared inside the office.
ANBU.
Each wore combat gear and an animal mask.
They knelt before the Hokage.
"Lord Third."
Hiruzen's expression became serious.
"Double Naruto's ANBU protection."
The kneeling Shinobi remained motionless.
"Also, retrieve Minato's ninja tools from storage."
One of the ANBU lowered his head.
"Yes, Lord Third."
The group disappeared.
Back at the training ground, Kakashi was still staring at Naruto.
For an instant, it felt like he was looking at Minato again.
The same blond hair.
The same technique.
But Naruto was only twelve.
Kakashi's gaze fell toward the bells in Naruto's hand.
Naruto looked at them as well.
Then, without hesitation, he tossed both bells onto the ground.
Jingle.
Kakashi blinked.
Naruto smiled.
"If becoming a Ninja means abandoning my comrades so I can pass..."
He looked toward Sasuke and Sakura.
"Then I'd rather fail."
Sasuke glanced at the bells.
He could easily pick one up.
Instead, he snorted and turned his head aside.
He made no move toward them.
Sakura looked from Naruto to Sasuke.
Then to Kakashi.
For several seconds, Kakashi said nothing.
His visible eye curved into a smile.
"All right."
He placed his hands in his pockets.
"I've made my decision."
The three Genin focused on him.
Kakashi spoke clearly.
"Team 7 passes."
Sakura froze.
Then her face lit up.
"We passed?!"
Kakashi nodded.
"You passed."
"Yes!"
Sakura raised both hands in celebration.
Of the three, she had been the one most worried about elimination.
Naruto had taken the bells from Kakashi himself.
Sasuke was one of the strongest graduates in their class.
Compared with them, Sakura had every reason to fear being the one sent back to the Academy.
Now that pressure disappeared all at once.
Naruto remained calm.
So did Sasuke.
Naruto walked over to the kunai Kakashi had dropped earlier and picked them up.
He checked the Asuramaru formulas before placing both weapons safely back inside his ninja tool pouch.
Kakashi watched him for another moment.
Flying Thunder God.
This team was going to be far more interesting than he had expected.
"Get some rest."
The three looked toward him.
Kakashi gave them his usual lazy smile.
"Starting tomorrow, Team 7 begins taking missions."
....
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