Chapter 43: Kakashi’s Evaluation

"Hahaha, Sasuke! Wasn't I super cool just now?"

Noticing Sasuke's gaze, Naruto puffed out his chest with a smug expression.

"Ganée~"

However, just as Naruto finished speaking, Bulbasaur couldn't help but interject.

It turned toward Naruto with an annoyed expression. This was clearly thanks to its effort!

If anyone deserved praise, it should be Bulbasaur. Yet Naruto shamelessly took all the credit for himself.

"Bulbasaur, what's wrong? Are you hungry?"

Naruto paused, then took out an energy cube from his bag and handed it to Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur rolled its eyes in response.

When it came to Naruto, it truly didn't know what to say.

His interpretation skills were... impressive, to say the least.

Meanwhile, Sasuke glanced at Naruto with a look of growing doubt.

Is this really the same Naruto from just a moment ago?

Nothing special had happened in the meantime, and barely any time had passed—so how could he change so dramatically?

"Ka-né!"

At that moment, the sound of Charmander's voice reached their ears, and both Naruto and Sasuke turned to look.

Charmander was locked in a fierce battle with the remaining ninja, its body showing multiple small injuries.

"Charmander!"

Sasuke reacted quickly and rushed toward Charmander.

Naruto followed suit, turning to Bulbasaur. "Bulbasaur, let's go help Charmander!"

"Ganée~"

Bulbasaur nodded and also rushed toward Charmander's direction.

...

Charmander, meanwhile, was feeling rather frustrated.

The ninja it was facing specialized in Water Release techniques. Although the jutsu wasn't particularly advanced, it was still quite effective against a level-13 or level-14 Charmander.

If not for its superior physical strength, it would have been in serious danger by now.

What frustrated Charmander even more was the response from Sasuke and the others.

It had noticed their earlier situation and saw that they had already dealt with one ninja. Yet, after resolving the crisis, they started chatting?

If Charmander hadn't called out, they probably would have forgotten it was still in a battle!

The enemy ninja also noticed the group's reaction and grew increasingly anxious.

He quickly formed hand seals: "Water Style: Wild Water Wave!"

Opening his mouth, a stream of water shot toward Charmander.

Charmander reacted swiftly, sidestepping to avoid the attack.

Since the jutsu was performed hastily, Charmander managed to dodge it with ease.

However, in that brief moment, the ninja turned to flee.

He had also been keeping an eye on Naruto and Sasuke. If he didn't leave now, he wouldn't stand a chance later.

The appearance of Bulbasaur had unnerved him. Seeing yet another unique summoned beast was enough to make him feel a deep sense of dread.

It was shocking enough that Konoha had such rare summoned beasts, including a Wood Release-type one, but it was even more surprising that they were given to mere Genin.

Not all summoned beasts could perform ninjutsu, let alone possess Wood Release abilities.

After fighting Charmander for so long, the ninja knew just how strong it was.

If he couldn't even defeat Charmander, adding another powerful summoned beast and two Genin would be too much for him. Even a Chunin might not handle it.

As he ran, he glanced back at Naruto and Sasuke, who were getting farther and farther away. His eyes filled with resentment. "I'll let you go for now, but next time, you won't be so lucky."

He cast one final glance at Charmander and Bulbasaur.

As long as he could deliver this information, someone would surely come to seek revenge.

Maybe he could even use this information to his advantage.

Thinking of this, a smile crept onto his face, and his hatred toward Naruto and Sasuke deepened.

Swish!

Suddenly, a sound came from the front, startling the fleeing ninja.

He froze in place, then quickly turned to retreat.

But before he could move, a kunai flew straight at him.

His pupils dilated in fear.

Slash!

The kunai cut across his neck, and blood sprayed out.

Kakashi stood over the fallen body, his eyes cold as he glanced at Naruto and Sasuke, who had just arrived.

"Kaka… Kakashi-sensei? Y-you're supposed to be dead! A ghost! It's a ghost!"

Naruto froze for a moment, then yelled in panic, his face pale.

Sasuke, on the other hand, stared at Kakashi in confusion before turning to look at where Kakashi had supposedly been attacked.

Kakashi's mouth twitched at Naruto's words. He was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

Just then, Sakura walked over, looking at Kakashi in surprise. "Kakashi-sensei, you're okay?"

"Substitution Jutsu?"

Before Kakashi could say anything, Sasuke asked directly.

"Yes, it was a Substitution Jutsu," Kakashi nodded.

Naruto and Sakura looked toward the spot where Kakashi had been attacked earlier.

Upon closer inspection, they found no sign of Kakashi's body—just a wooden log with two clean cuts.

"Alright, everyone. You've completed your first real battle. But I have to say, I'm disappointed," Kakashi said, his expression turning serious.

"Especially you, Sakura. I understand that it's natural to feel fear in your first battle, but you didn't control that fear."

Sakura lowered her head, her face filled with disappointment.

"Naruto, you did well. Although you were scared, you managed to control it in time."

"Hehe~"

Naruto scratched the back of his head and laughed. "Of course! I'm going to be the Hokage, after all!"

Kakashi shook his head and turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, your performance was impressive. You lack some combat experience, but that's understandable for your first real battle."

Even Kakashi couldn't find much to criticize about Sasuke's performance.

Apart from his inexperience, Sasuke's overall performance was excellent.

Sasuke nodded calmly, showing no other emotion.

To him, it wasn't enough. He was still far from strong—still too weak.

"Kané~"

Sasuke remained calm, but Charmander looked at him with a proud smile.

It seemed to be beaming with pride for having Sasuke as its trainer.

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