Chapter 26: I Love Bell-Snatching Games!  

A few figures stood on the school rooftop. 

"Alright, let's start with introductions. You can talk about what you like, what you dislike, and what your dream is." 

"Sakura, you go first." 

"I'm Haruno Sakura!" 

Sakura glanced shyly at Sasuke, but he didn't react at all. 

"Um… what I like… or rather, who I like." She sneaked another look at Sasuke. 

Hearing that, Naruto felt a bit down. He had liked Sakura for so long, but… well, he just hoped she'd be happy. 

"And my dream is…" Sakura hesitated, shifting awkwardly. 

Watching her, Kakashi sighed inwardly. Kids these days mature so fast. What a hassle. 

"And what do you dislike?" 

"Naruto!" Sakura answered without hesitation. 

Naruto: "…" 

"Alright, very energetic! Now, Sasuke, your turn." 

Sasuke scoffed. "This is pointless." 

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke. There are a lot of things I hate, but nothing I particularly like. I don't just have a dream—I have an ambition. I will revive my clan, and I will personally kill a certain man." 

Another problem child. Kakashi felt a headache coming on. He already knew who Sasuke was talking about—Uchiha Itachi, an S-rank rogue ninja, the one who wiped out the Uchiha clan, and one of the youngest shinobi to reach Kage-level. 

"Next, Naruto!" 

"I like ramen, and I have a favorite person, but that's a secret. I hate Kakashi-sensei. My dream is to live with my parents and become Hokage! Kakashi-sensei, your turn!" 

Hearing that, Kakashi was caught off guard. Why did Naruto hate him? This was their first time meeting, wasn't it? 

"Can I ask why you hate me?" 

Naruto grinned. "That's a secret. I'll tell you another time!" 

Kakashi looked at Naruto's carefree expression and figured he was just joking, so he didn't take it to heart. 

"Alright, my turn. Hmm… I'm Hatake Kakashi. My likes are a secret, my dislikes are a secret, and my dreams are also a secret!" 

Sakura was frustrated. "Sensei, that's cheating! You didn't say anything at all!" 

Watching Sakura get worked up, Kakashi felt oddly satisfied. 

"Okay, tomorrow we'll have a test. It's going to be really tough, so you'd better not eat breakfast. Otherwise, you'll just throw it up. Be at the training ground at six in the morning. Dismissed!" 

… 

The next day, Naruto arrived at the training ground before six, holding a carton of milk and some bread, eating as he walked. Even though he knew Kakashi would "lose his way in life" today, he still arrived on time. 

Not long after, Sasuke and Sakura showed up too. 

"Naruto, Kakashi-sensei told us not to eat breakfast," Sakura said, puzzled. 

"Sakura, you've got a good memory but poor comprehension! He said it's 'better not to eat,' not 'don't eat.' Those are two different things!" Naruto said, playing dumb. 

"Really?" Sakura started doubting herself. Did she misunderstand? 

Up in a nearby tree, Kakashi was speechless. Sure, he had tried to mislead them, but did Naruto really have to eat his breakfast so openly? 

He secretly made a mental note about Naruto, not realizing that Naruto had already set his sights on him. 

The sun blazed down. It was almost ten o'clock when Kakashi finally appeared. 

"Kakashi-sensei, you're four hours late!" Sakura yelled at him. 

Sasuke also glared at him, clearly annoyed. 

"Good morning! I was on my way here, but a black cat crossed my path, so I—" 

Before he could finish, he noticed Naruto sitting in the shade, sipping a chilled fruit juice through a straw, looking completely relaxed. 

At that moment, Kakashi's mood was even worse than Sakura and Sasuke's. 

Naruto noticed Kakashi looking at him, but he felt nothing—if anything, he wanted to laugh. 

"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's start the test. Here are the rules!" Kakashi took out two small bells and shook them. 

"See these bells? Within one hour, if you can take one from me by any means necessary, you pass!" 

Sakura raised her hand. "Sensei, there are only two bells, but there are three of us. What happens to the one who doesn't get a bell?" 

"Good question! Since there are only two bells, one of you won't pass and will be sent back to the academy, losing your ninja status. If none of you get a bell, then you all fail, and I won't take useless students. If you're not willing to fight as if your life depends on it, you won't pass!" 

 "You have ten minutes to discuss your plan!"