The Bell Test

Travis stood beside Tsunade, his expression calm but his fingers twitching slightly at his sides.

"Travis is interested in becoming a Genin," He's already performed the Clone Jutsu successfully, and since you're already conducting the test, why not let him join you all?"

A brief pause followed, and all eyes turned toward Kakashi, who remained unreadable behind his signature mask. His visible eye narrowed slightly, assessing Travis in silence.

"I hope you don't mind, Kakashi," the Tsunade added, offering a small, knowing smile.

Kakashi remained silent for a moment, his lone visible eye narrowing slightly as he observed Travis. There was something… off about him.

'I don't mind, but this guy has a weird aura around him. It's like he could obliterate me without even lifting a finger. The only time I've felt something like this was when training with Sensei back then…' Kakashi thought. He exhaled softly, pushing the unease aside.

"Sure, you can join us," he finally said. "Naruto, Sakura, get along with Travis for now. Don't worry, he's not replacing Sasuke in any way or form. Now, let's begin."

He stepped forward, his voice growing more serious. "Just like last time, your objective is to take the bells from me. However, this time is different. You two are now full-fledged Shinobi, meaning we are on equal terms." His hand lifted to his headband, pulling it up to reveal his fully matured Sharingan. "Due to that, I'll be taking this seriously."

Naruto and Sakura immediately stiffened, their expressions shifting into pure focus. Their bodies tensed, prepared for battle. Travis, however, remained relaxed. He stared at Kakashi, arms crossed, his expression thoughtful rather than eager.

'I'm too strong. If I use even a bit of my power, this test will end in an instant,' Travis mused. 'Besides, this test is about teamwork… but that doesn't really apply to me since they already know how to work together. I should just support when needed. Hm… wait a second, didn't they win last time because Kakashi didn't want to be spoiled?'

An idea formed in his mind. A devious one.

Without hesitation, Travis stepped between them, his movements casual yet confident. He leaned toward Sakura, whispering something in her ear. Her face instantly turned red, but as soon as the words fully registered, her lips curled into a mischievous smile.

"Good idea," she murmured before turning to Naruto. "Naruto, come here."

Naruto, always a bit wary of Sakura, hesitated but obeyed. She leaned in, relaying Travis' plan. Naruto's eyes widened, then a slow grin spread across his face. His excitement was palpable.

The three of them exchanged glances. A silent understanding passed between them.

Then, they chuckled.

Not a lighthearted, innocent laugh—no, it was the type of chuckle villains made when plotting something sinister.

Kakashi, despite his years of experience, felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine. He gulped.

For some reason, he felt like he was in real danger.

Naruto exploded into a sprint, his determination evident in the way his feet barely touched the ground. Sakura, moving with practiced precision, veered off to the side, looping around toward Kakashi's blind spot. The seasoned Jonin, however, remained unfazed. His single eye effortlessly tracked both of their movements, his mind processing their tactics in real-time.

Without hesitation, Kakashi flicked his wrist, sending two kunai hurtling toward his approaching students. But Naruto was already prepared—he conjured a shadow clone mid-stride. The clone braced itself and launched him high into the air, just in time for one of the kunai to strike its chest and disperse it into a puff of smoke.

Suspended midair for a brief moment, Naruto formed another shadow clone and hurled it toward Kakashi with all his strength.

'What's he up to now?' Kakashi mused, keeping track of both Sakura and Travis. 'He's still within my line of sight… but Travis… he doesn't even seem to care about this fight. He's just standing there, watching. But before we started, he whispered something to them…'

A nagging feeling stirred in the back of Kakashi's mind, but he had no time to dwell on it. As soon as Naruto's clone landed, the real Naruto swapped places with it in a burst of smoke.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! The final joke of Icha-Icha Tactics!!" Naruto's voice rang out.

Kakashi stiffened. His first instinct was to dismiss it as one of Naruto's usual antics, but then he remembered exactly who Naruto used to travel with.

'No…!'

Panic shot through him like lightning. He immediately snapped his hands over his eyes, unwilling to risk whatever perversion had been passed down to Naruto by Jiraiya. But just as he was sealing off his vision, he caught a glimpse of Naruto's lips moving. Kakashi shut his mind off from even that, blocking out the possibility of lip-reading.

In that brief moment of distraction, he felt it—something light, almost imperceptible, being lifted from his belt.

A bell.

His heart sank.

Ring!

The delicate chime cut through the tension. Kakashi's eye shot open just in time to see Sakura standing triumphantly behind him, a bell in her grasp. Without hesitation, she tossed one to Naruto.

"We win," she announced confidently.

Kakashi turned to them in disbelief.

'That was… all planned?'

"Hehe, a ninja should always look underneath the underneath. Isn't that right, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto teased, flashing his signature grin.

Kakashi's gaze flickered past the duo, searching for the missing piece of this puzzle. Travis. But he was gone.

Or so he thought.

In the next breath, Kakashi caught sight of him—standing casually behind Naruto and Sakura, as if he had been there all along.

'Fast… too fast. He could've ended this test by himself. But he didn't. Why? Who is he really?'

A chill ran down his spine, but before he could dwell on it, a presence at the edge of the training field caught his attention.

Tsunade and Jiraiya.

Both had been silently observing from a distance, but their expressions betrayed their shock.

"He reminds me of a student of mine," Jiraiya murmured, his usual playfulness momentarily absent.

Tsunade folded her arms, eyes narrowing as she watched Travis. "Yes… he might be more useful than we expected."

Kakashi exhaled, rubbing the back of his head. "Well… I guess you pass." His tone was casual, but his mind was still reeling from everything that had just unfolded. He turned to Naruto, eyeing him suspiciously. "Naruto, you don't actually know what the final joke of Icha-Icha Tactics is, do you?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Oh, don't worry. I've never read that weird book. Hey, Travis—thanks for the hint back there. If it weren't for you, that fight would've dragged out way longer."

Travis simply shrugged. "No problem. Well, I gotta go. See you guys later."

"Wait! Kakashi-sensei is treating us to ramen, so you wanna come?" Naruto asked eagerly.

Kakashi's head snapped toward him. "Wait, when did I agree to tha—"

"Sure," Travis interrupted smoothly, smirking. "I've always wanted to try some of old man Ichiraku's ramen."

Naruto beamed. "Awesome!"

Together, the two started toward the village, side by side.

Tsunade watched them go, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

'That Naruto… still the same as always.'

"Guys, wait up!" Sakura called, jogging after them.

Kakashi remained rooted in place, staring after the trio. He had been through countless unpredictable scenarios, but somehow, this group always managed to catch him off guard.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

'And I was looking forward to reading that book before bed tonight…'

TO BE CONTINUED

[A/N: DROP A POWERSTONE. IT HELPS]