Chapter 17

Here @riojiyo131, your trusted writer.

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"Well, let's go have breakfast," Naruto suddenly suggested.

"B-but Kakashi-sensei should be arriving any moment now," Sakura reminded him.

"You know something," Sasuke said.

It wasn't a question; it was a statement.

Sasuke was beginning to understand Naruto's behavior.

"The truth is, Kakashi-sensei told us to be here at five, but he won't show up until ten in the morning."

"Impossible! That can't be the behavior of a Jōnin-sensei!"

Sakura couldn't believe Naruto's words.

"Fine. Let's go have breakfast." Sasuke agreed and started walking alongside Naruto toward the exit of Training Ground Three.

Sakura watched them walk away before grabbing her backpack and running after them.

"Wait for me! I'm hungry too!"

[Sakumo Hatake: Has my son really come to this? I didn't raise someone so irresponsible!]

[Rin Nohara: With all due respect, Uncle Sakumo, Kakashi was practically alone throughout his childhood.]

[Sakumo Hatake: ...]

[Rin Nohara: I'm not saying you were a bad father, Uncle Sakumo. Please don't misunderstand my words.]

[Sakumo Hatake: I certainly should have spent more time with him, but it was wartime. It's not an excuse, but after his mother's death and the contempt from the people of Konoha...]

[Hashirama Senju: The people of Konoha despised you? What did you do?]

[Rin Nohara: Uncle Sakumo didn't do anything wrong!]

[Minato Namikaze: Sakumo chose to save his comrades instead of completing an important mission, which led to not only the people of Konoha despising him, but also the very comrades he had saved. I found out about this shortly after his death, and I regret not being there to help him.]

[Hashirama Senju: No one should have despised him for that! Completing a mission is important, but the lives of your comrades are even more so!]

[Tobirama Senju: I agree with my brother.]

[Sakumo Hatake: Truly, thank you for your words, Minato, First and Second Hokage.]

[Hashirama Senju: By the way, how did you die?]

[Sakumo Hatake: That... is embarrassing...]

[Rin Nohara: Uncle Sakumo committed seppuku due to severe depression, which caused a significant decline in his abilities...]

[Sakumo Hatake: You didn't have to say that last part...]

[Hashirama Senju: Seppuku? You died from a stab wound? People die from those?]

[Tobirama Senju: Brother, not everyone has a special body like yours.]

[Naruto Uzumaki: If you shared it with me, we'd be two. What do you think of the idea?]

[Hashirama Senju: ...]

[Tobirama Senju: ...]

Naruto, who was on his way to have breakfast at a street stall in Konoha alongside Sasuke and Sakura, decided to take his chances when Tobirama mentioned Hashirama's special constitution.

Unfortunately, it didn't work.

He would try again another time; that, he was sure of.

...

When Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura returned from breakfast to Training Ground Three, they realized that Kakashi still hadn't arrived.

"I was so nervous the whole time we were out... but Naruto was right. He's not even here yet."

Sakura sighed, placing a hand on her chest, showing her relief.

"At least we had time to plan how to face him together," Sasuke added, dropping his backpack to the ground.

The three of them sat on the grass to wait.

Half an hour later, when Kakashi finally appeared, Sakura stood up and complained about his lateness.

"Well, you see... the thing is, a black cat crossed my path."

[Rin Nohara: That excuse...! He's really copying Obito's old excuses!]

[Minato Namikaze: This makes me nostalgic.]

Sakura just glared at him.

Kakashi then proceeded to show them the bells and explain the test, obviously without revealing its true purpose.

The three acted as if they knew nothing.

Sasuke didn't even need to act. He simply didn't say a word.

That damn duck-haired emo...

Kakashi frowned. The three of them were looking at him with too much confidence. No complaints, no questions, no doubts.

"Start whenever you like," he said indifferently, pulling out his Icha Icha Paradise book.

He didn't expect them to attack immediately.

Almost every Genin he had tested before would run into the forest to hide.

What surprised him the most was Naruto, who disappeared from his sight in the blink of an eye.

Kakashi barely had time to dodge the kick aimed at his head. Naruto didn't stop. He landed with a roll and spun with a sweeping kick. Kakashi jumped, but Naruto was already above him, throwing a punch straight at his face.

"So fast!" Kakashi thought, deflecting the blow with his forearm.

He couldn't read a single word of his book. He had no choice but to tuck it into his back pocket.

An instant later, Sasuke was behind him. Kakashi saw the activated Sharingan gleaming in his eyes and knew things wouldn't be easy.

Sasuke launched a high kick. Kakashi blocked it but felt more strength than expected. Naruto attacked again with a combination of moves that felt... strangely familiar.

[Might Duy: This feeling...! THIS IS YOUTH! KAKASHI-SHOUNEN HAS NO CHANCE TO GET DISTRACTED!]

[Sakumo Hatake: And whose fault is that? You gave the kid all your combat experience and taijutsu...]

[Might Duy: HIS CURRENT BODY CAN'T EXECUTE ALL MY TECHNIQUES! IT WAS ALL AN INCENTIVE FOR HIM TO TRAIN AND PUSH HIS BODY TO THE LIMIT! BECAUSE THIS IS THE POWER OF YOUTH!]

[Madara Uchiha: This guy is missing a screw...]

[Hashirama Senju: THAT'S RIGHT, DUY! THIS IS THE POWER OF YOUTH!]

Even Hashirama joined Duy's madness.

[Madara Uchiha: I'm surrounded by idiots...]

Kakashi dodged a punch, blocked a kick, and tried to jump back to create distance.

Naruto didn't allow it.

"Konoha Reppū!"

Kakashi had to twist his body in mid-air to avoid the kick.

"Konoha Reppū? Isn't that...?"

The attack didn't end there. Naruto was on him before his feet even touched the ground.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, barely dodging an elbow strike.

"Where the hell did he learn to fight like this?"

Kakashi realized that the answer didn't matter now.

Once again, he deflected a blow, but Naruto didn't stop. Every attack was followed by another without pause, not a single movement wasted.

Sasuke reentered the fight, cornering him with quick strikes. His Sharingan analyzed every move, learning on the fly. He was copying Kakashi's and Naruto's taijutsu, adapting it to his own style.

Kakashi tried to gain distance with the Body Replacement Technique, but as soon as he appeared a few meters away, Sakura was already there, kunai raised, ready to stab him.

He dodged easily, but Sakura's attack wasn't alone. Naruto was already on him.

"That speed again!"

Naruto spun in the air and launched a downward kick. Kakashi blocked it with both hands, but the force of the impact pushed him back.

"He's definitely trained with Guy. There's no other explanation."

He tried to retreat, but Sasuke kept him moving with a barrage of well-aimed shuriken.

"They're pressuring me... They work together too well."

Then, a smoke bomb exploded.

When the smoke cleared, Sakura was there.

With a precise movement, she sliced his belt with her kunai.

The jingling of the bells as they fell broke the silence.

And in that instant, everything was still.