Chapter 60 Bell test

The announcement of Team 7 hung in the air, a mix of disappointment for Sakura and a quiet victory for Satsuki and Naruto.

After the initial shock, the classroom buzzed with nervous energy.

Students hurried off to meet their new sensei, eager to begin their shinobi journey.

Team 7, however, remained. Iruka-sensei, after a moment of gathering his thoughts, simply told them their Jonin instructor would meet them after lunch.

The afternoon sun streamed into the empty classroom. Sakura sat slumped at a desk, head in her hands, muttering about her bad luck.

Satsuki sat ramrod straight, a picture of calm anticipation, occasionally glancing at Naruto.

Naruto himself was perched on the windowsill, humming a tune, seemingly unbothered by the delay.

Hours crawled by.

Sakura grew increasingly agitated, pacing and sighing dramatically.

“He’s late! Our sensei is totally late! What kind of Jonin instructor is this?!”

Naruto merely chuckled.

"Maybe he's just really good at hiding."

Satsuki, ever observant, noticed Naruto’s eyes occasionally flickering towards the door, a faint spark of something she couldn't quite place.

She knew Naruto had a way of sensing things others couldn’t.

Was their sensei already here?

Finally, just as Sakura was about to explode with frustration, the door creaked open.

A tall, silver-haired man with a Konoha headband covering one eye, and a book in his hand, casually sauntered in.

He had a relaxed, almost lazy air about him.

“My first impression of you all is… you’re boring,” the man said, his voice flat. He surveyed them, his visible eye sweeping over each of them before settling on Naruto. “Meet me on the roof.”

And with that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sakura blinked.

“Who was that?!”

Satsuki was already heading for the door.

“He’s our sensei, obviously. And he’s testing us already.”

Naruto, a mischievous glint in his eye, simply grinned.

“Finally, something interesting.”

On the rooftop, the silver-haired Jonin leaned against the railing, still reading his book.

“Alright, introductions. State your name, what you like, what you dislike, and your dreams for the future.”

Sakura, eager to impress, went first.

“I’m Haruno Sakura! I like… blushing and glancing at Naruto… and I dislike… glaring at Satsuki… and my dream is to… giggles…”

She trailed off, lost in her own thoughts.

The Jonin sighed, seemingly unimpressed. “Alright, pinky. Next.”

Satsuki spoke with quiet confidence.

“Uchiha Satsuki. I like training and spending time with Naruto. I dislike weak-minded people and those who disrespect the Uchiha clan. My dream is to restore my clan’s honor and become a powerful kunoichi.”

Her gaze lingered on Naruto for a moment, a silent promise in her words.

The Jonin’s visible eye seemed to flicker with a hint of interest.

“And finally, you, blondie.”
Naruto’s grin widened.

“Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen, training with Satsuki, and learning new things. I dislike waiting around and people who give up. My dream… is to become the greatest ever, and to protect everyone I care about, especially Satsuki.”

Satsuki’s cheeks flushed a faint pink, and she turned her head away slightly.

The Jonin closed his book with a soft thud.

“Alright, then. My name is Hatake Kakashi. What I like and dislike is none of your business. And as for my dreams… I haven’t really thought about it.”

He gave them a closed-eye smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“We’ll start with a survival exercise tomorrow. Meet me at Training Ground Three at sunrise. And don’t eat breakfast, or you’ll throw up.”

The next morning, Training Ground Three was bathed in the soft glow of dawn.

Kakashi was already there, leaning against a tree, seemingly engrossed in his book. Three bells hung from his belt.

“Alright, team,” Kakashi announced, finally looking up.

“Your objective is to take these three bells from me by noon. If you don’t get a bell, you fail. And if you fail, you go back to the Academy. And that means no lunch.”

He paused, letting that sink in.

“You can use any means necessary to get them. Come at me with the intent to kill.”

Sakura looked terrified. Satsuki’s eyes narrowed in determination.

Naruto, however, simply watched Kakashi with a thoughtful expression.

“Begin!” Kakashi shouted.
Sakura immediately hid herself, relying on her stealth.

Satsuki, with her Uchiha training, moved silently through the trees, planning her approach.

Naruto, however, did something unexpected. He walked straight towards Kakashi.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his visible eye.

“Oh? Coming straight at me? That’s bold, blondie.”

Naruto stopped a few feet in front of him.

“Sensei, I have a question.”
Kakashi sighed.

“What is it?”

“You said ‘any means necessary,’ right? And ‘intent to kill’?”

Naruto’s voice was calm, almost conversational, but there was an undercurrent of something serious beneath it.

“That’s right,”

Kakashi confirmed, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

Suddenly, Naruto’s demeanor shifted. His eyes, usually bright with mischief, hardened.

A wave of oppressive pressure seemed to emanate from him, pushing against Kakashi like an unseen force.

The air around them grew heavy, almost crackling.

Kakashi’s smirk vanished. His visible eye widened, and his body tensed.

This wasn't the clumsy power of a genin.

This was something else entirely.

He felt a primal instinct screaming at him to flee, to defend.

It was the kind of presence he rarely encountered, even among the strongest Kage.

Before Kakashi could even process what was happening, Naruto moved.

It wasn’t a dash, or a leap, but a blur of motion too fast for the eye to follow.

One moment he was standing calmly, the next he was directly in front of Kakashi.

Kakashi barely registered the glint of metal.

A kunai, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, was pressed firmly against his throat.

Naruto’s other hand, equally fast, had expertly plucked the three bells from Kakashi’s belt.

The entire exchange had taken less than a second.

Kakashi stood frozen, the cold steel of the kunai a stark reminder of his vulnerability.

His heart hammered in his chest. Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, was completely outmaneuvered, defeated before he even had a chance to react.

Satsuki, who had been observing from the trees, gasped softly.

Even she, who had seen Naruto’s power, was stunned by the sheer speed and precision of his attack.

Sakura, peeking out from her hiding spot, just stared, mouth agape.

Naruto lowered the kunai and held out the bells with a polite smile.

“Here you go, Sensei. I believe these are yours.”

Kakashi swallowed hard, his mind racing.

He looked at the three bells in Naruto’s hand, then back at Naruto’s innocent, slightly mischievous face.

The oppressive feeling vanished as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by Naruto’s usual easygoing aura.

“W-what was that?”

Kakashi finally managed to stammer, his usual cool demeanor shattered.

Naruto shrugged, still smiling.

“You said ‘any means necessary.’ And I really don’t like going hungry.”

He then tossed one of the bells to Satsuki, who caught it automatically, still looking bewildered.

Kakashi stared at the remaining two bells in Naruto’s hand.

This wasn’t just skill; it was a level of control and speed that bordered on supernatural.

He had heard the rumors, of course, about the Forest of Death incident, but he had dismissed them as exaggerations. Now, he knew they were not.

“Alright, Naruto,”

Kakashi said, his voice regaining some of its composure, though a flicker of awe remained in his eye.

“You… passed. Easily.” He then turned to Satsuki. “Satsuki, you get a bell too. For… being quick to observe.”

He didn't mention that she probably wouldn’t have had a chance against Naruto.

Sakura, looking utterly defeated, slumped to the ground.

“What about me?!”

Naruto, ever the kind one, tossed her a bell.

“Here, Sakura-chan. Now we can all eat.”

Kakashi looked at the three genin, a complex mix of emotions swirling within him.

He had underestimated them. Severely.

Especially Naruto. This was going to be a very different team than he’d anticipated.

“Alright, Team 7,” Kakashi said, a genuine smile finally reaching his eye.

“It seems we have a lot to talk about. Starting with… how you just utterly humiliated your Jonin sensei.”

Naruto just chuckled, taking a seat on the ground.

“Don’t worry, Sensei. We’ll make a great team.”

Kakashi stared at the rising sun, a new understanding dawning on him.

He wasn't just teaching a genin squad.

He was guiding a force of nature, a boy whose true power was still largely unknown.

And he knew, with a certainty that settled deep in his bones, that his own days of quiet, book-reading complacency were well and truly over.

Team 7 was going to be anything but boring.