One strike must land.
Kakashi moved straight for the real body.
In the previous exchange, through careful observation and extremely precise judgment, Kakashi had already locked onto the figure that appeared to be hiding among the shadow clones but, in reality, had never truly committed to the attacks. Naruto was very clever. He did not send all of his clones charging forward recklessly, nor did he leave only a single figure completely motionless. Instead, he deliberately allowed several figures to refrain from attacking at the same time. This method both protected the real body and greatly increased the difficulty of judging which one was genuine.
However, Kakashi was Kakashi after all. Just because a clone did not move did not mean Kakashi could not identify the real one. The subtle differences during the formation of hand seals before attacks, and the faint emotional fluctuations that appeared in the midst of combat, were things only the real body could produce. Although Naruto's facial expression changes were extremely minimal, there was still a fleeting shift that Kakashi captured with his keen perception. Because of that, he decisively determined that the Naruto in front of him was the real one, and immediately launched an attack without hesitation. Lightning-attribute chakra surged, amplifying his speed as he closed the distance in an instant.
He charged straight toward the real body.
"In the future, you'll need to control your expressions better, Naruto."
Looking at the seemingly dejected Naruto before him.
Kakashi lifted his right hand, intending to knock him unconscious with a clean strike.
At that very moment, the Naruto in front of him suddenly raised his head, revealing an extremely bright smile.
"Kakashi-sensei, let me tell you something too—don't underestimate me!"
"What!?"
As the words fell.
"Puff!"
In less than one-tenth of a second.
The figure in front of Kakashi dispersed into white smoke.
"Not good!"
Before Kakashi could fully react.
"It worked!"
From behind him.
Left and right.
Sasuke and Naruto burst out from the thick white smoke that had been deliberately created by the shadow clone Naruto released at that exact moment.
The two figures leapt forward.
In each of their right hands was a sharp kunai.
Arms raised, strength fully focused.
Bodies lowered into a thrusting posture.
Naruto and Sasuke used their positional advantage, executing a standard forward stab like a javelin strike. The cold gleam slid through the air, producing a sharp whistling sound as it cut through space.
Every possible escape route Kakashi had was sealed.
If they wanted to take the bell, close combat was unavoidable. This was the only conclusion Naruto had drawn after all the previous exchanges.
Long-range attacks?
That would only give Kakashi more opportunities to counter and break through.
What they needed was precisely this kind of opening.
Using Sasuke's constant movement to divert Kakashi's attention, then using the shadow clone's performance to lure him in, they finally created this decisive moment.
The final chance.
Kakashi had to be taken here.
Naruto, charging forward, locked his gaze onto Kakashi. Beside him, Sasuke's eyes were equally sharp. The determination within their pupils intensified.
Facing such a fierce, perfectly coordinated assault.
Kakashi was momentarily stunned—mainly because Naruto had successfully deceived him and caused him to misjudge the real body.
But that hesitation lasted only an instant.
He reacted immediately.
There was no attempt to retreat.
Since his "cute" students had chosen to fight head-on.
As their teacher, he could not back down now.
Kakashi lowered his center of gravity, adopting a stance that was both defensive and offensive.
"Snap!"
Figures crossed.
Kakashi swung his right arm first, blocking Sasuke's attack from the right side.
Then he pressed down forcefully. At the same time, his left hand flipped over, a kunai appearing as he met Naruto's strike head-on.
"Keng!"
Metal collided.
Sparks burst out violently.
"Huh!?"
With strength alone, Naruto's attack was easily stopped.
Then Kakashi twisted his wrists, smoothly dispersing the force of both assaults.
Naruto and Sasuke were given no time to react.
Before the two could recover while being knocked off balance.
Kakashi extended his arms again, pushing forward and attempting to seize both of them directly.
In that instant.
Naruto, having lost his balance midair, could not easily adjust his posture. With a flick of his right hand, the kunai shot outward.
It seemed as though he intended to force Kakashi to retreat using this move.
However, Kakashi merely shifted sideways, effortlessly dodging the kunai.
With a swift motion of both arms.
He clamped Naruto and Sasuke beneath his arms at the same time.
"Haha, Naruto, Sasuke, that's as far as you go—"
The light chuckle had barely fallen.
When suddenly.
An abnormal change occurred.
"Puff!"
At Kakashi's side.
The kunai that had flown past earlier suddenly dissolved into white smoke.
Out of thin air.
A second Naruto appeared.
"!?"
This time.
Even Kakashi was caught completely off guard.
There was no time left to respond.
Naruto smiled softly.
"It's over!"
His right hand reached out, firmly grasping the bell, and yanked it hard.
His body flipped backward with the motion.
"Boom!"
He landed steadily, dust rising beneath his feet.
"Puff!"
At the same time, the Naruto trapped under Kakashi's left arm dispersed into white smoke. The remaining shadow clones across the field vanished simultaneously.
Not far away stood Naruto—the true Naruto in every sense—shaking the bell in his hand and looking at Kakashi with a confident smile.
"Kakashi-sensei, does that mean the task is complete?"
Naruto raised his eyebrows, speaking with a rare hint of smugness.
Seeing this, Kakashi could only release Sasuke, who was still caught under his arm. He then straightened up and dispelled the genjutsu on Sakura. Shrugging lightly, he looked toward Naruto and spoke with a tone that was both questioning and affirming.
"Was it the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique from the very beginning? Using the smoke to transform yourself into a kunai?"
At first, Kakashi had not fully understood.
But as a jōnin.
The moment he saw the kunai transform into Naruto, everything connected with the earlier battle scenes.
In an instant, Kakashi pieced together Naruto's entire plan.
"Yeah! That was originally just a last resort. Using Sasuke to draw your attention, Kakashi-sensei, then letting you mistake a clone for the real body, and finally Sasuke and I launched the finishing move together. I thought we might be able to take your bell that way. I didn't expect you to be that abnormal, Kakashi-sensei. Luckily, I still had this last trick, otherwise there really would've been no way to get the bell."
Naruto nodded, sounding proud, yet clearly relieved.
Looking at Naruto like this, even someone as picky as Kakashi had to admit something. In such a short amount of time, Naruto had devised a strategy like this and coordinated seamlessly with his teammate to complete the objective. Even by Kakashi's standards, Team Seven had passed with full marks this time.
Although Sakura had her flaws.
The teamwork between Naruto and Sasuke was more than sufficient.
At the very least, in Kakashi's past experience, there were few—if any—genin who could compare to these two.
However.
Even after the task he had set was completed.
Kakashi still felt a slight temptation to test them just a little more.
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