Senju Chakan carefully used a branch to hook the bell. The kid was surprisingly talented; the length of the branch was just right, and he actually managed to touch the bell's string.
"Hmph hmph hmph, you didn't expect this, did you? I was defeated first, but I've turned my misfortune into a blessing and completed the test first!"
"This time, I'll make you all look at me with new eyes!"
"Success!"
Senju Chakan really did use the branch to lift the bell's string, but the instant he hooked it...
"Ting!"
The bell rang.
"This bell's sound is so crisp. Ha... What's going on? So sleepy."
Senju Chakan suddenly felt a lot of feathers falling from the sky. He felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, and he just collapsed to the ground and fell asleep.
And the moment he fell, he triggered the trap ahead. The surrounding earth automatically turned over, and a huge net caught him and lifted him into the sky.
Senju Chakan was captured again.
At the same time.
The battle in the forest was also nearing its end. Uchiha Itachi's shuriken skills had once caused Sarutobi Shinnosuke a lot of trouble.
But when Shinnosuke used a Shadow Clone to deceive Itachi into a bad position and then used a Mind Decapitation Technique with one hand seal, Itachi was left with only his head exposed.
Naraku was also complaining in the back, saying that Sarutobi Shinnosuke had really mastered the hand seals. It seemed that the bells couldn't be snatched.
It didn't matter anyway. Anyone who'd seen Naruto knew that whether you got a bell or not wasn't really that important.
"Naraku-chan, it's just you left, you know."
In the time it took to say that, Shinnosuke had secretly finished the hand seals.
This little girl is the most troublesome. I'll need to use some real skills, otherwise, it'll be too difficult to capture her.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Pillar!"
Instantly, intense white light erupted behind Shinnosuke, turning the entire forest white.
It was impossible to see anything, and even opening your eyes was a challenge!
"Damn… just how many chakra natures does this guy have…"
Just as Sarutobi Shinnosuke used the Lightning Pillar, he vanished from where he stood, even though Naraku tried her best to dodge.
However, she immediately felt a finger touch her forehead.
"Genjutsu? Dark Demon God!"
Her vision suddenly returned, but what Naraku saw wasn't the forest from before, but a pitch-black room.
In front of her was a terrifying figure, which was thirty to forty meters tall. It was completely black, with only a pair of blood-red pupils visible.
The most terrifying thing was that she was now being held in the hand of this black figure, and she couldn't move at all.
This is Genjutsu? What is this guy doing? Whatever, no need to struggle, it's just a formality. Besides, this Shinnosuke doesn't dare to fire me.
Naraku had enhanced her Sharingan's insight by two levels in the past two days. With her pupil power and her own Special Jonin-level Genjutsu skills, it shouldn't be difficult to break this Genjutsu.
But revealing her trump card like this wasn't cost-effective, so Naraku simply gave up.
A few minutes later, Sarutobi Shinnosuke led Naraku and Itachi out of the forest.
Itachi looked somewhat dejected, appearing listless.
He was probably pondering how to explain failing the test to Uchiha Fugaku when he got home.
Naraku also lowered her head, acting out a sad expression, following Itachi's lead.
When the two of them walked out of the forest, they saw Senju Chakan suspended in mid-air in a net, still struggling.
"Damn it, Sensei, you're too despicable! I don't accept this! Let me down, I want a one-on-one fight!"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke had a stern face, shouting as if he were very angry:
"Shut up. In the ninja world, there's no such thing as being fair and square. Are you going to preach about fairness to your enemies after they kill you?"
Senju Chakan fell silent after Shinnosuke's roar, though he still looked unconvinced.
"You all think you're capable, right? Both of you. You're probably complaining that my exam is too difficult, that I simply don't want you to pass, right?"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke closed his eyes, pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, lit it, and exhaled a smoke ring.
"Yes, I believe that our abilities are fully capable of being a Genin…"
Itachi raised his head and said solemnly.
"Then have you considered that the three of you are not just candidates? You're not just Uchiha Itachi of the Uchiha clan, and he's not just Senju Chakan of the Senju clan."
"You are all also Konoha ninjas, classmates in the same class, comrades who can entrust their backs to each other on the battlefield, but what did you do?"
"You only cooperate closely with your own clan, excluding him. Touch your Konoha Headband and ask yourself, can you be proud of your actions?"
"I…"
Uchiha Itachi touched his headband and couldn't say a word.
"And you, little girl, you're the strongest among them, but you have no sense of responsibility. Do you think I can't see that you haven't used your full strength?"
"Strength doesn't just mean possessing absolute power. A strong person carries more responsibility. If you can't even protect your own companions, what's the use of such great power? Just to destroy and kill?"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke formed a hand seal, then squatted down and pressed his hands against the ground.
Suddenly, the ground far away, which had been damaged by the few people, and the towering Earth Style Wall, all slowly disappeared, eventually returning to their original appearance.
"I'm sorry, teacher. I know I was wrong."
Naraku was sobbing, tears streaming down her face. It seemed her acting skills had reached a whole new level.
"Um… alright, alright, class is dismissed."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke, seeing that he'd made Naraku cry, felt a flicker of guilt in his eyes. He seemed to be blaming himself for being too harsh, considering she was only eight years old.
It seems I really am not good at teaching others…
A flash of cold light, and the net in mid-air shattered. Before Senju Chakan could even land, Shinnosuke had caught him safely. Then, with his arms outstretched, he gathered all three children into his embrace and said loudly:
"Um… don't cry, how about I treat you all to some barbecue?!"
"Really? Teacher, you promise!"
Senju Chakan looked like a real foodie.
"Did we pass the test?"
Itachi looked puzzled, probably not understanding how the teacher's attitude had changed so quickly!
"Teacher, you're the best!"
Naraku also turned her tears into laughter, so happy. That meant she hadn't eaten any barbecue since coming to Konoha!
"Hahaha, let's go,"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke let out a hearty laugh. Being too serious really wasn't for him; it was easier to take them out for a big meal.
"But you haven't passed the test. This is just another chance for you. Three months. Let's see if your teamwork has improved. If it's still like this then, you'll disband!"
"We understand, Teacher!"
.....
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics on my patreon shop:
" Genderbent Naruto: I, Haruno Sakurao, a Roaming Dragon of the Shinobi World "
" Naruto: Kaguya Is My Wife "
" Naruto: Silver Wolf of Konoha (18+) "
" After Unifying Naruto, I Begin Invading the Other Dimension "
" Naruto: Starting Out by Picking Up the Ito Ito no Mi "
" Naruto: Reviving the Uchiha Clan, Starting by Marrying Tsunade "
" Naruto: I Became Sasuke's Golden Finger! "
" Naruto: I Became Hyuga Hanabi (18+) "
" Starting from Naruto, AFK to Become a God " many more are available for you,
Your support means a lot—thanks in advance, legends!
Patreon.com/AniFic
(End of Chapter)