As Naruto had anticipated, the instant Sakura launched her attack, Kakashi seemed to sense something. He shifted his body slightly, casually blocking Sakura's punch with the palm of his hand, then used the remaining momentum to retreat swiftly.
Sakura let out a soft chuckle. Her gaze shifted as she ran in the opposite direction, closing the distance between herself and Naruto.
At that moment, their eyes met.
Sakura was calm, like still water. Beneath that composure, however, her sharp gaze was impossible to hide as she stared straight at Kakashi without flinching.
Kakashi looked at Sakura with growing interest.
Don't be stubborn. Don't get carried away. Know when to retreat.
Like a lion dog hidden in the grass that suddenly leaps at your face—only to spring back the moment it realizes you're in good health.
Patience. Restraint. Accumulating strength. Waiting for a breakthrough.
Suddenly, an idea occurred to Kakashi.
This might be the most troublesome three-man team he had ever encountered.
Naruto was sly and devious, Sakura calm and composed, and Sasuke the strongest in overall ability.
Interesting. But I won't let you off so easily, Kakashi thought.
He had seen many people like this before—brilliant, gifted, and highly capable.
But that alone meant nothing.
At this moment, Sakura reached Naruto and asked quietly, "Have you had enough?"
Naruto stared at Kakashi. "One more try."
Do you really want to defeat him that badly?
"Not really," Naruto grinned. "If I truly wanted to beat him, I could just cheat by using the Nine-Tails and end this instantly."
"I want to run an experiment—to see how far we Earthlings can really go."
At first, Naruto's plan had simply been to experience the plot casually, flirt with a few girls, and build a harem.
But Sakura's words had made him realize how serious the situation actually was.
This wasn't a passionate story about a chosen one being sent to the world of Naruto. It was a story about a group of people traveling together—and becoming stronger together.
Just imagine if someone were sent back in time and dropped right in front of hostile forces like Nagato, Obito, or Madara.
When that happened, we'd either be dancing on the battlefield—or putting on a collective death performance.
That was why Naruto needed not only to pluck the Nine-Tails' fur, but also to explore every external possibility and turn those experiences into nourishment for himself.
"You're being way too cryptic," Sakura said, confused. "What kind of experiment is this, exactly?"
"You'll see," Naruto replied. He abandoned the attack and looked at Kakashi with a faint smile. "Boss, continuing to fight like this is pointless."
"Is it?" Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Rules are rules. If you don't get the bells in time, I'll send you back to the Ninja Academy."
Sakura fell into thought. What information was Naruto trying to convey through this exchange?
Folding his arms, Naruto said, "Boss, you're a jōnin. Even if the three of us work together, there's no way we can defeat you."
"The key to this task is teamwork. Fighting alone won't work, right?"
Kakashi nodded. "You don't look like a loser."
Sasuke stared at Naruto, his emotions in turmoil.
"But I think there's another reason," Naruto continued. "The number of bells. There are only two bells, yet you demand teamwork. That clearly guarantees internal conflict."
Naruto paused, then suddenly said, "This mission requires one of us to be sacrificed, doesn't it?"
Silence fell over the field. Only the sound of the wind could be heard.
Sasuke pressed his lips together, his heart pounding violently in his chest.
Of course he had noticed the number of bells—but he had never considered teamwork or sacrifice.
What shocked him was that Naruto had grasped the essence of the test in just a moment.
It was like a group of people struggling over a riddle, completely stumped, when a lazy passerby took one look and casually spoke the correct answer.
Did that make sense? Not at all. Yet it was true.
Kakashi looked at Naruto with approval. "You're very sharp. Sacrifice is the core of this test. But then why did you say the test itself is meaningless?"
Isn't that a contradiction?
Naruto laughed. "If you truly wanted to test us, there'd be no need to be so strict. The real point is how the bells are distributed. Grabbing them is just a way to see whether we can cooperate as a team."
"We clearly cooperated, yet you still won't let us succeed or move on to the next stage. That goes against the original intent of the test," Sakura said, suddenly understanding.
So he was trying to force Kakashi to yield—but using a method that didn't follow the original plot.
According to the story, Team Seven was the first squad Kakashi officially led. Every other team had been sent back to the Ninja Academy.
Kakashi accepted Obito's belief: teammates were more important than the mission, and those who didn't value their comrades were worse than trash.
Only by showing this mindset in the exam would Kakashi let you pass.
But that clashed with the idea of sacrifice required by the test.
Ninja, like mercenaries on Earth, bore the responsibility of completing their missions.
"Is your cooperation really good enough?" Kakashi shook his head disdainfully. "I'll tell you this—what you just showed was worse than not being a ninja at all."
Naruto burst out laughing. "You jōnin who rely on psychological warfare are really despicable."
He kept his composure on the surface. "We've all graduated from the Ninja Academy. That means our overall qualifications meet the standard. There's no need to provoke us."
"How about this?" Naruto said. "You give the bells to Sakura and Sasuke. I'll go back to the Academy and rebuild it."
Kakashi's heart jolted. "You want to sacrifice yourself?"
Naruto replied calmly, "I want to complete the mission—and I want to protect my teammates from being sent back to the Academy."
Are you satisfied now?
Kakashi fell silent.
A one-eyed figure with short hair appeared beside him, gently patting his shoulder. "Do you want them to pass?"
Kakashi turned and saw a young Uchiha Obito smiling at him.
"He still hasn't given me an answer."
Kakashi turned back to the three of them. "Do you think the ninja world is really that simple? Naruto, I'll let you pass right now. But your two teammates will never be ninjas again!"
Naruto tilted his head, but didn't respond.
Hearing this, Sakura felt like yawning.
Sasuke looked at Naruto, then at Sakura, then back at Naruto, then Sakura again…
Why do I look like the only one panicking here?
In truth, Sasuke was both shocked by Naruto's resolve and furious at Kakashi's words.
And then there was Sakura—she looked utterly blank the whole time. Sasuke even thought about asking the village doctor to treat her facial paralysis.
But the one he found hardest to accept was Naruto.
Who gave you the right to act cool?!
How can you so righteously sacrifice yourself?
You dead-last idiot—what makes you think you can be so arrogant?!
Sasuke couldn't help recalling that bloody night. Back then, he had survived beneath his brother's blade, only to bear his clan's hatred and his future alone.
Every day, I either trained or wandered through painful memories. Even when I earned the highest scores, I still had to endure endless gossip from passersby.
If things are already like this… if I don't become a ninja, would it really be any worse?
"Let me do it…" Sasuke's voice trembled, his body shaking along with it.
"I'm willing to make the sacrifice."
"Huh?" Naruto turned around in shock. "You thick-browed kid, what sacrifice are you even talking about? Don't you want revenge anymore?"
Sasuke glared at Naruto.
"Why are you showing off in front of everyone, Naruto?"
"You were dead last in class, yet you're talking about sacrificing yourself. Do you even know what sacrifice means?"
"Kakashi—give the bells to those two. I'll quit!"
Naruto felt helpless. There was really no need to quit over something like this.
Sakura glanced at the two of them and said, "I think I'll head back. I'm afraid these two idiots might kill me in a fit of rage."
Naruto: "..."
Kakashi fell silent once more.
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All the fanfiction is 30-chapter ahead but this "A Witty Life in the Naruto World" is 30 chapters ahead there