Silence.
The rooftop fell into a deathly silence, as if the wind itself had become heavy and slow.
Sakura's mouth hung open as she stared at Naruto in astonishment. The Naruto who had previously seemed somewhat unfamiliar to her now appeared even more indistinct in her eyes.
Is this a new prank to get attention?
Even Sasuke's face, usually etched with thoughts of revenge, showed pure shock for the first time.
Is this Loser crazy?
In Kakashi's visible eye, all traces of his usual laziness and nonchalance vanished without a trace.
In their place was an unprecedented sharpness and gravity.
The "danger" he had heard about from the Third Hokage was far less chilling than what he was witnessing firsthand.
These were not words a twelve-year-old boy should be saying; even if a fifty-year-old veteran had uttered them, Kakashi would have found them unsettling.
Sensei... what led to this situation? Was it Konoha?
Behind each of those words seemed to lie a profound understanding.
"Very good... a very unique self-introduction."
Kakashi forced a smile, attempting to regain control of the situation.
"Well then, starting tomorrow, we will be conducting a survival exercise."
His tone was deliberately emphasized, carrying a hint of threat.
"A word of warning: this isn't a game like in the Ninja Academy. For Genin in a three-person team, the final pass rate is less than 33%."
He wanted to use pressure to test the reactions of these three children.
"Understood."
Naruto responded calmly.
His brain had already automatically analyzed the other party's intention: a psychological tactic aimed at weakening the test subjects' physical strength and will.
Kakashi looked at Naruto's unperturbed face and shrugged helplessly.
"Well, well, this batch seems a bit difficult to manage. I really am someone who easily runs into trouble. Those three troubles, see you later."
He said no more, his figure flickered, and he vanished from the spot.
A revenger.
A lovesick girl.
Plus a... difficult-to-describe guy.
What is a Political Commissar?
Kakashi felt that he hadn't taken over a Genin team.
But rather an arsenal that could blow up the entire Village at any moment... On the training ground, the sun was just right.
Sasuke leaned against a wooden stake, arms crossed, his face growing increasingly impatient.
Sakura sat nearby, occasionally glancing at Sasuke and chiming in with a few complaints.
"Kakashi-sensei really makes tardiness a habit. From now on, we should consider the agreed-upon time to be one hour later than the actual arrival time."
Only Naruto stood ramrod straight, like a javelin impaled in the earth.
One hour.
Two hours.
When the silver-haired, masked man, looking half-asleep, finally appeared before the three, it was already noon.
"Yo, everyone, good day. The weather's really nice today."
Kakashi greeted them lazily.
Sakura's and Sasuke's displeasure was practically written on their faces.
Naruto, however, had no complaints.
He merely scrutinized the man before him, inch by inch, with his cold blue eyes.
"Strength Assessment: Kakashi Hatake."
"Possesses the Sharingan, proficient in a thousand Ninjutsu, excellent tactical analysis skills. Lightning Release Ninjutsu is exceptionally refined, particularly skilled in the S-rank Ninjutsu, Chidori. Extensive combat experience, extremely adaptable."
"Conclusion: As a Konoha elite Jonin, his overall strength is top-tier, an invaluable and powerful individual on the battlefield."
"The rules are simple."
Kakashi jingled the two bells in his hand, producing a crisp sound.
"If you can snatch a bell from me before noon, you pass. If you can't, you get no lunch and will be tied to a stake."
"Remember, you must attack with the resolve to kill me."
As soon as Kakashi finished speaking, Sasuke's and Sakura's bodies instantly tensed. Following the textbook teachings of the Ninja Academy, they scattered to the left and right, disappearing into the forest to find cover.
On the vast training ground, only Uzumaki Naruto remained.
He stood rooted to the spot, not moving an inch, like a solitary target, becoming the most conspicuous mark under the sun.
Kakashi crossed his arms and walked lazily into the distance, casting a curious glance at Naruto.
Was this another one of that Loser's foolish and clumsy self-expressions?
However, Naruto ignored him, instead turning to face the empty woods.
His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly carried throughout the entire area.
"Sasuke, Sakura, assemble here immediately."
After a few seconds of silence, Sasuke's figure emerged from behind a large tree, an undisguised look of disdain on his cool, handsome face.
"Don't order me around, Loser."
Sakura's voice also came from another direction, with a hint of urgency.
"Naruto, you idiot, hide quickly! Sensei will catch you!"
Naruto did not argue.
His right hand flashed into his Ninja tool pouch, drawing a shuriken.
With a flick of his arm.
"Clang!"
The metallic reverberation exploded through the forest.
The shuriken, at a speed and angle Sasuke couldn't possibly react to, embedded itself deep into the tree trunk beside him, its tip less than three inches from his cheek.
The icy killing intent made Sasuke's blood feel as if it had frozen solid.
"Your goal is revenge."
Naruto's voice was cold, dissecting Sasuke's inner self with surgical precision.
"You want to become stronger, to get revenge on that man. My command is the optimal shortcut to power for you. Obey, or continue your inefficient self-gratification. Choose."
He turned, his gaze falling on Sakura, who was trembling with fear, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
"Sakura Haruno, your combat value is zero. But you can serve as a battlefield variable and play your part."
"Your mission is to obey my every command without any questions or delays. This is the only way you can contribute to the team."
Sasuke's pride was impacted like never before, his fists clenched tightly.
But the shuriken still buzzing in his ear, and those all-seeing blue eyes, choked all his words of rebuttal in his throat.
After a brief struggle, he chose silence, stepping out from behind the tree and standing beside Naruto.
Sakura, terrified by those words and that aura, could only nod repeatedly out of instinct and ran over.
In the first minute of the exercise, Team 7's command was transferred in an almost brutal manner.
All of this was observed by Kakashi from a distance.
The laziness and nonchalance on his face had long vanished without a trace.
What he saw was not children playing pretend, but a method of establishing a superior-subordinate relationship that he had only seen in the "Root" organization—no, even more ruthless and efficient than that.
What exactly is this Uzumaki Naruto?
"Sakura, go thirty meters east, create noise, and attract the target's attention as much as possible. This is a feint."
Naruto quickly issued the first command.
"Sasuke, you stand by ten meters to my left flank. Once the target is drawn by the feint, I will give a signal, and you will use the Great Fireball Jutsu to attack the target's predicted evasion position."
Although Sakura was scared, she immediately ran to the designated position, haphazardly throwing kunai and shuriken in Kakashi's direction.
Kakashi's attention was indeed drawn. He easily dodged the harmless projectiles, even finding it somewhat amusing.
"I'll go tease Sakura first."
The moment he moved, Naruto arrived beside him with extreme speed, unleashing a fierce taijutsu attack.
Kakashi's heart tensed. He didn't have time to ponder how Naruto had covered dozens of meters in such a short time. He only felt a heavy gust of wind, not the swiftness of a Ninja, but like a battering ram, striking directly at his ribs.
There were no flashy moves, only the most direct, most violent, linear attack.
Kakashi instinctively raised his arm to block.
"Thud!"
With a dull thud, his entire arm instantly went numb. The brutal force made him involuntarily stumble back half a step, and the ground beneath his feet caved in slightly.
This was not the strength a twelve-year-old boy should possess!