Chapter 16: Bell Test

"Alright, I'll give you ten minutes to prepare. Of course, I will also prepare myself. Starting now," Kakashi said. After a brief explanation of what they were going to do, he vanished in a shunshin, leaving the three of them standing in the clearing.

Naruto and Satsuki were already prepared, their weapons wrapped and secured around their thighs. Sakura, on the other hand, was not quite as ready as her teammates. She quickly pulled out her kunai and shuriken pouches, fastening them securely around her right thigh with a strip of bandage.

She was not expecting that this survival training would turn into a head-on battle against their sensei, unlike the others who seemed to expect it.

Naruto, standing a little apart from the group, began weaving a hand seal and summoned ten shadow clones with a puff of smoke. The real Naruto, along with each of his clones, then sat down on the ground, spreading out a bit to create some space between them.

"What is he doing?" Sakura wondered aloud, glancing at Satsuki, who appeared just as curious but not quite as surprised.

Each clone, along with the real Naruto, seemed to focusing. Crossing his legs, holding their chins and using their index fingers to draw on the dirt ground, as if lost in deep thought.

The sight puzzled Sakura, who had never witnessed anything like it before. To her, clones were just immaterial illusions used for distraction or confusion, much like the basic Clone Jutsu they had learned at the Academy. Clones can't touch stuffs, let alone draw on the ground.

Seeing Sakura's confusion, Satsuki who already knew what shadow clone could do, decides to explain. "Those aren't ordinary clones, Sakura. They're shadow clones, a more advanced technique that creates solid copies of the user."

"Whoa," Sakura replied, her eyes widening as she watched Naruto and his clones, each seemingly absorbed in their own thoughts. "Then what is he doing?"

"Thinking,"

Minutes passed.

Satsuki waited for Naruto patiently, despite knowing that time was running out. Sakura, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel anxious. She shifted nervously from foot to foot, adjusting her equipment while the seconds ticked away.

Two bells, How do I get one of those, should I just wait for Naruto and Satsuki to tire Kakashi-sensei out and snatch it myself or something? The creeping sense of helplessness gnawed at her.

Suddenly, one by one, the clones began to dispel, each vanishing in a puff of smoke until only the real Naruto remained, standing up.

"Satsuki-chan, Sakura-chan, come here for a sec. I have a plan," Naruto called out to his teammates in a serious tone. Sakura, who had been busy strategizing for herself and checking her equipment, turned her head toward the only boy on her team.

"Let's hear it then," Satsuki replied, she was ready to listen to him the second he began his thinking.

"What? Naruto's plan instead of yours, Satsuki?" Sakura asked, tilting her head in confusion.

After witnessing their match during the graduation exam, she no longer saw Naruto as a weakling. However, it still seemed more logical to hear the plan from Satsuki who is the kunoichi of the year. Sakura couldn't quite wrap her head around why they need to listen to Naruto.

"Just listen to him," Satsuki said with a wave of her hand, dismissing Sakura's doubts.

"Enough chit-chat. We don't have much time. Come closer, and I'll explain," Naruto said urgently.

Standing in the middle of the training ground, Kakashi had finished his 'preparation'. Observing his surroundings, trying to pinpoint the three who would soon ambush him.

Alright, let's see, he thought, scanning from left to right for any sign of his ambusher. Everyone is hiding themselves really well. He noted each subtle movement around him.

"As expected, I can't find Naruto anywhere. Sakura's a little bit clumsy, why is she hiding directly in front of me? Satsuki's got the idea, hiding herself a little to my left. Her hiding skill is good, just a little more and it would be perfect."

Now then, how do you plan to approach me? Kakashi reached into one of his pouches, pulling out one of his favorite books.

Suddenly, the earth around Kakashi rose and formed a cage.

"[Earth Style: Earth Cage!]" a voice called out from an indistinct distance.

Earth style!? Naruto's voice? He wasn't aware that Naruto possessed earth release. Hearing the voice, Kakashi tried to pinpoint Naruto's position. A moment later, he had it—on the right!

Kakashi used kawarimi to get out of the forming cage, leaving a wood log inside. He landed on a tree branch behind him, but as if they had anticipated his move, two kunai were already halfway flying toward him.

Noticing the explosive tags attached to them, Kakashi leaped back to the ground. One kunai hit the branch he was on and the other hit the tree behind him, resulting in a powerful explosion.

A well-coordinated attack… I guess I can't continue to read my book. He shrugged storing his book to his pouches. He didn't expect them to work together from the get-go.

"Behind you, sensei!" Naruto shouted behind him.

Kakashi immediately focused on where the voice came from. Naruto charged at him with high speed, launching a roundhouse kick toward the startled silver-haired man. Kakashi blocked the kick with his hand, but the momentum still sent him flying toward the center of the training ground. Fixing his posture in midair, he landed on his feet near the earth cage.

"I see, the one who created that earth cage was your shadow clone. Good distraction," Kakashi remarked. "But it defeats the purpose if you shout when you're charging at your enemy!"

Suddenly, the earth erupted, catching him off guard, Naruto emerged from the crack and started to engage him in close combat Taijutsu

Another earth release!?

It was Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole. Kakashi was familiar with the jutsu as he also used it from time to time.

"Nope! The one behind you is the shadow clone"

Kakashi blocks all Naruto's attacks "I see, so when that explosion happened you buried yourself here, but that's not going to work" Catching Naruto in an arm lock, he easily throws Naruto away and hits a tree trunk

Poofs!

"Of course, It's another clone" He grunted.

"[Fire style: Fireball]"

"[Wind style: Wind Gust]"

Without letting him catch a breath, an enhanced fireball flies toward him at high speed

"[Earth Style: Mud wall]" Kakashi erects a mud wall to block off their fireball, The explosions hit the wall and shatter it. Pulling his kunai, he blocks the incoming kunai that is thrown silently from behind him, some missed Kakashi and scattered on the ground.

That must be Sakura, her throwing is bad though, is it because it's too far or-?

"Don't daydream yet sensei!" Naruto charged and once again traded blows, now with Satsuki supporting him from a medium distance.

With the combination of His relentless Taijutsu and her fireball to limit Kakashi's movement. Plus Sakura who threw kunai and shuriken at Kakashi's blindspot constantly, moving from one place to another with each shot, making sure she was undetected, maintaining the element of surprise.

They managed to slightly overwhelm Kakashi.

Should I get serious? Oh!? That one work, he was thinking of using something he hid under his hitai-ate but refrained himself as suddenly the battle goes in his favor.

Before the battle began, Kakashi had set up some traps, and it looked like one of them succeeded in reducing his opponent's number.

I'll just use shuriken and kunai. Pulling both in his hand he is about to throw it

"[Fuinjutsu: Disarm]" Naruto exclaimed, Holding his hand in an ox seal, Kakashi's weapon vanishes, sealed into a paper seal on the ground, Naruto managed to disarm Kakashi, tipping the odds in their favor.

Kakashi's eyes went wide, What!? when did he put those seals? He quickly realized that the missed kunai Sakura had thrown had a small, easily overlooked tag wrapped around its handle. Kakashi recognized this sealing technique from watching Naruto's previous fight against Satsuki, but he never expected Sakura to throw them in his stead. However, he didn't dwell on it for long. Staying focused, he secretly summoned a shadow clone to take his place while he slipped away to hide.

"[Fire style: Fireball]"

"[Water style: Water ball]"

Two Jutsus collided and produced a big steam explosion making Kakashi's clone to take a few steps back.

"Naruto-kun why did you use a water ball!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head "Aha sorry, my bad"

"And what's up with that earth release, you never told me anything about it- wait! you didn't even tell me about the water release as well!?"

The once fierce battle mood suddenly swings into a small quarrel between the duo, Kakashi's clone only stands there, with his eye-smile. However, his expression changed when he realized he couldn't move.

"But in the end, we managed to lure him to where we want him right?" a second later another Naruto's clone appeared behind Kakashi and grabbed something that became their target "Here catch" the clone tossed the bells towards Satsuki, who caught them with one hand.

"So, this what you guys aimed for, nice job. But you made one fatal mistake..."

Naruto squatted, with a branch in his hand, trying to draw his plan on the dirt. Satsuki sat beside him eyeing the drawing while Sakura was still on her doubtful looks. "So, here's the plan, first I will engage him, by trying to trap him in a cage."

"Do you think we can cage him?" the pinkette asked, with doubt in her tone.

"With him expecting us? No, of course not, he will most likely use Kawarimi. This is not a stealth mission, it is a head-on combat. We can't ambush someone if they already expecting us."

"Then doesn't that just waste of chakra?"

"Sakura listen to him first, comment later."

"If he uses Kawarimi, there's a high chance he will move behind, I want you two to find the biggest tree branch and throw these at it as soon as possible" Naruto reached to one of his sealing papers and releasing it, handing out dozens of explosives tagged kunai.

"What! Isn't this overkill? We might kill him!"

"Quiet down Sakura! He might hear us" Satsuki put her finger on her lips and tried to shush her friend.

Naruto nods "That's the plan, he said we have to fight him with the intention of killing him."

"But…"

"It will be fine, he is a Jonin without a reason," Satsuki said.

"But isn't our real objective is taking the bells? And there are only two of them. How do we split it if all three of us work together?"

"That's the objective but also a diversion, most likely he wanted to make us act independently. There's no way one Genin can take on Jonin on their own, what do you think we are put into a 3-man team? It's teamwork" Naruto said.

"Sakura, haven't you noticed? The tests at the academy are all individual tests. And now we all put into a team and given another test." Satsuki added.

Sakura nods, that… makes sense. Sakura was surprised, she was thinking of another plan and executing it on her own. But it looks like Naruto's plan had weight on it.

"Let's continue. After he's fazed from the explosion, I'll lure him out from the wood and engage him in close combat in the middle of the field." He pauses, and points at Satsuki, "I'll have Satsuki-chan join and support me with some Jutsu or shuriken from mid-range. And Sakura-chan, the rest of my plan, I'll leave it to you."

"Huh? Me?"

"Sakura-chan what's your score on kunai throwing test back then?"

"Of course, it's almost perfect," she said proudly, throwing kunai from meters away needs a lot of skills after all. Even if she is sucked at the real battle, just throwing stuff is pretty easy for her.

"That's good, I'll leave this to you then."

"What is this?" noticing some other than explosive tags kunai mixed in it.

"Some Fuinjutsu tags as our secret weapon to secure our victory, I have a little note behind the paper so you can understand their uses. You will be our trump card."

"This seems impossible. Do you really think we can win this? our Genin title is on the line, we might be forced to return back to the academy, w-what if I messed up?"

"Sakura-chan there's nothing impossible in this world, after all it all comes down to probabilities. My plan alone already gave us a good chance of passing this test. And all of our combined efforts will push those chances even further. No matter how small each of our contributions in this fight, it will decide the outcome."

Sakura gulped her saliva, she had never seen Naruto act seriously.

"How small those chances are. That percentage can cost someone his life. But it can also lead us to victory. You have to believe in yourself. If we win this fight, it will be on you."

Satsuki tried to hide her smirks, "Alright leader, I'll follow your lead."

The time is up. Naruto nods, stands and stretches his arms and neck. "Our aim is to restrict him from moving for a second. Just do what I told you, I'll handle the rest. Now let's get into position!"

Sakura emerged from the forest, with a surprised look. "Whoa, we really did it!"

But without any word, the clone behind Kakashi pulls a kunai out of his pocket, and stabs it into immobilized Jonin, right through his chest, earning a scream from Satsuki.

"NARUTO!?"

Poofs!

Naruto throws his gaze toward Sakura "So, do we pass or not?"

"Good observation" She took her transformation off, revealing Kakashi with a surprised expression through his mask, he eyed the bells that were currently in Satsuki's hand and to his belt where they were supposed to be. "So how do you know I'm not the real Sakura?" he looked at Naruto waiting for an answer.

"Because she is here with me" Walking out from the forest, another clone of Naruto emerges with unconscious Sakura on his back.

Her body felt like a wreck. Running around and constantly changing her position with every attack had taken a toll on her. She wasn't the athletic type, leaning more towards book knowledge than physical prowess.

With little stamina but a good amount of knowledge and above-average practical skills, she had managed to secure herself second place among the kunoichi graduates, just a bit ahead of Ino, who took third place, but was still far behind the top kunoichi of the year.

Huh, where am I? she thought, feeling disoriented. I was changing my position until... did I fail? Her eyes itched to open, and she felt her head resting on someone's shoulder.

This warmth... this feeling, it feels familiar... Is it my cloak…?

Slowly, she pried her eyes open, blinking against the sudden brightness that flooded her vision. As her eyes adjusted, she saw two figures.

"-A shinobi must look underneath the underneath-" Her sensei stood in front of her, appearing to explain something. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the tired face of a dark-haired girl.

"Oh, you're finally awake," a calm voice said beside her.

Huh? Realization dawned on her as she recognized the position she was in. Her head had been resting on her teammate's shoulder—Naruto's shoulder.

"W-what!? Get away from me!" she exclaimed, pushing him aside with more force than she intended, sending him rolling across the ground.

"Argh! What was that for?!" Naruto groaned as he stood up, brushing the dust from his clothes. The other two figures, Kakashi and Satsuki, groaned at their antics, looking unsurprised.

"You were too close, idiot! Wait... did we fail the test?" Sakura's mind, now fully awake, began piecing everything together.

"Nope, it's the opposite, actually," Satsuki called out, showing two bells in her hand and tossing them to Naruto, who gracefully caught them.

"Anyway, let's continue our discussion," Kakashi chimed in with a lazy tone.

"As I said, Sensei, our objectives were clear, and we achieved them," Satsuki responded confidently, crossing her arms.

"But at what cost?" Kakashi's gaze settled firmly on Sakura. "You did accomplish the mission, but one of your teammates was left out and—"

"—at no casualties and minimal injuries, just one unconscious but rescued member," Naruto interjected with confidence. "Though not the best outcome, it could be worse, considering we fought someone way out of our league."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by Naruto's argument. "Alright, that's a convincing argument," he said with a hint of a smirk. "Now… how will you split the bells?"

Huh!? The girls panicked.

We accomplished the mission, right? Satsuki thought, her mind racing. The question caught her off guard.

"W-what!?" Sakura almost yelled, panic setting in.

Oh no, I passed out and haven't done anything significant, and I just hit Naruto— she thought, her heart sinking. It was clear to her that Naruto would take one bell as he is the one with the most work and toss it to one of them. Most likely Satsuki, who had helped him the most. It also didn't help that she had just hit him a minute ago.

Kakashi watched their reactions intently. Let's see how you handle the situation, he seemed to say with his eyes.

But, without hesitation, Naruto threw each bell to his teammates, catching them both by surprise.

"The answer is obvious, as the leader, I'll put myself aside, and make sure my teammates accomplish the mission, and come back home safely"

"What!? No!" Satsuki yelled, springing to her feet. She marched over to their Jonin sensei and handed the bells back to him. "I forfeit. What is the meaning of accomplishing the mission if one of us sacrifices themselves? I'd rather fail the mission than leave my teammates behind."

Kakashi nodded in acknowledgement and clapped his hand once "Alright both of you fail, I'll send a letter to the academy." His eye moved to pinkette who still couldn't grasp the situation "Sakura will continue-"

"W-wait! -I-I" At first, she feels happy that she can continue to become a Genin but then a wave of guilt washed over her. She could have continued now. Aww what am I doing, if I failed now Tou-san will- fuck it Sakura, screw that old man!

"Hmm? What is it Sakura?" Kakashi eyed her uneasiness.

"I-I forfeited too!" She walks up to her sensei and gives him the bell, before returning to where she sits, burying her face on her folded knees contemplating to herself. Is this the right choice? She could imagine the face of her parent if she returned to the academy.

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air until, "Alright, you all pass!" earning confused 'huh' from the girls.

"-In the Shinobi world, those who break the rules are trash. But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum. Team Seven will start their missions tomorrow."

After another brief but impactful speech from their Jonin sensei, they were dismissed for the day. As they said their goodbyes and started to part ways, each of them felt a newfound respect for Kakashi.

Following Sakura, Naruto was about to leave the training ground when Satsuki stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

"Naruto-kun," she began, her eyes searching his, "There is a lot that I don't understand. You left me out of your plan, didn't you?"

"What do you mean, Satsuki-chan?" Naruto replied, trying to maintain his usual carefree tone. "We made it, right? We passed! That's all that matters." He attempted to smile at her.

"It just bothers me," Satsuki continued, her gaze wavering. "You didn't give me any specific plan and left me with the simplest task. Tell me, Naruto-kun, am I... holding you back?" She cast her eyes downward.

"Satsuki-chan, you're looking down again," Naruto said softly.

"Sorry," she murmured, lifting her eyes to meet his.

"I never, ever feel like you're holding me back," Naruto assured her. "With you here, it always drives me to push myself harder. Don't ever think like that. The reason I didn't give you a more specific plan is because I trust you to keep up with me. We've trained a lot together, after all."

She felt there should be more details in their plan that he hadn't told her, but he is able to reassure her. Naruto knew he hid some stuff from her, but it's better that she didn't know.

"I'm sorry, and thank you, Naruto," she said, a small smile breaking through her serious expression. "Well, I'll be going first. It seems Kakashi-sensei wants to talk to you." She whispered, glancing toward their silver-haired sensei, who was standing a bit far away yet eyeing Naruto, with an orange book in his hand, clearly waiting for a chance to speak with him.

With a final nod, Satsuki turned and left, leaving Naruto and Kakashi alone in the clearing.

"Naruto, a minute please," Kakashi called out as the training ground emptied of the other two Genin.

Naruto stopped and turned back to face him. "What is it, Kakashi-sensei?"

"It's nothing urgent, actually," Kakashi said with an easygoing tone. "I just wanted to talk."

"Hmm?" Naruto raised his eyebrows.

"How are you doing these days?"

"I'm Good I guess?"

"You seem to know something about me."

The boy walks towards his sensei. "Well," he started, "I read some files about you. At first, I was just curious because you reminded me of someone."

"Oh? And what did you manage to find?" Kakashi asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Not much," Naruto admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "Most of your files are old, missing parts, or weirdly made up. It also looked like there were some alterations. Some of the stuff was even classified. So, I came to the conclusion that either the one who manages the documents slacked off or that you were in ANBU until a few years ago. I could break into Hokage's safe and get the real documents, but you know… unnecessary trouble"

This kid always impresses me, Kakashi thought, he knew even the four-year-old Naruto was already thorough when it came to information.

"But I managed to find some of your achievements, skills, affinities, Taijutsu style, and Genjutsu. All are there. 'Copycat Ninja'," Naruto continued, leaning against a tree to get comfortable. Facing the same way as Kakashi. "Or 'Kakashi of the Sharingan' as they call you."

"Looking at your family and bloodline, it doesn't seem you have any connection to the Uchiha clan—well, aside from your old teammates—so maybe an eye transplant? Though I won't pry any further. With a Sharingan that can't revert to a normal eye, my guess is that you hide it under your hitai-ate."

"I must say I'm impressed," Kakashi replied, genuinely taken aback by Naruto's intelligence. How did he get this information? But then again, the Shinobi Archive isn't a fortress. Any leaf shinobi can easily access it.

"Well, don't be," Naruto said modestly, folding his arms across his chest. "I just take precautions and prepare in advance. You could call it cheating, in a way. I figured we might have to fight you, and knowing your enemy increases your chances of victory, right?"

"I read reports about the feats of your eye," Naruto continued, his voice growing more serious. "They say it can copy all kinds of Jutsu and even see into the future. But that's not the whole story, is it?"

Naruto used to practice with Satsuki of course he knew some of her eyes' capabilities.

"Your eye not only helps you observe and then copy jutsu but also lets you cast Genjutsu on your enemies, making them think you copy their moves in mere milliseconds. You can even make them believe you're seeing into the future."

Kakashi put his book into his pouch, intrigued by Naruto's analysis. Here stood a Genin who was already looking beyond the surface of things, "I'm curious about your plan… is that all there is to it?"

Naruto met his gaze directly. "I just take the most appropriate plan, enough to push you to the edge, but not hard enough so you jump across. If you use your Sharingan, then we will meet certain defeat."

Kakashi nodded, intrigued by Naruto's reasoning.

"When I make plans, I try to take all kinds of information to plan my action. I don't have the eyes or Genjutsu that can force my enemies to think I can see the future. I don't have any bloodline abilities or special eyes that give me an advantage in battle."

"But with enough information, I can create a plan with some guarantee and fail-safes too. I can force my enemies to dance in the palm of my hand."

Information is power.

In a battle, in a war, information is everything. He tried to plan all the way to the end, considering every possible consequence, obstacle, and twist of fortune. By planning to the end, he will not be overwhelmed by circumstances, and he will know when to stop and force his action. Gently guide the outcome and help determine the future by thinking far ahead.

Kakashi watched him carefully, noting the way Naruto's demeanor shifted, from the usual carefree attitude to something more calm and serious.

"The first fail-safe I came up with, is how I force you to shunshin backward with Sakura-chan hiding clumsily right in front of you, she was the obvious distraction. But Satsuki-chan was subtly hidden to your left, and I made my clone shouting jutsu loudly on purpose from the right, giving you information that I want you to have."

Kakashi nodded, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Naruto's thought process was impressive, especially for a Genin.

"I know you want to test us and won't engage and pick us one by one as soon as the battle starts, so shunshin away is your only choice, That's the most logical decision and the highest possibilities. And to make it a guarantee, I just put all of us relatively in front of you, so you certainly would go backward."

"Second is how I planned to make you on the edge, pre-throwing explosive tags towards the most likely branch you choose, the biggest one obviously. And corner you with all my clones in their planned positions, just to not give you the time to plan your action and hide the Fuin tags among normal kunai Sakura throws at you. Forcing you to be reacting instead of acting."

"With me, Satsuki, and Sakura forcing you to the corner. You might think of getting your Sharingan out. But here's the third fail-safe, as a solo ninja, putting a trap to help on your solo fight is a must. Am I right?"

Kakashi nodded.

"So, ordering Sakura to move her position with each throw, she will without a doubt fall into one of your traps, she would never guess that you have some traps laid out. And after the trap alerting you, naturally you will lower your guards."

Kakashi rubbed his chin, "But how did you convince Sakura to go along with your plan? From what I gather, you're not exactly on the best terms with her."

"So you gather Intel on us huh?" Naruto shrugged, "Well, I simply tell her that her position is crucial."

When asking for cooperation with someone, one must appeal to their self-interest. They will respond enthusiastically when they see something to be gained for themselves. People respond with enthusiasm when they see something to be gained for themselves.

"We've been friends for ages. She was shy back then but now she is one hella ambitious girl, that's what I admire about her. However, that ambition sometimes made her think irrationally. So, I need to find out how I can control her or she might ruin my plan. By convincing Sakura that her position was important, I baited her into eagerly fulfilling her role."

Naruto knew that self-interest is a powerful motivator and often drives people to achieve their goals more effectively than any sense of duty, gratitude, or just a mere order.

"She is my way to let your guard down after we cornered you. I didn't lie when I said to her that she is my trump card. Our little fight is just to buy time until Sakura falls into one of your traps. With her falling out of battle, you will lower your guard."

"I also purposely added more explosive tags to her, I wanted to test her. She could easily throw explosive tags at us when we were too engrossed in our fight. She could take both of us down and secure one bell for herself. But it looks like even if she is ambitious she is not a backstabbing type." Naruto smiled, knowing there was someone else he could trust his back on.

Using his teammates to achieve his goals reminded Kakashi of when Minato had given him the same test. "You're using your teammates as pawns," Kakashi observed, his voice carrying a hint of distaste.

What happened this past decade that could change you to this extreme? The older man smiled bitterly under his mask.

"Pawns? Maybe," Naruto replied, meeting Kakashi's gaze. "But not sacrificial ones. I won't let any of my teammates die when I'm in charge."

Kakashi considered Naruto's words. He realized that Naruto's morals might not be perfect now, but he saw a reflection of himself in the Genin. Minato had also passed Kakashi when the young Kakashi 'used' his teammates to get the bells.

Reminiscing of the past, It was Kakashi's responsibility now to engrave a sense of morality and redirect him to the right path. Recognizing the same potential in him, He decided to shrug off the concerns for now. If Minato didn't give up, Kakashi would do the same for his mentor's son.

"Although, I take some pure gamble when it comes to how you will take care of us. Your skill set is more fitted for assassination after all. But I doubt you will use it to your three cute students"

Naruto chuckled.

"Not giving Satsuki direct orders is also part of the plan, making our fire and water Jutsu clash and turn into small quarrels to further lower your guard. Sakura's clumsy throw seems to add to the factor, but the real reason is to lower your guard and entrap you"

"The question about how we split the two bells, was never crossed my mind. What I said was mostly improvisation. I was expecting Sakura to take the bell for herself, but I guess I misjudged her."

His plan is more than Kakashi anticipated "There's something bothering me."

Back before 'Kakashi' was trapped in one of Naruto's Fuinjutsu. When Naruto sealed his weapon, Kakashi managed to switch himself with his shadow clone. Although he can only make a few, Kakashi can utilize it very well.

Yet, Naruto still grabbed the 'illusion' bells his clone had. "How do you get the real bells, When I use kawarimi the real bells should still be with me"

"My fuinjutsu are special you know, [Fuinjutsu: Disarms], it wasn't preactivated with a designated formula of what to seal. To activate it, I need to concentrate on what I want to disarm. The tags are just an anchor of the area that I could seal and where it will be sealed. With precise chakra control… it's not limited to weapons only."

Kakashi's eyes shot wide open. I see, so it's not limited to weapons.

"You are too bothered with your weapons and too busy switching yourself with clone, not realizing that the bells are gone. With a little sleight of hand, I can convince all of you to believe that I got the bells from your trapped clone."

Naruto pulled one kunai from his pouch, the one that had a Disarm Seal. "There are two alternative goals I had, if I fail to Disarm the bells, I'll trap you and get it myself. You getting away with clone is something I didn't consider, but it worked out in the end." Naruto paused looking at his sensei "Unlike you, who 'see' the future. In a way, I 'make' the future. And there you have it, Inu-Nii-san, a future that I forge" His eyes glimmer in the setting sun.

So He realized who I am.

Hidden by his mask Kakashi gulped his saliva, he knew that Naruto was smart even back then. But he never imagines him to grow this quickly. With his limitations and setbacks, he can plan something to win an impossible fight. Using everything at his disposal as a pawn to achieve his goals.

A genius. A prodigy. Just like one of Kakashi's old acquaintances—the one who had murdered his entire clan and left the village.

Itachi Uchiha.

Even if Itachi had been considered a genius, most people now saw him as a psychopathic traitorous madman. The thought was unsettling, and it lingered at the back of Kakashi's mind like an ominous shadow.

Prodigy or madman.

There is a thin, invisible line between Geniuses and insanity. So… which side would Naruto end up on?

A/N

And there we have it! I know it's a bit complex with all the inner thoughts and lengthy conversation, not to mention the back-and-forth in the plot. But I hope it turned out well. initially, I was thinking of skipping this fight entirely, but then I felt like it was a great scene to show what Naruto capable of doing with his brain. Also writing a genius character is tough when you're not a genius yourself, lmao XD.

Anyway let's address some Review and PMs I got:

Hnbutt: glad you enjoyed it, the police force will be rebuilt slowly and it should be fully operational after the time skip to shipudden (I'm planning to have time skip).

Dragonkeeper10: The shrine will have more screen time in the future as I tried to make it the means of naruto digging out his clan.

freedomringer: "type of fic to traumatize it's characters" lmao I never think of it that way but I guess I do like traumatizing the character. I'm planning to make sakura hid the fact that she still has the cloak for future plot.

Xerzo LotCN: I think six members is already a pretty big harem, and I might stretch it to seven with Satsuki if I really want to push it. But any more than that, and it could get difficult to manage. Don't worry about screen time; I'll try to give everyone equal focus (except for Satsuki, who will get the most). The bonding will develop naturally as the story progresses. Naruto will become a Fuinjutsu master, so dealing with Anko's mark will be a breeze once he does some research. How he discovers Hiraishin will be covered later, and he'll master it before the Konoha Crush arc. He'll also gain other chakra natures later on, with a twist of my own. I don't want the harem part to be as simple as everyone just agreeing to it right away. As I mentioned earlier, I'll give them some 'traumatic experiences' to nudge them into it (read as 'plot,' XD). Of course, they'll all eventually agree, but it won't be that easy. I loved all your long reviews, man, but I can't respond to everything without giving away spoilers :(.

Zipzapdoowoop: The revelation will be far in the future but I'll do my best not to ruin it :)

Race101: I could write the one with a single pairing using the old draft, but the story outline might be the same. but I don't think I can handle two projects at the same time, writing this fic already took most of my brain capacity. so either I finish this fic first which might take years then go to next one, or try making two fanfic at once which might prolong the time I need to finish or worst burn me out and write something poorly. of course I want to take first choice, finished story is better than an unfinished great concept. don't worry ill try to make the harem part bearable.

XiQiCi: I think Satsuki is a fine name and based on a real name, I don't think making a new name for FemSasuke way different will have better effect and also Sasuko is pretty forced IMO so I go with Satsuki. Satsuki will be the only gender-bender, I was thinking of making Orochimaru a female but then again he could be both or just genderless so I leave that concept. i was thinking of letting Mikoto live but then my outline would be ruined, Satsuki will be the only female Uchiha that is left. and as I narrate in chapter 11 iirc, female Uchiha will have a better chance to birth Sharingan wielder babies. with how I envisioned the political marriage Mikoto might be pulled into the political stuff, in short too complicated too lazy. one hell of a roller coaster indeed, as freedomringer said there will be traumas lmao. idk why but I sound very sadistic XD. Satsuki will be good but Naruto... you might need to find out yourself.

Hermionexe: Oh I completely forgot about AO3, don't worry I'll update there soon. but keep in mind I will update this platform faster then the other so drop a follow here.

Draconian: I'm not planning to put Sakura's parent in the council, we have Homura and Koharu as the representation so what Sakura's parent might say will go through them.

Fredward1: when I first write the bit I also think the same way. but then I can argue that Satsuki has this trauma where everyone close to her is taken away from her. Naruto being the only 'family' she got, of course, that trauma will come back again haunting her. thank you for pointing this out, now I have more ideas to edit to further show the traumatizing effect. of course, if I have time to edit the old chapter. I love these kind of critical reviews.

Krieger Techpreist: welp as this chapter turns out "at all costs" is easily erased with a little bit of manipulation XD.

hennessyswagg83: 'It wouldn't make sense for the Kyuubi attack to occur the way it did if Tsunade had delivered Naruto' Yes it is the twist in this fanfic, it will be revealed in the future how it turns out (at Tsunade arc), I think I do mix up the multi shadow clone and normal shadow clone as forbidden jutsu, I'll check it out and edit it later. 'Sakura parents were actually retired Chūnin' I don't know about this, well I know for a fact that they are heroes who die in Minato and Kushina's stead in the movies making them an outstanding shinobi (I think going as far as Sakura's father or mother is the fourth hokage with how sakura has the Hokage cape?) but that world is an upside down with mirroring concept made by Tobi. so I take that concept and if Sakura's parents is a great shinobi in other universes, they are small-time shinobi in the current world. I write them as failing the academy but great success in the business sector. WAIT, Lee, is a clan?! oh fuck I don't include their clan in my draft. oh well, whatever I don't want to think of another concept. I don't watch Boruto sadly. personally, Hinata is also not high on my pairing list. following the series I grew to love NaruSaku more because of the story, even though I like Ino but Sakura would be a more logical candidate for Naruto (if she grew up from her childish crush). to me, NaruHina is a bit forced but the only reason I included her in this harem just because of political stuff, eye inheritance which will be explained later and also because she is the reincarnation of god. She is pretty low on my ship list. Yakumo... I actually pretty conflicted about her, but then I decided I would skip her entirely.

HurZysn: The wave arc will start in the next chapter. but I'm planning to skip most of the fight, well I have already done chapter 17, I skimmed the Twin Mist Chunin fight and the first Zabuza fight. to add more of my plot. I'm planning to write until chapter 20 first (17 to 20) to finish the arc because it will have a major going back-and-forth plot, and I don't want to forget important stuff. it might take a while.

Anyway, thanks for all the reviews and PMs, expect more in the future. CIAO