The roaring flames swept indiscriminately over all of Naruto's clones and Kakashi's location.
Kakashi watched the flames with interest.
'Sasuke's fundamentals were solid, and his abilities were excellent, but compared to his brother, he was still far behind...'
Kakashi unleashed his full strength, darting behind Sasuke and grabbing his arm, flinging him away.
Then, he quickly summoned Pakkun.
"Go fetch that kunai."
Pakkun loved playing fetch.
While he wasn't Kakashi's fastest Ninja Dog, his short bursts of speed were more than enough to catch the kunai.
And as a tracking dog, his sense of smell was incredibly sharp.
Almost as soon as he was summoned, he had already assessed how many people were present and their locations...
Even as a dog, he had fought in wars and completed countless missions with Kakashi. He had the judgment for this.
However, he still gave Kakashi a slightly disdainful look, as if to say, "Bullying Academy students, really, Kakashi?"
However, he acted quickly, darting off and returning with the kunai in his mouth almost instantly.
The kunai, which had transformed back into Naruto, suddenly shouted, "Ow ow ow! Stop biting! Don't bite my butt, waaaah!"
Kakashi grabbed Naruto, who is now back in human form, and locked him in a chokehold, pausing the action.
Naruto struggled but couldn't break free, so he resorted to cursing Kakashi.
"You late jerk! Don't think just because you're a Jonin that I'm scared of you! I'm gonna be Hokage someday!"
Kakashi pulled out Icha Icha Paradise and said calmly, "Becoming Hokage isn't as simple as just saying it. You'll lose a lot along the way."
Naruto didn't understand what Kakashi meant. All he wanted was to break free and grab the bell.
Meanwhile, Sasuke, halfway to getting up from the ground, was gritting his teeth against the pain.
He saw the bell right in front of him.
A voice seemed to echo in his ears.
'Grab it, and you can graduate...'
'Grab it, and you'll become a Ninja...'
'Do you still want revenge? Don't forget that hatred!'
Sasuke reached for the bell.
Naruto, who is locked in Kakashi's grip, Kakashi himself, who is absorbed in his book, and Sakura, who had already passed the test, all watched this moment.
Sasuke clenched his teeth, the pain making his consciousness waver, but his hand moved even faster toward the bell.
Just as Kakashi was about to call it quits and let Naruto down, Sasuke's hand shot past the bell, grabbing the kunai beside it and throwing it with all his might at Kakashi's left hand… the hand holding Naruto!
"I… haven't lost yet!"
Facing the incoming kunai, Kakashi simply sidestepped to dodge it.
Naruto was stunned. For some reason, he felt a pang of emotion in his heart.
No one had ever... valued him this much before.
Whether it was the kind Teuchi at the ramen shop, the polite Hinata from the Hyuga Clan, or his friends from the Academy like Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji... they were all good friends.
But the fiery friendship Sasuke showed was something Naruto had never experienced.
Kakashi was also deeply moved. At this moment, the figure of this Uchiha boy overlapped with that of the goggles-wearing kid from his past.
'Those who don't cherish their companions are worse than trash!'
That powerful voice still echoed in Kakashi's mind.
…
Naruto, despite being choked and struggling to breathe, shouted, "Sasuke, grab the bell! I don't have a chance anymore! Just think of it as getting it for me! Please..."
After saying this, Naruto started coughing violently.
Sasuke, with his vision blurring, reached out and grabbed the bell, then held it up.
In a hoarse voice, he said, "The test is over. Let him go."
Kakashi was very happy in his heart. At this moment, the three of them had already passed.
After setting Naruto down, Kakashi said, "Is it over? Not quite. It's already noon."
As he spoke, Kakashi pulled out his phone and pointed to the time.
It clearly showed [12:02].
"However... since you completed the test, even though you went over time, I'll give you another chance in half an hour."
Kakashi then pulled out two lunch boxes and said, "The two people who got the bells just now are allowed to eat the lunch boxes, but Naruto cannot."
"If I catch you sharing your food with Naruto... I'll send all of you back to the Academy."
After saying that, Kakashi tied Naruto, who had just been put down, to a wooden post, and then disappeared from their sight.