Chapter 17
[Haruno Sakura anger value +28]
"Liar!! Will it take two hours to help an old lady cross the road?"
Haruno Sakura roared angrily, her expression resembling Iruka when he lost his temper.
"Of course it doesn't take that long to help an old lady cross the road," Naruto replied, shaking his head. "But that old lady fell down on purpose and tried to blackmail me for money. Of course, I had to argue with her."
The excuse rolled off his tongue so naturally that, even though neither Sakura nor Sasuke believed him, they couldn't find a way to refute it.
Naruto then sat down, leaning against a large rock, and opened the system's virtual panel.
[Anger value -100]
As he clicked the lottery draw button, the red pointer spun rapidly in a clockwise direction.
[Congratulations, you have obtained the S-rank ninjutsu: Shadow Clone Jutsu.]
Naruto blinked in surprise. He hadn't even learned it from the Scroll of Seals, yet the system had just handed it to him.
A rush of silver light flowed into his body, and in an instant, the hand seals, usage, and pros and cons of the Shadow Clone Technique were etched into his mind.
Still feeling lucky, Naruto clicked the lottery button again.
[Anger value -100]
[Wow! What an incredible spin! You've successfully won nothing! Truly a masterful display of luck!]
By the time he had used up 400 anger points, he hadn't won anything else.
[Congratulations! You've just set a new personal record… for the most useless spins in a row! Truly inspiring!]
Naruto's eye twitched. 'This damn system is mocking me now?!'
Still, he was more than satisfied with getting the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
'Getting the Shadow Clone Jutsu alone makes this worth it.'
The technique was one of Naruto's signature abilities in the original timeline, and now, he had obtained it by pure chance.
His chakra reserves were already at Kage-level. With the ability to create shadow clones, he could overwhelm opponents with sheer numbers, even if he wasn't stronger than them.
Time passed, and nearly half an hour later, Kakashi finally appeared.
Leisurely holding Make-Out Paradise in his hand, he walked toward them at an unhurried pace.
"Ah~~ I'm so sorry, a black cat blocked my way just now."
"Liar!!"
Sakura and Sasuke clenched their fists, their frustration evident.
But there was nothing they could do. Their teacher was just that unreliable.
"Sensei, I don't think you got lost," Naruto said, a smirk tugging at his lips. "You came late because you spent all night reading Make-Out Paradise."
"Da fuck—?!" Kakashi's eyes widened slightly.
'How does this brat know I stayed up all night reading?'
For a moment, he even wondered if Naruto had somehow spied on him. But that thought was quickly dismissed.
'Even if Naruto is sharper than his peers, there's no way he could observe me without me noticing.'
Awkwardly scratching the back of his head, Kakashi quickly changed the subject. He pulled out two small bells and hung them from his waist.
"Alright, the survival exercise officially begins now."
"Your goal is to take these bells from me before noon. Only those who succeed will pass the test."
Sakura's brows furrowed as she stared at the bells.
"Wait, Kakashi-sensei… you only have two bells, but there are three of us."
Sasuke rubbed his chin in thought.
"That means one of us will fail… and be sent back to the Academy?"
Kakashi nodded and pointed to three large wooden stumps not far away.
"That's right. The one who fails won't get lunch and will be tied to one of those tree stumps to watch the others eat."
"So that's how it is…" Sakura muttered, clutching her stomach.
She had actually believed Kakashi's words yesterday and skipped dinner. Now, not only was she starving, but she was also terrified of failing and being sent back to the Academy.
Naruto and Sasuke were obviously stronger than her, which meant her chances of grabbing a bell were slim.
"Alright, the survival exercise starts now!"
As soon as Kakashi gave the command, the three Genin immediately leapt into the surrounding bushes, hiding themselves.
"Sasuke, Sakura, follow me," Naruto whispered like a seasoned tactician.
"Why?" Sakura asked, confused.
"Naruto, even if you're stronger than me now, that doesn't mean I'll take orders from you," Sasuke said, crossing his arms.
Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose. "Right, because following my lead and not getting absolutely bodied by a Jonin is such a terrible idea."
Sasuke tensed. "Tch."
"Go ahead," Naruto gestured toward Kakashi. "Run in, get one-tapped, and I'll make sure to write 'Uchiha Sasuke: Gone But Not Forgotten' on your grave."
Sasuke twitched. 'This absolute dumbass… If his plan gets me killed, I'm haunting him.'
He knew Kakashi's test was actually about teamwork. If that weren't the case, he wouldn't have bothered explaining anything.
Sure enough, his words made both Sakura and Sasuke hesitate.
"You have a plan?" Sasuke asked, jumping to Naruto's side.
Sakura quickly followed.
"Listen carefully."
Naruto leaned in, whispered his plan, and then, without another word, sprinted into the bushes like a shadow in the night.
Sasuke and Sakura took a different route, slowly moving closer to Kakashi's position. They finally stopped behind a large tree, about thirty meters away from him.
"Huh?" Kakashi's sharp senses picked up the slight rustling of leaves.
He could clearly detect Sakura and Sasuke's movements. For a Jonin, their attempts at stealth were too weak.
'Where's the other one?'
Kakashi's eyes narrowed slightly, but he remained still, not in a rush to react.
"Come on! Let's have a showdown!"
Suddenly, an orange blur shot out from the left. Naruto, kunai in hand, charged straight at Kakashi like a hero in a kids' cartoon.
'Oh? I actually thought he'd be more careful,' Kakashi mused.
For a brief moment, he had given Naruto some credit for his earlier stealth, thinking the kid had a bit of tactical sense. But now, watching him sprint in like a discount action movie protagonist, Kakashi couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
'Ah. There it is. The stupidity.'
Without even looking up from his book, Kakashi effortlessly dodged Naruto's attacks while flipping through the pages of Make-Out Paradise.
'The second half of this chapter is pretty interesting…'
A quiet, perverted giggle slipped out. "Heh heh…"
Naruto froze mid-swing, horrified. "Oi… what the hell was that?"
After more than a dozen exchanges, Kakashi suddenly smirked.
In a flash, he appeared behind Naruto.
His index and middle fingers pressed together, forming a familiar hand seal.
Sakura's eyes widened in horror from her hiding spot.
'That's… the Tiger Seal? Wait, is Kakashi-sensei about to use Fire Style ninjutsu?! On a student?!'
Sasuke, too, broke into a cold sweat.
'Naruto… is this really your plan? Because from where I'm standing, it looks less like a strategy and more like a very creative way to die.'
He glanced at Naruto, who was still charging in like an idiot.
'Does he think Kakashi's going to trip and knock himself out or something?!'
(End of chapter)