Chapter 37: Sakura
Kakashi's gaze was fixed on Sasuke when he spoke about the test.
Sasuke understood that Kakashi was eager to gauge his true strength.
Not long ago, Sasuke had signed in on Kakashi and obtained [Lightning Release: Chidori]. If he were to use this move, Kakashi would probably be so shocked that he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
Stay low-key.
As long as he could snatch a bell and make Kakashi realize that they were on the same level, that would be enough.
Excess is never good.
...
Kakashi led Team 7 to the training field.
Only Kakashi and Naruto stood alone.
...
But they were used to it, so it didn't matter anymore.
Uzumaki Naruto wanted to prove himself. He turned to Kakashi and said, "Kakashi-sensei, let me go first."
Kakashi smiled. "Alright!"
"Naruto, although you've always been at the bottom of your class in the Ninja Academy, and even your passing this time was due to special circumstances—"
Kakashi acknowledged him, "But I know that your future will be anything but ordinary."
After all, Naruto was a Jinchūriki.
That alone meant he was destined to be more than just a failure.
Receiving Kakashi's recognition, Naruto was overjoyed.
"Sensei, get ready with the bells, I'm making my move."
Naruto had stolen the Scroll of Seals before and secretly learned a forbidden technique.
He had been secretly practicing it over the past few days.
Today was the perfect opportunity to showcase it and shock both Sakura and Sasuke.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto formed hand seals and created over a dozen clones, making for an impressive sight.
Combined with his natural hot-blooded spirit, his charge at Kakashi to snatch the bells felt especially impactful.
...
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu?"
Kakashi was both surprised and understanding. "So that night, you really did steal and learn the forbidden technique."
"Being able to master it so quickly and apply it in battle—impressive."
However, as an elite Jōnin, Kakashi was not someone a reckless kid like Naruto could defeat.
Not even a dozen shadow clones could lay a hand on him.
...
Sakura watched in astonishment.
"So many shadow clones… When did Naruto become this strong?"
...
Very soon, Naruto's attempt to snatch Kakashi's bells ended in failure.
No matter how hard he tried, he simply wasn't a match for Kakashi.
The gap was too large—both in strength and battle experience.
Actually, Sasuke had a reason for going last. He could use his Sharingan to copy Kakashi's taijutsu and attack patterns.
After all, Kakashi was an elite Jōnin of Konoha. Unless Sasuke immediately unleashed Nine-Tails Chakra or used the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, he had to take Kakashi seriously in a normal fight.
"Naruto, what's wrong? Out of steam already?"
Kakashi noticed that Naruto had exhausted his chakra due to overusing shadow clones. This was precisely why the technique was considered forbidden—it consumed a massive amount of chakra.
Unless Naruto could skillfully tap into the Nine-Tails' chakra, creating so many clones would only drain him quickly.
"Damn it!"
Naruto regretted, "I was so close."
Naruto had thought that with over a dozen shadow clones, snatching a bell from Kakashi would be easy.
He hadn't expected that a Jōnin's strength would be so terrifying.
"Sasuke, it's your turn!"
Kakashi turned to Sasuke with a serious expression.
Kakashi's real focus was on testing Sasuke's abilities.
Sasuke, however, turned to Sakura and asked, "Sakura, do you want to try first?"
Sakura had just witnessed Naruto's crushing defeat and lacked confidence. "I'm not even as strong as Naruto, I'm afraid…"
If this were before, losing to a Jōnin like Kakashi wouldn't be shameful, even if she got hurt.
In the original story, kunoichi often suffered heavy injuries.
But here, she had Sasuke.
Sasuke seemed to understand her hesitation. He smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, Sakura. Let's take on Kakashi together."
"Let's snatch all three bells and show Naruto that we're a team."
Saying this, Sasuke charged forward with Sakura in tow.
It was Sakura's first time working in tandem with someone during battle, so she wasn't very skilled.
But Sasuke was incredibly strong and could coordinate with her flawlessly.
Each move seemed simple on the surface.
But in reality, for Sasuke to perfectly coordinate with Sakura while attacking Kakashi was no easy feat.
After exchanging dozens of blows, Sakura had neither fallen nor gotten injured, and not even her clothes were dirtied.
Only her pink hair had been slightly tousled by the wind.
"Sasuke, your strength is beyond this…"
Just as Kakashi was about to go all out, he suddenly realized something—
Sasuke had been using his Sharingan the entire time while fighting alongside Sakura.
'So that's how it is… Sasuke is using his Sharingan to predict my attacks in advance and imitate my taijutsu, compensating for his lack of battle experience.'
'And at the same time, he's perfectly protecting Sakura.'
'A genius… Sasuke is undoubtedly a genius!'
Sasuke was incredibly composed, holding Sakura in his arms while fighting against Konoha's elite Jōnin, Hatake Kakashi, without falling into a disadvantage.
"This..."
Naruto, exhausted from using the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, was stunned.
Naruto had always known Sasuke was the top student in their class.
But to fight evenly against a Jōnin of Konoha—and protect Sakura without a scratch? Sasuke was unbelievably strong.
...
Hatake Kakashi, perhaps to regain his pride or to assess Sasuke's true strength, began using Ninjutsu along with Taijutsu in his attacks.
"Sasuke..."
Sakura felt uneasy—she could tell Kakashi was getting serious.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here!"
Sasuke tightened his hold on Sakura, formed a one-handed seal, and unleashed an even more dazzling Ninjutsu than Kakashi's.
He swung Sakura's legs directly at Kakashi's body.
Kakashi was about to use the Substitution Jutsu to escape.
But then Sasuke's Sharingan locked onto him!
[Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan]
In just an instant of hesitation—boom!—Kakashi was sent flying by Sakura's kick.
"..."
Sakura was utterly shocked. A newly graduated Genin like her had just kicked away an elite Jōnin of Konoha!
"..."
Naruto, watching from the side, was equally dumbfounded.
Sasuke had just defeated Kakashi while carrying a burden like Sakura!
Naruto had fought Kakashi first—he knew full well that this Kakashi was the real deal, a formidable Jōnin whose strength was immeasurable.
"Heh!"
Sasuke swiftly acted, taking advantage of Kakashi's defenseless moment to snatch all three bells from his body.
...
In the original story, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke had struggled to achieve this.
But here, Sasuke, while holding Sakura, had easily succeeded.
"Sasuke, you're amazing! You're my hero!"
Kakashi sat up, patted the dust off his clothes, and sighed, "Sasuke, you truly are incredible."
The Third Hokage was right about him.
Especially the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan Sasuke had just revealed—it was overwhelmingly powerful.
Kakashi couldn't resist it at all!
If Sasuke had been serious, Kakashi might not have been able to stay conscious—just like when he fell victim to Itachi Uchiha's Tsukuyomi in the original story.
...
"Here, Naruto, this is your bell."
Sasuke tossed one of the bells to Naruto. Naruto had no choice but to accept it—having a bell meant passing the test.
"Let's go, I'm tired from fighting. I'll treat you all to a meal."
Sasuke, now wealthy, was feeling particularly generous. He held Sakura close, his hand caressing her delicate figure over her clothes.
"Sakura, what do you want to eat?"
"Ichiraku Ramen or grilled meat?"
Kakashi stood up and said, "Even though Sasuke is as strong as I am, I'm still your Team 7 leader. Let me treat you to the first meal."
Sasuke smiled. "Sounds good."
Sakura thought for a moment and said, "I want grilled meat."
Sasuke looked at Naruto. "Naruto, you probably want Ichiraku Ramen, right?"
Naruto had no idea that Ayame, the daughter of Ichiraku's owner, was also part of Sasuke's harem.
Naruto chuckled bitterly. "I'm fine with anything."
Kakashi made the decision. "Alright, let's go for grilled meat."
As Kakashi spoke, he kept an eye on Sasuke and his intimate behavior with Sakura. He wasn't even blushing or out of breath.
'This Sasuke… His strength is terrifying!'
Kakashi found it hard to believe that Konoha had produced such a monstrous Genin.
...
Konoha, Grilled Meat Restaurant
The newly formed Team 7—Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi—gathered for a meal.
Kakashi, having seen much in life, was initially surprised by Sasuke and Sakura's relationship, but he was far more interested in Sasuke's strength.
And what kind of future a powerful Sasuke would bring to Konoha.
A person as fearsome as Sasuke—
Would either bring destruction or prosperity to the entire village.
What Kakashi worried about was how Sasuke would shape Konoha's fate.
...
The bonds of Team 7 were slowly forming.
Sasuke, despite his obsession with beautiful women, was still a normal person—he also needed some friendship and a semblance of a normal life.
...
After their meal, Kakashi originally planned to assign Team 7 to standard D-rank missions.
Tasks like finding lost cats, weeding gardens, and cleaning ditches.
But after witnessing Sasuke's overwhelming power—and his perverted nature—
Kakashi decided to abandon that plan.
Sasuke's time was precious. If he were forced to waste it on trivial chores, he definitely wouldn't be happy.
So, Kakashi turned to Naruto and said, "Naruto, since you're single, let's go handle Team 7's missions."
Naruto looked confused.
"Kakashi-sensei, just me?"
Kakashi explained, "They're just minor tasks—finding lost cats, weeding, cleaning. You can handle them alone."
"Sasuke, on the other hand, needs to focus on rebuilding the Uchiha clan with Sakura."
"…"
Naruto was speechless.
But in the end, he didn't refuse. Rather than staying and watching Sasuke and Sakura flaunt their relationship, it was better to train with Kakashi.
He needed to become stronger!
No matter how powerful Sasuke was, Naruto would never give up.
'Because I am Uzumaki Naruto—the one who never gives up!'
After Kakashi and Naruto left—
"Sasuke, let's continue at home."
However, her rational mind reminded her that intimate activities should be kept private.
"Alright!"
...
During the day, they had fought Kakashi for the bells and officially formed Team 7 with Naruto.
These were beautiful memories.
And they had deepened the bond between Sasuke and Sakura.