Kakashi was starting to feel like he couldn't handle Team 7 anymore. He even planned to track down the Sandaime Hokage to admit he wasn't up to protecting Kazama—because, frankly, Kazama was stronger than him. How do you protect someone who's already more badass than you are?
"Kakashi-sensei—"
"Enough, Kazama! Don't say another word. I'm done!"
Before Kazama could finish, Kakashi cut him off.
"But Kakashi-sensei, I can't stop yet."
"What?! Kid, are you serious? I'm begging you, let me off the hook! I still haven't finished the second half of Icha Icha Paradise! I'm not ready to die young!"
"But I haven't grabbed the bells yet!"
"Fine, take the bells! Just let me go!"
Kakashi hurriedly unhooked the bells from his waist and handed them to Kazama.
"Naruto, Sasuke, these bells are for you guys."
"What?!"
Sasuke and Naruto couldn't believe their ears when Kazama offered them the bells. After all, failing to get a bell meant getting kicked out of the program.
Kazama already knew the bell test was about teaching them the importance of teamwork. But even if he hadn't, he'd still share the bells with his teammates. To him, his comrades' lives were always more important than any mission.
"I know Naruto's dream is to become Hokage. If you can't even graduate from the academy, how're you gonna make that happen?"
Since he was giving them the bells, Kazama figured he'd throw in some heartfelt words. Cheesy or not, he meant every bit of it.
"And Sasuke, if you've got a revenge target, you're not gonna get there by staying in the ninja academy. You need to graduate too."
"Sakura, I'm sorry. There's only two bells, so I couldn't do anything for you."
"Kazama, you really are my brother! But without you, being a genin by myself wouldn't mean much. I don't want this bell."
Naruto handed the bell back to Kazama.
"My Uchiha clan doesn't accept handouts. But… thanks anyway."
Sasuke followed suit, passing his bell back to Kazama.
"Kazama, you're starting to look a lot cooler than before."
Even though Sakura didn't get a bell, her opinion of Kazama had completely changed.
"This Kazama kid… he's really something."
Kakashi hadn't expected Kazama to share the bells. It perfectly passed his test: never abandon your comrades, no matter what.
"Kakashi-sensei, so the four of us…"
"You four all pass!"
"What?! But we…"
Sakura could hardly believe Kakashi's decision.
"Those who break the rules in the ninja world are called trash. But those who abandon their comrades? They're worse than trash. That's why all four of you pass!"
"Seriously?! Awesome!"
Naruto was the first to cheer at Kakashi's verdict.
"Starting tomorrow, we'll officially begin taking on missions!"
"Yes, sir!"
After they disbanded, Kazama didn't head home. Instead, he went straight to the Sandaime Hokage's office. He wanted to secure the Land of Waves mission as soon as possible to recruit Zabuza and Haku.
Not only would this boost his own strength, but it'd also give him two powerful allies to take on Danzo. Sure, in the manga, Team 7 was bound to go to the Land of Waves eventually. But with Kazama, a transmigrator, in the mix, who knew what changes might happen? He had to take the initiative.
"You little punk, sneaking in without even a hello?"
Even though Kazama had slipped past the ANBU guards, the Sandaime Hokage still caught him.
"Hokage-sama, with your skills, I figured you'd know I was here even without a heads-up."
"Alright, you little rascal, quit buttering me up."
The Sandaime chuckled.
"I know you don't show up unless you want something. So, what's up?"
"Hokage-sama, if there's a mission to the Land of Waves, please assign it to Team 7. I want to get some real-world experience."
"With your strength, you still need experience? And specifically in the Land of Waves?"
The Sandaime smirked to himself at Kazama's request. He didn't know why Kazama was so set on that mission, but he figured the kid had his reasons. Since he was determined to win Kazama over, he wasn't about to turn him down.
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