Kakashi's face darkened when he only managed to snatch back one bell.
This meant he'd have to take on at least one S-rank mission as punishment after the test. S-rank missions were no walk in the park.
He glanced at Hinata, the main culprit, wondering if he could find an opening to snatch the bell back. Unexpectedly, she had already tucked it safely away into the inner pocket of her jacket.
'How the hell am I supposed to steal that?' Kakashi thought angrily.
With the bell buried in her inner pocket, what could he possibly do? If he dared to try something bold, Jie would probably peel his skin off the very next second.
Since that bell was a lost cause, he absolutely had to protect the remaining one. One S-rank mission was better than two, after all. Seeing Naruto and Sasuke charging at him, Kakashi went on high alert.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld"
Kakashi's hands blurred as he rapidly formed hand signs, instantly transforming the training ground into a thick mire, halting Naruto and Sasuke's advance.
"Lightning Release: Ground Current"
Since water conducted electricity, Kakashi plunged his hand into the muddy swamp, sending arcs of lightning jumping rapidly across the surface.
"Shadow Clone Technique"
In the critical moment, Naruto formed a hand seal. Four shadow clones hoisted Sasuke and the real Naruto into the air, narrowly avoiding the first wave of the electric shock.
Observing Naruto's tactic from a distance, Jie couldn't help but shake his head.
While it seemed like Naruto had cleverly avoided the electricity, shadow clones flawlessly transferred their physical sensations back to the original body upon dispersing.
By summoning four clones into an electrified swamp, Naruto was setting himself up to experience four times the agony once the jutsu ended.
Sure enough, as the current passed, the four clones stiffened and simultaneously vanished in a puff of white smoke.
"Gah!" Naruto cried out in pain as quadruple the paralysis surged violently through his nervous system.
Seeing Naruto's state, Sasuke was confused but immediately put his offensive on hold. He grabbed Naruto and moved him to an empty, dry patch of ground.
"Naruto, are you okay? Can you still fight?" Sasuke asked, his face full of concern.
Hearing Sasuke's words, Naruto's limbs twitched uncontrollably, but he managed to force a grin. "Don't worry, the great me isn't defeated that easily."
Sasuke was still worried but nodded anyway. If Naruto said so, he chose to believe him. However, after setting Naruto down and scanning the area, Sasuke realized Kakashi had vanished.
"Where did he go?" Sasuke stood up straight, his crimson Sharingan spinning as he scanned his surroundings warily. He found no trace of Kakashi, not even on the ceiling beams above.
"Sasuke, watch out below!" Hinata yelled, having safely stowed her bell and rejoined the fray.
Although she had already secured a bell and successfully passed, Naruto and Sasuke were her childhood friends.
She couldn't just stand by and watch them struggle alone. They would figure out the rest once they pried the final bell from Kakashi's hands.
Naruto and Sasuke could decide between themselves who would graduate and who would return to the Academy.
Hearing Hinata's warning, Sasuke hastily tried to evade. But it was too late. Kakashi's hand burst from the earth, latching onto Sasuke's ankle and violently yanking him down.
"Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique"
In a flash, Sasuke's entire body was dragged beneath the soil, leaving only his head poking out of the ground.
"That's one down!" Kakashi's Sharingan glinted. Ignoring the immobilized Sasuke, he pivoted and lunged straight for Naruto.
Hinata already had a bell and had passed the test... as long as he incapacitated Naruto, this exam would be over. To avoid adding another S-rank mission to his plate, Kakashi was going all out.
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm"
In her haste, Hinata fired a compressed wave of chakra between Kakashi and Naruto, forcing Kakashi to halt his advance. She darted forward at top speed, inserting herself between the two to buy time for Naruto to recover.
"Hinata, you've already passed the exam. There's no need to push yourself this hard," Kakashi reasoned.
He didn't want to fight her unless absolutely necessary. For one, who had the heart to brutally attack a cute little girl?
Secondly, dragging this out would invite too many variables, and he wasn't about to risk a second S-rank penalty over a moment of carelessness.
But the stubbornness written on Hinata's face made her intentions clear. Those who abandoned their missions were scum, but those who abandoned their comrades were worse than scum. That was the core lesson she carried with her.
Seeing her resolve, Kakashi couldn't help but sigh. "Then don't blame me, Hinata." His demeanor instantly shifted, his movements becoming broad and aggressive.
"Leaf Shadow Dance"
Kakashi was a true all-rounder in ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. While his physical arts weren't on par with Might Guy's, he was still an elite Jonin.
Facing Kakashi's ferocious assault, a hint of solemnity flashed in Hinata's pale eyes, but she showed no panic.
"Eight Trigrams Four Palms"
"Eight Trigrams Eight Palms"
"Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms"
Kakashi's chakra flow was fully exposed beneath Hinata's Byakugan. With incredibly fluid strikes, she continuously aimed to seal the tenketsu regulating his chakra.
Kakashi, well aware of how dangerous the Gentle Fist was, evaded meticulously, ensuring she couldn't land a solid blow.
Exploiting the gaps in his evasion, Kakashi's hands blurred into seals...
"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique"
Hyper-focused on her offense, Hinata was caught off guard. She immediately fell under Kakashi's genjutsu, her fluid movements grinding to a sluggish halt.
However, Kakashi didn't bother capitalizing on the opening to retrieve her bell...it was tucked deep in her clothes, and he wasn't about to cross that line.
Incapacitating Naruto remained the easiest path to victory.
Watching Hinata and Sasuke get taken out while trying to protect him, Naruto finally snapped.
'Is the number one unpredictable ninja finally making his move?' Jie thought.
He watched Naruto abruptly shake off the paralysis, vertical fox-slits forming in his blue eyes. Jie immediately understood... the Nine-Tails' chakra was leaking out.
"An outburst?" Kakashi's eye narrowed seriously.
Fueled by the Nine-Tails' chakra, Naruto charged recklessly at Kakashi. In his blind rage, he accidentally stepped on a piece of debris from a shattered earth wall.
Moving at immense speed, Naruto instantly lost his footing, tumbling and spinning like a torpedo through the air, hurtling right at Kakashi.
Kakashi hadn't anticipated this bizarre turn of events. Watching Naruto barrel-roll straight toward him, his hands subconsciously formed the Seal of the Tiger.
A second later, it was a perfect fit...
Upto 40 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/Vristikk