Naruto was about to explode. He had been waiting for almost three hours. He had counted the cracks in the ceiling (twenty-seven), tried to guess how many leaves were on the tree outside (too many), and even attempted to have a telepathic conversation with the fly buzzing near the blackboard (the fly didn’t cooperate). His energy, with nowhere to go, was turning into pure, raw frustration.

“This is ridiculous,” he muttered for the fifteenth time, swinging his legs. “Are you sure Iruka-sensei told us to wait here? Maybe our new sensei forgot about us! Or maybe he was kidnapped by ninja pirates!”

Sakura, sitting beside him, sighed. The surprisingly pleasant conversation they’d had while waiting had reached its natural limit. Now, all that remained was the harsh reality of Naruto’s impatience.

“There’s no such thing as ninja pirates, Naruto,” she said, her voice tinged with exhaustion. “And yes, Iruka-sensei was very clear: ‘Wait in the classroom for your jōnin-sensei.’ This is probably another test. To see if we have the patience of a shinobi.”

“Well, I don’t have any!” he retorted. “My patience went out for ramen two hours ago and hasn’t come back!”

Sasuke, at the other end of the row of seats, hadn’t moved an inch all morning. He remained with his eyes closed, hands clasped in his lap, a statue of cold indifference. But Sakura, watching him, noticed the slight twitch in his jaw muscle. He was fed up, too. He just showed it in a much quieter, more menacing way.

Just as Naruto was about to stand up and declare a hunger strike, the classroom door slid open without a sound.

A tall, lanky figure was leaning against the frame, as if he’d been there for a while. His hair was a logic-defying shade of silver, and a single dark, lazy eye observed them from over the edge of a small orange book.

“Team 7, I presume?” his voice was a lazy drawl, almost bored. “Wow, you didn’t leave. Good for you.”

Naruto leaped to his feet.

“YOU’RE LATE!”

The silver-haired man looked up from his book, showing no surprise at the outburst.

“Oh, am I? Sorry about that. A black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way around to avoid bad luck.”

The excuse was so absurd, so blatantly false, that it left Naruto speechless for a moment. Sakura frowned, her curious mind trying to analyze the strange character before them. Is he really this lazy, or is he putting on an act?

“My name is Kakashi Hatake,” the jōnin said, snapping his book shut with a soft click. “From now on, I’ll be your sensei. Meet me at Training Ground 3 in five minutes. Try not to get lost.”

And with a swirl of leaves that seemed to appear from nowhere, he was gone.

The silence he left behind was almost louder than his presence. Naruto blinked.

“Whoa… that was so cool! And weird! Let’s go!”

****

Training Ground 3 was a place steeped in history. The three wooden posts in the center, worn and scarred by countless blows, stood like silent witnesses. Beyond them, the Heroes’ Stone gleamed under the midday sun, a granite reminder of the price of wearing the headband they now wore. The gentle murmur of the nearby river was the only sound.

Kakashi was already there, waiting for them by the posts. A small alarm clock in his hand chirped shrilly, marking noon exactly. He turned it off and placed it on top of one of the posts.

“Right on time,” he said, his eye curving into a smile. “Good. Let’s begin.”

He pulled two small bells from his pocket. They tinkled softly, their silver sound cutting through the air.

“Your objective is simple. You have until this clock rings again at three to take these two bells from me.”

Sakura frowned instantly. Wait a minute… two bells? There are three of us. This doesn’t make sense.

“Whoever doesn’t get a bell by then,” Kakashi continued, his tone turning sinister, “won’t get any lunch. In fact, I’ll tie them to one of these posts and eat my lunch right in front of them. And, of course, they’ll fail and be sent back to the Academy.”

Naruto clenched his fists. What?! He wants us to fight over food?! This guy’s crazy! We’re supposed to be a team!

“You can use any weapons, including shuriken and kunai,” Kakashi added, his gaze sweeping over them. “If you don’t come at me with the intent to kill, you won’t stand a chance.”

The pressure in the air became suffocating. Sakura felt a chill run down her spine. Intent to kill… He’s not kidding. But the test still doesn’t make sense. Why would Konoha want to form teams of selfish ninja who betray each other for a bell? It’s not logical. It has to be a trick. There’s something he’s not telling us.

Sasuke, on the other hand, saw no trick. He saw a challenge. Two bells. One for me. The other is irrelevant. I just have to be faster and stronger than him. Simple.

“Any questions?” Kakashi asked.

“Yeah!” Naruto shouted. “It’s not fair that there are only two bells!”

Kakashi looked at him, his smile widening. “Exactly. A ninja’s life isn’t fair. Get used to it.”

He placed his hand on the alarm clock.

“When I say ‘start,’ you may begin.”

A tense silence fell over the clearing. The wind whispered through the trees. The sun glinted off the metal of the bells.

Naruto bent his knees, energy coiling in his legs. I’ll show this weirdo what a real team is! I’ll get those bells for everyone!

“Ready…”

Sakura took a step back, looking for the perfect angle to disappear into the trees. I have to think. I have to find the real answer.

“…START!”

In a split second, Sasuke vanished, a black blur that melted into the shadows. Sakura also leaped back, seeking the cover of the forest to observe and analyze the situation.

Naruto, however, didn’t move. He stood planted in the middle of the clearing. And then, with a defiant grin on his face and a battle cry that sent birds scattering from the trees, he prepared to charge.

Here I go! I’ll show him what teamwork is my way!

He was about to launch himself forward, an orange whirlwind of pure determination, when an unexpected force stopped him in his tracks. A hand had grabbed the collar of his jacket from behind, yanking him back with surprising strength.

“What the—?!”

Before he could finish the sentence, he was dragged backward, stumbling, until the dense cover of a thicket swallowed them both. He landed unceremoniously on a pile of leaves.

“Sakura-chan! What’s wrong with you?!” he whisper-shouted, furious. “The action was about to start! He’s going to find us!”

“Shut up!” she hissed back, her own voice a tense whisper of panic and adrenaline. She was crouched beside him, her face inches from his, her green eyes shining with a fierce intelligence. “Are you crazy!? Were you really going to charge him head-on?”

“Of course I was! That’s the test! We have to fight him!”

“No, the test can’t be ‘go get yourself killed’!” she insisted, pointing through the leaves with a trembling finger. “Look at him, Naruto! He’s a jōnin! An elite jōnin! He’d tear us to pieces before we could even blink! And he’s not even paying attention to us!”

Naruto looked. Kakashi hadn’t moved. He was still in the same spot, his orange book back in his hand, reading calmly as if he were on a picnic. He wasn’t looking for them. He didn’t seem the least bit concerned.

Sakura’s logic, though a direct blow to his pride, was… undeniable.

“But… but if we don’t fight, how are we going to get the bells?” he asked, his frustration mixing with confusion.

“I don’t know! But definitely not like that!” she said. “He wants you to do that. He’s expecting the ‘loudmouthed idiot’ to charge right in so he can humiliate you and get you out of the way. If you do what he expects, you’ve already lost.”

Naruto fell silent, processing her words. He looked at Sakura. He saw the seriousness in her eyes, the way her brain was working at top speed. She wasn’t insulting him. She was warning him. She was acting like a teammate.

“So… what do we do?” he asked, his tone losing its indignant edge. “Just hide here like cowards? I’m not a coward.”

“It’s not cowardly, it’s smart,” she replied, her voice growing more confident as she saw he was listening. “We can’t beat him in a fight. It’s impossible. But he’s arrogant. Overconfident. That’s his only weakness, and our only chance. We have to be smarter than him.”

“Smarter?” Naruto repeated.

“Yes. We need a plan. An ambush. Something he won’t see coming. That’s what a real team of ninja would do, right? Think. Attack together.”

The idea began to take shape in Naruto’s mind. A plan. An ambush. It sounded… a lot cooler than just running and screaming.

“So, we’re not running away…” he said slowly, testing the words.

“No,” Sakura confirmed. “It’s a tactical retreat.”

A huge grin spread across Naruto’s face.

“A tactical retreat! I like it! That sounds super professional! Believe it! Good idea, Sakura-chan!”

They moved deeper into the woods, moving with a stealth Naruto rarely used. They found a sheltered spot, a hollow between three large, moss-covered boulders. From there, they had a partial view of the clearing.

“Okay,” Sakura whispered, her mind now completely focused on the problem. “The terrain. The river is to the south; its noise can mask our movements. The trees are tall, good for an attack from above. We need a distraction… something big, something that will force him to move from his spot and take this seriously.”

Naruto smacked his fist into his palm.

“I’ve got it! My specialty! Shadow Clones!” he said in an excited whisper. “I can make a ton of them! A whole army! I’ll send them to attack from the west, on the other side of the field! They’ll make so much noise he’ll have to pay attention to them!”

Sakura looked at him, her green eyes widening slightly in surprise.

“That’s… that’s not a bad idea. A massive diversion… it could work.”

“And I can hit hard!” Naruto added proudly. “I’ve been training in secret! I can make the distraction super convincing! He’ll think the real me is over there, and then, while he’s busy… you set up the real trap!”

The plan, though simple, was solid. Sakura nodded, a strange sense of camaraderie forming between them.

“Alright. I’ll need time to set up some wire and basic traps near the river. If you can keep him busy for five minutes…”

Just then, a movement in the branches of a nearby tree caught their attention. It was Sasuke. He was crouched there, watching the clearing, completely unaware of their presence.

Naruto, in his new and fervent team spirit, didn’t hesitate.

“Wait here!” he whispered to Sakura.

Before she could stop him, he slipped between the rocks and moved with surprising stealth to the base of Sasuke’s tree.

“Hey! Sasuke!” he whispered up.

Sasuke glared down at him, his face a mask of cold irritation.

“What do you want, loser? Get lost.”

“We have a plan! It’s foolproof!” Naruto insisted, ignoring the insult.

“Then it’s perfect for you. I’m not interested,” Sasuke replied, turning his attention back to the clearing.

“Come on, Teme! It’s a good strategy!” Naruto said, quickly explaining. “I’ll create a massive diversion with my clones from the west! Sakura will set up a wire trap near the river! If you attack from the east while he’s confused, we can get the bells! All three of us, together!”

Sasuke looked down at him again. His black eyes were filled with a disdain so deep it was almost palpable.

“Don’t drag me into your loser games. I don’t need your help, and I definitely don’t need hers. Get lost before you blow my position and ruin my chance to get a bell on my own.”

Naruto was speechless. The rejection was so absolute, so cutting, that it hurt. He turned and walked back to Sakura, his face a mixture of disappointment and renewed fury.

“That arrogant jerk!” he muttered. “Fine! We’ll do it ourselves! We don’t need him! We’ll show him what we’re made of!”

He crouched down next to Sakura again. They looked at each other, and for the first time, there was no mockery or annoyance between them, but a new understanding. The first and most unlikely alliance of Team 7 had been forged.

“Okay, Naruto,” Sakura whispered, her voice filled with a new, fierce determination. “Ready to show our sensei what two ‘losers’ can do?”

Naruto looked at her, and his frustration melted away, replaced by a wild, confident grin.

“Believe it!”