This Naruto is too easily persuaded.

Inside the training ground.

Kakashi sighed, his eyelids drooping, and raised his hands in a helpless surrender.

"Alright, since you've already gotten the bell, you win this exercise."

Upon hearing this, Sasuke, who was still on guard in the distance, finally relaxed.

He plopped down on the ground, panting heavily.

The battle just now was brief.

But the suffocating feeling of surviving amidst poisonous gas and explosions put him under far more pressure than the battle itself.

Sakura also crawled out of the bushes, dusted herself off, and was filled with mixed emotions.

"but……"

Kakashi abruptly changed the subject, his one eye narrowing slightly, revealing a sly glint:

"Naruto, there are only two bells."

He pointed to the bell in Naruto's hand, then to Sasuke and Sakura beside him:

"According to the rules, only the person who gets the bell is qualified, and there are three of you."

"In other words, even if you defeat me, one of you is destined to have to go back to school to repeat a year."

Kakashi's voice turned serious:

"So, as the holder, how do you plan to allocate the only two bells?"

Kakashi is testing the waters.

Although these three kids displayed amazing tactical skills, ninjas need more than just strength...

"This is simple."

Naruto didn't hesitate for a second, or even glance at it, and casually tossed it away.

Ring ring.

The bell traced a parabola in the air.

Sasuke and Sakura instinctively reached out and each caught a bell.

The two were stunned.

Kakashi was also stunned.

"Naruto, what's wrong with you...?"

Kakashi looked at Naruto, whose hands were empty.

"I don't need it."

Naruto adjusted his glasses, his tone calm:

"For me, the identity of 'ninja' is not necessary."

"If it's just for the title of 'genin,' I have to abandon my teammates who I just fought alongside..."

"I'm sorry, I can't do that."

With that, Naruto turned and left, leaving behind only his back view and a sentence carried on the wind:

"If I want to become stronger, I can do it anywhere."

Sunlight fell on Naruto's back, elongating his shadow.

"Naruto..."

Sakura's eyes instantly reddened.

At this moment, his image was elevated infinitely in Sakura's eyes, even surpassing Sasuke's.

She looked at the bell in her hand, then at Naruto, who had given up his qualification for them.

An unprecedented feeling of shame and gratitude welled up within me.

I want to be as handsome as him!

Gritting her teeth, she abruptly threw the bell back to Kakashi:

"I don't want it anymore."

Sakura shouted loudly, her voice trembling with tears, but unusually firm:

"If it means sacrificing Naruto to gain the right to be a ninja, I'd rather not have it!"

"At worst... at worst I'll just go back and repeat a year! I'm still young!"

With that, Sakura turned and chased after Naruto.

Sasuke, standing to the side, instinctively clenched his fist.

That guy he once considered a loser now not only crushes him in terms of strength.

Now they even want to humiliate him in terms of his magnanimity?

"snort."

Sasuke snorted and casually tossed the bell to the ground, making a crisp clanging sound.

"I'm not interested either."

He struggled to his feet, his gaze fixed intently on Naruto.

"A loss is a loss, I don't need your charity."

"I will train on my own until I qualify through my own abilities."

After saying that, Sasuke slowly left.

Kakashi was the only one left on the field, along with two bells abandoned on the ground.

Looking at the scene before me.

Three boys with very different personalities are standing together because they don't want to abandon their comrades.

Beneath Kakashi's mask, a relieved smile suddenly appeared on his tense lips.

"In this ninja world, those who break the rules are usually called trash."

Kakashi picked up the bell from the ground, his tone becoming solemn and serious:

"But...a person who doesn't know how to cherish their companions is even worse than trash."

Sasuke and Sakura turned around abruptly and looked at Kakashi in surprise.

"so……"

Kakashi smiled and gave a thumbs up:

"You are all qualified!"

"Huh?!"

Sakura was stunned for a moment, then reacted and burst into a huge cheer:

"Great! We can all become ninjas now!"

"Naruto, Sasuke, let's be together!"

Although Sasuke didn't say anything, his tense body relaxed considerably.

A barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Alright, since you've passed, let's dismiss everyone."

Kakashi waved his hand.

Then, looking at the devastated training ground, he smiled bitterly:

"As for the repair costs here... I will apply to the Hokage."

"Meet at the Hokage Building at 8:00 AM tomorrow to receive your first mission."

"yes!"

Sakura shouted excitedly.

Sasuke nodded and turned to leave.

Just then, Naruto, who had been standing there, nodded politely to Kakashi:

"Well then, see you tomorrow, teacher."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

Kakashi waved his hand casually.

Bang.

A slight muffled thud.

Before the three of them's astonished eyes, Naruto suddenly turned into a cloud of white smoke and drifted away with the wind.

"Shadow...shadow clone?"

Sakura's cheering sound got stuck in her throat, and her eyes almost popped out.

Sasuke suddenly stopped and turned to look at the dissipating smoke.

His lips twitched violently.

"What a joke... Naruto..."

"From just now, Naruto, who talked to them about magnanimity, gave a moving speech, and made crucial decisions..."

It was just a shadow clone?

Kakashi froze on the spot, his dead fish eyes wide open.

A bead of cold sweat slid down his forehead.

"Feeding...no way?"

"Using shadow clones in battle is one thing, but it's already over, and they've even announced that the team has passed and is disbanding..."

"The one left here to talk to us is actually a shadow clone?"

That's way too cautious!

Is this what you mean by "hating accidents"?

Are you afraid I'll stab you in the back after this is all over?

……

at the same time.

Five hundred meters away from the training ground, in the dense canopy of a tree.

The real Naruto was sitting cross-legged on a tree trunk, reading a book.

He would occasionally sip some black tea and stuff the soldier's rations into his mouth like snacks.

"Oh? All done?"

As the memories transmitted by the shadow clone flooded into his mind.

Naruto pushed up his glasses, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

"The surrounding environment is safe."

"All qualified."

"Based on the test, the instructor, a Jonin, has a good personality and values ​​loyalty."

Naruto gathered up the clutter, clapped his hands, looked towards the training ground, and whispered.

"In this world full of lies and deception, one must be careful in every situation."

"Only when the body is in a safe environment at all times can we show respect for life."

"but……"

The boy, who never showed his face but controlled the entire rhythm of the game, leaped down from the tree.

"Now that it's confirmed to be safe, and we'll be carrying out missions together in the future..."

"If they don't show up..."

Naruto casually straightened his clothes and smoothed his hair.

That's incredibly rude.