After the meeting ended, everyone went their separate ways, heading home to rest up for the next day's test. Naruto practically ran back to his apartment, still buzzing with excitement.
Throwing himself onto his bed, he laid back with a wide grin on his face, his arms spread out as he stared at the ceiling. His legs kicked the air a few times, unable to contain his energy.
'I can't wait for tomorrow. Since I know what the real requirement to pass this thing is, I think it's smart if we plan everything out before the test begins,' he thought, his mind already racing with strategies.
Having every bit of knowledge about the future story might have sounded boring to others, but for Naruto, it was a massive advantage. It helped him immensely, especially during assignments like this, where one wrong move could lead to failure — or worse, being sent back to the Academy.
With his mind made up, he closed his eyes and entered his mental landscape to have a chat with the massive fox sealed within him.
To his pleasant surprise, the grim sewer setting from before had completely changed.
Gone were the dark, dripping walls and eerie metallic echoes. Instead, Naruto now stood in the middle of a beautiful, peaceful grass-field. The sky above was a bright, endless blue, dotted with white clouds lazily drifting by. A soft breeze carried the scent of wildflowers.
The massive iron cage that once imprisoned Kurama was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, the only thing visible was the large paper seal, still hovering in the air above, serving as a reminder that the seal was not entirely broken, but far more forgiving now.
Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Fox, lounged comfortably in the field, looking as relaxed as a predator after a hearty meal. His massive tails gently swayed behind him as his crimson eyes focused lazily on Naruto.
"Yo, furball," Naruto greeted casually as he sat down cross-legged on the soft grass.
"Hmph, you're unusually cheerful today, brat," Kurama said, a teasing smirk appearing on his fox-like muzzle. "How did your day go? Did those weaklings finally realize your greatness?"
Naruto chuckled. "Something like that. We got assigned to our teams, and guess what? I'm grouped with Sasuke and Sakura, and our sensei is Kakashi Hatake."
Kurama's ear twitched. "Hatake, huh? That lazy brat... This should be interesting."
Naruto laughed harder, lying down and staring up at the sky. They talked for a while, Kurama asking questions, genuinely curious about the outside world, while Naruto filled him in, sometimes exaggerating the more boring parts to make them sound cooler.
There was a warmth between them, an understanding that wasn't there before.
Though Kurama still teased and mocked him occasionally, Naruto could feel the old malice slowly washing away, replaced by something resembling companionship.
Eventually, Naruto's eyelids grew heavy. Mid-sentence, he let out a loud yawn, making Kurama snort in amusement.
"Sleep, kid. Tomorrow, you'll need all your strength," Kurama said, settling down with his chin on his paws.
"Yeah yeah, don't order me around," Naruto mumbled as he drifted off, a peaceful smile on his face.
...
The very next morning...
Naruto and the gang had arrived early at the training ground where they were supposed to meet.
The sun was still climbing into the sky, casting long, cool shadows across the open field. A soft breeze rustled the leaves of the nearby trees as they settled in, waiting.
As expected, Kakashi was nowhere to be found.
Sakura tapped her foot impatiently, arms crossed as she huffed in frustration. "Ugh, where is he? He's even later than yesterday!"
But despite her complaints, all three of them were calm. They had planned for this.
About an hour earlier, Naruto had been the first to show up, strolling casually into the clearing with his bag slung lazily over his shoulder.
"Yo," Naruto greeted with a grin as he dropped his bag beside a tree.
Sakura, who had been pestering Sasuke — who was trying to "aura farm" silently by standing motionless against a tree — immediately perked up.
"Naruto, hi!" she said, waving excitedly.
Sasuke simply gave a curt nod, his arms folded, his eyes still closed in focus.
Naruto smirked slightly, unbothered by Sasuke's usual attitude. He crouched down and opened his bag, pulling out a small notebook.
"I have a plan," Naruto began, getting their attention. "Iruka-sensei told me once that the real point of the Genin test is teamwork. Meaning, if we don't work together, we'll be screwed. But," he said, holding up a finger, "I did a little research on Kakashi-sensei too. Turns out, he hates people who betray their teammates more than anything else."
Sasuke's eyebrow twitched with interest, while Sakura leaned in, listening closely.
"So, with that in mind," Naruto continued, his voice dropping into a conspiratorial tone, "let's plan this smartly."
Without hesitation, the three of them huddled together, whispering and mapping out a strategy.
...
Now, back to the present — Kakashi finally arrived, casually walking toward them while reading a small orange book, his lone visible eye crinkled in amusement.
"Good morning," he said lazily, as if he hadn't kept them waiting for nearly two hours.
Without wasting time, he pulled out a small alarm clock and set it down on one of the tree stumps, carefully adjusting it for noon.
"I have here two small bells," Kakashi explained, holding up the tiny silver bells that jingled lightly in his hand. "Your task is to steal these from me before the timer rings. If you fail, you don't get lunch... instead, you'll be tied to that stump," he pointed, "and I'll eat your lunch right in front of you."
Sakura and Sasuke stiffened slightly at that, realization dawning on them.
'So that's why he told us not to eat breakfast!' they thought in unison, a bead of sweat forming on their foreheads.
Naruto, however, simply grinned to himself.
'I ate breakfast,' he thought smugly, patting his stomach proudly.
Kakashi continued, voice light but carrying an unmistakable weight.
"You just need to get one bell to pass. But since there aren't enough bells for all of you, at least one person will fail and be sent back to the Academy. Any questions?"
"No," Sasuke replied immediately.
"Nah," Naruto added with a shrug.
"No sir," Sakura finished, standing straight.
"Alright then..." Kakashi said as he pocketed his book and pulled his hitai-ate down over both eyes for a second before lifting it back up. "Ready... set... Go!"
The team immediately gathered together in a tight circle, surprising Kakashi, who had expected them to scatter immediately.
Naruto smirked as he whispered, "Alright, let's do what we planned."
Sakura and Sasuke both nodded firmly, ready.
Naruto turned to face Kakashi, who was watching them with mild curiosity.
There was no hesitation, no confusion between them — only coordination.
Kakashi's interest was piqued.
Then, Naruto grinned even wider and boldly said, "We won't do the test."
Kakashi blinked. "Hm?"
"Yeah," Sakura said, stepping forward. "Can't we do another test? One where all of us can pass together? What's the point of a test if one of us has to fail?"
"Facts," Sasuke muttered coolly, arms crossed.
Naruto visibly cringed at that.
'You are not cold, dude,' Naruto thought, struggling not to roll his eyes at Sasuke's forced edginess.
Kakashi, however, just stared at them, genuinely stunned.
No team he had ever tested had done this. Not one.
He stared at their serious expressions, a slow smile tugging at the corners of his lips beneath the mask.
'These kids... they're something else,' he thought warmly.
With a chuckle, he finally straightened up and said, "You pass."
The three of them blinked in surprise.
"For real?" Naruto asked.
"For real," Kakashi confirmed, pocketing the bells. "You understood the true meaning behind this test. Teamwork above all else. That's what being a ninja is about."
Naruto grinned triumphantly, Sakura beamed brightly, and even Sasuke's cool mask cracked enough for a small smirk to show.
Kakashi ruffled Naruto's hair playfully.
"I think I'm going to enjoy teaching this team," he said.
TO BE CONTINUED