In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

‘What's Naruto doing spacing out at a time like this?’ Sakura lay in the grass, her face full of anxiety.

‘The test has already started, so why was he just standing there?’

Sasuke stood on a densely leafed tree, frowning as he watched Naruto, unsure of what he intended to do.

Kakashi squinted and smiled at Naruto, then asked, "Are you planningto take the bell by force?"

Naruto didn't say anything. No matter which of the two options the panel gave him, both are problematic.

If he wanted to forcibly take the bell from Kakashi, he would have to reach the strength of at least Elite Chunin, which meant that he would inevitably have to use Kyubi’s power.

If the condition for passing the test is that the whole team will pass as long as one person gets the bell, then he can give it a try.

However, Naruto already knew that Kakashi's intention was not this, and they needed to see him show a spirit of cherishing their companions and working together before he would let them pass.

Taking a step back, even if they got the bells from Kakashi, how would they divide them? There were only two bells.

Moreover, with Kakashi's personality, lying down and doing nothing might indeed lead to being judged as having a negative attitude and thus failing.

Mastering the rare Wood Release Kekkei Genkai could also bring a series of troubles. Danzo wouldn't leave him alone, and Sandaime wouldn't let him go either.

In that case, he’ll just use all my abilities! Sooner or later, he will still have to use Kyubi’s power.

Anyway, the higher-ups, including Sandaime, valued Naruto’s Uzumaki Clan's physique and his status as Kyubi’s Jinchuriki, and wanted to brainwash him into a staunch supporter of the village.’

Otherwise, they wouldn't have deliberately set up a trap to get Naruto to steal the Scroll of Seals, and even prepared the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique for him.

This thing is of little use to others. After all, if the Chakra is not enough, it is no different from an ordinary shadow clone.

[Kyubi's approval 2.2%]

This was the power he could use now.

"Get the bells!" Naruto bent his legs slightly and made a gesture of exerting force, "All I have to do is get the bells, right?"

"Of course." Kakashi flicked the bell on his waist and said with a smile, "Get one, and you pass the test."

"Then I'll take both!"

Kakashi felt that Naruto had suddenly become a different person when he spoke, and an extremely familiar feeling surged throughout his body.

The orange Chakra enveloped Naruto, making his face fade from view.

In an instant, Naruto's small body shot forward like an arrow, causing Kakashi's pupil to dilate. The grass at Naruto's feet was uprooted, and fresh earth flew up.

Naruto's speed was too fast. Under the influence of the Kyubi’s Chakra, his movements were astonishingly agile.

Almost in the blink of an eye, Naruto threw a punch, which Kakashi dodged by tilting his head. After the attack missed, Naruto swung his elbow horizontally, his body twisting violently in midair.

As the elbow missed, his left leg had already chopped down heavily.

"Naruto! He…!" Sakura, hiding in the grass, was stunned, her mouth agape.

A thought flashed through her mind, making her suddenly realize something, ‘If we wanted to take the bells from a Jonin, it would be impossible without Naruto.’

‘Now that Kakashi-sensei’s attention has been attracted by Naruto, I had to do something!’

This thought drove Sakura’s body into action. While circling around Kakashi, she reached for her ninja pouch.

Meanwhile, Sasuke, perched in the tree, had already thrown six shuriken at this time. The six shuriken sliced through the air, forming arcs that blocked Kakashi's escape routes.

Kakashi, still looking relaxed, suddenly increased his speed, deftly dodging the six shuriken Sasuke had thrown.

With a sharp sound, three kunai came flying. Sakura had synchronized her attack with Sasuke's rhythm, even though her position was less than ideal and she was too close to Kakashi.

Thud, thud, thud.

The three kunai embedded themselves in a tree trunk, missing their target.

"Genjutsu!" Sakura looked at the approaching Kakashi and hurriedly formed hand seals.

"Genjutsu!" Kakashi countered with hand seals of his own, using the same method against her. Of course, it was not a particularly advanced Genjutsu, but it was enough to overpower Sakura's level of skill. Trapped in the Genjutsu, Sakura froze and fell straight onto the grass.

"Too slow." Kakashi remarked as he effortlessly dodged Naruto's spinning kick, tilting his head to the side without even looking.

And at that moment, he reached out and grabbed Naruto's leg, then flung him forcefully.

However, instead of the expected scream, there was a puff of white smoke as Naruto transformed into a log upon hitting the ground.

‘Body Replacement Technique?’

Kakashi didn't even realize it was a Body Replacement Technique. Although he hadn't been entirely serious just now, he did grab Naruto's legs, and the texture actually fooled him!

He didn’t expect that the perfection of the Body Replacement Technique used by a kid, who wasn't even a Genin, was comparable to that of a battle-hardened Jonin.

‘Not bad.’ Kakashi thought, feeling somewhat proud.

But he soon realized something. He glanced down to see Sakura, who was under a Genjutsu not far away, being carried away by Sasuke.

"Caw!~" A crow flew overhead, its blood-red eyes looking down at the grass below, taking in the scene below.

Kakashi stood alone in the grass, the surroundings silent. At this time, Naruto and the others were nowhere to be seen.

‘So it was a diversion? The goal was to allow Sasuke to rescue Sakura.’ Kakashi cracked his neck, making a series of crisp sounds, and leisurely pulled out a copy of Icha Icha Paradise from his ninja pouch.

After taking a quick glance, Kakashi lazily called out, "Well, looks like you're getting the hang of it."

After saying that, he walked towards the river while shouting, "If you want the bells, you'll have to show some real skills."

In the bushes, Naruto looked at Sasuke and said unhappily, "What are you staring at me for? I can't break Genjutsu."

Before Naruto could finish his words, Sakura opened her eyes. Her pupils suddenly dilated, then contracted again. Upon seeing Naruto and Sasuke in front of her, she relaxed.

"Kakashi-sensei's hand seals were too fast." Sakura said with lingering fear.

Seeing Naruto and Sasuke staring at her, Sakura blinked and looked back. Seeing that no one was behind her, she asked in confusion, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"How did you wake up by yourself?" Naruto asked.

"Genjutsu can be broken," Sakura explained, "I'm quite good at it, so I managed to dispel the Genjutsu myself."

"It was mainly because Kakashi-sensei was holding back and didn't use his full strength."

Naruto was silent, ‘Sakura had indeed reached the limit for an ordinary person. She could reach this point without any special bloodline, all thanks to her good brain.’

Perhaps because of the blow she received yesterday, Sakura seemed much calmer currently. There was a hint of reluctance in her smile, and her face was full of fatigue.