Team 7 had officially been formed, but the atmosphere was downright awful.
Sakura, after listening to some advice from her parents and Ino last night, was as quiet as a mouse, blending into the background without a word.
Sasuke was just as silent, though his face was far more expressive, as if he were cursing everyone out with his eyes.
Naruto scratched his head, desperate to lighten the mood but completely clueless as to how.
Kakashi led the three of them to the training ground, pulled out two bells, and had just opened his mouth to speak when Sasuke muttered under his breath,
"Ugh, this stupid game again?"
Naruto and Sakura turned to stare at him in unison.
"No way, seriously? You guys don't know?" Sasuke said dramatically. "Three people fighting over two bells — it's a test every graduating class goes through. On the surface, it looks like it's about snatching bells, but in reality, it's testing teamwork and how much you value your comrades."
"Where'd you hear that from?" Sakura couldn't help but ask.
"The bell test has been around forever. Just ask any of the older graduates and they'll spill. There's even a standard strategy to pass — just act out some deep, heartfelt camaraderie. Piece of cake," Sasuke said casually, like he was giving a lecture. "Putting on a little show of friendship isn't hard."
"Honestly, it's basically a waste of time," he added helpfully.
Sakura's forehead twitched with exasperation. Kakashi gave Sasuke a glance and said,
"Uchiha Sasuke, do you not care about your teammates at all?"
"What's it matter if I do or don't?" Sasuke shot back with a smirk. "Not everyone can afford to break the rules — that's spelled out clearly in the shinobi code."
With Hatake Sakumo's tragedy fresh in mind, Sasuke clearly saw this bell test for what it was: empty, performative nonsense.
Kakashi was about to argue back when Sasuke cut him off, voice cool and sharp.
"I heard you killed one of your own teammates once, Kakashi-sensei. I'm guessing you understand where I'm coming from?"
The killing intent was palpable.
Naruto shuddered instinctively, locking eyes with Kakashi's darkening expression.Sasuke, meanwhile, smiled sweetly, completely unbothered.
"S-Sasuke..." Sakura tugged at his sleeve nervously. "Maybe... you should stop talking now."
Wouldn't it be better if he just stayed quiet and handsome?
"Oh, my bad," Sasuke said lightly. "I've just been in a bad mood lately. Turns out dumping my bad feelings onto other people really helps me stabilize."
Kakashi took a deep breath, struggling to suppress his anger, mentally chanting things like,
"He's the last of Obito's clan," and "Don't stoop to a brat's level..."
God, he was this close to punching him!
Kakashi decided to give this arrogant little punk a lesson he wouldn't forget.
Sasuke, for his part, looked absolutely delighted. What was the point of picking fights if you didn't have the skills to back it up?
"I heard from Ayame-neesan that Kakashi-sensei's face is really handsome... though honestly, I wonder if you even deserve her praise," Sasuke added with a smirk.
Kakashi flashed behind Sasuke instantly, ready to smack the back of his head —but just as his palm was about to connect, Sasuke's head twisted 180 degrees with a sickening crack. His lifeless eyes locked onto Kakashi's, and a grotesque smile stretched across his lips.
Kakashi nearly jumped out of his skin.
The next second, Sasuke collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut — completely motionless.
"AHHH!!!"
Sakura screamed in terror, pointing at Kakashi with a trembling finger.
"You—you killed Sasuke!"
Naruto's jaw dropped. Fear flickered in his eyes.
Standing behind Kakashi, neither he nor Sakura had seen what happened — just that Kakashi suddenly attacked and Sasuke's neck snapped.
"You bastard..."
Naruto growled, getting into a fighting stance —only to be yanked off balance by Sakura, who was already running for dear life.
Dragging Naruto behind her, Sakura bolted toward the Hokage's office, crying her eyes out the whole way.
Kakashi watched them flee with a weary sigh. Then he turned back to Sasuke's "corpse."
"...Alright, how long do you plan on playing dead?"
"Heh heh,"Sasuke sat up, his twisted neck still grotesquely bent. It was like something straight out of a horror movie.
...
"Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke asked, head tilted unnaturally, "mind if I ask why you seem to have such... hostility toward me?"
Kakashi frowned. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
Sasuke tapped his chin thoughtfully. "There's a lot of reasons, but I guess the biggest one... would be Uchiha Obito."
"Obito?"Kakashi froze, caught completely off guard.Of all the things Sasuke could have said, that name was the last he expected.
"He used to whisper bad things about you in my ear every single day. Hard not to develop a bit of resentment," Sasuke said with an exaggerated shrug.
"What... What did you just say?" Kakashi grabbed Sasuke by the shoulders, shaking him like a rag doll. "Obito—he's alive?!"
The memories flashed through Kakashi's mind in a storm:he had seen Obito crushed by that boulder with his own eyes — hadn't he?
Wait. No one had ever recovered Obito's body.
Could it be...?
Kakashi's mind ground to a halt.
Sasuke noted Kakashi's spiraling emotions. He had underestimated Obito's grip on Kakashi's heart. Former teammate, childhood friend... someone who had "died" for him. No wonder Kakashi looked ready to lose it.
When Kakashi finally regained his senses, he fixed Sasuke with a penetrating stare. Clearly, if Sasuke didn't start explaining fast, Kakashi wasn't above forcible interrogation.
Sasuke coughed lightly, adopting a storyteller's tone.
"Alright, alright. It all starts with the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, in his later years—"
"Chotto matte!" Kakashi yelled, cutting him off. "The Second has been dead for decades! He sacrificed himself to protect his disciples — there was no 'later years!'"
"Heh." Sasuke let out a cold laugh. "Kakashi-sensei, don't you find it strange? The current leadership of Konoha is made up entirely of the Second Hokage's old guard. As his bodyguards, protecting the Hokage's life was literally their job."
"And yet?"
"They not only failed to protect him — they actually slowed him down, forcing the Second to sacrifice himself to buy them time to escape. Your father, Hatake Sakumo, failed a mission and was driven to suicide. Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi allowed the Second Hokage to die, yet faced no consequences and even rose to become the next Hokage. Doesn't that strike you as suspicious?"
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Kakashi's voice grew dangerously cold.
"I'm saying," Sasuke said smoothly, "the legitimacy of the Third Hokage's succession is questionable at best. When they returned from Kumogakure, Tobirama was already dead. Who's to say that so-called 'last will' of his wasn't forged?"
Lightning crackled violently around Kakashi's hand —but Sasuke quickly pressed a hand against him.
"Easy, easy. I know you're impatient, but hear me out. The truth behind Tobirama's death... it's far more complicated than you think. It wasn't just an accident —it was a conspiracy involving every clan in Konoha..."
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+60 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo