Meanwhile, at the place where Naruto had eaten…
When Kakashi returned to the initial meeting point, he found Naruto engrossed in devouring the lunchbox there, without a hint of guilt.
"NARUTO!"
Kakashi roared in fury, his eyes flashing with anger.
In an instant, he appeared beside Naruto, swinging a knife-hand strike right at Naruto's neck.
Naruto, who was greedily enjoying his lunch, had no time to react and instantly fell unconscious, his mouth still full of food.
"You broke the rules!"
Kakashi grabbed Naruto and roughly tied him to the wooden post, ignoring the unconscious Naruto's groans.
Sakura and Sasuke (whose appearance was quite disheveled after being 'helped' by Sakura) arrived back at the starting point looking for Naruto.
They found this very pitiful scene.
Sakura hadn't expected Naruto to actually come and secretly eat the lunchbox.
'Idiot...'
Seeing all this, Sasuke shook his head helplessly.
"Truly an idiot."
Kakashi stood beside the bound Naruto, looking at him coldly.
"Naruto, you broke the rules. Therefore, you have lost your qualification to become a ninja."
Sasuke was shocked.
"Sensei, isn't this just a small matter?"
Kakashi said calmly, yet firmly:
"I already told you, you've been eliminated!'"
"Damn it!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth and angrily charged towards Hatake Kakashi.
"Are you kidding me?!"
However, before he could even touch the hem of Kakashi's clothes, he was pressed beneath him by their ghost-like teacher.
Sasuke, not accepting such treatment, tried to fight back.
However, Kakashi easily brushed Sasuke aside.
"You two, stop it here. This isn't the time for fighting."
Then Kakashi looked at them both coldly and said:
"Those who ignore the rules are not fit to be ninja!"
He pointed towards the bound Naruto.
"Uzumaki Naruto, you were too hasty and didn't know how to cooperate with your teammates. After that, you broke the rules and secretly ate that lunchbox."
Then Kakashi turned his gaze to Sasuke.
"Uchiha Sasuke! You are very proud of your own strength and always want to do everything alone! Do you still think you can get that bell by yourself?"
When Kakashi looked at Sakura, his eyes changed slightly, as if seeing something interesting.
"Haruno Sakura, you at least have the mindset of a Chunin and showed initiative by taking action at a critical moment when Naruto was caught."
He praised Sakura in a flat tone.
"But that alone is still not enough. You thought for too long to devise a 'clever' strategy and unconsciously ignored your friend who was in trouble."
"If I were a real enemy, you would have been dead long ago!"
Kakashi concluded with a sharp gaze.
Sakura lowered her head after hearing the harsh criticism from Kakashi-sensei.
She knew their teacher had a point.
"Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke,"
Kakashi continued in a condescending tone.
"You two are selfish individuals who don't care about your friends. Perhaps because of you, your comrades will be killed during missions!"
Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke lowered their heads in shame and guilt.
Meanwhile, Sakura looked at Kakashi with curiosity.
Kakashi turned and walked to a stone monument that stood firmly nearby.
"Look at this," he ordered.
"They are all ninja who are considered heroes in the village,"
Kakashi explained in a low voice.
Naruto's previously dim eyes sparkled again.
"That's it! Heroes' names! I want my name carved there too! I'm going to be a hero!"
Kakashi glanced at him cynically.
"But these aren't ordinary heroes, Naruto."
"Hey! What kind of heroes are they?"
Uzumaki Naruto asked with curiosity, not realizing the implied meaning of Kakashi's words.
"Well,"
Kakashi sighed softly, and his tone suddenly became cold.
"They are all heroes who fell in the line of duty."
"Died in the line of duty?"
Naruto asked in confusion, his face showing incomprehension.
Sakura explained in a soft voice,
"It means they died while carrying out their missions."
Naruto seemed to realize his mistake and fell silent, his face pale.
Kakashi looked at the memorial stone with a sad gaze.
"On this stone, are engraved the names of my most precious friends."
Naruto blamed himself even more and felt as if something was piercing his heart.
He felt extremely guilty and sad.
Sasuke's and Sakura's expressions also turned serious.
They could feel the sadness emanating from Kakashi-sensei.
Kakashi was stunned for a moment, his gaze still fixed on the engraved names on the memorial stone.
Then, he took a deep breath, as if dispelling bitter memories, then turned and looked at Sakura and Sasuke.
"You two," he said, his voice flat again but with a rare hint of softness.
"I'll give you one more chance."
Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other, surprised.
"After lunch,"
Kakashi continued,
"we will resume the bell contest. But this time, I will be more serious."
His eyes glinted, emitting a pressure that made Sakura shiver.
Uchiha Sasuke frowned.
"What about Naruto?" he asked, glancing at the still-bound and seemingly weak Naruto.
"Him?"
Kakashi looked at Naruto with a cold, emotionless gaze.
"He has been eliminated for breaking the rules. That's final."
He then pointed to the bento box partially eaten by Naruto.
"Anyone among you who wants to challenge me, feel free. But remember,"
Kakashi added in a threatening tone,
"if either of you gives food to Naruto or releases him, at that very moment, you both fail."
After explaining all this, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Sakura and Sasuke with a difficult choice.
Silence enveloped them.
Sakura took one intact bento box, and so did Sasuke.
They sat far apart, starting to eat in silence.
The delicious aroma of food contrasted with the tense atmosphere between them.
The bound Naruto could only swallow, his stomach screaming louder with hunger.
"You guys... are so cruel..."
Naruto whimpered softly, his voice hoarse.
"I'm hungry..."
Sakura bit into her onigiri slowly, her mind racing.
After a while, as they were almost finishing their lunch, Sakura put down her chopsticks.
She looked at Naruto, who appeared listless and desperate.
"I'm done,"
Sakura said suddenly, her voice firm.
She stood up.
"Since Naruto has been eliminated, then as his friend, I've decided to give up too."
"What?!"
Uchiha Sasuke looked at Sakura in astonishment, his eyebrows raised.
"Sakura, what are you saying? This is our chance!"
Sakura smiled faintly, a smile that was hard to interpret.
"Because, we are friends, Sasuke-kun. One team."
"Friends?" Sasuke repeated the word, as if hearing it for the first time.
He fell silent, looking at Sakura with a complicated gaze.
Kakashi, hiding behind a nearby tree, observed them closely, a faint smile hidden behind his mask.
'Hooh, interesting...'.
Sakura knew Kakashi-sensei must be watching.
Whether it was because the ability enhancement from the System had rapidly developed her thinking patterns, or simply because she overthought things, Sakura was very sure that Kakashi-sensei's true intention was not to test individual strength, but to test their teamwork.
Unfortunately, by the time she managed to save Sasuke and wanted to immediately find Naruto to explain her strategy, it was too late.
Naruto had already committed his folly.
Sasuke's expression became even more complicated.
"Friends?" he repeated again, more softly.
"But... to kill that man... I have to become a ninja. I can't fail here."
There was a note of desperation in his voice.
Sakura ignored Sasuke's hesitation for now.
She walked over to Naruto and quickly cut the ropes binding him with a kunai.
"You're free, Naruto."
Naruto, surprised at being freed, looked at Sakura with teary eyes.
"Sakura-chan..."
At that moment, a gust of wind blew strongly, sweeping dust and dry leaves across the ground.
The air felt heavy.
Kakashi appeared before the three of them in an instant, his face showing no expression, yet his aura felt threatening.
"You truly broke my rules," he hissed, his voice cold.
"You freed Naruto, Sakura. And you, Sasuke, allowed it."
"Do you not plan on becoming ninja?"
Kakashi said cruelly, his gaze piercing.
Then he immediately formed a series of hand seals with incredible speed.
Suddenly, the sky above them was covered with dark clouds, lightning flashed in the distance, and a strong wind blew fiercely, making the atmosphere even more menacing.
The strong chakra pressure from Kakashi made the three of them look nervous and tense.
Naruto and Sakura were even trembling slightly.
'This guy... he wouldn't seriously attack us, would he?'
Sakura thought, trying to remain calm despite her rapidly beating heart.
"Since Naruto has been eliminated, and he is our teammate, then as his friend, I've decided to give up,"
Sakura said once more, her voice firm, looking straight into Kakashi's eyes.
Kakashi looked at the three of them alternately, then smiled wickedly, a smile that made their hair stand on end.
"Oh, so you plan to give up because your teammate was eliminated, huh? Such a 'noble' act."
He turned to look at Sasuke again, who seemed hesitant.
"Sasuke, what about you? Will you also give up for this ridiculous 'friendship' and bury your ambition?"
Sasuke frowned, his fists clenched tightly.
"I-I..." he stammered,
"I won't give up!" he exclaimed, more to convince himself.
"I have to become a ninja! I have to get power!"
Kakashi sneered contemptuously.
"But one of your two teammates has been eliminated for breaking the rules, and the other foolishly chose to give up for him. You'll fight alone? Do you think you can defeat me by yourself and get both bells?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, the internal struggle clear on his face.
"Tch," he clicked his tongue. Then, with surprising determination, he shouted,
"If I can take the bell myself, then let the three of us pass the test!"
Kakashi laughed at Sasuke's words, a laugh that sounded mocking.
"Why should I let all of you pass the test just because you, alone, managed to take a bell? You yourself said you wanted to become strong, didn't you? And you,"
he pointed at Sakura and Naruto,
"have broken my rules!"
Kakashi walked towards the three of them step by step, his aura growing more oppressive.