Naruto: Boundless Potential

In the Bushes

Sasuke crouched low in the dense foliage, his sharp eyes shifting between Naruto and Sakura.

The sounds of rustling leaves and their quiet, steady breathing filled the tense air.

The battle had already lasted a while, and Kakashi had effortlessly countered everything they had thrown at him so far.

Sasuke's expression remained cold and calculated as he finally spoke.

"Kakashi's aim in this test isn't to measure our combat abilities or individual skills. I think he's testing something else… our teamwork."

Naruto scrunched his face in confusion. "Are you sure?"

Sasuke shrugged slightly. "Probably."

He then moved to the next point, not wasting any more time.

"Anyway, here's the plan—" he began, explaining their next course of action in a low, serious tone.

Sakura nodded, her hands clenching into fists.

Naruto, on the other hand, wanted to argue—partly because he didn't like taking orders from Sasuke, and partly because he just wanted to charge in like before.

But after a brief moment of hesitation, he held back his complaints. Tch, whatever… I just wanna pass this stupid test.

With their strategy decided, the trio stealthily moved into position, hiding in the thick underbrush.

A sudden barrage of shuriken came whizzing toward Kakashi.

Still immersed in his little orange book, Kakashi barely looked up.

He effortlessly dodged every single projectile, shifting his body with casual, precise movements, as if he had done this a thousand times before.

"Hmmm… you'll need to do better than that," Kakashi murmured, flipping another page of his novel.

At that moment, the three genin burst out from the bushes, kunai gripped tightly in their hands.

Sasuke struck first, lunging at Kakashi's abdomen with deadly accuracy. But Kakashi simply took a step back, dodging with ease.

Sakura immediately followed up from behind, aiming her kunai at his back, but Kakashi twisted his body at the last second, avoiding the strike effortlessly.

Then Naruto came in from the side, slashing his kunai in a wide arc, determined to land a hit.

Klang!

Kakashi effortlessly blocked the attack, parrying Naruto's blade with the back of his own kunai.

The trio didn't let up. Sasuke came at him again, this time feinting an attack before swiftly retreating to gain distance.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sakura threw another round of shuriken at Kakashi from both sides, hoping to corner him.

Kakashi dodged with minimal movement, his book still in his hand.

This pattern continued. Attack after attack, their movements grew faster, sharper—but Kakashi countered everything without breaking a sweat.

Then Sasuke abruptly disappeared into the bushes, leaving behind a shadow clone in his place.

The clone emerged from the shadows, gripping a kunai as it launched itself at Kakashi.

Kakashi sidestepped with ease, but before he could fully react—

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

A roaring fireball erupted from Sasuke's shadow clone, engulfing the area in a wave of searing heat. The flames crackled, illuminating the entire training ground.

Naruto and Sakura smirked. "This is it! We got him!"

But then—

Kakashi vanished.

A shiver ran down Sasuke's spine.

Naruto's eyes darted around frantically. "Where'd he go?!"

Then, before anyone could react—

A blur appeared behind Sasuke's shadow clone.

Sasuke's clone turned its head in slow motion—just in time to see Kakashi's hands forming a peculiar seal.

Kakashi's voice was eerily calm. "A thousand years of death."

Then—

A powerful poke landed directly on Sasuke's clone's rear.

BOOM!

The clone exploded into a puff of smoke.

Silence.

Naruto and Sakura stood frozen in place, their mouths slightly agape.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Sakura finally found her voice. "S-Sasuke!" she gasped in horror.

Naruto, however, was trembling for a different reason. He and Sasuke exchanged looks—both of them experiencing a deep, primal fear.

Sasuke's face was unreadable, but inside, he was suppressing the trauma of the shadow clone's memory.

The sensation of sudden, unexpected humiliation was burned into his mind.

Naruto gulped. "W-We have to win… we CAN'T let that happen to us."

For the first time, Sasuke and Naruto were in complete agreement.

Snapping out of their stunned state, the three genin quickly adjusted their approach.

Sasuke, regaining his composure, signaled to the others. He used another shadow clone as a distraction while he stealthily circled around, closing in on Kakashi's blind spot.

Naruto and Sakura did the same, creating clone jutsus to mask their real movements as they moved in closer.

Kakashi observed their actions with mild amusement. "Oh? They're finally thinking."

However, as he analyzed their movements, something caught his eye—

Naruto's clone… was barely holding together.

It was wobbly, misshapen, and looked like it might fall apart any second.

Kakashi sweatdropped. "Hmmm… maybe too much stress on that one."

Still, he allowed them to proceed, curious to see how they would execute their plan.

As Sasuke's shadow clone threw a kunai at Kakashi, the Jonin dodged as expected—but the moment he moved, the real Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto leaped out from the shadows.

Their hands shot forward, each one aiming for the bells dangling from Kakashi's waist.

And then—

Jingle!

The sound of bells ringing echoed through the air.

Kakashi stopped moving.

A smirk formed beneath his mask as he looked down. The trio's fingers were wrapped around the bells, holding them tight.

"Good," Kakashi said, nodding in approval. "You all pass."

Naruto collapsed onto the ground, arms and legs spread out. "Aaaahhh, FINALLY! I thought we were gonna die!"

Sakura, on the other hand, beamed with joy. "We really passed…!"

Sasuke shook his head, a rare, subtle smirk tugging at his lips. "Hmph. Took long enough."

Kakashi chuckled and reached into his pouch, pulling out three neatly wrapped bento boxes.

"Welcome to Team 7. Here's your lunch." He handed each of them their meal with a satisfied nod.

Naruto, who had been starving since morning, wasted no time in devouring his food, stuffing his mouth full with reckless abandon. "Mmm! Best food ever!"

Sakura ate gracefully, still beaming.

Sasuke took a bite of his meal, nodding in satisfaction.

As they finished eating, Kakashi dusted himself off and turned toward them.

"Alright. We'll meet tomorrow at the Hokage building. Be on time."

With that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.