After watching Naruto fall into the river, Kakashi let out a sigh, flipped open his book and started reading again.

But before he could read a line, The river started bubbling violently.

Suddenly, a whole swarm of Narutos came flying out of the water, crashing onto the shore.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised. "Well, he sure knows how to make an entrance... and talk a lot."

The Narutos charged at him, leaping high into the air.

But before they could land a hit, Kakashi casually swung his fist and sent one of the clones flying with a single punch.

"Owww! That hurts!"

And just like that, in a matter of seconds, Kakashi wiped out Naruto's entire army of clones with a few swift moves. The battle was over before Naruto could land a hit on Kakashi.

Naruto was sprawled out on the ground, groaning in defeat.

Kakashi tucked his book under his arm and strolled toward the forest where Sasuke and Sakura were hiding.

Sasuke had been preparing for this moment. He had set up a series of traps, carefully plotting his strategy to take on Kakashi. But in the end, the gap in their skill levels was just too wide.

Even after pulling off an impressive Fireball Technique, which seemed to hit Kakashi head-on, it turned out he had only struck an earth clone.

Before Sasuke could react, Kakashi was already behind him, swiftly taking him down with ease.

And as for Sakura, she got defeated even faster.

In the end, no one managed to grab a bell.

Kakashi stood before the three of them, looking at them with his usual neutral expression.

"Honestly, I'm really disappointed. None of you seem to understand the true purpose of this test. There was no teamwork, no coordination. Everyone was just doing their own thing."

"Naruto charged at me recklessly, Sasuke fought alone, and Sakura… well, let's not even talk about her"

"One by one, I took you all down easily. You completely failed this test."

Hearing his words, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all looked down, dejected.

Standing off to the side, Makoto watched everything unfold with great interest.

It seemed that because of his presence, some things had changed slightly from the original timeline.

Naruto wasn't tied to a post this time, so how was Kakashi going to handle this part of the test now?

Just as the three of them were feeling completely hopeless, Kakashi suddenly gave them a glimmer of hope.

"However, despite your terrible performance, I'm willing to give you another chance. After lunch, you'll get one more opportunity to pass this test."

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura looked up at him in surprise and Kakashi continued,

"That being said, Naruto, you were the worst performer. You charged in blindly without considering your teammates, so as a punishment, you won't be eating lunch."

"Sasuke, Sakura, you two have meals, but you are forbidden from sharing with Naruto. If you do, you'll all fail on the spot."

He placed two lunch boxes on the ground and turned away.

"I'll be back this afternoon for the second test. If you fail again, you can say goodbye to becoming Genin and head straight back to the Academy."

And with that, Kakashi walked off into the woods… or at least, that's what he wanted them to think.

In reality, he had simply hidden behind a tree, watching them closely. He was waiting to see if they would break his rule and share their food with Naruto, which would be the true test of their teamwork.

Observing from the side, Makoto, smirked.

But then something unexpected happened. Nobody touched the lunchboxes.

Kakashi frowned behind his mask. 'Wait… why aren't they eating?'

The three of them just sat there, staring at the ground, not even glancing at the food.

Kakashi scratched his head in confusion, 'They should be starving… right? Then, why aren't they eating?'

Minutes passed. Still, no one reached for the food. Now, Kakashi was completely lost. 'What the hell is going on?!'

His test couldn't continue if they didn't eat. He needed them to struggle with the moral dilemma of sharing food with Naruto.

'Am I seriously going to have to fight them again this afternoon?' Kakashi had a minor existential crisis.

Behind the tree, he leaned against the trunk, hands on his head, staring up at the sky. 'What am I supposed to do now?!'

Not far away, Makoto chuckled, watching Kakashi struggle with his thoughts.

[Senju Hashirama: What kind of test is this? Kakashi didn't even leave?!]

[Uchiha Madara: So, this entire thing was just a bluff?]

[Senju Tobirama: Exactly. The real test isn't about the bells; it's about teamwork. If Sasuke and Sakura refuse to share their food with Naruto, then they truly don't belong on the same squad. But if they do share, then they pass!]

[Uchiha Izuna: So it was a mind game all along?]

[Senju Tobirama: That's right.]

[Hyuga Hizashi: What the heck? This is ridiculous. Everyone's playing 4D chess, and I just want a normal training session.]

[Senju Hashirama: But there's a problem here. Naruto and the others aren't hungry because they ate earlier. So.....how's Kakashi going to continue the test?]

[Senju Tobirama: Yeah, that might be a problem.]

[Uchiha Madara: Hahaha! Look at Kakashi! He's completely lost!]

And so, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura just sat there, looking at each other, while Kakashi stood behind the tree, questioning his entire plan.

__________________________

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