Chapter 2: The Bell Test Begins
The training ground was cloaked in morning mist. Leaves shimmered with dew, and the scent of fresh earth lingered in the crisp air. Birds chirped faintly in the distance.
Sasuke stood beneath a towering oak, silent, arms folded.
He had been there since before dawn.
Not because he was eager—but because he couldn't sleep. Not with his mind trapped between two lives: the teen who once idolized Sasuke from the real world, and the avenger now living his life.
The memories of the Uchiha massacre still burned behind his eyes. His parents. His clan. Itachi.
And deeper still—an understanding that Konoha wasn't innocent.
[System Objective: Surpass the Bell Test performance of Canon Sasuke.]
[Rewards Possible: +1 Stat Bonus / +1 Tactical Insight / Team Bonding Boost]
[Hint: Alter Team Dynamics.]
He closed his eyes. Then I'll start right here.
Footsteps approached.
"You're early again, Sasuke-kun." Sakura's voice was quiet but warmer today.
She walked toward him, headband tied firmly, gloves fitted better than yesterday. She looked more like a shinobi than a student.
He glanced at her once. "You've prepared."
She blinked. "Y-You noticed?"
He nodded faintly. "Keep it up."
A soft smile touched her lips. "Right."
[Micro Outcome Improvement: Sakura's self-perception has shifted. +1 Chakra Control.]
Then came the loud crashing through the trees.
Naruto Uzumaki burst into view, panting, mouth full. "I didn't eat breakfast! Okay—just a bite! Don't count it!"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You're already breaking orders."
Naruto scowled. "What's it to you, bastard?!"
"Nothing. Just don't expect sympathy when you fail."
Before Naruto could lunge at him—
Poof.
A cloud of smoke erupted, revealing Kakashi Hatake with his orange book in hand, eye creased in a smile.
"Yo."
"You're late again!" Naruto shouted.
"I got lost on the path of life," Kakashi replied casually, flipping a page.
Sasuke watched him closely. That eye. That posture. He's masking his killing intent perfectly. Even without activating his Sharingan, he's already dangerous.
Kakashi finally closed his book and walked toward them.
"Today," he said, pulling out two silver bells, "we'll conduct the real Genin exam: the Bell Test."
He let the bells jingle, letting the implications sink in.
"There are only two bells. Three of you. The ones who don't get a bell… fail and go back to the Academy."
Naruto sputtered. "What?! That's not fair!"
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "Life's not fair. A shinobi must learn to work with the odds stacked against them."
Sakura's knuckles whitened around her kunai pouch. "W-We just got on the team…"
Sasuke said nothing, but he knew. He's manipulating us. Pitting us against each other to see if we'll turn selfish. Classic.
Kakashi set an alarm clock on a tree stump. "You have until noon. Attack me with the intent to kill. Or you'll never get these bells."
And in the next instant—he vanished.
The forest around Training Ground 7 was silent, except for the occasional whistle of wind and distant chirps. Shadows danced beneath the canopy.
Sasuke crouched on a high branch, kunai in hand, scanning the terrain.
In canon, I rushed in. Tried to fight Kakashi head-on. Stupid. This time, I wait. I watch.
Below, a trap was triggered.
"YAAAAAGGHHH—!" Naruto was launched into the river with a splash, covered in ink and tied up by rope.
Sasuke sighed. Predictable.
[No Outcome Change. System silent.]
He leapt silently through the branches, chakra dampened. He found Sakura crouched behind a tree, shivering.
"I-I can't do this," she whispered to herself. "What if I mess up?"
"You already are," Sasuke said, landing beside her like a shadow.
She jumped. "Sasuke-kun! Y-You scared me!"
"Because you're too loud. Too frozen. Kakashi will eliminate you in seconds."
"I'm trying… but—"
"You don't have time to try. You act. You learn. You adapt."
She swallowed. "W-What should we do?"
Sasuke looked to the treetops. "Find Naruto. Bring him to me. We're not winning alone."
Sakura stared at him for a second—then nodded. "Okay."
That's two steps forward, he thought. Now for the idiot.
Fifteen minutes later, the trio crouched behind a thick shrub. Naruto still had ink on his face.
"Are you seriously saying we work together?" he asked suspiciously.
"Yes," Sasuke said bluntly. "Individually, we lose. He's testing if we'll figure that out."
Naruto frowned. "But there's only two bells—"
"It's a trick," Sakura added, surprising both boys. "He wants to see what we'll do under pressure."
Sasuke smirked slightly. Good. She's catching on.
They launched the plan.
Naruto flanked from the left, throwing smoke bombs. Sakura created a Genjutsu distraction—subtle, not flashy. Sasuke dropped from above with pinpoint precision.
Clang!
Kakashi blocked all three attacks at once. The clash echoed like thunder in the forest. His single eye sharpened.
They're coordinating? Already?
He spun, dodged a kunai from Sasuke—only to realize it was aimed at his shoulder, not his bell.
Snap.
Naruto erupted from underground. "GOTCHA!"
His hand grazed one bell—and it snapped off the string.
Jingle.
Kakashi leapt back. The children stood panting, proud.
"…huh."
Sasuke stood calmly. "We didn't need to win. Just to prove we understood."
Naruto blinked. "Wait. So… did we pass?"
Kakashi stared at Sasuke for a long moment. Then at all three of them.
"…You've changed," he murmured.
Naruto tilted his head. "Huh?"
Kakashi straightened. "Yes. You passed. All of you."
"Even me?!" Naruto cried.
"Especially you."
He walked over and turned off the alarm clock.
"There are ninja who break the rules… but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum. Remember that."
Sasuke felt something shift in his chest. A flicker of warmth—brief, unfamiliar. Team.
Later…
As the others celebrated, Kakashi lingered beneath a tree, flipping open his book—but not reading.
That Uchiha boy… he's not the same. Something's different. He's sharper. More strategic. And… colder, in a controlled way.
Kakashi looked toward him again. Sasuke stood alone, wind brushing his hair.
He wasn't brooding. He was calculating.
I'll keep my eye on him, Kakashi thought. That kind of storm doesn't form naturally.
[Major Outcome Improvement Achieved.]
[+1 Speed]
[+1 Tactical Insight]
[+Team Bond Level 1 Unlocked]
[+Reputation: Kakashi Hatake - Cautiously Observant]
Sasuke didn't smile.
But inside, for the first time in this world, he felt like the wheel had begun to turn—his way.