Naruto:Dark Return

"It's teamwork!" Sakura exclaimed, her eyes wide with realization.

Neither she nor Sasuke had expected Naruto, who often struggled at the academy, to analyze Kakashi's test so thoroughly.

Sakura fell silent, embarrassed by her own failure to grasp the concept earlier. She had been so consumed by fear of failing that she hadn't even considered what the test might actually be assessing.

Sasuke, too, seemed taken aback but quickly regained his composure. "This explains why the teams are grouped in threes," he said, nodding. "It's not about individual strength—it's about how well we work together."

He turned his piercing gaze toward Naruto. "But I doubt you figured this out yourself," he said bluntly. "This must be the work of the...other side of you."

Naruto froze mid-chew on a piece of bread, his prideful grin vanishing. "W-what are you talking about?" he stammered, his guilty expression betraying him. "This is all my brilliance! You're just jealous I thought of it first!"

Sakura frowned and crossed her arms. "Naruto, don't even try. You were hopeless at analysis in school. There's no way you came up with this on your own."

Her voice softened as she continued, "Besides, we've all seen that...other part of you. It's powerful, but it's also scary. Are you sure it's safe to rely on it?"

Naruto's face flushed, torn between defending himself and the truth. Finally, he blurted out, "Fine! Ichiro helped me figure it out, but so what? He's me, and I'm him!"

Sakura and Sasuke exchanged a look. They had suspected there was more to Naruto after the events with Aburame's root, but hearing him openly talk about his "sub-personality" was unexpected.

"Two sides of the same coin," Naruto explained, scratching the back of his head. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and he's Uzumaki Ichiro. We're both me. He just...does things differently."

Sakura's expression softened as she processed Naruto's words. "That sounds...hard," she said quietly. "Having to share your mind with someone else."

Sasuke, on the other hand, seemed less sympathetic. If anything, there was a glimmer of envy in his eyes. "A sub-personality that's so strong and smart... If I had something like that, maybe I'd already be strong enough to defeat him."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Defeat who?"

"None of your business," Sasuke snapped, his expression hardening.

Sakura, sensing the tension, quickly changed the subject. "So, if Ichiro isn't going to fight for you, how are we dividing the roles in this test?"

Sasuke wasted no time taking charge. "We need someone to focus on offense, someone to feint, and someone to observe and support from the back. That way, we can cover all angles."

"Okay, so I'll be the main attacker!" Naruto declared immediately.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Fine. You attack, I'll feint, and Sakura can observe and support."

Sakura beamed at Sasuke's quick decision-making, though her admiration was tinged with shyness. "Sasuke-kun, you're so smart," she said, twisting a strand of her hair nervously.

Naruto glared at Sasuke, his jealousy palpable. "You just want to look cool in front of Sakura!"

Sasuke shot him a withering look. "I just don't want to waste time arguing with you."

The sun had climbed high in the sky by the time Kakashi finally arrived at the training ground, a book tucked under his arm.

"Good morning," he said casually, waving at the three of them.

"You're late!" all three shouted in unison.

"Ah, sorry about that," Kakashi replied with his signature eye-smile. "I got lost on the road of life."

The trio glared at him, unimpressed.

Kakashi set his bag on the ground and pulled out two small bells and an alarm clock. "Let's get started," he said, setting the alarm for noon. "You have one hour to take these bells from me. Those who don't get a bell will be tied to those posts over there and watch me eat lunch."

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke exchanged nervous glances.

"But wait," Kakashi added, his tone turning ominous. "There are only two bells. That means one of you is guaranteed to fail."

Kakashi's words had the desired effect. Sakura and Sasuke both tensed, their earlier confidence wavering. Naruto, however, grinned.

"I see what you're doing," Naruto said boldly. "You're trying to make us fight each other instead of working together."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And how do you plan to handle that?"

Naruto turned to his teammates. "Simple. We ignore that part of the test and work as a team to get both bells. If we all fail together, so what? At least we'll show him we're united."

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. Sasuke, after a moment of hesitation, nodded. "Fine. But if this backfires, it's your fault."

Kakashi yawned, pulling out his book. "Whenever you're ready," he said, turning a page without looking up.

Naruto clenched his fists, determination burning in his eyes. "Alright, guys. Let's show him what we've got!"

As the three of them sprang into action, Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "Let's see how far teamwork really gets them."

End of Chapter.

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