Naruto Being sent back to the academy

[slickrcbd]

I was just reading yet another fanfic where Kakashi explains about the Bell Test and how if they fail they are going back to the academy.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are shocked about this second test and that they might be sent back to the academy.

Why would the be surprised? Wouldn't there have been students who had graduated before them and failed their own jonin-sensei's test and been sent back to the academy? Wouldn't they have mentioned this final test in order to join a team?

Frankly, I'm surprised I didn't realize this 15-20 years ago when I first saw the anime (whenever it debuted on Cartoon Network's Toonami).

 

[mandalorianjedi]

That depends on how much leeway and autonomy each individual sensei has and what exactly happens to genin who don't pass their second genin test. Keep in mind Team 7 were green genin and Kakashi was a Jonin skilled at deception and psychological warfare. It may have been an idle threat meant to further divide Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura, to motivate them further into not working together to get the bells.

That being said, there have been a couple of fanfics that have explored what happens to those genin hopefuls who don't pass. TheBeardedOne's "Memories of Others" in particular, does an excellent job at world building with this very issue when Naruto falsely assumes that Kakashi is trying to single him out and just quits the test before it could start.