Hi, allow me to introduce myself. My name is… well, who the hell cares? Nobody clicked on this link to read on a guy's rambling intro, although I would like to say this is my first story so flames are not allowed (plz ). Just be very critical if need be, and I would really appreciate it.
Note: This is an AU, obviously, so things might definitely be different from the manga/anime.
If you're interested in the inspiration to this story, then check out Blood Bag, by Traydox. Really talent author if I do say so myself. Anyway, let's start this, shall we?
Disclaimer for this and the rest of the chapters (cause I'm lazy): I do not own Naruto the series, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto, although I do own the AU and the OCs. Oh, and the fanfic's cover.
Chapter 01
Survival of the Fittest
A tear fell down. It's contact unheard of. He sniffed, but it continued to run down, ignoring his soft whimpering. He stared at the grass. The peaceful, waving grass. The only thing that didn't chuck him away. The young boy swallowed, and endured another batch of hiccups.
It wasn't fair. Life wasn't fair. He knew that, he of all people knew that, but he couldn't accept it.
It wasn't fair. Life wasn't fair.
And yet, as his vision became more and more distorted with unrelentful tears, representing the shrouded confusion he had for the rest of the village, he realized that, no matter what, there would never be any hope, so long as he continued to breathe the same air everyone else breathed in. The only thing that he could unconsensually share with the rest of the population.
He decided then and there, that death, despite how creepy it was by pronunciation alone, was the only thing that would give him the relief he needed.
The open, welcoming arms he needed.
The relief and welcoming arms they never gave him.
That life never gave him.
He finally decided then and there, that he was going to die.
"Hey Ken, earth to Ken! Hello? Is anyone there?"
A snap of a pair of fingers woke him up from his transition, blinking rapidly at his surroundings.
A bright, yet relieved smile welcomed him back to the land of the living.
"Really now, could you try to at least show some interest when I speak to you?"
"H-Huh?" He raised an eyebrow, "Oh, s-s-sorry, I w-was just think-ing."
"I could see that." She chuckled, leaning her head back in her hands. "You always do. Really now, if I didn't know any better, I would've assumed that you weren't interested in speaking to me at all."
"N-N-N-No i-it's not l-like th-at at a-all!" He panicked, waving his arms in front of him rapidly.
The blonde chuckled once more. "Don't worry Ken, I know you wouldn't objectify me in that way. Anyway, as I was saying, who do you think we'll be paired up with?"
Ken blinked twice in confusion. "P-Pair u-up with?"
"Yeah, you know, our team. We'd graduated. Have you already forgotten?" She asked with a wry, yet sympathetic smile.
"N-No, I haven't." He looked in front of the class, the clock read 'almost time' and the quickly filling room of graduates were both signs of his forgotten anxiety. Okay, maybe he did forget during his day dreaming moment, but how the blonde asked that question made it sound as if she was referring to something else. "A-As for your q-question, I'm not exactly s-s-sure. Isn't it c-classified until the announce-m-ment?"
"Well, yeah, but it doesn't hurt to wonder, right?"
He nodded after a moment. Then something clicked. "W-Wait, you s-said 'our t-t-team' i-instead of 'o-our teams'."
She looked at him curiously. "Yeah, what about it?"
Ken blinked, astonished she seemed to be okay in the incorrection. Did she really mean to say that? "A-Are you t-t-telling me w-we are g-going to be on the s-s-same team?"
"Well duh," She smiled at his muddiness, "why wouldn't we?"
"'Cause w-we h-have-en't been a-assign-n-ed yet."
"Well yeah, but that doesn't mean we won't be on the same team, now does it?"
Ken shook his head. "I-I don't get i-it."
She giggled at his surrendering impression on the subject. "Look, it's just something from my heart, okay? I know we don't know our teams yet," she placed a gentle palm on her left side of her chest, "but I'm certain we'll be placed on the same team, 'ttebayo. Believe it."
His eyes were wide with bewilderment. This girl, she was just hunching, and yet, for some reason, he couldn't help but believe her. It wasn't the first time this happened though. She was just that influential to him. Either he was just that easy to affect, or the blonde had some exclusive chakra aura around her that shoved the impossible away. Either way, she was just downright amazing, at everything she did. After all, she wasn't dubbed 'the rookie of the year' for nothing.
"So anyway," she broke his line of thought once again, "Who would you want as a second partner?"
"W-W-Well, anyone would b-be fine, I g-guess, as l-l-long as t-they wouldn't mind m-me being o-on their t-team."
"Of course they wouldn't, 'ttebayo." She chuckled. "Who wouldn't want the cool Ken on their side."
His cheeks heated up at that. "I-I'm not c-cool, N-Naru-chan."
"Of course you are." She lightly jabbed his arm playfully. "There's no one as cool as you."
Ken smiled, a genuine tug on his lips. He doubted that he was cool in the first place, but that didn't make it sound any less encouraging from his friend. He was glad he had a friend like her, a friend that had his back when he himself didn't.
Naruko Uzumaki.
His one and only true friend.
NANI?!
Was Naruko's initial impression for the Team Seven member announcement. Really, Ken didn't really see what was the problem with having Sasuku Uchiha as a member of their team. He was actually surprised at how spot-on Naruko was with her certain prediction. But then again, he shouldn't have been. Everything that came out of Naruko's heart was the truth. She was like a future predicting maniac, but Ken just couldn't help but be a bit open minded about the other possible outcomes.
But that smirk of hers was soon buried under the ground along with those outcomes once their third member was announced.
To her, that 'seven' in their team's name wasn't so lucky to begin with. And to boil her even more, their sensei had been late to their first assembly. But her enjoyable laughter– at least to Ken's ears it was– represented her boost in her mood once the chalk-covered duster was implanted on the outskirts of a patch of grey hair.
Their sensei was not happy to say the least.
Now they were on top of a roof, facing their sensei's calm demeanor in their own little way.
"Okay," he eyed them lazily, "Let's start with some introductions, shall we? Would anyone like to go first?"
"I don't think we need that, 'ttebayo." Naruko crossed her arms with annoyance. "We already know her, unfortunately."
Naruko and Sasuku shared a moment to glare at each other, a heated one to be more specific.
"That's not what I meant." Kakashi intervened. "I was not referring to your past encounters. As a newly recruited team straight out from the Academy, it is mandatory for everyone to summarize themselves to give the team an insight of who they are. Think of it as an oral bio challenge."
"Seriously?" Sasuku deadpanned at the comparison, but said nothing else.
"How about you kick things off, kid," the grey haired Jounin gestured toward Naruko, "since you were bold enough to deny it."
The blonde pouted with a glare. "Fine! Where do I start then?"
"Well, you could give your name, your likes, dislikes, hobbies, goals; it's all up to you."
"Okay then. My name, is Naruko Uzumaki. My likes are ramen and hanging out with my precious people. My dislikes…" she glared over her back, "…are teme showoffs that think they're better than others. My hobbies are eating ramen and pulling pranks on people who deserve it. My goal is simple," she through a fist up in the air with a bundle of enthusiasm, "is to become the next Hokage, so that everyone will look up to me and have no choice but to respect me! That's my dream, and that's what will happen, believe it, 'ttebayo!"
Ken smiled warmly behind her. There it was, that 'oomph' that no doubt gave him the boost he always needed to get by the day. Naruko was truly an amazing person he wished he could be as well.
"Thank you for sharing, Naruko-chan." Kakashi then eyed Sasuku. Her emo look never wavered under his gaze. She only sighed at how meaningless this was to her.
"My name is Sasuku Uchiha. I like nothing, and I certainly dislike everything…"
The emotionless drive behind that certainly made Ken feel as if she rushed through that sentence without giving it a second thought. But then again, it was rare hearing any emotion behind her speech at all. She was an emo after all. The only times she had emotion boggling through was when she was pissed off or, occasionally, arrogant, the former almost always coming from Naruko's tampering.
"…I have no hobbies and my goal…" She paused, a flash of recognition dominated her pitch black eyes for a millisecond, "…my goal, is to eliminate a certain someone off from the face of the Earth."
…Woah…
For some reason, despite the beaming sun, it felt uncomfortably chilly in an instant for Ken. 'Eliminate someone…?' He gulped, wondering who was the unlucky person Sasuku was referring to. He didn't really have time to contemplate any further when he locked eyes with Kakashi.
"You're up."
"U-Urgh…" He stuttered, before clearing his choked up throat. Uh oh. All eyes were on him, something he really hated. "W-W-Well, m-my name i-i-is Kenjo Tayamaru…" He trailed off, finding that opening rather idiotic. Of course, he just had to stutter regardless of his best efforts, but despite that, Kenjo felt out of place, if he didn't already. Everyone opened up with no problem at all. Him? If only he could fix what was wrong with him.
Ken felt naked, vulnerable. He didn't know if he was the only one with this issue, all he knew was how pathetic he felt, and how illiterate he might seem, just like his cursed speech impediment. Kami he hated it so much. It was a wonder how Naruko could even put up with it, how she could even put up with him.
"…m-m-my likes a-are r-r-reading b-b-b-b–" he stopped himself, his nerves were catching up to him. Damn it! Why him? Their gazes were not helping either. His eyes were shut closed in concentration, but he could feel the stares they gave him. Maybe not Sasuku, or even Kakashi for that matter, but Naruko definitely. The sympathetic stares. He hated those stares the most. More than the countless glares and killer intents of the villages down below. More than the burning hatred he felt for himself.
It wasn't her fault, and he didn't blame her. She was just that sensitive when it came to how fragile he was. It was in her character. But knowing this didn't remind him any less on how worthless he was of a living organism.
"–b-b-b-b-b–" he sighed after another long pause, then shook his head. It was no use. Once again, his impediment won. His face was as bright as a tomato, his head hanging in defeat. How was he able to become a ninja, if he couldn't even pass this simple obstacle? Damn it. Damn it! DAMN IT!
His body grew stiff with a flinch. A hand landed on his shoulder. His embarrassed face drifted next to him. Naruko smiled reassuringly. "It's okay, you don't need to push yourself." Her encouraging voice was like a calm ocean wave sending him back to shore, away from the drowning deepness that he was almost positive he was going to suffocate in. Her eyes were like a magic touch that only made him even more safer than he now was.
He smiled weakly. At least he could do that right.
"Well, I suppose it's fine if you're unable to go on, Kenjo-kun." Kakashi spoke up, earning a glare from Sasuku.
"What happened to the word 'mandatory'?"
"Hey, give him a break, teme!" Naruko growled.
"Kenjo-kun has a speech impediment, Sasuku-chan." He eye smiled at her disapproval. "Unless you had one, I would've allowed a minimal introduction from you as well."
Sasuku just grunted to her side. If she had to point out a specific thing she disliked during her oral, then it would be 'this team'.
"Hey, let's head to Ichiraku for some ramen, eh?" she nudged the boy's shoulder for an answer.
"O-Oh, u-u-urm, didn't K-K-Kakashi-s-sensei tell u-us not to e-e-eat for t-tomorrow's survival t-t-training?"
"Nah ah," She wagged her finger, "he said to not eat breakfast, not lunch."
"W-Well, I-I-I guess you're r-right." He looked away in thought, then smiled weakly back at her. "Okay, l-let's go then."
Naruko beamed brightly at his agreement. "Yeah, let's eat until our hearts give way!"
"W-What?" His eyes went wide with worry.
She giggled at his reaction. "I'm kidding, Ken. Don't worry so much."
"O-Oh…" Kenjo's face showed slight relief despite it being a sort of joke.
"Hey there Ayamenee-san!" Naruko chirped cheerfully through the blinds of the fragrant filling store.
"H-H-H-Hi there, A-Ayame-s-sama." Ken spoke up timidly, despite his awful speech problem.
A patch of known brown hair swerved along the movement of the cook. The female smiled as warm as the pot was. "Oh hello Naruko-chan, Ken-kun. Did you guys pass?"
"You better believe it!" Naruko gave a thumbs up.
"Y-Yeah…" Ken smiled weakly at that. It was a subject he'd rather not go too much into detail. After all, he was not allowed to.
"Pork Ramen for me please!"
"M-M-Miso would s-suffice."
"That's good to hear, the graduating part I mean." She smiled before turning her back to them.
"Is Ojii-san around?" The blonde asked curiously.
"Unfortunately, my dad caught the flu, so I'm on duty for the day. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, no reason. It's just that I barely see you here during weekdays."
"Yeah, thankfully school let out early today, so I decided it was best if I keep the shop rolling."
"That's good to hear. Send Ojii-san my regards, okay?"
"Will do, Naruko-chan." Their bowls were delivered, and Naruko wasted no time in munching through her favorite food.
Surprisingly, Ken hadn't touched his bowl yet.
"Ken-kun, is something wrong?" Ayame asked concerningly. It wasn't like the boy to be hesitant with his ramen, at least around here he wasn't. He looked back at her and smiled weakly.
"N-N-No, nothing's w-wrong, Aya-m-me-sama." He looked down again digging in as usual.
Naruko eyed him for a moment, her thoughts wavering around his strange behavior. Well, it wasn't exactly strange, he was probably having another mental episode. But the blonde twelve year old couldn't help but wonder what he might be thinking all the time. He always dismissed it as just him being weird when it wasn't necessary, but it was obvious to her that he was trying to compensate something. Hopefully she was wrong on that point. If not, then she certainly hope it wasn't something crucial. Kami knew how much peace of mind her one and only friend deserved.
You will never be good at anything. Why don't you just slit your throat while you still can?
It will only make sense if you do.
Stop denying the inevitable.
Do it.
Do it!
DO IT!
"P-Please, stop it!" He shot up, drenched in countless bullets of sweat, his breathing hard and wavering discontentedly. How much more could he continue to take? How much longer will it reign? It was torture beyond belief.
He couldn't sleep. He heard voices. He was weak. His mind was uncontrollable. He couldn't do anything right.
What was WRONG with him?
"G-Get a g-grip already!" He dug his nails in the helm of his skull, his visible eye flickering red for an unnoticeable moment. "D-Damn it all!" He was going nuts, and it wasn't deprivation of sleep either. For some reason, that was the least of his problems, and it wasn't subjective either. Ken physically couldn't drift off to sleep. He could day dream, but that was it. But it never was a problem cause he never lost any 'energy' in the first place.
He was immune to something people needed the most. He was like a zombie without any bags. Pale as a sheet of paper. Only 'colorful' thing about him was his raven hair that loved to leave his right sided vision blank as his skin.
Kami, he hated himself. He hated himself so much. Maybe the voices were right, maybe he was right all along when he first decided to kill himself. And yet, here he was, still living. Still breathing. Still aging. Still in pain.
Still pathetic as ever.
He was at the rendezvous, the bridge heading to Training Ground Three, early as he could be, having nothing better to do. He pulled down his sleeves, hiding his pale, cold hands. Despite the rising sun, his skin was at an unpleasant temperature, but that didn't bother him though. Kenjo wasn't cold, or at least he didn't feel that way. He barely felt anything at all. That reminded him on how blank Sasuku's expression usually was. Maybe they could get along with this mutual understanding. Only thing he usually felt was emotions, and the occasional rumble of his stomach. The wind even felt like just a gentle force, no temperature at all, just a giant hand with an inconsistent push and pull function.
Sometimes he only ate for the sake of spending time with Naruko. She was the only person he could be around with, the only person that would put up with his… well, everything. He just wished he wasn't such a pain in the ass sometimes– most of the time– always worrying over the little things.
One day, she'll realize just how big of a loser you really are. And when that happens, she'll spit on your presence just like the rest of them. Then you will have no choice but to hang yourself. So spare yourself the heartache and die already.
"P-Please…" He clutched his eyes closed as he murmured to himself, holding back his tears and the horrible thought of once again being all alone in the world. "J-J-Just s-stop it al-ready!"
"Ken?" His eyes shot open as a reflex. Naruko's voice had come from behind him, so he tried his best to get a grip on himself before she could notice his shape.
"H-H-Hey there, Naru-c-chan, you're u-up e-e-earl… y-you're up e-e-e-e…" He stopped before he could embarrass himself even further. Damn this impediment to hell! If he could have one wish that could come true, then he wouldn't wish for the stares to disappear, he wouldn't wish for a better life than this poverty one, he wouldn't even wish for a family he never had. No, this speech disorder would be the first to go, so he could at least not humiliate his friend from having such a pathetic person on her side who she had to resort to.
Then maybe he would finally do her proud and be a worthy member of her unfortunately low circle of friends.
"Easy there, Ken." She approached him with a smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Take your time, okay? And, yeah, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep."
She giggled at her inability to cooperate with the changing sky. Ken shook his head. "T-That makes t-t-two of u-us."
"Wait, you sayin' you couldn't sleep either?" She blinked in surprise. He didn't seem tired though, like her slightly baggy eyes indicated she was, and with how pale his skin was, it should've been easy to spot even the inkliest of deprivation on his expression. Maybe he used some mascara to hide it? She doubted it though. "But you don't even seem tired."
"H-Heh heh, r-really?" He sweat-dropped. Uh oh, he should've think before speaking aloud. His inability was a blessing and a curse. Next time, he should watch what he say, especially to observative people such as Naruko.
"Alright," Kakashi stared at the three Genin with a slouched eye, "first off, I hope you guys haven't eaten this morning, cause it would be a real shame to ruin your appetite for the next few days."
"Yeah yeah, we understood the first time." Naruko crossed her arms with annoyance. "The only thing that's shameful here is your lack of coming on time. Seriously though, are you doing this on purpose?"
The Jounin just stared at her for a moment, before shaking his head. "I am a Jounin, Naruko-chan, so I have things I need to do before anything else."
"Oh, sure thing then." She rolled her eyes at the excuse before muttering, "Probably uses the time to read that porn book of his…"
"Hmm? What was that?" The older male raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious.
"Nothing, nothing." Naruko waved him off.
"Anyway, this exam will show just how worthy you are to graduate. If you're unable to pass this test, then I'll fail you, and you will be stripped from your Genin title."
"Wait, what?!"
He eye smiled at the blonde. "In other words, you're sent back to the academy to try again next year."
"But that's unfair! We did our best to get to where we are! You can't just send us back to square one!"
"Unfortunately, life isn't always sunshine and rainbows, Naruko-chan. And yes, I can send you back, and yes, I will do so if you fail." Kakashi reached in his pocket and pulled out something small. Ken squinted at what it was. It dangled from his enclosed fingers.
Bells… Bells?
"There are two bells in my hand. The first two to get it passes and the other one will fail and be replaced by a worthy Genin."
They stared at him, each with their own complexed expression. "So you telling us one of us will be guaranteed to be stripped of their ninja privileges?"
"Good ears, Naruko-chan." Kakashi eye smiled. "You're tasked to retrieve it in an hour's time. And just to be clear, the timer had already begun the moment I showed you them. So, better hurry up."
Ken watched the instant speed Naruko gained to get to their sensei, her determination fired up. "Here I come!"
"Warning your opponent beforehand is bad tactic." Kakashi simply said, swerving to his left so that Naruko ran passed him.
Growling, Naruko tried again, but missing a second time. "Damn it!" She cursed, annoyed at the massless air she kept grabbing instead. Then, while Sasuku took center stage, a few hand signs later, her ninjutsu was activated.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
In a puff of smoke came two replicas of Naruko, all three dashing with vigor. Ken could only watch in pure amazement and misery at the sheer level his two partners were on. Sasuku was good at her taijutsu, but not good enough to grasp the bells. Their sensei merely deflected each and every blow, pushing Sasuku away with an open palm before he handled the three Narukos. They were good, but as the clones disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the original a few feet away from the calm demeanor of their teacher, he had a feeling their 'good' was not good enough.
Both continued to individually try to give Kakashi a run for his money, but the Jounin simply side stepped each time, annoying even Sasuku further.
"I hope that was a warm up, cause you're going to be needing to do better than that if you truly want to become a ninja." Then, the man shunshin'd away.
"Argh!" Naruko held her head in frustration. "You just had to get in the way, huh teme!?"
"I could say the same thing to you, idiot." Sasuku glared back before shunshining away as well.
"Whatever, teme!" the blonde shouted as if the emo was still there. Then, she was gone as well.
Ken, however only stood there, like he did for the entirety of the scene, and began to look around for the three. "W-Where d-did they g-go?"
This was not good. At this rate, he wasn't going to be able to get a bell, much less catch up to the three. He was out of his league. He was going to fail. He should've known right from the start, but he just had to try to climb the impossible mountain Naruko was on. She was the only reason he was even here, the only reason he was even trying in the first place.
It was funny, you were only deemed a graduate if you pass the mandatory exercises. He certainly didn't. His theory skills were never good, never mediocre even. He knew what to do though, but he was just unable to do it.
He was unable to mold his chakra.
He was ninja-less on the inside. His heart was in the right place– so to speak– but his body, do not get him started. The only skill he was good at was reading, and yet he sucked at orals, he sucked at the theory exams, he sucked at being a ninja. He was hopeless beyond all doubt.
How did he get here, then? It was a good question. Even he wasn't sure anymore. It all felt like a horrible dream, a nightmare if you will. Ironic, cause he was unable to rest his brain. Frankly, he didn't feel like rehearsing that particular moment where he was able to graduate and shock the entire class. It was painful to even think about it. That was why he'd rather focus on climbing the mountain.
Yet, he was getting nowhere with that. He couldn't use his chakra to his advantage. He wasn't able to keep up with them, physically and mentally.
Damn it! Why was Naruko such a huge influence to him? Why did he try to grab a star that he will never reach?! His fate was sealed. Ken couldn't blame it on Naruko though, he was just that easy to get to. He couldn't turn back now anyway, and truthfully, he didn't want to look back. This was better for his psyche, to be as close to his inspiration as possible.
All he had to do was stop mourning for his pathetic existence and be in the moment.
Ken observed his surroundings, occasionally jogging through the nearby forest to try to find his target. Get a bell. That's all he had to do. Get a simple bell.
The green haired boy sighed. Easier said than done. Naruko and Sasuku was already having a hard time to even lay a physical blow on their sensei, and here he was thinking it was simple in his state.
Damn it…
No, no no no. He said he wasn't going to mourn, at least not right now. It wasn't going to get him a bell, and neither was wasting time.
Okay, Ninja One-Oh-One. How to catch a fast opponent? He could make traps to stop the man in his tracks, but would that be good enough? And how would he know if Kakashi-sensei would even end up near the confines of his snare? No, there wasn't any time to think about that kind of things. He needed to move and now. Besides, there was only one way to find out.
But what kind of trap will he make? And with what? He needed something to be as subtle to the eye as possible. Ken looked around, seeing tree after tree. Only trees, tree, tree, tree! Man, c'mon already!
He breathed in and slowly exhaled.
Easy there, Ken. Take your time, okay?
Don't rush things, just as Naruko told him time and time again. Try to think outside of the box.
He opened his eyes, and then, an idea finally presented itself to him.
He smiled in recognition.
Cerulean eyes locked on to their prey, a smirk growing deviously as Naruko Uzumaki sat idly by in a tree's covers. 'Hah! Kakashi-sensei is all mine! Look how clueless he is. This test is as well as finish for Naruko Uzumaki, believe it 'ttebayo!'
POOF!
"H-Hah?" She blinked in confusion. A log laid peacefully in the stable grass below. A substitution jutsu!? But why?
"Yo."
"WAH!" She slipped, hurting her behind on the soil below. Naruko stared up. Kakashi-sensei gave her a small raised salute, before jumping to another branch as Sasuku occupied the previous one.
They began maneuvering through the outskirts above Naruko, Sasuku delivering hand-to-hand combat in mid-air. But it was obviously not enough.
Kakashi observed the now two stoic Genins staring back. "Already taking a break?"
Then as soon as Sasuku puffed into a harmless log, Kakashi swerved to the right just in time for the Uchiha to fly right passed him. Not only that, but he saw the approaching form of two Uzumakis as well, knocking one into the tree behind him and using the other one as a 'shuriken' for the persistent Uchiha, sending the emo right into the original from down below.
"Kami damn it, teme, get off of me!"
Kakashi just sighed at the two rambling to each other, shunshining out of there after a moment of boredom.
"Where'd he go?" Naruko looked around sporadically for any signs.
"You let him escape, you blonde idiot!" She glared at the pigtail girl.
"Me?! You were the one who got in the way!"
"Your clone knocked me back!"
"By the target that you made cautious!"
"He was already cautious to begin with!"
"No, I had him right where I wanted him!"
Sasuku grunted before turning her back to the blonde. "Sure you did."
Naruko gritted her teeth. "Why you little- h-hey, hold on! I'm talking to you! Argh!" She ruffled her hair in frustration, before giving chase.
"Wow, those two really don't like each other." Kakashi shook his head in slight amusement, but mostly in disappointment, hand in pocket, and book in the other, open and ready to be read. Really now, the three were running out of time and hadn't gotten him off guard yet, only wanting to rush in if able. That will never get them anywhere in life. At least rush in as a team, then they might have a chance. His students would rather go for the kill alone than to corner their prey in a unit. It was almost like they were not taking this test seriously enough to care. Did they think he was joking when he laid down all the cards?
He chuckled a bit. Maybe, or maybe he needed to be more serious. Kakashi might think of them as prodigies for the current generation, but he figured he should actually fail them if he was not satisfied in the end, which seemed more likely than not.
Three failures. Oh well. Speaking of three, where was the third little brat anyway? Kakashi knew Kenjo Tayamaru was a special case, since it was confirmed that he didn't pass none of his subjects. It seemed as if the kid was just that bad, or maybe he was unable to mold his chakra in any shape. But the latter was ridiculous though, because of how far the green brat actually came. No, it had to be that he was just those lucky ones that got a pass because of a certain condition. Kakashi didn't know what was the condition, but it didn't matter.
The truth was that Kenjo was not going to be a huge issue, since, let's face it, Naruko and Sasuku was better off finding a needle in a hay shack with the progress they were actually making. If Kenjo was just a mediocre version of Rock Lee– yes, his marks were really that bad– then the only problem he would give the copy ninja was close range combat. But then again, Kakashi Hatake shouldn't be arrogant over none of them, even Tayamaru might even caught him off guard.
Wait, the Jounin might be wanting to cross that one out once his eye locked on an obvious cardboard box behind a tree. A cardboard box, that was taking a liking in the shaking department.
He raised an eyebrow? Really? 'Don't tell me Kenjo really thought this would work. I mean c'mon, he could at least not move so much if he wasn't going to camouflage it.' Kakashi sighed with pity. This was Team Seven's star pupils. Well, at least it wasn't cliché compared to the tedious method Naruko and Sasuku were sticking with. He guessed he would play along to keep up the boy's spirits. Walking passed the tree that hid the 'not-so-obvious' cardboard box, a string was suddenly triggered.
By his ankle.
Ninja wire.
Down shot a barrage of shurikens, right above the former Anbu member. With a simply side step dodge, he turned around to see the box reveal it's contents.
A raccoon?
It scurried off helplessly, just as he felt the presence of a moving object aiming for his waist. He jumped up in a tree warily, watching the flying kunai hit the tree he took shelter on. Kakashi's eye went wide in surprise, not due to any of the unexpected happenings from below, close but definitely not the expected hand that ended being a kunai as well, no, it was due to a hand reaching out in the corner of his eye. He palmed it away instinctively, seeing the flailing form of Kenjo landing awkwardly on the ground, right in the perimeter of all the traps.
The grey haired ninja blinked. 'That was a close one.'
"Time's up." Kakashi stood in front of the pretty much exhausted trio, well, duo he supposed. Kenjo just watched the two try their best to catch their breath. Of course he wasn't tired, not that he wasn't immune to exhaustion as well, no, it was just he was only able to try once in the whole hour of the escapade. It took him awhile to set that chain of traps up, which meant there was not enough time to make another. "And none of you had succeeded in capturing a bell. Which means all of you fail."
"This is so unfair." Naruko glared deeply, finally having enough oxygen in her lungs. "We weren't trained for this!"
"And why would you need to train in order to capture a simple bell?"
Naruko opened her mouth, but struggled to find the right words. "B-But we were going up an experienced Jounin of all people! If you could've at least told us what our exam was about, we could've advised a strategy beforehand!"
"Naruko-chan," Kakashi shook his head, "In the ninja world, anything can happen. No amount of training could prepare you for an impromptu moment. Things like these will take you by surprise, no matter how skilled of a ninja you are. The only thing we can do is to not prepare for the expected, but plan for the unexpected, even if it means doing it during the intervention. You should've known that while even in the Academy."
Naruko growled in distaste, but said nothing.
"What this exam expected from you was not how well you do on your own, but how good you are as a team. And neither one of you met that expectation." He stared at Naruko more intensively, earning most of her divided attention. "Naruko-chan, during the entire exam, you were mostly up in Sasuku-chan's alley rather than mine, and the times when you were, you aimed for a reckless, rushful finish rather than to catch me off guard. Even with your shadow clones, you never even gotten close to my hip, which was just downright embarrassing."
The blonde's eyes were now covered in a contemplative shadow, her being shrinking silently by the speech she received. Ken stared at her side with sad eyes. He didn't like seeing Naruko like this. He didn't like hearing her be degraded so. It hurt his heart. It made him want to give Kakashi-sensei a piece of his mind, but he decided against that thought. It wouldn't end up in his favor, and neither would it for her.
"Sasuku-chan," He turned to the emo girl, who stood stoically by, or as stoically as her emotionless face would allow her to seem, "I'm not happy with your results either, and personally, I expected you to at least be the closest to being successful in this survival test. You were the top of your class, the number one of them all, the young Uchiha prodigy, and yet, all I got from you was a lousy excuse for a Genin."
Sasuku grimaced a bit. Despite how calm she wanted to be, that really stung if she were to be honest.
"Your inability to put your foot down and work with your comrades was just as equally as sad. You seemed so sure of yourself, so sure you were going to get a bell, to show off how good an Uchiha really was, but you failed to even land a hit on me. Your bickering with Naruko-chan had cost you, and instead of trying to think out of the box and stop with how predictable you and Naruko-chan were, you ended up empty handed."
The black haired kunoichi looked down to the ground, not daring to look in the eye of her sensei.
"And that leads up to you, Kenjo Tayamaru." He turned to the boy in question, sending an uncomfortable chill down his spine. A chill more cold than his skin seemed to be. If his sensei's gaze was ice, then he could only imagine how tough winter was if he were normal. Fortunately, and unfortunately as well, he wasn't.
Here it comes, his judgment time was finally upon him. Ken barely could hold himself together hearing the degradation Naru-chan and Sasuku-chan had been held with, so he could only imagine how painful it would be for he himself to receive as well.
"You were surprisingly the one who were the closest to snatching one of the bells, and for that, I'm pleasantly surprised." Kenjo opened his clutched eyes at hearing those words. Wait, what just happened? Unfortunately though, he was too quick to judge. "However," Kakashi continued, already having all three of them staring back at him in their own way, "I am very disappointed to only encounter you once out of the entire hour. You spent all your time setting up those traps that if you actually were to ask help," he paused, letting it all sink in the boy's head, "you three would've had more time to improvise and even try to counter while I was distracted. But you didn't, and so, you showed me that you as well are a failure in disguise."
He took the sight of the ground to be the focus point as Kenjo felt even more miserable than before. Just hearing what he could've and should've done made it even worse. Double that with the fact that he wasn't even suppose to be here made it astonishingly clear to him that this was the pinnacle point of his failures so far.
What was he thinking? He couldn't take on the simplest of ninja in his current state, and yet, there he was, trying to do everything by himself. What a worthless piece of arrogant garbage he reminded himself he was.
Kakashi shook his head in dismay. "Really now, what did you think being put on a team was all about? To prove whose the best amongst all of you? News flash: There is no I in team, and for me to remind you guys that while you wear those symbols of recognition on your foreheads, is more frustrating than when I realized how independent you all seem to crave to be. It just goes to show much ignorance you brats truly have."
They all had the decency to hang their heads to the surface. Silence grew amongst the four, each quiet second felt like an aggravating hour. Time seemed to slow down during this moment, and the three Genin didn't enjoy it one bit.
"So, while I crave to just fail all three of you right now, I'll give two of you one final opportunity."
"Huh?"
"Hey, what's the big idea tying me up to this log, 'ttebayo?!" Naruko struggled in place, her body immobile to do anything to help her get out of her current situation.
"As I said, I'll give two of you an opportunity to not be sent back to the academy." Kakashi eyed his two untied pupils. "Since you haven't eaten anything yet, each of you are given a bowl of food to finish. Once you have, I'll deem you a graduate of this exam. But give Naruko even a whiff of it, and all of you will fail, got it?"
"WHAT!? But why me, eh?!"
"Naruko-chan, personally, I think you did the most horrible out of all of you. While none of you did better than the other in acting as a team, you on the other hand had clone after clone to help you. Though it defeats the purpose of having other members on the team in the first place, you actually managed to fail despite having me outnumbered in numerous of occasions."
He shook his head with a sigh, before continuing with his point.
"Having shadow clones should mean you're at one with each other, you should agree on the plan the other one is thinking, and yet you didn't progress, not a single bit. I don't even want to imagine how you would cooperate with your two actual teammates that clearly have minds of their own if you do decide to work together. So for that, I'm having you be the odd one out. Nothing personal, it's just how grading you all individually works. Maybe next year, you might be ready, Naruko-chan. I hope that be the case." And with that, he shunshin'd away.
"Argh," Naruko wriggled some more, "this is really unfair, Kami damn it!" Then, she stopped squirming, hanging her head in defeat. Ken just frowned through it all. If there was a moment where you could actually agree with someone twice as much, then this moment would be it. Honestly now, what did Kakashi-sensei took him for? He wasn't going to let his only friend starve while surrounded by unreachable food. That's just inhumane torture. Who would do such a thing? He hoped their teacher would end up with a 'gotcha!' popup, cause he wouldn't want a sensei who would be the cause of this insufferable suffering.
Screw passing without Naruko! If she fails, he fails too. He won't allow her to fall alone. She had enough pain and grief throughout her childhood as it was. Besides, she was the only reason he was here in the first place. So it was only natural to do what he was about to do right when his sensei was out of sight. He didn't even need the oncoming growl from her to have confirmation, cause his mind was already made up.
"H-Here, Naru-chan." He raised the enclosed chopsticks near her face, earning a surprised, yet confused expression from the blonde.
"W-Wah? Wait, what are you doing?"
"Yeah, dead last," Sasuku spoke up with a glare, "you're going to have us all fail."
"I-I-I don't c-care." He frowned at the seated female. "T-There's n-no way in h-hell that I'll a-allow Naru-chan t-t-to starve! I w-would even s-steal H-Hokage-s-sama's lunch if I h-h-have t-to." He wanted to sound serious, stern, confident of himself, but with his impediment, it was hard to actually hear such a tone like that from himself if it was even there. That only made his last statement even more stupidly amusing rather than recklessly brave, and even he felt like he said something he would never do. Stealing the Hokage's lunch? That sounded completely extreme. But he stood his ground, despite how scared the thought made him feel.
"Ken…" A slight blush appeared on the peach skin of his friend. That speech might have been all bark and no bite, but it meant a lot to her. It was one of those subtle yet powerful reminders that made her mind recap on just how much of an influence he was to her. Why she became his friend. Why she looked up to him while the whole village looked down.
It was moments like these that really reminded her, reminded Naruko Uzumaki, just how much Kenjo Tayamaru meant to her.
She smiled warmly. He was doing that thing again. That selfless movement of his. Putting her needs in front of his own. It was annoying, knowing that he would not checkup on himself first, but it touched her like nothing had before. Each time he did it, it was just as powerful.
Naruko knew he wasn't the strongest, the smartest, the most skilled, the most talented. He was never the best at anything, and yet, to her, he was the best at everything he did. Noone could be there for her like Ken was. He was just that powerful in her eyes.
If only the village could see what she saw in him. If only…
"You sure…?" She stared at his eyes, his reassuring red orbs.
He smiled back as warm as he could. "O-Of course I-I am."
She hesitated, but opened up her mouth wide enough for the contents to bless her aching tongue. She absorbed the exotic taste, feeling the food compress itself with each bite. She kept looking at his calm demeanor while doing so. A demeanor that their former classmates said didn't match with how awkward his timid voice stuttered. If that was even true, it's contrast would still be just as wonderful as the actual comparison. Her cheeks were still red with heat. It was moments like these that she wished would last for eternity.
She and her best friend Ken.
Together, having an ever lasting moment in a luxurious field of-
"Hey."
Her eyes bulged a bit by the interruption, turning her head to find another pair of chopsticks near her mouth, with Sasuku staring to the side.
She blinked in confusion. "Nani?"
"Hey, I may be a faceless emo most of the time, but I'm not a dick to a teammate in need. Besides, dead last just failed us all, so what's the point in not sharing?"
Naruko just stared in disbelief. Was this the same teme who she competed with the past few years in the Academy? The same teme who had the audacity to ruin her chance in getting a bell from Kakashi-sensei? Was this really her? What kind of dream was she having right now?
Ken just smiled at the gesture, nodding in gratitude at her selflessness once their eyes met momentarily, just to receive a grunt in response.
And so, they shared their food with each other, enjoying their time finally reconciling as one. As a whole.
They were finally being a team.
End of Chapter
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–Narurific–