Lone Warrior by causeiambetta

The three children, barely on their second day of turning into full fledged ninja soldiers of the Hidden Leaf stood in abject fear. Standing before three large wooden posts in an open clearing was the dark haired #1 ranked Genin in his class, Uchiha Sasuke and pink haired kunoichi Haruno Sakura. Both were frozen in place holding Benton boxes of food on one hand and offering food on their chop sticks to the blonde haired, last place trouble maker Uzumaki Naruto, presently tied to the middle post. All three were practically shitting themselves as their sensei, legendary copy-nin Hatake Kakashi appeared out of no where. Before them stood a growing volcano of fury. It had seemed as if the day turned night and behind Kakashi was fire, clenching his fists ready to mete out mortal punishment to his three charges.

They had broken a direct order not to feed Naruto as he had tried to eat lunch even though Kakashi had forbid all three from doing so. Now Naruto was to watch the other two eat lunch and have a higher chance to pass the test. The Bell test made those who took a bell off their sensei pass and remain a Genin. Those that didn't get a bell failed and were sent back to the academy. Problem was that there were only two bells. The Bell test was to see if they were finally ready to be a Genin team and Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto had spectacularly failed. Both Sasuke and Naruto had charged in directly, trying to fight a veteran Jounin by themselves. Sakura was wandering the training field looking for her crush Sasuke. Tears were already streaming out all three of the children when Kakashi finally started yelling.

'ALL THREE OF YOU...pass.' Hatake Kakashi ended his yelling with a calm and happy smile, with his exposed right eye closing in an upside down U. 'Congratulations.'

'WHAT?!' All three of the now passed Team 7 yelled at the same time. The two standing lowered their arms and turned fully to the surprising scene.

'Those who do not follow orders are trash' Kakashi said in a professorial tone. 'But those who leave their teammates are lower than trash.' And he looked at each of the Genin in turn. 'The Bell test was to find if the three man squad would work as a team. This morning you guys failed at that. Yet during the lunch break, you figured it out and learned that by working together you can accomplish greater heights. Even three fresh Genin straight out of the Academy can beat a Jounin at a task. Add to that willingly taking the risk of failing by not following a direct order so as to help a teammate and fight at the team's full strength, you pass. Be here at 7 AM tomorrow, Team 7.' With one last smile and wave, Hatake Kakashi teleported away.

The 'poof' sound of the teleportation and the sudden disappearance of the previously enraged Jounin finally woke the three out of their shocked expressions. Immediately Sakura jumped up and down with her fist raised. Sasuke, usually brooding and aloof, even deigned a smile. He was one step closer to beating his brother today. Naruto of the three was loudest, was yelling his heart out. Finally he's a real ninja on a real ninja team! He ignored the ropes binding him to the post and shouted in joy at finally...finally being a part of something. A team, with a teacher. Someone to show him the way, look out for him and make him strong. It was a dream come true.

After letting himself become outwardly emotional, Uchiha Sasuke regained hold on himself and the smile fell from his handsome face. He stiffened and remembered that there was training to be done and he didn't get stronger hanging with these two losers. 'I'm going home,' he said to no one in particular, turned on his heals and started walking towards the Uchiha compound. Sakura immediately stopped her cheering and paused with her hands in mid fist pump. She looked uncertain for a second and then chased after Sasuke.

'Oh Sasuke-kun, lets go out to celebrate!' He ignores her. 'How about some lunch? It'd be great for the first time as a team!' Meanwhile, the forgotten Naruto squirms to get out of the layers of ropes he's been bound in. They were chakra enhanced so that the normal ninja methods of getting out of them would not work. But Naruto still tried.

'Hey guys! Sakura-chan! Let me out of these ropes! Guys! Hey, I'm talking to you Sasuke-teme!' he shouted turning his head as far as he could to their direction.

'Oh, Sasuke-kun! Let's go out on a date! We're in the same team, it was meant to be!' Sakura could be heard pleading from a distance. And on and on they went...

'Guys! I'm still trapped here! Guys!...Sakura-chan!...Sakura-chan?' Naruto kept yelling but finally got tired. He bowed his head in defeat.

Not even a team for an hour, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke had abandoned him. Just like everyone else. Why should he have thought this would be any different? His own family abandoned him. The orphanage kicked him out. Naruto lived alone. Naruto had no family. He had no friends.

And Naruto didn't have a team.

Night fell and the twelve year old was still tied to the log in the middle of the training camps. Ninjas had past by but no one provided any help to the 'demon.' It took most all the willpower they had from not taking advantage of the situation. In a way, Naruto was lucky that training ground 7 was so far from the others. He would've run into someone who gladly would have. Half his body was in pain as blood circulation was impeded and he had fallen asleep. He spent many hours thinking about his situation. About the positive feelings he had and…the stifling loneliness that made up his life. Streaks of tears glistened in the moonlight and it was well after midnight when someone found him. They cut the rope and shook the sleeping boy. He looked up through half closed eyes and felt the pins and needles of all his blood returning to the hands and legs.

'Failed the Genin test?' One unknown ninja asked, as Naruto couldn't look at him in the face. 'Today was the first day the academy released the new recruits. More than a few students were victims of pranks from their team mates every year this time.'

'My team didn't want me.' Naruto said very quietly. He ran away to his ghetto apartment before he spent one more second in training field 7. The older man looked on sadly.

'Good luck, Naruto', Iruka said softly. He walked back to the bar where he heard Kakashi recount his story to the other Jounin senseis.