"Well…How do I put this? My first impression of you is….I hate you."

"WHAAAT?!" The girl with the pink hair and the blond boy chorused. The crow haired boy merely continued staring skeptically at the man, as if to ask if that was all he could think of to say, and that he wasn't acting very impressive.

Sheriff Kakashi ignored all three of them and turned to Iruka, his #1 deputy, instead. "What were you thinking?"

Iruka shrugged. "You asked me to find you another deputy to replace Rock Lee, since he left on his 'journey of youth and self discovery'. So I brought them."

Kakashi sighed. "Iruka…First, I said only one deputy. Second, one of them looks like an idiot."

"Hear that, Sasuke? The sheriff totally just dissed you!" Naruto laughed loudly, shaking so much that it looked like his hat would fall off any minute.

Sasuke smirked. "I don't think he was talking about me."

Naruto grimaced at him. "Hey, just 'cause you got insulted is no reason to take it out on Sakura. She didn't do you any harm."

"Personally, I don't think he was talking about Sakura, either."

Naruto looked at him, puzzled. "Then, he must have been talking about you, Sasuke. There's no one else here except me." He squinted at the dark eyed boy, and then suddenly straightened as the facts added up. "Wait a second, you lookin' for a fight?" He jumped onto the edge of a wooden trough sitting near Sasuke and glared down at him.

Sasuke sighed in annoyance and poked Naruto in the stomach, whereupon Naruto fell backwards into the water. Needless to say, he was drenched. The splash also soaked Sakura, who squealed slightly and jumped back just a little too late. In fact, Sasuke was the only one not waterlogged now; he had dodged.

"Third," Kakashi continued, disregarding the interruption. "One of them is a girl…"

Sakura (whose hair was a slightly darker shade of pink when wet) leaped in front of the two boys. "Ah, I'm not here for the job. I just, uh, wanted to offer Sasuke my, uh, support!" Inwardly she was saying, "I must support Sasuke to show him my love!"

Sasuke frowned at her. She was ruining his chance at making a good impression here. Moreover, he just didn't like it when fangirls stalked him. Sure, he was Sasuke Uchiha, fastest gun in the West, or at least in the village school. Sure, he was cool, particularly with the new gun he'd bought yesterday when he heard about the job interview. Sure, he was handsome, and, of course, the ever popular strong and silent type. But that was no excuse for a bunch of girls to follow him around. He had more important things to do than associate with them.

Though if it came down to it, this job was rather suspicious. Sheriff Kakashi looked a lot more like a bandit than a man of the law with that bandana around his face, covering up to just beneath his eyes. If Sasuke wasn't broke, he would just as soon travel to another town and become a different sheriff's deputy. He was sure someone more…reliable would appreciate his services.

As he mentally complained, Kakashi finished speaking to Iruka. "Fourth, why kids? They can't be more than thirteen!"

"Ah, yes, they are thirteen. But they aren't so bad."

"Really, Iruka? I thought more of you…"

"Sasuke is a really good shot and fighter, and he's really smart! And Naruto…uh…Naruto is nice when you get to know him!"

"I'm sure," Kakashi said in a voice that didn't sound too sure at all. "But there are more capable options in this city. Hire an unemployed cowhand, or a drifter, or someone…At least an adult, you know. Someone with a bit more experience, which is valuable." As he said the last part he glanced at Sasuke, who certainly was acting very condescending for his inexperience.

Iruka coughed. "Yes, well."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"The fact is…I tried. They…" He gulped. If he knew Kakashi, he wasn't going to like this. "They wanted higher wages."

Kakashi gave a withering stare. "Iruka, I already told you. Our current budget is low and if we raise the wages anymore, we'll be broke. I need money for essential supplies." Including his newest books, magazines, drinks at the local bar, and gambling. Not to mention a new pair of chaps. These ones were starting to look a little old.

"Well yes, Kakashi, but isn't twenty five cents a month a little low?"

Kakashi stared even harder and Iruka got annoyed. "Listen, maybe Rock Lee will stand for that kind of stuff but not most people! You should be grateful I found this many people! And that they weren't dishonest or anything!"

Kakashi casually stepped over to Iruka and punched him in the face, sending him flying several feet. This accomplished, he turned back to the deputy candidates.

"I trust you have no complaints about the wages. In addition to the amazing twenty five cents a month you will be fed and get to live in the sheriff house."

The two boys shifted uneasily as they considered their futures. Sakura glanced worriedly at Sasuke. She had heard that the last deputy had worked himself to the breaking point: He had collapsed several times and apparently gone mad, because every time he had come back to the sheriff babbling about youthful perseverance. She didn't want that for Sasuke, but she knew he would make such a handsome sheriff/deputy…She giggled nervously.

Finally Naruto spoke. "Listen up, Mr. Kakashi! I'm not here for the money! If you paid me only ten cents a month I would still want this job! Because I want to protect the people of this city, and I can only do that as your deputy! And someday I'm going to continue on and become mayor of this city, believe it! So give me the job, mister."

"Not so fast. I think Sasuke may have something to say." He turned to Sasuke. "Yes?"

"Funds…are not an issue. By becoming your deputy, I can hunt down bandits. And someday…I can hunt him down. That's enough for me." Sasuke smirked.

Kakashi considered for a second. They had answered his questions well, but that was not enough. "Come to the sheriff house tomorrow at nine. I'll meet you there, and test you as to who will get the job."

Naruto scrunched up his face. "Why do you need to test us? I'm for real!"

"Do you want the job or not?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna ace your little test. BELIEVE IT!" He walked away.

Sasuke merely nodded. "I'll be there." He also walked off, in the opposite direction. Sakura ran after him, eagerly calling out his name.

Iruka, now recovered, smiled brightly. "Nice candidates, huh?"

"At this rate…I think I'd just choose Sakura."

The next day Kakashi arrived at one o'clock to find the three teenagers looking very disgruntled. Naruto was angrily talking to Sakura about irresponsible sheriffs, who was trying to talk to Sasuke about how she wished him luck on the so-called test, who was staring at the ground and fiddling with a piece of tumbleweed. His expression was impatient to the point of murderous.

"Good morning!" Kakashi greeted them.

"It isn't morning anymore! We've been waiting four hours for you! BELIEVE IT!"

"Mr. Kakashi, it isn't very nice of you to keep my Sasuke waiting this way!"

"So you finally showed up, hmmm?"

Kakashi laughed. "Oh, that. I got lost on the path of life, trying to find my way to the spring of youth…"

"Who'd believe an excuse like that?!" Both Sakura and Naruto shouted. Kakashi wondered whether they'd ever considered joining a chorus, they spoke in unison very well. Sasuke wouldn't be able to join it, of course, he was just scowling. Oh well. It was time to get down to business.

"The test is simple. I have a pair of bells here, see." He held them out towards the group of kids. They gazed at the bells with extreme concentration. Clearly these would be important! "Whoever gets the bells within the next two hours can become my deputy. But there are only two, and thus one of you will be eliminated!" He ended triumphantly.

"Uh, Mr. Kakashi? I'm not interested in becoming a deputy…I'm just here to root Sasuke on…"

Kakashi ignored her, because the words of pink haired girls were beneath his notice, apparently. "The contest will begin on the count of three. One…"

Suddenly Naruto jumped forward, making a desperate grab at the bells. Kakashi avoided him and then punched him in the face, lightly so he wouldn't be knocked out. After all, the might of Sheriff Kakashi's fist was feared far and wide; it could easily be too much for a poor little boy like Naruto. He then ignored this interruption, too, and resumed counting. "Two…Three…Go."

Naruto lunged to attack again, but this time Kakashi dodged back, turned, and ran away, not even stopping to speak. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Surely Kakashi wasn't afraid of Naruto's efforts, and probably not of his either. So why would he run from them? It would just expend energy. Wait, where was he running? Oh no…

"Naruto, we have to stop him before he reaches the stables!" Sasuke shouted. "If he gets on a horse…"

Naruto and Sakura gasped. "You're right!" Naruto said. "We have to stop him! BELIEVE IT!"

Naruto ran the fastest of the three. He, as an orphan, had had very little to do as a child. As a result, he had ended up wandering the streets of the village hundreds of times to relieve boredom. This meant that he knew the streets as well as the back of his hand; better, actually, since he was not at all inclined to staring at his hand for hours on end. And so he knew the quickest route to the stable, which was about a block away. Sasuke and Sakura followed as quickly as they could, although Sakura was hindered by her cotton skirt.

But as they neared the stables, a horse came veering out of it. It was sleekly black (Naruto knew its name: Crowmane) and about three times as tall as the kids, who jumped out of the way, Sasuke ending up slamming against a woody picket fence. From where she stood, Sakura could see Kakashi's back. For just a second, he turned and winked. Then he was off, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

"BLASTED SHERIFF!" Naruto shouted. Sakura kicked her booted toe in the dirt. But Sasuke remained undaunted.

"Saddle a horse, or ride bareback if you can. I'm going to get this job if it kills me," he ground out. "And if you aren't up to it, too bad. I'm not going to wait up."

Naruto turned red. "Of course I'm up to it. Idiot."

Inside the stables, he chose an orange steed. Sasuke lifted an eyebrow. "Interesting choice," he noted.

"Maure and I go way back," Naruto proclaimed. "Don't we, Maure? I remember when I was only five and I first tried to ride you and was kicked out by a groom…Oh, the good old days. But enough reminiscing!" He shouted. With that he jumped onto Maure's back, or rather, he jumped and Maure bowed down to let him on. "Hi ho Maure, and AWAAAAY!" The horse galloped furiously out of the stable.

Sasuke shrugged. He himself picked out a grey horse with a mane trimmed short like it was used by the army. It looked rather slow, but Sasuke had to ride bareback unless he wanted to waste the time needed for saddling a steed, and this one looked complacent enough not to buck him off. He climbed on, and looked at Sakura. "Well? You coming?"

"Sasuke! Uh, I'll ride behind you." Sakura grabbed Sasuke's hand and he pulled her up. She sat holding onto his waist so she wouldn't fall off.

Naruto was waiting for them at the border where the town, Konoha Creek, met the ungoverned desert. He grinned. "About time you caught up! Maure's a spitfire mare and she's real fast, so if I lose you, call out: I'll wait! Hi ho Maure…and AWWAAAAY!" He shouted again.

With that, the hunt for the sheriff was on. The three candidates rode on and on across the sand. It would have been hopeless to find him at all, but he had carelessly left a track of hoof marks behind him. Either he was confident that they would be unable to get the bells anyways, he was making it easy for them because they were new, or…

Was he really that stupid?

In any case, they caught up to Kakashi after about thirty minutes. "Hold!" Sasuke shouted.

"Yeah, stop!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto hollered, "If you don't stop, we'll make you! BELIEVE IT!"

But Kakashi didn't stop. "So, uh, Sasuke, what do we do now?" Naruto asked.

Huh, so the big mouth had finally recognized Sasuke's superiority. Sasuke was pleased. Perhaps Naruto wasn't such a fool after all. But the black haired boy didn't really know what to do either. He turned to Sakura.

"Sakura, you know what the plan is, right?"

"Of course, Sasuke! I'll rope his horse with my lasso skills, and the rope I brought along. Then…" She outlined a plan while Naruto watched in amazement and gave her a thumbs up.

"Yes, that was my plan too," Sasuke said coolly. "Now let's go."

Sakura twirled her lariat in the air expertly and then sent it flying over Crowmane's neck. The horse tried to keep running, but as he struggled, Maure and Naruto rode up alongside it. Maure gave Crowmane a hip check (if such things are possible for horses) that brought it up short, and at such short range, Naruto could easily rope him to reinforce Sakura's lasso. In a few minutes, Naruto and Sasuke had Kakashi trapped between their horses. So why did he look so confident?

"Kakashi, you better hand over those bells, or I'll use this on you," Sasuke warned, pulling out his brand new gun.

Kakashi snorted. "Nonsense. If I'm killed, I'll never make you my deputies. And you'd probably be sent to jail or even hanged as murderers."

Sakura smiled a little dangerously. "But Kakashi, there are things you can do with guns without shooting people," she said gently and a little patronizingly.

"Yeah, BELIEVE IT!" Naruto added.

Sasuke conked Kakashi on the head with the gun.

The sheriff almost fell off his horse. Naruto grabbed him and held him up in the saddle. "Out cold," he announced.

"Just as planned," Sasuke gloated. And so they brought Kakashi back to town, after draping him over the saddle so that Naruto wouldn't have to support him the whole way.

Kakashi woke up tied to a fence post next to the sheriff house with Naruto's face about three inches from his.

"Hey mister, we've searched your horse and your body for those bells and we can't find them. So give them to us!"

Sasuke sighed. Honestly, Naruto shouldn't have told Kakashi that they had didn't know where the bells were. He had no idea how to conduct an interrogation.

"I can't," Kakashi answered.

"Why not?" Sakura asked.

"Well, for one thing I'm tied to a fence post. But also, I haven't got them."

"You lie!" Sakura shouted. "Now hand them over or we'll keep you tied here as long as it takes."

"You won't get away with it," Kakashi said darkly. "Iruka is always inside the sheriff house and he'll help me. Hey Iruka! Over here!"

Iruka's head popped out of the doorway. "Yes, Kakashi?"

"Give me a hand, will you?"

"No can do, sorry. You told me not to interfere."

"Well, things have changed. Hey! Don't just close the door like that! Iruka!"

Sasuke smirked. "See, Sheriff Kakashi? You're running out of options. Now tell us where the bells are."

"Well…The fact is, I threw them away in the middle of the desert," Kakashi admitted.

"You WHAAAT?" This time, all three of them screamed at once. If they were a chorus, Sasuke would be the baritone.

"Yes, I threw them into the sand. Now you'll just have to go through the entire desert, grain of sand by grain of sand, searching for it. And you have only about an hour left."

Sakura stared. "Are you kidding? Who would do something like that?"

"Rock Lee would, if he were here."

"WELL WE AREN'T ROCK LEE! BELIEVE IT!" shouted a furious blond. "I thought you actually wanted a deputy! Well if we're meant to fail the dumb test, I'll just find another way to protect Konoha Creek! I don't need to be a deputy to do that…I guess."

Sasuke sighed. "The job was promising, but I can do it by myself."

Sakura glared at Kakashi. Then, all three kids began to walk away.

Kakashi panicked. "Wait! You can still be deputies!"

They turned back.

"You all kind of failed the test…and you're kind of idiots, too…but the point was really teamwork. I wanted to see whether you could still work together, knowing one of you would be eliminated. Teamwork is essential to the life of a deputy. You have proved your abilities, and I would be glad to accept all of you. Iruka! The badges!" He called.

Iruka came out of the sheriff house carrying a box. He opened it and took out three badges. Stars with the letters S and D on the center. He ceremoniously pinned them on each of the kids.

Naruto stared at the pin now attached to his shirt pocket as if he could hardly believe it.

Sasuke tried to hide his excitement but the edge of his mouth kept on twitching.

Sakura stared at Iruka as if he was crazy.

"I'm not here to be a deputy," she said. She reached to unpin the badge on her shirt, but Sasuke stopped her.

He whispered in her ear, "Please stay. For me, Sakura. I need you." She looked into his dazzling black eyes and found herself nodding, putting her arm down. Sasuke meanwhile, was inwardly gloating. He knew that her blind loyalty to him would definitely come in handy someday, and besides…it turned out that she had actually made him look good.

"So, you can meet me here tomorrow for your first day on the job," Kakashi announced. "Oh, and from now on you can live in the sheriff house, if you want. Iruka and I live there already. It's customary."

Sasuke nodded and stalked off. He needed to get his things from the inn where he was currently staying.

Naruto raced off to tell his friends at the local bar the good news. Good in two ways: He had achieved a step towards his dream, and now he wouldn't have to live off their generosity any more.

Sakura hesitated. "Are you sure?"

Kakashi, once again, ignored her. So she also left.

Iruka was about to go too, when Kakashi called him back. "Iruka, could you untie me?"

"Oh! Of course," Iruka said, unknotting the rope from around the fence posts. "So, what do you think of them now?"

"Hn….I don't know…"

"They are qualified. You must understand that now, if you assigned them as deputies."

"Yes but…" Kakashi made a sad face. "They aren't Rock Lee. He knew how to treat a boss."

Iruka made an annoyed face. "Yeah, it always kind of annoyed me how much you overworked him. And he just let you. Don't take advantage of people like that!"

Kakashi punched Iruka and returned to reminiscing. "He used to be so respectful…always talking about the youthfulness of being a sheriff…and he called me Sheriff Hatake. Not Kakashi. Hatake." He sighed with nostalgia for something gone not a week.

"That kid. I wonder if he'll get into trouble. He's so gullible," Iruka grumbled, rubbing his head.

"Oh, he can take care of himself," Kakashi said confidently.

Little did he know that even now, young Rock Lee's life was in danger.