Ta daaa! Panda's back! Another disclaimer: I don't own anything that's part of the Naruto series, except for what I actually made up for this fanfiction! (I just want to make sure this isn't taken down...) So, without further ado...

Chapter 2

I wake up the following morning and dress, then head to the kitchen. My contact with Kakashi yesterday had been brief, but I HAD managed to pick up one little trick he'd put in our "assignment". When he'd told us to skip breakfast, he said it was because we were going to throw it back up, when in truth he just wants us to be starving. Why, I'm not sure, but I don't intend to fall for it. And hey, if I vomit, I vomit; it's not that big a deal. Yes, it tastes horrid and makes my teeth feel funny, but I'd rather not risk being hungry and losing focus. My brother's aren't awake yet, thank Gods, and I'm able to eat in silence. My ninja weapons are sitting in my bag, which is next to the front door.

As I eat, I ponder what our assignment is going to involve. He said we would have to survive against him, but that leaves a broad range of possibilities. Will we be able to fight him as a cell, or one-on-one? Will we be able to use any jutsus we have? I smirk. Even if that answer is no, I've already got him under one and he doesn't even know it. It's a very simple, yet highly effective one I'd come across while reading a few research journals my family has recorded. Hopefully I'll be able to get him with another of the same type once at the practice field.

Once I finish, I head out. Only when I'm out on the street do I really notice just how early in the morning it is. A fog settled over the village last night, and there's still thin mist clouding the streets. I walk along lazily, taking in the peaceful quiet of the morning. Once I reach the practice field, however, that silence is, unfortunately, broken by –

"HI TAMI! Good morning!" I groan as I trudge over. The other three are there, all their utilities still on their shoulders.

"Naruto, I know it's hard for you, but would it be possible for you to use your inside voice, just for the next half-hour or so?" I growl. He laughs.

"Aw, are you not a morning person, Tami-chan?" he teases. I grab him by the front of his jumpsuit and give him a menacing glare from under my bangs.

"No, Naruto, I'm not. Perhaps that should be something you remember." I release him, pacified by the shock and fear on his face. I'm a dangerous girl to piss off early in the morning. I set my things down, then sit next to them. A few minutes pass and I say, "Who wants to bet that sensei won't be here for at least another twenty minutes?" Sakura scoffs.

"I'm sure he'll be on time. It's our first assignment; it's important." I smirk up at her.

"I consider that a bet, Sakura. What's the wager?" She's taken aback, for she hadn't thought I was being serious about betting. Finally, she says,

"U-um…If he's on time, then you have to be nice to me." I groan.

"For how long?"

"At least for the rest of the day, though it wouldn't kill you to be nice ALL the time."

"Oh, it might," I retort with a straight face. She glares at me.

"What do you get if you win?" she asks.

"You have to shut up for the rest of the day," I say, smirking. "Though I doubt you could do it."

"I can be quiet!" she snaps. I arch an eyebrow at her, but keep my thoughts to myself. I hear Naruto's stomach growl and turn to him, a grin stretching my lips.

"You actually didn't eat anything?" I ask.

"He told us not to! I don't want to throw up!" he cries, looking worried.

"Oh Naruto, you poor thing," I say, giving him a pitying look.

"Did YOU eat this morning?" Sakura asks.

"Of course I did."

"Why? Aren't you worried you'll throw up?" she asks.

"Pft, no." I smirk at her and say, "Remember that little trick I can do?"

"You mean mind-reading?" she asks. I nod and say, being as innocent as can be,

"Weeell, I MIGHT have touched Kakashi-Sensei yesterday, and MIGHT have just…picked up something of…value."

"You kept information away from us?" Surprisingly, all three of my teammates have rounded on me. It's the first time Sasuke's said anything to me directly in two years. I ignore it and lean back, propping myself up on my elbows.

"Maaaybe. Hey, don't get pissy with me; none of you three came across as very deserving teammates yesterday." Sakura gives me an indignant look.

"We're your teammates! Why shouldn't we get to know?"

"YOU, for one, are a BITCH. You told me flat out yesterday that you hate me. Not very high on my list right now, Sakura," I say coolly. "You, Naruto, don't seem truly interested in being a proper ninja. You obviously aren't very knowledgeable, meaning you probably didn't study much in school. Perhaps you should work on gathering information yourself before asking others to simply give it to you. And YOU –" I say, rounding on Sasuke. "ARE AN ASS." He gives me a deathly glare and opens his mouth to say something in return, but stops when we hear,

"Good morning class!"

"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto and Sakura yell.

"Meaning I won," I chirp smugly. Sakura gapes at me, and starts to say something, but I say, "Ah-ah-ah! No talking!" She shuts her mouth and simply takes to glaring at me. Kakashi-Sensei sets his bag down and withdraws from it a timer. He sets it on a stump and says,

"I've set this timer to go off at noon." He pushes down the switch and it starts ticking. Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out two bells. "I have here two small bells. Your challenge is to steal these from me before the timer sounds. Anyone who fails…doesn't get any lunch. Instead, you will be tied to that tree stump, so I can eat your lunch in front of you." In perfect unison, my teammates' stomachs growl. I fight back a smirk and wait for Kakashi to continue. "All you need is one bell…apiece. But since there aren't enough to go around, two of you are definitely headed for the stump…and whoever they are will be the first two to fail. Two of you are on your ways back to school…and disgrace." I hear Naruto swallow hard, and all three of them feel their pulse rates climb in anxiety. As I've never seen any of them fight, I have no idea what I'm up against. "You may, if you choose, use shuriken. Attack as though you mean to kill, or you'll never stand a chance."

"Is there any other way to fight?" I ask, shrugging comically.

"But…But that's so dangerous!" Sakura cries.

"Hey, no talking!" I remind her.

"You couldn't even dodge an eraser! You're gonna get yourself killed!" Naruto shouts, laughing.

"Only the weak speak loudly. Now, let's forget the dunce and we'll start on my signal." Naruto's anger sky-rockets immediately and his hand flies to his kunai pouch. He yanks one out and charges at Kakashi. He doesn't get very far, however, for in the blink of an eye Kakashi has him held, the hand with the kunai placed so the blade is pointed at the back of Naruto's head. "Not so fast. I didn't say 'go'." Both Sakura and Sasuke are impressed, and I whistle.

"Damn."

"But at least you struck to kill. So, it seems you've begun to respect me. Heh-heh-heh…maybe…just maybe…I'm starting to like you four…And now…ready…steady…GO!" My teammates shoot off in separate directions, and Kakashi begins to, but I say,

"Hold up, Sensei." He waits. "What would happen if I take both bells?" I ask, completely serious.

"What makes you think you can?"

"Hypothetically," I say. "If I manage to get them, what would happen if I took both instead of just one?"

"Do you really hate your teammates that much?" he asks.

"It's not my dislike that makes me ask," I say. "It's my evaluation of their shinobi capabilities. My father was a complete and total BASTARD, but if there's one thing he taught me well, it's the qualities a good shinobi should have. None of my teammates have all the requirements."

"Well, why don't you let me make the decision who to keep? There may be more to them than you think, Tami-chan. You should give them a chance." I sigh, but answer obediently,

"Yes, Sensei." I smile slightly. "You're a pretty interesting teacher, Sensei, from what I can tell." I hold my hand out to him. "I'm glad Iruka-Sensei put me in your cell. You're…complex." He extends his hand and takes mine, shaking it. I get another wave of information, and a stronger dose of his mental signature. He lets go and says,

"Now shoo; get ready." He shakes the bells at me tauntingly. "You do intend to get one of these, don't you?" I smirk and make a half-hearted grab for them. He pulls them out of my reach and I shrug.

"Oh damn. I tried." He rolls his eye and I turn around. I make a handseal at my side, turning back to him. "Oh, and listen up, Sensei. Just because I'm giving them a chance doesn't mean I'm not coming after both. You know…just as a challenge." I then turn and shoot off.

I bounce from branch to branch, searching for my teammates. They've hidden themselves pretty well, but their minds allow me to zero in on them. I stop when they're decently within range and mull over the information I'd gotten. Apparently, this exercise is based on…teamwork. Boy, are we royally fucked. Leave it to Kakashi to prod our weak spot. But I'll take his advice. As much as they definitely don't deserve it, I'll feed them the information. From there, they'll just have to decide whether or not they trust me enough to make any plans work. I jump down, climbing down carefully – and silently – so I'm standing behind one of my teammates. Oh crap…it's Sakura.

"Sakura," I whisper. She doesn't reply, so I try again. "Sakura." She slides out from underneath the bush and looks up at me. From the look on her face, I can tell she's not at all happy with me. "I give you permission to speak."

"What do you want?" she whispers.

"You want information?" I ask coolly. She stares up at me for a moment in shock, then nods. "Fine. We have to work together." Again, she gapes at me, then she snorts.

"Yeah right. Why would I do that?"

"Because you have to. That's the point. We have to work together."

"Oh please!" She stands up, crossing her arms across her chest. "Admit it! You know that you can't get a bell from Kakashi-Sensei by yourself, and you're too embarrassed to talk to the boys about it!" Now it's my turn to gape – at her stupidity.

"Are you completely fucking moronic? I'm trying to save your ass, you pink-haired idiot!" She scoffs, flipping her hair.

"Whatever! You would never do something nice for me." I throw my arms into the air in exasperation.

"FINE! Don't listen to me; see where that gets you!" With that, I shoot off again, heading for my next target. With every second I spend arguing, I'm losing precious time that could be spent making a plan. As much as I hate it, I'm going to have to go to…him. I know before I reach him that it's Sasuke. I land on the branch behind him and he whips around. His eyes narrow guardedly and I take a deep breath. "Look. I hate you, and you hate me, but we can't pass this damn thing unless we work together."

"Speak for yourself," he growls, turning back around.

"Fucking jeez! Are you three the dumbest asses in Konoha or something?" I snap. "You whine at me for NOT telling you things, and when I TRY to spoon-feed you information, you don't listen to me!" He turns back around, glaring at me.

"Even if you do have information, why would you give it to us now? More specifically, why would you give it to ME?"

"Because I'm trying to do the right thing," I say, forcing the words out of my mouth. "I hate the thought of it, but we're on the same team, and we HAVE to work together. It's the essence of the cell. We were put in teams for a reason."

"I never wanted to be in a group, thank you very much. I work better by myself," he mutters, looking back over the practice field, where I can hear Naruto and Kakashi's voices.

"You might think so, but that's probably because you've never given teamwork a shot," I retort. He doesn't answer me, so I sigh. Defeat settling in, I say, "Fine." I drop from the tree branch and walk down the side of the trunk, my chakra concentrated in my feet. I don't know why, but for some reason I'd really been banking on Sasuke to agree. If he'd agreed, Sakura would, and Naruto probably would listen to reason…probably. But of course Sasuke won't agree. He's too much of an ass.

I walk to the edge of the woods and lean against a tree, watching Naruto try to take on a Jonin single-handedly. Moron. Got to give him points for having guts, though. Kakashi knocks Naruto into the water, then goes back to the book he's holding. After a few moments of silence, two shuriken fly from the water, spinning towards Kakashi-Sensei. In a quick motion of his hand, Kakashi has both shuriken on his fingers, and he doesn't even stop reading. This must be insulting to Kakashi-Sensei. Naruto's the only one putting up a fight, and it's not even that much of one. My teammates are greatly underestimating his abilities. He's a JONIN; of course he can't be beaten by a single genin head-on, especially one like Naruto. Naruto finally climbs out of the water, looking disgruntled and completely spent. Poor boy. He's trying so hard. Kakashi says something to him, to which he replies,

"Duh! I know that!" Kakashi says something else. "Crap, crap, crap! I can fight no matter how hungry I am!" I shake my head. Quite to the contrary, if he keeps up his relentless and useless attacks, he'll probably collapse within the hour. "I just wasn't ready, that's all!" Kakashi says something in reply, turning away from him and walking in the opposite direction, his nose still in his book. Naruto simply sits there for a minute, then from the water behind him, seven more Narutos leap into the air, jumping to shore. Wow, that's impressive. And from what I can tell, each of those eight Narutos is a solid clone, not just hazy illusion. Very impressive. It must be the technique he learned from the scroll he stole a few days ago. The clones charge at Kakashi, who continues to stand there, completely impassive. Another figure darts from the woods behind Kakashi and I feel my jaw drop in happy astonishment. It's Naruto, and he's going to get the jump on Kakashi! Naruto jumps on him, holding him still. "Heh-heh-heh…Nice to see your back…Sensei!"

"Good, Naruto! That's using your brain for once! Now grab the bells!" I mutter, mostly to myself. However, he doesn't seem to have any interest in the bells. One of his clones runs toward them and raises his fist, ready to sink it into Kakashi's face. "No, idiot, grab the damn bells!" I growl, frustrated. The clone brings his fist down…on Naruto's face. Kakashi's gone, and the real Naruto is now holding another clone. "DAMN IT!" I swear, quite loudly. He completely ignored a golden opportunity to get the bells. I walk into the field, where Naruto is now quarreling with his clones over which one Kakashi is. He's honestly so thick that he hasn't realized that it was a substitution. "HEY!" They stop fighting immediately and turn to me. "Why don't you just reverse the damn jutsu? Wouldn't that reveal Kakashi if he HAD taken your form?"

"Oh!" He puts his hands together and drops the jutsu, and the only person that remains is himself. "Wh-what-?"

"Substitution jutsu," I snap curtly. "Maybe it's time you quit kidding yourself. You can't take him by yourself. None of us can. He's a Jonin for a reason, Naruto. And this test – it's about working together. We have to actually use our strength in numbers if we want to even stand a chance of passing."

"How do you know that?" he asks.

"I just know, okay?" I say. "So are you with me, or not?"

"Yeah," he says, nodding. "So what's the plan?"

"I don't have one yet," I reply. "I've told the other two we have to work together and they didn't listen. It's just us, but we might be able to figure something out. But we have to hurry; we're running out of time." He nods, but something catches his eye.

"A bell! Hee-hee-hee-hee! He must have been pretty flustered…to drop one…" He goes for it, and I realize what it is.

"Naruto, don't-!" But he springs the trap. A rope wraps around his ankle and hoists him into the tree, holding him upside down. "Damn it, Naruto!" Kakashi appears and snatches the bell off the ground.

"You used your technique well, but so did I…and you were the one who got used. And to be caught in such an obvious trap…was stupid!"

"I'll say!" I snap, glaring up at the blonde.

"Oh, there you are. I haven't seen you for about half an hour."

"For good reason," I reply.

"Tami, help me down!" Naruto says.

"No! You got yourself up there, get yourself down. You're perfectly capable. I'm NOT going to baby you, Naruto," I answer.

"Shinobi read the hidden meanings within hidden meanings!" Kakashi says cheerfully.

"I KNOW!" Naruto says, fuming.

"Uh, no, you don't. That's why I'm saying it." I hear the rustle of leaves and turn. A barrage of knives and shuriken come whizzing through the air, heading straight for us. "Naruto, you-" Kakashi-Sensei's sentence is cut off as the weapons hit him dead-on. Naruto and I gape as blood spurts from the wounds.

"Whoa! Whoa! No way! Sasuke, that was overkill!" Naruto screams, but I can feel the reality. It's just another substitution. I gasp.

"SASUKE, RUN!" I yell in his direction. "It's a substitution!" "Kakashi" vanishes with a poof and I see that it was really a log that Sasuke hit. That's a relief. The log falls to the ground and I feel Sasuke's mind get farther from us. Once Naruto calms down, he says,

"How did you know?"

"My powers. If it had been the real Kakashi, I would have felt his pain," I reply. I sigh. "You've GOT to stop thinking you're a mastermind, Naruto. Getting caught in this trap was really idiotic of you."

"I KNOW!" he shouts, crossing his arms and pouting.

"Well hurry up and get down."

"How?" I slap my forehead in exasperation. No one in the world is THIS dense…

"Cut the damn rope, Naruto."

"Oh." He pulls out a kunai knife and cuts through the binding, dropping to the ground. However, Kakashi ingeniously placed a second trap under his first and in two seconds Naruto is once again dangling my his ankle, upside-down. "Not again! CRAP! He set a second trap right under the first one!" I groan, hitting myself in the forehead again.

"Screw it. Naruto, you stay here and…keep watch. I'm going to go make sure the other two jackasses are still in one piece." With that I shoot off. Again, the first person I find is Sakura. "Hey, are you-?" I then spot Kakashi-Sensei standing not too far away. His hands are together in the seal of the rat, which prods my anxiety. Then, my eyelids start to feel heavy. The leaves at our feet start to swirl, then completely encase us as if caught in a sudden cyclone, and Kakashi disappears.

"What? What was that? Where did our sensei go?" Sakura asks, looking around frantically.

"Oh would you calm your ass down?" I ask. She spins and looks at me.

"YOU! What do you want now? I'm busy."

"I can see that," I retort sarcastically. "I was coming to make sure you're alright."

"Pft, like you care. Now would you leave? I'm trying to find-"

"Sakura…" Her mood lifts and she smiles.

"Sasuke!" She turns back around and we both see Sas – holy shit. He's drenched in blood, kunai knives and shuriken protruding from his back, neck, arms (well, what's left; his left arm is missing from the elbow down), and legs. Blood oozes from his mouth, and from what I can see his leg is severely broken. Fear and adrenaline flood Sakura's body and she starts trembling all over. Her eyes water, one tear escaping the corner of her eye. "YEEAAAAAAAH!" She faints, landing flat on her back, and I bust up laughing. Oh my God, that was one of the funniest things I have ever seen and felt. The genjutsu disappears, leaving no trace of "Sasuke". I continue to snicker. I'll have to remember that image for any future torments I wish to instill upon the stupid pink-haired girl. Jeez, how dumb can a person get before they hold you back in that academy? Don't they have RULES against fraternization?

"Oh well, time to find Sasuke." I take off again, searching for his mental signature. I feel his and Kakashi's, pretty far off, so I pick up my speed a bit. If Sasuke's improved at all over the past two years, hopefully he'll be able to put up more of a fight than the other two. After a minute more, Kakashi's mental signature disappears, but Sasuke's remains where it is. I wonder what happened. I finally reach the location of his mental signature, but when for some reason I don't see him. "Sasuke?"

"Look down, idiot." I drop my gaze and…

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!" I crack up laughing again; Sasuke's buried up to his neck and definitely doesn't look happy about it. "M-man, Sasuke, I knew you were dumb, but it's the ostrich that buries itself, not the cockatoo. And it's the head that goes in, not the rest of the body."

"SHUT UP! Kakashi-Sensei used a technique to pull me under." I then notice the smell of something burnt and look around. The grass is scorched in a long strip across the field. I whistle.

"So you finally learned it, huh?"

"Learned what?" he asks.

"The fireball jutsu. It's your family's trademark, isn't it?" He's taken aback by my knowledge.

"Y-yeah, how did you know that?" I roll my eyes and walk over to him.

"My father practically worshipped the ground yours stood on. I know a lot more than you think I do." I sit down in front of him. "So how well did you do?"

"Do what?" he asks. I roll my eyes again, which irritates him.

"Against Kakashi. I sensed him here. Obviously you lost, but how'd you do?"

"I got close enough to touch a bell," he replies, and I feel him struggle to pull himself free.

"Not bad. I expected as much, really. Oh Sasuke, you should have seen Sakura…" I snicker again.

"So that was her screaming?" he asks.

"Yeah. Who'd you think it was, Naruto?" I ask sarcastically. I put my hand on the ground at Sasuke's chest and shut my eyes. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up some idea as to how this jutsu works so I can get him out. Unfortunately, any earth that Kakashi touched is now under the surface. Damn it. "Sasuke, can you get an arm free?"

"I'm trying," he growls. I pull out one of my kunai and stick it in the ground, then circulate my chakra through it, breaking up and softening the earth surrounding his body.

"That a little easier?" I ask.

"Yeah, much easier. How did you do that?"

"A little trick I picked up from my aunt. She gardens. Might teach it to you sometime." I wipe the dirt off of my knife and slip it back in its pouch. "I'll leave it to you to get yourself out. Better hurry, it's almost noon." With that, I take off. I figure I'll just go back to the pillars and wait there for the end of the exercise. If the jutsus I have on Kakashi-Sensei work, I won't need my teammates to get those bells, but as teamwork is the fundamental value we should have learned in this test, it won't particularly matter if I get them or not.