Chapter Two: Pass or Fail; B-ranked mission

Sakura and Yamero stopped cheering. Instead, they settled for gaping like helpless fishes. Sasuke was glaring with all the hatred he could muster towards his young sensei. "What do you mean 'quit'?" he asked coldly.

"None of you got the main point of this exercise, thus, rendering you in the position you are in currently. You should quit as shinobi! Give it up!" Naruto thundered.

"It had a point?" Yamero asked cluelessly. "Can you tell us what it is?"

Naruto stared at them He rubbed his temple, sighing, "I don't believe it."

"Tell us, Naruto-sensei!" Sakura said.

"It's teamwork," Naruto growled. He was irritated and annoyed that his team didn't even know about teamwork.

Sakura repeated slowly, "Teamwork?"

"Yes, teamwork, didn't you know the most basic thing of a group of people separated into teams? Why did you think you were split and divided into three-man teams?" Naruto asked coldly. "You didn't bother to think about it, did you? Surprising, because the teachers say that you're the smartest kunoichi. Sasuke couldn't figure it out either. And he's the rookie of the year. I was, too. Yamero, being dead-last, of course wouldn't think of something so simple."

By the end of his long speech, Sasuke was burning with anger. "I don't need somebody two years younger than me lecturing me about something stupid!" he yelled. Sasuke attacked Naruto.

The former Anbu captain grabbed his wrist swiftly, pinned him to the ground, put a solid foot on his back, and put a kunai to his neck. "Sasuke, don't try that again or I will kill you, regardless that you're an Uchiha."

"Naruto-sensei! Get the hell off of Sasuke!" screamed Sakura, flames dancing in her eyes.

Naruto glanced up and shot her the most icy and disturbing glare she'd ever seen in her life. Sakura stared wide-eyed at him. She started to shake in fear as her young sensei glared at her. "N-N-Naruto-sensei…" she quivered. "I'm s-sorry!"

"I'll give you all another chance…with a test that is harder than the last one. But before that, at your lunch and don't fee Yamero. He goes hungry," said Naruto.

Naruto disappeared. Sasuke and Sakura started to eat, but soon Yamero's stomach rumbled. Sasuke noticed this and offered his food to him. "Here, eat."

Sakura said in a bewildered tone, "But Naruto-sensei told us not to feed him!"

"Don't worry, I don't sense him near us anywhere," said Sasuke. He sliced Yamero's ropes and gave him lunch. The starving genin ate all the food. Sakura gave him some of her lunch.

Naruto smiled slightly as he heard the sounds of a kunai cutting the ropes, and Sasuke and Sakura's voices. They have passed…good.

Naruto appeared in front of them, pretending to be angry. "You…pass!" he said, grinning.

Sakura asked in a confusion, "Huh? But what about the test?"

"You just did it. Shinobi who don't follow the rules are considered lower than garbage. But those who do not take care of their comrades are lower than that!"

That's…kind of…cool… thought Yamero.

Naruto said, "Now, tomorrow we will be doing our first mission." He disappeared and left Sasuke, Sakura, and Yamero to walk home alone.

"I'm in position," Yamero said, speaking into a headphone.

"I'm in position," repeated Sakura from her hiding place in the bushes.

"I'm in position," repeated Sasuke.

"Okay, go!" The three genin jumped out of the bushes and grabbed their target.

The cat scratched at Yamero's face as he held it. They trudged to the building where the Fire country's lord's wife waited. "Oh, you got her back!" she squealed. "Thank you!" She hugged the cat in a death grip.

Naruto went to Sandaime's office and said, "Mission accomplished." Sandaime smiled.

"Your team's next mission is to dig up potatoes, babysit the council, and–"

Yamero yelled as he crossed his arms and shook his head, "No, no more of those stupid missions! No way! Give us something adventurous! Some action!"

"Don't be a fool, you idiot!" said Iruka. "You're only a genin!"

"So?! I want something else other than those boring, stupid D-ranked missions!" Yamero shot back.

Naruto whacked him on the head, "I'm sorry, now what was the last thing we had to do?"

"Give us at least a C-rank!"

He's got a point… thought Sasuke.

Oh, he's so annoying! But yeah, these missions are boring, thought Sakura.

Sandaime smiled. "A C-rank mission you shall have, then. Invite him in."

Tazuna came to the door, speaking drunkenly, "A buncha' snot-nozed brats? They all look idiotic, especially the loud guy."

Yamero glared furiously at the bridge builder. "Shut up, you old piece of drunken crap!"

Pow! Naruto whacked him again and growled, "Don't speak that way to the client!"

"I am the bridge builder Tazuna. I come from Nami no Kuni, the Land of the Wave," Tazuna said.

The group set out for Nami no Kuni. "All right! Yeah, I'm going to look for the first time out of the village!" said Yamero, glancing up, down, around, and around.

"Stop your glancing, Yamero. It's not smart when you're on a mission," Naruto said.

"Yes, Naruto-sensei!"

On the road, they passed by a puddle of water. Naruto halted, but the others went ahead, not noticing. Naruto threw five kunai into the puddle, satisfied when he saw the blood floating up. The bodies of two ninja from the Mist came up.

Naruto rejoined the group and pretended nothing happened. But he did ask Tazuna, "I need an explanation."

"What do you mean failed?!" snarled Gatou. "I hired you because I heard you were strong!"

Zabuza pointed his giant sword at Gatou, lazily replying, "With this cleaving sword, I will deal with them myself. Although I ill be fighting the Kiroi Senko Shinigami…Konoha's youngest Anbu captain and the youngest sensei ever."

Naruto sensed Zabuza's presence and yelled, "Duck!" Zabuza's sword flew right over their heads as they got down.

Zabuza stood on his sword when it hacked itself into a tree. Naruto looked at him, calmly voicing, "Momochi Zabuza, the silent killer."

"Uzumaki Naruto, Konohagakure's Kiroi Senko Shinigami," replied Zabuza.

Yellow Flash Death God? Why is that his name? thought Sasuke.

"And now…let's fight, shall we, Zabuza?" Naruto said slyly, grinning a foxy grin with two canines showing. Zabuza smirked as he leaped down to face Naruto.