Sasuke and Sakura were already there as usual. Once again he was the last of the three to arrive. He was however, still earlier than their sensei which granted, wasn't very hard. A short greeting with Sakura was followed by ignoring the Uchiha as had become something of a custom these days. Ever since their first S-Rank mission thing had been awkward what with Sasuke saving him. The other party was just as frustrated, unable to explain how Naruto someone survived Haku's attacks despite his injuries. Just what had happened while Sasuke had been unconscious? Only the rustling of the river and the occasional bird chirp interrupted the long wait.
"The Uchiha will be a problem, we'll need a distraction for them." was the purpose of this fraught reunion. The darkness of the room, barely lit by candles, could leave no doubt. This was a reunion of the utmost secrecy that would decide the fate of two villages. "You worry too much." another figure replied. "We will unleash Shukaku onto them and it will be over before you know it." "You ignorant fool, the Uchiha possess considerable visual prowess, with the Sharingan they will be able to control the beast and turn it against us, it would be folly to assume otherwise." "Intel reports that only Fugaku Uchiha would be capable of such a feat. However we do have a solution. Konoha has its own host does it not? The Nine tails, the strongest of all the beasts. Even he will not easily be able to control that monster. With the Uchiha preoccupied, Shukaku will be unchallenged to lay waist to Konoha! What say you, Kazekage?" The shadowy figure leaned forward. A flicker of a flame allowed the leader's grave features to be exposed but for a moment. Nothing could be left to chance, the slightest miscalculation and a tailed beast would wreak havoc from Suna to Konoha and back leaving nothing but death in its wake.
"Yo! You didn't wait too long now did you?" their sensei asked sheepishly. A collective sigh left no doubt as to how long they had waited. "Well as they say better late than never." That small apology couldn't change the fact that they had, once more, waited for him. Nevertheless the day wasn't one to be wasted being frustrated after their sensei. As he led them to training grounds 7 they each prepared themselves. This would benchmark their performance, let them know how strong they were and how to approach each battle. It would also show them how far they'd come since the team was assembled. "The first test will be the same as last time, you have 3 hours to steal these bells from me. Now show me what you've learnt!"
Two of the three genin hid themselves just as they had last time. "Apparently Naruto… you haven't learnt anything…" The genin scuffed. "Are you sure about that sensei?" came a voice from behind. Taken aback the jōnin tried to dodge only to find hands emerging from the earth grabbing his ankles. "When did you-?" The blonde's smirk told him everything, it had always been a clone, the real one had waited, hidden, patiently waiting for the opportunity to attack. Anchored in, Kakashi was unable to dodge the shuriken that flew his way. They flew around the one-eyed ninja for they were each tied to strings. "Fire style: Ancient Dragon's Inferno Breath Jutsu!" rang through the air as flames followed the path left by wires. The hands holding the jōnin disappeared in a cloud of smoke. As the tree and grass caught fire shadows dashed. "Hmm, I see. A double faint, it was the real you all along, you've put quite a lot of effort into this." praised Kakashi walking out of the flames unscathed. "You haven't seen anything yet." Sasuke replied, "This time we're getting those bells for sure!" Naruto followed. Their sensei couldn't help but smile. "In that case, come!"
Sakura could do little more than gaze with a mix of disbelief and envy. As the two teammates took turns battling their sensei using ever stronger techniques, a sudden sense of weakness filled her. Where had the time gone since the team was formed? Naruto and Sasuke had both gained considerable strength. She on the other hand was hiding as she erstwhile had. She had always managed to convince Naruto that she was the stronger of the two. It dawned on her that not only was this folly, she even convinced herself. She had had a soft cushion to rely on, as long as she was stronger than Naruto then no more could be asked from her, she wouldn't have to try. 'No more!' she thought clenching her fists. She too would move forward. Though what could she do? Even as she stealthily approached the fight the question rang in her mind. If those two working together couldn't even scratch their sensei, how would she be able to do any better? "A ninja does not only win battles by strength, he must be cunning, patient, ready to jump on the opportunity when it presents itself, not before and not after, he should know exactly when to pounce." She remember herself reciting in class all those years ago. Certainly ninjutsu was a skill she clearly lacked in. On the other hand she was the only one of the team to perfectly climb that tree during their first training session. Releasing a precisely controlled amount of chakra should allow her to dash forwards with incredible speed. The plan was set, the moment the infamous one-eyed sharingan faltered she would prove she deserved her place on the team.
Shadow clones, fire balls, mud walls, the ninjutsu kept coming. "Their teamwork is rather good. The sheer number or clones restricts the enemy's movements and with the sheer power and range of the fire style, Sasuke can deliver powerful blows to a confined opponent without fear of wounding his teammate. However… they are only two." "Your offensive is tight and relentless, good. But how's your defensive? Nimpo Hidden Mist Jutsu!" As the mist took over the field the clash of metal blades stopped. Soon an eerie silent ruled over training ground 7. "Well what now? Did one technique completely disarm you?" The spar suddenly turned around. With little to no visual or audio cues they could barely defend themselves against the incoming attacks to say nothing of counter-attacking. Dodging incoming kunai the duo found themselves back to back. "Loser get out of my way!" "That's my line!" the pair bickered. "So can you see anything Sasuke?" "This fog is made by his chakra, even my sharingan can't see through it." "In that case how about this?!" Naruto yelled throwing kunais in every direction. The Uchiha's perplexed look soon faded as the weapons blew up one after another. While it did disperse the mist somewhat, the dust from the explosion negated any positives. By the time the dust settled the fog had taken the field over once more. "Great, feel like wasting more of our gear?" Sasuke sarcastically asked. "Then what about this?" The blonde suddenly multiplied. A confused stare was his original response, however as they started running in a circle the wind picked up. "C'mon it's not enough yet!" Each clone released chakra as they ran. A small tornado soon formed. "What an inefficient way of dealing with the fog..." Kakashi thought even though the mist did lift. "His speed alone couldn't not have generated a wind fast enough, he must have a natural affinity for..."
"Kazekage-sama." hissed a snake. The lord's stern face did not waver even as the tension rose in the small hallway. The standoff lasted but for a moment yet all those in the building shivered in awe of the power emanated from the two ninjas. "Enough of this, Orochimaru." ordered the kage. "Hm, as you wish." replied the sanin. "And so? What do you want?" he asked as the pair walked down the small and dark hallway that would lead to war. "The kid or rather, the host, may I ask what your excellency intends to do with him once the war is won." "… You want him for yourself don't you?" "Yes, if intel reports are correct that kid possess a formidable healing factor, stronger than even my own prodigy… I believe his body could lead to some great advances in the medical field. Imagine soldiers able to regenerate organs on the battlefield while fighting, t'would be quite the sight, don't you agree? My dear Kazekage." Footsteps stopped. The lord's gaze hardened and seemed to pierce through the snake. "You expect me to hand over to you the nine tails for you to conduct your experiments on? You, who have no allegiance to anyone or anything but yourself." "I have no interest in the nine tails itself. Its chakra seems to be the key to the healing. If I can inject some into infants, they should nearly be immortal." "How many will die for your entertainment?! The chakra of a tailed beast is not something that can simply be injected or sealed in people, most will reject it and die instantly!" warned the sand ninja. However his response was no more than a snicker. "I do not think a father who has more attempts on his own son's life than I have on the hidden leaf can lecture me about moralities. Besides, a motionless windmill is uninteresting. The wheel must turn. Sometimes a little wind is needed to get it to move again..." he said as he disappeared into the darkness. "If you want our partnership to continue, I will come and claim the boy's body." Echoed in the hall and with that the kage was alone once again. "Damn that snake bastard." he thought.
The two genins were on their knees, panting, bruised and thoroughly exhausted. Despite the sun setting the third member of the team hadn't shown herself once. "Damn!" Naruto yelled as he lay on his back. "Is that… All you got?" Sasuke asked barely standing, his hands on his knees. "I'm not done yet!" "For someone who wants to be hokage, you seem to be out of steam rather early Naruto. And you Sasuke, you say you're not done and yet you haven't even touch a bell this time." Both boys scuffed though their sensei was undeniably correct. They had, ultimately, not done any better than the first time. Suddenly shurikens flew out of the treeline. "Hm, so she reveals herself at last." Effortlessly he dodged the projectiles. With a battle cry the pink haired genin launched her assault at last. A few casting signs, a dodged punch and palm on her forehead. It was over, the jōnin had put her in a genjutsu once more. "Hm, well I think..." he started. A rustling of leaves, confusion, it was already all over. The only girl present proudly stood with a bell in one hand and a kunai in the other. "She knew I wouldn't consider her a threat. She faked being done in by the one exchange to get in my blind spot and strike when I thought it was over… Not a victory in outright battle prowess but she played me. I underestimated her." Kakashi thought. "And so Sasuke? Not bad huh?" she asked fishing for attention. Her only response was a scuff and an annoyed stare. "Well, well Sakura is apparently the only one that has made any progress." he paused. "Well I think this is enough for today. Tomorrow we meet here again to train for the exam. Be up at 5 sharp!" he finished before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.