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:;Seeing the Truth;:
Chapter 2: Tests and Suspicions
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The next morning at 6:30 am, Naruto joined Akina and Kouseki in walking towards the three tree stumps. Naruto looked like death walking on two feet. It was painfully obvious that he wasn't used to waking up so early.
Kouseki and Akina have been waking with the sun for the past 5 years, so it wasn't anything new. Both females made sure that Naruto didn't run into anything by accident.
When they arrived, Sasuke was already there, leaning back on a tree. He nodded at Akina who nodded back and proceeded to ignore Naruto, who for once didn't mind.
4 hours later, Kakashi arrived to find Kouseki napping, a pissed Naruto, an agitated Sasuke, and a frowning Akina (he was smiling inside now that he had accomplished his goal in seeing a facial expression on her).
"YOU'RE LATE!" shouted Naruto. Their sensei eye-smiled.
"Sorry, sorry. I got lost on the road of life."
He brought out a timer and set it on the middle stump.
"This is set to noon." He took out 2 bells. "By then, you will have to get one bell each in order to pass and get lunch." Here, Naruto and Sasuke's stomachs growled, making them regret not listening to their teammate's advice. "Or else you'll get tied to the stump."
Naruto, Sasuke, and Kouseki narrowed their eyes (Kouseki's looked more intimidating) after seeing only 2 bells. Kakashi seemed to notice.
"One of you will fail for sure." Akina shrugged the threat off. She only felt like passing this year because Kiba was in this year.
"Come at me with killing intent if you want a bell."
"B-But you'll get hurt, Kakashi-sensei!" stuttered out Naruto. Surely, a person who couldn't dodge an eraser couldn't dodge kunai and shuriken?
"Please ignore the one with the lowest grades."
Growling, Naruto pulled out a kunai and charged. In the blink of an eye, Kakashi restrained Naruto and held his own kunai to the back of his head.
"Hold on, I didn't say 'Go' yet..."
Sasuke smirked. So he really is a jounin...
Kouseki and Akina got ready, a plan already forming in their minds.
"So you're starting to respect me...I'm starting to like you guys." He let go of Naruto, who backed off a few feet. "Ready, GO!"
All four took off into the surrounding forest.
Sasuke watched from a tree as Naruto was about to jump out and attack Kakashi. A hand grabbed him and he disappeared into the shadows with a muffled yelp.
In another tree, Akina was covering Naruto's mouth. After he calmed down, she let out a soundless sigh.
"Why did you stop me?! I would've creamed him!"
"Foolish thinking...genin won't win against jounin without team work."
"But what about the bells?"
"Trick."
While Naruto thought about what Akina said, she got out a scroll and scrawled a message inside it. Kouseki emerged from the shadows and took it from her after she was done writing (you need practice to write while being blind). She disappeared.
"Okay. Team work."
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"No."
Kouseki seemed to sigh. She had been given the task of delivering the message to Sasuke, explaining again what the test was about. Cocky little... She snarled in frustration and nudged the scroll again, urging him to understand it. He shook his head.
"Tell her no."
At least this way...I'll get to see what that girl is capable of...
Sighing again, Kouseki left silently.
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Akina frowned when Kouseki came back and told them no. Naruto had seen the wolf shake her head, so how did the girl see it if she was blind?I'll ask her later...
"Sasuke will not cooperate. Please distract him while I grab the bells."
"Okay Akina-chan!"
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Naruto jumped out from the bush. "You and me! Right here, right now!"
Kakashi sweat dropped. "You know...compared to the others...you're kinda weird."
Up in the trees, Akina was hidden and currently meditating. Become one with nature... The wind started to swirl around her protectively as she "became the air". She tilted her head from side to side to hear and feel the wind parting around Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, Kouseki, and the entire forest.
This was her special ability, and was also the reason why she was feared, and can communicate with the wolf.
Down below, Naruto had just temporarily disabled Kakashi, holding him still for another Kage Bunshin to punch him. Akina focused on the area around the battle.
As Kakashi switched with another clone and hid, she used that little opening and cut the strings of the bells with wind, since he had appeared below her. Unfortunately, he noticed the loss of the weight on his waist, and hastily grabbed them and disappeared.
The Naruto clones continued to beat each other up (one was not, as he had seen the strings cut themselves and was gaping; it had the same effect on Sasuke, though to a lesser degree).
Akina whispered the word "Dispel." into the wind, making it seem like it was coming from everywhere before moving positions.
Naruto caught the word and did so, revealing that he was by himself.
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Akina reappeared in a tree nearer to Sasuke, still connected to the wind. She cut the rope to the trap surrounding the "fallen bell" so that Naruto could pick it up. Kouseki appeared behind her and nudged her.
Kakashi had managed to take the bell before Naruto, now pondering the mysterious cuts on his strings and ropes. He lectured Naruto on traps before disappearing.
The girl tensed and ran to change positions. Then, she stopped, and turned around to face Kakashi, who had followed her.
"Why did you drop? Give up?"
She shook her head. "Can't outrun a jounin." There was no error in something that logical, he supposed.
He put away his book, somehow knowing that he wouldn't have time to read it now.
Akina got into a fighting stance, with her left foot slightly extended, and her body turned to the side. Her arms at her sides were relaxed.
The jounin raised a delicate silver brow. A blind girl fighting in taijutsu?
They stood waiting there, facing each other. Kouseki watched in the shadows, since she knew where Sasuke was (in a tree watching) and where Naruto was (tied to a pole for trying to steal a lunch).
Kakashi shrugged before making the first move.
He charged, aiming a punch for her head. She tilted her head to the right at the last minute and flipped him over her. She chucked a few shuriken at him before following. Kakashi did some mid-air acrobats and landed, blocking the chakra powered palm thrust with he left arm.
His arm started hurting like hell. Narrowing his eye, he dodged the second thrust before kicking Akina up into the air. He mentally examined his wound and found that her attack was a little like Tsunade's freakish strength and the Jyuuken combined. It attacked the nerves, muscles, bones, and chakra ways.
Up in the air, Akina made 6 hand seals, ending in Tora. Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu (Fire style: Grand Fireball). She breathed in and released the fire ball, aiming it directly towards the clearing she just "left".
Sasuke's eyes widened as he watched Kakashi use Kawarimi to avoid being burned to a crisp. The fireball was the same size as his.
Kouseki had appeared beside him in the tree again (he idly wondered how she got up in the first place) and nudged his arm, trying to get him to team up. He waved her off, wanting to watch more and solve the puzzle that was Akina.
Kouseki glared before jumping down to distract Kakashi from Akina. She howled and lunged for his chest area, jaws open.
He dodged and kicked Kouseki away. This girl...she's holding back...she doesn't look remotely tired, even after pulling off a move that was above the genin level...
Kouseki, standing back on her paws, growled before fleeing, making Kakashi realize that Akina was no longer with him.
Sasuke saw an opening and let loose a barrage of shuriken before moving positions. Kakashi skillfully dodged them all, until he heard another set of the spinning weapons coming towards his head.
A trap...!
He jumped backwards, right when Sasuke reappeared and aimed a punch for his head. He caught it, and used his other hand to catch Sasuke's second punch. While still in midair, the prodigy twisted himself and tried to kick Kakashi's head, which was blocked by a hand after letting go of a fist.
Sasuke smirked inwardly and reached out to grab a bell while Kakashi was busy holding his arm and leg, but the elite ninja noticed and leaned out of the way right when the tips of his fingers touched the bells. He threw Sasuke back and disappeared from view.
The young Uchiha cautiously scanned his surroundings. Up? Down? Left? Right?
A pair of hands burst out from underneath him, only to grasp air after a black blur pushed Sasuke out of the way. The two genin skidded to a halt on the other side of the clearing. Sasuke looked up after recovering from his fall to see a hand offered to pull him up from none other than Akina. A mutual understanding was finally formed between them when Sasuke took the hand and got up. They both got into their respective fighting stances, side by side, getting Kakashi's interest as he stared at them. As one, they leaped forward, Sasuke trying to trip Kakashi by aiming at his legs, while Akina used her smaller form to attack Kakashi's upper body.
Inwardly, Kakashi was impressed. This was makeshift teamwork at best, but it served it purpose for now.
Sasuke saw Kakashi distracted and kicked the back of his legs, moving to restrain their sensei. Akina noticed the sudden shift in positions and reached for the bells. The jounin struggled, but found another body keeping him from moving. Something orange caught his attention in the corner of his eye.
Naruto...! How did he get out?
A jingle brought his attention back towards Akina, who had dangled them in front of his face, right when the timer rang in the distance.
Kakashi smiled again. "Meet at the stumps." He used Shunshin to reappear at their meeting place, leaving the genin hopefuls to walk.
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The genin sat in front of Kakashi, who was eyeing them all carefully. He let his gaze linger on Akina a little longer.
I'd better keep an eye on her and talk to Hokage-sama…
"All right, Akina. You have the bells. Who's gonna have them?"
She threw a bell towards Sasuke and put the other bell in Naruto's hands, somehow making this exchange without the characteristic ringing of the bells. Both looked slightly confused.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Akina shrugged. "Their dreams."
"Okay then! To the stump!" He took out a roll of rope and moved towards Akina, tying her to the middle post.
"Now...on to the test's results..."
Naruto scowled, getting a bad feeling.
"You all fail."
"WHAT!? WHY!?"
"Because you didn't find out the true meaning behind this test! Did you have any idea why we put you on three-man teams?"
The boys frowned as they recalled what Akina had told them.
"That's right! Teamwork! Although you did show cooperation with Akina-chan here, you did not all work as a team!"
He managed to cool his temper down. "I'll give you numbskulls one last chance." He threw 2 bentos towards Naruto and Sasuke. "You two get lunch since you have bells. Don't give any to Akina, since she doesn't have a bell. Remember…my word is law."
He disappeared, just as Kouseki padded into the clearing with a newly caught fish in her jaws, courtesy of the river under the red bridge. She stopped in front of the kids, looking at them all and taking in the situation. She lay down in front of them and started to eat. The boys followed her example, though Naruto did so hesitatingly.
After about 5 minutes of nervous eating, Naruto finally growled in frustration. He clenched his chopsticks, then offered some food towards Akina.
"Here! I can't eat in front of you like this."
Sasuke looked up from his lunch, and did the same, though he was looking away. Akina tilted her head in confusion. Kouseki stopped eating to watch with interest at how well Akina was acting. "You can have my food, too. I can't sense Kakashi anywhere and we don't need you slowing us down from hunger."
Akina gave them both a soft, tiny smile (Naruto's jaw dropped slightly, since he's never seen her smile before, even around Kiba) and took a bite of food.
Suddenly, dark clouds appeared over their heads and thunder clashed. In a poof of smoke, Kakashi appeared, looking enraged and leaking out a little killer intent.
"YOU…!"
Sasuke, Naruto, and Kouseki all tensed, ready for battle.
"...pass."
Naruto fell back on his ass in surprise. "Why…?"
"You are the first team to show team work. All the other teams I received were mindless drones that only followed my orders and went against each other."
The jinchuuriki pointed at the nearby monument. "Hey Kakashi-sensei, what's that?"
The extremely random comment didn't seem to bother the shinobi. Kakashi walked towards a large obsidian stone jutting out of the earth like the tip of a kunai. He stared at the stone. "This stone is dedicated to the heroes of Konoha."
Naruto jumped up and pointed excitedly at it. "THAT'S IT! I wanna be on that!"
"…they're all KIA."
"That sounds cool!"
Akina frowned a little. "K.illed I.n A.ction."
The mood immediately sobered, and Naruto sat back down, saddened.
Kakashi traced a few names on the stone. "This memorial is dedicated to the men and women who died to protect this village…my best friends' names are carved on here."
He about-faced and looked sternly at his new team. "Those who don't follow the rules are trash…but those who don't protect their comrades are worse than trash."
Naruto's eyes filled with admiration. "That...that was kinda cool..."
Kakashi smiled. "Okay! Tomorrow we'll meet up here and go to receive our first mission as Team 7! Congratulations!" He gave them all a thumbs up.
Naruto grinned in triumph. One step closer to being Hokage! Akina wriggled a little, cutting the ropes that bound her with a small burst of chakra burning it. Sasuke even let out a small smirk.
As a group, they all walked towards the village, towards a new life as an official team.