Authors Note: Prepare yourself for a lot of dialog! Soz about that. But hey, it's an update that's a start :P

The rain had since stopped and the sky had cleared to a pale blue grey. The three students undertaking the bell test; Nanami, Izumi and Shinra, had decided to wait out the rain to allow Izumi to use his superior tracking skills to track down where the real Naruto-sensei was hiding and, as a result of waiting, it had grown quite late. With the deadline to get the bells before lunchtime drawing close the three prepared to make their final move.

"So we all understand the plan?" Nanami asked in a quiet tone peering round the trunk of a tree to place a visual on their teacher. Though they were still far away they kept their voices quite when they spoke. Both Izumi and Shinra agreed and they prepared to put their plan into action.

"Let's do this." Izumi affirmed stretching out two closed fists to his comrades who, after a few seconds of reluctance, bumped fists with him. When they made no move to bump fists with each other Izumi grabbed their wrists and quickly made them to it as well. He beamed brightly at the two and they couldn't help but smile in return, all three of them feeling the energy and excitement for the plan they were about to undertake.

"Everyone get into positions." Nanami took a deep breath and hardened her expression. The three of them nodded before jumping away from each other to set themselves in their positions surrounding the small clearing where their teacher sat leaning casually against a small wooden log dug into the ground

The three students in their positions surrounded Naruto and he slowly gazed around instinctively knowing that the three simultaneous movements in the trees and bushes around him were not coincidental. 'So they found me and have finally decided to make their move.' He thought to himself, still leaning calmly against the wooden post. The first attack came almost a minute later. His eye caught the light reflecting off the knife edge of a kunai and he stretched forward to adjust his shoe, casually dodging the incoming weapon flying towards his head and it lodged itself into the wood behind him. A second later another kunai flew from the opposite side and he leant slightly to the side so it past his shoulder and also stuck into the wooden post behind him. A third time two more kunai came at him from both sides and Naruto, for the first time, was forced to sit up away from the post. Just as the kunai past Naruto and became lodged in the post Shinra appeared in front of him, coming from the third position in the trees which kunai hadn't come from. Naruto was surprised at how well thought out their plan was and silently praised them for their good team work. Shinra's attack came quickly and Naruto dodged backwards, jumping on and then over the post he had been leaning against, creating distance between himself and his student.

"You will need to be a little quicker than that" Naruto teased gently as he preempted Izumi and Shiromaru's attack from behind. Both students and Shiromaru attacked Naruto at the same time but their teacher was able to dodge all on their attacks, eventually countering one and throwing Shinra back through the air in the direction of Izumi and Shiro knocking them all to the ground. Nanami joined then, coming into the fight with low kick to the ankles which Naruto easily jumped over to avoid, and continuously dodged and blocked all of her attacks. However, with this, she gave her comrades enough time to be able to surround their teacher and when they were in position she jumped back to complete the encirclement.

They attacked in twos from opposite sides of the circle each giving their all in an attempt to grab the real bells from their teacher. Twice they came close to getting them, but Naruto-sensei was just that little bit quicker. The three grew tired and were all breathing heavily, fighting their hardest to grab a bell from their teacher. In each of their own minds they were beginning to doubt how their plan was working - even fighting together they couldn't get even one. Until finally... in the confusion of the fight Shiromaru, small and agile Shiro, managed to pounce forward at the right time and, unnoticed by their teacher, bite onto one of the bells and pull it free. Shiromaru returned to his master and handed over the bell. The three students cheered and withdrew from their teacher to regroup and celebrate at a safe distance.

"Well done, Shiro!" Shinra exclaimed, leaping into the air.

"One down, one to go! Lets do this and get the last one!" Nanami cheered

"Yeah!" Shinra agreed and an unsettling quiet fell over the group, Shinra looked over to Izumi and questioned cautiously, "Izumi?"

"I already have one" Izumi said slowly, "I don't even need to fight anymore"

"But..." Nanami took a step back away from her teammate, "We had a plan. We need to work togeth-"

"It wont work!" Izumi growled, "You know that. Only two of us can pass, that is the rule. I've got my bell. You two can fight it out for the last one"

"That isn't fair" Shinra yelled, "We worked together to get that. And you didn't even get it Shiro did-"

"No you are right." Nanami cut him off her voice cold and stern. She stared Izumi dead in the eye, all traces of the kindness she had been showing her teammates gone, "It was foolish to think this was about teamwork."

"Nanami-chan..."

"That bell is mine. Don't get in my way." Nanami words were sharp and she turned back to Naruto.

Swinging a kunai from her pouch she walked towards him and then picking up her pace breaking into a sprint. Shinra watched for a while before balling his hands into a fist and glaring at Izumi. There was nothing he could do except go and get that last bell for himself. Shinra and Nanami fought clumsily against Naruto. Their attacks were out of sync and uncoordinated. Naruto felt regret as he blocked and dodged his students attacks. They were working so well before and Naruto had so much hope that they were going to pass and be his first genin squad. They were so much smarter and stronger than he was at their age but watching them fight against each other more than they were fighting against him disappointed him. When Nanami finally placed a purposely aimed punch to Shinra's cheek Naruto withdrew from the fight, jumping back to sit in a crouching position upon the post pierced through with kunai.

"You don't seem to be having the same effect as you were before." He commented with a bored look on his face, "I wonder why that is?"

"It's not like teamwork was working anyway!" Nanami retorted knowing where her teacher was going with his sudden question, "They were both only in it for themselves anyway."

"That isn't true!" Shinra protested, rubbing his cheek

"Yes it is. You would have done the same thing as Izu-"

"But it was working wasn't it?" Naruto stated cutting Nanami off unapologetically, "Working together. Teamwork."

"Well.. I guess so." Nanami said, taking back what she originally retorted. Nanami and Shinra circled around their teacher and he followed their moves until they had done a complete 180 and were facing in the opposite directions to how they started.

"There is a reason we ninja don't work alone. Having comrades and fighting to protect them makes you stronger." Naruto smiled softly.'They should really work this out for themselves to understand teamwork and pass this test'

"You know sensei..." Nanami began and Naruto noticed her eyes flicker only slightly to look at something behind him, "I think we already figured it out". Behind him Izumi dived towards the remaining bell on his hip and as Naruto turned the bell moved with his body allowing both Shinra and Nanami to lung for the final bell at the same time.

Naruto felt the bell being removed but never seen which of the two grabbed it finally. He stood for a moment lingering on the fact that these young genin were able to outsmart him and get the bells from him. He never anticipated Izumi attacking him from behind. And while Naruto stood dumbfounded Izumi ran over to his two team mates and cheered brightly throwing his hands in the air and Nanami laughed loudly through her heavy panting and wiped sweat from her forehead. Shinra cheered too but was so worn out from fighting that he flopped backwards onto the hardened grass to lie down and catch his breath. Naruto turned around to examine his students as they all smiled and cheered at their victory and he couldn't help but smile too, because that was something that he and his old team could never have done at their age.

"That was good acting." Naruto praised and they all looked over to him, their cheers fading into quiet, "I take it that was all planned out at some point?"

"It was." Izumi agreed and Nanami confirmed with a nod.

"It was?" Shinra sat up and looked around confused, obviously not privy to all the information.

"We figured out this test was much more about teamwork as it was about testing our ninja skills." Nanami stated, "The only way we could distract you enough to be able to seize the bells was to make you underestimate our teamwork because you would lower your guard."

"It was?" Shinra again questioned looking between his peers.

"Shinra isn't a very good actor" Izumi continued on, "Nanami and I thought the best way to get him to go along with the plan and not give it away was for him to not actually know the plan and react for real."

"Well that's..." Shinra began to protest, "Actually kind of true. But... I still want to be in on the actual plan, guys!"

"Sorry, Shinra" Izumi smiled and clasped him on the shoulder, "Next time we will all be on the same page." Shinra smiled at this. He didn't particularly mind being a bit out of the loop, the plan worked out best in the end and he knew that the team mates he now had were all looking out for him.

"But will there be a next time." Naruto interjected and his students looked at him again.

"What do you mean?" Shinra pressed, although what he meant was already obvious

"Izumi - or should I say Shiromaru - got the first bell" Naruto elaborated and as proof Izumi held up his bell and jingled it, "Who got the second bell?"

And Nanami and Shinra looked at each other seriously before breaking out smiles and each held up a silver bell each and they turned back to Naruto and jingled them enthusiastically and Izumi joined in too. And Naruto watched them for a while and they danced around each other ringing the bells and celebrating and Nauto turned his attention to Nanami who was of the Kurama Clan. A Clan well known for the skill in genjutsu and he knew one of the bells was a fake genjutsu illusion but Naruto also knew that to be able to produce such genjutsu to make a 3rd bell without him noticing it being done at her age showed her potential. But even still she naturally didn't work well as a group and often went off and did her own thing. And he looked at Izumi and remembered the fight his clone had with him and Shiromaru. Izumi showed great analytical skills and was able to work better in a group due to constant teamwork with Shiro. But he was quick to temper and his emotions clouded his skills. And finally he turned to Shinra who probably showed the less promise of the group, he was quick to distractions and rash action without thinking but he showed courage and spirit and Naruto was reminded of himself at that age. But Naruto knew that he needed to test them. He needed to know that they were ready to become genin and could handle the responsibility and work as a team. And because of this Naruto couldn't just accept their miraculous 3rd bell. He needed to push them one last time.

"Do I need to break the illusion or are you going to just tell me who got the bell" Naruto interjected over their celebrations and they froze for a second before Nanami huffed a breath and smiled sadly.

"I thought it might have come down to this" She said and broke the illusion herself to reveal that hers was the fake. And Shinra and Izumi protested but she cut them off, "I didn't get the bell and I will be the one to do back to the Academy."

"Izumi and Shinra stared at her and she smiled at them, hiding the sadness she felt at failing.

"If I may ask," Naruto began, "Why did you give the real bell to Shinra? You could have kept it and made his the illusion and your positions would be switched right now."

"Yes, I could have." Nanami agreed and she laughed softly and shook her head, "But it wouldn't feel right. I guess it was mostly my plan so I should be the one that takes responsibility for it failing."

"She turned to Shinra and Izumi and pointed at them and her voice hardened.

"If you ruin this, if you stuff up and end up back at the academy, I will never forgive you!" She growled, taking a stance before them, "I will pass next time and you bet I will become chunin before either of you! I am smarter and stronger and better. So don't wait for me, this is me being nice and giving you a head start!"

"Nanami..." Shinra trailed off staring at her wide eyed and his eyes filled with tears and he threw his bell at her and in the heat of his emotion and hit the grass as he sobbed, "Take it, you deserve it more than me! I will... go back... to the academy..."

"Idiot!" Nanami yelled, "It doesn't work like that! And stop crying, you baby!"

"I'm giving it to you, keep it" Shinra pleaded. And the two were about to get into another senseless argument when Izumi stepped forward and held his bell out to his teacher

"Take mine as well" Izumi said calmly, which gained Shinra and Nanami's attention too, "I guess we can all go back to the Academy together. Its probably the only way to make those two stop fighting."

As Naruto watched them all, he knew this wasn't another part of their plan. This was them truly working as a team.

"You are willing to hand in your bell and fail the test, Izumi?" Naruto questioned and his student nodded firmly and Shinra picked the second bell up and slowly handed it back as well and returned to his peers.

"Don't do this" Nanami whispered quietly.

"Too late, we have made the decision" Izumi stated, "It's a stupid decision but there is no other choice"

"The three students looked at each other and knew that they had failed. But the test Naruto-sensei had proposed was impossible to complete together and none of them felt they could betray their teammates to earn the right to be genin. And although they were tired from fighting what had turned out to be for nothing they felt that they may have accomplished something else.

"You have gone against the rules of the test" Naruto warned them gravely, his face hardened and strict as they had never seen before on the face if their teacher and they looked down away from him, "You have given back both of the bells you won and as a result there is only one possible outcome.

None of them held their breath, they knew their fate and just wanted Naruto-sensei to get it over with.

"You all... pass!" And his grave stare melted and Naruto smiled brightly.

Upon hearing this the students looked to their teacher in confusion, because they must have misheard.

"My old sensei used to tell me something that has stayed with me since I was your age. He said; 'In the ninja world those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum'" Naruto told them, "In the ninja world you will face many challenges and you will need to overcome them, but you shouldn't abandon your comrades in order to achieve that."

"I... I dont understand" Shinra questioned

"This test was about teamwork" Naruto continued, "It was to examine how you worked as a team and how you overcame your challenge - with your comrades. And you all did that."

"So I get to pass?" Nanami asked, her voice a few octaves higher than normal and her lips curving up into a smile

"So WE ALL get to pass?" Izumi corrects

"That is correct!" Naruto cheers, holding his arms up.

They all cheer loudly and jump in the air and it doesn't take long for Shinra to start crying again, sobbing that he was so scared about going back to the academy. Nanami calls him a stupid child but she laughs and cheers with her teammates and Izumi hugs Shiromaru who barks loudly with excitement. Naruto joins them and is filled with pride to see the extraordinary team he is going to be leading. All of them with their own strengths and weaknesses and he is excited for what the future has in store for them and how strong his students would become.

"Congratulations, Genin! Welcome to the permanent Team 4"