~(Morning 8:00)~
I woke up groggily. I miss my alarm clock. I got out of my bed and walked into my bathroom and took a shower.
I took a look in the mirror and frowned. My hair reached my elbows. How did it get so long? You can probably tell I'm not a fan of long hair. I grabbed a kunai and cut it to its original length; the nape of my neck to just brushing my shoulders in a semi-spiky do and bangs framing my face.
After the hair fiasco I got dressed, got my breakfast- which was barbecue ribs (mmm, my favorite meat) and left to the training grounds, munching on my food happily.
(Training Grounds; 8:45)
I walked over to my soon to be teammates. "Yo."
"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto and Sakura shrieked.
I pulled out the ear plugs and calmly regarded them. Judging from their appearances, they didn't listen to my advice.
"I told you guys to leave at like, 8:30, didn't I?"
"…"
They stared at me before asking simultaneously, "How did you know he would come late?"
I smirked.
"~Hi-mi-tsu~*" I sang. I got glares in response.
I took off my hat, bag and shirt -I have a dark blue tank underneath- as I walked towards a tree. I rested them beside it and climbed up the tree, before hanging upside down by my legs.
I looked at the three idiots- my signature for them- ignoring the skeptical looks. "Well, let me know when he's here."
(45 minutes later…)
(Normal P.O.V)
Kakashi arrived at the training grounds only to see a shocking scene.
Mana doing air push-ups on only one finger and Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura sitting in a triangle while placing money in the center of said triangle.
"I bet 100,000 bucks she'll do twenty more push-ups before stopping!" Naruto grinned.
"I'll bet… 100,000 for 10." Sakura mumbled, glaring with jealousy at said girl.
"Hn. 40 more. 200,000." Guess who.
Kakashi was stuck between laughing his ass off or shaking his head and sighing at the stupidity he was witnessing.
He decided to do neither and just watch.
Naruto noticed him and glared. "Finally…"
Kakashi ignored him.
After doing twenty push-ups Mana back-flipped and landed on her feet.
Sakura and Sasuke glared as Naruto triumphantly grabbed their money and put it in Gama-chan.
Mana walked over to a tree and grabbed her bag. "I'm gonna change- I'm all sweaty and these clothes will restrict my movement."
She walked off.
The other three stood up and glared at Kakashi.
"YOU'RE LATE!"
"Sorry but a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way here…" Kakashi rubbed his neck.
"LIAR!"
10 minutes later she came back and put the bag down. "Sorry for taking a while."
Naruto and Sasuke blushed slightly at Mana and Sakura glared with envy. Kakashi just blinked.
Mana was wearing a tan sports-bra and black yoga shorts but that's not what caused their reactions…
Let's just say Mana is well-endowed for her age. And the clothing she currently had on didn't help.
"What's with the attire?" Kakashi asked.
"The clothes I had on earlier restricted my movement. I need all the room I can get to move around when I fight you after all. Though it does give you more of an advantage because it's easier to injure me…" Mana shrugged. "But whatever. I'm gonna be a shinobi after all; I'll hafta take risks even more dangerous than this one sooner or later…" she mused.
Kakashi was surprised with the girl's intelligence. But what she said is very true.
'Maybe I misjudged her… I think she's the most ready to become a ninja out of any of this year's rookies…' he thought.
"Well anyway. Time to begin the mission." He said, giving his signature closed-eye smile.
(Mana P.O.V)
I tuned the scarecrow out, having already known what the test is.
"START!"
I blinked. "Hah?" I stood in the middle of the clearing next to Naruto.
Said Jinchuuriki completely ignored me and was focused on Kakashi. "Hey! You and me, right now, fair and square!"
Kakashi squinted slightly. "You're a little weird."
Naruto grew a red vein on his head. "The only thing weird is your haircut!" he growled.
This is when I decided to cut in.
"Hey, Naruto." He looked at me. "How about we—"
He rushed off before I could finish. I sighed and sat by a tree.
I saw Kakashi take out his book and I perked up a bit. "Yo, scarecrow!" he looked at me lazily. "After the test is over can I take a look at that book?"
I smirked at the widening of his eye as he barely dodged the punch Naruto threw at him. I frowned. I distracted Kakashi on purpose so Naruto could land a hit. Unfortunately, it didn't work.
I got up and took out some kunai and shuriken. I went behind the tree and made a Kage Bunshin. I transformed into a shuriken and my clone caught me. I had made sure to coat my shuriken and kunai with my chakra so he wouldn't see through my plan.
My clone came out and threw me and the shuriken at Kakashi. He pushed Naruto away and made to catch the shuriken but before he could catch me I turned back to normal. I inwardly smirked at the shocked look in his eye as I swiftly grabbed the bells (when was there three?) and replaced them with shuriken I had transformed into the bells.
I quickly took off.
I waited for Kakashi back at the trees.
After about five minutes he arrived.
"You know—"
"It's teamwork. But Sasuke wouldn't except my help cause he thinks I'm weaker then him, Naruto is too independent for his own good, and Sakura is jealous and doesn't like me because I actually kind of had Sasuke's attention earlier. So the chances of them working with me were zip."
He stared at me blankly. "Besides…" I smirk. "Well… you'll just have to find out."
I grinned cheekily at his slight annoyance.
(Time Skip- Normal )
Mana shook her head in disappointment and embarrassment as she stared at the three idiots before her. She loved them and all but…
Mana could see Kakashi was mirroring her motions.
"Well, you three aren't going to the academy, that's for sure."
"Yeah, no kidding." Mana mumbled.
"Hey wait a minute you said three! What about Mana?" Sakura asked as she, Naruto and Sasuke glared at her.
Mana smirked and held up the bells just as the bells hanging on Kakashi's waist transformed in to shuriken and fell to the ground.
She received three shocked looks and elaborated.
"When I hid behind that tree earlier, I made a clone and transformed myself into a shuriken and had my clone throw me and my other kunai and shuriken at him while coating them in my chakra so that he couldn't figure out my plan. I was planning to take the bells and… dispose of them. Though honestly, I wasn't even expecting that to work. I had honestly thought he saw through that one. Since the Hokage said that's one of the oldest tricks in the book." She drawled.
Everyone, including Kakashi stared at her in shock. Then Naruto blinked.
"Wait, whaddaya mean 'dispose of them'?" he asked. Everyone else -minus Mana- blinked too.
Mana gave a half smile half smirk as she tossed the bells to the other three. "Here. They're yours." Sakura and Sasuke caught theirs in their hands while Naruto caught his in his hair. They stared at Mana in shock.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Mana. He wondered what her reasons were for giving them the bells.
Sakura grinned and Sasuke smirked slightly. Naruto's face showed confusion and joy.
Kakashi turned to Mana. "Why did you give them the bells?"
I wonder… he thought, staring at Mana.
(Mana P.O.V)
I chuckled lightly and gave a closed eye-smile.
"I've no problem going to the academy. I can see that they really want to become shinobi."
Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow. "And you don't?"
I shook my head. "I do. But I'm ready to sacrifice my chance of becoming a shinobi for them. Besides, I can always try again anyways; so it doesn't matter at all, really."
Naruto and Sakura looked conflicted while Sasuke looked indifferent. Kakashi was unreadable.
"But… why?" Naruto asked. I blinked in surprise.
"I want to help you guys. I'm always willing to help my comrades- even if we only just met. I guess I'm just too… I can't think of the word right now… but," I grinned.
"You guys have dreams, goals, ambitions whatever- that you want to complete. I don't have any, and I don't want to stop you guys from completing the first step to your goals." I gestured to the bells in their possession.
"So go ahead. Take them."
(Normal P.O.V)
Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi stared at Mana, speechless. They've never met anyone who seemed so… so ready to sacrifice their shinobi career for someone else's sake.
The kids looked down at the bells.
(Sasuke P.O.V A/N: YAY DUCKY!)
I glared at the non-fangirl, trying to see if she was lying. I was shocked when I realized she spoke the truth about her letting us pass.
I looked down at the bell blankly.
I need to kill that man… so why do I feel… like I want to hand this bell over to her?
I jerked my head upwards, and watched with wide eyes as Sakura got up and walked up to Mana. She held the bell in front of her.
"Here… you deserve it. I can take the test again. I don't have… that much of a problem waiting."
