He was Uchiha Sasuke, he was naturally gifted and he worked himself hard to achieve his goals. The fact that he was being put into a team was laughable, even more so when his teammates where Sakura and Naruto. Well, as far as he was concerned he didn't need to bother about them, all he needed was to get a bell and he was sorted.

Sasuke knew he wasn't the most sociable, maybe even likeable. But in all truthfulness that wasn't a problem for him, he didn't need people to like him only respect him and his skills as a ninja. The academy had served its purpose and provided the basic education and he supplemented that with scrolls and things he remembered from before…

The minute Kakashi gave the word Sasuke concealed himself, content to plan and observe. Then Naruto burst out into the open, Sakura in tow and Kakashi not far behind. Sasuke raised an eyebrow when Naruto declared the challenge to Kakashi and settled himself to observe what little he may from the exchange. Still, he wouldn't be expecting anything from it.

Famous last thoughts

Sasuke couldn't believe his eyes as he watched the fight.

'You know nothing of my skills Sasuke' Sasuke had to concede, no matter how foul tasting it felt. Naruto was the fastest in the class that much was uncontested, and he had quick reflexes and skilled in evasion. Now he was seeing another side to the blonde, Naruto was good, scary good with his puppet.

Still, it wasn't quite enough to beat their sensei Sasuke noted as he mentally catalogued Kakashi's skills and movements. Kakashi had Naruto cornered and Sasuke prepared to strike when several shuriken bore down on Kakashi. The projectiles came from his general direction though a slightly higher elevation.

'Shimata, I didn't even sense her, how long has she been their?' Sasuke immediately vacated his position, Kakashi was sure to track the trajectory but he would rather not be too close when he made his move.

Kakashi had to admit he was very impressed with Naruto's skills so far. For someone who wasn't from Suna and had only limited knowledge on the puppet arts he had successfully been able to reverse engineer the skill, and before he was old enough to shave to boot. As with all genin there were many things he had to work on but nothing experience wouldn't solve in time. It was going to be interesting to see how he would grow, provided the team passed of course.

Speaking of the team his teammates weren't so bad either in the concealment; he had to admit he was expecting an attack from Sasuke he had kept himself purposefully open for such an action. He was pleasantly surprised that the attack came from Sakura instead.

Then again he mused crouched on a tree branch with book in hand; Naruto did buy her time to escape and got her out of danger. Well, he decided, he was going to have to test his two remaining students and see if they would impress him.

"First things" Kakashi shushined suddenly, intercepting Naruto. He quickly disabled the shocked genin and strung him by his ankles to a tree. Kakashi picked the lifeless Byakuya and quickly sealed it into a scroll and casually tossed it over his shoulders.

"Now now Naru-chan" he said playfully, ignoring the glare from his irate student "you need to stay put while Sakura and Sasuke have their go kay. Jan ne" at that Kakashi left him and moved on to his next victim.

Naruto calmed his temper and felt around for Kakashi's presence. Then he reached into his sleeves and pulled out a switch blade to cut himself loose. Once he was free he immediately made several Kage Bunshins to search for the scroll containing his puppet. Suddenly his senses were triggered and he looked up sharply.

"Sakura-Chan!" he shouted in worry, Kakashi must have gotten to her. He and the clones redouble their efforts to find the scroll, hoping they could get to her in time.

"Hang on Sakura-Chan, I'm coming"

Sasuke turned sharply at the scream echoing from the forest.

"Kakashi finally got to her then" he concluded. It was what he expected and now Kakashi was most likely on his way to test him. So far Naruto had been unable to obtain a bell and he was betting Sakura hadn't either. Still…

"I am not like them" he said aloud, assured of his skill.

"Say that once you have a bell Sasuke-kun" Sasuke glanced backwards to see Kakashi, leaning nonchalantly on a tree, book in hand. Kakashi slowly took his eye of the book and met Sasuke in a stare. Neither said anything as they took stock of the other.

"Let's see what the last of the famous Uchiha Clan is capable of" Kakashi stated as he put his book away and moved into a combat stance.

Sasuke took the initiative tossing several shuriken at Kakashi who leapt out of the way, however his eyes widened when he saw Sasuke smirk and take a kunai to a rope.

Trap!

Kakashi was forced to leapt away again barely avoiding the cleverly disguised trap, only for Sasuke to shushin behind him. Sasuke immediately launched an aerial round house to Kakashi's head only for it to be blocked. Kakashi immediately grabbed the leg but Sasuke quickly pressed on with a punch to the face. Kakashi used his other hand to stop the blow and in a feat of skill Sasuke swung himself upside down to kick with his free leg however Kakashi again stopped the blow with his elbow.

Sasuke smirked and like a bucket of freezing water to the neck Kakashi realised he had been had, both his hands were occupied, while Sasuke had one free hand to grab the bells, the very bells he almost had in his grasps now.

Not gonna happen.

Kakashi was just about to disengage and deny Sasuke his prize he went rigid, completely stuck as he was. From the look on Sasuke's face it was safe to say he was in exactly the same predicament which meant….

"Chakura no Ito, Kanashibari no Jutsu Seiko"

Naruto panted slightly as he felt the technique take hold. It had been a close thing but fortune favours the prepared. And of course the opportunity to completely show up the teme was not to be passed up he thought in relish.

It had been a snap decision but he made a Kage Bunshin early on track his teammates and sensei, however the latter was akin to chasing a ghost, at Naruto's level it was impossible to follow Kakashi when he was moving, and it only blipped when he was engaging them even then it was faint. Tracking Sakura and Sasuke had been easier and he made sure to stay outside Sasuke's effective range. Once the clone spotted Kakashi moving in he immediately dispelled, alerting Naruto who immediately abandoned his search for Sakura to his clones and hauled ass to their location.

He arrived just in time to see them locked and Sasuke reaching for the bell and without breaking stride he formed several clones without hand seals and they immediately bound both Kakashi and Sasuke in chakra strings before channelling the paralysis technique through the strings, the added advantage been the technique was more difficult to shake off at the cost of a steady stream of chakra.

"Bet ya weren't expecting this Kaka-sensei?" he said cheekily as he kept a steady flow on his chakra keeping them locked in. He ignored the growl from Sasuke as his clones slowly moved around to secure and cover the area. One clone dropped the strings in one hand causing a slight jerk in Kakashi's limbs but not enough to break free.

Kakashi looked amused at the whole thing "You are right Naruto, so what happens now?" Naruto grinned even wider as his clone used his free hand to connect his string to the bells and with a sharp tug they were free. Immediately they felt the renewed struggled and frustration roll off Sasuke as he tried to break free.

"Naruto" Sasuke's voice dripped in malice "You better sleep with one eye open because you're dead"

"Bite me" Naruto snapped back, his clone had the bells and with a nod it released its strings and sprinted off into the forest while the others maintained the net.

"So how long do you plan to hold us here Naruto?" Kakashi queried

"Until the bell rings"

"Including your teammate? Don't you think that's a tad harsh?"

"I don't need the dobe's help" Sasuke cut in, a snarl on his face. Naruto merely rolled his eyes and nodded in his direction.

"There's your answer sensei. Besides I don't think I can let him loose without freeing you as well" seeing the questioning look he elaborated "the strings came out a mess and I think we linked them through both of you so it's like one giant net"

"Plus it's actually making it easier for us to regulate the chakra and keep you under. We can hold you for much longer than we thought" a clone added.

"Not to mention if we let him go we can say goodbye to the bells, he'll just take them from us" another stated in finality. Kakashi remained silent for a while as he considered their actions.

"I see"

No one said a word as they stood around unmoving until Naruto perked up again

"My clones found Sakura; I think we've got this in the bag sensei" the clones around all smirking confidently.

Kakashi chuckled quietly, causing the hairs on Naruto to stand on end. His clones too tensed at the sound.

"Not quite Naruto" Kakashi stated nonchalantly, he rolled his shoulders and creaked his neck much to the shock of Naruto and the clones.

'He should not be able to do that!" they thought frantically

"Grr you're not going anywhere sensei" Naruto bit out as he and his clones channelled more chakra to suppress Kakashi. Kakashi merely smirked, amused at the situation.

Then he moved.

Naruto barely took a step back before the memories of his clones bombarded him with their simultaneous demise. His mind couldn't process the details and it cost him, Kakashi moved in with a swift chop to the back and he was out like a light.

Meanwhile, Sasuke who suddenly found himself free couldn't brace himself in time and went sprawling head first unto the floor. He immediately rose to his feet only to take a knee to the midsection, courtesy of Kakashi. Sasuke double over, the air rapidly leaving him and he blacked out.

"Yare yare" Kakashi sighed "guess I got my hopes up for nothing" he looked at his two would be students and shook his head. In the hands of any other Jounin maybe, no they definitely would be genin. That said he shouldn't have to drop his standards, and as far as he was concerned they still were not ready.

"Now to find Sakura and end this"

"Sakura Chan, ne Sakura Chan" an insistent voice broke through the haze, stirring her to the waking world.

"Sakura Chan, thank kami you're awake"

"Naruto? What happened?" Sakura sat upright immediately looking around wildly. "Where is Sasuke-Kun?"

"As far as we know, still fighting Kaka-sensei. Don't worry" the clone quickly added when Sakura tried to scramble to her feet "the boss went after them a while ago, I'm sure they'll be fine." Sakura bit her lip the nodded bashfully.

"Thanks for coming to find me"

"No problem, but what happened?"

Sakura shook her head to clear her thoughts embarrassment on her face.

"Kaka-sensei trapped me in a genjutsu" Naruto-clone was about to ask for more details when another clone burst through the bushes.

"Guys we got sensei and teme trapped in a clearing. We also managed to get the bells, here" he opened his palm to show the two shining bells.

"How did you get those?" Sakura gasped out, she couldn't believe that Naruto of all people managed to get the bells from Kakashi, both of them. Sure he was skilled with the puppet, the earlier fight she watched proved it but to actually get the bells when clearly Sasuke didn't-

"Naruto what now? And what of Sasuke?" she queried tentatively, her dreams of being in a team with her crush slowly dwindling in the wind. The clones scoffed at the query and one spoke up.

"Sakura you heard what he said in the beginning, he didn't want our help and basically called us weaklings" the close folded its arms across its chest and carried on "the way I see it we are better off without him"

"But-"

"Sakura you helped us out when we were in a jam with sensei" she blushed at the reminder

"Only because you gave me time to escape sensei"

"The point is that you helped me, you were willing to compromise your chances to help me, and I was willing to leave my puppet in this forsaken forest to find and help you." Sakura didn't have a reply to that statement.

"I am willing to work with you Sakura. Are you?"

Sakura bit her lip again, cursing the situation. Truth be told she didn't mind working with Naruto but she would have preferred working with Sasuke. At times like this she wished he wasn't so pig headed and would just work as a team with them. Kakashi was so unfair putting them in this situation and now she had to choose if she wanted to pass or fail-

Wait a moment

Out of 27…9 will pass. 27 means 9 teams of 3, ergo only 3 teams should pass right?

Right?

So why in the world...

"Naruto we have to find Sasuke quickly" Several clones were about to complain but she cut in "we don't have much time. I think I figured this out but we need Sasuke so hurr-"

She cut off as several clones dispel violently, she felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder and she stiffened in fear.

"Times up Sakura"

Shimata

"Well, I must admit you three were the most interesting set I have ever tested, considering how many I have failed that is high praise" Kakashi said to the trio, they were back at the centre of the field with Sasuke and Sakura resting on training stumps.

"Then why am I the only one tied up?" Snarled Naruto as he pulled against his bonds, his ego had taken a big hit considering how easy Kakashi not only broke out of his trap, but also completely disabled him and bound him to the training stump. He even went through the trouble of tying up his individual fingers!

"Payback" was the short amused reply

"You should know, I'm not going to recommend you return back to academy"

"Really? I mean, we didn't exactly get the bells" Sakura had a sinking feeling were this was going, and the look Kakashi gave her only confirmed it. Meanwhile Naruto and Sasuke looked on eager and confident.

"No, but I will recommend you be removed from the ninja programme" Kakashi's tone went cold "effective immediately"

It was like a bucket of cold water on Sasuke and Naruto, neither could speak for a moment. Sasuke snarled and rushed forwards, intent on Kakashi. Kakashi never broke his gaze and like lightning he had Sasuke subdued, his arm twisted behind him and a kunai to his neck. Sasuke stilled once he felt the cold steel.

"Its punks like you that give us a bad name" Kakashi squeezed hard, making his victim wince. Naruto tried to wrap his head around the situation while Sakura just sighed.

"Despite everything none of you could solve the meaning of the test, you're nothing but toddlers playing ninja. Do you even understand what the purpose of this test is?"

"To determine who becomes a ninja"

"Wrong"

"But that's what you said" Naruto protested "You said only a few would graduate and this test would determine if we could become ninja"

"Again you are too focused on the narrow, you didn't think this through fully, you failed to see underneath the underneath"

"The answer is teamwork Kaka-sensei" Sakura cut in, slightly despondent. Kakashi turned his focus to her and nodded slowly.

"But-" Naruto cut in again "I asked Sakura to work with me, hell I even tried to get him to work with us, but mister high and mighty wanted to fly solo" Naruto started to work himself into a rant at the perceived unfairness. Why should he and Sakura have to fail because the teme didn't want to play ball.

"Naruto it doesn't matter" Sakura stated firmly. Once Naruto focused on her she continued "Remember sensei's statement yesterday? Of 27 graduates only 9 students would become genin."

Naruto's brow furrowed as he tried to recall, Sasuke also turned to look at Sakura.

"Iruka put all of us into teams of three, All 27 of us into 9 teams of 3" Sakura stressed. Naruto started and glanced between Kakashi and Sakura in shock, his thoughts running in high gear

"9 teams of 3, only 9 graduates." He muttered his shoulders sinking. Sakura nodded her eyes dimmed.

"That means only 3 teams can pass, not 9 individuals." She finished softly.

No one said a word at the revelation. Kakashi eased of Sasuke and let him get into a sitting position.

"Pity none of you could figure it out during the test."

Kakashi walked over to a large stone, roughly shaped like a kunai. He crouched low and ran his fingers over the etchings and spoke softly. Despite the low tones the genin had no problem hearing him, their hairs on end.

"This stone is a memorial to all ninja who gave their lives in service to the village. They gave up everything for you to have the opportunity to become more than yourself. Instead we have a three accidents waiting to happen, not worth training."

The barbs cut deep but Kakashi had proven too dangerous to antagonise so they couldn't do anything but listen.

Kakashi then sighed and straightened up; his next words shocked them completely.

"Team meetings and training begin tomorrow"

"Wait, What?"

Kakashi sighed and turned to the three of them, his face completely neutral.

"As of this moment, I am under orders to make sure you become genin, there was no option of failure for any of you"

"Ano" Sakura said timidly "I don't understand"

Kakashi merely turned his gaze to both Sasuke and Naruto.

"All you need to realise is that there is politics involved significant and dangerous politics." Kakashi's gaze narrowed as he spoke "there is too much at stake and unfortunately I am under orders to ensure you passed"

"But we failed" Naruto said quietly, the fight drained from him.

"Yet you still get to be genin, unlike the others who worked and succeeded in proving themselves to their instructors" the trio flinched at that statement.

Naruto kept his head bowed, desperately trying to come up with a decent argument, but the stigma of knowing that he got his headband and his position as genin not for his passing and proving his skills, but from a technicality, that was too much to stomach.

"I won't do it" He looked up his gaze defiant. Sasuke and Sakura turned to him in confusion. He ignored them and continued "I don't accept, not like this. I'd rather go back to academy or wait until I can prove myself as a ninja of Konoha"

Sasuke kept silent for a moment then nodded. He removed his headband and placed it before Kakashi

"I agree with Naruto. It's not worth it"

"Me too sensei" Sakura stated, her headband already untied.

They kept silent as Kakashi observed them and their decision. Moments later the oppressive air seemed to lighten up and Kakashi's attitude became warmer.

"Unfortunately none of you are in any position to quit"

"However" he smiled as he continued "This I think I can work with, you all have amazing potential and as long as you are willing and ready there is nothing you won't be able to accomplish"

At that Naruto and Sakura broke into wide smiles and Sasuke smirked. Kakashi's eye smiled at his new team.

"Now we are team 7"