Trial of the Silver Bells!
Survival Training!
"He sure is late!" complained Naruto for the seventh time that afternoon.
He, Sasuke and Sakura had been waiting for their new Jounin teacher for over two hours. Everyone else, including Iruka, had left more than an hour ago. Currently Sasuke was quietly meditating while Sakura stood next to him with admiration etched on her face. Naruto was glancing outside of the class in search of their mystery teacher.
"Naruto, would you stay still! You're even starting to make me anxious!" complained Sakura with a frown.
"I can't help it! Why the hell is he so late?" whined Naruto with a glance over his shoulder. "Everyone else has already gone off with their teachers! Even Iruka-sensei left already!"
"I don't know, Naruto!" replied Sakura in exasperation.
Naruto begun to wickedly grin.
"Alright, he asked for it," thought Naruto while temporarily reverting back to prankster mode.
Naruto grabbed a dusty eraser from the blackboard as well as a stool. That stool was propped near the classroom door where Naruto hopped on top of it. Carefully he wedged the eraser between a small crack in the door, setting up a perfect booby trap.
"Hey! What in the world are you doing, Naruto?" asked Sakura in confusion.
Sasuke also looked up in curiosity. Naruto just chuckled wickedly before hopping off of the stool.
"Ah, you wouldn't?" asked Sakura upon seeing the trap.
"Well it's his fault for being late!" declared Naruto with a grin.
"Geez…I am so not involved," said Sakura with a frown. "But you know, that's a pretty good idea."
"Hmp, like a Jounin would really fall for such a simple booby trap," said Sasuke quietly.
"Right!" chimed in Sakura. "Naruto, you are so stupid!"
Suddenly a hand appeared in the door. Everyone stared in anticipation to see what would happen. The door opened, and the eraser fell with a dusty plop onto the intruder's head. For a moment everyone was deadly quite, then Naruto broke into crazed laughter.
"You fell for it! What an idiot!" cried Naruto between laughter.
"I-I'm so sorry, sensei!" stammered Sakura in a deceptive worried innocent act. "Like hell I am, what a hoot!" thought Sakura while trying to suppress a snicker.
Sasuke merely stared at the newcomer.
"Seriously? He's really a Jounin?" he thought to himself in disbelief.
The victim of Naruto's prank was a tall man with long gray hair that was leaning to the side. He was dressed in the same ninja outfit as Iruka. However, he was wearing a navy blue mask that completely covered the lower half of his face. The ninja's forehead protector was draped over his left eye.
He bent over to pick up the eraser and glanced thoughtfully at it for a moment before speaking.
"Hmm, how should I say this? My first impression is, well, I don't like you guys."
Everyone sweat dropped…
By the request of their new sensei, the quartet had moved from the classroom and were now settling down on top of the roof.
"Okay, lets begin with some introductions," said the grayed haired man quietly.
"Introductions? What should we say?" asked Sakura.
"How about your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, hobbies, stuff like that," replied the tall ninja.
"Alright, but shouldn't you introduce yourself to us first?" asked Naruto, wanting to see how it was suppose to be done so as not to embarrass himself by saying the wrong thing.
The others nodded in agreement.
"Me? My name is Hatake Kakashi," said Kakashi while pointing to himself. "I have no desire to tell you guys about my likes and dislikes."
The others looked up in confusion.
"Dreams for the future, eh? Hmm…well I have lots of hobbies," Kakashi concluded.
"So all we learned is his name?" whispered Sakura in annoyance to her teammates.
They nodded, easily just as irked as the bubblegum haired girl.
"Alright, now it's your turn," said Kakashi while crossing his arms. "You first," he said with a nod towards Naruto.
"Okay, my name is Uzumaki Naruto!" said the boy excitedly. "I like cup ramen! What I like even more is the Ichiraku Ramen that Iruka-sensei buys me a lot! What I dislike, is waiting three minutes for cup ramen to cook! My hobby is eating tons of cup ramen! My dream for the future, is to surpass all the Hokages! Then I will have all the people in this village acknowledge my existence!" he concluded with a determined smile.
"I see, he has grown in a interesting way," thought Kakashi to himself. "Okay, next."
Sakura spoke up first.
"I'm Haruno Sakura!" she begun with excitement. "What I like is well…The person I like is…" she paused to glance at Sasuke with a blush. "My hobbies are…" she glanced at Sasuke again. "Well, my dreams for the future are…" she looked again before squealing in happiness like a typical fangirl.
"And? What you dislike?" asked Kakashi.
"It's Naruto," she replied much to the anguish of Naruto.
Kakashi rolled his eyes.
"Girls of this age are more interested in love than Ninjutsu," he thought to himself. "And the last one?" asked the older ninja.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke," he said quietly. "There are tons of things I dislike, but I don't really like anything."
Sakura let out a silent oh of surprise and disappointment.
"Also, I don't want to use the word dream, but I have an ambition. The resurrection of my clan and definitely to kill a certain man," Sasuke concluded darkly.
Everyone stared at Sasuke with a noticeable temperature drop overtaking the air.
"He better not mean me," thought Naruto with a chill as he remember the events from earlier that morning.
"Sasuke-kun is so cool!" thought Sakura with a look of awe.
"I thought so," thought Kakashi darkly. "Okay, you guys are all interesting. We'll start our missions tomorrow," he announced.
"Aye aye, what kind of missions?" asked Naruto with a cheery salute.
"Before that, we're going to do something we can do with just the four of us," declared Kakashi.
"What what what what?" asked Naruto, voicing the thoughts of everyone present.
"Survival training," replied Kakashi.
"Survival training?" echoed Naruto in confusion.
"Why is training a part of our mission? Didn't we do enough training at the academy?" asked Sakura who was just as puzzled.
"This isn't normal training," replied Kakashi.
"Then what kind of training is it?" asked Naruto who once again voiced what was on everyone's mind.
Kakashi begun to chuckle.
"Hey, what's so funny sensei? That was a normal question," asked Sakura with a frown.
"No, well, it's just that when you guys hear this, you're definitely gonna flip!" replied Kakashi between laughter.
"Huh?" came Naruto with everyone's thoughts again.
"Of the thirty graduates, only twelve will be chosen as Genin. The rest will be sent back to the academy. So this training is a highly difficult test with a failure rate of over sixty-six percent," said Kakashi gravely.
Everyone gasped in shock at the news. Kakashi chuckled again.
"See! I told you you'd flip!" he said between laughter.
"What the hell!? But we worked so hard! If that's the case, what was the point of graduating!?" cried Naruto in dismay.
"Oh that? It was just to select those that have a chance of becoming Genin," replied Kakashi seriously.
"Whaaat!?" moaned Naruto.
"Anyway, tomorrow you will be graded on the training field. Be sure to bring all your Shinobi equipment and assemble at 5a.m.!" ordered Kakashi. "Okay, you're dismissed!" said Kakashi with a wave of his hand. "Oh, and skip breakfast. You'll throw up," he added as an afterthought.
Naruto begun trembling after the announcements were done.
"I can't fail here! I have to have my strength acknowledged. I promised Elaine!" thought Naruto.
"If I fail this, I'll be separated from Sasuke-kun. This is a test of love!" thought Sakura who was also trembling.
Sasuke, who was the only one not shaken up by the news, cracked his knuckles quietly.
With that said and done, the trio went home to prepare for the exam that would determine their fates…
The sky was still very dark when 5a.m. rolled around and just as they had been ordered, the trio of rookie ninjas met on the school's training field.
"Good morning," greeted Sakura groggily.
"Hey…" mumbled Naruto sleepily in reply.
Sasuke was the only one who looked well rested and he remained silent as usual.
For the next two hours they waited for Kakashi. The morning sun had just begun to dispel the chilly spring air before the group heard a familiar voice.
"Hey guys, good morning," greeted Kakashi.
"YOU'RE LATE!!" roared Naruto and Sakura in unison.
Sasuke merely crossed his arms and glared in irritation.
"Sorry, a black cat cross my path and …" Kakashi begun.
The trio growled in annoyance. Seeing that he was getting nowhere with his tall tale, Kakashi cleared his throat before speaking.
"Oh, well…guess you guys aren't in the mood. So lets get started."
Kakashi withdrew a large clock from his backpack and placed it upon a nearby tree stump situated next to three wooden training posts. He pushed the button on top of it before facing the group.
"Okay, it's set for noon. Your objective for today is to take these two bells from me before time expires," explained Kakashi while dangling two silver bells in front of the group. "Those who cannot get a bell before noon will get no lunch! I'll not only tie you to one of those posts, but I'll eat right in front of you."
The trio rubbed their grumbling stomachs upon hearing the news.
"So telling us not to eat breakfast was for this," they all thought as one.
"But hold on, why are there only two bells?" asked Sakura
"Because there are only two bells, one of you will definitely be tied to a post and that person will fail," said Kakashi with a masked smile. "So at least one of you will be sent back to the academy. Don't be fooled though, it might just be one but it could be all three. With that in mind, feel free to use your shurikens. You won't be able to get a bell unless you come at me with killer intent."
"But you'll be in danger, Sensei!" stated Sakura with a worried look.
Naruto laughed.
"Yeah, you couldn't even dodge a blackboard eraser!" Naruto joked loudly.
Kakashi glared at Naruto.
"In the real world, those with the least talent often bark loudest. We'll ignore Mr. dead last and start when I say," said Kakashi.
"Dead last!!" thought Naruto angrily.
Naruto charged at Kakashi with a kunai drawn. Needless to say, he was seeing red. Naruto had barely taken two steps before he felt a sharp pain in his wrist. Before he knew it, Naruto's arm had been twisted behind his back with his own ninja tool pointed at the back of his head. Everyone gasped in shock to see Kakashi standing behind Naruto, holding his wrist in a iron vice like grip.
"Slow down, I didn't say to start yet," said Kakashi in a dangerously soft voice.
Naruto winced in pain while the others cautiously backed away. Kakashi then released Naruto who cradled his throbbing wrist.
"No way! I didn't even see him move!" thought Sakura in shock.
"So this is a Jounin," thought Sasuke with a glare.
As if sensing the tension Kakashi nodded in approval.
"It seems that now you are prepared to come at me with the intent to kill," said Kakashi calmly before laughing. "Seems like I'll finally be able to like you guys. So lets get started. Ready, start!" yelled Kakashi before the trio disappeared in a blur of movement…
Iruka sat across from the Hokage in a small tea café for an arranged meeting.
"So what did you want to know? I'm sure you didn't just call me out here for tea," asked Sarutobi.
"It's about the Jounin assigned to Naruto's team. Could you tell me what kind of person he is? Is he strict?" asked Iruka after he collected his thoughts.
"You mean Kakashi? Are you worried?"
"I heard some distressing rumors, so…" started Iruka before he was silenced with a wave of Sarutobi's hand.
The Third reached into his robes and withdrew a small book titled 'The Way of the Ninja.'
"What's this?" asked Iruka.
"A list of Genin assigned to Kakashi up to this point," replied Sarutobi.
With a nod Iruka took the book and begun flipping through the pages. His eyes grew wider with each passing page before he stared at Sarutobi with panic evident in his eyes.
"Hokage-sama, this is terrible!" exclaimed Iruka.
"Aye, Kakashi's test may be a bit difficult," agreed Sarutobi.
"Just a bit!? There are nothing but zeros in here!" cried Iruka.
"That's right, Kakashi hasn't passed a single person in his history as a Jounin. Everyone who has tried has failed," confirmed Sarutobi.
"Unbelievable…it's hard to believe that he has never passed a single student," moaned Iruka.
"Come now, Iruka. Even I don't know if those three should become ninjas right away, but Kakashi's judgment is very accurate. None of the students in that book were ready," explained Sarutobi before taking a sip of tea. "Perhaps you'll understand if I tell you the tale of Uchiha Obito…"
Kakashi surveyed the area in search of his students.
"Excellent, they are concealed well. Thus is the basic of being a Shinobi."
Sensing a presence in front of him, Kakashi looked up to find Naruto standing there with his arms crossed.
"Come and fight me!" cried Naruto confidently.
Kakashi sweat dropped.
"Um, you're a little bit off," said Kakashi to his proud student.
"The only thing a little bit off, is your taste in hair styles!" quipped Naruto before he rushed his Sensei.
"Cocky kid," thought Kakashi while reaching into his pouch.
Seeing the sudden move, Naruto came to an immediate halt and awaited Kakashi's attack.
"Ninja fighting lesson number one! I'll teach you about Taijutsu," said Kakashi.
"Taijutsu is ninja hand to hand combat, yet he's going to use a weapon? What is he playing at?" thought Naruto before sinking into a horribly sloppy battle pose.
Much to Naruto's surprise, Kakashi pulled a book out of his pouch.
"What's wrong? Hurry and come at me," verbally invited Kakashi while turning a page.
"But why do you have a book?" asked Naruto in confusion.
"Why? Well because I want to find out what happens next. Don't worry about it. It won't make a difference against you guys," replied Kakashi while turning another page.
Naruto's eyebrow twitched and he clenched his fist before charging at Kakashi with murder in his eyes.
"I'm gonna beat you into a pulp!" roared Naruto.
Naruto leaped into the air and begun his assault with a vicious backhand. Kakashi caught the blow in his palm without even looking up from the book.
"Damn you, you bastard!!" cried Naruto before he leaped again.
This time he executed a powerful spin kick but, Kakashi ducked causing Naruto's momentum to send him sailing harmlessly pass. The moment Naruto landed, he kicked off back in Kakashi's direction with a wild power punch only to hit empty air.
"Damn, where the hell did he go!?" thought Naruto before a familiar voice spoke up from behind him.
"A ninja isn't suppose to get caught from behind over and over, baka," said Kakashi.
"Naruto, get out of there! You're going to be killed!" came the voice of Sakura from somewhere in the scrubs.
"What!?" said Naruto in confusion.
"Too late, Hidden Leaf Ancient Taijutsu Supreme Technique!" chanted Kakashi before trusting his clasped fingers forward.
Naruto suddenly felt a tremendous amount of pressure enter his back side. It soon gave way to an explosion of sharp pain before he was launched seven feet into the air!
"One Thousand Years of Pain!!" shouted Kakashi.
Naruto was soon seized by gravity again before falling into a small stream which was mercifully nearby.
"There, now lets see what happens next," muttered Kakashi to himself as he resumed reading his book…
"Damn it! This wasn't suppose to happen!" thought Naruto while trying to ignore the pain in his smarting ass.
Elaine flashed through his mind and with renewed determination sparked by his promise Naruto swam back to the surface.
"Soon, the opportunity will present itself," thought Sasuke.
His hand hovered only inches from his kunai and shuriken pouch. Sasuke smirked at the thought as he watched Naruto's pathetic efforts from his perch in the trees.
Suddenly there was a splash, and two shuriken came flying out of the stream towards Kakashi. Just as they were about to hit, Kakashi stopped them in mid-flight with his fingers. The twin stars rotated harmlessly on Kakashi's index and middle fingers before he pocketed them. Never once did his eyes leave his book.
Sasuke's shoulders slumped in shock.
"No way!" he whispered to himself…
Naruto surfaced coughing and sputtering.
"Hey, what's wrong? If you don't get a bell by noon, you get no lunch," reminded Kakashi as he turned another page.
"I know that!" whined Naruto
"You sure are weak for someone who is going to surpass the Hokage," said Kakashi while looking up from his book for just a second.
Naruto's stomach growled loudly.
"Damn! I can still fight on an empty stomach! I was just a little careless!" moaned Naruto, absolutely refusing to show weakness.
Kakashi ignored him and resumed reading with his back turned.
"Damn, I'm starving and I have no strength! But no matter what, I have to get a bell! I swear I'll do it on the promise I made to Elaine!"
The stream's peaceful surface suddenly erupted with several loud splashes. Kakashi turned around at the noise to find a team of Narutos bursting out of the water.
"What the!?"
"Hah, you were careless! Behold my specialty, Kage-Bunshin no Jutsu!" cried Naruto with a laugh.
Once the clones landed, the platoon charged.
"The forbidden Ninjutsu he defeated Mizuki with?" thought Kakashi while turning towards his attackers. "With your current ability, you won't last but a minute. It doesn't matter how many you line up, because in the end you're still Naruto. You can't beat me with that technique yet, kid."
Suddenly Kakashi felt something latch onto his back.
"What, you were behind me!?" cried Kakashi once he spotted a patch of blond hair over his shoulder.
"Like you said Sensei, ninjas aren't suppose to get caught from behind, baka," confirmed Naruto with a victorious grin. "Using Kage-Bunshin I sent a clone out of the water to sneak around behind you," bragged the Naruto latched onto Kakashi's back while six more grabbed onto his legs and arms.
The last one jumped into the air.
"My ass is still hurting you know! So here comes revenge!!" this one cried with a grin.
The distance closed quickly and once Naruto was in range he reared back his fist.
"I'm going to punch you!" he bellowed before swinging.
Naruto only blinked once before the blow connected, but instead of Kakashi he found that he was hitting a Naruto.
"What?" he thought in confusion.
The Naruto he hit landed painfully on his back before moaning in pain.
"Itai!!" he cried.
"Impossible! You're Kakashi-sensei aren't you!?" bellowed a Naruto before charging.
"He must've used Henge to transform!" yelled another before charging as well.
The other clones joined in to help their comrades but in the confusion, they couldn't tell each other apart. The sparring blonds were now engaged in a furious free for all. The battle lasted a full minute before one of the Narutos spoke up.
"Cancel the Jutsu, then you'll know who Kakashi is since there will only be two of you!" said a clone.
"Why didn't you realize that sooner you idiot!" screamed another before vanishing in a poof of smoke.
The other clones followed suit and before long only the real Naruto remained. Kakashi was nowhere in sight…
"That was Kawarimi you idiot," thought Sasuke with a frown from his perch in the treetops. "It's an elaborate technique that switches the user with another object or animal. In this case he switched with a clone thus making you use your own technique against yourself."
"Damn, does this guy have a weakness?" he whispered.
"Aw man, I can't believe he tricked me!" Naruto grimaced.
Suddenly there was a flash of light out the corner of his eye.
"Hm? Is that…a bell!" Naruto cried happily. "He must have been in such a hurry to escape that he dropped one!" he thought with a laugh before running to retrieve it.
He was just about to pick it up when suddenly Naruto felt something snare his legs. Naruto only had time to blink in surprise before he found himself dangling upside down from a tree branch.
"What the hell is this, some kind of trap!?" Naruto wailed.
Once Naruto stopped bouncing around so much, he stretched his body as far as he could in the hopes of picking up the bell. Sadly the shiny piece of silver was too far out of his reach.
"Think before using a Jutsu, or it may be used against you," came Kakashi's voice from somewhere out of his sight before he saw his Sensei's hand pick up the bell. "Also, don't fall for such obvious traps, baka," he added with a masked smile.
"God damn it!" Naruto angrily struggled with his bindings.
"You do realize that a ninja must be able to read what's underneath the underneath," said Kakashi.
"I know that stuff!" wailed Naruto.
"I'm telling you because you don't. You think you get it, which isn't the same as actually getting it, get it?" said Kakashi with a masked grin. "Listen Naruto, you're movements are too predictable, not to mention wasteful!" he lectured.
Sasuke had been watching the exchange carefully before he tensed.
"This is it! I have to act now!"
In one fluid move, Sasuke hurled a swarm of kunai and shuriken from his pouch. He smiled as he watched his projectiles fly…
"Geez kid, were you even paying attention during cla…?" droned Kakashi before the unthinkable happened.
Naruto stared in horror when he saw Kakashi's one visible eye glaze over. Several metal knifes and stars were sticking out of the side of his head. Then he slowly begun to fall.
"God damn! Sasuke you bastard, you went too far!" cried Naruto towards the direction in which the death weapons came.
Kakashi seemed to fall in slow motion before he was enveloped in a poof of smoke. When the cloud cleared, the kunai and shuriken were now embedded in a log…
"Shit, he used another replacement!" groaned Sasuke. "He knows I'm here!"
Quickly the black haired boy made a break for it…
"Where is Sasuke-kun!?" thought Sakura as she frantically dashed thru the foliage in search of him. "Did Sensei get him? No, he couldn't have. Please let him be alright!"
Sakura skidded to a halt upon seeing a patch of silver hair behind a bush. Sadly her momentum wouldn't let her stop quickly enough and she smashed into some scrubs. Kakashi didn't seem to hear the rustling leaves and proceeded to turn another page in his book.
"That was too close! It doesn't look like he heard me," the pink haired girl watched intently for any signs of movement when all of a sudden…
"Behind you, Sakura," came the voice she dreaded to hear.
Sakura turned around to find herself face to face with Kakashi. Without warning Kakashi clasped his hands together. A strong breeze picked up, causing a bunch of leaves to twirl around them.
Pinky screamed…
"Ninjas need to be able to read what's beneath the beneath he says. Hmp, I'll never fall for his traps again!" complained Naruto.
He trusted himself forward and with a kunai in hand and cut through his bindings. Immediately he felt the pull of gravity. Acting on instincts alone, Naruto pulled off a triple flip before landing gracefully on his feet.
"Hah, bet you didn't see that coming Sensei!" he thought with a grin.
Naruto spoke too soon. Immediately he was snared again by the same kind of trap. Naruto released a stream of language so foul that even the nearby squirrels took off in disgust.
Naruto then screamed as loud as he could, to vent his frustration on all who were listening…
"What in the world was that and hey, were did Sensei go?" asked Sakura when the wind died down.
All was quiet at first and Sakura didn't feel any presences nearby.
"Weird, what's going on?" she whispered.
The air felt different, almost as if it were trying to crush her. Then she heard a soft voice.
"Sakura…" it said.
"That voice, it sounds like…" she whirled around with an excited smile. "Sasuke-kun!"
The sight that befell her, was like a nightmare come true. Sasuke laided on the ground in front of her with several kunai logged in his back. His leg was bent at an unnatural angle and there was so much blood. The very ground around him was stained with the crimson fluid.
"Sakura…help…me…" Sasuke whispered before slumping face first into the growing puddle of his own fluids.
Sakura felt cold, and she became deadly pale before she released a blood curling shriek. Then just like that, she knew no more…
"Sakura! She must be in trouble," thought Sasuke when he heard her shriek.
"Don't worry, she's in no danger," said a voice behind him. "She just got a sample of Shinobi lesson number two, Genjutsu. Sad to say, but she was easily fooled by the illusion."
"I see…" said Sasuke quietly without turning around. "She and Naruto may have been fooled by your trickery, but you should know that I'm different from them…Sensei."
"Is that so? Well why don't you say that after getting a bell, Sasuke-kun," replied Kakashi from somewhere behind him.
Sasuke turned around and glared determinedly at his teacher. The two ninjas stared at each other for several minutes before Sasuke broke the standoff. In one fluid move Sasuke drew and hurled several shuriken at Kakashi. His effort was in vain however. By the time the stars left his finger tips, Kakashi had already moved.
"Come now, there's no use in using normal attacks," taunted Kakashi from somewhere to Sasuke's left.
Sasuke smirked before tossing another shuriken in the opposite direction.
"What?" was Kakashi's only thought before the flying star cut through a thread hidden in the foliage. "Crap, it was a trap!"
With the trigger activated, a wave of kunai were launched in his direction. Kakashi quickly leaped aside and skidded to a halt to look around. Sasuke was nowhere in sight. Kakashi suddenly felt a presence behind him and turned around just in time to see a kick sailing towards his face. The older ninja quickly blocked it with his forearm but he still grunted from the force of the attack. He grabbed a hold of Sasuke's leg before the younger ninja could withdraw it. The rookie didn't let that stop him though. Rearing back, he lunged forward with a vicious hammer blow in which Kakashi caught with his free hand. Sasuke pulled on his ensnared hand in order to gather enough momentum to swing his other leg around for an attack. Once again Kakashi blocked it with his forearm.
Sasuke smirked at his teacher's predicament and reached forward with his free hand to grab one of the bells.
"You!" cried Kakashi in surprise before quickly hopping backwards.
Sasuke did a forward flip in midair and landed gracefully on his feet before turning to glare at Kakashi.
"Dammit!" Sasuke hissed under his breath.
"What a guy, he almost had me there! Looks like I won't have time to read Flirting Paradise," thought a wide eyed Kakashi.
Once again, they were locked in a standoff…
Naruto was quietly meditating in his new found hangout as he tried to predict what other kind of traps Kakashi might have set.
"Exploding tags? No, too risky. Bottomless hole? No, would have taken too long to set up."
Suddenly, Naruto caught the scent of food in the air. He opened his eyes and glanced in the direction of the aroma. Perched upon a nearby stone were two containers of food.
"Hah, there's lunch!"
He snickered.
"A ninja needs to perceive what lays beneath eh? I'll make you eat those words, Sensei!"
With that said, he once again cut through his bindings…
Around this time, Sakura had finally awaken.
"What happened and why am I…Sasuke-kun!!" she cried with a start.
She looked around but saw no sign of her fellow teammate.
"Impossible! He was so badly hurt and there was all that blood! Someone must've moved him!"
"Sasuke-kun, where are you?!" she wailed before racing into the forest…
"Okay I'll admit it Sasuke-kun, you're definitely different from those two," acknowledged Kakashi.
Sasuke merely glared before quickly flashing through a series of hand seals. Once finished he clashed his hands together with the middle and index fingers on both hands extended and took a deep breath.
"Katon, Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" he bellowed.
"No way! The Grand Fireball technique isn't something a Genin should be able to do! At this level he shouldn't have enough chakra!" thought Kakashi with a wide eye.
But Sasuke did have enough it seemed. Forming a narrow tunnel with his right hand, he blew into it causing a jet of flame to shoot forward! Sasuke blew until the flames shrunk a bit before releasing the Jutsu.
"Good riddance," he thought while waiting for the flame to reveal a charred corpse.
When the fires finally vanished completely Sasuke found the spot where Kakashi had been standing completely empty.
"He's gone!" he exclaimed. "Is he behind me? No, above? No, then where?" he thought while glancing about.
"I'm beneath you!" cried Kakashi in answer to Sasuke's unspoken thoughts.
A hand popped out of the ground and grasped Sasuke's ankle.
"Doton, Shinjuuzanshu no Jutsu!" bellowed Kakashi's voice before the hand pulled Sasuke into the earth.
Sasuke barely had time to scream before the earth rose up to meet him. Fortunately he stopped his descend just before his head was completely covered. In a flash of rapid movement Kakashi appeared in front of Sasuke in a crouched position.
"How do you like the third Shinobi lesson, Ninjutsu? Can't move can you?" asked Kakashi with a masked smile. "This is the Suicidal Beheading technique, is it effective?"
Sasuke glared at the ground instead of answering.
"I see, well anyway it looks like your talents are exceptional. But as they say, stakes that point out, get driven back into the earth in the end."
Kakashi rose from his crouch and withdrew his book again before walking off into the forest…
"Where could Sasuke-kun be? I've been searching for over ten minutes!" whined Sakura.
She saw light in front of her and quickly ran towards it. She burst through the foliage with a relieved sigh.
"Finally made it out of that forest!" she thought well sucking in some much needed air.
After catching her breath, she glanced around before doing a double take. Sasuke's head was sticking out of the ground. Sakura's eyes grew to the size of orbs before she passed out again.
Sasuke sweat dropped.
"What's the matter with her?" he wondered…
"I am such a genius! All I have to do is eat this while hiding instead of getting a bell and I'm home free!" said Naruto with a laugh. "Itadakimasu!"
"Hey," came Kakashi's dreaded voice from behind him.
Naruto sweat dropped.
"I was just kidding, Sensei!" he said with a nervous chuckle. "I wasn't really gonna eat…"
"Too late!"
Kakashi pounced…
By the time Sakura came around again, Sasuke had managed to dig his way out of the ground. It was lucky for him that the soil was fairly loose or he never would have gotten out. Sakura opened her eyes and looked at a blurry image of Sasuke.
"Sasuke-kun?" she whispered.
Once her eyes came completely into focus she latched onto her crush's waist.
"You're okay!" she cried happily.
"The hell?! Don't get so close, get off of me!" Sasuke protested with a annoyed frown.
Once she was certain that Sasuke was alright, she let go of him. He immediately backed away just in case she tried to hug him again before speaking.
"There's still a little bit of time before noon so I'm going after Kakashi-sensei," he announced.
"You're still going to try to get a bell?" asked Sakura.
"Well I was able to touch one a while ago, so I'm sure I'll be able to get it this time," he replied.
"Oh is that so? You're amazing, Sasuke-kun," she said with a cheery smile. "Damn, if he couldn't do it then how will I be able to get a bell!?"
Sasuke didn't respond and choose instead to stare impatiently at Sakura.
"You know, since we have only a little bit of time left why don't we just give up for now and try harder next time?" she suggested.
Sasuke's stare turned into a glare before he turned his back on her.
"Shoot, I must've said the wrong thing again," thought Sakura sadly.
"Only I can kill that man," said Sasuke darkly as a chilly breeze picked up.
"What? You don't mean Sensei do you?" she asked with wide eyes.
Sasuke didn't seem to hear her.
"I was crying at that time," he continued.
"Crying?" echoed Sakura.
The wind blew more fiercely than before. Sasuke's voice grew stronger.
"I am an avenger. I must become stronger than him so I can't afford to stumble now."
Sakura's eyes widened as she recalled Sasuke's words from yesterday when they were on the roof. A loud chime roused her from her thoughts.
"Damn, I wasted my time talking," said Sasuke bitterly before he trekked back to the meeting site.
Sakura followed fearfully behind…
They arrived to find Naruto tied securely to a post with a grumpy pout on his face. Wordlessly they sat down on either side of him to wait for Kakashi's verdict. Kakashi placed the two lunch trays in front of the trio, triggering several loud grumbles from their respective stomachs.
"Oh, you're stomachs are growling eh?" observed Kakashi with his arms folded. "Well before we address that, I want to comment on the results of your training. From what I can see, none of you need to return to the academy."
Everyone's eyes widen in surprise.
"Yeah! Love prevails, dammit!" thought Sakura happily before she started cheering.
"Does that mean that we three…?" asked Naruto who was too happy to finish the sentence.
Sasuke smirked.
"Yeah, you three…" begun Kakashi with a masked smile. "Should quit being ninjas!" he bellowed.
Everyone stopped smiling while Kakashi glared at them. For once, it didn't look like the gray haired ninja was making a lazy joke.
"Quit being ninjas! What in the world for?" screamed Naruto. "Sure we couldn't get a bell, but that's no reason to quit!"
"It's simple really. You three are just a bunch of kids who don't even deserve to be ninjas," replied Kakashi with his hands on his hips.
Suddenly there was a flash of movement and everyone turned towards it to see Sasuke charging at Kakashi with anger written over his face. Kakashi reactions were swift. He grabbed Sasuke's incoming fist and with the greatest of ease, flipped the boy onto his empty stomach. He then proceeded to sit on his struggling prey while pressing his face against the dirt with his foot.
"Like I said, you guys are all just kids," said Kakashi coolly.
"Don't step on Sasuke-kun you jerk!" cried Sakura shrilly.
Kakashi glared at her.
"Let me ask you something, do you guys think being a ninja is easy?" he said coldly. "Tell me, why do you think we're training by breaking up into groups?"
The others looked puzzled for a moment before Sakura spoke up.
"I don't understand, Sensei."
"I see, in other words you don't understand the answer to this test," Kakashi said quietly.
"The answer?" came Naruto's confused voice.
"That's right," replied Kakashi with a nod. "It determines whether you pass or fail, so do any of you know what it is?"
"We've been asking you what it was since the beginning, Sensei," piped up Sakura.
"Geez, are your heads full of air!? Don't you understand why you're in a group?" grumbled Kakashi.
"What about the group?" asked Naruto with a touch of irritation.
"Teamwork you numbskull," replied Kakashi with a glare.
Everyone stared at Kakashi quizzically.
"You want us to work together?" asked Sakura.
"Exactly, but it's to late for that now. Had you all came at me at once, maybe you could've gotten a bell," said Kakashi darkly. "Too bad."
"Hang on, why do we need team work when there are only two bells? Even if we succeeded someone would have to bite the bullet resulting in a group conflict," realized Sakura.
"Indeed. This test was designed to try to pit you against one another," confirmed Kakashi. "The real purpose behind it was to see who would prioritized teamwork over self interest, yet you were all pathetic. For example Sakura, you cared more about Sasuke than Naruto and even though Naruto was right in front of you and you didn't know Sasuke's whereabouts."
Sakura's shoulders drooped sadly.
"Naruto, all you did was act on your own despise the vast difference between us."
Naruto grimaced and bowed his head.
"And you Sasuke, you assumed that these two were going to burden you and did everything on your own."
Sasuke stared at the dirt with sudden interest.
"Missions done in groups demand teamwork in order to obtain success. Sure individual qualities are important, but teamwork is the key. Understand that an individual who disrupts teamwork could result in the death of a comrade. For instance…"
Kakashi withdrew a Kunai from his pouch.
"Sakura! Kill Naruto or else Sasuke will die!" demanded Kakashi while pressing the knife to Sasuke's throat.
Everyone gasped in shock while Sasuke tried his best to keep the blade from touching his skin.
"It could happen just like that," said Kakashi in a calmer tone while relieving Sasuke's throat of the sharp tool.
Sakura and Naruto sighed in relief while Sasuke slumped in defeat.
"As you saw, allowing someone to be taken hostage will result in a difficult decision that could endanger lives. With each mission, your life and the life of another will be put on the line," concluded Kakashi before getting off of Sasuke's back.
The elder ninja then walked to the rock that Naruto had found the food perched upon earlier.
"Take a look at this," Kakashi ordered. "The names carved into this stone are those of the now deceased heroes of Konoha."
"Hey that's pretty cool! I've decided that I'll have my name carved into that rock!" said Naruto with a grin. "A hero! No way am I going to die a useless death!" he bragged loudly.
"That's fine, be these guys weren't normal heroes," said Kakashi quietly.
"Yeah, well what kind were they?" Naruto asked cheerfully.
Kakashi remained silent.
"Come on, you can tell me please!" Naruto begged like a puppy who was being denied a bone.
"These guys are heroes who were killed in action," he said finally.
Naruto and the others bowed their heads respectfully.
After a moment Kakashi spoke again in a soft tone.
"This is a cenotaph. The names of my friends are carved here as well."
Abruptly the elder ninja turned around.
"I'll give you guys one last chance. You may eat but the battle for the bell will become much harsher afterwards. Eat only if you're up for the challenge," announced Kakashi. "However, you are forbidden to let Naruto eat."
The blond groaned sadly.
"This is punishment for trying to break the rules and eat early. If I find anyone trying to feed him, that person will automatically fail," he concluded with a glare. "I'm the rule here, got it."
This was not a question. Slowly the three rookies nodded…
"If you'll excuse me, Hokage-sama," said Iruka with a troubled frown.
Hearing the story of Obito's history with Kakashi and comparing it with Naruto's behavior towards his teammates had given the teacher a lot to think about. Chief of his thoughts were trying to sort through this new information about Kakashi's old habits.
"Wait, Iruka," called Sarutobi.
"Yes?" asked Iruka after pausing in mid-stride.
"No matter what the results may be, I ask that you do not hate Kakashi," Sarutobi replied firmly.
For a few moments the two stared at each other in silence.
"Yes sir," Iruka finally said with a bow before exiting the café…
Naruto's stomach roared in fury. The hapless blond had been watching his teammates eat for the last ten minutes.
"I'm okay, I don't need food!" he chanted to himself over and over again before his stomach literally called him a liar.
Sasuke looked up from his half eaten tray before holding it out to Naruto.
"Here, eat it," Sasuke instructed.
Naruto gaped at his rival in shock.
"But Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-sensei said not to!" Sakura said while glancing around for the older ninja.
"Don't worry, I don't sense him nearby. Besides if we three are going to get the bell together, it'll be less problematic if Naruto isn't hungry at that time," replied Sasuke with a frown.
"You're right Sasuke-kun, here Naruto eat mine instead," instructed Sakura while holding her nearly full tray out for Naruto.
"Sakura-chan…thank you," said Naruto gratefully with eyes filled with happy tears.
Sakura smiled at the puppy dog eyes.
"He's cute when he does that," thought Sakura to herself. "No need to thank me just eat quickly."
"Yeah, about that…" Naruto waved his still imprisoned hands around before grinning.
One of Sakura's eyebrows twitched.
"Hurry!" urged Sasuke while looking around. "He might be coming back by now."
"Alright, alright! I'm only going to do this once got it!?" growled Sakura.
"Yep, I understand!" replied Naruto with a huge grin on his face.
He opened his mouth as Sakura fed him some rice with her chopsticks. The moment Naruto swallowed it and opened up for a second helping, a huge explosion of smoke appeared in front of them. Kakashi dashed out of the cloud looking livid.
"I warned you!" he bellowed. "Now prepare to feel my wrath!"
The trio braced themselves as Kakashi flashed through a bunch of hand seals. The peaceful sky grew darker and wicked looking storm clouds gathered with each seal the mad ninja performed.
"Last word time," said Kakashi while glaring at the terrified ninjas.
"Wait, you said that we're a team! That's why these two…" pleaded Naruto.
"Naruto's right, we're a three man team!" added Sasuke with a glare.
"Yeah, we three are one!" chimed in Sakura on trembling knees.
"You three are one eh?" growled Kakashi while approaching the rookies. "In that case, you pass!" he cried with a masked smile.
The trio stared a Kakashi with bewilderment etched on their faces.
"You pass," he repeated.
"Pass? Why?" asked Sakura nervously.
The sky begun to clear before Kakashi spoke.
"You three are the first. People I tested before were blockheads who only listened to what I said. In this world of ninjas, those who broke the rules were considered scum. But you know, those who don't take care of their friends are even worst scum in my eyes," he said while gazing at the now clear sky.
The rookies all smiled and Naruto even starting crying in happiness.
"The training ends here, and everyone passes. Team seven will start doing missions starting tomorrow!" he announced with a thumbs up.
Everyone cheered except for Sasuke who merely nodded.
"I did it Elaine, Domino, Genmaru! I'm a ninja!" yelled Naruto happily as he thought of his good friends.
"Pack it up guys, we're going home," said Kakashi before he, Sakura and Sasuke walked off.
"Um, guys! A little help here?" requested Naruto to his teammates retreating backs.
Nobody turned around.
"Hey, this isn't funny! SOMEONE UNTIE ME!!"
Hey Hey Hoo everybody! It's finally here, after this particular chapter some major changes are going to start occurring in the original story line. Soon it'll be time to reveal exactly why the Dragon clan is so elite. I can't wait to get started! Also we're starting to get more reviews, keep it up guys!
Okay, time to start answering some reviews.
Edengrave: Great! I'm glad that the way I introduced my OCs is playing out well. I understand your point about being too familiar with the scene, but it was critical that I start it off that way just in case someone who wasn't familiar with Naruto was reading. I'm happy that you think I'm a decent writer but I'm going to try my best to get even better. The good news however is that some big changes are going to occur after this chapter. Hopefully it'll make it the story even more enjoyable for you. :)
Benney: Alright! I'm glad you like the way the OCs are fitting into the puzzle. Those three are like different sides of my personality. Domino has my sense of humor, Elaine carries my sincerity, and Genmaru is just me after listening to R&B. :P
Lol, good one about Gai's team, A.K.A team weird. As for your question about their team number. During the Chuunin exam, I was under the impression that Gai's team had already graduated from the academy a year before everyone else did. Some clues that hinted at this, was that one of the Jounins mentioned that Neji was the rookie of the year before Sasuke came along. Also if they had graduated around the time Naruto and the others did, Lee most likely wouldn't be so strong or know how to do the Lotus technique. So I don't think they had a team number, or if they did nobody ever said what it was.
Ah, the Elaine and Naruto pairing, I'm seriously considering it but I'm not really sure if I should. My original intentions for those two was to just have Elaine give Naruto some added motivation but with the way it's turning out I just might do a pairing instead. I may have a voters poll and ask you guys who you would want to see Naruto paired with a little later on. As for Elaine's hair style, picture it looking similar to Videl's hair cut from DBZ during the tournament. Hope that cleared up any confusions. :)
Yet another fun chapter written. This time you got to see a tiny sample of the kind of fight scenes I have in store for you. Look forward to an explosive showdown in a few more chapters, I can't wait to post my master piece! (Rubs hands together like a mad scientist while crackling to myself)
Now on to the pesky disclaimer!
I said it before, I'll say it again I do not, have not and will not ever own any part of the Anime Naruto. Only my original characters and elements remain my own. Anything other than that belongs to Bandai and it's creator Mr. Kishimoto.
Lastly it's time to try out the rank system I was talking about in chapter one. Here is where everyone currently stands in overall skill.
Naruto - D Minus Rank with a Focus Gauge of 20/100 when fighting Kakashi.
Sakura - E Rank with a Focus Gauge of 0/100
Sasuke - D Rank with a Focus Gauge of 40/100 when fighting Kakashi.
Kakashi - B Rank with a Focus Gauge of 10/100 tormenting his students
A quick explanation of the Focus Gauge. The Focus Gauge is a Limit Break kind of feature that uses a trap, technique or desperation move that can and often will turn the tide on an opponent. For every ten points a Focus Gauges has, indicates the number of times an opponent will be caught off guard or in some cases soundly defeated by unexpected actions. An example being Sasuke using that trap to pin Kakashi down for a near successful capture of a bell.
Okay, see you guys in the next chapter and don't forget to review. Ta ta now!
