Boldly going nowhere. A motto everyone should uphold.

YAY! SIXTEEN REVIEWS!

READ!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kakashi wondered if it was a good idea to make them wait. Three hours after her bowl of cereal, and a quick clean up of her home, Kakashi now stood in front of her students. Her currently starved, as she'd predicted, clearly agitated students. Even Naruto's eyes had a murderous glint to them, and he had the personality of a kitten!

"Ummm...yeah, right on time!" Kakashi laughed. Her two other students actually growled. Like dogs. Angry dogs.

"On time...ON TIME? Do you have any idea how late you are?! You said to be here bright and early! Where, in this freakin' village have you been you freak?!" Sakura screamed.

Kakashi scratched her ear, inspecting for earwax. "Hmmm? Oh, did you say something Sakura?"

Silence.

"GRRRRAAAAAAAAAH! I'll kill you!!!" Sakura lunged at their teacher, restrained by Naruto, who held onto her waist with all his strength.

"Sakura-chan, please calm down!" Naruto vainly cried, receiving a kick to the shin.

"Shut up! She deserves to die for putting us through all that!"

Kakashi's laughter actually snapped Sakura out of it, setting them all on edge. "Hahaha, that? You think that's a lot to be put through? Try going through a six-month mission to defend a person, only to find out that they never intended to pay you, and then they try to double-cross you. THAT is something to be put through. Now shut up you three, and listen to sensei." Sakura growled, but relaxed, giving a smack to Naruto's head for good measure.

"Well, despite my...slight...tardiness, we can start now. I will be testing you three-" Kakashi pointed to them individually "-on your abilities as ninja physically and mentally. You will be tested from the time this alarm starts and stops." Kakashi pulled a clock (Yes, without a typo this time. Readers of Cutting Strings will get this reference. Stupid typo.) and placed it on top of a training log a short distance behind her.

"When this starts, so does the test. In the time it takes to go off, you must steal these bells-" Kakashi held up a pair of bells silver bells that jingled when shaken "-from me, a Jounin."

Sakura however raised an eyebrow. "But, hold on. There are only two bells there. And three of us."

Kakashi's only visible eye rose up in a 'U' shape. "Wow, you ARE a bright one, aren't you!" Sarcasm leaked from her voice, raising Sakura's ire.

"Yes. The person among you that doesn't have a bell when the clock goes off..."

"Fails and is sent back to the academy." Sasuke for the first time interjected. Naruto's face paled violently, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks.

"Wha-what?! That can't be-is that true?!" He asked, his voice a little shrill.

Kakashi's smiley-eye remained up. "Why yes, it is. So I suggest that you guys come at me with the intent to kill, because that's the only way you'll even get a chance to TOUCH me."

"Any questions?" The three of them remained silent, Naruto twisting his ears in anxiety, Sasuke leaning and smirking, while Sakura pushed her anxiety inwards. "Alright. You have five minutes to hide yourselves." With a wave of her hand, Sasuke and Sakura took off in a blur. Naruto twisted his ears fearfully, swiveling his head left and right, surprised to find himself alone.

"Um, Naruto...that last comment included you as well you know?" Naruto gulped slightly, before trudging off at a slow pace. Kakashi shook her head. 'These three have a snowballs chance in hell.' Shaking her head, she relaxed as the clock ticked down.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It had been a long time since Sasuke had felt like this. Adrenaline pumped periodically through her veins, making everything around her grow more vibrant, her attention to her surroundings skyrocketing. The cold metal of the kunai in her hand, the sun casting shadows, which could in turn be hiding places of a certain sensei. Oh yes, it had been a long time since she'd felt like this.

Felt alive. Not since the-

Cutting herself off, Sasuke's mood plummeted at the unconscious reminder. A sudden movement to the left of her vision caught her attention, unconsciously she hunched lower behind the tree. This act was unnecessary however, as into the clearing stumbled none other then Naruto. Or so it appeared anyway...

Sasuke wasn't about to take any chances, so she opted to remain in the trees, and watch. While she did this, her mood plummeted even lower, as she remembered the brief and accidental kiss they'd momentarily shared. She mentally shook at the thought of even being associated with the blonde dead last.

And her other teammate? Another shudder ran down her spine at whatever Sakura would attempt on her should she let her guard down on a mission. 'I'm not going to get stronger if I have dead weight and a stalker on my team. If it were just me and sensei, there'd be no one to weigh me down. I'd be that much stronger.' That sealed it for her. Sasuke was going for both bells, on her own.

After all, who needed teammates who held you back?

"My, aren't we comfortable?" A voice spoke up behind her, a presence that had not been there a moment ago becoming painfully aware to Sasuke. Launching away from the tree, she back flipped around, landing in a crouch. Kakashi remained perched on the tree behind the one she had been on, idly flipping through a small orange book.

"Four kunai, twelve shuriken, three explosive tags, four feet of ninja wire, and extra bandages." Sasuke raised an eyebrow in confusion "You really should have packed more Sasuke, in any situation its good to be prepared." Sasuke's cheeks reddened, as she processed how Kakashi could have known about the contents of her pouch.

She had actually looked in her pouch, located on the left of her backside, without her noticing. Another chill ran down Sasuke's spine at the thought of someone's hand being that close to her thigh without noticing. For that, her sensei would die. In a flurry, Sasuke hurled a volley of shuriken at her sensei, preparing to leap into the air to combo with some fireballs-

When to her surprise the shurikens connected with Kakashi's face, causing a spray of blood to fly up. Sasuke was wary however, as the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly rose up.

"My-my, your taking this more seriously then the other two are, aren't you Sasuke?" Kakashi's voice spoke up yet again behind her neck. Growling, Sasuke dove forwards into a roll, before whirling around and running through a familiar set of handseals.

"KATON: GOUKYAKU NO JUTSU!" Kakashi froze for a moment, stunned, before she leapt into the treetops, away from the fireball hurled from Sasuke's mouth. 'Wow, a Genin knowing a technique of this level huh? This is going to be promising after all...'

From the bushes he'd taken cover in, Naruto cowardly shook, his eyes wide with fear at the ferocity in Sasuke's attack. "S-so scary..." He mumbled to himself. While his seisoku techniques were definitely handy, the sheer firepower of Sasuke's 'grand fireball' made him shiver at the thought of being hit with it.

"Naruto? What are you doing in the bushes like that?"

Naruto nearly leapt out of his skin in shock as someone spoke up behind him. Ears tipped straight wards, tail bushed in shock, he slowly swiveled around to find Haruno Sakura behind him, giving a perplexed look. "O-oh, hello Sakura-chan, how are you?"

Sakura frowned at his cowering however. "Naruto, you have no spine, do you know that? You can't even work up the courage to fight Kakashi-sensei. Not like..." Sakura broke off on a tangent, eyes glazed over. Naruto surmised that Sakura was talking about her beloved Sasuke.

"Anyway, you can't hide in the bushes like a coward the whole time, you gotta fight as hard as you can! Do you want to be bumped back to Genin?" Sakura was pleased to note that Naruto's fearful demeanor was fading slightly.

"Y-your right, Sakura-chan. I'm...I'm supposed to fight, that's why I'm here, that's what a ninja does. Domo-arigatou." Naruto gulped, stood up, and ran into the clearing where Sasuke and Kakashi battled.

Sakura smirked however. She had hoped Naruto was gullible enough to believe something like that. Now all she had to do was wait for an opportunity to strike at the bells, and she would have Sasuke all to herself on a team without the blonde. She was inwardly giddy at the thought.

This giddiness was short-lived however. "Sakura, if your going to give someone advice, be sincere about it. Teammates do not take kindly to being manipulated."

Sakura slowly swiveled her head around, to face her teachers. "S-sensei, I-"

"Don't give me an explanation Sakura, just don't do it again."

It was the last conscious thing Sakura remembered was the half smile of Kakashi's eye.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile

BOOM!

The third and final explosive tag Sasuke had went off with a resounding explosion, shaking the trees in the clearing, disrupting birds. And to Sasuke's dismay, Kakashi remained completely calm, faced remained buried in her book. Growling, Sasuke drew a kunai and dove forwards. She met Kakashi, sending a low kick, before somersaulting backwards, aiming her legs in a way to send her opponent cart wheeling in the air.

Kakashi easily sidestepped and landed a square kick into the center of Sasuke's back, without even looking up. Sasuke skidded to a stop several feet away, lying on her front. Achingly, she pushed herself back up into a sitting position, sending a glare towards her teacher. Kakashi remained unfazed.

"You've lost this already Sasuke. You've wasted far too much chakra, and you've expelled what few tools you had. Just give up how, and come back when you're ready the next time." The last comment sent Sasuke's fury boiling to the surface.

"I decide when I'm through, not some silver haired pervert." Sasuke's kunai twirled in her palm, and she set herself into a stance.

"We'll see." Kakashi drawled, flipping a page.

Silence. Neither moved, Sasuke out of uncertainty, Kakashi out of sheer laziness. It seemed both would remain motionless if the other made no movement. Thankfully an outside force changed this for both of them.

An outside force named Uzumaki, who descended form above like a blonde comet. "LOOK OUT BELOW!" With the angle he dove in, Kakashi was able to duck, placing the now very confused boy in front of her.

"Eh?" Naruto looked left and right trying to locate the seemingly dematerialized Kakashi. A chill went up his spine as a voice suddenly spoke behind him.

"You shouldn't leave your back open to your opponents." The currently kneeling Kakashi said, fingers in a seal that made Naruto's eyes widen like Saucers. "T-the tiger seal-" He was cut off as Kakashi unleashed her fearsome technique.

"Sennen Garoshi!" (On thousand years of pain) Naruto had the unfathomably unpleasant experience of having two fingers violently poked in a place the sun had never shone before. Sasuke, who had been shocked at the introduction of an only fire seal, frowned heavily, watching as her supposed teammate rocketed overhead screaming, landing with a resounding splash in the small pond behind them.

"Idiots...I'm surrounded by idiots." Sasuke shook her head, before crouching low into the standard Uchiha fighting stance. Kakashi was now standing, reading her book as though she hadn't just done THAT.

"Are you going to stand there all day, or are you going to actually come at me?" Kakashi flipped a page, with her other hand she made a 'come here' wave.

'I can't lose, not like this. I've come too far to lose, and I won't let my cowardice hold ME BACK!'

The depths of the once peaceful pond frothed violently, beginning to bubble. Sasuke's and her possible teacher looked to its surface, watching in surprise as more and more bubbles rose from its depths; as if the water was bubbling. Then it went quiet.

"Hmmm, well that was stra-" Kakashi was violently cut short as the water exploded, and from it flew-

A hand, formed of pure crimson chakra rose from the depths of the calm pool like so type of enraged leviathan. Kakashi had little time to dodge before it impacted the ground where her feat had been a moment before. The impact left a crater about the same size as Kakashi's body. Landing in a crouch, Kakashi's eyes were both set on the smoking hole, confused and unsure what she was seeing. Then the cloud cleared.

The hand was indeed made of chakra, as well as the long snaking arm it was attached to. The appendage of which traced back to the pond, were a certain blond was standing up shakily, a look of surprising determination on his face. "I can't lose, not after all of this." He said, the ethereal appendage snaking back to him.

Both his arms were wreathed in visible chakra, red and coiling, his fingers ending in claws. It was certainly a portrait neither the Jounin or fellow Genin thought they'd see Naruto of all people fill. "C-come at me, I need a bell." He stuttered, crouching on all fours, ears tucked back, tail held high.

"N-Naruto, what was that technique is that?" Sasuke managed to ask, looking at him as though he'd grown a second head. 'W...was Naruto always like this?'

Naruto's ears perked up, turning to the direction of Sasuke, his head following. "U-um...are you asking me?" Sasuke scowled darkly.

"Yes you idiot, you!" He frowned.

"Ummmm...it's....a secret." If anything, Sasuke's scowl grew deeper, casting a feeling of deeper and deeper despair upon the blonde. 'M-maybe I should have just told her...' However, Naruto steeled himself, turning back to his teacher who hadn't stopped to read her book yet, still watching him waveringly. This confused Naruto, but he didn't comment on it.

'This chakra...is the seal so weakened he can pull it out at will? What if the fox is manipulating him?' Kakashi was worried, for the first time since this had begun; there was an actual threat in front of her. Naruto was a Jinchuriki, and a demon was not a plaything. She would have to face this enemy seriously, and if Naruto showed signs of being controlled...

'...I'll likely have to put him down.' Kakashi's eyes narrowed at the thought. It was hopefully unnecessary, but if it needed doing she would do it without hesitation. Until she knew for certain she'd just watch though. Her opinion of the blonde was grudgingly growing.

"W-whatever, just stay back Naruto, this fight is mine. You'd only get in the way." Sasuke said, taking a step forwards. Naruto looked at her again, his face copasetic.

Then he frowned. "T-this is-is a TEAM survival exer-exercise. I can fight if I want." Sasuke fixed him a look, but his resolution only wavered in voice.

"Fine, do whatever you want." Sasuke growled, turning back to her opponent. "I'm coming!" She broke into a run.

Kakashi was waiting, her stance ready. With a swish Sasuke had pulled out two kunai, one for each hand, before leaping high into the air. With a flurry of blades, Kakashi had caught her wrists with a single hand. The kick that came up grazed her chin, before Kakashi back flipped away. Sasuke smirked. 'I set up a booby trap by that tree not too long ago, all I have to do is keep pushing her towards it and-"

A blast like a cannon issued from her front as a chakra-enforced appendage connected with the ground, narrowly missing her head. "D-dammit Naruto, you almost killed me!" He gave her a sheepish look, which only furthered to irritate the girl

"G-gomen, they're hard to control..." He retracted his arm, before tearing off across the field on all fours.

'He runs just like a fox...' Kakashi noted, placing it under possibility of him being controlled. It wasn't looking good for Naruto. Jumping low, Naruto skidded to a stop in a crouch, beside Sasuke. "Sorry again, I was aiming for sensei and-"

"You idiot, she's getting away!" Sasuke shouted, having turned to Naruto for a moment, she turned back to where the Jounin was, finding the spot empty.

"Dammit!" Sasuke cursed, crouching to jump away when a glint caught her eye. Naruto noticed as well, a huge grim filling his face. "A-a bell!" Indeed, it appeared as though in her haste to leave, Kakashi had in fact left a bell! Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but didn't take the initiative to worn Naruto of the possible trap.

It would have helped the world's only ninja to know that there was a rope waiting underneath his foot, springing upwards and dragging him along with it. "G-gaaaah!" He waved in surprise as the rope bounced him up and down. Feeling nauseous, it took him a moment to regain his bearings; blood was already rushing to his head.

"I thought so. Take this as a lesson and just stay strung up like that, the world of ninja's isn't for a boy like you." The last part held the edge of venom Sasuke was known for, and coiled through Naruto.

"U-ummm." He honestly didn't know how to respond as Sasuke walked forwards, eyes set on the bell.

The second rope sprang with a lash, ensnaring the shocked Uchiha instantly. She too bounced upwards and downwards, before stopping, eyes widened in surprise, far wider then they'd been in a while. Then she frowned, lips curling upwards (She was upside-down). Soft crunching of footsteps was heard, before Kakashi revealed herself from behind a bush.

"Your one to talk, Sasuke." Kakashi said, picking up the bell off the ground. "And she may be right Naruto, if you can't see underneath the underneath, you should probably stay out of this business, otherwise you could get killed." She turned around, placing the bell with the second and pulling out her book.

"Ummm...Sasuke-chan-"

"Not. A. Word." She fixed him with a dark look, before pulling out her emergency kunai from her ankle. While she wasn't looking, Naruto snuck a small smile. Maybe he had hope yet, if he could 'look underneath the underneath'. Sasuke landed on the ground soundlessly, not turning to glance at her other.

"Umm, could I maybe borrow that kunai?" Naruto asked. He got his response in the form of Sasuke's back retreating into the thicker foliage.

"Ooooh..." Naruto frowned. 'I think this might be a little harder then I thought...' Reaching up at his ankles, he managed to grip the rope with his chakra-bathed hands. A moment later the rope began to burn, disintegrating under the chakra influence. Naruto landed on his back with a thud, before springing up on all fours.

"Now if I was a one-eyed sensei, where would I hide?" He looked left and right, before sneaking off into the foliage.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kakashi was content to just read her book; it was starting to get particularly spicy...

Which made her intruder particularly annoying.

"My, your a lot more incessant then the other two..." Kakashi trailed off, looking up from her book for a moment. Sasuke stood opposite her, eyes as fierce as they'd ever been. "I've had enough of this idiotic running around. This ends NOW." Kakashi simply raised an eyebrow at her smaller counterpart.

"Well you seem pretty sure of yourself, alright, come at me." Kakashi stance didn't change; she hadn't even looked up from her book. The only thing that had changed was the air around her, becoming tense in preparation. Sasuke readied her stance.

A soft wind blew across the training course. Neither moved.

Then, Sasuke was gone.

'Above.' Kakashi didn't need to look to know. She raised her arm, catching Sasuke's leg as it flew downwards to her head, Sasuke herself not stopping there. Her left first came around, and with the same hand Kakashi had caught her leg with, she managed to snag the same fist. Sasuke now hung upside down, her arm and leg held by Kakashi.

Sasuke smirked.

'Dammit!' Kakashi realized almost too late what her potential student had done. She now had a clear shot at the bells. Kakashi had to choose then and there as precious nanoseconds ticked by. 'Porn or teaching....that is the eternal question.'

Sasuke's finger brushed the bells, its delightful jingling catching her ear before she was thrown clear across the clearing, landing in a crouch. Kakashi stood, eyes set impassively upon her irritated student. 'Damn, so close that time. I'll get the bells soon.' Sasuke stood, eyes set angrily upon her seemingly impassive teacher.

Sasuke knew better. Kakashi's face was no longer buried in her book; she had recognized her skill and was now forced to actually pay attention. That in itself was testament to her strength. This did make her feel better, but still. She could only manage to make this woman look up from her book, not outright defeat her.

She was still so weak...

"Well, rather then wait for you to attack me, I think it prudent to intervene." Kakashi disappeared, Sasuke's eyes only having the time to widen. 'From behind?!' Sasuke turned. Nothing. 'Then from above or the sides.' Sasuke whirled around, trying to spot her opponent. Nothing. 'But then that only leaves-'

A soft crack met her ears.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Sasuke-chan..." Sakura purred softly, a small amount of drool slowly rolling down her cheek. Naruto raised an eyebrow at his team partner. "This seems like a bad place to take a nap." He said to himself. While he knew better, he felt it was his duty as the future leader of the village to wake her.

Big mistake.

"DAMMIT NARUTO! I was having the most wonderful dream!" Sakura growled at what had been Naruto, but was now a smoking crater of a person face down in the dirt, a huge throbbing goose egg on his head. "Your a real pest sometimes, gaki." She sighed to herself, crossing her arms and looking sideways.

She received a muffled "...gomen..."

"Well I'm off to find Sasuke-chan, you...just don't follow me." She said, waving her hair to the side and walking off.

Naruto remained in the soil.

Sakura marched off, searching for her counterparts. The forests eerie quiet made her extremely uneasy, as though the silence could be split any second. A twig snapping made her jump, before she relaxed, a fox trotting off towards where'd she come. Turning, she caught the light of a clearing ahead.

Trekking through the underbrush, she tentatively poked her head out into the forest, before she screamed and fell forwards.

The seemingly severed head of Uchiha Sasuke starred at her for a moment, before growling to herself. 'Useless fangirls."

Struggling vainly in the soil, Sasuke growled to herself once more, her frustration rising to new heights. The nerve of that teacher sometimes! Yanking her underground by the ankles, a pointless technique (She completely missed how the technique had been a success, and how she was now trapped underground with no room to move)! Sasuke was fuming on the inside, missing that essentially her teacher was TRYING to teach her something...

Her frustration was at a mid-boil when the familiar blonde stumbled into the clearing, looking around, before spotting his teammates. "OH MY GOD!" He exclaimed, Sasuke's eyebrow twitching at the blondes reaction. "Yes, yes, DIG ME OUT YOU IDIOT!" She exclaimed with much agitation. Naruto took a moment to blink, before walking forwards and crouching down to get a better look.

"...your not dead?" He asked, poking her forehead experimentally. That was it.

"YES, NOW DIG ME OUT!" Sasuke howled, Naruto leapt backwards, tail cast upwards and bushy.

He blinked, before he relaxed and scratched his head. "Ummmm....how? Do you want me to dig around you?"

"Yes!" Sasuke exclaimed, just happy to get somewhere with this idiot. He nodded, walking up and starting to dig barehanded into the soil around her front. Sasuke sighed, before her eyes flashed firm, and she scowled. "Umm...what do you think your doing?" Naruto looked up from his digging, and came to grasp the situation.

"Keep your hands away from my chest please." Sasuke said the neutrality of her statement was completely uprooted by the cold and furious aura that surrounded her.

"A-ah...right." He set to work on her back. Several minutes of digging later, and Sasuke was finally able to move her arm.

With a crack her arm was free, allowing Sasuke to push herself out of the hole. A moment later her entire body was out, although dirt did still cling to her clothing. 'Damn you Kakashi, when I catch you, oh the pain that will commence...' Images of burning scarecrows filled her head.

"Ummm...yo-your welcome?" Naruto spoke up behind her.

Sasuke turned. "Ah? Oh...yeah...thank you." She said with a low voice and passing glance, heading off in the direction Kakashi was in. Sasuke unfortunately missed a rare smile spread on Naruto's face, one that made him light up like a sunbeam. 'I....I was thanked by someone! I'll try extra hard, to not hold anyone back!' With renewed vigor he set off after Sasuke.

Before backtracking a moment later to check whether Sakura was all right. Finding her unconscious, he looked left and right worriedly, before lowering his head and gulping. Some awkward attempts at picking her up later, he had managed to comfortably carry her on his back, in a position akin to sitting.

High in the trees, Kakashi gave an amused smirk to herself, watching the blonde take off after Sasuke. "Well, its certainly the closest thing I've seen too teamwork today. Lets see if they can pull through with a little extra push..." Kakashi faded into the shadows of the foliage, mentally ticking off the last seconds of the timer.

At the other side of the clearing the clock went off.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sasuke sat on the ground, hunched and glaring.

Sakura sat on the ground, looking a little worse for ware.

And Naruto remained propped against a stump, completely restrained by cords of rope.

Kakashi looked at her three potential students with the closest thing she had to a smile. Her eye remained in an inverted U shape, something that creeped all three of them out too no end. "So, time for break then." Kakashi said, pulling from behind her two bento boxes.

Naruto took that moment to raise the most pressing question he had. "Umm...Kaka-sensei?" He asked nervously.

"Hmm?" Kakashi raised her one visible eyebrow.

"W-why am I tied to a stump?" He indicated with his head, nudging the stump.

"Hmm. Well, I couldn't pick which one of you to punish the most, so I decided at random. Your not very lucky Naruto." Kakashi said with a wave. Naruto simply hung his head.

"Its in my professional opinion-" Kakashi handed Sakura and Sasuke a bento "That all three of you should quit being Shinobi all together. Especially you Sakura." All three of them flinched at the harsh criticism, Sakura in particular.

"W-what do you mean in particular?! I had the highest grade point-"

"Grades are worthless if you can't stay conscious for more then ten minutes on the battlefield." Sakura and Naruto flinched. Sasuke completely agreed, though she never voiced it. "You other two are no better. Naruto, you fought nothing like a ninja out there. While I will admit that technique of yours certainly caught me by surprise, you didn't implement it to anywhere near its potential.

"After that first attack, all you did was follow what others told you, not taking part in the battle at all. Listening to orders is important, but when you're too afraid to use your head, then you are of no help." If possible, Naruto hung his head lower.

'Che, scaredy cat.' Sasuke remarked to herself in agreement.

"And finally Sasuke. Your display was almost as bad as Sakura's." Sasuke didn't say anything, her scowl only deepening to the point her eyes were thing slits. "Your techniques and fighting style were excellent. Just like how Naruto's technique was impressive. It was an advantage that definitely benefits, but you ultimately squandered it." Sasuke was seething internally by then, feeling a sour taste in her mouth at being compared to the blonde.

"And that is what brings me to my final point, what you all missed-" Kakashi stood up, and leaned forwards at a completely vertical angle. An angle by which gave all three a good eyeful of certain assets. "YOU ALL DON'T USE TEAMWORK." Kakashi said with emphasize on every word.

Reactions were varied.

Sasuke gave Kakashi a look that summed up the phrase "What the hell would I do with that."

Sakura looked at Sasuke and Naruto, deciding teamwork was only possible between one of them. It wasn't Naruto.

Naruto's ears turned back, his eyes drooping low in realization he'd failed to see the true meaning of the test; like a lot of tests that he had taken in the past.

"The point of this entire thing was to test your three's ability to assess the enemy and work together appropriately. To be fair, you all have never worked together, and that's why I decided to take it easier on you and let you learn on your own. Clearly you're either too stubborn, too stupid, or too conceited to work together however. Hence why I'm spelling it out for you." Kakashi crossed her arms and stood up.

"Its not like they would have been any help to me anyways." Sasuke said coldly, taking her other teammates back with surprise.

"Sasuke, get over yourself. There is NO WAY you could beat me. That brush with the bells? It was a slip on my part. If you had attacked three pages before I would have easily had the concentration to knock you back. At my worst you only come close to completing your goal." Sasuke growled, though Kakashi took no heed, continuing.

If anything, Sasuke grew more frustrated as Kakashi rambled on. "In the world of ninja strong teamwork is necessary. You'll find many situations where working as a team is far more beneficial then going solo. For instance-" Sasuke founder herself facedown on the ground, a kunai poised over her scalp with menace.

"Sakura! Kill Naruto or Sasuke dies!"

Sakura froze up, arms raised, while Naruto flailed his feet, shock and horror etched on his face. "WHAT?!"

Kakashi however just smiled, letting Sasuke back up. "You see? Knowing how to work as a team would have been a lot more lucrative then just sitting there like a deer in the headlights." Grudgingly Sasuke had to agree with this as she brushed herself off and her supposed sensei sat down.

"Now then. I'm giving you two bento, and Naruto can't have any. Go back on my word and I'll cause you a fate worst then death itself." Kakashi's tone remained sickeningly sweet for the entire statement. "I'll be back in a bit." With that, Kakashi was gone with a blur.

The silence among the three was actually tangible. Literally. You could have packaged it. SILENCE IN A CANISTER, NOW WITH TWENTY PERCENT MORE AKWARD! BE THE ENVY OF FRIENDS! THE CENTRE OF THE PARTY! NOW WITH SILENCE IN A CAN!

Warningsilenceinacandoesnotendorse,eatting,drinkingand,or,fartingdonotconsumesilenceinacan,donotlookatsilenceinacan,donottalkaboutsilenceinacan,noreturns,moneywillnotberefundedandjustsoyouknowthisisn'tarealproductitsallbeingmadeupbyalunaticwhowrotethisstory,whoapparrantlydoesn'tusespaces.

A-NY-WAYS...

Yeah, it was really quiet around the stump that day.

Then there was chewing. Occasionally there was the sound of swallowing. And then a loud gurgle interrupted it. "G-gomen." Naruto said awkwardly, his stomach had decided to betray him on this one. He'd actually been quite content to just remain at his post (Literally) and let the other two who had apparently done more then him enjoy their meal.

This was his punishment.

Then a scent filled his extremely powerful nose. Rice, coupled with other delicacies, flavored to almost perfection and prepared with someone who was clearly slight of hand. The scent filled his mind, his body and soul, it encompassed him, became him, and then he was the scent. And he the scent expressed itself in the most epitomes way that it could.

"Gurgle." He said out loud, an imitation of his stomach. The other two simply stared, before Sasuke spoke.

"Your weird. Eat up." Naruto looked at her in confusion. Then the food. Then back at her.

"Why?" Sasuke frowned in irritation. "BECAUSE your my teammate and that b#$% is right unfortunately. We need to work together. So open up, or I swear I'll shove it down your throat." Naruto however still remained worried.

"But sensei said that if-" He stopped talking as a ball of raise invaded its way into his open mouth, slipping down his esophagus.

"GAH!" He gasped after swallowing in alarm.

"There, you've eaten. You might as well choke down some more then." Sakura looked at her food, then too her crush, before grudgingly raised her box too the blondes face. He looked at the two plates with skepticism and starvation. Then gave in, his hunger getting the better of him.

One bite was all that he got too enjoy before what we all knew was about too happen.

"WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST SAY?!!!!" Kakashi appeared in an explosion of leaves and dust, arms at her sides, eyes wild with fury. Her lazy hair now bristled with power, flashing silver like a blade. Sasuke and Sakura and Naruto sat stock still, not moving, not breathing. Like doomed statues.

"THERE"S ONLY ONE THING TO DO WITH TRAITORS LIKE YOU!" Kakashi said. A single tear rolled down the petrified Naruto. It would likely be his last.

"Let you all pass the test!" Kakashi said brightly. Naruto vomited.

"E...ewww." Sakura said, finding knees a much different number of colors. Sasuke agreed silently. "Okay, I think I might have over done it a little there. I enjoy that kinda thing, messing with people's heads. But yeah, you three just barely, teensily pass. Why? Because, those who go against their instructions are trash, but those who desert there friends and teammates are lower then trash."

"This is a sign you three have potential. And yes, I will be your teacher from now on. Just think, you three get to spend the rest of your Genin career under my tutelage. Think of the fun!" This time Sakura almost vomited, bile rising too the top of her throat.

"Right. Same time tomorrow. I have some papers to fill out. See ya." She was gone again.

With that, Sakura and Naruto fell limp, while Sasuke took that moment to get away from her so called 'friends'. Truth be told, all three of them were unsure whether passing the test was a good thing. None of them knew what the future would hold.

But, as Sakura stood up and walked off, and Naruto stood on his too feet, they would be ready.

It was promptly after Sakura left that Naruto remembered he was still tied to the post.

'Okay, after I untie myself,' he thought, 'I'm ready.'

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yep. Thats that part. Kinda sappy ending, and that random offshoot you can all just ignore if you want. But its here, and thats what counts. This took a lot longer then expected, I gotta tell you.


Don't hold your breath for an update. I'm going to be concentrating 100% on cutting strings and school from now on, so you may not see an update for a year. Hopefully sooner, but don't hold your breath.

Has anyone noticed there are less people on fanfiction? Or am I just that paranoid?

REVIEW!