Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 8: Team 7 Formed: Teamwork Is Key!
Naruto grinned as he walked into the training ground.
"Naruto! You're late!" Sakura cried.
"Come on!" Naruto rolled his eyes. "The teacher was really late yesterday- couldn't you guess that he'll be late again today?"
"Hn." Sasuke said.
"So, what's your excuse today?" Sakura rolled her eyes. "Since you're always late at least once a week."
"Well, you see, there was this little old lady who I helped with her groceries, and, and..." Naruto said.
"You're getting good at excuses!" grinned Obito.
Naruto started to stretch.
Kakashi appeared in a swirl of leaves. "Hello, everyone!"
"YOU'RE LATE!" cried Sakura and Naruto.
"Well, you see, there was this little old lady, and I had to help her with her groceries-" Kakashi explained.
"Plagerism! You stole my excuses!" Obito complained.
"Do you know Naruto?" Sakura rolled her eyes. "That's one of the many excuses Naruto uses when he's late."
"What?" Kakashi blinked at the goggles-wearing Naruto. "Well, let's put that aside for now."
Kakashi placed an alarm clock on a stump and turned on the alarm.
"You see these bells?" Kakashi asked.
Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto nodded.
"You have to get them-" Kakashi said. Naruto jumped to Kakashi and tried to grab the bells.
"Uh uh. You have to get him after I say go." Kakashi said. "Also, if you don't get the bells by the time this alarm clock rings- you'll go back to the Academy."
"But, sensei, there's only two bells!" cried Sakura.
"Yes. So at least one of you will not become a genin." Kakashi eye-smiled.
"Are you serious?" Naruto cried.
"Also, if you don't get this bell, you'll get tied up to this stump and won't get lunch." Kakashi continued.
Sasuke and Sakura's stomachs grumbled.
Looks like Naruto ate breakfast, by Naruto's satisfied expression. Kakashi noted.
"Now... go!" Kakashi cried.
The three of them jumped into the trees.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! Fight me!" Naruto cried. No, it would be a mistake to say Naruto. It was a Kage Bunshin of Naruto. Of course, Kakashi didn't realize that.
Idiotic. Kakashi sighed.
Naruto jumped at Kakashi, who promptly dodged Naruto. Naruto glared at Kakashi and charged him again.
Kakashi swiftly dodged Naruto and made his way behind Naruto and formed a hand seal.
Sakura looked at Kakashi's hand seal. That's a tiger seal!
"Naruto! Get out of the way!" Sakura cried urgently.
"Special Technique: Thousand Years Of Pain!" exclaimed Kakashi, poking his hand - somewhere.
Naruto's Kage Bunshin dispersed in a puff of smoke.
Kakashi blinked. Kage Bunshin? Now that you mention it, I think that I feel Naruto's presence in those trees there.
Obito sweat-dropped. "That's so perverted. Just what happened to Kakashi after I died?"
Kakashi blinked and got out an orange book. "Oh, silly me. I forgot to get my book out."
Naruto glared at Kakashi. "That sensei... He's so underestimating us! I'm-"
"Calm down, Naruto!" Obito said. "That's just want he wants! He was always annoying when I was his teammate too."
Naruto took a deep breath. "Got it."
"Now, Kakashi is a jonin!" Obito said. "You're a genin. It's impossible for you to get the bells alone."
"Doesn't stop me from trying." Naruto glared at Obito. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Another twenty-odd Kage Bunshins of Naruto jumped down and attacked Kakashi again.
"You know, this is a good part." Kakashi sighed.
Naruto stared at the book. "Of course!"
Kakashi ignored Naruto and absent-mindedly disperced some Kage Bunshin.
A kage bunshin jumped towards the bells.
Kakashi sighed and disperced the Kage Bunshin. At the same time, another Kage Bunshin made a handseal.
"Fuuton." Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Kaze Yaiba no Jutsu: Wind Sword Technique!"
Kakashi's eye widened. That's impossible- genin don't have enough chakra- and wasn't Naruto the dead last?
A number of wind blades made their way to Kakashi.
Unfortunately for you, Naruto, the Kaze Yaiba jutsu's weak point is that it can be easily dodged. And I've guessed that's just a distraction. Kakashi disperced another Kage Bunshin who was aiming for the bells. I don't have a chance to read my book.
My book!
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! If you want your book back, give me a bell!" Naruto grinned.
"Very good, Naruto." Kakashi eye-smiled. "But you made one mistake."
"Huh?" Naruto blinked.
"You forgot to guard your back." another Kakashi said, from behind Naruto.
"Wha- Kage Bunshin?" Naruto cried.
"I'll take this back." Kakashi grabbed his book, and swiftly tied Naruto's hands.
"Ack!" Naruto cried.
Kakashi hung Naruto up in a tree and eye-smiled again.
"Who's next?" Kakashi turned around.
"Come on!" Naruto complained.
"I told you, Naruto, you can't get the bells from Kakashi alone." Obito said.
Come on, notice already!
"Then, how- wait... alone?" Naruto blinked. "Oh, don't tell me... TEAMWORK?"
"Yup!" Obito said cheerfully.
Kakashi turned around at the sound of Naruto's voice. Naruto figured it out, huh.
Sasuke walked up to Kakashi.
"Oh, you're next?" Kakashi looked at Sasuke.
"I'm different from the others-" Sasuke said.
"Well, I think that Naruto is the same as you, at least in terms of strengh." Kakashi said.
"Don't compare me to Naruto!" Sasuke glared at Kakashi. "The dead last!"
"If he's the dead last, I'm a genin." Kakashi said simply.
"Katon: Gokakyu No Jutsu!" Sasuke cried. "Great Fireball Technique!"
Kakashi looked at the big fireball with a uninterested expression.
Sasuke lunged for the bells and one of fingers hit it.
Kakashi dodged Sasuke. "Uh uh."
"Katon: Goukakyu No Jutsu!" Sasuke cried again.
Sasuke looked around. "Where'd he go?"
"Down here."
Sasuke looked down.
"Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu." Kakashi said. "Hiding Like A Mole Technique."
Kakashi pulled Sasuke down into the earth, then got out himself.
"I take back my words." Kakashi said, taking out his book again. "You're worse than Naruto."
If looks could kill.
Naruto promptly jumped down after Kakashi left the area. It was easy by using wind chakra.
"Yak!" Naruto cried, as a rope trap brought Naruto back into the tree again.
Obito snickered. "Want me to check?"
"It's fine." Naruto muttered. "Can you find Sakura-chan? I think that Sasuke is over there."
"Got it!" Obito grinned, floating through the trees.
Naruto jumped down again, and luckily there wasn't another trap.
Naruto walked forwards to the place he heard sounds of fighting. Then blinked.
"Erm, Sasuke, are you dead?" Naruto asked.
"Don't be stupid." Sasuke glared at Naruto.
"I'll get you out." Naruto sighed, "Kage Bunshin."
A number of Bunshins came out.
"Idiot. Bunshins can't touch things- what?" Sasuke's eyes widened as Naruto's Kage bunshins started to dig Sasuke out.
"They aren't normal Bunshins." Naruto said.
"Why are you helping me?" Sasuke asked. "You should be trying to get a bell."
"Look at this logically." Naruto rolled his eyes. "We're genins. He's a jonin. It's impossible."
"Then-"
"There's a hidden meaning to this test." Naruto cut Sasuke off.
"What meaning?" Sasuke glared at Naruto.
"Teamwork." Naruto answered.
"That's stupid." Sasuke muttered.
"But you know it's true." Naruto retorted.
"Hn." Sasuke grunted.
"There!" Naruto pulled Sasuke out.
"So... you're saying.. we have to 'work together'?" Sasuke said.
"Exactly." Naruto nodded.
"I don't like it." Sasuke muttered.
"Do you think I do?" Naruto muttered back.
"Naruto! I found Sakura!" Obito grinned. "I found Kakashi, too."
Naruto nodded. "I know where Sakura-chan is- follow me."
"Hn." Sasuke grunted, then followed Naruto.
Sakura was lying down in a clearing.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto ran up to Sakura.
"Un." Sakura mumbled and blinked open her eyes. "Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun's!"
"Sasuke's over there." Naruto pointed behind him.
"Sasuke-kun! You're alive?" Sakura said with disbelief.
"Alive?" Naruto frowned in confusion.
"Genjutsu?" Obito suggested.
"Genjutsu." Sasuke muttered right after.
"Okay, now that everyone's here, let's go to where Kakashi-sensei is!" Naruto grinned.
"Follow me." Obito sighed.
"Come on!" Naruto grinned. "Sasuke. Sakura-chan."
"Wait what?" Sakura stared at Naruto.
"The hidden meaning of this test is teamwork." Naruto explained. "So we need to work together."
"Really?" Sakura smiled at Sasuke and let out some hearts. "Then we can become genin together, right, Sasuke-kun?"
"What am I?" Naruto muttered unhappily. "Chopped liver?"
"Probably." Obito sighed. "Let's go."
"Come on, already!" Naruto grinned. "We're running out of time!"
"Hn." Sasuke grunted, and started walking.
Kakashi looked up from his book as Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura approached him.
"Are you going to work together to get the bells?" Kakashi asked. "You do realise that even if you get the two bells, one of you will fail."
Naruto hesitated, then smirked. "You said we had to get the bells, right?"
"Yes." Kakashi said.
"So, if we get it from someone else, does it matter?" Naruto asked.
"Yes it does." Kakashi answered. "If you don't have a bell in... hmmm... around 15 minutes, you'll get tied to this stump."
"Hey! You said we'd get tied to that stump if we don't get a bell at the start!" Naruto objected.
Kakashi twitched. "Fine. If you don't get a bell within... fourteen minutes... you'll get tied to this stump."
The three genin wanna-bes whispered to each other. Then, Naruto lunged towards Kakashi.
"Lunging again? You're a one trick horse." Kakashi simply dodged Naruto and the Kage Bunshins that lunged at Kakashi after.
"Katon: Goukakyu No Jutsu!" Sasuke cried. "Great Fireball Technique!"
"Fuuton: Kaze No Yaiba!" Naruto cried. "Wind Sword Technique!"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. This might be slightly difficult to dodge.
Sakura, who hadn't done anything, grabbed Kakashi's bells while he was distracted, then jumped back to Sasuke and Naruto.
Kakashi blinked.
"Here you go, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura grinned and dropped a bell in Sasuke's hand.
"Um... Sakura-chan, can you give me one too?" Naruto asked.
"Hmmph." Sakura frowned, and relucantly handed Naruto a bell.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Well, you all managed to get a bell..."
The alarm rang.
"...before noon." Kakashi finished. "So, you all..."
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura held their breath.
"PASS!" Kakashi eye-smiled. "You're all official genin!"
"Hn." Sasuke gave a small smile.
"Yay!" Sakura smiled. Shannaro!
"We did it, dattebayo!" Naruto jumped up into the air.
"Great job!" Obito grinned. "Now get yourself ready for D-ranks!"
Naruto blinked. "D-ranks?"
