Chapter 9: The Test


A faint breeze rolled past the parkbench, gently sending strands of pink hair across Sakura's face. She blinked away some tears as she stared at Naruto, who couldn't help but sigh.

"Sakura…" he began, fidgeting on the bench. "That night turned into a nightmare that I've been living through again and again, every time I close my eyes."

The blonde boy sighed and stared at the bright moon, its reflection showing in his deep blue eyes. "We were on a walk, your uncle and I." Naruto said, his eyes never leaving the orb in the sky. "I wanted to show him my favorite spot out of the whole village." Naruto smiled faintly, "It was the top of the Hokage monument. It's a really beautiful place at sunset."

"We sat there for the better part of an hour, talking about various stuff… I think we mentioned you a few times…" Naruto said, earning an intrigued look from Sakura.

"Me?" she asked, urging him to elaborate.

"Yeah. Kaiza said that you were showing interest in becoming a kunoichi." Naruto replied, a smile tugging at his lips. "He said that we'd probably be able to hang out together in the academy when we were both old enough to go…"

"I was really happy about that, you know." Continued Naruto, glancing at the pinkette. "I had never had many friends, and the thought of becoming good friends with you was… amazing. I couldn't wait." Said the blonde.

Sakura blushed a bit, she had no idea that Naruto had thought of her like that. "Uncle Kaiza wanted me to become a kunoichi?" she asked timidly.

Naruto nodded, "He very much approved. He always wanted the best for you, Sakura-chan."

"And then…" Naruto trailed off, his hand tightened into fists as his eyes glazed over somewhat. "Then the sun fully set."

Naruto looked at his potential teammate, grief lining his features, "You have to understand, Sakura-chan… it all really happened fast. It's also been so long and… I won't remember the details."

Sakura nodded, her teeth digging into her bottom lip. "It's okay, Naruto. I don't want to hear the details. I just want to know what happened."

The Jinchuuriki sighed, rubbing at his somewhat-chilled arms. "We were attacked." Said Naruto.

"It happened right as we were getting ready to head home. I don't know how it happened… or… or who did it, I just know that the next instant I was running. Running as fast as I could." Naruto muttered, his face pale.

Naruto wanted to tell her that it was a Sharingan-wielder that killed her uncle. He wanted her to feel the same hate for those eyes that he did… but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to reveal that information.

"And so you ran to Kiri?" Sakura asked. Her face was laden with grief, and a single tear was running down her cheek.

"Well… I just ran. It was kind of luck, I suppose, that I ran to Kiri." Naruto mumbled, recalling the distant memories.

Sakura nodded, "Why did you leave? You sound like you enjoyed Kiri."

"I can't tell you." Naruto said. He held up a hand as Sakura began to raise an objection, "I imagine you will find out eventually, Sakura-chan. I just can't tell you now."

Naruto glanced up at the moon again, which was now high above the trees. "Is there anything else you'd like to know, Sakura-chan? It's getting late."

Sakura shook her head. "No… I'm pretty sure that I've gotten all that I can out of you."

She stood up and turned, but then stopped, her brows knitting together. "Actually… there was one more thing."

"And what is that?" asked the blonde, staring at his teammate's back.

"Why do you hate Sasuke so much?" Sakura asked, turning towards her blonde friend. "I remember that you two were almost friends before you left. What changed?"

Naruto's face was devoid of emotion as he locked eyes with Sakura. Would he be able to lie to her about this? Would she find out about the lie? What would happen if she did?

"Sasuke… I just don't like him." Stated the Jinchuuriki, his face betraying none of the internal conflict. "He's a bit of a prick, you know?"

Sakura smiled faintly, giggling a little. "I suppose I know what you mean."

Naruto gulped. He wasn't the best at detecting lies, but he could see a fake smile from a mile off. Sakura didn't buy his story.

"I suppose we should be getting home." Sakura said dismissively, turning towards her house. "Good luck on the test tomorrow, Naruto."

"Yeah… good luck to you as well." Naruto muttered, watching her walk away.

Naruto sighed in exasperation, slumping backwards on the parkbench.

His eyes wearily landed on the moon, which glowed peacefully in the sky. His ears twitched as he picked up a sound that he hadn't heard before.

"Who's there, and how long have you been listening?" Naruto asked into the darkness behind him.

"Long enough." Came the voice of Uchiha Sasuke as he revealed himself, stepping out from behind a large tree.

Naruto bristled, watching the arrogant prick step into the light of the lamp post. "How can I help you, Uchiha?"

"You didn't tell her." The boy replied, his dark eyes locking with Naruto's blue.

Naruto's blood ran cold, but he didn't let any emotion run across his face. "I didn't tell her what?"

"You know what." Sasuke said, leaning against the lamp post. "Are you surprised that I know about it?"

Naruto continued to feign ignorance, "Know about what, Uchiha?"

Sasuke smirked, "Quit playing stupid. You are surprised that I know that it was my father who killed Sakura's uncle."

The blonde's blood boiled, but he restrained himself. "He told you?"

"Of course not." Sasuke said. "As far as I know, he wasn't even aware that he committed the crime."

Naruto's eyes narrowed, "You mean that he was manipulated? How do you know this?"

"My brother… told me many things." Sasuke mumbled, his hands clenching into fists.

Naruto stood up, an image of Uchiha Itachi crouching on his ninjato flashing through his mind. "Why are you telling me these things? Furthermore, how do I even know that you're telling the truth?"

Sasuke frowned, "My father was being manipulated. I want to know by whom. I think you can help."

The Jinchuuriki scoffed, "And why the hell would I help you?"

"Because the person who manipulated my father is the same person who caused the death of Haruno Kaiza." Sasuke stated bluntly. "I just figured that you might want to know who it was."

Naruto lowered his guard somewhat, appraising the boy in front of him. "Why are you asking me for help? You didn't seem the type to ask for help."

"Does it matter?" asked the Uchiha, a smirk appearing on his face. "I need help. That's all that matters."

The blonde sighed, stretching slightly, "Fine. You realize however, that I won't be able to help you if we fail that test tomorrow, right?"

"Do you plan on failing?" Sasuke asked, turning away from the blonde.

Naruto chuckled as the black-haired boy disappeared into the night.

"I suppose not."


Training ground ten was silent as Naruto approached the borders for the grounds. It was just past five as Naruto entered the training ground, glancing around for his teammates.

He could hear Sakura's tired shuffling from just down the road, and he could also hear the slow, steady breathing of who he presumed to be Sasuke coming from a nearby tree.

The morning fog was still heavy on the training ground, obscuring all but the nearest objects from sight.

Naruto smiled eerily and slipped deeper into the fog, obscuring his body.

"Sasuke? Naruto?" A high-pitched voice called out as Sakura made her way across the training ground. Squinting through the fog.

"I'm here, Sakura." Sasuke responded, hopping down from his tree. "I don't think Naruto's arrived, yet."

Sakura frowned, trying to make out Sasuke's form. "That idiot… Kakashi-sensei said to be here by five, didn't he?"

"That's right!" Naruto's voice echoed from the fog, causing the hairs on Sakura's neck to stand on end. "He also said not to eat. I hope you guys didn't follow that rule as well."

Sasuke scoffed, "Why do you care?"

A fist shot out from the fog, causing Sasuke to whip around, barely catching Naruto's punch. "Because…" the blonde muttered, his face appearing from the fog, "You'll need that energy for the warm-up."

"W-warm-up!" Sakura yelled, "Naruto, you idiot! What do you think you're doing!"

Naruto whipped out his leg, catching Sasuke in the side. "Just what I said. Are you guys really prepared to fight a Jounin without a warmup?"

Sasuke grimaced and grabbed Naruto's leg, trying to throw the boy away from him. The Uchiha's eyes widened as his hand phased straight through the blonde's leg. A clone.

"Where are you looking, Sasuke?" came a voice from the fog. The Uchiha spun around, flinging a kunai into the obscuring mists.

"You missed." Came Naruto's voice from behind him, followed by a rough punch to the back of his head, sending him sprawling forwards.

The Uchiha snarled and fell into a roll, raising his arm up to block the kick from above.

"Better." Naruto said, smiling at the Uchiha. "Don't rely so much on your eyes."

Naruto scoffed, looking around at the now-receding fog. Morning was coming on rapidly.

Sasuke whipped out his leg in a sweeper kick, frowning as he passed straight through the blonde's leg again.

'Damn it all… how is he switching like that?' thought the Uchiha before backing off, trying to assess the situation.

A twig crunched behind him. Instinctively, the Uchiha flung a kunai at the sound, inspiring a high-pitched shriek that echoed across the training ground. A silhouette stumbled in the mist, holding its side.

"S-Sakura?" Sasuke asked weakly, his face draining of blood.

The figure suddenly straightened up, rushing at him.

"No." Naruto said, before slamming his fist into Sasuke's stunned face. "You're so gullible, Sasuke."

The Uchiha roared in rage, clutching at his face. One onyx eye widened in anger behind the fingers that were nursing his nose.

The fog. He had to get rid of the fog.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!"(Fire release: Great fireball technique) Sasuke roared, his hands set firmly in the tiger seal. An enormous fireball escaped his lips, quickly evaporating the moisture in the surrounding area. The inferno raged wildly, hot air flicking around the Uchiha's body.

Sasuke's eye caught the faintest movement in his peripheral vision; a sandal quickly retreating into the remaining fog.

"No you don't!" he cried, his hands grasping at an assortment of kunai and shuriken. His hands flicked out in rapid succession, metal objects flying rapidly at an obscured figure in the fog.

The sound of metal sinking into flesh was music to Sasuke's ears. He laughed weakly as he strode into the fog, silently hoping that he hadn't killed the blonde.

Sasuke frowned as he stumbled across the body. No…

Pink dress.

Pink hair.

Blood… blood everywhere.

Sasuke's knees buckled as he stared into the blank, empty eyes of Haruno Sakura.

No… no, wait… 'You're so gullible, Sasuke.'

"K-kai!" Sasuke stammered, his chakra flaring slightly as he expelled the foreign chakra from his coils. Immediately the illusion lifted, showing an empty patch of dirt. The fog was gone as well, and a bright sun was shining down on the training field. The landscape was completely unchanged. No scorch marks from his fireball.

Uzumaki Naruto was standing on the other side of the training ground. Beside him stood Sakura, whose face was torn between worried for Sasuke, and disapproving at Naruto.

"W-what…" Sasuke said, climbing shakily to his feet. "What the hell's wrong with you?" he yelled, jabbing a finger at Naruto. "You call that a warm-up?"

"Damn straight I call that a warm-up." Replied the blonde. "That was also for you to get used to my typical fighting style."

Sasuke frowned, "Your fighting style? Sensory deprivation and genjutsu?"

"No." Naruto said, leaning against a post. "Well, no to the last part. Sensory deprivation is certainly part of my style, but genjutsu is not. That genjutsu was incredibly low-level, and wouldn't have worked in most scenarios."

Sasuke grit his teeth. "You're lucky that I didn't have my Sharingan, idiot."

Naruto chuckled, before bending over into a full-on guffaw. "Y-you really think that your Sharingan would have helped, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, wiping a tear from his eye.

Sasuke growled, glaring daggers at the blonde. "We'll see who's laughing, in the end, idiot."

"My, my." A voice said from behind the group. "You two really are bundles of energy."

Naruto blinked, before squinting at the sky. "Huh? You're only a half hour late today, sensei."

"You're still late!" Sakura yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the grey-haired man. "This is what happens when you leave these two idiots alone!"

Sasuke huffed and turned his back on the group, prompting Naruto to stick his tongue out at him.

"Hmmm. I don't know. I rather enjoyed watching the little scuffle." Kakashi said, yawning slightly. Kakashi had actually enjoyed watching the fight. He was impressed with both of the boys; Sasuke for his grasp over mid-level fire techniques, and Naruto for his ability to manipulate a fight.

"Anyways, it's time for your test." The Jounin muttered, pulling two bells out of his pocket.

Naruto raised an eyebrow as the bells jingled in the wind.

"This is known around the Leaf Village as the bell test." Announced their sensei, who jingled the bells for effect. "Many of our Jounin use this test."

Naruto nodded. It was common for villages to have standard testing procedures, but Jounin were always able to add their own customs and designs to the test.

"To summarize it quickly… everyone who has one of these bells at the end of the three hour testing period gets to move on to be Genin." Kakashi stated.

Naruto frowned immediately, identifying the problem. In fact, it seemed that all of them caught on rather quickly. "Sensei… there are only two bells. One of us can't pass." Sakura said timidly, a scared look crossing her face.

"That's correct. Two bells. Two Genin. The people who do not get any bells will be sent back to the academy for remedial classes." Kakashi replied, a bored look in his eyes.

"I've never heard of any remedial classes, sensei…" Sakura murmured, while Sasuke nodded behind her.

Naruto's frown deepened. This test was the standard test of the leaf village? All Genin teams he had ever seen had four people, not three. The Jounin and the three Genin. He had never seen a standard team with anything less. Something was definitely off here.

"The remedial classes exist." Kakashi replied again. "They're kept secret to save the failed Genin from further humiliation. Anyone who fails the remedial classes is dropped from the program. Permanently."

"How are there three man Genin cells?" Sasuke asked. "If it's only possible for two to pass, then how do three man cells exist?"

"Two-man teams are merged with master-apprentice cells after they have passed." The Jounin stated smoothly.

"Then why go through the trouble of sorting us into three man squads in the first place? None of this makes any sense." Naruto said, finally speaking up.

Kakashi shrugged, pulling out his book. "If you three don't want to take the test, I can always fail you all."

Naruto glared, but didn't object further. Sasuke and Sakura followed suit, though their suspicions were far from extinguished.

"Good. Now, then. You three have the next hour to get the bells. If you don't have them by 7 o'clock, then you will fail." Said Kakashi, who was still raptly reading his orange book.

The Jinchuuriki tensed, awaiting Kakashi's signal. Sakura backed up slightly and Sasuke drew a kunai in preparation.

"Begin."

A burst of smoke erupted from Naruto's position, engulfing the three Genin. Kakashi smirked as he sensed the three dash into the surrounding forest under the cover of the smokescreen. Maybe there was some hope for them yet.

…or maybe not.

Kakashi leaned back casually as he dodged the attack from the side. A knife cut through the smoke, heading straight for the masked man.

The Jounin caught the kunai between two fingers before nonchalantly discarding it.

"Do you intend to fight me alone, Sasuke?" asked Kakashi, appraising the boy in front of him.

Sasuke smirked before throwing a pair of shuriken at the masked man. Kakashi caught the metal tools by their center rings, cocking his head as Sasuke charged at him. "Guess that answers my question" murmured the Jounin.


Naruto sighed as he watched Sasuke confront the Jounin. Sasuke was a talented kid, but a Jounin was on an entirely different level. None of them could hope to fight him alone. He had to find Sakura quickly.

The blonde grinned as he saw a patch of pink among the foliage. Sakura wasn't far from him and it appeared she was aptly paying attention to the fight going on in the field.

She smiled as she saw him coming, before turning her attention back to the fight. "Sasuke's not going to win, is he?"

"Do you really even need to ask, Sakura?" Naruto murmured. "That man is a Jounin. None of us can fight him on even footing."

Sakura gave him a strange look, "Are you suggesting that we team up? You know that won't work, Naruto. We won't all pass."

The blonde sighed. "We have to risk it. Something's up with this test. I'll take the fall, if necessary. I can find a new team easily enou-" a noise from behind the pair caught Naruto's attention. Sakura's eyes widened as he spun around, flinging a kunai into the foliage.

Naruto blinked as a shriek echoed through the trees, followed closely by the sound of metal clashing on metal.

Another Sakura burst through the trees where he had thrown the kunai. Her hair was ratted and twisted, and she was overall pretty banged up; like she had been in a fight.

The pieces clicked together immediately. Naruto rapidly unsealed his sword, the ninjato slicing through the air as he whirled around, the blade aimed at the first Sakura.

The pink-haired girl smiled lazily and raised a kunai that easily held against his sword. A burst of smoke later, and Naruto was staring at another Hatake Kakashi.

"Very good, Naruto. You have good reaction time." The man stated, pushing back on Naruto's sword.

"That asshole trapped me in a hole in the ground!" the real Sakura yelled, her eyes blazing. "I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Naruto frowned. "Kage Bunshin?" he asked, to which Kakashi nodded in affirmation.

"Very good. You're more knowledgeable than many give you credit for." Replied the Jounin lazily. Kakashi's attention swiveled to Sakura. "And you… how did you get free of my Headhunter jutsu?"

"Trade secret." Sakura stated, forming a seal. "You're going to regret putting me in the ground like that, sensei…Shannaro!"

Kakashi's eye's widened as Sakura opened her eyes. One of her eyes was turning a deep black color. Swirls of black were overtaking the green, engulfing her eye.

Naruto didn't know what Sakura was doing, but all he knew was that he had to keep Kakashi still. Gathering his chakra, he pulled at all available water sources, every last drop of dew on the leaves around the forest. His chakra flailed wildly around, collecting all of the available water. He put extra pressure on his ninjato as he quickly flicked through some one-handed seals.

"Suiton: Suiro no jutsu!"(Water release: Water prison technique) Naruto announced as water began converging around Kakashi, engulfing his torso in water.

"Shit… not enough…" Naruto gasped, his chakra unable to get any more water.

"Haruno Hijutsu: Naibu Kyodo!"(Haruno secret technique: Mind Division!) Sakura yelled, her eye completely engulfed in blackness as it stared directly at Kakashi.

Naruto swore as he saw the water stop coming in. The prison of water would stop Kakashi from moving, but it wouldn't stop his hands from being used.

A surge of chakra flooded out from Sakura, and Naruto watched Kakashi's eye widen visibly, before the Jounin was engulfed in smoke.

Naruto coughed and swayed, dispelling the water prison.

"D-did we get him?" Sakura asked, blinking somewhat.

"Close, but no cigar." Naruto growled, listening to the slow, steady breathing behind the two.

Sakura whipped around as Kakashi's clone stepped out from behind a cluster of leaves, an appraising look on his face.

"I must say, you two caught me by surprise." The clone said. "Who would have guessed that you knew one handed seals, Naruto."

Naruto ignored him while Sakura spoke up, "Impossible! We saw you get dispelled, sensei!"

"Wrong. You saw a cloud of smoke. Many techniques cause smoke… like replacements." The Jounin replied, yawning. "I didn't expect you to know your uncle's technique, Sakura. Did he teach you?"

Naruto sighed and leaned against a tree, rolling his eyes. "Is it really time for idle chatter, sensei?"

Kakashi smiled and shrugged, before quickly whipping out a kunai, blocking the sword strike that came from behind him. "You're slick, Naruto."

The Naruto near the tree wavered and dispelled, revealing that it was only a clone.

The real Naruto frowned and pushed harder on his sword. "How did you know?"

"I'm a Jounin. I saw you perform the clone technique and very subtly replace yourself with the clone when you leaned against the tree." He replied, his eyes reflecting his smile.

Naruto scoffed and kicked out at the Jounin, frowning when his leg and sword passed through the man simultaneously, throwing the blonde off balance.

The Jinchuuriki landed awkwardly on a branch, scanning around him. His eyes widened as he felt a tug on his leg.

"Not slick enough, I'm afraid." Kakashi murmured as he heaved Naruto into another tree by his leg. "Is this all you have to show for your time away, Naruto?"

A vein appeared on Naruto's forehead, the blonde flipping in midair, slamming feet-first against the trunk of the tree. The blade of his sword reflected the bright sunlight as he rebounded off of the tree, eyes fierce.

Kakashi's eye narrowed as Naruto was engulfed in smoke. The Jounin whipped around, kunai out as he sensed a presence behind him.

"Shannaro!" yelled Sakura's voice as her knife clashed against Kakashi's, causing the Jounin's eye to widen.

The masked man saw his blonde adversary burst from the cloud of smoke behind him, sword ready. A smirk formed beneath his mask as the sword flashed in the sun, before everything went dark.


The real Kakashi was almost caught by Sasuke's kick as the memories from his clone came rushing back to him. Though it was only half as powerful as he, Kakashi was still astonished that his clone had been dispelled. He'd have to make sure it didn't hold back next time.

The black-haired Genin he was fighting was not giving him many chances to think, however. Though Sasuke was not nearly as powerful as Kakashi, the boy was very fast for his age. He was also well-learned in his clan's taijutsu.

Kakashi knew his weakness, however. "Getting tired, Sasuke? You've slowed down. Naruto's putting up a much better fight against my clone." The Jounin taunted, sparking a flash of anger in the Genin in front of him.

It was just what he'd been waiting for. Sasuke lashed out in a reckless roundhouse kick, his eyes widening as his leg passed smoothly through Kakashi's face.

"Doton: Shinju Zanshu no jutsu." (Earth release: Double suicide decapitation technique.) Floated Kakashi's voice from beneath him as a hand wrapped around Sasuke's ankle.

The Genin yelped as he was violently yanked underground, leaving only his chin and up exposed.

Kakashi chuckled to himself and sat down on a rock near the dark-haired Genin, glancing down at the boy. "This is what happens when you try and take on a superior opponent alone, Sasuke." Kakashi lectured, taking out his book.

The boy ignored him, huffing haughtily and looking away as best as he could.

"Naruto and Sakura defeated my clone, you know." Kakashi continued. "I imagine that they'll be here soon. Perhaps they'll even give you a hand."

"Like I need their help." Sasuke grumbled, trying not to react to the information. He knew that the blonde was powerful, but could he really have defeated this man's clone?

Kakashi shrugged and flipped a page in the book, humming to himself and smiling pervertedly.

Sasuke continued to brood, his thoughts darkening as he pondered Naruto and Sakura's victory. It must have been a weaker clone. There was simply no way that a shadow clone of normal strength went down to anyone weaker than himself.

Years of patience and diligent training told him to not react when he felt two thin arms wrap around his torso underground.

He could tell it was Sakura. Nobody else in their class was that remarkably petite. Well, except perhaps Ino, but he knew that she couldn't be here. The arms around his torso began steadily pushing him upwards, causing the ground around his neck to give way as he was gradually forced out of the earth.

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow as he watched the scene. Could Sasuke actually escape his jutsu? His profile never mentioned any proficiency with earth techniques…

His eye narrowed as he saw the head of pink hair emerge next to Sasuke. Bright green eyes opened in defiance against him as Sakura emerged from the ground as well.

"Ah. So that explains how you escaped my technique." Kakashi murmured at the Genin, tapping his chin. "And then if you're already here, that means that Na-" Kakashi's sentence was cut off as he felt a sharp, painful pressure enter his lower back, building through his body, and emerging through his chest.

The Jounin coughed and looked down, staring at the ninjato that was forcing itself through his chest, precisely where his heart was located.

Sakura and Sasuke stood in a shocked trance, staring blankly at their sensei, who had just been murdered in front of their eyes.

Kakashi doubled over, clutching his chest as a smile played over his face. "Well played, Naruto..." he murmured, before exploding in a burst of smoke.

Sakura blinked away the tears that had formed in her eyes as a head of blonde hair arose from behind the rock Kakashi had been sitting on. Naruto scoffed and sheathed his ninjato, before popping his neck and rolling his shoulders.

"N-Naruto!" Sakura yelled, pointing an accusing finger at him, "You said that you were going to beat sensei, not try and kill him!"

The boy stared boredly at her, "Sakura-chan, he was a clone the whole time. Did you expect a Jounin to leave himself open like that?" the boy sighed and leaned against a rock. "No. Definitely not. He probably even knew I was there."

Sasuke shook his head, "You idiot…" he mumbled before popping his own neck.

Sakura flushed at Naruto, "W-well, we need to go after him! We have to get the bells!"

"We don't have time." Naruto grumbled, before a loud ringing rang through the clearing, originating from an alarm clock that had been placed on one of the three wooden posts at the center of the training ground.

Sakura gasped and whipped around, her eyes widening as she stared at the clock.

"We… failed?"


Okay, okay. You guys deserve to be angry. It's been what, over a month?

Sorry about that, and I'm also sorry about giving such a small chapter. I actually had to re-write many parts of this chapter, and I'm still not particularly happy about it.

Anyways, until next time.

Mash.