Sasuke watched Sakura fidget and then pace back and forth for a few minutes. She would stop and try to be still and pretend she wasn't agitated, but soon she would start kicking the dirt and muttering to herself again. She had never been that good at patience when it came to Kakashi's notorious tardiness, but there was an extra note of irritation to her carriage today.

Sumiko, Masato and Ryomaru sat against a tree. Masato quite simply had gone to sleep, head tipped back against the tree trunk. Ryomaru was reading a book. Sumiko sat in a tidy pose and stared at her hands. Occasionally she ran through a few hand signs and then stared at her hands again. Sasuke got the impression that she was trying out a jutsu that wasn't coming together right. She frowned at her hands often.

Sakura growled and gripped her arms tightly. "I knew I should have brought them myself. Ugh."

Sasuke leaned against one of the posts at the foot of the bridge that was their meeting place. He took a long breath. At this point he had nothing better to do than wait for Kakashi so it wasn't hard to summon the patience. Hands in his pockets, he continued watching Sakura fuss.

"I mean, really. Isn't he a little old for this? Aren't we all? And is it really necessary to start with... ugh!" Sakura kicked a rock buried well into the hard ground. A small fissure appeared on its face.

"I thought we were going to start with fighting, like you said." Sasuke noted.

"Well yes, but I thought we would spar first and then you all would have a feel for each others' fighting styles and could organize your teams from there."

Sasuke thought that was a little simplistic but kept the thought to himself. Perhaps the rookies that Sakura taught benefited more from simple.

"You haven't really seen what Team Four can do. They have very different strengths when it comes to battle and stress." Sakura made a face. "Why can't they just spar so you can see?"

Sasuke was a little taken aback. "You want them to spar each other while I watch?"

Sakura eyed him. "Yeah, why not?"

"From what you've told me Sumiko would wipe the floor with them."

"Well, Masato and Ryomaru are learning to work together better and they'll soon figure out how to match their strengths so they can make that a fair fight." Sakura sounded slightly defensive.

"So right now Sumiko can fight the other two at the same time and win?"

Sakura sighed. "Easily."

"When you said we should prepare to fight I thought all three of your students would come at me."

"What?! No! You'd kill them!" Sakura's face grew even more ruddy as she gaped at Sasuke.

"Tsh. I'm learning how to incapacitate."

"I also don't want my students in the hospital for a week!"

Sasuke shrugged.

"Right. I get it, you think I coddle them." Sakura sighed. "Kakashi thinks the same thing. Don't worry, this is going to set you up for three against one. Dammit all."

So that was why she was upset. Whatever exercise she and Kakashi had cooked up, it would expose her students to danger. Sakura wore a slight pout and Sasuke had the memory of the sensation of her lips flash through his mind for just a moment. He shook his head to get rid of it.

"I don't need your critique of my teaching, Sasuke-kun, I already had Kakashi's."

Sasuke stopped shaking his head. He didn't try to correct Sakura's misunderstanding. But he silently willed his teacher to hurry up to the meeting spot.

Sakura finally turned away and walked to her students. She woke Masato with a toe in his thigh.

Sasuke once again leaned against the post and let calm come to his mind as he resumed waiting.

Kakashi arrived 45 minutes later. He offered an offhand greeting which Sasuke answered with a grunt. The children gave him dirty looks mirroring their teacher's.

"So sorry I was late, there was a fly in my kitchen and I wanted to make sure it wasn't there when I got back."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, you didn't try opening a window or chasing it down with a swatter, did you?"

"You can do that?"

Sakura shut her eyes tightly and stiffly kept her fists at her sides. She looked like she was fighting off the impulse to punch Kakashi. Her student behind her were not quiet as they chorused "What! That's so lame! He taught sensei?!"

Finally Sakura walked over to Kakashi with a huff. Her students followed her. Sasuke stood straight.

"Can we start now?"

"Go right ahead." Kakashi dug into his pocket and something about it made the hairs on the back of Sasuke's neck stand up straight. Out of the pocket, Kakashi's hand loosened and two little bells spilled out and hung by red thread.

Sasuke stared hard at Sakura and then at Kakashi, this was the last thing he was expecting. He realized there was some humor here. Sakura had been trying hard to avoid the bell test and its humiliating lessons, but here she was finally forced into it. Sasuke was certain if Naruto were in his shoes the fool would be laughing.

Sakura shook her head at Kakashi as she took the bells. She muttered, "I guess some things will never change." Then she turned to Sasuke. "Yes, Sasuke-kun, they look familiar, don't they?"

Sakura held the bells out to him. He stared at them like they were poisonous snakes. "Here." When he still wouldn't take them, Sakura stepped into him and pressed them to his chest, nearly forcing Sasuke to take a step back. Once he took hold she continued. "Alright, so here's what has to happen. Sumiko, Ryomaru and Masato, you each have to get a bell from Sasuke."

She stood up straight and stared down her students with a slight frown. Here it comes. "Anyone who doesn't get a bell in an hour not only fails the test but will be sent back to the Academy."

Sasuke smirked. No threat of tying them to the post for the rest of the day? But from the reactions of Sakura's student's, her threat was dire enough.

Masato's face was completely ashen. Ryomaru looked like he was about to cry. Sumiko, always at least a step ahead of her teammates, huffed and demanded, "How can you send one of us back when we've already been on missions?"

The coldness in Sakura's voice and hardness in her posture were amazing. "I can and I will."

Sumiko closed her mouth, face a little more pale than usual. Then she spoke up again. "So we have to fight Sasuke if we're going to get the bells from him?"

Sakura glanced at Kakashi. He shrugged. She sighed and answered, "If you think that will work. There are always other options."

"But how are we supposed to have a chance against him on something like this." Masato asked.

"What he means is how are we supposed to not immediately lose to the Sharingan?" demanded Sumiko.

Sakura's hands went to her hips and her students immediately recoiled. Sasuke smirked. Sakura answered Sumiko in an unforgiving tone. "Sumiko, if you can't do this then you will have no chance in the chuunin exams. Or, are you giving up already? I'm sure you can hang in there against a long-term genin."

Sasuke's smirk fell away.

Kakashi spoke in a tone of voice that sounded like he were talking about a beautiful day. "We need to work with a smaller number of genin. Four is too many and this is the best way to trim down the team."

But Sakura's students looked skeptical. Sumiko spoke, "This would be balanced if we fought a genin team that was our age, not someone who used to be an S-class criminal and who fought the interim Hokage and several-"

Sakura cut Sumiko off. "I thought I made it very clear yesterday that you don't need to bring up history that Konoha has-"

Sasuke spoke in a flat voice, "It's fine. Bring whatever you think you know about me. But if you only want to fight fair fights then stop being a ninja and join a prize fighting circuit."

Color bloomed in Sumiko's cheeks as she stared at Sasuke.

Sakura cleared her throat. "You have ten minutes to get to the training field by the cenotaph. I suggest that you consider your strategies along the way."

As the students began to move away Masato muttered, "But how the hell is this even a challenge for Sasuke?" Just what Sasuke was wondering.

"Don't worry, it is." Sakura answered.

Masato scratched his shaggy brown hair and joined his teammates. They all walked away with bowed heads and sagging shoulders.

Sasuke met Sakura's gaze. "Explain to me how beating up children is training for me."

Sakura scowled. "This was Kakashi's idea, remember? Care to explain your thoughts, sensei?"

"No, I do not," said Kakashi. "Do what you need to do, Sasuke."

"But don't put them in the hospital!"

"Destroy them quickly and we can beat the lunch rush." Kakashi gave him an eye crinkle, an obvious smile under his mask.

Sakura gave Kakashi a dirty look. "Don't underestimate my students." She glanced at Sasuke. "Oh, but seriously don't hurt them too much, okay?"

Sasuke made an irritated noise. "Both of you shut up so I can think." He picked up the pace and stepped away from Sakura and Kakashi.

Sasuke struggled to remember why he even wanted to be here. His unit training began by fighting solo against a unit. An immature unit, at that. A seasoned team could actually offer him a test of his ability. But the way to break up this team was all too obvious. Without Sumiko the other two would crumble like dry leaves in his hand.

He frowned. If he were on a mission, hired to put a rookie team through their paces, he would be fine with that. But this was ostensibly training for him too. What was he being trained to do? Why did Kakashi plan this out for him? Sasuke thought Kakashi may have wanted to make the training entirely Sakura's responsibility while he rested somewhere, free to read his books. So why had Kakashi insisted on this over Sakura's clear objections? What wasn't he seeing?

Sakura stepped up to his side. Actually, Sasuke smelled her skin lotion first. He kept his vision trained on the path but he was keenly aware of her heat next to him.

"I don't understand what Kakashi-sensei is shooting for here. Threatening my team doesn't seem to help anyone."

"I'll try not to go all out on them, but I can't promise they won't end up in the hospital."

Sakura nodded slowly. "I understand."

They were silent for a time. Sasuke tried to think but found his attention continually returned to Sakura.

Finally Sakura spoke, "I wanted them to see that they fight better as a team. They're incredible individually but they don't understand why they need to improve beyond that. They haven't learned what you've learned."

"How are they going to learn anything like that if I take out their strongest member?"

"Uh... huh?" Sakura stared at him, completely baffled.

Sasuke sighed out of irritation. "If all I have to do is take out Sumiko how will they learn that lesson? They already know she's the strongest."

Sakura hitched and then pressed her lips together, whether to bite back a retort or a laugh, Sasuke couldn't tell. Then she said, "If that's what you think it'll take..." She shook her head with a smile as if she wasn't convinced. "I'm serious when I say don't underestimate my team. They may be rookies but they are Konoha shinobi. You'll see."

Sakura was looking up at him with a crooked little smile as she bit her lip. It made Sasuke stare at her lips just a second longer than he thought he should. He tore his gaze away with a muttered, "whatever."

She giggled lightly and stepped away. Sasuke felt cold on the side she had left.

Sasuke pulled in a breath and let it out slowly. Nothing about this test made any sense to him. Earlier Sakura made it sound like he could easily defeat them, but now she made it sound like it would be anything but easy. And that old bluff that Kakashi had used when Sasuke and his teammates were fresh out of the Academy. Who believed that anymore?

Sasuke grunted as he walked. He needed to clear his head. These questions were all besides the point. He became aware of Kakashi walking beside him.

Sasuke was forced to realize how out of sorts he felt when he decided to speak first. "I don't get it."

"Get what?"

"Why I'm doing this. What's the point of practically killing these kids?"

"You're not going to kill them, you'll beat them by keeping the bells away from them."

"But..."

"Come on, Sasuke, remember back then? Did I kill you guys? Did I give you anything worse than a bruise? You'll be fighting them by defending the bells. Trust me when I say that's harder than it sounds."

"Sakura doesn't want me to go all out."

"Tell me, Sasuke. Do you think killing anyone will keep the bells safe?"

"No."

"Then Sakura has nothing to worry about from you."

"She calls this a threat to her team. I know you're just bluffing about sending them back to the Academy-"

"Bluffing?"

"Yes. No one ever gets sent back, right?"

Kakashi's eye slid toward Sasuke but his expression was unreadable. "Bluff... You know, Sasuke, I'm beginning to think it's assumptions like that which leave you training with children."

A nerve in Sasuke's jaw jumped and a blush spread high over his cheeks. They were near the cenotaph and his stride shortened to delay his arrival.

Kakashi stepped away and Sasuke stopped next to the post where Naruto had once been tied down, kicking and hollering. Sasuke looked at the bells in his hand. For a moment a funny feeling rolled through his stomach.

There was responsibility here. He was an authority, a senior student, a... an older brother. The prickling of hairs on his neck standing up raced along his skin again. Sasuke started to see. Defending the bells was only a small part of his training today. A small smile whispered over his face before dissolving again.

Sakura pulled out an alarm clock. She looked between her students and Sasuke. Sumiko had a kunai out and Masato looked like he was about to throw shuriken. Sasuke calmly tied the bells to his pants as she set the alarm.

"Ready...start!"

Sasuke disappeared from the field. A full second later several shuriken appeared where he had stood as if they were weeds sprouting from the ground.

From his hiding place Sasuke studied the field. Kakashi and Sakura stood among the posts, his sensei already with a book open. From his tracks it looked like Ryomaru was hiding behind a large boulder with the stream to his back. Masato was in a tree nearby, and Sumiko...

Sumiko stood alone in the middle of the field staring directly at the bush he was hiding in, her hands flashing through signs.

Sasuke had only the warning of Sumiko pulling back an arm. Then she swept it forward with a cry, "Wind Lash!" He was already in the air, somersaulting into tree branches and flipping out of them as a band of wind slashed the air and the ground and anything it encountered.

In between leaps Sasuke caught sight of Sumiko. She moved her arm as if she were wielding an invisible whip, hair flying around her head like a fiery halo. As bushes and even small trees were cut down, she pressed forward, the slicing wind driving Sasuke back.

"Hn." She truly was talented, Sasuke had to admit. But shortsighted.

Sasuke leapt to the side and prepared his own jutsu. Sumiko rapidly adjusted her swing and swung at him. The lash bit deeply into his side and Sasuke fell over.

Instantly Sasuke appeared behind Sumiko. He moved to strike her on the back of the neck to knock her out, but she threw herself to the side.

"What!" Cried Sumiko. She looked to where Sasuke was supposed to have fallen. Only a log remained, with a chunk sliced out.

Sasuke frowned. He was quick. He knew he was quick. He could count the number of shinobi in the entire world faster than him on the fingers of one hand. How could Sumiko have dodged him so easily?!

"Substitution?!" Choked out Sumiko. "What a stupid trick!" She was on her feet and crouched to dive into a fight.

"Worked on you."

Sumiko's gray eyes narrowed.

"What is it?"

"You don't have your Sharingan eyes."

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't need them." In the space between heartbeats he threw two shuriken at her. Sumiko jumped out of the way and dove for cover as Sasuke closed in with a kunai in hand. From the two shuriken on the ground he could tell that Sumiko had jumped just a moment too late. She would be sporting a cut, perhaps on an arm or a leg.

He was alone again. As he studied the surroundings he pondered Sumiko's actions. When he was close enough to use a hand strike she dodged cleanly away. But when his attack was from a range her dodge was imperfect. He had a theory on what sort of attack would reach her but he needed to test it more.

There was a spot. A spot of light in his field of vision. Sasuke frowned. Now what? It hung in the air, about the size of his fist, glowing like a lantern. Then there was another spot on his right side. Then there was another spot, and then another. Was this Masato's Luminous Bodies that Sakura was always talking about? She had said he could create light and attack with it. But she hadn't explained quite how...

Sasuke didn't need his Sharingan to see where Masato was. But his path out of the crowd of light orbs quickly became hard to detect. He took a step and some of the orbs moved. He stepped in a different direction and different orbs moved.

He moved to escape the lights which were becoming a swarm, doing a handspring to avoid a fistful that moved to trap him. One globe moved too near his leg and he was unbalanced for a second as he tried to avoid it.

In trying to regain his balance, Sasuke flung his hand out. He hissed as two fingers passed through a globe. An eerie void was all he could feel. He pulled his hand back but the feeling of void numbness stayed. He tried to make a fist and the last two fingers ignored his command. He gripped them with his other hand but they registered nothing, not even pressure.

Sasuke made an annoyed sound and flicked his eyes toward Masato as his Sharingan activated.

He could see a distinctive chakra note, shaped and modified to a considerable degree, gathered around him. Sasuke had never seen anything like it. He frowned slightly and blinked against the light. Was the numbness Masato's attack? Sasuke didn't understand Masato's intentions.

He walked forward at the same time that he tossed electric senbon through the spheres that moved to block his path. The senbon snapped and crackled while the spheres blinked a bluish white and then burnt orange. Two of the spheres winked out but the rest remained, though now smaller in size.

Sasuke determined then that he could either issue a tremendous chidori storm to shrink or destroy the spheres, and use a large amount of chakra in the process, or he could move through the swarm of light orbs, relying on his Sharingan, and attack Masato. Without knowing how easily the orbs could come back or even what else they could do Sasuke determined attack was his best option.

With a silent apology to Sakura, he flipped through the lights, tucking and spinning, toward what he imagined what would be an exit. He could feel himself outpacing the lights, even as he twisted to avoid spheres that suddenly appeared in his path. His planned trajectory changed as they moved but he easily saw their likely formations before they became established. If Sasuke were slower or if his Sharingan didn't allow him such predictive ability he certainly would have collided with them.

But soon he was bounding toward the tree where Masato had hidden. One kunai and then another came his way; these he easily parried with his sword. Masato practically fell out of the tree as Sasuke leapt into the branches, chidori dancing on his blade.

Sasuke immediately redirected himself, jumping clear of the branches as they exploded with the paper bombs littered among the leaves. Definitely one of Sakura's lessons.

Wary of another swarm of numbing lights, Sasuke took cover and tucked away his chakra signature.

He shook out his hand and stretched his fingers. Luckily it was his left hand, and only two fingers at that. It wouldn't make a drastic impact on his fighting. But the sensation was disquieting. Beyond the feeling of an extremity that had gone to sleep, he couldn't even will the muscles in his fingers to move.

Masato's kekkei genkai was subtle but powerful. Although, Sasuke determined, Masato remained a novice user. The boy's lack of speed and killing intent were far too easy to exploit.

He thought then of the conversations he had only a short time ago with Sakura and Kakashi. Sakura said that Sumiko could easily beat Masato. And she had practically laughed at him for thinking that all he had to do was beat Sumiko. Then Kakashi had said the he would beat them by defending the bells.

Sasuke had always been a forward fighter. Any time spent hanging back in a fight was time spent studying the enemy. When he was ready he would join a fight and rapidly destroy his opponent. Sasuke wasn't used to fighting defensively.

So. There was a point to this test for him.

There was something else Sakura had mentioned. She said that Masato and Ryomaru were getting better at fighting Sumiko together. Was it a battle strategy? Did they split her attention adequately? Why was Masato's jutsu not enough to take down Sumiko? Was it only Masato's limitations?

About 25 feet away there was a rustling. Sasuke smirked. Secrets never stayed hidden long around the Sharingan. He crept forward, right hand around the bells to mute their sound, until he could see who it was.

Ryomaru walked haltingly, like any step could bring doom. Dark blue eyes wide, he looked around himself intently, but Sasuke had no doubt he looked without any sense for what he was seeing.

When he was less than a dozen feet away Sasuke stepped into his way. Ryomaru gasped silently and then froze, jaw hanging wide.

The boy was now hypnotized. Though this ability wasn't necessarily for gathering intel, it could make subjects more amenable to questioning as well as erode the will to lie.

It wasn't subtle so Sasuke got right to the point. "How does Sumiko dodge close quarter strikes?"

Ryomaru's blue eyes were dull as his will was completely taken over by Sasuke. His throat must have been dry because his voice was hoarse. "...she feel impulse...tension shift, move weight...she knows."

"How?" Sasuke demanded. His Sharingan told him the same but he didn't need to be at close quarters.

"Her jutsu. Wraps it around self...like armor."

"What jutsu?"

"Don't know...not a wind type..."

"Sumiko has a Wind jutsu that let's her detect the movement of others when they're very close?"

"Yes."

Sasuke was taken aback. He'd never heard of using basic chakra nature like this. He had been assuming that she had some sensory powers, even though Sakura always said the girl was best as a forward fighter.

"You and Masato are developing a strategy to counter this?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"Combinati-"

Sasuke was forced to break eye contact to dodge a kunai that Masato was trying to drive into his back. He heard a loud "kai!" come from Ryomaru's direction. He was not surprised to see Sumiko hauling Ryomaru into the brush with one of his arms around her neck.

He whirled around and grabbed Masato's arm on his next lunge and whipped him onto his back. The tall boy had rather more mass than his teammates and Sasuke had to adjust his power on the go. Masato grunted on impact but to his credit, immediately rolled to his side and dove for the bushes.

"Tsch." Sasuke took note that both bells were still on his hip. Masato had a good shot at one. So had Sumiko, in fact.

He tore into the bushes after Masato and saw a figure dart off.

Sasuke didn't even bother rolling his eyes before setting off in a different direction. He hid his chakra and moved silently, a complete shadow to the trio. Let them think a clone could fool him just a little longer.

-忍ぶ-

Sakura had barely called "start!" and Kakashi was already leaning on a post, reading his stupid book. She had been hoping for a distraction from the bell test. She knew she would want to check on her students and try to...nudge them, if not help them toward the objective.

Sumiko would be fine, she told herself. If the girl didn't go overboard she wouldn't provoke Sasuke too much and so she wouldn't end up too hurt. Sasuke knew not to use his Mangekyou, didn't he? And chidori, too, probably. She wasn't sure. She hated this test! Why did she ever agree to it?!

And Sasuke too... for just a split second he had looked unsure. He needed something simple and steady to put his back to and she and Kakashi had made everything unsteady and complicated for him. It didn't help that all she could think about was putting her arms around him and holding him still. She had wanted to touch him so bad at the bridge. It probably worsened her irritation for Kakashi's late arrival.

"You're going to put holes in your lip." To one side Kakashi had his book in front of his face, but Sakura knew perfectly well that his awareness went far beyond the romantic escapades of its characters.

Sakura let her lip slip out of her teeth. "I'm just worried. They'll have to fight Sasuke so hard to get the bells and if Sasuke gets serious about fighting back..."

"We went over this already. They'll do what they have to. If they don't we send them back for more basic training."

Sakura nodded. "I know. But...what if..."

"You sound like a mother hen. They won't leave the nest if you let them get too comfortable."

"Sumi-chan isn't comfortable! She can get so reckless while she's trying to become strong. And Masato's Luminous Bodies are very dangerous, what if Sasuke misreads them as an attack? He might respond with what he thinks is balanced but actually won't be! And what about-"

"Sakura, you have to let this play out. Last night you agreed that this was the way to test them. Wouldn't you rather be around when they realize they aren't ready to proceed? Would you rather learn such a thing out in the field, where you can't get to them to heal them?"

Sakura pouted. They had talked about the training the night before. They had agreed that they needed a solid test to display the abilities of Team Four. Kakashi had pushed hard for something that demanded they work as a team. Sakura had tried to come up with other exercises that weren't the bell test but he had been resolute. By the end of the night Sakura was exhausted and agreed to the bell test. But by morning she had woken up feeling like Kakashi had talked her into something she didn't agree with at all.

"Even you agreed if they're not ready to act as a team and support each other then they're not ready to be shinobi."

"I know but..." Sakura looked out into the field and felt for her students. They were moving in the trees beyond. She couldn't pin down where Sasuke was.

From a different direction someone else approached. Sakura turned to see Naruto running towards them. He stopped so suddenly he almost skidded into her.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, I found you! Believe it!"

"Sure, Naruto, but you knew we would be here."

"That's true. Hey, Kakashi-sensei! They started already, huh? I wish I could see the whole fight. I'd love to see how the bastard handles your kids! Especially Sumiko! I taught her a few tricks, you know! I kinda wish I were the one playing keep-away with them! Then they would definitely learn some stuff, believe it! I bet the bastard's eyes almost popped out when you told him the plan! Haha, he knew you guys were planning something while I made him take a walk with me to the manga store!"

Sakura shook her head and tried to shut out Naruto. Trust him not to take the test seriously.

"Hey, Naruto. Do you think Sumiko could beat Sasuke?" Kakashi had deigned to lower his book, but it wasn't put away just yet.

"No way."

Sakura looked at Naruto sharply.

"What? You know what the Sharingan can do! She could get stuck in that Nightmare place where the sky is red? It would be hell for her but she would be in a coma for the rest of the fight. Or he could use those giant arrows that never miss. Or the black fire... uh...Sakura-chan, it's okay, don't worry! Sasuke-bastard knows he has to hold back!"

Sakura had gone pale and was feeling faintly sick. This was stupid! Sasuke would kill her students!

"Sakura already told him to hold back. Do you think he would lose to Sumiko if he didn't use his Sharingan?"

"Aww... probably not unless he let her. I mean, she's pretty terrifying at taijutsu and the bastard never wants to get his hands dirty, but he's got experience and he's just older and bigger, believe it."

"So Team Four has no chance in this test?"

"Oh man, Kakashi-sensei... I don't know. I think they're pretty awesome. But the bastard is pretty awesome too, believe it."

"Sakura?"

Sakura took a deep breath. Translating what Naruto said: She had to have faith, both in her teammate and in her students. "Well. They are Konoha shinobi."

"That they are."

"Damn right!" Naruto looked gleeful. Then he became a little more serious. "Oh, by the way, Kakashi-sensei, Granny Tsunade said that you have a mission tomorrow. Go see her tonight for the details."

"Oh, very well then. Anything specific?"

Naruto looked at Sakura. "It's about the Matsuno. Hinata-chan's team came back with some weird news. Granny needs some more information."

The situation was becoming more serious with every new report. What was once random highway robbers appeared more and more as an organized attempt to create a new hidden village inside of the Land of Fire.

Kakashi nodded. "Alright then." He resumed his position against the post, with book in his face.

Naruto grinned at Sakura and hopped to the top of his old post. With a hand shading his eyes he peered into the trees on the far side of the field.

Less than a minute later, Sasuke stepped out. He glanced at the trio and then took a position in the center of the field. Sakura could see he was keeping himself aware and ready for attack. She held her breath.

-忍ぶ-

A tree grew around a boulder, tortured into a twisted shape, even as it wore away at the stone. Team Four stood with backs pressed to the granite, breathing heavily and trying to keep aware of the enemy.

Luckily for Sasuke, as long as he kept a discrete distance they didn't seem able to detect him.

"Good going, Ryomaru! He knows my jutsu now!" Sumiko hissed, sounding very much like she wanted to scream and perhaps throttle her teammate. Sasuke couldn't really blame her.

"Sorry."

"Tsch," sneered Masato. "You didn't you fight him at all, did you? Why didn't you stay hidden, you knew you had no chance."

Ryomaru pouted. "I wanted to find you two."

"Why?"

"When Sumiko-chan found me to bandage her leg she said it might be possible for us to beat him."

Masato looked at Sumiko. A little bit of pink showed on her cheeks. She ran a thumb over a new bandage on her right leg.

She spoke in a whisper. "I think there might be a way to combine our attacks so that Sasuke can't counter all of them. Something might get through and slow him down at the very least."

Masato looked like he found that unlikely. He looked at Ryomaru.

"I think she's right, Masato."

"You agree with anything Sumiko says." Masato muttered. Hair flopped over to cover his eyes.

"Still, I think we have to try." Ryomaru's whisper made him sound painfully young. "You know what sensei always says, 'If one has a failing, then the failing is with the team."

"Yeah, yeah I know. But right now that means me and Sumiko had to save you. Are you just saying that so you don't get left behind again?"

"I'm not!"

"Never mind that," Sumiko interjected. "I don't get why sensei would send one of us back to the Academy when she keeps saying that about the failing of the team."

Masato clamped his mouth shut and refused to meet Ryomaru's eyes. Then he said, "but it doesn't make sense. If the person who doesn't get a bell has to go back to the Academy...doesn't that mean that one of us HAS to fail?"

Sumiko pressed her lips together, both annoyed and uncertain.

"That's why I wanted to find you. I think that sensei wants us to work as a team all the time."

"Well yeah," muttered Masato, "otherwise why should we be on a team together?"

"You can say that, but when do we work together as a team?"

Sasuke was impressed. That was a lesson Team Seven had never quite managed to learn, at least while all three were genin. Then again Team Four had been together for several months.

"Whenever we train with sensei, she beats us. We can only complete missions because sensei helps us out." Ryomaru forgot that he was hiding and stepped away from the rock as he spoke, quietly but urgently. "I'm not any good at fighting by myself. Masato, your Luminous Bodies are pretty good, but they're like a dull sword, nice to look at but not really a weapon. Sumiko-chan, you're only good against other kids like us, but not against real ninja. You need a team to look out for all of those blind spots you have." He finished speaking, having turned to regard each of his teammates.

Masato was staring down at Ryomaru like he was looking at an amazing stranger. Sumiko was looking any where but at Ryomaru, red tinging her face and neck.

Ryomaru realized he had said quite a bit. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be so direct!" His pale skin flushed bright red and he jumped back to the rock. He whispered, "I just mean, we have to help each other out, because none of us can get anywhere alone."

They were quiet for a time. Finally Masato spoke, "Don't you think it's been a while? I know my clone disappeared already."

"I doubt he followed your clone," answer Sumiko.

"Maybe he went back to the field. He doesn't have any reason to follow us." Ryomaru reasoned.

"Yeah," murmured Sumiko. "I can't feel any presence around here."

"That doesn't mean anything," muttered Masato.

"So," began Ryomaru. "We'll need a plan to work together against him."

"Something that can work against the Sharingan," added Masato.

"He isn't using the Sharingan to fight," said Sumiko.

"Yes, he is, I saw them."

"What!" Sumiko forgot to be quiet. The boys jumped away in surprise. "He said he...!" She growled and smacked the boulder in frustration.

"What is it, Sumiko-chan?"

"Nothing! I'm going to beat him, I swear it!"

"Okay..." Ryomaru looked nervous all over again. "Maybe you should lower your voice?"

Sumiko looked thunderous but Masato stepped in. "Actually I just remembered my dad saying that he heard a rumor that someone with the Sharingan can read lips." The three looked at each other fearfully. "Maybe we should work it out more carefully."

The three students huddled together, Masato practically bending over to be level with the other two, and spoke in muffled whispers. Sasuke could have gotten even closer to hear them but decided to leave them to it. He moved away without making a sound and made his way toward the field.

Defense... defense. Strategically it was easier to hold and defend. But so far as long as they fought him alone he only had three fights in a row to think about. If they worked together he would have to fight three against one.

Where had he heard a good defense was a good offense? Destroying all three still sounded like the most obvious step. But he would have to think of something else in order to avoid killing or crippling Sakura's students.

For a moment he thought about a strategy that made it not only possible but simple. But it required teammates helping him, and for the purposes of this test, he had none.

Once back at the field he shoved his hands into his pocket and stepped out into the open. The hour was more than half done. Over his shoulder he noticed Naruto had joined Sakura and Kakashi. He sat atop the post he had once been tied to with a big, dumb grin on his face. When he noticed Sasuke looking he waved. Sasuke shook his head. Idiot.

Sasuke kept alert for the students and he soon felt them take positions around him, deep within the bushes. He couldn't help a tiny smile in the faint second before their attack began.

Light orbs appeared before him, crowding around his right side. He turned to his left and immediately engaged Sumiko.

She attempted to stab a kunai into his side and he was forced to parry with his numb left hand. She attacked with taijutsu, slashing with her kunai, kicking at his legs, trying to knock him into the light spheres.

Sasuke had to step more nimbly than he was used to. While she wasn't as fast as he was, adjusting for her smaller stature took an extra moment. He finally managed a hip throw but he heard the tell tale jingle of a bell swinging out of time with his movement. She had managed to touch one, though she couldn't quite take it from him.

He smiled to himself remembering the irritation he had felt so long ago at coming so close to beating his old sensei. But he didn't have time for reminiscing now. The lights were a problem.

He located Masato and hurled two kunai through the spheres. Nothing seemed to happen to them as they found their target. It seemed the light had no effect on steel. Very well. The kunai whirled around Masato, and Sasuke tugged on the wires attached to them. Masato was hauled off the branch he was on and his jutsu winked out as he crashed to the ground.

Masato lay still, either unconscious or in a daze. Sasuke didn't have time figure out as Sumiko was on him again.

With his Sharingan Sasuke could see Sumiko's chakra laced into into the air around her. The chakra finesse she exhibited as she spun and kicked, twirled and tried to drive first a kunai and then an elbow into him was outstanding.

For a few seconds Sasuke let her control the fight as he only defended and observed the chakra control. No wonder Sumiko was Sakura's star pupil.

Even if he coated himself in lightning or fire he could never direct it this perfectly, let alone while fighting as ferociously as Sumiko did.

"Ugh!" she cried as Sasuke blocked her knee from his head. "Fight me! Don't just stand there!" Gray eyes flashed with barely-contained fury.

"Why would you want that?" Sasuke took note that Ryomaru was tending to Masato.

"What?!" Sumiko grunted as she spun to punch Sasuke only to find herself rushing to collide with his foot. He kicked and sent her flying. "I want to fight a real fight!" She scrambled to her feet.

"Your sensei told me not to put you in the hospital."

Sumiko tried to kick out Sasuke's knee but slipped past him. At the same time he meant to try to grab her arm and twist it back into a hold but he could only graze his nails on her skin as she read his move.

"Sensei never fights us seriously! It's damned annoying!"

"If she fought you seriously she would kill you."

"Hah. If she won't or she can't, what's the difference? A fighter who isn't ready to kill isn't much." Sumiko did a hand spring and as she flipped forward, tucked into to dive with her whole being behind the kunai, aimed at his gut.

Sasuke recognized those words as something he once would have thought himself. He didn't have much time to study them as he realized that Sumiko was moving faster than he thought she would. The air around her snapped with chakra and he realized she was moving it to give herself greater velocity.

He turned to evade and nearly stepped on makabishi spikes. He spun and tumbled to the side to avoid stepping on the spikes as well as getting skewered by Sumiko. When he looked back to where Masato had been, both he and Ryomaru had disappeared.

Sasuke had moved to protect the bells but left his off side open. Sumiko exploited this immediately, vaulting around his arm and kicking viciously. Sasuke moved at top speed to get away, leaving Sumiko looking like she was levitating before crashing to the ground in an ungainly heap.

A stinging at the the corner of his eye let him know she had managed to tag him over the bone ridge. He scowled. He was sure the skin was broken and the area around it would begin to bruise soon.

Sasuke flipped back and put a hand on the hilt of his sword. "I owe you an apology, Sumiko."

Sumiko had gotten to her feet to chase him but stopped her pursuit cold. She stared at him like she expected a trick.

"I underestimated you. I won't do it again."

He could practically feel Sakura's disapproval as he pulled his Kusanagi on Sumiko, but he shut out the impression.

Sumiko took a fighting stance, a determined line between her eyes. She tried to fight off a smile but couldn't quite manage it. "That's a compliment."

"Aa. But now this fight is over." Sasuke moved the sword to a ready position, folded behind his back. As defense went, it would be reckless to try to take on even a moderate fighter in this position.

The smile evaporated from Sumiko's face and she charged him, kunai first. She twisted at the last moment, neatly tucking away a shift in weight from Sasuke's view. She vaulted over him and slashed at his off side.

Sasuke blocked and evaded with considerably more effort than he had done against Sumiko even a few seconds earlier. She adjusted that fast?

Still, she wasn't quite fast enough and he handled the flat of his blade against her swings and sent the kunai flying in three moves.

Sumiko didn't quit, though, at one point grabbing Sasuke's arm and using his kinetic force to swing herself around and wrap a foot around his leg. It tangled up his legs for a moment while she could scale him like a statue. He had to throw himself clear to keep the bells free from her touch.

Sasuke rolled and popped up to his feet. Sumiko leapt for him as he brought his blade up. She looked like she would kick his arm before could swing and Sasuke turned the sword to drive the hilt into her leg. But then she tucked herself into a ball and dropped. Sasuke only barely managed to parry a handful of shuriken.

It was Ryomaru. Sasuke could sense just where he was and his desperate intent. And then he was flipping backwards to avoid Sumiko's Wind Lash.

There was nothing for it. Sorry again, Sakura. He dove straight for Ryomaru. The boy tried to meet him with a kunai, but Sasuke slapped it away with his blade and punched Ryomaru lightly in the the throat.

Ryomaru fell to his knees clutching his neck and gasping for breath.

Kunai came for him and he dodged them. Sumiko was still on her feet and not about to let him forget about it.

"You could have hit your teammate," he chided her. Then he sent two kunai with paper bombs attached.

The bombs went off. But Sasuke became aware that Sumiko was in the branches of a tree above him.

"No, I wouldn't," she answered. "And you're still not fighting me as hard as you can."

Sasuke almost laughed. This fight had pushed his taijutsu skills very nearly to the limit. But then... if she had trained with Naruto he could understand a little of what she would expect.

Sasuke sheathed his Kasanagi sword.

"I don't normally stop to explain myself, but I'll make an exception, since your teammate told me about your Wind jutsu." He kept his hands at his sides so she could see he wasn't hiding any tricks. She held still in the tree. "The Sharingan makes it so you can't possibly be a threat to me. Several abilities the Sharingan gives me would destroy you with one blow and you would have no chance at defense.

"I fight primarily with my ninjutsu either to kill or incapacitate the enemy. I may not be fighting you as hard as I can, but I am fighting my habits very hard."

Sasuke looked directly up at Sumiko. She shrank back. "I could always hypnotize you until the test ends."

She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head with a squeak.

Sasuke had to chuckle. He was beginning to understand why Sakura liked her students so much.

Off to the side Ryomaru managed to sit, though he still slumped over with a hand at his throat and tears pouring forth. His breath was labored.

Sumiko dropped in front of Sasuke and he moved into a fighting posture without a thought. Then he stopped short.

She had moved her hitaiate to cover her eyes.

Between clenched teeth she ground out, "I said I would beat you, and I will!" She swung to punch him and as he dodged she snatched at the bells.

Sakura is right, she learns fast. Sakura had actually said something to the effect of "so fast it's scary" but Sasuke didn't find it scary.

He found it interesting. Sumiko truly was a genius.

He hadn't quite meant to give away that he was weakest at taijutsu, but the girl had clearly realized that a close quarters fight with him was her only hope. Did she understand that her Wind style put his Lightning style at a disadvantage? Didn't she understand that the same Wind style would be bad for her if he resorted to Fire jutsus?

Sumiko had pegged close to Sasuke, aiming a series of knee and elbow strikes against him. Her goal of getting a bell was so plain it was almost elegant. She had put all of her faith in her ability to "see" him through the air and refused to stop her onslaught.

Fine. He already owed Sakura two apologies, he may as well make it three. He needed to beat her. Quickly.

He blocked and parried and tried to throw her off. Her determination could rival Naruto's and her endurance was on a par with Rock Lee...

And that gave him an idea.

Sasuke adjusted himself like he was about to leap up high. Sumiko moved to block his path and so couldn't move out of the way when Sasuke booted her in the stomach. She went flying and Sasuke launched himself to move in her shadow.

"Here's an old technique of mine I'd practically forgotten about. This part is Shadow of the Dancing Leaf."

Sumiko blocked one kick but couldn't keep up the defense as Sasuke wheeled in the air and landed kick after kick as they flew.

"And this is the Lion's Barrage!" Sasuke landed the final kick on her ribs, sending Sumiko plummeting.

Sasuke landed with a little less dignity than he was used to, one knee and both hands going to the ground. He had to admit to himself that he was a little winded and a good amount of his chakra was gone.

Sumiko was deathly still and for a moment Sasuke worried that he had gone overboard. But her chest rose slightly and shook as it fell.

Several feet away Ryomaru wiped his tears with a dirty hand and struggled to stand. "You... you..." He tried to pull out a kunai from his pouch but only dropped it. His legs shook terribly.

"You're better off healing your teammates than trying to fight me." Sasuke gave him his back. "I'll be in the field." He stalked away.

Sasuke was in the field not two minutes before the alarm began to ring. The test was over.

He let out a breath as Naruto and Kakashi moved toward him. He wanted to sit down and rest very much. Now he remembered why didn't use the Lion's Barrage once he had learned the Chidori. It was exhausting.

Behind Kakashi Sakura stared hard at him. Worry lined her eyes quite plainly. He nodded to the bushes. "They're still alive. Over there."

She turned and ran off immediately.

Kakashi offered Sasuke a bottle of water and he decided to take it, rather than stand on pride and continue to suffer.

"Well?" Naruto bounced from side to side. "How was it? Aren't they fun?"

"Hn. Idiot."

"Aw you can't fool me! You loved it. Believe it!"

"I see you kept both bells." Kakashi scratched his head. "I wonder if Sakura will send all three back to the Academy."

"You didn't send us back," Sasuke pointed out.

"Ah, I guess that's true." Kakashi spoke like Sasuke had revealed something he hadn't noticed before. Naruto grinned from ear to ear.

Sasuke shook his head. They were both idiots. He turned toward the spot where he had left Sumiko and Ryomaru.

Once there he almost turned back around. Sakura gave him such look he could have sworn there was a murderous intent in it. "Sasuke-kun, you and I are going to have a very long talk about what 'holding back' means."

Sakura worked on Sumiko, tending to wounds around her ribs. Ryomaru sat against a tree, still rather pale but little worse for the wear. Masato had appeared, though he lay unconscious next to Sumiko. Presumably, Sakura had carried him from wherever Ryomaru had hidden him.

(Sasuke tucked away the note that Ryomaru could carry the much larger Masato without him noticing.)

Sasuke untied the bells from his belt and handed them back to Kakashi without a word.

Naruto filled in the silence for everyone. "Well, bastard? How was it!"

Everyone conscious looked at Sasuke. Finally he gave his honest opinion. "Fine."

Even Kakashi looked surprised. Sakura seemed dumbstruck.

But it would take more than that to leave Naruto at a loss for words. "What does that mean?! Did they fight good? I bet Sumiko was a handful - did you see some of the moves I taught her? Did you remember our old bell test? Remember how hard that was? And Kakashi sensei totally beat us! Look at you, you bastard, you're gonna have a black eye! Did you get to-"

"Shut up, you idiot," growled Sasuke.

Kakashi had put away the bells and watched his old students with a look of amusement. "It seemed like it went a little differently for Sasuke than it did for me. But he was protecting, not teaching."

"Huh? You were teaching us back then? Weren't you testing us?"

"Naruto..." Kakashi sighed as if summoning patience from deep within. "Do you ever hear a piece of a song and think it could be part of a poem? Why does something have to only be one thing?"

"I knew it that test wasn't fair! How can you test us and teach us when we didn't get to learn the lesson yet!" Naruto hopped up and down waving an accusing finger at Kakashi.

"Naruto, be quiet!" Now Sakura was snapping at him. "You said you were only here to observe and wouldn't interrupt."

"But Sakura-chan!" Naruto quailed at the ugly look she gave him. But even that didn't stop him. "But still, Kakashi-sensei made us take this insane test without telling us anything about what we were supposed to do! How's that fair! We never managed to touch him but they made the bastard break a sweat and even Sumiko messed up Sasuke's eye, believe it!"

"A nice observation, Naruto. But not one that you needed to shout." Kakashi put his hands in his pockets and regarded Sakura's unconscious students. "Remember, I tested you when you had barely graduated from the Academy. You had no idea what working together meant yet. Team Four understands." Kakashi gave Sakura a grave look. "But they still failed."

Sakura blinked away from Kakashi's gaze and gave her students a sad look. Against the tree Ryomaru looked pale and he drew his knees to his chin.

Sasuke frowned. No, they didn't get the bells, but...

"Ryomaru," Sakura called to her student. "Help me wake Masato. I'll wake Sumiko."

"Right, sensei." He moved to his teammate's side and pressed both hands over Masato's heart.

Sakura did the same with Sumiko and within a minute the two were blinking their eyes and moving sluggishly as if waking from deep sleep. Masato even yawned. Sakura and Ryomaru helped them to sit.

Masato looked around himself and gathered that the test was over. He tipped his head down, hair falling forward to hide his face.

Sumiko also realized that they had failed in their objective. She hugged her arms to herself and put on a stoic face.

Ryomaru continued to look morose as he sat on his ankles next to Masato.

"Man," muttered Naruto. "That can't be it. Can it?"

Sakura stood and patted the dirt from her skirt. She looked at her students. "Not even one bell, huh?" The children couldn't meet her gaze. "Kakashi?"

"I don't know, Sakura. It was a simple objective. You even handicapped Sasuke, though he clearly ignored your request that he hold back."

Sasuke frowned at Kakashi.

"This from the man who was urging him to destroy Team Four so you could get lunch early." Sakura put her fists on her hips. She pressed her lips in a line. "Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke looked up, rather surprised to be called on.

"Well I'd hate to flunk them all. I really thought Sumiko-chan would get a bell. What was your impression?"

Sasuke considered a moment. There were a few things he wasn't certain about, but there was one thing he was sure of - they had performed better than Team Seven had in the same test. "Ryomaru."

The boy jerked his head toward Sasuke and managed to go even whiter. His mouth opened but he couldn't even make a sound.

"When the three of you gathered and decided to fight me together what did you think of your chances?" Behind him Sasuke heard Naruto utter a shocked "what?!" and for some reason he felt some pleasure at the note of surprise.

Ryomaru's jaw dropped. Masato and Sumiko looked similarly shocked as they exchanged glances. "You... you knew what we talked about? We didn't even...!" He shut his mouth and swallowed hard and stared at his hands. "Sumiko-chan didn't know you were there! Even sensei has a hard time sneaking up on her."

Sumiko and Masato were both staring at him. After a moment Sumiko spoke quietly. "I see. That's an elite ninja." She nodded gravely to herself. "Tell him, Ryomaru. Go ahead."

"Oh, right. Well..." Ryomaru scratched his head. "I guess you didn't hear it all. We decided to use our attacks to force you to fight Sumiko-chan up close. She said she would get both bells and split the win." Ryomaru looked at Masato uncertainly.

Masato nodded. "Go ahead."

"Well, okay. Masasto thought we didn't have a chance. He thought you would beat Sumiko-chan immediately." Ryomaru frowned like he disapproved of such an assessment. "But I think Sumiko-chan is really tough so if she thought she could beat you then-"

"Get to the point," muttered Sumiko, eyes closed.

"Right. Well, I said that if she didn't get the bells then we would have to split the loss. Uhm." He dry washed his hands. "I mean, well, sensei is always saying if there is a failing with one, then the failing is with the team. I just didn't think..." Sweat had started to roll down the side of his face. "I didn't think Sumiko-chan would lose!"

No wonder he was so scared. "Heh." Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle a little.

Kakashi looked askance at Sasuke. Naruto even stepped in front of him and stared at him. "Are you laughing?! That's creepy, stop it!" Naruto reached out to Sasuke as if to grab his arms. Sasuke swatted his hands away and was quickly sober again.

"They were working as team before that point."

Sakura looked him with such great hope in her face it looked like a light shone out from it. "Are you sure?"

Sasuke nodded. "I had Ryomaru hypnotized. Masato attacked me with a kunai - if he had tried to cut one of the bells free he might have succeeded. Sumiko too, but she pulled Ryomaru away instead."

A smile broke out over Sakura's face. Her fists came off her hips as she looked like she wanted to jump for joy. "That's... that's amazing!"

Sasuke wanted to smile back but Kakashi was at his side, a wrinkle in his brow. "Was that superior work on their part, or a failure to protect on yours?" Sasuke gave an annoyed grumble. "What I mean is, in a battle scenario when you've hypnotized someone are you prepared for an attack?"

Sasuke knew exactly where these questions were leading and it made him grumpy to admit the holes in his fighting style. "In a true battle I wouldn't use that technique unless I had a teammate to guard my back."

"Very good. Any other lessons from this fight?"

"Tsch." Sasuke took a long exasperated breath. "When I got back to the field I knew they would be coming at me together. Since I wasn't going to use the Mangekyou on kids I started thinking about how a team could help me out. A mid range fighter and a sensory or genjutsu type on my flanks and forward fighter in front of me." Sasuke shrugged. "Or a medic holding onto the bells behind me."

Sasuke looked at Kakashi and then Sakura. "This is why I asked for this training, after all."

"Wow so after all this time you just needed to fight kids! We should have done this years ago, believe it!" Naruto looked gleeful.

"Years ago we were kids, you idiot."

"And we fought other genin who didn't try to hold back," added Sakura. She stepped over to her students and pulled them up to their feet. "So. In the end none of you got the bells. And you agreed to split the failure."

The three students stared at their feet.

Sakura glanced at Kakashi and then grinned. "It's settled then." Three small pairs of shoulders dropped. "You pass."

Sasuke allowed himself a tiny smile. Of course they passed. Teamwork like theirs would be wasted at the Academy.

Naruto jumped up and down and laughed. "Hahahah! Yes! I knew you could do it! It's just like when we were kids, hunh, Kakashi-sensei? It's really about being better than scum and all that!"

Team Four had looks that were both overjoyed and becoming confused. "Really, we passed, sensei?" Ryomaru wasn't quite sure what to make of this turn but he looked so relieved he might pass out.

"Yes, you did. And, from what Sasuke-kun said, it sounds like you helped lead them to that victory, Ryomaru-kun."

Ryomaru smiled and threw himself at Sakura, wrapping his thin arms around her waist. "Thank you, sensei, thank you!"

Masato looked confused but smiled all the same. "I don't get what you mean about scum, though."

Sakura laughed as she tried to untangle herself from Ryomaru. "Kakashi-sensei, care to explain?"

"Ah." He cleared his throat. Kakashi stepped forward, looking at Team Four. And taking great care not to look at Sasuke.

Sasuke could feel an old misery rising in him. Guilt that he could put aside from time to time would not stay forgotten. Sasuke knew it was that belief that Naruto must not abandon him that drove the jinchuriki to hunt him for those many years. For a very long time he had hated both Naruto and Kakashi for believing in him so much.

"It's just something my master said to me long ago. Those who abandon their friends are lower than scum. I'm actually rather impressed that Naruto remembered that from his training back then."

"Aw, Kakashi-sensei, I was paying attention! It was a big lesson!"

"As I recall, you were tied to the post, about to watch Sasuke and Sakura eat lunch in front of you."

"Hey! That's ancient history, believe it! You don't have to bring that stuff up now!"

Sakura covered her hand with a mouth but the giggles were evident in the shaking of her shoulders.

Masato was laughing quietly as Sumiko looked up at her hero somewhat aghast. Sasuke smirked.

"Why, Naruto? In the end it seemed like you learned the lesson pretty well, I'd say. Even if you were incredibly loud once you were tied to the post."

"Aw sensei..!"

Ryomaru was laughing openly and Sakura had given up trying to be discrete.

Sumiko looked downright disturbed. "You ended up tied to the post? Really?"

"Well yeah... but...uh help me out here, bastard." Naruto gave Sasuke a pleading look.

"What am I supposed to do, you broke the rules back then."

"But you broke a rule too, when you gave me some food!"

"When Sasuke-kun and I gave you food so you would be able to fight, Kakashi said we passed the test. That's when he told us about being worse that scum." Sakura had walked over to Sasuke and Naruto and wiped tears from her eyes as she spoke.

"Oh uh.."

"Wait," interjected Ryomaru. He hiccuped from giggles and continued. "Kakashi-sensei made it so you were supposed to break the rules? How were you supposed to know what was the right thing to do?"

"I know! It was so complicated, believe it!"

Sakura gave Kakashi a wry smile as if to say, "you started this."

"Don't you remember the other lesson from that day, Naruto? You had to learn to see what was underneath the underneath. Maybe I should give you more training."

"Hey, wait a minute! Me and Sakura did beat you! We figured out your tricky eye together, when I came back from training with Pervy Sage!"

"So you did! I was so proud." Kakashi gave Naruto a pleased eye crinkle.

"Yeah right, you just don't want me tell everyone how we beat you!"

A little bit of color came to the Copy Ninja's cheek, "Now, Naruto-"

"Yeah, Sasuke wasn't there, what if I tell him?" Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm. Sasuke tried to dislodge his hand but his grip was like a vice. "I wouldn't want my teammate to get left behind! I'd be lower than scum, believe it!"

"Dammit you idiot, let go!"

Movement behind Sakura caught Sasuke's eye. Ryomaru was trying to reach out to Sumiko but she slapped his hands away and walked around him.

Naruto looked where Sasuke was looking. "Hey, Sumiko?"

"Sumi-chan? Where are you going?" Sakura's fun with her old teammates was already forgotten.

"This is stupid," Sumiko announced. "We already passed the test, why is everyone standing around acting like idiots? Scum this and scum that...whatever, we get it."

Sasuke was still and quiet as Sumiko spoke. She was stiff and her voice was clipped, but he could recognize barely repressed anger when he heard it. It wasn't anger focused on her sensei or anyone else present.

Naruto let go of Sasuke and was trained on Sumiko. Sasuke wondered if he saw it too. Probably. Naruto had a knack for reading desperation other people weren't even aware they had.

"Unless there's more training today then I'm done being here."

Sakura took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "No, we're done for today. Team Four will meet here again tomorrow at the same time." She and Kakashi exchanged looks. "Joint training will start in three days and occur twice a week unless there's a mission."

"Fine." Sumiko glanced at Masato and Ryomaru. "Bye then." She jumped into the trees and disappeared.

"She does that sometimes," explained Ryomaru.

Masato gave an apologetic smile and a shrug.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes, Ryomaru-kun?"

"You said the first time you gave the bell test to your team there was another lesson that Naruto learned. What was it?"

"Ah, well, as to that." Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "You know, I think it might be better to train you on it in three days. I really have to be going now. See you later." No sooner were two fingers at his lips than smoke burst out around him and he was gone.

"He has a mission," noted Sakura. Then she rolled her eyes. "But he doesn't have to meet with Lady Tsunade until evening."

Masato looked uncomfortable. "Another lesson from the bell test? Is it going to be just as hard to learn?"

Sakura smiled. "I think that's up to you."

Ryomaru sighed. "That means 'yes.'"

"Man," whined Masato. "Sensei, can we go too? I'm getting really hungry."

"Of course, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, sensei!" Chorused the boys. "Bye, Naruto-sama, bye Sasuke-sempai!" The two ran off toward the village.

"Hey, speaking of hunger! I know just where to get lunch, believe it!" Naruto flung his arms around his teammates.

Sakura neatly twirled out of Naruto's arm, legs flashing as her skirt flared out. "Sorry, Naruto. I promised Ino I'd go with her to check out some places she might rent for her birthday party."

"Aw, isn't that like a month away?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know. Ino is counting down the days, panicking a little more every day."

"What's wrong with the Konoha Pub?"

"Nothing for you or me! But Ino wants something bigger and fancier... c'mon you know how she is."

"Jeez, if you ask me she won't be happy until she builds the place herself, believe it."

Sakura laughed and stepped up to Sasuke. "Here, let me heal that." She removed Naruto's arm from around his neck, for which he was quietly grateful.

"Aw, Sakura-chan. I wanted to see Sasuke with a shiner!"

"Hush now, Naruto." Sakura put cool fingers to his face and angled his head so she could see the wound easily.

Sasuke was tempted to close his eyes. Her deft, calloused fingers calmed him. Her faint breath on his neck was sweet and inviting. She even got Naruto to be quiet, a true gift as far as Sasuke was concerned.

He didn't want to admit it but the spot on the ridge by his eye had begun to sting and burn. He was glad he wouldn't to have to patch it up himself. The cool feeling of Sakura's healing chakra was most welcome.

When she pulled her hands away Sasuke chanced to look at her face. She met his gaze with a smile. He stared at her and felt like that second could have lasted the whole day.

With some effort he stood straight and looked away. "Thanks."

"Sure. Have a good lunch-"

"Wait."

"Huh?" Sakura looked at Sasuke. Beside him Naruto was starting to twitch with impatience at being kept from his ramen.

Sasuke lifted his left hand. The two fingers still wouldn't move. Though if he wrung his hand the fingers flapped around. "Will this go away?" He held out his hand to Sakura, assuming she could heal it.

Sakura went from confused to surprised to amused rapidly. "Hah! Masato got you!" She stroked his hand and fingers. It was still so strange to feel the sensation of her touch on the back of his hand, but not on the last two fingers. "It's weird isn't it? There are no burns, no usual wound marks. But the nerves shut down completely so you're effectively paralyzed.

"The first time that my kids sparred he got Sumi-chan with them. Her leg was hit and she fell right over. Sumi-chan was so mad at herself! I was scared half to death before Masato explained that it canceled out the electrical impulses between nerves."

"That's crazy, Sakura-chan! Masato could totally kill the bastard with that, believe it." Naruto crowded in to take a look at Sasuke's hand.

"I think that's possibly true, if Masato ever really wanted to kill anyone. But the Luminous Bodies are only as powerful as the shinobi that uses them. Masato has never showed killing intent. He can perform the jutsu but he has a lot of trouble using it."

"Hn. Ryomaru said they were like a dull sword."

Sakura nodded. "That's a good description. This power has the potential for being lethal but Masato needs better control and the discipline to fight with clear intentions."

Sakura had both hands around Sasuke's left hand and was absently massaging it. She seemed to notice what she was doing and to Sasuke's regret she pressed the hand to his chest and left it there.

"Actually, the jutsu wears off in a couple of hours and I've figured out how to halve the time using healing chakra. But you can actually heal it yourself instantly by guiding a tiny stream of Lightning chakra through the nerves. You have to be careful so you don't fry yourself, but hit the first nerve clusters at the base of the fingers and it'll cascade to the rest."

"Whoa, so the bastard can heal himself?"

"Only from this specific jutsu. Luminous Bodies are based in Lightning style chakra, and this is what the change in nature and form ends up doing. The electricity still hit Sasuke-kun, but all of the heat was taken out."

No wonder his electric senbon had that strange reaction. "Hn." Sasuke summoned a solitary electric senbon and concentrated to keep the power of it minimal but steady. He carefully lined it up to the point where one finger met the palm of his left hand, then he drove it in. The senbon crackled and snapped into nothing. There was the barest gap between feeling nothing and feeling the acute heat of electrical discharge inside his finger. He ground his teeth against the pain and sucked in a breath.

Both Naruto and Sakura were staring at him, but where Naruto seemed shocked that he would attack himself, Sakura was wide-eyed with fascination. "So, what do you feel?"

"The heat." Sasuke tried to make a fist. The finger he had stabbed moved slowly and hurt the whole way. The last finger still ignored him. "Hurts." He created another senbon and drove it through the second finger, biting his tongue to control his reaction.

Rather than pins and needles, it was like hot pokers had been shoved through his fingers. But he moved his fingers without pity and rubbed them with his other hand. The pain seemed to be receding.

"Hmm. Masato managed to get Sumi-chan with it a long time ago - she was so mad at herself! After, Masato showed me the healing trick on Sumiko I think maybe he used a tinier shot of Lightning. He sent it through the neural pathways and Sumi-chan said it just tingled a little."

"Hn." Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I bet if it hurt a bunch Sumiko wouldn't say anything, believe it."

"That's probably true, but I was right there and she acted like she barely noticed what Masato was doing. But then, she was pretty ticked off at getting hit. I know she kept thinking about what happened for a long time."

"Did she know her Wind style could take apart a Lightning style jutsu?"

"Yes, Sasuke-kun, but she didn't know how. The Luminous Bodies are very different from any normal Lightning jutsu."

Sasuke nodded. He could never hope to replicate the kekkei genkai.

"I bet she didn't quit until she figured something out! Believe it! I didn't even have to tell her to never give up when were training! Believe it!" Naruto laced his fingers behind his head and beamed with pride.

Sakura sighed. "Yes, she's tough. She hates finding her limitations and works like crazy to overcome them. You saw her Wind armor, Sasuke-kun? She developed that to counter the Luminous Bodies. She realized that it also works to tell her details about anybody within arm's reach."

"Aa. That was...a challenge."

"Hah! she made you break a sweat, right, bastard?"

"Now, Naruto. Like I said I asked Sasuke-kun to hold back. That's the only reason he had to use taijutsu."

"Still, you almost got beat by a g-"

Sakura wheeled on Naruto and stared him down. "He almost got beat by...? Say it, Naruto. Say you think that girls can't beat guys! Give me an excuse for another lesson today!" She lifted a fist.

Naruto stumbled backward several steps, waving off Sakura's advance. "N-no-no-no! Sakura-chan, that's not what I meant! Uh...uhm... Just, um she's a genin and um, well so is Sasuke but I mean... I mean, she's really young and doesn't have experience and um... aw crap!"

Sakura took a menacing step toward him and he dodged behind Sasuke. "Hide me, you bastard, she hits hard!"

"Tsch." Sasuke folded his arms and stood still.

Sakura looked up at him and then for a moment she looked...Sasuke couldn't really describe it. Like she had just noticed something interesting in his face. Then the look was normal and she smiled. "Well anyway, if your hand keeps hurting just find me and I'll take care of it, ok Sasuke-kun?"

"Aa."

"Okay then." Sakura looked over Sasuke's shoulder at Naruto and shook her head. "I should be going. See you later." Then she bounded into the trees and was gone.

Naruto immediately put his arm back around Sasuke's neck. Sasuke wasted no time smacking it back off. "C'mon, bastard. It's just us. Let's get some lunch. Finally, some ramen!"

"We just had some last night, idiot."

"I know it's been hours! I bet you didn't even have any for breakfast. I did, but it's definitely time for some more, believe it!"

Sasuke let Naruto chatter on about his favorite meal and lead the way to their lunch. The destination was all too obvious. Sasuke would have preferred something less salty for lunch but he followed along anyway.

There wasn't any particular reason why. His only real alternative was to eat alone. Occasionally that was welcome, but now that Sasuke realized he didn't have to be alone he no longer fought off Naruto's company as much as he once did.

"Hey idiot."

"What?"

"Tell me about your second bell test, already."

"Oh yeah! I never got to tell you. So me and the Pervy Sage went around traveling for a couple of years and when I got back I was taller than Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei said he had to test us to see what we learned..."

Sasuke walked beside Naruto, half listening to his story and half thinking about Sakura and her students. He didn't realize a faint smile had settled over his lips.

All I had in my notes for months was "a fight." Uh... I had no idea what to put here and then when I started writing I really wanted to avoid retreading old ground. But you know what? This stupid bell test really works! I hope it was fun to read - once I figure out what had to happen it was a lot of fun to write.

Also, it's fun to get to ignore physics for a while. Yay ninja! Woooo Who else can have entire scenes while flying through the air?

So, I love reviews. If you can take a moment to leave one I'd really appreciate it. But I actually need votes on the poll on my page... I'm trying to figure out how to pace chapters and I'd love your input. Thanks!