A/N:

Disclaimer: The key to strategy is not to choose a path to Kishimoto, but to choose so that all paths lead to Kishimoto.

.

.

Chapter 10: For Whom The Bells Toll, Part II

The hour that followed was one of the most frustrating of my life. It wasn't that he was so much stronger than us, though he was. It wasn't the collection of scrapes, bruises, burns, cuts and over-strained muscles we were accruing, though those did hurt. It wasn't even that we'd been given a Sisyphean task, though (for our current skill level) we had. It was how badly we were failing as a team.

Everywhere we turned we tripped over each other. Sasuke embedded another shuriken in Naruto, and singed me with the edge of a fireball. He was trying to hit Kakashi whenever the jōnin was distracted, which unfortunately was usually when Naruto or I was next to him. Naruto attacked Kakashi with reckless abandon, and his lack of control meant that he hit us more than he hit Kakashi. He tried the clone army a few more times, with no more success. Sasuke and I tried to henge to match him and blend in, but the bunshin weren't coordinating with us so we left a trail of popped clones wherever we went, completely eliminating the point of the tactic. I tried to support them with my barriers and explosions, but lacking a coordinated plan and never having practiced it together, I ended up hindering as often as I helped.

I wished I had more to contribute, but of the six combat-applicable seals I'd learned (exploding, storage, knockout, chakra-draining, barrier) only exploding and barrier seals were useful here. Storage seals were really only combat-useful for bukijutsu users (I had a few ideas for other applications, but they required testing, and a cooperative team). Knockout tags took several seconds to activate, depending on the strength of the target, and there was no way we could subdue Kakashi for that long. Chakra-draining seals would be basically useless: while Kakashi's chakra pool was on the low side for a jōnin, it was still orders of magnitude larger than the amount my rudimentary seals could sap.

Kakashi deflected Naruto once more, and we went down together again. This clearly wasn't working, and it was time to try something new. If Naruto and Sasuke couldn't see the futility of acting as individuals by now, they weren't going to. Kakashi had disappeared into the forest, probably intending for us to repeat the "search aimlessly for Kakashi until he ambushes one of us" phase of the test.

It was time for a little team bonding. I grabbed Naruto, who was still a little dazed, by the hand and pulled him over to where Sasuke was standing.

"What are you—"

I held up my hand, cutting Sasuke off. "Wait". I began drawing the silence seal again. As I drew I considered the coming conversation. I really had four problems: Naruto was mad about something I'd said, Sasuke was mad about something I'd said, Sasuke was anathema to Naruto, and that people were anathema to Sasuke. I needed to tailor my approach to solve all those issues.

Apologetic and reconciliatory? Almost certainly wouldn't work. Would leave them too much leeway, which they would probably use to fight with each other. Sasuke was unlikely to listen to anyone who, in his eyes, placed themselves below him, which I would have to do to apologize sincerely. Besides, I was somewhat mad and unsure I could really pull off contrite just then.

Calm and logical? Possible but doubtful. Appeals to logos were not particularly effective against Naruto: ethos and pathos were the way to go with him. Sasuke would likely feel like he was being talked down to, and get defensive.

Enthusiastic and team-focused? Too much frustration and antagonism in the air for that.

Angry and accusatory? Could work. High risk, but potential high reward. Emotions were running high, issues needed to be addressed. Would need to be combined with logic and enthusiasm, and probably flattery. Tear them down, build them back up. Best chance.

I finished drawing the seal, activated it, and rose to my feet.

"What the fuck is wrong with you two? Do you realize how important this test is? Sasuke, failure here means another year wasted at the academy, shackled to children who are learning to crawl while you're trying to run. Do you think you'll get a jōnin of this caliber the second time through? I sure don't; I'm not sure another jōnin of his caliber exists in Konoha.

"Naruto, if you fail here you're not even going back to the academy, you're going to the genin corps. I know you think that just means that you'd be the first genin ever named Hokage, but I do not have the words to describe how much you would hate it. Fiercely hierarchical and disciplined, with little time allowed for training. Most of your time spent trying to look impressive, or waiting for nothing to happen.

"So I said some things that made the two of you mad. Get over it. It wouldn't have bothered you nearly as much if what I said weren't true. Naruto, Sasuke is way better than you at taijutsu. That's nothing to be ashamed of. He's had excellent teachers and sparring partners for most of his life. On top of that, he has an Uchiha's speed and reflexes. He's way better than pretty much everyone our age. Big woop. You have many advantages he does not, though you haven't had a chance to see most of them yet. Do you think he could have created half as many clones as you did? Do you think he'd still be walking, let alone fighting, after taking as much of a beating as you have over the past hour? I know I wouldn't be.

"And you, Sasuke. You think you don't need anyone to survive? I have a question for you: Have you ever worked a farm? Built a house? Forged a shuriken? Didn't think so. You rely on people every day; interdependence is the cornerstone of modern society. More specifically, how could you for a second imagine you could beat Kakashi by yourself? I know what you train for, and I honestly believe you will reach that level. Surpass it, even. Someday. Someday you will be able to take Kakashi on alone and emerge victorious, but that is not this day. Not by a long shot. You could be—no, you will be a great ninja someday, if you make it that far, which you never will on your own."

He opened his mouth to respond, but I held up my hand. "No, please, let me finish." Now, where was I? Right. "On top of that, have you ever considered that Itachi might not be alone when you seek him out? Ninja have a tendency to congregate. You might be able to beat him in a few years, but defeating him and whoever is with him? Unlikely. Ninja like him, his allies are probably S-class too. You will need help. I…"—my thoughts skipped, as they always did when I thought of the incident—"I made you a promise once, and I intend to keep it."

I turned back to face the two of them together. "You both have so much potential it's not even fair, and it hurts to see you squandering it with your squabbles. We've grown up in a time of peace, but it is a fragile peace, and the cracks are beginning to show. Iwa is agitating along our borders, Oto is expanding aggressively, and reports out of Ame and Kiri are incredibly worrying. The number of A- and S-rank missing-nin is higher than it has been at any time in recorded history. War is brewing, and if Konoha is to survive, it will need the two of you.

"In a decade or two you'll be the strongest ninja around and it won't matter if you try to do everything yourselves. We don't have that kind of time. With your current attitudes I'd give you a year, maybe two at the outside, before you die a lonely and inglorious death. You could become some of the greatest ninja ever to come out of Konoha—nay, out of any ninja village—but that's only going to happen if you learn to work with others, and it's only going to start over the next year if we figure out how to work together right now.

My words hung in the air for a few seconds. I thought over what I'd said. I hadn't meant to build them up quite that much. Oh well. Naruto needed someone to acknowledge and believe in him. Sasuke needed support in his quest, and an idea of a life beyond the ending of his brother's. It had the added benefit of being true.

"Do you…do you really think I'm capable of that?" Naruto's voice wavered. Tears and snot were running down his face. Aw, jeez. I hadn't expected quite that emotional a response. Still, I was committed now.

"I think that, in time, each of you will have the strength to rule the world if you so chose. Together, you could remake it in your image."

He gave a small cry and jumped forward. I stifled my instincts and didn't dodge as he wrapped me in a tight hug.

"Gentle, Naruto. I'm rather fond of my ability to breathe." He loosened his grip, and I looked over his shoulder at Sasuke.

His face was…confusing. He looked torn between condescension, amusement, relief, and…pain? He noticed my gaze and refocused, though he still wasn't meeting my eyes. "Well that was…something. I noticed you didn't mention how exactly we'd deal with the problem of two bells, three ninja."

"Ah, that." I shifted my weight and Naruto let go. He returned back to where he'd been standing, wiping his hands across his face. "You can have them. I'm almost positive this is actually a test of teamwork, not skill. I've racked my brain over the past hour, and I can't remember a single case where some of a team failed the jōnin-streaming-test while the rest passed. That, combined with the way the test was set-up to pit us against one another and how he's been playing us against each other makes me think this is actually a test to see whether or not we can work together.

"Succeeding would be a great coup if we could pull if off, but I'm pretty sure it's not what we need to do to pass. I'm confident enough in this guess to let you two have the bells if we do manage to grab them. Even if that weren't the case…I wouldn't get in the way of your development. Konoha is going to need your strength, both of your strengths, in the coming years. I wouldn't do anything to prevent or even delay your growth."

Naruto started sniffling again. Sasuke favored me with a long look. After a few seconds he nodded and met my eyes—briefly, before looking away again. It might have just been a trick of the light, but I could have sworn he smiled. "Well then, Supreme Leader. I'm going to guess you have a plan?"

"You could say that. Tell me what you guys think of…"

.

.

"Are you crazy? That will never work!" Sasuke's features had returned to their usual scowl. He ran his foot through the silence seal he stood over as he yelled, and the forest sounds returned. "I've heard enough. You can apologize all you want; you're worthless to me if you can't get me one of those bells." He disappeared back into the underbrush.

I looked over at Naruto. He scowled to match Sasuke. "I'm not going to work alone with a girl. Ewww. I'm just gonna go kick his ass myself!" He ran the opposite direction Sasuke had.

I was still gazing after them when Kakashi materialized beside me. "Don't worry about it, kid. Give him a few years. Then he'll be singing a different tune about girls, trust me."

I turned to face him. "You're an expert on the subject?"

"Not an expert, per se, but I've read a few instructional manuals." He smiled and reached for a pouch at his hip. "Here, let me show you!"

I was saved from permanent mental scarring by the timely appearance of a legion of Naruto clones.

"Oh, we're doing this again?" Kakashi said. "Some other time then." As he was doing up the clasp on his pouch I activated my speed seal and made a swipe for the bells. He danced away from me, grinning. "How rude! I think I'll go talk to Naruto instead." He darted away from me and began wading through the mass of Narutos.

I backed up to wait for a better chance as the clones continued to dash themselves upon Kakashi. My hands moved as I heard raised voices from the other side of the clearing.

"I am just so tired of your shit, Sasuke! You think you're so superior just 'cause you got some good grades!"

I stepped carefully.

"Of course the dead last claims not to care about grades. That explains your poor performance! That's not why I'm superior to you, anyway. Your…"

I tuned their voices out, watching Kakashi. He was smiling, ears cocked. He continued to defend against the clones, but his movements were sloppy now. Some made it through his one-handed defense. Suddenly, one of the clones he blocked did not disperse. The "Naruto clone" began moving much more fluidly and quickly, other hand nearly reaching the bells. Kakashi jumped backwards right as I activated a barrier. His back slammed into it and he bounced off, dashing to his left into another pile of clones as the now-black-haired Naruto pressed forward. Unfortunately for him, one of the Narutos staunchly refused to disappear.

I stepped forward from where I'd been standing, just next to Naruto, activating my speed seal. I let my henge lapse as I did so: Naruto's jumpsuit would interact poorly with the seal. My fingers closed around the bells right as Sasuke's did. We came away holding one bell each, faces flushed with success.

"Yes! We did it!" Naruto yelled, still mostly underneath our sensei. He pumped his fist in victory, seemingly forgetting where he was, and his arm slammed right into Kakashi's stomach. Who promptly vanished into a puff of smoke, along with the bells in our hands.

A slow clapping filled the clearing. "Bravo, bravo! Now, let's see if you can do it for real." Kakashi dropped down from a tree and walked through the forest of flummoxed clones to stand in front of us, hands on his hips.

I groaned in realization. Shadow clone.

Naruto looked between the jōnin and our empty hands. "But…we had the bells!"

"Sorry Naruto, I said you needed to take these bells"—Kakashi gestured at his belt—"not ones that just happen to look exactly the same."

Sasuke glanced over at me, and I turned my gaze on Naruto. The three of us shared a quick look and, as one, charged forward.

—Kakashi jumped backwards, but I activated a tag. The explosion propelled him forward again, into Naruto's waiting arms, Sasuke's shuriken forcing him to dodge rather than engage Naruto fully—

—"Ami" took a direct hit from Kakashi and bounced back, fists swinging. "Naruto" dodged one of Kakashi's strikes, grabbing his hand and pulling it forward. "Sasuke" dashed forward to take advantage of the overextension, "his" speed briefly matching Kakashi's—

—"Are you crazy?" Sasuke asked me again, more sincerely this time.

"Don't worry. I've tried this before"—once—"and it worked fine," I said. My hands were stretched behind me to hold on to the lip of the large wooden box I'd prepared. My feet sat flat against the side. Sasuke did as instructed, lifting up one of the the ten-foot poles that stuck out the side. The box was rotated ninety degrees, so that the side I held onto was the lid. "Just hold me steady and aim."

"This is awesome!" Naruto yelled, holding the pole opposite Sasuke's. "Do you have one for me?"

"Next time, Naruto, I promise." I scanned the forest, looking for Kakashi. I adjusted my grip, making sure I was centered. "Get ready…"

"There!" Sasuke yelled, turning to point me towards the jōnin. He was standing in the middle of the clearing, looking over to where we were set up on the edge, bemusement plain on his face.

"I still think you're—"

I ignored him and let go. As I fell forward I activated the seals inscribed on the inside of the box. The resulting explosion had only one way to go: into the lid.

I let out a woop as I shot forward at breakneck speed. I grinned as Kakashi's eyes widened and activated my seal, reaching for the bells—

We still failed, of course. The skill gap was simply too large for anything short of a fatal error on Kakashi's part to allow otherwise. But now we were failing together. We misfired a few times, getting in each other's way, but that was to be expected of three genin who'd never practiced together. The frustration was gone, replaced by, if not camaraderie, then at least unity of purpose.

Noon came as we were trying a particularly harebrained scheme that involved Naruto henged as the Hokage, me as Kurenai, and Sasuke as Asuma, with clones taking our usual positions. Kakashi called us together and we gathered in the clearing, letting our henges fade.

Naruto, Sasuke and I were grinning, relatively secure in the knowledge that we had succeeded. The level of teamwork shown by canon Team 7 (if you could even call giving someone your lunch teamwork) was way, way less than what we'd demonstrated over the past hour or two. There was no way—

Kakashi looked between the three of us, his face grave. "You didn't get any of the bells. You"—his voice cracked on the 'f'—"fail. I'm…I'm sorry." And he was gone.

The three of us sat in stunned silence, waiting for him to come back. Surely this was just a bad joke, or perhaps the lead-up to a speech of some sort.

Seconds became minutes. Minutes became an hour. Sasuke and Naruto left at some point.

He didn't come back.

.

.

In the first version of this chapter, Kakashi got saved by the bell. While I enjoyed the pun, I remembered that I hate that trope (and the timing didn't really work out), so I changed it.

I didn't actually get a chance to do the editing I expected to do today, so let me know if you see any mistakes, be they in consistency, continuity, or writing.