BOUND
Chapter 10: Bad Vibrations

Regardless of what Kakashi says, I eat breakfast in the morning anyway because it is the most important meal of the day and the idea of skipping out on a meal makes me depressed. And it seems to have been a good idea because as the hours pass by and Kakashi doesn't show, my teammates cringe and clutch their stomachs, which gurgle in their starvation.

I lie in the grass of the training grounds where Kakashi had told us to meet, my arms folded beneath my head in a makeshift pillow while my teammates stand diligently around me, watching either direction for our sensei.

"Where is he?" Sakura grumbles for the umpteenth time. She's placed her bag down at her feet and has her arms crossed. Her head lolls to the side as she tries to keep from falling asleep.

Naruto, who is opposite me and watches for Kakashi from the other side of the field, looks as displeased as our pink-haired teammate. He, however, has the mind to sit down and lean against his knapsack to rest while waiting for Kakashi.

Sasuke hasn't, of course, budged from his stoic, straight posture. His arms are cross and he even still carries his knapsack on his back. He watches for Kakashi from my left, vigilant. But occasionally I catch sight of him closing his eyes, his head jerking forward then up again as he wakes up.

I sit up after hearing Sakura sigh again, pressing my palms to the earthy soil beneath me. My fingers pad through the mush, feeling the slight vibrations of oncoming footsteps heading in our general direction at a relaxed pace.

"He's about here," I say, getting to my feet and brushing my hands off on my pants. "Try to look presentable, Sakura. I know you've missed a lot of your much needed beauty rest this morning, but really. You three should know, though," I add as Sakura glowers at me, "that he's normally late like this. He can't help it."

Sakura opens her mouth to say something pointed, I'm sure, but just then Kakashi emerges from the brush, offering us a smile and a wave with his greeting of, "Good morning, class!"

"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto and Sakura are quick to accuse, jabbing angry, impatient fingers at him.

"Yes, yes," he says, making his way over to a stump where he places a small clock that read a little after 11. Nearly six hours late, this one. The bastard. "A black cat crossed my path, so…anyway," he says when Naruto and Sakura turn their noses up at his excuse. "This alarm is set to go off at noon." He extract two bells from his pockets and hold them out for us to see. They glint in the sunlight, releasing soft jingles when he gives them a little shake. "I have here two small bells. Your goal today is to try to steal one of these bells from me before the timer sounds. Whoever can't get a bell, not only does not pass, but also doesn't get lunch. Not only that," he adds as the four of us groan, "but I'll tie you to one of those stumps over there and eat your lunch right in front of you."

And that's why we weren't supposed to eat breakfast, I think, eyes slinking over to Sasuke as he seems to realize this too, as do our other teammates. Granted, I had eaten, so I'm not going to starve, but still. I treasure the food that comes my way.

I prop my hand on my fist, sighing. This is too troublesome.

"You only need to get one bell," Kakashi says like that's any consolation, "and there are only two, which means two of you will definitely end up tied to a stump and the ones who are tied to the stump will also fail. So at least two of you will be sent back to the Academy."

At least. Which means that three of us could still pass. But how, given there are only two bells? What's the catch?

I look to my teammates to see if they've noticed Kakashi's choice of rhetoric, but there is no reaction. They are too concerned thinking of themselves, how they will fair. I drum my fingers against my chin, planning, trying to calculate how much energy I'll have to expend during this little test. How necessary is this, though? I'm technically already graduated, and I doubt Kakashi can revoke my status.

Kakashi jerks the bells up so they disappear into the palm of his hand. "You can, of course, use your shuriken. And attack as though you mean to kill, or else you'll never stand a chance."

"But that's dangerous," Sakura argues like she doesn't understand the fact that we're ninja.

"You couldn't even dodge a blackboard eraser," Naruto agrees, laughing, and I arch my brow, wondering what I'd missed. "You're going to get yourself killed."

"In the real world," Kakashi says, "only the weak speak loudly. Let's ignore the dunce and start on my signal."

Being called 'dunce' seems to trigger something in Naruto because, just then, he reaches into his holster for a kunai and takes it in his hands. He rushes toward the Jounin, kicking up dust, and wanting to do some damage.

However, faster than we can really keep track of, Kakashi grabs Naruto's hand and twists his arm back so that Naruto's kunai is pointed at the back of the blonde boy's head. Kakashi has his free hand firmly atop Naruto's muss of blonde and says calmly, "Not so fast. I didn't say go."

Sasuke and Sakura have taken cautious steps back, taken aback, I'm sure, by how quickly someone who seemed so lazy can move. He reminds me, briefly, of Shikamaru, but I don't think Shikamaru can move as fast as Kakashi just yet.

"At least you came at me with intent to kill," Kakashi says. "So maybe finally you've begun to respect me?" He releases Naruto and chortles. "Maybe—just maybe—I think I'm starting to like you. And now…ready? Set? Go!"

We all dart away from each other, hiding in the foliage lining the clearing. I take coverage in a bush, crouching close to the ground. I have a good idea of where Sakura and Sasuke have hidden themselves, but Naruto—it seems Naruto has decided to stay right in the middle of the field, face-to-face with our sensei.

I scowl at Naruto, annoyed by his recklessness. Shinobi don't rush into a situation without knowing what the enemy is capable of. Well, he has to learn somehow, I guess. At least this will be a good chance for me to reassess Kakashi's movements and come up with a battle plan.

Obviously I won't be able to take him on by myself. It is Kakashi, after all; he has a reputation throughout the shinobi world, a reputation I heard about on my travels. Not to mention, he's two levels our senior. Knowing what I know alone, I'll have to double team him, maybe even triple team him if I could.

…then again.

Then again, I do have the Genshindou on my side, my kekkei genkai which allows me to see and manipulate the vibrations. Would it be easier if I use the vibrations to mute the jingle of the bells, then yank it off his belt? He'd be none the wiser, and I would have my food.

And I do love my food.

So. I'll wait until he's distracted, then swoop in with the vibrations and steal one of the bells right from under his nose. I'll ace this stupid test, become a Genin, and get on with advancing through the ranks so I can get out of this town, break the bond, and be free.

I clap my hands together, beaming, proud that I have formulated a plan so quickly as Kakashi reaches into his hip pouch. Since I have missed the conversation between teacher and student a few moments before, I don't understand why Naruto stops completely dead in his tracks, especially when Kakashi pulls out a book. Though I don't understand the whole book part either, unless Kakashi plans on killing Naruto via paper cuts.

"Is there something wrong?" Kakashi asks when Naruto doesn't move. "I thought you were going to attack me."

"But, but, but," Naruto stutters. "Why do you have that book?"

"Why?" repeats Kakashi, like it's a basic ninja code to carry a book into combat. "I'm dying to see how this story turns out. Come on, now. It won't make a difference whether I'm reading this book, considering who I'm up against."

It takes a second for Naruto to understand that Kakashi has insulted him, but when he figures it out, he barrels forward, screaming, "I'll beat you to a pulp!"

And then a scene ensues of Naruto trying (and failing) to beat our teacher to a pulp. The only thing I really gain from the fight is Kakashi is fast, faster than I can keep track of. But that's because my eyes are made to watch vibrations.

So, if my initial plan of grabbing one of the bell via the vibrations doesn't work, I might have to recruit Sasuke to help me. With his Sharingan, his own family's special kekkei genkai, he might be able to keep up with Kakashi's speed. I don't know how experienced he is with it though. It's not as though he has had anyone to train him with it, given his circumstances. He would have had to, like me, figure it out and develop his kekkei genkai on his own.

I don't know how the Sharingan works, but I was able to awaken the Genshindou, my family's kekkei genkai which gives me the power to control the vibrations, around the same time I was first able to access my chakra. I had guidance from my father and older cousins then. Maybe Sasuke hasn't awakened his Sharingan at all without his family.

I purse my lips and shake Sasuke from my mind as quickly as I can. I zone back in on the fight and watch as Naruto delivers a punch that doesn't land. Kakashi does a reversal and ends up crouching behind Naruto with his fingers pressed together in the seal of the tiger.

"A ninja isn't supposed to be caught from behind, idiot," Kakashi says calmly as I try to figure out what technique he could be using. The tiger hand seal is normally followed by an extremely powerful move, but—

"Naruto!" Sakura's voice rings across the field. "Get out of there! You're going to get killed!"

"Too late," Kakashi says, and a freakish gleam lights in his eyes as he brings his fingers up and—

—jabs Naruto in the ass.

I slap a hand over my face, grumbling as Kakashi straightens, shaking out his book so he can see the pages better. I need to get to him before I run out of time, but Kakashi can't keep still for one second, especially not with Naruto attacking him without relent. I need Kakashi to be distracted and completely still for an extended period of time, since it'll take a while to prepare the vibrations.

Everything is turning out to be more complicated than I thought it would be. And now that I really think my plan through, I'm gonna need an extra set of hands to help me.

And Sasuke might be my only option.

As I'm about to leave to find him, more than a dozen Narutos erupt from the lake where he'd landed and launch themselves at the retreating Kakashi. But Kakashi maintains his cool, says, "Even with all these clones, you won't beat me."

He doesn't notice, however, the one Naruto sneaking up behind him. The clone latches itself to Kakashi's back, surprising him, and asks smugly, "Didn't you say ninja shouldn't be caught from behind, sensei?"

One of the Naruto poised in front of our teacher leaps up and pulls his arm back. When his fist makes contact with Kakashi, our teacher disappears in a cloud of smoke to reveal another one of Naruto's clones.

Replacement technique, I realize. I see that Naruto's clones aren't simple clones either, but real, physical clones. That punch is only going to end up hurting him now, since kage bunshin transfer all damage and knowledge back to the user.

But the Naruto don't realize what Kakashi has done, and beat each other up, deciding Kakashi has disguised himself as one of them. Understanding the hopelessness of this situation, I leave my hiding place and find Sasuke. Naruto would have been a good person to partner with, but I can't risk getting caught up in a battle with a fool like him.

It's easy to locate Sasuke, given I have the advantage of the bond to help me, but once I lower the barrier between us, I feel immediately that he doesn't want to partner with me.

Bastard, I think. You sneaked into my brain and—

He disregards me and puts the barrier up with ease.

Of course it's easy for him to do, stupid master clan. I sulk, stopping after moving only a few meters away from where I'd been hiding. I look back to Naruto to see how he's fairing and find that he's finally though to release his jutsu to find himself alone in the field. He spots something, though, and starts running toward it eagerly, reaching for the ground as it glints silver.

No way. It's a bell.

But Kakashi couldn't have just dropped the damn thing!

And sure enough as Naruto approaches the bell, he triggers a trap that has been set up around it. A rope camouflaged in the dirt snaps up and wrings around Naruto's ankle, yanking him heels over head.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" Naruto demands as he swings back and forth upside down.

Kakashi hops out of wherever he'd been hiding and picks up the bell, throwing it up in his hands. I take my chance and activate the Genshindou. Vibrations flood my vision, fluttering in the slight breeze of the morning and blurring my line of sight. Kakashi and Naruto remain dark blue and orange blobs, but I have distance on my side, so my impaired vision won't be much of a hazard.

"Think before using a jutsu," Kakashi says, the vibrations making it sound like he's right beside me, "or it'll be used against you."

I feel more than see Kakashi reattach the second bell to his waist. I'm careful to swerve my vibrations around his fingers, letting them brush only the bells. "And don't fall for such obvious traps, idiot. A ninja must be able to read underneath the underneath."

"I KNOW."

"Uh, no, you don't. That's why I'm telling you."

Gotcha, I think, finally able to wrap my vibrations around one of the bells, muting its jingle. But the vibrations brush against the other one, setting off a small tinkle. I don't think Kakashi minds it much, though, since Sasuke chooses that exact moment to critically embed our sensei with a number of kunai and shuriken.

The barrage shocks me into losing focus. The vibrations go haywire and start to slice my skin. The abrupt attack ruins my equilibrium and makes me trip forward, into the open field. I deactivate the Genshindou as I hit the ground, cursing myself.

What kind of kunoichi trips herself up and falls into the open, defenseless?

Naruto is shouting, decrying Sasuke's attack as over the top and unnecessary. While that may be the case, it doesn't matter because the Kakashi that was taunting Naruto turns into a log. Another replacement jutsu.

I groan, jumping to my feet. My position has been given away, as well as Sasuke's, and now I have to hunt him down and try to convince him—

"Ren! Hey, hey, Ren!"

I whirl around to find Naruto still hanging from the trap. He waves at me frantically, the biggest smile on his face. "Ren!" he calls again. "Hey, help me down, will you?"

I scan the perimeter of the field to make sure Sasuke hasn't stuck around to finish Naruto off or anything. Once I'm sure there's no one loitering nearby, I pull a kunai from my holster and fling it Naruto's way. It slices the rope neatly and, as he drops from the tree, he flips to land on his feet.

"Than—" His gratitude is cut short when another trap triggers beneath him and yanks him back into the same position he was in on moments before. I can't help but laugh a little, jogging over to him, as he fumes.

"I guess he was serious about the 'underneath the underneath' thing," I say, looking up at him. The trap has been tied to a much higher branch this time, dangling Naruto more than a meter above the ground.

Naruto cross his arms and pouts. "How are we supposed to beat this guy, anyway?" he complains. "He cheats!"

"Hey, Naruto," I say, pulling my kunai out of the tree where it had been impaled after cutting the previous rope. I hand it to him and he starts to saw at the rope above his ankle, grumble. "I have a plan that could land us both one of the bells. If you work with me, we can make both graduate this test!"

Naruto considers this a moment. "Well," he starts, "I wouldn't mind sending Sasuke back to the Academy, but Sakura-chan…"

"Oh, there are other girls out there, Naruto," I dismiss, waving my hand in the air as though to shoo a fly. "Anyway, come on. You'll be able to prove yourself to Kakashi and finally one-up Sasuke, and we'll both graduate. It's a win-win."

He pauses, considering. "I suppose—" His eyes widen for a second, and I think he's registering, at last, the glory that would come with beating Sasuke. But then he says, "No thanks. I've got this covered."

"G-got it covered?" I repeat, incredulous as he cuts through the last threads of the rope, landing without tripping another trap. As he lands, a shrike too high pitched to be Sasuke's slices through the air and catches our attention. We both stop, wondering what that could be about, but then get back to our conversation once it's clear the scream has nothing to do with us.

"Yeah," he grins, giving me back my kunai. I take it, still stunned by his response. He gives me a two fingered salute and says, "I've got it covered! Later!"

"Naruto, wait," I shout after him as he starts to sprint away. "Where the hell are you going?"

He stops, glances at me over his shoulder, embarrassed. "Oh, sorry," he says. "That is…I mean, since you helped me out, I guess I could…share with you. You're not as bad as that Sasuke."

"Share?" I ask. "Share what?"

He points toward the stumps where Kakashi had threated to tie us up. "Beyond those stumps over there are the lunches. I think Kakashi-sensei's distracted with whatever he's doing to Sakura-chan—" He motions around, referring to the ghost of her scream as proof. "—and Sasuke, so he probably won't see us if we try to sneak the meals. And there are two of them, so we could split one if you like."

I blink at him. "You mean," I say slowly, "cheat?"

"It's not cheating," he says. "It's looking underneath the underneath."

"I don't think that's quite what he meant."

"Whatever," he says, whirling back in the direction of the stumps. "Forget it, then. I'll eat the lunches by myself."

I glare at him as he runs toward the stumps. I like Naruto, I really do, but sometimes he can be such an idiot.

As I think this, watching the brush rustle where Naruto had bustled through them, the air shifts. The vibrations tingle against my skin, warning of another presence.

"Ah, I've got you alone at last. You're the only one I haven't been able to corner yet."

"Don't play with me, Kakashi," I mutter, eye twitching. "I don't belong here and you know it. Pass me and this will all be settled."

"You may have graduated a long time ago, Ren," answers Kakashi as I glance at him over my shoulder. He has his book in his hands again and looks more engrossed in it than our conversation. "But you've hardly got what it takes to be a ninja."

"I have a will to live," I say, shrugging. "That should be enough, really, but it's so downplayed these days. What has society come to?"

"Enough of this chitchat," he says. "Are you going to be like your teammates and disappoint? Or will you live up to the Kagiru name?"

"Ha, what name?" I spit. "Just because we've supposedly got an impressive bloodline limit doesn't mean anything. We're a bunch of mindless slaves who don't know when they're in over their heads."

"Well, here's your chance to prove," Kakashi says, "whether you're deserving of the freedom you crave so deeply."

"If you insist," I say. "But, I mean, shouldn't you take care of Naruto? He's going to steal the lunches you've so carefully hidden."

"I have it covered," he says as the bells tinkle at his side. "And stop trying to steal a bell with your Genshindou. That's not going to work."

My face falls, but I hold my ground. "I don't know what you're talking about," I say.

"Sure you do," he says. "It's why you're trying to distract me with all this talking, isn't it? So I'll hold still and you'll be able to steal a bell, and I'll be none the wiser."

I glare at him. "How did you know?"

"It's obvious: There's no wind. Why would the bells be ringing I've fought against the Genshindou before, Ren. I know how it works."

I scowl an position my feet. "I suppose there's only one thing I can really do then," I say, smiling. And then I turn on my heels and dart into the trees.

I don't know why I'm running. I know the objective is to get a bell, not run away from it, but there's no way I can challenge Kakashi by myself. Even when my plan didn't include having any back up, it never had anything to do with direct confrontation. That's how I do things: passive-aggressively. And so I run. And it's a good idea, up until he catches up to me.

"It seems," he says, cutting me off. I skid to a halt, gasping for air. "It seems, the only thing you've ever been really good at is running away."

"It's kept me alive so far," I say lightly, managing a shaky smile.

Kakashi is not amused. "It can only work so well for so long."

I drop down and sweep my feet under him. He jumps, dodges, and as he does I reactive the Genshindou. I attach vibration strings to the leaves overhead and give them a violent tug, sending them raining over us. This blinds him only for a moment, but it's enough for me. I jump up and pull myself into the tree, situate myself among the branches as fast as I can and attach the vibrations to my fingers, making them easier for me to control.

Kakashi spins, effectively blowing the leaves away from him, clearing his vision, but by then I have my trap set up. Around his ears, I have calmed the vibrations o they create the illusion of absolute silence. Slowly, Kakashi scans the area for me. Despite not being able to hear anything, he must sense my chakra because his eyes shoot right toward me. I wave at him, grinning, and point toward the brush behind him. Using the vibrations, I make it sound like something—or someone—is about to sneak up on him. He whirls around quickly, thinking that the me in the tree is the illusion.

Naturally, I am wrong.

Something grabs my foot, yanking me from the branch. It breaks my concentration and sends the vibrations into a flurry of sharp cuts to my skin. I deactivate my hold on them and the pain stops, the buzzing of the vibrations in my ears coming to an end.

Kakashi dangles me by my ankle. "Not as impressive as I thought," he says. He has his book in his free hand. "You're even worse than Naruto. I'm extremely disappointed in you, Ren. I was looking forward to our rematch."

"Were you?" He's hold me too far away from his waist for me to make a grab at the bells. But, maybe…

I swing myself up, grabbing onto his arm like it's another tree branch I need to climb. His muscles tense and he takes his eyes off the book to see what I'm doing. I smile before jabbing my thumb in his eye.

His hand unravels from my ankle, dropping me. I roll to a crouch and once again sweep my feet under him, this time making him fall. The book flies from his hands and I kick it away from us before jumping back to my feet.

"Now," I say, positioning myself as Kakashi gets up. "I know it's hard to take a kid seriously, but don't let that keep you from trying your best to whip us into shape, Sensei."

I activate the Genshindou once more and increase the pressure of the vibrations on him. They coil around him, a few strands wrapping so tightly that they cut into his skin. I surge my chakra through the vibrations and use them to disrupt his chakra flow, tugging the vibration so they cut more deeply into his flesh.

This effort is wasted when the Kakashi in front of me turns into a pile of logs.

"Shit," I curse, releasing the vibrations. This allows me to feel even the most subtle shifts in the area around me, so his next move doesn't catch me off guard like it should. I jump back as he comes at me with a kick and work quickly with my hand seals as I skid to a stop. Seeing my hands move, he tries to come up with something to counter, but it's too late.

The vibrations go still around my ears, making it impossible for me to hear anything at all. The frequency of the vibrations around Kakashi, however, goes off the charts. They become a flurry of ribbons that unsteadily wave and dance, cutting into his skin slowly at first, catching him off guard. Then they start to close in on him, slicing his clothes and flesh faster than I can keep track. This is no longer a matter of getting the bells. I sincerely want to beat him. I want to show him I have improved, that I am not the kid he caught in the forest all those years ago, the one he had tried to scare into staying in the village.

But then the vibrations start to cut through the stillness I've built around myself. First, it's just a prickle on the back of my neck. But then they leech onto my arm. The vibrations swarm around my right hand, tearing through gloves I wear. I try to manipulate them away from me, but it is useless.

I don't know how it happens, honestly, how the vibrations leak through my safety shell. It's the worst part of using this technique, seeing as though it happens every single time I use it. As fast as I can, I disperse the vibrations before I lose my focus and end up becoming a victim to them as well.

The entire glove on my right hand has been torn to nothing but scraps. I am ultimately unhurt, save for the scratches that are scattered over the back of my hand.

"Well," Kakashi says, his breathing labored. His mask that usually covers the bottom half of his face has been torn so it exposes his entire right cheek, which is marked up with cuts and blood. There is a sleeve of angry red scratches on his arms that slowly leak more blood. It's the same for his legs. He braces himself against a tree that seems to have gotten a beating from my vibrations too, with splinters jutting out like spikes. "That was interesting. But you still didn't get a bell. However."

My vision begins to fuzz over a bit, like the Genshindou has been activated, but I know that's not it.

"Goddammit,' I curse, clenching my hands into fists. "Goddammit, Kakashi."

"At least you forced me to use my Sharingan," he says, his voice coming from behind me now. The image of the Kakashi in front of me disappears. The entire fight had been an illusion, and I'd wasted valuable time and chakra on a fake. "That's better than your teammates. But now…"

The sound of the alarm he had set nearly forty minutes ago goes off.

"It's over."

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