-Well, I tried to get a picture I drew of Shiro on here, but I guess this site isn't made to have pictures in the chapters. So I posted the link on my profile. –

Chapter Eleven

To Pass or Fail

Shiro paused in her branch hopping to glace about the little clearing before her. It was nice and small with a single training stump in the center that was scarred with years of target practice and repetitive attacks. She smiled, an idea forming in her mind. She sniffed the air tentatively; the smell of Kakashi was thick, but fading. She scowled as a new smell came to her; Sasuke's to be precise. Her gaze shifted to the tree lines, trying to find her teammate. If this were to be a test of teamwork, then making petty traps would get her nowhere but back to the academy. Shiro jumped down into the clearing and looked towards the area that smelled the strongest of the dark haired boy.

"Sasuke, come out from your hiding place, we need to talk."

"…"

"I can smell you bastard, no use in hiding unless you were intending on fleeing."

A small smile graced her lips as Sasuke came out of hiding, an expression of fury twisting his handsome face.

"I never run away."

"Then you are a fool. But that is not why I chose to speak with you Sasuke. I wish to ask you something. Have you figured out the true goal of this test?"

"I am to get one of the two bells and proceed as a genin while either you or Sakura is sent back to the academy. Why are you asking me what we have already been told?"

"I see, I wonder if you aren't the one that needs the title of dobe Sasuke. Rule number four, a ninja must see underneath the underneath. Doesn't that imply that this test has something else to it, with Kakashi-sensei being a ninja after all."

"…"

"Think real hard Sasuke, two bells equal only two pass, now have you ever heard of a two man squad?"

"What are you saying Shiro?"

"Oh, you remembered my name, and here I thought you forgot and to cover your blunder you stuck to calling me dobe, I'm flattered really. But what I'm saying is that we need to find Sakura and team up."

"I can get the bells on my own dobe, I don't need anyone's help."

"You dumb ass, the whole point of this thing is teamwork, that means all three of us together at one time, we'll get both bells, but no one will fail. Besides, you couldn't even beat me and I truly only know taijutsu while you had the upper hand in ninjutsu. What makes you think you can defeat a man like Kakashi? You do know what they call him right? They call him the Copy Cat Ninja and for good reason. Though I'm pretty sure he already knows your tricks."

"I can still win, I'm an Uchiha."

Shiro snarled and pinned him against the training stump. Her face was mere inches away from his in an instinctive move to make the male listen by violating his personal space.

"Names don't make you what you are, they only hold power in society, not on the battle field. You-,"

Shiro stiffened, her ears twitching as she picked up a sound that didn't belong to any animal she had ever encountered. Kyuubi looked about warily while Kesshoo jumped down from her shoulder and inspected the tree line.

"I what dobe?"

"Shut it teme, I'm trying to listen."

"Listen to what."

Shiro didn't respond, her tail twitching ever so often. When the sound came again she moved away from the male and ran straight in the direction that the sound seemed to be coming from.

"I didn't think your hearing was so good kit. Even for a demon it's exceptional."

A moment later a scream echoed throughout the area, making Shiro pause and reconsider. Suddenly she smiled and started running again, if that was Sakura, which it suspiciously sounded like, then she either stumbled across a carnivorous beast intending to eat her or Kakashi-sensei.

"I guess he doesn't like getting his smut books taken away."

"What tipped you off?"

Shiro skidded to a stop when she saw Sakura unmoving on the ground, a horrified expression on her face. Picking up a stick Shiro crouched a few feet away and poked the motionless kunoichi.

"Is she dead?"

"No, looks like the scarecrow caught it in a low level genjutsu, all you have to do is wake her up like a normal person, or leave her here until she snaps out of it herself."

"I would if I could, but I need the whole team if I'm going to try and pin Kakashi-sensei again. I'm starting to regret freezing that book…"

"You're kidding right?"

"Yep."

Just as Shiro reached out to release the girl from the jutsu when said girl jumped to her feet.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"What about Sasuke?"

"He was, he was wounded, nearly dead and needed my help. He was laying right over there, what did you do with him Shiro-baka?"

"I did nothing with him because what you saw was a genjutsu, the real Sasuke is back the way I came, unless he moved again."

"You're lying!" Sakura took off running, "Sasuke, Sasuke-kun!"

"That girl isn't very bright is she?"

"She is, when she isn't suffering from Fan Girl-itis. I suppose I better find the bastard again."

The fox pair nodded and took their respective places, but Kyuubi stop her from taking off with a soft prod to the face.

"Yes Kyu-kun?"

"Do you want to surprise your sensei with an awesome trap?"

"Sure."

Kyuubi smiled and whispered the directions in her ear. Shiro giggled but grew sober quickly. If that plan was going to work, she would need the only two other people in the area allowed to come to her aid. Putting her nose to the wind, the young demon started to track the more levelheaded one of the two.

With Kakashi

"Well, that was a little too easy, perhaps I should have lessened the degree of injury… nah, she will have to get over it eventually."

Sensing an attack, he jumped out of the way of an incoming kunai. He didn't even have to look to tell who was there.

"Nice try Sasuke, but now you have revealed yourself."

Kakashi sidestepped and gave the Uchiha a strong kick to the stomach.

"Now, how should I immobilize you?"

Back to Shiro

Shiro growled in frustration, the bastard had left and been tailed by Kakashi, making the over lapping scent had to distinguish. After and irritating fifteen minutes of walking, she heard another scream. Shaking her head she took off for the sound.

"How did that thing pass the exams?

"Be nice Kyuubi. You know as well as I do that the tests at the academy didn't grade you on your ability to keep calm in the face of danger or gruesome scenes."

"But still, she's a disgrace to all kunoichis."

"A lot are, most of the girls entered the academy because they wanted to be around Sasuke in hopes that they were cool enough for him to speak with them. All it really did was weaken our ranks and give the bastard an unhealthy sized ego." She came to a stop and fought back a fit of laughter. "Oh, well look at this, didn't tell you facing him alone was a bad idea?"

"Shut up dobe and get me out of this hole! I need to find him again, I grazed the bells the last time, that means next time I will have them in my grasp."

"And here I thought you didn't need any help duck butt. Nice job, but if I had taken the bells when I had a chance, we would all be looking a Iruka's disappointed face right now."

"What?"

"When you and Sakura left to set up your own traps, I stayed behind to ask a question. Needless to say when Kakashi-sensei pulled out his book and let his guard down while I was there was more than enough to piss me off. In very little time I used his own self-confidence against him and taught not underestimate your opponent. Instead of taking the bells, I compromised his book, making the task difficult all around. Now that I have his attention, I also have a planned devised by Kyuubi, but I will need yours and Sakura's assistance." Shiro looked at her unconscious body. "Speaking of which, is she in another genjutsu?"

"No, she fainted at the sight of me buried up to my neck. Now get me out of here!"

"Only if you agree to help me."

"Fine!"

With smirk, Shiro started digging, aided by Kyuubi and Kesshoo. In ten minutes, they had uncovered the Uchiha enough to pull him out. He Sighed and went back to his brooding self before looking at Shiro with an emotionless stare.

"So what's the plan?"

Within a half hour, the trap was set, now they just needed to bait. Shiro carefully made her way to the center of the net hidden extremely well next to the memorial stone and henged into the same book she had frozen a few hours before hand, but appeared completely non-frosty and unharmed. She waited.

A minute later Sakura and Sasuke burst out of he tree line, trying to out run an irate Kakashi. Apparently when they couldn't get him to follow by attacking and fleeing repeatedly, they had to step up a tiny trap that was enough to push him over the edge. The two skillfully and subtly dodged trip wires and pressure plates. The masked jounin wasn't fooled and mimicked their steps until he saw his Icha Icha unfrozen and on the ground. He stopped and ignored the two genin he had been pursuing. This was too god to be true. It was still fifteen minutes till noon and his book was back to normal. Had Shiro been wrong about her own technique, what ever that technique was. With a happy glint in his eye he walked over to his prize and picked it up, only to be horrified as he found himself the push off for Shiro's axe kick.

He rolled to the side but that was what Shiro wanted. With a childish smile that disturbed the elder male, she faked him to make him step on the pressure plate of the net and jumped high into the air to avoid what Kakashi could not. All three genin looked at him with a smug expression as Sasuke plucked the bells from his belt.

"Got you again Kakashi-sensei, but this time I had help."

The man sighed and looked at his new team.

"I guess this means you all pass. Which surprises me."

"What is that Kakashi-sensei?"

"No one has ever passed before, all of our predecessors were to wrapped up in their own ideas of success that none realized the impossibility of passing as a two man squad. And so without team work, weather they the bells or not, they failed."

Shiro explained quickly to avoid some sort of cryptic speech from the netted men. Kakashi nodded when Sakura looked to him for confirmation. Shiro kicked up the trap's anchor peg, but caught the rope to let her sensei down gently.

"If it wasn't for Shiro you would have failed anyway."

"How? Sasuke-kun would have gotten the bells."

"Did you tune out Shiro's explanation completely? Even if he had gotten the bells I would have failed you for not using teamwork to obtain them. For one thing you are too focused on Sasuke's welfare, or him in general. If it weren't for you calling out his name I wouldn't have caught you so easily. And Sasuke, you need to rely on other more, you can't do everything yourself. Oh, and Shiro, can I have my book back please?"

"Well since you asked so nicely, no, I don't think so."

"Why?"

Much to Kyuubi's amusement, Shiro took hold of the back of the man's vest and proceeded to drag him away.

"Because I want to know if you are allowed to read such despicable things in front of women."

"Where are you taking me?"

"To Yuhi Kurenai of course, I think she knows the rules better than you sometimes."

"What?"

Kakashi exclaimed as anime tears ran down his masked face. How did she even know her? Shiro laughed evilly on the inside as she dragged the poor man away, leaving Sasuke and Sakura behind confused and shocked at Shiro's behavior. Kyuubi and Kesshoo simply followed, a taunting grin on Kyuubi's maw.

-End, I will reveal the relationship between Kurenai-sensei and Shiro in the next chapter through a series of flashbacks. Tell me what you think of the pictures if you decide to view them. -

(P.S. ignore the no harsh comments thing; I have decided that critique is always a nice wake up call to try harder in my drawing abilities.)