Please enjoy, and please please please review. I thought I should warn you that this story is increasing in cussing, so for future chapters please keep this in mind and don't flame me because I didn't warn you, I did. Just now. Again. This is the warning. Repeated. And if you really don't like cussing then skip any future chapters that include Hinata. Girl has an awful potty mouth. As you will see in the next chappy.
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"You should all just save yourself the heartbreak and give up now. None of you have what it takes to be a ninja." Kakashi said impassively.
Sakura looked shocked and horrified while Naruto (clone) and Sasuke confused Kakashi with their calmness. "What do you mean, we should give up? Just because none of us could take a bell, we should give up our dreams? That's not fair!" Sakura whined with pleading eyes and hands clasped in front of her nervously.
If she was any shriller she could break glass with that voice. Harry thought uncharitably as he winced from the piercing annoyance that was Sakura whining. Naruto silently agreed with Harry, as he too winced slightly from how high Sakura could make her voice.
"Being a shinobi is not about fairness, it's about completing your mission, protecting the village, and survival, in that order! Did any of you even think about why you were placed in three man teams?" Kakashi looked around at the confused faces (Naruto was faking while Sasuke had just figured it out but was confused about how Naruto knew before him). "Obviously not. You completely missed the point of the exercise. The one that determined if you passed or failed."
"But... you never told us what it was. How were we supposed to know?" Sakura said, she really had no idea what Kakashi was talking about. If there had been a point to the exercise shouldn't he have told them what it was first? So that they could complete the objective as they were supposed to. It wasn't fair! He wasn't being fair!
Naruto wanted to cover his eyes, embarrassed for her sake. He had already told her what the test was about. Was she really that ignorant to the truth? Did she really not understand? Even Kakashi's talk of being placed into teams should have given her a clue!
Kakashi looked at Sakura in disbelief. She was honestly clueless. This was one of the top graduates with the highest test score seen in years? "… I don't believe this. It's teamwork! If you three had worked together, you would have been able to take the bells from me!" Kakashi said angrily. Or maybe not… Kakashi thought to himself, after all I am a jounin and they are academy graduates, even coming at me all at once I doubt they would be able to get the bells. But if they tried I might have let them take the bells, if the plan was good enough, and I was feeling generous, and I had the newest edition of Icha Icha Paradise… yeah. But I would have passed them anyways at least.
Sakura looked stricken, as if reality had bitch slapped her viciously in the face while wearing diamond rings, only leaving gushing chasms of ripped bleeding flesh in the wake (eww). Then she turned to Naruto ('s clone) with teary eyes. "I'm so sorry Naruto! I should have listened to you when you said we needed to work together. I should be the one tied to the stump instead of you. At least you tried to get us to work together."
Take that Harry! You thought she would never admit to being wrong! She even fricken apologized to me! It's like a miracle! Break out the fire whisky we have to celebrate, before hell freezes over and the world ends. Naruto mocked as he slowly made his way underground to the tree line.
Very funny Naruto, you're a real comedian. Keep it up and I won't make you a nice big lunch full of meat dishes and only a few veggies, just how you like it. Harry snarked back good-naturedly.
Kakashi looked on in surprise. When did Naruto ask Sakura to work with him? Was she lying, no that was genuine regret in her tone and eyes. He would have to watch the blond more carefully from now on. Naruto was just to full of surprised for his comfort.
Sakura suddenly turned to Kakashi angrily. "How were we supposed to know we had to work together!? You only have two bells, if we worked together one of us would still not have a bell and would have to skip lunch. You made us go against each other!"
"Yes I did pit you all against each other, to cause discord in your teamwork. But one of you should have been willing to take the fall so that you would all pass even if one of you didn't get to eat. Instead you all failed, the only reason you all aren't tied up is because Naruto tried to break the rules and eat lunch before time ran out. But you all failed as a team.
Sakura you didn't help Naruto when he was being beaten up in front of you and even when he asked you to help you didn't even consider it. Instead you focused all your attention on Sasuke who you couldn't even see. Sasuke you decided from the start that your teammates would only hold you back and you would do better on your own. Naruto you tried to do by yourself what it would have taken a team to do, and although you did try to team up with Sakura, you made no attempt with Sasuke."
Only because Sasuke would have shot me down with a fist to the face, leaving me with a broken nose… and one less teammate. Naruto thought to himself cynically.
"You are all a part of this team. You have to learn to work together, or you will expose your teammates to unnecessary danger when you try to work on your own. Some day you may have to choose between one teammates life and another's. When on a mission your lives will be on the line." Kakashi turned his back on them as he rested a hand on the memorial. "Look at the memorial. Heroes of our village, ninjas worthy of the title."
The clone, sensing its end nearing, determined to leave a more lasting impression than its fellow compatriots had in 'the battle against the perverted sensei.' " That's it! I've made my mind up, that's where I want my name to go! I want to be like them, a hero!"
Naruto groaned, oh come on! Everyone knew why those people were considered heroes! Now his clone was just trying to make him look like an idiot.
Kakashi eyed Naruto from the corner of his eye. "… These people listed here are not just any heroes. "
The clone worked himself into an excited frenzy. "Really! What kind are they? Come on, come on! Tell m…"
A kunai was suddenly piercing Naruto in the heart making him cough blood. Before Sakura even had a chance to scream, the clone poofed out of existence. Kakashi and Sasuke looked around in surprise as Sakura continued to stare at where she had just seen her teammate's clone be assassinated.
"They are the dead kind. They died in the line of duty." The real Naruto answered from his seat on a tree branch. He had had to kill the clone when it continued to make him look like a clown. Seriously if this was how everyone else saw him, no wonder he had so many assassination attempts towards him. He was enough to drive anyone sane to murder!
Kakashi just watched Naruto in surprise. "… Exactly. My best friends names are on this memorial…"
That explains a lot. Harry thought. He must have pushed himself to suicidal extremes after losing his team. The Hokage must have pulled him from Anbu to keep him from killing himself. And when Sasuke neared graduation, Kakashi was probably coerced into being his jounin instructor to keep him out of trouble. There's no other reason I can see the Hokage inflicting him on impressionable teens, the guy's totally not cut out to teach.
Aint that the truth. Naruto thought back. I can already tell that I'm going to learn more from questioning the other graduates on what their sensei's are teaching them then I am from this guy. He's totally going to push me and Sakura aside the first chance he gets, the bastard. He should pay… watch this.
Naruto tilted his head to the side feigning curiosity. "Kakashi sensei, where are your bells?"
Kakashi's eye widened in surprise, then he looked down just in time to see the bells tied to his pants turn into acorns and fall, and the blade of grass that had held them snap before gently gliding to the ground as well. "What the…" Kakashi looked up. Sasuke calmly pulled a bell from his pocket then reached over and pulled a matching one from Sakura's pocket as well, placing that bell into the stunned girl's hand. "When did…"
Naruto just chuckled as Sasuke smirked. Sakura looked in shock. "Do…does this me-mean we… pass?" She said in a weak voice.
Kakashi slowly nodded his head. "Although I should just fail you all anyways since none of you work together to get the bells in the first place… Since both you and Sasuke have a bell you two pass. Naruto has to skip lunch."
Sasuke raised his brow. "Even though he was the one who got the bells in the first place?"
"Rules are rules." Kakashi said by way of explanation. At this point he was so confused he just used to rules as an excuse because he had no idea what to do now, this never happened before. How the hell did they get his bells without his knowing?
"It's ok. You guys eat; I'm just going to read this fascinating book I just found. It's amazing!" Naruto said, now hanging from his knees on the tree branch while holding a very familiar orange book open in front of his face.
Kakashi let out a very feminine shriek as he frantically patted himself only to confirm that it was indeed his book Naruto was reading. "You brat! Give that back!" He yelled ferociously while glaring meanly at Naruto.
Naruto chuckled again as he slowly lowered the book just enough to peak his eyes over the top. "Now, now Kakashi sensei. What if the Hokage found out you were reading a book like this in front of an impressionable genin team, let alone the fact that you let one read it. "
Kakashi paled and held his hands up in a placating manner. "Th-there's no need to be 'rash. Naruto. Why should the Hokage have to hear about this? Right, we can keep this just between us… a-a team secret… yeah. No need to tell any-hm-anyone, right?"
Naruto grinned evilly behind the book. Harry no need to cook lunch, today. I got it covered. "Of course not Sensei. I see no reason to inform the Hokage. Especially since you're such a kind Sensei, treating your team to Ichiraku's and on the first day no less."
Kakashi looked livid. "That's blackmail!" He yelped, as if the idea had never occurred to him (which it should have considering he was a seasoned shinobi, and blackmail was practically an art form in his circles).
Harry laughed silently. You're really mean today Naruto. I love it! It's just what he deserves. Trying to get you guys to work together while making you guys compete. That's just cruel, like many kids would even figure it out, selfish children that they are. Except you, but then you have me so it all evens out.
Exactly. "Why are you surprised?" Naruto countered. "Just think of it as celebrating the fact that we are the first team you ever passed. I'll even return the book to you… unharmed." Hook, line, and sinker. I think we got ourselves a floater here Harry. He's just begging to be pranked!
Kakashi sweat-dropped at the implication that if he didn't do as Naruto said, then his book would be harmed. Sighing, he gave up in defeat. "Fine, you all passed. Lets go eat…" then he started to quietly grumble to himself as he walked towards the ramen shop. "…and drown our shame in noodle broth. Stupid team, stupid kids stupid no good Hokage, 'it's just a genin team,' bah and 'what's the worst that could happen.' Obviously he's never been around such bratlings as these. 'It'll be like a vacation after all those hard missions,' ha! This is like a vacation in hell, that lying, no good…"
Naruto grinned as he flipped off the tree and landed solidly on his feet. "We passed!" He cheered as he pumped his fist into the air. Sakura cheered as well, happy that the emotional roller coaster she had been on for the last few hours had finally stopped and dropped her off in the land were dreams come true. Sasuke just smirked happily, but quickly stopped when he realized he still had no idea how Naruto had managed to get the bells.
Naruto ran after Kakashi and solemnly held out his book only to have it snatched from his hands and secreted onto Kakashi's person in a secret location (no not there you perves, and not any other place that makes you giggle for more than five seconds when you think about it, it's a book!).
Yum, yummy ramey (raw-me) in my tum, tummy! Naruto mentally sang as he skipped in front of his team to his favorite restaurant. He quickly reached it, way ahead of the rest of his team. For once he foregoed the counter and bar stools for an actual booth that would fit the entire team comfortably (it was a reeeeealy big booth).
Harry had followed closely at his heels and was quick to duck underneath the booth before some drunken lout stepped on his tail. He was a really small cat after all. It was hard to notice his small black coat against the dark floor.
Slowly the rest of the team trudged in. Sasuke never ate in the establishment before and only came to interiga- question Naruto. Sakura was mindlessly following her love and didn't realize they were going to a ramen shop until she entered. She really didn't want to break her diet, but she was starving and Kakashi sensei was paying. Kakashi was reluctant to enter the portal of his wallet's doom, but he bucked up his courage with the thought that a deal was a deal. Besides how much could three kids eat? Who had just skipped breakfast and had an exhausting workout? And were still growing? Kakashi slumped, he'd be lucky if they didn't eat the clothes from off his back.
Naruto waved the others to the booth and watch happily as they all sat. Everyone placed an order for a bowl of ramen, except Naruto who ordered two. Sakura scowled at what she perceived to be bad manners. "Naruto, you should finish one bowl before ordering a second one." She lectured as they waited for their food.
Naruto scrunched up his face. "I know that, Sakura. They're not both for me, one is for…" Harry jumped onto the empty seat beside Naruto and stood up on his hind legs as his front paws rested on the table, "…him." Naruto said grinning as he stroked Harry from ears to tail.
Kakashi blinked and before he could help himself, he asked. "What is that?"
Naruto grinned cheekily at him. "This is a demon spawned cat I summoned from the bowls of hell, to render the flesh of my enemies before devouring their souls and to strike down my opposers with agonizing deaths!"
The people that were sitting around the group and had over heard (i.e. they were shamelessly eaves dropping) all edged farther away, some going so far as to run from the shop screaming in fear. But that was only a few.
Team seven all looked at Naruto in disbelief, while Harry decide to help Naruto's story by letting out a vicious snarling growl more suited to an animal ten times his size.
At that point Sakura was debating between fainting and running for her life. If she fainted no telling if she would ever wake up again, but on the other hand she couldn't seem to move. Sasuke was wondering if a demon could be killed with shuriken and kunai, but wasn't sure he wanted to risk if they didn't.
Kakashi on the other hand had a very different reaction. He sneezed. Once, twice, then three times in quick succession. Everyone just watched in stunned disbelief as the jounin was attacked by a sneezing fit and his eye started to water.
"You… sneeze… you… sneeze sneeze… have a cat!? Sneeze sneeze sneeze, wheeze, gasp. Whisper, "I'm allergic!" gasp wheeze, sneeze sneeze sneeze. "Get it… away!" Kakashi said as he backed himself as far into the corner as he could get, to weak to leave himself. Sakura and Sasuke were each debating the merits of getting their own cats to tortu-play with Kakashi, versus just erecting monuments to the cat god that owned Naruto.
It was at that moment that their orders arrived. By unanimous silent agreement, all three genin, plus cat, began eating and ignored the gasping nin in the corner. Still, Harry didn't want the Jounin to die, so he finished quickly and headed out the door.
I'm going to go see how Hinata's team is doing. Try to get to know more of your teammates weaknes- I mean facts about your team. I'll see you at diner. Harry thought at Naruto as he left the shop and headed back towards the training areas.
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next up, the history of Hinata and the guys. I decided to make her a more important character as my story needs more people instead of focusing so much on just Naruto and Harry. I decided on Hinata. NOw you decide who she is with: Gaara, Shino, or no one, or she's a slut. those are the only options you can pick. unless you convince me otherwise, it'll have to be a veeeeeery good idea. and remember she is very OOC more of an Anko manerism as you'll see in next chappy. you have up until the chunin exams to vote about 6 chapters give or take a few.