HELLO YES THIS CHAPTER IS IN FIRST PERSON POV. PLEASE DON'T BE ALARMED. KEEP READING, MY DARLINGS. IT GETS BETTER. (Wow, I sound desperate. SNAP OUT OF IT, MANATEE. OH MY GED, YOU ARE AN EMBARRASSMENT TO NATURE.)

Chapter Thirteen: Dingle Bells. Pass or Fail?

All of us scrambled out of the way the moment Kakashi said the magic word.

I managed to land on the same place as Uchiha when we stopped and I glared at him, "Copycat."

He snorted in reply, "You're the one who's following me."

"Alright, you and me, fair and square! Right here, right now!", Naruto's loud voice stole our attention.

"Fool." "Oh Kami." Uchiha and I said that respectively at the same time. Of course the rockbrain would do that. I should have grab him first. Well, if you look on the bright side, he could act as a diversion. Or maybe not.

"Hey, Prince. You got a plan?", I asked the Uchiha.

"Hn."

"I'll take that as a no.", I sighed and continued to rest my eyes on Kakashi, "Well, I do. And I need you to work with me if we're ever going to have a chance to take those bells."

"You'll only drag me down.", Duckbutt replied harshly and I sensed he was ready to leave.

But of course he couldn't.

'What the-", the Uchiha bit back the curse as he look down at his feet. "You're welcome.", I grinned mischievously as I marvel at my work, "Now that's call dragging you down."

Emo-san had his feet iced to the tree branch. I did it when I was talking to him, because I knew he would refuse my offer.

"Look, I'm not one to force you but listen. I've lived with Kakashi for at least three years.", I explained whilst he glared holes into my soul, "I've seen most of the teams that were put to the test by him. But I never knew what happens after the first hour. Every time. But what I do know is that teamwork is essential in this test, as well as being a ninja. Now if you're going to use that 'gifted' lump of meat in your skull, I suggest you do it now and work with me."

XXX

Of course I couldn't get to Sakura or Naruto in time because Sakura managed to get herself caught in a genjutsu before I could even sniff her out, her screams telling me that it was too late to bother and Naruto was hopeless since Kakashi is keeping a close eye on him. It's Kakashi we're talking about, I'm not taking any chances.

I've sealed myself in a ice sphere, hiding in the trees. But what's different about this one with the sphere I used to watch the rain is that it camouflages with its surroundings.

Oh yeah, and I'm alone because Mister 'I can do it by myself' insisted on going solo. So hey, why force the guy? He looked as if he was going stick up a branch up my ass and make me into a Mononoke kebab.

So there I sat, watching the Uchiha fight it out with Kakashi. His movements were refined and he definitely thought it through.

But then again, Kakashi's no box of dumb peanuts.

The triumphant moment when the Uchiha touched the bell, he leaped out of the way, increasing a distance between him and the young boy. As the Uchiha landed smoothly, I was shocked at his next move. A series of hand signs unlocked a fireball jutsu which he tried to barbeque Kakashi with.

Seizing the chance, I shattered the ice spehere and leaped out. Waving my hand across the clearing, ice shards followed after the fireball attack, charging at Kakashi from behind. So we covered the frontal attacks and behind. No way he could dodge that.

Or could he?

"Hold your horses.", I stuttered and hid behind a tree, cursing myself for being so naïve.

Kakashi's a Jounin! You'd think he fall for something that stupid, Mononoke? If he did, you might as well be promoted to ANBU.

The shards only stab a log. A replacement jutsu.

Dammit. I gritted my teeth. Okay, Plan B. Never thought about it but better late than never.

A hand shot up from underneath cockatoo-hair and latched on.

Pop goes the weasel.

One moment he was on solid ground, and the next, poor little Uchiha was in solid ground.

"Earth Style: Head Hunter Jutsu.", Kakashi explained as he crouched down in front of a snarling Uchiha.

He's probably going to hate me for this. Sorry, Prince of Dark and Emo. I really tried to help.

"Peek-a-boo.", I muttered behind Kakashi childishly and he looked behind me, surprise hidden in his single eye, "Oh, there you are."

Leaping away, I grinned at Kakashi as he stood up lazily, as if this exercise is going to be finally done with, "Well, saves me the trouble to look for you." Still grinning, I lifted my shoulders innocently, "I also save you the trouble of carrying those gawd awful bells."

Ding ling.

Three bells hung from my fingers as I smiled sweetly at him. I saw Kakashi glanced down at his belt before chuckling, "You scamp." I couldn't help myself and began to laugh.

But a breeze of air swished through and the bells were gone from my hands.

"Aw, come on! Don't be such a sore loser!", I whined as Kakashi's eye crinkled into a smile, the bells hanging on his belt once again, "That, never happened.", he said with a tilt of his head, "Now, why don't you show me what you can really do instead of hiding in the shadows all the time?"

Sighing, the ice clone before him shattered and the real Mononoke stepped out of the trees. I sighed and laced my fingers behind my head, "I don't wanna fight. It's too much work."

"But you can do cloning jutsus, a transformation jutsu and a camouflage jutsu?", Kakashi asked smoothly and I let out a heavy breath before grinning at him, "Okay, okay, you got me."

Facing him fully, I let down my childish demeanour. If he really wants me to show my full capability, I would only be to happy to oblige.

I felt my mouth curled into a dangerous smile and licked my canines, watching him with feral eyes, "But if I get serious, you might never see me the same way again."

I could see but didn't understand the look in Kakashi's eye as we stared at one another. I guess he knew that because I've grown away from him and I could've learn anything new, that's why he never let his guard down from the beginning.

Besides, one good thing about this test is that he doesn't know what I can do, because we never train together.

"Good. You're finally taking this seriously, Mononoke.", Kakashi said, a hint of pride in his voice. I could see the Uchiha's head still above the ground. Of all the time I was dragging so he could escape, after this long, I suppose he's stuck. Right then. Fight first, save later.

Three ice kunais flew straight at Kakashi in a weird zig zag fashion and I saw his eyes keeping up in time with their movements. Just as they neared three feet from him, the kunais exploded into large powders of snow. He tried to jump away but I burst from behind the cloud, a kunai in my mouth.

I spat the kunai out, aiming it at his headband. Kakashi leaned away, avoiding it. Gathering my strength, I tried to throw a punch at him.

He deflected my attack, making me land on my hands. Twisting around my palms, I aimed a kick at his face but he used his arms to block it. I grabbed his leg with one hand and a short stump of ice shot up from the ground, imprisoning him.

Kakashi tried to move but the ice held him fast. The movement brought the ringing of the bells. I snatched at them as he got shocked from the ice cold sensation. Quickly, I made my escape but whatever that the ice column had locked on just poof into smoke.

A clone?

Immediately, I noticed a slight change in the air behind me but before I could react, Kakashi had placed a kunai in my hand and made me aim my own neck, my other arm locked behind my back.

"Not bad, scamp. You did pretty well.", Kakashi muttered into my ear and I couldn't help but glow with pride. He released me gently and I turned to beam at him.

But he was gone.

I felt my face fell in disappointment. Confounded, I sighed and walked towards the Uchiha.

Crouched in front of him in the same manner as Kakashi did before, I gave him a sheepish grin, "Sorry about that. Did I get any snow in your eyes?" His eyes bored into me as I placed my hands on the ground in front of him. "How?" His voice seemed a little strained but I dismissed it.

"Practice.", I replied humbly and ice cracked the earth around him, crumbling it into soft mounds of dirt. I stood up and reached out a hand at him. He managed to drag his arm free from the dirt with no problem. I waited patiently as his onyx eyes flickered to my hand for a moment. Although the Uchiha hesitated, he accepted the help. Pulling him to his feet, I smiled, "Here."

Two bells hung from my fingers with an enticing dingle. His eyes were on the bells for a heartbeat before it roamed to me as he said tartly, "I'll get one myself." I sighed and shook my head at him, "Kakashi was going easy on me. He let me take them." I pulled his hand up and dropped one of the bells on his open palm, "My guess that he lets me take two of those darn things is to give you one." Dark eyes looked incredulously at me.

"What? Don't you trust me?", I asked with a grin, "I'm no conman."

"And you said you were a lousy ninja.", he replied, his voice a little harsh. My face turned serious as I watched him, "I don't like bringing up other people's expectations of me. That would only lead to pressure and doing something stupid. Now come on. It's almost noon."

XXXX

"All for of you are being dropped from the program... Permanently."

I stared at him blankly, unable to process what I was hearing. Could he do that?

Would he do that?

Kakashi knew how much I wanted to be a ninja like him. Just like that, he's going to crush my dream? I shook my head in disgust. If he did, I swear I will hate him for life.

"Drop us from the program?! That means we can never become ninjas! You said that if we didn't get the bells, we would just be sent back to the Academy!", Naruto shouted, after realizing what that meant. He was outraged by the news heaped against us, "You can't just change your mind and kick us out! Why would you do that?!", he asked, sounding as broken as my heart was right now.

"Because you don't think like ninjas. You think like little kids, like brats.", Kakashi explained, crossing his arms as he watched us.

I felt a crackle in the air beside me. The Uchiha was pissed as hell. I mean, who wouldn't?

All of us looked at him in surprise as he dashed towards Kakashi, with an intent to kill. "Sasuke-kun?!", Sakura shouted after him.

But as soon as he reached Kakashi, he stopped the boy without breaking a sweat. In a blink, Uchiha was on his stomach as Kakashi sat on his back, holding his arm twisted behind his back. "You think this is all about you.", Kakashi continued breezily.

"Let go of Sasuke-kun! You can't just step on him like he's some sort of bug.", Sakura shouted as she shot up, glaring at our sensei. I couldn't help but stare at her. Is that all she cares about?

"You don't know what it means to be a ninja. You think it's some sort of game." We looked at him curiously as he continued, "Why do you think we put you in teams? Did you ever consider that for a moment?"

Sakura, clearly dumbfounded, sat back down, "I... I don't get it..."

"I mean that it never crossed your minds what this exercise was about."

"What's it about then?", Naruto asked, dying to know.

"Yes, it determines whether you pass or fail. But have you never thought about some other motive?", Kakashi asked again, his eyes clearly on me, "I thought I taught you better, scamp."

"But that's... I mean, I wanted to ask you from the start...", Sakura tried again, obviously not understanding. But I knew. I knew what the absolute hell he was going on about. I'm not stupid.

"Use your pretty head, Sakura.", I replied for Kakashi, my eyes looking at his own grey one, "Four people on a team. Why do you think they did it?"

"Huh? How do we know? We didn't make the rules.", Naruto pestered, and I sighed.

"It's so basic,", I groaned as if I was so done with everyone. "Teamwork.", Kakashi said as he watched me, "And for a moment there I thought that all my hard work just went down the drain."

"Sorry, Kakashi.", was all I could managed as I looked away. The disappointment in his eyes was a little too much to bear.

The other three stared at me as if I've grown another head.

"Us working together?", Sakura responded. "Exactly,", Kakashi said casually, as if we're talking about the weather, "If the four of you had come at me, you might be able to get the bells. But it's too late for that now."

"But you set it up with four people with only three bells. If the three of us get it, that would leave one empty handed. That's going to lead to conflict and the squad will break off.", Sakura said, unwilling to back down. "I purposely pitted you guys against each other."

"Huh?", Naruto questioned, unable to understand what was going on.

"I wanted to see if you could overcome that, put the squad ahead of yourselves. A Genin should have the natural urge for teamwork, but for you lot, it never crossed your minds.", Kakashi replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Naruto, you charged in all by yourself and took action without using your head. Sakura, you were so busy looking for Sasuke, you abandoned a teammate who was right in front of you. Sasuke, you believed that you were far better than your teammates and did everything on your own." The others looked away, guilt in their eyes. Although his voice was gentle, his words rang true and harsh.

Kakashi turns to me, I winced a little at the look in his eyes, "Mononoke. You did well but you only did so in the shadows. You gave up on your teammates because you didn't want to risk my attacks." I looked down in shame. But he continued in a lighter voice, "But at least you saved Sasuke after beating me and you actually thought of giving him your bell."

I felt Uchiha's eyes on me and I sighed.

Busted.

Busted real bad.

I hate the fact that I just realized that it didn't matter if Kakashi didn't knew how I fight. What mattered is that he knew the way I think. Lifting the bell for all to see, I shook my head, "Well, I felt bad for leaving him there like nothing."

The silver colour of the bell drained away, turning to ice. "I only managed to get one bell.", I explained and the ice melted into water, before hissing into air. I probably did a number on Duck Prince's pride, but at least I tried to cheer him up. He did pretty well too.

By himself.

"Individual skills are important but teamwork is the essential element that every shinobi understands. When individuals put themselves above the squad, it can lead to failure and death. For example." Kakashi placed a kunai on the Uchiha's neck and glared up at me, "Mononoke! Kill Sakura and Naruto now, or Sasuke dies!" I blinked in surprised as Naruto and Sakura panicked. Calm your shit, Mono. He said it was an example.

"That's what happens in a mission.", Kakashi explained, satisfied with our reactions as he retracted the kunai. The Uchiha underneath him let out a small breath of relief and the other two sighed gratefully. "The enemy takes a hostage, and you're faced with an impossible decision then someone ends up dead. In every mission, you lives are at stake.", Kakashi said as he got off Uchiha and walked towards the memorial stone.

I never knew we were this close to it until then.

"Did you ever look at this stone? The names engraved on it... They belong to shinobi who are honoured as heroes by our village."

The wind lifted, breezing through my hair as I watched Kakashi sadly. I could smell the melancholy on him. And it hurts.

"That's it! That's it!", Naruto exclaimed cheerfully, pulling me out if my thoughts, "I got it! I'm going to have my name on that stone! I'm not going to live and die like a dog! I'm going to be hero! A hero!" I watched him in all his naivety. He's going to get hurt if he keeps that up. But then again...

"They're a special kind of heroes.", Kakashi said solemnly.

"Huh? What kind of heroes? Tell us! C'mon, tell us!", Naruto persisted, his face grinning.

"They're all K.I.A.", his voice said softly.

"Uhh, that's really cool?", Naruto said innocently and Sakura turned to him sadly as she clarified, "It means they're killed in action."

"This is a memorial stone. The names of my closest friends are engraved here."

I couldn't take it anymore and got up to stand beside Kakashi. Placing a hand on his back, I leaned my forehead against his arm, hoping that I can give him some comfort. I always hated to see Kakashi sad. His hand patted my head knowingly.

Suddenly, I raised my head and looked at him in the eye defiantly. He watched in surprise as I spoke, "Kakashi. Please. One more chance. Now that we know our mistakes, we can try again." Kakashi's eyes were a little sad when he answered, "Do you think you can get a second shot in the real world?"

Silence.

I clenched my fists as I tried to reason with him, my voice cracking slightly, "No way we're backing up now. We barely know each other in the first place, that's why the thought of teamwork never crossed our minds. But we know that now. That's why you're our sensei. You're there to teach us the right way."

"We can work together, Kakashi-sensei! Please!", I heard Sakura pleaded along with me, and I felt my heart lighten a little. Now we're talking.

"Yeah! Yeah! One more time, sensei, dattebayo!", Naruto joined in and we looked at him expectantly.

The look on his eye told me everything before he even spoke, "Alright. I'll give you one more chance." I grinned at him, standing tall, "We'll pass this time, for sure!"

"Dattebayo!", Naruto whooped and I could feel the Uchiha relaxed, relief flooding him.

"But, on one condition. All of you may have your lunch but Naruto isn't allowed to eat because he cheated. If I catch any of you feeding him, you will ALL fail.", Kakashi said firmly. Somehow, I couldn't help but smell his interest.

It's as if he's hiding something.

XXXX

Gruuuuuuggghhh.

That was the third growl that came from Naruto's stomach while we ate. "This is no big deal!", Naruto insisted, "I can go without food for days, weeks, dattebayo! This is no big deal!"

Grruugggh.

Seems that hungry tummy begs to differ, Naruto-kun.

I looked at him sympathetically. It must suck to see all these food and not being able to eat it. On top of that, they didn't even have breakfast. Just as I was about to speak, the cranky walnut beside me sighed and lifted his bento to Naruto, "Here."

"Sasuke-kun! What are you doing? You heard what Kakashi-sensei, Naruto can't have anything!", Sakura interjected, her eyes darting around for signs. "Kakashi's not here. We need to get those bells as a team. If Naruto's starving, he's going to be weak and ineffective. That hurts the team and jeopardizes the mission.", Duckbutt explains and I blinked at him, confounded. When did he become such a caring walnut?

Recovering myself, I rolled my eyes, "Oh, stuff it, Duckbutt. You're weak after spitting fireballs and all that jazz. Naruto can have my food." Just as I was about to sit up, Sakura interrupted, "But you need your strength too, Mononoke-chan."

I looked up in surprise. Okay, hold up. Mononoke-chan? She's using honourifics now?

She smiled a little at me, "All I ever did before was scream and faint. I need to make up for it. Besides, you're the most qualified to get those bells. You need to be on your best shape if we're ever going to have a chance at passing."

Well, roll me over and call me a sushi. Sakura's growing up. I sat back down as I watched her lifted a mouthful of food to Naruto. His eyes were shining with happiness and Sakura scowled, as if she regretted volunteering for this, "This is a one time thing only, got it? I'm not doing this again!"

Naruto nodded feverishly, glorious food only inches away, "You got it, Sakura-chan!"

I smiled a little as I took a bite. Maybe this teamwork thing might work out after all.

Just as Naruto took in a large mouthful of food, the sky began to darken, a strange killing intent began filling the air. I was so surprised by the change that I choked on my food. The air was warm though. How could there be a storm? What the heck?

"YOU!", an explosion of smoke before us revealed a very pissed off Kakashi, his eye menacing, "You broke the rules! I hope you're prepared for your punishment!" Uchiha jumped in front of me defensively as I was hacking on my food while Sakura and Naruto shrieked with panic at the dramatic lightning.

While Kakashi made a few hand seals, I managed to recover the well timed self-destruction my body tried to do against me and nudged Uchiha towards the other two. Sakura covered her head in fright and Naruto seemingly pissed his undies.

"Any last words?", Kakashi growled intimidatingly.

"B-But you said!", Naruto stammered, finding his voice.

"Yes?", the angry sensei rasped, a hint of curiosity coming from him.

"Y-You said that the four of us, and that's why they... That's why Sakura-chan...", Naruto looked at us pleadingly.

"We're a team.", Sasuke continued for him, his eyes glaring, "And we're in this together."

Sakura stood up, her courage returning, "That's right! We gave our lunch to him because we're one!"

"So, if we're going to go, we're going together!", I added, frost building in my fingers, "That's how Team Seven does it!"

"Yeah! Yeah! That's right, dattebayo!", Naruto finished.

If I'm going to get fried, I'd rather get burnt into a crisp with friends. No matter how short our time was together. All of us stood with each other as we watched Kakashi, bracing ourselves.

"The four of you are one. That's your excuse?", Kakashi said. Just as I thought we were done for, Kakashi's eye crinkled up into smile, going back to the Kakashi I knew, "Heh. You pass!"

"Eh?", Naruto and Sakura blinked. The frost was gone from my hand as I felt a smile tugged at my lips.

"You. Pass.", Kakashi repeated cheerfully. The dark angry clouds were gone as quickly as they had come. Birds chirped in the air as we all stood there in awed silence.

Sakura, unable to believe it but happy all the same asked how we passed. I couldn't contain my excitement as Kakashi explained to us about teamwork. Heck he even used his favourite line about those who breaks the rules are scum but those who leave their comrades behind are worse than scum.

I let out a heavy breath as I sat down, legs wobbly with relief, "For a moment there, I thought we were toast."

XXX

I got back to the Nara household on happy feet. After punching Kakashi for giving me a fright then hugging him for letting us pass, I raced back home to tell the Nara the good news.

Pushing opened the front door, I announced, "I'm home!" Yoshino-san stepped out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron, "Welcome back, Mono-chan! So, how did it go?"

I grinned before running into her arms.

"Oh!", she grunt in surprise as I hugged her so tight, I lifted her up slightly with joy, "I passed! I'm a Genin now!" She laughed at this as I put her down, beckoning me to the sofa, "That's great news! You have to tell me all about it."

Yoshino-san has always been supportive of me, telling me that I was her miracle since she's the only woman in the household. Plus,it's nice to have someone talk girl stuff with me. As much as I love her, the Nara lady can be a little overbearing sometimes. But it's all for a good reason.

While I spilled the beans, Yoshino-san listen to me intently, her eyes amazed at everything. She was only at Chunin level when she married Shikaku and have went on the difficult road of being a housewife and mother. But it still intrigued me about how little she remembered about her ninja days.

Nonetheless, Yoshino-san had a big mouth and an even bigger heart.

"We're back!", Shikaku-san's voice interrupted us and both females turned to look at the newcomers. "Welcome home!", I greeted, my smile bright as Shikaku-san and Shikamaru entered the living room. "So, what's our two fine ladies doing this evening?", Shikaku-san asked smoothly and Yoshino-san rolled her eyes, "You do realize what time it is?"

Before she could launch a lecture about the two males coming home late, I interrupted, "Where did you guys went?" Shikaku-san grinned proudly and smacked Shikamaru on the shoulder, who complained at the gesture, "I was teaching Shikamaru about our clans techniques."

Turning to the scowling boy, I smiled, "So, Shika, how did it go? Did you screw up?"

Shika snorted, probably at the nickname, "No. And stop calling me that." I stuck my tongue out a little at him childishly.

Although he said that, I heard Shikaku-san choke on a laugh, "Sure, kid. Of course not." That comment must have meant something because the pineapple head's pale cheeks were tinted pink as he looked away, "Tch, this is such a drag." He looked even more embarrassed when everyone else began to laugh.

"Okay, okay, sourpuss. You didn't screw up your training. So did you pass the test?", I changed the subject, trying to save him from the humiliation. The father and son were sitting with us now as we talked, Shikaku-san sitting with his wife, his arm draped on the couch behind her while Shika sat with me on the opposite seat, leaning against the plush sofa.

"Yeah, did you?"

"Obviously.", I replied with a little gusto and he smirked, "Obviously." I rolled my eyes at his sarcasm. I must be rubbing my sarcastic attitude off on him.

"Oh, right. Mononoke?", Shikaku-san interrupted as I turned to him, "How about you join us tomorrow? For training, I mean. Shikamaru needs to learn his aim." I raised my eyebrow at Shikamaru, "That explains it."

"I can aim fine, Dad!", Shika retorted, his cheeks holding a little more pink.

"It's good to have a moving target to train with.", Shikaku-san explained and nodded at me, "Besides, Mononoke can imitate the movements of an average ninja, giving you some practice."

"But don't we have missions to do? I mean, we're Genins now.", I piped up, the realization hitting me. Shikaku-san pondered for a moment, "True enough. Well, suppose if you have some free time tomorrow, you know where to look for us." I nodded and turned to Shikamaru, "Well, cross your fingers, Shika." He snorted and turned away, "Troublesome woman."

XXXXXXXX

OKAY GUYS. THIS IS DONE. And after rereading the whole fic again, I just wanna say... I'M SO SORRY YOU GUYS HAD TO GO THROUGH SUCH AWKWARD HELL. I mean, it was some time since I last wrote and when I got back to writing again, it sucks balls. Excuse my colourful language but yesh. I failed in the beginning so I might be rewriting them sometimes so go check it out. If you wanna. I mean, you got a choice, people, I ain't forcing you. But now I managed to get the hang of it again. I think. Idk. HAHAHA I'M SUCH A JOKE. (I love this chapter's title though. /seal claps)

Fact#9: Mononoke's height is 146.8 cm. So she's slightly taller than Naruto but shorter than Sakura. (Tiny ninja with lots of spunk. LMAO)