Chapter 2
The World's Strongest Twelve-Year Old
Sasuke Uchiha was excited. Was 'excited' the right way to describe it, she wondered quietly? It felt more like a strange tingling in the back of her neck and a premonition of a good future. She was a Ninja now. It had been incredibly easy. But becoming a Ninja was never the goal. Every stepping stone to cross, so little time. Not only that, her Sensei was the famous - or infamous - Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Ninja. She couldn't find much about her - although she hadn't bothered asking around either - she doubted that the Jounin was a very sociable person. She knew that the elder woman was an S-Class Shinobi - and that was all that she had managed to salvage from the Uchiha Library. It spoke of the woman's skill that she was a Shinobi that not even the former Police Force of Konoha had any information about. Nevertheless, it worked better for her that way.
She would grow stronger, but of course, like any true warrior, her strength would be a means to an end and not the end in itself. After all, she needed to be strong. A bit self-consciously, she thought she was already leagues beyond her classmates - snobbish brats that they were. Somewhere in the confines of her mind a voice whispered, you're the world's strongest twelve-year old, after all, dear. She shivered and shook as the voice of her loving and caring mother caressed her gently.
Today was a new day, after all, not that she'd gotten much sleep the previous night. The sky outside was dim and she braced herself for the tests that the day would bring. The first thing she did when she woke up was clean her already neat and tidy apartment with practiced precision. She glanced at the wall clock. Five 'o' clock. Good, she thought to herself. That left her plenty of time to train - and train she would. Train you must, whispered a cold voice in her head that caused her to wince nervously. You are an Uchiha, after all.
With that said, she changed into her uniform. Today they would presumably have to fight, so Sasuke switched out her Clan clothes - one's that she had grown accustomed to wearing - for the Clan armor which hung loosely on her. It would have to do. It might hinder her movements a bit but it was nothing she couldn't overcome. After all, she was Sasuke Uchiha. She might have to remove a few of the metal plates, if only because it would be too heavy. The chest, shoulder and knee plates could stay, however. The armor was made from elastic fabric and fit tightly.
She made her way to Training Ground Three, moving quickly through the empty streets of early morning - all the shops not opened yet. She saw no one else wandering the dimly illuminated streets. When she arrived, she noticed that the lush green fields were empty. In retrospect, she didn't know why she expected there to be anyone there. Her thoughts naturally drifted to her teammates. A forgettable pair of kids. There was Sakura, who she remembered only because of the introductions the other day, of which she had tuned out everything but the names of her teammates. Then there was Naruto. She would admit she'd had the most difficulty tuning that person out. He was just as disposable as Sakura however, even if she felt slight uneasiness whenever their eyes made contact. She didn't need teammates to prosper. She would prove as much today.
Of course you don't. Both voices spoke to her, albeit in completely different tones. She sighed.
-(Field and Fox)-
The discomfort of sleeping too little and too late was evident on each of their faces. They had met up from three different paths that seemed to collide in the open fields of Training Ground 3. Sasuke had seemed to have gotten there even before the allotted time of six. When Sakura and Naruto arrived they found her a bit exhausted - the only indications of this were the deep breaths she took, low enough that she would be able to hope that none of them would notice. Sakura was awed at the determination her teammate possessed, but Naruto's eyes were narrowed.
The sun had yet to rise, and they stared sullenly at each other. Well, Sakura thought they were sullen. Both the other members of her Team were doing what she had seen her father do before. Whenever he was annoyed he would express himself with little gestures. Naruto looked as pleasant and carefree as ever and Sasuke looked as aloof as she always did. But Sakura wagered that they were just hiding their annoyance, as Naruto would yawn deeply every few minutes while rubbing his eyes and Sasuke's eyes darted around in thinly veiled impatience. The sky was a dull purple and the surrounding forests painted a deep green.
After half an hour of staring at their wrist watches, Naruto laughed. The sound reverberated through the empty fields. Both Sakura and Sasuke flinched when the loud sound entered their ears and gave Naruto a sharp look. He got up and stretched, and the cracking sound that was produced made Sakura flinch.
"Up for a game of Truth or Dare, you two?"
Sasuke snorted from behind her. Sakura just rushed Naruto. Of course, she made sure to hit him just hard enough on his shoulder for him to wise up but not actually get hurt.
"We're not in the Academy anymore, Naruto!"
Naruto replied while rubbing his shoulder that it wasn't as if they had anything better to do. Internally Sakura agreed with the statement.
In the end, when Naruto proposed the idea to Sasuke, she replied with a stiff, "Are you kidding me?" and the firm refusal dashed any chances for Sakura to join Naruto. With his proposal rubbed in the dirt he had nothing else to do. Laying himself onto the ground, he shifted a bit, as if trying to get comfortable, before finally going limp. A few minutes later mild snoring was heard. Sakura shook her head while what sounded like a disapproving 'Hn.' came from Sasuke's general direction.
-(Field and Fox)-
It was eight, by which point in time both Sasuke and Sakura had stopped caring and followed Naruto's example - if in their own styles. Sasuke found a large tree to rest under, still sitting up with her arms crossed in her sleep. Sakura was all zipped up in a sleeping bag - she brought that along? Was what would have crossed the minds of her teammates had they been conscious.
In truth, Kakashi was not late. She had been hidden within the depths of the murky forest depths, quietly observing her new students. She wondered if it was alright to assume that they were her students. After all, while her official title was 'Jounin Sensei' her job entailed less actual teaching and more leading a squad. Showing them the ropes until they could move on as independent shinobi.
All in all, they performed as she had expected. Sasuke had arrived early, and Kakashi had observed the tough little kid practice plenty of basic shinobi exercises, performing each perfectly. Well, aside from one. The exercise in question involved launching multiple kunai in rotation while being mobile to set up wire traps. It was an exercise that had caused Kakashi no small amounts of mental turmoil as she recognized it as one a certain junior in her former ANBU team would perform. One whose true identity she had figured out on her own, of course. It wasn't difficult to connect the dots when a fourteen year-old Sharingan wielding boy showed up one day and a similar prodigy was taken out of his Jounin squad on the same day.
Moving back onto topic, it seemed that Sasuke wished to try and replicate her brother's genius, and the small twitch of her thin eyebrows gave away her frustration at being unable to do so. It was a shame, thought Kakashi. From what Kakashi had seen, Sasuke was a bit of a warrior in her movement. A strong, perfected stance but open to improvisation. A clear difference from the graceful and frail Genjutsu Master her brother had been. However, there was a drive. One day, perhaps, she would rise to the task of leading this group of oddballs. For now, something about her eyes rubbed Kakashi the wrong way.
Sakura seemed to be the same as what Kakashi had seen the previous day. Yet, she showed resourcefulness when she rummaged her rucksack for a sleeping bag, even surprising Kakashi. From what Kakashi understood, it seemed Sakura had grown up with a crafty merchant as her father, and as such, it seemed that resourcefulness had cemented itself into her small movepool. It was something that would help the whole team - not just Sakura herself. A team player with an interest in medical Ninjutsu. Yes, Kakashi could see it.
Naruto had the least to do in this particular setting, being himself. Yet she had seen something interesting over an hour ago. A game of Truth and Dare huh? It seemed that the meaning of this little game Naruto had proposed had gone past both of the other member's heads. Kakashi snorted to herself when Naruto initially proposed the game, his reasoning clear for her to see. She was a pro in looking underneath the underneath. Naruto would have utilised the 'truth' to find out more about Sasuke, sacrificing some information in return for other information. But despite the mischievous attempt at lightheartedly gathering information it still felt lacking. It was, however, cunning and sharpness not associated with the class clown's repertoire.
They were, however, competent, in their own, messy way. If things went well they would spread their wings soon, relieving her of the responsibility of mothering them. She snorted dismissively. She hadn't even passed them, and here she was, hoping to free herself of them. All in due course.
It was about time. She didn't want the brats to stay asleep long enough to feel refreshed.
-(Field and Fox)-
When Kakashi finally appeared, the sky was a deep blue and the sun was damningly bright. She played the part of a disinterested taskmaster to the tea. The effects of this on the kids was amusing.
Sakura's annoyance was plain for everyone to see in the way she grit her teeth. If glaring was fatal then Sasuke would've killed her a hundred times over. Naruto just smiled at her jovially, as if happy to see her. She supposed he was just being the ever respectful kohai that she had met the day before last, once again clashing with the persona he had worn when they had gone through the initial introductions. She shook her head mentally, since he was still lazily picking his nose. Perhaps she was desperately trying to find a long dead mentor in those blue eyes.
"Your assignment," she said, dangling the tiny bells in front of their raptly attentive eyes, "Is to get these bells from me. If you manage to get even one of these from me, you pass."
It went unsaid that there were only two bells. She watched amusedly as they drew the obvious conclusion that proposed. Only two would pass. One would fail. Interestingly, Naruto looked at her with narrowed eyes, as if asking really? She did not falter, however, and he turned away. The other two, working their way through her little riddle, eyed Naruto, as if unconsciously thinking that he would be the odd one out. Interesting.
"You have till noon. Your time starts," she watched as all three tensed in alarm, maybe thinking that she was going to actively go after them, "...Now."
And they were off. All three dashed out of her field of vision, rushing into the surrounding forest. Well then, it was time to indulge herself a bit. She rummaged through her jacket pocket, eventually pulling out the Icha Icha Paradise, A Tale of two shinobi out.
Ah, sweet reverse harem delight.
-(Field and Fox)-
It was perfect, she thought. Sasuke Uchiha was giddy beneath her reserved exterior. It felt as if the test was made for her. She didn't even have to fight her Sensei. The word Sensei felt pleasant on her tongue as she practised it. It was clear as day now. Her Sensei, the S-Class Ninja, did not desire dead-weight. This was the purpose of the test. Of course, any good teacher had her standards - so of course the Jounin would want the best and only the best.
It was then that she heard the rustling of leaves behind her. Her dominant hand flew to her kunai pouch, only to catch a glimpse of orange and settle down as Naruto maneuvered himself over a thorny bush.
"..."
When Naruto was done patting the dirt off his pants, he turned to look at her - while picking his nose, of course.
"So, what's your plan?"
For a moment she was struck with an odd sense of pride. The inferior teammate had come to seek help from the superior. Then she realised with some disgust that the boy had come to her because he intended to feed off of her ability. Surely, even someone as thickheaded as him had figured out his own inadequacy and had reached the conclusion that he needed her help.
She scoffed.
"Not your concern."
She turned and leapt away, not noticing the forced smile on Naruto's face. She had a bell to retrieve.
…
A clone Kakashi made observed the encounter, hidden behind a bush. So that was the source of the discomfort gnawing at her stomach. Yes, it made complete sense. Sasuke was like her, was like she had been, she corrected. She briefly glanced at Naruto, who was still smiling, as he shrugged his shoulders to no one in particular, in a 'what can you do?' way. Then she dispelled herself.
…
With her newly received memories Kakashi closed her novel, fully aware of how competent the coming fledgling was, and that she'd probably need to be attentive. The memories made her even more uncomfortable. Things had also stopped proceeding in the way that Kakashi had anticipated them. She had expected for Naruto to try his luck first, but the boy had a more cunning approach. So, he had tried to assist Sasuke? There was something more there, she thought.
The dilemma that the bell test posed was one that had one generally accepted solution - teamwork - but - there was an argument for other possible solutions as well. She dispelled the clone that was observing Sakura, who was perched on top of a tree, watching Kakashi read as if it was the most important thing in the world.
Ah, the girl had arrived. She had hidden herself behind a stone - which - ah - Kakashi didn't need to follow that line of thought. Kakashi turned away from the stone - and reopened Icha Icha, hoping to bait the girl. Instead of rushing him when his back was turned, she instead threw Kunai - with extreme precision for the distance between them - at Kakashi's open back. Kakashi thought it'd be more scary to use a Kawarimi then to just evade them. That would be an awful lot of hand signs [1] however. She sighed.
With that done, Kakashi ended up just outside the clearing, a few meters into the forest. She mutely thought that this was where Sakura had been a moment ago, but to her surprise - Sakura was no longer there. She didn't have time to wonder seriously about this however, as she had an Uchiha to catch. Sasuke had done her the favour of coming out into the open. She would at least respect the girl and give her a fair chance.
With that said, she walked out of the woods. Sasuke was still hiding.
She didn't bother calling out to her, since Sasuke had probably realised that using tools like kunai and shuriken wouldn't work on someone who could catch them all with one hand - that had been one bad day with Gai. His challenges could get out of hand sometimes. Instead, she just waited with her back turned to the stone.
If the girl had not realised that Kakashi was well aware of her location, then she would have to be told. She had just decided to catch the girl off guard when she heard fast approaching footsteps. She turned around just in time to catch the girl's fist. She hit hard, perhaps, but nothing Kakashi couldn't block. She mutely debated the consequences of using A Thousand Years of Pain, but thought better then doing so. She launched a quick fist into Sasuke's stomach - with more force then needed, she realised, but sighed in relief when the girl burst into a puff of smoke. Huh. Go fig-
"Katon, Goukakyuu No Jutsu."
Ah fuck.
…
Sasuke was rather proud as she finished off her jutsu. It was more than she had planned to use, but she had exhausted herself earlier in the morning and she didn't have the energy left to have a taijutsu spar with the S-class Shinobi.
Only when the fire cleared off did she realise her mistake. It was too late by then, of course, as a hand rose up from the ground and pulled her down. She growled in frustration. Her attempt had been too lacklustre.
Kakashi didn't dilly dally and spell to her the mistakes she made, instead walking away from her and opening that book of hers again.
Where were the other two? Her mind wondered now that she had nothing better to do. They had probably run away, she thought, scared by the Jounin. As she was thinking about how to escape her predicament, there was a rustling of leaves heard, and both she and Kakashi turned their heads.
-(Field and Fox)-
Kakashi let herself be surprised. Things had deteriorated far quicker then she had wanted them too. She had made a mockery of the tough little girl and now chances of the three separated teammates working together were next to none. Now, after Sasuke, she had expected Naruto. Instead, the person that came forward was the top of the class, Sakura Haruno.
Kakashi would admit that she hadn't thought that Sakura would approach her at all. The things she had observed from Sakura's demeanor were apprehension and a near heart attack inducing tension. The girl hadn't gotten past that fear, it seemed, if her quick breaths and constant glances were any indication. But Kakashi would give credit where it was due. Despite her fears, Sakura had the guts to walk up to her. Something felt odd about how she approached, however.
In the blink of an eye, there were kunai and shuriken flying in her general direction. Yet, she realised with some amusement, the distance between them was far too great and the kunai spread out and lodged themselves in the nearby ground. There must have been a couple dozen.
It was a nonsensical strategy and Kakashi pondered what the girl was thinking, throwing some weapons in her general direction. Now she looked to be forming some hand signs. The girl would only know academy Jutsu, there was nothing there that Kakashi couldn't counter with ease. It made no se-
Wait.
Kakashi had forgotten to ask a vital question - the third member - Naruto - where was he? She had dismissed him after Sakura walked out - he would still be hiding in the woods - but she didn't think of the obvious conclusion that she should've drawn from Sasuke's rejection to help him - it only made sense that after being rejected by one teammate he would - but that meant -
She was caught off-guard by the puffs of smoke that went off like small explosions all around her. Before she knew it an army of Naruto's descended upon her all at once. Instead of attacking however, they hurried to grab hold of her hands and limbs. Hands - of course, they couldn't let her perform any hand signs, and limbs to make sure she didn't run away.
Before she knew, she was lying on the ground, more clones then she could count holding her down.
One of them, who she assumed was the real Naruto, grinned at her. The cheeky smile was rather predatory, she thought idly.
"Sorry Senpai, but we'll be taking the bells."
She grinned too, and the strange way her mask contorted accordingly wiped Naruto's smile off his face.
"I'm sorry too."
A puff of smoke followed.
Truth be told, she'd done something she hadn't thought she would do. She'd used the Sharingan. Only for but a moment, to find the only route of escape while the clones revealed themselves. Then she had made a shadow clone, and left it to be mauled by the Naruto clones. All very quickly. Naruto was fast, she'd give his uncoordinated movement that one compliment - but she was faster.
She hadn't wanted to even slightly try during this test, since it was mostly the mental game she wanted to play - and because the three Genin were weak enough for her to beat with her eyes closed and both hands tied behind her back.
As she made her escape, the Naruto clones dispelled, leaving one Naruto smiling at her.
"Hey Senpai! Check your pocket!"
She checked the pocket where she had deposited the bells. She felt pointy rocks.
The game was over.
All at once, Sasuke, stuck in her rabbit hole, Naruto, who was grinning while pointing, and Kakashi whose singular eyebrow was raised, turned to the final member of the would-be Team 7. Sakura clutched the two bells tightly in her hands, looking both cheerful and terribly confused.
…
It turned out, in fact, that Naruto had approached Sakura after being declined by Sasuke, and she had accepted, thinking that two heads were better than one.
It had also been Sakura, who had proposed the most simple and foolishly dumb plan. They would Kawarimi the bells. It boasted the fact that even the basic academy Jutsu had been more useful to their cause than Sasuke's flashy fire nature.
This all would only work when a few requirements were fulfilled. The Kawarimi had three basic limitations :
1 ) The object to be replaced had to be close to the user, along with the object that was going to replace it.
2 ) The size of the objects that were displaced had to be small - in consideration with the user's chakra reserves. The more chakra, the larger the object displaced could potentially be.
The third limitation was more of an unspoken one. The Kawarimi took a long time to use, since the hand sign sequence was annoyingly long. So long that, most of the time, the final year academy students would memorise it just for the day that the exam would take place, to forget it later on. This was where Sakura had shone as the book smart girl. Kakashi herself had always kept the sequence memorised for this very reason. Most grown Shinobi didn't expect it. It seemed despite knowing this she had fallen for it.
The second part of the plan, mainly the way to allow Sakura to use the Kawarimi, was to keep Kakashi distracted until she finished the hand signs. Naruto had risen to the occasion brilliantly…
In truth, perhaps Kakashi had underestimated Sakura too much. Sasuke's skill set she had been well aware of. She had had a feeling that Naruto would also cause some troubles - but she had wilfully forgotten Sakura, even as the little girl had approached her with all the nervousness and determination of a child trying to fight a big bad beast. She snorted.
For the first time in history, the bell test had been properly passed.
Kakashi sighed. Maybe this meant that she had grown soft. The whole point of the bell test was that no one was supposed to get the bells. Now what should she do?
She looked at Sakura and Naruto as they high-fived, and Sasuke - who looked as though she wished that the earth would swallow the rest of her as well, and smiled.
"Naruto, Sakura, well done. You pass. As for you, Sasuke...can you be a dear and fetch me the rope by that huge Kunai-shaped stone, Naruto?"
-(Field and Fox)-
Despite their success, Naruto and Sakura looked extremely uncomfortable, watching as Kakashi tied their remaining teammate to the wooden log. Sasuke showed no resistance.
"Now, Naruto, Sakura - good news. You've officially passed the bell test. Welcome to Team 7!" Kakashi was good at faking joy - even better at doing so sarcastically.
"As for Sasuke, I'm afraid to say she failed - so she'll be going back to the academy."
She let that sink in. Sasuke clenched her fists but said nothing.
"Although, in my own opinion - you should perhaps stop pursuing a career in the Shinobi Corps. Sasuke-chan."
Naruto was looking at her with the same questioning gaze, but Sakura was barely containing her apparent anger at the situation.
"This is a lesson in humility, Sasuke-chan. Had you accepted Naruto's help earlier on, maybe all three of you would have passed."
"I-"
"You what? Don't need help? We saw where that got you. Save your complaints," she scoffed at the younger girl, not accepting her at all.
Apparently, Sakura had had too much. Her voice was shrill yet selfless.
"But Sensei - there were only two bells! We couldn't have all passed!"
She turned and smiled sweetly at Sakura-chan.
"Sakura, it seemed you passed the exam without even realising that you passed it."
"But-"
"The goal of the test was not to get the bells."
Now she had the attention of all three children again. Naruto was smiling at her - as if saying this, this right here! Sasuke looked even more pained, the cogs in her head working fast as always. Sakura remained confused.
"The common answer to the bell test is teamwork. If the three Genin work together, then they pass, even if they don't manage to get the bells. Naruto unknowingly tried to accomplish this. He didn't get it all right, however. Sasuke still ran off. But you two," she said, pointing at Naruto and Sakura, "Still achieved it, working together."
She sighed dramatically.
"Anyhow, I'm sure you're hungry. Feel free to eat your lunch. Although, you're not allowed to give any to Sasuke. It's her punishment," as if on cue, Sasuke's stomach growled and her face flushed in embarrassment.
"I'm going to get my own lunch. See you in five."
With that said, Kakashi vanished in the blink of an eye.
-(Field and Fox)-
This was humiliating. Her face burned and she held back tears. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She had to pass. She absolutely had to. She didn't raise her head, not wanting to meet her former-teammates' pitying looks. Kakashi Hatake, that woman. No, she didn't let herself get carried away. The fault lay at her feet, as much as she wished to deny it - claim it was all a bad dream. Her stomach growled louder in hunger as she heard munching nearby.
You're weak, Sasuke. It was neither the reprimand of her father nor the heartbreaking sadness of her mother's voice. It was someone she had refused to speak the name of even years after.
You're weak.
It's your fault.
You'll never be my daughter.
The voices clawed at her insides, hurting her in ways she hadn't believed possible. Stop it. Stop it. Stop -
"Fishcakes, Sasuke?"
The pleasant smell caught her nose and she looked up, and it seemed that she had been unable to keep her tears in check - if the panicked expressions on her former teammates faces were any indication. Sakura looked at her with affection she couldn't remember ever seeing on the girl's face. There were tears in her eyes too. The voices receded. Naruto, ever the cheerful child, grinned at her sheepishly, holding up a fishcake, which was probably rock cold by now.
Nevertheless, her hunger held precedence. She bit into the fishcake and chewed savagely, her mouth open as she did so. It tasted good. Really good. Sakura, encouraged by Naruto's disregard and moved by her aloof teammates' tears walked forward and offered some sushi, which she gobbled down hungrily.
She thought it a shame, now. She should've given her fellow Genin a chance. Pondering how she would probably never get nicer teammates left a bitter taste in Sasuke's mouth as she asked for some water. She saw Sakura hurry back and look through her bag - of course she had everything in there.
With everything turning out as it had, she observed that despite having lost most of her anger at her situation, Naruto and Sakura seemed frustrated on her behalf. Naruto scratched his head with a frown and Sakura's anger radiated in her every action as she ferociously clawed through her bag for some water.
She thought of offering some peace of mind to them, but before she could do that, they all heard a rustling of leaves. A pit formed in the bottom of Sasuke's stomach as she felt the nausea inducing killing intent. The pressure made her freeze up, and she panicked and looked to Naruto and Sakura. Sakura had frozen up with one arm still in her bag, and Naruto just directed his frown to the arriving Jounin.
"You!" the S-Class Jounin shouted angrily. Sasuke lowered her head again. It was her fault. The voices didn't need to berate her now. She did the job fine herself.
"All of you...pass."
Eh?
"I said, you pass. You two, you did brilliantly again. Most times, the Genin would just sit back and follow orders. That's why I failed every - single - one!" Kakashi almost seemed to find pleasure in telling them this, but all three students winced. Taskmaster indeed.
"Those who break the rules are trash, that's always true. But, those who abandon their teammates are worse than trash."
Kakashi's eyes wandered to the Kunai-shaped stone that Sasuke had hid behind. It was a small movement, probably meant to remain unseen, but Sasuke saw. The other two children's eyes shone with new found appreciation for their Sensei. Well, Naruto just beamed at Kakashi, but he was strange to begin with.
"Sasuke," Kakashi's voice was warm, "You are indebted to your teammates. Cherish them. They might be your only chance at having a close bond with anyone ever again," there was something painful there.
"Well, you three, as a congratulation for passing the test, I'm giving you the rest of the day off. Report to the Hokage's office at eight tomorrow."
They nodded, and Kakashi walked away. Instead of sticking around, Naruto followed, leaving Sakura and Sasuke behind.
With that over, Sakura sighed deeply, and began untying Sasuke. Once done, she asked the obvious question.
"What now?"
In response, both of their stomachs growled and answered for them. They shared a private smile. Sasuke would try and find out more about her teammates, this she resolved herself to. But first -
"Hey Sakura," the girl perked up at being addressed, had it been the first time Sasuke had ever talked to her?
"That stone over there, the kunai-shaped one, did you read what was etched onto it?" Sakura shook her head in the negative, and said that she remembered Naruto walking off towards it earlier in the morning, before the test began.
With that being what it was, both curious teammates walked to it.
Here lies the memory of our brave comrades, fallen in battle, but never forgotten.
Despite themselves, both girls shivered, looking at the hundreds of entries.
-(Field and Fox)-
"Hey Senpai," Naruto had caught up to her while she walked lazily through the forest.
"Sensei."
" Hey Sensei."
"Hi Naruto. What is it?"
"Don't you think you were a bit too harsh on Sasuke?"
Kakashi stopped in her tracks. She thought back. Throughout the test, some odd nagging feeling had pushed Kakashi to act with just a bit more agitation with Sasuke then Sakura and Naruto. She had punched a bit too hard, and even used a Jutsu not part of the academy lineup. An earth nature Jutsu.
She hummed considerately.
"Maybe. Perhaps I keep seeing other people when I look at you lot."
Naruto stopped, and when Kakashi looked at his face she could decipher frustration, and...something else. Maybe she owed Sasuke an apology. In the end, the girl she had talked to so coldly and Sasuke Uchiha were completely different people.
After all, Kakashi Hatake was not Sasuke Uchiha.
-(Field and Fox)-
AN. So, this chapter was slightly more complex to write.
[1] - Kawarimi is a very badly explained Jutsu, and the implications of it are a bit problematic, so to avoid problems I changed the Jutsu a bit. The version I went with has been explained well enough in the chapter, so I'll refrain from talking about it here.
This chapter was fairly important in many ways. It cemented some problems Kakashi has, not being able to see things at surface value. Similarly, Sasuke had some problems, but perhaps not bad enough to be treated like she had been in this chapter. Anyhow, I think it'll be beneficial to her development. Sakura is someone I'm keeping entertainingly bland, yet still endearing, to me at least. As for Naruto, well, I'm purposefully trying to keep his involvement to a minimum for now.
The next chapter will mark the beginning of the first arc, being the Wave Arc. See you all then!
Thanks for reading.