A/N: Hello all. Thank you again for all the lovely follows, favorites, reviews, and messages! This chapter definitely took a lot out of me in the last quarter or so. Writing combat does not come as naturally to me as character interactions do, so I hope I don't let any down with this chapter. Once again, thanks go out to my lovely friends Ronnie and Storm for helping me with important feedback. Thank you for sticking with me, and I hope you enjoy what I have in store for you.
Team Seven scattered as their mission started. Sasuke only glanced once behind him to make sure Sayuri followed him as he darted away from the center of the training ground. His destination was the cover of a thicket of trees closest to the river that bisected the grounds.
As they burst into the undergrowth, the sunlight became suffocated by the endless overlap of leaves. It didn't take long before Sasuke came to a halt at an exceptionally thick and looming tree that towered relatively higher than the rest of the thicket. Perfect, he thought to himself.
"Up this tree, let's get an aerial view," he said.
"Right."
Sasuke scaled the tree, lightly testing the tensile strength of each limb as he went. Sayuri was carefully climbing a reasonable distance behind him. Once they found a branch that felt like it could hold both their weights and allowed for ample view of the training grounds, they spared a moment to talk and strategize.
"Where's Naruto?" Sayuri asked.
"Right where we need him to be," Sasuke answered. He pointed past the cover of branches around them and towards where they just came from. There Naruto stood, his arms folded snugly across his chest and his chin proudly raised towards Kakashi.
"Let's go! You and me, right here, right now. Fair and square!" Naruto demanded. It was exactly as Sasuke had predicted. Even without the hour or so the three of them had spent playing the question game, he knew Naruto would just run head-first into this challenge without a single thought in his oversized head. At least he's a useful idiot.
"As long as that idiot is out there distracting Sensei, we have the upper hand," he clarified. "It's just a matter of finding the right time to strike." Sayuri nodded.
Naruto charged at their sensei with the recklessness that had come to be expected of him. Kakashi drew a book with a brightly-colored cover out of his weapon pouch as if he had nothing better to do. He began to read and mindlessly dodge Naruto's attacks with such little effort it felt like a mockery of a fight.
"He's just toying with him," Sayuri said, her face pale. "He's not even paying attention, and he's out-maneuvering Naruto like he's nothing." If there was any confidence in her voice before seeing Naruto and Kakashi sparring, it had undoubtedly died out now.
"Don't let that shake you," Sasuke insisted, "Naruto is the weakest of the three of us, and he's facing Sensei by himself. Like I said, he's the distraction."
"When did you two plan this out? I didn't see you talk at all before we started."
"We didn't. I just knew Naruto would be this stupid."
Sasuke watched as Kakashi made an utter fool of his teammate. Their sensei once again managed to elude Naruto's strikes and position himself at an advantage. He was behind Naruto now, chastising him for being careless as he swept his student's legs out from underneath him.
Naruto fell flat on his back against the ground, a groan ripping from his throat as he recoiled to cradle his head. He suddenly rolled to his side and kept rolling until he plopped straight into the river. He moved like he wanted to do that. Sasuke thought to himself. He leaned forward on the branch in the hopes of catching a closer look. If it looked how it seemed to Sasuke, and Naruto consciously made a strategic decision, he may have to admit he was a little impressed. He would never say that out loud, of course, but it was impressive by Naruto standards.
Sasuke felt Sayuri tense beside him as she pushed herself to her feet. He could feel the alarm radiate off of her, and though he wasn't surprised at her instinctual reaction to go and help Naruto, they couldn't risk blowing their cover. He grabbed onto her wrist before she moved any further and pulled her back. "Wait," he said. His gaze didn't leave the river once.
"B-but—"
"Just wait."
Sayuri reluctantly held her stance, and Sasuke released her wrist from his hold. A moment passed, and they watched Kakashi turn his back towards the river and resume his reading. Sasuke's hand hovered over his shuriken pouch as he surveyed his Sensei's movements. His guard is down.
His skin began to warm as his heart quickened with anticipation. If Naruto didn't strike now, Sasuke would. There was no guarantee that he and Sayuri would get an opportunity like this again. "Get ready," he said.
Just then, a pair of shuriken came spiraling out of the water towards Kakashi. Sasuke's breath caught in his throat as their sensei lazily raised his hand and plucked the shuriken from the air with only two fingers. Their momentum kept them spinning on the base of his fingers before slowing to a complete stop. Sasuke's hand fell to the branch once more with a disgruntled huff. "Nevermind," he grumbled, "he baited that attack."
Sasuke watched as Naruto dragged himself onto the bank of the river. He coughed and spat out mouthfuls of water as he shakily found an exhausted seat on the ground. He was then met with further disparaging remarks from Kakashi.
"Sasuke," Sayuri said, her tone strained, "he's really having a hard time." She certainly wasn't wrong. Even with Sasuke's disdain for Naruto in mind, he had to admit this was almost painful to watch.
"I can see that," he said dryly.
"Can't we do something to help him now?"
"We'll step in when the time is right."
Sasuke knew his answer didn't satisfy her the second he said it. She was too sympathetic and eager to help compared to what Sasuke required of her at this moment. Right now, her inclinations were dangerously close to getting on his nerves at best and jeopardizing their chance of passing this test at worst. They had to play this smart and wait for the right opportunity—anything short of that, and Kakashi would send them back to the Academy in a heartbeat.
I can't afford to lose here. I need to be powerful enough to kill Itachi, and my goal can't wait.
Sasuke shivered as blood-red eyes pierced his psyche. The pitch-black Sharingan's tomoe felt like always-moving shadows looming over his every step. His hand unconsciously curled into a fist as rage filled his veins. I'll never be defeated by him again.
"Since when can Naruto make Shadow Clones?" Sayuri's question immediately derailed Sasuke's train of thought. His focus returned to Naruto and Kakashi's brawl, and he felt a subtle, impressed smile tug at his lips. He watched as seven Narutos soared out of the water and hit the ground running. They were solid clones and not just wavering illusions. Looks like the loser can manage to get it together sometimes.
"Let's move in now. We'll overwhelm Sensei with Naruto's clones," Sasuke said. The two genin launched themselves from their hiding spot, the cover of trees disappearing so quickly that the sudden sunlight shining down on them almost hurt Sasuke's eyes. Sayuri darted ahead of Sasuke, and though he tried to pick up his speed to match her, the billowing wave of her kimono and her braids never seemed to get any closer despite how fast he ran. He'd have to break into a full sprint if he wanted to reach her now, but he didn't like the idea of burning through so much energy on an empty stomach.
Sasuke watched as he approached the ensuing battle between Kakashi and Naruto. One of the several Narutos had latched onto Kakashi's back and tried to restrain him while a separate one moved to strike. Right at the moment of collision, the jonin had pulled off a successful substitution jutsu and disappeared. Sasuke skidded to a halt, looking around wildly to see where he went. Sayuri's voice calling something out to Naruto became distant, indecipherable noise as Sasuke zeroed in on the treeline. It was one of the only places Kakashi could hide—he had to be there.
"Looking for someone?"
Sasuke's instincts came alive all at once. He turned like a whip and sent a roundhouse kick sailing towards the source of Kakashi's voice. The jonin swiveled around Sasuke's attack and positioned himself at a safer distance. "Your reflexives aren't half-bad," he commented.
"I guess you'll have to save that book of yours for another time, huh?" Sasuke said with a self-assured tone. He lifted his chin arrogantly and then settled into a fighting stance. Light, quick footsteps signaled Sayuri's approach as she fell into place next to Sasuke. Kakashi's dark eyes scanned the both of them momentarily, and his posture seemed to adjust to a more alert, defensive stance.
"I suppose so," the jonin lamented. "Oh, well. You two should at least keep my attention better than the other one did."
Sasuke needed a strategy here and now. He couldn't say he preferred aggressive frontal offensives, but he knew Sayuri was better at slipping in and out of combat for bursts of quick damage based on her answers to their game earlier. His stamina was far and away the superior between the two of them, so if he could keep up a stream of continuous attacks, he should be able to create a good rhythm for the two of them to capitalize on. Once his mind was made up, he charged at Kakashi before any further small talk could commence.
Kakashi gave a likely displeased click of his tongue at Sasuke's reckless dash into the fray. Sasuke withdrew handfuls of his shuriken from their holster and flung them at Kakashi in rapid succession. Kakashi dove out of the way of the weapons' path and further away from his student's continued onslaughts. Sasuke sent an endless barrage of blows in Kakashi's direction. He didn't care very much if any of his kicks or punches landed; they just needed to keep Kakashi occupied.
A blur of pink moved through Sasuke's peripheral vision as Sayuri made a beeline towards the direction Kakashi was backing into. Her feet ground to a halt as she moved into position behind him. She formed the "Ram" seal with her hands, and maneuvered her arms in a large, smooth sweeping motion. Two crystalline bodies of water flowed from the containers on her belt to hover weightlessly in the air. The sight of it catching the light nearly made Sasuke lose his focus. He didn't know water could look so breathtaking.
The movement Sayuri was crafting as gentle suddenly harshened as she jerked her arms forward towards Kakashi. The water followed the flow of her gestures and rushed towards her target with remarkable force. Kakashi evaded her attack with such speed and ease that Sasuke was beginning to wonder if they would ever pin him down. Sayuri just barely managed to withdraw her water blasts before they crashed down onto the empty ground and manipulated them to trail after Kakashi's movements hungrily. Sasuke followed suit and applied as much pressure as possible.
Kakashi ducked under a kick that Sasuke sent sailing towards his face. Sasuke drew a kunais from its holster and threw it towards the jonin right as Sayuri sent a pressurized blast of water at his back. Kakashi bent backward, hinging at the hips as the kunai grazed a stray hair and soared into the ground behind him. Sayuri molded her water to shift around his evasive maneuvers, her face visibly strained.
Sayuri's water divided, and one section branched off into a tiny, blade-like sliver and sped down towards the bells fastened at her sensei's waist. The water sliced through the thread, and the bell released a muffled ring as it collided with the ground.
All movement ceased in disbelief. Three sets of eyes all fell on the bell nestled in the grass. A moment passed, and then everyone sprung into action at once. Sasuke dove for Kakashi's waist to tackle him before he could pick it up. Sayuri surged forward. Kakashi caught Sasuke by the wrists. He ground his feet into the earth, turned Sasuke's momentum against him, and tossed him to the side. Sasuke hit the ground clumsily, dirt and dust flying everywhere. He struggled at first but scrambled to his feet, all the while looking a bit too much like a baby deer struggling to walk for the first time for his liking.
Where's the bell? Sasuke looked around wildly, trying to place where the bell was now that he'd been thrown aside. He finally laid eyes on it a few meters behind him, the metal shining faintly in the sunlight. He ran towards it before the realization that the bell could be trapped hit him. He drew a kunai and looked for any signs of displaced grass or hidden ropes. He threw it at the ground behind the bell, and no traps triggered. He smirked and sprinted towards his goal. All mine.
Sayuri's voice cried out in pain. Sasuke whirled around, an unexpected sense of alarm seizing him as the sound of impact swelled in his ears. Sayuri was laid out on the ground like she'd been bowled over. Kakashi was standing over her, his foot placed high on her collarbone and the toe of his shoe against her neck. Her arms were bound at her sides by ninja-grade wire strings, her elbows locked in place at her ribs, and the back of her hands laid against her shoulders. She struggled against the metal thread as she tried to get free, her muscles twitching in discomfort. The threads glinted as they shifted with each tiny movement that Kakashi's raised fist made.
Kakashi rolled his head towards Sasuke lazily, as if he'd forgotten he was even there. Sasuke grit his teeth in annoyance. How'd she get caught? He must be stepping it up a notch. He drew more weapons in his hands and leaned back to break into a run. Kakashi hummed at him curiously and said,
"Looks like you have a choice to make." Sasuke's eyes grew wide, his stance faltering. The bell! He looked over his shoulder and stared at the bell. He'd already figured out there were no traps; he could get it with no interference. He looked back around towards Kakashi and Sayuri. She was vulnerable and needed his help. What do I do? Sayuri or the bell?
Itachi's Sharingan flashed in his mind, his blood turning cold. He flinched, cursing beneath his breath. Kakashi leaned more weight into his foot and tightened the strings' hold on Sayuri as she whimpered. Her cry drilled an aching and guilty sensation through Sasuke's stomach. Everything was moving too fast for him to handle; his thoughts were a jumbled mess. Sayuri or the bell? Sayuriorthebell?
Sasuke's head lowered towards the ground. His mind was made up, and he couldn't look Sayuri in the eyes now that it was. He turned on his heel and sprinted for the bell. He crossed the distance in what felt like a second and snatched the bell up from the ground. Victory, adrenaline, and relief coursed through him rapidly, though it was at war with the shame swirling ferociously in his chest and definitely losing ground.
I had to get the bell. I'm the only one who can defeat him. He reminded himself. Sasuke slipped the bell into his belt pouch and turned to face Kakashi. He was staring at Sasuke with an indecipherable yet stern look in his eyes. Sayuri seemed to be struggling to breathe as she looked towards her teammate desperately.
"Get off of her!" Naruto and a bevy of his shadow clones breached their cover from the forest line and rushed towards Kakashi. Half of his clones formed a protective ring around Sayuri as Kakashi abandoned his threatening hold on her. The other half of his clones chased down their sensei as he ran away, presumably looking for a more optimal position to take.
Sayuri sat up once one of the several Narutos present helped release the metal thread bindings around her. "Are you okay?" Sasuke faintly heard one of the clones ask. Sayuri raised a hand to her throat, looking a tad shaken as she nodded exaggeratedly. It was like she struggled to convince herself she was ready to get back into action just as much as Naruto. "You sure? Okay, let's get you up then."
Naruto guided her to her feet, and she smiled weakly at him in thanks. Sasuke felt inclined to approach, though with what intent in doing so he wasn't sure about. He didn't feel like he owed her an apology, but this nagging guilt wasn't going away on its own. Sasuke and Sayuri made eye contact for a fraction of a second before Sayuri looked elsewhere almost immediately.
"Hey! What gives, you jerk?" Naruto demanded. After tending to Sayuri, he had finally spotted Sasuke and elected to be as subtle as a gun about having a bone to pick with him. Sayuri's eyes went wide with panic as Naruto stormed towards Sasuke. "What the hell kind of person just leaves their teammate under an enemy's foot like that?"
"Naruto, please don't—" Sayuri attempted to dissuade him unsuccessfully. If his rant wasn't stopped by her scurrying after him or trying to halt him from approaching Sasuke heatedly, it certainly wouldn't be just by her pleading. In fact, he only continued to rattle off complaints.
"—and another thing, that was her bell! She earned that bell by getting it loose. You just took it right out from under her like a grimy snake," Naruto continued, "Just because you're top of the class doesn't mean you can ignore your teammate in danger!"
Sasuke couldn't believe Naruto had the gall to lecture him right now when he was missing in action for most of that encounter in the first place. He was more than ready to return his teammate's indignance in kind.
"What danger? It's Kakashi. He's not gonna seriously hurt her. Besides, you weren't even there," Sasuke spat. "What makes you think you can give me the third degree for a situation you couldn't bother to be a part of?"
"I-I told him to hang back," Sayuri said before Naruto could argue further. "I figured since we waited for him to make an opening for us, it was only fair for him to wait for the same from us. I didn't want him to waste more chakra."
Naruto nodded, and he folded his arms across his chest upon her clarification of the reason for his absence.
"And I did! I tried extra hard to not get ahead of myself no matter how impatient I got. Because, unlike someone else here, we actually care about someone other than—"
"Look, it wasn't personal, okay?" Sasuke snapped, cutting Naruto off before he could continue. He briefly looked towards Sayuri with the intent of confirming that statement with her taking precedence. He then lifted his chin towards Naruto, eyes blazing. "Is that what you wanted to hear, Naruto? I just did what I had to do so I could pass. It's what we're all doing! Whatever stupid point you're trying to make, I don't want to hear it. You're the one wasting your time getting angry on someone else's behalf when you didn't even come close to getting a bell. Maybe try to focus on that instead of getting on my case."
Sasuke turned around to walk away from Naruto as he shoved his hands in his pockets. Naruto grabbed him tightly by his forearm and dragged him back with a strength that Sasuke did not expect him to possess.
"You're seriously not even gonna help? You're just gonna screw off since you got your bell, and that's that?"
"Well, since only two of us actually worked for one, I might be willing to help Sayuri. You're not any concern of mine." Sasuke replied icily, wrenching his arm free. Naruto raised his fist, growling with resentment and ready to strike Sasuke directly in the face. Sayuri shoved them apart before anything could escalate further and remained between the two of them as a physical blockade.
"Stop!" She insisted, "Both of you, please. We can't fight like this. There's still one bell and not a lot of time left. We have to get it together so one of us can get the last one." Sayuri pointedly looked at Naruto and said, "I only got that bell free because Sasuke was helping keep Kakashi-sensei on his toes. It's just as much his bell as it was mine." She then rounded her gaze on Sasuke. "You got your bell, but being a team means we stick together, right? We help each other. So, can we please do something that isn't arguing right now?"
Naruto didn't seem to have anything else to say after that, and Sasuke was just glad that the former's impassioned defense of Sayuri was finally shut down. A tense silence hung heavily in the air around them for what felt like hours. Sayuri sighed at the lack of suggestions of what to do.
"Naruto, are your clones still running around?" Sasuke asked.
"Not anymore. From what I saw from the last clone, Kakashi is headed towards that stone monument thingy."
"You saw?" Sayuri repeated.
"Yeah. I dunno how to explain it the best or anything, but when a clone disappears, I see everything it saw as if it were me." Naruto elaborated. Sasuke exchanged a look with Sayuri. That ability could prove invaluable if they entrusted Naruto to take up a scouting role on their future missions.
"We managed to get one bell by overwhelming Kakashi. He'll be expecting it, but using the same strategy might be the only way to get the second one," Sasuke said. "Let's move towards the monument now. Naruto, can you spare a few more clones to scout ahead and get Sensei's exact location?"
Naruto nodded and weaved the hand sign. Two more Narutos popped into existence through clouds of smoke. The original Naruto laid his hands on his hips and took on a commanding tone as he spoke to his clones. "Alright, you guys. We gotta pin down Kakashi-sensei's location. If one of you spots him, release the jutsu, so the information comes back to me. Got it?"
The clones nodded and sprinted in the direction of where Team Seven last saw Kakashi. Naruto followed his clones, with Sasuke following him and Sayuri taking up the rear. The clones disappeared out of Sasuke's sight as they progressed.
It was maybe only a minute before Naruto suddenly veered off their current path. "Found him!" he announced. He charged straight through a cluster of bushes and disappeared as he cleared through to the other side. Sasuke followed him, huffing in frustration at his recklessness. Sayuri brushed past Sasuke, picking up speed to keep up pace with Naruto. There was no time for strategy anymore, it seemed.
Sasuke broke into a full sprint. Sayuri and Naruto weren't too far ahead of him. Kakashi was standing in the center of the clearing with his book in hand, lazily leaning against a training post. The alarm clock sat near him, and unfortunately, too far away to see how much time was left.
Kakashi looked up from his book and observed his team's aggressive approach.
"Hey, you guys. You're just in time," he told them casually. The moment he finished his sentence, the alarm clock rang out deafeningly. Sasuke halted, his gaze immediately moving to his teammates. Sayuri's energized sprint devolved into a defeated trudge. Naruto kept sprinting and lunged to tackle Kakashi, who only stepped out of his reach. "The test is over, kid. Pouncing on me like that won't do you any good."
Naruto groaned and staggered to his feet, his hands leaning on his knees as he caught his breath. He stood up straight and then roared, "Just give me one more chance, Sensei! Come on, I gotta get a bell! I'm gonna be the Hokage, and I gotta start now; I can't go back to the Academy!"
"Another chance? Why? Do you think you've earned it?" Kakashi asked. "One of you passed already, and I'm willing to give the other two a second chance if they prove to me they deserve it. One of the two did alright, but it'll be a hard sell for the other person to convince me. That person flunked pretty pathetically."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I flunked! I always do. Meanwhile, like always, everyone is going on and on about cranky ol' Sasuke. Sasuke got the bell. Sasuke's the best! Of course, he was gonna pass or get another chance if he didn't somehow," Naruto said, his tone dripping with resentment. "But you can't say I'm not trying! Just let me try one more time!" Kakashi lifted an eyebrow at him and, at last, put his book away.
"I never said Sasuke passed."
"What?" Sasuke demanded. If Naruto said anything in response to Kakashi's revelation, Sasuke couldn't focus enough to process it. He felt like all the hard work he'd put in all these years was turning to ashes all around him. He fished the bell out from his pocket and displayed it for Kakashi plainly. If he was any closer, he would've shoved it in his face furiously. "I got the bell!" he insisted. Naruto looked bewildered, and his head snapped back and forth from Kakashi to Sasuke so fast he might've gotten whiplash.
"You did," Kakashi said evenly, "And I expected you to. Because one of you understood this exercise from the get-go, and she did everything in her power to help her teammates pass." Sasuke's gaze lasered in on Sayuri, who looked even more surprised than he and Naruto felt combined. "Sayuri. What did you think this exercise was about?"
"U-uh," she stammered, "I thought it was about getting the bells. You had to get it to pass and to get lunch. S-Sasuke had the idea of teaming up, and we waited for Naruto to make an opening. And while we were watching him, I just figured if anyone was going to get a bell, we'd all have to work at it together."
"But there are only two bells, which means one of you would have to be sent back to the Academy. Did that concern you?" Kakashi continued asking her questions, and Sasuke was no closer to understanding anything that was happening.
"Well, yeah. I didn't want to get sent back to the Academy. At first, I thought Naruto was going back for sure. That made me a little sad, especially after we played the question game, and I got to learn more about him. But I realized after I watched him fight against you with all his might, I hated the idea of him failing. If anyone had to go back to the Academy, I felt like it was only fair that it would be me instead of Naruto and Sasuke," Sayuri confessed. "So, I just focused on backing them up instead of getting a bell for myself."
Sasuke felt stunned. What kind of idiot would just roll over and give up her passing grade like that? Especially for Naruto, of all people. He wanted to ask what the hell was wrong with her and why she was wasting her skills, but his throat felt far too dry and tight to budge.
"And why is that?"
"I wanted to see them accomplish their goals. I know I said yesterday that my dream was to be a powerful kunoichi the village can feel protected by, and that's true. But that goal isn't threatened by something else. If Naruto wants to be the Hokage, then he's gotta get really strong really quickly before Lord Third retires, so someone else doesn't get the job before him. And Sasuke needs to be stronger than whoever he wants to go up against, and chances are he doesn't want that person getting stronger than him. So, he has to get more powerful faster than his opponent. But neither of them can do that from the Academy. They have to pass; I don't. I know if my dad was taking the test, he'd do the same thing, so that's how I knew it was the right thing to do," Sayuri explained.
"In simpler terms, the point of this test was to see who is capable of putting the needs of the team before their own. Compromising and working together. That's the whole reason why we put you in squads." Kakashi looked towards Naruto and Sasuke. "The point of the bells was to pit you three against each other. If any of you were able to overcome the desire to see your own personal goals met and instead fight for your teammates as you would yourself, you would pass. That's why Sayuri is the only one who passes with certainty."
"Wait, wait, but I did teamwork, too! I hid like Sayuri asked me to, and then I came in to help when she was in trouble!" Naruto protested.
"You did. That's why I said one of you did alright. You didn't know Sasuke and Sayuri were waiting for you to create an opening for them initially. You just challenged me on your own. However, when you were asked, you did cooperate. So, I'm willing to let you try again."
"What? I did alright? Then that means…" Naruto didn't finish his sentence and instead stared slack-jawed at Sasuke. The indiscernible emotions swirling in Sasuke from hearing Kakashi and Sayuri's dialogue bubbled into a boiling rage once it dawned on him that the only option left for him that Kakashi listed out was "flunking pretty pathetically".
"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke," Kakashi said with a few scolding clicks of his tongue. "The Number One Rookie fails his final exam. Who would've thought?"
"This is bullshit," Sasuke spat, "I worked together with Sayuri, too! And yet Naruto has a better chance of a second attempt than me? What are you playing at?"
"I'm not playing at anything. It's actually pretty ironic that you refer to Naruto with such disgust considering you were both given the same choice. Naruto chose correctly, and you didn't. You're actually worse than Naruto in that regard."
Sasuke had heard enough. He launched himself at Kakashi, fury fueling his every move. He faintly registered one of his teammates calling out to him and the feeling of his shirt sleeve slipping out of their grasp as they tried to restrain him. In the next instant, he found himself underneath Kakashi. His arm was bent in a position where Kakashi could break it effortlessly. The sole of his shoe laid against Sasuke's head, and he was sitting directly on the small of his back. There was no way Sasuke could wrestle himself free. He was helpless in this position. Kakashi took this as an invitation to continue berating Sasuke.
"You sacrificed your teammate to meet your own goals. You knew she needed help, and you ignored her suffering. Just because I wouldn't hurt her doesn't mean you can treat this as a game. If this was a real mission, Sayuri would've been killed. If you don't have a feel for teamwork— regardless if it undercuts your goals or not—then you have no idea what it means to be a ninja. Every ninja understands that if an individual puts themself above the squad, that can lead to failure at best, and death at worst."
Kakashi stood up, leaving Sasuke to lay on the ground. He sat up and began to dust himself off, his jaw clenched all the while. In all her kindness, Sayuri made the mistake of jogging over to Sasuke to help him up and ask if he was okay. With his ego bruised and his face red with indignation, Sasuke only responded by slapping her offered hand away and hissed at her,
"I don't need your pity." He refused to feel more humiliated by accepting the help of the person who apparently passed flawlessly. He heard Naruto mutter something along the lines of "asshole" under his breath from where he was standing, but before he could say anything, Kakashi had returned with rope.
Kakashi hauled Sasuke up from the ground by the back of his collar, not dissimilar to a cat carrying its pesky kitten by the scruff of its neck. Despite his struggles to the contrary, Sasuke found himself tied to the training post as Kakashi promised someone who didn't get a bell would. What a liar. He thought angrily to himself.
Sasuke felt his teammates' eyes on him in this position, and he could feel his ego start a war with his festering humiliation. Kakashi turned his back to his student once the ropes were securely fastened, and he made his way towards the stone monument.
"If you look at this stone, you'll see hundreds if not thousands of names engraved on it. Their names are there because the village hails them as heroes," Kakashi said, his voice somber. Sasuke lifted his eyes from the ground and looked towards the monument. He wasn't nearly close enough to read any of the names.
"Heroes? That's exactly what I'm trying to be! A hero! Sensei, how do I get my name on there?" Naruto asked. He bounced animatedly towards Kakashi to look at the stone and read the names.
"You don't want your name on there. It's an honor that comes with a steep price. They were all killed in action," Kakashi clarified. Naruto's previous enthusiasm was flushed out of him in the blink of an eye. His whole posture stiffened as if he was trying very hard to appear dignified. Sayuri approached as well, her hands laid in front of her and picking at her sleeves. "The names of my closest friends are on here."
"I'm sorry, Sensei," Sayuri said. "I lost a lot of my family a few years ago. Losing people is hard, but sometimes talking about them makes me feel better. If you want to talk about your friends, I'll listen."
"Yeah," Naruto chimed in, "I bet if they were your friends, they probably were awesome ninjas, and you have lots of amazing stories! You should tell us!"
Kakashi looked towards his students as his side, the imprint of a smile spreading underneath his mask. He cleared his throat and then responded,
"Maybe another time. Because I've decided that you will get a second attempt at your final exam. And that includes you, too, Sasuke." The jonin looked over his shoulder towards Sasuke, his eyes dissolving from a soft expression into an amused one almost immediately, "Even though one of you won't be getting lunch. I hope you didn't think that I'd be going easy on you. You'll have three hours to prove to me you can work as a team and get a bell."
As Kakashi spoke, he dangled two bells from his hand precisely like he did earlier in the day. Sasuke's eyes went wide. Kakashi had pickpocketed the bell from him, and he didn't even notice? "Since Sasuke did the worst, he won't be getting a lunch box. You two will. And don't give Sasuke any food. If you try, I'll fail you automatically, regardless of whether you passed previously or not. Regain your strength, and be ready to prove yourselves once you've finished eating."
Why does Sayuri get a lunch box? She passed. She doesn't need to eat to regain strength if she's not at risk of failing. Sasuke fumed internally. His stomach grumbled as he stood there helpless and hungry. The only thing distracting him from feeling the full effects of his hunger was internally brooding to himself. Voices struck up a conversation around him that he was much too invested in his pity party to decipher or pay attention to.
A lunchbox with about half of its' contents left was shoved into his line of sight, immediately followed up with an agitated voice saying,
"I ain't gonna stand here long enough for Kakashi sensei to spot me, so you better eat this up quick, got it?" Sasuke met Naruto's gaze before the latter averted his eyes.
"Kakashi said if you give me food, you'll fail. You didn't forget that already, did you?" Sasuke reminded him.
"I didn't forget, jackass. We just gotta be sneaky, and then if you get some grub, you'll have a fighting chance at actually getting a bell. Sayuri's on lookout, so we'll know if he's coming. But you seriously gotta eat this now in case he gets the drop on her," Naruto urged him. Sasuke struggled against the ropes but could not lift his hand anywhere close to the lunchbox, let alone his mouth to feed himself.
"I can't reach."
A moment of silence fell between the two genin as it dawned on them both that Naruto would have to feed Sasuke if he was going to eat at all. "Just let me starve," Sasuke said, turning his head to the side as if he could expel the mental image he already had in his head by pretending Naruto wasn't there.
"I'd gladly do that but, I dunno if you noticed, we're in the middle of a test we have to pass! So, just close your eyes, and we'll both never, ever talk about this again. Got it?" Naruto said. Sasuke nodded and took a deep breath to mentally prepare himself as a flush tinged his cheeks. This was a lot of inner turmoil to have over being fed some rice and vegetables, but he wasn't quite ready to unpack that yet.
Sasuke closed his eyes, and right as he got a mouthful of rice, an explosion burst through the clearing. Kakashi appeared from the center of the smoke, roaring angrily,
"You!"
The force of his power bent the wind around them and buffeted the three genin wildly. Sasuke grimaced and struggled to get free from his bindings. He couldn't afford to be tied up if Kakashi was about to go on a rampage. "You broke the rules. I hope you're ready for the punishment." He weaved hand signs rapidly in front of them, and at once, storm clouds quickly gathered in the sky as if he had summoned them himself. Hell, he probably did!
The bindings around Sasuke suddenly gave way, and he clumsily managed to take a stand. Sayuri was at his side. She helped sweep away some of the ropes that hung heavily on him, a kunai in one of her trembling hands. Naruto had managed to put on a brave face and also drew a weapon of his own. Kakashi stepped forward towards them. "Any last words?"
"They put the squad above their own goals like they're supposed to," Sasuke said firmly, "You said every ninja knows that the most important thing is to prioritize teamwork, regardless if it means you undercut your goals. Don't fail them for thinking like a ninja. If you're gonna fail anyone, fail me for not thinking like one. "
"L-Listen, Sensei," Sayuri protested, "We're a team! If you fail Sasuke, then you have to fail me, too. A team has to stick together, even if it means sticking it out through the worst-case scenario." Naruto nodded in support of her statement.
"That's right! I might not like the guy that much, but we're all in this together! So bring your worst, and we'll be ready for it, pass or fail." Naruto challenged their sensei with notable determination.
"Oh? Well, that's great. You all pass."
Team Seven remained on their guard at first, eyeing their Sensei suspiciously. He chuckled. "No, seriously. You passed. Congrats on being the first squad to do it."
"This isn't a trick?" Sasuke asked warily.
"Nope. Not a trick. Ninja skills involve seeing through deception, and you three did. You were supposed to break the rules I had laid out for you. It's been said many times before that those who break the rules are scum in the ninja world, and I am inclined to agree. But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."
Sasuke leaned into a more relaxed and proud pose. Sayuri looked like she could pass from relief alone, and Naruto looked like he had been intensely moved by their Sensei's speech. "The exercise is over. Team Seven starts its first mission tomorrow!" Kakashi offered a proud thumbs-up to his students.
"I did it! I'm a ninja! I'm a ninja!" Naruto cheered, pumping his fists in the air triumphantly and jumping up and down.
"Ready to head home?" Kakashi asked. Sayuri suddenly clapped her hands together and announced,
"Oh! I almost forgot. My dad invited you all to have dinner at our house tonight to celebrate us becoming a team. So, uh, it'd be nice if you guys decided to join us." Her offer certainly wouldn't be a hard sell for Naruto. Despite his preferred meal seeming to be ramen and nothing else, free food was still free food.
"Well, since it's been so kindly offered, I'm sure we're all delighted to accept. Right, boys?"
"You bet I am! Are we getting Ichiraku? 'Cuz we should totally get Ichiraku!" Naruto suggested eagerly. Kakashi snorted and shook his head.
"I believe that would be the chef's choice, Naruto. I'm sure whatever Fukuhara-san makes will be just as good as ramen."
"Well, I don't know about that, but I'll still tag along. What about you, Sasuke? You better not be tired of your team already."
"I'll be there," Sasuke answered. He wasn't tired of his team like Naruto was suggesting, but the same unaffected tone was definitely creeping back into his voice. It was almost as if he hadn't put himself out on the line just a moment before. He'd already started walking towards the exit to the training ground, ready to leave the exam behind him.
"Okay, so we'll see you all tonight?" Sayuri asked.
"I believe so. Everyone get some rest and meet at the Fukuhara residence tonight. That's an order."
"Whatever," Sasuke said. If he didn't know any better, he'd say there was a part of him that was looking forward to meeting Sayuri's dad and sharing a meal. But only to look forward to possibly learning from a skilled jonin, of course. Nothing more, nothing less. Obviously.