Academy, Some Time Later…

Team 7 was the last team in the room. Daichi took one more chance to ensure his weapons were in prime condition since he had no idea what to expect. Hinata sat quietly in the back row while Sasuke sat in the front row with his eyes closed.

Naruto was pacing around the room clearly agitated. "This Kakashi Hatake is late."

Hinata said, "Naruto, I'm certain he'll be here soon."

Naruto looked at Daichi. "Hey, you said you met him. What was he like?"

Daichi sheathed his weapons and leaned against the nearby wall with his arms crossed. "I only met the Jonin briefly though I have seen him walking around a few times. He never really seems in a hurry for anything, but he may have nothing important planned."

Naruto rubbed his hair. "How come our teacher's the only one who's late? I'm ready to roll, believe it! The other teams already took off, probably on some adventure, and Iruka Sensei is gone."

Sasuke looked at Naruto. "What are you doing Dobe?"

Naruto was wedging an eraser at the top of the door. "This is what he gets for coming late."

Hinata said, "N-Naruto. I'm not certain that's a good idea. Our new Sensei may get angry."

Daichi nodded. "I have to agree with Hinata."

"Our teacher is a Jonin." Sasuke stated. "You honestly think he'd fall for that?"

Naruto turned to them. "Relax everyone." He moved to sit in a seat. "It's just a little prank."

At that moment, Kakashi opened the door. The eraser fell on his head before hitting the ground with a plop. Everyone looked to him while Naruto laughed.

Kakashi walked in picking up the eraser. "How to put this?" He rubbed his chin. "My first impression of this group is that you're all a bunch of idiots."

All the Genin's faces fell when they heard that.

Konoha: A Roof

The Genin sat on some steps before Kakashi who leaned against railing. "Now, let's have each of you introduce yourselves. I want to hear your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, and hobbies. Something like that.

Hinata was embarrassed. "W-why don't you go first Sensei. S-so we c-can see how it's done?"

"Alright." Kakashi stated. "I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate… I don't feel like telling you. Plans? I've never thought about it. As for my hobbies… I have lots of hobbies."

Naruto looked at his team. "All we really learned was his name."

"Why don't I learn about you on the right?" Kakashi pointed. "Start talking blondie."

"Believe it! I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like my friends and ramen. I hate how long the wait is to eat instant ramen after it's done. My hobby is eating various types of ramen and hanging with my friends. My dream is to be the greatest Hokage, so people will have to respect me." Naruto stated

"He's grown up in a very interesting way." Kakashi thought. "Alright next."

Hinata gulped. "I'm Hinata Hyuga. I like my friends, cinnamon buns, and zenzai. I dislike crab and shrimp. My hobbies include pressing flowers. My dream is to be strong like my father yet kind like my mother."

She had contemplated saying Naruto, but there just was no way she could.

"She's not like most Kunochi I've gotten in the past." Kakashi thought. "Next."

Daichi said, "Name's Daichi Ryu. I like helping and hanging with my friends. I hate feeling powerless to protect those I care about and fan girls. My hobbies include reading and training. My dream is to become an S ranked Shinobi and surpass my father."

"He's developing into a fine young man." Kakashi thought. "Last one."

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream because I will make it a reality. I will restore my clan and kill a certain someone." Sasuke replied seriously.

Naruto was a bit terrified as he thought, "I hope he doesn't mean me."

"H-He will be hard to approach" Hinata thought.

"Geez Sasuke, you got Naruto and Hinata scared of you now." Daichi thought.

"Just as I thought. Not good." Kakashi nodded. "Good, you're each unique in your own ways with varying ideas. We'll have our first mission tomorrow."

"What is it?" Naruto excitedly asked.

Kakashi replied, "It's a task the 5 of us will do together."

"What!? What!? What!?" Naruto asked even more excitedly than before.

Kakashi replied, "A survival exercise

Naruto crossed his arms. "We already did enough exercises at the academy. I thought we'd be going on some cool mission."

Kakashi said, "This isn't your normal training."

"What kind of training is it?" Hinata asked curiously.

Kakashi chuckled "If I told you, you wouldn't like it." Naruto was confused. "Of the 28 who graduated only a maximum of 9 or 10 will remain. This is a pass or fail test, and the chances of you four failing is about 86%." All four Genin were shocked. "I said you may not like it."

"We worked hard to get here. What was that graduation exam for?" Naruto questioned.

"That?" Kakashi questioned. "That was merely to give us the candidates for Genin. That's just how it is. I will decide if you pass or fail. Be at the designated training ground tomorrow at 5 in the morning and bring your ninja gear.

"I won't be weeded out." Naruto thought determined. "People will look up to me someday. Believe it."

Hinata thought, "I just got put on a team with Naruto, so I can't afford to go back to the academy."

"If I fail tomorrow, I have no right to strive towards my dreams" Daichi thought. "Dad passed his first test according to mom."

"Failure isn't an option." Sasuke thought. "I need this training."

Kakashi had turned away from them. "You're dismissed." He put his hands in his pockets. "One more thing. You four should skip breakfast tomorrow or you'll puke."

Kakashi vanished as Daichi took note of that last thing their Sensei said. "Wait, didn't that last part seem suspicious?"

Sasuke nodded. "You realized it as well?"

Hinata and Naruto looked at the two of them confused.

Daichi looked at his friends. "Think about what we've learned at the academy"

Hinata was shocked. "T-That's right. Getting in a good meal is important before any mission. Sensei said this was a mission originally."

Sasuke stood up. "You three better eat because I won't have you slowing me down."

He took off along the roofs.

Training Grounds: Morning…

The sun was rising as Daichi made his way to the field at the same time as his fellow classmates.

"Did you all eat a good meal?" Daichi asked.

Everyone did; however, Naruto was tired. It appears he doesn't get up early like Sasuke, Hinata, and Daichi. Naruto became aware of his teammates more aware states, so he tried to rub the sleep from his eyes.

Hours Later…

There was a beautiful blue sky with a few clouds overhead as Kakashi finally arrived. "Morning everyone. Ready for your first day?"

"You're late!" Naruto exclaimed.

"A black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way." Kakashi then cleared his throat. "Anyways, let's get started." He pulled out a clock and set it on a stump. "It's set for noon." He pressed the button to start the clock and pulled out three bells. "Your assignment is simple.

All you must do it take a bell from me. If you can't do it before noon, you'll go without lunch." He pointed to four post. "You'll be tied to those and watch me eat all the lunches." He looked at the four of them. "I see now that's not as big a punishment as I thought."

The Genin were surprised that Kakashi knew they had breakfast.

Hinata shifted topics to the something that was confusing her. "S-Sensei, there are 4 of us yet you only have three bells?"

Kakashi happily said. "That way at least one of you will end up tied to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission. Then again, all four of you could flunk out. You can use any weapons at your disposal. If you're not prepared to kill, you will not take a bell."

Sasuke looked at the others. "Those three are friends, so they'll work together. I'd be the odd man out, so I must get a bell."

"S-Sensei, weapons are too dangerous." Hinata stated frightened.

Naruto laughed. "Especially since you failed to dodge an eraser."

Kakashi looked at Naruto. "Class clowns are usually the weakest link. Even more so when surrounded by so much talent. I can safely ignore them. Lowest scores. Losers." Naruto was annoyed. "When I say start, you can begin."

Naruto was determined now. He was aware of the talent around him, even if he refused to admit Sasuke was one of them. He drew a kunai and charged at Kakashi who effortlessly caught him aiming the kunai at the back of his neck. This shocked the three remaining Genin.

"N-Naruto…" Hinata thought worriedly.

"Don't be in such a hurry." Kakashi calmly stated. "I hadn't said start yet."

The other Genin backed away from Kakashi as he let go of Naruto.

"He's fast." Daichi thought. "How in the world are we supposed to get the bells from him? Does he expect us to do it alone? Together? What is he looking for?"

"So, this is a Jonin." Sasuke thought.

"At least you came at me with the intent to kill, so how can I say this?" Kakashi chuckled. "I'm starting to like you guys. Now, get ready… Start!"

The four members instantly took off.

Some Time Later…

Everyone was hiding for the time being.

Of course, this wouldn't last as Naruto stepped out with his arms crossed. "You and me, right now. Fair and square. Let's go!"

Kakashi sighed. "Compared to the others, you're a little weird."

"The only weird thing here is your hair cut." Naruto declared before charging in.

Kakashi put his hand in a pouch and drew a shuriken. Naruto stopped and jumped back causing the shuriken to hit the ground.

Kakashi pulled out a book and opened it shocking all the Genin. "What are you waiting for? Make your move."

Naruto was bewildered. "Why are you reading that book?"

"Why?" Kakashi replied, "I'm reading it to find out what happens next. Don't worry, it won't impact my fighting abilities since your attacks barely need any brain power to guard against."

Naruto angrily charged in. "I'm going to crush you!"

Kakashi, without putting the book away, blocked Naruto's punch, ducked under a kick, and dodged Naruto's next punch. He then appeared behind the blond ninja holding the tiger sign.

Hinata was worried. "Naruto, please get out of there."

Daichi was move vocal. "Naruto, get out of there!"

"To late. Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu: A Thousand Years of Death!" Kakashi exclaimed, poking Naruto in the butt.

The Genin was sent flying.

Sasuke was frustrated. "Those two are idiots."

Daichi's face fell. "He's got some interesting techniques to say the least."

Naruto splashed down in the river while Kakashi went back to reading his book.

Hinata looked at the water worried about Naruto. "W-We can't match Sensei at all."

Soon, shuriken flew from the lake telling everyone Naruto was okay. That was immediately followed up with surprise as Kakashi caught the shuriken with no effort. Naruto came to the shore panting.

"What are you doing now?" Kakashi asked seeming bored. "You know you won't pass if you don't take a bell by noon?"

"We're never going to get anywhere at this rate." Daichi thought while trying to come to some conclusion about this test.

"I know." Naruto angrily exclaimed as Kakashi walked away. "I just… I must get one of those bells. No matter what, I'm not going back to the academy, and I will become a ninja. Believe it!"

A group of shadow clones jumped from the water.

Kakashi yawned, threw his book in the air, and wove the hand signs. "Shadow Clone Jutsu."

A single Kakashi appeared and threw shuriken at each clone dispelling them before they could get anywhere near either Kakashi.

Naruto was shocked. "What?"

"You're not the only one in the village who knows the Shadow Clone Jutsu. To think you are shows how unprepared you are to be a ninja" Kakashi dispelled the clone, caught his book, and pocketed it. "Anyways, I think I've seen all I need from you."

He weaved more hand signs and vanished replacing himself with a log.

Naruto looked around frantically before yelling. "Get back out here Kakashi Sensei!"

He ran off to look for him only for Kakashi to reappear back in the clearing having replaced himself with the log again.

With Naruto

Naruto saw a bell on the ground. "No way!" He ran over to it. "Sensei dropped a bell!"

The blond reached for it only to be strung up by a rope. What made it even worse was the fact that it wasn't a real bell at all. Just a leaf transformed to look like a bell.

With the Hinata.

"Naruto!" Hinata had activated her Byakugan to keep an eye on Naruto. "I have to help him!"

She moved towards Naruto leaving Sasuke and Daichi to hide from Kakashi.

"He should have thought about his opponent using his desires against him." Kakashi commented. "A Shinobi must see through deception."

"See through deception…" Daichi thought.

With Hinata

Hinata stopped in her track as Kakashi spoke from behind her. "You have the Byakugan active, yet I got this close. I wasn't even near the 1 degree of sight you can't see." She turned around and jumped back facing him. "In this instance, you were blind. Not good."

Hinata struck him in the stomach only for Kakashi to turn into lightning revealing that this was a lightning clone. Hinata cried out in pain as she was shocked.

With Naruto

Naruto heard Hinata scream, so he worked faster to cut himself down. "Hold on Hinata. I'm coming." When he fell, the blond ninja was once again caught in another rope putting him back up the tree. "Damn it!"

With the Rest

There wasn't any other option left. Time was running out and Sasuke had to be one of the people to get a bell. He moved from his hiding place and charged Kakashi attempting to deliver a powerful kick which Kakashi blocked.

The Jonin blocked the follow up punch and kick as well. Sasuke reached for a bell only for Kakashi to drop him and lunge backwards. Daichi decided that he wasn't going to find any answers being idle.

The Fusion member wove hand signs causing wind to collect around his left arm before charging at Kakashi. "Tornado Fist!"

Kakashi avoided it and kneed Daichi in the stomach sending him stumbling back to Sasuke. Then, unintentionally, they both charged forward at the same time attempting a flurry of punches and kicks that Kakashi blocked.

Sasuke drew a kunai and managed to throw it hitting the bell's strings. Daichi took note of this as Kakashi caught the bells before Sasuke could. The Jonin swung his leg wide knocking both Daichi and Sasuke back.

Daichi thought over everything again only for it to finally click. "Sasuke, come with me now."

Kakashi stood back seeming uninterest in what they were doing. Sasuke contemplated charging the Jonin again, but he knew getting a bell that way might take too much time. If Daichi had a plan, he was willing to at least listen, so the Genin took off into the woods.

"Did Daichi just get the answer?" Kakashi opened his book once more. "I'll be interested to see what they do next."

Daichi created two shadow clones which spread out to find Hinata and Naruto.

Clearing in the Forest

Sasuke and Daichi waited in hiding as Daichi's shadow clones brought in Hinata and Naruto who seemed relatively fine.

"They're here. Now, make it quick." Sasuke crossed his arms. "I need a bell before time runs out."

"That's the point." Daichi stated. "Time is running out and we all fail as things stand." The others were shocked. "Just think about. None of us can beat Kakashi, but that's not the point. The bells are." He looked at Sasuke. "There's only two times we got close."

"When I fought Kakashi alone I grazed them." Sasuke rubbed his chin. "When I fought with you, I was able to hit the strings and release them. Both instances, Kakashi keeps the bells, but one is a closer attempt than the other."

"Are you saying, we need to work together?" Naruto asked.

Hinata said, "That makes sense. Thinking about it, no team in our history has ever been incomplete unless they lost someone. I also don't remember any of our history lesson mentioning anything about Genin beating their instructors."

"Let's say the four of us work together and you're wrong." Sasuke stated. "It really is only three of us that can move on. What guarantee do I have that one of you won't betray me?"

"You'll be the one to grab the bells." Daichi stated. "In the end, passing or failing will come down to you."

Naruto shouted. "Are you really going to trust this Teme!?"

"I do trust him Naruto because he's my teammate as much as you or Hinata." He looked at them. "This only works if we work together. All of us." He put his hand forward. "I'm willing to commit. What of you three?"

Hinata put her hand in. "I agree with Daichi."

Sasuke sighed. "I have little to lose at this point." He didn't add his hand. "I'm in."

"Fine." Naruto grit his teeth as he put his hand in. "What's the plan?"

Squad 7's Training Grounds, 15 Left…

"Things have been quiet for a long time now." Kakashi thought as he closed his book. "You four only have 15 minutes until lunch! Remember, you either get a bell or fail!"

That's when Naruto stepped into the clearing once more.

Kakashi shrugged. "If anything, I must commend you on being the one to face me Naruto."

"Just you wait Sensei. I'm going to get my hands on one of those bells. Believe it." Naruto declared. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Hundreds of Naruto's appeared in the clearing.

Kakashi gave a slight smile. "So, he's going to try and overpower me with numbers. I'm impressed he can make so many, and the fact that he's challenging me after talking with Daichi must mean this is a plan they came up with together.

They might just pass." He watched as clones began to transform into the other members of the team while more sprinted out from the forest. "Impressive. A mix of shadow clones with clones. The shadow clones are Daichi and Naruto's while the clones are Hinata and Sasuke's."

All the clones began throwing kunai and shuriken. Kakashi dodged and blocked the barrage which forced him back to tree line where he set off a trap connected to a wire. More kunai and shuriken came flying from behind him.

Kakashi jumped clear to the right at the space where the clearing met the forest at a corner. "Nice try, but it's going to take more than that to get these bells."

The clones had exhausted their supply of weapons, so they switched to Taijutsu. Kakashi continued fending them off with ease until he was caught off guard by the real Hinata who managed to strike his left arm a few times rendering it useless or so you'd think.

Kakashi knew his fair share of Jutsu. Understatement really. One of them was the Mystical Palm Jutsu which covered his free hand in green Chakra. He used it to make his arm good again while avoiding the remaining clones.

Once he was good, the Jonin weaved the proper hand signs. "Fireball Jutsu."

A ball of fire washed over the remaining clones taking them out. After a moment, Hinata rushed forward striking at Kakashi, but it was much easier to avoid with her being the only one around. That changed as Naruto and Daichi emerged from the woods.

They punched and kicked at Kakashi along with Hinata. He was so busy defending against them, that he couldn't stop a shuriken, from off in the distance, cutting the sting holding the bells once more. He tried to reach for them, but Daichi, Hinata, and Naruto kept him at bay.

This allowed allowing Sasuke to swoop in and take all three bells before they hit the ground. The moment Sasuke had them, the alarm went off. Kakashi was impressed, but there was still one last part to this test.

"Very good Sasuke." Kakashi praised. "You managed to get all three bells meaning it's your choice who joins you on Team 7. The remainder will be tied to the post, forced to watch us eat, and sent back to the academy."

Sasuke looked from the bells to Daichi, Hinata, and Naruto. He sighed hoping Daichi was right about this as he made his choice.

"They are Team 7." The Uchiha threw a bell each to each of them. "I'm going back to the academy"

Now, it was their turn as they dropped the bells and moved to stand with Sasuke.

"We choose not to accept." Naruto stated.

Hinata added, "We'll go back to the academy together."

"Next year, the four of us will try again with another Sensei." Daichi finished.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Is that your final decision?"

All of them, even Hinata, nodded with determination. "It is."

Kakashi picked up the bells and gave them an eye smile. "You four have done what no other team of mine has before. You actually worked together." He started to walk to the center of the clearing. "Follow me. I have something I want to share."

Unsure what was happening, the four Genin followed him.

Center of the Training Grounds

The Genin stood before Kakashi.

"As you all came to realize, this test was about teamwork." Kakashi began. "I did everything in my power to pit you four against each other. Through basic logic, thinking things through, and listening to one another, you came to the right conclusion."

"That's not to say you four are without problems. Naruto, you did everything alone forgetting that you had friends out here who'd have helped you. Daichi, you were caught up in your own head and didn't look past the deception. Shinobi will use deceit.

While you eventually found the answer, it was through action rather than my words. We must always stay on guard or we run the risk of putting everyone in jeopardy. Hinata, you were far too focused on Naruto making you unaware of your surroundings and your other teammates.

Sasuke, you saw yourself as a team of one against their team of three when you should have considered yourself a member of the only team that mattered. You didn't even give it a chance until the end. Ninja missions are carried out in squads.

Your individual skills are important, but teamwork is the most important thing. Every Shinobi must understand this. When you put yourself above the squad, you risk failure and even death. On every mission, your life is on the line."

He walked up to a monument behind him. "Just look at this stone and the names engraved upon it. Theses Ninja were 'killed in action' and inscribed here to be remembered as heroes." This made the Genin silent and contemplative.

"This is the Memorial Stone. The names of my closest friends are engraved here." He turned to face them. "So, I'm leaving you with this last piece of wisdom. This next lesson I'm about to impart should never be forgotten.

In this Shinobi world, those who break the rules are scum. That's true… But, those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." Hinata and Naruto were tearing up at how inspirational those words were. "Take those words to heart and never forget them."

"He's kind of cool." Naruto stated.

"I'm sorry if this has dampened your moods. What you four accomplished here is something of note. Starting now, we are Team 7. Starting tomorrow, we begin taking missions." He put his hands in his pockets. "Now, let's go home."

Naruto happily yelled. "I did it!"

Hinata, overcome with emotion, yelled, "Yes!"

"Alright!" Daichi exclaimed.

Sasuke contently smirked.