AN: And~ I'm back!


Chapter 2 - Test of Wills and Bells

As the sun rose higher into the sky the next day, Naruto began to get antsy. In his defense, he wasn't the only one; Sasuke and Sakura were simply better at containing their frustration. In Naruto's defense though, they didn't have five other voices complaining in the back of their minds. That kind of combined annoyance could drive anyone up a tree.

"UGH! Where is he?" Naruto finally shouted, pulling at his hair in annoyance.

"How should we know? We've been here with you the whole time." Sakura said, inwardly agreeing with Naruto and glad that someone voiced it.

Sasuke looked like he was more bored than anything, simply sitting back and relaxing. He didn't appear troubled by Kakashi's absence, but then he didn't really care at the moment either. Having full confidence in one's abilities will do that to a person. Plus, he had a few surprises hidden up his sleeves.

Naruto, clones notwithstanding, was less certain of himself. Beating up a quickly made Kakashi looking dummy the night before and just before coming didn't help much. Or perhaps that was the anxiety of trying not to imagine failing this test and being sent back to the Academy after all that had happened to simply become a Genin. Yeah, it was more likely that.

Pushing himself to his feet, he slowly began stretching and grimacing as he looked at the time again. The information said to show up, not to eat unless he wanted to throw up, and be prepared for the survival test. Crossing his arms, he growled softly before looking around. Problems happened in missions occasionally, he didn't delude himself on that problems didn't happen. He just never believed it would happen to him.

…okay so maybe he was deluding himself.

Fighting his growing annoyance, he turned around to talk to his team – something he'd been idly debating on since they hadn't exactly seemed open to chatting – when there was suddenly a poof of smoke as Kakashi finally arrived.

"Yo."

"You're late!" Naruto and Sakura shouted, pointing a finger at him accusingly.

"Ah, yeah sorry about that." Kakashi said placidly. "You see, there was a black cat that crossed my path, and I had to take the long way."

No one seemed to let up at that, but Kakashi simply seemed to smile and brush it off. He'd heard it all before, and he'd decided to accept it as something to enjoy seeing how many students he'd gone through over the years. With a soft chuckle, he reached behind himself and pulled out a clock. Getting a confused look from them, he began winding it up before placing it on a nearby stump. Turning back to them, he brandished a pair of bells in his hand.

"Here are two bells. Your task is to take these from be before time's up. The training ends either when both bells have been obtained, or this timer goes off. Once the timer goes off, we'll meet back here for lunch." Picking up a pair of bento boxes, he placed them next to the timer. "Those who don't have a bell by noon get no lunch. I'll not only tie you to one of these stumps, but I'll also eat right in front of you."

All three of their stomachs seem to have a very vocal issue with that as they all stared at him with annoyance. "So that's why he told us not to eat."

"You only have to get one bell, but since there's only two bells one of you will definitely be tied to the stump." Kakashi noted, letting the bells chime softly. "And the person who doesn't take a bell fails. So at least one of you will be sent back to the academy."

All three of their eyes snapped to the bells, none of them wanting to be sent back. They'd worked far too hard to get where they were; taking a step backwards would only frustrate them.

Kakashi smirked under his mask, clearly reading their discomfort. "You can use whatever you have at your disposal. Kunai, shuriken…if you want to pass this test, you need to come at me with the intent to kill."

"But-but sensei! You could be hurt!" Sakura shouted, startled by that idea. Kakashi almost felt sorry for her; she had a long way to go as a shinobi, and there were a lot of lessons she'd need to learn.

Naruto however suddenly seemed to relax. The memory of Kakashi coming in, covered in chalk came to mind, reminding him that he'd caught Kakashi in what appeared to be every trap he'd lain for their sensei. "You couldn't even dodge any of my traps! How can you dodge us if we come at you like that?"

"Hm," Kakashi deadpanned at Naruto's remark, idly remembering how easily he could've dodged any one of them. Clearly Naruto was unaware of the idea of hiding one's strength and giving off a false impression. He'd learn soon enough. "Those with the least skill tend to be the ones who yell the loudest. So, just ignore Mr. Deadlast and start when I say."

Naruto normally wouldn't be able to take something like that lying down, seeing how he'd finally gotten to the point he could be taken seriously. With the other voices also shouting in defiance, he didn't really let his self-restraint hold him back. Yanking out a kunai, Naruto spun it quickly before launching himself at Kakashi with all his strength.

An admirable, and perhaps valiant effort. But Naruto was nowhere near the level needed to take on Kakashi alone.

With an almost casual move – for him at least – Kakashi moved behind Naruto and gripped his kunai arm behind his head. The other two jumped in surprise, neither having noticed him move. Kakashi glanced down at Naruto, a bemused look in his eye. "Well, seems like you're taking me seriously after all. I think I might just come to like you after all. Now…start!"

-x-

Naruto wanted to kick Kakashi's ass. He wanted to fight him so much. The only thing stopping him –

~Calm down, you can't beat him that way. ~

…was the voices in his mind. Yeah.

"He's totally asking for it! Look at him, just standing around in the field…gah, let me a him!"

Naruto made a strangling motion, still quite upset with being called Deadlast again. He hated that nickname. While he had "earned" the nickname due to his ranking in the Academy, that didn't mean that he wanted to be called that. It was disrespectful, and was counterproductive to getting the respect of the village if he couldn't even get his teacher to respect him. It wasn't Kakashi's job to respect him but it was the principle of the thing.

Staring down at Kakashi, he tried to think clearly to plan…something. Anything. However, his growling stomach seemed to cloud his mind and make that a very, very difficult. Growling in frustration, he finally gave up on thinking and leapt down to confront Kakashi directly. He heard a couple of groans at that, but he didn't care; he had his Genin status to and his honor to defend and such.

Next time, he was definitely eating before coming to training. Nausea or not, it was better than thinking half with his stomach.

"…you're not the brightest of the bunch, are you?"

"Fight me!" Naruto shouted, deciding to just focus on beating the crap out Kakashi.

"You're a little off." Kakashi muttered, reaching back to pull out a book. Not getting an immediate reaction, he peaked up over his book to check on Naruto, who was giving him a very confused look. "The first lesson will be…taijutsu, the physical skill all shinobi must learn."

"Uh, okay, what?" Naruto asked, pointing at the book in confusion. "You're just going to read while you're fighting me?"

"Hm? Of course. Reading it is the only way I'll find out what happens next. Don't worry, it won't slow me down."

Naruto's eye twitched at that, and with a roar he launched himself at Kakashi, punching and kicking wildly in an attempt to land just one punch. Kakashi however, was just sitting back and enjoying his book, dodging the berserker blows effortlessly. Moving behind Naruto, Kakashi almost laughed at how easy this was. "Never let an opponent get behind you. Oogi: Sennen Goroshi (Secret Technique: One Thousand Years of Death)!"

"Naruto watch out! You're gonna get killed!"

Naruto blinked when Kakashi vanished, then began looking around franticly when Sakura shouted as well. Get killed? What? Finally turning slightly around, he briefly saw Kakashi behind him with his hands in a seal before a sharp pain rammed into his butt and he was launched away into the nearby river.

"Well…" Kakashi muttered, going back to his book nonchalantly. "That was less than interesting."

"Well, that went well."

"I'm totally stealing that technique for later."

Naruto blinked in pain before gritting his teeth. "Are you kidding me! This is ridiculous!"

~I warned you. ~

Blinking, Naruto focused on that voice. He hadn't had much of a chance to figure all that out, since it'd only been a few days since they'd suddenly wound up in his mind. Still, he was slowly starting to pick out the differences between them. This voice was…calm? When the voices initially started to converse, Naruto had learned the very interesting fact that no matter how 'loudly' one shouted in a person's mind, it all sounded the same volume. That made tone also more difficult, though the 'voice' of it stood out.

"Well then stop warning me and start telling me something I can use!" Naruto internally shouted, pulling out a pair of shuriken. He just wanted to get a bell, grab something to eat and be done with this stupid test.

"You do remember you have clones right?"

Naruto paused, realizing that voice had a point. Why hadn't he just spammed Kakashi with them from the start? That would have been an amazing idea! Or…not? Damn his stomach and making it harder to think. Crossing his arms in the hand seal for his newest technique, he smirked as he began swimming to the surface.

Pulling himself onto the bank of the little lake he'd been knocked into, Naruto growled at Kakashi.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Kakashi asked, barely looking over his book at him to check on him. "If you don't get a bell before noon, you won't get lunch."

"I know that!" Grimacing, he shakily began pushing himself to his feet. "I was just a little careless, that's all."

"Carelessness can be your worst enemy you know."

"I…already know that."

Kakashi seemed to pause at that, moving his book out of the way to seriously look at him. Naruto seemed to be actually reminded of something where his carelessness caused him personal harm. Of course, if he'd truly learned from his mistake, he wouldn't have been so careless.

Thinking back on the information he'd received, he sighed softly as he realized that Naruto likely hadn't thought about the difference between an Academy teaching Chunin and a Jonin before diving into a 1v1 with him. While he could forgive him for that arrogance in the village in a 'friendly' training exercise, it wouldn't be nearly as allowable in an actual battle. His expression seemed to be misinterpreted by Naruto, who looked like Kakashi was somehow insulting him.

"Hey! Don't count me out just yet!" Suddenly, from behind Naruto a half dozen clones burst from the water. Grinning impishly, Naruto and his clones began rushing him. "Don't get careless now there are more of me! This is my new jutsu, the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!"

Kakashi glanced between Naruto and the clones, trying not to smile behind his mask. So, this is the technique Naruto learned…and the one that caused his 'issues'. Narrowing his eyes, he glanced between the clones quickly to see if he could detect any differences. However, despite his years of experience, he couldn't say with certainty whether or not any of the clones were acting oddly.

That is to say, he couldn't say with certainty. There were minor discrepancies, just enough for him to pick out. Given a little more time, he could –

With a start, he glanced back as he was suddenly put into a hold by another Naruto who'd snuck up behind him. "Wait, when –"

"Hehe, never let an opponent get behind you, right Kakashi-sensei?!"

"Well, at least he's a fast learner." Kakashi idly thought as the other Naruto's launched themselves at him. Looking between them, he picked out the one he'd seen as the original and braced himself. "Ready…Kawarimi no Jutsu (Substitution Technique)!"

-x-

Sasuke and Sakura watched the fight with a mix between stunned stupor, blinding hunger, and silent amazement. The fight, while starting with Naruto's insanity in trying to fight Kakashi one-on-one, had simply reminded them of the difference in their strengths. Kakashi was barely trying to dodge or even really fight Naruto. He was playing around with him, watching Naruto make a fool of himself and was probably finding the entire experience to be just a big joke.

And then Naruto had physical clones burst out of the lake and attack Kakashi. Neither of them had seen physical clones like that, especially since the average clone technique was meant to only be a shadow-like projection. These effected the water as they jumped out, clearly showing themselves to be anything but projections. He even managed to get one to sneak up behind Kakashi and put him into a hold…

Only for Kakashi to suddenly vanish and become Naruto right before Naruto hit him.

The group of Naruto's all looked between each other, looking very, very confused at the sudden disappearance of Kakashi. While from the outside it was more obvious as to what most likely happened, the Naruto's clearly had different ideas.

"Is it you?" One of the Naruto's asked, grabbing another Naruto by their jacket.

"Hey, come on it's not me!" That Naruto shouted back, holding up his hands defensively.

"I'm gonna clock you all till I find Kakashi!" One of them shouted, rolling up his sleeves with a rather…violent look in his eyes.

"Wait, wait!" Another clone said, placing his hands on the two more violent Naruto's. "Give me a second…"

Sasuke frowned at the display, idly noting that there were some…discrepancies between the clones. It was almost like watching a group of people who didn't trust one another and were close to blows. Naruto might've been so random as to fight himself without reason, but there were the ones who weren't acting quite as "Naruto-like". Like the one who was acting as a peacekeeper; Naruto was not the first person they'd label as a peacekeeper.

Glancing around, he found that he couldn't see any sign of Kakashi at all. Gritting his teeth, he shifted uncomfortably while shifting a handful of shuriken between his fingers. If he could find an opening, he might get off a good enough hit to go grab a –

"Hey look a bell!"

All eyes moved to Naruto, including the other clones, as he gleefully moved over to pick up the errant bell that seemed to have fallen off Kakashi's belt when he switched with one of the Naruto clones. Practically everyone watching realized that, after all that Kakashi had already done, there was no way he had just 'dropped' a bell. With one voice they all seemed to shout, "No!"

But Naruto was already on top of it, and as he looked around he was caught up in a snare that threw him upwards and bounced him around like a ragdoll.

Everyone just stared at him for a moment, not certain if they were supposed to be amused by it, or if they should've helped in some way. Then, with a loud cry, the clones of Naruto charged forwards and raced at the bell. Even if Naruto had missed it, there was still a chance for one of them to get it and give it to him.

With a sudden blur of motion, Kakashi snapped up the bell and slammed into the clones with frightening speed. Sending them flying in various directions, Kakashi then turned to Naruto with a lightly impressed expression.

"Instead of dispelling them like I expected, you kept them around. Got pretty close to actually grabbing it actually." Kakashi twirled the bell idly as he glanced up at Naruto. "Still, it wasn't –"

"You shouldn't underestimate us!"

Kakashi, like when he was grabbed from behind, was startled when the clones he had knocked down suddenly leapt back up and slammed into him. No, not all of them, only three of them had remained. The one who'd spoken had wrapped his arms around Kakashi's waist to try and keep him from leaving. Gripping them by their jacket, he ground his teeth and yanked him off, spinning them around and threw them into the others.

"So they're showing themselves. I should…" Kakashi began to think, but paused as he looked at them more carefully.

It was common knowledge between the Jonin of Konohagakure that the Kage Bunshin was a Kinjutsu (forbidden technique) for a very, very good reason. It had so very many uses that made it perhaps one of the most versatile technique anyone had ever created. But, of course, any such technique that had such versatility had drawbacks; some less obvious than others.

For example, the idea of splitting one's chakra between multiple clones could be very bad if one didn't have a great deal of chakra. This was remedied by training their reserves until they could handle half of their reserves running around. One would also find that upon being dispelled a clone that most of the chakra – not all sadly – would be returned back to the original.

Another thing that could be "bad" was the backlash of impressions from things learned by the clones. If one had a strong enough mind, they could withstand the backlash that came with it, which was simply a case of practicing with a few clones at a time until they could filter though the information.

However, the final one was the reason most Jonin didn't use it. Because if one used it with a fracturing mental state, the results could be…disastrous.

And yet, Naruto didn't appear to be suffering from the final issue; at least, he wasn't suffering from it in the most documented way. If anything, these clones seemed…

Kakashi smiled, using another Kawarimi with a log as a handful of shuriken slammed into his replacement from the forest. He'd keep an eye on Naruto when he could, but he was in the middle of a training test. It was his job to ensure that his students were given every opportunity that they took for themselves. While he clearly hadn't read up enough before diving into using the technique, it was up to Naruto to use it properly. If he didn't, Kakashi would do what he could to help Naruto.

If his clones didn't get to him first.

The two clones remaining behind stared at the log as it fell away before glancing back to Naruto. After a couple of seconds, one of them bent at the waist as he laughed at Naruto's predicament.

"Oh my gosh, you look like a tiny bunny!" They said, pointing at Naruto with a huge grin.

The other clone rolled their eyes, taking out a kunai and throwing it at the cord idly. He seemed to blink as Naruto was dropped on his head, causing him to glance up idly. "Huh, I should've thought that through."

"Ow…" Naruto groaned, rubbing his head before glaring at the clone. "Yeah you should've. What the heck?"

"I cut you down." The second clone shrugged, looking quite nonchalant about it. "How I did it didn't seem like a problem at the time."

"Yeah, besides!" The first one said, a giant grin on his face. "That was way too much fun!"

Naruto and the second clone deadpanned at the firsts enthusiasm before they noticed the other reason why the clone was grinning. Slowly Naruto grinned as well, and the three of them began plotting how best to rub it in.

-x-

Kakashi was impressed. Not just from the display of skill Sasuke had just shown – though that was admittedly a great surprise, but also by Naruto. Or his clones, he still wasn't sure how to label that situation with him.

He'd gotten a bell.

When Kakashi had felt confident in Naruto's defeat, he'd allowed himself to get snuck up by the clones. In his defense, clones did not stick around that way for people who used it wisely. He'd let his guard down and had paid for it with the bell that had been stripped from his belt.

Well, at least he'd only taken one of the bells. The one he'd used for the trap he'd kept for himself and kept away from Sasuke. He'd add in the thought of Sakura doing…well anything, but after the way she'd handled the genjutsu (illusionary technique) he dropped that presumption. For being 'top of her class' she had missed practically everything that hinted at it being a genjutsu.

On the other hand, she was a 'civilian' shinobi who wasn't expecting to witness someone hurt in a violent confrontation – at least her time as a Genin. Even worse, it was a vision of her crush Sasuke being hurt. She clearly had far more attachment to the boy despite his stonewalling her advances time and again from what the instructors had said. While it might've helped her pass the true portion of the test on any other day, it also created a glaring weakness; one that she would need to learn to control if she wanted any kind of leverage in becoming a shinobi.

Rubbing his chin, Kakashi debated on the value of just ending the test as it was. On one hand, the test was a failure for all three of them. They had all lacked the necessary teamwork he was looking for, and despite the fact that they had potential, he couldn't in good conscience take them under his wing as they were. They were close, very close, but…but no. Not as they currently were.

On the other hand, there was potential. And if Naruto's clones were acting in the way he expected, then there was potential for his lesson to be utilized in a very advanced manner. With that in mind, he began to quickly scout out for where Naruto was.

He didn't have to look very far, or for very long. As it turned out, Naruto showed up not far from where he was. It appeared that he and his clones had been looking for Sasuke. Settling back in the trees above, Kakashi relaxed and decided to see how this played out.

-x-

Sasuke had never been so humiliated in his entire life. Well, that's not entirely true. Naruto being shoved into him for an accidental kiss just before the teams had been called in front of the entire class was the most embarrassing. This was more the largest wound to his pride.

The reason being was that he'd expected himself to do better than just touch a bell. Instead, he'd brushed his fingers against it and ended up being dragged down until just his head was sticking out of the ground. He didn't even have the satisfaction of Kakashi's apparent surprise due to his own jutsu blocking his vision with the large fireball.

Yes, Kakashi was a Jonin. Yes, he was still just a fresh-out-of-the-Academy Genin. But that didn't necessarily matter in his mind. After all the tricks and skills he'd learned, and with all the skills he'd hidden away to make sure he could get the drop on various people in the future. Particularly that man…though with his current level of skill, he knew he still needed to learn more before he could take him on.

Scowling, he shifted and squirmed, not quite able to move enough to get out on his own. With a grunt of exertion, he sat back in his dirt prison as he tried to think.

Something wasn't right. He'd been able to touch a bell while fighting on his own, but that wouldn't secure his position as a Genin; only by obtaining a bell would he be able to do that. But…why two? Why two bells? The less people slowing him down and getting in his way the better, but they'd been broken into groups of three in the first place. Something felt off about Kakashi's test, and he would figure it out. Even if –

His thoughts were cut off when he heard a rustling in the woods. Wincing, he tried to think of the best case scenario as for what it could be. An angry creature? Something with malicious intent? He should be so lucky.

Instead, one of the "worst case" scenarios played out. Naruto, with his hyperactive grin, emerged from the forest with his two clones in tow. One of them had apparently found Sakura and was carrying her carefully into the clearing. Upon seeing Sasuke, the three of them stopped and stared at him, not seeming to comprehend what they were seeing.

Finally, one of them pointed at him. "Holy shit Kakashi killed Sasuke!"

"Why did he bury him then?" Another Naruto asked, looking…emotionless? From Naruto? That didn't sound right.

"Maybe he cut off his head and left the rest of him somewhere else?" The third Naruto said. Now that one seemed more Naruto. Spaced out, with stupid comments, but still grinning like a fool. That, and he was personally carrying Sakura; he found it difficult to imagine Naruto letting someone else carry Sakura when he could. Although it was clear that Naruto was struggling to carry her properly seeing how short he is.

"Hey." Sasuke called out, getting two freaked out expressions from two of them, but no reaction from the third. "Get me out of here."

"He's a ghost!" The first Naruto – the clone – said, pointing at Sasuke. The real Naruto was freaking out as well,

Sasuke felt like he was going to slam his head into the ground repeatedly at the stupidity of it all. Thankfully the second clone wasn't as taken aback, and walked over to begin digging him out with the second clone following shortly thereafter. After a few moments of freaking out, the original set Sakura down against a tree before joining his clones in digging Sasuke out.

Soon Sasuke was loose enough that Naruto could get behind him to yank him out. With the three of them panting softly, Sasuke looked them over with a skeptical look. This…well it was like Naruto to do something so out of the way and asinine, but at the same time after all Naruto had done to attack Kakashi, Sasuke wouldn't have been the first to think that Naruto was 'thinking' very clearly right now. So why come help him?

"Something wrong Sasuke-san?" The second clone asked, rolling into a kneeling pose. His face looked so…foreign. So placid and emotionless. It was freaky.

Sasuke debated on asking merely to sate his curiosity, but he had a feeling he knew why Naruto was here. He just needed Naruto to admit it. "Why are you here Naruto?"

Naruto – the one he figured was the original – blinked, suddenly grinning as he reached into his pouch…and pulled out a bell.

"I figured I'd help you get a bell, seeing how I got my own already." Naruto said, looking at the bell proudly. "It's…underwhelming, but hey if it means I'm a Genin I – whoa hey!"

Naruto scrambled back, keeping his hand away from Sasuke who was reaching for the bell. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto. "Give it to me."

"What? No, it's mine." Naruto said with a scowl. "I got my ass handed to me – in more way then I ever want to say after this. I've earned this."

"Earned it…?" Sasuke said, his words almost not even a question. Finally, he grit his teeth and nodded. "Fine, I accept then."

"Uh…what?"

"If you feel you earned it, then I'll just prove that I deserve it more. I'll beat you and take the bell from you and become a Genin."

The two stared each other down, neither one of them seeming to blink as they shifted in place. Sasuke's fingers twitched towards his weapons, but he hesitated. Kakashi was fair game to go at with full lethal intent, but Naruto…well he was Naruto. He could probably take a hit but Sasuke wasn't so low as to try to maim him to get what he wanted.

He ignored the hypocracy of what he knew he'd likely end up doing since that had no place in the here and now. This was about taking the first step; he needed to become a Genin for real if he wanted any chance of even thinking of…well, that.

Clenching his fists, he launched himself at Naruto. Due to the fact they were crouched over to begin with, it quickly devolved from the beginnings of a fight to a wrestling match. One which Naruto would find disadvantageous due to needing to keep one hand away from Sasuke. And with Sasuke's larger size and weight, he held the advantage in this.

Naruto, not one to be kept down, quickly decided he did not like how this was going. However, he couldn't simply get out from under Sasuke with the way he was pinned without risking losing the bell. But if he tried to fight back to much, Sasuke would get the bell. Either option, he lost. So he chose option three; wing it.

Despite not being one to enjoy being called short or small, Naruto now used that to his advantage. Getting his feet up under Sasuke, he heaved and threw Sasuke off him, barely keeping a grip on the bell in his hand as Sasuke struggled to hold onto his arm. The result was Naruto still being held in a death grip, but with far more freedom of movement, and Sasuke flat on his back trying to claw his way into Naruto's hand to swipe the bell away.

With a growl of exertion, Naruto glanced over to his two clones and made a wild guesture to the fight. "Uh, little help here?!"

The first clone, the one who'd stolen the bell, simply shook his head before giving him a thumbs-up. "This is a battle between men. For honor! We believe in you!"

Naruto blinked in surprise at that before gritting his teeth. "Traitor!" Turning to the second clone, his stare became a dumbfounded one as they simply sat back. "Oh not you too!"

"He said it was an honor fight. I just want to see who wins." The second clone said idly, no concern or excitement on his face. Just a blank stare as he watched them struggle. "Oh, seems Sasuke's almost –"

The minor warning was all Naruto needed to turn and punch Sasuke's arm. While not the most orthodox of methods, it did give Sasuke enough of a start that Naruto was able to move his other hand to the bell and transfer it before Sasuke could remove it and hold it away from himself. "Ha! Now I've got the –"

Before he could finish his sentence, Sasuke released Naruto and lashed out with a kick to Naruto's gut. Catching Naruto flatfooted, he pushed himself off the dirt beneath himself to deliver another kick to Naruto's head. Unfortunately, he underestimated how loose the dirt was after having just been excavated, and his upper torso slipped downwards, causing his kick to go high. Both of them ended up rolling on the ground and coughing; one for trying to breathe again, and the other for getting a mouthful of dirt after his attempted maneuver.

"I can't be careless." Sasuke thought, eyes narrowed as he turned back to Naruto. "I have to become a shinobi…I have to."

Were he not suffering from a wounded ego and an empty stomach, Sasuke likely would've been more levelheaded about this situation and played it cooler. As he was though, he could barely string two thoughts together with how blinded he'd become upon seeing this opportunity to get a bell. It was his best chance; Kakashi was too strong for him to beat on his own, and even if Naruto were to help he already had a bell. Why would he bother?

"Man, this is the thanks I get…" Naruto groaned, doubled over from the hit. Being hit in the gut on an empty stomach simply reminded him of his hunger and added another layer of pain to the hit that likely wouldn't have debilitated him nearly as much otherwise. "I was going to try to help you get a bell, but looks like you'd rather try to take what I earned myself!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at that; though which part he was dubious of could be up for debate. "Why would you help me? Only one more of us can pass, and…" He paused at that, slowly glaring at him accusingly. "You wanted me to help you get it for Sakura."

"What? No! I mean…well maybe a little." Naruto muttered, finally picking himself back up before glancing at the slowly rousing Sakura. "I mean… well…"

Sasuke could catch what Naruto was trying to imply, and ground his teeth. "She's not some damsel, she's a kunochi – a shinobi of Konoha like us. You can't just swoop in and save her. She has to sink or swim, just like the rest of us."

"I know that!" Naruto barked back, eyes narrowed in defiance. "But just because we have to doesn't mean we have to do it alone! I mean…isn't it easier to accomplish something when people work together?"

"No." Sasuke said indignantly. Reaching for his weapons pouch, he began moving to draw a kunai when his stomach began growling and he froze.

Naruto stared at him for a moment before his own stomach answered back. "…you too huh?"

"…I don't think any of us ate." Sasuke said, remembering the instructions. "It was written like a suggestion…but it's making it really hard to think straight."

"Then perhaps you should stop fighting? It's really quite pointless."

Naruto and Sasuke turned to glare at the second clone. The clone seemed undisturbed by the glared and even shrugged, shifting in place to get more comfortable.

Sasuke was eventually the first to speak up. "And why's that?"

"Because there's a simple way around the test rule." The clone said, as though it were the simplest thing to think of.

"Oh yeah?" Naruto asked, crossing his arms defiantly. "And what's that?"

The clone opened his mouth to speak, then paused and glanced past them. "Give Sakura a moment. She'll want to hear this too."

The two boys turned with some surprise as Sakura slowly woke up. As soon as she was alert, she leapt to her feet with eyes burning with determination. "Oh no! Sasuke-kun is in trouble!" Turning to bold out of the clearing, she took two steps before skidding to a halt as she caught sight of said 'boy in trouble'. "Sasuke-kun! You're alright!"

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, glancing away from her to the clone. "Alright, she's awake. Now tell us what your sneaky plan is."

"Plan?" Sakura took further stock of the clearing before pointing at Naruto angrily. How dare he ruin a perfectly good moment between her and Sasuke. "Hey! What are you doing here Naruto-baka!"

Naruto gave her a deadpanned look before raising his hand and (carefully) showed her the bell in his hand. "I was finding you guys to see if either of you wanted to enlist my awesomeness in getting the other bell, but then Sasuke attacked me, and now my clone is saying it knows how to cheat the test."

Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief. No, it couldn't be true! Naruto…if Naruto had a bell that meant he'd passed! In her mind's eye, she envisioned her dreams of being with Sasuke shattered as a devil-looking Naruto held the bell of her salvation just out of arms reach. Oh life was so unfair!

But…wait. Cheat the test? "Is that even possible?"

"Well, I think so." The second clone tapped his palm twice, indicating the bell Naruto had. "It's really rather simple. Naruto makes a pair of clones, and since they're physical clones, they'll copy everything he has on him…including the bell."

Everyone stared at the clone for a moment and considered that. Sakura was the first to voice her objections. "But Kakashi-sensei said that one of us would definitely be going back to the academy! He even made sure that he only had two bells!"

The clone shrugged. "Sure, but if he'd had more bells, would any of you have tried nearly as hard to kill him just to get the bell? To really let loose?"

Sasuke was the first to glance away at that. His use of the Goukakyuu no jutsu (Grand Fireball Technique) – a jutsu he'd hidden from the instructors as a minor 'ace in the hole' for years – was its own proof of how desperate he'd been.

"Not only that, but he had you all not eat and then showed up late to the training he scheduled? You almost ripped each other's arms off trying to get that bell just now." The clone cocked his head, squinting as though trying to think of something. "…not that you guys ever got along before, but that's quite the step up."

Naruto huffed indignantly at that. "Well, he started it."

"I did not." Sasuke muttered back, clenching the arm Naruto had punched. It was feeling remarkably tingly and he had to wave his hand to try and get some feeling back into it. Naruto's punch had hurt like a son of a bitch.

"Regardless…jeez." The clone rubbed the bridge of his nose as thought the two of them were giving him a headache. "Look, he said if you have a bell you pass. He said that it had to be his bell…and technically it will be one of the bells he had. It'll just be a clone of the bell. That way everyone eats, everyone passes, and no one goes home unhappy."

Naruto slowly nodded, crossing his arms into the hand seal to make the clones. "Hey, it's worth a shot."

After a moment, Sasuke finally nodded in agreement. Seeing her 'precious' Sasuke agreeing with Naruto, Sakura reluctantly agreed as well. Seeing the both of them in agreement, Naruto molded his chakra and created two clones. Now, with 'three' bells in his possession, they could –

A series of impacts slammed all around them, causing the three of them to jump in surprise. The second pair of clones vanished in puffs of smoke, but the first pair went down in a spray of blood as though from a mortal wound in their chest first, getting the three of them to push themselves away before they disappeared in puffs of smoke. Sasuke and Sakura looked around, with Sakura looking far more terrified than Sasuke. Naruto, on the other hand, was gripping his head and chest.

"And…just what do you think you're doing?"

All three of them turned to see Kakashi leaning over them with an unreadable expression. Backing into a group, they tried to give off the appearance of unity, but it was clear that they were all incredibly terrified of the unemotional-looking Jonin.

Slowly Kakashi sighed and straightened. He couldn't be to mad with them; this wasn't something he normally had to deal with after all. For one, he didn't usually lose a bell. And for another, there was only one Genin who knew how to make shadow clones to make that strategy work. Were it not for one fact, the idea might've been a good one – an amazing one even. Unfortunately for Naruto, it was Kakashi who made the rules for this test.

And simply cloning a bell wasn't exactly teamwork…although…he could use this.

"So you're going to try and break the rules?" Kakashi said, voice ominous. "Try to give everyone a bell, even though I specifically said that one of you would fail?"

Naruto flinched at that, but seemed to remember that Sasuke and Sakura were still beside him. Hungry and clearly somewhat delirious from the pain from a moment ago, he shot Kakashi his best look of defiance. "Hell yeah! There's no way we were all gonna fail! It's not fair if one of us gets sent back to the academy…" Glancing between Sasuke and Sakura, his resolve seemed to harden his stubbornness and he crossed his arms belligerently. "We all worked our asses off to get here, and we all deserve to become Genin!"

"I'm the one who's the judge of that." Kakashi replied, the soft tone he used getting a flinch out of Naruto. It's true what the said; speaking softly to kids will force them to pay better attention to what is said. "And you can't just cheat your way into becoming a Genin. It's like you aren't taking what being a shinobi is seriously. That's not what this test is about, and it seems you've completely missed it."

They all frowned at that, each of them processing that information. Alongside what Naruto's clone had said, what they were logically presented with was beginning to win over their delirium. While the boys had their stubborn pride, Sakura had no such qualms about perking up and voicing her confusion. "Kakashi-sensei? Just…what is the point of this test then?"

"The point of this test is teamwork." Kakashi admitted, knowing that the alarm would be going off soon regardless. Besides that, what they had been doing was close – not quite, but close – to what he was looking for. "Together, the three of you might've gotten the bells."

"Teamwork?" Sasuke said skeptically, clearly not impressed by the idea of that.

Sakura on the other hand was more aware of something wrong with that logic. "But, Kakashi-sensei, you only had two bells and said only those who got bells would pass! Even if we worked together one of us would still fail! What teamwork is that supposed to be? We just ended up fighting each other!"

"That's the point! It was to see if you could put aside yourselves to help other." Kakashi replied, as though it was the most obvious thing. "But despite your team… Sakura, despite Naruto being closer and already having gotten a bell, you ran off to find Sasuke who was further away. Naruto, while you did get bell, you went off on your own against a superior opponent. And Sasuke, you assumed the others would get in your way and tried to do everything yourself. Shinobi duties are done by teams, not just individuals. In this world, being individually strong is good. But what's even more important is teamwork. Those who betray the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends and teammates are worse than trash."

That seemed to sober them all. They must've all thought they were doing well, up until they'd realized that they'd completely missed the entire point of the exam. Individually, Naruto and Sasuke had decent enough skills that – with some work – could make them splendid shinobi. Sakura needed more work than polish, but even she had potential if she'd just reach for it.

With a sigh, he leaned back against a tree. What to do, what to do. "Maybe I was wrong. I shouldn't send any of you back to the Academy." Seeing them perk up at that, he dashed those hopes quickly. "Instead, you should all quit being shinobi."

"WHAT?!" Naruto shouted, jumping to his feet and jabbing a finger at Kakashi. "You can't just say that! We are totally shinobi material!"

"All I see is a bunch of punks, playing at being shinobi." Kakashi replied jadedly, glaring down Naruto.

"Then teach us." Naruto suddenly shifted, his entire body relaxing as his expression became…void? "If we're bad at teamwork, then help us get better. We're not stupid Kakashi-sensei, so please…"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Naruto, noting when Naruto blinked in confusion as he came back to himself. That hadn't been Naruto, that had been…the clone that had caught onto there being something off with the test. But, once again, Kakashi had no reason to act on this revelation as it hadn't done anything to Naruto, and…they were helping Naruto.

"Fine, you want a lesson?" Kakashi stared at Naruto and pointed to the bell in his hand. "Give me the bell, and I'll pass you and you alone…but Sasuke and Sakura will fail immediately."

Naruto stared at Kakashi, looking like he was trying to think of something incredibly difficult. "But…isn't that the opposite of what you were trying to teach us?"

"Maybe, but this is still my test. My game, my rules." Kakashi said, eyeing the other two. Sasuke and Sakura appeared to be exactly has he'd figured they'd be; offended, confused, and worried. They had no faith in Naruto. And why should they? According to his file he was the deadlast, had no friends in his class, and there was no reason for him to stand up for them. Crush on Sakura or not, if he had to choose between his career and them…

Naruto looked like he was trying very hard not to just hand over the bell, his eyes with a far off look in his eyes as he considered the options. Suddenly he slapped his face and glared at Kakashi. "No way! You aren't going to pass me if I give it to you! You'll just fail me for ignoring what you just said!"

"Will I?" Kakashi asked, trying not to look to proud of Naruto for sticking to his guns. "I thought I was the one who made the rules."

"Well if you're making these rules and just changing them like this then this is a stupid training!" Naruto growled, crossing his arms with a scowl. "You take all of us or you get nothing. Take it or leave it!"

Kakashi idly wondered if he should point out the fact that, if he truly wanted to, he could just tell Naruto that he'd had the opportunity to train a variety of other potential student and had wound up failing each and every one of them. However, none of them were as ballsy as Naruto; willing to either give it all up, or gain all he could ever want. It was a gamble.

"Fine then! You…" Kakashi said, his voice dropping and sounding incredibly ominous as he spoke before he brightened and pat Naruto on the head. "Pass."


AN: And thus, the annoying bell test is done! But honestly? I actually enjoyed writing bits of this. I mean, SERIOUSLY. After all this time, and all this fanfiction, has anyone thought to ask "what would happen if Naruto got a bell?" I mean, Tellemicus Sundance had a good sort of idea with Kakashi's retaking the bell in Legacy of the Rasengan I: Naruto, but the more I've thought about it the more I've thought "Naruto would brag that he got one, but if the timer hadn't gone off...what would Sasuke do?" (If someone has done something like this before, sorry but I've clearly missed it)

But of course, they're also incredibly hungry and Sasuke isn't quite at the point where he's willing to give up all his morals to advance. Good thing too, seeing how that's something I'm going to play with.

Hopefully I didn't seem to "bashy". I have been known to enjoy more than a few stories that involve bashing of various characters, but at the end of the day it doesn't give the characters as much...well character. And I like interesting characters.

And hopefully this is (somewhat) beginning to hint at what is going on with Naruto, as well as how I'm going to have fun with it. The explanation for what happened during the "stealing the scroll" should be ready in...hm, maybe next chapter, and I'm rather looking forward to it!

Also, the polls!

Possible pairing

Naruto/Hina/Haku/Karin

Naru/Haku

Naru/Hina

Live or Die?

Zabuza live/die: 3/1

Haku live/die: 3/1

Haku's Gender

Haku boy/girl/undetermined: 0/3/1

Hm...now that I think about it, I'll add "Harem: Yes/No?" to the list of questions. I've never done a harem fic, and I've seen some that have done a...well most do only a passable job, but I have read a few who do rather well rather than just feeling like girls throwing themselves at Naruto so I'd be curious to see what people would be interested in.

Until next time, thanks for reading!