The three Genin watched in horror and anticipation as Kakashi's body fell to the ground. Just as it touched the earth, it vanished in a puff of smoke and revealed a small log in its place, with each of Sasuke's Shuriken and Kunai lodged deep inside.

Their eyes widened and Sasuke clenched his teeth, quickly relocating to another tree to hide his position. "Damn! Another substitution? He must have found out my location by now with those Shuriken!" He quickened his pace through the foliage. "He purposefully lowered his guard! It serves me right... I fell for the trap!"

"So, he's over there, huh?" Kakashi looked out from behind the dense foliage he had hidden himself behind and chuckled as he reached into his back pouch.

Sakura ran from her hiding spot to find new cover, looking all around her cautiously as she ran through the forest. "Sasuke... where are you?! Don't tell me... Kakashi-sensei already..." She blinked the thought away quickly and ran faster. "No. That couldn't happen to Sasuke, right?!"

She stopped on a sturdy branch and hid behind a thick cover of leaves, ducking down. She watched Kakashi carefully as he stood below, reading once more. "Safe! He didn't notice me."

"Sakura, behind you."

Her eyes burst open and she turned to see her sensei sitting on the branch behind her in a squat. Then, she let out an ear-piercing scream that echoed through the trees and disturbed the nearby birds.

Naruto remained grumbling to himself as he hung upside-down from his ankles in the tree, still in Kakashi's trap.

"What's up with that 'a ninja must see through deception' stuff?! Darn it! I'll never fall for his trap again!"

He retrieved a Kunai knife and lifted himself upward to cut the rope from around his ankles, freeing himself. He rolled into a ball as he fell and landed perfectly on his feet and grinned.

A second rope trap caught his ankle and pulled him up into the tree, flailing and complaining loudly. "Darn it! I fell for it again!"

Kakashi eyes Sakura carefully and brought his hands together in the Rat hand sign. The leaves around them swirled around Kakashi, blocking him from Sakura's view, and swirled up into the sky, leaving Sakura standing suddenly alone in a clearing.

She blinked slowly and she looked around, finding Kakashi gone. "Huh?! What was that?! Hold on! Where's Sensei?!"

Sakura tapped her chin in thought, noticing how the sky had darkened as if overcast and then resumed looking for Kakashi. "Huh?! What's going on?!"

A faint grunt came from the forest around her and she grabbed her hair in panic and turned her head toward the noise. "Huh?! What's that?!"

"Sakura..."

Sakura beamed and turned around at the sound of Sasuke's voice. "Sasuke?!"

Sasuke stepped out from behind a tree and fell to the ground. Blood poured from various wounds all over his body. Dozens of Kunai and Shuriken were lodged deep in his flesh and he gasped raggedly for air.

"Sa... Saku... ra..." His gaze rose slowly to her, revealing blooding splattered over his features and he spluttered as he spoke. "P-Please... help...me..."

Sakura's eyes widened and she froze in horror. An icy chill flooded her veins and she let out a piercing scream before fainting and collapsing on the ground.

Kakashi glanced down from the branch, looking up from his novel as he watched her fall. "Hm... Maybe I went a bit overboard..." He lowered his eyes once more and flipped the page, continuing to read. "But, it's really something she should notice... when Genjutsu is used on her."

Sasuke turned toward the direction the scream had come from and narrowed his eyes. "Was that scream... Sakura's?"

Kakashi stood behind Sasuke now with his back against a tree and his eyes on the book as he spoke in a low voice. "Shinobi battle skill number two; Genjutsu. Sakura was easily lured."

"Genjutsu, huh?" Sasuke narrowed his gaze as he listened to the Jonin. "An illusory mind-controlling technique. I'm not surprised she got lured. However, I'm different from them."

"Why don't you say that after you've gotten a bell... Sasuke?" Kakashi began to walk toward the Genin with one hand holding the book and the other in his pocket. He stopped several meters away as Sasuke turned to face him directly.

They looked at each other in silence for several moments until Sasuke reached back to retrieve Shuriken and throw them quickly at the Jonin. Kakashi dodged easily and kept his eyes on the Uchiha boy.

"It's no use just using straightforward attacks." Kakashi lectured and skidded to a landing at a safe distance away.

Sasuke smirked faintly and threw a Kunai knife into the air to cut a rope, triggering his trap.

"A trap?!" Kakashi dodged once again as Kunai launched in his location and embedded themselves into the tree. As soon as he had placed enough distance between himself as the trap, Sasuke appeared behind the Jonin and aimed a spinning back kick at his face.

Kakashi lifted his arm to block quickly and grabbed Sasuke's ankle to trap him, blocking a punch aimed at his face. Kakashi held him in place by his hand and ankle, but Sasuke brought his other leg around in a strong downward strike.

Kakashi blocked the kick by bringing his arm up, still holding onto Sasuke's fist firmly with his own without breaking his grip on his ankle with his opposite hand. The bells jingled at the movement and Sasuke smirked, reaching out to them with his free hand.

"This guy!" Kakashi narrowed his eyes and released Sasuke, leaping back as Sasuke's fingertips brushed against a bell.

Sasuke scowled as he landed on his feet and stared at Kakashi.

"What a guy." Kakashi kept his eye trained on the boy. "There's no time to even read Make-Out Paradise."

Sasuke clenched his jaw and narrowed his gaze, readying his next plan of attack.

Sakura sat up slowly and blinked as she looked around. "What...? I...?" Her eyes widened quickly and she shut them tightly as she blushed deeply. Taking a moment to catch her breath, then opened her eyes. "That's right! I saw Sasuke on the verge of dying and I..."

She clutched her hands together and held them close to her heart as she stood and looked around. "Sasuke-kun! Don't die and leave me here!" She called out for him and scanned the area, finding herself alone. "Where are you?!"

Naruto hung upside-down, still stuck in Kakashi's trap with his arms crossed as he scrunched in face in frustration. After some time, he opened his eyes and looked down at the stone memorial below.

"Huh. So that's what it looks like behind the logs." He broke into a grin as he looked closer at the monument. "Oh! There are box lunches on the stone!"

He crossed his arms again in thought. "A ninja must see through deception, huh?" He chuckled to himself and eyed the lunches once more.

Kakashi stuck his hands into his pockets and watched Sasuke. "Well, I'll acknowledge that you're different from those two."

"Hmph." Sasuke stepped back and settled into a strong stance and formed a series of hand signs— Horse, Serpent, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger. He brought his hands to his lips and drew in a large breath, puffing his cheeks.

"Fire style! Fireball Jutsu!"

Kakashi's eyes widened slightly in recognition and took a defensive stance. "What?! That's not a Jutsu that a Genin can do... He shouldn't have enough Chakra yet!"

Sasuke released his breath and a powerful ball of fire erupted from his lips at Kakashi, burning the grass and creating a small crater of scorched soil. After some time, the fire died down and revealed that Kakashi was nowhere to be seen.

Sasuke lowered his arm and his eyes widened and his mouth opened in surprise, looking all around. "He's gone! Is he behind me? No, above me?! Where is he?!"

"I'm under you!" Kakashi's arm shot out from the ground and tightly grasped Sasuke's leg.

Sasuke head jerked to look at his leg and the hand that held him in place. "Wha-?!"

"Earth Style! Double Suicide Decapitation Jutsu!"

Kakashi tugged hard on Sasuke, ripping him down and pulling him into the earth with an echoing scream of surprise. Kakashi, now squatting on solid ground, looked down at Sasuke as he was buried up to his chin in the earth.

"Shinobi Battle Skill number three; Ninjusu." He rested his hands on his knees and Sasuke squirmed in his trap, unable to move. "How's that? You can't move, heh?"

Sasuke averted his eyes from his teacher and scowled.

Kakashi smiled and his eyes crinkled as he praised the Genin. "Although... you're already starting to make your mark." He stood to his full height and pulled out his novel. "But, oh well. They do say that the nail that sticks up gets hammered down, so..."

Kakashi continued to read where he had left off before and began to walk away. Sasuke glared and wriggled, still completely trapped.

"Damn it!"

Naruto sat on the monument, chuckling to himself as he pressed his palms together and looked down at the boxed lunches in front of him.

"I don't have to naively take those bells. I'll just eat in secret right now!" He laughed and grinned at his own plan. "Let's eat!"

"Hey."

Naruto's eyes widened and he jumped in surprise at the familiar voice, freezing in place. He quickly gulped and shuddered, muttering. "I-I was just joking..."

"Too late!" Kakashi scolded from atop the monument's point behind him.

"Damn it!" Sasuke let out a slow, hot breath and looked around. "Is there this much of a difference in strength...?"

A rustling in the trees averted his attention and he looked up in time to see Sakura run out of the woods and stop in her tracks as she saw him. Her eyes went wide and her mouth gaped open.

"Oh... Sakura."

Sakura clutched her head and screamed. "Oh no! This time it's a freshly severed head?!"

Her eyes fluttered shut and she fainted as Sasuke watched, blinking awkwardly.

"What's up with her?"

Sometime later, Sakura woke slowly to see Sasuke looking down at her. She drew in a breath and let it out again as her vision became clearer.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" She grinned and sat up quickly, hugging him tightly. "You're okay!"

He pushed her away with a scowl as she persistently reached for him. "Hey, cut it out! Don't cling to me like that!"

Once she was calm, Sasuke stood and looked in the direction of the logs.

"There's not much time left until noon. I'm going."

Sakura stood and followed him a few steps. "Sasuke, you're still going after the bells?"

He turned to face her with an empty expression. "I was able to touch them last time. Next time, I'll be able to take them."

Sakura blinked and blushed faintly. "O-Oh? I See. Sure enough, you're awesome, Sasuke." She smiled sweetly and closed her eyes, gulping slowly. "There's no way I can take the bells from Sensei! At this rate, I'll face separation from Sasuke..."

She opened her eyes and swallowed again as she met his eyes. "Uh... say... There's really no time left... So, let's just take it easy and try again next time."

Sasuke shot her an icy glare and her eyes widened.

"H-Huh?"

Turning his back to her, he clenched his fists, silent for several minutes before he finally spoke again.

"I'm the only one who can kill that man."

"H-Huh?" Sakura stood rooted in place. "What? Do you mean Sensei?"

"At that time... I was crying." Sasuke muttered.

"Crying?" Sakura shifted her feet and her expression fell.

"My..." He stopped himself and furrowed his brow at the memory.

"What? What is it?"

"I'm an avenger." He clenched his fists tighter. "I must become stronger than that man... I don't have time for setbacks here..."

Sakura pressed her lips together and remembered his words before. "...To kill a certain man..."

Before she could speak, the loud ringing of the alarm sounded through the training grounds and Sasuke cursed under his breath.

"Damn it... I wasted my time talking." He scowled to himself and walked back toward the logs.

"Sasuke..."

Naruto stood, tied to the center post with rope as Sakura and Sasuke sat on the ground beside him, their stomachs collectively growling as they looked at the boxed lunches set on the ground in front of them.

"Oh, oh, your stomachs are growling..." Kakashi stood over them with his arms crossed and he chuckled, resting one fist against his hip while he held his index up. "By the way, about this exercise... Well! There's no need for you guys to go back to the Academy."

Naruto grinned and lifted his head to look at the Jonin.

Sakura blinked. "What? I... All I did was lay unconscious... was that really enough to pass?" She blinked again, smiling faintly. "Love is victorious! Cha!"

Sasuke scoffed to himself as Sakura leapt into the air, cheering, and Naruto kicked his feet and wriggled in excitement.

"Then... then! That means the three of us..."

Kakashi smiled and nodded. "Yes. The three of you... must quit being Ninja!"

The cheering quieted immediately and they froze.