A/N:
PREVIOUSLY - Akira pinpoints both of his teammates as fellow reincarnates, and after deciding that none of them are content with staying in the background, they discuss how they're going to pass the Bell Test. Akira is good at fuuinjutsu, Kaho with her clan techniques, and Hotaru with genjutsu, so they decide that a mock capture mission is the best way to go. Hours afterwards, Kakashi finally arrives, and the Bell Test begins.
also, adding this bc bwehghggh:
please do note that we're in the BEGINNING STAGES OF THIS FIC! that means that not everything will be revealed just yet
be patient, if you can; I promise everything will start making more sense as time goes on ;,D
but for general concerns:
1.) Please, please, *please* do not just take one character's word for something. Kakashi in the first chapter, for example, claimed that all three of his genin were 'painfully average,' even though they were revealed not to be in the very next chapter.
2.) Even if some things sound stupid, please note that there's probably a reason for said things happening. Akira just casually being like "yeah we're reincarnates, what of it?", for example. He's not a complete idiot, promise. And do remember that Kakashi was checking out all of their houses during this time, and he's basically the only one who's gonna be hanging around at Training Ground 3, so he wouldn't have heard it. Even if he had, he'd have been more confused, if anything.
Sorry if anyone feels called out by this, eheh... I just figured I'd address some things that commenters brought up (and I'll probably continue doing so in the future, if I must) ;,D
anyway, this is the last Bell Test chapter
wooooooo
Despite his misgivings about this team, Kakashi is admittedly impressed when each of them manage to dampen their presences enough that he knows they might fool some low-to-mid-level chunin, as long as they're not tracking specialists.
So he chooses to ignore them for the time being in the name of being (at least somewhat) fair, and cracks open his Icha Icha.
An hour later, a volley of shuriken flies from the trees. Kakashi lets out a sigh and steps aside, disappointed.
A light breeze brushes his bicep, and a moment later, he hears a single, light thump against the ground. It's not hard to put two and together, there - all of the shuriken had been thrown at once, aside from one which must've followed less than a second later.
It's not something he'd expect from a genin, but it's not particularly awe-inspiring, either - especially since it didn't even manage to tear through the entirety of his sleeve, and it left one of their hiding spots' exposed.
He lazily approaches the area where the shuriken had come from, and immediately spots Kaho fleeing the scene. She curses under her breath when she sees him, though she barely has time to channel an extra burst of chakra to her legs before Kakashi is in front of her, eyes still glued to his book.
"Maa," he lets out as she skids to a stop, "Nice try, Kaho-chan. You might want to work on your aim, though."
He can see her expression fall flat out of the corner of his eye.
"At least I'm not reading porn in front of impressionable children," she shoots back, and he tries not to choke.
"Yeah, that's right, buddy. I know exactly what you're reading. Tsk, tsk," she scolds, and for a brief moment, Kakashi genuinely does feel mildly embarrassed.
After that moment passes, though, he gives her an unimpressed look. "Oh? And how do you know what it is in the first place, Kaho-chan?"
She sniffs. "Icha Icha isn't exactly unpopular, you know. You wouldn't be the first person I've seen reading that trash."
Kakashi hums, considering, then steps to the side. "That was a better try, Kaho-chan," he tells her, glancing down at the shadow that had been snaking its way towards him. "But not good enough~"
Kaho doesn't even have time to finish her bitten-out curse before Kakashi drops her in a genjutsu. The moment he sees her eyes glaze over, he flickers halfway across the forest, just a few steps away from Hotaru, who startles before he even sees him.
Kakashi makes a note about the boy being a possible sensor, then steps forwards and puts his Icha Icha away. "Hotaru-kun," he greets. "How's life treating you?"
"It'd be better if you'd let me have those bells," Hotaru says after he collects himself.
"Maa, I can't let you have them that easily," Kakashi replies, doing his best to sound apologetic. Hotaru huffs and reaches his hand into his pocket.
"Well, then. I'm only slightly sorry for what I have to do," he says lightly, and Kakashi doesn't have time to register why he's closing his eyes before the world explodes into light.
Kakashi stumbles back, eye feeling like it's caught fire as reflexive tears spill down his cheeks.
"Sorry, sensei!" Akira's voice calls out as arms hook around his shoulders just as he's wondering how in the world a genin managed to get his hands on a flash grenade. It's soundless, but that's not much of a comfort considering it still blinds him.
Kakashi peels Akira's hand away not a moment after he's pulled back into the clearing and throws the boy to the ground, wincing slightly when he hears a heavy grunt. He feels only minorly guilty, though, because he's still trying to blink back the black spots in his eyes.
"Get 'im," Akira groans from the ground, and as another volley of shurikens flies towards him, Kakashi's world tilts on its axis.
Fuck, he thinks succintly, and although he's quick to right himself and dispel the genjutsu, one shuriken manages to embed itself in his leg.
"How's that for terrible aim?" Kaho calls out smugly, and damn it, Kakashi should've known it was her.
"Only one of them hit," he points out just to be an asshole, but instead of being rewarded with a scowl, she lets out a laugh.
"Oh, but did I miss ?" she asks with a shit-eating grin, and he blinks before feeling his limbs lock in place.
"What," he lets out flatly.
Kaho glances back for him, and he sees that several of the shuriken are connected by a long, jerky shadow, and Kakashi is reluctantly impressed.
He also knows, realistically, that he can escape. There's no way that Kaho can hold him in place for long if he struggles, but —
Even when she has him turn back around, he doesn't fight back, just to see how this goes. No team has ever actually managed to get their hands on even a single bell before, after all.
"What now?" he asks mildly.
The genin all share a look before Kaho huffs and has him throw the bells into her waiting hand. A moment later, she breaks the connection between them, looking tired, but a ways away from exhaustion.
"We get the bells," she answers belatedly as they clink together in her palm.
"You do," Kakashi agrees with an eye-smile. "But what will you do with them?"
Kaho lets out a huff and rolls her eyes. "Here," she says, throwing a bell to either of her teammates. Despite himself, Kakashi blinks in surprise at the casualness of the action.
"Aa, I think you should keep one," Akira says, placing his bell back in her hand with a smile. "You were the one who caught him, yeah? And Hotaru was the one who managed to get him with that flashbang."
"But you were the one who made it," Hotaru says, tossing his bell back at Akira. "You keep it."
Kakashi isn't sure whether to be bewildered by these admittedly unexpected circumstances, or the fact that a genin somehow managed to make that seal.
Either way, though…
His gaze sweeps over the genin, who keep trying to passively-aggressively shove the bells into each others' hands while singing their praises and he resists the urge to sigh.
He shouldn't pass them. The elders would get all huffy, what with the political mess they want to force onto him next year. Plus, this team was practically designed to go to genin corps; no one expected for them to pass.
Despite all of this, whether it be because he's a troll and relishes the idea of getting back at the council for their irritating antics or because the brats were the first to actually manage to pass his test even without his unsubtle prompting, he's sorely tempted to say fuck it and deal with the backlash later on.
Before that, though…
"If you can't decide," Kakashi says, just to be sure, "Then you'll all go back to the Academy."
All of the genin freeze, but look more unnerved by the idea of each other going back than themselves. Or maybe…
He sees the way that none of them look more resigned than anything, and he wonders if they'd expected this sort of outcome. It wouldn't be surprising if they did - they're all civilians, after all, and even if they might not know who Kakashi is, they must know that jonin are a valuable asset to the village that can't be wasted.
"Then that's what we'll do," Hotaru eventually answers for the group, looking like he's already making plans for what comes next, if Kakashi fails them.
Kakashi's gaze sweeps over the determined-looking group and lets out a sigh. "Alright, then," he says, purposefully sounding morose. "Then I suppose you all… pass."
There's a brief pause before Kakashi watches his words register in the genins' mind.
"For real?" Kaho blurts out, while Hotaru blinks wide eyes next to her.
"Hah!" Akira lets out, pointing at the sun gleefully. "Take that, canon!"
Kakashi has no idea what that means, but when he sees the other kids' solemn nods of agreement, he chooses not to pry. He may not hate them, but he doesn't want to be infected by their oddities, either.
(He does recognize how hypocritical that statement is, of course, but he really couldn't care less.)
"Right," Kakashi says, raising a brow. "Now, can anyone tell me what the point of that exercise was?"
"Teamwork," Hotaru offers after glancing between his teammates. "Helping the others out, even if it doesn't directly benefit you."
"Good answer," Kakashi replies, somewhat pleased. "It was only because you worked together that you were able to take the bells. And, when you stuck to your guns, you proved that you were willing to set aside your individual interests and work together for the good of all."
He hums, looking over the team.
"Granted, there were some errors. For example, Kaho-chan, don't think I didn't notice that many of the shuriken that you'd thrown weren't used in your capture." Kaho looked away, ears tinted with pink as she grumbled under her breath. "Akira, while you did create the flashbang, you weren't present until the end, and you and Hotaru relied on Kaho to capture me. If I hadn't been captured or had decided to break free, then your plan would've been for nothing."
All of the genin exchange somewhat sheepish looks before Kaho grimaces.
"Yeah, that last part was stupid on my part. I should've made you give us the bells before showing off," she admits. "But the only reason Akira wasn't there was because he was setting up traps in case you went into the forest, and Hotaru was the one who planned everything out."
"Aa, but I could've done more with you guys," Akira says apologetically. "And you're right, I should've been ready, but I wasted time by not getting up as soon as I was knocked down."
"Same for me, but I didn't have the excuse of having been hit," Hotaru adds, and…
Well, Kakashi is pleasantly surprised, to say the least. He knows Jonin who refuse to admit when they make a mistake - he hadn't expected anything more of a group of genin.
"Well, I'm glad you can see where you went wrong," Kakashi tells them with just the right amount of dryness so as to not sound obviously genuine, "But you were right about the test being centered around teamwork, and you did decently on that front. The motto of this team will be as such: 'Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their teammates are worse than scum.'"
"So those are the people you don't like," Akira concludes after a moment. "Those who abandon their comrades."
Kakashi pauses, then remembers what the boy had asked during introductions and lets out a short huff. "I suppose," he agrees, and finds himself on the other end of a soft smile.
After a moment where he remains frozen, he decides to pretend he hadn't seen it all, and mechanically turns away before leading the genin towards the Memorial Stone.
"Do you see the names engraved on this stone?" he asks. "They're all ninja who are honored as heroes in our village." His eye finds the names of his late teammates, and after a moment, settles upon Obito's. "But they all share one commonality: they've all been killed in action, hence why it's called the 'Memorial Stone.' The names of my closest friends are written here."
Kakashi turns towards his - his, his, his - team, and offers an eye-smile to chase off the lingering ghosts. "Ah, but you don't need to be worrying about anything like that. For now, your biggest concern is your duties tomorrow. In other words…," Kakashi continues, clapping his hands together while his team shares half-exasperated, half-amused looks, "You're dismissed! Report at seven in the morning tomorrow." Then, knowing full well that he's not showing up until at least ten, he adds, "Don't be late!~"
A/N:
Later:
Tenzou: "Kakashi-senpai... why is there a shuriken in your leg?"
Kakashi:
Kakashi: "Huh."
Kakashi: "I knew I forgot about something."
I know that the Bell Test itself seemed like it went by fast, but there was a good chunk of time where the genin were setting up, and I'm fairly certain that fights IRL wouldn't exactly be *slow*
altogether, the whole thing probably took around an hour and 15 minutes, give or take a few minutes
and it wasn't 'easy' or anything, either - Kakashi was working at a low-to-mid chunin level to give them a decent chance, and while he was hit unexpectedly by some attacks, he wouldn't have been had he taken them even a little bit seriously
so... keep that in mind, please ;,D
i'd also like to make it clear that there will be a *lot* of original content/characters/missions, because this takes place a whole YEAR before canon
also, again: there's a bit of unreliable narration going on no matter who's POV it is, because they obviously can't just tell what people are thinking
i.e., if one character says why someone else is doing something in their POV, they might not be entirely correct
anyway
Thanks for reading!