Four kids sat in a clearing, the sun beating down on them. Elli was absorbed in her notebook, her pencil moving furiously but surely. Sasuke seemed bored, watching over Elli's shoulder. Sakura watched Sasuke and Naruto fidgeted endlessly. Finally, their new sensei showed up.

"Hey guys, good morning!" Kakashi said, cheerfully waving. Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke stood up.

"You're late!" Naruto yelled. Elli tucked her pencil away and shut her notebook, clutching it to her chest. She stood next Sasuke as Kakashi took out a timer.

"Ok, it's set for noon." He said as he set it on a stump. He took out three bells as the kids watched him in confusion.

"Here are three bells. Your task is to take them from me before noon." He explained as he held up the bells. "Those who can't get a bell by noon get no lunch. I'll not only tie you to a stump," he pointed to four stumps, "but I'll eat right in front of you." Everyone clutched their stomachs as they growled in hunger. "You only need to get one bell. There are three bells so at least one of you will be tied to a stump. And the person who can't get a bell fails. So at least one person will be sent back to the Academy. You can even use your Shurikens. You won't succeed unless intend to kill me." They watched in shock. Failing or killing their new sensei? They were in a lose-lose situation.

"But you'll be in danger!" Sakura protested.

"Yeah, you're so slow you can't even dodge a blackboard eraser! We'll kill you!" Naruto shouted with a confident smile on his face.

"In the real world, those with no talent often bark the loudest. Well, just ignore Mr. Dead Last and start when I say…" Naruto got angry and pulled out a kunai knife. The others stared at him surprise as he ran towards Kakashi. Suddenly, Kakashi was behind Naruto and Naruto's arm was behind his head, the kunai knife pointed at his neck.

"Slow down, I haven't even said start yet." Elli could see the surprise on everyone else's face. He's so fast. So this is what a Jounin is like…She could see Sasuke was getting excited.

"Well, it seems like you're prepared to kill me. I'm beginning to like you guys. Ok, let's get going. Ready, start!" He proclaimed. Elli clutched her notebook harder, careful not to lose it as she went through the training.

"The basics of a ninja are to hide yourself well. At least they've got that down." Kakashi muttered to himself.

"Come and fight me!" Naruto challenged, standing right in front of him.

"You know, compared to the others, you're a bit…off." Kakashi sighed. Elli listened from her hiding spot as she scanned the area. She saw Sakura hiding under a bush and Sasuke in the tree next to hers.

"The only thing off is your haircut!" Naruto yelled as he charged at Kakashi. Kakashi reached into his pocket and Naruto stopped.

"Ninja fighting lesson #1: Taijutsu. I'll teach you about it." Kakashi said as he pulled out Come Come Paradise. "What's wrong? Hurry up and come at me."

"But why do you have a book!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Why? Because I want to read what happens next. It won't make much of a difference in a fight with you guys anyways." He replied nonchalantly, reading.

"I'll beat you to a pulp!" Naruto exclaimed and swung his fist. Kakashi blocked with his free hand and Naruto aimed a kick. Kakashi ducked, still reading and Naruto swung his arm again. His punch hit only air as Naruto, startled, stood in that pose, looking back and forth.

"A ninja isn't supposed to get caught from behind, idiot." Kakashi said from behind. Elli noticed at the same time as Sasuke and Sakura Kakashi's hand position. The Seal of the Tiger! He wouldn't!

"Naruto, get out of there! You're going to get killed!" Sakura yelled out, standing up in the bush.

"What?" Naruto started to turn around.

"Too late. Hidden Leaf Ancient Taijutsu Supreme Technique! A Thousand Years of Pain!" Kakashi yelled. Naruto cried out as he flew into the air. Elli watched in surprise as she realized what had just happened. That wasn't a Ninjutsu. That was just a super powerful poke to the ass…Elli thought as Naruto landed in the water. Everything was still until two throwing stars came out of the water and headed towards Kakashi. He laughed and caught them on his fingers. Naruto crawled up on the bank, coughing and sputtering.

"Hey, what's wrong? If you don't get a bell by noon, no lunch." Kakashi reminded.

"I know that!" Naruto yelled.

"You sure are weak for someone who's going to surpass the Hokage." Kakashi criticized.

"I can still fight on an empty stomach!" Naruto cried. Elli, Sasuke and Sakura's faces fell as they were reminded of their hunger. "I was just a little careless, that's all!"

"Ever hear that carelessness is your worst enemy?" Kakashi asked. Naruto raised his arm and eight Narutos came out of the water. Kakashi looked with interest.

"My specialty; Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! Better not get careless! There's more than one of me now!" Naruto cried out in satisfaction. Elli watched in shock. Eight real clones? What is that Jutsu?

"No matter how many you line up, you're still Naruto. You can't beat me with that Jutsu." Kakashi said. A look of surprise passed over his face. "What? Behind me?" He said in shock as a Naruto grabbed him from behind.

"Weren't ninjas not supposed to be caught from behind, Kakashi-sensei? Using the Kage Bunshin, I sent a clone out of the water to attack you from behind. My ass still hurts, so here comes revenge! I'm going to punch you!" Naruto yelled as he swung his arm forward. A look of surprise passed over his face as he realized that he had punched a clone. "Ouch!" The clone yelled. Elli watched in surprise as all the Narutos started to punch each other, thinking that someone was Kakashi-sensei. Elli sighed when one Naruto thought it was the Henge no Jutsu and she could tell that Sasuke and Sakura had already figured out that it was the Kawarimi no Jutsu.

"Hey, a bell! He must've been desperate to escape if he dropped a bell!" Naruto cried as he ran towards it. Horror flicked through Elli's heart until she realized what it truly was. Naruto reached for the bell; then he was upside down, dangling from a rope.

"What the hell is this?" Naruto yelled, swinging back and forth. Kakashi stepped forward and picked up the bell.

"Think before using a Jutsu or it'll get used against you." Kakashi said. "And don't fall for such obvious traps, idiot. A ninja must be able to see underneath the underneath."
"I got it!" Naruto yelled, still dangling from the tree.

"Um, I'm telling you because you don't get it." Sasuke moved. Elli watched in shock as he threw a bunch of kunai knives and throwing stars at Kakashi.

"Geez, you're-" Kakashi got cut off as Sasuke's weapons hit their target. Kakashi flew off to the side.

"Sasuke! You've gone too far!" Naruto yelled.

"Sasuke-sama!" Elli hissed in shock, loud enough for him to hear. He cast a glance at Elli, saw her confusion and anger and looked back to Kakashi. Where Kakashi had been was now a log. Sasuke, Naruto and Elli stared in surprise. Another Kawarimi! Sasuke-sama fell for his trap! Elli thought in surprise as Sasuke took off. She tailed him, making sure to keep him in view but stay in the tree behind him. I can't lose track of him. Not now…Elli noticed Sakura had left her spot in the bush. Where did Sakura go? This is no good. Kakashi-sensei is sure to get us good if we split up! Elli gritted her teeth. Sasuke was getting farther and farther ahead. Elli sped up a little, still watching for Kakashi and Sakura. As far as she was concerned, Naruto was still dangling helplessly from the tree. A scream caused Elli to skid to a stop.

"Sakura!" Elli whispered to herself as she looked around. To her horror, she realized she had lost Sasuke as well. "Damn!" She cursed and headed the way Sasuke had been going, hoping to find him. Before long, she had completely lost him. There was no way to tell where he was now. Elli sighed and dropped to the ground. She started walking to see if she could find Sakura or Kakashi-sensei to obtain a bell. Elli sighed. This was completely hopeless. There was no way that-

"What's that?" Something caught Elli's eye and she walked towards it. "Looks like…Sakura!" Elli said in astonishment as she headed over. Sakura had fainted. Elli shook her teammate's shoulder.

"Sakura, Sakura, wake up!" Elli called. Sakura's eyes opened.

"What happened?" She groaned. The image of Sasuke near death flashed into her mind. "Sasuke-kun! Don't die and leave me behind! Where are you?" She cried out.

"Wait! Sakura! What are you talking about? What happened to Sasuke-sama?" Elli grabbed Sakura's arm. As they ran, Sakura explained about her encounter with Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke. Fear coursed through her body as she ran. No! Sasuke-sama, hold on! Sakura and I will find you soon. Don't die now!

"Gokakyuu no Jutsu!" The yell echoed throughout the forest, stopping Elli and Sakura in their tracks.

"That Jutsu!" Elli yelled. "I'd recognize that anywhere! But where did it come from?" Elli closed her eyes and listened, attempting to trace the sound. A cry sounded and Elli opened her eyes.

"Sasuke-sama! This way, Sakura!" Elli yelled as she grabbed Sakura's arm and started running in the direction she traced the sound in. They ran through a bush and into a clearing before they stopped dead in their tracks. They noticed Sasuke's head sticking from the ground.

"His severed head!" Sakura screamed. Elli stared at her, confusion flashing through her eyes. Sakura fainted. Elli stared at Sakura, then at Sasuke.

"Uh…yeah…Sasuke-sama? Why are you just a head?" Elli asked cautiously, going over to help him.

"Kakashi got me from underneath." He replied and started to recap the fight as he freed his body from the ground. Elli listened and they walked over to Sakura.

"Sakura, get up." Sasuke said. Elli shook her by the shoulder again. Sakura's eyes opened.

"Sasuke-kun! You're alright!" She yelled and threw herself on Sasuke.

"Stop! Don't hug me!" Sasuke yelled, struggling. Elli laughed and smiled, touching her finger to her lip. Shock passed through her eyes and she looked around.

"What's wrong, Elli?" Sasuke asked as he finally got Sakura off him.

"My notebook! It's gone!" Elli cried out.

"I'm sure you just left it in your hiding spot." Sakura suggested. Elli thought back. It was true; she didn't remember having it as she tailed Sasuke. Elli sighed and relaxed.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's it. I'll search for it after the training." Sasuke and Sakura stood up.

"There's not much time left until lunch. I'm going." Sasuke said and, looking at Elli, started walking. Elli walked after him; her hands folded in front her chest.

"Sasuke-kun, you're still going after the bell?" Sakura asked.

"I've already touched it. Next time, I'm going to get it." Sasuke replied. Shock passed on both Elli and Sakura's face. Oh no, if he gets one and I don't then we'll be separated! Elli thought, staring at Sasuke's determined face.

"Oh, I see. You're amazing, Sasuke-kun. You know, there's not much time left. We don't have to push ourselves too hard. There's always next time." Sakura suggested. Sasuke turned and glared at her. Elli gave Sakura a sad look as Sasuke turned his back.

"There's a man only I can kill." Sasuke said. Elli stared at a tree. She didn't want to hear this again. Sakura looked up. "That time…crying…"

"Crying?" Sakura repeated, confused. Elli shut her eyes and turned her face to the ground so that her hair hid her face from view.

"My…" Sasuke trailed off.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked. She couldn't make heads or tails out of this.

"I am an avenger. I have to become stronger than that man. So I can't just stay around here." Elli opened her eyes and watched Sasuke's face, then averted her attention to Sakura. A small, sad smile spread on Elli's face. The timer went off.

"Damn! Wasted too much time." Sasuke cursed angrily. The three set off back to the stumps. Elli kept her eyes down the entire time.

By the time they got there, Naruto was already tied to a stump. The three sat down beside him and Kakashi stood in front of them.

"Oh, you guys look really hungry." He said, surveying them. Elli stared at the ground, hugging her knees to her chest. "By the way," he continued, "something about the training. Well there's no need to go back to the Academy." The four looked up in surprise.

"Then, that means…All four of us…!" Naruto began, eyes wide.

"Yup, all four of you should quit as ninjas." Kakashi finished. They stared at him in shock.

"Quit as ninjas! What does that mean!" Naruto exclaimed, struggling against the stump. "So we couldn't get the bells! But why do we have to quit?"

"Because all of you are just punks who don't deserve to be ninjas." Kakashi answered. Sasuke scowled and charged at Kakashi.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried.

"Sasuke-sama!" Elli yelled at the same time.

"That's why you're a punk." Kakashi said as he got Sasuke to the ground and stepped on him.

"No! Don't step on Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried out.

"Are you guys underestimating ninjas? Why do you think you were separated into teams and are doing this training?" Kakashi asked, his voice fierce.

"Huh? What does that mean?" Sakura asked.

"Basically, you guys aren't understanding the answer to this test."

"Answer?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. The answer that helps you pass this test." Kakashi replied.

"So…when are you going to tell us?" Sakura asked.

"Geez…" Kakashi sighed.

"Tell us what the answer is already!" Naruto yelled.

"Elli, do you want to guess?" Kakashi looked at her, who had been quiet the entire time. Elli looked at him in surprise. "Surely you can figure this out. You showed the tiniest bit of the answer from when I saw you during this test." Elli was speechless.

"Uh, I didn't do anything but follow Sasuke-sama and help Sakura. I don't see when I ever demonstrated the answer to the test." She replied. Kakashi sighed.

"The answer's teamwork." Kakashi said simply. "The three of you working together may have gotten the bells."

"Hey, wait a minute! What do you mean by teamwork?" Sakura stood up and yelled. "There are only three bells! Even if we work together and get the bells, one of us would still fail! What teamwork? That just makes us fight each other."

"Of course!" Elli exclaimed. The others looked at her. "I get it now. The bells pitted us against one another. It makes perfect sense."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto exclaimed.

"The purpose is to see if you can forget your own interests and successfully work together under these designed circumstances. Yet, you guys…" Kakashi looked at them. "Sakura, instead of Naruto, who was right next to you, you were only thinking about Sasuke, who was far away. Naruto, you were just running around by yourself. Sasuke, you just assumed the others would get in the way and tried to do everything yourself. Elli, you paid no attention to Naruto. You followed Sasuke around like his shadow. The only time I saw you demonstrate teamwork was when you were wandering around and found Sakura, then led her to Sasuke, whom you helped out of the ground. The duties are done by the team. Of course superior individual ability is important, but what's even more important is teamwork. Individual play can put your team in danger and even get you killed. For example…" Kakashi pulled out a kunai knife. "Sakura! Kill Naruto or Sasuke dies!" Sakura, Naruto and Elli wore horrified looks on their faces.

"What!" Naruto cried out, looking at Sakura.

"You see? If a hostage is taken, then you'll have to make a tough choice and die. You will be risking your life in these duties." Kakashi explained as he got off of Sasuke. Sasuke rubbed his shoulder as they watched Kakashi walk over to the stone. "Look at the numerous names carved on this stone. These are ninjas who are recognized as the hero of this village."

"Hey! I've decided I'm going to get my name carved on that stone too! Hero! That's what I'm going to be!" Naruto proclaimed, getting excited.

"But they aren't just normal heroes." Kakashi said.

"Oh yeah? Then what kind are they?"

"They're all heroes who died while on duty." Naruto's excitement died and he turned his face to the ground. Elli looked sadly at the stone, still clutching her knees to her chest.

"This is a memorial. My best friend's name is carved here also." Kakashi said with a hint of sadness in his voice. He turned to look at them over his shoulder. "You guys, I'm going to give you one more chance. But after lunch, I'm going to make it harder to get the bells. Those who want to challenge can eat lunch, but don't give any to Naruto. It's his punishment for trying to eat alone. If anyone gives him food, they'll fail immediately. I'm the rules here, got it?" With that, he vanished.

"I don't need food! I'm fine!" Naruto yelled. His stomach's growl disproved that. Elli, Sakura and Sasuke began to eat their lunches. Elli kept looking up at Naruto's sad face. Sympathy welled up in her.

"Here." Elli, Sakura and Naruto watched in surprise as Sasuke offered his lunch to his teammate.

"Sasuke-kun, Sensei just said-" Sakura protested.

"Don't worry; I don't sense him near here. After lunch, we'll work together to get the bells. Without food, he'll just be in the way and that'll only hurt us."

"Sasuke-sama…" Elli looked at Sasuke, then down at her lunch. She had only taken a few bites out of it. She stood up and held out her lunch to Naruto.

"But…" Naruto began. Elli shook her head, cutting him off.

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun. It's ok. I'm not that hungry. And I'll just eat what I have with me."

"What?" The three asked in unison. Elli smiled.

"I always carry a small apple or orange with me. You never know." She winked and pushed the lunch closer to Naruto. "Hurry and eat, Naruto-kun. There might not be a lot of time left."

"Thanks but…You'll have to feed me. I can't move my hands." Naruto said.

"Here, I'll do it. You have your fruit. I've already eaten a little and I'm on a diet anyways." Sakura set her lunch down and took Elli's lunch. Elli nodded and produced from her sweatshirt pocket a small apple. She took a bite and watched as Sakura started to feed him. She felt Sasuke staring at her; she looked at him and smiled, her eyes telling him that it was ok. He pushed his lunch towards her. Naruto took the first bite.

"You guys…!" A screen of smoke appeared and gusts blew this way and that. Kakashi's face came out of the smoke, a furious look on his face. The four students watched in shock, awaiting their punishment.

"Pass." Kakashi said sweetly. The smoke disappeared in an instant and the wind stopped immediately.

"What?" Sakura asked. Naruto looked confused, Elli stared at Kakashi and Sasuke glared at him.

"Pass? But why?" Sakura questioned.

"You guys are the first." Kakashi answered.

"Huh?" Sakura got even more confused.

"Everyone else would just do whatever I told them. They were all just morons." Kakashi said. "A ninja must see underneath the underneath. Those who break the rules of the ninja world are called trash. But those who don't take care of their comrades are even lower than trash." Elli let a small smile pass on her face. "That ends the training. All of you pass! Ok, starting tomorrow, Team #7 will begin its duties!" Kakashi gave them a thumbs up.

"Yay! I did it! Ninja! Ninja! Ninja!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Hey, Elli, don't you still have to get your notebook?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh! Thanks, Sasuke-sama. Be right back!" Elli jumped into the nearest tree, found her notebook and jumped down wear her team was sitting. She smiled at Sasuke, who returned a small smile, and sat down next to him.

"Let's go." Kakashi said, leading Sasuke, Elli and Sakura out of the clearing. Elli walked next to Sasuke, a smile on her face. He flashed a small smile at her then returned his face to emotionless.

"I knew this would happen! Come back here and untie me!" Naruto yelled, struggling with the rope. "Damn!" He yelled as they walked away from him.