Welcome back, here is the third Chapter of the story, not much to say other than enjoy :).
"Speaking"
"Thoughts"
"Jutsu"
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Kakashi appeared in the open field of the third training ground, not much was around. There were three tree stumps in the middle with full grown trees surrounding it, a deep river passing though and a large deep blue kunai shaped stone sitting away from the centre, stood next to it was a female shaped figure who Kakashi approached with his hands deep in his pockets.
She turned to him, "So… What do you think?" she asked a smile on her lips.
Kakashi sighed as he stood next to her watching over the stone, "Well Soruki, he is definitely yours and Furosuti's little brother" he commented making the bandaged women laugh, "But as for the squad as a whole… I'm not too sure what to think".
"How so?"
"Well… for one they cannot act as a team… Sasuke cares more for his own way than anyone else, Sakura spends too much time chasing him or trying to avoid being caught up in anything wrong, Naruto does have a mouth on him and seems to be more focused on childish pranks than much else, while your little brother does anything he can to protect him which I would normally commend but it can sometimes be a little too much… plus it's a team with a Kochi and Uchiha…" he answered honestly.
Soruki processed his words for a moment, "Is that so… will you still be doing the bell test then?" she asked not turning her head away from the stone in front the both of them, lazily following the indentations of names she could sense.
Kakashi reached into a pocket of his flak vest and pulled out two bells holding them up, so they jingled slightly in the wind. He watched them sway about as if expecting them to do something else other than make a noise, "I will… though I very much doubt they will pass, as they are too focused on other things to work together".
This got Soruki's attention, "Even Kalis and Naruto?" she questioned knowing how close the two were.
"Yes… while I do strive for choosing friends above anything else; I think your little brother will be too focused with just protecting Naruto than performing any levels of teamwork, and Naruto will be too caught up in trying to do it himself… if the whole team cannot work together, then I will have to fail them… I'm sorry Soruki" he answered slowly lowering the bells dropping the hand holding them to his side letting then idly ring.
"Don't be… I should be the one who's sorry" she chuckled giving him a toothy smile confusing him, "After all, I'll be taking your money after winning our bet that this team passes" she laughed.
Kakashi looked at her in disbelief though he did his best not to show it, "Soruki…?" he questioned her.
"You see…" she decided to answer his open question, "I think that their dysfunction as a team makes them better… yeah Sasuke's too high-strung, Sakura's too love sick, Naruto's just a prankster and Kalis hold on to tight… but that makes them wonderfully different than everyone else" she reached out running her fingers across the carved out name 'Obito Uchiha' on the stone, "Your team wasn't much better off with what you've told me… in fact you could be a lot alike, you would be Sasuke being so high-strung back then… Sakura would be Rin with all that love… Naruto would be Obito with the enthusiasm and dreams…. And Kalis, I like to think he'd be Minato… protecting them all one day…" she trailed off taking her hand away.
"That's a pretty high pedestal to place your brother Soruki?" Kakashi questioned thinking she was in some way playing favourites as Minato was the best of them all.
"I'm not saying in skill's or Jutsu but in personality, you're almost identical in that respect. And yeah, I'd love to see my little bro be as strong as the fourth, but even if he isn't, I won't care… I care about he person he will become and I hope he'll have a great Sensei to guide him and the rest of Team 7 on that journey" she said tuning away her smile still present, "I guess what I'm trying to say Kakashi is… don't give up on them just yet; cause those four, might just become something special and you wouldn't want to miss that would you" she said giving another toothy smile before beginning to walk away.
Kakashi chuckled slightly, "You know, I'm pretty sure as your senior I should be giving you these talks" he said after her only making her turn back to him, smile still present.
"It's only eight years difference Kakashi, and sometimes it helps to have a different generations views on things… just give them a chance, that's all I ask" she smiled before heading off leaving Kakashi to watch the stone and ponder the thoughts Soruki had left him with a small smile under his mask present.
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Kalis and Naruto were walking through the streets of the Hidden Leaf, with one particular restaurant shared in their mind. Naruto couldn't help but glance around at the few people around them, all their stares got to him every time and he hated it, but now he knew why; why they all hated him so much.
"Ignore them Naruto" he looked next to him where Kalis was smiling at him and gave him a re-assuring pat on his shoulder, "They're just afraid, but if they actually knew who you are they'd stop being idiots and treating you like that… so for now just ignore them till they learn" he smiled.
Naruto nodded making his own tiny smile go across his lips, but it wasn't serious, he just wished that he could be like any other kid, with a family and loads of friends, "Friends" he thought. He knew Kalis was his best friends but did he have any others his age, definitely no else on their team was his friend, as for the others, he was alright with Shino on Team 8 but they rarely ever talked and most of the time it was because Kalis was there, Hinata just always excused herself whenever he was near and Kiba always made fun of him.
Team 10's Shikamaru and Choji were alright with him, they never insulted him or were mean to him and Choji had sometimes shared his food with him but were they his friends, they never hung out with him like Kalis did then there was Ino who was there last night with them and had even given him a smile, not a fake smile though but a real and kind smile at him graduating.
"Hey Kalis" the bandaged boy turned to him, "D-do you think that Ino is my friend?" he asked nervously, anxious as to what his answer would be. Ino seemed okay to him, she had snapped at him before and gotten angry, but she'd never hit him like Sakura did and he liked her for that.
Kalis seemed to ponder this for a moment, "Umm, to be honest Naruto, I'm not sure. After last night I think she understands you more but I don't know if she's exactly your friend yet but I don't see a reason why she couldn't be, she is my friend after all why couldn't she be yours too" he said with a smile.
Naruto returned the smile, this one being genuine, he hoped that Ino would be his friend but was still afraid, she did know the truth after all, she was there last night and heard all the same; so would she hate him now?
Little did Naruto know Kalis was thinking along the same lines and was hoping in his heart that Ino could be his friend, he thought that they may actually get along in some weird way. His thoughts were interrupted by a person suddenly bumping into him, "S-sorry about that, I'm in a rush and wasn't looking" she said rather hastily before bolting off again through the crowd.
Kalis noticed that there was something on the floor. He reached down and picked it up inspecting it, the object was a neckless with a small Kunai and Shuriken on it, he couldn't tell the colour just the shape; hastily he turned back to where the girl had run off but he couldn't pick out the chakra presence of her, the crowd was too thick and someone with better skills like Soruki or his father would be needed to find her in that mess of people.
"Naruto, did you see that girl who accidently bumped into me?" he asked hoping Naruto could provide him with some details though visual ones were unlikely to help, he had semi memorised her chakra signature but he would need to sense her again to know it was her.
"Umm, yeah kinda, she was no taller than us I think, and I believe her hair had buns or something in it" he commented gaining a sly smirk, "You thinking of asking her out" he teased making Kalis visible face turn a slight tinge of pink.
"No! Nothing like that, I just wanted to get this back to her" he said showing him the neckless he picked up, "I think it was hers as I didn't sense it on the ground before but she disappeared before I could get her" he explained.
"Oh, I see, well maybe you'll bump into her again. It always seems to happen in this village" he said chuckling and placing his hands behind his head walking on. Kalis slowly followed after him, placing the neckless around his neck hoping that if she or someone she knew saw him they would see it and ask him, "Hey we're here" Naruto said waking Kalis from his thoughts, a bright smile graced his lips as the smell of ramen drifted to his nose upon parting the curtains and entering their most beloved ramen stand.
"Ah Naruto and Kalis, my favourite customers; what can I get you two today" Teuchi smiled over the counter towards the two as he dusted off a bit of his robe.
"We'll have two pork ramen's please" Kalis said with a smile taking a seat with Naruto taking the one next to him a small pout present on his face.
"You don't have to order for me y'know" The blonde snapped slightly pouting as he had always hated when people made decisions on his behalf when he had been perfectly able to do it himself, "Why did you think I would've wanted the pork ramen anyway?" he questioned still slightly angry.
"Well I guess I thought I knew you that well, don't you want pork ramen?" Kalis responded a smile present on his lips.
"Well yeah but that's beside the point" Naruto snapped back, "I don't need people making decisions for me" he added still slightly upset at his friends actions.
"Okay, okay I get it, I won't order for you again, I'll pay today to make up for it though alright" he smiled. He knew why Naruto was like this, he was a very independent person after all and hated being treated like a kid so Kalis couldn't really blame him and didn't really care because it was Naruto being Naruto and that was the exact person his best friend was.
Naruto looked at Kalis, he was giving his smile that wasn't a normal smile, it was the way he presented it, spread across his lips and lifted his cheeks up; just the essence about it gave a weird message that everything was alright and would be okay, that he shouldn't worry. It always surprised Naruto how with that smile, Kalis conveyed so much as it was just a smile but the way his friend delivered it just seemed so different from anything else, "Yeah I suppose that'll be okay" Naruto said rolling his eyes but still letting his own smile cross his lips as he laughed slightly.
As the bowls were placed in front of them, they immediately dug into the food after saying their thanks and enjoying the company of being around a friend.
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Ino walked slowly through the thick street, people were all around her going about their day as if nothing wrong had ever happened, but she now knew the truth, that these people were all disgusting. These people blamed and shunned Naruto for a crime he didn't commit, and they even knew that; These people mocked Kalis's clan and shamed them all as weak for an action they couldn't have stopped, and she was disgusted by all the villagers actions.
As she walked her anger just subsided to sadness, sadness with how those two had been treated, one treated horribly in the open the other from the shadows but both the same in that respect, maybe that's why there were such good friends; they both knew what it is like to be abandoned by the village you live inside, by the people who are all around you.
She decided to keep walking till her clouded mind became a bit clearer but she still somehow managed to end up outside the Kochi clan compound, now she knew why it was like as it was, not really a compound like any other clans just a building with wooden walls around it and a open door which had some stairs leading up to the front door, and along those steps a garden grew with all types of wintery flowers which Ino had always wondered just how they keep alive during the rest of the year.
She walked inside, past the wall and halfway up the steps looking over their rising garden as a gentle breeze blew shaking some flowers and scattering some small drops of pollen around, in the far corner was a pond, she could see some fish inside and one briefly broke the surface but she couldn't tell what fish they were though could guess they likely had some kind of wintery aesthetic to them, this made her chuckle but very quietly.
Looking around you wouldn't know what this clan had been through, what they had suffered, it just seemed so peaceful here. Maybe that was the way the Kochi clan had made it, considering their lives had been anything but peaceful, they decided that their home could be a place where they would always be at peace.
"Ino, can I help you?" a stoic voice rang out, Ino quickly span down the stairs to see Hyorei Kochi standing at the bottom of the stairs his head turned up towards her as his freshly wrapped bandages were around his eyes like any other Kochi but even without half his face showing he was incredibly intimidating. She was also surprised he knew her name but guessed he may know through her father as they often shared tea together being respective clan heads and old friends.
"O-oh, hello sir… I was just looking at your garden" Ino stammered out, even though he was below her she was still scared of the man, he would do nothing to her but still had the presences of at any moment he could kill her and she wouldn't even know till her head hit the floor.
He slowly walked up to her, she noticed he was wearing full leaf shinobi gear with a dark green flak jacket in all, signifying he'd likely been on a mission and just returned from some serious duty's for the Hokage, he eventually stood next to her dwarfing her with his height, "I see, yes it is a lovely garden, my wife loved to tend to our old one so I made this in memory of her" he answered turning his head to face the peaceful garden.
"Y-your wife loves g-gardening?" Ino asked, she'd rarely spoken to the man before and was surprised she hadn't fainted in fear yet just being in his presence, he continued to seemly watch in his own way over the garden as if somehow inspecting it for imperfections though Ino couldn't see any, to her it was perfect.
"Yes she did, it was her favourite hobby to watch over and care for the Kochi clan gardens" he said maintaining his unrevealing voice, Ino studied his partly shown face trying to somehow read him, but the 50 year old was an expert at hiding his body language and any other give away of emotions, probably thanks to surviving the last two great ninja wars.
"The fish… are those for your wife too, or for your son?" this caught Hyorei off guard for a moment though it was barely noticeable other than a slight clenching of the jaw which scared Ino thinking she'd angered him but he swiftly returned to his emotionless mode. Ino had only asked as she knew he'd lost his wife and oldest son, and the garden seemed to symbolise more than just his wife.
"No, Fuyu loved gardening, but my oldest son Furosuti didn't have much in a way of hobbies but in that pond are species of fish we first caught together as father and son, it was the best way to symbolise him here… each member of out fallen clan is represented someway here, whether it be their favourite flower, animal, or something that simply reminds us of them" he answered turning his head to the pond then over the whole garden; Ino gazed over it all in shock that there was more than just a reason for beauty in this garden, it was also a large memorial to the family and clan members they had lost so long ago, "You should get home Ino, you're father may begin to worry".
Ino looked as him as he walked past her heading for the door wanting to leave this conversation, "I'm sorry about you wife and son" she called out making him stop in his tracks, Ino again became terrified as he half turned back towards her. She gingerly took a step back thinking she'd gone too far and had angered him.
"…Thank you…"
Ino was stumped, Hyorei Kochi had just thanked her and now she could no longer form any words to answer him, "I think my son has made a good friend in you Ino, do tell me. What are your teams as they were selected today weren't, they?", he'd asked her a question and given her a compliment, Ino was quiet shook as she barely managed to get her next words out.
"I-I've been put on Team 10, with Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi for the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, y-your son is on Team 7, it's four people, himself, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki" she nervously blurted out, not sure if she really should have told him that his son was on a team with an Uchiha and Naruto.
Hyorei remained still for the moment, Ino prayed he was simply processing the information and not working out the best place to hide her body, "I see… thank you for telling me, now again you should be on your way" he said opening the door, Ino panicked she wasn't sure if she should say the next words that had come to her mind but her she couldn't stop her mouth from forming the words.
"I don't think your clan are a disgrace or a joke…"
This again stopped Hyorei in the door way now, he turned back to her with his unreadable face, now she was sure she'd done it, she braced herself for the shouting that was sure to commence and the curses, she began to turn wanting to run away before he had a chance to raise his voice but for some reason her legs would not move as if they were stuck to the ground.
"…Thank you…"
He said it again, he wasn't mad at her but had thanked her. Ino smiled to herself as she heard the door close behind her, she became able to use her legs again and she slowly left the Kochi clan compound processing all that had happened in mere moments of just speaking with the leader of the Kochi clan, Ino was thinking about heading home but decided to walk down the road a little so she could work a bit at the flower shop as right now, as she really needed something relaxing to help her mind recover from the experience of talking with Hyorei but as she entered the shop, someone caught her eye.
Naruto, was in his own world, admiring all the flowers on display, he'd never really though about flowers other than they just existed and people sometimes bought them, but in this shop they just seemed so alluring to him, and they kept catching his eye wherever he looked, "See something you like?" a feminine voice whispered into his ear.
Naruto jumped back like a startled cat, turning on a dime he saw Ino giggling to herself at Naruto's reaction, making him cross his arms and look away, "Scared you did I" she giggled out as she couldn't stop playing the scene over and over in her head and was pretty sure she'd never forget it.
"I-I wasn't scared, you just surprised me is all!" he snapped as a small pink tinge appeared on his cheeks from embarrassment only succeeding in making the Yamanaka giggle harder, "W-what are you doing here anyway, shouldn't you be with your team or something" he snapped just trying to get the situation away from anything to do with him.
Ino looked at him keeping a smile on her face as she placed one hand on her hip, "Well I'll have you know this is the Yamanaka Flower Shop so I do have to work here, and my team broke up a while ago so I came here for the afternoon… and safe to say that it was the right choice" she said adding a sly smirk to herself as Naruto blushed harder now pouting.
"You're not funny, you know that" he remarked gritting his teeth slightly, so slight that had Ino not been a good body reader, she wouldn't have noticed.
Ino slid over and rested and arm around Naruto's shoulders shocking the boy who stood stock still, "No, I'm not funny…" she moved her lips closer to his ears so they were inches away, "…I'm hilarious" she breathed out, the mere contact of her breath on Naruto's sensitive skin made him jump again, falling back into a shelf full of flowers and buckling it.
He quickly spun to check that he hadn't knocked anything over as he was terrified to make a scene here but breathed a sigh as he saw it had only shook slightly; a tic mark appeared on his head though as he heard the giggles of the long haired blonde behind him, "Oh Naruto, if I knew that doing some as simple as whispering in your ear would cause you to do that, I'd of started years ago!" she breathed out clutching her stomach as she was giggling so hard.
Naruto became bright red as she continued, "It's not funny, you're just using your womanly charms on me, it's unfair" he commented, he wasn't sure of he used that in the right context but he could think of nothing else to say but he was sure as hell going to stick by it, "You're abusing your powers!" he snapped, knowing he wasn't making any sense.
Ino looked up at him, her eyes glancing into his behind a few strands of loose hair; she gently bit her lower lip as a shiver went up his spine, slightly worried of her next move. She slowly lifted up to her full height being taller than him like almost all of his class were, "My womanly charms eh?" she questioned slowly getting closer to him her hands on her hips, "So you could say, your weakness is me and my charms" she whispered low enough for Naruto to hear, "You're weak to my beauty".
Naruto immediately spat out repulsed but her comment, "As if!" he snapped making Ino reel back in shock at his sudden outburst, "You're no where near that beautiful!" he added crossing his arms with a glare.
Ino had her own tic mark on her head, "Oh yeah! Just who do you think you are Naruto!" she snapped raising her clenched fists as him after his raucous comment about her looks.
He thought about it and gained a sly smirk knowing exactly how to wind her up "If you want to know, Sakura is definitely the most beautiful in my opinion" he said with a smug expression
"SAKURA!" Ino exclaimed her blue eyes turning in to looks of pure rage and a flaming aura seemed to gather around her, Naruto immediately regretted his attempt to wind her up "YOU DARE TO SAY SAKURA OF ALL PEOPLE IS MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN ME, NARUTO!" she exclaimed backing the boy into the corner fearing for his life; while it was true Ino wasn't mindlessly chasing boys anymore she still did care how she looked and wouldn't take to kindly to people called her ex-best friend better looking that her.
"Ino I think that's enough!" an older woman's voice said making the girl turn around to look at her; She was fair skinned and had light brown eyes without pupils and brown hair which was tied into a bun with a red ribbon in it. Strands frame both sides of her face, hanging over her ears from behind them. Her attire consisted of a dark teal elegant dress, which sported an aquamarine coloured gem below the collar; this was Mio Yamanaka, "It wasn't nice to tease Naruto like that before, so I think you deserved that" she calmly though still sounding serious; this made Ino shrink back a little as she looked down.
"I'm sorry mom" she said, looking up at her mother she caught that her eyes were indicating towards the still shook Naruto braced against the wall, "I'm sorry Naruto, I shouldn't have teased you like that" she said honestly with a small huff, "But I was only messing around, I didn't mean to make you feel upset".
Naruto blushed slightly, "O-Oh, I wasn't upset… I was shocked you were talking to me really, I wasn't sure if we were really friends or anything and didn't know how to react" he said rubbing the back of his head sheepishly while giving his signature foxy smile making her own smile return.
"Oh really?" Ino said in a teasing tone, wrapping an arm around his shoulders again. She herself had been debating this in her head, sure they all went through last night together but what did Ino do other than hear the truth but maybe that was enough to qualify a friendship; though Naruto had become quiet a sudden part of her life having too keep his secret from everybody, and it would be much easier if she was friends with one of the only people of her age she could talk to it about, fulfilling her gossiping nature plus it would get her mother off her back as a added bonus.
"Well to give you an answer, sure we could be friends, why not right" she smiled; sure she still found him annoying but in a strangely funny way to her way of annoying which she couldn't quite understand, but knowing how her life was going, was pretty sure she'd know soon, "By the way, just what are you doing in our shop Naruto, no offence but you don't seem like the flower type?".
The blonde became slightly bashful looking, "Well you see, me and Kalis were hanging around earlier when he suddenly dashed off saying he had to fulfil a visit or something, so I was bored" he rubbed the back of his head, "Then I saw this shop and since I never visited it before…".
"So you visited because you were bored" Ino deadpanned, her hand placed back on her hips conveying her disappointment, "I'm hurt Naruto, I thought you had come all this way to visit little ol' me" she pouted feigning sadness, "Your new friend" she added for extra sympathy points.
Naruto pouted, "Well I didn't even know this was your shop Ino, obviously I wouldn't be visiting you would I" he partially snapped as his arms became once again crossed, completely oblivious to her joking with him again.
Ino sighed rubbing her temple just wondering how Kalis puts up with density of Naruto sometimes, "Why don't you go clothes shopping them, lord knows you could definitely use a new wardrobe" she muttered indicating to the tattered 'clothes' he was wearing as she turned to tend to fix some flowers positions that Naruto had knocked earlier.
He looked down at himself and pulled at parts of his clothing, "Why it's just what I always wear everyday, the exact same clothes" he said casually as if it was normal to wear the same clothes everyday.
Ino felt as if a 100 ton weight was dropped on her head, "Naruto wears the same clothes everyday?!" she slowly turned her head around and inspected him up and down and was surprised she never noticed it. Sure she wore the same clothes for training or academy days but she had more than one set, and would wear different things on a day off; but Naruto had the exact same thing everyday, with the exact same tears and holes in it as the previous day, "You only own that?!" she exclaimed not sure how to process this.
He shrugged casually breaking Ino, "Yeah, also a set of pyjamas, an old hoodie, one or two shirts with a few socks and underwear, why? What's the problem it's just clothes" he nonchalantly shrugged making Ino's eye twitch.
Her mother laughed as she walked away from watching to two interact, "Ino, don't worry I can look after the shop on my own" she said over her shoulder, knowing her daughter all to well; that what had been presented before her was not only a massive shock but a excuse for a shopping trip.
Ino shook her head to clear it before grabbing Naruto by the cuff and dragging him out the shop, "Thanks Mom, I'll be a while so don't expect me soon" she said over her shoulder ignoring the protests of Naruto as she dragged him down the street. Mio let out a laugh as the sounds faded, knowing that trying to fight Ino about shopping was a tough battle that no one could beat; though she smiled as it seemed to her at least, that it was a start to a great friendship between the blondes.
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Kalis stood in a large grassy field but not just any field, it was a massive walled off field with tiny snowdrop flowers all around in between flat gravestones, at the far back was a large statue of a man who had spikey hair and bandages wrapped around his eyes, he rested on a sword embedded into the ground in front of him and he was wearing what looked to be a cloak wrapped around his body with his arms protruding out slightly to place his hands on the sword.
He gently placed a few purple coloured flowers on to two graves in front of him that were surrounded by Snowdrops, that were below the statue. He sighed letting his hands fall into his pockets, "Hey… I know it's been a while but I've had so much going on" he muttered quietly though there was no one around to hear anyway, "I've become a Genin now, but I'm 12, a few years older than when you both graduated… sorry about that, kinda took my time".
He didn't turn his head away from the stones, "But I promise to do my best, my teacher is Kakashi Hatake… I hope you know who that is cause he told us nothing" he slightly grumbled, "But my team is strange… there's four of us Genin, myself, a girl called Sakura Haruno; Naruto Uzumaki… I told you about him remember and Sasuke… Uchiha…, I really don't understand our team composition, but also that I was one of the last called in out whole class and for our team… I'm not complaining but I'm worried that those who organised the teams didn't see much in me, they just dumped me in the last team".
Kalis sighed, "Oh I saved Naruto's life, took a shuriken to the side, I protected him… I know he contains the Nine-Tails… the cause of our clans problems but he's not the beast… he's just the prison right…?" he continued not sure if those he talked to would appreciate his friendship.
"Visiting Mother and Big Bro?" A voice snapped Kalis from his thoughts, he didn't need to turn to sense the presence of his older sister making her way over walking up the grass path connecting the statue to the double wooden door at the far back, "Thought I'd come pay my respects too" she smiled as she stood next to her younger brother placing her own flowers down on their graves, "I was wondering who'd broken the seal to get in here, had a kunai ready to kill" she joked.
Kalis only hummed in response, he appreciated Soruki's attempts to lighten the mood but whenever he came he it was hard for him to smile, "I just wanted to catch them up on things, it's been a little while and a lots happened" he answered his head still turned to the graves as he sensed over their names embedded onto the stones.
Fuyu Kochi, a devoted mother and wife
Furosuti Kochi, a loving brother and son
"It's good that you still visit them, I'm sure they appreciate it" Soruki mused placing a hand on his shoulder to provide some minor level of comfort, "I always wonder just what would be different if they were still here y'know" she added turning her head towards the graves in front "Would the village of changed much?".
Kalis tightened his fists together for a moment as he remembered just how the village treated them, "Soruki, I just don't understand… you told me they both gave their lives as did out other clan members to protect the village from the Nine-Tails, that so many more would have died had they not given their lives" he snapped turning to his sister with his teeth gritted "Is that not the truth?".
She turned her head to him, her smile gone, "Kalis… they saved many lives that night it's true, but the Kochi clan as a whole still failed the village… many lives were lost because we couldn't do out duty; our sworn duty to the people of the village… though they saved them, the lives they saved had lost people we couldn't save and who else were they going to blame..." she sighed as she wrapped her arm fully around her brother and brought him in with a one armed hug burying his face into her flak vest, "It's the selfishness, pain and suffering of people Kalis… they couldn't get the life they wanted… their own happiness… so they blamed the only people they could… it's the tragic way of our world, the cycle that repeats with no end in sight…".
She felt his own arms wrap around her back and hold her closer, she smiled at this small interaction; though he was a Genin now, her little brother was never afraid to show his real emotions, he never bottled them up to cause himself more pain, she'd taught him that, "B-But we felt pain and suffering greatly too… we lost everyone, not just Mother and big bro… every other member of out clan died that night Soruki… we feel pain but who do we blame… how is it fair the village gets to mock us, and blame us for everything wrong when we are the ones who have experienced the most, why can't we be the selfish ones for once!" he said, she could tell by his voice that he was hurting, she knew how much it did to him when he opened up about their clans tragic past.
Soruki turned her head over the field behind them, filled with gravestones, each with a Kochi clan member's body below, before the night of the Nine-Tails attack; their clans graveyard was relatively empty but after, she remembered that she was only 5 and had to help move the bodies of her friends to be buried, that hardly anyone from the village helped though they were still lucky the Yamanaka's and their allies still liked their practically non-existent clan and offered to help though they too had suffered much to the Kochi clans disgrace.
"As I said, this world is full of selfishness, pain and suffering Kalis… people have grown to believe that everything should be entitled to them and them alone; and when things go wrong, people will blame everyone but themselves without regard to those who really felt pain and suffering, and they then become blind to the truth" Soruki said gently running her hand through her brothers hair, "But if we stoop down to their level, what better are we… how can we say to those who care only about themselves to care about only us… make them understands our pain without inflicting pain… show them suffering without making them suffer more… that's what we're stuck in Kalis… that's our worlds endless and brutal cycle…".
There was silence for a while, not a word or sound was spoken just the winds whistle as it blew past the two siblings, "…Soruki… I'll change it then… I'll change this world, it's views on not just our clan… on everyone; I'll make them believe in us again, make the world care about others regardless of who they are; I'll show them that our paths in life are not pre-determined, I'll break this cycle without succumbing to it, I promise!" he exclaimed raising his head to face Soruki directly while clutching his fists to his side in determination, which made her smile, gently she cupped his chin with her thumb and finger to hold his head in place, with her other hand she gently lifted his leaf headband up to expose his forehead which she planted a small kiss on, in her typical fashion.
She let her smile stay on her face as she fixed his headband to re-cover his forehead, then chuckled as he rubbed his forehead where she'd just kissed, "Soruki! You don't have to do that so often you know" he commented while rubbing his forehead with his arm.
"You'll always be my little brother Kalis, so I'll always treat you like that… it's my Nindo to protect you and I will always do just that" she sweetly smiled ruffling Kalis hair slightly before turning back down to the graves, "They'd be proud of you Kalis, you do know that right?"
Kalis nodded, a smile breaking on his face "I know, you tell me everyday Sis" he said turning himself back to their graves his smile not falling, "I'd I like to believe you're right, but I won't break my promise, I'll have the village believe in our clan again so their sacrifices weren't in vain!" he proclaimed with confidence.
Soruki smiled again turning to her brother, "You know little bro… I really do think you will… you are the only one who can take our clan out of this darkness… but don't think you'll ever have to do it alone, you'll always have me… always…" she thought, her smile getting wider "Come on, let's go for a walk, let Mother and Big Bro sleep a bit eh?" she said walking off closely followed by Kalis.
"H-Hey Soruki?" Kalis stammered making her turn to him, "Could you give me any tips for testing under Kakashi Sensei?" he inquired making her laugh.
"Any tips eh? Sure your not looking for an easy hand out?" she commented with a sly grin making him wave his hands in front of his face, "Hmm, you know I can't tell you any answers as that'd be cheating… but do remember this at least; what's the most important part of being a team?" she smiled.
"What's the most important thing?" he questioned stopping for a moment confused by her question before running after his sister who laughed at his confusion.
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Ino idly stirred the broth in front of her, sure ramen was meant to be delicious but it was unbelievably un-healthy for you so she'd never touched it; unlike the person currently sitting next to her, seemingly absorbing the substance into his face, "How can you eat this stuff so often?" she questioned thankful she'd only eaten a little BBQ earlier or she'd be throwing up about now.
Naruto finished slurping before looking at her with a grin, "Well ramen is the best food out there y'know; I'm surprised everyone doesn't eat it every day!" he exclaimed placing his finished bowl to one side and beginning on his second bowl much to Ino's dismay as she wondered just how he managed to get her to buy him ramen.
"I'm only buying you the one bowl!" she exclaimed before he could go overboard and eat several bowls which she had no doubt that he was capable of doing, "I can't let you go spending all my money on ramen".
Naruto shrugged, "It's alright, Kalis bought me some earlier anyway and besides you spent a ton of money on clothes anyway" he said as he placed a few noodles into his mouth; Ino cast a glance down to the few bags with clothes inside of which most belonged to her but a bag was full of clothes Ino had bought of Naruto, much to his bizarre objections, "Especially spending so much on my clothes" he added.
Ino looked at one of the visible price tags of Naruto's clothes to see they were pretty cheap compared to most other clothes in other shops, "I didn't spend that much on you Naruto, definitely not enough for you to complain so as much as you did, think of it as a gift if anything" she said still looking slightly confused at the blonde boy.
Naruto had now joined Ino in idly swirling the ramen broth, "N-No it's just…" he trailed trying to find the correct words and Ino listened for when he found them, "…I always try to avoid people taking me shopping… I've never told anyone, but I'm always over-charged for everything" he said glumly as he continued to simply watch his favourite meal while leaning on his free hand.
Ino slightly gasped in realisation, "So it's not like Naruto doesn't care about what he wears its just that he can't afford anything else" she hastily thought as her anger towards the villagers returned, "What about Kalis? Doesn't he take you clothes shopping" she asked quite curious.
Naruto sighed, "He gets me food but that's about it as he says he'd have no idea what to look for; so Soruki tends to offer instead but I always manage to find an excuse to get out of it" he answered resting his chopsticks against his bowl. Ino thought back to their shopping and realised that she hadn't been over charged at all when they went, "When you were paying I hid myself so they wouldn't know, in fact I tried to hide the best I could while we were out, I didn't want anyone treating you differently because of me" and there was Ino's answer.
"Naruto… you don't have to hide, sure we just started being friends so we don't really know about each other much…" she began looking to Naruto with a small smile on her face "But we're still friends, and I don't care what people say about me, I stick by my friends no matter what… and even if we go shopping together again don't hide, I wanna see them try an overprice things when I'm around, you know full well that I can argue with the best of them" she stated confidently making Naruto re-gain his smile.
Sure it wasn't like they were the best of friends and Ino hadn't known Naruto for as long as Shikamaru, Choji or Kalis; but what she did see was a secretly scared and lonely person who just wanted people to acknowledge him as something other than the Nine-Tails and what was the harm in her doing just that.
"So, Naruto… do you ever think about what's inside of you?" Ino whispered making the boy look at her his smile fading slightly, but the question had been on her mind all day and now was as good as time as any to ask.
"Sometimes, but I've never really interacted with it; never had a clue it was even there…" he answered truthfully as he picked his chopsticks back up and hovered over his bowl, "But now I just don't know what to feel, I mostly just try not to think about it" he mumbled, "But it's hard to ignore y'know".
Ino understood what he meant, it's not like the entire village suddenly stopped treating him like an outsider, "Oh… I see" she didn't know what else to say, how would you comfort someone who has a demon fox living inside them, one which almost destroyed the entire village 12 years ago.
Naruto shrugged again and returned his foxy grin, "But it's all alright, it'll just make it that much sweeter when I become Hokage, believe it!" he exclaimed pointing his chopsticks towards her for added emphasis.
Ino just watched him for a moment till she broke out in a giggle fit, unable to control it as she barley managed to catch herself before she fell out of her chair as Naruto also joined in the laughter, "N-Naruto, I just don't know where you get this enthusiasm from" she said in between her giggles and making him smile sheepishly while still getting a few laughs out himself, "Alright new question, just why did you fancy Sakura so much, she always treated you so horribly, still does?" she questioned.
Naruto chuckled as a small blush coloured his cheeks, "Well, I really like her long hair, I think it makes her look really pretty" he answered scratching his cheek sure he wasn't chasing her anymore but he could still admit what he liked about her.
"Oh, you like long hair eh?" Ino teased flicking her long ponytail and wiggling her eyebrows slightly, "So you must think I'm really pretty" she added continuing to tease the blond who looked at her with a slightly disgusted look but a blush was present but she still pouted at his actions, "You just don't know what actual beauty is" she commented now making Naruto pout.
Teuchi and Ayame were watching the two from behind the counter with a shared smile of both their faces, "It seems like Naruto is making new friends" Teuchi said not breaking his smile as he leaned against a nearby tabletop.
"Yeah, it's weird seeing him this happy and smiling around someone other than Kalis, Iruka or Soruki; but I'm happy that I am seeing this" Ayame added looking between the two blondes who were in the midst of another conversation, "Or maybe this isn't just the start of a friendship between these two" she thought aloud.
Teuchi looked at his daughter with a raised eyebrow, "What could you be referring two Ayame?" he asked.
"Well look at them, smiling and laughing with each other; who knows where it could lead" she added on.
"WAIT NARUTO! WHAT DID YOU MEAN WHEN YOU CAME HERE WITH KALIS EARLIER; HAVE YOU ALREADY EATEN RAMEN TODAY!" Ino suddenly exclaimed remembering what the boy had said earlier and making Naruto sheepishly rub the back of his head.
The two cooks smiled at their interactions and let out small laughs of their own at their interactions, "You should be thankful Ino, Kalis had to pay for 5 bowls of which only one was his; looks like Naruto's being more gentlemanly for your date" Ayame informed looking over the counter at the two with a sly grin.
Ino would of immediately snapped about the amount Naruto could eat had Ayame not insinuated what her and Naruto were doing, "D-Date…" she stammered in her own mind as her face turned bright red in embarrassment, "I-I'm on a date… with Naruto… this isn't a date… right" she tired to reason in her mind, "…Y-Yeah it can't be… though it's just been us all afternoon… alone… and now we're having a meal together… and talking about each other… oh god it's a date!" her eyes widened as she couldn't form any words.
"Ayame, why are you asking about the date today?" Naruto asked confused thinking she was referring to the actual day and succeeded in making Ayame burst out into laughed followed by her father doing the same and Ino continued looking like a tomato, "I don't get it, what's so funny?" he continued to be baffled.
He was silenced by Ino covering his mouth with her hand in as she failed to hide her beet red face from view, "Just stop talking Naruto" she managed to get out though still in shock at the revelation she had just revealed to herself, "I'll see you around" she added hastily before grabbing her bags and shooting off after throwing some money on the counter.
Naruto looked after her utterly confused as turned to Teuchi and Ayame silently asking a question, "Don't worry Naruto, I'm sure she's just a bit surprised is all" Teuchi smiled taking Naruto's empty bowls "She didn't expect anyone to announce such a thing"" he answered looking to his daughter with a small glare who fumble her hands awkwardly and laugh slightly nervously at her father.
Naruto still looked between the two and where Ino had just been sitting trying to figure out if he had done anything wrong, "Girls are weird" he muttered to himself before returning to his ramen the question still on his mind as he ate much more slowly.
Ino meanwhile had dashed home, as she opened the front door the blonde immediately darted up the stairs and to her room, throwing her bags into the corner she crashed onto the bed and held her pillow to her face so it could muffle the terrified sounding scream she let out, "I just accidently went on a date with… N-Naruto…" she thought still barely able to comprehend it, "My first date with a boy… was with Naruto…" she screamed into the pillow again thankful no one was home yet as they would likely be the only ones to hear her even though muffled.
"N-No, it wasn't a date… it was just two friends hanging out… yeah definitely not a date… I hang out with Shikamaru and Choji all the time… just the three of us…" she reasoned in her mind slowly pulling the pillow off her head, "…Except it was just one boy and one girl hanging out… and doing stuff together… then having a meal together… like a really basic date goes…" she hastily got her pillow to the face again as another scream came out, she wished there was someone she could talk to about this but there was no one, her parents wouldn't understand, all her friends wouldn't be at all helpful as most were boys themselves; there was no one who she could really talk to.
"I am not into Naruto… no way, yes I happy to get along with him but defiantly not date him… I promised myself no boys till I was 16 and… why am I trying to think of excuses! Just anyone but Naruto!" she proclaimed smacking her head feeling stupid for trying to think of some reason to not date Naruto other than him being Naruto "Why did that girl have to say anything".
Ino spent the next hours just in her thoughts trying to calm herself that she was not on a date with Naruto of all people while hating herself for slightly overacting that way that she did and hoping Naruto didn't feel that she hated him.
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An early risen Team 7 stood in the third training ground, "Where is he?!" Naruto exclaimed looking around frantically for any sign of their Sensei, "Why can't this guy just turn up on time" he wined falling against a nearby rock his head drooped slightly.
Kalis and Sakura both sighed as Naruto was right, it was already 30 minutes past the time they were supposed to meet, and their Sensei was nowhere in sight. Kalis had already sensed around thinking they maybe had to find him, but he was nowhere close by. Sasuke meanwhile was standing away from them all glaring off into the forest watching every movement waiting for something to happen.
Kalis let out a yawn covering his mouth with a hand, "So, did you all skip breakfast too" he asked taking his hand away as his own stomach growled, they simply confirmed with duel nods as Sakura rubbed her eyes to take some of the sleep out.
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Team 10 had gathered in a different training ground and were now standing in a line facing Asuma, "Good, you're all on time now the test can begin" he said after lighting a cigarette a placing in between his lips then letting a breath of smoke out making them all tear up as the smoke hit their faces, "There's no need to get upset about it" he commented.
"We're not upset, it's that damn smoke" Shikamaru commented rubbing his eyes.
Asuma chuckled sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head, "Sorry about that" he commented taking a few steps back to the wind would take the smoke before it hit his students, "Now the test is simple" he began taking out a simple alarm at setting it for 5 minutes, "I have 5 minutes to hide, then you must find me…".
"Hide and seek, aren't we a little old for that Asuma Sensei?" Choji questioned as the others give him a confused looks.
He let out a small chuckle, "Well you'll be surprised how often you have to find a person who's hiding when out in the field but you should have let me finish, first you must find me then land a single punch on me" he said hitting the alarm to start, "Once that rings, you'll have 3 hours to find me" he added before taking off into the forest leaving the Genin confused.
"He's Jonin level, how are we ever going to find him let alone hit him" Choji wined leaning sitting against a rock and pulling out bag of crisps.
"It's pretty obvious he wants us to use the Ino-Shika-Cho formation to out best abilities, I reckon that as long as we're able to demonstrate some level of skill and co-ordination we'll pass" Shikamaru stated lazily getting to the floor and laying back with his hands behind his head, "Ino you'll find him with your sensory abilities, though not as advanced yet it'll be enough, I'll trap him with Shadow Possession Jutsu then Choji will hit him, all there is too it" he said gazing up at the clouds and letting his eyes slowly close, not liking that he had to be up so early but figured the quicker they were done the faster he could get back to sleep in his bed.
Choji nodded and looking to Ino who seemed to be in a world of her own, "You alright Ino? You seem a little distant?" he asked which seemed to make snap out of her trance and look at them with a smile.
"What? Yeah I'm fine Choji; that's great plan Shikamaru" she hastily said shaking her head to attempt the clear her thoughts of her embarrassment from the other day which still pestered her mind though she hoped the test would take it completely from her head.
"Really? My mom told me that you were out with Naruto" Choji said with a sly smirk and even made Shikamaru peek an eye open with a tiny smirk present on his lips as Ino's face turned bright red.
"CHOJI!"
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Some terrified birds flew over the heads of Team 7 who were still waiting around in the third training ground.
They were all now on the floor in some level; Naruto had laid down on the slightly wet grass with his eyes closed, Kalis was now sat leaning against the rock unmoving, Sakura had sat down near to them and was idly running her hand through the grass while Sasuke kneeled where he was still watching off.
"We are in the right place… right?" Sakura asked the group looking around for any signs of their Sensei.
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Team 8 had just arrived walking through the misty training ground they had been told to meet at by Kurenai, "Where is she?" Kiba complained looking around the misty area, "She should be here already?" he snapped sniffing around for his Sensei's scent but when he got none he looked up to his companion, "Anything Akamaru?" he asked but got a negative bark in response.
"Kiba you shouldn't be so hasty, she's a Jonin so will have her reasons for not being here yet" Shino answered in his plain style of speaking while putting out a finger for a bug to land on and letting it crawl up his sleeve, "Hmm I see… Hinata, can you use your Byakugan to search around?" the insect user asked looking to his female teammate who was shuffling nervously.
"I-I can Shino, b-but why?" she asked nervously prodding her fingers together while shyly looking at him through her white eyes, "I-Is there s-something wrong?".
"I just have a suspicion, try and see as far as you can with your Byakugan please" he asked again.
She nodded and turned away "Byakugan!" veins appeared around her eyes as she scanned around the misty area and immediately noticed that something was wrong, "The chakra around is strange, and I cannot find any exit to the forest" she revealed.
This gained Kiba's attention, "What do you mean no exit? We just entered a bit ago, are your sure those eyes are working right Hinata?" he commented looking around himself while sniffing.
"Then it's just as I suspected" Shino said getting their attention, "We've been caught in a Genjutsu, this must be our test" he revealed.
Hinata's eyes returned to normal, "S-so if we're in a G-Genjutsu… who's the c-caster?" she asked looking around for any sign of who the caster is.
"That would be me Hinata" a feminine voice spoke, they all went back to back as Kurenai appeared out the ground, "Well done Shino for figuring it out, and yes this is your test" she answered as several more copies of her appeared surrounding them.
"W-When did you put us in this" asked Kiba and Akamaru growled atop his head at the Kurenai copies.
"The second you entered the forest of this training ground Kiba, my nickname isn't the Genjutsu Mistress for nothing" they all answered at the same time freaking Kiba out, "Now for your test, you must find a way to escape this Genjutsu I have placed upon you and find me… but don't think I will make this easy on any of you" she said disappearing back into the ground leaving the group looking around hastily.
"So, this is our test, very well then, I have an idea" Shino said turning to the others.
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Team 7 was still waiting around as the other teams began their tests, Naruto was sitting up rubbing his stomach, Kalis was atop the rock trying to sense around again, Sakura was walking inspecting the nearby Kunai shaped stone and Sasuke had actually moved but over to the lake now watching over that.
"Oh, come on, are we really doing this again!" Naruto exclaimed throwing his hands up falling backwards.
Sakura looked at him but didn't even have the strength to get angry, "We all know Naruto, just what keep keeping him… what do you think Sasuke?" she said looking over to the broody boy who'd crossed his arms.
Sasuke ignored her with a simple huff having no interest is a conversation with any of his teammates, he just wanted to get this over with quickly, "Come on Sasuke, can't you just treat your teammates with some level of respect and not just ignore them" Kalis commented turning his head the lone Uchiha who snapped to him.
"Keep your comment's to yourself, Kochi thief!" he snapped.
"What can't I comment on your selfish actions now, Uchiha trash!" Kalis fired back.
"Don't push me, scum!"
"Or what, duck ass!"
"I'll have to show you your place, failure!"
"You're welcome to try, loner!"
Naruto and Sakura looked between the two, Kalis standing on the rock gritting his teeth with his head turned to Sasuke, while the Uchiha was glaring at him with his fists clenched while his arms were still crossed "Please don't fight you two" Sakura pleaded feeling the tension rise and remembering their spars often turned death matches back in the academy and often Iruka Sensei would have to step in to stop it.
"Yeah you shouldn't go picking fight's we're meant to be team as much as I don't like you Sasuke… but if you have a problem why don't you fight me!" Naruto snapped in an attempt the separate the two knowing full well where their fights often lead to.
"Shut up Idiot, you're both being annoying!" Sasuke snapped.
"No need to be rude Sasuke, they're just our teammates. I don't wanna fight you, but if you start it, I'll finish it!" Kalis defended.
Sasuke had enough and began weaving signs, Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger; Kalis noticed his chakra begin to form and started forming his own hand signs, Dragon-Tiger-Hare.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu"
"Water Style: Water Trumpet"
Sasuke fired a massive stream of fire from his mouth forming into a ball towards Kalis; from Kalis's mouth was a heavy stream of water which collided with the fireball erupting steam over the are as the two Jutsu's diffused each other nether being stronger.
When it cleared Kalis and Sasuke were in between their previous positions each holding a Kunai which was locked against the other persons as Sasuke glared into Kalis's bandages where his eyes would be, and Kalis was likely doing the same though unseen.
"Well, this quite the situation I've arrived in" a lazy voice remarked. They all looked and turned to see Kakashi standing nearby watching the event unfold through his half opened eye.
"Where have you been!" Naruto exclaimed raising a fist towards Kakashi who simply eye smiled.
"Well I was on my way when I became lost on the path of life" he answered maintaining his eye smile.
Kalis and Sasuke leap apart placing their Kunai away before turning away from each other simultaneously now facing Kakashi, "We've been waiting long enough, what's our test then" Sasuke snapped now glaring at the Jonin.
Kakashi beckoned them to follow him towards the three stumps, as he got there he pulled out an alarm clock and settled it atop the middle stump before setting it for 4 hours then turning to his students pulling out two bells, "The test is rather simple…" he began waving the bells in front of the Genin letting them ring as if taunting them, "Each of you has to take one of these bells from me, if you do, you pass and get to eat; simple as that" he revealed.
Sakura immediately did the math, "Wait you only have two bells and there are four of us, that means only two get to eat, what about the two that don't" she asked getting the attention of the others.
"Fallen straight into the obvious, like all the others before" he thought before looking over them all, "Those who do not get a bell will fail and be tied to one of these posts and will go without lunch…" he began before gaining a serious expression, "…and will then be sent back to the academy" he added making them all become shocked.
"So, it's survival of the fittest essentially" Sasuke remarked with his hand slowly reaching for his Kunai pouch.
"Then I'll be the first one to take those bells, believe it!" Naruto exclaimed getting into a fighting stance.
"This can't be it can it, Soruki asked me what is the most important part of being a team, that's completing the task and following orders… isn't it, I can't break the rules of my Sensei…" Kalis thought taking a few steps back to create a bit of distance already thinking of his first Ninjutsu to use.
Sakura looked around at all the boys prepared to fight and nodded to herself deciding to follow their example so she wouldn't be the odd one out, "I'll win this then Sasuke will have to notice me".
Kakashi looked at them all as he reached into his back pouch "All of them seem to be set on doing it themselves… should I just fail them now?" he thought as his fingers found what they were searching for.
"Just give them a chance, that's all I ask"
He sighed as he remembered Soruki's request deciding to give them the benefit of the doubt. He swiftly dodged to the side as Naruto flew past him only gaining himself a mouthful of grass, "Now, now; I haven't told you to start yet" he teased making Naruto spit out some grass and glare at Kakashi as he stood regaining his pose.
The Jonin pressed the top of the alarm beginning the timer as he pulled and item out of his pouch, a book with the title 'Make Out Paradise' and opening it casing his eye down to it knowing how little attention he would need to pay.
"Very well then… Begin!"
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That's another chapter down, thank you for reading.
This thing went through about 7 different bloody re-writes before I got to the final copy and I was pulling my hair out about it XD.
Please do let me know what you think.
I'll see you all next time when the bell test will begin.
