For the next few months, Megumin learned more about the world she had come to, either through class or books. Not long after the academy's final exam, came the day that teams of three were assigned.

When Iruka announced that Naruto, Sasuke, and Megumin were on team seven, Naruto slammed his hand down and pointed at Sasuke. "Me?! On a team with him?!"

Iruka sighed and leaned on his desk. "We balance out the teams… Sasuke had the best overall scores. You… had the worst."

"Makes sense," Megumin said. "My Jutsu are great, but…" She recalled that in every sparring match, she was knocked on her ass. Most notably by Sakura. Even from across the room, Sakura glared at Megumin - for whatever reason, Sakura disliked her.

In any case, the students went to lunch before they met their new teacher. Megumin had wanted to talk to her team,but Naruto had disappeared.

Down the hallway, Megumin saw Sasuke chilling by a window. "Did you see where Naruto went?" She asked, though as she came close to the window, she saw Naruto talking to Sakura.

She squinted her face. "Are they?"

"Don't even think about it," Sasuke said. "Sakura just thinks Naruto is annoying."

Megumin leaned her chin on her palm and stood up against the window frame. "We're his teammates, why is he trying to talk to her?"

Sasuke looked down the hallway and crossed his arms. "That… spell. Your explosion spell. Is there a way to learn it?"

With a big, crooked smile, her head creaked as it rotated to look at him. "Sasuke?! You want to walk the path of explosion together?!"

He furrowed his eyebrows, though he jerked back a little when she grabbed his arm. "Yes… yes! YES! All you have to do is come back to my world with me! We can dump all your points into the spell! Oh, I can imagine it now! Two, simultaneous blasts colliding into one galactical destructive orb!"

"...On second thought, going limp after a single spell is too great of a drawback."

She relinquished his arm and weighed an invisible weight on her hand. "Well, if you're ever serious about it, you know where to find me."

Down the hallway came walking a disheartened Naruto.

"Done flirting?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto grunted as he huffed air out of his nose and went into the classroom. Sasuke grinned and closed his eyes. "Struck down, again, huh?"

"So, Naruto wants to partake in the dating ritual with Sakura," Megumin said in a serious tone.

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows. "Why did you say it like that?"

After an hour, all the other team's sensei showed up and took them away. Naruto paced back and forth, carving a hole into the wooden floor. Meanwhile, Megumin practiced her oaths to her explosive power. That was until Naruto put a chalk eraser between the top of the door and its frame.

"Do you really think that will work?" Sasuke asked.

"If it doesn't, I'll blow them up for being late," Megumin said.

"I'm almost scared she's serious."

A moment later, a hand slid the door open. The eraser plopped off the head of the familiar ninja that tutored Megumin, Kakashi Hatake. As Naruto pointed and laughed that his simple prank worked, Megumin was paralyzed. Her finger shook as she pointed. "K-K-Ka-Kakashi is our sensei…?"

Kakashi picked up the chalk and looked at all his new students before he threw a worried glance at Megumin. She was having a PTSD flashback to Kakashi's short training regime, her widened eyes shook as she stuttered incomprehensible nonsense.

"Is she… okay?" Kakashi asked.

"No!" She screamed as she rushed for the window, unable to push it open. "I can't go through that again! I'd rather give up explosion magic! Why won't this dang thing open?!"

Naruto looked confused. "What the? How do you not know how to open up a window?"

"That's it!" She said, picking up her staff. The room went dark as she began to chant, that was until Kakashi plucked it out of her hands.

"That's enough of that," he said. "Let's get some fresh air, talk about our assignment."

As they went to the roof, Kakashi leaned against the railing as the students sat on the concrete steps. Though Megumin held her knees as she stuttered. "I- I don't know if I can go through th-this."

"Megumin, calm down, it won't be like before," Kakashi said.

"Wait, you two already know each other?" Naruto asked.

"He did unspeakable things to me," she said in a low, weak voice.

"What?!" Kakashi asked. Naruto gawked worriedly.

Even Sasuke perked up. "Yeah, what unspeakable things?"

"I never went through such terrible training. He'd kick me in the river, even did horrible genjutsu on me…"

"Oh," Sasuke said, slouching back down to his uncaring pose.

Kakashi took a deep breath and pushed it out. "This girl…" He raised his hands up. "When Megumin first arrived, I trained her so she could match up to everyone else in the class… though, I didn't have to do much to help her ninjutsu."

"Oh," Naruto said, as he narrowed his eyes at Megumin. "So, she had special training." He stood up and pointed at her. "That's why you were able to perform any Jutsu so easily!"

"Actually, I only had to show her the hand signs, Naruto," Kakashi said.

Naruto's finger went limp before he looked up to the sky and scratched his cheek. "Th-that so?"

Kakashi rubbed his face into his palm. "Let's move along, and get to know each other."

2

They introduced each other, which went about as well as anyone would expect. Kakashi was vague, Naruto loved ramen, Sasuke liked nothing, and Megumin loved explosions. After their introduction, they were told to be at the training area at 5am with their ninja gear. He also warned them not to eat, or else they would throw up.

Of course, when the three of them got there on time, Kakashi was late. Only Sasuke bothered to stay wide awake, Megumin and Naruto laid down for a nap. It was a quiet, cool morning, after all, the perfect time for an outside nap. Kakashi didn't arrive until the sun had already settled up in the sky.

"Laying down on the job already - why did I expect anything different?" He asked.

"You're late!" Naruto yelled.

Megumin perked up. "Did you forget you were a teacher this morning? It's almost noon."

Kakashi got out an alarm clock. "Had to get a quick bite to eat - no matter the mission, you should always eat some breakfast. Even a protein bar would do."

Megumin grunted as she gawked in horror. Naruto pointed in anger. "A quick bite doesn't take seven hours! And if that's true, why did you tell us not to eat?!"

"A ninja must see through deception. Now, let's carry on, shall we? This alarm clock is set for noon," Kakashi said, followed by pulling out two small bells and jangling them from the pinch of his fingers. "It's simple… to pass, all you need to do is get one of these bells from me. If not by noon, you'll be tied to one of those wooden posts and be forced to watch me eat my lunch; while you get nothing."

Megumin glared as she rubbed her stomach. "You're inhuman… worse than a demon! And why are there only two bells?"

Kakashi smiled through his mask. "Because only two of you get to pass. Any weapons are at your disposal," he said before he backtracked and pointed at Megumin. "Except for your staff."

Megumin blew air out of her nose.

"Start."

The three of them retreated and hid among the dense woods. Megumin herself went high up to a tree and spied on Kakashi. This was the place Megumin did her training regime with him - such horrible memories.

"Megumin."

She jerked in place before she looked behind. Sasuke was right behind her. "Don't do that! Almost made me explode!"

"You've trained with him before. Do you have any ideas?"

"Well… He can't be overwhelmed in a fight, and he's smart. Also, he despises my explosion spell. Wait, is that Naruto down there?"

"That idiot…"

They watched as Naruto got kicked into the river, only for seven clones to come out. She didn't know he could make solid clones and so many of them! Though, it didn't matter. Kakashi tricked him into fighting himself and got tied upside down by a tree branch.

"Now," Sasuke whispered, taking out several shurikens and throwing them at Kakashi. Direct hit - to a wooden log that replaced Kakashi.

"He really likes doing that, huh?" Megumin said. Looking behind her, Sasuke was gone.

Kakashi had already vanished, so she rushed to cut Naruto down from the tree. "You should have come to talk to us," she said. "You're always so determined to do things by yourself. Even back at the academy."

Though he swung left and right from the tree like a pendulum, he crossed his arms. "I don't need you or Sasuke! I'll get both the bells by myself, and send you two back to the academy!"

Megumin threw a kunai at the rope, making Naruto fall to his head. "Ow! What was that for! Give me a heads-up next time!'

"Should have been obvious," Megumin said, sucking in her cheek. "Why didn't you tell us you could make solid clones?"

He rubbed his head. "Does it matter?"

She sucked in her cheek. "We could have made a plan together. Doesn't make sense for all three of us to fail. So, here is what I have in mind… you can combine your clones with transformation techniques, right?"

He nodded.

She pointed at the lunches. "I'm going to transform into you and eat one of the lunches. You and your clones hide as rocks around me. When Kakashi comes out, you grab him and keep him still."

He nodded. "Sounds good! But, wait, won't he just use the substitution jutsu, again?"

Megumin blushed and gave a bright smile, followed by a soft giggle. "Let me worry about that!"

They got the trap ready, and Megumin, disguised as Naruto, sat on the memorial stone. "Time to chow down!"

"Oh, really?" The mincing Kakashi asked, popping into existence right behind her. Though, she smiled as she held up the staff.

"Wait, you're not-"

All around, Narutos upon Narutos burst from smoke and grabbed onto Kakashi. In the meantime, Megumin revealed herself and started to chant for the explosion.

"Ashes upon ashes, dust upon dust! From the crimson blood that flows through my veins and my crimson orbs that let me see this world, I, Megumin, will render these lunches into nothing but atoms! Do away with it!"

All the clones that held onto Kakashi stared in horror, while Kakashi himself looked terrified. His eye almost popped out as he reached toward Megumin. "Wait, Megumin, remember the rules!"

She continued to chant. Kakashi threw one of the clones, slamming them into Megumin to make her stop. The next thing she knew, she was tied to the wooden post.

"I said that your explosion spell was off-limits for this practice," Kakashi said.

Megumin squirmed, unable to move. She sucked in her cheek and glared at Kakashi. "I didn't use it!"

Kakashi shrugged. "Now calm down. I've decided to give you three another chance to get a bell, but you three need to really figure out what this exercise is about."

"What is it about?" Naruto asked.

"Think about it," he said. "Two bells. Why would there only be two? Why not three?"

"I tried to ask you about that!" Megumin shouted.

"You three all have issues that need to be worked out." He pointed to Sasuke. "Both you and Naruto tried to take me one-on-one. I bet if Megumin hadn't approached Naruto about her plan, he wouldn't have worked with her at all."

"So, it is about teamwork…"

"But, the worst of them all is you." He pointed to Megumin. "You don't care about becoming a ninja, you don't have the resolve. Sure, you understood the exercise fine, but you don't understand what it means to be a ninja. You've come here more talented than anyone, but all you want to do is blow stuff up."

"That's not…" Megumin's stomach growled. She stared at her feet. "That's not true."

Kakashi crossed his arms. "You two, eat lunch, get your strength back, but Megumin gets none." He glared at them. "And anyone who gives her food will fail immediately. My rules will be followed."

Kakashi disappeared from their view. Naruto sat back down and looked sadly at the lunch. "I'm so hungry, but it would feel unfair to eat if Megumin can't."

Sasuke sighed as he stood up. "Open your mouth."

"Pervert."

He grunted in annoyance. "Now's not the time!"

She jerked her head and aced away. At that point, Naruto tried to force some rice into her mouth. "You need strength, too, numskull!"

She winced away from him, too. "Oh, I see, you two are double-teaming me!"

"Why do you say stuff like that?!" Sasuke asked.

"I'm not letting you two fail because of me!" She shouted.

"Keep it down! Do you want Kakashi to hear us?" Naruto said.

"Kakashi-sensei! These two are forcing things inside of my mouth!" She screamed.

Sasuke clamped his hand over her mouth as he looked around scared, relieving a breath when Kakashi was nowhere in sight.

"Look, you can't think on an empty stomach, and the three of us need to form a plan together. I think that's what Kakashi wants us to do - to work together."

"Yeah, right! And here I thought I was the dumb one!" Naruto said. "Why would there be only two bells?"

"To make us fight over who gets the bell. He wants us to put the team before us."

Naruto nodded. "Doesn't make sense at all to me!"

Sasuke looked at Megumin. "Megumin. You agree, don't you? Earlier, you and Naruto even almost got the bells with your plan."

"...Fine, I suppose it'll be okay." She grunted and huffed air out of her nose before she looked up at Sasuke with puppy dog eyes. "If you're the one feeding me, Sasuke."

His nose twitched. "Naruto. You feed her."

"Huh?! Didn't you hear her? You feed her!"

"I can't do that, Naruto. It has to be you."

Megumin scowled at Naruto. "You get that food away from me-"

"Aw, shut it!" He said as he struck a bit of rice into her mouth, though she spat it out. "Why did you spit it out?!"

"I want Sasuke to feed me."

Naruto grumbled. "You heard her, Sasuke!"

Sasuke sighed as he grabbed a pinch of rice and fed it to her. At that moment, Kakashi rose from the ground and pushed Sasuke to the other stake, strangling his neck.

Kakashi's eye scowled at the boy. "You! You broke the rule, Sasuke; are you ready for what comes next?"

"Kakashi, wait!" Naruto said as he grasped Kakashi's wrist. Megumin shook in place, petrified. "We just wanted Megumin to have enough strength for the second chance! It wasn't fair for her to get tied to the pole, she didn't even use her explosion spell! It was just a plan to make you freak out!"

"Is that right? You three were going to work together, even though there are only two bells?! What would be the point of that?"

"Because, well, at least two of us should be able to go on!"

"That so? Well, I guess there's only one last thing to say. You three... pass."

Kakashi let go of Sasuke, who let himself fall to the ground and gasped for breath. "You're passing us?" He asked through hard breaths. "Why?"

"I purposely pitted you three against each other, to see if you three would still work as a team. Megumin understood - didn't you?"

From where she came from, people would form parties to take on quests. She nodded.

"Oh, so that's why you wanted Sasuke to feed you!" Naruto said. "Me and you had already worked together earlier, so…"

Megumin giggled and tilted her head. "Yeah, that's why!" She lied.

"Tomorrow," Kakashi blurted. "Team seven will have its first, real mission. Be ready," he said before he vanished in a puff of smoke.

"He sure got out of here quick," Naruto said.

Sasuke untied the rope and freed Megumin. She gave a big stretch before she shied away from Sasuke. "Thanks for feeding me."

He closed his eyes, sighed, and walked away. "It was best for the team."

Megumin picked up her staff, grasping it tightly. She hadn't talked much about her old life, but most adventure parties would kick her out due to her only knowing one spell, or worse, for her personality.

"So, can I…?"

Naruto folded his arms behind his neck. "You betcha!"

She smiled, knowing the two of them are stuck with her. At least, for now. The boys watched as Megumin chanted and unleashed the massive power of her explosion spell into the river, spraying water every which way. They caught her when she fell backward, her team. Tomorrow was the start of her ninja journey, long-awaited.

I hate writing the bell test; I tried my best to spice it up and summarize parts too similar to canon. I changed the title of the fic, it fits better. Please review!