Chapter 9
Turning to Naruto once I got him under the cover of a tree I try my best to not glare at him. "We need to work together. Everyone running off on their own without a collective plan for those bells will get all of us sent back to the academy. Get it? We are genin and he's a jonin an Elite ninja. There is no way we can possibly get those bells on our own." Naruto's eyes narrowed as he opened his mouth to protest causing me to cover his mouth with my hand. "I know you want to become Hokage someday but there is more to being Hokage than strength. You must stop and think before you act!" I hissed at him. "Know when you need help and plan accordingly so a mission will be complete. Now, wait here. I'm going after pink-haired whore… I mean Sakura then I'll retrieve Sasuke. All of us will go after those bells together. And no I'm not giving you a choice. I'm done trying to help you guys and have you guys ignore me. From here on it's my way or.." I narrow my eyes at him holding up the kunai from earlier and making my tone as cold as I could get it. "I'll kill you."
Without giving him a chance to speak I push myself away from his tree to find Sakura. Hopefully, before she is placed under the genjutsu. If I allow her to get caught in it I doubt no matter how much I threaten her she would get her head in the game rather than on Sasuke. An explosion rumbling through the trees caught my attention nearly making me laugh. Guess one of my traps was found. Now should I look for Sakura or see what happened to my trap? Knowing her skill level she could have been the one setting it off. I had already warned Sasuke to keep an eye out for them and Naruto was safely hidden away so that would leave either Kakashi or Sakura. I would put money on Sakura. Tch. How annoying. Changing my course I run in the direction of my explosion caused by a simple exploding wire trap. Hey... He did say come at him with all intent to kill right? If he so happens to get a bad burn it won't be my fault. Coming to a stop I notice Sakura on her hands and knees attempting to avoid a 'nonchalant Kakashi.' She doesn't look like she was the one to trip my trap... So it had to of been Kakashi. Damn, I was planning to use them to slow him down when I got all four of us on the same side. Tch.
"Sakura... Behind you." Kakashi suddenly whispers behind her causing my eyes to widen. How the hell does he move that fast?! Pulling a few shuriken from my weapon holster I leap from the tree throwing them at him in mid-jump forcing him to hop back away from Sakura just as she turns around. Screaming when I land in front of her.
"Sorry Kakashi, but I need her mind intact." I spoke brushing my hair out of my face.
"K. Kira?" Sakura questions from behind me. "Wha.."
"He was going to teach you Shinobi battle technique... Lesson two... Genjutsu." I told her now pulling a kunai staring Kakashi down. "Naruto should be tucked away to the east of us. Find him and wait for me to return with Sasuke."
"But.."
"No buts bimbo! We need to work together so instead of ignoring me like you have been since Kakashi first told us what we were doing today, obey me like a good puppet before you annoy me further." I snarl at her hearing her hesitate momentarily. Shooting her a quick glare I nearly laugh at how her hand touches her neck where I had choked her yesterday before doing as I told her.
Once I was sure she was gone I shot an Icy glare at Kakashi. "By the way. I heard you find the present I left for you. Should I remind you one of a Ninja's battle techniques? Traps. Always be mindful of your surroundings Sensei."
He just seemed to chuckle at me. "I see, it was well placed I didn't even notice it was there until it was almost too late. Trying to get rid of me already Kira?"
"You did tell us to come at you with the intent to kill you, Kakashi-sensei." Smirking I stand at the ready to defend keeping my guard up.
"I see, so you've figured out the whole reason behind this exercise."
"Yup, not hard. We are placed in teams for a reason. Also going against an elite ninja there is only one logical option for us genin... That is to team up. I don't care if I am the one sent back to the academy." Finally smirking I change my stance so I was holding my kunai out towards him with one hand as I stand straight. The breeze catches the ends of my scarf and whips them around. "I swore years ago when he lost his family. I will watch over Sasuke as if he were my family. And now that I am on Team 7 I will do the same for the rest of my squad! To get to them you will have to go through me!"
"Well, I have to say... You've grown from the little annoying brat I found in the forest, Kira. You haven't even tried to attack me yet. Back then you would have charged at me without a second thought. How about we see if you can get to Sasuke before I do, hmm?" And just like that, he was gone. Tch. Damn him for challenging me like that. He knows he's faster. Oh well, I never back down from a challenge! Finally smirking I shove my chakra to my feet and chakra step as quickly as I can towards Sasuke's direction. Did I really mean what I had said? About Naruto yes, I'll watch over the dope. But, Sakura? Sighing I close my eyes for a second. Guess it can't be helped. She is on my team after all.
"I'm not like Sakura and Naruto." I heard Sasuke's voice as I near his location. Coming to a stop I notice Kakashi already leaning against a tree, book in hand.
"Say that after you get one of these bells, My Sasuke." Great, he's trying to provoke him! Chuckling he steps away from the tree and nears Sasuke, causing him to turn around to square off with the jonin. Using shuriken Sasuke makes Kakashi dodge the very direction he needed him to. Releasing a kunai he slices through the rope of one of my traps. Hmm, so he did take me seriously about watching for my traps. And here he uses it to his own advantage. Nice, but how far will it get you Sasuke?
Kakashi focusing on the trap dodges the Kunai aimed right at him but doesn't see that Sasuke had anticipated his movements and was now running up behind him. Sending a kick right at Kakashi forcing him to turn around to block. Grabbing onto Sasuke's leg with one hand just before having to catch Sasuke's fist with his other. I watch as Sasuke forces him to release his hand to block a kick giving him close proximity to the bells.
Kakashi jumps away from Sasuke just to keep him from taking a bell. Standing Kakashi composes himself. "Well, you are different from the other two I'll grant you that. But, so far you seem to be lacking compared to Kira." Smirking I leave my tree moving around the fight so I may land quietly upon the very tree that Kakashi had leaned against. During this time I could hear the roar of Sasuke's fireball jutsu. Once upon the branch, I see Sasuke looking around trying to find Kakashi. Tch. I'm running out of time. Taking the chance I leap from the tree tackling Sasuke just as Kakashi's hand comes up from the ground.
"Well, that was too close." I mutter watching Kakashi pull himself from the ground. Sasuke glares at me before he notices the Jonin. "He was beneath you with an Earth-style jutsu." I explain as I stand.
"Yes, I was where you'd least expect, right under your feet. You are different from the others Sasuke but different isn't always better." Kakashi speaks before giving me a smirk. "Seems you stopped me again, Kira. But, I wonder if you will be able to get them to listen to you even when you aren't with them." Glaring at him I watch him turn and walk a few steps away before disappearing again. Gripping my hands into fists I could feel my temper rising. He was right! I may have threatened Naruto and scared Sakura into submission but who's to say they are actually doing as I told them to. Unlike the Death Note world, the ones I am trying to use as pawns won't willingly do as I tell them to. They don't trust me or my judgments. Tch.
"Last chance Sasuke. Team up with the rest of us so that maybe you, Sakura, and Naruto can pass this test." I speak to him as I turn my back to him.
"And you would like me to believe that you don't plan on passing? That's a laugh."
"Actually, I had already decided." Looking over my shoulder I give him a smile causing his eyes to widen. "I will fail so my team can succeed. Let's actually work together after lunch okay."
"After… but.." Sasuke went to question what I meant but I had started walking back towards the post just before the noon alarm went off.
*
Laying down in the grass I look up at the blue sky, unsurprisingly Naruto had disobeyed me and went after everyone's lunch boxes. I didn't mind if he ate mine but everyone else needed to eat too. No, what really bothered me... Was, he disobeyed me. I should have known he would but I thought I had scared him enough to listen to me. Guess not. His stomach always thinks for him. Grumbling sounds from the stomachs around me echoed in my ears causing me to sigh. They should have eaten. "Uh oh, stomachs growling huh." Kakashi says crossing his arms looking down at us. "That's.. too bad, oh and by the way about this exercise. Well, I decided I won't send any of you back to the Academy."
"What?" Sakura asks in disbelief as Naruto makes a happy-sounding noise. Here it comes. I thought to myself. "I passed? All I did was get kept from your genjutsu by Kira... Do you get points for that?"
"All four of us?!" Naruto asks happily as Sakura dances cheering.
"Yes, all four of you are being dropped from the program. Permanently"
"Drop us from the program?! That means we can never become ninja. You said if we couldn't take the bells we'd be sent back to the Academy! You can't just change your mind and kick us out! Why would you do that?!" Naruto yells as I see him kicking his legs around uselessly next to me.
"Because only one of you thinks like a ninja, the rest of you think like little kids. Like brats." I sigh hearing Sasuke suddenly leap up and run at Kakashi. Yup, he's going to get squashed. With a thud sounding shortly after, I nearly smirk. See he got squashed. "Sasuke!" I hear Sakura yell causing me to finally prop myself up on my elbows to look towards Kakashi. Only to find Kakashi pinning Sasuke by setting on him with a foot on Sasuke's head. Well, that's one way to subdue your enemy.
"You think it's all about you."
"Let go of Sasuke! You can't step on him like he's some kind of bug!" Sakura yells making my fingers itch to reach out and grab her hair hard to shut her up, and this is what he means by thinking like little kids.
"You don't know what it means to be a ninja. You think it's a game huh?" Sakura and Naruto make surprised sounds at Kakashi's sudden question. "Why do you think we put you on squads huh? Did you consider that question for one moment?" Opening my mouth to speak Kakashi's eye looks at me with a glare. "Don't tell them the answer Kira, you've already told them enough, just stay silent."
"But, I don't know what you mean." Sakura says dumbfounded.
"I mean, you never realized what this exercise is all about. Not even close."
"What it's about?" Naruto questions.
"Yes, that is what determines if you pass or fail."
"But that's... I mean I wanted to ask you about that from the beginning." Sakura pipes up sounding sadder than she had a moment ago.
"Tch, use your head. Four people on this squad. Why do you think we would do that?"
"Ahh, how are we supposed to know why you picked three or four people. We didn't make the rules!"
"It's so basic, teamwork!"
"Just working together is that what you mean?" At this time I about reach out to smack Sakura for so many stupid questions but somehow I manage to stop myself. He is just repeating what I've been telling them from the beginning and they are too clueless to even realize it now? They're so fucking helpless!
"That's what I mean. it's too late now but if all four of you would have come at me you might have been able to take them. Well anyway, it's over."
"Wait a minute, you set it up with four people but only three bells. If we worked together and got the bells only three of us would be able to keep them. That would lead to group conflict and the squad would break up!"
"Exactly." Finally, Kakashi sounds bored again rather than his previous irritation. Probably since at least one of them is starting to get it. "I purposefully pitted you against each other. I wanted to see if you could overcome that and put the squad ahead of yourselves. Genin should have a natural feel for teamwork. But it never crossed your minds. Even after Kira kept saving you and repeating that you needed to work as a team. She even decided that she didn't care about passing if it meant one of you had to fail. She would let you guys pass before she would turn her back on the squad! However." Kakashi now glares at me. "Threatening your teammates and instilling fear in them is not the way to get them to listen to you!" Shrugging I set up all the way.
"If they would have stopped fighting against me I wouldn't have had to use those tactics. Either way, it's not like it matters. They clearly still didn't listen to me."
"Still, you threatened the very teammates you were trying to help! Sakura! You obsessed about Sasuke who was gone while Naruto was right in front of you and you wouldn't lift a finger to help him! Naruto, you do everything on your own. Everything. Sasuke, you thought the others were so far beneath you that they were worthless. Arrogance. Ninja missions are carried out in squads, of course, you need individual skills but teamwork is the most essential element." Finally, he stops looking directly at me and towards the others. "Every Shinobi understands this, when individuals put themselves above the squad this can lead to failure and death! For example." I watch as he pulls a kunai out of his pouch and places it against Sasuke's throat. "Sakura! Kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies!" I listen to Sakura and Naruto freak out. Yup, I'm going to need quiet time after this with these two loud ones. "That is what happens on a mission." Kakashi brings the kunai away from Sasuke's neck.
"Oh boy that was really scary." Sakura says relieved as Naruto sighs. Meanwhile, Kakashi starts spinning his kunai upon his right index finger with his left hand at his hip.
"The enemy takes a hostage and you've got an impossible choice and someone ends up dead." The kunai stops spinning as he grips onto the handle and slipping it back into his pouch. "On a mission, your life is on the line." He says as he gets up. Finally, I close my eyes with a yawn. Yup, I'm officially bored. "Did you look at this stone? The names engraved on it. They are all ninja honored as heroes in our village."
"That's it, that's it, that's it! Now I know! I decided I'm going to have my name engraved on that stone!" Naruto's voice begins to push at my temple as he irritates me. "I'm not going to live or die for nothing like a dog! I'm gonna be a hero, a hero!"
"They are... A special kind of hero." Kakashi says as he tries to work out the best way to get it through Naruto's thick skull.
"Huh? What kind of heroes are they? C'mon, tell us!" Kakashi falls silent and no one answers him. "Well? Well?" Hearing Kakashi still quiet I decided to finally speak up.
"They are all K.I.A, Killed in action…" I begin boredly.
"Yes, they all died." Kakashi finishes for me. "This is a memorial stone, the names of my closest friends are engraved here." He falls silent again letting his words sink in on all of us before he finally looks over his shoulder at us. "Alright, I'm going to give you one more chance. But, I'm going to make it much harder on you. You'll have three hours to get a bell. Eat lunch now to build up strength. But, Naruto doesn't get any."
Naruto growls in annoyance glaring at Kakashi as I nearly smile. Watching Kakashi walk towards him. "It's your punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat by yourself. And if anyone tries to feed him. That person will immediately fail. I make the rules you follow them. Got it?" We watch as Kakashi leaves. Sakura grabs the lunch boxes and hands one to Sasuke. She then looks at me as if debating about getting close enough to give me mine. Seeing this Sasuke takes my lunch box from her and throws it to me.
Catching it I open my box and pull out my chopsticks. I'm not actually hungry but... I was going through the motions. At least until Naruto's stomach growls causing me to smirk. Getting up I get a bite scooped up with the chopsticks and walk in front of him. "Say Ahh." I mutter.
"But.. Kira. I don't want you to get into trouble!" Naruto whines causing me to sigh and glare at him.
"Here." Sasuke says holding out his lunch box to Naruto sounding a little more annoyed than usual. I couldn't help but look down at him with a tilt of my head. This was so out of character for him it isn't even funny.
"What? No Sasuke you can't do that. You heard what the sensei said." Sakura says looking around. So she doesn't care if I get into trouble but worries about Sasuke? Oh well, she'll be like this for a long time coming.
"This is teamwork remember, if he is hungry he won't have any strength to help us. That is what Sasuke is getting at. The team will suffer if he doesn't eat." Sakura then holds out her own my eyes nearly widen at her action.
"Okay, thanks." Naruto says before finally taking a bite of the food I was holding in front of him. I then scoop another mouthful up and hold it ready for him.
"Hurry up he could come back any minute." Sasuke says keeping an eye out and still sounding rather upset. As if something about this situation was grating on his last nerve.
"You!" Kakashi's face pops out of the smoke that suddenly appeared, and I nearly fall over laughing but somehow, if not just by chance I keep it to myself as the others freak out. "You broke the rules I hope you are ready for the punishment!" He growls as he completes hand signs and dark clouds appear over our heads.
"Oo a light show!" I couldn't help it. It slipped causing everyone to look at me as if I were crazy, and Kakashi to sweatdrop but he quickly recovers looking angry again before the others could notice his slip.
"Any last words?" He asks menacingly.
"B. B. But you said." Naruto actually manages while all of us couldn't even seem to form words.
"Yes?"
"You said there were four of us! That's what you said! And that's why... Sakura... And.." He pauses looking towards his scared crush.
"We're all on this squad." I say rather sternly.
"And we're all in it together." Sasuke finishes for me.
"Yeah, that's right! We gave our lunch to him because the four of us are one!" Sakura finally manages to make herself speak.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! Believe it! That's right!"
"The four of you are one?! That's your excuse?" Kakashi asks walking closer then placing his hands on his hips leaning forward.
"Yes, if he suffers we all suffer." I tell him as I turn around pulling out a kunai and holding it up to seem as if I was protecting them.
He closes his eyes giving a slight chuckle showing he was smiling. "You pass."
Huh? All three of them sound in confusion as I slip my kunai back into the holster on my leg. "You.. pass." Kakashi speaks again more slowly to let this sink in. "What do you mean? How'd we pass?" Sakura questions as she keeps herself recoiled back away from Kakashi. "You're the first squad that has ever succeeded. The others did exactly what I said and fell into every trap. They couldn't think for themselves." He speaks lightly as he stands up straight. "A ninja must see through deception. In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum. That's true, but.. those who abandon their friends. Are worse than scum."Kakashi finishes and looks up to the clearing sky. These words nearly had me frowning. I forgot about this little speech. Of course, this would strike a chord with me. It only reminded me of how I befriended L and the others just so I could use them. Even Misa who I had made trust me and believe in me. The girl I had obeying nearly everything I told her to do. Including when I sent her to England to kill an orphanage full of kids. I let her believe she was my best friend, then I killed her just so I could regain ownership of her death note. Scum, huh. Well, maybe I am. "He's uh, ya know. He's kinda cool." Naruto whimpers from behind me with tears in his eyes. Cool? Naruto, you have no idea how amazing Kakashi truly is.
