Hello fellow humans, I am back with another chapter for your enjoyment. For Halloween I dressed up as Kishimoto-Sensei and…even then I still could not acquire the rights to Naruto. So, I am back to being me. Naruto-less. Yay. I'm feeling a lot better this week and hopefully that persists but we shall see. I hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween and was able to gorge themselves on sugar or horror movies, whichever gets you going for the spooky season. I've rambled long enough, on to the show.

Chapter 6: I want those damn bells

The hidden leaf village was in a bit of a stupor. A certain blond had recently become the talk of the village yet again, but this time instead of being hated solely for being in the leaf, some villagers thought it completely unreasonable that Naruto wasn't being punished for what he did to the instructor Mizuki, while others thought that Naruto, having been manipulated, didn't deserve to be punished in the slightest. The newly minted Genin couldn't be bothered with them though. He was looking forward to today, for this was the day that he would be assigned to a Genin team. One day closer to becoming Hokage. And more importantly one day closer to finding the person for enslaving him in the dark room. Naruto may smile and laugh in his new life, but he refused to show just how deeply he thought about revenge against those people. No matter how long it took.

Currently, Naruto was making his way towards the academy to meet with Iruka and his new team and Jonin instructor. He was annoyed that of all the places to meet people that it had to be the academy, but at the same time he was glad that the rest of his classmates would be there. He was doing his absolute best to ignore the stares and whispers of people as he passed. He was tired of hearing about Mizuki already, and if anything, people should be thanking him for not having done to the traitor what he initially intended. Had Iruka not been there then the conversations being had would be very different. And Naruto would still be the person who didn't care.

"Morning Naruto" Iruka greeted as Naruto entered the class.

"Morning Iruka-Sensei" he replied, making his way towards his usual seat. Hinata, who'd been there for awhile already, couldn't help but smile as he approached her. She loved the way his eyes shined brightest in the morning, how he walked with a shy confidence. She loved the way he looked at her and couldn't help but feel sad that after so many years he still hadn't realized that she had a crush on him. He never so much as mentioned having a crush on Sakura or Ino like some of the other boys, he barely paid attention to them in fact, something that she convinced herself was because he had eyes for someone else. Yet, no matter how much time passed, he just didn't seem all that interested in anyone. She learned to accept it; however, she never gave up hope that one day Naruto would look at her with those deep blue eyes and have eyes only for her. She would wait as long as it took.

"G-good morning, N-Naruto-Kun" she squeaked, and the smile that spread across his face made her swoon.

"Good morning, Hinata" he answered, stopping to lean on her desk. "Say Hinata, do you remember when you gave me the goggles?" he asked. She looked surprised for a moment but nodded.

"Y-yes?" she replied, not sure why he was bringing it up now.

"Well, I was wondering…did I thank you for them?" Naruto honestly couldn't remember if he did or not.

"N-no, you d-didn't" Hinata reminded him, but she didn't seem to mind that he didn't. She could only remember the smile on his face and the smile she wore when he took her hands in his.

"Oh, I see" he stood up straight and smirked; "I will" he promised before making his way to his own seat.

"Y-You will?" Hinata blushed a deep red as the thought of Naruto doing anything to thank her caused her brain to go into overdrive. 'W-why can't h-he t-thank me n-now?' she thought, feeling flustered the more she thought about it.

As Naruto took his seat between, he was immediately aware that someone who didn't belong was near him. When he looked behind him, he noticed Sakura sitting next to Sasuke. One of them looked happy about this. The other, not so much. Naruto nodded at Sasuke, who returned the gesture. Neither of them said much to each other despite them being sort of friends.

"They must be desperate for ninja if even an idiot like you managed to pass" Sakura coldly stated, looking down her nose at Naruto.

"I could say the same about you, yet here I was, keeping my mouth shut and minding my own business" he shot back just as coldly. It had the desired affect as Sakura huffed in frustration. Sasuke sighed in annoyance that the two people who sat closest to him wouldn't just shut up.

"Alright everyone, I'm going to announce your team assignments. You'll wait here for your Jonin instructor and from there, your career as a ninja will begin" Iruka called out, cutting off whatever tirade Sakura was about to go on.

"I wish all of you the best of everything you strive for. Some of you are already aware that being a ninja isn't easy. It isn't something you can play through. Unfortunately, some of you even know how evil the ninja world can be" he added, though it was subtle, Naruto noticed Iruka looking in his direction. He wasn't the only one as Sasuke noticed it too. Though who Iruka was looking at was unclear.

"Team seven will consist of Naruto Uzumaki" Iruka started to say. Most of the teams had been assigned, and by this point, Naruto had lost interest. When he heard his name, his ears perked up. Finally, he would be assigned. "Sakura Haruno" Iruka announced next. Both Genin seemed displeased by this, though Sakura seemed extremely against it. "And Sasuke Uchiha" immediately Sakura's tune changed. She was far more okay with being on Sasuke's team, so long as Naruto stood out of the way. Hinata looked disappointed that she wouldn't be on the same team as Naruto, but she also was glad that she didn't have to be on the same team as Sakura or Sasuke. Two people that always seemed more concerned with one person—Sasuke.

"Your Jonin instructor will be Kakashi Hatake. You can wait here to meet him per his request" Iruka informed the new team seven. Something about the way he said this Kakashi's name made Naruto think there was something about this Jonin that Iruka didn't approve of. He didn't have the chance to voice his concern as Iruka moved on to announce the next team. Team eight would comprise Hinata, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame. Naruto who Kiba was because he was loud and most of the time friendly to Naruto. Shino on the other hand was mysterious and quiet. Naruto knew that Shino belonged to the clan of bug users, but aside from that he knew nothing about him. He smiled at Hinata, who half-heartedly returned it. 'Is she sad that we're not on the same team?' Naruto thought. And as he thought about it, he couldn't help but feel a little sad about that too.

"And your Jonin instructor will be Kurenai Yuhi" Hinata seemed to recognize the name, and that made Naruto feel a little better. They may see less of each other, and they weren't on the same team, but seeing her perk up at her Jonin instructor's name, made it okay.

"Lastly, team ten will consist of Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi. Your Jonin instructor will be Asuma Sarutobi" Iruka concluded the team assignments. Shikamaru yawned, bored by the obvious team that he would be on.

"Yet another Ino-Shika-Cho" he sighed, not a bit surprised. He placed his head back down but the moment he did the door slid open to reveal a well-built man with a thick beard and a lit cigarette.

"Team ten follow me" was all he said before turning his back on the remainder of the class. Shikamaru grumbled that all he wanted to do was nap but got up and followed after Ino and Choji regardless. They were barely out the door before a beautiful woman walked in and called for team eight.

"Good luck Hinata" Naruto's voice rang out, making the Hyuga shyly smile as she followed the red eyed beauty. Kiba gave everyone a thumbs-up before the door shut behind them too.

"Well, I have a meeting with Lord Hokage, so you three can wait here for your Jonin instructor to show up" Iruka said. He gathered his things before stopping at the door. "Naruto…please behave yourself" he begged, knowing full well that if Naruto saw fit, he would cause problems for his new sensei.

"Yeah, yeah" Naruto half-heartedly agreed, deciding that if Iruka was asking him to behave then this Kakashi must be someone to respect.

Once Iruka was gone, Naruto was left alone with Sasuke and Sakura, the latter was doing her best to engage the former in conversation, and failing miserably at it. Naruto sat was busy scribbling on random scraps of paper, working on a new sealing formula that he wanted to try out. He grew frustrated as he looked over his work realizing that the formula wouldn't work unless he could find someone who understood the technique that he was trying to learn in the first place.

"Wish this Kakashi would hurry up" Sakura complained, sure that by now the two boys on her team would at least agree with her. When neither did, she tried to ask Sasuke what he thought about them being on a team together, but again was met with silence.

"What are you scribbling over there anyway?" she demanded, snatching the scroll out from under Naruto's hands.

"Give it back" he ordered, but she hurried towards the front of the classroom, while examining the scroll.

"What is this? Some type of seal?" she asked, her curiosity outweighing her natural dislike for her teammate. Even Sasuke who was uninterested in most everything they ever spoke about, seemed curious about what was on the scroll.

"Yes, now give it back" Naruto demanded, making his way to the front of the class as well.

"As if someone like you could ever be capable of using a seal this complex" Sakura chastised, tossing the scroll in the wastebin.

Naruto pushed passed her and snatched it back with a scowl; "Just because you're fine and content with being mediocre Sakura doesn't mean we all are" he spat angrily. Sakura looked shocked by this, before turning to Sasuke as if he would defend her. He raised an eyebrow at Naruto's comment but chose to remain silent. The door to the classroom slid open to reveal a white-haired man with his headband low, a mask that covered most of his face, save for one eye, and a look that was clearly analytical of the three in front of him.

"Hm, you three must be team seven" he entered the class not bothering to shut the door behind him. Naruto noticed this white-haired cyclops eyeing his scroll, causing him to roll it up and stuff it in his pouch.

"You must be Kakashi-Sensei" Sakura bowed, but she clearly was hurt that this stranger already didn't like them. "I'm—" "I know all of your names. Meet me on the roof of this building in five minutes" he interrupted her, walking right back out of the open door.

"Well, at least he seems friendly" Naruto commented, much to Sakura's annoyance. Sasuke scoffed before standing up.

"He doesn't seem all that special to me" he said, following after Kakashi.

"Don't say that Sasuke-Kun, that's rude" Sakura tried to reprimand, but Sasuke ignored her, leaving both her and Naruto to chase after him now.

After navigating through the halls of the academy, Naruto and his teammates managed to find their way to their Jonin sensei, who was currently enthralled with a book. He snapped it shut as they approached and pushed himself off the railing he was leaning on.

"Right on time. Least you three are punctual" he said, gesturing for them to sit. "So, I know all your names but I think it'll be good to do some introductions. You know, tell me about yourself a bit. What you like, dislike, your dreams. Whatever you want to share" he continued before pointing at Sakura; "Why don't you go first?" he suggested.

"My name is Sakura Haruno, I dislike stupid people like Naruto" she said bitterly, casting the blond a disdainful look, one that he was all too happy to shrug off. "The things I like are…" her words trailed off as she glanced towards Sasuke and turned a bright red. She refused to say anymore as she was unable to get the red in her cheeks to go away.

'She seems more interested in boys than she does in being a ninja' Kakashi eyed the girl, unable to understand why someone would want to be a ninja if all they wanted was to chase a boy.

"You" Kakashi pointed at Sasuke, who leveled a glare with the Jonin.

"I don't have a dream, it's more of a goal. I want to kill a certain someone" Sasuke's voice was low. Sakura looked worriedly at him, but Kakashi was interested in Naruto's reaction. Or lack of one for that matter. He observed the boy studying Sasuke, as if something finally made sense to him. 'A fangirl, and a boy out for revenge. Great' Kakashi was already disliking this set-up. He reluctantly pointed towards the last member in the team.

"My name's Naruto. I like ramen from Ichiraku and being able to see the sky. I dislike people who mistreat others, or use them like weapons. I don't have any dreams" he said, shrugging as he did so. Sakura scoffed at this; "That's a lie. You're always saying you want to be Hokage" she reminded him, but Naruto shook his head.

"That's not a dream. I'm going to be Hokage" Naruto corrected, confident that he would be able to make his words a reality.

"Yeah, right. Just because you say it doesn't mean you can" Sakura sounded fed up having to say this but Naruto was use to her and her lack of faith in him.

"She's right you know. The position of Hokage is an admirable thing to strive for, but not everyone is cut out for the job" Kakashi chimed in, but Naruto shrugged

"That's not my problem. I'm going to be Hokage" he repeated. "No matter who gets in my way or tries to stop me" he added, deadly serious about his declaration.

"Well, I look forward to seeing you try then" Kakashi said, though it was meant to sound positive, it came off as insincere. "I guess that leaves me. I'm Kakashi Hatake. I don't really like much and I dislike a lot of things. I have hobbies like everyone else. That's about it."

"Doesn't really tell us much about you, Sensei" Sakura complained, but Kakashi didn't seem to keen to placate her request for more information.

"Right, meet me at training ground number three tomorrow morning" as Kakashi was beginning to walk away, he pulled out the same book from earlier before pausing. "Oh, and don't eat anything. You'll just end up throwing it up. Later" he went about his way without another word, leaving team seven looking confused.

"He can't be serious?" Sakura asked her teammates, but they too were already leaving. "He's not serious, right?" she called after them. Naruto couldn't help but wonder what sort of meeting they could be having early in the morning where they would throw up anything they ate for breakfast. Luckily for him he was use to not eating for days on end from his time in the dark room. This would be nothing more than another torture session that he would have to endure. At least this time he had teammates that he could hopefully count on.

"Pfft…teammates. Sakura's smart but that's about it. At least with Sasuke he's useful, even if he's a jerk" Naruto spoke to no one in particular. Finally, having made it home, he was sitting on his bed, legs and arms crossed as he thought about his team. "Hm, I wonder if Hinata is getting along well with her team" he wondered about his closest friend, and hoped that she was doing better with her team set up than he was.

"Hey, watch it" Naruto called out as one of his clones knocked over a chair. "I wanted you guys to write out this seal for me, not destroy my stuff" he complained, looking at the six others sitting on the floor with scrolls, dutifully scribbling away at the seal he had drawn out earlier.

"Sorry boss. I'll be more careful" his clone said, a wide smile on his face. He returned to his scroll without another word, leaving the original Naruto to his thoughts.

"If we can figure out this sealing formula…then there won't be anyone who can stop us." he turned to look out his window, glad to be able to see the setting sun once again. "There has to be someone out there who knows how it works. There just has to be." Naruto's longing lasted throughout the night, long after his clones dispersed, leaving a mess behind. Something that Naruto would worry about tomorrow, for at the moment all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep. That night, much like many others, he was plagued with nightmares of faceless shadows, but this time in the midst of the darkness was something far more terrifying to the young Uzumaki. He bolted up from his sleep in the middle of the night—the image of slitted red eyes burned into his memory.

The following morning saw Sakura arriving last to the training ground. Naruto, who had gotten there first, was busy meditating, while Sasuke stood off to the side leaning against one of the wooden posts.

"Morning" Sakura grumbled, clearly still half asleep.

"Morning" Naruto repeated after her, not bothering to open his eyes or get up. Sakura looked annoyed that only Naruto said anything as Sasuke chose not to acknowledge her.

"Have you guys been here long?" Sakura asked looking towards Sasuke hopefully, when he didn't answer her, she turned to Naruto. He could feel her staring at him expectantly and when he opened an eye to look at her, he could see the impatience.

"I've been here since dawn. Sasuke showed up a little after I did" Naruto answered, looking towards the Uchiha as well. He didn't seem to care one way or the other about the answer, though he did look annoyed about something.

"What's bothering you, Sasuke-Kun?" Sakura moved closer to Sasuke but he took a step towards Naruto instead.

"That seal you were working on yesterday, what's it supposed to do?" he demanded, standing in front of Naruto. The blond stood up to look his teammate in the eyes.

"What's it to you? You don't study Fuinjutsu, do you?" Naruto cocked an eyebrow in skepticism. Something that didn't go unnoticed.

"No, I don't. Do you?" Sasuke's tone started to become aggressive as Sakura tried to calm him down.

"I do actually. I've been studying it since I was a child. Since before I came here" Naruto admitted, a bit of smugness on his face. There were a lot of things Sasuke was good at, better at than most, but he was far from being even close to Naruto when it came to seals. And they both knew it.

"Hmph" Sasuke turned away from him just as Kakashi showed up. Little did they know, the Jonin had been eavesdropping on their conversation. He was certainly interested in this seal that they were talking about, and what exactly it would be used for once Naruto figured it out.

"Yo" the silver haired Jonin said, getting their attention.

Naruto pointed an accusatory finger at their sensei; "You're late!" he shouted, annoyed that they were here early in the morning and the person who called them here wasn't even on time to meet them.

"Yeah, well, I was on my way but a black cat crossed my path so I had to go all the way around the village so that I could avoid any bad luck" Kakashi explained, which was very obviously a lie, but none of the Genin seemed willing to argue about it.

"Anyway, now that we're all here, I guess it's time I tell you why we're here" Kakashi reached into his pouch and pulled out two bells.

"You three have until lunch time to get these two bells from me. You may use whatever means you want, come at me with the intent to kill otherwise you won't stand a chance. Another thing, anyone who doesn't get a bell…will be sent back to the academy. The chances of you failing are sixty-six percent by the way" he explained, shocking all three of his students.

"That's not fair. We worked hard to get here" Sakura complained, but Kakashi just chuckled.

"I decide whether or not you get to become Genin. Of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine will actually get to become ninja. Now is the time for you to actually prove yourself, otherwise you'll be stuck as academy students. Losers that couldn't even—" Naruto, not one to waste any time, charged towards the Jonin, but before he could even attack, Kakashi had a hand on his shoulder with a kunai to the back of his head. "Aren't you the hasty one? I didn't say start yet" Kakashi said, Naruto, as well as Sasuke and Sakura were shocked by this man's speed. It was on another level. Something that Naruto was surprised by even more was that he hadn't even sensed this man's chakra the way he normally would with other people.

"I like that you came at me with the intent to kill, you're gonna need it if you want to beat me. I think I'm starting to like you guys. So, let's Begin" Kakashi remained in his place, but out of the corner of his eyes, Naruto could see Sasuke and Sakura jump away the same moment that he did.

'This level of power is a Jonin…unreal' Naruto thought, a similar disbelief passing through his teammate's minds. 'If only I could use this technique, getting those bells would be a piece of cake' he continued, he watched as Kakashi remained in his spot, clearly observing them as he, and his teammates, hid amongst the trees.

"What are those two doing?" Naruto sighed. He knew Sasuke was hiding in a tree a little way away, and Sakura was also close by in a bush, but neither of them seemed to be making a move. "Fine, I guess I'll go first" Naruto jumped out from his hiding place and ran towards the Jonin. As he drew closer, he noticed Kakashi reach into his pouch, causing Naruto to stop in his tracks.

"Shinobi battle techniques: part one, Taijutsu. The physical part" he said, pulling out the book he was reading yesterday.

"What are you waiting for?" Kakashi asked, flipping a page as he did so.

"Do you think that highly of yourself or that lowly of me?" Naruto demanded, growing angry that the masked man would pull out and read a book in the middle of what he called training.

"With your weak attacks it doesn't really matter if I'm reading or not, so feel free to attack me whenever you're ready" Kakashi explained, flipping another page.

Naruto charged forward again, throwing a backhand that Kakashi blocked, followed by a roundhouse that Kakashi ducked. When Naruto threw a straight right, he was surprised that Kakashi vanished from his sight.

"Don't let your enemy get behind you so easily" Kakashi said. He was crouched low behind the blond, his hands in the sign of the tiger.

"Naruto, get out of there quick, he's going to destroy you" Sakura's voice rang out, but it was too late.

"Leaf village secret finger jutsu: A thousand years of death" Kakashi rammed his fingers straight into Naruto's taint, and the moment the blond went sailing into the air he vanished into a puff of smoke.

"A s-shadow clone?" Kakashi's surprise was matched by both Sakura and Sasuke who were both unaware that their teammate was capable of performing such a technique.

"Don't let your enemy get behind you so easily, right Sensei? Now, I want those damn bells" Naruto's voice rang out. Kakashi turned in time to see Naruto's hand about to close around the bells and was able to jump away. Naruto rolled to his feet and charged again. "You thought I was weak because I goof around, but you have no idea the type of training I've been through" Naruto said, jumping into the air as more Naruto's came flying out of the pond on the left of them.

"When did you…" Kakashi's words trailed off as he realized that Naruto wasn't the weak link in the team. He was dead serious about this training and it was time Kakashi acknowledged that. "Seems I was wrong to go easy on you, Naruto" he said, finally closing his book and putting back in his pouch.

Thirty or so Naruto's descended upon Kakashi. Their Taijutsu was tight and coordinated, almost to the point that Kakashi was beginning to think that this kid was far stronger than anyone else in this year's class. For every clone Kakashi destroyed, two more would take their place. They weren't just attacking either. They were actively trying to surround, corner, and overwhelm the Jonin, who dispatched them just as quickly as they showed up.

"This is insane…where was he hiding this kind of power?" Sakura was in awe as she watched her teammate and sensei go head-to-head. Every time it looked like Naruto was about to get the bells, Kakashi would manage to outmaneuver the clones. And when it looked like Naruto was done for, he would manage to surprise Kakashi with another hidden trick up his sleeve.

This went on for another few minutes before Kakashi finally figured out Naruto's pattern. The real Naruto would never stand in the same place for more than ten seconds. He would always rotate to the right to try and keep Kakashi's back to the pond, and whenever Kakashi would get close to the real Naruto was when more clones would close in around him. Having figured this out, Kakashi substituted with one of the clones that was closer to the real Naruto.

"I got you" Kakashi smirked under his mask as he landed a solid punch to the real Naruto, sending him rolling limb over limb. "You're not bad for a Genin, but your attack pattern was—" Kakashi's word cut off as all of the Naruto's disappeared in a puff of smoke. "So, you baited me into thinking that that was the real you so you could retreat. Not bad" Kakashi looked around before realizing that Naruto must have snuck off awhile ago because he was far into the forest by now. "Not bad at all. Well, I might as well go test the other two now."

With that, Kakashi ran into the forest to take on the other two Genin in his squad. It was easy enough to track them, even if they were doing a pretty decent job of concealing themselves. Sakura was busy trying not to get seen by Kakashi, who was standing in the middle of the forest reading his book again.

"Oh, good, he didn't see me" she mumbled, glad that she was able to hide in time.

"Sakura, behind you" Kakashi whispered, getting the girl's attention. A swirl of leaves surrounded the Jonin causing the pinkette to scream before collapsing to the ground.

"Hm, maybe I overdid it. Shinobi battle technique's part two: Genjutsu. The illusion one. Iruka said that Sakura studied in class, but it seems she isn't quite able to see through it just yet. I'm sure she'll be fine" Kakashi commented, leaning against a tree. Sasuke, who'd been observing the whole ordeal with Sakura turned to look at the Jonin.

"Genjutsu is simple mind control. I'm not surprised you managed to catch Sakura with it…but I'm not like Naruto and Sakura" Sasuke said, Kakashi flipped a page.

"Say that after you get the bell…Sasuke" Kakashi stopped a few feet away from the Uchiha, who was currently glaring.

After a moment of them staring at each other Sasuke tossed a few shuriken towards the Jonin, who promptly dodged. "A straightforward attack like that won't work" Kakashi reminded the Genin. As soon as the words left his mouth Sasuke threw another shuriken which severed a rope that was set up.

"A trap?!" Kakashi looked stunned, but he managed to dodge the flurry of kunai that came flying at him. Jumping to the side as they embedded themselves in the tree behind him. As he slid to a stop, Sasuke appeared behind him and threw a roundhouse that Kakashi had to block. He grabbed hold of the boy's ankle, which Sasuke responded by throwing a punch that the cyclops caught in his free hand. Now being held at two points, Sasuke used his other leg to swing at the Jonin, who used his forearm to block that as well.

Sasuke, seeing his opportunity to grab the bells, reached out with his free hand, his finger grazed the bells, but Kakashi released his hold on him letting Sasuke fall to the ground as the Jonin jumped away. Sasuke grimaced at being so close but not being able to actually grab hold of the prize.

"You're at least different from Sakura, that much is for certain" Kakashi admitted, but Sasuke wasn't listening. He was busy flying through hand seals. He stopped on the tiger sign, shocking the Jonin. 'What? That's impossible. Genin don't have enough chakra to use fire techniques.'

"Fire style: Fireball Jutsu" Sasuke's voice was engulfed by the flames spewing from his mouth as a ball of fire collided with the earth. 'Where did he go? Behind me? Above?' Sasuke thought, as he searched his opponent.

"Here I am" Kakashi's hands came out from the ground beneath Sasuke, grabbing onto his ankles. He pulled the boy into the ground as he himself came out to kneel in front of him. "Shinobi battle technique's part three: Ninjutsu. That's the Earth style: Headhunter Jutsu. How is it? You can't move, right?" Kakashi asked as Sasuke struggled against the earth wrapped around him. "You have talent, and you were right, you are different than the others, but different isn't always better. They say the nail that sticks out is the one that gets hammered down" Kakashi pulled his book out again but wasn't able to even read a page as he had to duck under a flurry of kunai.

"Oh, I see you're back" he noted, noticing that Naruto had managed to free Sasuke from his prison while also managing to cause a distraction with his attack.

"Sasuke, I finally figured out why there's only two bells" Naruto started to say, but Sasuke wasn't listening. He charged towards the Jonin to engage him in Taijutsu.

"Naruto!" Sakura came bounding out of the tree line towards the three of them. She looked horrified, but visibly calmed when she saw Sasuke. "What's going on?" she asked, looking back towards the blond.

"I figured out the point of the test, but Sasuke won't listen. He's hell bent on doing this his way; by himself" Naruto explained, much to Sakura's displeasure.

"If you figured it out, why didn't you use it to get the bells on your own then?" she demanded, rounding on Naruto.

"Because the test is supposed to force us to work together" Naruto said, and after a moment, Sakura seemed to understand what he meant.

"Then we just need to help Sasuke get the bells and we'll pass" Sakura surmised but Naruto shook his head.

"No, I don't think so. If it was about getting the bells, there would be three, wouldn't there? Instead, there's only two. Meaning one of us has to fail. We have to work together to get the bells but no matter what one of us is going back to the academy" Naruto said, which Sakura did not like the sound of.

"Oh" was all she managed to get out. Her and Naruto were racking their brains trying to figure out the meaning of the test beyond teamwork but nothing they thought of made sense.

"Okay, I got it" Naruto exclaimed, surprising Sakura. Sasuke and Kakashi were busy exchanging attacks, the Jonin seemed to be enjoying himself. Blocking and ducking as the Uchiha seemed to be growing more annoyed.

"I'll help you two get the bells. This way at least two of us will pass" Sakura went to argue but Naruto held up a hand to silence her before she could. "It's almost noon. We don't have time to argue over it" he said, reaching into his pouch as he did. He was firmly aware that Sakura was watching intently, but he wasn't ready for Kakashi to show up in front of him, Sasuke running to try and intercept him.

"Can't have you doodling over here, can we?" Kakashi made to grab the scroll from Naruto. However, he was forced to jump out of the way as a combination of Sakura and Sasuke attacking at the same time would have caught him if he didn't.

"Very nice. It seems you finally have a plan. The question is, can you actually pull it off while buying time for whatever it is?" Kakashi asked, looking at the three of them.

"What is the plan?" Sasuke demanded, turning towards Sakura. She shrugged, looking towards Naruto.

"Just buy me some time" Naruto ordered, jumping further back from the group of them.

"I won't let you finish whatever that is" Kakashi called out. Running towards them again. Ready this time, Sasuke and Sakura coordinated their defense to stop the Jonin this time around. Naruto was quickly scribbling away on his scroll, and once he was done, he summoned two shadow clones to help him.

"Get away from Kakashi-sensei" Naruto called out just as Sasuke managed to kick Kakashi in the chest. The moment he slid to a stop he noticed that the real Naruto was standing in front of him, his two clones on either side of him as well.

"Sealing technique: Three directions seal" Naruto shouted. Kakashi's eyes widened as he realized exactly the jutsu Naruto was using and before he could manage to get away; he was trapped in a triangular barrier.

"You know what'll happen if I activate the seal, don't you?" Naruto asked, his teammates joined him on either side of him, looking thoroughly impressed that Naruto managed to capture the Jonin.

"What is this technique?" Sasuke's awe was evident, and he didn't seem to care if anyone knew it.

"If Naruto activates the seal, it'll explode underneath me with the force of a paper bomb tag at point blank range." Kakashi explained, examining the barrier around him. "I'm surprised you know such a jutsu, Naruto, I'd even go so far as to say I'm impressed" he praised, turning his one eye to the blond.

"Give them the bells and I won't activate the jutsu" Naruto commanded, smirking at Kakashi as he did.

"You'll fail, you idiot" Sakura reminded him, but Naruto just shrugged.

"We beat Kakashi-Sensei, a Jonin, that's good enough for me" he replied, which wasn't entirely a lie.

"I wouldn't say you beat me" Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke. The three Genin stood shocked as the sound of clapping rang out from a tree behind them. Standing on a branch, high above the ground stood their Jonin instructor, looking thoroughly pleased with his team.

"The moment I saw you scribbling down a seal, I switched out with a shadow clone. Better to be safe than sorry after all" Kakashi explained as he rejoined them. Naruto let his barrier vanish, along with his two clones.

"I guess that means we failed" Sasuke said, but Kakashi just smiled.

"The point of the test was never to get the bells" he admitted, confusing the three of them. "The point of the test was to get you three to work together as a team. You three are the first to figure it out. Everyone before you were just a bunch of dunces that did whatever I told them. In the shinobi world, those that break the rules and codes are branded as garbage…but those who don't cherish their friends are worse than that; they're scum" Kakashi looked melancholic as he inhaled deeply. "That's it for this exercise. This time, everyone passes" he announced, despite his smile being hidden under a mask, it was visible in his eye.

Kakashi gave the three of them a thumbs-up; "Team Seven will start their mission tomorrow."

"T-that's amazing, N-Naruto-Kun."

Naruto had just finished retelling everything that went on with his team and sensei at training ground three to Iruka, Hinata, Teuchi, and Ayame. Though the latter two were only part of the conversation since Naruto and Hinata were sitting with Iruka at Ichiraku.

"I'll say. To think that one of my students managed to get the drop on the Kakashi Hatake" Iruka praised, smiling at Naruto like someone who was absolutely proud of him.

"Kakashi-sensei is kind of lazy it seems. He showed up late and he doesn't seem to take many things seriously. But…he's kind of cool" Naruto admitted, thinking about his Jonin instructor. "I wouldn't say we go the drop on him either. It was more like he wanted to see what we were capable of, so he let us get the drop on him" Naruto added, a bit dejected that no matter what anyone said, he could feel it in his bones that Kakashi Hatake was not someone that he and the rest of his team could beat at the moment. Even if they worked perfectly together.

"I-I still t-think it's a-amazing" Hinata reaffirmed, refusing to let Naruto demean their accomplishment.

"Naruto, did Kakashi-sensei tell you what your first mission would be?" Iruka asked, a devious smirk on his face.

"No…but I suddenly get the feeling I'm not going to like this mission, am I?" Naruto watched as Iruka and Teuchi both started to laugh.

"Oh, you'll see. I'm sure both of you will come to understand why these two are laughing" Ayame chimed in, giggling at her father and Iruka's boisterous laugh.

"N-Naruto-Kun, I think t-this first mission is e-evil in some w-way" Hinata gulped, looking from the proprietor of Ichiraku ramen to their academy instructor.

"Something tells me Hinata, that's exactly what this mission is" Naruto agreed, as he slowly began to dread the idea of whatever this first mission would be. "Come on Hinata, I'll walk you home before these two laugh our ears off" he offered, and before Iruka could complain or notice, he and Hinata left Ichiraku ramen leaving Iruka to pay the bill.

"N-Naruto-Kun?" Hinata's shy voice broke the silence after they walked a majority of the way to the Hyuga compound. Naruto liked being in Hinata's presence because it didn't matter if they were having a whole conversation, or just enjoying each other's company in silence, Naruto always felt that Hinata was someone that appreciated having him around.

"What's up, Hinata?" he asked, glancing at her from the corner of her eye. She turned beet red before she started fidgeting with her fingers.

"W-well, I w-was w-wondering w-what y-your t-thoughts w-were on S-Sakura-San?" she managed to get out. She was stammering so bad that it was a wonder she was capable of finishing her question to begin with.

"Hm? Sakura?" Naruto repeated, as if the idea of saying the name was annoying. He thought about it for a moment; "Hm, Sakura's smart, but she's not all that helpful when it comes to battle. At least she wasn't with Kakashi-sensei and his bell test" he placed his hands behind his head; "Why do you ask?"

Hinata let out a small 'eep' at Naruto's inquiry and shied away from his gaze; "I-I w-was j-just c-c-curious. T-that's a-all" she quickly replied. Naruto could tell that wasn't the whole truth, but he decided that it wasn't worth pursuing if Hinata didn't want to tell him. He made a face of skepticism at her, but dropped it like he planned. Something the Hyuga was all too grateful for.

They continued their walk relatively in silence, only going so far as to speak about Hinata's time with her new team. She liked this Kurenai woman, and while she had no problems with her teammates, she thought Kiba could be a little loud sometimes. As they approached the front gate of the Hyuga compound, Ko, as usual, was waiting for them out front.

"Lady Hinata…"

'As cold as ever' Naruto thought. He wondered if Ko disliked him solely because of the nine tailed fox inside of him, or because he was just predisposed to disliking anyone who wasn't a Hyuga.

"G-goodnight, N-Naruto-Kun" Hinata bid her farewells as she walked past Ko, the latter leveled a glare with Naruto but didn't say anything until he was certain Hinata was inside the Hyuga compound.

Once she was, he leaned towards Naruto; "I don't know what you're goal with Lady Hinata is, but you'd do best to remember your place" he threatened, but Naruto was thoroughly confused.

"My…goal?" he asked, but received no answer from the older Hyuga. Instead, Ko scoffed at him before turning and heading inside as well.

"What goal?" Naruto started his trek home, casting a look back at the Hyuga compound, he couldn't help but think that he maybe missed a key point of that interaction with Ko. He wouldn't worry too much about it as most things that people said to him didn't make sense anyway. They always used words in ways that were gibberish to Naruto and if focused too much on what people were saying, he'd never have time for anything else.

By the time Naruto got home, he was ready to sleep. He didn't care about Ko's words, or why Hinata wanted to know what he thought about Sakura. He didn't even care about this evil mission that he was supposedly going to have to deal with tomorrow. He just wanted to lie down in his bed, and have a nice peaceful, dreamless sleep.

And for once—that's exactly what he got.

AN: So, I won't lie, this took me a lot longer to write than I thought it would solely because I kept getting called to do things like helping my brother move or watching my nieces. I knew I wanted Naruto to have a more badass role in this part of the story since in the original he's a joke. I left out the conversation between Iruka and Hiruzen talking about Kakashi being a hard ass because it's something we all know and I honestly love that about Kakashi and didn't want to change it. I was really, really, really tempted to put Hinata on team seven, but I have a better idea that I want to do, so for now, no NaruHina past the extent of what cha got in this chapter. And by for now, I mean for the next ten thousand or so words lol.

Until next time everyone.