Chapter 17 – Becoming Genin, part 3
Sasuke watched as Kakashi patched up his burn. He could have attacked right there but he was still thinking about what he saw.
'What the hell were those clones? When did that loser even learn such a jutsu?' Sasuke thought. He tried to clear his mind and prepared to attack. That's when he felt something tap his shoulder. He spun around to strike but his wrist was caught. He turned to see Naruto. Naruto made a signal to be quiet and motioned for him to follow. Sasuke narrowed his eyes but complied. Once they were a distance, Naruto began to talk.
"Look, I know that we don't get along but there is no way for us to face this guy alone. He's really good and even with my distraction; he caught my clone as soon as he touched the bells. All I am asking is that we team up. If we work together, we can take him down." Naruto said. Sasuke gave Naruto a hard look before scoffing at him.
"You might need help but I don't. If you can't do it yourself, then you need to give up." Sasuke said in a condescending tone. Naruto glared at him but just sighed. He turned and left Sasuke. Sasuke turned back to focus on Kakashi. He didn't care what Naruto thought. He would get those bells and do it on his own.
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Naruto went in search of Sakura. While he knew what her answer would be, he had to at least try to convince her to help. That's when he found her but so was Kakashi. He sighed at the fact that Sakura did not notice him. He took out some shuriken and threw them at Kakashi. Kakashi jumped out of the way, startling Sakura. Naruto jumped down between them. He looked at Sakura and sighed due to how she was too shock to help.
"Get going Sakura. I'll cover you." Naruto said. The pinkette didn't even spare him a glance and took off. The two looked at each other before Naruto went for his pouch. Kakashi was already on him and hand his arm in a lock. He forced Naruto to a knee.
"Not this time Naruto." Kakashi said.
"What do you mean? I'm not Naruto." The blond said with Amusement. Naruto started to glow and Kakashi jumped away. That's when Naruto exploded into leaves. Kakashi sucked his teeth for being played again by the blond. He decided to turn his attention to Sakura and Sasuke. Naruto took off the cloak that he was hiding with and watched as Kakashi left. He wasn't happy that he could not count on either of his teammates. He would have to go it alone.
He left to get ready.
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Kakashi was now searching for Naruto. He dealt with Sasuke, which was impressive, and Sakura, who was a disappointment. So far, Naruto was the best out of the three. He knew that he couldn't take him alone and went to get help. For that alone, Naruto passed his test. However, he couldn't just pass him. He had an idea on what to do but he was still a little curious about his blond haired student. What else did he have in his little bag of tricks?
Kakashi tracked him down to a wooded area. He decided to go in slow due to not knowing what could be happening or what was waiting for him. He moved slowly, keeping alert. As he moved, he felt the hair on his neck begin to stand. That's when he made another step and was suddenly taken out by an explosion. Kakashi reappeared on a branch. He looked around for the blond when he had to use a substitution as weapons came at him from every angle. He landed on the ground and watched as several branches fell to the ground in pieces. When they hit the ground, it set off a bunch of explosives.
Man, he is really trying to kill me." Kakashi muttered. That's when several balls came at him from several directions. They blew and a thick smoke surrounded him. Kakashi was choking, wondering what the hell was in this smoke. He needed to get out and jumped upward. When he jumped out of the smoke, six clones came at him. Kakashi pulled out a kunai and defended himself. He dispelled the clones and cursed because of the leaves. It wasn't just the leaves but it was something obstructing his vision. It is because he never saw Naruto snatch a bell from his belt.
Naruto hit the ground and did a roll to get to his feet. He took off while Kakashi was still disorientated. Naruto kept running and was happy that he held a bell. He burst out of the bush and was home free but he was surrounded by several copies of Kakashi. Naruto looked at the group with wide eyes.
"Well now, that was a good plan. A little excessive though. So, what's stopping me from getting that bell back?" Kakashi asked. Naruto was looking for a way out when the timer went off. Kakashi raised an eyebrow while Naruto let out a sigh of relief. Naruto sat down and caught his breath. Kakashi just scratched his head at what just happened to him.
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Sakura and Sasuke waited as Kakashi entered with Naruto. They regrouped near the posts and Kakashi stood in front of them.
"Well, I have to say that the new curriculum has done wonders for at least one of you." Kakashi said. The other two looked at Naruto who revealed a bell. The two were shocked by this. Sakura was more genuine than Sasuke, who looked annoyed that Naruto succeeded. "Seeing that Naruto succeeded in getting a bell, he is now a genin. You can go now Naruto." The blond was about to leave but stopped himself. If there was one thing he learned since hanging with the Nara clan, is that not everything is as it seems. He was thinking about this test and there was something up.
"Hey, what was the point of this test?" Naruto demanded.
"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked.
"There is no way we could have beaten you one-on-one. The way you dealt with my clones, you are way too good. If the timer hadn't gone off, you would have gotten back the bell. You're a jonin, we're genin. There is no way we would win even if we teamed," That's when it hit Naruto. Looking at Kakashi, he watched as he gave him an eye smile. "This was about our teamwork?"
"Very good Naruto, that's exactly what this test is about." Kakashi said happily.
"B-But the bells, the condition," Sakura stated nervously.
"They were all misdirects. I wanted to see if you could put aside your differences and work together. All those drills you did in the academy, I thought the 'Top Kunoichi' would see that they were always done in teams." Kakashi said, making Sakura look down at her feet. He then looked at Naruto. "So, what are you going to do Naruto?" The blond looked at Kakashi and then at the other two. It would be a few moments before he sighed. That's when he pulled off his forehead protector. He held it out and the bell.
"You know what this means right?" the jonin asked.
"Yeah but for the team, I'll make the sacrifice." Naruto answered.
"Well, then," Kakashi stepped forward, put his hands on Naruto's and pushed them back to him. "Congratulations, this team has passed and it is all because of you." He said with a smile.
"Why does that loser get all the credit?" Sasuke demanded.
"He knows the value of teamwork. He came to you for help and you ignored it." He turned to Sakura. "He comes to your aid and you abandon him. Naruto knows his limits and know when to count on others. The truth is, I should fail you two while trying to get Naruto on a genin squad. However, I'm going to change the rules. While, I might have accepted you as my team, I do not like your teamwork. So, I'm going to run you two through some teamwork skills. If you fail, then you all fail. I'll give you time to eat and get ready. After wards, we will start. Naruto, you don't need to be here." Kakashi said.
"I think I'll stay, help them out." Naruto said.
"Very well." Kakashi said with an eye smile.
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Hiruzen listened as each jonin reported whether they had a team or not. Surprisingly, there were mostly successes than failures. Teams five, eight, ten and fifteen had all passed their test. They showed good work and their jonin were impressed with them as shinobi. It was an improvement from the last class, as only Gai's team was the only one still together. He was now convinced that the academy's new curriculum was better. They would still have to tweak it but Hiruzen was happy. Now, all he was waiting on was Kakashi.
Just as he spoke, the jonin entered the office. The one-eyed man was surprised to see so many jonin.
"Four teams passed? That's impressive." Kakashi said. That's when Asuma noticed the bandage and his charred clothing.
"What's up with the bandage? Don't tell me that the great Kakashi actually got hurt against genin?" Asuma mocked.
"Yeah, one of my genin showed some unique skills." Kakashi answered.
"You mean the Uchiha kid?" asked one of the jonin.
"Sasuke is impressive but it was Naruto that got me. He was also the only genin to get a bell off me." He said, shocking the jonin. Kakashi looked at the Hokage. "Team seven passed but there is a lot of work to be done."
"Explain." Hiruzen said.
"The truth is, Naruto is the only one deserving. He figured out the bell test, if only unconsciously. He went to Sasuke for help and Sakura from my attack. He might have gone it alone to get the bell but he was willing to give up the bell and his forehead protector for his team. I ran them through teamwork drills, which Naruto stayed for to help them. They still don't really have it down but they did well enough for me to accept them."
"Good, we have five teams listed. This is very good." Hiruzen said.
"Lord Hokage," Kakashi called out, getting his attention. "I must ask you about Naruto's ninja skills. His records clearly underestimate what I went through today. If he had the help of his teammates today, I could have seriously gotten hurt." Kakashi explained.
"What are you talking about?" Kurenai asked.
"I knew he had some skill in fuinjutsu but it seems like he at a level that would take years to develop. He managed to use sealing formulas. I found them after he took the bell from me. He has somehow created an explosive formula that does not require any chakra to activate. If you step on it, you're going to die. Then there was that clone. I knew about his Leaf Clone but he has something called the Fire Bomb Clone. It gave me first degree burns." Kakashi explained, again shocking the jonin in the room.
"The Fire Bomb Clone was something he created right after his Leaf Clone. He showed it to me personally, even taught me something new. It is a useful jutsu despite the chakra usage. As for that explosive note, it was something he developed for the hunter-nin division. He calls it a mine. It is buried under some dirt or anything and activated with a seal. All it needs to activate is pressure. Naruto has made quite the name for himself due to his fuinjutsu. A few ninja actually go to him." Hiruzen explained. The jonin were all stunned by what they just learned. Just how skilled in fuinjutsu was Naruto?
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Shikamaru, Akamaru, Kiba, Naruto and Choji were at Ichirakus'. They were happy and laughing as they had all passed their test. Shino could not join in and Hinata had to go home. So it was just them and they were having fun with Ayame and Tenchi. That's when Naruto stood up and held up his bowl.
"I would like to make a toast." Naruto said.
"With ramen?" asked Kiba.
"Shut up. Anyway, I would like to make a toast. To us, new genin of Konohagakure. We will use everything and do anything to make sure that we keep 'the Will of Fire' burning." Naruto said.
"Yeah." Kiba said.
"Arf!" Akamaru barked.
"Here, here." Tenchi said.
"Good speech Naruto." Choji said. Shikamaru sighed but raised his bowl. After that, they continued to celebrate.
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Authors' Notes - Here a new chapter for you guys. I trying to be on point with my chapters every week. I will try to get more than one chapter out each week but I make no promises. Anyway, this is all done and I hope you like it.
