I Do Not Own Naruto
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Flourishing
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Itachi chuckled when his brother left the house for his bells challenge, knowing full well Kakashi was going to pass those three with ease. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura all were the trio of trouble and Kakashi had worked the Fourth, and the council; over really hard to get them on the same team. Itachi had also helped in making valid arguments for Team 7 being those three, they just fit together, like odd pieces out, and they really only respected Kakashi or Yamato for adults; he was only tolerated and he was not teaching genin or trying to teach his brother.
"Hm, so he's off," Izumi said as she slipped up to his side, he draped an arm around her waist and stared at her. She was still beautiful, even with the burns on the left side of her face he found her to be gorgeous, and he found her to be perfect.
"Yes," Itachi mused, she smiled as she rested against his chest, he was content like this. Ever since the night of the attack he had retired from the Foundation and remained a member of the ANBU taking the odd missions here and there, but mostly he was staying at home with his brother and fiancé.
"Well, he'll be happy today; they'll do just fine, after all, I have a feeling Kakashi's bell test was designed for everyone to fail and somehow those three will pass. Also face it, those three are in desperate need of some sort of channel for those destructive tendancies, the enemies will run in fear even though their only genin," Izumi chuckled.
He smiled, he agreed with her as he held her close and enjoyed a moment of peace with her.
"Well, we know Sasuke wouldn't work with anyone else," Itachi chuckled. His little brother was not one to go about making friends or getting along with others. Even little things like having to get along with his classmates was something he had to listen to complaints from the teachers.
"Hey, how's the defector?" she asked him as they stood there watching Sasuke leave.
"Hoshigaki?" he asked. Startled with her question he looked at her dully.
"Yes," she smiled.
"He's given us all the information, but he refuses to return to his village," Itachi shrugged. The night of the attack Hoshigaki Kisame had come to his family's aid that night; mostly because his blade Samehada was hungry, according to him; and now that he knew the man, he knew he had a hard time staying out of a big fight. Not that Itachi minded, the man had saved him that night; but he had been imprisoned and interrogated mercilessly for two years, and he had sworn his loyalty to them in exchange for working with him.
"So, is he coming to the wedding or not; and don't deny that he's your friend in a strange way," Izumi chided him.
"Going on missions with him does not make him my friend," Itachi retorted. And frankly, the only reason he worked with Kisame was because no one else besides maybe Kakashi would ever dare to work with him. Also, Kisame respected power, Itachi was more powerful than him in ways; however if they ever dueled Itachi had a feeling it'd be a hell of a duel and he'd very likely have a run for his money. Another thing, Kisame was a notorious killer of his comrades, and no one would dare to trust him here. But that didn't mean they had denied his defection; that was the hitch. Which was why he and Kisame often times worked together.
"Itachi, we all know you're his friend and in a way he's yours, invite him and Samehada to the wedding, it'll make him feel welcomed in the village. Remember, we're not really welcomed in the village after what happened that night with the Nine Tails, and if it wasn't just the three of us now we'd probably be just as unwelcomed as Kisame," Izumi chided him.
"Do you want him to come to the wedding?" Itachi sighed.
"He is your friend, and it is your wedding as well, he should come," Izumi insisted.
"Fine, I'll invite him," Itachi sighed as he kissed the top of her head and pulled away from her. he was going to go watch the bells test unfold. This could be interesting to watch; he was curious to see how Kakashi was going to teach his brother and Naruto, Sakura would be the easy one of that group to teach, and he knew it. But he was most curious about how Kakashi was going to manage this.
"Where are you going?" Izumi asked.
"Well, there's a bells test going on, and my brother and his two best friends are on a team together; I'm curious to see how they'll fair against Kakashi. He's not going to go easy on them just because they're his kids," Itachi chuckled.
"Hmm, I'll come too!" Izumi declared as she walked beside him. He knew this was a big step for her, she didn't like the people in the village staring at her face; the burns from that paper bomb were on display and being an Uchiha she had been called a monster and then told at least she now looked the part. Sakura had been a saving grace; her and her friend Ino; they had both looked to Izumi as a big sister and treated her like such, even dragging his fiancé out of the Uchiha compound to go off with them to be pampered.
"Think they'll pass?" Izumi asked as she grabbed his hand. They made it to the main gate of their compound, she tightened her grip as she stepped nearer to him, he knew why she was doing this, and just let her come to him.
"Should be interesting to see if they will," he mused as he held her close to him.
"I bet they will," She chuckled as they walked through the village. He noticed the way people were staring at them, but he kept Izumi distracted as they made their way to the training field.
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"Are you sure about this?" Kushina asked her husband as she saw her son go flying through the air screaming in pain. Well, no one said Kakashi was traditional, but the idea of keeping Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura all on a the same team with Kakashi as their supervisor…
Well, she could see the merits of them being together, but they were so destructive together.
"Sure, Kaakshi is about the only teacher I know of aside from Jiriaya who might get through to him. And so long as Kakashi keeps him busy then he won't get into trouble, having Sasuke and Sakura with him might also help dampen his trouble making tendencies," Minato assured her as he stood up behind her, his arms slipping around her as they watched from their perch the Kakashi version of the bells test being executed.
"I still worry though," she sighed.
"Well, I wouldn't, besides this will be good for the Uchiha as well, he doesn't get along with anyone really as Itachi pointed out. These four, they need one another; those kids, they saved Kakashi, and he'll make them the best shinobi this village has ever seen, we'll just have to keep them out of the village for their training," he chuckled.
"I know, but I'm worried," she fretted as she bit her lip. Minato said nothing, but she could feel him smiling as they watched the test unfold.
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Three hours!
That's how long they had been at it and none of them had gotten a bell. But as the rules had stated earlier Naruto was tied to a post, while he and Sakura were handed lunch and Kakashi left.
"Well, now I see why he said no breakfast," Sakura grumbled. He said nothing as he looked to the tied up Naruto then.
"AHHH! But I'm starving!" Naruto whined.
"He said we couldn't feed him, or we fail," Sakura whispered to him.
"We're not letting the dobe starve!" he hissed back.
"Well, he's not here…" Sakura looked around nervously.
"Please!" Naruto whined when his stomach growled.
"Just feed him, what Kakashi doesn't know won't kill him; isn't that what we always say?" Sasuke pointed out as then and there.
"Fine, but if we go back to the Academy I'm kicking both your butts," she grumbled, he and she both helped the dobe out. Sasuke shoved a riceball into the dobe's mouth.
"HEY!" Naruto choked.
"I hope you choke!" Sasuke informed the dobe as he grabbed a bite of his lnch.
"Don't kill him! We need him!" Sakura scolded, he shrugged, she gave the dobe a bite of her food.
"And what do you three think you're doing?" Kakashi asked, he stopped mid sharing, he and Sakura looked to one another then at Naruto then at Kakashi. He scowled, Sakura smiled innocently, and Naruto looked dumbfounded while Kakashi was glaring at them.
"Damn it," he grumbled.
"You two idiots!?' Sakura snapped.
"Bud-but..!" Naruto looked around frantically.
"Congratulations, you three are the first to pass!" Kakashi announced.
"Huh?" he looked to the two idiots he was paired with and then at Kakashi.
"But we didn't get the bells," Sakura pointed out.
"But you didn't let Naruto down, just like I knew you guys wouldn't," Kakashi smiled. "Missions are important, however I never want you three to forget the importance of being there for your teammates, they mean everything in the end. Working together and caring about your comrades is just as important as any mission, and you three did fantastic just like I knew you would."
"So we pass?" Sasuke asked just to make certain as he took a bite of his food, Sakura gave Naruto a bite and they were all giving Kakashi their undivided attention as they ate.
"Yes, Sasuke, you pass," Kakashi said blandly.
"Hn," he nodded.
"Later!" Kakashi declared as he disappeared into smoke.
"Gotta go! Ino and I have plans!" Sakura shouted as she jogged off.
"WAIT!" Naruto shouted. Sasuke growled as he turned around, grabbed Sakura and dragged her back.
"Damn dobe!" he hissed. Sakura giggled as she jogged ahead of him and headed back towards the tied up dobe.
"Oh boy," Sakura sighed. "What are we going to do with you, Naruto?" she asked in exasperation as she sliced the ropes holding the dobe to the post.
"Thanks teme, Sakura!" Naruto huffed.
"Gotta go! See you tomorrow!" Sakura called out as she jogged off.
"Ramen?" Naruto offered.
"Aa," he shrugged as he walked with Naruto towards the village for ramen.
"You know, aside from that thousand years of death jutsu, that was fun!" Naruto chuckled. Sasuke just rolled his eyes.
"Dobe," he decided.
"HEY!" Naruto screeched.
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"So?" she asked as she walked up to her guardian with a smile. He was perched in a tree with his Icha Icha novel.
"Yes?"
"Do we have the potential?" she asked with a smile. Sakura had known since she was five what this test had always been about, Kakashi had told her when he had started trying to train the next generation of shinobi, what he wanted them to learn. She saw the smile in his eye then as she walked up the tree to stand on the branch above him.
"You three have always had the potential Sakura, the only question is: Can you be tamed long enough to learn?" Kakashi said as he tapped her brow with the spine of his book. She chuckled.
"I think I can help with them," she giggled as she stood on the underside of the branch above him.
"I have faith in you as well, Sakura," he chuckled. "Now go to Ino's, I'll collect you tonight.'
"Kay! Bye Kakashi!" Sakura waved him off as she leapt down and ran through the village to the Yamanaka house then. She waved at Kakashi as she jogged off, she was very pleased with how the boys did today, and she didn't have to go back to the Academy again!
That's all for now folks!
Enjoy Blooming in Darkness! =)
