Naruto Gaiden

Disclaimer: I really hope we all remembered that I didn't own Naruto. We did? That's good.

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Chapter 1 The Path of a Ninja

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke waited at a training field each resting against a large log that stood upright into the air. They had been waiting for over four hours for Kakashi to show up. He had told them all to meet at the training field at seven in the morning and to not eat breakfast beforehand. Naruto's stomach growled the most of the three. "Where is Kakashi-sensei? It's almost noon and I'm starving."

"Maybe he had to go on a super secret mission?"

"No way Sasuke. I'm sure someone would have told us if that were the case," Sakura responded. "Why are all boys idiots?"

"Oh shut up Sakura, no one wants to listen to you and your huge mou..." Sasuke got cut off midsentence by a puff of smoke in front of them. Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura sat mouth agape.

"If I were an enemy, you'd all be dead right now," Kakashi appeared reading a dirty novel. His eye more focused on the book than the students in front of him. "sorry I'm late, I over slept."

"You overslept??" Sakura yelled. "What kind of jonin are you? If the village was attacked, all of us would be dead right now!"

"Well it's a good thing that didn't happen now isn't it?"

The three young ninjas stood and stared straight at their teacher. Who was this man and why was he so hip?

"Well no need to be upset, today's test will be to take these two bells from me," Kakashi lifted one hand up, making sure to keep his eye in his book all the while. "If you can take one of these bells from me, you pass. Simple as that."

Sakura looked around. "But Sensei, there are three of us. Does that mean...?" She trailed off.

"Yes, that would mean that only two of you can pass."

Naruto leapt from the ground and raced at Kakashi, "Ah ha! A surprise attack, I'll grab a bell off the ba..." Naruto stopped midsentence. Kakashi had grabbed one of Naruto's arms and held it firmly behind the back of his head. The boy wriggled and writhed to get free, but could do nothing in the grip of the jonin.

"I never said we could start yet. I haven't explained everything to you." Kakashi continued to read, turning the pages with his thumb. He cleared his throat, "You have two hours to complete the test. At that time, anyone without a bell will fail. Be sure you come at me with everything you've got. Hold back even a little and I will crush you. Begin!" Kakashi realeased Naruto's arm and the three genin run from Kakashi in separte directions. The jonin turned and began walking down towards a stream. He continued reading his book. After a short time, Kakashi looked around to find his students. Sasuke and Sakura were hidden fairly well among the trees and underbrush. But he didn't know where Naruto was.

"Hey I'm right back here, Sensei!" the grinning ninja stood with his back to the stream.

"Oh behind me. Good one."

"That's it Sensei, last time I went easy on you. Now I'm going to use my jutsu!" Naruto focused his chakra and put his index and middle fingers up on each of his hand and made a cross with them.

"He knows that technique?" Kakashi was impressed.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Suddenly several copies of Naruto appeared. First two copies, then four, then eight, then sixteen and soon most of the space between the stream and Kakashi was covered in Narutos. All of the copies yelled at once and caused a deafing roar. Then they all spoke, "What do you think of that Kakashi Sensei?"

"Honestly, I will say I'm impressed that you know it. But it won't help a ninja as unrefined as you."

"We'll show you!" All of the bodies streamed foward in a wave. But as each reached the jonin, it was either kicked or swatted away with the jonin's free hand. Naruto soon realized this and changed his strategy. The last of his clones circled and enclosed Kakashi.

"Well I guess I can't continue reading for the moment," the jonin sighed and put the book into his back pocket. At that moment all the orange suited ninjas ran foward. Kakashi ducked under the kick of one, then poked one in the forehead as it ran in to kick him, it disappeared in a puff of smoke. Suddenly a great weight appeared on Kakashi's back. "What? Naruto? Where did you come from?"

"I was hiding in the bushes after making all those clones to distract you. Pretty good huh? Grab the bell!"

"Got it!" one of the clones reached up and just as it reached the bell, it puched Naruto in the stomach. For a moment everything froze. Naruto held onto his clone as another puched it. Sasuke and Sakura could only watch in confusion as it happened. The clone exploded in a puff. All the other clones disappeared in a puff. Naruto stood by himself on the field. "What happened?"

"Konoha Secret Taijutsu Technique: One Thousand Years of Death!" Kakashi put his index and middle fingers straight up and jammed them into Naruto from behind. Naruto launched from the ground and into the air. He flew fifteen yards and landed in the stream.

"OWWWW!!!" Naruto yelled as he jumped to the surface.

It was then that Sasuke saw his chance. It one motion, he silently unsheathed his sword and threw it at the back of Kakashi's head. It struck home and pierced through to the front. Naruto yelled out.

"You went overboard Sasuke!" Sakura yelled from behind the bushes across from Sasuke. Just then, Kakashi's body exploded in a puff and a pile of wood fell to the ground. One with Sasuke's sword buried in it.

"Replacement! Crap! I need my sword," Sasuke leapt from his hiding spot and ran up to the pile of lumber. He grabbed the hilt of his sword and pulled, but the sword wouldn't come out. He picked up his sword and ran towards the woods.

"Hey Sasuke, come help me out!" Naruto yelled from the water.

"Help yourself, I need to get one of those bells," he yelled back as he got into the woods.

"Geez some teammate you are," Naruto scoffed as he swam back to shore.

Sakura ran through the underbrush and towards where she saw Sasuke's sword come from. She had to check on him. Even if he was a boy, he was a kinda cute boy. With each step she broke twigs and branches as she ran. Suddenly and without warning, she was face to face with Kakashi. He put one finger up to his mask where his lips would be and shushed the young kunoichi. Suddenly Sakura's mind began to feel hazy. She turned and looked down a nearby path, Sasuke lay on the ground bleeding, his head missing from the torso. Sakura screamed and fell to the ground.

Sasuke turned his head for just a second when he heard the scream. He quickly dismissed it and ran between two trees only a few inches apart. He twisted as the log his sword was trapped in stuck between the trees and his sword came loose with his momentum. He momentarily lost his balance but righted himself as Kakashi walked up. Sasuke leapt into the air and swung with his sword. Kakashi smoothly pulled a kunai blade from his pouch and blocked the blade. Kakashi was startled at first at the strength of the boy in front of him. Then Sasuke swung a hand up from underneath Kakashi's view and went for the bell. Kakashi dropped down into the ground and vanished from view. Sasuked stumbled for a moment before regaining balance. The he sunk to his neck in the ground as Kakashi walked from behind him. "No wonder you were the year's number one graduate. You are impressive. But you lack focus. I don't know if you'll be able to get one of these bells if I gave you two weeks. Sorry boy," Kakashi shrugged and walked off leaving Sasuke stuck in the ground.

Sakura blinked her eyes and rose from the ground. It took her a second to figure out where she was. She had run almost headlong into Kakashi Sensei when..."Oh yeah Sasuke!" She looked all around her but saw no body. She walked around yelling for Sasuke.

"Over here Sakura!" Sasuke yelled when he heard her voice.

"Oh Sasuke thank god you're alri..." Sakura stopped cold when she saw Sasuke's head sticking up from the ground. She screamed and again fell to the ground.

Naruto could hear a scream in the distance as he walked towards the center field again where they had started their day. His hands were folded behind his head. "Whatever, that Sasuke knows he's jealous of my awesome jutsu." Naruto's eyes opened wide as he spied two lunches lying near the wooden poles that stuck from the ground. Naruto ran forward in an attempt for a lunch. He picked it up and looked from side to side. He was about to open it when a shadow loomed over him.

"Feeling a little hungry?" Kakashi smiled.

A few minutes later and the whole of Team 7 had gathered back at the center training field. Sakura and Sasuke sat on the ground as Naruto stood tied to the center pole. "You three are hopeless you know that. Obviously, you couldn't even figure out how to get these two little bells from me. You guys all try to go and do everything by yourself. Naruto you tried to fight me without any kind of plan. Sakura you were so concerned about Sasuke that you completely left Naruto alone. Sasuke, you thought you'd do fine yourself so you shunned help from everyone around you. Well because I'm feeling exceptionally generous today, I'm going to give you one addional chance. For now we will take a lunch break. I have box two lunches, so Sakura and Sasuke, because you two decided not to try and sneak lunch, you can eat the box lunches. Naruto, for trying to steal the food, you can go hungry. Anyone found giving food to Naruto will be immediately failed and sent back to the academy."

"No fair!" Naruto yelled.

"I'll be back in 30 minutes to start this afternoon's test. And don't think I'll go easy like I did this morning," With that Kakashi leapt away and was gone. Sakura and Sasuke began to eat their lunches. Naruto began to struggle against the ropes. A quick sword swipe and Naruto, pushing forward, fell face first into the dirt.

"Smooth move," Sasuke laughed and sheathed his sword. "Here have some of my lunch."

"What? Why?" Naruto couldn't understand the change.

"Because, obviously trying to do this by ourselves isn't going to work. We need to work together, and you being hungry is just going to hold us back. Have some of my food to gain some strength."

"Sasuke, thank you."

"Here Naruto, have some of mine to. We'll definitely get those bells this afternoon," Sakura smiled at him.

"Sakura..." Naruto trailed off, his heart choked with emotion.

Then the sky began to turn black and fill with lightning. Kakashi roared in from the clouds. "How dare you give food to Naruto! You disobeyed a direct order!" he yelled at the genins.

"But Sensei, you told us we needed to work together," Sakura yelled back.

"We needed to make sure Naruto would be able to help us in the test this afternoon," Sasuke added.

"That's right Kakashi Sensei, you told us that we had to. You told us!" Naruto stammered out.

"You needed to work together? You pass," The sky cleared up. "Good job, genin."

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There is my first chapter. Sorry it wasn't as long as I promised, but things happen. Perhaps if all the boys and girls are lucky I'll be back soon.