First of all, I think some of you may have forgotten to read chapter 8. I'm not sure, but make sure you didn't forget about it. I'm sorry I put up two chapters at the same time.
Second of all, I hope you don't mind, but there is some ambiguity as to whether its Naruto or Kitsumi that talks at some points. Its meant to be either one, or both twins, so feel free to assign it to whomever. Thanks for reading
Chapter 10
Kitsumi awoke early the next morning, even before the time she had intended to. She decided to procrastinate awakening her brother, who was easily not a morning person, and to prepare for the day first. Hopefully the alarm she set would wake him.
However, when the alarm went off, Naruto was still not awake. Assuring herself that there was no other way to get him up, although there was, but he should have gotten up with the alarm. Kitsumi walked into the bedroom, and bent down to his ear.
"Ichiraku's is out of ramen." Even the soft whisper of doom, woke the sleeping boy immediately. He sat straight up in bed, and began looking around anxiously. Kitsumi took the opportunity to stand up, and fix a concerned look on her face.
"Whats wrong brother?" She asked innocuously.
"You did it again! Didn't you?" Naruto narrowed his eyes at her, as he had done many other times after he caught her pranking him.
"Whatever are you talking about?" Kitsumi's voice remained level, although a hint of affected guilt entered it.
"You whispered something in my ear to make me wake up." The routine had been played out so many times that both knew their parts by heart.
"Look! We'll be late if you don't hurry, Kakashi-sensei said to be there at five thirty. We were supposed to be there by now." Kitsumi pointed hurriedly at the clock, adding a new layer of intreague to the game.
"Whoa, why didn't you wake me up sooner?" Naruto scrambled to put his clothes on, and the two hurried out the door.
Somehow, the two managed to arrive at the training ground at five thirty. Hinata arrived soon after, looking mildly surprised to see them.
"Hey Hinata-chan." Naruto and Kitsumi waved her over, "Kakashi-sensei isn't hear yet. He'll probably be late again. Hinata looked suspiciously at them and began to speak, but changed her mind before she was done.
"What is it Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked more loudly than was necessary.
"Umm... nothing... Naruto-kun..." Hinata stammered.
After about a half and hour of waiting for their teacher, the team notices a puff of smoke. The smoke dissapates, and their missing teacher steps out.
"Well, I figured since you didn't try to get me last time, I'd be on time for once." The students all gape at the statement, but they, after an elbow to Naruto's ribs, decide its better not to say anything. "So, here's the test. See these two bells?" Kakashi asked as he held up two small bells on strings, that resembled metal cherries, "The first two of you to get a bell pass, the other goes back to repeat the final year at the academy. You must come at me with the intent to kill, otherwise you'll never get a bell. Furthermore, if you don't have the bell by noon, I'll tie you up to the log, and you have to watch your friends eat lunch. If none of you have the bell by noon, I'll tie you all to the log. Any questions?"
"No." The three said in unison.
"Good, you have two hours. Go!" And with that he dissapeared, leaving the three to find him.
"Umm... don't you think there's something..." Hinata looked at the twins, who were busy strategizing together.
"Sorry Hinata-chan, but we have to become ninja together." Naruto and Kitsumi looked at her pleadingly. Before she could work up the courage to say anything, the pair had dashed off to find their chance to become ninja. They found it reading a book out in the open, without a care in the world. After a brief meeting to determine how to attack, they moved into positions surrounding Kakashi. Naruto charged in first, engaging the reading ninja in taijutsu. He first attempted a punch through the book, but Kakashi blocked it with his free hand. Undisturbed, Naruto kicked out with his foot. However Kakashi swept Naruto's arm down, so the kick could not reach. Using the momentum, Naruto flipped over Kakashi's hand, using his other hand to reach for the bells. Kakashi simply stepped out of the way, and let Naruto's momentum carry him to the ground. Landing lightly, Naruto jumped back toward his teacher, who responded using his face as a springboard to dissapear into the bushes again.
From her hiding place, Kitsumi saw her brother go down, and decided that she needed to get both bells on her own. She followed Kakashi with her eyes, and began to stalk him, hidden in the trees. She pulled out a kunai and began to strike, when a gloved hand covered her mouth from behind.
"Tsk, tsk. I expected better of you Kitsumi-chan." To be caught so easily. However, even as he spoke, her hands worked vigorously to procure her release, and soon she lept away from him, a bell in her hand. Just as she landed against a nearby tree, the bell and Kakashi melted into mud.
Meanwhile, Hinata found Naruto's still form. As she approached, he stood slowly, and looked around.
"Hey, Hinata-chan." he said, spotting her. Her blush deepened, as she looked away slightly.
"Hey Naruto-kun. Have you seen Kakashi-sensei?" She walked over to him.
"Yeah, Hinata-chan. Come here and I'll show you!" Naruto started to walk off towards the treeline. As Hinata approached, Naruto turned back. Without warning, he punched her in the face. She flew back in a puff of smoke, revealing a dejected Kakashi.
"But your Naruto, you're the one that is easy to trick." Kakashi stood up as Naruto ran at him.
"Actually, I'm Kitsumi, and you are missing a bell." Kitsumi held up her hand to reveal one of the steel bells dangling lightly from it.
"When did you take that?" Kakashi asked suspiciously. His lazy smile slipping slightly, as he looked over his book at her.
"I've had it since you knocked me out." Kitsumi looked at him with her head slightly cocked, "So, can I get one for Naruto now?"
"Nice try Kitsumi, but thats not my bell." Kakashi's smile returned as he withdrew his hand from his side pocket. Kitsumi smiled too, as she dissapeared in a puff of smoke.
Elsewhere in the forest, another Hinata met up with another Naruto. He looked at her and waved as she approached.
"Hey Naruto..." She whispered when she arrived, "There's something wrong... Neji is a gennin... His team passed together... All teams pass together... And Kakashi-sensei is a jounin... Even together... we shouldn't be able to... win..." As she finished, she backed away from Naruto, blushing deeper at her proximity.
"Hmm... Kitsumi thinks your right. But we need to figure out what to do. For now, lets try all together to get the bells, and if that doens't work, we can try something else after break. Don't worry Hinata-chan. We'll all graduate. OK, so here's what Kitsumi says. The bells are in his pocket, so all we need to do is..." Naruto whispers into Hinata's ear, who nods slowly, and almost forgets to blush.
Elsewhere, Kakashi wondered how Kitsumi would try to get the bells this time. He remembered the others, but he could tell they were far away for the moment. Kitsumi on the other hand, was close. She lie in wait on the other side of the clearing, probably thinking she was unnoticed. On the other hand, she obviously knew where he was, if not that he knew of her. He began to lead her about, to prevent her from using the terrain to well. After crossing a stream that bisected the training ground, he discovered the others. Hinata was to his left, and Naruto ahead. They both discovered him, and began to close quickly. He decided to subdue them both before Kitsumi arrived, just to make sure that they didn't complete their true goal accidentaly.
Hinata was the first there. She engaged Kakashi in that unique brand of taijutsu her clan made famous. However, she had apparently not mustered the killing intent, and her strikes had no chakra behind them. He sighed mentally as Naruto entered, bringing several clones with him. Kakashi could tell that they weren't bunshin, so he decided to take them out quickly. Disengaging from Hinata momentarily, he made the handsign and performed the technique
"Bunshin no jutsu." Several Kakashi all began to perform handsigns, and by the time the Naruto's had discovered the real one, it was too late.
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu." A large fireball erupted from Kakashis mouth, demolishing most of the clones, leaving only two Naruto, and Hinata to continue the battle. The Naruto readily complied, and soon Kakashi was engaged in a hand to hand battle on three sides. Even worse, he couldn't decide which of the Naruto was the clone. He thought he hit both, but neither dissapeared in a cloud of smoke. He kept going, and even though they managed a few lucky hits to his side, he eventually hit both with the same kick. To his surprise neither dissapeared. As if that wasn't surprising enough, one of the Naruto poked him in between the eye and the mask, his finger covered in paint. Taking advantage of the confusion, both Naruto pressed the attack. One made a high punch to follow the poke, while the other swept low with his foot. At the last second, Kakashi jumped over the foot, but before he could fully clear the hand out of the way, the fist opened, and chakra rushed out, hiting him in the shoulder. Finally understanding, Kakashi kicked back at Hinata, and the clone dissapeared in a puff of smoke.
"Well, you all did pretty well, but its time for lunch. Now, since none of you got a bell, it looks like you all get tied to the tree." Kakashi pulled rope out of his suit somewhere, and expertly tied the two together before they could do anything.
"But Kakashi-sensei. Two of us have the bells." Kitsumi and another Naruto walked into the area, holding up two bells. They aren't kagebunshin this time either."
"Well, I am." The other Naruto dissapeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Kitsumi with both bells.
"When did you get those?" Kakashi suspiciously slides his hand into his pocket, "It doesn't really matter when anyway. So thats it then, Naruto and Kitsumi, you get the lunches. He let Naruto out of the bonds, and led them back to the place where he met them.
Once there, he tied Hinata to the tree, and handed the twins two boxed lunches. They consisted of a riceball, some boiled meat, and some green pastish substance. The twins looked at them suspiciously, and Kakashi addressed them once more.
"Now, you two will become gennin, Hinata you will have to report back to the academy when the year begins again. All of this hinges only on one thing. You two may not give Hinata any food. Is that clear? If you do, what I just said is void. I'll be back in a bit. I have to go sign the paperwork for the Hokage."
"Yes Kakashi-sensei." the twins agreed easily, and began to eat the meat. Kakashi disapeared in a puff of smoke. The twins then finished the meat, and started on the paste, until they were interrupted by a low grumbling sound behind them.
"Are you hungry Hinata-chan?" Naruto turned around to find a very flustered Hinata. He held out the rice ball to her, but she shook her head.
"I can't... If you give me food... you won't become gennin." Her words were betrayed as her stomach rumbled again.
"Come on Hinata-chan. Kakashi-sensei isn't here, and I don't even like rice." Naruto broke off a bit, and held it up to Hinata's mouth. When she didn't open it, he pushed it against her lips repeatedly.
"Naru--" When she opened her mouth to speak, Naruto pushed the rice inside. Reluctantly she began to chew, then swallowed. When Naruto brought up the next bite, she simply accepted, figuring the damamge was already done. In this manner, she ate the rice ball, and just as she finished swallowing the last bite, Kakashi reappeared in antoher cloud of smoke.
"Congratulations, you all pass the real test. Only the worst kind of trash desert their friends when they are needed. I am proud to pronounce you the first gennin team I've graduated. We start missions in the morning, meet me at the bridge by the academy around ten." Kakashi again dissapeared.
Their test complete, the new gennin went home, too tired to even celebrate. The day had worn them out, but left them feeling like true ninja.