Lionheart: -- I feel sick as ever. How trouble some….sorry if there a little more errors than usual. I just want to have this part written before I forget what happens.
Reviewers: Thanks, I really appreciate the support. Here are a couple of questions answered.
Naruto Son and everyone else: I've just decided…this story will be Naruto/Hinata, with hints of Naruto/Sakura. Sasuke/Sakura
Yuki Akira: True, he could have remembered the trap, but this is Naruto we're talking about. He's back in his 12 year old body and plus he's known as being the number one hyperactive ninja. It was a skillfully placed trap, when Naruto least expected it (due to the fact of his hunger and exhaustion). Plus it's a good set-up for the next part.
About the Icha Icha idea. I was all for it…until I thought of a better idea that would be better to read. It is all a part of 'Plan C', which will be revealed in this chapter. There was a very good reason that Icha Icha was a bad idea.
On with the story then.
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Kakashi Sensei! Part Two: Sasuke's Shot"Hey! Hey! Let me down," yelled Naruto. "I can't believe you fell for that, baka. And a guy like you was in ANBU. Don't you remember the last time you fell for it," asked Sasuke, shaking his head. "Brat…I can't believe I ended up with you as a host." "IT'S NOT MY FAULT. KAKASHI SENSEI TRICKED ME." Naruto could hear Sasuke and Kyuubi's laughs. They thought his foolishness was funny. "Fine, Sasuke. Let's see if you do any better." "Of course, baka, I for one don't let down my guard…ever." 'Yeah, okay, brag all you want Sasuke, you'll see,' thought Naruto. He saw Kakashi approach him, undoubtedly ready to taunt him more.
Kakashi lazily picked up the bell underneath Naruto. "Naruto, please think before you use a jutsu. Otherwise it can be used against you. Oh, yes, one more thing," said Kakashi smiling. "If the bait is obvious…don't take it." As Naruto silently fumed, Kakashi continued, "A ninja must see through hidden meanings." "I know, Sensei," said Naruto, annoyed. "Well, I'm telling you because you don't get it. You think you get it, but that's not the same as actually getting it. Get it? Won't you ever learn Naruto? Naruto suddenly grinned, and this above all other jutsus scared Kakashi.
"Don't drop your guard sensei." Before, Kakashi could even turn…even make a move, a dozen kunai slammed into him throwing him off to a side. Sakura gaped, "Huh, oh no, SENSEI!" Kakashi's form seemed to fall toward the ground in slow motion as all three Genin watched. Before it quite touched the ground however, 'poof.' 'Hn,' thought Sasuke, as he suddenly vanished from his branch. "Naruto, get ready now." "Right, I'm there," replied Naruto." As Sasuke, ran, he heard Naruto's voice in his head. "TOO EASY, believe it." "Hn, brat, looks like you did it. Alright Sasuke, let's see how much your training paid off."
"Gotta move now," said Sasuke, to himself. Kakashi watched him from the bushes. "Ah, so that's where he is." Kakashi soon looked to the side. He mentally sighed. "I guess I'll take care of 'her' first."
Sakura was running very swiftly in the direction she saw Sasuke running in. 'Sasuke,' she wondered, 'Where did you go? Don't tell me Kakashi Sensei found you,' she thought, with horror. She shook away the thoughts. 'No, he can't capture my Sasuke…I won't let him,' she thought with determination. She suddenly saw Kakashi reading his Icha Icha book from just beyond a clump of bushes. Crouching low, she thought, 'Whew he didn't hear me. I'm safe,' she thought with some satisfaction.
"Psst, Sakura. Behind you." Sakura felt it instead of saw it, Kakashi looming over her right shoulder. "Huh?" She turned slowly and saw Kakashi calmly looking at her. Her eyes widened and… "AHHHHHHH."
Meanwhile, the Naruto hung by the tree disappeared in a poof of smoke. The real, Naruto grinned. Their plan was almost complete; they just needed a couple more things. It was then; Naruto heard Sakura's scream. 'SAKURA!' "Wait, baka, I'll check it out. You continue along with the plan." "All right, Sasuke," replied, Naruto.
Sakura leapt into an open field facing her sensei. She felt ready for any move that Kakashi might pull. She was not ready as a sudden swarm of leaves surrounded her. She suddenly felt herself slipping out of focus, and then…it was dark. 'Huh, where am I? SASUKE, where are you?' Sakura clasped her hands together and began to panic. 'I'm sure I felt something, and then Kakashi Sensei was gone.'
A rustle in the bushes told her someone was nearby. "S-Sakura," spoke a familiar voice. "SASUKE," shouted Sakura turning. Her eyes widened. Sasuke was on the ground, with blood everywhere. He had been punctured in many areas with kunai and he looked desperate. "S-Sakura, help me. Please help me." Too Sakura, Sasuke's injuries looked real. Her eyes misted, "No. No, Sasuke," she shouted, shaking her head. Sasuke suddenly collapsed over, unmoving. Sakura closed her eyes and gave her loudest scream yet. She then fainted.
Kakashi looked over his book, while the whole scene occurred before his eyes. "Hm…I think I might have overdid it a bit. But…she's got to learn to see through these things." Kakashi detected Sasuke standing behind him. Sasuke stared at Sakura and shook his head, saying, "I see, Sensei you got her with 'that.' "Shinobi battle skill two: Genjutsu, or the illusion jutsu," said Kakashi. "Sakura learned about Genjutsu at the academy, but couldn't stop it when it was used."
"Well," began Sasuke, "I'm not surprised you got Sakura with that. But then…you should know, I'm not like either Sakura or Naruto. When it comes to Naruto, he has determination and skills, and a dream that pushes him to be strong. Sakura…she has book smarts, she can devise strategies and is naturally a better chakra controller than both Naruto and I. And me? I'm the one that can use the strategies…and to deadly effect."
Kakashi leaned lazily against a tree. "Say, that after you get one of these bells, eh…My Sasuke." 'Hn, you fool,' thought Sasuke, to himself. Kakashi stood up and walked over standing some ten yards away from Sasuke. The two stood in a silence, Kakashi reading his book, while Sasuke looked for the right moment to attack. He apparently found it and threw three shuriken. Kakashi easily dodged, saying irritably, "Come now, Sasuke, normal attacks won't work against me." Sasuke smirked and threw a fourth shuriken.
Kakashi landed and soon heard a rope cut. 'A trap?' He jumped again, dodging a set of kunai that had materialized out of nowhere. They passed him harmlessly and landed in a tree.As he skidded along the ground from his jump, Sasuke materialized behind him. 'What?' He blocked a hard, right, round house kick. Sasuke jumped back and then went low, "KONOHA REPPU." Kakashi jumped, but was forcefully knocked back by the gush of wind. Kakashi raised a hand just in time to block a straight punch, but looking down he saw Sasuke, who reached to touch a bell. He pushed himself away, just in time. 'This, kid…he's good and he's fierce,' thought Kakashi. 'Dang, I won't be able to read Make Out Paradise, now.'
Sasuke grimaced as he panted. 'Dang it, even with my superior speed, he's still faster,' he thought.
"Of course, brat. I told you he was an elite, a jounin, not a Naruto." "I heard that," interrupted Naruto. Kyuubi ignored him. "And you're an ANBU member stuck in the body of a twelve year old. You're really setting your standards too high. You can't win like this." "SHUT UP, damned fox, we already agreed on this plan, so let's finish it." Naruto's voice interrupted the exchange again. "Uh? Did I miss something?" "Shut up baka," stated the two in sync. Naruto turned red with annoyance and stopped talking.
Sasuke turned his attention back to Kakashi, who was waiting for him to make a move.
Sakura
Sakura woke up and found herself in a darkened part of the woods, in an awkward position. She quickly covered up her legs with her skirt, and looked around. She remembered what happened she fainted. The blood…it was everywhere. She had to find Sasuke. She immediately took off running, 'Sasuke, I saw him; he was on the verge of…NO! He can't be, Sasuke, you must be alive? Where are you?"
Naruto
Naruto snuck over to the memorial of fallen ninjas. He grinned, as he saw two boxes neatly wrapped. "I know what these are…BOXED LUNCHES," he yelled with joy. "Don't Naruto," warned Kyuubi, "Don't you even dare." Naruto frowned. "AWW, this sucks." "Can you two keep it quiet, its hard enough fighting Kakashi without noise," interrupted a frustrated Sasuke.
Kakashi cautiously stood in front of Sasuke, ready to make a move. "Well…you are different from the other two, I'll grant you that." "Hn, watch this Kakashi." Sasuke did a series of fast hand signs. He stopped and called out "Horse." He made a different sign and shouted, "Tiger." Sasuke leaned back and breathed in, shouting, "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu. (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu). Kakashi looked up in surprise. 'Can this get any worse? First Naruto, and now Sasuke? Genin aren't supposed to be able to do fire jutsu…takes way too much chakra. He can't possibly…'
Kakashi was proved around as Sasuke blew out a fine stream of fire that spread in a huge sphere. The fire burned brightly and only died when, Sasuke ran out of breath. Kakashi was gone in a poof of smoke. Sasuke realized it had been a clone. He pretended to look around in surprise. "Where is he?" "Where," came a voice. Sasuke felt a hand on his leg. "Right here, where you least expect me, BENEATH YOU."
Kakashi pulled downwards and Sasuke yelled in surprise. Kakashi went topside and looked at Sasuke who was almost entirely underground save for his head. He was stuck. "Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu, head hunter technique." Kakashi winked, "Can't move can you? That was ninjutsu, the third Shinobi battle skill. You have talent, can like I said earlier, you're different, but sometimes different isn't good. You know, they say the nail that sticks up is the one that gets hammered down."
Whipping out his book, Kakashi turned when he heard a poof of smoke. "Then looks like I'll have to hammer you down, sensei," said a voice, beneath him. 'A clone? It can't be,' gasped Kakashi as he heard, "Konoha Senpu." Kakashi was knocked upwards by a crazy fast kick, faster than Naruto. He could hear Sasuke's words from below, "Here we go sensei, Futon: Daitoppa." (Wind Style: Great Breakthrough). Sasuke blew out a gust of wind that sent Kakashi flying. It was a weakened attack, Kakashi could tell, but it still made him dizzy. He landed with a slam on the ground…and promptly disappeared in a poof of smoke.
The real Kakashi panted as he hid, slumped over. 'That technique, it's not taught here in Konohagakure, where did he learn it? If I'm correct, that was technique familiar with the sand ninja. Both of these kids, they both know very advanced jutsu. Sakura is the only one who hasn't been able to keep up. This is unexpected; I'll have to gauge their true strengths later. I don't think they're fighting as hard as they can right now.'
Kakashi stood and did a quick jutsu in preparation for round two with Sasuke. Now, he would have to rely on tactics.
Jumping out he surprised Sasuke, with a hard kick. Sasuke blocked and leapt back. 'Hn, he's fighting more aggressively now. Time to try a new move.' As Kakashi charged, Sasuke did three quick hand signs. "Doton: Doryuu Taiga." (Earth Style: Moving Land River). A massive amount of mud spewed from the ground and stopped a surprised Kakashi and sent him backwards. "Next, Combo," shouted Sasuke, "Doton: Doryuudan." A dragon's head formed from the sliding mud and shot mud missiles at Kakashi. 'What,' thought Kakashi, 'a combo?'
Sasuke released his jutsu and as the mud vanished, he noticed a poof of smoke where his sensei should have been. It had been a clone all along.
"WHAT! How could he? He never had the time to do a Kage Bunshin," exclaimed Sasuke. "Too bad," murmured Kakashi. Sasuke felt his body freeze, the result of a technique most ANBU members knew. It was a paralyzing technique that froze the body. He knew what would come next. "Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu."
Once against, Sasuke felt his feet get pulled underground and he stared angrily up at his sensei who smiled back.
"Nice try, Sasuke, I take back what I said earlier. You're almost the exact same as Naruto. You know a lot of very advanced jutsu, and you seem to be a little different than I expected, perhaps if you were a little smarter you would have gotten a bell." Sasuke narrowed his eyes in annoyance, "Argh…" "HAHA, you got beaten too, Sasuke," cried out Naruto joyfully. "Okay, so are you two satisfied now? Can we get on to the final step then?" Kyuubi's voice was one of irritation and annoyance.
"Yeah, sure I'm just going to look inside these boxes," said Naruto. "Time to chow down," said Naruto aloud, reaching for a box. "Brat, I said no, I swear if you touch that box, I will never teach you a jutsu again." Naruto's hand hesitated, and in that second he heard, "Hi there." Naruto froze, recognizing the voice. 'Oh dang, it's Kakashi.' "Look what you did now, Kyuubi, now I got caught."
"I was just joking sensei." "Nice try," replied Kakashi, "Though I'm impressed that you got away from that trap without setting the second one." Naruto smiled, though Kakashi didn't catch it. "But…ignoring that, now we'll talk about your punishment." 'Kakashi sensei,' thought Naruto angrily.
Meanwhile, Sasuke thought about how Kakashi had maintained his advantage throughout the whole match. Sasuke had a sinking suspicion he had used 'Sharingan.' At the same time, he struggled to get free of the jutsu he was trapped in. 'Just a little more,' he thought. A rustle in the bushes interrupted him, and Sakura ran out. She stopped upon seeing Sasuke. "Huh?" Sakura blinked and made an incomprehensible noise. She did it twice and then Sasuke asked, "Uh, Sakura?" His voice was uncertain, seeing as Sakura was looking horrified.
"AHHHH, Sasuke's just a head in the ground and now he's speaking to me," she yelled and then fainted. Sasuke sweat dropped, "And that's one of my partners," he said with a sigh. 'Ah, got it,' he thought as he forcefully broke out of his trap. He went over to see if Sakura was okay. 'Wow, she looks…so peaceful…' thought Sasuke, as he bent over, blushing. He stopped in his thoughts, 'WAIT, what am I thinking,' he thought, shaking his head. He mentally slapped him and then gently shook Sakura awake.
Sakura slowly awoke, and stared groggily up at Sasuke. "Uh, Sasuke." She sat up and then stared straight at Sasuke, with a confused look. "Um, Sakura, you okay," asked Sasuke. Sakura's eyes widened and she threw her arms around the Uchiha. "SASUKE, you're okay," she yelled.
"Hey, cut it out, let go, stop," protested Sasuke, trying to pry her off. She eventually stopped, and Sasuke stood up. "Come on, we have to hurry and get those bells before lunch. It doesn't leave us much time." "What? Sasuke, you're still trying to get one of those bells." Sasuke nodded, "A while a go, Both Naruto and I managed to touch one. We're close." Sakura gasped, 'My that's great, he managed to touch one.' "AHH, this sucks, I'll never be able to get one of those bells, which means Sasuke will pass and I won't…NO NO NO, shouted Inner Sakura, clutching her head.
"Uh, Sasuke, there's not that much time until noon. We probably don't stand a chance of getting a bell…umm, maybe we should just try again next year." Sasuke growled fiercely and glared at her. "Uh, S-Sasuke, what's wrong?" "Only, losers take that mentality. That's why you're the only who hasn't managed to touch a bell. Maybe if you concentrated on this task instead of me, maybe…just maybe we would get one." Sakura gasped. To her it had sounded and felt like Sasuke was yelling in her face, despite the fact he spoke only above a whisper.
"I need to restore my clan, Sakura, and to do that, I must become stronger than my prey. If Kakashi Sensei can easily defeat me now, think about all the other ninjas in the world stronger than Kakashi. I wouldn't stand a chance." "Uh…S…Sasuke," whispered Sakura, sadly.
From the distance the timer suddenly went off. Kyuubi couldn't help but taunt them, "Looks like you both lose the bet. That means extra training, ahahaha." Sasuke growled inwardly, "Not now, I wasted too much time with Sakura, now we have to endure Kakashi's lecture." "Feh, we were going to have to hear it anyway," stated Naruto. "It's probably better if Kakashi says it then if we say it, it'll have a more lasting effect." "The brat's right," agreed Kyuubi. Sasuke shrugged.
"C'mon, Sakura, we have to go back to the Sensei." Sakura sadly nodded. 'I'll never be as good as them,' she sadly thought.
Ten Minutes Later
Sasuke and Sakura both sat on either side of Naruto, who was tied to a post. All of their stomachs were growling. Sasuke and Naruto tried to not listen, knowing what was coming next.
"Uh-oh," taunted, Kakashi. "Stomachs growling I see. Too bad. Oh, and I've decided, I won't send any of you back to the academy." "What," asked Sakura, "I pass? All I did was faint and fall over. Do you get points for that?" "Love wins out, CHA CHA CHA!" (InnerSakura)
"YEAH YEAH YEA," shouted Naruto excitedly. "So that means we, as in all three of us," asked Sasuke. "Yes, all three of you," said Kakashi with a wink. Sakura and Naruto continued to cheer. Kakashi's face then dramatically changed and darkened. "All three of you will be dropped from the program, permanently.
"Huh," exclaimed Sasuke. "Dah," exclaimed Naruto. "Why," asked Sakura. From his post, Naruto kicked out savagely, "Drop us from the program? That means we can never become Shinobi? You said if we couldn't get the bells we would be sent back to the academy. You can't just change your mind and kick us out. Why would you do that?"
Kakashi smirked. "Because, you don't think and act like Shinobi. You act like little spoiled brats. "Now, Sasuke." Sasuke stood up with a grunt and charged. "Sasuke," cried out, Sakura. Kakashi had sat on top of Sasuke, immobilizing him and pointing a kunai at his head.
"You think it's all about you, don't you, Sasuke." Sasuke grunted, though he made no noise or movement. Sakura did all the talking for him. "LET GO OF SASUKE RIGHT NOW. YOU CAN'T STEP ON HIM LIKE HE'S SOME BUG."
She was silenced when a kunai hit the post right beside her. She gasped and slowly looked at it. "Little girl, are you trying to disrespect the Shinobi. You think it's all a game, don't you. And then you wonder why I 'Don't' send you back to the academy."
Sakura gasped and looked away, embarrassed. "I-I," she stammered. "Why do you think we put you on squads, did you ever consider that for one moment?" Sakura looked confused, "Uh, I don't know what you mean," she whispered. "I mean…you never realized what this exercise was all about. Not even close." "What it's about," asked Naruto. "Yes," replied Kakashi, holding down a struggling Sasuke. "That's what determines whether you pass or fail."
Sakura looked embarrassed, "But I wanted to ask you about that from the beginning." Kakashi sighed, "Tch, use your head. Three people on a squad," he said slowly, "Why do you think we would do that?" Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance. "How do expect us to know why you put on squads, we didn't make the rules," complained Naruto. "It's so basic…TEAMWORK," said Kakashi, loudly. The three Genin froze and stared at one another.
"Just teamwork, just working together," asked Sakura. "Yes, that's exactly what I mean. It's too late now, but if all three had come at me, you might have been able to take a bell." "Hehe, Sasuke," snickered Naruto. "Shut up, not yet, baka," whispered Sasuke." "What are you two talking about," asked Kyuubi. No one answered him. "Hey. Answer me, brats, arghhh…" "Later, fox," replied Sasuke. "You better," threatened Kyuubi before being quiet again.
"Wait a minute," interrupted Sakura, thinking about the bells. "You set it up with only two bells. If we had worked together, then only two of us could keep them, and that would lead to group arguments. We would break up." "Exactly," replied Kakashi, "I purposely pitted you against each other. I wanted to see if you could overcome that and put the squad ahead of yourselves. Basically, you would work together to get the bells as a group instead of competing with each other for lunch."
Sakura looked crestfallen. If only she had realized that. "A Genin should have a natural feel for teamwork…but you, it never even crossed your mind. I'll tell you what I mean. SAKURA!"
Sakura looked up surprised. "You obsessed about Sasuke, who was gone, while Naruto was right in front of you and you wouldn't lift a finger to help him. Naruto…Sasuke, the two of you were so bent on showing off that you put your ego ahead of your brains and made careless mistakes. You also didn't even bother to put your talents together." All three Genin looked down.
"Arrogance, ninja missions are carried out in teams of three. Of course you need individual skills, but more importantly TEAMWORK. Every Shinobi understands this. When individuals place themselves ahead of the squad this can lead to failure and death. For example," said Kakashi, pulling out two more kunai and holding it to Sasuke's throat. "Sakura, kill Naruto now, or Sasuke dies."
Sakura's mouth dropped wide open and she looked uncertain what to do. "Uh...uh.." "That's what happens on missions," said Kakashi, releasing Sasuke, finally. 'Oh boy, give me a heart attack will you,' thought Sakura. "The enemy takes a hostage, and you're forced to make an impossible decision and someone ends up dead," concluded Kakashi, standing up. "On every mission, your life is on the line." Sasuke stood up, as Kakashi walked to the stone monument. "Did you look at this stone, the names engraved on it? They are all ninja, who our honored as heroes in our village."
Sasuke and Naruto exchanged a sad glance. Sakura noticed this and asked, "What kind of heroes?" "Special heroes…heroes that are…K.I.A." Sakura's face fell… "Killed in action," she whispered. "This is a memorial stone, the names of my closest friends our on this stone," said Kakashi, with no emotion. The three Genin looked sadly at him. "Oh," said Sakura.
"Alright, I'm going to give you one more chance," he said, coldly. "But I'm going to make it much harder on you. You'll have three hours to get a bell. Eat lunch now to build up strength, but Naruto doesn't get 'anything.'
Naruto frowned. 'I don't like the way he said that,' he thought. While Naruto growled in frustration, Kakashi said, "It's your punishment for breaking the rules and eating by yourself. And…if anyone tries to feed him, that person automatically fails. Got it? I make the rules, and you follow them," he said coldly, before disappearing.
Sasuke and Sakura both took up lunch boxes, and began eating. "Now, Kyuubi," asked Naruto. "Fine, go ahead, Sasuke."
They both listened as Naruto's stomach growled in torment. Sasuke cleared his throat and raised his lunch box to Naruto. "Here, quickly eat some of mine." Sakura looked up from her meal. "No, Sasuke, you can't do that. You heard what the sensei said." Sasuke's eyes narrowed at her. "Sakura, we need to get those bells as a team. Kakashi's gone, so now's our chance to help Naruto get back his energy. Think of it like this: If Naruto is weak then he won't be able to be as effective as if he were feeling better."
Sakura looked uncertain, 'Sasuke,' she thought to herself, looking at her food. She remembered her vow earlier to be nicer to Naruto. "Wait, Naruto, eat my food instead." Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a very brief glance, one full of respect. "What are you doing, Sakura," asked Naruto. "Here, take it, you and Sasuke need to be at full strength if we hope to pass." Naruto nearly cried. "But isn't that your lunch?" "Uh…I'm on a diet, and…well…argh, just take it." "Okay, thanks." "Don't thank me, just take it." "You'll have to feed me," said Naruto, "My hands are tied."
Sakura's face fell. "You've got to be kidding me," she said. "Just do it, Sakura, hurry," urged Sasuke, who looked in the exact direction he knew Kakashi was in. "Alright…" she said reluctantly, this is a one time only thing." She slowly fed Naruto a rice ball and he happily consumed it. "Here he comes, brats, let's hope he's as kind as last time."
Smoke suddenly filled the area, and Kakashi's face surprised the three Genin, mostly Sakura. "YOU," he said, threateningly. Sakura covered her eyes in fear. "You broke the rules. I hope you're ready for your punishment." Kakashi did an unfamiliar hand sign and then said, "Any last words."
Naruto stared defiantly into Kakashi's eyes. "YEAH, you said the three of us are a team. And if we're going to get those bells it's going to be together as a team, and if we fail, we're going to fail as a team."
"That's right, we're all in the same squad, so we're in this together, that's why we fed Naruto. Because the only way we're going to get those bells are if he's in top shape," protested Sasuke. "That's right we're a team…we stick together," shouted Sakura. "The three of us are one," stated Naruto, proudly.
Kakashi walked closer, each step slower and slower to build up the tension. "The three of you are one, that's your excuse?" Kakashi paused, and for a moment Sasuke and Naruto were really afraid. Then he smiled. "You pass," said Kakashi, smiling. Sakura blinked. "Huh," she asked. "You…pass," said Kakashi. "What do you mean," asked Sakura, "How did we pass?"
Kakashi gave them a true wink this time. "You're the first squad that ever passed. The others did exactly as I told them to, and fell into every trap. They couldn't think for themselves. Remember, a ninja must see through deception," quoted Kakashi from a ninja scroll.
"In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum. That's true, but…those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."
Naruto and Sasuke grinned at each other, while Sakura giggled. "The exercise is over, everyone passes. Team seven will have their first mission tomorrow," stated Kakashi with his thumbs up. "YES," shouted Sakura, twirling. "Oh, yes and before I forget, good job Naruto, Sasuke for managing to take the bells." All three Genin gasped.
"Sensei what do you mean," asked Sakura. Kakashi laughed softly, "You can come out Sasuke…Naruto. I know where you are." The Naruto and Sasuke by Sakura disappeared in poof of smoke and the real ones stepped from behind a tree, the bells dangling from their fingers. Sakura's eyes bulged from their sockets. "WHAT! When did you two get over there," asked Sakura. "Aww, Sensei when did you find out?"
Kakashi appeared to think. "Why, shortly after I caught you trying to steal the food. I was suspicious after both of you took the bells from and switched them with fakes ones, but I was certain when I detected a communication between you two from right now. You both just keep surprising me today, so we're all going to have a talk later. I want to be able to understand something that's been bothering me, and you two will explain it. Sakura, you might as well hear it as well because of what they just did for you."
"Huh, what did they do," asked Sakura. "They helped you learn the vital importance of teamwork. I understand now what you guys did, good job." "Thanks, Kakashi Sensei," grinned Naruto.
As this exchange went on Sakura looked from her teammates back to Kakashi. "SOMEBODY EXPLAIN WHAT'S GOING ON," she yelled. Everyone laughed. "You see, Sakura, Sasuke and I already knew the exercise had something to do with teamwork, but we also knew you didn't so we needed you to learn the lesson the hard way. Sorry about that." Sakura glared at them both, "You mean I…" She fell silent realizing she didn't deserve to make fun of them. "In the meantime, Naruto and I stole the bells, while our Kage Bunshins distracted him with our jutsus," stated Sasuke matter of fact.
"They got the bells through teamwork, and wanted you to understand its importance, said Kakashi. "Think, if we had not done this exercise, would you have helped Naruto if he were to ever ask for it?" Sakura paused, "I uh…" The honest answer would have been no, but Sakura didn't say that.
"Right, so while you learned teamwork, Naruto and Sasuke learned arrogance doesn't pay off. They learned even though they know great techniques it'll never work against me…HAHAHAHA." Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a darkened glance. A challenge had just been set out. "Of course, what do you expect? How can I ninja who falls for the easiest traps, even hope of matching my skills?" Sakura, Kyuubi, and Sasuke took the opportunity to laugh at Naruto, who turned red. "Whatever, it must happen to everyone sometimes." The others coughed.
Kakashi laughed, "Let's go home."
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Lionheart: I know…the ending was a bit lame.
Next time: Missions!