I know I haven't updated in forever… and this one is short… very short. I'm sorry- just bear with me will you?


Both Ashimakase and I looked up to see none other than Chicken-Ass-Head himself.

"Sensei shouldn't have had to say it! Obviously we're a team, so we should work as a team. If a loser could figure that out, you would think that the Uchiha boy- such a non loser and the best in our class- would have figured it out as well… wouldn't you think Kase-chan?"

"I would think so- but I guess us two-bit village losers wouldn't understand such complications as these!" we gave each other fake pitying looks.

"But, alas, it would appear that we losers were the ones to get the bell." I shook the bell tauntingly. Uchiha's face hardened, as his mouth opened to retaliate, Naruto burst into the clearing.

"AWWW MAN! How'd you get a bell?! Hey wanna buddy up and say we got it together?" Naruto reached toward the bell as I pulled it away. He hesitated and then tried again, with the same result.

He looked as desperate as Sasuke did peeved. "C'mooooon! Please?" Naruto pleaded again.

"Look, Naruto, Ash and I worked together to get this bell. Maybe if you team up with Chi- er… Uchiha or Haruno you could still find Sensei and get a bell for yourselves."

"Man, I thought I could just ask and you would give it to me. Isn't that what you Shadow village-born nin do?"

"…Excuse me?" Ash asked with a serious oh-no-he-didn't attitude.

"That's it, stereotype. That's always the way to go! I mean really- we need to fit to our village image better Ash! I think I'll start right now- How 'bout it Naruto?! I'll give you something- A NICE BIG SCAR ON YOUR ASS!" my hand flew to one of the swords at my waist.

"Hey now- break it up. You could seriously draw some major blood, and that would end up on my record."

I made a surprised squeal and whipped around to face the speaker- it was obviously Kakashi-Sensei. Sakura staggered into the clearing as I got a hold of myself.

"Sensei, what's going on? I didn't miss anything did I?" she said it a bit too coolly.

/hah.. I bet she fainted because she thought her Sasuke-kun was hurt…/

"You haven't missed anything Sakura. Now that you're here we can start- if Miss Nozomii would kindly leave…" Kakashi eye smiled at Ash.

"Oh… right… Team stuff! I got it! I'm gone!" Ash started walking away. As she walked past me she whispered "Good luck!" before she jumped away.

"Now then, out of the four of you only one figured out the way to get a bell and achieved the objective of this exercise." Before he could say anymore Sakura went off on a fangirlish tangent.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun! I knew you would do it!" as she went on stroking his enormous ego I took out the bell and shook it. Sakura flinched and slowly turned to see me with a somewhat disgusted face on and bell in hand.

"Kaji, don't pick fights." Kakashi said somewhat boredly. He fluidly made a hand sign and the bell I held disappeared in a puff of smoke. Uchiha and Sakura both tried to hide satisfied smirks as I realized what had happened.

"It was a fake!" I exclaimed with a loss of other words.

/I should have known! There's no way Ash and I could have taken the bell from a Jounin./

"Unfortunately you failed to realize in your haste how easily I gave up the bell. I have no choice but to declare you failure of the failures. Please report to the Academy mission hall. The Hokage is expecting you." Kakashi continued to address the other tree, but I didn't hear a word he said. My entire world was crashing in around me. It was rigged. They were going to send me to Suna anyway. My knees buckled underneath me. I had just gotten used to Konoha and already they were sending me away. I wasn't a native, and yet this felt like nothing more than treachery.

/Wait- treachery? No… the elders… they couldn't have-/

"Kaji! I told you to go to the mission hall!" Kakashi's voice broke through my thoughts. I looked at all the faces around me. Only one of the four looked concerned, although Naruto probably looked like that because Kakashi told him off… or something.

I slowly rose to my feet, gave everyone a piercing look and ran off to confirm what I had dreaded since Kaguri transferred me and Ash to Konoha.


Jeeze, I really am sorry I just got somebody's hopes up for a nice chapter to continue the story and crushed them within a matter of minutes… I'll try to write a longer chapter next time.

But just to kill you all inside….

Next time…

Kaji goes to the mission hall only to be greeted by the news she expected, but not from the people she thought. During her last days living as a resident of Konoha she's going to have to say her goodbyes… but who knew it was going to be so hard?