It was another beautiful day in Konoha. The weather was just right with very little wind and a bright shining sun. There wasn't a single speck of a cloud in the sky. Every once in a while there would a slight breeze ran through the trees making them rustle quietly. Overall it was a perfect day to take an exam. In an empty training ground designated for the said exam, three figures suddenly appeared each carrying a bag that held suspicious items. They looked at each other with smirks on their faces. This was going to be a day worth remembering. After a brief discussion, they consulted a map that one of the males created before they each split off into different directions to set it up.
Sometime later, the same three people reappeared. However, this time, they came empty handed though they exuded an air of satisfaction. Each took a different place near three worn-down wooden blocks that were wedged firmly to the ground. Had anyone passed by, they would have thought nothing about it. After all it looked to be that the three were simply hanging out and having a friendly discussion, not planning the humiliating demise of their teacher. If a person were to move a tad bit closer they would realize that it was far from being a friendly discussion.
"I can't wait until he comes. He needs to get a taste of what he had done to us. Especially what he did to me!" stated Naruto arms crossed, leaning against one of the wedged blocks.
"You weren't the only one that was humiliated." replied Sasuke, who was standing against a tree to the side, in annoyance.
Sakura nodded her head in agreement, "Yes, I think that was the only time I ever screamed so loud. I can't believe I fell for such a juvenile trick."
"At least he didn't leave you underground." muttered Sasuke. He could still vividly remember being buried alive. It was not the most pleasant experience.
"What's your point?" Naruto scowled, "What he did to me was the most humiliating thing ever! You all saw what happened. Compared to me, you got off easy."
Sasuke's mouth twitched while Sakura giggled. They both recalled what had happened to Naruto. While it was the funniest thing that ever happened, it also showed how far Kakashi was willing to go to make a fool out of them. They all shared a laugh. As they continued to bicker about miscellaneous things, an observer watched them with keen interest.
He stood a couple meters away, in the shade of a tree as he studied the group that was supposed to be his team. Kakashi had only just arrived and decided to watch them for a little while. From the way it looked, the three looked completely content with each other, something he had never seen before... Usually, the new teams were rather sullen and often argued amongst each other. He watched as they laughed once again and frowned as he remembered what was written on the report.
It clearly indicated that Sasuke was a complete loner, a recluse that always seemed to be moody and unresponsive to people his age. However, it also said that the kid was smart and had talent. Naruto was supposed to be a loud mouth boy that would do anything to get attention. He ranked the lowest out of the whole class. It was said that Naruto and Sasuke had a bad relationship and would often get into fights as well. Sakura was supposed to be a heart stricken girl in love with the Uchiha while also harboring an intense hatred at Naruto. Though she was at the top of the class intellectually, her expertise in taijutsu was mediocre at best. From what he surmised in the report, he was sure that there was going to be internal strife.
But as he watched them from where he stood, he was at a loss of what to think. There was no fighting, no arguments. The way they portrayed themselves was similar to that of long time friends, nothing like what the report said. Sasuke and Naruto looked nothing like rivals and Sakura was not pining after Sasuke and shouting hateful remarks to Naruto. The two males did not treat Sakura as the weaker of the bunch because of her gender; rather they treated each other as an equal. In fact, a feeling of camaraderie was what the three exuded. Kakashi was starting to think that either the report was inaccurate, or that the three were just really good at hiding their friendship. He gave a small groan of aggravation. Why did he have to be assigned to this team?
Initially, when he first glanced over the reports, he dashed them off as another bunch of kids with no real talent, even the Uchiha. That boy was too caught up in his anger which Kakashi found to be a great hindrance. They even had the audacity to pull that trick that left him smelling like chocolate for hours. However…Kakashi sighed; they seemed different from all the other teams he had, slightly more mature…they definitely had the determination. Things weren't adding up. Kakashi sighed again before making his appearance. Might as well get down to it now… maybe he might be able to purchase another volume of Ichi Ichi Paradise that had just come out after this and drown out all his confusion in it.
He moved from his position and casually strolled into the training ground, catching the attention of the three genin. He gave a lazy wave before greeting them "Yo."
Sakura had a disapproving glare, "Excuse me sensei but I thought you told us to be here by 8 O' Clock sharp. We were about to go and look for you!"
Kakashi raised his brow in amusement, "Well pinkie, I was walking here when I saw this old lady that needed help with her groceries so I went and-" He watched as the three genin rolled their eyes, a clear sign of disbelief. Did his reputation of being late circulate that even genin know about his excuses?
Naruto threw his hand up in exasperation "Can we just get on with it?!"
Kakashi could not help but raise his brow however he decided it was best that he just get on with it, might as well lead them on. "I am going to keep it simple." He took out a timer and set it on one of the blocks. "I will set an alarm that will go off at noon, which is roughly an hour from now. That will be your time limit." The three genin traded looks before nodding their understanding.
He continued, taking out two small bells and began tying them to his kunai pouch, "As you see, I have these two small bells which are now tied to me. Your exam is to simply steal these from me before the timer sounds. Anybody who is unable to obtain one will not only be excluded from lunch but will also be sent back to school as a failure. Understand?"
Instead of faces of shock and surprise, there were only amused glances and confident smirks. How surprising. Naruto gave a cheeky grin "Bring it on Kakashi-sensei." His teammates seemed to share his idea; in fact they looked down right eager to start.
Kakashi fought the urge to roll his eyes and couldn't help but give a small smile at the enthusiasm. Maybe, just maybe, this group could do it. Maybe they understood. "All right, remember that all you need is just one bell a piece and whoever doesn't get one will go back to school. I expect you all to attack as though you mean to kill me for you'll never get to me with lackadaisical movements."
"Are you sure you want all of us to attack as if we were to kill, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked with a rather feral grin, obviously ready to start. Kakashi eyed the girl before him warily, some signal going off in his mind, telling him that he was treading on dangerous waters. The three looked like hounds waiting to be released. What did he do wrong?
As he eyed the three, he thought to himself idly, 'Why do I have a bad feeling that this is not going to end prettily?' before giving his reply, "Like I said before, pinkie, attack as if you were going to kill me."
"We'll hold you to that." said Sakura, trading grins with her teammates.
Kakashi bit back the urge to sigh, before clicking the timer, "Begin!"
The Hokage sat before his jonin instructors expectantly. He was a man who had seen many things in his life time becoming wiser, as a student, teacher, and leader. He was the sandaime. Truthfully, he should have retired a long time ago, however that incident all those years ago, forced him back into service, not that he didn't enjoy it. He loved his village. But really, it was tiring at times especially with each passing year. It didn't help that there was a constant onslaught of papers and reports that needed to be read.
Currently, he was meeting with all the jonin and listening to the report from those that were assigned teams. Some of the jonins that didn't have teams simply came to enjoy the tales of failures or success. So far, only two genin teams from this year had made it, Kurenai's and Asuma's. They had been expected to pass since one was the re-tailoring of the Ino-Shika-Cho group and the other team consisting of Hinata, Kiba, and Shino whom all had similar attributes leaning towards tracking. The Third Hokage was pleased with those that passed, but what he was really waiting for was the one that belonged to Kakashi. Heck every single one of them wanted to know what would become of that team. It was the team with the container and the last heir. However it was taking quite a while. It made the Hokage wonder; though it was know that Kakashi would be late, it was within a reasonable time slot.
The Hokage tapped the ashes out of his pipe. He was really beginning to question what happened as more time passed by. Kakashi was never this late to something important. Suddenly there was a poof of smoke. Though they all knew who it was likely to be, it was a shock when they saw what had happened to the jonin. Never did they see the jonin come so beat after a session with genin. Hell, usually he was the one that returned squeaky clean, not covered with cuts and bruises everywhere. It also seemed as if a rainbow had decided to give the ninja a big hug. He was covered in an assortment of colored blots. Really what had happen? It was a rather tense silence as many jonin present could not decide whether or not they should laugh and face the wrath of Kakashi. They definitely wanted to know what happened here.
"Team 7 has passed with flying colors…" said Kakashi in an even tone, completely disregarding the reaction that he had created for appearing in such a state. He stood calmly, solely focusing on the Hokage. Said Hokage was trying very hard to suppress a smile that threatened to overtake his face. He covered his mouth as if he were going to put the pipe at his mouth. The Hokage gave a sign of dismissal. Kakashi gave a quick bow before disappearing as quickly as he appeared. As soon as he left, the room was flooded with conversation as they all talked to each other in amazement. First off, Kakashi never passed anybody….that was blasphemy in itself! Added to that, the man came back looking like he went through a war with colors, quite literally.
Asuma chuckled before breaking out into a bark of laughter. What an amusing turn of events, "Well, he had it coming. I wonder how those kids pulled that off." The Hokage joined in quiet laughter and looked out the window, pleased with the outcome. 'I guess they were able pass then. What a pleasant surprise.' With the final results in the Hokage dismissed the whole group, leaving them to speculate at what had happened in the fight against Team Seven.
Meanwhile, Kakashi slammed the door to his apartment with a definitive bang. He walked straight to the bathroom and eyed the mirror image before him. A slew of curses threatened to burst through his mouth but he only grunted before heading for the shower and getting himself cleaned up. Sometime later, after the water was no longer mixed with paint, he got out and changed into sweats and a black shirt. He thanked the gods that the paint was not permanent else he would have had to use genjutsu to cover them. With a sigh, he sat at his couch holding some bandages and disinfectant. Time to assess the wounds he received. It was an assortment of bruises and cuts that ranged in many sizes. Some of them were small while one particular bruise was the size of his fist. Surprising how the three were able to give such damage. As he began to apply disinfectant and wrap them, his thought began to wander back to the actual fight.
How could he have let this happen to him? They completely shocked him, derailing what was written in the report. Sure, they had the starting foundations of becoming a well rounded team. But how was it that they were able to communicate and do all of this. It was as if they were completely comfortable with each other that they could sense each other's movements. They were definitely experienced in team combat. But how was that possible since they had only been assigned together yesterday?
Not only that, they got the bells from him like it was child's play, actually worked out a rather cunning plan that he had grudgingly admired. He was truly surprised at the display of team work and he once again felt off balanced.
He frowned slightly pausing from his medical administration. It was rather strange now that he thought about it. Everything really seemed planned and well rehearsed, as if they had really done it all before. It was like they knew about the test before he even started to explain it. Maybe an elder genin had told them before. It was puzzling just how much in sync they all were after all, to carry out a plan like that required a great amount of group work. Plus, he felt sure that they could have beaten him if they wanted to, considering how much of a disadvantage he was. If he had not let his guard down and had not been so shocked, it would not have come to such a spectacle. Kakashi frowned. 'Well, I'm sure this is a mystery waiting to be solved. Team 7…' Kakashi gave a small grin…just maybe, he would enjoy this assignment.
A couple of hours before, at the testing grounds:
The moment Kakashi announced the start of the exam; the three genin quickly dispersed, completely hiding their presence. He was impressed. They would have put a lot of chuunin he knew to shame. He had to commend their efforts as he looked around. It would take some effort to actually locate them, 'Hmmm, I wonder where they could have hidden themselves.'
He had an ominous feeling as he quietly observed the area around him. Then, suddenly, something, no some things flew towards him. He moved just in time to see two shuriken came passing by from different directions, crisscrossing each other. They had just missed him by a hair width. What were these genin doing? Quite suddenly after that thought, there was an abrupt barrage of shuriken and kunai, that seemed to be released by pre placed wires. Were they hoping that if they launched enough weapons that they would get him? He continued to dodge them with relative ease as a couple more rounds were aimed at him. This was rather dull. He was half tempted to take out his favorite book and read.
Suddenly, random incoming shuriken exploded as they approached him, releasing pellets of different colors collided into him at a rapid speed, like paintballs. He gave an inner moan of anguish as the pellets landed on him, splattering a blot of bright red and sky blue. There was no pattern that he could perceive and he was unable to pinpoint the actual locations. He was becoming a collage of colors, all of them bright colors that many ninja dreaded and downright despised. It didn't help that there were still real weapons amongst the shower of metal. He could definitely surmise that the amount of cuts he had received exceeded the amount of fingers he had. This was already not going in his favor. What a sudden change in events. By now he was practically surrounded by a sea of weapons that were splattered with paint, while he himself looked like he decided to take a shower in a rainbow. Those little brats…
Meanwhile, the, brats-, members of Team 7 were having the time of their lives as they watched their trap unfold with sadistic glee. Round after round of shuriken and kunai were released with a trip of the wires that they had set around the area. The pellets that they had inserted in were working wonderfully, turning their usually darkly dressed sensei into a bright flashy clown. Revenge was sweet and it was only the beginning!
"This is so worth getting up early for." cackled Naruto with glee as he watched the scene before him. Sakura and Sasuke watched with equal amusement all the while trying to stifle their laughter. They still needed to make sure they weren't found yet. As they watched the last two waves release the final load, they sobered up, though there was a constant giggle. It was time to continue with the act.
Naruto motioned them to get ready, "Alright, I believe that was the last line of wire. Time to commence Phase ll. Spread out and remember the plan." His teammates nodded and they each took separate routes to their designated area.
The first part of the plan was to be carried out by one of them. That person stood at the location, patiently waiting for the arrival of Kakashi. It was time to give some back to the jonin sensei.