Noriko raced to the academy, her headband worn proudly on her forehead, and her chakra earrings in place. One seemed to glow blue, giving it the appearance of a sapphire, one seemed to glow red, giving it the appearance of a ruby. She was focused on her own chakra, feeling how her chakra flowed through her body, and how much she was using with the exertion of running. She was so focused on her own chakra, she didn't notice the chakra levels of others around her until it was almost too late.
She drew a kunai from her thigh sheath, and in a blur blocked three shuriken. She heard a curse from somewhere. "Show yourselves," she called out. "I know you're out there, Ino and Sakura. You too, Tenten."
"Hmph," Tenten jumped down from her hiding place in a tree overlooking the road, and looked at Noriko. "I was hoping we'd end this quickly. Guy-sensei is expecting me elsewhere."
Ino and Sakura came out from their hiding places in the bushes. "Come on, Tenten. You know it'll take all three of us to take her down."
Noriko looked down at the shuriken Tenten had thrown at her. It wasn't a dulled training shuriken, it was a sharpened killing weapon. This was deadly serious. "So you've come to kill me too, now?"
Ino and Sakura looked shocked. Tenten smirked. "Well, killing is the way of the shinobi..."
Ino gasped at Tenten, and Sakura's eyed widened further as they both realized how deadly serious Tenten was being. "No, Tenten! We didn't want to kill her," exclaimed Sakura.
"We just wanted to teach her a lesson for kissing Sasuke!" finished Ino.
"Oh, we're not killing her? Too bad. I could have used the exercise. Well, I'm late to meet Guy, Lee, and Neji for training. Ja ne." Tenten disappeared, and the two remaining kunoichi sweatdropped as they faced Noriko. They both knew they were in trouble.
"You know, I was in a good mood, all things considered, until you showed up," started Noriko. "Then you brought your friend along to kill me, and this will be the second attempt on my life in two days."
"We're sorry!" exclaimed Sakura, to both Ino's and Noriko's surprise. "We didn't know what Tenten was planning! We just wanted to hurt you for stealing Sasuke's first kiss, we weren't going to kill you!"
Ino was surprised at Sakura's exclamation, but she had to nod and agree with it.
"You want Sasuke's first kiss? You can have it. Yech... I don't think that even qualified as a kiss. Bleagh." Noriko made gagging motions.
"What, Sasuke's not good enough for you now?" started Ino, and cut off as Noriko glared at her. She realized the position she and Sakura were in... Noriko could beat them both together if it came to a fight, without Tenten on their side.
"I'm not interested in that stuckup, snotty loser, and I'm sure the feeling is mutual. I don't care about your little rivalry over Sasuke, but leave me the hell out of it!" She turned in the direction of the academy and started walking. "Kami above, but you two would be dangerous if you'd put the amount of effort into training that you do chasing Sasuke... -urk!" The last was as, to Sakura and Ino's vision, she disappeared. She had been pushed into some bushes by a blur hitting her from the side, a blur Sakura and Ino had missed, but now pinned Noriko to the ground, hidden in the bush.
Tenten held a finger to her lips and winked at Noriko, as they could both hear Ino and Sakura talking as they passed. "That was different. I guess she was in a good mood, usually she'd at least give us a few bruises," came from Ino.
"I still don't know why you insist on keeping up this rivalry with her," from Sakura. "She's way above us, we're not going to learn much by getting beat by her."
"Maybe you're right. What was up with Tenten, anyway? I've never seen her like that!"
"I don't know. She's been different ever since she joined Guy's team. Maybe..." their voices faded as they went out of range of hearing.
Tenten let Noriko up and offered her a hand. "I'm sorry for this, but I felt you need to know the truth of what's been going on."
Noriko took the offered hand and stood. "I think I get it, from hearing Ino and Sakura talk. I should give them a few lumps for this deception. But where do you come in?"
Tenten sighed. "I gave up on Sasuke a long time ago, even before I graduated and joined Guy's team. I'm tired of them dragging me into their rivalry with you, also. I did that so they'd reconsider dragging me into it all the time."
Noriko giggled. "Well, if they were thinking clearly, they would have noticed. You didn't have any killing intent. If you did intend to kill me, I wouldn't have noticed your first attack until it hit. You wanted me to block it."
"Guilty as charged. Look, don't tell them about this. They're friends, but they need to get better on their own. I need to get back to training. Maybe we'll meet again." Tenten disappeared in a blur Noriko could barely follow.
'She's getting better,' thought Noriko. 'Being on a team and doing missions really does seem to make a difference...' That reminded her what time it was. "Crap! I'm going to be late! I don't want to miss team assignments!"
"Alright then. Everyone's here? Today we'll be making team assignments," said Iruka.
Noriko rolled her eyes. 'Why don't you tell us something else we already know, Iruka-oniichan.' She began to wonder who her teammates were going to be, and scanned the classroom. She knew each kunoichi would be paired with two other guys. Kiba would be an asset to a group, but she couldn't stand the dogboy. Shino was just creepy. Choji... ugh. Shikamaru might be useful to a team, but the guy lacked motivation in a major way. Sasuke? She hoped she didn't wind up on his team. Ino and Sakura were already insufferable. She was so caught up in trying to decide who she wanted on her team, she almost missed it when Iruka called her team.
"Team seven, under Hatake Kakashi: Uzumaki Noriko, Uchiha Sasuke, Inuzuka Kiba."
She snapped out of her daze. "What? Why do I have to be paired with those two losers?!"
Sasuke simply looked away with a "Tch." He didn't seem to like the team any more than she did.
Kiba was a bit more vocal about it. "Who are you calling losers?" he yelled out as he slammed his palms on his desk, glaring at her.
"Quiet down," said Iruka. "Each team was set up to get the best average of overall abilities. Sasuke graduated at the top of the class, while Kiba finished at the bottom. You, considering your lack of skill in techniques, yet high skill in Taijutsu and throwing, fell in the middle of the class."
She sat down, grumbling, then it hit her. "Kiba? He was the deadlast?" she just about fell out of her chair laughing.
"Hey! Shut it you otemba!"
That had her on her feet and glaring at Kiba. "What did you call me?!"
"You heard me. You're more boy than girl. You should have been put on a team with another guy and kunoichi. I don't know why our team had to be the only one without a girl."
She lunged at him, but was stopped by a hand on her collar. She was lifted up, and held off the ground by a Jonin that had appeared behind her. "Argh! Let me go! I swear I'll only hurt him a little!"
"Thank you, Guy, for being here to watch over this today. I swear this is the rowdiest class I've ever had." Iruka bowed to Guy.
"No problem. I'm happy to help make sure the flowers of youthfulness don't tear each other on their thorns."
Noriko was still struggling in Guy's grasp to escape and teach Kiba a lesson. Kiba was taunting her, laughing that she couldn't get to him. "Noriko, sit down. Kiba, behave. NOW!" Iruka's tone of voice indicated that he would not allow any argument.
Kiba gave a little whine of submission, turned forward and stopped his taunting of Noriko. Noriko tried to argue, sputtering out, "But.. but sensei, he-"
"NO BUTS! You're a ninja now, start acting like it."
She slumped. "Yes sir," she said, and Guy finally released her to her seat. He disappeared, but she knew he had to be around somewhere, watching.
"Now, then, the remaining team assignments are..."
"I can't believe I got stuck with both dogboy and mister fangirl magnet," griped Noriko. "On top of that, where the hell is our new sensei? He was supposed to be here hours ago." She seethed inside that she couldn't just knock Kiba around a bit. But she had been told if anyone on the team had so much as a bruise or a scratch on them when their Jonin instructor arrived, all three of them would be sent back to the academy and have to graduate all over again.
"As if you're such a pleasure to deal with." Kiba growled. He was moving a chair to the door. She watched in puzzlement as he climbed on the chair, and wedged a chalk eraser in the door so that anyone opening it would get hit.
She sighed. "You know he's a Jonin, he's not going to fall for such an elementary trap."
"Only one way to find out, isn't there?" Kiba grinned at her as he put the chair back where it was supposed to be.
She rolled her eyes. Inwardly, though, she was giggling. 'I wonder if our instructor really will get hit...'
"You two are annoying," said Sasuke. "Settle down and wait."
"Lighten up a bit. Don't you like pranks?"
"I feel no need to play such childish pranks on someone I don't even know," stated Sasuke, his attitude clearly showing he thought such pranks were beneath him.
"Pfeh. You're no fun."
The three waited in silence for a time, until all three heard the footsteps outside the door and perked up. The door opened and a silver-haired, masked ninja with his headband covering one eye walked in, and got hit in the head by the eraser.
Kiba started laughing. "I got him!"
"I'm sorry, sir! I tried to stop him, but he did it on his own!" said Noriko, but she was failing to cotain her giggling, and wasn't being very convincing.
Sasuke just looked at their new jonin instructor with an expression that clearly displayed his disbelief that a jonin could fall for a trap like that.
Their instructor reached down and picked up the eraser, and looked over his three genin students. "Hmm... well, for my first impression of you guys... I hate you."
All three sweatdropped.
"Meet me on the roof," he said, and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"First, let's have you guys introduce yourselves. You first, blondie."
"Eh? What should we talk about?"
"Well, your likes, dislikes, future dream, hobbies, stuff like that."
"What about you, sensei?" piped in Kiba. "Why don't you tell us about yourself too?"
"Me? My name's Hatake Kakashi. I don't feel like telling you about my likes and dislikes. I've never really thought about my future dream. As for my hobbies, I have many."
All three genin sweatdropped. "In the end, all we learned about him was his name," muttered Noriko. Kiba nodded.
"Next is you guys. Blondie?"
"My name's Uzumaki Noriko. I like training, fighting, and ramen, especially the ramen from Ichiraku. I hate stupid fangirls, and people who won't take me seriously. My hobbies are training my Taijutsu, and making myself stronger. My dream is to be the strongest and most beautiful kunoichi, just like my role model Tsunade-sama, and become the hokage so everyone will recognize and accept me!"
'Hmm, she's grown up in an interesting way,' thought Kakashi.
Kiba burst out laughing. "You? Be the hokage? And like Tsunada? Don't make me laugh. You're too much of a kawaiikune otemba to be like her, and I'll be hokage before you ever will!"
Kakashi felt Noriko's intent to kill before either of the other two genin did, and before she could draw out her kunai from its sheath on her thigh pouch, she found his hand covering hers, preventing it from moving the kunai a millimeter out of its sheath.
All three genin sweatdropped; none of them could even follow his movement. One moment he was sitting some distance from them, the next he was holding Noriko from drawing her kunai. One thought raced through all three minds: 'How much stronger is a jonin above a genin?'
"He is your teammate, no matter what he says. Remember that," said Kakashi, and Noriko could feel the intensity of his chakra. She felt that, at any moment, she could be killed by this man... on a whim even. She just nodded, and he removed his hand from hers. She rubbed her wrist, to get the blood in her hand circulating again, and to still her trembling.
"Well then. Next, you." Kakashi was back, sitting in the same position he was before, as if nothing had happened. His one visible eye focused on Kiba.
"My name is Inuzuka Kiba. I like my companion, Akamaru, and I dislike dog haters. My hobby is training with Akamaru at my side. My dream is... well, I guess I haven't thought about that much either."
"Hmm... Alright. And finally, you." His eye came to rest on Sasuke.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I have many dislikes, but no likes in particular. And I don't feel like summing up my ambition as just a dream, but I do have an ambition. The ambition to restore my clan, and without fail... to kill a certain man."
Both of the other genin sweatdropped. Who knew Sasuke had such a dark ambition? "Good," said Kakashi. "The three of you are very distinctive and interesting. We'll have a mission tomorrow.
The genin looked excited at that. At least, Kiba and Noriko did. Sasuke wore the same uninterested expression he usually did. "What kind of mission?" asked Noriko.
"First, we'll do what we can do with just four people. A survival exercise."
All three looked disappointed.
"Isn't this supposed to be a mission," asked Kiba. "Why are we doing a training exercise?"
Kakashi chuckled, "Of the 27 graduates, only nine will be recognized as genin ninjas. The remaining eighteen will be sent back to the Academy. This is a survival exercise with a 66% failure rate, with your academy graduation at stake."
"That's crazy!" burst out Kiba. "We went through all that to graduate, and now we have to take another test? And only a third of us will make it?"
"That's right. I'll be the one that decides whether you pass or fail. That's the way it is. Meet at five in the morning, bring all your ninja tools. All of them." His gaze settled on Kiba. Kakashi knew about the Inuzuka clan, they fought alongside their dogs. Kiba got the message clearly. Bring Akamaru.
All three genin had similar thoughts at that moment. They had different motivations, but they all knew, they couldn't fail this test.
"Okay, you're dismissed. Oh... and you'd best skip breakfast. You'll throw it up." Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the three genin to their thoughts.
The next morning, the three genin met each other at the training ground. Akamaru was sleeping on Kiba's head, who looked like he was sleepwalking himself. Noriko was dragging herself along. Only Sasuke really looked awake. They sat, and waited for their jonin instructor, as the sun came up.
They waited. And waited. An hour passed, then two. No sign of their instructor.
Kiba played fetch with Akamaru, throwing Akamaru's favorite toy, which Akamaru chased and returned to Kiba. Noriko would have thought it was cute, if she weren't bored out of her mind herself waiting for Kakashi. They continued to wait.
Hours continued to pass. Akamaru and Kiba had tired of their sport, and now both napped. Noriko tossed small stones at each other, idling away the time waiting for Kakashi. Nobody could tell what Sasuke was thinking about. They continued to wait.
Finally, Kakashi appeared. "Good morning, folks."
Noriko and Kiba both screamed out at him, "YOU'RE LATE!!!" Akamaru barked his agreement.
"Well, this black cat crossed my path, you see..."
All three genin and the dog looked at him like they couldn't believe what they were hearing.
"*cough* Yes, well then." He set an alarm clock on a stump. The time read 11:10.
"It's set for 12:00. Today's assignment is to take these bells away from me by noon. Those who can't do it don't get lunch." He shook the bells, and they clattered against each other. "Those who don't get a bell will be tied to those logs and get to watch while I eat my lunch in front of you."
All three genin sweatdropped as their empty stomachs grumbled. 'So that was the point of not eating breakfast,' they thought.
"But sensei, there's only two bells there. That means..." started Noriko.
"Yes. Only two of you will pass this test. The other will be disqualified for failing this test, and return to the academy. It might be one person, at the very least, or it could be all three of you. You can use your shuriken. You won't be able to take the bells unless you come with the intent to kill me. Begin when I give the ready-go signal."
"Damn you!" yelled out Kiba, as he drew a kunai and rushed Kakashi. "You made us skip breakfast for your trick, and now you're not even going to graduate all three of us?" His attack stopped abruptly as he found himself with his arm pinned behind his back, the back of his neck pricked by his own kunai held by Kakashi.
"Don't be so hasty. I didn't say start, yet."
Akamaru whined at his masters distress, and Kiba sweatdropped. Sasuke and Noriko took a step backward. Was this the power of a jonin? None of them had seen him move.
"But that's fine," he said as he released Kiba from his hold. "At least you came at me with the intent to kill. How can I put this... I think I'm finally starting to like you guys. We're going to start. Ready... Start!"
The three genin scattered in different directions to conceal themselves.
Noriko crouched in the bushes, watching Kakashi. He was looking around, apparently trying to figure out where the three of them had concealed themselves. She saw no indication that he was dropping his guard, so she stayed there, crouched, and waited.
After a time, Kakashi reached into his pouch. Noriko watched unblinkingly. What was he going to pull out? A smoke bomb? A shuriken? Had he discovered one of them?
She watched with some disbelief as he pulled out a book. The cover read "Make Out Paradise", it was a perverted book. She sweatdropped. Was he really going to lower his guard to read a book?
Two shuriken flew from somewhere. Kakashi caught them between his fingers without even looking up from his book. "You can come out now, Kiba," he said. "I know where you threw those from."
"Damn it," said Kiba as he jumped from a tree. "Alright, since we can't get you even when your guard is down, let's do this."
Akamaru jumped down from Kiba's head and barked at Kakashi.
"Hm?" Kakashi's visible eye wandered to Kiba, and then back to his book. "Alright, I guess I have some time to teach you some things. Ninja art #1, Taijutsu."
"I know what Taijutsu is, you prat!" Kiba swung with a clawed attack at Kakashi, who dodged it without taking his eyes from the book. Kiba kicked back at Kakashi, who had dodged behind him, but Kakashi dodged again. Akamaru barked, and jumped at where Kakashi dodged to, only to have him disappear.
Kiba looked around. "Dammit, where'd he go?"
"Behind you," said Kakashi, holding his hands in the tiger sign. Noriko widened her eyes. That was a dangerous jutsu Kakashi was going to use! It looked like he was going to use fire jutsu.
"Don't let your enemy get behind you," Kakashi said. Akamaru barked a warning to Kiba. "Too late! Leaf Village Secret: Ultimate Taijutsu!" he called, and shoved the tiger sign right up Kiba's butt. "One Thousand Years of Pain!" He shoved, and Kiba flew off, howling in pain. He landed in the river. Akamaru growled and barked at Kakashi, then ran and jumped into the water after his master.
Noriko sweatdropped. What a stupid technique.
She decided she needed to come up with a plan. If Kakashi wouldn't leave them any openings, she'd have to make one herself. Thinking quickly, she created a shadow clone, and sent it after Kakashi.
"Hm?" he looked at her clone. "You don't think you're going to fare any better than your teammate, do you?"
"Shut up!" said the clone. Noriko hoped he was convinced it was her. "I'll get a bell no matter what! Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!" Noriko created the clone near her existing clone as the clone said that. In total, there were 7 clones there.
"Hmph. Shadow clones. You can't beat me that way."
"Here I come!" All seven shadow clones rushed him, while Noriko prepared to throw a shuriken from her hiding place. The clones attacked Kakashi with her best taijutsu attacks, but one by one were thrown back and disappeared in a puff of smoke. As the last two remaining clones started another attack, she threw her shuriken, aiming at the bit of rope that held one of the bells. The shuriken connected, as both clones managed to connect a punch with Kakashi....
And Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.
The two clones, and Noriko herself looked around. Had they been fighting a shadow clone? Where was the real Kakashi?
"Hey," said a voice from behind her, and she turned around to see Kakashi there. He held his hands in a sign. "You might want to do something about those chakra spikes of yours. I knew exactly where you were the moment you made your first clone." He activated the technique he was holding the sign for. Noriko felt her head become hazy, as the world spun around her, leaves swirling around. When she regained her bearings, she was alone.
"Noriko," came a voice from behind her. She turned around, and it was Iruka. He was bloody from multiple kunai wounds, and he had a giant shuriken running through him. "It was a surprise attack on the village. Help... me..." he said, and collapsed.
"Iruka-oniichan!" She ran to him, and felt for a pulse. He was dead. "NO!!!" she screamed, and fainted.
She awoke to a cold, wet nose in her face, and a wet tongue rubbing her face. "Ack, thph... Akamaru, what? Where's..."
"Yo," Kiba came into her range of vision. "Akamaru found you passed out. What'd Kakashi do to you?"
She thought about it. "Genjutsu," she said. "It had to be. I saw Iruka dying, and then I passed out."
"Have you come to the same conclusion I have?"
She thought about that. "Kakashi's too strong. He's a jonin, and we're just genin. One on one, there's no way any of us are going to get a bell."
"Right. So we're going to have to team up on him. We might even need mister stick-up-the-butt's help."
Noriko giggled, thinking that Sasuke wasn't the only one to have something up his butt recently. But she became serious. "You know there's only two bells. There's three of us. One of us fails."
"At least one of us failing is better than all three of us failing, which is what's going to happen if this keeps up. We can decide between us which of us fails, AFTER we get those bells."
She had to admit Kiba was making a lot of sense. Even more surprising was that it was Kiba that had come up with it. She should have thought of it first. "Alright, so we'll team up on Kakashi to get those bells, and then we'll decide who gets them. But how do we get Sasuke..."
She cut off as they both heard a scream from Sasuke. They rushed in the direction they heard him, and found him buried to his neck in the dirt. "What happened to you?" they both asked at the same time.
"Ninjutsu. Sneaky bastard got me." Sasuke struggled there for a few moments. "Could one of you help? I can't budge an inch."
Kiba and Noriko looked at each other and grinned. Perfect opportunity. Sasuke saw them, and didn't like the look of the grin.
Noriko walked up and squatted down in front of Sasuke. "Sure, we'll help you out... IF you'll help us out."
"Explain," was all Sasuke said in response to that.
"We want to get those bells. None of us here can get them by ourselves. So we want you to help us get the bells, and we'll decide which one of us fails afterward."
"Feh. I don't need your help to get the bells. I'll do it myself."
"Alright, we'll just leave you to struggle out of that hole you're in yourself. If you're lucky, you might get out of there before the time's up..."
Sasuke was trapped, and he knew it. "Alright, alright, fine. Get me out of here."
The three of them crouched in the bushes, looking at Kakashi. Time was running out, and all three of them knew it. "The clones are in place," whispered Noriko. "Is Akamaru ready?"
"Yeah, he's in place. You ready for this, Sasuke?"
"Yeah. Let's get this over with."
On cue, the three burst out of their hiding place and rushed Kakashi. He looked up from reading his book. "Oh, a group attack? But you know one of you will fail."
"Shut up!" Noriko attacked Kakashi with her best moves, and Kiba came in to support her. When Kakashi jumped back to avoid their mutual attacks, he was surprised to see shuriken coming at him from multiple directions. He jumped away to avoid again, and all seven clones that had thrown shuriken broke cover, surrounded him, and rushed him. Kiba and Noriko threw shuriken at him, and he jumped high into the air to avoid the multitude of attacks.
"Fire style: Fireball Technique!" He heard Sasuke call, and knew he was in trouble. He couldn't change directions in the air, he was a sitting duck for the fireball.
The three genin cheered when they saw the fireball engulf Kakashi, only to be disappointed as the fireball dispersed to reveal a charred, burnt log. "Substitution technique? Then where..."
"Right here," came from behind them, and the three genin sweatdropped. They turned around to see a very slightly singed Kakashi holding the sign for a nearly completed technique. I thought I told you once, don't let an enemy get behind y-"
He cut off as Akamaru jumped from behind him, and bit the bells off their strings. Akamaru ran to Kiba to deliver the bells.
"Alright! We win!" cheered Noriko.
Kakashi released the sign, and brushed at some of the singes on his coat. "So, you got the bells. Good teamwork. But there's only two of them, how are you..."
Kakashi sweatdropped as the three genin started playing Jan-Ken-Po against each other for the bells. Kakashi sighed. He didn't have any other choice at this point.
He loomed over the three of them, and looked down at them where they were playing. They all looked up at him nervously.
He smiled at them beneath his mask. "Congratulations, you all pass!"
They all looked at him, dumfounded. "But sensei... why..." started Noriko.
"Ah, I see you don't quite get the point of the test yet. No matter. The three of you performed admirably as a team, even knowing that one of you would fail. It did take me beating the sense into you individually for you to get it, but you managed to figure it out before the time was up."
In the distance, the four of them heard the alarm bell just beginning to go off. "So, that means..."
"Noriko, a ninja must learn to see through deception. This test was meant to put you against each other, to see if you could function as a team even when a mission forces you to choose between teamwork and finishing the mission. In this case, one of you would be disqualified whether you got the bells or not. Yet all three of you came at me full force anyway, knowing one of you would fail. That's the kind of teamwork that is expected of shinobi."
"You three pass! Team seven starts missions tomorrow!"
The three genin cheered each other, tossing the bells into the air. They had finally made it. They were ninja!
Author's Note: This chapter was much more challenging to write than the first chapter, for the bell test scene. In the first chapter, the scene I took from the anime, Noriko stealing the scroll of sealing and the scenes to follow the characters involved were the same, with Noriko being the only exception. In this chapter, not only did I have Noriko's apparent intelligence and skill level being far different from Naruto's, I had Sakura replaced by Kiba. To an extent, I compensated for this by replacing Naruto with Kiba and Sakura with Noriko, but that only just worked to an extent. Noriko is not Sakura, and Kiba is not Naruto, and their skills and priorities are different. Sasuke is the only predictable factor here, but events still unfolded differently for him, from his perception, than they did in the anime.
Still, I think I did a good job here. Let me know what you thought of it.