A/N: Whew, I finally finished this chapter, well not really. I was debating whether to post this chapter up now or keep writing Kakashi's survival test scene and make this chapter around 10K+ words. However, if I would've keep on writing I wouldn't be able to upload this chapter for another week, and you guys and gals have waited way too long as it is. So, I decided to break them into two chapters. I'm currently half way into writing Kakashi's survival test scene and I've hit a small bump in the road, I'm trying to work around it so I'll be able to upload the next chapter next week! Hopefully, I don't get distracted with a replay of Dark Soul 2... again...
Err, regarding the oneshots polls, I'll be closing the polls on September 27th! So make sure you vote! I'll be posting the first oneshot, (whenever I finished it) as it's own story and not as part of this story. Some of you were confused as to why I put "Tony's Brother?" on here, and that's my fault! So to avoid any confusion, any oneshots I write will be posted at their own story and not part of this story. Only the outtakes will be posted as part of this story!
Hmm, I think that's all I have to say for now and I'll shut up and let y'all enjoy this chapter! Thanks you guys and gals, y'all are awesome and don't let anyone tell you different! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter Fifteen: Team Seven
February 1st 1992, 8:00 a.m.
Konoha's Shinobi Academy, Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni
"Alright, alright, settle down. I know you're all excited, but I can't get started until all of you sit down." Iruka addressed his class sternly, waiting for his students to quiet down and take their seats, once satisfied with his class, Iruka smiled fondly, "thank you."
Walking towards the middle of his classroom, he peered around his class noticing all of his student's eyes were radiating with excitement and determination. It wasn't until his eyes caught Naruto's familiar azure orbs that he smiled at the blonde. He was glad the blonde managed to patch things up with Raiden, he smiled warmly at the pair before he cleared his throat.
"Everyone who's sitting here today has managed to pass the Graduation Exam and received their very own hitai-ate. Wear your hitai-ate with pride because from this day forth, you'll be representing our village wherever you go, as a Shinobi from Konohagakure no Sato. "
"Today is the day you'll be meeting your teammates and team captain." He stated with a serious expression etched on his face, "you'll be spending most of your time and life with your teammates and team captain, which would create deep bonds with each other that will last a lifetime." Iruka paused, "some may not like whom they're paired with; in fact, some may become rivals. But, you must overcome your dislike and animosity of each other, and put the safety of your team and the village first; as your priority. You cannot allow your childish attitude to cloud your judgment because once you're outside the village's walls… you'll be risking your life..."
"You'll only have your team to ensure you come back alive and well, and not dead in the line of duty. You cannot trust anyone, but your team...and if you don't trust your team or don't try to cooperate with them; then, you're a liability. You're endangering your teammates' lives, including yours…. and failing the pledge you took to protect our village."
He watched as his class remained silent, mulling over his somber speech, letting his words sink in. After couple of seconds of silence, Iruka clapped his hands. "Okay, let's get this show rolling…. Oh, and please remain seated until I get through the entire list, thank you!"
"Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chouji…. You three are assigned to Team Nine … Your team captain will be waiting for you by Training Field 7 after class."
"Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino…. You three are assigned to Team Ten… Your team captain will be waiting for you by Training Field 12 at noon."
After thirty minutes of listing names, Iruka reached the end of the list. Looking at the last four names that remained, he hastily read the quick note beside one of the names and nodded.
"Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke…. You three are assigned to Team Seven …. Your team captain asked for you three to stay after class."
Iruka paused, "Now, normally a team consists of three Genin with a single Jounin captain per team, but this year, there will be one team who has four Genin instead of three due to the odd numbers of Genin who graduated this year…" He turned towards the Senju heir, "And, you Raiden are the only one who gets to pick which team you wished to be on; of course, it'll temporary until we find you a team suited for you… So Raiden, choose which team you want to be on?" Iruka asked kindly.
Sasuke snorted loudly, "It seems nobody wants you to be in their team, just like your parents did, I bet. Why else would they abandon you?" Sasuke sneered at Raiden, shocking the whole class into silence by the amount of venom behind the Uchiha heir's voice .
Raiden snorted, he held Naruto back from attacking Uchiha heir but before he could say something back, Iruka stepped in quickly disarming the potential fight between both heirs.
"Actually, it's quite the contrary Uchiha-san. We held a tournament yesterday to decide who'll get the privilege to have Raiden in their team, because every single captain wanted to have Raiden on their team. It took us practically the entire day, and even then most matches ended in ties. So, we decided to have Raiden choose for himself which team he wants to join, in order to avoid the tournament from continuing."
Raiden smirked smugly at the raven haired boy who seethed in rage in his seat. "Why were they fighting for him when I'm the Rookie of the Year! If they should fight over someone, they should be fighting over me not him!" Sasuke demanded hotly.
"Yeah, Sasuke-kun deserved it more than Raiden!" Sasuke and Ino chimed in, alongside Sasuke's fangirls, all who were glaring at Raiden with heated glares. A lesser man would've cowered, but Raiden didn't bat an eye.
Iruka sighed wearily, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You might've been the Rookie of the year, Uchiha-san, but Raiden outclass you in every single subject. The only reason why Raiden wasn't the Rookie of the year was because wasn't trying hard enough and never turned in his work. If he would've done everything that was asked of him, he would've become the Rookie of the year with the highest score since Uchiha Itachi and Hayate Kakashi." Iruka smothered his laughter as he watched the Uchiha heir turned a lovely shade of red. "In fact, there were many offers for him to join the ANBU Corps, but the Hokage asked to give Raiden couple years as a Genin before they recruit him into the ANBU Corp, should he wished to join." Iruka smirked smugly, glad he was able to put the Uchiha in his place. He knew the Uchiha heir was talented, but his maturity was much to be desired.
"So, Raiden have you decided which team you wish to join?"
Raiden nodded, already knowing which team he wanted to join. "I'll like to join Team Seven, Iruka-sensei." Raiden smirked at Sasuke, before he smiled reassuring at Naruto. Raiden was stunned to know the captains were fighting over him; however, the learning he has received offers to join the ANBU Corps shocked him to the core, it was humbling knowing that his hard work has paid off and.
Iruka nodded, he knew Raiden was going to pick whichever team Naruto was on; even, if it wasn't going to be his permanent team. He wrote a quick note letting the other captains know which team Raiden has decided to be on. He knew a certain silver haired man would be smiling smugly for days on end. Iruka's face blushed as his thoughts strayed towards the sliver haired Jounin, he shook his thoughts away and cleared his throat.
"Very well, class dismissed." He announced, watching as his students grab their belongings and ran out the door, eager to meet their captains
February 1st 1992, 11:30 a.m.
Konoha's Shinobi Academy, Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni
It's been three hours since Iruka dismissed everyone to find their Jounin sensei; yet, four students remained in his class waiting for their sensei's arrival. At the two hour mark, Iruka gave his remaining students a sympathetic smile as he left.
The Uchiha heir was brooding darkly, sitting in one of the higher seats closer to the back of the classroom, and far away from Sakura and his other teammates. He was glaring daggers at the back of Raiden's head for a while, planning a way to get back at the Senju heir; but, he has yet to come up with anything worthwhile.
While the Uchiha was planning Raiden's downfall, Sakura was busy glaring at the clock and door with short intervals in between the time she used to admire Sasuke from afar, her dreamy sighs and annoyed grunts filled the silence in the classroom.
Sasuke and Sakura have been getting more and more annoyed as time passed. They pretty much felt insulted by Jounin sensei; after all, it's a teacher's obligation to arrive on time for their students, and teach! It's understandable if a teacher is a few minutes late for their class, things happen, but having to wait three hours was just ridiculous, and plain rude.
Naruto and Raiden were sitting at their own desks, leaning against each other as they waited for their sensei to arrive. It wasn't until Naruto snapped and threw his hands in the air in pure frustration, "Ugh!" the blonde growled in annoyance, managing to wake up Raiden in the process.
Raiden yawned widely, "He still hasn't shown up?" Raiden asked with a sleep driven voice, he rubbed his eyes sluggishly before he glanced at the clock.
Naruto growled in annoyance. "No, it's been three hours and he hasn't shown up!"
Raiden reached into his pocket and took out a sealing scroll and grinned madly at the blonde. Naruto's eyes widen in glee as he noticed the scroll in Raiden's hands, he rubbed his hands devilishly and giggled darkly.
The duo quickly went to work, fiddling around the classroom with some of the wire and other pranking tools Raiden had left from their last pranking session. Raiden was busy setting the wire and tags, while Naruto looked around the class for anything else they could use.
Sakura looked irritated at her teammates and barked, "Sit back down, Naruto-baka!"
The blonde ignored the pink haired Genin and made his way towards the supply closet. He searched the supply closet and smirked as he saw their sludge bombs Iruka confiscated a couple weeks ago. They were planning on using those sludge bombs on Sasuke, but Iruka caught them as they were finishing setting them up, Iruka had them dismantle them and took them away. If Iruka hadn't forgetten his bento, Naruto and Raiden might've gotten away with their prank. Looking around the supply closet one last time, he grabbed a bucket before he made his way back to Raiden.
Sasuke and Sakura watched closely as Naruto placed the tiny black balls inside a bucket. They stared at their teammates, but stayed silent wondering what they were planning, they watched as Raiden tied the wire around the handle of the bucket to the door, and extending it towards the wall across the door where he placed some sort of tag on the wall. Once satisfied, Naruto placed the bucket above the door that would control the wire to drop the bucket, as well as a device which would stabilize the bucket.
Sakura frowned and protested, "Stop, Naruto and Raiden! You two idiots cannot screw on our first day with our sensei!"
"Our teacher is a Jounin level shinobi," Sasuke stated sarcastically, "He's not going to fall for something so obvious," He scoffed harshly, shaking his head.
Naruto and Raiden ignored their teammate's comments of their prank and snickered at each other. They went back to their seats and tried to look casual, in case their sensei was nearby.
"Sasuke-kun is right, Naruto and Raiden! You're both so clueless idiots!" The pink haired harpy ranted.
The duo tuned out the Sakura's rant as soon as they heard someone approaching. Naruto quickly grabbed his camera as he saw the door handle turn slowly and a silver haired man walked in, immediately being drenched by the sticky sludge that fell on him from the bucket.
As soon as the bucket fell, the seal tag activated across the room send a set of kunai flying towards the sliver haired man. The Jounin quickly deflect the kunai in one swoop using his battle train instincts, but failed to realize his mistake in time; another sealing tag activated above him, releasing a storm of feathers.
The sliver haired man's eyes widen, realizing he fell right into the pranksters trap. He heard a loud click and was blinded by the flash of a camera going off; capturing the image of him being covered in sludge and feathers, with a shocked expression marring his masked face.
He blinked lazily and saw Naruto rolling on the floor in a fit of laughter still holding onto the camera while his accomplice was smirking smugly at him, looking eerily similar as a cat that got its cream. Sakura immediately rushed over the desks and constantly apologized to their teacher, claiming her innocence in the prank.
The Jounin ignored the pink haired Genin and looked over at the duo in utter disbelief, still not believing he walked into the duo's prank! It's been ages since he's been pranked by Naruto and Raiden and assumed he knew all of their tricks, but apparently it wasn't wise to leave two pranksters unattended and bored in a room together.
He wrinkled his nose in distaste as he started to smell the funky black substance that was all over him, he hope he'll be able to get rid of the fishy smell or he'll be herding any stray cats to his apartment…again.
He still hasn't been able to get rid of the grey cat that followed him home because of the Raiden's prank… He swears the grey cat mocks him every time he tries to shoo him away.
Standing up straight with a cool and laid back posture, he glanced at his new students and have them a bored look. "Hmm… how should I put this?" He asked in a bored voice, "My first impression of this group is…. You're all a bunch of idiots."
Sasuke and Sakura both looked crushed by their sensei's first impression. They screamed and howled in their inner mindscape, both wanting to kill Naruto and Raiden for pranking their sensei!
"Meet me on the Academy's roof in fifteen minutes." The Jounin said quickly before he vanished into the thin air. He was going to his home in order to take a quick shower and try to get rid of the sludge and feathers that was covering. He hopes he'll be able to wash off the fishy smell from his hair, or else, Mr. Mittens, his (unofficial) cat will go ballistic and try to eat his hair… again….
Raiden smirked at Kakashi's face, the man's face was littered with bite and scratch marks which must belong to Mr. Mittens and Kakashi even had defeated look; which meant the grey cat won the battle and was enjoying a nice piece of tuna as his reward.
Raiden may be a bit bias, but Mr. Mittens was the greatest cat in the world in his opinion. The grey cat was just barely coming out from kitten years, but he was already showing how vicious he can be when he wants to. was covered in soft, grey coat with white tipped paws and stunning blue-grey eyes.
Mr. Mittens was also very particular as to who gets to touch him and he only allows Raiden to hold and pet him when Raiden was nearby; well, more like demands Raiden to shower him with affection. Aside from Raiden, Mr. Mittens also likes Naruto. Yet, Mr. Mittens barely tolerates Kakashi; it seemed they had a love-hate relationship with each other and have agreed to live with each other for whatever reason.
It was clear to anyone Raiden was Mr. Mittens favorite, and Kakashi tried to give Mr. Mittens to Raiden on several occasions, hoping the cat will go and live with Raiden; but the cat refused, already claiming Kakashi's apartment as his own territory.
After multiple failed attempts of trying to get rid of the cat, Kakashi gave up. Slowly, he became fond of the grey menace. Of course, he will never admit it to anyone, but it felt nice waking up in the morning and having Mr. Mittens curled up on his chest, sleeping and purring contently.
"Okay, seeing as this is our first day as a team why don't we start with something easy." The silver haired Jounin suggested, ignoring the confuse stares he received from his students due to his scratched face, he should've known better and resided to Mr. Mittens' demands for salmon.
"Like what?" Sakura asked out loud, looking curiously at their sensei.
Kakashi turned towards the pink haired Genin, "Well, perhaps an introduction would be nice. You might all know each other, but I certainly don't know who you are, or do I?"
Sakura blushed, "Ohh… umm like our names?" she asked.
Kakashi hummed, "That would certainly help me identify who's who; but I was thinking more than just your like. You know, things you likes, dislike or hate... Any hobbies you might have, dreams or aspirations you have for your ninja career; or, future in general. Basically, anything which will tell me who you are and why are you are here." He looked at his students, waiting for one of them to start.
After a few awkward seconds, he cleared his throat, "Why don't I start first. My name is Hatake Kakashi from the Hatake clan. I like… things and dislike… things. I enjoy…." He trailed off into the distance and giggled, his cheeks warmed up and his eyes glazed over.
Raiden's eyebrow ticked and growled at the Jounin, shaking the man from his pervert thoughts and pointed at Sakura as he composed himself, "Next."
Sakura nodded timidly, "O-oh okay… Ummm, my name is Haruno Sakura and I like volunteering at the village library where my parents work as head librarians, and I like…." She looked over at Sasuke and giggled, "My hobbies include: studying medical-Ninjutsu, reading, and watching…." She paused and glanced at Sasuke, who remain stoic but was freaking out in the side. She ignored the increalious looks she was receiving from Kakashi, Naruto, and Raiden. "And one day I hope to marry…" she trailed off as she giggled coyly behind her hands as she glanced at Sasuke. "Ohh and I hate Naruto and Raiden!" She declared, glaring at pair in question.
Kakashi tear-dropped at the girl, 'Oh boy, another fan-girl who's more interested in gaining Sasuke's affection rather than applying herself in her ninja training….' He groaned mentally, knowing the pink haired girl was going to be a pain to teach, 'Although, she does show promise in medical field, if only I can get her interest in her studies… and stop wasting her time stalking a certain young man…'
He points at the Uchiha heir, "next."
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke, from the Uchiha clan…. I have a few likes which include anything tomato flavored, and hate anything sweet or pink…. I don't have hobbies besides training and only have one single dream…" he paused dramatically, "which is… to restore…. my fallen clan back to its former glory… and kill a certain man."
There was an awkward pause after Sasuke's declaration, Kakashi cleared his throat, and pointed at Naruto to continue.
Naruto scratched the back of his head, "Err, my name is Uzumaki Naruto and I love all types of ramen; especially those from Ichiraku Ramen and Raiden's. I love hanging out with Iruka-nii-san, especially when he buys me ramen. I enjoy training, playing pranks of any kind, and hanging out with Raiden! Hmmm, I dislike bitter food, people who disrespect me and insult without knowing me first, and being underestimated. My hobbies include: training, gardening, reading manga, trying new ramen … oh and cooking!" He smiled brightly, "and my dream is to one day become the Hokage, Dattebayo!"
Both, Sakura and Sasuke seethed at the blonde, but Naruto's smile never diminished.
Raiden nodded at Kakashi, understanding he was next. He took out a piece of chocolate from his pocket and ate it, humming contently as he tasted the sweet chocolate coat his mouth.
"My name is Senju-Potter Raiden, from the Senju clan. I have many likes and dislikes. I have lots of hobbies... My dream, or rather, my aspiration is to be as strong as I can be, so I'll be ready for anything that might stand in my way in the future." He answered truthfully, without revealing too much about himself. He immediately knew what Kakashi was doing; he was testing their ability to withheld vital information about themselves without revealing too much about themselves at the same time.
Kakashi nodded, 'Hmm, just as I expected… Although, I was hoping Naruto would've understood the purpose of this test…'
"You all fail, expect Raiden-kun!" Kakashi declared with finality, ignoring the screams of outrage. He held his hand up and waited until they quite down, before he explained his reasoning. "Now, if you can allow me to speak, I will tell you why you all failed and why Raiden passed this test." He waited for his students to calm down before he continued.
"As Shinobi and Kunoichi, information is extremely valuable and vital to our daily lives. The simplest fact about you, can determine whether we live or die; depending solely on whose hands it's in. If, for example; an enemy were to know that you, Naruto, love eating Ramen, then one day they can try to poison your ramen and kill you. It's not to say that you should never again eat ramen again, or anyone he's trying to kill you," Kakashi assured the blonde, who was brink of hyperventilating at the mere thought of not having ramen ever again.
"I'm just using you as an example, and same could be said for Sasuke and Sakura. I learned that Sasuke-kun likes anything tomato flavored, and hates anything sweet or pink. From Sakura, I learned where her family works. If I were to kill Sasuke, I would avoid anything sweet and perhaps slip some sort of poison into a tomato based food or drink. If I were after Sakura, I would know where her parents work and could kidnap them to lure Sakura to me and then kill her and her parents. However, I don't know anything about Raiden with the exception of him wanting to get stronger." Kakashi stated bluntly, realizing how ghostly pale Sakura as turned.
Kakashi clapped his hands to break the somber tension, "Alright! Now that we all know each other, we'll have our first mission tomorrow morning!"
"Whoa, what kind of mission are we going to have, Kakashi-sensei!?" The blonde asked enthusiastically.
The silver haired Jounin answered, "Well, we're going to have a survival exercise, but this isn't any ordinary survival test you have ever taken in the Academy. This survival exercise is a mandatory test which will determine whether you'll keep your rank as Genin, or be sent back to the Academy as a disgrace." He stated somberly, noting the fallen looks on Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto. Raiden, on the other hand, was looking at him shrewdly.
"So, you're all going to report at Training field 14 at precisely five-o'clock in the morning tomorrow. If you arrive a second late, you'll be disqualified immediately, earning yourself a one-way ticket back to the Academy. Ohh, and you're all forbidden to eat breakfast tomorrow morning and I will know if you had breakfast. If anyone doesn't follow my instruction, I will force you to throw up your breakfast and it will not be pleasant." Kakashi warned his students, sending a particular look at Raiden.
Sakura looked determined, thinking of Kakashi's test as a trial to prove her love to Sasuke. She tightened her fist, staring at the concrete floor as he pumped herself up for tomorrow. The Uchiha heir glared at their sensei, before he turned and scoffed.
Naruto gulped heavily, trying his best not to feel too pressured at the gravity of their sensei's test. He just passed his exam and became a Genin, if he were to fail Kakashi's exam his Shinobi career was over! He didn't have another chance, this was it… He had to pass this test, since it'll be one more step into his road to become Hokage!
He jumped slightly when he felt a hand clutch his, he look down to see Raiden's hand covering his. He looked up as his best friend noticing the reassuring smile Raiden was giving him.
'Tomorrow's test will determine whether all the hard training we've done over the last four years as finally paid off…'
E/N: Whelp, there you have it! I hope you guys and gals enjoyed this chapter! I'll keep on writing and hopefully have the next chapter up by Wednesday or Thursday.