author's note:
hiiiii all!!
this chap was fun to write. prepare for some angst in this fic y'all.
read on!
Kakashi smiles cheerily at the three genin standing before him, looking at him with varying degrees of loathing and anger. He can't blame them – he did come three hours late to their meeting spot; a deliberate and conscious choice of his, ofcourse.
"Happy to see me again, kids?" he asks because he loves the riled up glare Naruto shoots him and the glimpse of the barely veiled murder in Sakura's eyes – the girl's way too polite to let her true thoughts show which just makes Kakashi that much more determined to push her buttons.
"No," Sasuke says matter-of-factly, crossing his arms and plastering on the best judgemental face he has from his small repertoire of outward emotions.
"Aw, don't lie to me Sasuke," Kakashi replies, smile widening beneath his mask. "A little birdie told me you're a fan of mine."
Sasuke's eyes turn towards Naruto with a frustrated sheen but the blond only shrugs, no apology to be seen in his body language.
"Do you want an autograph of mine?" Kakashi tacks on, magnanimous in his delivery.
Truth be told, he isn't really all that interested in messing with the three – the banter is good fun but he'd rather not be in their company altogether if he had the choice. No, the increased teasing is because it has always been his go-to method to unsettle the genin he is examining and this trio will be no exception to that particular method of his.
"Ah, sensei, can you tell us why we have gathered here today?" Sakura asks with a cordial smile, it belying the impatience building within her.
"Of course, I will," Kakashi says. "It's for a test, you see. A test which will decide whether you'll be a part of team seven or not."
Naruto's brows furrow in confusion, "What kind of test? I'd thought I was finally done with these endless genin evaluation systems."
"Almost done," Kakashi responds helpfully. "Just one more to go. By the way, if any of you fail this test, you'll be sent back to the Academy for remedial lessons. So try not to fail, I suppose."
"What do you mean we'll be sent back?" Sakura asks quietly, eyes wide in mild panic.
"Exactly what you think, Sakura," Sasuke replies acerbicly. "We fail and it's a delay of another year till we get in a team again."
"What a bright boy," Kakashi compliments but he's sure the Uchiha will take it as an insult instead.
"Well then, what is it? What is the test?" Naruto huffs, his gaze blazing with endless determination. Kakashi looks at the shade of blue for only a second before darting away. He's not in the mood to go down memory lanes, especially not this one, especially not right now.
"It's a simple test," Kakashi assures amiably. "And very fun. It's called the Bell Test."
Kakashi explains the rules of the test to them, pointing to the two bells tied by his waist, revelling in the way their expressions morph to confusion and then realisation. Good. They understand that for this test to benefit them, they will have to work individually, putting their own interest above the team's – or at least that's what Kakashi expects them to think.
Instead, Sakura shakes her head skeptically, eyeing Kakashi like he's an insect she would very much like to dissect.
"That makes no sense," she says at last and Naruto nods his head vigorously, squinting in suspicion at Kakashi.
"Yes, it doesn't," Sasuke replies. "If you wanted to give us a fair chance, you would have three bells. That way, even if it's individual skill evaluation, all of us would have an equal chance of passing."
"And why the hell would you purposely want to end up with only a two-genin team? That is not even the structure we use!" Naruto adds, his squinting intensifying.
Kakashi raises a brow. He's surprised they are backing each other's arguments after the display he'd seen yesterday.
"Who said so? I'm the sensei. I decide what team structure I want. I have no intention of teaching any of you, actually, but since I can't drop all of you, I'll put my bets on removing at least one."
Sakura, outrageously, laughs. "You're bullshitting us."
"He is," Naruto crosses his arms, nodding.
"If that were the case, you would only have one bell, Kakashi," Sasuke informs, lips downturned in displeasure.
Kakashi shrugs, finally finding a way to get the upperhand. He snatches one of the bells from his belt and tosses it away. "Wish granted, Sasuke. Now – how about we start with this thing already? Or do you all want to surrender and save everyone's time?"
"Absolutely not!" Sakura says but her voice has lost some of its previous conviction.
Naruto frowns unhappily, glancing at Sasuke to gauge his reaction. Kakashi expects the blond to pin the blame for the one less bell on the Uchiha but so far, Naruto doesn't seem inclined to bring it up.
"I'm not giving up without a fight," Naruto says when the silence grows tense.
It's odd what happens then. Subtle, but odd. Kakashi sees Sasuke purse his lips and lose the tension coiling around him. Sakura nods resolutely as she pulls out a kunai and gives Kakashi a challenging look. Maybe it's his delusion but it is almost as if the two had reacted to Naruto's words, had found some kind of strength in them.
He is just getting more and more curious about them.
Kakashi places his hands on his hips, "Alright. The test begins in... Three, two, one!"
None of the three move from his sight. Instead, they narrow their eyes at him and encircle him like he's prey and they're very hungry hyenas. Kakashi is just a little impressed that they didn't choose to separate immediately. If he's understanding this right, they aren't going to help each other but will treat this fight like an actual competition – whoever gets the bell first wins. There is no scope of partnering up now that there is only one vacancy.
Kakashi feels a buzz of thrill run through him. He feels silly but he just knows these genin have a lot to offer in a fight and he sort of, just sort of looks forward to it.
Naruto comes at him first, seemingly without a plan, entirely on impulse. He aims two kunai at Kakashi's head but the jounin simply plucks them mid-air instead of ducking. Weapons being used for manipulating an enemy's spatial positioning is a rookie trick he's in no way falling for.
Naruto still continues onwards, throwing a punch while simultaneously attempting a legsweep. Kakashi leverages him from a pull on his wrist and sidesteps from Naruto's tumbling trajectory. Naruto's eyes remain affixed on him even as he pivots to the side and rolls against the ground to lessen the impact. Kakashi keeps him in his periphery while he parries Sakura's chakra-laced jabs at his thigh and stomach. He knows the kunoichi has an absurdly high level of chakra control but witnessing it makes him smile under his mask.
He can sense Sasuke a few steps behind him and kicks at Sakura's torso as he turns. It connects and sends the girl sprawling awkwardly on the dirt. Sasuke's eyes are crimson with three black tomoes swirling lazily. Kakashi easily avoids his precise punches and kicks, using minimal movement to set Sasuke off-balance. Naruto's recovered already and soon the blond is attacking Kakashi's left side.
Kakashi handles them both easily, twisting and turning under their poorly mapped out and telegraphed taijutsu moves. Naruto's been thrown around thrice already but Sasuke is a little more of a challenge. The Uchiha has better body control and has trained his movements to work in tandem with his Sharingan's inputs. He's fast too, agile and flexible, so it's no surprise that it's Sasuke who almost gets the bell before Kakashi lands a punch right on his face.
Sasuke stumbles away, glaring at Kakashi, his hands fisting by his sides, chest rising and falling roughly.
Sakura's trying to trap Kakashi in a genjutsu but he breaks out of it the moment the foreign chakra envelopes him. But it gives Sakura and Naruto enough time to step into his guard. Kakashi thinks for just a moment before hurling a fire jutsu right at them. Thankfully, both have enough self preservation instincts to distance themselves than take their chances surviving third degree burns.
They all stand before him again, sweaty and dirty while he is utterly unscathed. It's not that they aren't skilled but he has experience – bucketloads of them. They know they don't stand a chance. Unless they try this together. Kakashi knows this is strategic choice – they are working in a team but this isn't teamwork. Their individual desires still reign supreme.
He beckons them forward.
Sakura sprints towards him, then stops. Throwing herself on the ground, she places her palms below and whispers. Sasuke's fireball is making its way towards him. Suprisingly, Naruto lets out a jet of wind that slowly supplements Sasuke's fire.
Kakashi waits till Sakura's earth-splitting jutsu is already in motion before replacing himself with a log. He holds in a chuckle at their frustrated faces. For all three of their attacks to have gone to waste with such a simple escape technique must hurt their little egos. Nevertheless, Kakashi thinks the coordinated barrage was good if not a little too simple-minded. To his horror, he recognises his urge to rectify that – to teach them how to develop their battle formations and multi-layered attacks. He shoos away the thought and waits till the genin approach him again.
He didn't think they would find him immediately. He had wanted to see a little fumbling, a little stumbling, instead all of them are walking right towards him, no detours. He realises that it's Naruto who leads them to the clearing. He hadn't known about the blond being some type of sensor.
"Ready for round two?" he questions sweetly.
This time, Naruto hangs back, sending kunai wrapped with ninja wire sailing towards him every few seconds. Sasuke starts the charge with a different style of taijutsu. Kakashi, in his infinite mid-fight boredoms, decides to fight with only one arm. He toys with Sasuke a little, letting him land a mild hit on his arm, only to redirect the force and pushing him into the trees a little distance away. Sakura's web of genjutsu is growing complex by the minute but Kakashi circumvents it with a steady circulation of his chakra.
Then, the attacks stop briefly. All except Naruto's ineffective kunai. Sakura looks at Sasuke, panting and an understanding passes between them. Naruto shoots them a confused look but no signal is passed to him.
Kakashi watches as Sakura cuts through a boulder with a swift chop and picks up an elongated piece. She channels a steady flow of chakra through it, making it a makeshift sword. Sasuke pulls out the tanto he keeps hidden underneath his shirt and both take a stance side by side, in front of Kakashi.
When they engage him now, Kakashi glimpses actual teamwork, actual comraderie. Sasuke and Sakura move like light and shadow, one too flashy in her movements, drawing his attention while the other tries to sneak past his holes and silently deliver damage.
All the while, Naruto observes them with a frustrated, almost betrayed look, given up on his kunai throwing endeavour.
Sakura is sloppy in her sword-work, but she's effective in her role. The pointed chakra coating the earth-sword makes up for the lack of threat her technique poses. On the other hand, Sasuke shows skill in every forward jab, every thrust and vault, every planned move of his tanto. He feigns quite often, keeping Kakashi on his toes. The jounin fights them both with two kunai, one in each hand. It's not difficult to keep them away from the bell. Instead, it's fun.
Kakashi lets himself get lost in the rhythm, the sound of metal clashing and scraping against metal filling the forested area.
He doesn't forget about Naruto and that's why he's quick to note the blond is running towards him again. He prepares to disengage with Sakura – maybe occupy her with a water jutsu.
But then, for the first time during the test, he is thrown off his game. Because suddenly, instead of just Naruto drawing nearer, there are thirty of him – thirty Narutos – all coming right at him, kunais raised in offence. They are clones, he knows, but what is baffling is that they are all real, tangible.
Five of them push Sakura and Sasuke out of the way who also seem surprised by their presence. All thirty together engage him and Kakashi has to tackle them with hand-to-hand combat since they give him no time to form handsigns.
When his fist connects with one of the Narutos, the clone doesn't pop out of existence because he isn't a clone in the first place. Naruto is thrown off the side, blood dripping down the side of his face. Kakashi makes quick work of the remaining clones – shadow fucking clones – and sighs.
Sakura and Sasuke don't attempt to take the bell. It's futile now. They only keep their eyes on Naruto who stays on the ground, the prize in his hand.
Kakashi sighs again, eyeing the empty loop on the his waist. The test is over.
The real assessment, though, begins now.
"Cheater," Sakura hisses at Naruto collapsing on the ground as she places the sword beside her. "You'd promised to never use your stolen technique."
Naruto's face, for once, doesn't betray his thoughts. He inpsects the bell with a blank expression before turning towards Sakura.
"Breaking promises in my thing, don't you know?" he replies with a thin smile.
Kakashi feels like he's missing a whole lot of context, like he's intruding on an important argument. He doesn't interrupt them, though.
Sasuke scoffs, shaking his head. "Had this not worked, what else would you have done to win?"
Naruto glares at him, "What the hell does that mean?"
Sasuke spits fire with his eyes, the Sharingan still blazing hot. "You know exactly what I mean. You would do it again. You would use that–"
"Shut up," Naruto grits out. "Don't you fucking dare."
"He's right," Sakura says, pursing her lips. "You never know when to stop, Naruto."
Naruto tears his gaze away from their accusatory eyes and gets up.
"I got the bell," he tells Kakashi. "What now?"
Kakashi waits a beat to register what he'd just witnessed. Here he thought he was the only one saddled with emotional baggage. Clearly not.
"Nothing," he tries for casual. "You win, Naruto. Congratulations. You're officially part of team seven. And you two – you are done. Go back to the academy and get new schedules for remedial lessons."
Neither of them move from their places.
"This is not fair," Sakura says, agitated. "This is not fair."
"You can't just send us back," Sasuke crosses his arms. "We've worked way too hard."
"Meh. Too bad you couldn't get bell after all that hard work, then," Kakashi shrugs. "Rules are rules and I never make exceptions for anyone. Now leave. I have to start teaching my new student."
Oh no. Sakura is about to cry. Kakashi isn't sure he'll be able to handle that kind of teenage hysterics. He raises a brow at Sasuke and points at Sakura. The Uchiha gives him a dirty look, as if saying look at what you've done before placing a hand on her back, awkwardly comforting.
"Wait," Naruto interjects. They turn towards him. Naruto only looks at Kakashi, worrying his lip as he ponders over something.
Then he's making a handsign and the smoky pop sounds from before are back. Two Naruto clones manifest with bells in their hands and they toss them to Sakura and Sasuke. Task accomplished, they poof away but the bells remain.
"It's the same bell," Naruto says, uncertainty on his face. "Technically, we all have the bell. So, we all pass. Those were the rules."
Sakura opens her mouth but closes it, looking at the cloned bell in her hand. Sasuke's anger is gone, replaced by an emotion Kakashi cannot decipher.
Kakashi takes his time to respond. It's definitely not the end he had in mind. It's not Naruto's cunning that impresses him, it's the reason for that cunning that leaves Kakashi with second thoughts on his decision to fail them all.
Because Naruto's reason had been Sasuke and Sakura. Whatever history they share, it's clear that Naruto is at odds with them at the moment. But if he can still think of ways to help them – well, Kakashi sees potential in their dynamic. He sees the making of an actual team that cooperates. A team that can overcome past differences for their collective future.
Besides, he can't shake the feeling that something is wrong here. That their current enmity is harming all three of them. And he wants to know more about it but he can't really interfere with their conflict unless he's their teacher.
It's all to satiate his own curiosity. That is it.
"Naruto..." Sakura says quietly. "This... We can't – I can't –"
"So?" Naruto ignores her, all his attention on Kakashi. "Do we all pass?"
"Hmmm..." Kakashi looks at all three and gives them an eye-smile. "I guess that works. You all pass. Well done. You're dismissed for today. Come here for training tomorrow, same time. Bye!"
He doesn't wait for Sakura's shocked sputtering or Sasuke's rageful tirade. Doesn't wait for the intense silence that ensues after or the stilted thank yous. Doesn't wait for Naruto's clipped responses or the unspoken words that linger between them as they leave.
Because, somewhere, deep down, he knows some moments aren't his to witness, aren't his to spy on.
He walks towards the Hokage Tower with a mix of apprehension and anticipation.
He's finally, finally a sensei.
author's note:
thanks for reading!!
have a good day!