"Itachi, do you know it's like to stare down the blade of the Shinigami, and the only thing you can think to say is 'I don't care'?" ~Sasuke
Naruto yawned openly as he wandered through the village, heading to Training Ground 7 for his competency test, not that he knew that. All he knew was that he'd awoke this morning to his grumbling tummy, so he did the natural thing and ate breakfast. Then got dressed, and headed for Training Ground 7, sleep trying its hardest to reclaim him.
Yawning again, he stumbled into the opening designated Training Ground 7. Looking around, he didn't spot his two teammates, so he got down in a loose meditation form, breathing slowly as he felt the world slide away and the familiar heat of little flames appearing around him as he was struck with the thought that to the casual observer, he probably resembled a sacrifice to the Shinigami.
He was brought out of his meditation when he left an approaching chakra signal. There's Hinata. He thought before he realized what he was thinking. Opening his eyes, he was shocked to see Hinata standing there, glancing at Naruto out of the corner of her eyes.
How did I do that? I couldn't have known it was her without looking, yet I somehow recognized her purely based on her chakra. Naruto was cast into inner turmoil as Sasuke walked up behind Hinata, looking around as his signature scowl grew more annoyed.
"Great. First I'm stuck with the class Dobe, even if he may have some skills, and Miss Reclusive, then our sensei can't even show up on time. Next thing you know, we'll end up fighting an eyebrow less freak and a dyke." Sasuke complained as Hinata and Naruto just looked at him, blinking owlishly as the Uchiha continued ranting for the next ten minutes.
Two hours later, Kakashi appeared in a Shushin, waving kindly at his Genin team, only for three kunai to almost take out his head. Naruto was understandable, he had to be kept occupied or he'd come up with a way to prank the person holding him up. Sasuke too, was understandable, he was ready to fight and be taught powerful jutsu to beat his brother. However, what surprised Kakashi the most was that Hinata looked annoyed by his tardiness.
"Et tu Hinata?" Kakashi said from behind a tree, peaking around only for another kunai to fly at his head.
"Dignified shinobi respect punctuality. If we can show up on time, then so can you!" Hinata shouted, pointing at Kakashi, only to notice Naruto's wide-eyed look as a blush encompassed her face and she fainted.
"Wow, I didn't think she could say a whole sentence without stuttering, guess you really upset her Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said as he looked at Hinata, pulling out a small bottle of smelling salts as he held them under her nose. She sat up slowly, looking around as she realized she'd just fainted in front of her crush, however, before she could hide her embarrassed blush, Naruto grasped her wrist, forcing his own blush down as he helped her to her feet.
"Well, now that we've got all that sorted out, we can get to the purpose of this test." Kakashi said, pulling a pair of silver bells out from his pouch as they tinkled lightly in the breeze as the bumped into each other. "Your job is to take one of these two bells from me, anyone left without a bell when this alarm goes off will be sent back to the Academy. Come at me with the intent to kill." Kakashi said; looking at the three shocked Genin. However, Naruto broke them out as he added his own words of encouragement.
"Fine, then we better not lose, right?" Naruto added, his face breaking out in a confident smirk, mirrored by Sasuke, and a more light-hearted and kind one on Hinata's face as Kakashi eye smiled at the trio.
"Okay then, ready, GO!" Kakashi called out, and the three Genin-hopefuls vanished into the surrounding foliage. Kakashi nodded, approving of their stealth skills. "Well, at least you know how to hide." He taunted, pulling out his little orange book, and a nearby tree rustled.
"Found you." Kakashi said; throwing a shurikan into the tree as a flock of birds took flight. Kakashi looked confused at the tree limbs, he had been sure he'd felt a chakra signature coming from the tree. However, his one eye widened as he jumped back, several shurikan slicing through the air right where he was standing moments earlier.
Before he could try and find where the metal weapons had come from, Naruto appeared, his usual confident look plastered on his face as he set himself into a brawler Taijutsu style. Kakashi chuckled perversely as he turned the page on his book, annoying Naruto, who leapt at the Jounin.
He started with a straight punch, which Kakashi caught effortlessly, only for Naruto to use that hand to pick himself up, kicking at Kakashi's face, the Jounin leaning slightly to the side as Naruto's foot flew by. Kakashi let go of his fist, raising his free hand as he push Naruto's overextended leg, causing the blonde to tumble to the ground in a heap.
However, Naruto caught himself, pushing off from the ground as he back flipped away, closing his eyes as he tried to track Kakashi, like he did Hinata. He felt the Jounin suddenly appear behind him, gathering chakra into the seal he was holding.
"You really shouldn't let an enemy get behind you, Naruto." Kakashi said, intending to teach Naruto a lesson as he used his most brutal technique. "Secret Konoha Taijutsu: 1000 Years of Pain!" Kakashi called out, and shoved his fingers into Naruto's butt, intending to send him flying with chakra, only for Naruto vanish in a puff of smoke to be replaced by a log, covered in explosive seals which caught alight.
"Kuso!" Kakashi swore, leaping away from the blast which Naruto's two teammates saw from their hiding spots. Kakashi landed near Sasuke's, looking around for something before Sasuke saw him bend over to pick up his orange book. Sasuke took the chance to throw a few shurikan which imbedded themselves in Kakashi's side, pinning him to the tree. However, Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke, similar to Naruto as a log took his place, only this time with explosive seals on it, the shurikan sticking out.
"Crap, it was a trap. Now he knows my position, I better move." Sasuke hissed, only to turn and leap away and land in a clearing with Kakashi, who was still giggling perversely at his book.
"Ahh, so it's your turn, huh, Sasuke?" The silver-haired man said, glancing over the top of his book at the infuriated Uchiha. He was a proud Uchiha, he refused to be ignored like a piece of trash, he'd show Kakashi just what he could do, and that'd show him.
Sasuke charged the Jounin, who smirked, throwing up a hand to block Sasuke knee which he pivoted off of to punch at Kakashi, which was also blocked, only to finish the spin by swiping at the bells hanging at Kakashi's side. Kakashi's one eye widened as he shoved the Genin back, Sasuke digging his feet in as he slid back several feet.
"Hmm, you almost got a bell there. Very impressive for a lone Genin." Kakashi admitted as he went back to his book, unconcerned about Sasuke.
"Well, I'm not like most Genin." Sasuke smirked as he ran through a quick series of hand seals, inhaling as Kakashi smirked, running through his own set of hand seals. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu." Sasuke exhaled, a massive fireball coming out of his mouth as it rushed at Kakashi, who simply stood there.
Once the flames had passed, Sasuke looked around for Kakashi's charred body, only he couldn't catch sight of him. Where is he? Left, right, behind me. The Uchiha turned to look, finding nothing. Above? Once again he couldn't find his sensei. That only leaves… below! Sasuke thought too late as a hand shot out of the ground, pulling him into the ground until only his head remained.
Confident that Sasuke would be occupied for a while with that, Kakashi went in search of his last Genin student.
Hinata breathed slowly, trying to calm her nerves as she saw both Naruto and Sasuke get systematically beat by Kakashi. She realized that of the three members of her team, she was probably the weakest; her father had told her as much. Still, if it meant helping her crush, she'd try her hardest to succeed in his eyes.
"Boo." Kakashi said, from behind her as she 'eep'ed, leaping from the tree as she turned to look for him. Suddenly, she saw the bushes rustling, and pulled a kunai from her pouch as she prepared to have her turn with Kakashi.
"Hinata…run." Naruto said as he crawled out of the bushes, kunai and shurikan littered across his back, blood flowing profusely from the many wounds. Hinata dropped her kunai, rushing to Naruto's side as she tried to help him, only for Naruto's breathes to start coming in ragged bursts.
"Hinata… why are… you… so weak? I mi- *cough* might…have survived had you… been stronger." And with that said, Naruto said, Hinata feeling tears threatening to pour from her eyes as she looked at the dead body of her crush, whose last words were cursing her weakness.
"What? N-No. I-I-I, please w-wake up, Na-Naruto-kun. I'm not-not weak!" Hinata spluttered as she clutched Naruto to her chest, his blood staining hr jacket, but she didn't care. Laying Naruto down calmly, she hit the tree next to her, using one of the most basic moves of her clan's Taijutsu style, the Jyuuken.
"8 Trigrams: Forceful Palm!" She yelled, striking the tree, which happened to be the tree Kakashi was hiding in, casting the Genjutsu, only for the tree to suddenly lean sideways, a black handprint scarred into the trunk. He decided to make his exit as an emotionally driven Hinata began systematically destroying the forest to find Kakashi for putting her through that torture.
Hinata chased the Jounin into a clearing, fighting him furiously with what she knew of the Jyuuken, Kakashi barely managing to outmaneuver her female rage fueled strikes, although he did take a couple hits, disabling his left arm.
Finally, Hinata let up on her Taijutsu, only to barrage Kakashi with kunai as he weaved around the flying metal. Suddenly, he felt the prick of a kunai at the back of his neck.
"What was that about letting your enemy get behind you, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto said; smirking, only for Kakashi to mirror his smirk, disappearing into a puff of smoke as a log replaced him. However, Naruto and Hinata didn't have to look long for their wayward sensei as he came back, somehow having regained the use of his left arm as he kept reading his perverted book, although one could tell he was secretly pleased with this group of Genin. It was almost a shame they were about to be sent back to the Academy.
Kakashi started with Hinata, only for Naruto to interfere whenever it looked like Hinata was about to lose, the occasional kunai or shurikan reminding the Jounin that he was fighting two people, not one now. Finally, Hinata overextended with a palm strike, and Kakashi ducked underneath it, sweeping her legs out from under her as he charged Naruto, only for the blonde to put up a more valiant fight now that he was confident that Kakashi could handle his fire powers.
Naruto rolled forwards, aiming to grab the bells, under for Kakashi to grab him, falling for Naruto's trap as a tiny flame appeared from no where, nearly taking off Kakashi's head as he leapt back, a seemingly endless army of fist-size fireballs speeding at him as he was forced to using a Water style jutsu to protect himself as steam began flooding over the field. Hinata opted to stay put, knowing that her Byakugan would be useless in this steamy field, although would keep a careful watch in case Kakashi tried to escape.
Naruto smirked, creating four more Shadow Clones as they plunged into the steam, using their newly discovered, and developing sensory skills to find Kakashi's position, attacking the Jounin while they held some semblance of an advantage.
Kakashi, meanwhile, was trying to find his way out of the steam while fending off the attacks from multiple directions. Great, he knows the Shadow Clone Jutsu, too. What was that fire technique, I've never heard of it before. Kakashi thought as he hit yet another clone in the back of the neck, dispelling them.
Suddenly, the steam was blown away as a massive fireball landed into the clearing, the heat causing the steam to evaporate, leaving Naruto vulnerable as he was trying to sneak up on Kakashi, only for the Jounin to catch him, and throwing him away as Naruto smirked.
However, before Kakashi could follow up, Sasuke reengaged the Jounin, although his movements were clearly slower than before, evidence that a Genin shouldn't use not just one, but two C-Ranked Fire Jutsu in the same fight.
The silver-haired man easily dispatched Sasuke, sweeping his feet out from under him, catching his leg and throwing him across the clearing where he bounced across the ground, crashing into Hinata as the pair was sent into a tree before crumpling to the ground in a heap of limbs.
Kakashi laughed jovially as he advanced on the pair, one sporting several cuts and probably a concussion as well as a bruised ego, the other groaning audibly from taking the brunt of the impact with the tree. Kakashi advanced on the duo, idlely flipping a kunai in his hands as he looked at the downed Genin, and just when he was having such high hopes for them.
He decided to scare them a bit, throwing the kunai at them, he aimed for the tree behind them, but the returning feeling to his arm caused his aim to slip slightly as it hit Sasuke in the chest.
Or at least it would've had Naruto not appeared in front of the kunai, the cold metal digging into his shoulder as blood spurted from the wound. He cringed, clenching his teeth as he grabbed the handle, pulling the kunai out, throwing it harmlessly to the side.
"I swear on this wound. So long as I breathe, my teammates shall not die!" Naruto swore, grabbing at the torn cloth of his jacket, blood seeping out between his fingers as he felt the tissue begin restitching itself together.
He was surprised when Hinata climbed to her feet, standing in front of him, with her arms spread out. "I f-feel the same, Nar-Naruto-k-kun." Hinata got out as her body ached, you could tell by the way she favored her right side, and before she could fall down, Naruto caught her, holding her up.
"Hn, as if I'd let the Dobe out do me. I'm not going anywhere until I beat you, Dobe!" Sasuke said, joining his team as they supported each other, their confidence and enthusiasm seeping into the clearing.
"Well, nice as that is, you still have to get the two bells from-" Kakashi was interrupted by a soft tinkling as Naruto handed the two bells to Hinata and Sasuke, both of whom seemed shocked to have actually passed the test, even if it was rather roundabout.
"But-but Naruto-kun. I-I don't want y-you to be sent b-back to the A-Academy." Hinata insisted, shoving the bell back into his hands, Naruto tilted his head to the side.
"You mean you don't know?" Naruto asked confusedly, Hinata blushing as Naruto stared into her eyes.
"K-K-Know wh-wh-what?" She stuttered, a kind smile growing on Naruto's face.
"They can't send me back to the Academy. Iruka's got a new class already, and none of the other teachers would take me. So Jiji just went ahead and cleared me for duty. I'm a registered Genin of Konohagakure. See?" Naruto said, pulling out his ninja license.
"Wait, you mean you didn't have to do this test. You would've been a Genin either way, so why would you help us?" Sasuke asked, now he was confused, stupid blondes.
"I thought we made this clear, I'm not going to take the easy road while my teammates, my comrades, my friends, suffer." Naruto said, and Kakashi felt a grin crawl up his face to his eye as he chuckled.
"Well, I guess that's that. You pass." He said, eye smiling as the trio now known as Team 7 cheered, before falling to the ground in a dog pile as their tired bodies gave out.
You're so much like him. And her, it's almost unbelievable. Just how far will you go, Naruto Uzumaki, when you find a place to call home in someone's heart. A certain pervert thought as he cut off the flow of chakra to his crystal ball, turning back to the bane of his kind, paperwork.
A/N: Hey guys, it's Aero's sister. He's currently gone on vacation, but left this chapter for me to upload today. Unfortunately, this is the only chapter he got done before he left, so you'll have to wait a few weeks for the next installment.