Bells?

The next day Naruto woke up with enough time to get ready before the meeting. He got up and got dressed. Naruto put on a plain black shirt and dark blue pants both were made of cotton and while tight enough not to get caught on anything were loose enough to move in. He made sure he had enough weapons in his weapons pouch, then strapped his wakizashi to his back. Naruto grabbed his bag strapping it securely around his torso. He ate breakfast not caring that Kakashi had warned him not to. Having a good breakfast was important plus Naruto had a lurking suspicion that Kakashi was going to be late.

Naruto walked to the meeting place to see that Sasuke was already there. He had a large pack on his back and was wearing the same outfit a dark blue shirt and white shorts. Naruto wondered how he always kept them so clean.

"Ohayo Uchiha-kun." Naruto said rather loudly waving at him from several feet away.

Sasuke nodded at him. Naruto unstrapped his bag then sat down next to it pulling out a book as they waited for Kakashi and Sakura to get there. Sakura soon got there and tried to flirt a little with Sasuke much to Naruto's amusement. After a while Sakura and Sasuke got bored of waiting.

"When do you think he'll get here?" Sakura asked not quite whining.

Naruto looked up from his book. "You mean Kakashi-sensei?"

"Who else would I mean?" Sakura asked confused.

"Oh, I thought you might have meant someone else since he has been standing over there," Naruto pointed towards some trees, "for quite a while now. I didn't want to bother him though."

"Why not?" Sasuke practically growled. He was sick of waiting for him.

"I thought it would be rude." Naruto shrugged not really sure what else to say. He went back to his book then sure that Kakashi would probably be there soon.

A few minutes later he felt Kakashi's chakra move towards them and put away his book. He stood up and stretched questioning his new teammates odd looks. Kakashi walked up to them waving and saying,

"Hey guys, good morning!"

"You're late!" yelled Sakura accusingly pointing a finger at him.

"Oh, I just stopped to help a cat stuck in a tree." Kakashi explained. He took a clock out of his bag and set it for noon. "There it's set for noon."

Kakashi then took out two small bells on small strings holding them up for them to see. "Here are two bells. Your task is to get them from me before the time is up. Those who don't have a bell by noon… get no lunch. I'll not only tie you to one of those stumps," he said pointing to three stumps at the side of the grounds, "but I'll also eat right in front of you."

'So that's why he told us not to eat breakfast.' Naruto thought to himself. Then heard the distinct sound of two stomachs growling in harmony.

"You only have to get one bell," Kakashi went on, "You only have to get one bell. There are only two, so one of you will definitely be tied to the stump and … the person who doesn't take a bell fails. So at least one of you will be sent back to the academy. If you want you can use shuriken and kunai. You won't succeed unless you come at me intending to kill."

"But you'll be in danger!" Sakura exclaimed.

Naruto snorted. "No he won't."

Sakura looked confused. "W-what do you mean?"

"If he couldn't dodge what a couple of academy graduates can dish out he would have died already." Naruto stated bored.

Kakashi nodded, "He's right if I couldn't dodge you guys I would have died a thousand times over already. Ok start when I say. Ready? Begin!"

They all took off in different directions. Kakashi stood in the center of the field while the others were hidden in the trees. Naruto masked his chakra and rationalized what Kakashi had said for a minute. 'Ok so he wants us to get the bells. He uses this test on all of the graduate teams. There is no way that one of them could take on a jonin. So the answer is to work as a group. Though he said that one of us would go back to the academy. I wonder what the other two will do.' Naruto glanced over to where they were hiding in the trees. He wondered if they actually thought that Kakashi didn't know where they were.

Kakashi in the center took out a book and started to read it while waiting for them. This amused Naruto but he thought it probably was a good way to get them out there. He watched as Sasuke took a shot trying to get Kakashi in the back. For a second it looked like it worked. Sakura cried out as she saw the kunai and shuriken burry themselves into Kakashi's skin. But it was just a kawarimi no jutsu.

He felt Sasuke try to follow Kakashi but soon lost him in the trees. Naruto felt for Kakashi's chakra finding it in the woods a couple hundred yards from where he was. He felt Sakura get near him then a spurt of chakra from Kakashi.

"AHHHHH!" Naruto heard Sakura scream.

Naruto quickly but quietly made his way through the trees to where Sakura was passed out. He felt Sasuke's chakra nearby obviously looking for Kakashi. Naruto made a clone to check Sakura's pulse to make sure she was ok. Then the clone fixed her legs and arms so that she was lying on the ground normally. Kakashi appeared leaning against a nearby tree.

"I was wondering where you were you're really good at masking your chakra." Kakashi stated still reading his book.

"Yeah," Naruto answered shortly. "Well maybe you should continue looking." After saying that the Naruto clone poofed away. The real Naruto still hiding in the trees.

Kakashi stood there for a few seconds just reading his book before Sasuke came out of the foliage. Sasuke launched some shuriken at him making him back up into a trap. Which Kakashi dodged. Naruto looking on from the trees easily found an opening as they were fighting.

Naruto jumped out from the trees as fast as he could and grabbed the bells off of Kakashi as he was blocking two of Sasuke's attacks. Both Sasuke and Kakashi looked surprised as he did that but couldn't stop him while they were still grappling with each other. Naruto easily flipped away before either could get him. They split apart both cursing inwardly. Kakashi jumping away to hide elsewhere.

Naruto ran far enough away to where he was sure no one was following. Then Naruto walked back to where Sakura was. He checked her pulse again and left one of the bells in her weapons pouch.

Naruto felt Sasuke sanding a bit behind him so said, "She's alright."

Sasuke didn't respond but came out of the foliage. "I don't care about that. I just need one of the bells. Perhaps the one you took while I was fighting."

Naruto resented that a little but didn't say anything. He walked past Sasuke shoving his shoulder into his. "Who said I took one of the bells?"

Naruto slowly made his way towards the stumps where Kakashi had placed the clock timing them. They only had about twenty minutes left so Naruto sat atop one of the stumps and pulled out his book.

Kakashi was there in a few minutes after he figured out both bells where gone. He was a little surprised at Naruto's presence on the stump but didn't say anything. After the bell rang signaling the end of the exercise Sasuke and Sakura were prompt at getting back.

"Alright I guess that Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun pass my test." Kakashi addressed the three.

The Uchiha growled. "No I don't have a bell."

Kakashi was surprised. "I thought that you and Naruto-kun worked together."

"No we weren't working together."

"Well then Naruto-kun you have both bells right? Could I have them back?" He asked once again surprised.

"Sorry Kakashi-sensei. I don't have them anymore." Naruto said amused.

"Well then who has them?" Sakura asked from looking on.

Naruto laughed a little. "Uchiha-kun take a look in your left pocket and Sakura-san look in your weapons pouch."

Sasuke reached into his pocket. "What does-" he cut himself off eyes wide pulling out a bell.

After he did that Sakura hurriedly opened her weapons pouch also finding another bell in there as well. Naruto shrugged at the astonishment.

"I ate breakfast."

Kakashi chuckled. "Naruto-kun you pass. Sakura-kun and Sasuke-kun unfortunately you didn't pass. Naruto-kun you gave your teammates bells that they didn't earn. I'm going to have to tie you to the stump."

Naruto nodded understanding what he was trying to do. Kakashi tied him up to the stump and gave the other two the packaged meals he brought. "Don't give any to Naruto-kun now."

"I don't get it why didn't we pass?" Sakura asked Sasuke.

Naruto sighed. "That's why."

Sakura looked over to Naruto. "What?"

"Sakura-san you didn't pass because you were only worried about Uchiha-kun even though you could have helped me out when I was nearest to you."

Sasuke scoffed.

"Got something to say Uchiha you didn't pass as I recall. You didn't pass because you couldn't get a bell on your own and arrogantly thought that you could."

"Well then oh wise one why did you pass when Sakura and I were the ones with the bells?" Sasuke asked sarcastically.

"What did I do that both of you didn't?"

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"Just-" Naruto cut off as his stomach growled loudly. "This is why I tell people that it sucks to have a high metabolism."

Sasuke smirked at him and Sakura giggled a little.

"Think it over. What did I do that was different from you?"

Eventually it dawned on the two as they were eating. Sasuke stared at his food for a while before asking,

"Would you like the rest of this Naruto-kun?"

Sakura's eyes widened in understanding and said, "Oh you can have the rest of mine Naruto-kun I'm on a diet anyways."

Naruto chuckled at the two before Kakashi poofed in front of them. He narrowed his visible eye and glared hard at them before finally saying, "You guys pass!"

"But we still didn't get the bells!" yelled Sasuke.

"Yes but you helped your comrade, right?"

They all looked at each other for a moment before Kakashi said, "That ends training for today. You guys all pass! OK! Starting tomorrow team 7 will begin its duties!"

Thank yous and responses to anonyms reviews-

To Stargazer- Thank you for the reviews! To answer your questions I don't think that there is potential for ItaNaru in this story or DeiNaru what with them working for Akasuki and want to extract his biju and such… yeah. So sorry there may be NaruSasu though! Really unsure on that though…

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