Immortal Phoenix

Author: The Phoenix is Immortal

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor am I making any profit from this work.

Chapter 18: Pass or Fail

The alarm had already rung. It was noon.

A while later brought Naruto and his team back to the center of the grounds. Sakura human was tied to one of the tall stumps. Apparently because she had not really done anything.

Kakashi human faced us. "There's no need for you to go back to the academy."

Naruto looked up. "You mean..."

Kakashi finished, "I mean you should all quit as ninjas."

Naruto got angry. "Quit as ninjas? Why is that? We could not get the bells…but why should we quit?" Indeed…but perhaps that was not the point of the test. Teamwork…

"Because all of you don't deserve to be ninja." At this, Sasuke human tried to attack the Kakashi human. He failed. "Why do you think that ninja are place into teams? You guys didn't understand the answer to the test."

Naruto hesitated, then spoke. "Answer to the test? Do you mean teamwork?"

"Precisely. Naruto knew the answer, but Sakura was too concerned with Sasuke. And Sasuke only wanted to work alone. Together, the three of you could have gotten the bells."

What about me? Ignore the bright phoenix will you? Anyway…so that was the true point of the test. So Naruto and I were right…but we could not do anything about it.

The Kakashi human continued with his explanation. There were less bells then the amount of the team to keep them from working as a team. Not that they needed the discouragement, they would not have worked together even with three bells.

He proceeded to give a…demonstration of a hostage situation. He then told us about a memorial stone. He said his best friend's name was on the stone.

Best friend? Still? He was a little trapped in the past, it seemed.

Then, "I'll give you one more chance. But after lunch, it will be even harder. If you want to take the challenge, you can still eat lunch. But don't give any to Sakura. If you do, it's immediate failure."

He left after that. I looked at Sakura human from my perch on the next log over. She certainly looked hungry.

"It's fine. I'm not hungry." The statement was immediately proved to be a lie when her stomach grumbled.

"Here." This came from Sasuke human. Strange. "If you don't eat now, you'll just be in the way."

"Sasuke-kun…"

Naruto, not to be outdone, offered his to her also. Did he forget that I needed food also? He then turned to me. "You can have some too, Akarui!" He did not…that is nice of him.

Then a large dust cloud approached us. So the Kakashi human was watching like I thought he was. I knew he would be watching. He wanted us to work as a team…and a team had to look out for its members. He came toward us, surprising Naruto and the other humans. "You pass!"

When asked why…he just said, "Those who don't care for their comrades are lower than trash." What an interesting human. That applied even if you do not like your "comrades?" Why? Why would you have to care about someone you do not like? Humans are strange. That had never been the case where I came from.

"Tomorrow, you will all begin your duties as Team Seven!" Kakashi human said this while holding up his hand with the thumb pointing up. A pose of some kind? What did that mean?

Naruto exploded. "I did it! I did it! I'm a ninja! I'm a ninja." He was so noisy that I wished that I had hands to cover my ears. I was happy for him though.

"Naruto! You are too loud!" After I told him that, he quieted.

Kakashi human told them to go…and they left Sakura human tied to the post. Poor human. I burned off the ropes to free her. So much for the "care for comrades." But…maybe I had some of that too.

In the days after…it was mission after mission. The thing was…they were the most boring missions. This was the third time we had to catch the same cat.

After the team was finished calculating the distance to the cat….I just scooped it up in my talons like I was supposed to and deposited the cat onto Naruto. This was taking too long.

"Hey! Akarui!" Naruto was yelling that while wrestling with the cat. He was losing. To a cat. I predicted that he would get many scars…that would later disappear.

When we returned the cat to the owner…the owner tried to squeeze it to death. The human should stop. It was no wonder that genin teams always had to chase the same cat.

Over the last few weeks…the team had weeded gardens, baby-sat, found lost pets…and a multitude of other menial tasks. I did not actually take part in most of it…having no hands. (To the team's, excepting Naruto's, knowledge.)

The team received payment, including me…but it was boring. Imagine…me wasting all of my time on…a human's pet cat. That was exactly what was happening. I was frustrated. So was Naruto.

Wrinkly human was there giving out missions at the mission reception area. "Now, Team Seven, your next mission is to baby-sit an elder's grandson, shopping, and help with potato digging." See, menial tasks.

I flew up to the desk in front of the wrinkly human. This was it. If I had to do one more task like that (even if I did not do most of it) I would end up burning down something important, promise or no promise.

Before even Naruto could yell, I was talking. "Wrinkly human…if you give me one more menial task," I said this sweetly, "I will cause so much fire damage that you will never have an ounce of your measly human time away from paperwork again. My promise did not concern what would happen if I was subjected to this, did it?" That was said…quietly, in order to avoid being heard, but not too sweetly. What? I was not too happy.

The human's face turned quite white. Then Naruto started to yell. "I want a better mission! We've been doing too many of these kinds of missions already! Please, Ojii-san?"

At this, Iruka human, who had been sitting next to wrinkly human started a lecture. I did not really listen…and Naruto seemed to be trying to decide what to eat for dinner. As for me…I wanted to eat some fish for dinner. Fish would be good right now.

Wrinkly human finally spoke. "Fine, if you want it that much, I'll give you a C-rank. It entails the protection of a certain individual." Finally!

"Who? Who?" Naruto wanted to know…and frankly, so did I.

Then a man came in. He looked a little old…and was holding a bottle of…something. He spoke, "They're all brats. Especially the shortest one with the stupid face."

So…Naruto might have a stupid-looking face, but he was not stupid (my training...mostly paid off). "Hey! I am not stupid! That is why I will not kill you even though I want to! That would destroy the point of the mission!" Formal language. He must be mad. He still looked like he wanted to kill the man. Kakashi human was not too discretely holding him back a little.

"I'm Tazuna, the expert bridge builder. I expect all of you to give me protection until the completion of the bridge."

I just chirped happily. Finally, a good mission…and an out of village one.

So after that, we had some time left to ourselves. Naruto left to prepare. I left to prepare and…buy some things.

I wanted to train my human form more. Humans actually had a better way to physically fight then my real form at this time, and in this world. I might have to use it. Though my form was better, I lacked the size I once had. This place also had a lot of forests…as far as I could see. If I were to use my true size, it would be difficult to maneuver close to the ground. Not to mention the damage to the forest if I were to use fire. Not to mention I did not want what happen to the tailed beasts to happen to me. That meant not showing any of my stronger powers.

And I was a ninja…meaning I had to fight. I usually did not like fighting…but I was not too worried about any physical harm that humans may do to me. I was more worried about sealing now. I would rather not be trapped in a human host. I liked my freedom.

So I went to the weapons store in my human form (it turns out I had to have Naruto remove the ninja headband…and then I had to put it back on in human form. If I wore it when I changed to my human form, it would disappear.)

Inside the store, there were some more humans. A girl with twin buns on her head and a boy near her…in green spandex.

Green spandex human saw me. "Yosh! What a youthful person, to be out and preparing!"

Were humans always like this? I just stared at him. Beside him was his…teammate I think. She was just shaking her head.

"Oh, I have yet to introduce myself! I am Rock Lee!"

I decided to answer. "Um…I am Akarui…" This human was disturbing me. He had the…strangest features. Really strange hair…and eyebrows. Could human eyes even be that round?

"It is wonderful to meet a person so filled with the Flames of Youth, Akarui-san!"

"It is…nice to meet you too." That was subjective, actually. I was regretting telling him my name.

"Are you here to buy weapons for a mission, Akarui-san?"

"Yes." Please….go away!

There were now tears streaming down his eyes. "Such a display of youthfulness!" If only he knew that I was much, much older than even his grandfather… "I am here with my most youthful teammate, Tenten!"

"How…nice." What else was I supposed to say? He was….scaring me a little.

Then another human came in. This human looked exactly like the other green spandex human! There were two of them? Oh…no…

"Lee, my most youthful student! Who is the youthful person you are talking to?" The adult green spandex person was…just like the other one!

"This is Akarui-san!. He burns bright with the Flames of Youth!" Little green spandex human said that. Someone…help me. Now the older one knows my name.

"How un-youthful of me! I have forgotten to introduce myself! I am Maito Gai, Konoha's beautiful green beast!" He said this with a bright smile and a pose. He almost blinded me. With my vision…I really did nearly go blind.

I blinked. And blinked again. I had to wait for my vision to return. "Nice…to meet…you." No! It was not! They are the strangest humans ever!

"Akarui-san is being most youthful! He is preparing!" Little green spandex human said that.

"What a most youthful thing to do! And Lee, what a youthful thing to say!" Adult green spandex human was crying now.

So was little green spandex human. I noticed by now that Tenten human had disappeared. Little green spandex human started talking also. "Gai-sensei!"

So was the adult green spandex human. "Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!" At this the adult green spandex human threw his arms around the younger. He was still crying.

"Gai-sensei!" could be heard as the little human hugged back his teacher, crying all the way.

This was ridiculous! Someone…help me! They were, by far the strangest humans…to ever walk this world!

So I ran. Out of the shop, into the street into the alley…until I was safely back into my real form. I did not even buy any weapons. What else could I do? Nothing! So…horrifying! I never ever want to talk to those humans again. Who knew that being a human was so dangerous?

I bought some weapon somewhere else. On the other side of the village. Where it was safe.

When I returned back to the apartment, Naruto was already all prepared. And so was I. It turned out that when I turned from one form to the other, whether it be phoenix to human or human to phoenix…all items on my person would disappear. It would only reappear when I turned back. So if I wanted to keep something through my transformation, I would have to remove it from my person.

So I turned back to my phoenix form with all my new weapons in their respective pouches which were on me. They disappeared with my human form. But I still kept the headband for my phoenix form. But I had to ask Naruto to tie it back on. Human hands were indeed useful.

And tomorrow would be the start of our first out of village and our first C-rank mission. This should be interesting.

Author's note: Yay! Finished. Yes…I know it is canon-y, but I have not found the right place to divulge from the plotline as of yet.

And of course, thanks to all my reviewers! I know it is repetitive, but your reviews really make me happy! So please…if you are reading this and enjoyed the story…review and tell me.