Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Inner talking
Sakura talking to inner/Thoughts
The Bell Test
The next morning saw three genin waiting patiently at training ground 3...actually that's a lie, it saw one genin waiting patiently while meditating, one sitting brooding at the base of a tree and the third alterating between running around impatiently and yelling his head off about a late sensei. Occasionally he even did them at the same time.
Finally, nearly two and a half hours from the appointed time, a silver-haired jounin poofed into existance infront of them.
"Hey guys good morning."
"YOUR LATE!"
Seemingly amused by Narutos yell Kakashi just set up an alarm clock and breifly outlined the task. They had to get a bell from him before noon, or else they would fail and be unable to eat lunch. Aswell as that one of them would be tied to the stump.
Noticing the boys looks of realisation that they had been tricked into not eating Sakura barely hid a giggle. Being the medic she was Sakura had made sure to eat a good breakfast - afterall without food how could you be expected to perform at your best? Then she frowned. They were genin, and no-one could realistically expect a genin to be able to overpower or trick a jounin...ok, maybe some jounin could be tricked, but still. Kakashi was up to something.
"...If you want you can use kunai and shuriken, if you don't come at me with intent to kill you'll definately fail."
Naturally Naruto burst out laughing. "Your so slow you can't even dodge a black-board eraser! We'll definately kill you."
"In the real world, those with no talent often bark the loudest. Well, ignore me Mr. Dead Last and start when I say."
The orange suited boy was enraged by the offhand comment and pulled out a kunai and ran towards Kakashi. There was a blur of movement and suddenly Naruto was pinned with his own kunai at his neck.
"Calm down. I haven't said start yet."
Sakura could see Sasuke's shock written on his face. She could understand how he was feeling. That sort of speed was not something you see often, even when raised in a ninja family. She had seen her mother and Shizune move like that before, but only rarely, and Kakashis' speed had surprised her aswell, she had barely been able to see that he had moved until he had stopped.
"Well, it seems like you've finally decided to come at me with an intent to kill, so you've finally acknowledge me huh?..hehe, it seems like I'm beginning to like you guys. Ok. Ready...begin."
Sakura immediately used a transportation jutsu and covered her chakra signal. If there was one thing that she excelled at it was manipulating chakra. As it was one of the most essential skills for a medical ninja she had practiced it nearly since birth, she also had an inherent knack for controlling it. She was good enough that she could pinpoint where anyone was, even if they were hiding their chakra, as long as they were in a 8 mile radius; although depending on how well she knew the person and how well they could hide their chakra it could take up to half an hour. And even her mother had trouble locating her when she hid.
She flattened herself onto a branch near the top of the tree in the middle of the training grounds, she figured that their sensei would assume she had tried to get furthur away, instead of being right on top of him, and from there she could veiw most of the ground, which she had found out earlier when exploring before Kakashi arrived.
Surveying the area she located Sasuke on one of the middle branches of a tree some distance away, Kakashi hadn't moved and Naruto...Oh by the gods. Does he have a death wish?
"Come here! Come here and fight me!"
The sensei sweatdropped. "Um...your a little bit off..."
"The only thing thing off is your hair!" Naruto yelled while laughing maniacly and lunging towards Kakashi.
Kura, I know we agreed to go easy on him and all, but does he have any brain cells.
Uhhh... I wish I could tell you ...
Naruto jerked to a halt when he saw Kakashi reach into his pouch. Sakura's eyes narrowed was he grabbing a weapon? Never mind she had to figure out the real point of this test. Alone they couldn't defeat him, maybe together? But there were only two bells. That's it! Teamwork, the shortage of bells were to pit them against eachother, to distract them from what was really important.
Now how to pursuade the boys to help her...
On the ground Kakashi was crouched behind Naruto holding the same book she had caught him reading yesterday with his hands in the tiger seal...was he going to use a fire jutsu...no surely not, he wouldn't kill them. Right?
"Hidden leaf ancient taijutsu supreme technique. A thousand years of pain!"
And then he poked Naruto in the butt.
Inner, our sensei is...
Yeah...as soon as we get the chance lets hit him. Hard.
It would be a pleasure.
A few minutes later Naruto was suspended underneath her by his leg from a tree branch after falling for the (obvious) trick Kakashi had set up. The jounin himself was nowhere in sight, but Sakura could feel his chakra nearing Sasuke's.
Sighing Sakura flipped herself off her branch to land infront of Naruto, who, naturally, freaked out.
"NARUTO! Relax. I was there the whole time, now listen. The whole purpose of this test is for us to work as a team, there's no other way for us to pass, okay."
"Eh, teamwork, kay."
"Good, now I'm going to cut you down, but you have to promise not to go running off."
The upsidedown blond grinned and nodded an affermative. Sakura smiled back and took a kunai out of her pouch. using it to cut the rope suspending him in the air. Being the ever-graceful person he was Naruto fell on his head.
"Ok so now we have to go find Sasuke and - "
"Eh! Sakura-chan you've got to be kidding! We can't work with that teme!"
Oh by the gods did he not understand what we just said.
"Naruto, we have to in order to pass, okay? Wait, NARUTO!"
Sakura stared as the hyperactive boy dissappeared into the bush.
Inner, as soon as this test is over we are kicking these boys collective behinds.
*Cheering* Kura I'm so proud of you!...now if I could just get you to take an intrest in the male race.
Huh? *Confused mind-face*
*Sigh* Later.
Frowning slightly to herself Sakura stalked off into to trees' heading towards the chakra signature of her other, and hopefully more agreeable, teammate.
Several minutes and frustrated mutterings later Sakura reached the source of the chakra to find Sasuke...buried up to his neck in earth? As annoyed as she currently was Sakura couldn't help but let out a little giggle at her seeming stoic, cocky and 'cool' teammate so obviously beaten and humiliated.
"Need a little help?"
"Hn."
"You do realise that's not a word right?"
"Hn"
"Never mind. In any case I'm pretty sure that the purpose of this test is teamwork, so do you think you can bring yourself to work with me and Naruto on this?" The pinkett asked sweetly as she swiftly dug the male out of his hole. He was still covered in dirt, but oh well, not a big deal.
"I don't need help from weaklings like you or the dobe."
Sakura's jaw dropped a tiny bit at the sheer arrogance of his statement and for the second time that day watched one of her stubborn, idiotic, and utterly unbelievable teammates disappered.
Ten minutes later the three genin sat by the logs where they had started...well Naruto was actually tied to it but hey, who cares about technicalities. Kakashi stood infront of them.
"You guys look really hungry. Oh and by the way, about the training, well, there's no need for you to go back to the academy.."
"Yeah! Then, then, All three of us!" Even Sasuke looked rather excited. Sakura on the other hand rolled her eyes and shot an irritated look at the loud boy.
"He's not finished yet Naruto, so would you be quiet."
"Eh, but Sakura-chan - "
"Please continue sensei."
"Yup, all three of you...should quit as shinobi."
"QUIT AS NINJA'S! OK OK! WE COULDN"T GET THE BELLS BUT, WHY DO WE HAVE TO QUIT!"
"Because all of you, are punks who don't deserve to be called ninja."
His words managed to piss of the boy that wasn't tied to the stump, and he, naturally, tried to attack Kakashi. He failed, naturally, and he ended up being used as a cushion.
"That's why your punks. Are you guys underestimating ninja, huh, why do you think you were divided into teams for this excercise in the first place? Basically, you three...well maybe not Sakura...but you boys, aren't understanding the answer to this test.
"Answer?"
"Yes, the answer that helps you pass this test. It's teamwork. The purpose of this test is to make you fight amognst yourselves. The purpose is to see if you can successfully forgo your own intrests and successfully work together under these circumstances. Yet you guys...Naruto! You were just running around by yourself. Sasuke! You just assumed that the others would get in your way and tried to do everything by yourself. And the both of you ignored Sakura when she tried to get you to work together! And Sakura! Simply put you have no proper ninja skills what-so-ever!"
At this point the girl started to fume.
"The duties are done by the team. Of course superior natural ability is important to a ninja, but what's even more important is teamwork! Individual play that disrupts the team can put your comrads in danger..for example. Sakura! Kill Naruto or Sasuke dies!"
Obviously expecting some sort of reaction from her - like the freak out Naruto was having - he was sorely disappointed when the girl blinked slowly but did or said nothing.
Getting off Sasuke the jounin continued. "You see? If a hostage is taken you will have impossible choices and then death. You will be risking your lives in these duties. See here? Look at the numerous names carved on this stone. All of these people are heroes of the village."
"Hey, hey, hey! I've decided to get my name carved on that stone too! Hero! That's what I'll be!"
"These are all a special kind of hero."
"Oh yeah? Then what kind are they?...What?! WHAT!?"
"These are all heros who were killed on duty."
That dropped Narutos' spirit considerably.
"This is a memorial...my best friends name is also carved here...You guys, I'll give you one more chance, but after lunch I'll make it even tougher to get the bells. Those who still wish to challenge can eat lunch, but don't give any to Naruto."
"Huh! Why not!"
"It's punishment for trying to eat by yourself. If anyone gives him lunch they will automatically fail. I am the rules here, understood?"
He was about to poof off when a very sweet, nearly angelic, voice stopped him.
"Just one moment sensei." Sakura said as she got up and casually started strolling towards him, a perfectly innocent expression on her face. Few who happened to see her right now would notice the slight shaking of her body, and even less would realise that it meant she was angry, and out of that small group of people only a very small percentage would realise how much danger the recipient of her anger were in right now. Sadly for him, Kakashi was not one of those few.
"Refering to your earlier comment, how would you know what my ninja skills are like? You haven't seen me fight yet, and I do hope your not basing that opinion on the fact I actually figured out the reason behind this test and didn't stupidly attack you by myself - which would of course be pointless of course considering the fact you are a jounin, and if I guess rightly an ex-ANBU - or on a superficial trait or the small part of my personality you've seen, right? And when it come to lunch...whether you like it or not I am planning to give Naruto lunch, he is afterall my teammate at the moment. If you want to fail me then fine, it's not like I particularly care, I'm interested in becoming a proper genin yes, but it's not something I particularly care about just yet. Even not considering that, if I didn't give him food then he would only drag us down in whatever you've got planned for after lunch, which would completely defeat the purpose. And also sensei, you know what?"
She asked as she stood directly infront of him.
Raising the eyebrow visable on his masked face he sighed. "Oh, What?"
Sakura smiled even more sweetly. "I don't think I like you very much."
And then, taking inners' earlier suggestion, she slammed a chakra-infused fist into his gut, sending him flying out of the training ground. Turning back to the boys she noted breifly that both of them were gaping like fishes.
"A-ano, Sakura-chan...will he be okay?"
"I should certainly hope so, I didn't hit him all that hard, and a jounin of his caliber ought to be able to deal with it."
"..not all that hard." Surprisingly it was the Uchiha who whispered that in shock.
"So anyway Naruto lets cut you down so we can have luch, 'kay?"
Lying in the crater he had made on impact Kakashi reflected that he may have made a slight - or rather large - error when assessing the female assigned to his team. Based on her sweet temperament and looks he had foolishly discarded the hints of iron in her introduction the previous day - her warning not to underestimate her, and of course the fact that she was, after all, a Senju. And Senju's were notorious for producing high-level ninja, none of whom one would originally guess to be of such a level. Although not necessarily because they looked sweet and innocent, her mother was a perfect example of that.
Now however he was forced to face the reality that Sakura had both skill and potential - possibly even more than the other two - which was proved by her giving him an aerial veiw of Konoha landing him in the middle of another genins' team training session. Had it not been for the aches all over over his body Kakashi would have sighed. The other ninja were going to love the fact that he had finally ended up with a team he didn't have any good reason to fail, aswell as that someone had sent him flying, and that someone being his female pink-haired student was only going to ensure they never let him live it down. Silently he resolved never to let her hit him in future.
"What have we here! Well if it isn't my eternal youthful rival Kakashi!"
Yes, he would most certainly have to avoid Sakuras' fists in the future.