Chapter 2: Survival of the Team-est

The sun had just woke up and broke the night. It was early in the morning and everyone was exhausted. The team waited at their meeting spot which was at a small bridge.

"Hey guys, here, you guys need to eat," Kagome offered them energy bars. "I need to tell you guys about the test."

The rest of the team hesitantly accepted the bars, but did not eat them yet. Except Naruto, he was too hungry to care at the moment.

"Didn't Kakashi say not to eat anything? What would you know about the test?" Sakura asked and eyed her suspiciously.

"I've met Kakashi before and actually I watched him test his other teams before. This survival test is about teamwork. Remember, when we get tested, we have to work together. That's the only way to pass the test."

Sasuke looked at her in the corner of his eye. He had doubts about her suggestion. She was an outsider, how would she know anything? It wasn't like she lived here as long as they did. When did she move here anyway? Maybe she was lying, but what purpose for her to lie to them?

"Thanks Kagome for the energy bar. It's really good but not as good as ramen. I really wish I had eaten breakfast. Did you?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah I did. It's illogical to not eat when you are trying to survive. Get it?" Kagome joked, hoping to be a little closer to them. "So remember guys, we have to work together or-"

"How would you know it's what Kakashi would be testing us on that? Just because you saw them him test his students once, doesn't mean he would do the same thing again." Sasuke remarked cynically.

"Yeah! How yoooou know?" Sakura childishly sided.

"He wants to know if we are capable of working together. It doesn't matter how I know or not okay? We just have to work together no matter what." Kagome frantically countered. 'Geez why are they so difficult? Especially Sasuke…' she thought.

"Yes Kagome, how would you know?" teased the ever so late, Kakashi, appeared and towered over them.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura and Naruto yelled in unison at their late teacher.

"Kakashi, you know very well I was there to watch you test your students 4 years ago." Kagome countered him while crossing her arms.

"Mhm mhm yeah. So kids, for the survival test, I want you to get these bells away from me. Each and one of you will get a bell before noon, or you won't get to pass." Kakashi ignored her and showed them three bells.

"But there are only three bells; there are four of us." Sakura pointed out, confused.

"I guess one of you can't pass." Kakashi said a little darkly.

Naruto pounced up at him and reached for the bells that were in Kakashi's hand. Naruto held a kunai ready to defend himself from his sensei but was too late and Kakashi was already behind him holding Naruto's arm to the back of his neck letting the kunai he was holding pointed at his nape.

"Not so fast, but I love your blood thirst. And also, don't let your enemy get behind you." Kakashi remarked. "Now go!"

Team 7 moved out and jumped toward different bushes to hide and wait for their sensei. Kakashi had set the alarm clock on a tree stump nearby. Sasuke and Sakura were close together, while Kagome was a bit far. Kagome noticed that Naruto wasn't close to them.

'What is that idiot doing?' Kagome frantically thought.

She sensed him to be on the field. He saw the bell on the ground near a tree. Simple-minded as he was, he ran toward the bell and attempted to pick the bell without a second thought. To his idiocy, he was now dangling from a rope for falling into a trap.

"Dammit! I almost had it!" Naruto yelled.

"Naruto, don't fall for such an easy trap like that next time." Kakashi lazily told him.

'What an idiot…' Sasuke thought.

"Guys, we have to help him! We, as a team, have to work together to get the bells, and we can't do that without Naruto!" Kagome said.

"Why should we help him? Besides there's only three bells, each of us can get one. We don't need Naruto." Sakura quickly countered.

"Oh my god, the whole point of this exercise is teamwork. If we don't save him and get the bells together as a team, I guarantee you we will all fail!" Kagome said sternly while the growing frustration kept rising. Just how long does it take for them to understand?

"But there's-" Sakura was cut off.

"Listen to her. She has a point." Sasuke defended.

Kagome was a tad bit shocked how Sasuke suddenly came around. Maybe he was logical after all.

"First we save Naruto, then I'll tell you the plan."

Kagome sensed Kakashi nearby. She knew he was, watching their next step, and perhaps hoping they would fall apart. But not on her watch! Kakashi was waiting and what was truly scary was that he knew where they were. But that wasn't the point of this exercise, but clearly she should've been more careful.

Sasuke looked around to see if their sensei was still on the field. He was gone, and was probably hiding from them waiting to attack. He used the moment to throw his kunai and shuriken at the rope to free Naruto. Naruto plopped down like a sack of potatoes but hurriedly rush to a nearby bush. Kagome, Sasuke, and Sakura were there.

"Naruto, we have to work as a team to get the bells. So listen to me, I have a plan. We still have plenty of time, don't waste it." Kagome began.

"But there are only three…" Naruto commented.

"We can worry about that later. It doesn't even matter that there's three. That was only to throw us off. I would know this from four years ago. I've seen it, his students didn't work as team, they failed." Kagome continued. "So as for the plan…" She whispered it the team's ears before setting them out into action.

Kakashi, found reading his erotic novel, was standing in the middle of the field defenseless. Naruto came back out again and walked like a proud victor. He stood right in front of Kakashi. Kakashi did not even bat an eye at him who was standing before him right now, nor did he move an inch. He was too busy reading his novel, and it agitated Naruto for the lack of attention.

"Hey I'm right here! Look at me!" Naruto yelled out.

"Hm…?"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Clones of Naruto sprouted from the original and dashed toward his sensei. They all clumped on Kakashi and attempted to hold him down. As if suddenly, he was holding himself. The clones looked around and began to assume one of them were the fake Naruto. Hence, they beated each other up until there were no clones left. Somewhere in the bushes, the rest of the team thought: 'Moron…'

Kakashi reappeared and prepared his most deadly jutsu. He began to do his series of hand seals which Sasuke took on notice, that ended with a tiger seal. To his knowledge, jutsus that end with a tiger seal are offensive attack moves that are powerful. How could the sensei use such an attack on his student?

"One Thousand Years of-" Kakashi began to yell out his jutsu name before he got cut off.

Sasuke threw some kunai and shuriken at Kakashi who easily dodged it. Naruto was relieved by his save.

"Thanks Sasuke!"

"Shut up dobe."

Sasuke began to do his series of seals, in which Kakashi took in notice, a high level ninjutsu attack that a genin wouldn't normally know. That thought threw Kakashi off for a moment before a huge fireball came right at him.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

The fireball succeeded in burning something. It looked like he burned his teacher, causing panic to Sasuke who didn't want to know he accidentally hurt his teacher. Of course, he was wrong. The mighty Kakashi would never be killed by such a jutsu. A log was replaced for his standing and he was somewhere else.

'Shit! He could be where Kagome and Sakura are.' Sasuke cursed.

"That was a cool jutsu man! Teach it to me-" Naruto began but was cut off.

"Never mind that! We have to get to Kagome and Sakura!" Sasuke hurried.

The two dashed to the direction where Kagome and Sakura hid. They found them still hiding and waiting for the opportunity to attack Kakashi. They went up to them and Naruto asked, "Are you guys okay? Did Kakashi get you?"

"I thought you guys were taking care of him before Kagome goes in!"

Suddenly, Kakahi swooped down and took Sasuke and held a kunai at his throat. The team were shocked, and didn't know what to do.

"So what will it be? The bells or his life?" Kakashi threatened.

"Choose the bells! He won't actually kill me!"

"Don't count on it, Sasuke." Kakashi added more pressure on the kunai on his throat.

"Of course we will choose him! He's our teammate, dattebayo!"

"I love him. So screw the bells!"

"He's important to us. He's strong, smart, and also caring. Give him back to us!" Kagome finished off.

Sasuke looked away and slightly blushed. 'Caring she says, as if…'

"I see what you guys chose…you pass!" Kakashi jollily announced while releasing Sasuke.

Sasuke held his throat from the pain from the pressure of the kunai Kakashi held upon. He coughed. He took his kunai and foolishly dashed toward Kakashi. Kakashi kicked him in the stomach causing him to fall and slide back on the ground.

"Sasuke!"

"Now now Sasuke, don't make the team fail altogether because of you." Kakashi warned.

Sasuke grunted and held his stomach. He felt so pathetic right now. It embarrassed him to have them see him like that. He needed to get stronger and stronger to kill his brother. This made him realize he was weak still.

Ring! Ring! Went the alarm clock. It was set on a stump to show the time needed to get the bells.

"Time's up but you guys didn't get the bells. But you guys did fairly well as team, and you didn't abandon your teammate when his life was threatened. For that, I am proud." Kakashi told them. "Come over here. I need to show you all something."

Kakashi ushered them to a large grave. "KIA" was carved on the tombstone along with many names.

"Oh! That looks cool! I hope my name gets carved on it!" Naruto gleefully announced.

"Naruto…do you even know what KIA means?" Sakura asked.

"Um…no…" Naruto hesitantly replied.

"It means they were Killed In Action, Naruto." Kakashi answered. "My friend was killed in battle."

"Oh.." Naruto said apologetically.

"He once told me that those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum. I want you all to remember that." Kakashi softly taught them.

Kagome noticed the sorrow in his eye and his voice. She wondered who he had missed, perhaps she may even know him if he chose the path of Shi-no-Shisai. She felt bad for him for his loss.

"Thank you for listening. You are all dismissed. Meet up at the bridge again for our first mission at 5 AM sharp. Don't be late." Kakashi ordered.

"Says the always late one." Naruto remarked.

"Except you, Kagome. I need to talk with you." Kakashi said.

The others looked at Kagome worriedly of what Kakashi had in mind. Was she in trouble?

"What happened?" Sakura asked Kagome.

"I don't know. You guys just go ahead. Don't worry about me." Kagome smiled.

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura all walked away together to probably Ichiraku Ramen to eat after a long morning.

"So Kakashi, what is it that you need?" Kagome asked.

"It's strange you have come back after 4 years and suddenly decide to be a shinobi. You physically haven't changed at all. You didn't even go all out to get the bells when you had the chance to. So little is known about you. What happened to that interesting monk of yours, Miroku? What is your motive?" Kakashi asked sternly and suspiciously.

"I wanted to be a shinobi because I wanted to how shinobis work. My body probably doesn't grow very much. I didn't go all out because I wanted my team to help contribute into getting the bells instead of me getting it for them, because that wasn't the point right?" Kagome answered.

"But you let one of your teammates to be in danger. That's not a good skill."

"And also, Miroku left because he wanted to settle down with a woman he loved. I don't have a dangerous motive you are probably thinking of." Kagome lied. After all, she was not only there to learn about shinobis, but to kill Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki due to the curse people bestowed them upon.

"Alright. But it's not good to hide things from us. It'll be your downfall." Kakashi warned her before he sighed.

"Okay. I won't." Kagome lied again before turning tail and walking back into the streets and going home.

Kakashi looked at her suspiciously, and was not all convinced of what she said.

Oh my, how suspenseful! Chapter 2 finished. I have more of a plot coming from this so don't you worry folks! Thank you for reading and leave a review for comments and criticism. Beta-reader needed. PM me if you can be a beta-reader for this fic.

-iluvsoul12.