I just COULD NOT decide how I wanted this and the following chapter divvied up, and to be honest I'm still not particularly happy about it, but... I guess that'll happen sometimes.

For the second time that day, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were tangled around each other as scrolls sprawled over every flat surface in the room.

"Alright, so what do we know?"

"Everyone else get the same test-talk as we did?"

The two other teams both nodded. "One by one then. These are our enemies." Ino tossed out the three photos to the middle of the circle, the only clean spot in the room.

Shino was the first one to speak, finger on the picture of a red-eyed woman, "Kurenai Yuuhi."

Ino was the one to speak up, "I've heard of her some. She's a Genjutsu specialist, and she hangs out with Anko a lot."

Shikamaru gave her a sideways look, "Mitarashi?"

Naruto rolled her eyes, "Do you know of another Anko?"

"I'd prefer if I didn't know of the first one..."

Sakura's hand slapped down against the flooring loudly, "Focus! Okay, Genjutsu specialist, which means her test is likely going to be based on that."

"Genjutsu can trick the senses, and these are Jounin, no matter how they seem, they probably have access to all our files, which means not a single one of them can be overestimated and none of our usual aces are going to be effective."

"Kiba, expect that she knows about your sense of smell and will be able to trick that as well. Akamaru might be in danger, too. Hinata, your Byakugan can't see through Genjustu can it?"

She shook her head, "N-not unless it's a personal application, like the Henge, where the chakra systems remain the same, or clone Jutsu, which don't have chakra systems."

"Let's assume that these Jounin are going to sink to the use of Academy-level Jutsu. They're going to push us each to our limits."

Ino nodded, "So we assume higher-levels and try to think of ways to counteract that."

Sakura looked at Naruto, and getting a nod, she pulled out the first scroll they'd worked on in the classroom earlier, "Naruto, Sasuke, and I were planning out combos for the next game of Battle Tag since we've all got teams now and know who's in each. We came up with several ideas for countering each of you. The Jounin might have similar ideas to these, or they might actually help against the Jounin." She rolled it out to show everyone.

Sasuke pointed to one of the ideas, "This should work for any opponent that relies on eye contact for their Genjutsu. We had plans to use it against Hinata and her Byakugan."

Hinata scrutinized it, then smiled up at them, "This would have worked v-very well."

Naruto plopped her chin on her fist, "Yeah, would have... Damn these Jounin for ruining our gameplans."

Ino reached out and flicked her, "Focus on the bigger picture here." She looked down at the information and pulled out her own Sensei's photo, "Asuma Sarutobi."

Naruto raised her hand, "Ooh! I know of him! He's the son of Hokage-jiji and is Konohamaru's uncle."

"That's nice... Now do you know anything useful about him? Like his Jutsu or style of teaching?"

Shikamaru leaned forward, "Well it's no secret that our fathers were on the same team because of their combo-clan techniques. It would make sense he would test us on how well we work together." He leaned back with a sigh and crossed his arms, "This is such a pain. None of us can get any of the important information in the Archives because we're still Genin."

Naruto gave him a sideways look, "...I've broken into the Hokage's personal trove to steal a scroll. I bet the nine of us together could break into the Archive and get away clean."

Ino narrowed in on her, "And exactly when did this happen?"

The golden blonde leaned back and rubbed her neck, "Eh... Last night?"

"You still have to tell us all what happened. Hold on, I'll set up the stuff."

Naruto reached out after her, "Eh, eh, wait... Is now really the time for that stuff? Don't we have more important things to worry about?"

"No. Besides, assessing what you did last night will help us decide if the Archive Plan is viable."

Naruto wilted and pulled in on herself as Ino brought in a large mirror from her own room. She set it up against the wall and looked over at the others. Naruto slunk over, staring at her sister with big, sad storm blue eyes.

Ino frowned, but put her fingers into their Clan's unique Seal, "Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

Naruto's mind opened to her like a well-worn door, a path she had tread many times before- it wasn't like they'd had anyone else to practice their clan jutsu on as children. Naruto appeared before her, face unusually blank, and led the way to her memories of the night before. Ino put her hand on the doorknob and closed her eyes, splitting her focus. When she opened her eyes, she saw her own body limp and laid out gently on the floor, one of the others having kindly caught her as she'd fallen.

She faced the reflective silver surface and made another Seal, "Memory Reflection Jutsu!"

Ino's eyes, in Naruto's body, widened as the scenes appeared before her, Naruto's thoughts running through her head as the memories played out on the once-silver field in front of them all. Naruto wasn't her sister. They didn't share blood. Her heart stopped as Naruto's rampant remembered emotions crashed through her brain. The betrayal, the panic, the overpowering fear. Her own shock was washed away in the rising tide of feelings.

Sakura was there in an instant, arms around her\Naru's shoulders. And in the depths of the golden-blonde's mind, her sister was completely silent.

"True love is unconditional. You're my baby, I'll always love you no matter what happens."

"If you ever touch my loved ones, I'll kill you."

Her hands lowered. Naruto...

"Congratulations, Naruto: you graduate."

The memories faded away and Ino put Naruto's hands into the Seal she needed, "Kai!"

The actual Naruto slowly blinked as she regained control of her body again, eyes opening wide as she promptly found herself in the middle of a group hug that included every one of the other girls. Ino's face was buried in her neck, "Dummy, you're still my sister. My little sister."

Naru's arms shook as she hugged back, hiding her eyes in Ino's hair, "Neechan... Thank you."

Shikamaru awkwardly cleared his throat, "Well, that certainly explains some things..."

Sasuke's black eyes glittered darkly with anger. He hated secrets, more so if they were about him, and here nearly all the adults in Naruto's life had kept her in the dark about the nine-tailed fox being sealed in her stomach. How dare they? How dare any of them?

Shikamaru took a deep breath as the girls slowly separated, tapping the 'plan', "I don't think we'll be able to get into the Archive at this rate. After all of that, just last night no less, the entire roster is going to be on high alert. Patrols will be doubled at least."

Naruto nodded and pulled away, wiping at her eyes, "What are your thoughts on the not-eating decree?"

Shika held his chin, "I think it's a ploy. Food is always going to be a necessity, especially going into a fight against a Jounin. And if you puke, you puke. It'd be worse to need but be out of energy at a crucial moment. And if it comes right down to it; distraction value."

Every girl in the room and half the boys made simultaneous faces of disgust -Ino's complexion was especially green- but they all nodded nonetheless. It was gross, but they were ninja now, there were going to be a lot grosser situations than being forced to use their own vomit as distractions.

"Does anyone else know anything about Kakashi?"

Kiba jumped up in excitement, "Oh! I know! He uses Ninken! I've seen him around the Clinic. Akamaru, you got anything?" They all waited in silence as the puppy tilted his head and whined, then let out a double bark. Kiba translated, "He says that he's talked to Pakkun some and he's got an amazing nose."

Shino adjusted his glasses and spoke, "As hard as it would be for Kiba to understand -and indeed, I myself- it is also very likely the Jounin won't feel the need to summon his Ninken. If he used them often, Kiba would not be the only one to know about them."

Ino sighed, "We're Genin. It's not likely the Jounin are going to take us seriously."

Naruto's hands fisted, "All the more reason to show them not to underestimate us! So! He's got dogs, I know exactly the thing to use against those. And if he doesn't use them, what else is he good in? What's this test going to be?!"

Sakura's head hit her knees, "He's laaaate. Again." She looked up questioningly when her blonde team mate stood up, "Naruto?"

The blonde's expression set into one of determination, "If he holds to the pattern, he'll be three hours late today, too."

Sakura called after her as she set out, "Hey, what are you doing? What if he's not that late? We'll be in major trouble if you leave."

Naruto stopped and turned back to Sakura with a close-eyed smile, "Don't worry, I'm not leaving." Her eyes opened to menacing blue slits and her teeth gleamed in the dawn light, "I'm setting traps."

Naru didn't care if their sensei only called them here as a gathering spot and the test was going to take place somewhere else. They'd warned him before about not disrespecting someone else's honest efforts. Her hands moved into the now-familiar Cross Seal, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" With a huge puff of smoke, the clearing was suddenly filled with over a dozen Narutos. All of them smirked and pulled out storage scrolls with matching vicious grins.

It was a good thing they'd eaten breakfast, and Naruto honestly doubted any of them would be puking. By the time their sensei decided to show himself, their meals were pretty much digested. "Morning everyone, ready for your first day?"

Sakura and Naruto gave him twin glares from narrowed eyes, "You're late."

"Well a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way."

Naru crossed her arms, unimpressed, "Just how long a way did you take? I have a friend. She's a Genin. Her sensei makes her run laps around the entirety of the village walls faster than that."

Kakashi cleared his throat in apparent discomfort under the weight of all three Genin's stares, "Well... Let's get started."

She followed behind her two team mates, her canines showing through her smile, "Let's."

Their sensei placed an alarm clock on a stump and started it, "There. It's set for noon. Your assignment is simple, you just have to take these bells-" he held up two small bells like one would find on a Christmas ornament or pet collar, "-from me. If you can't, you'll go without lunch. And you'll be tied to those posts while you watch me eat my lunch in front of you."

Shikamaru, you genius, remind me to let you take a nap the next time you ask for one! Naruto cocked her head, "Hey, so, Math isn't my best subject, but there's only two bells, and three of us..."

"Oh, that? Well that way, at least one of you winds up tied to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission. That one goes back to the Academy."

Green, black, and ocean blue clashed for a single second. Sakura's fingers twitched. 'Objective: mission under fire, enemies in-bound?'

Naruto ran the (admittedly limited) Sign Language through the decoder part of her mind. Kakashi's test was seeing how they dealt with a mission where they had enemies after the same objective?

Sasuke answered back. 'Assume yes.'

Naruto added to it. 'Plan no.'

"You can use any weapon, including shuriken. If you're not prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bells."

She had to hold back another evil grin at that, because her traps had exactly that in mind. Oh, nothing lethal... Much. Nothing her mother and a less-experienced Chuunin hadn't survived already, at least. "Sensei, is chalk-dust permissible, or would that be considered too deadly?"

Kakashi narrowed his single visible eye at her, "Smart-alecs often attack with words because they lack the skills to back them up. They can be safely ignored. Class clowns. Failures."

Failure. Failure. Failure.

Naruto moved before she could stop herself, the only thing keeping her from throwing herself at the silver-haired bastard-sensei was Sasuke's sudden grip on her wrist. He tapped out a code against her skin. 'Calm. Attack later. Objective. Promise.'

She shook with the urge to shove those words back down the Jounin's throat. It was an all-consuming need, coursing through her system and pulsing below her skin. She hated that word. She hated it! Her entire life she'd been called a failure, no matter how hard she tried, how well she did. She'd show that bastard, she'd show him!

It took a lot -more than she was expecting- to calm her breathing, to get a handle on herself again to the point Sasuke felt confident enough about her control to let go. She had to stay calm, stay focused. Rage got her nowhere, it was how she'd managed to defeat Mizuki, because she'd taunted him into a fury and capitalized on his distraction.

Naruto pulled out a kunai by the loop, spinning it around to hold in a reverse grip, "I'll show you what a failure I am. Start the test!"

Kakashi closed his eye at them and tilted his head, "Ready? And... Start!"

They took off.

Sasuke and Sakura were gone, disappearing in a flash. Kakashi stared at the spot they'd been, "A ninja must be able to conceal their movements and hide effectively." Well, at least they understand that much. They've hidden well. Then his gaze settled on the blonde standing out in the open. Well, most of them.

Naruto fell into a defensive stance, "You're going to regret saying those things about me."

Kakashi blinked, "You know, compared to the others, you're a bit... weird."

She ground her teeth, "Tch, I've been called worse." She moved forward, halting cautiously as the Jounin reached into his weapons' pouch and retrieved- a book. A smut book if the cover was anything to go by.

Naruto felt her eyebrow twitch. He was taunting her- again. And it was working. "Shinobi battle skills part one: Taijutsu, the physical art. Well? What are you waiting for?"

I won't I won't I won't. Naru held still and watched him. And she watched his eye widen in surprise when she disappeared in a puff of smoke. The Jounin's hand flashed out to divert the kick the real Naruto had aimed at his head. She spun around backwards to retaliate with an elbow that he stopped cold.

Eyes, nose, throat, kidneys, groin, kneecaps, instep. Naruto could hear her mother's voice reciting them again and again. "Hit any of these places, and hit them hard, and you won't have to worry about your opponent getting back up again."

She spun around with a low kick right for his knees, grinding her teeth in frustration when he jumped over the move. Too fast. He's just too fast. Naruto had never been the quickest in her class to begin with. She didn't stand a chance of matching a Jounin's speed. The punch she aimed at his abdomen connected with nothing more than air and Naruto could feel his presence behind her. Time to get some distance before he decided to get a hit of his own in. She glared back at him over her shoulder, noticing the Hand Seal -Tiger- and waved at him, eyes closed and tongue stuck out, before disappearing in another puff of smoke.

Kakashi stood up and ran a hand through his hair, "Well she gets points for knowing when to retreat..." He rounded with a surprised grunt, avoiding the kunai from behind that had been on track to embed itself in one of his kidneys. He grabbed the orange-clad arm and pulled it forward, forcing Naruto in front of him and bending her arm back with the easy strength of his ninja rank, forcing the girl to hold the weapon at the base of her own skull. "Well, you are a surprise, aren't you? You actually came at me with the intent to kill. That's good- but not good enough."

"But sensei, there's something I know that you don't know."

"Oh? What's that?"

She grinned, "That is not a kunai."

Kakashi's eye widened in surprise as the clone dropped its transformation, both feet kicking out squarely against his jaw and sending him flying backwards.

"There's something I know, too: That wasn't the real me." Oceanic blue eyes widened in panic as the vest-clad form she'd just sent flying disappeared in a poof of smoke.

He copied my technique... Naruto froze for only a fraction of a second, but that was all the time her sensei needed to casually backhand her from where he suddenly appeared beside her. Her jaw and cheek exploded with pain and she tasted copper as her teeth cut the inside of her cheek.

Kakashi blinked as she flew across the terrain, hitting the ground and rolling to a stop, utterly still. "Huh, guess that was the real one. ...Oops."

Sakura's voice called out from the underbrush in panic, "Naruto!"

Naruto moved, haltingly, painfully, her shoulders shifting as she brought her hand forward. A single blue eye opened, and Kakashi was treated to a showing of bloody teeth as she smiled and her hand lit up with the outpouring of raw chakra.

The ground below the Jounin came alive and he sprang away as kunai-like roots shot from the ground where he'd been standing. He had to admit it, he was reluctantly beginning to like this girl. A kunai whizzed by, far too high to be of any threat- until it sliced through the thin line of wire above. Kakashi flipped away as a net was pulled skyward, previously hidden below the layer of ground moss. He shifted to the side as the springing of the first trap set off another one behind him, raising more spikes.

He sped forward, eye widening as a 'fwoom' of air erupted in the space in front of him, raining down... confetti? Kakashi blinked at the tiny white slips of paper, until he noticed miniscule writing on them. He had just enough time for his eye to widen before the miniature explosive tags lit up yellow.

Hiding near by, Sasuke and Sakura both winced and clapped their hands over their ears at the percussion, attempting to rub away the ringing that remained.

The black smoke cleared just in time for him to grab Naruto's kick by the ankle and fling her away. She flipped midair and put her hand against the ground to help her acclimate and slow down, shooting back towards him in an orange\yellow blur. "You just don't give up, do you?"

"Not ever!" She answered, arm coming up towards Kakashi's eye. He slapped her hand up, his other palm shooting out towards her own stomach and sending her back.

"Well this is getting tedious. You're interrupting my reading time."

Kakashi moved forward so fast he didn't even leave a blur. It was a wonder Naruto was able to flip out of the way quick enough to avoid his own punch. But he noticed how all of her efforts had not, if fact, been to get a bell. They'd been to herd him towards the only tree in the clearing.

Naruto went sailing through the air and landed hard on the ground before dispersing into smoke. She really is rather proficient with Shadow Clones, isn't she? Kakashi stood still less than a yard from the tree, waiting, and Naruto didn't disappoint- and she was apparently getting more frustrated, because that kunai in her hand was aimed for his spine this time. An eye-smile towards the prospective Genin was the only warning she got before she felt herself being moved.

"No!"

Kakashi watched as the young blonde was unable to stop her forward momentum and continued on toward the tree from the spot he'd Substituted with her. Naruto let out an undignified squawk as the wire snapped closed around her ankle and hauled her upwards to dangle like a fish on a line.

Naruto was mortified and felt her face flame. Oh, gods. Caught in her own trap! Kiba was never going to let her forget this!

"It was smart to lay traps for your enemy. So obviously herding them toward those traps... not-so-smart. A ninja must see through deception."

"I get it, I get it!" She was the one who'd laid them, right? She knew how to be a ninja!

"I'm telling you this because you don't 'get it'. You think you get it, which is not the same as actually getting it, get it?"

"No, Sensei, you don't get it." Three, two, one...

Whoosh! Sasuke's shuriken and kunai flew from the treeline. The Jounin did, of course, use a replacement at the last second -pity...- but either way worked for Naruto, she honed in on Sasuke's chakra signature on his kunai embedded in the log, and Substituted herself free of the wire.

Naruto touched down flawlessly on the ground, but, unfortunately, her quarry and her back-up were both long gone. She ground her teeth together and stomped, "Dammit! I almost had him!"

Sakura ran through the trees, fleeing from her compromised position. She hadn't trusted Naruto enough and had given herself away. Stupid, I should have-

She caught sight of the Jounin in question in the clearing in front of her and stopped dead, freezing in place and checking her position to make sure neither her red qipao or eye-catching pink hair was visible from where she stood. If I can just...

A voice whispered near by, stilling the breath in her lungs, "Sakura, behind you."

Don't look, don't look! She looked, a surprised shriek escaping before she could stop it. The Jounin's hands moved to make a Seal and Sakura didn't hesitate. She didn't know if it was because she'd spoken of it so much the day before that it was fresh in her mind when she needed it most, and she didn't question it. Her eyes slammed shut and her hands came up in front of her face, fingers spread, on either side of her eyes, palms facing inward, and her chakra surged forth, "Flash!"

Sakura heard their sensei let out a shout of pain as the searing white light blinded him- it was so strong that it left black spots in her own vision. But Sakura didn't have to see to run, she'd walked the area of Training Ground Three while Naruto had been busy setting up traps. Sakura knew she was no match for a Jounin all on her own, she'd seen the beating Naruto had just taken. But still... Her shoulders pulled back as she straightened. She couldn't shame Naruto or Sasuke's efforts by giving anything less than her best.

If her sensei was going to focus on Genjutsu with her, then he was going to need line of sight to pull that off.

Her hands flashed through Seal after Seal and her chakra roiled with intent, "Hidden Art: Sulphur Smoke Jutsu!" The entire area disappeared in powerful-smelling smoke. This had been their plan to use against team eight to fool Kiba's sense of smell and Hinata's Byakugan at the same time.

Sakura's heart pounded in her chest as she threw herself into the smoke with her eyes closed, counting on her own ability to sense her opponent's chakra. She had the best chakra control out of their entire graduating class, Ino the only one anywhere close to her. It was easy when she had such a small pool of chakra herself, but her own chakra reserves were so small that it made it easy for her to feel the chakra of people close to her, the same way it was easier to see torches in the darkness when one only had a candle.

Naruto couldn't do this at all, it was like trying to look past the sun for her.

Sakura aimed low, for where she estimated the back of her sensei's knees to be. She didn't actually have to beat him. If she could just distract him long enough to get a bell...

Kakashi's hand shot out, clamping like a steel band around her calf, Sakura sucked in a breath of chakra-heavy smoke as he swung her around. Her back collided with the trunk of the nearest tree and she screamed in pain. Her entire back was going to be one gigantic bruise tomorrow. She whimpered as she tried to push herself upright, focusing through blurry eyes to make sure her Jutsu didn't fade. Her hands flashed through more Seals and she sent out clones in the hope of distracting the Jounin until she could manage to stand.

Hopefully with Jounin level reserves, he wouldn't be able to sense her tiny flicker of chakra. Sakura's spine throbbed in pain every time she tried to move. I have to get up... She couldn't yet. Her muscles refused to listen to her. If she didn't want him to get her, she needed to come up with something, and fast.

Careful to maintain silence, Sakura's hand reached into one of her pouches and she came out with a pair of shuriken, a moment later she launched them through the cover. If he's as proficient as I suspect...

She heard it through the smoke- felt the human-shaped disruption in her chakra field as Kakashi caught the shuriken on his fingers. Sakura smirked where he couldn't see and pulled hard on the wires connected to the projectiles, yanking the Jounin right off his feet with a grunt. A full brace of shuriken followed suit where she estimated him to be on the ground.

Unfortunately, unable to move, Sakura had momentarily forgotten the shinobi rule of never attacking from the same position twice. She had to bite through her lip as her own weapons came back at her, one embedded thoroughly in her leg. She heaved herself back to her feet, her back and leg protesting sharply, focusing and regulating her shaky breathing, she ran through one last set of Hand Seals and intoned the technique's name in her mind only, so that it didn't alert her opponent. Premature Burial Jutsu!

The smoke cleared away, and Kakashi was left staring at lonely trees, Genin nowhere in sight. He pulled out his book again, "Hmm, they're better than I thought..."

"Shinobi battle skill number two: the illusion jutsu. Someone's been doing extra studying; they don't teach countermeasures like that in class."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, a quick scan of the terrain showing Sakura nowhere near by. She must have gotten away, then. "My turn. I've seen what you can do with the other two. I'm not impressed."

"Say that after you get one of the bells, hmm? You and Naruto sure do like to talk like you're the best and the brightest, don't you? And yet, neither of you have managed to get a bell yet."

If he's going by the same formula of Shinobi Basics as he used with the others, then by elimination, Ninjutsu is what he'll use on me. Not, he recalled, that Kakashi had stuck strictly to his 'lesson' either other times. He'd just have to be extra cautious.

Sasuke reached into his weapons' pouch and sent a volley of shuriken and kunai at the Jounin. He dodged to the side- exactly as Sasuke had been expecting. Naruto hadn't been the only one setting up traps the last three hours. His next kunai went straight up, and through the rope trigger of his trap.

More kunai shot from several other directions and again Kakashi slid to the side- right into Sasuke's path as he struck out with a kick. Kakashi blocked with his crossed wrists and grabbed Sasuke's ankle- just as he had with Naruto and Sakura. But Sasuke wasn't like Sakura and Naruto. Sakura relied on distraction to a crippling degree, and Naruto's taijutsu style was the complete opposite of his. Naruto struck out for weak points. She hit and she hit hard. Sasuke, on the other hand, was a grappler.

He didn't give the Jounin the chance to toss him like he had the girl, shifting his weight to his arm and following up with a right hook that Kakashi grabbed with his other hand- which left his head wide open to the kick of Sasuke's other leg as he swung around again, using the older shinobi's hold on him to manage his momentum. He was left in a lurching upside-down limbo as he reached out with his free hand for the bells at the Jounin's waist.

The bits of metal jangled against his fingers before Kakashi figured out what he was doing and shoved him away. He flipped around expertly and landed in a crouch, ebony gaze trained on his opponent. So close!

But the element of surprise was lost, doubtless the Jounin wouldn't let him close in like that again. He'd have to switch strategies.

"If you're not prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bells."

Sasuke took a deep breath. Alright then. He trusted Naruto and Sakura to be able to get away if this all went horribly awry. Sasuke flashed through seven Hand Seals, his right hand out in front of him as a line of light appeared in his hold, his left pulling back by his shoulder, tilting his whole body back towards the sky, "Fire Style: Flame Sniper."

Kakashi's eye widened drastically as a hail of hellfire rained down on him. Impossible, Genin can't do Fire Style Jutsu; takes too much chakra. The flaming projectiles flew at him, irregardless of his belief in them. He rolled out of the way as Sasuke pointed his technique directly towards him, arrows of compressed fire forcing him to move beyond the speed he'd estimated having to use on any of these Genin just to avoid. The raven-haired teen showed no concern for his Jutsu going wide and embedding into the surrounding flora. A wildfire started up immediately as the underbrush caught flame.

Kakashi rolled out of the way, eye warily on the blaze starting up around them, Sasuke appearing not the least bothered by the climbing heat. And another reason why Genin shouldn't do Fire Style Jutsus: no control.

Branches snapped and fell to the ground around them, the heat growing ever more intense as the chakra-fueled inferno spread at a pace that put all natural fires to shame. Kakashi wasn't sure what kind of trees these were, but they went up like they were soaked in pitch and weren't helping the situation in the slightest. One behind him exploded outward as the sap within superheated and turned to steam too quickly. Well, there was certainly no escaping into the forest for either of them at this point. They were in the middle of a blazing inferno.

"Fantastic. I'll give you this: you certainly aren't like the other two. Neither of them seriously risked killing themselves just to trap me."

Sasuke smirked at him, "What risk?" His hands flashed through another series of Seals, and he spread his arms wide, "Fire Style: Fire Snake Jutsu!"

The flames around them all pushed in closer, curling in around them like a great serpent, a coiling body showing itself in the merrily flickering fire, before rising up behind Sasuke in the shape of huge snake, head poised for striking. The construct seemed to watch him with burning eyes that Sasuke's almost copied, flames reflecting in the black surfaces as it was, and then it struck, engulfing the Jounin completely in a scarlet blaze.

When the heat became stifling even for him, Sasuke pulsed his chakra one more time, "Release!"

The unnatural fire, fed from his chakra, died around him. The ground was scorched away to bare earth everywhere except at his feet, the few standing trees blackened and burned husks that glowed with a few remaining embers still. The destruction had been so complete and so intensely quick that there was no smoke clogging the air, the particles burned to nothing. Soft gray ash drifted on the wind in the newly-made clearing.

Sasuke took shaking breaths as he calmed his heartbeat down, his body erratic at the sudden loss of chakra. He might not have had as much as Naruto, but he'd been training since he'd met her to try and close the gap between them. He ordered his limbs to behave and dared them to start trembling as he looked around for his opponent. There was no way Kakashi could have gotten out of that unscathed. And there was nowhere to hide thanks to his sudden flame-based clear-cutting of the area. So where...?

Or so Sasuke thought, right up until a hand emerged from the ground and wrapped itself around his leg. "I'm where you least expect me."

Sasuke couldn't hold in his shout as his body was dragged underground.

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu."

The insufferable Jounin crouched down next to him, the bells directly in his line of sight as they jingled tauntingly. Damn... it. Sasuke struggled and pulled, but his shoulders on down were thoroughly entombed in the earth, the ground as solid as if it hadn't been moved in a decade, not aerated like it should have logically been if a person had been moving through it just moments before.

"Can't move, huh? Shinobi battle skill number three: Ninjustu. For what it's worth, you were right: You are... different from the others. But different isn't always better. They say that the nail that sticks up is the one that gets hammered down." And he pulled out that damn book again and walked away, leaving him there.

Silence engulfed the clearing as Sasuke focused on breathing and not losing his temper since it wouldn't do a thing to help him. He felt something wrap around his leg and smirked as he was dragged fully underground, the earth where he'd been appearing completely undisturbed.

xxx

I know this probably seems... extreme. *looks back up* But this is different from canon, and HERE, Kakashi left three very miffed (and very talented) Genin alone unsupervised for three hours.

There was a 3K chunk of text that I just COULD NOT break up (the first half of the bell test), but I couldn't decide how I wanted these two chapters to go. I'm still not completely happy, but I've decided this is where the cut off point is. So the next chapter is significantly shorter than this one.*sigh* Dammit.

XXX