I do not own Naruto or Boruto; those manga's rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Ukyo Kodachi. Nor do I own or claim ownership of the world map created by Michael-Madlock. This story is just for fun and isn't part of the original properties. Please, enjoy.
Chapter 4: Pass or Fail! Kakashi's Test
Sasuke slowly got dressed and grabbed his satchel. Yawning, he exited his house and walked through the silence of the Uchiha District. He passed the rundown remains of Uchiha Senbei and frowned as he thought of the rice crackers.
Looking up at the dark sky, he continued through the village, moving east passed the Naka Shrine and down the street. He continued onward and came to the village's Main Gate.
Two Jonin stood on guard, and they eyed Sasuke as he approached them.
"I'm meeting Kakashi at the Memorial Stone," Sasuke explained.
"Good luck, kid," One of the Jonin muttered, and they let him pass.
Sasuke walked down a path that ran along the outside of the village wall and trekked into the woods. As the sun began to peek over the horizon, he continued walking and spotted Naruto and Sakura approaching from separate paths.
The three of them grouped up, "Morning," Sakura muttered.
Hours passed as the trio stood together, awaiting Kakashi-sensei. The sun steadily rose higher and higher as their patience grew thinner. They set their packs on the ground in a pile and angrily waited.
"Hi, guys. Are you ready for your first day?" Kakashi asked as he approached the trio.
"You're late!" Naruto and Sakura shouted in unison.
"Well, a black cat crossed my path. So I had to take the long way here," Kakashi explained.
"Hmm."
"Let's get to it," Kakashi said, approaching a tree stump and placing a clunky alarm clock on it. He pressed the timer and said, "It's set for noon."
Sasuke stared at his sensei. What is this?
Kakashi removed two bells from his pocket with a soft clinking sound. "Today's assignment is very simple. All you have to do is take these bells from me before noon. If you can't get them by noon, then you don't eat lunch."
"What?!" Naruto howled.
"You'll be tied to those posts and watch me eat my lunch," Kakashi said, pointing at three thick posts.
Oh, I get it now…
"But there's only three of us," Sakura said, "why are there only two bells?"
"Because then at least one of you gets tied to the post and disqualified from being a ninja," Kakashi chirped, "That means going back to the Academy."
The three students stared at Kakashi in shock.
"You can use any weapons you like. Be prepared to kill me, or else you'll never get these bells," Kakashi stated.
"But isn't that dangerous, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said nervously.
"Yeah, and you couldn't even dodge a chalkboard eraser!" Naruto laughed.
"Hm, class clowns are usually the weakest link," Kakashi sighed. "You're nothing like your dad, are you?"
Naruto growled.
"When I say begin, you may start," Kakashi said, attaching the bells to his belt.
I should definitely keep my distance at the start, Sasuke thought. I need to see what he's capable of.
"Ready… Start!"
Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto dashed off in different directions at the words of their sensei. Speeding toward the treeline, Sasuke skipped into thick bushes and quietly climbed a tree. He peered through the branches at Kakashi in the clearing.
After several minutes of standing in the clearing, Kakashi pulled a book from his tool pouch and began reading. Sasuke watched as Naruto casually strolled toward the Jonin with a smile.
What is this idiot doing?
Naruto stopped ten meters from Kakashi and shouted, "Alright, you and me! Right here, right now!"
Sasuke watched the two exchange words, and Naruto created eight Shadow Clones that rushed forward. Kakashi focused his good eye on his book as he effortlessly evaded the clones. One of the Narutos sprang at the Jonin from behind, and he was suddenly missing from the clearing.
Spotting Kakashi in a tree, Sasuke kept an eye on him as the group of Narutos began beating each other up. Such a loser…
The clones all disappeared, leaving a slightly beat-up Naruto in the clearing. Sasuke spotted one of Kakashi's bells on the ground near a tree. Don't fall for it.
Naruto charged forward and was snared by a trap Kakashi had set. He hung upside down from a tree branch, shouting, as Kakashi appeared below him to grab the bell.
Now! Sasuke grabbed two handfuls of shurikens and hurled them at Kakashi. The Jonin bent and scooped up the bell with his free hand. With the same hand, he pulled a kunai and deflected the hail of shurikens. Kakashi glanced up from his book and locked eyes with Sasuke.
He sprang out of the tree he was hiding in and dashed further into the woods.
Sakura dashed away from her hiding place and followed Sasuke. I can't let him get hurt!
She sped through a clearing and found Sasuke beaten and bloody on the ground. There were shurikens and kunai stuck into his body, and his limbs were mangled into awkward shapes.
"Sasuke!" She knelt beside him and grabbed his hand tightly, "Sasuke?!"
"S-Sakura… You need to get away from here…" Sasuke moaned, blood spilling from his lips.
Her heart beat wildly as she stared at the boy she loved dying. She looked around frantically, and Sasuke squeezed her hand. Pulling her hand from his grasp, she brought her hands together to form a hand sign, "Release."
The body on the ground vanished, along with the weapons and blood. Breathing a sigh of relief, she looked around and continued looking for Sasuke.
She heard the sounds of battle and metal striking metal nearby. She burst through a bush and saw Sasuke pinned beneath Kakashi. The Jonin spun a kunai in his hand and brought it down swiftly, cleaving the fingers from Sasuke's right hand!
Sasuke screamed as blood sprayed from his hand. Kakashi looked up at Sakura and shook his head, "None of you deserve to be shinobi."
"L-Let him go!" Sakura screamed.
"Sakura, help me!" Sasuke wailed.
Kakashi sprang forward, and the surrounding bushes burst into a cloud of cherry blossoms. Kakashi and Sasuke disappeared from view as Sakura felt herself spin through the air. She flipped around and around as the petals flowed around her, and she became sickeningly dizzy.
"Release!" She undid the genjutsu, and her senses returned to normal. She stood alone in a clearing, breathing heavily. I'm the greatest. CHA!
"Hey, Sakura," A voice whispered.
Spinning around, she saw Kakashi standing right behind her. Sakura screamed, and Kakashi reached his free hand toward her.
Naruto cut the line that dangled him from the branch and landed on his feet. He had seen Sakura dash into the woods, so he headed in that direction. He gritted his teeth as he thought about Kakashi.
He hasn't even bothered fighting me..!
Hearing Sakura scream, Naruto picked up his pace as he searched for her. He spotted Kakashi standing over Sakura's unconscious body and felt anger rush through him.
Creating two Shadow Clones, Naruto leaped up and kicked his feet back at his clones. The two Shadow Clones emitted a burst of Wind Release from their palms, launching Naruto forward like a torpedo, "Naruto Stream!"
Kakashi side-stepped away from Naruto, who crashed into the bushes. He pulled himself up and spun around. The two clones darted at Kakashi from behind as Naruto ran at him head-on.
"You can use Wind Release?" Kakashi sounded amused as he evaded Naruto's attacks.
Roaring, Naruto threw a swift jab at the Jonin's gut. Kakashi caught his wrist and swung him into the two Shadow Clones as they leaped through the air. The clones disappeared in thin wisps of white smoke, and Naruto tumbled across the dirt.
"I'm a little impressed," Kakashi said as Naruto got back up.
"Will you shut up?" Naruto patted the dirt off his shoulders and charged forward.
Throwing a barrage of punches and kicks that Kakashi dodged easily, Naruto kept on the attack as he became angrier. Kakashi connected a swift kick to Naruto's chin and lifted him off his feet. Naruto's vision blurred momentarily, and Kakashi slammed a punch into his gut.
Naruto coughed and hit the ground hard. He spat out dirt and got back up to his feet. Looking around, he couldn't see Kakashi anywhere. Dammit..!
A flash of silver-gray hair running into the bushes caught his eyes, and he dashed after the Jonin. He sprang through the bushes and was snared by another trap. He flipped upside down and hit his head on a rock as his right leg was secured to a tree branch.
Sasuke watched Naruto fall into another trap, and he made his move. As Kakashi admired his handiwork, Sasuke silently approached his left side and sprang forward. Kakashi stepped back and kicked upward.
Avoiding the kick, Sasuke threw a right feint and spun around, swinging his left arm back at the Jonin. Kakashi blocked the strike with the arm holding the book and swept Sasuke's legs from under him.
Landing on his back and rolling away from Kakashi, Sasuke hurled a handful of shurikens that the Jonin dodged. Skipping forward, Sasuke unleashed a furious flurry of punches and kicks that Kakashi kept up with.
Kakashi returned his book to his pouch and engaged Sasuke with both hands. They jumped around quickly as they exchanged blows, and Kakashi landed a heavy punch into Sasuke's head as one of his fingers brushed against a bell.
Reeling back and ducking under a kick, Sasuke skipped away from the Jonin and weaved hand signs, "Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!" He exhaled a giant fireball that exploded around Kakashi.
The flames licked the surrounding trees and bushes as smoke and ash fluttered about.
"Jeez, Sasuke, you didn't have to kill him," Naruto said from the tree, still entangled.
"He told us to be prepared to kill," Sasuke reminded him.
"Yeah, I guess. Help me get down; this binding is metal wire."
Sasuke looked up at Naruto and was suddenly dragged into the dirt, leaving only his head above ground. He wriggled around, attempting to free himself, and Kakashi approached him from behind.
"This lesson is for both of you. A ninja must see through deception, always," Kakashi said slowly.
Sasuke and Naruto both struggled to free themselves. Dammit, Sasuke thought.
"It's not noon yet," Kakashi sighed, "You still have time to come take the bells," He walked away as he pulled the book out of his pouch.
At eleven, Naruto was tied to one of the posts. Kakashi set two lunch boxes down before Sasuke and Sakura, "That was quite the showing."
"Are you sending us back to the Academy?" Sakura asked.
"No. I'll make a special request to prevent you from becoming ninjas," Kakashi explained.
"What?!" Naruto tried to free himself from the post.
No way, Sakura thought.
"You lack the requirements to become shinobi. Not one of you tried to use teamwork at all. Naruto, you recklessly attacked a superior opponent with no plan and fell into two traps. Sakura, you did better than expected against genjutsu, but your feelings for Sasuke prevented you from being any real help. And Sasuke, you think you're too good to work in a team. That's no good," Kakashi shook his head.
"So, that's it?" Sasuke asked and clenched his fists.
"You've still got one hour, and you've all piqued my interest. You two eat up quickly, and we'll finish up this test. Oh, but don't let him eat," Kakashi pointed at Naruto, "if he eats, then you're all disqualified."
We can still pass! Oh, who am I kidding?
Kakashi walked away from the Genin to eat his lunch in peace.
Sakura picked at her food, her appetite gone even though she knew she was starving. She ate small bites and chewed slowly.
"Here," Sasuke offered his food to Naruto, "have some."
"Sasuke, wait. Kakashi-sensei said we'd fail," Sakura whined.
"It's fine," Sasuke insisted, "he's not around right now."
"No, Sasuke, you'll need your strength more than me…." Sakura lifted her lunch to Naruto, "You should eat mine."
Naruto was silent for a moment before smiling widely, "Thank you," He giggled, "You'll have to feed me."
Oh, brother…
She stood up and used her chopsticks to shovel food into Naruto's mouth.
Kakashi-sensei appeared in a puff of white smoke, "YOU!"
Oh, no! I thought he wasn't around. Sakura panicked and looked at Sasuke.
"You…" Kakashi stared at the three Genin and smiled warmly under his mask, "You pass."
"Huh?!" The Genin gaped.
"In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum," Kakashi gave them a thumbs up. "With that, this practice is over! Team 7 will begin its first mission tomorrow."
We did it! We're here to stay, Cha!
To Be Continued
Notes from the Author
You may or may not be wondering why Kakashi didn't utilize the Substitution Jutsu. Whether you asked yourself that or not, I'll take the time to explain that it does not exist in this universe. However, some unique Substitutions are still in play due to the large chakra cost needed to cast them.