Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I only own my OC, Kira.

Chapter 2 is finally done! Yay! I can't wait until the next chapter. They'll be on their first real mission! And how will Kira be able to help out? Well... that's for me to know and you to find out. But, anyway... on with chapter 2 of One Body, Two Minds!

Enjoy!

Survival Test

"He's late!" Naruto complained, sticking his head out the door of the classroom.

"Naruto! Just sit down!"

"I don't want to! How come our teacher's the only one that's late? I'm ready to roll. Believe it! The other groups already met their new teachers and took off on some adventure or something and Iruka-sensei is gone too!"

"We know, okay?"

Kira glanced over at the door along with Sakura and Sasuke when they heard a noise. The raven-haired girl snickered.

'I get to see Naruto pull his prank on Kakashi. This is gonna be good!'

"Hey, what are you doing!"

Naruto grinned and giggled as he wedged a chalkboard eraser in-between the door. Sakura made her way over, planting her hands on her hips.

"Naruto!"

"That's what he gets for coming late. Surprise!"

"You're asking for trouble. You know you shouldn't do that."

Kira scoffed. "Oh please. You know you want the prank to work."

"Our teacher's a Jonin; an elite ninja. You think he'd fall for that?" Sasuke said.

"Yeah, Sasuke's right. You're so clueless, Naruto!"

Kira directed her gaze to the door when it was being opened. The eraser fell from its perch onto a head of silver hair that seemed to defy gravity.

Naruto began to laugh. "I got him! He totally fell for it!"

"I'm sorry, sensei." Sakura apologized. "I told him not to do it, but he wouldn't listen. I'd never do anything like that."

Kira giggled, giving a thumbs-up. "Perfect shot!"

Kakashi leaned down, picking up the eraser and briefly staring at it. "Hmm… how can I put this? My first impression of this group… you're a bunch of idiots."

Kira's brow twitched in anger. "Oh, that's it. Let me at 'im!"

'Don't even think about taking over my body again!'

Up on the rooftop, Sakura found herself suppressing the urge to burst out laughing as she watched Kira. The raven-haired girl's transparent form sat next to Kakashi's on the railing as she looked over his hair.

"How does his hair stay up like that? Does he use some kind of gel or is it just natural?"

Sakura could only watch as Kira raised a hand and poked at one of the strands that stuck up. The Jonin's hand twitched as he resisted the urge to reach up and run a hand through his hair.

Kira giggled. "He actually felt that? I'm gonna enjoy messing with him."

Sakura choked back a laugh as she sent a thought to her companion. 'Kira, cut it out! What if he's somehow able to see you?'

The raven-haired girl waved her off. "Sakura, you're the only one who can see me and that's because we share the same body. Besides, if other people were able to see me, then Naruto or Sasuke would've pointed it out."

The two girls' conversation was interrupted when Kakashi spoke up. "All right, why don't you introduce yourselves, one at a time?"

"Introduce ourselves? Well, what are we supposed to say?"

"Things you like, things you hate… dreams for the future, hobbies; things like that."

The pink-haired kunoichi found herself suppressing the urge to laugh again when Kira mimicked Kakashi as he spoke. The raven-haired girl snickered as she glanced at the Jonin. 'He doesn't even know I'm here, or that I'm mocking him. It makes this all the more fun!'

"Why don't you tell us though first? I mean, before we talk, tell us about you so we can see how it's supposed to work." Naruto suggested.

"Believe me when I say this… it's a complete waste of time. All you'll learn is his name."

"Me? I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate… I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future… never really thought about it. As for my hobbies… I have lots of hobbies."

Sakura looked over at Naruto with a peeved expression. "That was totally useless. All he really told us was his name."

"Uh-huh." Naruto shook his head in agreement.

Kira gave the Jonin next to her a blank look. "You may be an awesome shinobi, but right now you're really boring."

"Okay, your turn. You on the right, you first."

The orange-clad ninja began to speak, fiddling with his forehead protector. "Believe it! I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like instant ramen in a cup, and I really like the ramen Iruka-sensei got me at the Ichiraku Noodle Shop, but I hate the three minutes you have to wait after you pour the water in the ramen cup. My hobby is eating different kinds of ramen and comparing them and my future dream is… to be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody. Somebody important!"

Kira sweat dropped. "It's one thing to read about his ramen obsession, but when you actually hear him talking about it… it's not healthy to be so obsessed with something like that."

"All right. Next."

"I'm Sakura Haruno. What I like, uh… I mean the person I like is…" the pink haired kunoichi giggled, glancing over at her teammate.

"Sasuke Uchiha. Yeah, yeah. Every girl your age likes him."

"My hobby is, uh…"

"To ogle Sasuke!" Kira cheerily teased.

"My dream for the future is…" Sakura paused once more, trying to contain a squeal.

"To be the one and only Mrs. Sasuke Uchiha!" Kira brightly put in before going back to normal. "In all honesty, I'd rather marry the scarecrow here than Sasuke. At least he's not as broody."

'Take that back, Kira!'

"And… what do you hate?" Kakashi asked.

"Naruto!"

Kira gave her companion a blank stare. 'So much for being nice to Naruto…'

"Last one."

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan and destroy a certain someone."

Silence surrounded the group as they all stared at the Uchiha boy. Kira gave Sakura a look when she heard her thoughts.

'Sasuke is so hot!'

"Hot? Creepy is more like it. What he just said gave me the chills… and I even knew he was going to say it!"

"Good." Kakashi spoke up. "You're each unique and you have your own ideas. We'll have our first mission tomorrow."

"What kind of mission are we going to have?" Naruto asked happily.

"It's a task that the four of us will do together."

"The five of us." Kira grouchily pointed out.

'Kira, no one else besides me can see you, so technically you don't count.'

"What, what, what, what, what!" Naruto eagerly asked, interrupting the two girls.

"A survival exercise."

"Huh? Survival exercise?" Naruto questioned.

"I thought we were supposed to have a real mission, not more practice. We already did this stuff at the academy. That's how we got here." Sakura pointed out.

"This is not like your previous training."

"So, uh… what kind of training is it then?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi began to chuckle and Kira sent a glance in his direction. 'These kids are in for a surprise…'

"Hey, hold on. That's a normal question. What's so funny?" Sakura asked.

"Well… if I tell you the answer, you're not going to like it." Kakashi said with a chuckle before his mood turned morbid. "Of the twenty-seven graduates who just came here, only nine will actually be accepted as Genin. The other eighteen will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words, this is a make it or break it, pass/fail test. And the chance that you'll fail is at least sixty-six percent."

Kira swept her gaze over the three Genin, noticing the expressions on Naruto and Sakura's faces. The raven-haired girl sighed. 'I'd feel sorry for them if I didn't already know they were going to pass, but I can't say anything. I don't want to accidentally alter the future.'

"See? Didn't I tell you you wouldn't like it?"

"That's crazy! We worked hard to get here! Believe it! What was that graduation test for anyway!"

"Oh, that? That was just to select candidates who might become Genin… or not."

"What!"

"That's how it is." Kakashi told them. "I decide whether you pass or fail. Be at the designated training spot at 5 A.M. and bring your ninja gear."

Kira glanced at the three kids again and saw the emotions going across their faces. She held back a sigh when she heard Sakura's thoughts.

'If I fail, I'll be separated from Sasuke. This is a trial of love!'

"Sakura, please stop with all this nonsense. It kinda makes me want to gag."

The raven-haired girl ignored the pinkette as she began to yell at her and looked up at Kakashi as he stood.

"That's it. You're dismissed. Oh… tomorrow you'd better skip breakfast or else… you'll puke."

Kira glared up at the Jonin. 'I really wish I could tell Sakura not to listen to him and just go ahead and eat, but I don't want to accidentally alter the future. I'll just have to grin and bear it. That's what Mom always said.'

The raven-haired girl gasped in shock. She hadn't even thought about her family since she'd told Sakura about her origins. Guilt swept over the teenage girl in waves and Sakura glanced at her new friend worriedly.

'Kira, are you okay?'

Light blue eyes met pale green and Kira forced a smile on her face. "Don't worry. I'm fine. Just focus on getting ready for tomorrow, 'kay?"

The pink-haired kunoichi frowned, but dropped the subject.

Morning came all too soon for the three Genin. As they approached the training grounds, both Naruto and Sakura yawned out a good morning. Sasuke remained quiet but seemed more awake than the other two.

Inside Sakura's mind, Kira tiredly glanced between the three. 'I already know Kakashi's going to be late, so I can catch a couple more hours of sleep. I just wish I could tell them that.'

The raven-haired girl yawned and retreated into Sakura's mind, her eyes slowly drifting shut. But before she could fully fall asleep, she was rudely awakened.

'Oh no you don't! Kira, you're staying awake with me!'

"But Sakura!" Kira whined, sounding childish. "I'm really tired and I can't help you if I'm not at my best."

'I don't care! You're staying awake with me whether you like it or not!'

The raven-haired girl grumbled angrily but did as Sakura wished.

Hours had passed and two of the three Genin sat on the ground as they waited for Kakashi. The sun was already fairly high up in the sky and Kira glared at it.

'Stupid sun. Stop being so cheery!'

"Morning everyone. Ready for your first day?"

Naruto and Sakura jolted up and pointed at Kakashi accusingly. "Hey, you're late!"

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

Naruto and Sakura growled angrily and Kira found herself doing the same. She may have known Kakashi's ways, but that didn't mean they were any less annoying.

"Well…" Kakashi cleared his throat. "Let's get started."

The three watched Kakashi in curiosity as he went over to a tree stump, setting a clock on top of it. Kira, on the other hand, paid no attention to it, knowing exactly what was about to happen.

"Here we go. It's set for noon." Kakashi held up two bells. "Your assignment is very simple. You just have to take these bells from me. That's all there is to it. If you can't get them by noon, you go without lunch. You'll be tied to those posts and you'll watch while I eat my lunch in front of you."

Sakura held her stomach. 'He told us not to eat breakfast to make it harder on us.'

Kira looked at the girl guiltily. 'I really wanted to tell you, Sakura, but who knows what might happen if I do such a thing. I don't want to alter the future.'

"Wait a minute! There's three of us. How come there's only two bells?"

"Well that way at least one of you will end up tied to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission. That one goes back to the academy. Then again… all three of you could flunk out too. You can use any weapons, including shuriken. If you're not prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bells."

"Those weapons are too dangerous sensei!" Sakura protested.

"Especially since you couldn't even dodge that eraser!" Naruto said with a laugh.

"Class clowns are usually the weakest links. You can safely ignore them. Lowest scores, losers. When I say start, you can begin."

Naruto growled angrily and Kira's eyes narrowed as she watched the scene play out before her. The blonde drew a kunai and got ready to charge at Kakashi, but as soon as the assault started… it ended.

Kakashi had moved so quick that none of the Genin had seen it. Kira hadn't seen it either, but knew that this was going to happen. The Jonin now stood behind Naruto, a hand on the blonde's head while the other gripped his wrist, pointing the kunai at him.

"Don't be in such a hurry. I didn't say start yet."

Naruto continued to growl in anger while Sakura and Sasuke took a few steps back. Kakashi released Naruto's wrist and the Genin clutched at it.

'He's so fast! I didn't even see it!'

Kira crossed her arms over her chest. "Now you know why he got the rank of Jonin."

"But… you came at me with the full intention of destroying me, so… how can I say this? I'm actually starting to like you guys. Get ready. And… start!"

The three Genin moved away, quickly concealing themselves. Kira stood next to Sakura, who lay on the forest floor, hidden by the bushes.

"Kira, get down!" Sakura whispered fiercely.

The raven-haired teen glanced down at the kunoichi. "Why? It's not like he can see me."

"Oh… right."

Kira glanced back up at where the Jonin stood. "But he can definitely see Naruto."

"Huh?" The pink-haired kunoichi followed her gaze and growled in anger. "That idiot!"

Standing before the Jonin was Naruto himself. "You and me, right now! Fair and square! Let's go!"

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

"Oh yeah? The only thing weird here is your haircut!"

"I gotta agree with him on that one. I mean, seriously… how does he get it to stay up like that?"

'Now is not the time, Kira!' Sakura thought to the teen.

They could only watch as Naruto began to charge at Kakashi, abruptly stopping when the Jonin reached into his weapons pouch.

"Shinobi battle techniques, part one: Taijustu. The physical part."

Kira's brow twitched when Kakashi removed his hand from his pouch, a book in his grasp. "I know all about this fight and I still can't believe he takes that out in the middle of it."

Sakura glanced at her ghostly companion. "What is it?"

"It's called Make-Out Paradise. It's a book for people 18 and over."

"So, in other words…" Sakura trailed off, her expression souring.

Kira nodded her head. "Yep… it's a perverted book."

The two girls shared a look before turning their attention back to the fight.

"What are you waiting for? Make your move."

"But, I mean… why are you reading that book!"

"Why? To find out what happens in the story, of course." Kakashi answered. "Don't let it bother you. With your weak attacks, it doesn't really matter if I'm reading or whatever."

'Way to bruise his ego.' Kira thought.

Naruto growled in anger, charging at Kakashi again. "I'm going to crush you!"

The orange-clad Genin threw punches and kicks, but Kakashi either stopped them or dodged. On one particular kick, Kakashi ducked and reappeared behind Naruto, who had thrown a punch that only hit air.

"Don't let your enemy get behind you all the time."

Sakura gasped. 'A hand sign to focus his chakra. Is that the sign of the tiger? That's dangerous. He could destroy Naruto with that.'

Kira sweat dropped. "Umm… not exactly, Sakura. He's actually going to-"

The pink-haired kunoichi abruptly stood and yelled out to her fellow Genin. "Naruto, get out of there quick! He's going to destroy you!"

Naruto glanced over at Sakura and then to the Jonin behind him. Kakashi began to make his move. "Too late. Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu: One Thousand Years of Death!"

Kira winced as Kakashi rammed his fingers into Naruto's rear end, sending him flying into the lake. Sakura had an annoyed look on her face.

"That wasn't a hand sign at all. He just poked him."

"I don't know whether to laugh or not. Just watching that made me hurt." Kira stated, unconsciously rubbing her rear end at the thought.

"Okay, where was I?" Kakashi wondered, opening his book back up. Kira gave the Jonin a blank look.

'It's one thing to read about it, but it's another thing to see it in person.'

'That must be against the rules. He's a Jonin! We can't possibly match his strength!'

The two girls looked up when a pair of shuriken came flying out of the water and headed for Kakashi. The Jonin barely moved, catching the two shuriken on his fingers. Kira watched as Naruto dragged himself out of the water, coughing. Kakashi glanced down at the orange-clad ninja.

"What are you doing now? You won't get lunch unless you take a bell by noon."

"I know! I know! You told us already!"

"You look pretty wobbly for someone who's going to surpass the Hokage."

Naruto's stomach chose that time to growl. "You told us not to eat breakfast! How can I fight when I'm starving to death!"

'Breakfast? I didn't even have dinner last night. A really bad idea to go on a diet.'

"Yeah, and I'm suffering for it too! We share a body, remember? If you're hungry, then I'm hungry! No more dieting!"

"So, you caught me off guard. That's all it was. Believe it!" Naruto shouted as Kakashi began to walk away. The Jonin ignored him, continuing to read his book. Obviously, he didn't see Naruto as much of a threat.

Suddenly, clones of Naruto jumped out of the water. Kira watched with a small smile on her face.

'He's definitely something…'

"You're overconfident, sensei! That's why you weren't ready for a shadow clone attack, my best jutsu!"

'Seven Naruto's?' Sakura thought, watching the clones closely. 'What! They're not images, they're real! How could he do that?'

The clones now stood in a half circle in front of Kakashi, all poised for battle.

"Great technique." Kakashi commented. "But I don't think you can maintain it for very long. You talk like you're the best Naruto, but you're still the worst student. You can't beat me with this jutsu."

A smirk made its way to Kira's face. "If he'd stop talking for a second, he'd notice that Naruto is behind him."

Sakura looked up at the teen in surprise before following her gaze. Just as she said, Naruto had snuck up on Kakashi and latched onto him.

"Didn't you say don't let your enemies get behind you? Good advice, sensei. Believe it! I had one of my clones come out of the river and sneak up behind you super quiet." The original Naruto jumped into the air, heading straight for Kakashi. He fisted his hand. "Now this is for nailing me in the butt earlier!"

'When did Naruto get so cool?' Sakura wondered in amazement.

"When he became a ninja. Duh!"

"You're mine and so are those bells!"

A loud THWACK! was heard as Naruto punched… his clone? The Genin looked on in confusion as his clones began to land on the ground.

"He's holding himself. Naruto punched… Naruto!"

"It's you. You're Kakashi-sensei, aren't you!" Naruto accused, pointing at his clone. "You transformed into me using a jutsu!"

Kira sweat dropped as she watched the group of clones fight against each other. "How long will it take until he realizes that Kakashi isn't there?"

The clones then began to argue and say to undo the jutsu. Naruto finally did so and when he did, he was the only person standing in the clearing.

'Naruto, you are so not cool.' Sakura thought.

"He got tricked with the replacement jutsu." Kira stated. "And now he's about to get tricked again. I'm not sure if I can watch this anymore. It's getting kind of sad how much of an idiot Kakashi is making him look like."

It was then that Naruto noticed something shiny by a tree. "Hmm? A bell? I must have got to him with my attack. He dropped a bell!"

Kira could only watch as Naruto went to reach for the bell and got caught in Kakashi's trap. He called for help as he dangled upside-down from a rope tied around his ankles.

"It's so obvious that was a trap, but Naruto was too blinded by the fact that he could easily get a bell that he didn't think about it."

"You got that right." Sakura grumbled.

Kakashi came back into view, picking up the bell. "Think before you use a jutsu, or else your opponent might use it against you. Oh, and also, if the bait is obvious, don't take it."

That hit a nerve and Naruto growled angrily. He struggled to break free from his bonds, but it was to no avail.

"A ninja must see through deception."

"I… get… it!" Naruto got out as he continued to struggle.

"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?"

Suddenly, shuriken came flying out from one of the trees and headed straight for Kakashi. The Jonin was knocked back from the brunt of the attack. Kira straightened from her lounging position against a tree and Sakura let out a gasp.

"He just got blasted by shuriken! Are you out of your mind, Sasuke! You went too far!" Naruto cried.

"Wait for it…"

Right after Kira said that, there was a puff of smoke and instead of Kakashi, there was a log embedded with the shuriken Sasuke had thrown.

"Sakura! Sasuke just blew our cover! We need to move!"

'Right!'

The pink-haired kunoichi stood, quickly moving away from her hiding spot. All the while, she was thinking about Sasuke.

'Sasuke… where'd you go? Don't tell me Kakashi-sensei found you. No! He can't capture my Sasuke. I won't let him!'

There was the snap of a branch and Sakura quickly went back to hiding. She peeked out from her new hiding spot and saw Kakashi down below, reading.

'Phew! He didn't hear me. I'm safe.'

"Sakura. Behind you." Came the whisper. The kunoichi abruptly turned around and Kira found herself covering her ears as the pink-haired girl let out an ear-splitting scream. The raven-haired girl stayed on her guard as Kakashi made his final hand-sign. Leaves swirled around Sakura's body as the genjutsu was cast and her eyes glazed over.

"Oh my!" Sakura said. "Someone there? I think I felt something. What's going on!"

"Sakura…" came the weak voice.

"Sasuke!"

The Uchiha was collapsed near a tree, kunai and shuriken protruding from his body. "S-Sakura, h-help me! Please help me!"

Kira covered her ears. 'Here it comes!'

Tears gathered in her eyes as Sakura let out yet another ear-shattering scream and fainted shortly afterwards. Kira winced, slowly removing her hands from her ears. She glanced down at the pinkette with a sigh.

"I can't believe she fell for that." Kira kneeled down next to the younger girl, gently patting her cheek. "Come on, Sakura. Time to wake up. It was just a genjutsu."

The kunoichi slowly came to and Kira helped her sit up. "Wha… what happened?"

"Sasuke with kunai sticking out of him… does that ring a bell?"

Sakura gasped. 'Sasuke! I saw him! He was on the verge of… no!'

"Sasuke, no! You've got to survive! Please! Where are you!"

Kira sweat dropped. 'She still thinks what she saw was real. Unbelievable.'

Sakura began to take off through the forest, searching for Sasuke. Kira followed at a slower pace, knowing what was going to happen when she did find Sasuke.

'3…2…1…'

"AAH! Sasuke's just a head without a body and he's talking!"

Kira sighed as she came upon the two and saw Sakura on the ground again. She glanced over at Sasuke, who was beginning to make his way out of the ground. Kira snickered. "Aww! Poor Sasuke! He thought he was all that, but he's not! Your ego must be pretty bruised, kid."

Kira waited for a response, but never got one. She glared at the Uchiha as he made his way over to Sakura. It was then that Kira remembered. "Oh… right. Only Sakura can see and hear me. Man, this sucks!"

While Kira pouted, Sakura began to wake up. She blearily opened her eyes and looked at the boy kneeling next to her.

"Sasuke?" she jolted up and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "You're okay!"

"Hey, cut it out! Let go! Let go!"

Once he had managed to pry Sakura off, Sasuke stood and began to move away. "I've got to get a bell before lunch. That doesn't leave much time."

"Sasuke, you're still trying to get one of those bells?"

"A while ago I touched one. Next time I'll get one."

Sakura put a fake smile on her face. "That is really great! I can't believe you did that. You're amazing!"

On the inside, Sakura was freaking out though. 'I can't believe it! He touched one of the bells! I'll never get my hands on one of those things, which means Sasuke will pass and I won't and we'll be separated forever! No, no, no, no, no!'

Kira sweat dropped. "Easy Sakura. I have a very strong feeling that you'll all pass."

"Uh, it's almost lunch. There's not really enough time left, so maybe we should just give up and then try again next year."

If looks could kill, then the look that Sasuke just gave Sakura would've made her drop dead. Kira sent a hateful glare in the Uchiha's direction as she laid a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"I'm the only one… who can destroy that person."

"What? Who? You mean sensei?" Sakura asked.

"That day… I was crying."

"When were you crying?"

"It was my…"

"What? What happened to you?"

"I am an avenger. That means I must be stronger than my prey. I need this training. There's no time for setbacks."

It was then that Sakura remembered what Sasuke had said yesterday when they were introducing themselves.

"I'm going to restore my clan and destroy a certain someone."

It was then that the alarm on the clock went off. It was now noon and no one had gotten their hands on a bell.

"I've wasted too much time."

"Sasuke…"

Kira felt her brow twitch as she listened to the cacophony of stomachs growling. Naruto was tied to the middle post with Sasuke and Sakura on either side of him. Two box lunches sat in front of them.

"Uh-oh. Stomachs growling, huh? That's too bad." Kakashi said. "Oh, by the way, about this exercise. Well, I've decided I won't send any of you back to the academy."

"What? I passed? All I did was faint and fall over. Do you get points for that?"

"That's not where this is headed, Sakura."

The pinkette ignored her and began to cheer. Naruto spoke up. "Then, then that means all three of us, I mean all three of us…!"

Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "Yes. All three of you are being dropped from the program… permanently!"

This caused all cheering to cease. The three Genin looked at Kakashi in shock and horror. Naruto frantically began to kick from where he was tied to the post. "Drop us from the program! That means we can never become ninja! You said if we couldn't take the bells we'd be sent back to the academy! You can't just change your mind and kick us out! Why would you do that!"

"Because you don't think like ninja. You think like little kids… like brats."

This struck a nerve in Sasuke and he charged at Kakashi. The silver-haired Jonin stopped Sasuke, sitting on top of him with a foot on his head and pinning his hand behind his back.

"You think it's all about you."

"Let of Sasuke! You can't step on him like he's some bug!" Sakura cried.

"You don't know what it means to be a ninja. You think it's a game, huh? Why do you think we put you on squads? Did you consider that question for one moment?"

"I don't know what you mean." Sakura answered.

"I mean, you never realized what this exercise is all about, not even close."

"What it's about?" Naruto questioned.

"Yes. That's what determines whether you pass or fail."

"But that's… I mean I wanted to ask you about that from the beginning." Sakura said.

Kakashi scoffed. "Use your head. Three people on a squad. Why do you think we would do that?"

Naruto made an aggravated sound. "How are we supposed to know why you picked three people! We didn't make the rules!"

"It's so basic… teamwork!"

Kira sighed sadly, leaning against one of the posts. "I wanted to tell you, Sakura, but I was afraid of altering the future here. You understand, right?"

'It's okay, Kira. I do understand. You already know what's going to happen and you're afraid that if you say something you'll change the future somehow. It must be so hard for you.'

"It is… but I'll just have to grin and bear it."

Sakura turned her attention from Kira back to Kakashi. "Just working together? Is that what you mean?"

"That's what I mean. It's too late now, but if all three of you had come at me, you might have been able to take them. Well, anyway, it's over."

'Wait a minute.' Sakura thought. "You set it up with three people, but only two bells. If we worked together and got the bells, only two of us could keep them then that would lead to group conflict and the squad would break up!"

"Exactly. I purposely pitted you against each other." Kakashi told them. "I wanted to see if you could overcome that and put the squad ahead of yourselves. A Genin should have a natural feel for teamwork, but you… it never even crossed your mind. Sakura! You obsessed about Sasuke, who was gone, while Naruto was right in front of you and you wouldn't lift a finger to help him. Naruto! You do everything on your own. Everything! And you, Sasuke, thought the others were so far beneath you they were worthless. Arrogance! Ninja missions are carried out in squads. Of course you need individual skills, but teamwork is the most essential element. Every shinobi understands this. When individuals put themselves above the squad, this can lead to failure and death. For example…" Kakashi drew a kunai. "Sakura! Kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies!"

At the outrageous demand, the Genin began to freak out. Kira laid a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Relax. He's not actually going to do that."

"That's what happens on a mission."

Sakura heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh boy, that was really scary."

Kakashi twirled the kunai on his finger. "The enemy takes a hostage and you've got an impossible choice and someone ends up dead." He put the kunai away and got off Sasuke. "On every mission, your life is on the line."

Light blue eyes followed Kakashi as he made his way over to the memorial stone. Kira smiled sadly as she thought about why he visited it every day.

"Did you look at this stone? The names engraved on it…" Kakashi paused. "They are all ninja who are honored as heroes in our village."

"That's it! That's it! That's it! Now I know! I've decided I'm gonna have my name engraved on that stone! I'm not gonna live and die for nothing like a dog! I'm gonna be a hero! A hero!"

Kakashi glanced back at the loud-mouthed blonde. "They are a special kind of hero."

"Huh? What kind of heroes are they? Come on! Tell us! Well, well!"

"They're all KIA."

"Ooh! That sounds real cool!"

"It means killed in action. They all died." Sakura explained. The bright smile on Naruto's face disappeared after that was mentioned. Kira came up to the boy, laying a hand on his shoulder. He stiffened slightly and glanced over his shoulder. Kira quickly removed her hand, looking from it to Naruto.

'He felt that?'

"This is a memorial stone. The names of my closest friends are engraved here."

There was a long bout of silence as the three Genin processed this information. Kira could only gaze sadly at the Jonin.

'He's lost so much… his friends, his family… I think I can relate to him in a way.'

Kakashi looked back at the Genin. "All right. I'm going to give you one more chance, but I'm going to make it much harder on you. You'll have three hours to get a bell. Eat lunch now to build up strength, but… Naruto doesn't get any. It's your punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat by yourself, and if anyone tries to feed him, that person will immediately fail."

Kira scoffed. 'Liar.'

"I make the rules. You follow them. Got it?"

Sakura and Sasuke were soon eating lunch. Watching them eat was pure torture for Naruto. The two looked at him when his stomach growled.

"This is no big deal! I can go without eating for days, for weeks! Believe it! This is no big deal!" After his little speech, Naruto's stomach let out another growl. "No problem."

Sasuke looked up at the miserable Genin before holding out his lunch. "Here."

"What? No Sasuke, you can't do that. You heard what the sensei said."

"Kakashi's gone. We need to get those bells as a team. If Naruto's hungry, he'll be weak and ineffective. That hurts the team and jeopardizes the mission."

"Umm…"

'Sasuke…' Sakura thought, looking down at her lunch. She gulped before holding it out to Naruto. He stared wide-eyed at the gesture, but was truly touched.

Kira glanced over at where Kakashi was hidden and allowed a smile to slip loose. 'They're the first of many teams to actually pass. He must be proud.'

"Okay, thanks." Naruto said.

"Don't thank me. Just hurry up and eat."

"But isn't that your lunch?"

"I'm on a diet. I mean, I don't eat as much as Sasuke, so…" Sakura made a small noise of frustration. "Just take it, Naruto!"

"I can't take it because… I can't move my hands. You've gotta feed me!"

"Huh!"

"Hurry up. He could come back any minute." Sasuke told the two.

Sakura growled. "This is one time only! That's it! I'll never do this again! Is that clear!"

"Clear as a bell, Sakura!"

The kunoichi picked up her chopsticks, holding out some rice for Naruto to eat. Naruto happily ate while Sakura had a peeved expression on her face.

Suddenly, a large cloud of smoke erupted before them. The wind picked up and they had to brace themselves against it.

"YOU…!"

Kira raised a brow at the Jonin's entrance. 'A bit flashy, don't ya think?'

"You broke the rules. I hope you're ready for the punishment." Kakashi made some hand-signs and the clouds above them turned dark as lightning struck and the ground shook. "Any last words?"

"But you said…" Naruto began.

"Yes?"

"You said that there were three of us! That's what you said and that's why Sakura and…" he trailed off.

"We're all on this squad and we're all in it together." Sasuke proclaimed.

"Yeah, that's right!" Sakura agreed. "We gave our lunch to him because the three of us are one!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! Believe it! That's right!"

"The three of you are one? That's your excuse?"

The three Genin gave him defiant looks. Kira glanced between them and Kakashi with a smirk forming on her face.

'3…2…1…'

"You pass."

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

"You pass." Kakashi repeated.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked. "How'd we pass?"

The dark clouds began to dissipate and the sun shone on the group. Kakashi answered Sakura's question. "You're the first squad that ever succeeded. The others did exactly what I said and fell into every trap. They couldn't think for themselves. A ninja must see through deception. In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, that's true. But… those who abandon their friends…"

"Are worse than scum." Kira finished with him. She glanced over the three Genin who were happy that they had passed. Naruto had tears in his eyes as he spoke.

"He's a… you know… he's kinda cool."

"The exercise is over. Everyone passes. Squad 7 starts its first mission tomorrow."

"Yes!" Sakura cheered.

"I did it! I did it! Believe it! I'm a ninja, a ninja, a ninja!"

"Let's go home." Kakashi said. Sasuke and Sakura began to follow after the Jonin.

'Cha! I did it!'

Kira smiled softly. "Way to go, Sakura."

"You guys forgot to untie me!"

Kira glanced back at the blonde before shaking her head in amusement. She reached into Sakura's weapons pouch, pulling out a kunai. The raven-haired girl threw it and it sliced through the ropes that held Naruto.

He fell to the ground and glanced around in confusion. "Huh? Who did that?"

Kira chuckled softly. "If only you knew, Naruto. If only you knew."