I'm having too much fun with this. Like previously asked, this chapter is longer than the previous ones.

Know that this just means that the next one will be shorter to compensate. I'll be honest with you, everything is filler until Gaara.

All of this is because I couldn't just write the requested story. I had to make an entire damn backstory and buildup. This is all backstory. I hate how I operate.

But thanks for the attention. Love you.

The Prankster King of Konoha

Chapter 3:

Graduation Test

The Fox snarled, his raucous hissing and growling bashing against the walls of Naruto's mind and rattling his brain. Naruto tried to get through to him—to instill some sense of normalcy or peace— but his voice was drowned out by a ridiculous amount of anger.

Naruto tried to rationalize the sounds coming from the unbelievably upset maw of his partner, but there was no kind of rationale there. It was just uncontrolled rage and it was starting to give him a headache, so Naruto pushed him to the back of his mind. He could still hear the beast, but it was muted.

Naruto turned his attention back outwards. Sitting to his left was a brooding boy with jet-black hair. His chin was rested atop his folded hands, and his gaze was set firmly out of the window away from them. Had he not been a sassy little nerd, Naruto would comment on the pitch blackness of his eyes, though doing so would likely send his partner into a greater frenzy.

Sasuke Uchiha was not a person that Naruto was excited to be on the same team as, but he wasn't nearly as upset about it as the Fox.

On his other side sat Sakura Haruno. When he turned to her, he caught her staring lovingly at the Uchiha. Her shockingly green eyes met his when she noticed that he was staring, and her loving smile quickly turned into a frown.

"Naruto," she started. "I don't suppose you could rethink your decision of keeping to that seat?"

"If he values his life," Sasuke responded for him, "he won't."

Sakura clicked her tongue, though she didn't look too dejected by her crush's denial. She went back to looking at the boy in the most adoring way possible, and Sasuke went back to pointedly ignoring her.

Naruto, naturally, went ignored. It was amusing that the Uchiha thought that he was any kind of threat to his life, but that amusement passed just as quickly as the moment. It wasn't long until they were trapped back in the ritualistic silence of waiting for their sensei.

It was twelve now, and they started waiting an hour ago. Knowing Kakashi, they would be waiting until at least two.

Naruto sighed, before standing up. Both of his new teammates squealed at his movement, though for entirely different reasons.

"If I'm going to be stuck sitting in this classroom, I'm not going to be bored while doing it."

XxX

Twenty minutes later saw Naruto sitting back down. It was in Sakura's old seat, but he didn't care much for which seat he sat in.

Sasuke, however, did. "Idiot. Back in your seat. Now."

"But I am in my seat?"

"No," the ravenette said through grit teeth. "Sakura's in your seat and I want her out of it."

Naruto turned to the girl. She had moved the seat to be agonizingly close to the Uchiha's without the two of them touching. That being said, she was mere inches away from him. She was staring very intensely at the boy, with Sasuke himself nearly climbing up the wall to be away from her.

Naruto turned back to the Uchiha. "But Sasuke, if it were my seat, I would be in it."

"Naruto," Sasuke hissed. "I know that you like to fuck with people but do me a favor and get her off of me."

Naruto looked at Sakura. She had torn her eyes away from Sasuke, albeit reluctantly, to pout at him. Naruto had to admit, it was kind of cute in a "useless fangirl" kind of way.

"Sasuke," Naruto said. "How could you possibly say no to that face?"

Both boys looked at Sakura. She had turned back to the Uchiha and was trying to look as adorable as possible. She positioned herself to be lower so that she could look up at him with her big, green, adorable eyes. Her lip quivered as she clasped her hands in front of her chest and whined.

Sasuke looked as if he wanted to hurl, right then and there.

"Alright, alright," Naruto said. He plucked Sakura out of the seat, much to her dismay, and switched their seats. He plopped the girl down, her arms folded all the while, while he sat in his own. When he turned back to Sasuke, the boy was sitting properly in his seat once more. "You know, your fear of girls might just be a phobia."

"I'm not afraid of girls," Sasuke said. "I'd just rather not be around her."

Naruto turned to Sakura, expecting her to be heartbroken. Instead of that, however, all he got was a large smile.

"Most people would be downtrodden at hearing their crush say that."

Sakura shrugged. "I'm just glad that he's noticing me."

Both Naruto and Sasuke stared at her as she said that. They then collectively noped out of that train of thought.

"So, what are you, Sasuke? You gay or something?"

Sasuke shivered. "What makes you say that? Just because I have more important things to focus on than girls doesn't make me gay. Besides, I've never seen you with a girl."

"I've talked with loads of girls. You've just never seen them."

Sasuke smirked. "What? They're in another village?"

"Nope," Naruto said. He popped the 'p' in that word. "They're in this one. They're even in this room. You just can't see them."

Sasuke chuckled, obviously not believing him. Even Sakura joined in, and for once the mood in the room was easy. Naruto even joined in, so happy to be rid of his own personal boredom.

But when they weren't looking, he glanced at a corner of the room. Tora, the ANBU captain, shook her head.

Naruto looked away.

"Naruto's sad love life aside," Sakura started, and Naruto had to double-take. Hearing that from Sakura was like taking a kunai to the gut. "What do you guys do when you have free time?"

The mood in the room didn't quite die, but the levity settled a bit. Sasuke didn't turn back to the window, but his eyes settled on a point ahead of him, as if he weren't quite in the room anymore.

"I train," was all that he said. Naruto and Sakura nodded. That seemed about right.

Sakura turned to Naruto. The blind adoration wasn't there like it was for Sasuke, but at least it wasn't blind disgust. "And you, Naruto? What do you do?"

Naruto smirked. "I mostly just plan for my next big prank. It's a time-consuming hobby, but it's fulfilling, so I can't complain."

Sasuke seemed to roll his eyes, an action that he somehow conveyed with his entire body, but Sakura seemed interested at least. "I remember hearing about you from time to time. Are you the one that pranked the ANBU headquarters that one time a couple years ago?"

He actually pranked them once a month, every month, like clockwork. The ANBU just became better at hiding the evidence. "Yes. It was pretty fun."

Sakura giggled. "That's insane! What made you do something like that? Weren't you afraid of getting caught?"

"Of course!" Naruto started. He waved his hand. "But that's part of the fun, right? And it wasn't as if—" Naruto stopped. His ear twitched, and he turned to Sasuke. The broody boy was pretending not to listen, but he turned when Naruto stopped talking. Without warning, Naruto climbed over the boy, practically sitting in his lap, and opened the window.

Sasuke sputtered, but otherwise didn't do anything as Naruto sat back down.

"— it wasn't as if I wasn't caught a bunch of times before," Naruto finished.

"Why did you open the window?"

"Why did you have to climb over me?"

"I needed some air," Naruto answered Sakura. He leaned back in his chair; eyes now focused on the door. "Hey, how do you guys feel about heights?"

Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other. The pinkette spoke up first. "They're alright. I'm not much of a fan of them, personally, but—"

She was cut off by the sound of the door opening. Kakashi Hatake, their Jonin-sensei, walked into the classroom. His one visible eye scanned the entire room in less of a second. It focused on Naruto in particular, widened a large amount, and he stepped back.

Just in time to dodge the eraser that Naruto had placed in the doorway.

Not enough to dodge the resulting explosion of chalk and ash, however.

XxX

"My first impression of you all," Kakashi started. His eye, the one not covered by his headband, zeroed in on Naruto. "Is that I hate you. You more than the rest. In fact, I don't think that I hate anyone as much as I hate you."

Naruto cackled. His arms were wrapped around his stomach as he tried to contain his mirth. Kakashi was covered head-to-toe in white dust, except for his mask. Somehow, Kakashi had always kept his mask pristine. Naruto couldn't understand how he did it.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sakura asked. Her foot was stomped heavily on the rooftop, making dull thuds against the tile. Her teeth were grinding so harshly together that they were audible, and her hair was sticking up in various places from the aftershock of the concussive blast. "Why wouldn't you tell us that you bombed the place?"

Naruto shrugged. He turned to answer for himself, but the sight of Sakura, effectively covered in chalk dust, was too much for him. He collapsed back into a fit of laughter.

Over in Sasuke's world, the boy was brooding more than usual. He refused to look at Naruto and give him the satisfaction of knowing that he was upset. The boy was a troll. He lived off your displeasure.

Naruto, however, didn't need Sasuke to look. Just the sight of the boy's usually raven hair be smattered by sticky clumps of white chalk was enough to send him into yet another fit.

"You saw me do it. Both of you were there when I set up the prank."

Both of his younger teammates turned to him, though their resulting shock couldn't be put into words.

"First off, no one would expect a concussive blast as the means for a minor prank," Sakura screeched. "Secondly, no one would think to escape the way you did! Who the hell jumps out of a window? Why was that the only way out?"

Naruto didn't answer, instead choosing to continue to cackle.

"When you die out on a mission," Kakashi started. His voice was remarkably calm. "I am not going to save you."

"You couldn't save yourself from the wrath of the Almighty Eraser," Naruto said between gasps of breath. "I think I'll take my chances on my own."

Kakashi didn't make any outward expressions, but the way that the pages of his book crinkled in his hands ever so slightly told Naruto everything that he needed to know.

"Dreams and aspirations," Kakashi droned. "We'll start with broody."

Sasuke didn't respond, so Sakura had to tap him on the shoulder. He stared at Kakashi, only to see the man nod back at him.

"If this is your attempt at goading me," Sasuke said, "then you must not know who I shared a classroom with for the past three years."

Sasuke looked at Naruto. The boy was still rolling on the ground.

"Fair enough," Kakashi said. "You're still going first, however. Dreams, aspirations, hobbies, so on."

"My dreams and aspirations are one and the same," the Uchiha said. "I will kill a certain man, then I will rebuild the Uchiha clan."

Naruto, freshly recovered from his laughing fit, sat himself up. "A bit obsessive, huh?"

"Keep smack talking and that certain man is going to be you."

The two stared at each other, Sasuke growling and Naruto smiling. Kakashi continued his icebreaker before war could break out.

"And hobbies?"

Sasuke looked back at his teacher. "I like training."

"Besides training?"

Sasuke tilted his head. "What is there to do besides training?"

Kakashi moved on. "You, pinky. You're next. Likes, dislikes? Hobbies?"

Sakura seemed to ponder on her answer for a few moments before responding. "Well, I like Sasuke."

Said boy shuddered. He moved farther way, careful to make sure that Naruto was somewhere on the straight line between her and him.

"I dislike idiots who prank me without giving me a warning."

This time, it was Sakura and Naruto's turn to stare at each other. The vein on the girl's forehead was all the more prominent with how massive it was.

"I know that you saw me place the trap," Naruto said. Sakura's anger seemed to grow in proportion with her rapidly rising voice.

"We saw you place the eraser! When did you have time to jury rig it with explosions?"

"I've been using non-lethal explosions since I was nine. I thought that you would understand when it took me twenty minutes to put an eraser between the door and the jam."

Sakura guffawed, unable to fully wrap her mind around the boy in front of her. Sasuke picked up on the important bits, though.

"Wait, the emphasis on non-lethal explosions imply the recent usage of lethal ones. You haven't been using lethal weaponry in your pranks, have you?"

The way that Naruto looked away from them was concerning. His eyes traced the sky, settling on a bird, as he whistled as innocently as he could.

"Naruto," Sasuke said, his voice nervous. "Answer me. Do you use lethal explosions in your traps? Who even taught you how to make lethal explosions?"

The Uchiha turned to his teacher when the man started whistling in much the same way as his student. His lone eye traced the sky, settling on clouds.

"Kakashi—" Sasuke growled. Before he could continue, however…

"Well, look at the time. Gotta go. Meet me in Training Ground Seven tomorrow at nine-sharp for your graduation exam!" Sasuke and Sakura were caught flat-footed as the older man belted out words almost faster than they could comprehend. "And remember! Don't eat! You won't be able to keep it down!"

The man then vanished in a swirl of dust and leaves. With no one left to focus their ire on, they both turned to Naruto.

They paled when they noticed another eraser in his hands.

"So, uh, when he says nine-sharp he really means somewhere around twelve-thirty." The sheepish smile on the boy's face was somehow more threatening than his cackling face. "And I would eat if I were you. Basically, just don't listen to a word that man says when we're not on a mission."

Sasuke, already seeing where this was going, ran forward to catch his blond teammate. "Wait, Naruto! I have more questions for you!"

Alas, he was too late. Naruto had already thrown the eraser to his feet, and the resulting explosion could be heard throughout Konoha.

It was immediately drowned out by the Uchiha's scream of rage.

XxX

"It took me literally all night to get the chalk dust out of my hair," Sasuke growled.

"Wait, you used the eraser bombs?" The Fox asked. He sounded affronted. "When did you use them?"

Naruto sighed. "Last night. You went into another anger coma."

"Those don't exist," the Fox insisted, though he didn't push the issue. Naruto turned his attention back outwards, only to see that both of his teammates were still glaring at him.

"Naruto, I want you to know that I caught myself fantasizing about your death during dinner."

Naruto chuckled. "Join the fanclub, pinky. I'm pretty sure the ANBU still have room in that silly little meeting room they think I don't know about."

Sakura's resulting explosion was worth the resulting pain. Naruto rubbed at his arm while she stomped off to elsewhere in the Training Grounds. Naruto turned to Sasuke.

"What about you? You want to punch at my other arm?"

"I want to cut it off."

Naruto clicked his tongue. "Take mine and I'll take yours. Then we'll both be one-armed ninjas."

The two stared at each other, Naruto smiling and Sasuke frowning. It was a dynamic that they had solidified when they first met, and after a while neither could keep it up. They both collapsed to the ground, their exposed skin tickled by the fresh blades of grass.

"So, Kakashi won't be here until twelve?" Sasuke asked. Staying mad at Naruto was far more tiring than it was worth, so he decided to stop. "That's not very professional."

"When you're one of the top ninjas in the village, you find that you could get away with quite a lot," Naruto responded. He spread his arms out on the grass, enjoying the breeze and the dew from the grass. "And he'll likely be here around twelve-thirty. He spends three hours wasting away time and a half-hour actually doing something. Watch out, though. When he gets here, he'll be serious, so we have to be prepared for whatever it is that he has up his sleeve.

Sasuke huffed but didn't disagree. "So, is that why you were here before the time he told us?"

Naruto shrugged. "Yup."

"You were trapping the place."

"Naturally."

"And did you tell Sakura?"

An explosion rang out somewhere in the forest. Sakura's enraged voice could be heard. It was abruptly cut off by yet another explosion.

"I did not," Naruto responded.

XxX

Kakashi arrived at the Training Ground around twelve-thirty. He did not expect what he saw.

"Hey, guys. Sorry I was late. There was a— whoa."

Sakura was covered head to toe in paint of various kinds. The edges of her cheongsam were burnt, which was a vast improvement to the state of her hair.

Very little pink could be seen.

Naruto, meanwhile, was twitching sporadically on the ground. There were obvious bruise marks on his face from someone hitting him really, really hard. Judging by Sakura's enraged state, it wasn't hard to guess who did what to who.

Sasuke was on the side, making a very clear point that he was not a part of these shenanigans. Kakashi, used to the antics of a hyperactive team, resonated with the boy.

"So, I'm guessing you guys had time to bond?" the older man asked. Sakura rounded on him, and boy, was that fury intense.

"You're late," she said. No screaming: it seemed she was all screamed out. There was just a cold, level murmur and lots of hate.

Kakashi, unfortunately, was used to the ire of children and was thus unaffected. "There was an old lady."

"It doesn't take three hours to help an old lady."

"Oh, I wasn't helping her. I was waiting for her to finish crossing my path so that I could get through."

And it was there that Sakura's anger was shot in the knees by the ridiculousness of Kakashi's statement.

"You couldn't go around her?" she asked. Kakashi tutted at her.

"Come now, Sakura. I had to make sure she was okay."

"And you couldn't hurry her up, then?"

"Sakura!" Kakashi trilled. He held a hand to his chest in mock annoyance. "That would be rude!"

Sakura screamed once more, preparing to stomp off into the forest. When she remembered what was out there, however, she stopped.

"I'm not going back out there. No way. Can't make me."

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow, a devious smirk on his face similar to that of Naruto's.

"But, Sakura," Kakashi started. Sakura could feel the chills run up her spine. "That's where we'll be holding our test."

Sakura's rage permeated the bones of every one of her teammates. Only two brought joy from it.

XxX

When the test started, only two children jumped into the forest: Sasuke, because he knew where the traps were from talking to Naruto; and Naruto, because he laid them. Sakura very conspicuously did not join them in their adventure. She stood in the middle of the field and waited.

Kakashi raised on eyebrow. "Are you not going to hide? If I were judging you off just your basic ninja skills, you would be off to a bad start. Ninjas are supposed to be able to hide."

Sakura didn't respond to her teacher immediately. She folded her arms and huffed; her green eyes almost piercing as she stared Kakashi down.

"Ninjas are also not supposed to run into their deaths. You go and get them, then come back to me, and I'll forfeit on the spot."

Kakashi looked off into the forest. He had been in Training Ground Seven many times in his years as an active ninja, and it had never changed. Sure, it was roughed up from time to time, but it was always repaired to almost the same condition. He knew the place from the inside out.

… and yet, something in his instincts was telling him not to enter the forest.

"Very well," Kakashi said. He shut his book, storing it safely within the pouch wrapped around his thigh. "But if I get back here with both boys in tow, then you must forfeit immediately."

Sakura shrugged. "Fine by me."

XxX

All things considered; Naruto should have expected this much of Inu.

"I think we may need to proposition the brats for help," the Fox muttered.

Naruto agreed, though he didn't have time to voice such a thing. Kakashi was already on top of him again, both arms swinging kunai enhanced with electricity. Naruto ducked, feeling the way the sparks arced off the blades and across his neck, before leading the jonin into another trap. Rather than avoid it, Kakashi just powered on through. Paintballs, all laced with a paralytic agent, burst from the bushes.

Kakashi stopped his pursuit. His foot hit the ground with a smack, giving him the leverage he needed to twist out of the way of the projectiles. He was back in a stable stance in the same movement, and in less than a second he was after the blond once more.

"I really don't like the way that he just ignores these things," the Fox growled. Naruto flipped over a straight stab, grabbing Kakashi's wrist in the process. With every once of his upper body strength, Naruto shoved his arm to the side. It cost him a swipe that scored a red line across his cheek, but he managed to secure Kakashi's arm against a sap covered tree.

"Alright, he shouldn't be able to get out of that for a bit. This should give me enough time to—"

Kakashi took one look at his arm and pulled. When it didn't come free, he just shrugged off the jacket that the sap was connected to.

And just like that, the chase was on once more.

"What is this guy made of?" the Fox asked. Kakashi vaulted clear over the pitfall trap Naruto had installed as if he knew it was there. Naruto had to drop a chalk bomb, his last one, to obscure vision, and even then it was only enough to buy a precious few seconds.

"He's a damn elite," Naruto grunted. He hadn't exercised this much since his training was at its harshest, and even then he hadn't felt this tired. "Why do you think that I vetoed any pranking until after he left ANBU? Kakashi is built different. The only worse matchup would be Gai."

And that was a scenario that Naruto didn't even want to imagine. Where Kakashi could react in the instant his most ingenious traps were sprung, Gai could simply muscle through them. It was a sight that haunted his worst nightmares.

"Then what do we do?" Kurama asked. "I don't think any of our preset traps can even touch the guy."

Naruto sighed, then bolted when he heard the trees behind him explode. The sound of a thousand chirping birds filled the clearing, and Naruto realized that he had very precious little time left.

"I think we might actually have to break our oath, partner," Naruto said, his voice grim. "We're going to have to enlist some… help."

Naruto crossed his fingers, summoning a Shadow Clone. It wasn't a move that he often used, nor was it one he wanted anyone to know about. If it were up to him, then he would just have an army of Shadow Clones help him, but the instant that Kakashi found out he knew the move there would be hell to pay.

As much as Naruto hated to admit it, Kakashi was still playing with kiddy gloves. So was he, to an extent, but Naruto being serious in a fight was nowhere near as powerful as Kakashi in a fight, so he was hesitant to bring things up a notch.

"When he corners you, make your disappearance look like a substitution."

"Why are you telling me this? I'm you. I already know the plan."

And like that, the two split up; one to distract Kakashi, and the other to gather the help.

XxX

Naruto burst into the clearing where it all started. Leaves stuck to his sweaty, matted skin and twigs jutted out of both his clothing and hair, but he was there.

Also, Sasuke was there, though he looked far less pleased. Naruto's hand was gripped firmly around his collar, and the blond was dragging him along.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked. She turned; her eyebrow quirked as she looked over at them. Her arms were still folded in the same position she was in when Kakashi first started the test, which meant that she hadn't moved a single muscle. "What are you doing here? I thought that you were out there with—"

Another explosion happened. Electricity arced randomly into the sky. What made it terrifying was how much electricity arced randomly into the sky.

There was a lot.

"… yeah," Sakura continued. "I thought you were out there with that."

Naruto looked at the electricity, shrugged, then turned back. "So, I kind of am? Listen, it isn't important. What is important is that I need your help."

Sakura tilted her head. Sasuke snarled at him.

"I see that you're both interested," Naruto said. "Great. Gather around. We're going to need finesse and careful planning if we want to pull this off."

XxX

Naruto grunted. He hoped beyond hope that his last trap would at least hinder his foe. He ducked between some trees, the only reason he was able to do so due to his height, and kept running. He looked over his shoulder as he ran, hoping that Kakashi would at the very least have to vault that.

Lightning burst from the trees, splintering the wood into many small pieces that were quickly incinerated by the snaking fingers of electricity.

"I am baffled as to how you set up so many traps," Kakashi said. He walked through the scar he made in the tree as if the edges weren't still molten red. "I'd have to take some notes, sometime."

Naruto cursed, though he kept the words in his head. He threw his last kunai, forcing down a smile when Kakashi deflected it. It bounced off a branch and cut a string.

Chakra spiders fell from the canopy. Kakashi's eye flickered upwards for a split second before refocusing on Naruto. His hand came up, cutting through the incorporeal constructs as they fell without a second glance.

He had looked and memorized the falling of the constructs, as well as calculated their falling speed, in the instant he looked up at them. Kakashi was just that good.

"Come now, Naruto. You didn't think that the same prank you pulled on ANBU headquarters two months ago would work on me now?"

Naruto sucked his teeth. "You realize that you have other students?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Let's be honest, Naruto. They're not as much of a threat."

As much as Naruto hated to admit it, Kakashi was right. He turned back ahead and tried to chart his way through the rest of his traps, but there were very few left. Ten minutes had passed since the start of their exam, and Naruto and Kakashi had plowed through almost the entirety of the training ground.

"Have you considered testing us as a team?"

"Have you considered de-arming your traps?"

"Those are my entire fighting style!"

"And picking off the weakest link is my fighting style."

"Then go get Sakura!"

"I already got Sakura. I get rid of her by getting rid of you."

Naruto cursed. "Then go get the second weakest link. Sasuke shouldn't be too hard to find!"

"Should I be alarmed at how willing you are to throw your teammates under the bus?"

"No!"

Kakashi hummed. He tossed one of his kunai at Naruto. The blond, unable to dodge, cursed as he tripped one of his last traps. Chakra strings converged on the kunai as it passed a threshold, arresting it midair.

Naruto kept running. Kakashi stopped beside it.

"A motion activated chakra restrictive trap," the one-eyed man mused. "Interesting. It wouldn't have worked on me, but anyone else would be immobilized by this."

"Go die in a ditch!" Naruto yelled. Kakashi turned back to him and smiled with his eye.

"You've already tried that trap. I filled the ditch with dirt."

Kakashi took off, his longer legs and more powerful muscles allowing him to catch up almost immediately, effectively eliminating any gap Naruto may have made. The two raced through the jungle, Naruto's lungs practically on fire, before they stopped.

Naruto, on his last legs, made a crucial mistake. He tripped, tumbling head over heels into a tree. Kakashi was there almost immediately. He drained his speed as any professional would, easily, and walked slowly towards the collapsed blond.

"Fifteen minutes is an impressive amount of time for a genin to avoid me," Kakashi said. He stalked towards Naruto like a lion might towards an injured deer. "I'm honestly impressed."

Naruto raised his head, dropped it again due to exhaustion, and flipped the man off.

"Quite," Kakashi responded. He raised his remaining kunai, allowing electricity to flow through it. "This won't kill you, but it will keep you on the ground for a bit. Long enough to prevent you from helping your team."

"You think I'd help them?"

"I think you'd do a lot of things to mess with me."

Once again, Kakashi stalked closer. The sound of the electricity was like nails on a chalkboard to the boy, and Naruto couldn't help but grimace.

"Any last words before you lose the ability to speak?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but before he could his eyes tracked something just behind Kakashi. After seeing what it was, he smiled, then shook his head.

"Nope," he said. "I don't have anything to say at all."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

Then the world exploded.

XxX

"This is a stupid plan," Sasuke muttered. "There's no way that it'd work."

Sakura nodded. "I'd have to agree. Kakashi is a Jonin. He's been running through your traps this entire time without breaking a sweat. I don't think he'd fall for such a rudimentary trick. And I'm not just saying that to agree with Sasuke. Unless it's working."

Sakura looked hopefully towards Sasuke. The kid sucked his teeth and looked away.

"It's precisely because he's been picking off my traps that this is going to work. We have the element of surprise on our side. As a trickster, it's the most important weapon you can have."

Neither of his teammates looked impressed, so Naruto had to kick things up a notch.

"Look," Naruto muttered. "You help me do this, and I'll give each of you one of the bells. Do we have a deal?"

Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other, both dubious of the boy's claims.

"Give me one good reason as to why we should believe you," Sasuke said. "You're the Prankster of Konoha. This could all be one big trick to throw us under the bus."

"Besides," Sakura added. "There are only two bells. If you gave one to each of us, you would basically be giving up your chance to become a ninja. Don't you want to be Hokage? Why would you step over your own dreams for a prank?"

Another explosion rocked the training ground, and phantom numbness ran up Naruto's spine. He looked off towards the area where the explosion happened and felt an overwhelming sense of dread.

"Listen, would you? Sakura, you don't know to what lengths I would go to fulfill a prank. And Sasuke? I have tricked many people in my life, but I have never led them to believe that I wouldn't. I have deceived many people, but I have never broken a promise. And I'm promising you right here, right now, that I will get you those bells. But I need your help. Please."

Hearing the Prankster do something as desperate as saying "please" must have set off something in his teammates, because they looked at each other once more. A small smile appeared on both of their faces, before both of them reached their hands out to take Naruto's own.

"I suppose it would be fun to see what it's like on the other side of a prank, for once," Sakura whispered, her giggles drowned out by the various explosions.

"I guess if I do this with you, I could get a little bit of insight into your madness." Sasuke then pulled his hand back. His smile faded back into his signature scowl, though the mirth in his eyes didn't quite recede.

Naruto smiled, pleased by their decisions. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some devices.

"Then let's begin."

XxX

"This is so much fun!" Sakura yelled. She whooped as explosion after explosion detonated behind her. Little metal balls slipped from between the cracks of her fingers as she carelessly ran through the forest. The balls thudded against the ground for all of three seconds before erupting violently.

Sakura didn't appear to have a plan in mind, and, in truth, there wasn't one. She was just to run, sowing discord and fiery death everywhere she went. And she was loving it.

"I think today's actions are going to have long lasting ramifications," Sasuke muttered. He turned to Naruto, only to see the boy have a far-off look in his eye.

"I think you're right, Sasuke," he said. "But now isn't the time to worry about future consequences. You need to get into position."

Sasuke nodded. He followed the order, though he did so with some reluctance. They both had eyes on Kakashi. He was standing over another Naruto. If left as is, he would take that one out.

"And you're sure this is going to work?" Sasuke asked, his body tense in preparation for a fight. "Because if it doesn't, then both you and I are going to be in a world of pain."

Naruto stared at him, silent but for the explosions ringing in his ear. After a few seconds, he nodded. "I know Kakashi better than most. If this doesn't work, then we probably didn't have the means to win anyway."

Sasuke didn't seem to like that answer, but he didn't have much to go on regardless. The ravenette nodded at his blond teammate, before jumping off to his predetermined spot.

It was time.

XxX

Kakashi turned, the various explosions shocking him out of his reverie. What was that? He was sure that he had disarmed all the lethal explosions.

He turned back to Naruto. "How?" was all he asked.

Naruto smiled; it was a shaky one—he could barely maintain it due to the exhaustion—but it was there. "I'm more resourceful than you think."

"I hope you don't expect this to save you," Kakashi asked. "At best, you'll get my hair burnt."

Naruto didn't reply, instead letting the line of explosions pull ever-nearer. Fifty meters, forty meters, then ten. It wasn't long before the explosions were right on top of them.

Though Naruto expected the shock of pink hair framing a recently maniacal face, Kakashi sure didn't.

"Sakura?" the man asked. His eye had widened to the size of a plate. He was forced to take a step back as the pink-haired pyromaniac all but dashed into him. Her shoulder bumped into him as she continued on her way.

The explosions continued to follow her as well, none of them having done more than unnerve the man.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Kakashi deadpanned. He turned back to Naruto, only to see him smiling.

"I don't like that look on your face," he said. Naruto smiled harder.

"You really shouldn't be worried about my smile," Naruto responded.

The bushes rustled, and Sasuke came sprinting from the underbrush. His hands were clenched, but even then Kakashi could see the glint of sunlight reflecting from the metal balls clenched therein. The teacher's eyes widened, and he took a cautious step back. In the next second Sasuke landed where he was, only for the man to be far away.

He almost tripped on one of the explosive marbles Sakura had left behind. It took a split second for the man to realize what was happening, and by the time that the time delayed ball exploded he was already gone.

"I hope you didn't think that was enough, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura whispered. Her face was split by a manic grin as yet more explosives were loosed from her hands they floated for a few seconds in the air before shaking.

Kakashi had already switched with a log. He appeared farther off, then looked around.

His chase with Naruto had torn up most of the forestry. Fallen trees and other detritus littered the area, casting shadows and other such hidey holes.

"Excellent terrain manipulation," he said. He turned to see all of his students arranged across from him. Sasuke still had his hands full of explosives ready to throw, so Sakura had to help Naruto up. The blond looked incredibly uncomfortable with her being so near to him with a bag full of explosives that she was unafraid to set. "I don't suppose you took the time in the beginning to plan this out?"

"I'm playing by ear," Naruto called.

"He won't leave me alone," Sasuke said. He looked to Naruto, only to get a shrug back.

Sakura didn't respond. She reached into her bag and pulled out yet more explosives.

Kakashi made a note to take those away from her later.

"Well," the cyclops said. "As fun as this is, you won't be able to beat me with just this much. Even all three of you working together isn't enough."

Naruto smiled. "Then why don't you come and beat us?"

Kakashi chuckled. He kicked at some dirt, jostling some fallen leaves in the process. Several metal balls glinted as they were revealed to the world.

"I don't think that's a great idea," their teacher said. He then reached for his belt and jostled the bells there. "Besides, it's not on me to come to you. It's up to you to get these bells from me." He then held up his hands and beckoned them onward. Both Naruto and Sakura looked uncomfortable doing so, but Sasuke looked eager.

"Fine," the avenger said. "I'll prove myself."

The boy ran forward. His arms swung in an arc, casting forward some of the explosions barely kept in his hands. Kakashi swayed, letting the balls fly far, and prepared himself. Sasuke weaved around the explosions as if he knew exactly where the hidden ones were and was upon Kakashi in an instant.

"It's over!" the ravenette yelled. As he neared he held his hands out.

Kakashi caught the boy's wrists.

He scoffed. "Did you really think I'd fall for this, Naruto?"

Kakashi squeezed, forcing Sasuke's hands open. The balls fall from his hands just before the henge dispelled, showing blond hair and blue eyes.

"No matter how prepared you made them, Sasuke just isn't fast enough to both memorize and weave through your traps like that. Though, I'd have to say, I wasn't expecting the Shadow Clone."

Naruto fell to the ground, then to his knees as Kakashi's grip only grew. Their teacher's attention turned to his other two students. Particularly Sakura. She seemed remarkably unconcerned.

"So, this is the clone," Kakashi said. "Explains why he was so eager to blow himself up. That only leaves…"

A shadow passed overhead. Kakashi looked up, only to see Sasuke.

"Great Fireball Jutsu!" he yelled. His chest expanded, only for fire the size of a truck to come barreling from his mouth.

"Checkmate!" Naruto yelled. His arms and legs locked around the Jonin's legs, grounding his there. Sakura tossed both bags forward, scattering the last of her load around him. Once that was done, Naruto grabbed her and sprinted away.

The resulting explosion was incredible.

XxX

"Do you think we did it?" Sakura asked. She was still instinctively reaching for the bag of explosions even though it was likely long gone. Naruto frowned at it. She had it for five minutes, most.

"I'm pretty sure that all of Konoha felt that explosion," Sasuke responded. His charcoal eyes were staring intently at the smoke cloud that was still rising. "If he survived that then I'm preordering my Jonin jacket right now. They're made far too durable.

Naruto, still panting from his run with Kakashi, was nearly keeled over. "My clone was still holding him when the explosion dispelled. There're no way he survived all of that."

The three watched the inferno from on the farthest edge of the training ground. They could feel the heat from even this far.

"How are we going to get the bells?" Sakura asked. The boys turned to her.

"Well," Sasuke started. "If he survived, we could take it off his comatose body."

"Now, that's a crime," Kakashi said. "Don't you know that messing with a sleeping person's body is illegal?"

The three children whipped around, but Kakashi wasn't having any of that. His hand came down, knocking Naruto to the ground. He scooped the boy off the ground and held an electrified kunai to the boy's neck.

"Move and he dies," the jonin muttered, his voice dark. Sasuke and Sakura, who had their kunai out, looked at each other. An entire conversation seemed to pass between them before they both nodded. They tossed their kunai away.

"Better," Kakashi said. He grunted, then held the kunai closer. "You three were very impressive, I must say. Such teamwork isn't inherent in new cells."

"How," Sasuke asked. His teeth were grinding as he stared down his teacher. "We had you pinned. There's no way that you could have escaped that!"

Kakashi turned to the boy. His eye turned up in a smile. "Well, Naruto isn't the only one who knows the Shadow Clone. I switched the instant I downed Naruto. I'm not stupid enough to approach the boy when he's not anything less than fully exhausted."

The Hatake looked down at the boy. His breathing was hard, and his feet weren't even on the ground. Kakashi held him aloft, arm pinned behind his back.

Kakashi turned back to the other two members. "Your best fighter is immobilized. You have no way to win. Stand down. Sometimes it's better to lose and live to fight another day."

Sasuke and Sakura, already defeated, nodded. They slowly went to their knees and held their hands up.

"Good," Kakashi said. "Though you didn't get the bells, your teamwork was incredible. Honestly, though I really don't want to admit it, I am impressive. Okay, I've decided. Team Seven, you pa—"

Naruto shoved his neck forward, allowing the electricity to pierce his skin. Seeing what was happening, Both Sasuke and Sakura substituted with their thrown kunai.

The resulting explosion was incredible.

XxX

The three genin sat in the Hokage's office. Sarutobi did not look pleased.

"He was about to pass you," the Third Hokage said. Both Sasuke and Sakura turned to glare at their third teammate. "Why did you feel this was necessary?"

On the Hokage's crystal ball was the image of Kakashi Hatake, elite Jonin of Konoha, laid out in a hospital bed. His body was covered in bandages, though he didn't seem the least bothered by it as he read his little book.

Naruto didn't look even slightly ashamed. "I had prepared that explosive clone for a reason. I wasn't going to put that much effort into a prank just to not use it. Besides, we needed to get the bells."

Both Sasuke and Sakura looked ready to yell, but a raised hand from the Hokage silenced them before they could.

"He was about to pass you," the Hokage repeated. "Don't you think that the bells became superfluous after that?"

Naruto huffed. "Superfluous value is determined by the beholder, and I think that the bells were more than necessary."

No one missed the fact that his waist tinkled every time he moved. Both bells were clipped to his waist. Since they all passed, Naruto felt no need to fulfill his promise and kept both. He had done most of the work, after all.

The Hokage was decidedly less proud of this moment than his ward was. He opened his mouth, tried to say something, then closed it again.

"With your teacher out, you will need to wait at least a week until you can train with him. That's the minimum amount of time it'll take for him to recover."

Sasuke and Sakura looked ready to explode, but it was Naruto's raised hand that silenced them this time. Once they realized who was shushing them, they looked ready to explode even more. The Hokage then raised his hand.

Both men leaned forward. The atmosphere became tense. The ANBU fled the room, and the two children who weren't blond watched them in surprise. Neither had realized that they were there.

"What if I could get him to recover faster?" the blond asked. "Would that get you to stop contemplating the punishment rattling around in that old head of yours?"

The Hokage, if he was slighted by that statement, didn't show his irritation. He simply chuckled, before steepling his hands and resting his chips atop his folded fingers.

"I didn't take you to be a healer," the old man said. "In fact, I remember your chakra control being abysmal. How do you intend to fulfill that problem?"

Naruto scoffed. "If I try to heal sensei, he'd just end up worse. No, I have a better healer in mind."

Sarutobi's eyebrow raised. "Oh? And which healer do you have in mind?"

Naruto smiled, then rose from his seat. He slammed his hands on the table, then flashed his fangs.

"Tsunade Senju. I'll bring her back to Konoha to heal Kakashi-sensei, and then you and the other fossils will forgive my criminal record!"