Chapter 8

I do not own Naruto, obviously.

The next day Naruto woke up early and walked into the kitchen to find Sakura making pancakes. Seeing her distracted, Naruto decided on playing a prank on her. He started to slowly tiptoe towards her making sure not to make a sound and held his arms out to scare her.

"You're up early."

Naruto jumped and took a step back, "How did you know I was here?"

Sakura turned around to face Naruto, "You didn't mask your chakra. I thought you were going to sleep in and I was going to have to wake you up like I always do."

"Well today is a very important day like I told you yesterday."

"I know, I know." Sakura started to put all of the pancakes in one plate and set them on the table, "You better eat so you'll have energy for the test."

Naruto looked at the plate of pancakes and remembered what Kakashi said.

"But Kakashi sensei said not to eat because we might throw up."

"Don't believe everything he says. He just said that to scare you into not eating."

Naruto looked uncertain, "I don't know…"

Sakura smiled at him, "Trust me, you're not going to throw up."

Naruto smiled back, "Alright!"

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai have been waiting for Kakashi for hours.

"Hey guys, good morning."

"You're late!" Naruto yelled.

Kakashi ignored him and pulled out two bells, "Here are two bells. Your task is to take these from me before noon. Those who don't have a bell will be tied up to one of those stumps while the rest will eat lunch in front of you."

'So that's the reason he told us not to have breakfast.' The three thought.

'I'm so glad my aneki made me eat before going today.' Naruto thought slightly relieved.

"Also, the person who doesn't have a bell fails and will be sent back to the academy."

The three started to get nervous.

"You won't succeed unless you come at me intending to kill."

Naruto grinned, "HA! We'll definitely kill you! You're so slow you couldn't even dodge a black board eraser."

"We'll see about that deadlast. You will start when I say."

Naruto stopped grinning and closed his eyes for a couple of seconds as he remembered what Sakura told him.

"Control your anger Naruto. Anger will be your greatest weakness if you would start to lose control of the Nine-Tails."

Naruto took a deep breath and instead glared bloody daggers at Kakashi.

Kakashi felt someone dangerously glaring at him and gulped, he slowly turned to look at Naruto.

'That glare.' Kakashi broke his gaze from Naruto and sighed, 'Sakura, what are you teaching him?'

"Well it looks like you three are finally prepared to come at me with the intent to kill. Hehe, it seems like I'm beginning to like you guys. Ok let's get going. Ready… begin!"

Sasuke and Sai quickly hid themselves in the trees and bushes while Naruto stayed where he was, still glaring at Kakashi.

"The most important rule for a shinobi is to be able to hide yourself."

Naruto stayed silent and got into a fighting stance.

'What a baka, he's going to get himself killed.' Sasuke thought.

Sai observed the situation, 'Interesting.'

"Hmm… you seem a little bit off."

"The only thing a little off is your hair!" Naruto charged at Kakashi at full speed, but then stopped as Kakashi pulled out… a book?

"What's wrong? Hurry up and attack me!"

"Um… ok, but why did you pull out a book instead of a kunai or something?" Naruto asked confused by his actions.

"I just want to know what happens next." He said as he started to read.

Naruto growled and continued to charge at him with a fist held back. He threw his fist aimed towards Kakashi's face, but was blocked by his hand. Naruto then threw a kick, but Kakashi ducked. Naruto pulled his fist back again and just as his fist was going to make contact, Kakashi was suddenly behind him with four fingers sticking out while he said, "A shinobi isn't supposed to get caught from behind… idiot."

Naruto felt Kakashi's chakra behind him and smirked. He then heard someone shout.

"Naruto! Get out of there!" Sai yelled from a bush.

Naruto decided to act dumb and answered, "What!?"

"A one thousand years of pain (or death)!" Kakashi yelled.

Naruto then flew into the air. After he was a couple feet into the air, there was a 'poof' and a log fell from the sky.

Kakashi's eyes widened, 'A substitution!? How did he-'

Kakashi's thoughts were cut short as he was kicked in the face, hard enough to send him flying into a tree. Naruto then made eight shadow clones that charged at Kakashi, who was starting to get up. Kakashi saw the clones and was about to dodge their attacks, but suddenly one clone jumped on him from behind.

Sasuke who was watching from on top of a tree stared in disbelief, 'He actually landed a hit on him!?'

"Weren't shinobi not supposed to get caught from behind?" Naruto said with a kunai pointed in front of Kakashi's face.

'Seriously Sakura, what are you teaching him?'

Kakashi then exploded into smoke and another log fell to the ground.

"Dammit!" Naruto yelled in frustration. He dispersed the shadow clones and looked towards where Kakashi was. Right beside the tree there was a bell.

'A bell!' Naruto grinned, 'He must have been desperate to escape that he dropped a bell.'

Naruto reached for the bell, but as soon as he was about to pick it up his vision was suddenly turned upside-down.

Naruto could not believe this; he was hanging upside down with only a rope keeping him from falling on the ground by his ankle. 'Dammit! I should have seen this coming. If Sakura-chan found out about this, I'll be sooo humiliated.'

'What an idiot, that was obviously a trap.' Sasuke thought.

Kakashi walked up to the tree Naruto was hanging from to retrieve the bell, "Think before you-

Kakashi was cut off, "Use a jutsu or it could be used against you, I know!" Naruto said while rolling his eyes.

Kakashi stared and him with a slightly wide eyes, "Well… yeah, and also don't fall for such an obvious trap."

Naruto glared at him and whispered, "Damn you."

"A shinobi must be able to see what's underneath the underneath."

Naruto smirked, "I know, but it looks like you should have paid more attention."

Kakashi looked at him confused until Naruto poofed into a log.

Kakashi stared at the log that fell onto the ground, 'Well shit.'

Kakashi then felt a fist hit the side of his face and flew into the forest. He flew under the tree Sasuke was hiding in.

'This is my chance' Sasuke then threw some shuriken at him and all impaled Kakashi on the side.

"OH MY GOD YOU KILLED HIM!" Naruto yelled in horror.

Kakashi then turned into a log and appeared behind Naruto.

Naruto felt a wind hit his face and froze when he felt Kakashi's chakra behind him. Then Naruto's vision blurred until everything went black.

'I hope Sakura would forgive me for this.' Kakashi felt Naruto go unconscious in his arms. He gently set him down on the ground and faced Sasuke.

Sasuke stared in surprised, 'I didn't think that he would go as far as to knock Naruto down.' Sasuke then retreated deeper into the forest with Kakashi not too far behind him. Sai came out of his hiding spot and followed them.

Sai suddenly stopped and hid behind another bush as he saw Kakashi standing in an opening reading his book.

'Hmm, he didn't seem to notice me."

"Sai, behind you."

Sai slightly jumped and saw Kakashi's face right in front of his. Sai pulled out his tanto he had strapped behind on his back and swung it at Kakashi with an emotionless face. Kakashi quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a genjutsu.

Sai felt dazed for a few seconds and snapped out of his trance.

"Sai" he heard someone say behind him.

'That voice…' Sai turned around, "Shin?"

When he turned to face him, Shin a boy with grey hair impaled with many kunai and shuriken with blood all over his body.

"Sai… help me." Shin said while panting.

Sai stood there frozen in horror as he stared at the boy… and then fainted.

Kakashi observed Sai on a tree, "Hm, I think that was a bit too much."

Sasuke sopped at a clearing and waited for Kakashi to come after him. As Kakashi appeared a couple meters from him, Sasuke quickly threw shuriken at him. Kakashi easily dodged them, but then triggered a trap that sent many kunai at him. Again, he easily dodged them all. Sasuke then aimed a kick towards Kakashi's chest only to have his ankle caught in a tight grip. Sasuke turned his body and pulled his fist back and threw it at Kakashi's face. Kakashi caught his fist while still holding onto Sasuke'a ankle and saw his other foot coming at him from the side. Kakashi blocked the kick with his arm while still holding Sasuke's fist. Seeing Kakashi distracted with blocking his attack, Sasuke quickly reached for the bells with his free hand. Just then Kakashi realized what Sasuke was doing and then quickly let go of him and jumped back a couple feet.

'Not bad.'

Sai started to regain consciousness. He blinked a couple of times, getting rid of the blurriness, and sat up. 'What happened?' Sai looked around the forest and realized something. 'Kakashi- sensei used genjutsu on me… and I fell for it.' Sai then decided to stand up and walked where he felt Kakashi's chakra.

Sasuke started a series of hand signs, 'Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!'

Kakashi's eyes widened, 'What!? He shouldn't have enough chakra to use a jutsu like that!'

Sasuke blew out a giant fireball towards Kakashi. When the flames died out, Kakashi was nowhere to be seen.

'Where did he go?' Sasuke searched all around him and nothing. Kakashi just disappeared.

"Below you." A hand suddenly sprung out of the ground, grabbed Sasuke's ankle and pulled him down so his head was the only thing sticking out. Kakashi crouched in front of him, "Looks like you already got ninjutsu down. You're further than the rest. Not bad. I going to see how the others are doing.

Naruto quickly sat up as if he got drenched by a bucket of ice cold water. He then cradled his head with his hands, "God, why does my head hurt so much."

"Look who finally woke up." Naruto turned his head towards Kakashi, who was reading his book, "You're a much better fighter than I thought you'd be."

Naruto's eye twitched, "What's that supposed to mean!"

"I've seen your academy records and they state that you just barely passed to be genin, which is true. But they also state that you are below average in… everything. The fact that you were able to handle your own against me and even outsmart me tells that you are way above average, maybe even chunin level. So why is it that your records say otherwise?"

Naruto stayed silent and shrugged.

'Maybe I'll ask Sakura about this. She might have something to do with this as well.'

Sai walked into a clearing and has started to head back to where Naruto was until he saw Sasuke's head sticking out of the ground.

Both silently stared at each other for about a minute until Sai spoke, "Do you need help getting out of there?"

Sasuke glared at him, "What do you think!"

After Sai helped Sasuke out of the pit, they heard the alarm go off.

Sasuke clenched his hands into a fist, 'Damn it! Time's up.'

Sasuke and Sai are both sitting beside Naruto who is strapped up against a large tree trunk.

"Alright guys enjoy lunch and about the training, you all won't need to go back to the academy."

Naruto grinned, "Really!? Then all three of us…!"

"Yup, all three of you… should give up being shinobi."

"What!? Just because we didn't get the bells doesn't mean we're going to give up being shinobi!"

"All of you don't have the skills to be ninjas, so you might as well quit,"

Sasuke gritted his theeth and rushed at Kakashi with a kunai in hand, shocking both Naruto and Sai. Kakashi grabbed his arm and pushed him on the ground.

"You guys are not understanding the answer to the test."

Sai tilted his head to the side, "Answer?"

"Yes, the answer that will help you pass this test."

"So then what's the answer!?" Yelled Naruto.

"It's… teamwork."

Everybody's eyes widened in realization.

"If all three of you worked together, then you would have managed to get the bells."

"Even if we used teamwork, there would still be two bells and one of us would still fail. It will only make us fight against each other." Answered Sai

"Exactly! This test was purposely made to make you fight amongst yourselves. The purpose is to see whether you can forget about your own needs and successfully work together. The duties are done by the team. Teamwork is much more important than individual ability to a ninja." Kakashi let go of Sasuke and stood up, "I'll give you guys one more chance, but I'll make it even tougher to get the bells. All right guys eat your lunch and then you'll try again. Just don't give any to Naruto. If anyone gives him food, you will fail immediately."

"Pfff, I don't need any food. I'm good." '…thanks to Sakura-chan for making me eat breakfast, although I admit I am a little hungry.' Naruto groaned, "Ughhh."

Sasuke looked at Naruto and back to his food, "Here." Holding out the bento to Naruto.

"Kakashi said we-" Sai started before getting cut off.

"Don't worry, I don't sense him anywhere. Without food, he'll just get in the way." Sasuke explained.

"Hmm… you are correct. We should feed him."

Naruto smiled, "Thanks guys."

Suddenly there was an explosion in front of them. Kakashi came out and stated, "You guys…! Pass."

"Yes! We did it." Naruto shouted in excitement.

Sai tilted his head to the side, "How did we…"

"Those who break the rules and codes of the ninja world are called trash, but those who don't take care of their comrades… are lower than trash."

After the test, Naruto came running home, slamming the front door open and running to his sister's room who was reading and taking notes on medical ninjutsus.

Sakura looked up at Naruto and smiled, "So how was the test." She said while leaning her head with on one hand.

"We passed!" Naruto yelled as he tackled Sakura into a hug.

"Yay Congratulations Naruto!" Sakura said as she returned the hug then slightly pulled away, "Wait, who are your teammates again?"

"My teammates? Oh, one is this really pale named Sai and the other one is a bastard named Sasuke."

"Wait a second… Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Yup, him. He's such a jerk." Naruto said grumpily.

'Wow, what luck. At least I will be able to keep an eye on both of them without too much trouble.' Sakura smirked, 'I so have to tell Itachi about this. He'll be proud of Sasuke.'