AN:Sorry for the long wait. I have gotten myself into a tight schedule. I am now a part time student and at the same time a worker.
Updating the story won't be as frequent as it has been for the previous chapters. But rest assured that I am not going to abandon this story until it is completed.
Thanks for your understanding. Now let's begin.
Chapter 6
A young blonde-haired boy sniffed and wiped away tears from his eyes as fire consumed the last bit of his beloved orange attire. Seen fire consume his favorite attire is the most disheartening thing the boy has ever witnessed in his life. The only thing that might compare it a bowl of ramen spilling to the flour while he watched on hands tied at his back.
Naruto returned to his room and examined his new attire in his broken mirror. Dare him say 'I look good' nothing will ever compare to his orange. It will take years for him to forget this tragedy.
Every Konoha citizen that have ever seen the Yodaime Hokage will double check Naruto just to make sure he isn't the Yellow Flash even though he was short. Naruto dressed in a dark blue tracksuit with three stripes on the sleeves, mesh under-armour, a pair of dark blue pants, and standard black shinobi sandals. There are three orange Uzumaki crests on the tracksuit notably on each shoulder and his back. A kunai holder attached to his right tight completed his appearance.
After double checking himself, he made up his mind to tell Hinata a big thank you for helping him get this costume. Not to mention, the red scarf that she gave him.
Naruto opened his kitchen door and stared tentatively at the packs of instant ramen but in the end, he sighed in defeat then made his way to training ground seven, empty stomach.
He won't go to training ground seven immediately. Not since Kakashi won't be showing up anything soon. He would rather go and practice his Kunai Kage bunshin no jutsu and walk on water. He can't wait to see the look on Sasuke's and Sakura's face when they see the awesome things he can do. ...
"YOU ARE LATE" Naruto and Sasuke flinched at the intensity of Sakura's tone as she accused Naruto of tardiness. "Sorry he he. There was this new jutsu that I wanted to polish. " Naruto said sheepishly while scratching the back of his head. Sakura dismissed him but Sasuke gave him a long stare.
"What with the new custom? Do you think you will look cool in a new outfit?" Sakura said mockingly and added mentally "KYAAAA SASUKE KUN IS STILL MORE HANDSOME THAN YOU". A blush dusted her cheeks and her look changed to something completely foreign to the boys and it made the boys feel uneasy especially Sasuke.
"I hope that negative vibe I am feeling from you isn't directed towards me." Naruto said to Sakura as her face turned red but this time due to anger. Naruto backed away from Sakura as a completely different type of negative vibe from her hit him. Just as he felt she would, Sakura came charging at him her fist cocked back ready to punch him into oblivion. Sasuke's eye went wide so was Sakura's. Never had Naruto dodge Sakura's punch. He always let her hit him. Sasuke's eyes Narrowed suspiciously as Naruto waved in and out of Sakura's sloppy yet powerful assaults with relative ease.
"The Dobe seems to be serious about his claim. Could he be truly training instead of coming here on time? Did he know Kakashi will be late again? How? Does he know Kakashi for long?" Sasuke thought.
"Do you know Kakashi personally?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask. Even him needs to put aside his pride sometimes. "Um?" Naruto stopped dodging and turned to look at Sasuke. Mistake of mistakes. Sakura capitalized one the opportunity and smashed Naruto on the head as strong as she could. Sasuke sweat dropped and shook his head. Once an idiot always an idiot. The Dope only put on a nice custom alter all. He is still an idiot.
"Oooh! That hurt" Naruto nursed his head as he picked himself from the ground. "Good that should teach you not to make fun of me again" Sakura warned and returned to her sitting position not too far from Sasuke.
"Idiot. The next time you let that vixen punch you again, I won't heal a concussion."Kurama growled after drawing Naruto into the mindscape. "What?" Naruto exclaimed. He doesn't understand the term concussion but it doesn't sound good since it is associated to punch. "In the future that vixen will pack a hell of strength in her punch. If you keep on getting hit by her like that, I can't promise you that I will continue healing the damages."Kurama warned as Naruto paled. "Now go back. That lazy hairless scarecrow monkey will be there soon"
Naruto sighed as the pain slowly faded. He felt Kakashi's presence not too far away from them. The jounin seemed to be taking his time because it is almost thirty minutes since he sensed him. He felt like going to him but the moment he decided to go Kakashi appeared in a Smoke shunshin.
"Yo! " he greeted casually. "YOU ARE LATE" Sakura screeched. "Oh, sorry about that. I got lost on the road of life" kakashi said and cleared his ears. He starred at Naruto with narrowed eyes for almost a minute. Sasuke and Naruto deadpanned at the lame excuse Kakashi presented. Who on earth will believe that?
"Why don't we get started? Your test is simple. All you have to do is to get one of these bells to pass." Kakashi said and produced two bells from his pocket and placed two packs of lunch at the base of a stake flanked by one stake on each side. "But sensei you have only two bells" Sakura stated the obvious. "That's because at least one of you will fail." Kakashi paused and examined the facial expressions of the genins.
Sakura's eyes were wide in horror, Sasuke was doing a bad job at hiding his fear and Naruto, well the ever-unpredictable ninja.
"You have to come at me with the intent to kill else you will stand no chance. You are free to use your shurikens and kunais and any tactics or jutsu you know..." "But sensei what if you get hurt?" Sakura voiced her concern. Kakashi sighed and Sasuke rolled his eyes. This is a jounin they are going against. "I know how to defend myself Sakura Chan" Kakashi said and glared slightly at her.
"As I was saying before I was interrupted," he glared at her again causing her to flinch. "... You have to take a bell from me in order to pass. The one who get no bell, not only will he or she go back to the academy, but I will tie him or her up against this stake while the others take their lunch." The three genin's stomach growled in protest earning a smirk from Kakashi, albeit it was hidden by his mask.
Kakashi put an alarm clock on the middle stake and set it up to ring at noon.
"Start!" He said as the genins quickly jumped away and hid themselves. "very nice. Their stealth is not bad. They hid themselves pretty well" Kakashi thought and took out his Icha Icha paradise to get some reading done but paused when he noticed that Naruto didn't hide.
"Aren't you supposed to go and hide?" Kakashi asked curiously. That's the most obvious thing someone in this situation should do but it seems Naruto cannot be define with obvious.
Kakashi nearly missed Naruto's presence. Firstly, because the blond wasn't in his calling for trouble orange jump suit, secondly, he expected a change in attitude along the change in dressing.
"What's the point in hiding when you can easily find me?" Naruto asked rhetorically. "Also, time is going and I have to kick your ass for tricking us and I get a bell as bonus" Naruto said and crossed his fingers.
"Taju kage bunshin no jutsu" (multi shadow clones technic). The clearing of training ground seven got filled with blond doppelgangers clad in dark blue, forming a ring around Kakashi.
Kakashi was impressed he can see that the blond intentionally made such huge number meaning his chakra control is quiet OK. The boy isn't anything as described by the academy. He would have to talk to the Hokage about Naruto.
Without any form of warning whatsoever, the army of blond rushed towards the jounin who didn't bother to put aside his book and started cutting down the numbers of clones effortlessly.
Kakashi put away his book as a clone nearly landed a blow on him then he quickly dispatched him with a chop. The clones are becoming stronger and smarter as their number reduces. This only cemented Kakashi's theory. Naruto knew the secret advantage of shadow clone usage.
"Shuriken kage bunshin no jutsu" Naruto yelled from a tree as soon as Kakashi finished off the last clone. Kakashi's eyes went wide in surprise when the name of the jutsu was called out. "How did he" he wondered. Thousands of shurikens rained on Kakashi giving him no room for maneuver.
Kakashi was impaled by dozens of shurikens but Naruto tensed. He jumped out of the tree as Kakashi disappeared in a poof of smoke and was replaced by a log that was nearly destroyed by the shurikens.
Kakashi Narrowed his eyes as he appeared on the branch where the blond was a second ago. "how did he know I was going to attack?" he wondered. Naruto crossed his fingers again but Kakashi won't let him again.
Naruto jumped back as Kakashi appeared before him. Kakashi charged on him, giving him no chance to escape. Naruto blocked the first second third blow and went on the offensive when as soon as the chance presented itself. Little did he know, Kakashi intentionally did it in order to see what the boy can do in taijutsu.
The boy is good at Ninjutsu but his taijutsu needs a lot of work. Not that Kakashi would lift a finger to help improve Naruto's taijutsu. The best he could do is suggest Gai to train the boy and that is if they fail. There is no way Kakashi will lose his student to his rival. He seems not to care about his rivalry with Gai but that is what people think.
Naruto's instinct is very good but needs speed to complement it. Kakashi had enough of the boy's futile attempt to beat him.
Kakashi appeared behind Naruto in a blur, his hands together in a seal and announced. "Sennen Goroshi" (a thousand years of pain) Naruto's eyes went wide as Kakashi violently struck his anus with his ram hand seal.
Sakura's eyes went wide in fear. Kakashi is serious. There's no more doubt in her mind.
To Kakashi's surprise, Naruto popped up revealing he was just a clone. Having no time to react as Naruto successfully casted another Shuriken Kage bunshin no jutsu, Kakashi quickly ran through a series of hand seals and slammed both his palms on the floor and called out. "Doton: " Doton: Doryūheki." (earth style: earth wall) A wall of earth arose and shielded Kakashi from Naruto's jutsu.
Naruto felt the ground shaking under his feet as his jutsu viciously assault Kakashi's earth wall. His gut yelled to him to make an escape as he felt Kakashi's presence from below.
Before Naruto could make his escape, two pairs of hands burst from the ground and got hold of his ankle. In a blink of eye, Naruto was buried in the ground leaving only his neck and head outside.
Kakashi did so by dragging Naruto into the ground as he pulled himself out. "I am going to check on Sasuke and Sakura. I will get back to you later." Kakashi said with an eye smile, patted Naruto's head and walked away. Naruto yelled, struggled and cursed all he could but it all amounted to nothing.
Sasuke watched Naruto's fight with Kakashi with some mixed feelings of anger and jealousy. "How come the dope is able to learn two jutsu in three days?" He wondered. He was sure that. Naruto didn't have those two jutsu under his belt at the Academy. Little did he know; his team mate has a shortcut. It is therefore a mystery to him that within three days Naruto mastered two jutsu.
Naruto's fight with kakashi was over and the jounin disappeared soon after. Sasuke has to go and look for the jounin to get a bell. Unlike Naruto, there's no way he will fail.
Sasuke paused in his search for Kakashi when he heard a loud cry. It was Sakura. She was terrified. Whatever she saw or happened to her isn't of a concern for the Uchiha. Nonetheless, he went in the direction of the noise with the idea that Kakashi is involve.
Sasuke patted himself on his shoulder when he spotted Kakashi leaning against a tree at the edge of a clearing, Reading his beloved book.
Testing Sakura has been a real disappointment. Kakashi nearly regretted using a genjutsu on the fan girl using her crush. If anything, the loud terrified cry the girl let out before passing out proved that she is a weakling. Kakashi hoped that Sasuke wouldn't be another disappointment.
Three, two, one, dodge. A series of kunai sailed harmlessly pass kakashi as he moved out of their way.
Sasuke wasn't surprised at all when kakashi dodged his surprised attack. He smirked instead and quickly cut a string attached to a tree. Kakashi was a bit impressed. "the first attack was a diversion to put me in his trap" Kakashi thought as kunais sail towards him from all directions but up and down.
Kakashi dodged all the projectiles in one neat jump only to be attacked by Sasuke as soon as he landed. Kakashi lazily paired all of Sasuke's assault. "To be frank, the Uchiha is far better at taijutsu than Naruto. Naruto is faster and stronger but Sasuke is more skilful." Kakashi was brought out of his thoughts when Sasuke nearly got a bell. He reacted quickly by jumping away from the boy but Sasuke managed to touch the bell nonetheless.
Sasuke smirked at his close attempt and ran through a series of hand seals causing Kakashi's eyes to narrow a bit. "He already knows that jutsu?"Kakashi wondered.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu" Sasuke announced and breathed out a huge ball of fire from his mouth and his smirk turned to a confident grin as kakashi was consumed by his flames. The flames eventually stopped and Sasuke went on his guards instantly because Kakashi was nowhere to be found.
"Where did he go?" Sasuke looked left and right front and back seeing nothing then made his conclusion. "Up" he assumed and looked in said direction only to hear from below him. "No down" Sasuke had no time to react as he was pulled into the ground the same way as Naruto.
Kakashi crouched down in front of Sasuke's head and eye smiled at the Uchiha. The Uchiha glared at the jounin and wished he could burn the jounin with his glare, which is a shame because he won't be able to do for at least three years. "Take me out of this hole" Sasuke yelled but kakashi walked away.
Naruto with the help of Kurama managed to free himself from Kakashi's hole. He scanned his surrounding and located everyone. Sakura was out cold. Sasuke was probably restrained somehow since he wasn't moving but what worried Naruto was the bad vibe that was oozing out of the boy. Naruto could only assume that the Uchiha is going to murder someone if given the opportunity.
They had roughly twenty minutes till noon and he have to convince Sasuke and Sakura to team up with him to attack the jounin in order to pass. Kurama explained to him the purpose of the bell test and Naruto has no reason to doubt the kyubi.
Naruto sent a clone to Sakura and made his way to Sasuke. On the way to Sasuke, he passed a surprised Kakashi.
Kakashi was impressed that Naruto managed to free himself. He expected the boy to attack him once again but to his surprise, the boy ran pass him straight to where he buried Sasuke.
"Has he figured out the purpose of the bell test?" Kakashi shrugged and made his way towards the stake. "Sasuke won't agree to work with Naruto and mathematically, that implies that Sakura won't work with him" Kakashi assumed. Either way they will fail.
In the corner of his field of sight, he spotted Another Naruto and Sakura running towards Sasuke and Naruto. His curiosity went a gear up and he made a U turn to see what would happen.
"We need to work as a team in order to pass. There are only two bells and we are three. This test was set up to fuel rivalry between us while expecting us to show team work." Naruto explained to his teammates. "Like I care. I was able to touch a bell II will surely get one during my next attempt." Sasuke said arrogantly and walked away giving Naruto no room for argument.
"Hold it Teme. This is our only chance beside we don't have much time left for individual attempt" Naruto said blocking Sasuke's advance "Get out of my way Dope" Sasuke said coldly and walked pass Naruto. "I think he is right Naruto. Sasuke – kun is strong enough to get a bell on his own I don't want to hold him back." Sakura said but followed Sasuke nonetheless.
Naruto's head dropped in defeat. He turned to look at a tree behind him and said "Come out Kakashi Sensei time's up anyway." Naruto said causing Sakura and Sasuke to stop in their track and turned to look at him strangely.
"Time's up. You should have listened to Naruto. You all failed." Kakashi said flatly and made his presence known to the genins. Sasuke and Sakura eyes went wide. Naruto looked disappointed and Sakura ashamed. As for Sasuke he was wondering how the dope figured out the test while he an Uchiha didn't.
"Since Naruto figured out the test and Sasuke was able to touch a bell while Sakura fell for a D ranked genjutsu, Sakura will be tied to the middle stake while Sasuke and Naruto eat their lunch." Kakashi announced and Sakura's stomach protested with a loud growl.
A minute later, Kakashi tied the girl to the middle stack. Naruto and Sasuke Sat on the grass and leaned against the other two stacks respectively at the Left and right of Sakura with a lunch pack in their hands. "I will give you a last chance to try and get a bell. I will be back in a while to give you another chance. You will need the strength for my next test so eat up. No one should give his food to Sakura." Kakashi said and glared a little the genins to emphasize his point before vanishing
Sasuke and Naruto opened their pack tentatively and took a bite. Sakura was looking everywhere but at them. "If we are going to work as a team then we will all need the strength. If Sakura is hungry she can't do anything. So, I suggest we give her some of our food. Kakashi sensei won't know about it." Naruto suggested. "You can't risk your last chance because of me. Go ahead and eat. I will be fine." Sakura said but her stomach disagreed with her and gave a loud growl.
Sasuke shook his head and sent his loaded chopsticks to Sakura's mouth. The girl blushed tomato red. This is all she has been dreaming about. The setting isn't romantic but she isn't going to complain or do anything to spoil this moment. "Eat" Sasuke's cold tone spoiled the moment and took Sakura out of her fantasy.
"Um OK!" she said quickly accepting the food, while still blushing. She was completely unaware of Naruto's chopsticks hanging an inch away from her mouth waiting for her to receive the food. In her Head, inner Sakura was dancing in victory for been fed by her love. "Take." Naruto said after waiting for too long.
As soon as Sakura accepted the food from Naruto, the sky darkened and a killer intent filled the training ground. Kakashi emerged out of nowhere and charged at them "How dare you disobey my order?"
Sasuke closed his eyes waiting for whatever Kakashi is going to do to them. Sakura was on the verge of pissing in her pant. Naruto was confused because he could feel that Kakashi was Happy yet his facial appearance was that of death.
"Since you cannot follow simple order, you all ... Pass" Kakashi said. Naruto sighed. "Now Kakashi's facial expression matches his mood." Naruto thought.
Kakashi counted down in his head. "Four, three, two, one, ..." then covered his ears with his hands "WHAT!" Sakura exclaimed so loud that Naruto and Sasuke flinched, none of them wise enough to cover their ears.
Sasuke had a smirk on his face. Finally, a step closer to his ambitions.
"The bell test was purposely to test your teamwork spirit. I would have passed you if you had agreed to work with Naruto earlier." Kakashi lectured and glanced at Naruto. "Speaking of Naruto how did he figure out the purpose of the test?" Kakashi sighed. He's being thinking too much about Naruto of late.
Kakashi lead his team to a memorial Stone not too far from the training ground. " So, this is where Kakashi sensei was this morning. What busyness does he have staying by a stone for nearly an hour?" Naruto wondered.
"On this stone is written the Names of the heroes of the Konoha" Kakashi said after a long silence. "Wow one day may name will be here too." Naruto declared happily causing Kakashi to chuckle. "Dead heroes" he said causing Naruto to pale and Sakura to giggle.
"A friend of mine once told me that, those who break the rules are scum, that's true, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum " Kakashi said in support to his lecturing about team work. "on your missions, times will come where you will have to choose between the life of your team mates or the success of the mission. In Konoha, we champion team work" he finished and sighed.
"You are free to go. We will have our first mission as team seven tomorrow. So, go and rest. But Naruto stay back " Kakashi announced to his team.
Kakashi found himself at Ichiraku Ramen stand, a place he hardly visited since Minato's death. The cause of his visit is no other than Naruto. In fact, he is on the verge of regretting his choice of trying to have a chat with Naruto. The boy is taking things too far.
Why didn't he refuse the boy's suggestion to come here because the rate at which Naruto is devouring the ramen is inversely proportional to the money in his wallet. And he probably forgot about their purpose for coming her.
Kakashi released a breath he didn't realize he was holding when Naruto pated his stomach in satisfaction after placing his last bowl on a pile of fourteen making fifteen altogether. "Now what ya want to tell me?" Naruto asked Kakashi who sighed again.
He still can't believe how he got himself into this situation. Maybe it is because of the boy's parentage. After all he hasn't had the chance to get close to Naruto, with the Hokage not willing to take any risk.
Kakashi hardly show interest in anyone so people would ask questions if he showed interest in Naruto. The clever ones would easily put everything together and Naruto's parentage would make headline.
"Now that you have something in your belly, why don't we go to a secluded place to talk?" Kakashi said and snapped his Icha Icha paradise shut then started walking away. Naruto starred at his sensei's back for a while then ran after him.
End.
AN: Thanks for reading. Please review.