Chapter 2: The Bell Test
The next morning, Kagome and Naruto woke up two hours late past the due time for the test. Kagome knew that Kakashi wouldn't show up for another hour or so. Naruto didn't realize the time until after they finished breakfast. Kagome calmed him down when he started to panic. After calming him down, they double checked their ninja gear before heading out the door. Kagome's mother, while holding Kirara in her arms, wished them 'good luck!' as they walked through the streets.
"Are you sure that he'll be late, Kagome-chan?" Naruto asked as they walked towards their destination. He knew that Kagome was very observant of anyone she encounters. Her theories are often correct. She seemed more tactical and more knowledgeable than Sakura. Before they left, he had asked why Kirara wasn't going with them. She said that she didn't want to reveal Kirara's abilities just yet.
"Hai. Seeing what had happened yesterday, I predict that he's someone who is mostly late for meetings." Kagome said, "Except for the Hokage, of course."
"You think so?" Naruto asked.
"Hai." Kagome said, "But you already know the reason why, Naruto-kun."
"Hai, I know." Naruto said in a sad tone. They knew where Kakashi was at the moment.
"Where have you two been?! You were suppose to be here three hours ago!" Sakura yelled.
"We woke up late." Kagome and Naruto said at the same time. An angry tick mark appeared on Sakura's forehead. She was already getting tired of them speaking at the same time. She began to wonder how they do that. Even though that she and Sasuke were waiting, she had alone time with him. Unfortunately he wasn't paying any attention to her. Much to her disappointment. What deepened it was when Kagome and Naruto showed up.
To Kagome and Naruto, there was no point of waiting for three hours late for their sensei to show up. But it was worth it when they saw how antsy Sakura was getting from waiting too long. It was just a matter of time when she'll snap.
"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura and Naruto yelled as they pointed at Kakashi. He finally showed up an hour later after Kagome and Naruto arrived. Sakura and Sasuke were not that happy about him arriving late for their meeting time. It didn't make a good impression.
"Sorry, a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way around." Kakashi lied. By the look on their faces, they weren't buying it. He scratched the back of his head nervously. Then he decided to change the subject.
"Now that we're all here, let's get started." Kakashi said. He walked over to three wooden poles that stood in the middle of the training ground and placed a timer on top of the middle one.
"This timer is set for noon." Kakashi said as he took something out of his pocket, which revealed to be three small bells attached by red strings, "You have until then to take one of the bells from me."
He waved the bells in front of them, making them jingle, "If you don't retrieve them, I'll tie you up to these poles and will be forced to watch me eat lunch."
At that moment, Sasuke and Sakura's stomach growled except for Kagome and Naruto since they already ate breakfast. So they pretended that they didn't eat.
That's why he said no breakfast. Sasuke and Sakura thought at the same time.
"Wait a minute, why are there three bells when there are four of us? How does that work?" Sakura asked, pointing it out.
"That's because one of you four will be tied to the post, failing the test." Kakashi said as he tossed the bells, "Unless you're prepared to kill me." Then he snatched the bells as they fell back down.
"But sensei, those weapons could really hurt you!" Sakura cried out. Truth be told, she wasn't prepared to kill her sensei.
"Hah." Kagome said. Everyone turned to Kagome who had her hands on her hips.
"As if one genin can take down a jounin like him. Especially someone as weak as YOU, Haruno." Kagome said with her eyes closed. A tick mark appeared on the back of Sakura's head while holding her fist in front of her. Naruto gave a small snicker and Sasuke had a smirk on his face.
"Now listen here, you-" Sakura began to say. Kakashi cleared his throat which caught their attention.
"Alright then, when I say 'start', come at me with everything you got." Kakashi said. Naruto readied his kunai, but Kagome grabbed his shoulder which stopped him from doing anything stupid.
He didn't say 'start', Naruto-kun. Kagome thought.
Oh, sorry. Naruto thought.
"Okay, everyone ready." Kakashi said as everyone got into their positions, "Start!"
Everyone jumped in different directions in the trees and bushes that surrounded the area. It was quiet for a few minutes. Kakashi was already impressed that he couldn't see or hear them. Then he saw a bunch of shuriken coming towards him. He quickly moved out of the way before they reached his feet. When he turned around to see where they came from, there was a kunai headed straight towards him. As soon as he turned his head to avoid it, he saw something wrapped around the kunai: a explosive tag.
BOOM!
The sound of the explosive echoed throughout the training field. Sakura was shocked at the moment. She didn't think that one of her teammates were trying to kill their sensei. She knew that 'her precious' Sasuke wouldn't do so. But she was starting to think that maybe Kagome was.
At the same time, Sasuke was shocked as well. He knew that Sakura wasn't trying to kill Kakashi. But he had a strong belief that Kagome might be trying to, with Naruto's help as well.
That was a close one. Kakashi thought as he sat on a tree branch in a tall tree and let out a sigh. At the last second, Kakashi used a teleportation jutsu to avoid the explosion. He didn't expect an explosive tag to be thrown at him just minutes after starting the test. Then he heard the sound of shuriken coming his way. He quickly stood up and leaped off the branch and landed in the middle of a clearing. When he did, he saw Naruto with a large shuriken in his hand. He looked like he was ready to throw it. Kakashi stood in position if Naruto decided to throw it. Then he did. As soon as he jumped out of the way, he saw a giant boomerang coming towards him. Naruto heard a poof when the boomerang hit Kakashi.
He used a shadow clone, Kagome. Naruto thought as Kagome jumped down next to him and caught the boomerang.
Should've known. He must have used one before he left the tree. Kagome thought. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and concentrated. She began searching for auras that surrounded the area. Sasuke was running from where Kakashi was and Sakura was heading towards Sasuke.
Sasuke:
Sasuke quickly grabbed four shuriken and a kunai from his holster and threw them towards Kakashi. When they hit him, a puff of smoke appeared and disappeared leaving a medium sized log in it's place.
Substitution! He probably found my hiding spot already! Sasuke thought as he left his spot and ran through the trees before Kakashi spotted him.
Sakura:
Oh, no! He's after Sasuke-kun! I won't let him hurt my Sasuke-kun! Sakura thought as she ran through the trees. Then she spotted Kakashi is a clearing and quickly went behind a tree to hide.
Good, he hasn't noticed me yet. Sakura thought. But what she didn't know that Kakashi had appeared behind her.
"Sakura." Kakashi said. Sakura's eyes widened and saw a bunch of leaves swirling around her. When they disappeared, Sakura was confused on what just happened. She went stiff when she heard footsteps behind her.
"S-Sa-Sakura." Sasuke said in a weak voice. Sakura felt relieved at a familiar voice. Then she turned around and instantly froze at the sight before her; Sasuke was pierced by twenty kunai all over. She let out a bloody scream and fainted.
"I think I might have gone too hard on her." Kakashi said while sitting in a nearby tree, "Nah, she should have seen past this."
Sasuke:
Sasuke heard Sakura's scream and ran over to the source. When he got there, he sweat dropped at her unconscious form. He quickly figured out that she easily fell for the genjutsu. He let out a huge sigh. Then he looked towards Kakashi who stood there with a bored expression and his hands in his pockets.
"I'm not like them." Sasuke said.
"Not like who?" Kakashi asked.
"I'm not weak." Sasuke said, ignoring Kakashi's previous question.
"Prove it." Kakashi said. Sasuke rushed towards Kakashi and did a roundhouse kick. But Kakashi blocked Sasuke's kick and then his fist. He saw Sasuke trying to catch the bell with his free hand. Kakashi quickly back away at the last second. Sasuke performed hand signs at a rapid pace.
A fire technique? That will burn a lot of chakra. Kakashi thought.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" Sasuke yelled as flames blew from his mouth. When the flames died down, a crater was left in its wake, no Kakashi.
Where is he? Left? Right? Behind? Above? Sasuke thought, looking in every direction. Then he felt a hand on his ankle.
"Below." Kakashi said. He pulled Sasuke into the ground with only his head being visible. Kakashi popped out of the ground and knelt in front of him.
"I admit you are strong. But that doesn't mean that you're any better just because you're different." Kakashi said, smiling underneath his mask. He stood up and walked away, leaving Sasuke stuck in the ground. When he was out of Sasuke's eye sight, he searched for a certain item in his pocket. Only to find that it wasn't there.
Where is it?! I know I left it in my pocket somewhere! I couldn't have just lost it! Kakashi thought as he frantically searched his pockets.
"You looking for something, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked while sitting on a branch. Kakashi looked up and his uncovered eye widened of what he saw Naruto holding in his hand: Icha Icha Paradise.
"MY BOOK?!" Kakashi exclaimed while pointing at the book.
"If you want it, then come and get it." Naruto said. As soon as he said the last word, he took off. Kakashi rushed after him.
Sasuke:
Sasuke grunted as he tried to get out of the hole that he was in. He couldn't move his legs at all, a slight disadvantage. He heard footsteps coming his way. Sakura appeared from out of the bushes and stopped in mid step when she saw Sasuke's head in the ground. She was silent for a minute.
"Sakura?" Sasuke asked, blinked.
"NOW IT'S HIS HEAD!" Sakura screamed before she passed out, again.
I have her for a teammate? Sasuke thought, sweat dropped.
Kakashi was right behind Naruto as they ran through the trees. Kakashi couldn't believe how fast Naruto was. He wondered how he was able to nearly out run him. As soon as he left the tree line, he arrived in the same place of where they first started the test. He saw Kagome standing next to Naruto. He gave the book to her and she performed similar hand signs to Sasuke's fire technique. The next thing he knew his book was in flames.
"NOOOOOO!" Kakashi screamed when his beloved book soon turned into ashes. When the ashes of his book fell to the ground, a sudden rage entered his body. That was one of his favorite novels and he didn't get to the ending of it. He took out a kunai from his holster and rushed towards Kagome and Naruto. Kagome quickly stood in front of Naruto and did hand signs at a fast rate.
"Katon: Kitsune no hi Jutsu!" Kagome yelled as a giant fire ball of greenish blue flames came out of her mouth and headed towards Kakashi. His eyes widened at the size and color of the flames. When the flames died down, Kakashi was nowhere to be found.
Careful, Naruto-kun. He could be anywhere. Kagome thought as they stood back to back.
Can you sense him at all, Kagome-chan? Naruto thought, looking in different directions.
I can. Kagome thought as she concentrated once more. She sensed everything around the both of them. She sensed Sasuke's aura next to Sakura's. She figured that Sakura must have fainted from seeing something dramatic. Then she found Kakashi's aura. He was coming straight towards them.
There! Kagome thought as she punched her fist into the ground. Soon the ground started to split and rise until it hit its target.
Meanwhile:
Hana Higurashi, Kirara, Koichi Uchiha, Iruka, and Hiruzen Sarutobi were sitting together at a table in the Hokage's office while drinking a brand new tea that Hana had made. Everyone around the table knew that Iruka was worried for the new team 7. He was mostly concerned about them passing the test. But he was curious about the jounin they were assigned to.
"You're worried about them, aren't you, Iruka-san?" Koichi Uchiha asked, breaking Iruka out of his thoughts. Iruka sighed.
"Hai." Iruka said as he stared at his reflection in the tea cup while leaning his cheek against his fist.
"Please don't tell me that you don't have faith in Kagome-chan and Naruto-kun, Iruka-san." Hana Higurashi said. Kirara mewed, supporting Hana's curiosity. Kirara knew that Iruka was worried for her teammates. He was the mother hen of all mother hens. Second to Hana to be most precise. She knew that Hana always worried about her children. If Naruto or Kagome had the tiniest of scratches, Hana would simply go into interrogation mode, meaning a barrage of questions.
"It's not that, Hana-chan." Iruka said, glancing at her.
"Well, I know they will pass Kakashi's test." Hana said before she took a sip of her tea.
"How can you be sure, Hana-chan?" Sarutobi asked, curious. He was always curious about Hana Higurashi. She adopted Naruto even though he has the nine tailed beast sealed inside of him. Any other person would have refused to take care of him. But Hana did for some strange reason. He knew that she was always worried about Kagome and Naruto's wellbeing. They were her children. Even though Naruto wasn't related to her at all. But she treated the young boy as if he were her own son.
"They're very special. I believe they will change the shinobi world as they progress in gaining true strength." Hana said, smiling. Kirara mewed with agreement. The males in the room fully agreed with her faith in team 7.
"I believe you're right, Hana-chan." Koichi said, smiling while taking a sip of his tea. He knew that those two have great potential in themselves. It was the reason why he trained the two of them. But there was something else he saw in them. He couldn't find an explanation for it.
Kagome and Naruto:
"W-What strength." Kakashi said with eyes the size of white saucers. He didn't expect Kagome to have such strength. She wasn't even using any chakra in that attack. He shudder of the thought if she had actually hit him. He knew that there aren't many genin who have that sort of strength. Kagome might be the first one he knows. Well, Tsunade Senju has that kind of strength.
Kagome was smirking when she saw the expression on Kakashi's face. She knew that he would be surprised at her strength. But that's not the only thing he'll be surprised about.
The test will be over soon. We have to get the bells. Kagome thought.
Any ideas, Kagome-chan? Naruto thought.
Hai. Kagome thought.
With Iruka and the others:
"By the way, Hokage-sama." Iruka said, "I heard some rumors about Kakashi Hatake."
"Perhaps, this might enlighten you." Sarutobi said as he took out a small book from one of his desk drawers. He handed it over to Iruka. Hana, Kirara, and Koichi also decided to glance at it as well. Their eyes widened at the contents.
"There are no passes!" Iruka exclaimed, voicing their thoughts, when they saw the list of the teams that Kakashi was assigned to. He grew even more worried for Naruto and Kagome. Hana, Kirara, and Koichi grew worried as well.
Kagome and Naruto:
Kagome nodded her head at Naruto and he nodded back. He quickly took out a kunai from his holster and attached an explosive tag to it. He threw it towards Kakashi who was still stunned at the moment. The kunai hit the rock that was behind Kakashi. Kakashi turned around at the kunai and saw the explosive tag attached to it.
BOOM!
Kakashi quickly jumped out of the smoke when the explosion went off. What shocked him next was when thick metal chains quickly wrapped around his body and pulled him to the ground.
"Ugh." Kakashi grunted when he hit the ground. He tried to move his hands, but the chains were wrapped really tight around his body that he couldn't move them. He was lucky enough that they weren't too tight or else he wouldn't be able to breathe. He looked up and saw Kagome holding the other end of the chain. He had to admit that these are strong chains. But then he noticed something else: Naruto wasn't anywhere near Kagome. Suddenly, he heard something move underneath him and Naruto popped out of the ground and stood up next to Kagome. He had two bells in his hand and gave the other one to Kagome. Kakashi's right eye widened at the sight.
They caught the bells! Kakashi thought. He couldn't believe it. Two of his students were able to catch two of the three bells he had.
What the other three didn't know was that Sasuke and Sakura were watching them the whole time. They only arrived after Kagome punched her fist into the ground. They didn't know Kagome had the amount of strength that could split the ground apart. Not to mention the metal chains that were able to capture Kakashi. Their eyes widened when they saw Naruto pop out of the ground with two bells in his hand. They were surprised that the two well-known pranksters were able to outsmart Kakashi. The moment was over when the timer went off: the test was over.
Everyone sat near the wooden poles after the timer went off. Kakashi was stretching his muscles after Kagome took off the metal chains. They really did pack a punch. He felt sore in some places on his body. He heard his students' stomach growls (except for Kagome and Naruto).
"I have made my decision. I won't send you back to the academy." Kakashi said, "I decided to drop you from the program."
Everyone had looks of disbelief except for Sasuke who had a dark look.
"So that means...we'll never become ninjas?" Naruto asked, shocked.
"Exactly." Kakashi said. Sasuke, clearly enraged, rushed towards Kakashi with a kunai ready. He quickly pinned Sasuke to the ground with his foot. Sasuke continued to struggle as Kakashi held him down.
"HEY! DON'T CRUSH SASUKE-KUN LIKE A BUG!" Sakura furiously yelled out. Kakashi glared at the four young ninjas. He couldn't understand why they didn't understand the point of this exercise. He thought they would figured it out in the beginning.
"Don't any of you know what the point of this exercise is?" Kakashi asked. Everyone was quiet at that moment.
"Teamwork."
They looked towards Kagome and Naruto.
"This exercise was about teamwork." Kagome said. Naruto nodded in agreement.
"Kagome and Naruto are right. They knew what the point of this exercise was." Kakashi said, "Kagome had said so in the beginning and I quote, 'As if one genin can take down a jounin like him.'"
"If you knew, why didn't you tell us?" Sakura hissed. Kagome looked at her blankly with her arms crossed.
"Use that big brain of yours, Haruno instead of focusing on Sasuke so much. We could've worked together to get the bells, but you two only cared about yourselves. Even though there were four of us, Kakashi-sensei purposely had three bells so that we would turn against each other. It worked because the only thing you thought of was not getting sent back to the academy." Kagome said. Sakura's eyebrow twitched a few times. She hated to admit, but Kagome was right.
"Why didn't you two team up with Sasuke and Sakura?" Kakashi asked, glancing at Kagome and Naruto. They both looked at him blankly.
"Haruno hates me and she's obsessed with Sasuke. So she wouldn't listen to me." Kagome said.
"Sasuke thinks he's better than us and that we'll get in his way. So he wouldn't listen to us either." Naruto said.
"In other words…" Kagome began to say.
"There was no point in teaming up with them." Kagome and Naruto said at the same time while they shrugged their shoulders.
They said it in perfect harmony. Kakashi thought with a sweat drop on the back of his head. He always wondered how the two of them knew what to say at the same time. But he was curious about Kagome's fire technique. It looked much more powerful than Sasuke's. Not to mention the color as well.
"Sakura, like Kagome said, you were so focused on Sasuke who was farther away from you when you could have allied with Kagome and Naruto. Sasuke, you thought that everyone would get in your way so you acted on your own. That arrogance of yours was your downfall." Kakashi said, still pinning Sasuke down with his foot who was stopped struggling. Sakura's head was down, feeling ashamed of herself.
"Kagome knew where this exercise was going. If you had all worked together, you would have gotten all of the bells. Why do you think you're put in squads?" Kakashi asked.
"Because a team has to work together in order to complete a mission." Naruto said.
"Hai." Kakashi said, "Remember, you have to understand that teamwork is an essential to squads. When people put themselves ahead of the squad, it will lead to failure and possibly death. For example…" Kakashi began to say. He quickly drew a kunai out of his holster and pointed it at Sasuke's neck.
"SAKURA! KILL KAGOME OR SASUKE DIES!" Kakashi yelled. Kagome, Naruto, and Sakura stared at him with disbelief. Seeing that they finally understood, he withdrew the kunai and placed it back in his holster. They all sighed in relief.
"That's what will happen when you're on a mission. Whenever an enemy takes a hostage, you have a big choice to make. Someone will die." Kakashi said as he lifted his foot off of Sasuke. He walked over and stood in front of a stone that had writings engraved on it.
"When you're on a mission, you'll always have to put your life on the line." Kakashi said, "All of the heroes of our village are written on this stone."
Kagome and Naruto gazed at the stone with sadness. The memorial stone held many names of the bravest heroes in the village. Those who sacrificed themselves for the sake of the village. It symbolized the will of fire in each of the hero's hearts.
"All of my closest friends have their names engraved on here." Kakashi said in a sad and low tone as he placed his hand on the rock. Kagome and Naruto stared at Kakashi as he gazed at the memorial stone. They already knew that Kakashi's friend's names were on that stone and that he still mourns for his fallen teammates.
Kakashi looked back at the four young ninjas. He knew that they have great potential, but they just don't know how to show it.
"I'll give you a second chance. I'll give you three hours to retrieve the last bell. So eat lunch now." Kakashi said, "There's one rule you'll have to follow or you'll fail: don't feed Sasuke or Sakura."
After that, he went 'poof' out of the clearing before anyone could say anything. Then Kagome and Naruto opened their bentos and started eating. As they ate, they heard Sasuke's and Sakura's stomachs growl. Kagome and Naruto sweatdropped when they heard Sakura's stomach growl, which was the loudest. They glanced at each other and handed their half eaten bentos to Sasuke and Sakura. They blinked in surprise that the two in front of them would break a rule for them.
"What are you trying to do? Fail us?" Sakura asked, narrowing her eyes at Kagome.
"No, we all have to be at full strength to get the last bell." Kagome said.
"I'll be fine!" Sakura said as she crossed her arms and turned away. Naruto handed his bento to Sasuke, who kindly took it in return.
"Sasuke-kun! You don't have to listen to them!" Sakura said, panicking.
"They're right. We have to be at full strength in order to get the bell." Sasuke said.
"Besides, it's not a healthy to skip meals or else you'll be weaker than an old cat lady, Haruno." Kagome said. Sakura huffed and turned her head away. Kagome, Naruto, and Sasuke glanced at each other and shrugged. As soon as Sasuke took a bite, dark clouds covered the sky and thunder roared from the clouds. Kakashi appeared in front of them with a really scary look on his face.
"YOU!" Kakashi yelled. Sakura screamed while the other three stood up.
"It's all their fault, Kakashi-sensei! I was the only one obeying the rules!" Sakura said, trying to sell them out. Even though she didn't want to sell out Sasuke.
"I hope you're all ready for punishment!" Kakashi said, "Any last words?"
"Hai." Kagome and Naruto said. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura looked towards Kagome and Naruto.
"Do we pass?" Kagome and Naruto asked at the same time. Kakashi blinked in shock, but instantly wiped it away and turned back into his angry face.
"YOU...pass." Kakashi said the last word in a cheery voice. Kagome and Naruto sweat dropped when Kakashi said the last word. They were surprised that he could easily change moods so fast.
"How did you two know?" Sasuke asked, looking at the two young ninjas.
"Those who don't follow the rules are scum." Kagome began.
"But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." Naruto finished, smiling.
"Hai, because of that, you all passed the test." Kakashi said. All of them cheered except for Sasuke who only smirked.
"Tomorrow, we have our first mission. So don't be late." Kakashi said as he turned around.
"Kakashi-sensei." Kagome said. Kakashi stopped in his steps and looked over his shoulder.
"Could you take us out for lunch?" Kagome asked.
"Why?" Kakashi asked.
"Well, Sasuke-kun and Haruno didn't have breakfast nor lunch. So I think, as our sensei, you should treat us for passing the test." Kagome said.
"Also, if you do, we'll return this." Naruto said as he took out something from his pocket.
"MY BOOK?!" Kakashi exclaimed. He thought his book had been turned to ashes by Kagome's fire technique. Kakashi sighed and said,
"Alright, I'll treat you to lunch."
"Yeah!" Kagome and Naruto cheered at the same time. Kakashi was amazed at what happened today. He couldn't believe that two of his four students were able to outsmart him. He had a feeling that the two will continue to surprise him in the near future.
We talk a lot about hope, helping, and teamwork. Our whole message is that we are more powerful together.
-Victoria Osteen
A/N:
Jutsu:
Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu - Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
Katon: Kitsune no hi Jutsu - Fire Release: Fox Fire Technique
