Hey guys, sorry it's been awhile since I last updated. My internet has been a bit screwy lately, and I had to get a new Linksys system. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
Chapter Eleven: The bell test part one.
Despite Kakashi's warning to not eat that morning, Moriko had stopped by a dango shop and was enjoying the last few bites of the sweet treat. With a happy sigh, she tossed the trash into a nearby bin and sighed. She had a feeling that the genin she had been grouped with wouldn't eat, for fear of regurgitating their food, so she packed a few breakfast bars into the bag strapped to her thigh. "Guess they don't realize that he's just playing mind games with 'em. Oh well, they'll learn eventually." With a morbid little chuckle, she walked to the bridge where the other three stood, waiting impatiently for their sensei to appear before them.
Sensing that it would be a while before he would come, she leaned against the rail that separated her from the water below. She always had loved the water, but the forest was her home. Moriko heard the symphony of her companions' stomachs and sighed. Reaching into the bag strapped to her thigh, she tossed them each a breakfast bar. "But sensei said that we shouldn't eat." Sakura whined. Moriko rolled her eyes. "Sakura, if you don't eat, your body doesn't have fuel. If your body doesn't have fuel, you're significantly weaker, which will make you more vulnerable to attacks, which will get you killed. Now, quit complainin' and eat the damn bar already." "Well, what about you? You're not eating one." Moriko sighed in annoyance.
"Well, I had dango earlier, so I'm not hungry. Eat the breakfast bar, sakura. You're going to need all the help you can get." Naruto had already wolfed down the bar, glad to have at least something in his stomach. Sasuke ate it without complaining, annoyed by Sakura's whining. Moriko leaned against the rail once more, staring up at the bright blue sky happily. She barely noticed Sakura fawning over sasuke, while Naruto glared, as she watched the clouds roll across the sky. "I wonder when Hatake will get here…"
Three hours rolled by, with no sign of the jounin. Sakura and Naruto were complaining, while Sasuke leaned against a nearby tree. Moriko tightened the mask around her face, ensuring it wouldn't fall off. "Hey, Red." Moriko looked up at the pinkette, wondering what she wanted now. "Yes, Sakura?" "Ummm…. Why do you wear that mask and conceal your voice? Don't you trust us?" Moriko stood, stretching to relieve her aching muscles. "Well, Sakura. I do that to hide my identity. I'm in the bingo book, after all. If anyone knew my real identity, I'd have other assassins and ninja after me all the time. Eventually, I'll stop wearin' 'em, but for now, bear with me on this."
She smirked slightly, glancing towards the end of the bridge. "Nice of you to join us, Hatake-san." The three genin glanced over to see kakashi squatting on top of the architecture above the entrance. "You're late!" Sakura and Naruto shouted, scowling. "Sorry, I got lost on the road of life." "WHAT?!" Moriko chuckled softly, amused by the genins' reaction to their sensei's excuse. She walked over to where he was crouching, leaping onto the structure before crouching next to him. "Shouldn't we be training now?"
The group was now in the third training field, listening to their sensei talk. "What do you mean, another test? We already graduated from the academy." "That was to weed out those who didn't even have a chance to become a ninja, this is to weed out the weak." He pulled something from the pouch strapped to his thigh, showing it to the genin. "A…. bells?" Two bells rested on the end of a string, which he attached to his hip. "But… there's four of us." "Ah, Red won't be participating in this. We already know that Red is capable, but we haven't decided on you three. Also, whoever doesn't get a bell, goes back to the academy." Moriko blinked, momentarily confused, then smirked, realizing what the jounin was up to. "This isn't a test of strength, it's a test of teamwork. The bells are to set them against one another. Very clever, Hatake." "Alright Hatake, if you change your mind, I'll be hanging out on the branch over there once you guys start."
He nodded. "Also, attack as if you wish to kill me, or else you won't succeed on getting a bell. Ready? Set." Naruto yelled, leaping towards Hatake, Kunai in hand. Moriko saw Hatake disappear, then reappear behind the blonde. Reacting quickly, she launched herself to the pair, pushing Naruto behind her as she countered Kakashi's attack. She gave a low growl, scowling at the sensei. "Naruto…. He didn't say go." The blonde blushed lightly, embarrassed at having to be saved, in front of Sakura no less. Sensing that the silver-haired jounin wasn't a threat she replaced the kunai into her thigh-pouch and jumped into a nearby tree, her legs dangling over the edge of a branch. "Alright, let's get started… go!" Sakura and sasuke disappeared, heading into nearby hiding places. Naruto… was still in plain sight, shouting for Hatake to fight him face to face. Moriko sighed. "I guess stealth isn't his strong point…"
Then, something occurred to her. "Wait a minute…. If he didn't need to test me, why did I have to come?" She silently pondered to herself, both confused and flustered. "And I still can't figure out why he gets under my skin like this. God, never have I been more thankful for this mask. It's weird, since I've never been a blusher." "Naruto, look out!" Moriko's head snapped up quick enough to see Naruto go flying into a nearby ravine, Kakashi still crouched with his hands in the tiger sign. Putting two and two together, she snickered, attempting to keep herself from falling from her tree. She didn't notice Kakashi glance over, watching her for a few moments before standing.
"Oh yes, this was absolutely going to be interesting."