Info: In this part Kimi and her friends struggle to try and pass and become true shinobi. However, their task is to take the bells from Kakashi before noon or they go back to the academy. But their are only three bells and four of them. Is there some special meaning to this test?

Chapter 2

The four of them met the next morning at the agreed meeting spot. Kimi had been the smart one. She knew her dad's tricks all too well, so she had eaten right before leaving home. So, Naruto and Sakura looked a bit tired but her and Sasuke looked just fine. Naruto was sitting on the ground, struggling to stay awake, "You may as well take a small rest Naruto. You know my dad's going to be very late right?" Kimi questioned him.

"Is he always doing this?" Sakura asked her. Naruto laid on the ground and fell asleep, no longer able to keep his eyes open.

"Yes he does. But he has his reasons. If you want to know you'll have to ask him. But if he won't tell you don't push it." Kimi grinned at Sasuke. Both her and him both knew why Kakashi was always late, but Naruto and Sakura were in the dark.

For hours the group waited for Kakashi to get there. Naruto had ended up finishing his nap and was now pacing back and forth. He did that for about an hour, until 11AM when Kakashi finally showed up, "Hi, sorry I'm late, a black cat crossed my path and I had to take the long way around," he grinned at them.

"That is so not true!" Both Sakura and Naruto yelled at him.

"Okay, it's set for noon," Kakashi sat an alarm clock on a tree stump, "Okay, the task is to take these bells from me before noon. You may use any type of ninja tools or attacks you want against me. Come at me like you want to kill me or you won't get them."

"But Kakashi-sensei, that's dangerous!" Sakura panicked.

"You want me to attack you? But… I can't! You're my father," Kimi gasped.

"Kimi! Out here I'm not your father right now. Sometimes the enemy may even be a family member. That's what happens when you're a shinobi. Now, grow up or you're going back to the academy," Kakashi told her. "Also, that reminds me, anyone who doesn't get a bell by noon will be sent back to the academy. Also, you'll be tied to a stump and watch while the others eat their lunch in front of you."

"But, there are only three bells," Sakura stated.

"Exactly! This means one of you will differently be tied to the stump," Kakashi told them.

"Haha! This'll be a piece of cake. You couldn't even dodge a blackboard eraser," Naruto was laughing at Kakashi.

"Ignore the class clowns. They're always dead last. Lowest scores, losers," stated Kakashi. Naruto heard what he said and got very angry just then. He pulled out a kunai and ran straight at Kakashi.

"Naruto, wait!" Kimi cried out.

However, Kakashi stopped him, getting behind Naruto very quickly, grabbing him, "Don't be in such a hurry. I haven't said start yet. However, you did come at me with the intent to kill. What can I say, I think I'm beginning to like you guys… okay, ready… START!" Just as he said that, Sakura, Sasuke and Kimi jumped to hide somewhere.

"You and me! Right here, right now! Fair and square!" Seemed Naruto didn't get it at all.

"Naruto!" Kimi gasped, jumping out of a bush to help him out.

"Kimi, Kimi, Kimi," Kakashi sighed, shaking his head, "I thought you knew better than to reveal your location. You never just jump out at the enemy like that. Otherwise your enemy could get behind you."

Naruto turned, "Kimi! Behind you!"

"Too late!" Kakashi took two fingers and pinched a certain spot on Kimi's neck. She blacked out onto the ground.

"Kimi!" Naruto cried. "Shit! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto made ten copies of himself. They all ran at Kakashi but the man just kicked all of them into the water. Naruto jumped out and ran at him again. However, Kakashi ended up behind him. Worst part was, he was reading that perverted book the whole time as well while fighting, which was a bit insulting.

"Don't make such careless moves all the time. Also, don't let your enemy get behind you all the time." Kakashi seemed to be making a hand sign. It seemed he was going to use a fire jutsu but then he just poked him in the butt, sending Naruto back into the water.

"I don't think so!" Naruto jumped out, making more clones and attacked. However, in the end he found out he was only fighting himself. Kakashi was gone! And so was Kimi! Did Kakashi take her somewhere? He must be trying to separate Kimi from her friends, to make it harder on her. "Oh! He was in such a hurry he left this behind." Naruto ran over to a bell on the ground. However, it was a trap and he found himself hanging upside down from a tree.

"If the bait is obvious, don't take it," says Kakashi, walking up and taking the bell back. At that moment however, Sasuke attacked from the bushes with his ninja stars.

"You went too far Sasuke!" Naruto yelled. However, Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke. Seemed this Kakashi was a clone.

'Shit! Now he knows where I'm at!' Sasuke gasped, getting up and running off. Sakura ran off as well, both of them leaving Naruto tied to the tree, still hanging upside down.

While they both ran around, Kimi woke up to find she was no longer with Naruto but by herself. She noticed she was tied to a tree. She tried wiggling to get free, but it was useless. The ropes were tied very tightly. It was then she heard Sakura screaming a ways off, "Huh? That was Sakura's scream."

"Genjutsu, Sakura fell for it easily. She should have known better. She did study it in class after all," stated Kakashi, a few feet away from her. He was standing there, reading his book.

"Maybe, but I'm not as easily fooled as Naruto and Sakura," said a voice a few feet away from Kakashi.

Kimi looked over and smiled, "Sasuke!"

"Kimi, how could you let yourself get captured like this? I thought you were smarter than that," Sasuke told her.

"I'm sorry," she sighed.

"Well, can't be helped. I guess I'll have to save you now." Sasuke threw kunai at Kakashi who dodged it. "Over there!"

"Huh?" Kakashi fell for it and looked. Then Sasuke ran over to him delivering a kick and a punch. This forced him to have to put the book away. No way was Kakashi going to be able to fight Sasuke while reading his book like he'd done with Naruto.

"Horse… Tiger… Fire Style! Fireball jutsu!" Sasuke had flipped away from Kakashi and puffed out his chest preparing for his fire attack.

'What! Genin can't use that jutsu. It takes up too much chakra,' Kakashi gasped in his head as Sasuke shot the huge ball of fire towards him. Then Kakashi vanished somewhere.

"Where'd he go?" Sasuke looked around but couldn't see any signs of his sensei.

"Sasuke! Below you!" Kimi cried out.

"Too late!" Kakashi jumped up from under the ground and pulled Sasuke under until only his head was showing. He then leaned down to the boy's level, "You're right, you are heads above the others. But that's not necessarily a good thing. You know, they say the nail that sticks up should be hammered down." He took out his book and walked away, going off somewhere.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried out just then, coming out of a bush. However, when she saw the shape Sasuke was in she yelled and passed out to the ground.

"She is so stupid," Kimi sighed. Sasuke went over to her and cut her ropes with a kunai. The two then waited for Sakura to wake up, against Kimi's better judgement. She'd rather just leave the girl laying there. "Okay, now let's go find my dad and…"

"RING!"

"…Crap! That was the bell. We ran out of time!" Kimi cried out. The three of them went back to the meeting place to hear Kakashi's judgement.

"Well," the man told them as the three of them sitting on the ground and Naruto tied to the stump stared at him, "There's no need to send any of you back to the academy."

"Huh? You mean we pass?" Naruto asked.

"But all I did was pass out," Sakura sighed. Kimi quite agreed with her there.

"So, all four of you…" Kakashi started.

"Yes! Yes!" Naruto was getting excited.

"Should quit being ninjas. You're not ninja at all! Just spoiled brats!" Kakashi yelled. At those words Sasuke grabbed a kunai and got ready to run at him. However, Kimi beat him to it. She yelled in rage, running straight at her father and getting pinned down by him. "This is why I said you're brats."

"Let her go," Sasuke glared at the man.

"This is what I mean by it. Naruto, you tried to jump in and do things all by yourself. Kimi, you jumped in without thinking, just making yourself a target. It was nice you wanted to help out a friend but you need to think before you act, otherwise you just become a burden to your teammate. Sakura, you were only concerned about Sasuke though Naruto was right in front of you. And you Sasuke, you only cared to help Kimi, the others were beneath you. That carelessness is what leads to mission failures. For example, Sasuke! Kill Naruto or Kimi dies." He pressed a kunai to her neck.

"What!" Sasuke gasped.

Kakashi got up, letting Kimi go, "You see, that's what happens when on a mission. The enemy takes a hostage and you have an impossible choice. You see that stone there. Those are all ninjas who are heroes of this village. Some of my best friends are even carved here."

"Okay, that's it! I decided! I'm going to get my name on there," says Naruto.

"But these are no normal heroes. They're special," Kakashi told him. "They're all KIA."

"What is that? Some secret code?" Naruto wondered.

"Naruto, it means they're dead. KIA means killed in action. They died while on their mission," Kimi explained to him. Naruto looked a bit sad at that.

"Now, let me tell you one thing. Why do you think you were put in a team?" Kakashi asked them. "Get it? There are four of you. It's team work. If all of you had come at me at once you could have taken the bells from me."

"But wait! Sensei, there's only three bells. If this lesson was about team work then why are there only three bells?" Sakura wondered.

"I did that on purpose. I wanted each of you to put aside each other's needs for the sake of the team. Those who break the rules after all are scum that's true. But those who don't care for their friends are worse than that. I'll give you one last chance though, after lunch. However, don't give Naruto any. That's what he gets for breaking the rules and trying to eat early. Here, I make the rules, got it?" Kakashi then turned and walked away.

"This isn't right! I don't care. I'm giving Naruto some of my food," stated Kimi.

"But you can't! You'll get us all in trouble," Sakura told her.

"She has a good point actually, Sakura. Naruto's going to need his strength if we're going to take the bells from Kakashi. If he's hungry he'll just be a burden," Sasuke explained.

However, when Kimi went to feed Naruto, Kakashi busted in on the scene, "YOU! You broke the rules. Are you ready to pay the price?"

"Hey! Leave my friends out of this dad! You're dealing with me!" Kimi jumped in front of her friends, ready to protect them, "We're a team and we look out for one another!"

"That's your excuse! You're a team!" Kakashi acted like he was going to hit Kimi, however he ruffled her hair instead, smiling at her, "You all pass."

"Hey," Kimi pushed his hand away and fixed her hair back.

"Congratulations! Team seven starts its next mission tomorrow." Everyone cheered as Kimi untied Naruto and they all left to celebrate and get ready to start missions tomorrow.