Disclaimer: Kein eigenes Naruto.

"Now… GO!"

All four ninja vanished.

… Not exactly.

"You're…kind of an odd one, aren't you?"

Naruto grinned predatorily and rubbed the underside of his nose with a finger. "Heh, only thing odd here is your hair!"

Kakashi kept a lazy stare on the blond, before shrugging. "Eh. I guess this works out; I can give you a lesson on the first Ninja Staple: Taijutsu." Then the Jonin reached into his pack.

"H-Hey wait!" Naruto blinked "You said Taijutsu; why the hell you pullin' a weapon?!"

"What?" Kakashi gazed at the Genin, confused, as he drummed his fingers on the book in his hand. "Oh, no, no. Don't mind me; just some light reading."

There was a silence. A small rustle of leaves where either Sasuke or Hinata had hidden. A smack from where Sasuke had hidden…

"Huh?!" Naruto gawked. "But-but… Shouldn't ya be payin' attention to the fight?!"

Kakashi waved him off, eye never leaving the book. "Don't worry; I won't need to."

There was a few seconds pause, before the older male was seemingly proven wrong by blocking and grabbing a double punch to the chest and gut. His one brown eye locked with the 12 year old's slit amethyst. "Hinata help you with Taijutsu?"

"Mr. Hiashi, too, a little." The blond's conversational tone didn't match the glare on his face. "Still think I ain't worth it, y'know?"

"Honestly…yes." One foot in the stomach and Naruto was back where he began, except on his stomach. The Jinchuriki got up, growling, and shot off at a speed that even Kakashi wasn't expecting, throwing a slash. Naruto's wrist was grabbed in a death grip, and the boy was thrown to the ground. The Jonin pressed into the blond's back with a knee. "Calm down, Naruto."

"Shut up!" Naruto was rewarded with more knee in his back.

"I said calm down," Kakashi spoke with severe conviction. This gave Naruto enough of a pause for Kakashi to lean down to speak with the Uzumaki without the other two overhearing them. "The Hokage told me you know of the Nine-Tails."

Naruto grunted, looking up with purple eyes. "What about it? Gonna call me a monster and kick me off the team?"

"I didn't say that." Kakashi stood up, hoisting the blond with him. He turned the 12 year old to face him. "Your anger draws on its power. If you get too angry, it can take control." Naruto looked down ashamed as his eyes faded back to cerulean. "Now I suggest you go hide and come up with a plan." The silver-haired man nodded at the woods. "Time's ticking."

The Genin jumped away.

Hinata watched as Naruto dove into the trees a bit to her right. She slowly turned in that direction and walked over, careful not to make any noise. However, a twig snapping behind her caught her attention. She spun, only to find leaves fluttering down in front of her. A thud behind her brought her attention to the body of her friend on the ground, Sasuke behind it. His face stone cold.

There was a kunai in Naruto neck.

"I can't have you and him slowing me down," the Uchiha spoke, monotonous. "I need all the power I can get as fast as I can get it. Kakashi can help, for now anyway." He drew another knife, and begun advancing slowly as Hinata backed away in fear, head shaking slowly. "You, the scared, weak little princess of the Hyuuga? You're naught but a hindrance to my goal." The knife flew at the girl as her eyes widened…

And passed right through her head as she threw her hands in the seal to activate her bloodline.

"Byakugan!"

Sasuke and Naruto shimmered, before fading to reveal Kakashi giving an eye smile. "Very good!" he praised, before nodding behind him. "He's over that way, if you want to know. Not sure what he's doing, really."

Hinata stared at the man critically, before kicking up a cloud of dust as she ran. Kakashi chuckled, before moving towards Sasuke's position for the Ninjutsu test.

A rustling to his side prompted Naruto to draw a kunai from his pouch, only to lower it once he saw it was Hinata. He smiled. "You're okay!"

The girl nodded, smiling herself. "Kakashi-Sensei tested my skill in Genjutsu; I think he's testing Sasuke on Ninjutsu now."

"Hm." Naruto crossed his arms and closed his eyes in thought. "Somethin' don't seem right…"

"I…think there's more to this test than we were told…" Naruto opened his eyes and looked at the heiress. "There wouldn't be any way for the three of us to fight a Jonin by ourselves. Kakashi-Sensei would know that."

The blond blinked. "So, we gotta work together, you mean?" His face twisted in comical disgust. "With Sasuke?!"

To the girl's credit, she tried to appear stern. It's just not possible to hold such an expression while giggling. "He is our teammate; we should work as a team," she reprimanded him with a small smile.

"Fine, fine!" Naruto grinned back. "C'mon; let's go find him!" He took hold of Hinata's hand (sending blood to her cheeks) and the duo went searching for Sasuke.

They found him. In a way. "Um…" Hinata stalled.

Naruto stared at Sasuke.

Sasuke stared at Naruto.

Naruto fell over laughing and Sasuke glowered in response. "Dammit, you idiot, stop laughing and help me out!"

No answer.

Hinata (barely) managed to keep from giggling at the pathetic sight herself as she bent down to dig at the dirt the Uchiha was stuck in. "W-What happened?"

"Kakashi used some Earth technique he called Headhunter," he replied as an arm was freed and he pushed himself out of his earthen prison. "Had a clone pop up from under my feet and drag me down."

"You—ha ha—You looked like a freakin' stress ball!"

"I will kick your ass, loser!" Sasuke shouted back at the still laughing blond.

"P-Please, calm down!" Hinata stepped between the two boys, giggling a bit herself. "Naruto, remember why we're here."

"Yeah, yeah!" Naruto stood up as the last of his laughing fit subsided. "Oh, jeez; I wish I had a camera."

Sasuke looked about ready to choke him.

"But, yeah," the blond continued, "me an' Hinata kinda need your help."

The Last Uchiha counted to ten in his head as he leveled a stare at the younger boy. "What kind of help?"

"Kakashi-Sensei is a Jonin," Hinata reminded him, "and the three of us are Genin fresh from the Academy. It stands to reason that we couldn't beat him in a one-on-one…"

There was a small silence before Sasuke's eyes widened. "But all three of us fighting together stand a far better chance of winning…"

"Yeah!" Naruto grinned. "You up for it?"

Another, tenser silence.

"Fine; I'm in."

"YES!" Naruto jumped up as he whooped. "Okay, now let's go kick Kaka-sensei's ass, y'know!"

"'Kick my ass', eh?"

Naruto spun around and pointed at the smiling Kakashi, grinning himself. "You be—"

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

All three Genin gaped as Kakashi seemed to smile just a bit more. "Seems you're wrong, there, Naruto."

Small beat…

"FUCK!"

"Now hang on, there." Kakashi held his hands up to placate the near-hyperventilating blond. "You don't fail until I say you do. Quick question: what was your plan?"

"W-Well, uh…" Hinata fidgeted. "I was thinking… Naruto could send clones to keep you preoccupied… Sasuke would provide cover from afar with his Ninjutsu… And I would sneak into the clone crowd and take the bells…"

The Jonin nodded his approval. "Solid plan. Say it worked. Naruto, who would get the bells?"

"Heh?" The blond blinked. "Well, Hinata, definitely, 'cause it was her plan. And…" He glanced over to the oldest Genin in the area. "Sasuke would get the other one."

"N-Naruto?!"

"Why Sasuke?" Kakashi ignored the shocked gazes both him and Hinata were giving the blond.

"'Cause he's the Rookie of the Year, yeah? And I'm dead last. If anyone needs more classes, it's me."

"B-But your dream!" Hinata ran up to her secret crush, and grabbed his hand in both of hers. "What about being Hokage?"

"Nah, it's fine!" Naruto grinned, but it was strained. "I can handle one more year! Especially if it's Iruka-sensei, again."

"N-No!" She threw her arms around him. "Y-You can take my bell!"

"Wha—" Naruto gawked for a second. "Hina—"

"Hey."

The Jinchuriki and the Heiress both looked at the voice, finding Sasuke standing in front of them. He was holding a bell in each hand.

And pushing them both towards his teammates.

"Sasuke, what're you doing?"

"Giving you both the bells," Sasuke answered the blond as if it were obvious. "I could breeze through remedial classes easy. Plus, I'm not so heartless as to split the pair of you up."

Then the clapping started. "Congratulations, you all pass!"

Pause.

"… W-What?"

"You pass!" Kakashi repeated. "You're all willing to repeat the Academy for your teammates' sakes. You're putting their needs ahead of your own."

"So…" Naruto blinked. "It was…teamwork?"

"Yes."

"YES!" Naruto whooped a second time, hugging Hinata close. "We passed, we passed!"

"I want to show you guys something. Follow me." Kakashi led the kids to an obsidian stone, carved with names. "This stone holds the names of some of the village's bravest heroes."

"Hehe!" Naruto started hopping in place. "You can bet I'm gonna get my name on there, then!"

"All of these men and women died in battle."

Naruto stopped hopping in place, catching what his instructor meant. The other Genin also seemed somber.

"My teacher, the Fourth Hokage; everyone who died fighting the Nine-Tails when it attacked;" Naruto flinched, "those who perished in the Shinobi World Wars; etc.," the man listed off.

"Did…" Both Hinata and Sasuke turned to Naruto, who was staring at the rock slab, "Did my mom and dad… I mean, are they…"

"They're both on here," Kakashi confirmed, turning to see the blond deflate somewhat. "I can't show you—too many names to go through. But I know they would be proud of you." The man eye-smiled. "You mother, especially."

The boy nodded, grinning somewhat.

"Tomorrow we'll start missions as Team 7, but for now, let's go get some lunch; something fresh, too. Not those old bento." Kakashi offered, walking back to the village. "My treat."

Team 7 all grinned at each other, and fell in line behind the Jonin. They could only guess what awaited them.

FFFFFFFFFFF

Okay. I updated Ripples of a Pebble with a post-beta message. If you don't yet know, it's on hiatus because I backed myself into a corner with Wave; I really don't want to redo the fight with Zabuza with just Tenten in Sakura's place. As such, I'm having problems trying to figure out where she'd come into it.

I also did a Five Nights at Freddy's One-shot, if you like the series' lore. What was the Purple Guy thinking when he dismantled the animatronics?

As for this story, I have a poll on my profile. Where should Team 7's first (non-D rank) mission take place? Go vote!

In real life news, I'm planning on moving. Again. Into a house with my brother and two of his friends from college. Saves money in the long run. Also I STILL need a job. But I'm also in wrestling school!

Remember to review, fave, follow, and all that brilliant stuff! Especially review with constructive criticism.

Danke fürs Lesen!