The stream water splashed across the rocks. Birds chirped loudly in the morning. The wall shaded the group, beautiful sun falling against the wall and cracking it. Slowly, the earth turned toward mud. A susurrus of water spilled around the earth, softly whispering to the attentive ear.

"You're both really stupid! WHAT WAS THE FIRST THING IRUKA TOLD US?" Kōju demanded, tears streaming down her cheeks and into the water.

Naruto frowned in thought. "I think I skipped the first day of class," he reflected, considering the matter.

"Welcome," Sasuke replied with customary aplomb.

"I was homeschooled, so I don't know anything about that, but… but!" Kōju sobbed, her finger rising. "He told us we were a team, didn't he?!"

Naruto frowned. He looked at the stream, his eyes distant. He thought back, to battles fought on playgrounds and combats in the playground.

Sasuke scowled. "One of us isn't passing no matter what we do…" she remarked. Her hand reached downward, touching her scroll.

"And what kind of idiot would buy such a thing? Idiots, idiots! When did he say that we couldn't all pass?!" Kōju wiped away tears from her face, her eyes blazing. "He just said to take the bells from him by lunch!" She beat ineffectually on the other two's chests, her face stern. "And if I know you guys, you just said that only two people can pass because there are only two bells, so you decided… to try it on your own!"

Sasuke and Naruto glanced at each other in shock.

"Not to interrupt your tantrum, but it is ten past eleven," Nōtō remarked.

"What if you're wrong?" Sasuke questioned, her eyes narrowing. "What if it is one bell per person?"

"Then…" Kōju exhaled. Her green eyes grew stern. "I'll give up on being a genin."

Sasuke gasped.

Naruto's eyes widened.

"To me, the fate of you guys is way too important. If I'm wrong… I'll give up on it completely."

Nōtō's eyes narrowed. He stared at the barricade. I see. So she really is quite intelligent despite her outward appearance-there's indeed a difference between her and the others.

"Because you are my precious teammates…" Kōju lifted her hand. "There's always next year, after all."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto. "Hey, Naruto. Think you can handle using that shadow clone thing again?" she questioned, her hands rising in a defensive posture.

"Of course!" Naruto retorted indignantly. He lifted his arm. "He just took me off guard; that's all. I'll definitely get him this time!"

Sasuke smirked.

"I think I've got an idea that might work…" Kōju smiled tentatively. "I've seen the maximum of both of your capacities, unless Naruto-kun can summon the Kyūbi or something." She swallowed as she recollected the beast.

Naruto shook his head from side to side.

"Good. Since that's the case… Here's what we're going to do…" Kōju laid out her plan.

Wakefulness

The sun rose in the sky. Light reflected off the water, dancing over the rippling depths of the stream. The birds scattered from the branches, flying into the distance. The sun glimmered, crimson against the sky.

Nōtō yawned. He glanced at his watch.

11:20.

Whatever they're planning, they better get started soon. Nōtō lowered his hands, adjusting his posture.

"Earth Style: Rising Earth Barricade!"

Well, no surprises there. Nōtō tensed his legs, his body shifting rapidly.

The earth rose rapidly, a line of earth running from the stream to the stump of the tree.

Nōtō sat motionless, his expression calm as the rising earth wall rushed forward.

A white-haired head rose from the earth.

Nōtō's eyes widened slightly.

Kōju rapidly pushed over the stump, her small arms shoving hard.

The stump rolled over.

Nōtō jumped backward.

A cascade of dust followed Nōtō's feet.

"You can't react to something when your footing is damaged, can you?!" Sasuke questioned, a smirk crossing her lips. "Your stance depends on a solid ground…" She leapt downward from one of the trees, her arms swinging.

The chained kusari-gama cut downward.

Nōtō gritted his teeth. He ducked backward, avoiding the edge of the blade with some difficulty.

"So you can't block like usual!" Sasuke's hands clapped together. She inhaled rapidly. "Flame Style: Blossoming Flame Technique!" She exhaled, turning her head from side to side.

Flames rushed across the clearing.

Nōtō ducked backward swiftly.

The overturned stump lit with flames.

Nōtō bowed his head, his feet extending toward the ground. His hands clapped together rapidly. "Water Style-"

"Take this! Shadow Clone Technique!" Naruto sprung out of the ground, his arms lifting rapidly.

A horde of clones of Naruto surrounded Nōtō.

Nōtō's eyes widened. His body stumbled backward.

"You can't deflect now! I've got you!" Naruto punched forward with his right hand. His clones did the same.

Nōtō's lips curved upward. Nōtō's hands vanished.

"Huh?!" Naruto gasped in shock.

"Orararararararararara!" Nōtō shouted, his hands blasting outward rapidly.

He just went to offense for the first time! Sasuke gritted her teeth, her eyes narrowing. Damn it, this is bad...!

Brown light blazed around Nōtō. The hands blurred in a circle, rippling around the body.

The clones vanished, one by one.

A dreamy smile formed across Naruto's face. Naruto collapsed to the ground.

Nōtō let his hands drop to his sides.

Kōju darted forward, her small sword cutting toward the side of the pouch.

Sasuke rushed upward, her chain spinning in a circle as the blade glowed brightly.

Nōtō sighed. He leaned backward, adeptly dodging the attack in a flurry of motion.

Kōju's fist clenched. Not even that? Come on! Some fortune is due to come our way!

"Not even one… Looks like he'll be out for a while, so I'll tell you." Nōtō bowed his head.

Sasuke gritted her teeth. Her fist clenched. I can't catch up to you after all...

Kōju swallowed tightly. Her hand fell loosely to her side. I'm sorry...

"You all pass." Nōtō smiled. His glasses glinted on his nose as he regarded the trio.

"Huh?!" Sasuke blinked in shock. Her body shook slightly. What the hell is this, anyway?

"This test, for me, serves four to five purposes. First…" Nōtō lifted one finger. "It tests your ability to work together, as Kōju-san surmised."

Kōju smiled. "Then I pass too?" she questioned, smiling.

"You passed that part of the test with flying colors the second you threw away your ninja skill. But…" Nōtō lifted a second finger. "I said it served another few purposes, didn't I?"

Naruto lay motionless, twitching and drooling on the ground.

"The second purpose was to test your combat ability. If you couldn't force me to use Heavenly Son Entry even once, then I wouldn't have passed you… basically, you needed to show me that you had great power." Nōtō shrugged. "Something like that is basically to be expected. If you don't have the power, then you shouldn't be genin. All ninja put their lives at risk separately, you know. We live in a world of danger. If we sent out helpless children to their deaths, we'd be monsters."

Kōju nodded.

Sasuke scowled.

"The third purpose was to analyze your experience and power. Simply, I wanted to see how good you were."

Sasuke folded her arms across her chest.

Kōju nodded her head rapidly. "Right, right. The same purpose as the other."

"And, as I initially predicted, you made several mistakes. But we can discuss those later. Fourth…" Nōtō hesitated.

Kōju cocked her head to one side.

Sasuke scowled. What's so important, then? What's he talking about?

"I wanted to test your personalities. That's the most important part of this particular examination."

Sasuke blinked. Eh? Didn't he get a clear glimpse of all that when we introduced ourselves?

Kōju frowned. What was he on about? We showed who we were to him most definitely.

Naruto sat upright, his face dazed and confused. "Hwah… Where am I? What am I doing?"

"We can discuss this last point briefly over lunch." Nōtō coughed. "Fish again?" He gestured toward the center of town.

Sasuke snarled. Damn fish—I think if I see another fish again it will be too soon.

Kōju bobbed her head. "Good enough!"

Naruto exhaled after a moment, his mind returning to reality.

The trio walked toward the center of town, the sun beating down on the grasslands.

Wakefulness

The fish glistened, steaming on the plate. The fire pit glowed. Sauce boiled rapidly, the scents rising. Smoke drifted over the black pit, sweeping toward the group. A few people ate in the same restaurant, casting suspicious glances over at the trio of genin and their mentor. Heat rose from the fire pit.

"In the end, I have to know that my students have the best of intentions as well as the best of hopes." Nōtō exhaled. "That's something you can't tell from looking. It takes experience in reading body language and appearance—I spotted you two right away."

Sasuke blinked.

"Though you mostly thought of yourself, Sasuke-san, your second thoughts immediately went to your comrades and a sense of concern for them. This much I can sense from your nature…" Nōtō picked up a piece of fish.

Sasuke's cheeks flushed slightly.

"Even though you act divorced from this world, you are very much a part of it and desire to remain so. That's good…" Nōtō paused. "You have a moral compass still."

Sasuke looked away. "It's… not like I cared about them passing or not!" she declared, her ears red. "Don't talk as though… Er… Well, anyway, I passed. That's what I cared about." She stared out the window, her cheeks blushing a furious red.

Kōju grinned. So I read her correctly, after all.

Naruto smirked. Though she doesn't act like a girl, she really is one.

"Naruto-san." Nōtō cleared his throat, setting down his chopsticks lightly.

Naruto looked upward hurriedly, studying Nōtō's face.

"You act from exactly what you say. Your ideals are high, but you have not forgotten kindness…" Nōtō swallowed the piece of fish.

Naruto nodded quietly.

"That's good. However, your face is the same as your true personality. That could prove considerably more troublesome."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Hah? What's that supposed to mean, anyway?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto shortly, her expression sour as she rolled her eyes. Seriously, you don't get it?

Kōju hid a laugh behind her hand.

"A shinobi should hide their true personality deep down…" Nōtō paused. He glanced toward Naruto. "But that's beyond you. For the moment, we can concentrate on improving base abilities."

Naruto ducked his head, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Finally, Kōju-san…"

Kōju looked upward. Her face flushed slightly. What will he say about me, I wonder? Something else nice?

"A super pervert," Nōtō remarked in a smooth voice.

"Hah?!" Kōju clutched her chest. Her face filled with sweat.

Sasuke blinked. Eh? Her eyebrow rose. She regarded Kōju with consternation. What is he talking about? Sure, she reads series, but she doesn't think about things like that.

Naruto covered his face, wiping away sweat. Good lord...

"A super young pervert, someone who doesn't understand the meaning of her words, so, probably…" Nōtō exhaled. "Fine. But very much a romantic, with a similarly childish view of the world. For this reason, I'll pay the most attention to you." He scooped up a bite of fish.

Kōju scowled. "I am not childish." She spoke in a huffing voice. Her hands folded across her chest.

Nōtō sighed. "I heard you muttering a little in your sleep." He took a bite of the salmon.

Kōju gulped.

Naruto blinked. He covered his mouth with one hand.

Sasuke glanced suspiciously at Kōju. Hm. I wonder about what she was muttering...

"At any rate, let's move on. We'll begin standard chakra control exercises two weeks from now."

"Chakra… thing? Is that like shakra?" Naruto questioned, his head tilting to one side.

Nōtō rubbed his temples steadily. "Make that three weeks. We're already introduced, so… we should probably do something as a team."

"Do you want to see Yukie Fujikaze's new movie?" Kōju suggested.

Naruto frowned. "Nah."

"Yeah, she's a bit too theatrical." Sasuke agreed quietly.

"You take that back!" Kōju's eyes glistened.

Sasuke winced.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke. Er...

"I liked those movies a little too, when I was your age…" Sasuke began, attempting to placate Kōju. She raised one hand gently.

"Aw!" Kōju's eyes filled with tears. She rubbed at her eyes rapidly.

"Great…" Naruto sighed. She's a really nice girl, but I don't want to do it…

"Wah!"

Several patrons turned their heads toward the table. A few glared at Sasuke.

She's cute, so she's using that to her advantage… Sasuke adjusted her position, shifting her seat at the table.

The door opened. A bell on the door jangled loudly. The glass shimmered in the light, noonday sun pouring downward.

"It's about time for her nap, anyway." The white-haired man stepped into the room, one eye concealed by a blindfold.

"Otō-sama, make 'em take back what they said about Yukie Fujikaze!" Kōju requested, her lip trembling.

"Ah, Kakashi-san. Any luck this year?" Nōtō questioned, his arm leaning back against the booth's wood. He glanced toward the central fire pit.

Kakashi turned his gaze to his daughter, his cheeks flushing slightly. "If you want to prove them wrong, hadn't you better prove it by showing them one of her best movies? Come on. I'll buy you Mochi ice cream in a bit."

Kōju pouted, making a small noise deep in her throat.

Kakashi turned his gaze to Nōtō. "Nah. Nobody's disobedient these days. For that matter…" He inspected the shinobi at the table. "How'd these guys do?"

"Complete pass. Nobody left behind." Nōtō smiled broadly.

"Not even dead last?" Kakashi's eyebrow rose. "Well, at any rate… do you want a commemorative photograph?"

Nōtō blinked. A drop of sweat ran down his forehead. "Nah, I'm okay."

"You aren't still on that stupid kick about being photographed, are you?" Kakashi asked wearily.

Nōtō scowled. "It's not stupid!"

Kōju blinked. "What does he mean?"

"This guy…" Kakashi jerked a thumb at Nōtō. "He's incredibly superstitious."

Naruto shrugged. "Hey, ghosts and stuff are scary…"

Kōju pressed her fingers together.

"Both of you are idiots," Sasuke muttered, touching her chin.

"What do you mean?!" Naruto demanded, his face stern.

"You're ninja. You can create clones and use a perfect defensive barrier. What the hell are you worrying about ghosts and spirits for?!" Sasuke asked flatly.

Naruto's brow furrowed. "Ghosts are scarier than some shinobi," he stated after some consideration.

Sasuke's fingers flicked outward. The fingers slammed into the forehead.

Naruto winced. "Ow!"

"I'm a lot scarier than any ghost!" Sasuke declared coldly.

Naruto groaned.

"Let's take the picture," Kakashi suggested, a drop of sweat running down his forehead.

The camera loaded.

A 'click' emanated from the shutter.

Kakashi looked through the shutter.

Nōtō gulped.

"Not bad!"

The photograph printed out.

Naruto grinned.

Sasuke growled. "You did rabbit ears, bastard!"

"Cat ears, actually. Who knows?" Naruto grinned. "Maybe a ghost made me—"

Sasuke launched herself across the table without disturbing the plates. Her fist punched into Naruto's face.

Kōju gulped. Catching the arm in motion, she forced the fist downward.

Naruto gritted his teeth.

The table broke in half.

Kakashi slapped his forehead.

Nōtō brought up his plate, taking another bite of fish.

"We have ninja insurance, right?" one of the servers whispered to the other.

Kōju caught the arm, blocking the attack.

"Yeah… But I'm not sure if it's renewed…"

Naruto's foot spun around.

"You sure you passed these guys…?" Kakashi questioned. His brow dripped with sweat.

Sasuke's arm blocked the foot.

"I seem to recall you and Obito-san having similar struggles," Nōtō remarked blandly, lifting his fish over the battling figures.

The plate crashed downward as the pair hit the ground.

Kakashi leaned sideways, dodging a flying chopstick. "While that may be true, I don't recall having attacked Obito immediately after our first training meeting."

The chopstick landed on the central fire pit. Smoke rose from the chopstick.

"Rrgh…" Naruto's eyes narrowed.

Sasuke grasped the foot, her eyes blazing.

Kōju placed her hands on both of the combatants' shoulders, her face serious. "Stop it already!"

"To me, this is better." Nōtō took another bite of the fish.

"And how's that, exactly?" Kakashi questioned skeptically.

"Between you and Obito-san, one didn't acknowledge the other. I trust I shouldn't need to remind you of that?" Nōtō picked up a piece of the fish.

Kakashi's eye narrowed. "That's old history." He studied the table, his eyes narrowing.

"I'll grant that, but comparison to the past is useful to understand the future… Sasuke-san, by contrast, definitely acknowledges Naruto-san as someone he recognizes."

Sasuke slowly lowered her hand.

Naruto scowled. He dropped his fist.

Kōju smiled slightly. This is definitely better… She ushered the pair back to the table, wheedling and kind as she ushered the pair to sit down again.

"This team acknowledges each other. It's a good step toward friendship." Nōtō paused. He turned rapidly to one side, raising his hand. "Can we get a new set of plates over here? I, of course, will pay for the damages caused," he requested.

The server smiled. This is a jōnin we're talking about—naturally he'll pay. He bent over, pulling out a new set of plates.

The trio fell into discussion. The hours whiled on until the sun dipped below the horizon. Day passed, and night fell.