Chapter 3:

They jumped away.

"Fight me, cyclops!"

Most of them jumped away.

'Naruto you idiot... at least I know Kakashi won't actually kill us.' She looks at the blonde and scarecrow from faraway using chakra to enhance her sight just a little, 'Now I need to get those bells, and also convince Naruto and Sasuke to work with me so we can pass. Totally possible... not.'

She grins sharply, and goes in to help Naruto down from the tree, before he runs off she stops him, "Naruto, listen I have a plan to get us to pass-" he shakes her hand away, and looks at her his eyes were serious, "I-I want to try this on my own, I know I can get those bells Makoto, so please let me do this."

He runs off.

She groans, 'Bad time to prove yourself, though with Kakashi egging him on I kind of expected it... Well Sasuke- yeah probably not.'

She reaches him when he's buried, and raises a brow, she starts digging, he grumbles under his breathe, "I can get out myself." She hums under her breathe and ignores him continuing on her intended job.

He brushes off the dirt.

'Might as well try' "Sasuke, let's work together, he's a Jounin, your not going to be able to defeat him-" He glares at her, "I can handle myself, I don't need you acting like my keeper." he turns and jumps away in search of Kakashi.

"Motherfucker. I swear, I- ugh" She looks at the sky frustrated, 'Fine, I guess I might as well try to get the bells.'

She didn't run off far before she was in front of Kakashi as he read his Make-Out Paradise, he looks up for a moment before going back to his 'literature', "Hmm, so it's you, finally making a move, huh."

She frowns slightly, before turning back into a emotionless mask.

"Ah." she whips out a kunai, and then lunges foward.

He dodges.

What proceeds the lunge was an obvious one-sided battle.

"Well, you tried."

The scarecrow said lamely, she breathed hard and looked at him apathetically, she took in a deep breathe trying to get her breathing under control.

He scratched the back of his head, "Well if it helps, you the only one to have gotten the message of the test correct."

She sighed but stood up straight and bowed respectfully to the man, "Thank you very much for the opportunity, Kakashi-san."

He nodded and he led her back to the post where a slightly scratched up Naruto was tied to a post, Sasuke was led back there by Kakashi's shadow clone. Makoto sat down near the posts and Sasuke soon followed her example, she sighed and took in a deep breathe prepared for Kakashi's anger and dissapointment.

"You all failed, you brats don't know what being a ninja is about and honestly even if I sent you back to the academy, I cringe at the thought of you guys getting a second chance. Naruto you don't think before you act, if this were a real fight you would have died, Sasuke you overestimate your capabilities and underestimate your opponents, and Makoto you should have helped your teammates or at the very least watched your opponent more intently, this path is not a game, you will most likely die early on if you don't take this seriously. You are no longer indidviduals competing for the highest grade, or a meaningless position in class, in fact forget that because those positions and grades are useless in this, this is the real world where you must work as one to not die."

Naruto looked down, his face red, his anger and embarassment mixing with his sadness, Sasuke looked as if he would attack the silver haired cyclops, but was held back by a severe looking Makoto, who shook her head and glared at him to sit down.

He looked at them in anger, but a sliver of dissapointment could be seen breifly before it dissapears, he sighs as if he were tired of dealing with them, "This stone has the names of heros engraved on it, but they are heroswho have passed on to the next life, they are friends, family, lovers, these are people who have died on missions. Honestly I don't want to do this, but you will have a second chance."

The blonde loked up slightly surprised and hopeful, the Uchiha huffed out a puff of air wether it be of annoyance or relief no on knew, and Makoto sighed softly, for even if she knew it was going to happen it was not gauranteed since her birth.

He looked down at them, and turned away, "Eat, but don't give any to Naruto, it is his punishment for trying to steal the food."

He dissappears with a puff of smoke and takes with him none of the remaining tension.

*GROOWL*

"Haha, don't mind me we'll get through this you guys just-*grooowwl*"

Naruto blushed slightly and looked hungrily at Makoto's lunch box, knowing that she was the most likely to give him food, she looked at him blankly and then acted as if she didn't notice his stare.

He pouted, then a lunch box was shoved into his face, "Here I don't need you slowing me down."

Naruto grinned slightly but then gained a slightly pale palor, "Ahaha thank you, but ummm... I can't feed myself."

Sasuke grimaced slightly, and looked towards Makoto for help but she ignored his imploring eyes and continued eating. He winced as he remebered his words to her and then looked back to the problem at hand, he groaned slightly.

Lifting his chopsticks he made a motion towards Naruto, "Here. Eat. We're never talking of this again."

Naruto nodded quickly and ate the food.

Suddenly a gust of smoke and cool air swept through the training field, "You three, You defied the rules so you know what's coming. Any last words?" He started making hand signs and thunder clouds started rolling.

Lightning hit.

Truly it was a terrifying visage, Naruto shook slightly as he looked at the man panicked, Sasuke grimaced and shook slightly but hid the fear well, Makoto frowned and glared at the man. Shaking ever so slightly from the intimidating scene before her.

"You said it yourself, we'll only survive if we work together." she said as steadily as she could.

Sasuke nodded in agreement, "She's right we're only as strong as our weakest member."

Naruto nodded rapidly, "YEAH, YE- HEY BASTARD YOU CALLING ME WE-" his head got hit by a glaring Makoto, he gulped, "I mean, we're a team!"

Kakashi looked at them a stormy background surrounds him he glares, but then his eye turn into a u-shape and the clouds clear, "You pass."

"We pass! WHY?!" Naruto looked at the man surprised, 'I thought I was going to die-dattebayo'

Kakashi spoke with a grin marking his voice, "A ninja must see through deception, before I had teams who would meekly listen and follow orders blindly. In the world of ninja those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash."

He looked up to the sky as if reminiscing.

Asniffle escapes Naruto as his eyes water, "Ya know he's... he's kinda cool."

Makoto smiles slightly, and Sasuke smirks.

"You all pass, tomorrow we begin our missions."

"Yes, sensei." makoto answered evenly and smiled softly, Sasuke nodded, Naruto was estatic, "I DID IT I'M A NINJA! Yahoo!"

"Let's go home." Kakashi started walking away, Makoto cut Naruto's rope and started walking without waiting.

This brought back the memory of the exams to the blonde and Uchiha.

'Shit.' Was the simultaneous thought for the boys.

They looked to eachother glared but then sighed in almost terrifying synchronization, "For now truce." Naruto grimaced but nodded, they quickly followed after the already gone Makoto.

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'Shit I need to use the restroom...'

Now the reason Makoto had left so quickly was for the obvious reason of needing to use the restroom, the rest of team 7 though did not have the ability to read minds so they were completely oblivious to her needs.

She started walking faster taking on a jog, then a full on sprint back to her aparment.

Sasuke and Naruto were coming up behind her and they thought she had sensed them and run, "She's really avoiding us, I regret everything." A very depressed and pouty Naruto said, Sasuke grumbled, "She doesn't have to be so sensitive-" *slap* "Tch, what the hell was that for you idiot?!"

He glared at the blonde, and the blonde glared back, his stare slightly colder than the other's, he was frowning as he spoke "I don't understand, why does Makoto put up with you..." He walked while ignoring Sasuke.

They walked in silence, Sasuke following Naruto back to Makoto's apartment so they could talk to her.

Sasuke glared at the blonde slightly, "What do you mean, why does she put up with me?" he was slightly curious about the answer, and Naruto looked at him in astoundment, "You're an asshole Sasuke, to her, to everyone, to me especially, though I understand why you're like that with me, I do purposely aggravate you-" "So you do, do that on purpose. Why?" Naruto glared a bit harsher, surprising the Uchiha, the usually sunny boy looked genuinely scary and angry, "You hurt her, you know, you treat her with no respect and you don't even care about her. I hate that, I hate that you don't at least act thankful, or at least give her a smidgen of respect she deserves from your popmpous ass, she's there for you, and she cares about you. She considers you her friend, and all you do is give her the cold shoulder and ignore her, I hate that she cares about you, when you treat her like that. She's MY best friend and if you ever hurt her like you did back then I will kick your ass and make you apologize."

Naruto had gotten very close to the raven haired boy and growled slightly, he then turned away and walked into the apartment complex, Sasuke looked at the boy's back and looked slightly regretful at his actions, 'Have I reall- of course I have, but she doesn't have to be my friend, she doesn't have to be nice, why does she continue to stick with me even though I treat her in such a way.'

Naruto stopped at an apartment with a black panther painted on it, and took out a key, "You have a key to her apartment that's kind of creepy." Naruto blushed, "No it's not! She gave it to me since we live really close to eachother, said I could come over for food whenever I wanted to."

Sasuke grunted, slightly jealous.

Naruto opened the door and a rush delicious smelling food rushed out of the apartment, the blonde and raven hared boys stomachs growled with such ferocity, that one would think they hadn't eaten all day.

They blushed and Makoto turned to them, she nodded to them and pointed to the table where she had sat down some food, "Eat, we did a lot to day and we didn't get to finish those bento. I made some Nikujaga, Sasuke you can stay if you want."

She smiled softly when they nodded and complied, for most of the late dinner they were silent, she put an insane amount of spice to hers and Sasuke looked slightly sick at the sight, "How can you eat something so spicy without getting sick?"

She raisd a brow and grinned slightly, "Can't handle the heat eh, well it's a personal preference, I got used to the spice and honestly food tastes better with a bit of a kick."

Naruto hummed happily as he finished of his 3rd plate, "Ah that hit the spot, thank you for the meal." Sasuke nodded as he finished his plate, Makoto nodded and picked up the plates. she set them in he sink and turned on the water.

She was stopped y a hnd on her arm, she looked back an Sasuke blushing slightly, "I'll do it, it's only polie since you gave me food."

She looked at him weirdly and and nodded, "Ah okay."

Naruto then hugged her from behind, she looked at him slightly surprised but not so much since she wa used to the sudden burst of affection from th blonde. But then she freaked out from the feeling of tears soaking her tan tank top, she looked down at him worried, "Hey, hey what's wrong kora, are you alright Naru, Sasuke did you do-"

"I'M SORRY!"

She looked at him now completely worrid, "Hey what are you sorry-" "I'm sorry I blew you off, you probly hate me and don't want to be my friend anymore, but please I still want to be yours, please don't leave me, don't ignore me, I just want to stay your friend..." The last of the statement was said in asoft shaky voice.

He trembled into her shirt more tears leaking from his blue eyes and then he heard a sigh and a felt a warm hand rub his head, "Hey kora, you think you can get rid of me so easily, Naruto your my best friend and no matter what, even if you someday don't don't want to be my friend, or just get annoyed by me or tired of me, I ain't leaving easily. I'm like a annoying stain in your favorite t-shirt that might fade but never be completely gone, i'll stay by your side thick and thin, after all your going to be the hokage, right."

She lifted his headfrom it's bowing position and removed hisheadband, and there she placed a soft kiss, he blushed slightly but then smiled.

"Did you just compare yourself to a stain?" He giggled slightly, she grinned, "Course, like the food you love to eat you usually don't pay attention to anything else, and that's when you get a stain. Now go take a shower or something, we have an early morning tomorrow."

He nodded, and then quickly looked over her shoulder and gained a dangerous redm color staining his face as he turned and quickly left.

She looked at his back weirdly.

Behind her Sasuke was smirking, 'Best Friend, huh...'

She then turned to him and he quickly wiped off the smirk, "Oh you finished, well you can leave now, I know that you have already reached your daily interaction quota, don't want you to starin yourself kora." She grinned slightly, he looked down and then nodded to her.

He then walked past her, heading to the door, "I'm sorry."

That was the last thing she heard before he left, she had a surprised look on her face, and smiled slightly, "That's the best I'm gonna get from you I guess, well whatever your paying for it in tomorrow's sparring session."

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On his walk home Sasuke shivered, "Shit."

Then a small, but honest to god smile appeared on his face, 'Yeah, yeah I'll be prepared.'

Hey this is the author I am so sorry I haven't been able to update at all, and if your not reading this anymore because of this well you won't hear this apology.

I'm sorry, I do have a small excuse for the last few weeks (SAT's made me get into a fetal position and cry and so did the SBAC's), but recently I just hadn't felt I had anything to write.

I'm really sorry, but here it is finished, I hope you can review, and now that I have more time I will try to update regularly.