9

Since they had gotten to the classroom, two members of team seven were quiet. Even as the other genin teams were talking happily amongst themselves waiting for their individual Jonin. Naruto was laughing and happily looking around the room, though Tala was wondering how he could withstand sitting down at this time. As more and more teams left with their Jonin, Tala leans forward and places her elbows on the desk. Folding her hands in front of her face as she closes her eyes. Singing as she had brought up a lot of painful memories for her. She couldn't help but think about all of the times she spent with Itachi and Shisui. All of the laughter and jokes, all of the smiles and training. Their conversations and even the times she actually allowed Shisui to carry her around on his back.

When she first started calling them big brother. The times she told them about her past and when she found out they were looking for her bloodline. All of it. The two people she was able to be herself with no matter what. They accepted her. They loved her. They were her family, even more so than the Yuhi. They had her back no matter what and supported her decisions. Lectured her if she was in the wrong or readjusted her way of thinking if they didn't agree with her calculations. The song had even brought back the very sight she still sees when her mind is free. She had watched Shisui die all over again. Re-lived Itachi's goodbye for her. Heard their words ringing in her ears as if they had only just said them.

"I got him! He totally fell for it!" Naruto's sudden shout pulls Tala from her memories and draws her eyes open. Looking towards the commotion. "I'm sorry sensei I told him not to do it but he wouldn't listen, honest." Sakura tries to cover up how she obviously wanted this to happen before turning to him to start lecturing Naruto about making the Sensei mad at them. She watches as her heart races, thundering in her chest as the silver-haired masked ninja bends down to pick up the eraser.

"Hmmm. How can I put this." He says in a rather bored tone raising his right hand to his chin and closing his eye. "My first impression of this group. You're a bunch of idiots." Tala slowly stands before walking down the steps to the main floor and leaning against her desk, crossing her arms as she watches him closely. "It's been a long time, Kakashi." Tala states as boredly as he was trying to seem, causing everyone to look at her. Kakashi smiles forcefully behind his mask to her as he closes his eye.

"Oh, Tala. So you're on this team too?" He questions as if he hadn't known, though the tone he used told her that he had been informed prior to entering the room. "Well, how about we go somewhere to talk then." He sighs when Tala didn't show any signs of responding to him. Kakashi then turns and walks out of the room after pausing briefly and looking over his shoulder towards the genin so they knew to follow him. Silently they accompany him up to a roof as Naruto continues to glare and puff out his cheeks at their new Sensei. Sasuke and Sakura continually shot glances between Kakashi and Tala. Tala was watching his back as if he was about to turn around and attack them. Though Sasuke could see the pain still lingering in her gaze, a deep-rooted pain like she had when she had been singing.

As the genin set on the steps upon the roof of the academy, Kakashi goes to the railing and sets down. "Why don't you introduce yourselves." Kakashi says in that same bored tone he always had even over a decade ago. "Introduce ourselves? What are we supposed to say?" Sakura asks as Tala closes her eyes. From Kakashi's right to left in front of him it went Naruto, Tala, Sasuke, and Sakura. Kakashi had a feeling Tala only sat in between the two boys like that in order to keep the fighting to a minimum, especially after the fight he had witnessed.

"Things you like. Things you hate. Plans for the future." He holds his arms up as he speaks answering in a completely unenthusiastic sort of way. "Hobbies, things like that." He finishes as he crosses his arms over his bulky green vest. "Why don't you tell us stuff first, I mean before we talk so we can see how it's supposed to work." Naruto speaks up as he puts his hands on the step between his legs watching the masked jonin.

"Me?" The Jonin points at himself a moment. "I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate... I don't feel like telling you that." This successfully achieves a simultaneous sound of question from Naruto and Sakura. "My dreams for the future... never really thought about it." He then crosses his arms again and looks up as he thinks. "As for my hobbies. I have lots of hobbies."

"That was totally useless. All he really told us was his name." Sakura glares as she turns her head towards the rest of the genin. Naruto gives a nod with a sound of agreement. "Okay, your turn. You, on the right. You go first." Kakashi speaks up moving his single visible eye towards Naruto.

Naruto smiles as he begins to wiggle his legs a bit. Reaching up he messes with his headband. "Believe it. I am Naruto Uzumaki. I like instant noodle in a cup, and I really like the ramen Iruka Sensei got me at the Ichiraku noodle shop. But I hate the three minutes you have to wait after you pour the water in the ramen cup. My hobby is eating different kinds of ramen and comparing them. And my future dream is! To be the greatest Hokage. Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody, somebody important." Tala watches as Kakashi's dark eye widens for a moment before returning to a stoic mask.

"Alright, next. You on the left." He sighs and points toward Sakura. She smiles brightly and puts her hands on her knees. "I'm Sakura Haruno. What I like... .uh I mean the person I like is." She then blushes and brings her hands up to her face as she glances at Sasuke. Who, now has his elbows on his knees with his hands folded in front of his face. Trying his best to ignore her.

"Uh. My hobby is uh.." She giggles a little making all of them feel rather uncomfortable. "My dream for the future is..." She giggles again before suddenly squealing. "And.. what do you hate?" Kakashi tries to push her to move forward thankfully. "Tala and Naruto!" She suddenly shouts causing Naruto to scream in pain.

"Alright second from the right." Kakashi's voice pipes up. Tala finally sighs. "My name is Tala Yuhi. What I like well... I'm not obligated to tell you that. What I hate, guess you'll find out. My dreams aren't truly dreams because I will accomplish them." With that, she stops talking and leans back on her hands. "Really? Is that it? Like Kakashi, she didn't really tell us anything." Sakura almost pouts as she glares at Tala. Thinking she is just trying to get Sasuke to like her again.

"Now, the last one." He nearly sighs after taking a moment to think about her answers. "My name. Is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things and I don't particularly like anything." This causes Sakura to give a surprised grunt as Tala sets up, she can already hear the anger building inside of him. "What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan and destroy a certain, someone." Silence falls as Naruto begins to sweat looking at him. Probably now thinking it wasn't a good idea to do what he did earlier.

"Good, you are each unique and you have your own ideas. We'll have our first mission tomorrow." Naruto makes a weird sound as he comes out of his thoughts raising his hand in a kind of salute to Kakashi. "What kind of mission are we going to have?" He questions with a closed-eye smile. "It's a task the five of us will do together."

"What, what, what, what?!" Naruto questions excitedly causing Tala to nudge him with her shoulder to get him to quiet down. "A survival exercise." And he's going to draw it out. Tala thinks as she sighs knowing this was only going to make Naruto worse. "Huh, a survival exercise?" Naruto questions. "I thought we were supposed to have a real mission, not more practice." Sakura criticizes.

"We already did this stuff at the academy that's how we got here." And now she's complaining. "This is not like your previous training." Kakashi states boredly watching the four before him. "So uh, so uh. What kind of training is it then?" Kakashi starts laughing pulling Tala's gaze more onto him. Just this laugh is.. giving Tala a bad feeling about tomorrow.

"Hey hold on, that's a normal question what's so funny?" Sakura asks as he continues to laugh. "Well, if I tell you the answer, you're not going to like it." He practically sings as he speaks rather condescendingly with a closed-eye smile that wrinkles his mask before he chuckles again. Naruto gives a sound of question not understanding anything Kakashi is saying. "Of the 28 graduates, only ten will be accepted as genin. The other 18 will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words, this is a make it or break it. Pass, Fail test and the chances you'll fail is at least 66%." Kakashi puts his right hand against his face as he speaks resting his elbow on his arm that is still laying over his chest. Huh? This had Tala sighing again even as the others either stare in shock or glare at the man. "See, didn't I tell you, you wouldn't like it?" He speaks lightly watching them as he moves his hand from his face.

"That's crazy we worked hard to get here. Believe it! What was that graduation test for anyway?" Naruto of course asks loudly. "The graduation test was to weed out who wasn't up for the task of becoming genin." Kakashi looks at the four of them in front of him and just laughs at the looks on their faces before telling them to be at training ground 18 at 5 am with their ninja gear. Tala watches as the others begin shaking with their own thoughts. Reaching her hand up she places it on Naruto's shoulder to try and calm him down. "That's it you're dismissed." Kakashi says as he gets up and turning around. "Oh and tomorrow you better skip breakfast or else... You'll puke." With that, he puts his hands in his pockets and disappears.

Tala stands and walks over to the railing as she slips her hands into her pockets. "You guys, there is something we all learned in the academy along with our training up to this point. You shouldn't skip meals otherwise it affects your strength and your judgment. Eat a good breakfast but not too heavy of one." She informs them before glancing over her shoulder and giving them a small smile that wrinkles her mask. She then leaps off of the building to head home and prepare for tomorrow.

In the morning Tala dressed and readied herself. Pulling her hair up into a high ponytail and making certain her mask is straight before going to the kitchen and fixing herself a small plate of the food her mother had made for the family. Taking her plate into her room she pulls her mask down and slowly munches bites of it all the while going through her pouch and holster. Making certain her Tanto was strapped to her right shoulder blade securely. She had a difficult time sleeping the night before. The same thoughts flowing through her mind this morning that had last night. "The Hokage must have a seriously sadistic sense of humor placing Kakashi as my Jonin leader." She frowns attaching her items onto her person before finishing her plate. After covering her face again she leaves her room and takes care of her plate. Looking over to the clock she nearly sighs. It is now four hours after the time she was supposed to be there, but having lived with Kakashi, she had a feeling she was timing him correctly.

Sasuke and Naruto's eyes were halfway closed with sleep. She could only figure Sakura would be the same as them. Walking up to them quietly she takes her place to complete the square. Making certain to not draw attention to herself as she notices all three of them had brought travel bags with them. Packed full of things that in Tala's mind would be unnecessary. It was then a popping sound occurs causing all of them to look in that direction. "Good morning everyone, Ready for your first day?" Kakashi says as he walks up closer to them. "You're late!" Naruto and Sakura shout pointing at him causing Tala to rub her ears. Man, they're even loud first thing in the morning. "A black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way…"

"Liar!" They cut off his excuse and Tala walks up next to Sasuke watching this headache play out. "Well let's get started." Kakashi moves on, pulling out a timer and setting it on the middle of the three posts. "Huh?" They question watching Kakashi. "Here we go. It's set for noon." He then slowly pulls out three bells and lets them jingle in his hands. "Your assignment is very simple, you just have to take these bells from me. That's all there is to it." He causes them to jingle again as if emphasizing that there are only three. "If you can't get them by noon you go without lunch. You'll be tied to those posts and watch while I eat my lunch in front of you." He says pointing to the three posts. Yeah right. You would never remove your mask to do that."Wait there are four of us how come there are only three bells?" Sakura questions with her hands on her hips.

"Well, that way at least one of you will end up tied to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission. That one goes back to the academy." He jingles the bells again causing Tala to glare at him. He just gives her a smile closing his eye briefly. "Then again all four of you can flunk out too. You can use any weapons including shuriken. If you aren't prepared to kill me you won't be able to take the bells." He tosses them up and catches them. "Those weapons are too dangerous sensei!" Sakura exclaims as Naruto laughs. "Especially since you couldn't even dodge that eraser."

"Class clowns are usually the weakest links. You can safely ignore them. Lowest scores, losers. When I say start you can begin." Tala watches interestedly as Naruto gets mad. Naruto pulls a Kunai and runs forward as he shouts out in anger. Watching as Kakashi pins his arm behind him with his kunai turned straight at his head. "I didn't say start yet." Kakashi then sighs and glances at the rest of them. "But you came at me with the full intention of destroying, me so how can I say this. I'm actually starting to like you guys." He says as he turns Naruto loose. "Now we will begin..." He pauses as he moves away from Naruto before turning to face the genin. "Get ready, and... Start!" Tala leaps quickly into the trees around the clearing settling herself into a tree just as Sasuke hops up onto a branch near hers. Their eyes meet with an uncomfortable silence as he pulls down a small branch in front of him slightly so he can see what's going on. Reaching up after a moment Tala pulls her own branch down so she can see as well.

*Sasuke*

Concealing myself in a tree. I watch Kakashi from afar as he looks around checking to make sure everyone was hiding well. I can't say I'm exactly surprised that Tala ended up in the exact place I had thought to hide. I'm supposed to be an Uchiha. One of the Elite. Yet, every time I turn around she bests me. I watch as she silently catches a single finger on a branch in front of her so she could peer down at Kakashi as well. Her dark Onyx eyes give away more emotion than she's ever allowed to slip through the entire time they've been forced to sit next to each other in the academy. Pain. True pain. The pain of losing someone. Just as her song had suggested.

Even if she hadn't told me that ridiculous story about her training with Itachi and Shisui growing up. I could easily tell that song was about someone who she had loved that died. Naruto suddenly shows up behind Kakashi… "Right here, you and me, fair and square, let's go!" Fool. I think to myself as I feel a bead of sweat accumulate on my brow. "You know. Compared to the others you're a little bit… Weird." Kakashi comments as he turns his attention to Naruto. "Oh yeah! The only thing weird here is your haircut!" Naruto yells before taking off and running towards Kakashi.

From the corner of my eye, I watch as a smirk wrinkles her mask. The very smirk that has on more than one occasion made me wonder if she isn't actually an Uchiha over the years. Turning back towards the fight I suck in a breath to focus my mind where it needs to be and not on the one next to me. Seeing Naruto stupidly having his fist in the air as if he had been trying to punch the Jonin with Kakashi crouched behind him, his hands around a book forming the tiger hand sign. "Don't let your enemies get behind you." That hand sign is for a fire jutsu... He's not just toying with Naruto. He's going to demolish him.

"Naruto! Get out of there quick! He's going to destroy you!" Sakura yells from someplace near the ground. Well, she just gave away her position. "Too late." Kakashi claims. "Leaf village's hidden secret finger jutsu!" Did... He just stick his fingers up Naruto's butt?… "A thousand years of death!" Kakashi then launches Naruto into the air. Placing my hand on the tree I was standing in I could feel a sweat drop rolling down the side of my face as I close my eyes.

"Those two… Are just total idiots." Getting myself under control after hearing Naruto hit the water, I pull the branch in front of me back down to see what was going on. With Naruto keeping Kakashi busy I just need to wait for an opening. I thought as I reach down and unhook the lid off my weapon holster. It was then that two shuriken escape the water. Flying towards Kakashi, and without looking up from his book he catches them on his right fingers. Letting them slowly stop spinning…. But that…. If he can do that then how could I possibly… Subconsciously my hand moves from the weapon holster on my thigh. Naruto crawls out of the water and catches his breath while Kakashi says something to him. Probably trying to provoke him again. I felt a smirk tug at my features as my cheeks heat up when my stomach growls. Guess Tala was right about not missing breakfast. Anyone can get lucky and be right at least once. Pulling myself from my thoughts I see Naruto catch Kakashi from behind as his other seven selves move to attack Kakashi.

"Huh?" Kakashi questions in shock. "That was good advice sensei. Never let your enemy get behind you. I let one of my clones out of the water and super quietly sneak up behind you while my other clones attack you. Pretty cool huh." A diversionary tactic, nice. "Now I'm going to pay you back for poking me in the butt earlier!" Naruto exclaims as he punches Kakashi.

I found my eyes widening and my fingers grip onto the tree branch subconsciously. Until I notice that Naruto had actually hit himself. The replacement jutsu is when you allow your enemy to believe he is attacking you when really he is attacking a log or rock giving you the perfect position to counter-attack. In this case, Kakashi allowed himself to get caught. Then replacing himself with one of Naruto's clones. He moved so smoothly that he ended up making Naruto look like a total idiot.

"A bell?! I must have gotten to him with my attack!" Naruto claims before turning towards a tree. "He dropped a bell!" It was then movement next to me catches my attention as a kunai is slung through the trees flying through the clearing towards Naruto. Is she... trying to kill the loser?! I find myself questioning her actions. "Naruto! Look out!" Sakura yells again, but it was too late. Instead of hitting Naruto in the back from our position, the kunai curves and digs into the ground in front of him.

Setting off the trap that Naruto himself would have if he hadn't jumped backward, with a pathetic surprised squeal from the sudden appearance of a kunai. Kakashi steps into the clearing and picks up the bell. "And here I thought you were going to step into the trap I laid out." He says as his gaze moves to the trees we are in. "Seems someone is looking out for you." With those words, I glance at Tala just as she looks at me. With a silent nod, I jump from the tree and run from the area. Tala lands on the ground next to me keeping up with ease.

Finding a spot away from everyone, I suck in a breath to try and settle down my racing heart. Turning I find myself smirking seeing Tala already pulling out some ninja wire and kunai from her pouch. "I get it." I mutter with a smirk drawing her gaze. She then gives me one of her nods as I pull out my own tools in order to help. Stringing up traps around our area even as Sakura's screams suddenly echo through the grounds around us. Tala hesitates a moment looking over her shoulder as I finish rigging the traps. "Tala hide in a tree, don't get in my way." I inform her watching for her usual sigh, before she jumps into the tree successfully slipping out of sight.

It only took mere painstaking moments for Kakashi to walk out of the trees with his pink book in hand. He stops in front of me with a sigh. "Ninja battle skills lesson two. The illusion jutsu. Sakura studied it in class but still couldn't see it coming." As he speaks the bells jingle almost purposefully to bring more attention to them. Genjutsu, it's just simple mind control. I'm not surprised he caught Sakura with it but... "I'm not like the others."

"Say that after you get one of these bells, My Sasuke." Kakashi teases causing my eyes to narrow on him. Showing he had used the time I had been caught thinking to disappear from in front of me and lean against the very tree Tala is in. Chuckling he steps away from the tree, as I turn around to square off with the Jonin. Glaring him down I watch as his gaze focuses on me. Reaching behind me I pull my shuriken and throw them at him forcing him to dodge. "There's no point using normal attacks." Kakashi states as he moves in the direction I had wanted him to. Throwing a kunai I cut the rope holding our trap. Recognition clear on his face, he pushes himself back again sliding against the ground with his hand on the dirt to steady him avoiding the kunai.

Taking this moment I come up behind him successfully getting a sound of surprise from him as I sent my foot towards him. At the last second, Kakashi turns and reaches up blocking my kick. When he grabs onto my leg I throw my body and shove a punch towards his face only to have him catch my fist. Damnit. I growl and throw my body again forcing him to release my hand as I send my other foot towards his face. Unsurprisingly he catches it putting me exactly where I want to be. Smirking I catch Kakashi's attention as I reach out to grab the bell. My finger barely grazes the metal when he suddenly throws me and leaps back away from me.

Catching my fall on the ground, I manage to land mostly on my right foot, crouching to catch my balance. I stand up and raise my hands completing the hand signs as I draw upon my chakra. Molding it into my chest. Finally, horse! Tiger! Fireball jutsu! Kakashi's eye widens in disbelief as I shift my stance and cup my hand around my mouth blowing the fire towards him in a ball of flames that impact against the ground where the Jonin had been standing. Not too far from where Tala is hiding. Heh, she's probably feeling the heat by now.

Once I finish, I drop my hand to my side and take in a breath. The flames subside leaving a single cloud of black smoke. My eyes widen in realization. huh? Where did he go?! Behind me?! I silently question as I glance behind me. Above?! In that split second I glance above me I feel an arm wrap around me. Pulling me off of the ground practically crushing me against the squishy front of a body. What?!

Looking over my shoulder I catch sight of those painfilled onyx eyes just as she raises a kunai. A piece of red and white paper hanging from the end. She simply throws it down sticking it where I had been standing and raises her hand in a sign. Igniting the paper bomb just as a hand breaks through the ground. Causing a quick pain-filled scream mixed with a surprise call from Kakashi ever before we hit the ground. Once our feet touch the ground her arm disappears from my waist. Her eyes set on where Kakashi was pulling himself out of the debris from the paper bomb. His left hand was smoking and scorched from the explosion.

As he stands on the ground his right hand reaches over and grabs his left arm with a wince before his dark eye finds us. His eye widens in a brief slip of his demeanor before he sighs. Tala suddenly steps forward. "Sasuke. You have piqued my interest, you are stronger than my initial assessment of you, but you failed. Now it's my turn to show you what I have in my arsenal. Stand back. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to attack you as well." She speaks up with more than a hint of warning to her voice. "Hn, why should I let you have all the fun?" I question looking at her from the corner of my eye. "Because he and I have some business between us to settle."

"Let's see what Iruka's top student has to offer then." Kakashi sighs as Tala reaches up and pulls her Tanto. "Let's not be coy, Kakashi. I didn't have the ability back then to tell you what I wanted, even though I understood your decision, it still hurt. Someone I had seen as a big brother willingly gave me up." With her words as she positions herself before Kakashi for a headlong attack, Kakashi's eye widens before softening upon her. "I found new big brothers after you. People who had earned my trust and rebuilt my opinions of forming bonds." A smirk wrinkles her mask.

Her tanto begins to glow orange as she swings it fast enough there is an after-image left behind. Three balls of fire, fly towards Kakashi causing his breath to catch in shock. Tala then raises her sword just before her body begins to flicker. Her eyes never leave Kakashi, even as there becomes four different Tala appearing around him as his feet stop sliding against the ground. "Body flicker?! Speeds like this are like..." He calls out in shock just before her after images fade and reappear. Continuously fading and reappearing in different spots. He grunts as his dark eye squints feeling the hilt of her tanto ram against his stomach. Causing my eyes to widen. Just how powerful is she?! I shout out in my mind in disbelief as the images fade revealing her standing behind Kakashi a good ten feet. "But how?" Kakashi questions turning around and looking at her as she holds her Tanto up again letting the blade glint against the sunlight.

"My brothers gave me this for my fifth birthday. They had both of their names engraved onto the hilt. You were correct with your assumption, Kakashi. One of them was Shisui Uchiha and what you just witnessed were two techniques he taught me." She then looks toward me and I found myself taking a step back before something comes flying through the air in my direction. Catching them, my ears register the faint jingling before even the feeling of three metal balls now in my grasp. This causes Kakashi to look down and pat his waist as he makes surprised sounds. "One for each of you three." She pipes up drawing my gaze from the bells back to her. She then sheaths her Tanto with a sigh looking at the jonin in front of her.

"Tala." Kakashi speaks up quietly watching her. "I loved you, Kakashi. You were my big brother." She utters before looking away from him. "If I am sent back to the academy it may mean I have to be away from my best friend, but I will be a ninja." She then walks through the trees away from us. "Hn, you must have really hurt her. She went all out against you." I smirk and go to walk away only to have a hand come out of the ground and pull me in until only my head is left out. He jingles the bells in front of me with a chuckle. "Better luck next time, Sasuke." He coos before walking away as I continue to glare at him until he is out of sight. "Just great." I growl at no one. I'm stuck in a hole and I'm alone.