A/N: And without further ado, here is the next chapter for Perception. It's been some time since I've posted a chapter for Naruto, so I figured this was a good time to fix that. And here, we see the trials of Team 7 and 9 begin. How will Kakashi and Rin's test unfold? Find out now!

Chapter 4: Survival of the Worthy

It was 5:00 in the morning. Per Kakashi's suggestion, Squad 9 was headed to the designated training spot. Apparently, it seemed to be a deserted part of the forest. The request puzzled the squad, though they followed it to the letter.

When they got there, not one of them seemed to be tired. However, while he didn't show it much, Tobi was the most anxious of the group. Sasuke and Nureta were both stoic, looking each other in the eyes. The latter crossed her arms as she spoke his name.

"Sasuke," Nureta bitterly uttered.

"Nureta," Sasuke responded. Tobi drew in a small breath to himself, worried out of his mind about the outcome.

"Please don't fight again," Tobi begged. "It's too early for that..."

Fortunately, his meek prayer appeared to be answered. Nureta appeared to be willing to negotiate, drawing a heavy sigh to herself.

"Look," Nureta said. "I don't like you and you don't like me. That's apparent. But like it or not, we're on the same squad, now. So you can't look down on us anymore. We may not have the Sharingan like you and your cousin, but we have our own power to bring to the table. You at least owe it to us to let us prove that, got it?"

Sasuke only closed his eyes, giving her request some thought.

"Whatever works for you," Sasuke replied.

Nureta grunted at this response, but she knew him well enough to know that this was the best she could ever get out of him. Tobi saw the whole thing and grew somewhat relieved.

"Phew!" Tobi sighed. "At least it didn't end in a fistfight."

Suddenly, the whole group heard footsteps far away. They turned to see Sakura and Shiro walking together, neither one of them looking tired. However, the same couldn't be said for Naruto. He was rubbing his eyes as he walked. Tobi, Nureta, and Sasuke became quite puzzled to see them in the area as well.

"What the...?" Sasuke spoke in shock.

"Wait. Isn't that Squad 7?" Nureta pondered. "What are they doing here?"

Sasuke took notice of his cousin, fixing his gaze on him. While he did, he couldn't help but think to himself.

"I wonder if you managed to shape them up, Shiro..." Sasuke muttered. Aside from his personal goal of tracking down the person he's going to destroy, Sasuke also prioritized the integrity of the Uchiha Clan. He wouldn't allow any blemish or weakness to be cast upon what's left of the Uchiha. Naruto was the one to wave over to the group.

"Hey, guys!" Naruto greeted. "What are you doing out here?"

Tobi walked over to the group first. When he got to Team 7, Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"I was gonna ask you the same thing, Naruto." Tobi answered with a curious expression.

"Rin-Sensei told us to meet here at 5:00." Naruto explained. The answer intrigued the young boy.

"Really?" Tobi asked. "Kakashi-Sensei told us the same thing."

At the same time, Sakura was getting herself introduced to Nureta.

"Hey. It's nice to meet you," Sakura politely spoke. "You're Nureta, right?"

Nureta bore a small smile as she held her hand out.

"Yeah." Nureta replied. "And you're Sakura, right? The girl with the big forehead?"

Sakura showed an embarrassed look on her face.

"Yeah... that's me alright." Sakura nervously chuckled. Nureta continued to speak to her, recalling what she heard yesterday.

"Honestly," Nureta pondered. "I'm surprised that you're not interested in Sasuke like the others are."

Sakura was perplexed.

"Really?" The pink-haired kunoichi inquired.

"Frankly, yes." Nureta bluntly answered. That said, Sakura could understand why. Most of them, especially Ino, were head over heels for him. For a time, she was the same.

"Oh," Sakura said as she crossed her arms. "Well, I used to, but I grew out of it."

Nureta could only make one guess. With Sasuke, there were a lot of girls who tried to get his attention, but he either shrugged them off or told them to buzz off like they were pesky flies.

"Let me guess," Nureta theorized. "You found out the hard way that he doesn't care about you?"

Sakura was flummoxed by the tone of her question, but she was able to answer nonetheless.

"No," Sakura answered with a shake of her head. "It's not like that."

"Really?" Nureta puzzled. "Then what actually happened?"

Sakura only gave her a soft smile as she answered.

"It's a long story," Sakura stated.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was in front of Shiro. He was simply giving him the usual stare like he gave the others.

"So, you're stuck with the loser?" Sasuke scorned. Shiro frowned at Sasuke for calling him that, but he knew how he thought. He could tell he was very disappointed that he couldn't pick a better teammate at least. There were a lot better options than the class clown.

"I wouldn't sell Naruto short, Sasuke." Shiro boldly answered. "We both know he's really dedicated."

Sasuke glanced over to Naruto. He was practicing his own Jutsu in front of him.

"Transform!" Naruto shouted. He was using his Sexy Jutsu on Tobi. Thankfully, he hasn't changed out of his jumpsuit. Tobi didn't budge from his position as he changed back to his original form.

"Not a bad technique. Really unexpected."

Naruto began to frown at his indifference.

"Oh, come on! Why didn't it work on you?"

Sasuke and Shiro saw the whole thing with the former showing his doubts.

"Yeah. Right..." Sasuke grumbled. Shiro placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, making him turn over to him.

"I'm serious," Shiro boldly declared. " You didn't see how well he handled himself against Mizuki."

Sasuke still kept his furrowed glance. "I won't argue with you about his techniques," Sasuke coldly responded. "But Mizuki is one thing, and an experienced Jonin is another."

Shiro sighed from his response, realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere with words. He turned back to Naruto, his stance unshaken.

"Well, one way or another, you'll see what he's capable of. I guarantee it." Shiro confidently spoke.

Later, when the sun got up, Naruto and Tobi were beginning to get sleepy, though the former was more slouchy than the latter. Nureta, Sakura, Sasuke, and Shiro kept their vigil as they looked around.

"No sign of either of our Sensei, yet." Nureta reported.

"What do you think is keeping them?" Sakura wondered.

Sasuke only hmph'd at this while Shiro kept an open mind.

"There's gotta be a reason why they told us to meet in the same place." Shiro pondered with his fingers on his chin.

Near midday, Sasuke, Shiro, and Nureta were still standing guard, keeping an eye out while Naruto, Sakura, and Tobi were resting. Then, all of a sudden, Naruto shot up with his eyes wide open.

"Hold on!" Naruto shouted. "I figured out what we're supposed to do!"

The group all turned to Naruto, wondering what his idea was.

"Really? What is it?" Tobi asked with eagerness.

"Maybe," Naruto theorized. "Both our Sensei told us to meet here so we could spar together! Show our stuff, you know? Believe it!"

Before Naruto even knew it, Kakashi's voice spoke up as he popped up behind him.

"Close, but not quite." Kakashi bluntly replied.

Naruto jumped backward in surprise from how sudden he arrived while Nureta kept her arms crossed, clearly in disapproval of him being tardy.

"There you are," Nureta spoke disapprovingly. "What exactly took you so long?"

"Well, a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way." Kakashi answered. The students grumbled as Rin walked up from behind him.

"And I tried to talk him out of it," Rin shyly added, "but once he gets his mind on something, he won't budge."

Naruto saw her beside Kakashi. "Oh, hi, Rin-Sensei!" Naruto beamed. Rin giggled at Naruto's eagerness as she came up beside Kakashi.

"So," Rin began, "ready for your first day?"

Naruto nodded to her with a big smile while Shiro and Sakura did so normally. As for Squad 9, they looked at the opposition, most of them baffled by their treatment. How could they not get worked up over the fact that they were late, adding in the fact that they hadn't eaten breakfast? Nureta and Sasuke gave their own two cents in thought.

"What exactly is going on here?" Nureta thought aloud. "Weren't they supposed to be starving?"

"How did that girl become a Jonin?" said Sasuke as he glanced at Rin in disbelief. "Honestly, this is ninja training, not day care."

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Well," Kakashi moved on to the lesson. "Let's get started."

Squads 7 and 9 looked at the duo perplexed as they got out a clock and set it on top of a rock before Kakashi pushed down on it.

"Here," the Jonin pointed to the clock. "It's set for noon."

Rin got two bells out from her pocket while Kakashi did the same from his, making them both become confused.

"We told you this is different from your usual training," Rin declared, "and we meant it. It's a joint survival exercise between our two squads."

"Your assignment is very simple," Kakashi stated whilst shaking his bell. "You just have to take these bells from us. That's all there is to it."

"Squad 7 will go after my bells," Rin added, "and Squad 9 will handle Kakashi. If you can't get them by noon, you'll go without lunch."

Naruto would've been surprised if he didn't eat a large meal the night before. However, Kakashi upped the stakes.

"And depending on which one performed the worst," Kakashi warned, "you'll be tied up to these posts, and you'll watch while we eat our lunches in front of you."

This made both teams very anxious about the outcome, especially Tobi. Tobi groaned out in horror from the outcome.

"So that's why." Sasuke realized.

"I heard of cruel and unusual punishment, but this?" Nureta said, admittedly shaking in fear at the thought. Who could put someone through that?

Sakura took notice of the number of bells they each carried.

"Wait a minute," chimed the perplexed Sakura . "There's only three of us in each squad. How come there's only two bells?"

Kakashi simply closed his one eye.

"Well," Kakashi explained, "that way, at least one of each of you will be tied up to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission. That one goes back to the academy."

Naruto was stunted by this as he looked at Rin as though he was betrayed.

"Ahh!" Naruto screamed deliriously. "Rin-Sensei! How could you do this to me?!"

Rin made a nervous smile.

"Sorry, "Rin apologized shyly. "I didn't make the rules."

"Then again," Kakashi added, "all three of you in the squads could flunk out, too. That said, you can use any weapons, including shuriken. If you're not prepared to kill either of us, you won't take the bells."

However, this made Sakura and Naruto concerned, especially since Rin was the nicest of the two Jonin.

"But those weapons are too dangerous, Sensei." Sakura worried.

"Yeah," Naruto added. "I don't even care if you did betray me; I don't want to hurt you."

Kakashi only poked fun at Naruto coldly despite it.

"Not exactly a sound practice for a ninja," Kakashi prodded. "Then again, I should've expected it from a class clown like you. Class clowns are usually the weak links. You can safely ignore them. Lowest scores. Losers."

Rin caught on to Kakashi's words, and unfortunately so did Naruto. He began to growl like a beast.

"When I say start," Kakashi said, "you can begin."

However, with what he's been called, Naruto couldn't wait. He got out his kunai and spun it in his hand before taking it and lunging at Kakashi! Both squads looked on in surprise as Naruto closed in for the kill. But to add to their surprise, Kakashi went right behind him and put the kunai right behind Naruto's head! However, Rin didn't look the least bit surprised.

"Don't be in such a hurry," Kakashi spoke in the same tone he usually did as he held Naruto at bay. "I didn't even say 'start' yet. Not to mention I'm not the one you should take your bells from."

Naruto grunted in defeat, plopped down to the ground.

"And by the way," Kakashi added. "If you think I'm difficult, then you can be sure Rin will give you a run for your ryo."

Nureta, and Sasuke looked at Kakashi in utter surprise while Tobi glanced at his mother in surprise.

"Whoa," Nureta stymied. "He's so fast, I didn't even see it coming."

"So this is a Jonin," Sasuke cautiously glanced. "And if he's serious, I'm willing to bet Rin might be just as skilled."

Kakashi looked at Naruto with a bit of pride.

"That said," Kakashi spoke, "you did come at me with the full intention to kill me. I can see why Rin likes you guys."

Naruto smiled at Kakashi with Sakura, Tobi, and Shiro still flummoxed by his speed and agility. As for Squad 9, Nureta and Sasuke frowned at the fact that Naruto was getting praises. However, the real test was about to begin as they got ready to move while Rin and Kakashi spoke up, overlapping each other before they spoke simultaneously.

"On your marks..." Rin began.

"Get ready." Kakashi alternated.

"And… Start!"

With that, Squads 7 and 9 took off from their post, their chance to become Genin on the line. The only ones that were left were Kakashi and Rin. The spiky-haired Jonin turned to his compatriot with a bit of reservation in his voice.

"Well, looks like the test has begun. You think it's ready, Rin?" Kakashi asked. His eye focused on her subtle change in mood. She showed both Teams a smiling face, but now, she seemed like she was ready to fight.

"Only if it comes to that, Kakashi..." Rin replied in a serious tone.

Meanwhile, Iruka and the Third Hokage were eating lunch together in the room. The latter suspected something was up.

"Iruka," Lord Third questioned, "what did you wish to see me about? I don't think you came merely to drink tea with me and chat, did you?"

"Naruto's been assigned to Squad 7," Iruka explained. "And Nureta's in Squad 9. The Jonin in charge of those groups. Just how tough are they?"

The Third Hokage had a feeling he knew who it was really about.

"Rin and Kakashi, you mean. You are concerned about them."

"I am," Iruka answered, not bothering to hide his discontent. "I heard a rumor about their training methods."

The Third Hokage nodded to Iruka before getting out a manual from his robe pocket.

"What's this?" Iruka enquired before his Hokage answered.

"All the trainees who've ever been assigned to them, those who passed and those who failed." Lord Third answered.

Iruka widened his eyes with a gasp. It made him very desperate to know the outcome.

"May I?" inquired Iruka. He took the book before he began reading it. Once he did, Iruka was caught entirely by surprise.

"This... this is...!" Iruka spoke in disbelief.

Back at the training field, Rin was just meditating on the grass. Kakashi was nowhere to be found, presumably looking for his team. All the while, she just sat and stared at her reflection, as if to ponder the meaning of life. She may as well be, for at the moment, she was wondering what the meaning of her own life was. She looked at her hand and then behind her, albeit with peripheral vision.

"From what I know, ninja must conceal their movements and hide effectively." Rin thought aloud. She turned her head around and looked for any telltale sign of them. But there was nothing to be found at all. Little did she know that Shiro had a vantage point in one of the trees, peeking through the bush. And Sakura was hiding under a bush, keeping an eye on her Jonin teacher.

"It's a good thing they understand that much." Rin spoke in relief for a brief moment. Then, she had a steeled look, as if she was expecting an enemy attack. "Still, it's not like I can let my guard down. I am their teacher, after all."

To her surprise, she heard footsteps up ahead. And who should she see but Naruto. The boy had a smug look on his face, as if it was going to be an easy fight.

Play DBZ Kai Music: "Battle Royale"

"You and me, right now, fair and square! Let's go!" Naruto demanded proudly. Rin's face blanched in confusion. Up in the trees, Shiro glanced at the situation with anxiety.

"Not exactly the smartest move, Naruto…" Shiro whispered to himself. "Still, if it means we can get intel on what she can do, I might be able to think of something."

Shiro glanced down to the bush where Sakura was watching. The Cherry-Blossom-haired girl looked up at the boy, waiting for his signal. He only gave her a subtle nod. Sakura looked back to Rin and Naruto, watching in silence as the conflict unfolded. Rin couldn't help but grin at the boy's confidence. She even almost started to laugh. Naruto was perplexed.

"Huh? What's so funny?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing." Rin answered. "It's just that as far as ninjas go, you're really unusual."

Naruto couldn't deny that she meant it in a nice way. Even so, he wasn't going to hold anything back.

"Yeah? Well, that's because I'm nothing like the others! I get straight to the point!" Naruto declared. He rushed in with a charging yell. In response, Rin dug into her ninja tool kit around her side. Naruto stopped in front of her and stepped back. He kept a cautious glance as Rin sifted through her kit. The Jonin noticed his caution and grinned.

"You've got a good instinct, Naruto." Rin complimented. "That said, I don't think you should've stopped there."

Rin quickly got out two shuriken and flung them at Naruto. She launched them at Naruto faster than he could react. The shuriken both struck him at the legs, but after a moment, Naruto poofed in a puff of smoke. Rin was caught completely by surprise.

"What the…? It was a shadow clone?" Rin spoke with stymie. Eventually, however, her face had a hint of pride. "So, the rumors were true. He did master a forbidden jutsu…"

Rin dug into her kit and got out another shuriken, this time with a thin strand tied to it. She braced herself for whatever else her student had planned for her. "Better not let my guard down on this one." Rin warned herself. And she was right to take her own advice. She heard a shifting in the water behind her. Her eyes darted to the lake behind her, and to her surprise, she saw more Naruto clones jumping out to ambush her!

"I told you I'm nothing like the others, Rin-Sensei!" Naruto boldly shouted. "This is my best Jutsu!"

Unfortunately for them, she was ready for that. Rin threw her shuriken to the side. The Jonin bit her teeth down on the string and used it to guide it around the Naruto clones, wrapping them all like a lasso. Then, she pulled down on them and slammed them to the ground, causing most of the clones to poof on contact. The only one left in the rope was Naruto, who grumbled in defeat.

"Ow…" Naruto whined.

"Sorry, Naruto," Rin apologized. "But one Jutsu does not, a ninja, make. There's more to it than their best jutsu. For example…"

Suddenly, Rin raised her hand up, blocking a strike from Naruto, who came in from behind to catch her by surprise, only to get surprised himself.

"What the–?! You saw through that?!" Naruto exclaimed in alarm. In their hiding places, Shiro and Sakura were equally caught unawares.

"What the…? How did Rin see through that?" Shiro inquired to himself.

"Ninjas aren't really supposed to let their enemies get behind them. I figured you'd try something like that after your first shadow clone, so naturally… I expected the unexpected!" Rin shouted as she threw a hard punch, striking Naruto in the cheek! The instant that happened, the shadow clone that was left behind poofed away, leaving Naruto on the ground completely dazed by Rin's punch.

End DBZ Kai Music: "Battle Royale"

"Ouch…!" Naruto hissed.

"You should really think before you use a jutsu, Naruto. Or your opponent might use it against you, just like now." Rin instructed. Naruto sat up and rubbed his face to ease the pain somewhat.

"Okay, Rin-Sensei… I think I get it now." Naruto replied. While the two were talking, Shiro saw the opportunity.

"Perfect," Shiro thought. "This is my chance to catch her off-guard…!"

Shiro launched a salvo of shuriken right at Rin, propelling them towards the Jonin, who seemingly remained unaware of the situation. "And another thing, Naruto," Rin added. "A ninja must see through deception."

Rin seemed to have figured it out too late, for suddenly, her back was struck by Shiro's weapons. She let out a startled gasp as Naruto and Sakura were both taken aback by what had occurred.

"Shiro!" Naruto shouted in sheer terror. "Are you out of your mind?! You went too far!"

But contrary to what went down, Rin suddenly poofed in a puff of smoke. And in her place was a log. Shiro, Naruto, and Sakura were both utterly dumbfounded by this maneuver. If they didn't think Rin was a force to be reckoned with before, they're certainly starting to now.

"Damnit! She used a Substitution Jutsu!" Shiro thought to himself. "We have to get Naruto out of here before she takes him out!"

Naruto looked left and right for any sign of her. Thankfully, there wasn't any. Normally, he'd track her down to get even, but he couldn't afford to take any chances. Not when his comrades were in danger.

"Crap. Where'd she go?" Naruto got out his kunai and looked left and right all over the clearing to catch any trace of her. As he kept his guard up, Sakura looked down to the river behind Naruto. She began to get an eerie sense of what was about to go down.

"Oh, no…" Sakura feared. "Naruto! Behind you!"

Suddenly, just as Naruto turned around, a huge splash of water erupted from the river. And at the top of it was Rin. The fledgling Genin was not prepared for Rin's own counterattack. Her fingers were doing a sign, her left hand flat on her right fist. Shiro instantly recognized what it was.

"That jutsu… it's a water-style move!" Shiro realized. Rin moved her hands so that the palms faced Naruto. And once she opened up her right palm, it had a rapidly expanding ball of water inside.

"Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu!" Rin shouted as she launched the bomb right at Naruto. The boy widened his eyes in quite a panicked state when suddenly, Shiro appeared beside him and used his Sharingan.

"Hakai!" Shiro cried out, his Sharingan flashing right at Rin. As a result, the water bullet diminished in size. Rin wasn't expecting the Sharingan so soon, any more than she expected her Chakra technique to be nullified. "What the..?!" Rin responded in bafflement. But after a few seconds, she transitioned from her position and moved her foot out forward right towards Shiro. But he had one more trick up his sleeve.

"That's it," Shiro thought. "Take the bait…" The Uchiha held in his hand a smoke bomb.

"Wait. A smoke bomb?" Rin puzzled. She narrowed her eyes into a scowl. "Now I see… this was just a trap all along…!"

Shiro made no hesitation to throw it down to the ground, blinding Rin with a smokescreen. Sakura gritted her teeth as she steeled herself.

"There's my chance…!" Sakura spoke to herself. She remembered Shiro's plan prior to the moment it happened.

Naruto, Sakura, and Shiro were in a forest clearing, huddled together as they tried to think of a plan. "Remember," Shiro warned. "We still don't know what our Jonin is capable of. So the first thing to do is get a good look at her moveset. Naruto, we'll need your Shadow Clones to draw them out. The more we know her techniques the better."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "I'll take of Rin-Sensei. Believe it." Naruto proudly proclaimed. But Sakura was puzzled.

"But then what can I do?" Sakura asked with concern. At present, her abilities were limited compared to Naruto and Shiro, even with the training she had with them.

"I'll need you to keep an eye out and make sure Naruto gets out safely if anything goes wrong." Shiro answered. "But until then, I need you to focus on the bells on Rin-Sensei's belt. Once she starts to use a Jutsu, I'll use my Sharingan to nullify it and force her into Taijutsu. I'll use my smoke bomb and engage her. My jutsu won't be able to work if we're caught in a smokescreen and our line of sight is broken, but If it works, and hopefully it does, then we'll get at least one bell off of Rin."

That brought up something in Naruto's mind. It was something he was concerned about.

"But that's just the problem, isn't it? Only two of us can stay in this team. Who's gonna drop out?" Naruto asked. Shiro hesitated to answer for a moment, his hands tensing in indecisiveness. That was one thing he wasn't sure if he could decide.

"I don't know, Naruto…" Shiro told Naruto with a tone of uncertainty. "But for now, we'll cross that bridge when we deal with this one."

Sakura held tight onto her kunai and dashed out of the bush and charged into the smokescreen, holding her kunai out. Upon entering the fog of smoke, Sakura prepared to make her move. She looked past the smoke just a few feet away to see that Shiro and Rin were currently holding each other at bay. Her foot that aimed for him was fended off by Shiro's palms. Rin was grunting as she thought to herself.

"Whoa…! I don't remember teaching them this! They really did their homework." Rin thought with an impressed look on her face. But before Rin could make a move to end the standstill, Naruto jumped up onto her back and clutched onto her with a full nelson.

"Huh?!" Rin shouted in alarm.

"Didn't you say don't let your enemies get behind you?" Naruto snickered with a devilish smirk. "Good advice, Rin-Sensei. Believe it!"

Sakura focused on Rin's silhouette, aiming for her belt where the bells were tied together.

"This is it…!" Sakura thought with relief. Without hesitation, Sakura closed in, lurching her kunai forward right towards Rin's belt. The brunette Jonin watched as the kunoichi-in-training closed in.

A few seconds later, there was a distant metal clanging sound from afar. Tobi, Nureta, and Sasuke looked to the source of where the sound came from, pondering to themselves in each of their separate locations what could have caused it. Tobi was hiding himself near the base of the tree in the shadows, Nureta was standing on top of a branch near a tree, peeking over the edge, and Sasuke was hiding in the leaves of a separate tree.

"What's going on over there…?" Sasuke mused.

"Maybe we shouldn't have underestimated her after all." Nureta spoke to herself softly.

"Mom…" Tobi worried.

Back at the Leaf Village, Iruka stated his shock to the Third Hokage.

"It can't be!" Iruka spoke in disbelief. "This is even worse than the rumors!"

"Kakashi and Rin's tests may be a bit more difficult than the others'." Lord Third explained. But Iruka called it an understatement.

"A bit more difficult?" Iruka asked in outrage. " Not a single student has ever passed their test!"

"That's true," Lord Third admitted. "They all tried, but not one of them could live up to their standards. So they were all… eliminated."

At the training grounds, the smoke had cleared up, and Shiro, Naruto, and Sakura were staring at Rin with their faces agape and buggy-eyed. In front of Sakura was a long tail that blocked her path to Rin's bells. Shiro and Naruto were just as stricken with awe.

"What…?" Shiro began.

"The…?" Naruto added.

"Heck…?!" Sakura finished in fear. Then, suddenly, without warning, Rin whipped her tail at Sakura, pushing her away from them. Shiro and Naruto worriedly glanced over to Sakura, who landed on her feet, her nails and kunai dragging across the dirt and grass to halt her momentum. Before the boy knew it, Rin's tail whacked them off of her and sent them careening to the river with a mighty splash. As the rain fell down on Rin, she turned to Sakura, her brown eyes full of fierce determination.

Sakura stared into those eyes, completely unprepared for this development.

"No way…! What kind of jutsu is Rin-Sensei using?" Sakura processed in panic as she stared at her prehensile tail. But the more she looked at it, the more it dawned on her. "Wait a second…! That tail…! It's just like a tailed beasts'! Does that mean…? What in the world is Rin-Sensei?!" Sakura enquired with terror in her waking thoughts. Rin glanced at Sakura with the expression of a fierce warrior.

"That was a really bold strategy you three made together," Rin spoke with a hint of pride. Then, she entered a stance, crouching on all fours. "But I'm not going to let you take the bell so easily. This fight's just getting started…"

Far away, Kakashi saw Rin getting in position against Sakura. He, for one, was really impressed to see her pushed this far.

"Whoa. She might be overdoing it a bit." Kakashi thought to himself. But at the end, he shrugged. "Well… I'll have to see how this ends later. Right now, I've got some genin to train myself."

With that, Kakashi began his own training for Team 9. And just like with Rin, it will be no cakewalk…