Chapter 35: Team 7 Assembles

Kurama Compound

Yakumo brushed the last tangle out of her hair, holding back a wince as the knot came undone. She put her brush down and examined herself in the mirror. Everything had to be perfect today. It was a special day, after all, one would only come once in her life (ideally), so she had to make a good impression.

She examined herself for a minute, turning to her side every few seconds to ensure nothing was out of place. Then she nodded her head and smiled at her reflection.

"Perfect," she muttered.

"I give it a five out of ten." A voice quipped in the back of her mind.

Yakumo rolled her eyes. "Do you ever shut up?" She asked in her head.

Yakumo could almost see the smile on the Shadow's face. "Well, if you let me take over, I might consider it."

"Not happening." Yakumo shot down quickly. She still wasn't sure how wise it was to keep the reappearance of the Edo from Sasuke and the others. But she did not want to worry them and was managing the thing fine. She had beaten it before, and she could beat it again.

She could hear the being snickering as it retreated into the recesses of her mind. After a moment of silence in her mind, Yakumo sighed and shook her head. She had more important matters to consider, like how she would greet her teammates today.

Unknown

"Do you understand your assignment?"

Sai kept his head bowed when he responded. "Of course, Danzo-Sama." His assignment was the continued observation of the Kyūbi observation and his friends.

He heard Danzo's footsteps as he moved around him. "Good," he said in a stern voice. "Do you know who your teammates will be?"

Sai nodded. "Kurama Yakumo and Momochi Haku," he said, quickly reciting the reports he had read. "Both are female. Yakumo hails from the Kurama clan, which is known for its powerful genjutsu and was once a prominent power in the village. But they have been on the decline in recent generations. Haku is believed to have come from the Yuki clan, which once resided in Kiri. But was whipped out in the Bloodline purges. Until recently, she was employed by Momochi Zabuza, a former member of Kiri's Seven Swordsmen. Shortly after she arrived in the village, she took her master's name rather than Yuki's name."

Sai didn't have to raise his head to see his master nodding or the frown he had. "Good," he said. "And of what of your sensei?"

Again, Sai quickly recited the information he had. "Hatake Kakashi," he said. "Former student of the deceased Yondaime Hokage, currently a captain in the ANBU. But he will soon put down his mask should his current team pass his test. He is considered one of the best Shinobi in Konoha, with some considering him a candidate for Hokage."

There was a moment of silence as Sai waited for his master to respond. "You may raise," the command came. Sai obediently stood up and faced his master. Danzo was giving him a cold stare. "You have done well, Sai," he said finally. Sai felt the tiniest bit of relief in the back of his mind. Before, he squished it down and reminded himself that Shinobi should not feel anything. "You have been my most promising agent; once again, you have proven yourself. Your observations of the Kurama girl and her friends have been most useful to me. Particularly the ones on the Jinchūriki boy."

Danzo shook his head. "What a fool Hiruzen has been," he said. "That boy should have been handed to me to mold him as this village's ultimate weapon. But no matter, the boy has proven himself most useful already. Especially with the discovery of his Kekkei Genkai. Such a useful tool at our disposal, and my old friend chooses to squander his potential."

Sai silently listened to his master's little tirade, waiting for the moment when he would receive further orders. He would not have to wait long. "When I get my hands on that boy, I will not be so wasteful. Sai, continue observing this village's latest generation of genin. Now that you have a team, you should be able to get closer to the Kyūbi container."

Sai bowed his head. "Yes Danzo-Sama," he intoned. "Do you want to merely observe him or attempt to form a friendship with him?"

"Befriend the boy," Danzo commanded. "Attempt to get closer to him and gain his trust. If possible, enter his inner circle of confidantes and learn of his secrets. Report anything suspicious about him or his friends. If there is a threat to this village, I must know about it. Understood?"

Sai looked at his must and put on a fake smile. "Yes, Danzo-Sama," he said.

A frown appeared on the man's face. "You will need more practice before you can fool anyone," he said. Then he tapped his cane on the ground. "Dismissed."

Sai was gone in an instant and moved through the hidden ROOT base. He had a team assembly to attend today and did not intend to be late. Until then, he would visit the library and bookstore to pick up more books on social interaction.

Hyūga Compound

"You sure about this?" Naruto asked. He had a worried expression on his face.

Haku gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine," she said. "A little nervous but fine.

I look forward to meeting my team."

Naruto frowned. "Not that," he said. "I meant staying as a Shinobi. It's not really you."

Haku looked at Naruto and nodded. "I'll be fine," she said with a soft smile. "I want to help, and I feel this is the best way I can."

Naruto was still frowning at her. "You sure?" he asked. "You can help in any way you want. You don't have to be a Shinobi anymore. You don't have to hurt other people anymore."

Haku smiled at Naruto. The pair were at the gates now. "I did think about working at your village's hospital," she said. "I have enough knowledge about medical ninjutsu. Plus, I could easily apply my experience in acupuncture, according to Tsunade-Sama."

"So, why not do that then?" Naruto asked. "If you have Ba-Chan's approval, you could easily get in there."

Haku resisted the urge to arch an eyebrow at Naruto's nickname for one of the Sanin and the world's greatest medic-nin. "There was one problem with that," she said. "Namely, my status as an outsider to this village."

Now Naruto showed his confusion. "An outsider?" He questioned.

"Did you forget where I originated from?" Haku asked with a smile. "I was not born or raised in this village, Naruto-San. You can't expect me to come here and instantly be admitted to a place like your village's hospital. I'm still on probation, and even if I wasn't, it will probably be a year or two before I'm trusted enough for something like that."

Naruto had a downcast expression on his face. "Oh," he said, trailing off. "That's not fair, you're a good person."

Haku nodded. "You might know, and the Hokage might know that," she explained. "But most other people in the village don't, and they're suspicious of me. Did you forget that you live in a Shinobi village?"

A frown crossed across the blindfolded boy's face. "And suspicion lives in our shadows." He said bitterly. "I get that, but it's still not fair. I guess I should be used to that type of thing now."

Haku gave the boy a reassuring nod of her head. "Don't worry about me," she said. "I choose to do this, and the fact that your Hokage is even letting me shows how much faith he puts into your judgment. Besides, I don't necessarily have to play an active role as a Shinobi. I don't have to hurt people like you're thinking. I could play a more supportive role on my team."

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "A supportive role?" He asked.

Haku nodded. "Like I said, I still have my knowledge of medical ninjutsu. I could act as the team's medic," she said. "And I can use my abilities to get my teammates out of sticky situations. Trust me, I've had to pull Zabuza-Sama out of the fire more than a few times."

"But what if you're forced into a situation where you have to fight?" Naruto asked.

"Then I will fight," Haku said simply. "I may not like it, but if it's a choice between letting those I care about get hurt and have to inflict harm on others, I know what my choice will be. Every time." And these were no simple words. She had to make the choice before and knew she would make it again.

"Still," Naruto said. A pair of eyes floated down to his hand. "You should be allowed to live in peace. You should be allowed to be happy."

Haku was at a loss for words for a moment. "Thank you, Naruto," she said. "You don't know what it means to me to hear that. I never heard anyone say that to me."

Naruto nodded his head. "Because it's true," he said. "You deserve a better life. One you can enjoy. I'm not so sure if this will be it."

Haku smiled at him. "Let me ask you something," she said. "Do you ever question your desire to be Shinobi? Did you ever think that it wasn't the path for you?"

Naruto was silent for a moment as he thought about Haku's questions. He shook his head. "No, never," he answered. "I always wanted to become a Shinobi and, what's more, the Hokage."

Haku nodded. She knew about his dreams. Dreams she believed would come true someday. "Now, what about your motivations? Have you ever thought about them? Did you want to become a Shinobi just because you wanted to? Did you want power? Wealth? Recognition? Or something else?"

Again, there was a pause before the boy answered her. "Yeah, sure, at first, I just wanted to be recognized so people would look at me. I've told you a little about my life before the Hyūga took me in. So, it is not hard to imagine why I wanted to be a Shinobi or even Hokage. But now it is different; I have different reasons for wanting to walk down this path. I want to grow strong. Strong enough to protect the people I care about and to protect this village."

Haku smiled at Naruto. She reached out to him and placed her hand on his head. "Then you can understand why I want to do this." She said. "I have people I want to protect too. Now I need to go, or else I'll be late. Don't want to disappoint my team now, do I?"

Haku turned to leave through the gates of the Hyūga compound. Before she stepped through, she heard Naruto say. "Good luck."

Academy

Yakumo stepped through the doors to her old classroom. Wow, I never thought I would be back here. She thought to herself.

She looked around the classroom to see if any of her teammates were there. She found a familiar face sitting among the rows of empty desks. Sai noticed her and waved at her with a fake smile.

Yakumo gave the boy a genuine smile and waved back. She walked to where he was sitting. Coming up to him, she noticed he had a book open on the desk. "Sai, it's good to see you again," she said. "Been doing well?"

Sai's fake smile remained in place when he answered. "I have been doing well, Yakumo-San," he said. "I can see that we will be teammates. Assuming neither one of us got the wrong room, that is."

Yakumo chuckled. "No, I think we got the right room," she answered. "I was hoping that you would be on my team."

Sai tilted his head to the side. "You were?" He asked.

Yakumo nodded. Her eyes drifted down to the book Sai had been reading. "What were you reading?" She asked. Then, a teasing smile creased across her lips. "Let me guess, more reading on social interactions?"

Sai nodded his head. He looked down at the book. "Since we will be meeting new people, I thought it prudent. I do not wish to offend our teammate or sensei."

Good luck with that, Yakumo thought. "Anything interesting there?" She asked.

"Many things," Sai answered. "Mostly that the first impressions are often the most important."

Yakumo nodded. "I see," she said. "What does it say about nicknames?"

Sai's smile grew, and for a moment, Yakumo thought she saw a hint of humor. She wrote it off as being her imagination. "Are you worried that I will insult our teammates? No Breath." He said, tilting his head to the side."

"Not very creative, is he?" The shadow quipped.

Yakumo smiled at Sai. "Coming from you?" She asked with a smile. "Never."

The sound of a door opening caught the attention of both genin. They turned their heads to see a girl a few years older than them walking in and closing the door behind them. The girl looked around, caught sight of the two, and smiled at them.

"Hello?" She said. "Is this where Team 7 is meeting?" She asked.

Yakumo nodded. "Yes, it is." She answered. "Are you?"

The girl nodded. "I believe so. I'm your teammate. My name is Momochi Haku. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Yakumo pursed her lips. The name sounded familiar to her. "Haku?" She said aloud. "Wait, I think I might you all right. Do you know a boy named Uchiha Sasuke? Or what about Uzumaki Naruto?"

Haku nodded. "I know them both," she said. "The latter is actually why I'm here. We meet on their previous mission."

Yakumo nodded. "Wave," she said. "Sasuke told me all about it and you too. I've been wanting to meet you. My name is Kurama Yakumo." She held her hand out to the girl.

Haku took her hand and shook it. "It's good to meet you, Yakumo-San," she said. "I've heard a little bit about you from Naruto. So, I guess we're not complete strangers here. But still, I look forward to learning more about you. Of course, I can't say the same about our other teammate."

Haku was looking at Sai. The boy was giving her one of his fake smiles. "I'm Sai," he introduced himself. "I heard that a nuke-nin had joined our ranks. I guess that rumor was true. It is a pleasure to meet you." He held his hand out.

Haku was giving the boy a strange look, but she took his head and shook it. "The pleasure is mine," she said. "Though technically, I was never a nuke-nin, as I was never a part of Kiri's shinobi forces."

"But you were in the employ of a nuke-nin," Sai pointed out. "Momochi Zabuza, formerly of the Seven Swordsmen of Kiri. I believe he tried to assassinate the Mizukage."

"Point taken," Haku said. "Though that last one is hardly anything special anymore. A lot of people have tried to kill the Mizukage."

Yakumo laughed to herself. She had gotten an interesting team. She wondered what her sensei would be like. "So, I guess all that is left is to wait for our sensei," she said. "It shouldn't be too long, now." She looked up at the clock, noting it was five minutes until the team's sensei would show up. Five minutes wasn't that long to wait.

Three hours later

"I propose we burn the bastard at the stake." The Shadow said.

Yakumo felt her eye twitching. For once in her life, she was sorely tempted to go with the shadow's suggestion. She and her teammates waited three hours and sat in this classroom doing nothing.

When the five minutes passed, Yakumo expected the team's sensei to enter the room, not necessarily through the door. They might have come through the window or shunshined in to collect them. Yakumo would not have minded if they just appeared right behind her.

Sasuke and others had made offhand comments about their senseis being a bit on the mischievous side. She was prepared for that.

Then ten minutes passed, and there was no sign of Team-7's sensei. Yakumo figured perhaps they were just running late. Konoha is a big village, and a lot can happen daily. Then, an hour passed, and she started to worry that maybe an emergency had come up. Perhaps they had been called away for a mission suddenly.

Thirty minutes later, Sai took a scroll out and started drawing on it. Haku had struck up a conversation with Yakumo, hoping to learn more about her teammate.

Two hours in, Yakumo had thought about leaving the classroom in search of her sensei, whoever that was. Maybe find someone who knew what was going on. But she had thought against it and stayed in her seat. A frown crossed her face at the time when she realized she hadn't brought any of her art supplies. So, she couldn't keep her mind busy. She had thought about asking Sai if she could borrow his book but shot that idea down.

Three hours in, Yakumo almost found the Shadow's suggestion a good idea. Almost. "We can't do that." She willed for the Shadow to leave her alone.

She heard a snort in the back of her mind. "Give it another hour, and you'll be coming with ideas to torture the poor soul." Then she felt its presence receding.

That was when she heard the door sliding open. All three genin in the room turned their heads to the front of the classroom. A head popped in and scanned the room. It was a man with a face mask and an eye covered by his headband. He had gravity-defining silver hair.

"Team-7?" The asked. The three genin nodded. The man looked at them for several seconds. "My first impression of you is," Yakumo, Haku, and Sai all hung at the edge of their seats, waiting for what the man would say. "That you're boring. Team-7, meet me on the roof." Then he was gone.

The three genin stared at where the man was, blinking their eyes. "Was that?" Yakumo started to ask.

Haku nodded. "I believe that was our sensei."

"He seems nice," Sai said.

Yakumo sighed. "Come on, let's go."

Rooftop

Walking onto the roof, the trio of genin found their sensei sitting on the edge. "About time you three got up here," he said lazily.

Haku felt a tick mark on the side of her head. She kept her calm, however. Remember what Zabuza said. Some shinobi can be eccentric. She and her team sat in front of the man.

The man looked at them with a single lazy eye. To anyone else, they might have thought he was bored with the whole thing. But Haku, having spent most of her life with Zabuza, knew better. He was carefully sizing them up.

"About we start with some simple introductions?" The man said. "Nothing too complicated, though. I just want to hear your names, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and what dreams you have for the future."

Haku looked at her teammates, and they looked at her. "Uhh, sensei, can you go first?" Yakumo asked. "You haven't even given us your name."

The man shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not?" He said. "My name is Hatake Kakashi. I like a lot of things and don't have any particular dislikes. My hobbies are nothing you should be doing at your age. As for my dreams of the future, I can't say."

The genin gave the man a deadpan stare. They all shared the same thoughts. He gave us nothing but his name.

Hatake Kakashi, Haku knew of that name. So, my sensei may be the Kakashi no Sharingan, interesting.

Kakashi pointed his finger at Yakumo. "Now your turn, pinky," he said.

Yakumo had a forced smile. "My name is Kurama Yakumo. I like my boyfriend Sasuke, my friends, and peaches. I dislike bad dreams, spiders, and horror movies. My hobby is painting. In the future, I hope to prove a capable kunoichi and become a great leader for my clan."

Kakashi nodded and then pointed his finger at Haku. "Next you, Miss Ice Princess," he said.

Haku forced a smile on as well. "I am Momochi Haku," she said. "I like flowers, my precious people, and rabbits. I dislike hurting people and warm days. My hobbies include acupuncture and raising rabbits. "For my future," she pauses for a second. "I'm currently undecided on that."

Sensei nodded and, at last, turned his attention to the remaining team member. "Now you pale and freaky."

Sai put on a fake smile. "I am Sai," he said. "I don't have any likes or dislikes. My hobbies are reading and drawing. I have no dreams for the future."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Well, you're an interesting one." He said.

Sai tilted his head to the side. "You did little better than me," he pointed out.

Somehow, Haku could see the smile under her sensei's mask. "True," he said. "I must say I have gotten a fascinating bunch of kids here. You might even make for a good team this year. But I shouldn't get ahead of myself here. You're not a team yet."

Haku narrowed her eyes at the man. "And what does that mean?" she asked carefully.

Kakashi looked at Yakumo and Sai. "I believe these two should already know." He said.

Haku looked at Yakumo, who had a stern expression on her face. "The true genin test," she said. "I was hoping we would get to skip over that. But I guess not."

"The true genin test?" Haku asked.

Sai answered. "The graduation exam at the academy only determines if we have the potential to be genin but doesn't decide if we are genin." He looked over at Kakashi with a smile. "It is up to our sensei to decide if we are worthy of becoming genin. If I remember correctly, the failure rate of the true genin test is about sixty percent."

Haku looked at Kakashi with shock and a newfound respect for Konoha. Despite how Zabuza had described them as soft-hearted tree huggers, Konoha proved to be a lot shrewder and more calculating than she had given them credit for.

Kakashi nodded his head, still keeping his smile. "Indeed," he said. "Now, normally, you would be sent back to the academy if you three failed. Or, in your case, sent back to the reserves. I, however, have a different idea."

Now, Haku felt a raising pit of suspicion in her gut. She narrowed her eyes at the man. What kind of game was this man playing? "Why do I get the feeling that none of us will like your idea." She said. Next to her, Yakumo tensed up while Sai remained impassive. Haku was beginning to suspect that was the default mood for the strange boy.

Kakashi's smile grew. "Nothing too bad, I assure you," he said. "Just that if you fail, I'll have all three of you dropped out of the program."

The wind blew over the roof as the genin took in their sensei's words. Then, all at once. "WHAT!" They shouted.

Yakumo was on her feet, pointing an accessing finger at the silver-haired man. "You can't do that. You don't have the authority."

Kakashi looked at her with a bored expression. "Do I?" He asked in a serious tone of voice.

Yakumo hesitated. "You don't," she repeated, less sure now.

Kakashi stood up, shrugging his shoulders. "Then I guess you will find out tomorrow," he said. "That is if you three fail. You will gather at the training ground 7 tomorrow morning at 0600, don't be late. Oh, and one more thing. I wouldn't eat breakfast. You'll only end up throwing up tomorrow."

Yakumo shot towards the silver-haired Jonin. "Wait, you can't just," before she gets the rest of her statement, the man vanished in a swirl of leaves. "Did he just?"

Haku nodded. "I believe he did," she said, keeping the exasperation out of her voice.

"It would appear our sensei is quite rude," Sai commented. He stood up and started to walk away. "I shall see the two of you tomorrow."

Haku's arms shot out in a blur of motion, grabbing the pale-skinned boy by the shoulder. "Hang on a moment," Haku said. "I think it would be best for the three of us to stay together for the moment. We need to discuss what our plan of action will be."

Yakumo turned to face her. "You're right," she said. "We need a plan if we're going to have a chance of passing this man's test."

"Alright then," Sai said. "Shall we go somewhere to discuss what we will do?" He asked.

Yakumo nodded. "I know just the place."

Training Ground 7

Somehow, Yakumo was not surprised they had to wait three hours before Team-7's sensei showed up. "If and when we do become a team, the first thing we need to do is talk to our sensei about his tardiness," Yakumo said.

Both Haku and Sai nodded. "It is very unbecoming for a Jonin Sensei," Haku said. "If I tried to pull something like this off with Zabuza, he would have cleaved my head off."

"You would expect a man like Kakashi to be more punctual," Sai said.

Yakumo let out a sigh. At least the man being late like this gave the three more time to discuss what they would do. "To recap what we know," she said, looking at her teammates. "Kakashi is a well-known Jonin and has an entry in the bingo books."

Haku nodded. "He is known by the moniker Kakashi no Sharingan," she said. "Because of his possession of the Sharingan even though he is not a Uchiha." That was something Yakumo would have to talk to Sasuke about.

"He is also known as the Copycat Ninja," Sai said. "Because of his use of the Sharingan, it is believed he has copied and mastered more than a thousand jutsu. And he was once the student of the Yondaime Hokage."

Yakumo nodded. "So, what will we do if he decides to use the Sharingan on us?" They didn't know what test the man would use on them. But going by what she knew of what her friends went through, there was a good chance that some level of fighting against their sensei would be involved.

"I doubt he would use that on us," Haku said. Yakumo and Sai looked at her. "This is supposed to be a test, right? So, there will have to be some way for it to be passed. I doubt he will go all out on us. He will make it a challenge. But I doubt he will use his best skills to defeat us."

"Good point," Yakumo said, touching her chin. "But that still doesn't preclude the possibility he won't use the Sharingan on us, just not to its full ability."

Sai nodded. "Then we may have to deal with it if and when he does," he said.

Yakumo thought about that. One idea she had was to use the genjutsu if her sensei chose to display his Sharingan. But there was one thing that could work against her. The Sharingan's ability to see through genjutsus. That was a very big obstacle for her as far as she was concerned.

The way she thought it, there were two things that could work in her favor. Firstly, since Kakashi was not a Uchiha, it was possible his Sharingan might not have of its abilities, or they were reduced. The second was, as far as records went, no Kurama had ever gone up against the Sharingan. So, it was possible that her clan's genjutsu could fool the Sharingan. Add in the fact that Yakumo was the strongest Genjutsu user that the Kurama clan had ever seen. It was something that could work in her favor. Both could even be true.

But Yakumo had no means of knowing if either could work. Let's hope I don't have to find out the hard way. She thought.

"You could always test it out on your boyfriend," The shadow suggested. "I have some ideas for what we could do to that boy."

Yakumo ignored its suggestions. "Sai, have your creatures finished surveying the training field?"

Sai nodded, putting on a smile. "They have," he said. "There is nothing out of the ordinary. No traps or anything sensei may have hidden."

"Not that you can find," Haku said.

Sai nodded at her. "That is a possibility," he said.

Before they could discuss anything else, the three heard the sound of puffing in the air. Yakumo turned around and looked up at a tree. "You're late," she addressed Kakashi in an irritated tone of voice.

The man gave her a lazy smile. "Sorry about that. But I got lost on the road to life," he said. Then suddenly he was in front of the trio of genin. "Well, I hope you three are ready because your test begins soon."

"And what exactly is our test?" Yakumo asked.

Again, the man smiled at the genin. "It's very simple," he said. He pulled out two silver bells from one of the pouches on his vest. "All you have to do is get these off me. Whoever manages to get a bell before the timer goes off passes the test." He pointed towards something.

The three genin looked over where the Jonin was pointing. On a log was an alarm clock. Yakumo narrowed her eyes, which had not been there a moment ago. Looking at the cloak closer, she could see that they had about three hours.

The team looked back at their sensei. "So, that's what we have to do," Yakumo said. "Just get those bells, and we'll pass your test?" Somehow, she felt there was more than the man was letting on.

She was proven right when Kakashi smiled. "Almost," he said. "But I think your math is a little off."

Before Yakumo could respond, Sai stepped forward. "There are only two bells," he said. "But not three."

A cold chill ran down Yakumo's spine. "But if there's only enough bells for two of us," she said.

"One of us will fail," Haku finished. "Is that right?"

Kakashi nodded. "Whoever doesn't get a bell from me will fail, and they will be dropped from the Shinobi program," he said. Then he pulled out a pair of bento boxes.

Yakumo raised an eyebrow. "And what are those for?" She asked.

"Launch," Kakashi said. "Once the test concludes, you get to eat. Two of you anyway."

"And what about the other?" Haku asked.

"Tied to a log while they watch the rest of us eat," Kakashi said.

Yakumo was quickly concluding that this man was a sadist. Now she realized why he suggested that the team skip their breakfast. Yakumo crossed her arms. "Then it's a good thing we all already ate." She said with a smug smile. The other two nodded along with her.

Kakashi gave the three a lazy look. "So, you went and disobeyed my orders." He said in an even voice.

Yakumo shook a finger at her would-be sensei. "Not true," she said with a smile. "Technically, you're not our sensei yet, so you can't give us orders."

"You also never explicitly said it was an order," Sai pointed out. "You only suggest that we skip our breakfast. An ill-advised suggestion, might I add."

"And at the moment, you are our enemy," Haku said. "It is rarely a good idea to do as one's enemy says."

The silver-haired Jōnin gave the trio of genin a flat stare, but Yakumo thought she saw a hint of pride in his eyes. "So, you think of me as your enemy," he said. None of the three genin present responded. "Good, because to pass this test, you'll have to come at me with the intent to kill. The test begins now."

For a full minute, the trio of genin and the lone Jōnin did nothing. Both sides waited for the other to make the first move.

The genin were the first to act. But instead of attacking their future Jōnin-Sensei as one would expect, they rapidly retreated into the tree line to hide. Kakashi was left alone on the open field of the training ground.

"Hmm, they're not half bad," Kakashi said idly. Already, this group was proving to be one of the better teams had gotten. But he still had his doubts that they would be the ones to pass his test this year.

"Still, they have some things going for them," he thought. They weren't fresh out of the academy students. At least two of them weren't, and Yakumo had several months to be in the reserved forces.

"I should keep an eye on these three," he said after a moment. He knew where all three of them were hiding. Their stealth skills were admittedly good, but nothing compared to a Jōnin's. "One in a tree," Kakashi said, sending a side-eye toward the Kurama girl. "Another in a bush." He glanced at where Sai was. "The last in a tree as well. But she's hiding her presence." He looked over to where the former apprentice of Zabuza was.

Not for the first time, he wondered how he got a team composition like this. A girl who literally had a demon in her mind. A girl taken in by the Demon of the Bloody Mist. And a boy who was obviously a ROOT spy. That last one had him wondering what the Sandaime had been smoking then.

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "Well, no matter," he said. "It's not like they'll pass anyway." Now the question was, who would act first? Kakashi did not have to wait long to find out.

Sai observed his opponent. To an undiscerning eye, it would appear that the Jōnin was standing still in the middle of the training ground. But it was clear that the man was alert, even if he presented a lazy façade.

It was also clear to Sai that his future sensei knew where he and the rest of his team were. Stealth was not going to be a factor here. Sai pondered what he should do next. Should he try an attack on the silver-haired Jōnin? Sai immediately discarded that thought. Even with Kakashi holding back, a Jōnin of his caliber would still wipe the floor with him. ROOT training or not.

Then perhaps he could try linking up with one of his teammates. Together, they could stand a good chance of getting one or both bells. But who would be the best choice? Yakumo had her powerful genjutsu to rely on, so it was possible she could cast a genjutsu that would help them get close enough. It was unknown how Kakashi's Sharingan would affect that plan, though.

Haku was also a good choice; she likely already had years of experience as a Shinobi and had been under the tutelage of a former member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Add that to her possession of a Kekkei Genkai, as the Hyoton made her a tempting choice.

But would she be willing to work with him? Her loyalty to Konoha was in question; thus, he was uncertain whether she would be willing to work with a Konoha-Nin. If they managed to pass the genin test, he would have to closely monitor her and report back to Danzo-Sama.

Either choice could lead to him passing the test and furthering his mission. But questions started to rise in the back of Sai's mind. This was a rather unorthodox test, as it, in essence, pitted the participants, in this case, him and his teammates, against each other. Kakashi was known as a proponent of teamwork in Konoha and held those who went against their comrades in low regard.

So why would he design a test that explicitly went against that belief? There is a deeper meaning to this test, Sai told himself. There had to be more to the test than just getting those bells.

Sai pulled out a scroll and quickly began to draw on it. When he was done, he pulled out a handful of kunai and aimed them at the Jōnin. A full assault on the man was unlikely to work, but perhaps a probing attack could yield something.

Sai throws his kunai. Two dark figures shot out after the thrown weapons in that instant. At first, it looked like the kunai would hit Kakashi, but just as they would have buried themselves into the man, he quickly sidestepped them. Even going as far as to grab one of them out of the air.

"You're going have to do better than that," Kakashi started. The two dark figures reached him. A look of surprise crossed Kakashi's face as two ink snakes launched themselves at him.

He dodged one of them, but the second latched onto his arm and coiled around his shoulder. The ink snake bared its fangs, ready to bite into the Jōnin's neck. A kunai going through the base of his jaw stopped it cold. The snake exploded into a puddle of ink.

The second snake had turned around and was already on top of Kakashi. The man with one eye pivoted around and cut the snake's head off. Two separate pools of ink fell to the ground. Keeping his momentum, Kakashi spun back around, and Sai, just as he would have grabbed a bell off.

Kakashi brought a hand down on the back of the boy's neck, ready to force him to the ground. Then Sai exploded into a cloud of smoke from which a flock of ink birds flew. Kakashi jumped away as the birds flew high into the air.

Sai reappeared behind and above the Jōnin and slammed his sword down on him. Blade met blade as Sai's attack stopped cold. Kakashi tilted his head around to meet Sai's eyes. "You're not half bad," he said.

Sai smiled at the man. "You did say to come at you with the intent to kill," he said. Then he held his hand up and formed a handsign. The ink birds in the air flew back around and divebombed Kakashi.

Kakashi let go of Sai and turned to face the ink birds. The Jōnin went through a rapid set of handsigns.

"Katon: Great Fire Ball, no Jutsu."

A stream of fire spat out from the mouth or rather mask of the man and formed into a fireball that consumed the ink birds.

When Kakashi turned back to face his student, Sai was gone.

Haku had watched the whole exchange with bated breath. An impressive display, she thought. Those ink creatures had certainly caught her attention. Were they some kind of summon? Or a special technique, or even a kekkei genkai. Would it be rude to ask the boy later?

Haku shook the thought off and focused her attention back on her soon-to-be sensei. That is if she passed this test. "Quite the nice view from here." Haku glanced to her side. She had felt his presence a short time ago.

"Seemed like a good vantage point," Haku said to Kakashi. "Are you a clone?" She asked. "Or you the real one?"

"Who says that either one of us is the real one," Kakashi said with a lazy expression. "You got to look underneath the underneath, as they say in the profession."

Haku nodded. "I remember Zabuza saying something like that before," she said. It was some food for thought. Had Sai even been fighting the real Kakashi?

Had the real Kakashi even appeared to them since the beginning of the test? Could he simply be watching from somewhere safe with a disinterested eye?

"Sounds like he was a good teacher," Kakashi said." Now that I've seen what one of your teammates can do. I'm curious to know what you have and what Zabuza has taught you."

Haku smiled. "Who says I haven't already made my move."

Senbon appeared from two different directions, coming at Kakashi. The silver-haired Jōnin jumped away from the attack and flew towards Haku. Landing on the same tree branch, his hand shot out and grabbed Haku by the collar of her tunic.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow before the water clone dispersed. But before the water could fall on the branch, a chilly wind blew over, freezing the water and Kakashi's outstretched arm and legs to the tree.

Hail of senbon tore through the air and imbedded themselves in the Jōnin's body. Hidden in one of her Ice Crystal Mirrors, Haku's eyes narrowed as the visage of Kakashi shimmered and wrapped around itself before vanishing entirely. Her senbon had impacted on the ice instead.

That was when she saw the lightning coming for her. Haku jumped out from her mirror just as the attack impacted and shattered the crystal mirror. Haku felt her eyes widen momentarily, and she did not expect her mirror to break so easily.

This man is in a league of his own. I don't stand a chance of getting a bell from him. Not on my own. Haku landed on the ground below the trees. She would have run off to safety if it weren't for one thing.

A hand shot out from the ground, grabbing Haku by the ankle and dragging her down. Haku let out a scream of surprise as her whole body, from the neck down, was buried in the ground. Haku tried to struggle her way out but couldn't move a muscle.

A shadow loomed over her. Haku looked up and saw her sensei's friendly smile. She wants to freeze it solid. "A good effort," he said. "But you should know better than to let your guard down like that."

Haku glared up at the man. "Are you going to let me out?" She asked.

Kakashi looked like he was thinking about it for a moment. "No." He puffed away in a cloud of smoke.

Haku wanted to scream at the man.

Kakashi looked down at the former apprentice of Zabuza as she continued to struggle her way out of the ground. She was good, about as good as he would have expected from someone trained by a man like Zabuza.

"That's two down," he said. He looked on in the direction of his third and final would-be student. "Now, time to see what the Kurama girl can do."

Yakumo did not like the way this test was going. She had watched as Sai tried and failed to get a bell from Kakashi. He had been forced to retreat and was likely hiding out for another chance.

Haku must not have fared any better if the scream from earlier was anything to go by. Yakumo knew she was next to face Kakashi.

He had gone after Haku after Sai took him on. It wasn't that much of a stretch to say he would be after her next, so she was retreating deeper into the forest and setting up traps along the way.

If she could pick the place where they would fight, it would go a long way in her favor. But she knew she needed more than that. The young Kurama girl knew she didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell against a Jōnin. Even one that was holding back. Not alone, that is.

It had become apparent that the only way any of the genin of Team 7 could get a bell was by working together. The trouble was convincing her team to work with her. There were only two bells, which meant that one of them would fail, and if Kakashi could be believed, they would be dropped from the Shinobi ranks.

"You could always use your abilities to force your teammates to help you." The Shadow said. "Or even make that Jonin-sensei of yours to pass you. I could even help you with that."

"I am not brainwashing my teammates or sensei," she rejected the Shadow's offer. "Now, if you have anything useful to contribute, shut up. I think I just ran out of time."

Yakumo was proven right when a pair of kunai flew out at her. She quickly ducked under the attack, then rolled to the side as a kick came down on her. Kakashi spun around and brought an open palm on her. She parried and shot her arm out to strike Kakashi in the chest.

He deflected the attack and sent out a kick to connect with Yakumo's stomach. Yakumo jumped away, putting some distance between her and the Jōnin.

Both combatants stared at each other for a moment, waiting for a move to be made. Kakashi nodded. "Your reflexes are good," he said. "A fresh out of the academy genin would have been hit by those kunai."

Yakumo smirked as she took a Taijutsu stance. "Remember, I'm not a fresh out of the Academy genin. I've been in the reserve forces for a while now. Did you honestly expect me to idle sit by while waiting for a team assignment?"

Kakashi took a taijutsu stance as well. "Plenty of Shinobi have gotten lazy while in the reserves," he said. "I'm happy you're not one of them." Then he launched forward. Yakumo braced herself for the coming attack.

A look of surprise flashed across Yakumo's face as Kakashi surged past her, aiming straight for a tree. The real Yakumo cursed as she dropped her genjutsu and moved out of the way of the attack.

Kakashi's fist slammed into the tree. A moment later, a fireball engulf both Kakashi and the tree. Yakumo stopped and twisted around just as Kakashi reappeared next to her, narrowly avoiding a palm strike.

"Genjutsu," Kakashi said lazily. "So, have I earned the chance to fight against the famous illusions of your clan?"

Yakumo smirked as a ring of fire surrounded them. "Not all of it," she said, resuming a fighting stance. "Wouldn't want to hurt you now. Do I?"

Kakashi looked at her with a lazy eye. "I did say to come at me with the intent to kill, did I not?" He asked. "Or are you afraid I can't handle a simple little genjutsu like this?"

Yakumo's smile grew. "I wouldn't call it a simple genjutsu," she said. "You're sweating."

Kakashi shrugged, a beat of sweat coming down his forehead. "It's just an illusion. It's all in my mind."

"Maybe," Yakumo acknowledged. "But your body thinks it's real, and that is all that matters. You can't escape my illusion."

Yakumo saw the Jōnin smile. "Don't count me out just yet," he said. "I have ways around genjutsu."

"You mean you're Sharingan eye?" Yakumo said. She was pleased to see the look of surprise on Kakashi's face. "Don't act so surprised. You're known for using the Sharingan despite not being a Uchiha."

The look of surprise slipped away, showing an expression of respect. "So, you did your homework. But that isn't what I was talking about."

Yakumo quirked an eyebrow. "Then what exactly?" A sharp pain shot through Yakumo's mouth as a fist connected with her cheek. The shock of the attack broke Yakumo's genjutsu as she was sent to the ground.

The taste of iron filled Yakumo's mouth as she held herself up on her elbows. A pair of feet came into her line of sight. She looked up at Kakashi, and then she looked past him to see another Kakashi standing behind him, waving at her.

"A genjutsu?" Yakumo said. Then she narrowed her eyes. "No, a clone," the Kakashi clone vanished in a puff of smoke.

Yakumo cursed herself for falling for such an obvious trick. She looked back at her sensei. "Like I always say, you got to look underneath the underneath," he said. He bent down. "Now then, what am I going to do with yo?" Three dark figures shot out from the trees, hurtling towards Kakashi.

The Jōnin jumped back just as the figures flew over Yakumo, allowing Yakumo to look at them. They were some of Sai's Ink creatures. There was a Snake, a toad, and a slug. All three continued to charge at Kakashi.

The man took a fighting position, pulling out a kunai. A set of feet landed next to Yakumo. She looked at the newcomer, and Sai turned to face her. "We need to go," he said, reaching out to help Yakumo back to her feet. By the time Kakashi had dealt with the Ink creature, both genin had already left the area.

Some distance away

Yakumo took a moment to catch her breath after she and Sai had put some distance between them and their sensei. "Thanks, Sai," she said. "I don't know how I would have gotten out of that myself."

Sai nodded at her, giving her one of his fake smiles. "What are teammates for?" He asked. Then, the fake smile melted away. "We need to get to Haku."

Yakumo nodded. "Do you know where she is?" Yakumo asked.

Sai nodded. "I watched her fight with Kakashi," he said. "I can take to where she is. But I may need your help to dig her out."

Yakumo looked at Sai. "Dig her out?"

The fake smile returned. "You'll see."

It was just as Sai had said. Both Yakumo and Sai had to work together to dig Haku from the ground. Haku let out a breath as she leaned back on the ground. "Thanks for that, guys," she said. "I thought I was going to be buried there all day."

Yakumo nodded. "It's the least we can do." She said. Then she looked at Sai. "Okay, so we're all together now. I assume you have an idea?"

Sai nodded. "I think we need to work together if we're going to have a chance at getting those bells from Kakashi," he said. "He's a Jōnin for a reason, and singular genin doesn't stand a chance. But."

"But three genin working together might," Yakumo said. "The idea sounds good in concept. But there's one problem here."

"There are only two bells," Haku said. "Which means that only two of us will pass this test. Someone will have to be left behind."

Sai nodded. "But yet, if we don't work together, none of us will pass," he said. "It should be clear to anyone that a single, even a skilled genin, does not stand a chance against a Jōnin. Kakashi is also known as one of Konoha's best Jōnin."

"Yet even if we do work together, we may not come close to getting even one of the bells," Haku said.

"We might stand a better chance than you think," Yakumo said. "Remember, guys, this is supposed to be a test. He can't go against us with his full strength and reasonably expects us to pass. He's been holding back on us."

Haku frowned. "Doesn't feel like it," she flicked dust off her shoulder. "But you do have a point. He is known as Sharingan no Kakashi and hasn't used his Sharingan on us."

"Exactly," Yakumo said. "Sai is right. Our best chance of betting through is by working together. Even if there are only two bells, none of us will pass if we keep going at this like we've been."

"But that does leave the question of who is left out when and if we do get the bells from Kakashi," Haku said. "How do we decide something like that? Does someone volunteer to fail, or do vote on it?"

"I don't think this test is as simple as it appears," Sai said, grabbing the attention of the two girls. "Something about this test has been bugging me."

"And what is that?" Haku asked.

"This test is explicitly designed to turn a team in on itself," Sai said. "Each member would fight to get a bell, likely going against another teammate. The best-case scenario would be if two members teamed up and left the third out."

"That does seem like the case," Yakumo said. "But what are you getting at? Are you saying there might be more to the test than Kakashi is letting on?"

"Look underneath the underneath," Haku said. "Zabuza said that to me a few times, and Kakashi seemed to agree." Looking back at her memory, Yakumo did recall Kakashi saying the same thing when he had her on the ground.

"We are Shinobi," Sai said. "Lies and deception are our craft and trade. There is another thing to consider. Konoha is known for championing teamwork, and in the files, I have, Kakashi is the biggest supporter of that idea. So, why would he design a test that explicitly has teammates turning on the other?"

"Unless that is not the true purpose of the test," Yakumo said as an idea formed in her mind. Then, a frown creased across her face. "Sai is right; we need to work together on this."

"But what if someone has to be left out?" Haku said.

Yakumo smirked. "I have an idea. But we need to work out a plan."

There was one hour left before the alarm rang, signaling the end of the test. But Kakashi was already confident that this group would fail.

"A shame, too," he muttered as he read his favorite book. "And they were a promising group as well. A lot of potential on this team." He shrugged, deciding it was nothing to worry his mind over. After all, if they couldn't handle a simple test like this, what right did they have out on the field?

A giggle escaped from Kakashi's mouth as he got to what appeared to be a steamy part of the story. Jiraiya, you have not lost your touch. This may be your best book yet. The story was enthralling, the characters were engaging, and the interactions were so good! It was a shame that so many people thought of these books as just being smut.

"You know, I can never get why people can read trash like that," case and point. Kakashi looked up briefly from his book to one of his would-be students walking up to him. The young Kurama girl was giving him a sharp glare. "Why are you even reading that now? Shouldn't you be testing us?"

Kakashi kept his book open when he responded to the genin. "Why? Because I want to see what happens next." He answered. He really did want to know. The story was getting to the point where it looked like it resolved the whole will they, won't they, dynamic between the main couple. Kakashi was hoping they would. But he would have to find that out for later.

His eyes quickly scanned over the area. He didn't detect any sign of a trap and felt the tug of a genjutsu on his mind. "What are you doing out here?" Kakashi asked. He turned his eye to Yakumo.

The girl smiled at him. "Isn't it obvious? I'm here to get the bells from you," she said with a smirk."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" He replied. "And how are you going to do that?"

"I'll just ask for them," Yakumo said. "So, can you hand them over?"

Kakashi would admit that it was a new one, and no one had thought to ask him for the bells. "That's a rather direct approach." He said.

Yakumo shrugged her shoulders. "Sometimes the simplest solution is the best solution." She said. "So, are you going to hand them over?"

Kakashi ponders it for about one second. "No."

Yakumo sighed. "Plan B it is then," she said. "Now!"

Kakashi was in motion the instant he heard the girl shout. A hail of senbon came at him from one side and several small ink creatures from the other. The senbon missed him by a hair breath, but the ink creatures turned in the air to chase after Kakashi.

Well, it looks like he would have to finish his book later. Still flying back, Kakashi pocketed his book, pulled out several kunai, and threw them at the ink creatures. Several of them exploded into globs of ink as the kunai pierced them. The few that survived were quickly dealt with as Kakashi landed on the ground and slammed his hands on the ground after a blur of handsigns.

A slap of rock rose. "Doton: Earth Wall no Jutsu."

The ink creatures slammed into the wall of rock. Kakashi did not relax as he heard something cutting through the air. Kakashi jumps to the side just in time to avoid an icy spear going through him.

Kakashi looked at the ice spear embedded in the wall of earth and ran the calculations in his head. Had he been just a second slower, that would been his head. These brats were really trying to kill him. Good on them.

Kakashi was in motion again, avoiding a sword strike to his shoulder. The sword came back at him, this time cutting downward on his face. Kakashi stopped it with a kunai. Kakashi looked at Sai's smiling face; it was still a little too fake for Kakashi's liking.

Before Kakashi could ask the boy anything, he saw a glint of light from the corner of his eye. Kakashi quickly pulled away from Sai and deflected the hail of senbon thrown at him. Another sword swing came at him as more senbon rained down on him.

Hmm, interesting it appears that they are working together on this. Promising, but I am not going to let my hopes up. It was interesting to note that he hadn't seen Yakumo since the beginning of the fight, the young Kurama girl having vanished. It was possible what he had been talking to had been a genjutsu. He would have to look back at his memories later.

Right now, he had a fight to focus on. It seemed his second attacker had gotten tired of ranged support and was flying directly into the battle. Haku carried a handful of senbon in one hand while she wielded a sword in the other. Haku threw her senbon.

Kakashi easily deflected the attack and ducked under a swing from Sai. Twisting back up, Kakashi parried an attack from Haku. "Double teaming me, now?" Kakashi asked the young kunoichi. "Where's the third member of your team? Or did the two of you decide you could do without her?"

Haku gave him a smile that was anything but friendly." Oh, I'm sure that she's around. But she's not the one you should be paying attention to."

Kalashi pulled away from Haku. He spun around, swinging his Kunai to cut at Sai's stomach. For a second, Kakashi had expected the boy to explode into a cloud of smoke, revealing a clone or a log. Instead, he felt a cold chill run down his spine when he felt a liquid substance on his hands and face.

For a brief second, panic overtook Kakashi as he thought he had seriously damaged his student. Then, the boy exploded into a cloud of ink. It took a quarter of a second for Kakashi's mind to reboot and another half-second to process what happened.

An Ink Bushin would never have thought of it, Kakashi thought, turning back around to face Haku. She had just finished a set of handsigns.

"Hyoton: Chilling Wind."

A gust of wind and snow flew out from Haku's hands. The attack blew over Kakashi. At first, nothing happened, but then Kakashi felt his body stiffening. Or rather be constricted. "The ink," Kakashi said aloud.

Haku smiled. "Ink is still mostly water, so it shares its freezing point," she said.

"Very clever," Kakashi said.

"We thought so," Sai said, stepping into view. "Now I think we'll be taking those bells for ourselves." He took a step towards Kakashi.

"Now, now I wouldn't be so hasty," Kakashi said calmly. He broke through the frozen constraints with a flare of chakra through his body. Sai jumped back, landing beside Haku. Both Genin had their weapons drawn. Kakashi drew a Kunai out and adjusted his body into a fighting stance. "This test is about over."

Ring! Ring!

Kakashi's free hand shot out and grabbed something. A yelping noise reached his ears as he pulsed his chakra. "KAI!"

Yakumo appeared beside Kakashi, her long brown hair held tightly in Kakashi's hand. She was holding both silver bells. Kakashi arched an eyebrow. Today was proving to be full of surprises. The young Kurama girl held the bells in her hand, giving Kakashi a wide grin. "I got the bells."

"So, it would seem," Kakashi said. Then he let the girl go. Yakumo stood up and walked up to her teammates. She turned around to face Kakashi. "So, what happens now?" He asked, crossing his arms. "You now hold the fates of your teammates in your hands. Who do you choose to be your teammate? Sai? Haku? Or maybe you can keep them for yourself."

Now, he would see.

Yakumo looked between her teammates. They looked back at her, nodding. She nodded back and looked at Kakashi. She took a deep breath and let it out.

They had gotten the bells, but now the riskiest part of the plan was coming into play. Yakumo was either about to pass them all or fail them. She held the silver bells out for Kakashi to see. "I choose," she said. Then dropped the bells to the ground. "None of us."

She saw Kakashi's single eye widen slightly. "You choose to fail your whole team?" He asked in an even tone.

Yakumo nodded. "I do, and my teammates support my decision," she said. On cue, Haku and Sai walked up beside her. All three genin stared down their sensei.

"We're a team," Haku said. "If one of us fails, we all fail. Together."

"You can't turn us against each other," Sai said. "Even if you fail us, we'll continue working together."

Yakumo nodded and stared down at the silver-haired Jōnin. "We're Team 7, the three of us," she said. "If we fail here, so be it. But we'll do it as a team. We're done playing your games, sensei."

A dark look spreads across Kakashi's face as he stares down at the genin. "And this is your final decision?" He asked. Dark clouds rolled over above, thunder cracking in the background. "If you go through with this, all of you will fail and be dropped from the shinobi program. It's not too late. The bells are still right at your feet."

The genin stood their ground against Kakashi. "We fail together," Yakumo said.

Kakashi's single eye narrowed at the trio. "Then you leave me no choice but to say," the man paused for several seconds. The dark clouds overhead grow darker, and thunder gets louder. The three genin began to sweat, waiting for the response from the Jōnin. "You pass," Kakashi said in a cheery voice. The clouds and thunder suddenly vanished, showing a bright, sunny sky.

The sudden change in mood had the trio of genin blinking at the silver-haired Jōnin. "What?" Yakumo said dumbly.

Kakashi tilted his head to the side. "Didn't you just hear what I just say?" He asked. "I said you passed. All three of you."

A wave of relief came over Yakumo. "So that means we're a team now." She said. "No one is being dropped out from the program?"

"Of course not," Kakashi answered. "I never had that kind of power to begin with. Only the Hokage and senior members of the Shinobi Corp. can do that. I might be a Jōnin, but I don't have that authority. All I can do is make a recommendation and let the higher-ups decide.

"So, we were never in any real danger here," Yakumo said. "Just some empty threats to motivate us for this test?"

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't call it an empty threat; my word does carry some weight. But yes, it was. Just another little trick to get you to take this test seriously."

"Then what about the bells?" Haku asks. "Were they of any value in this test? Did we waste our time trying to get them?"

"I think you already know the answer," Kakashi said.

"It was never about the bells," Sai replied. "The true purpose of this test was to see if we would be willing to work together, even if it conflicted with our personal goals."

Kakashi was silent for a moment. "There is something I want to show you three," he said. A few minutes later, the group stood in front of a stone slab with many names written on it. "Do you know what this is?" Kakashi asked.

"No, Kakashi-Sensei," Yakumo said, shaking her head. Haku did the same. However, Sai was looking at the stone intently.

"This stone has all the names of Konoha's heroes on it," Kakashi explained. "Do you know how they got their names on this stone?"

Yakumo had a feeling she wouldn't like the answer she would get. "No, Kakashi-sensei," she said. She had a feeling what this stone actually was.

"They all died," Kakashi said. He held his hand out to touch the stone. It glides down the surface, making Yakumo wonder if he was looking for a specific name or names. "Everyone on this stone was a hero who died for this village." His hand stopped, Yakumo could not see what name it was hovering over. "A friend of mine once said. Those who don't follow orders are scum. But those who abandon their comrades are lower than scum."

Kakashi turned around to face the three genin. "Teamwork is a vital thing in Konoha. It has allowed us to remain the strongest of the hidden villages."

"So that's why you made the test the way it was," Yakumo said. "You wanted to see if we would follow orders or protect our teammates."

Kakashi nodded. "I never understood what my friend was trying to say. Not until it was far too late." Kakashi's hand went for the part of his headband covering his eye. He pulled it up, revealing a Sharingan eye. "His name was Uchiha Obito, and he is why I am alive today."

Now Yakumo could guess whose name Kakashi's hand had been hovering over. "Those who don't follow orders are scum. But those who abandon their comrades are lower than scum." She repeated the phrase from Kakashi. A determined expression morphed across her face. "I won't abandon my teammates, even if it means going against orders."

"And neither will I," Haku said, stepping up beside Yakumo.

"We are a team now," Sai said, standing on the other side of Yakumo.

Kakashi looked at each of them, his thoughts unreadable from the expression on his face. He nodded at them, and Yakumo could make out a smile under his mask. "Then, as of today, you are now Team-7 under my command. We will start our training tomorrow." He pulled his headband down to cover his Sharingan eye. "For now, you have the rest of the day to yourselves to enjoy. But come tomorrow, your training as shinobi begins. Meet up here tomorrow at the same time as today."

Yakumo smirked. "Should we include the wait time?" she asked. This got a chuckle from Haku.

Kakashi gave her an eye smile. "We'll see," he said. "Until then, Team-7, you are dismissed." Then, he was gone in a puff of smoke.

Yakumo let out a sigh of relief; she had never known a day could be so stressful like that. "We did it," she said, almost falling to the ground. But she kept her feet steady on the ground. "We're a team now. We did it."

She felt a hand on her shoulder. Haku smiled at her. "Yes, we did do it," she said. "As a team."

Sai came into her view and placed his hand on her other shoulder. "As a team."

Yakumo smiled and nodded. "As a team." She repeated. "Come on, guys, let's go and celebrate."

Team-7 was now official.