Before the test had even started, Kakashi's little insult of Naruto being a loser already set him off.

"Don't be in such a hurry, I didn't say 'start' yet," Kakashi told him with the boy's kunai at his neck.

Obito scoffed. "Pfft, there he goes again! Even as a grown-up, he still has to act all cool!" He turned his head away in supposed disgust with his arms crossed.

Maybe it was a bit of his envy and jealousy talking, but Obito did see Kakashi that way. He could be humble but instead, Obito was certain Kakashi only did what he did to show off.

His teammate was much more appreciative. "Wow, he was so fast. I couldn't even follow him with my own eyes!" Rin gushed with praise.

"He certainly has improved. I wouldn't expect anything less from him," Minato commented. "A Jonin has to set a certain standard, after all."

Kushina observed Kakashi letting the blonde boy go, "I think I could still take him. Don't you think so, Minato?" Her confident smile made him fold immediately and a swift nod from him followed.

"And... start!"

The three academy graduates all jumped away to hide immediately. Kakashi stood in the middle of the training field all by his lonesome.

For about five seconds.

Naruto appeared once again, stance confident with his arms crossed as he yelled, "You and me! Fair and square, let's go!"

Kakashi, for his part, looked legitimately perplexed at his plan.

"Does he seriously think he can take on a Jonin straight out of the academy?" Obito may have had his arguments with Kakashi, but this was just absurd. "I mean, what's he gonna do? Run at him?"

Rin looked on worriedly, "Do you think maybe he has some jutsu to help him?" She looked towards Minato and Kushina, hoping one of them could provide some explanation.

Kushina shook her head. "I've got nothing, kiddo."

Minato put a hand on his chin, "The odds of a fresh academy graduate having a jutsu that could overpower a Jonin is slim to none, much less one that Kakashi wouldn't see coming. Even with just one eye, that won't be enough to bridge the gap. So, I would say-"

The red-head cut him off, "-he's screwed."

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

Naruto charged at Kakashi and the older man couldn't look less interested if he tried. He reached into his ninja pouch, Naruto stopping his charge in fear of an attack when it turned out to be a simple orange book.

"A book?" Minato questioned.

Kakashi opened it and began reading it. He didn't even face Naruto anymore and the boy took offense to it. Charging again, he threw a punch that was quickly blocked, followed by an overhead kick that Kakashi easily ducked. Righting himself, Naruto threw a jab at Kakashi's face but the man appeared behind him before he could even blink.

"Don't let your enemy get behind you all the time."

"Wait, he's got his hands in a jutsu sign, Kakashi wouldn't hurt Naruto too bad, right?" Rin questioned.

Obito shook his head. "No way. He'd have to be an idiot to seriously injure the kid."

Before the adults could chime in, Kakashi went on the offensive for the first time. With a gleam in his eye, Kakashi threw his fingers forward yelling, "Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu!"

Minato, ever the one to learn something new said, "Oh! I've never heard of-!"

"One Thousand Years of Death!"

Kakashi's fingers hit right between Naruto's butt cheeks which sent the boy flying into the river nearby.

The four-time travelers were all stunned. Nobody said anything for a moment before Kushina's laughter rang out loudly. That was what made the rest of them snap out of it.

"Ha! Who knew Kakashi was a pervert!"

Rin, for her part, was desperately trying to reconcile the cool image of Kakashi she had in her head along with what she witnessed and failing spectacularly. "Well... it did work, I guess?"

Minato put his hands on his head in despair, "Who corrupted Kakashi like this?!"

Kushina simply continued to laugh until tears came out.

After everyone had calmed down, Naruto jumped out of the water. That wasn't unusual, but the clones that jumped out behind him were.

"Hey, look at that!" Kushina called out, pointing towards the shadows they all created. "Those aren't just normal clones, those are shadow clones!"

Minato gasped, "You're right! But how can he know a forbidden technique like that?"

Obito's eyes widened as if something had finally connected in his head, "So, that's why none of my clansmen would teach me it!"

Rin stared at him, "You didn't know that, Obito?"

The boy blushed at his lack of knowledge, "I-I just thought it would be cool to learn!"

"Obito, you should know the multi-shadow clone technique is dangerous. It's forbidden for anyone below Jonin-rank." Minato chastised.

"But why? The regular Shadow Clone Jutsu isn't."

"Because making multiple clones at once like that seriously puts a strain on the body since it splits your chakra evenly between all the clones. Not to mention the initial chakra you lose simply using the technique. If a Genin or Chunin attempted it, they could die from using all their chakra at once. Even Jonin can't make more than a few clones at most."

"Alright, alright, I get it." Obito moped.

As they all turned back to the bell test, it seemed that Kakashi had escaped whatever plan Naruto had concocted. His clones began to throw accusations at each other, claiming one another to be Kakashi in disguise. Once they all got done attacking each other, Naruto released the jutsu but Kakashi was nowhere to be found.

Later, they found Sakura stock still in another part of the forest.

Rin observed the girl who seemingly wasn't even breathing, "She's like a statue."

Kushina walked and stood in front of the girl. "She's definitely in a genjutsu. Her eyes are unfocused."

The mention of genjutsu piqued Obito's interest, "I wonder which one he-"

"AHHHHHHH!"

Without warning, Sakura screamed out in horror at seemingly nothing.

"Gah!" Obito recoiled in fright at the pink-haired girl's sheer volume. "What the hell?!"

"Kakashi must have put her under a pretty strong one to get a reaction like that..." Minato commented as Sakura passed out on the ground.

"That brat's overdoing it. These kids are still way too green to warrant anything like this."

"To be fair, there is the argument that he's just preparing her for the real deal, Kushina."

"Yeah, maybe that would work if she even knew what she was dealing with. She isn't gonna learn anything being thrown to the wolves like that."

"But Jiraiya-sensei said-"

"Jiraiya is an IDIOT."

Minato sighed. Though they got along well enough in his presence, first impressions between Jiraiya and Kushina started pretty rocky. She knew of his perverted reputation and he certainly didn't try to hide it. Of course, Minato had to threaten his sensei a bit to get him to lay off, but Jiraiya had no problem respecting his wishes once he voiced them. Still, that didn't mean Kushina ever forgot his antics.

Once they found Kakashi, he was engaged in a confrontation with Sasuke.

"I'm not like Naruto and Sakura."

Kakashi, totally nonchalant, told him, "Say that after you get these bells".

Sasuke began by throwing multiple shuriken and kunai at him which Kakashi predictably dodged. Turning his gaze to the side, Sasuke struck a rope that launched even more projectiles at Kakashi's direction.

"It seems this kid at least has some strategy," Kushina praised.

She didn't have much experience with the Uchiha outside of Mikoto, her best friend. Still, she'd work with a fair number of them on missions and aside from a select few like Obito, they were all generally moody. At one point, she had asked Mikoto if that was some dominant trait in the bloodline, but her friend had simply laughed and called it a "clan secret".

Once Kakashi dodged the sharp objects, Sasuke jumped on him with multiple attacks. Even as Kakashi caught the blows and immobilized each limb with his hands, Sasuke was able to acclimate and turn his body to throw another attack.

Now upside down, Sasuke briefly even touched the bells before Kakashi jumped back.

"Woah! Did you guys see that? Sasuke almost got the bells!" Obito knew Kakashi wasn't exactly trying his hardest in this test, but still!

"Kakashi was able to do the same against me when we did the test the second time," Minato reminded them, "If he had worked together with you two, you guys might have caught me out there."

"Like Kakashi would ever work with us. He thinks he's too good for it."

"You got that right, Obito. How about you let me humble Kakashi a bit, Minato?"

"Please don't, Kushina."

"Well, you are different from the other two, I'll grant you that."

Grunting, Sasuke began making multiple hand signs in quick succession, a sure sign that it was a move he was intimately familiar with.

Obito could of course recognize the move in question before Sasuke even spat out any fire, "Every Uchiha learns the fireball jutsu at some point."

As the smoke cleared, Sasuke looked around in worry.

"Where'd he go?"

A gloved hand breached the ground he was standing on, firmly grasping his ankle.

"Where?" Kakashi called out mockingly.

Sasuke yelled out as he was pulled into the ground, leaving his head exposed.

Rin giggled, "He looks kinda funny like that."

"Kakashi always spams that move. It's cheating."

"Oh, don't be a sore loser, Obito."

"Right under your feet. Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu."

"Damn it!"

Needless to say, Kakashi's would-be team fared much worse than Team Minato ever did.

"They didn't get it at all, did they?" Rin asked in despair for them.

Naruto's stomach cried out in anguish at the lack of sustenance.

"Uh oh... stomach's growling, huh? That's too bad. Oh, by the way, about this exercise? Well, I've decided I won't send any of you back to the academy."

Naruto and Sakura's happy reactions were immediate, though Sasuke was much more subdued but visibly relieved.

Kushina's eyes widened, "Wow, I didn't think Kakashi would be the type to take pity on them like that."

"Unfortunately, if I know Kakashi at all, I don't think he's telling the whole story," Minato smiled warily.

With a sadistic eye smile, Kakashi told them, "All three of you are being dropped from the program, permanently."

All four onlookers could hear the vitriol and distaste in his voice.

"Geez, what an ass."

"Obito..."

"Sorry, sensei." He wasn't.

Predictably, after being told their careers were effectively over before they even started, Sasuke charged at Kakashi in a rage. Even more predictably, he was put into the ground within a second flat.

"You think it's all about you."

Of course, Sakura couldn't stand to see Sasuke humiliated, so she screamed out in protest for Kakashi to let her go.

Ignoring her, Kakashi continued, "Why do you think we put you on squads, did you consider that question for one moment? Three people on a squad, why do you think we would do that?"

Obito and Rin were genuinely shocked at Kakashi's demeanor. Not only did he not even care for teamwork in their own time, but he sounded seriously upset that they hadn't grasped the point of the test. Kakashi was never upset. Ever. He'd get mad, even furious, but anything else was always hidden behind a veil of indifference or ego.

The three children didn't have an answer for him.

"It's so basic: teamwork!"

"Just working together? That's it?"

"That's all there is to it. Well, anyway, it's over." The silver-haired man whipped out a kunai and held it to Sasuke's neck. "Sakura, kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies."

Obito lost his cool, "Woah, what?!"

"Sensei, is he serious?!"

"No, he's trying to make a point."

Sakura looked torn about her decision. Of course, she wanted to save Sasuke, but murdering an innocent person seemed to almost edge out. She gripped a kunai in both hands, shaking with indecision. Right before it seemed like she would just explode from the pressure, Kakashi removed the kunai from Sasuke's neck.

"That's what happens on a mission. The enemy takes a hostage, you've got an impossible choice, and someone ends up dead," Kakashi stood up which allowed Sasuke to finally gain control over himself. "Alright, I'm going to give you guys one more chance. Eat lunch now to build up strength, but Naruto doesn't get any."

Naruto growled, feeling like Kakashi was picking favorites.

"If anyone feeds him, they will immediately fail."

Naruto spoke up, "That's not fair!"

"I make the rules. You follow them. Got it?"

"Kakashi can be pretty scary when he wants to be."

"Don't worry, Rin," Minato looked her dead in the eyes, "Kakashi is doing this for their own good. Being a ninja isn't about personal glory, it's about completing all missions as efficiently as possible for the benefit of the village. The only way you can do that is by working with others. Anyone who doesn't grasp that is a liability in the field."

As time passed, Sasuke and Sakura started eating their food. Naruto was visibly getting more tired as his hunger increased.

Sasuke looked at him before sighing and handing Naruto the rest of his food, "Here." To say Naruto and Sakura were shocked was an understatement.

"Sasuke, you can't! Kakashi-sensei told us not to!" Sakura reminded him.

"Kakashi's gone. We need to get those bells and Naruto can't help us if he's starving. He'll be weak and ineffective."

That seemed to get through to the other two, though Naruto almost protested that he could do whatever was required of him with or without the food.

"I thought for sure Pinky would be the one to help Naruto," Kushina was surprised. Sasuke seemed to be an arguably worse version of Kakashi, yet here he was being the first to take the initiative in giving away his food. She was honestly impressed because Kakashi definitely would never have even thought to do that.

"Guess not every one of my clansmen are irredeemable sticks in the mud."

After Naruto got fed some food by Sakura, to the former's massive delight, Kakashi reappeared in a whirlwind.

"YOU!"

Naruto yelled out in fear and surprise as Kakashi towered over them.

"You broke the rules. I hope you're ready for the punishment." He weaved a couple of hand signs, the clouds above changing to dark thunderclouds, "Any last words?"

"Talk about dramatic..." Obito wasn't impressed with Kakashi's acting.

"You said there were three of us, that's what you said! So, that's why they were feeding me!"

Sasuke braced himself for a fight, "We're all on this squad so we're all in this together!"

"Yeah, that's right! We gave our lunch to him because the three of us are one!"

Kakashi approached them, unbelieving, "The three of you are one, that's your excuse?"

The three of them didn't falter or try to retract their declarations.

Due to that, Kakasho smiled.

"Hmph, you pass."

"Huh?" x2

Sasuke still didn't seem to trust Kakashi's words.

"You pass."

Sakura was the first to speak, "How did we pass?"

"You're the first squad that ever succeeded. The others did exactly as I said and fell into every trap. They couldn't think for themselves. A ninja must see through any deception. In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, that's true... but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Kakashi might have a future as a motivational speaker."

"I might have to agree with Obito. You didn't tell me Kakashi could be so poetic, Minato."

Minato scratched his head, "Truth be told, I didn't know that either. I wouldn't expect that out of him."

As the kids cheered, Kakashi declared, "You all pass! Starting tomorrow, squad seven will begin its first mission!"

Without warning, the world around the time travelers became blurry, and were again transported to another point in time.

End of Chapter 2

A/N: Let's ignore that Chapter 2 is coming out years after the first. If you can believe it, I never forgot this story and it drove me crazy that I never finished it, so here we are.

Anyway, I hope I wasn't too rusty with my writing, please let me know if anything could be improved! Next should be the Wave Mission, but don't worry, it won't be a boring retelling of the entire mission. It'll just cover the big fights!