Thalia Grace: The Will of a Ninja

by ShadowNinja77

Thalia thought she was going to die on that hill, protecting her friends. But fate has other plans as she is summoned to a new world by a grinning blonde kid with dreams of being Hokage. Now, stuck in this new world, she'll have to survive by becoming the greatest ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village. I do not own these characters. Closed to art commissions!

6. Survival Exercise

It was early the next day, the sun not even risen yet, where the four members of Team 7 found themselves at the designated training ground.

"Morning," Sakura greeted, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"Morning," Naruto said just about a grunt, barely watching where he was going.

Sasuke said nothing, not looking tired at all.

"Morning," Thalia said, yawning a little as well, but her eyes were wide open, already scanning the area for any sign of Kakashi.

"How are you two not tired?" Naruto complained, yawning again.

Thalia shrugged. "I'm used to getting up early," she replied, thinking of all the times she'd had to force herself to wake up in order to keep moving. "Not sure about him."

Sasuke just sniffed. He usually got up this early to use the training grounds before anyone else came along. He was just glad that it seemed that Thalia had a good head on her shoulders. When the team had been announced, he'd been worried he would have to carry the whole thing himself but it seemed more and more likely that Thalia could carry her own weight.

It was when ten minutes passed that Thalia let out a breath. "Uh oh," she mumbled, pinching her nose.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"He's going to do it again, isn't he?"

"Who's going to do…wait, you mean Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, eyes widening as she realized. "He's going to be late again? That can't be right, he told us to meet here at 5 am! He wouldn't…" she trailed off, looking around.

"They had a time set yesterday and he missed it," Thalia reminded her. "And he's not here, so…"

"That bastard!" Naruto growled, folding his arms over his chest. "I bet he's still asleep, all nice and cozy in his bed while we're out here freezing!"

Sasuke just glowered at the ground. This was seriously their sensei?

While they all hoped Thalia's prediction was wrong, more and more time went by until the sun soon came up and the birds began chirping in earnest and he still hadn't made an appearance. Thalia and Naruto were sleeping soundly on the ground. Thalia had the rule that you should eat and sleep whenever you could as a life on the run didn't give too many opportunities for either. So she'd asked Sakura to wake her when Kakashi finally made an appearance and settled down in the grass, soon snoring softly. It didn't take long for Naruto to join her.

Eventually, as more time passed, Sakura found herself seated next to them, struggling to stay awake. She'd tried to carry a conversation with Sasuke but soon gave up as he didn't bother to respond at all. Now she was contemplating whether or not to get some sleep too. But she didn't want Kakashi-sensei to appear and think she was lazy. Though, given how he hadn't bothered to show up for hours now, she also wondered why she should care.

Sasuke, in the meantime, just found his anger frustration growing stronger and stronger.

Finally, Sakura spotted a figure approaching in the distance and tapped Thalia on the leg.

"Hmm?"

"I think Kakashi's here. Maybe."

Thalia grunted again before she sat up, blinking as she took in the approaching figure. "Yeah that looks like him. Hey, Naruto," she said, patting him on the shoulder and waking the blonde up.

"Morning, everyone," Kakashi said when he reached them. "Ready for your first day?"

"Hey, you're late!" Naruto and Sakura snapped angrily while Sasuke continued to glower and Thalia just rolled her eyes.

"Well, a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way," Kakashi replied, thinking back fondly to Obito when he'd used that excuse. Of course, when he had, it had actually been true.

"A black cat scared you so much you had to take a three-hour detour?" Thalia asked, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you supposed to be like an elite ninja or something?"

"Clearly not," Sasuke drawled.

"If you're going to lie to us, at least get better at it. If you said the Nemean Lion or a manticore crossed your path, I'd understand, cause those are nasty…" Thalia trailed off, seeing the confused looks she was getting. "Oh, right, you don't know…they're really powerful monsters that live out…oh never mind," she huffed. "Just get on with the lesson, would you! Or else I'm going back to sleep!"

Kakashi eyed Thalia carefully, hiding his small smile behind his mask. "Yes," he said, "let's get started." He walked over to a post and placed a clock onto it. "Here we go, it's set for noon," he told them, pressed a button at the top. He then held up two bells. "Your assignment is very simple. You just have to take these bells from me. That's all there is to it."

That can't be all there is, Thalia thought. From what Kakashi had gone on about yesterday on fail rates, there was definitely something else.

"If you can't get them by noon, you go without lunch," Kakashi continued.

"Wah?" Naruto cried out.

"You'll be tied to those posts, and you'll watch while I eat my lunch in front of you," Kakashi said, pointing to the four posts nearby. Thalia had wondered about those posts, knowing there had to be a reason for them in this spot, but hadn't dwelled on it long. Next to her, Sasuke was thinking the same thing.

So that's why… Sasuke thought.

He told us not to eat breakfast to make it harder on us, Sakura wailed internally, clutching her grumbling stomach, while Naruto wailed softly next to them.

"Wait a minute, there's four of us," Sakura said, looking at the bells. "How come there's only two bells?"

Kakashi grinned behind his mask. "Well that way, at least one or two of you will end up tied to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission. Whoever that may be will go back to the academy. Then again, all four of you could flunk out too. You can use any weapons, including shuriken. Yes," he added quickly, seeing Thalia's hand go up. "I know about your special gear. I'll allow that as well." He'd already heard about the shield from Guy and was curious to see it in action. And he'd seen her skill with her spear firsthand. It would be very interesting to see what she'd do against him.

Special gear? Sasuke and Sakura thought simultaneously but cast it aside as Kakashi continued.

"Now, if you're not prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bells," he warned.

"But those weapons are too dangerous, sensei," Sakura complained.

Meanwhile Naruto just laughed and Thalia grinned, both looking forward to this. "Especially since you couldn't dodge that eraser," Naruto said.

"Class clowns are usually the weakest links," Kakashi commented. "You can safely ignore them. Lowest scores, losers."

Naruto stopped laughing, not glaring at Kakashi heatedly.

"When I say start, you can begin."

However, Naruto didn't wait, the word losers echoing in his mind. He pulled out a kunai and charged right at Kakashi, eager to make him eat that word.

"Naruto, wait!" Thalia cried, rushing after him. But she stopped a second later, gasping alongside Sasuke and Sakura as Kakashi moved. Except none of them saw him move. One instant, he was in front of Naruto as the boy charged him. The next he was behind Naruto in between them all, somehow moving past them without any of them seeing. One hand was on Naruto's head while the other had his arm pulled back so that the kunai was pressed against his neck.

So fast, Thalia thought, a jolt of fear rushing through her. She couldn't even think of many monsters who could move that fast.

"Don't be in such a hurry," Kakashi said, the wind whistling around him from his movement. "I didn't say start yet."

Naruto groaned in frustration as Kakashi let him go.

So this is a jōnin, Sasuke thought. He had been wondering but now it was clear. That whole eraser thing must have been an act of some kind.

"But you came at me with the full intention of destroying me, so…how can I say this? I'm actually starting to like you guys."

What a strange man, Thalia thought. Maybe she should go to the Hokage and see if she could switch over to Hinata's team or something.

"Get ready," Kakashi said and they all instantly got into stances. "And…start!"

In that second, three figures dashed off into the nearby bushes to hide. But one figure remained behind, dashing forward as fast as possible right for Kakashi.

Thalia brought out her spear and activated Aegis in one movement, stabbing at Kakashi with her spear before it was even fully out. Kakashi blinked in surprise at her sudden attack, moving himself out of the way so that the spear just passed him.

Wasn't expecting this, he mused. He had honestly thought Naruto might attack him right off the bat or maybe even Sasuke. He had expected her to hang back and wait for the right moment to attack, but evidently not.

Still, given his fast dodge, she would overextend herself and leave herself open. He'd hold her down and then see who would come to help. Naruto for sure but hopefully the other two would show a sign of teamwork. Until they did, he could get some reading done and…

He stopped, his eye noting how her foot pressed down hard on the ground for leverage. That was his only warning before Thalia swung the spear to the side at him. Part of him thought about just taking the hit and then removing her of her weapon but it was the small sparks he noticed along the side of the spear that made him fold back, letting the spear fly over him instead.

She charged up the spear, he thought. Very handy. He wasn't even sure he could do that with his Chidori. Still, now that the spear had passed over him, he could…

He'd only moved for a second, rising up to take her down, when he saw it. He'd heard Guy talk about it, even got a peek of it during her training sessions with Iruka. But that was nothing compared to a full view of the shield and the horrible image on it. It was a woman, or what once was a woman, with snakes for hair and fangs. But it was the eyes. Those horrific eyes that burned right into his soul, like they were freezing him solid. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen something like this, if he ever had.

Gotcha now! Thalia smirked, slamming her shield into Kakashi's chest.

Fool, Sasuke thought as he watched Thalia go. As strong as she was, there was no way she could take on a jōnin like this. At least, that's what he had thought. But then he saw her go, her swift movements taking him by surprise. And then she actually landed a hit on Kakashi, making him gasp.

Wow, Sakura thought, watching Thalia in awe.

Yeah, go Thalia! Naruto cheered.

"Not bad, I must say."

Thalia's smirk died at Kakashi's words, seeing his hands gripping her shield.

"You shouldn't have gotten in close," he informed her. "Since that image was really your best move and now I can't see it anymore."

Thalia struggled to pull her shield back but it was too late, Kakashi yanking the shield around her with her hand still gripping it, until he was pressing it against her back, her arm arched painfully behind her. She gritted her teeth, refusing to let out a sound as she struggled.

"You're different from the others, but I guess that's not surprising given your background," Kakashi said in a conversational way. "A good lesson to learn is that ninja conceal their movements and hide effectively, especially when confronted with a powerful enemy, something your teammates seem to have learned well. But you attacked me right off the bat."

"Well," Thalia grunted. "It's just like you said. If you're prepared to kill, you won't win. And whenever I fight, I'm always ready to kill!"

As she said that, she tapped Aegis again, deactivating the spear and freeing Kakashi's grip on her. She started to move to attack again but just as fast, Kakashi grabbed her arm, pressing it back against her. "Nice trick," he said, his hand covering the bracelet to prevent her from activating Aegis again. "But one I saw coming."

"Styx!" Thalia cursed and Kakashi's mouth twitched. This girl really was something else. He had no doubt her words were true on her readiness to kill given her history. But he didn't get a chance to reply as a new voice rang out.

"Let her go!" Naruto cried, charging forward.

Idiot! Sasuke and Sakura both thought from their hiding places.

"And right on time," Kakashi said, turning him and Thalia to face the boy. Before Naruto could take another step, Kakashi pulled out a kunai and pressed it against Thalia's throat, making her gulp and Naruto to come to a stop. "Now, when faced with an enemy holding your comrade captive, what's your next move?" he asked.

Naruto glared at him and then at the kunai held up to his friend's throat. He knew that Kakashi wasn't really going to kill Thalia but that didn't change the level of panic rising in him at seeing her like this.

Thalia closed her eyes and concentrated, feeling her power build up. But before she could even create a spark, the kunai pressed harder against her throat. "None of that," Kakashi told her. "I know when you're using that power of yours so don't even try it."

Naruto growled in frustration, desperately trying to think. How would he get Thalia out of this? He couldn't just stand around! He had to do something! But what? What could he…

He stopped, seeing Thalia's hand on her spear twitching. Or her fingers at least. As Naruto watched, she raised her four fingers off her spear, just keeping it up with her thumb which was impressive on its own. Then, she put a finger down, and then the next, and the next and then…

A countdown, Naruto realized just as Thalia made her move.

A while ago, before she ran away, Thalia had taken combat classes at her school. There wasn't much in school that interested her but the classes were actually good and the instructor knew what he was doing. A lot of what she'd used against monsters, she learned from him. And one thing he taught her was what to do when caught in an enemy's grip like this.

She exhaled and felt, very slightly, Kakashi's grip on her loosen just a bit and a slight gap form between her and the kunai. She then made her next move, one she knew would hurt like hell but would also free her. Kakashi still had her shield arm at such an angle that brought pain with every movement, making it nigh impossible to launch any sort of counter attack. Except for this one last surprise move she considered to be a 'hail mary.'

She pushed down on that angle on her arm until her arm popped out of its socket.

What? Kakashi thought, shocked at the move, but he couldn't even react to it as Thalia swung around, ducking her head around his kunai and freeing herself from that position. He still held her now dislocated arm but that wasn't helping him too much as she just gritted her teeth through the intense pain she was feeling and attacked, stabbing at him once again. Except it wasn't with her spear. Kakashi found himself shocked a second time in a row as Thalia came at him with a kunai, jabbing and slashing away at him.

Wait, when did she-

"Yah!"

Kakashi looked up in time to see Naruto charging again, Thalia's spear in his hands. He dodged easily enough as Naruto attacked but then had to dodge much faster as Thalia's kunai came at him. But he wasn't able to dodge as Thalia suddenly kicked him when he was distracted by Naruto's next attack, her foot striking him right in the hip, making him stumble just slightly. Because of that, he didn't dodge Naruto's attack but instead was forced to grab hold of the spear, pushing it aside.

These kids, he thought to himself, feeling a small ball of warmth grow inside him. He realized Thalia had tossed Naruto her spear right after she dislocated her arm and turned on him. He had allowed himself to be distracted by her surprising movement and hadn't seen it happen. Then they worked together to push him back. Not bad. Not bad at all.

He finally released Thalia's dislocated arm, realizing it was now more of hindrance on him than her. It was astonishing that a girl of only 12 was able to fight through such pain or even be willing to do such a thing just to get an edge over her opponent.

"You two are full of surprises," Kakashi said, watching them carefully for what they'd do next.

Thalia just huffed, the pain really starting to get to her now. She could still fight but every second like this was more and more draining on her.

"Hey Thalia, take a break," Naruto suddenly said, surprising her. "You've earned it. I'll handle things from here."

Thalia blinked at that while Kakashi just raised an eyebrow.

"Alright Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cried out. "You and me, right now, fair and square! Let's go!"

"You know, compared to the others, you're a little weird," Kakashi commented.

"Oh yeah?" Naruto shot back. "The only thing weird here is your haircut."

Thalia couldn't hold back her snort but it didn't last long as Naruto charged Kakashi, spear still in hand. "No, wait!" she cried, moving to follow him but then winced as her arm flared up again.

Naruto kept going, rushing right towards Kakashi as fast as he could, aiming to make him pay for hurting Thalia like that, even if it had mostly been self-inflicted, and for calling Naruto a loser.

But then Naruto skidded to a stop, seeing Kakashi reach into his pouch behind him for something. "Shinobi battle techniques, part one," the man said. "Taijutsu, the physical art."

Taijutsu? Naruto thought. That's hand-to-hand combat. So why is he reaching for a weapon?

That surprise turned to rage as he saw not a weapon but a book being pulled from the pouch, Kakashi opened it up to read.

"What the…!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise. Thalia also gaped a little, not expecting that.

"What are you waiting for?" Kakashi asked. "Make your move."

"But- I mean….why are you reading that book?"

"Why?" Kakashi asked without looking up. "To find out what happens in the story of course. Don't let it bother you. With your weak attacks, it doesn't really matter if I'm reading or whatever."

Instantly, Naruto's rage spiked up and he charged again. "I'm going to crush you!" he yelled, stabbing forward with Thalia's spear. But, at the last second, Kakashi moved out of the way with ease. Naruto then tried to whip the spear around like Thalia did earlier but he was much slower, Kakashi again easily dodging it. Naruto stumbled from overreaching, the weight of the spear dragging him down, and if Kakashi wanted, he could have taken Naruto down right then and there.

Thalia winced as she watched her friend go. She could easily dodge all those moves as well so she had no doubt that Kakashi's words were true. He really didn't need to look up from his book.

"Yah!" Naruto cried out again, holding the spear close, but Kakashi leaned to the side and then his hand came up at the right angle, knocking the weapon out of Naruto's grasp. The boy gasped, feeling the shock in his hands from the sudden blow. He glowered, pushing through it, and charged again, when Kakashi suddenly vanished from sight.

"Don't let your enemy get behind you all the time," Kakashi said from behind, his fingers forming a specific sign.

What the hell is that? Thalia thought. Is that one of those jutsus Iruka tried to teach me?

"Naruto, get out of there! Quick!" Sakura suddenly cried from her hiding place. "He's going to destroy you!"

No! Thalia thought, ignoring her pain as she rushed forward.

"Too late," Kakashi said as Naruto started to turn. "Leaf Village, secret finger jutsu!"

Naruto didn't have time to react before Kakashi struck, his face slagging from the blow.

"A thousand years of death!" Kakashi yelled, pushing his fingers up from their position in Naruto's butt and launching the boy up into the air and into the water of the nearby stream.

"Oh…" Thalia commented, sighing. "He's just playing around. And that pisses me off."

She grunted as she grabbed her dislocated arm and then moved it until she popped it back into place. She rolled it around gently for a couple seconds until the pain had subsided enough before turning to face Kakashi, annoyed to see him still reading his damn book.

Unbeknownst to her, Kakashi was regarding her. He'd been considering what to do about her since she dislocated her arm as if it became serious, he'd have to cancel the test so she could receive medical attention. But clearly she was fine. Judging from how she handled it, she must have dislocated it before.

"Alright, here I come you silver-haired bastard!" she cried, rushing him as well as she pulled out a kunai. As she got close, she reached out to tap Aegis and activate it when she just touched bare skin. She stumbled, looking at her arm and gasping as she realized her bracelet was gone.

"Looking for something?"

She looked up and growled when she saw the bracelet twirling around Kakashi's finger, the man still not looking up.

"Such a useful tool," he commented. "You really should do a better job of holding onto it."

"Damn it," Thalia muttered, realizing he must have taken it when he'd had a hold of her and she never realized. She was so used to wearing it that she hadn't noticed it missing. Well, she couldn't do anything about it now. She just had to keep going.

She charged again, whipping out a second kunai and swiping them at Kakashi. But, just like with Naruto, he dodged her attack. Except she was faster than him, her technique more refined, and she followed through with another swipe that made Kakashi duck his head. When he did that, Thalia punched forward with her left arm to where his face would be.

The next thing she knew, he grabbed her leg and threw her up and over his shoulder. She landed on her back, breath exploding from her lungs. She groaned but quickly got up, scrambling from her hands and knees to attack again.

"You're too impatient," Kakashi told her, dodging her yet again. "And too impulsive."

"Oh shut up!" Thalia brought her leg up for a kick but he held up his arm to block it. She quickly drew it back before he could grab it and then prepared to attack again.

However, before she could, two shuriken burst out of the water, swirling right towards Kakashi. Thalia blinked but then acted, using that as a distraction for her own move. But, still not looking up, Kakashi caught the shuriken with his fingers, twirling them around. Just as fast, he hurled them at Thalia, forcing her to duck to avoid them.

Damn! Naruto thought, watching from the water. He'd hoped that would work but obviously not. Even Thalia hadn't been able to do anything, Kakashi just using his attack against her. Still, he did have one other trick he could use.

Thalia rushed Kakashi with her kunai, expecting him to dodge again and was ready to aim for wherever he moved to but, instead, his own kunai came up, deflecting her attack.

What was that? Thalia thought. Why'd he block? Am I getting through to him?

Keep losing my place, Kakashi thought, disgruntled as he read. He'd been on the same page for a minute now as every time he dodged, his focus slipped. This was better. With one hand, he help up the book, while the other held Thalia off. She gritted her teeth, trying her best to break past his defenses but his hand was too fast and too strong. She came at him with one kunai and he blocked it so she attacked with the other but then he pushed the first one aside and blocked the second just as easily. She tried to move around to find a new angle but he just shifted his position in response.

This isn't working, she thought, backing off. Time to bust out the big gun.

Before she could, Naruto suddenly dragged himself out of the river, taking them by surprise.

"What are you doing now?" Kakashi asked, finally glancing up. "You know you won't get lunch unless you take a bell by noon."

"I know, I know, you told us already!"

"You look pretty wobbly for someone-" Kakashi said, grabbing Thalia's arm as she came to attack and tossing her aside, letting her roll across the ground, before finishing with "-who's going to surpass the Hokage."

At that second, Naruto's stomach let out a growl. "You told us not to eat breakfast!" he cried defensively while Thalia groaned next to him. "How can I fight when I'm starving to death!"

"You didn't eat?" Thalia asked, surprised.

"You did?" Naruto asked back.

"You did?" Kakashi questioned, looking over at her critically.

"Of course I did!" she shot back. "You didn't order us not to eat, you just warned us it might make us throw up. Well, I'll take a little barf over going hungry any day! Unless you specifically order us not to eat, then…well actually I'd still eat! I've had too many empty bellies for anyone to say that to me!"

She ate? both Sasuke and Sakura thought, their own stomachs growling up a storm. Now that they thought about it, Kakashi really hadn't ordered them not to eat but they'd still gone along. Though Sakura understood more on why Thalia would ignore Kakashi's words. Didn't make her feel any better.

Kakashi felt a slight prickle inside at her words. The no-eating part of the test was meant to add a sense of desperation and frustration. Especially if they failed the first part and wound up tied to the post. But he couldn't really fault Thalia on ignoring that based on what she'd been through. And besides, he didn't think it would really matter for her anyway based on her actions so far.

"Alright then," he said, before turning around and walking away.

"Hey! You just caught us off guard, that's all it was! Believe it!" Naruto cried, rising up alongside Thalia. "Ugh, I'm so hungry. I don't have any strength."

"That true?" Thalia asked him carefully.

Naruto shot her a look and a sly grin crossed his face. "I've got one trick," he told her quietly before gesturing behind him to the river. Thalia looked over and grinned at what she saw.

"I've got my thing too," she said, pointing up and letting a small spark light up on her finger, Naruto's eye widening. "You do your thing and I'll do mine. Together, we can beat him."

He nodded in understanding. "Right. Listen up Kakashi-sensei!" he cried. "We're going to pass this test and we're not going back to the academy! Believe it! We will become ninja!"

The sky crackled and clouds formed up, Thalia unleashing her power. Sasuke and Sakura stared up at the sudden thunderstorm in shock, not expecting that, while Kakashi just glanced up.

She's finally going to use it, huh? he thought, readying himself and turning around. Well alright then.

"Now, Naruto!" Thalia muttered.

"Right!"

The water of the stream burst as six Narutos leapt out right towards Kakashi, who looked up at them curiously.

"Ha ha, you're overconfident sensei!" one cried as they all rushed him. "That's why you weren't ready for a shadow clone attack, my best jutsu!"

"Looks like the rumors are true, he can create shadow clones," Kakashi said to himself before saying out loud, "Great technique, but I don't think you can maintain it for very long."

"He doesn't have to!"

Kakashi turned at Thalia's voice and saw her pointing her arm right at him just as a bolt of lightning shot down, striking her and channeling through her body and out her arm.

I should probably move out of the…what? Kakashi cried mentally as he suddenly felt someone grab him from behind, seeing it was Naruto. There had been another one the whole time.

"Didn't you say don't let your enemies get behind you? Good advice sensei! Now we've got you!" Naruto cried. "This is for nailing me in the butt earlier!"

"Get wrecked!" Thalia yelled, the lightning shooting from her arm right towards Kakashi.

No way! Sasuke and Sakura thought, watching the scene in growing shock.

The clearing lit up as the lightning struck, making them all turn away.

That had to have gotten him, Thalia thought, grinning.

Nice one! Naruto thought.

Did they…really do that? Sakura thought, eyes wide. When did Naruto become so cool?

Sasuke was even more shocked. That thunderstorm and lightning attack had been one thing, showing that Thalia actually was seriously powerful, but then Naruto had shown his own skillset with the diversionary tactic.

The light slowly faded and the dust cleared. Thalia and Naruto both looked back, smirking at where Kakashi had been, but then they both gaped as to what they saw. Or, what they didn't see. Nothing. Kakashi was gone. Not only that, but two of Naruto's clones were gone as well.

"Where'd he go?" Thalia said, looking around.

"He switched with one of us!" a Naruto clone declared, glaring at the others.

"Yeah, but which one?"

"It's you!"

"No, you!"

"You're Kakashi! Believe it!"

The five Narutos ganged up on each other, all of them attacking one another until it was a full-on clone fight.

"Naruto!" Thalia snapped before it go on any further. "Just dispel the clones!"

"Oh, yeah, right, then there'll just be two us so we'll know who's who."

"Should have thought of that sooner, fool."

"You're the jerk! Why didn't you think of it?"

"Just do it already!" Thalia yelled at him, making all the clones stop. A second later, there was a poof and the clones disappeared, leaving just one Naruto standing there with bruises on his face.

"Aw man," Naruto mumbled, realizing he'd been tricked again.

"Damn it, I thought we had him," Thalia growled, already scanning the area for any sign of the guy. He must had switched places with a Naruto clone before the lightning struck, the attack dispelling the two clones, and then vanished, leaving only confusion behind.

"Hey Thalia, look!" Naruto suddenly cried, making her turn. "A bell!"

Thalia followed his gaze and saw one of the bells on the grass. She blinked in surprise at the sight. It definitely was one of Kakashi's bells.

"We must have gotten to him with our attack and he dropped a bell," Naruto said, leaning over and laughing in delight.

"No, Naruto! Wait!" Thalia cried, rushing over, but it was too late as the trap activated, the rope closing in on Naruto's legs and swinging him up into the air where he cried out in shock.

"Damn it Naruto," Thalia sighed. "That was such an obvious trap. After everything you've seen, do you really think Kakashi would be so dumb as to just leave one of the bells lying around?"

"Um…" Naruto said, his swinging softening. "I guess…just get me down Thalia."

"Hold on," she said, checking the area. She'd laid several traps over the years around hideouts for monsters and had to be careful of a few them laid out by the smarter ones so she knew how to look for them. Still, this was done by an apparent elite ninja so she couldn't take any chances. "I need to make sure there aren't any other traps around here."

"Could you at least get the bell?" Naruto said, staring at it. "Once we have it, we just need one more."

Thalia glanced at the bell. She'd managed to retrieve her spear from where it had fallen and now poked at the bell to see if it was actually real or held any more surprises. But before the tip could even hit the bell, a hand suddenly scooped it up, making her jump back in surprise as she saw Kakashi there.

He's so freaking fast! she thought. I never saw him coming.

"Not too bad, you two," Kakashi said, putting the bell back with its partner. "But still, you should think before using a jutsu or else your opponent might use it against you. Oh, and Naruto," he added, turning to the dangling boy. "If the bait is obvious, don't take it."

"Ergh!" Naruto growled angrily.

"A ninja must see through deception."

See, huh? Thalia thought. She had one more trick up her sleeve. Kakashi must have already known about her lightning powers but he probably didn't know about this one since she hadn't shown it yet to anyone but Iruka and Inoichi. She clasped her hands together, focusing her power and thinking cloudy thoughts.

Kakashi turned at her movement, raising an eyebrow. "Now what are you-"

He didn't get a chance to finish as a wall of fog suddenly exploded out of her, completely covering the clearing and the surrounding trees.

"Gah! What happened?" Naruto cried, thinking for a second he'd gone blind.

She can create fog? Sasuke blinked. Just who is she?

Wow Thalia! Sakura thought. You really are cool!

How many tricks does this girl have? Kakashi thought, shocked as well from the move. Apparently being the daughter of some so-called sky god came with perks. His eye was completely useless right now. He could use his other one but he didn't think now was the right time to use it with Sasuke around. Besides, his other senses worked just fine. But he was curious as to what Thalia would do now given that she couldn't see either.

Thunk!

"Gah!" Naruto cried as the rope holding him snapped, dropping him to the ground.

She freed him, Kakashi thought, moving. So she must be right-

The air parted in front of him and he had to duck to avoid the blow, Thalia's spear nearly striking him. However, at the last second, she sensed him move, his arm parting the fog to catch the spear, and she swiftly pulled it back, catching it closer to the tip.

What? Kakashi thought. Can she sense my movements?

He didn't have time to dwell on that as the fog parted in front of him and he just managed to snatch the kunai thrown at him, the blade only inches from him.

I might just have to take this seriously, he thought to himself right as Thalia appeared through the fog, ready to attack. He eyed her carefully in that instant, trying to analyze her movements to see what she'd do. But there was nothing. Not a single threatening gesture could he make out.

Wha-

Then he saw the spark on the tip of her spear right before a bolt of lightning shot out, striking him. At such close range, there was no chance to dodge it.

Finally got you! Thalia grinned.

She felt a tremor in her body as her grin faded, Kakashi still standing before her. His entire hand was lit up, glowing and pulsing with volts of electricity that it made a whining sound the vibrated the air.

"What?" Kakashi asked her, tilting his head. "You thought you were the only lightning user? Why do you think you were placed with me?"

Damn it! Thalia swore and charged forward, throwing her spear forward. Since her powers seemed to be out now, she had to rely on pure skill. She sensed his hand go up to catch the spear again but this time let him. The second his hand closed down on it, she let go, and she saw him stumble just slightly from the lack of resistance on the weapon.

Still charged forward, she used the momentum now not to attack but to reach, the bells gleaming through the fog.

Clever girl, Kakashi thought, his free hand already moving down to stop hers. Again, he was able to grab hold, her left arm now in his grip. But he blinked when she, instead of trying to wrestle it from his grip, she grabbed hold of his hand as well and threw both their arms to the side, reaching now with her right hand for the bells. His surprise growing at her quick reflexes and planning, he brought his knee up, aiming to kick her back.

Truly amazing, he thought to himself, seeing her right hand clamped down on his knee, stopping it cold. But now she can't…what? he mentally gasped as she pushed down on his knee and hurled herself right towards the bells, her mouth opening to snatch them with her teeth. He moved in the nick of time, her mouth only an inch or less from her goal before he let go of her spear and stopped her with that free hand.

If he thought that would stop her, he was wrong as she instantly moved her right hand towards the spear, catching it as it fell and stabbing at him with it.

This is getting a bit too much, so let's shake things up, he thought to himself, using his grip on her free hand to make her stumble. That backfired a second later as he flinched, feeling her nails digging into his wrist, making him let go. What a savage girl, he thought. Still, a ninja must use all the tools at their disposal. On the other hand, that really stung!

He couldn't dwell on it as she came at him again. It was time to put a stop to this.

Thalia became more and more frustrated. No matter what she did, he was able to counter it, even blinded by all the fog. Was this really the power of a ninja? If she could do what he did…she could be unstoppable back home.

But still, she wanted to land at least one strike on this arrogant jackass.

"Come on!" she growled, stabbing again. Her eyes widened in shock as, instead of dodging, Kakashi just took the hit, the spear impaling him. She gasped, panic filling her brain and she wondered if she was about to be arrested for murder when there was a poof and Kakashi disappeared, replaced by a log, Thalia's spear lodged in it.

"That damn replacement jutsu thingy!" she muttered angrily, pulling her spear out. "So where-"

She didn't get to finish as the ground opened up beneath her and the next thing she knew, she was sunk up to her head in the dirt.

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu."

Thalia glared up as Kakashi appeared through the fog. Even through his mask, she could hear him gloating. "You bastard," she growled trying to break free and failing. "Give me back my bracelet!"

"Sorry Thalia, but I need to take you off the board for a little while. You and Naruto have kind of been hogging the spotlight and it's time to see what the others can do."

"Thalia! Where are you? Agh, I can't see anything through this stupid fog!"

Thalia and Kakashi looked up at Naruto's cry. "Right on time. I'm sure you'll be out in no time, but until then…"

He didn't say another word, just vanishing into the fog. A few seconds later and Thalia couldn't sense him anymore. She cursed in ancient Greek, remarking on certain places Kakashi could shove certain things.

"Thalia!" Naruto cried out again.

"Over here!" she replied.

"Oh! Wait, where?"

"Just follow the sound of my voice!"

"Ok. What happened, did you- uh…ow! Stupid rock!"

Thalia tried to dispel the fog to make it easier but creating it and dispelling it were two different things apparently. She did notice it become lighter and easier to see through but she wasn't able to make it go away. Plus, after all that, she felt so tired. She'd created two lightning bolts and a fogbank for nothing. She desperately wanted to make that arrogant jerk pay, but she wasn't sure she could.

At least not alone.

---

Sasuke had been completely astonished. The mystery girl Thalia had been dominating the battlefield with her skills and abilities. While she hadn't really given Kakashi-sensei a fight seeing as he hadn't taken a single hit, everything she'd done had been impressive from her fighting prowess to her lightning shots and then the fogbank she'd made appear. It came to the point where Sasuke wondered whether or not he could beat her. And he didn't like thinking that.

I need to try something, he thought. He'd been sitting on the sidelines for too long now. Thalia and Naruto may have failed, Naruto epically, but they had at least made attempts. Sasuke had to succeed where they hadn't and pass this damn test no matter what. He'd been watching the fog carefully ever since its creation a few minutes ago. He could hear the slight sounds of combat, see the fog swirling from movement, and he could also hear Naruto's loud, whining voice which made him assume it was Thalia and Kakashi doing the fighting. As another minute trickled by, he became more and more nervous that Thalia would actually beat Kakashi in there with some other trick up her sleeve.

But then, just like that, the fog parted, and Kakashi appeared from the fog, looking completely at ease.

"Truly a dangerous girl," he mused. "Can't even imagine what she might become down the line. "Now where was I?" he said, pulling out his book again.

This is my chance! Sasuke thought. His guard is dropped.

As fast as he thought, he acted, sending half-a-dozen shuriken flying right towards the man. Then, as Kakashi moved to evade them, Sasuke could launch-

But Kakashi didn't evade them. Instead, they struck him dead on, knocking him down. Sasuke stared in shock at the sight until the body poofed and was replaced by a log covered in weapons.

Another substitution jutsu! Sasuke growled inwardly. And now he knows where I'm hiding. Got to move fast. He raced through the trees as quickly as he could, hoping Kakashi couldn't keep up. I thought he lowered his guard, but he did that on purpose. And I fell for it. He couldn't believe he had allowed himself to fall for the same trick as Naruto.

Meanwhile, below him, Sakura was also on the move. She had been watching in astonishment at both Thalia's and Naruto's actions and for some time there thought that they actually might be able to pull it off. The fogbank had been the true surprise. She remembered Thalia saying she could do that last night but hadn't really thought about it much. It truly was impressive.

But it seemed it was for naught as it wasn't her who emerged but Kakashi-sensei. Sakura had been contemplating whether or not to attack herself when the decision was removed from her as those shuriken came flying out, striking Kakashi down and shocking her only to see a second later it had just been a substitution.

Knowing the attack could only come from Sasuke and knowing he had to be Kakashi's next target, Sakura had taken off.

Sasuke, where did you go? she thought desperately, looking around as she ran. Don't tell me Kakashi-sensei found you. No! He can't capture my Sasuke. I won't let him!

Her thoughts stopped as she stumbled through the underbrush and spotted Kakashi-sensei just ahead, still reading his book. She quickly ducked down in the bushes to avoid his gaze.

Phew, she thought, seeing he hadn't moved. He didn't hear me. I'm safe.

"Sakura, behind you."

"Huh?" Sakura said, turning around in confusion at the sudden voice, only to see Kakashi sitting a few feet away staring right at her.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

---

It took a bit of time but Naruto was finally able to free Thalia with some maneuvering, finagling, pulling, stretching, digging, yanking, and a lot of cursing.

"I'm going to slam his face into the dirt," Thalia promised, huffing as she clambered back up to her feet.

"Stupid Kakashi," Naruto grunted, panting a little as well. "Where do you think he is?"

"Probably going after Sasuke and Sakura. He said as much after burying me," Thalia replied, looking out into the woods. Her fog had finally cleared up enough for them to see.

"What?" Naruto exclaimed. "We have to go save them! Well, Sakura anyway. Stupid Sasuke can fend for himself."

Thalia shook her head. "No, that's not how we're going to beat him."

"Huh?"

"You saw what just happened when the both of us tried. It did nothing. Our best chance is all of us working together."

Naruto scratched his chin. He didn't like the idea of working with Sasuke but he could see Thalia's point. Despite everything, he hadn't gotten the bells. Even Thalia with her super awesome godly moves couldn't do a thing. And he really did not want to go back to the Academy.

"Ok, fine," he said, pouting a little at the thought of working with Sasuke. "But how do we find them?"

There Thalia hesitated. Where should they look? "Let's just start heading that way. And keep your eyes and ears peeled. Who knows when Kakashi will pop out again."

"Right! Sly bastard!"

They moved carefully through the clearing, Thalia scanning the area constantly. She had to admit though, she was kind of enjoying herself. The thrill of combat and action without the threat of death was something new to her. She didn't have to worry about a hellhound charging from the underbrush or a cyclops smashing its way towards her. Just one guy testing her abilities.

"Hey, look!"

For a second, Thalia thought Naruto had found either Sasuke or Sakura as he dashed off. "Hey, wait up!" she called, chasing after him. "What is it? What did you see?"

She spotted it a second later as Naruto came to a stop. It was a monument of some kind or maybe a modern art exhibit placed here for some reason, it looking similar to an arrowhead. But that wasn't what made Naruto stop. It was the three small boxes placed on the monument.

"I know what these things are, they're boxed lunches!" Naruto exclaimed, already moving to claim one.

"Naruto, don't!" Thalia cried, this time able to grab him before he could pick up a box, stopping him cold. "Don't you remember what happened with the bell? How you went swinging around in the tree until I freed you?"

"Oh, right!" Instantly, Naruto backed away from the lunches and eyed the ground around him, worried another trap might spring up. "Stupid Kakashi! Why'd he place those lunches here then?"

Thalia gave him a look. Surely he couldn't be this dense? "As another trap," she told him. "Come on, let's keep moving."

"But Thalia!" Naruto whined and Thalia got the impression she was talking to a dog instead of a person. "I'm hungry! I didn't eat breakfast, remember?"

"Then feel free to get trapped again," Thalia said, gesturing to the lunches. "But just so you know, I won't cut you down again."

Naruto eyed the lunches and then her and then the lunches again, clearly torn, before sighing deeply. "Alright fine," he said, pouting again and rubbing his stomach as it let out another growl. "I'll wait. But we'd better get those bells!"

"Damn right we will. Now, where could they…be…" she hesitated, looking around again and noticed a trail of smoke in the sky as well as a slight glow below it, like a fire. "Hey," she said to Naruto, "are there any fire jutsu…things?"

"Fire jutsus?" Naruto repeated, thinking about it. "Yeah, I think so. But I don't know any. But I will! In fact, those will be-"

"Then that's where they are," Thalia pointed, interrupting Naruto's next promise before he could make it. "Or it's a forest fire. Either way, worth checking out, right?"

"Yeah!"

With a clear destination, they made their way through the woods quickly. Thalia was surprised that Naruto was able to move quietly through the bushes and undergrowth. She would have figured he would make as much noise as possible but it was sometimes hard to tell if he was there if it wasn't for that bright orange coat he wore. Guess that ninja training was something else. Thalia just learned from experience.

We should be getting close now, Thalia thought. The smoke seemed to have dissipated which ruled out forest fire but she still could see their destination just ahead.

"AAH!" a scream echoed through the woods, making Thalia and Naruto tense up. "Sasuke's just a head without a body, and he's talking!"

"That's Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed, rushing ahead.

"Wait, Naruto, it could be another…oh forget it," Thalia huffed, chasing after him. "But what did she say? Sasuke's just a head? What?"

---

Sasuke was not having a good day. After seeing Sakura fall to Kakashi's genjutsu trap, he had taken Kakashi head on. For a minute there, he thought he had the advantage. He'd used a spring trap to get Kakashi into position and attacked him, launching a flurry of punches and kicks to try and get the bells, even managing to touch one before Kakashi backed off. He'd then tried his ultimate move, his fireball jutsu, which definitely had caught Kakashi off guard. But then, the jōnin had attacked from below, trapping Sasuke in the dirt with only his head sticking out. It was frustrating to admit but Kakashi was way stronger than him and he couldn't get around that.

A second later, Sakura reappeared, took one look at Sasuke's head sticking out, let out a scream, and then fainted.

"And that's my partner," he muttered.

A second after that, the undergrowth rustled and Naruto burst out followed swiftly by Thalia. "Sakura!" Naruto cried, rushing over to the fallen girl. "What happened? Are you ok? Wh- you!" he pointed furiously at Sasuke, noticing him for the first time. "What did you…" It was then that Naruto noticed that Sasuke was just a head sticking from the ground. He blinked for a couple seconds before he burst out laughing. "Hahahahaha! Look at you! Hahahahahah! You look ridiculous! Hahahahaha!"

"Stop it!" Thalia snapped at him. "I got stuck with that too you know. Go help Sakura."

"Oh, right."

"Stupid Kakashi!" Thalia muttered, moving over to Sasuke and digging around his head.

"I don't need your help," he told her angrily.

She backed off, holding out her hands. "Alright, tough guy, be that way. But it seems to me that your attempts weren't any better than mine."

Sasuke glowered, pursing his lips together, before grunting softly. "What of it?"

"We can't beat him alone. He's too strong. So, let's work together. We stand a much better chance that way."

Sasuke didn't particularly like that idea. He wanted to do this alone, to prove how strong he was, how capable he was. But he also knew he didn't stand a chance against Kakashi right now. He hated that idea but there was no getting around it. And he refused to be sent back to the Academy. His goals wouldn't allow it.

Besides, Naruto may be an idiot and Sakura…was hopeless. But Thalia wasn't either of those. That was perfectly clear. With the two of them working together, they stood a chance.

"Fine," he grunted, smashing his hand up out of the ground and using it to pull himself upwards. "What do you have in mind?"

Thalia shrugged. "Honestly, not much. I'm not much of a planner. I just kind of go with the moment. So if you've got any ideas, I'm happy to hear them."

Sasuke grunted again. It seems it fell on him to carry this after all. Whatever. At least she would listen to what he had to say and follow orders. And, seeing as Naruto listened to her, he might follow along as well. That was something he could work with.

"Sakura! You're awake!"

Thalia and Sasuke glanced over to see the pinkette had indeed woken up. She blinked up at them all before focusing on Sasuke, her eyes going wide. "Sasuke. Huh? You're ok!"

Instantly she was up and rushing towards him, trying to pull him into a hug but he managed to hold her back in time. "Hey! Cut it out! Let go! Let go!" he cried, pushing her back. "I don't have time for this. I've got to get a bell before lunch. That doesn't leave much time," he said, eyeing the sky and estimating how much time he did have.

"Yeah?" Naruto challenge. "Well so do I and does Thalia! We're getting the bells and you can't stop us!"

"Oh yeah?" Sasuke snorted. "Well go ahead and try. From what I saw earlier, it doesn't take much to handle a loser like you."

"What did you say?"

"Stop it, both of you!" Thalia snapped, stepping between them. "We don't have time for this. We need to get those bells fast before it's too late."

Sasuke just shook his head. "Sorry, but this won't work. There are only two bells and four of us. We can work together to get those bells and we'll probably be able to succeed. But if you want to let yourself get tied down by that loser, be my guest. I'm getting a bell no matter what."

"Sasuke, you're still trying to get one of those bells?" Sakura asked.

"A while ago, I touched one," he revealed. "Next time, I'll get one."

"I came close too," Thalia nodded. "Practically had them before he moved. Just need another chance and I know I can get them."

"Wow Thalia," Naruto said in awe.

"That is really great," Sakura gushed to Sasuke. "I can't believe you did that. You're amazing." Inwardly though, she was screaming over the fact that both he and Thalia were able to come close to the bells while she hadn't gotten close. Even Naruto had gotten closer than she had, giving all three of them a better chance at passing than her.

Sasuke wasn't surprised by Thalia's revelation. "All the more reason you and I should work together. We'll be able to get the bells if we work together."

"Hey, Thalia and I are working together!" Naruto argued. "And Sakura!" he quickly added.

"I'm not working with you!"

"Oh come on Sakura!"

"This isn't helping!" Thalia cried out. "And this doesn't make sense. He told us all we had to do was get the bells from him but there are only two. He knew that would divide us. Is that the point of this? To work against each other?" That didn't sit right with her. If she was with Luke and Annabeth, she'd never sacrifice one of them to get a bell. They'd work together to get all the bells and-

She gasped. That was it. That was the point.

"I'm going," Sasuke announced, walking away.

"Good riddance!" Naruto scoffed.

"Wait, Sasuke, it's almost lunch," Sakura said, moving after him. "There's not really enough time left so maybe we should just give up and try again next year." She could not take the chance of them being separated. She refused to let that happen.

Sasuke stopped, turning to glare at her and making her freeze in place.

"Sasuke, hold on, I think I get it," Thalia said. "We all have to work together on this."

"That won't work," he replied, already walking away again, the image of his brother and his hated eye filling his mind, propelling him forward. "There's not enough bells and not enough time. Come if you want, I don't care. I'm getting a bell and passing no matter what. I'm the only one who can destroy that person."

"Huh?" they all said, confused by his words.

"Who? You mean the sensei?" Sakura asked.

"That day, I was crying," Sasuke muttered, still lost in that image and memory.

"When were you crying?"

"Sasuke, are you ok?" Thalia asked carefully, feeling a pit of worry grow inside her at his words. Naruto just looked completely lost.

"It was my…" Sasuke said before trailing off.

"What? What happened to you?" Sakura asked, invested.

"I am an avenger," Sasuke suddenly said, clenching his fists. "That means I must be stronger than my prey. I need this training, there's no time for setbacks."

Thalia felt that worry grow. That look…that voice…those words…they reminded her of Luke. Of their final leg of their journey together, after they met his parents. His anger that drove him to challenge every monster. The look in his eyes when he took them down. At times, it had scared her, like at any moment he would turn those eyes on someone else. Even her.

She remembered what he'd said when they talked about their goals for the future yesterday. How he would restore his clan and destroy a certain someone. What did he mean by that? Who was he talking about?

RRRRIIIINNNNGGGGG!

"Oh styx," she muttered as the bell rang out, signaling their time was up.

"Ugh!" Sasuke groaned. "I've wasted too much time."

"What does that mean?" Naruto asked, panicking slightly.

"It means we all lost," Thalia told him, shaking her head.

"Aw man. Well, what if we broke the clock? Then we could-"

"Oh shut up loser," Sasuke said, walking towards the ringing sound. "Your idiocy might be contagious."

"What did you say? Stupid Sasuke! Come back here so I can-"

"Just let it go," Thalia said, stopping him. "Come on."

"Man!" Naruto whined as they made their way back to the clearing. "I don't want to go back to the Academy!"

Soon the four of them found themselves seated around the wooden pillars, three boxed lunches in front of them, and Kakashi standing above them. Three loud growls echoed across the clearing.

"Uh oh, stomach's growling, huh? That's too bad," Kakashi commented. He'd had some hopes for the team but it seems they had been in vain for the most part. However, there were a few silver linings. Or just one, to be honest. "Oh, by the way, about this exercise? Well, I've decided I won't send any of you back to the academy."

"Ah!" Naruto cheered, throwing his hands up.

"What? I passed?" Sakura questioned, surprised. "All I did was faint and fall over. Do you get points for that?"

"Oh Sakura," Thalia sighed, shaking her head and making the pinkette blush in embarrassment. "He's obviously being sarcastic."

Sasuke had been about to gloat a little, thinking he'd impressed Kakashi enough with his skills, but Thalia's comment put him back on edge. What did she mean by that?

"Again your perceptiveness impresses me, Thalia," Kakashi told her. "But I was being serious. I won't be sending any of you back to the academy. Instead, the three of you," he pointed to Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, "are being dropped from the program. Permanently."

He'd started off in a joking manner but on that last word added a firm edge that made the three of them feel like anvils had just struck them.

"Drop us from the program?" Naruto cried out. "That means we can never become ninja! You said if we couldn't take the bells, we'd be sent back to the academy! You can't just change your mind and kick us out! Why would you do that?"

"Because you don't think like ninja, you think like little kids, like brats."

At that word, Sasuke grunted and rushed forward, aiming to take Kakashi down. But, before he knew it, he was on the ground, Kakashi seated on top of him with his arm held against his back just like Thalia had been before. She winced at the sight, rubbing the spot where she'd dislocated her shoulder.

"You think it's all about you," Kakashi commented.

"Let go of Sasuke!" Sakura cried. "You can't step on him like he's a bug!"

"You don't know what it means to be a ninja," Kakashi said, a hard edge to his voice now. "You think it's a game, huh? Why do you think we put you on squads? Did you consider that question for one moment?"

"Uh…I don't know what you mean," Sakura admitted, completely lost.

"I mean," he said angrily, still sitting on top of Sasuke who was seething in frustration, "you never realized what this exercise is all about. Not even close."

"What it's about?" Naruto question, also confused.

"Yes. That's what determines whether you pass or fail."

"But that's…" Sakura started, still trying to figure out what Kakashi was getting at. "I mean, I wanted to ask you about that from the beginning."

"Tsk," Kakashi scoffed. "Use your head. Three people on a squad, or in this case four. Why do you think we would do that?"

"Ah!" Naruto cried. "How are we supposed to know why you picked-"

"Teamwork."

Thalia had been quiet up to this point, puzzling through what Kakashi had been saying. She'd known something was up with those damn bells from the start but hadn't given much thought in the beginning, just anxious to get one. It wasn't really about passing. Then, she just wanted the challenge. But when she'd been talking with the others and after seeing how strong Kakashi was, she knew none of them could do it alone. That's when it hit her. It had bothered her that there were only two bells meaning only two of them would pass. But that wasn't the point. She knew she would never abandon Luke or Annabeth if it had been them and she wouldn't abandon Naruto or even Sakura or Sasuke now for those bells. She would work with them so they all got the bells together.

"Yes," Kakashi nodded. "Teamwork. It's so basic. This is why Thalia here won't be dropped from the program at all but instead gets to pass."

"What?" Naruto and Sakura cried while Sasuke seethed. "She passes?"

"Aw man!" Naruto moaned.

"Just working together, is that what you mean?" Sakura asked, still not fully understanding.

"That's what I mean," he affirmed. "It's too late now but if all four of you had come at me, you might have been able to take them. Thalia was even telling you that before the bell went off."

"Hold on," Thalia interrupted. "Naruto and I worked together at the start though."

"Yeah, yeah I did!" Naruto agreed, jumping at the opportunity. "And we almost got you."

"True," Kakashi agreed. "But you didn't get me. And then, when you met up with the others, you, Naruto, proved completely unwilling to work with Sasuke and the same went with him about you. In fact, you were willing to abandon your teammates completely and dig in to the packed lunches if Thalia hadn't pulled you away."

Naruto flushed at that, looking away.

"Thalia was the only one of you willing to work with all of you. She understood the meaning of this exercise and was about to act on it but proved unable to by the rest of you," Kakashi continued, making the three look down in shame. "That's why she's proven herself to be a ninja and the rest of you haven't. Well, anyway, it's over."

"But you set it up with four people but only two bells," Sakura argued. "If we worked together and got the bells, only two of us could keep them and that would lead to group conflict and the squad would break up."

We did, Thalia thought, remembering Sasuke's argument from before.

"Exactly," Kakashi said, sighing slightly. "Thalia, would you like to explain?"

She sighed but nodded. "He did it to pit us against each other," she said. "He never explicitly said each of us had to get a bell, he just said we had to get them."

"B-b-but…" Sakura stammered, thinking back. "He said that one of two of us will end up tied to the post and disqualified for not completing the mission."

"Um…" Thalia hesitated, trying to recall that. "Sorry, I wasn't really paying attention. Once he said we had to get the bells, that was kind of all I focused on."

Kakashi sighed. Well, at least she got the point. "I said that but you only got the implication that if you didn't have a bell, you'd fail. What I meant was, if you didn't have the bell as a team you would fail which is why I added that all four of you could flunk out too. Get it now?"

"Um…yes," Sakura nodded glumly.

"The point of all this was to see if you could overcome the idea of only those getting bells passing and put the squad ahead of yourselves which Thalia here tried to do. A genin should have a natural feel for teamwork. But Sakura, it never even crossed your mind. You just obsessed over Sasuke who was gone while Naruto and Thalia were right in front of you and you wouldn't lift a finger to help them. Naruto, you may have worked with Thalia which earned you points, it was clear she was all that was on your mind and if it hadn't been for her, it's obvious you would have tried everything on your own. And you, Sasuke," Kakashi said, pushing down on the boy slightly, "thought the others were so far beneath you they were worthless except for Thalia which is why you were only willing to work with her. Arrogance. Now Thalia may have been impulsive from the start, attacking head on…"

"Um," Thalia stopped him. "That's more because I wasn't aware the others were going to do the whole vanish thing. I just heard you say get the bells so that's what I tried to do."

"Fair enough," Kakashi acknowledged. "But when Naruto came to help her, she worked with him instantly and they came close to taking me down. And again, she realized she and Naruto weren't enough so decided to recruit the rest of you but you all weren't willing, failing you. Ninja missions are carried out in squads. Of course, you need individual skills, but teamwork is the most essential element. Every shinobi understands this. When individuals put themselves above the squad, this can lead to failure and death."

"For example," he continued, taking out a kunai and holding it up to Sasuke's throat. "Sakura, kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies."

"Ah!" both of them cried out, looking at each other and then at Kakashi and Sasuke.

"That's what happens on a mission," Kakashi said sadly, pulling the kunai back as Naruto and Sakura sighed in relief. "The enemy takes a hostage and you've got an impossible choice. And someone ends up dead. Or, you're being chased down by the enemy with no escape and you're faced with another impossible choice. Thalia understands all this better than any of you."

When he looked at her, Thalia instantly knew what he was getting at and looked down. She'd had nightmares about that ever since, still feeling the claws and jaws tearing away at her, still hearing Annabeth's cries and Luke's sobs as they escaped.

Sasuke and Sakura wondered what he meant by that and noticed Thalia's expression. Naruto, however, understood as well and finally realized what Kakashi was getting at.

"On every mission, your life is on the line," Kakashi told them, finally getting up off of Sasuke and letting him move. He moved towards the monument from before. "Did you look at this stone, the names engraved on it? They are all ninja who are honored as heroes in our village."

"That's it! That's it! That's it!" Naruto cried. "Now I know! I've decided I'm going to have my name engraved on that stone! I'm not going to live or die for nothing like a dog! I'm going to be a hero! A hero!"

Kakashi side-eyed him. "They are a special kind of hero."

"Huh?" Naruto asked, still not getting it. "What kind of heroes are they? Come on, tell us. We-"

Whap!

"Ow!" he cried as Thalia slapped him on the head. "What did you do that for Thalia? What did I…say…" he stopped, looking at her expression. It had become hard as stone, her eyes taking on a glassy tint. "Thalia?"

"These ninja are all KIA," Kakashi said.

"Ooh," Naruto said, turning back to him. "That sounds real cool- ow!" he cried again as Thalia hit him even harder. "Thalia! What did I say?"

"It means…" Sakura stopped, seeing Thalia's expression as well before she could finish. For the past day and half that she'd known the other girl, she'd had this tough aura around her that made her seem invincible, her actions this morning only furthering that. But now, it looked like one touch could completely shatter her.

"It means killed in action," Kakashi finished. "All these ninja died."

"Uhh…oh," Naruto said, realization sinking in. He turned back to Thalia, understanding now. "Thalia, I am so-"

"Just shut up!" she snapped, turning away, trying to keep herself together. Her heart was pounding like crazy right now and it was getting hard to breathe. She kept feeling like at any moment hellhounds would come charging from the woods or one of the Furies or even all three of them would come diving out of the sky.

Sakura and Sasuke both blinked at her response, not expecting her reaction.

Did she lose someone? Sakura thought. But…she's not from the village. So…

"This is a memorial stone," Kakashi continued. "The names of my closest friends are engraved here." Like always, his eye had been drawn to Obito and Rin's names immediately, his heart clenching and his mind filled with awful memories once it had.

The others became contemplative at that, lost in their own thoughts and, for Thalia and especially Sasuke, their memories.

Kakashi stepped back and walked over to Thalia, patting her gently on the shoulder. "Are you alright?" he asked carefully.

She took a shaky breath before nodding. "Y-yeah, yeah," she said. "I'm ok."

"It's alright if you're not," he said to her. "There's no shame in it. Just let me know."

She nodded again. She wasn't sure how she was right now but she did know she didn't want to keep dwelling on her thoughts. She wanted to push them aside and do something else right now.

Kakashi didn't say anything else, just turned back to the others. He'd keep an eye on her and see if he needed to do anything for her. Her story had struck at his heart when he'd heard it and he'd been reminded of both Obito and Rin who had put the mission, their squad, and the village above themselves, costing them their lives. Thalia here had sacrificed herself for her friends' sake, making sure they survived. But she got to live in the end. And, after seeing her actions today, Kakashi was sure she could be one of the greatest ninja in the Leaf Village, just like the Hokage had thought.

Now it was time to see if the others had what it took.

"Alright, I'm going to give you three one more chance. But I'm going to make it much harder on you," he added, trampling any relief they were starting to feel.

"What about Thalia?" Sasuke asked. "Since we're part of a squad, shouldn't she participate as well?"

"Not in this case, no," Kakashi said. "Thalia has already proven to me she has what it takes to be a ninja. The rest of you haven't yet and I feel that if I let her participate in your second attempt, you'll use her to earn a victory. She's not my concern, you are, so you three need to prove to me you have what it takes or else it's either back to the academy or be dropped from the program, depending on how bad your performance is."

The three of them eyed Thalia, Sakura with a slight mixture of envy and shame, Naruto with sadness and even more determination, and Sasuke with frustration at himself for not measuring up. Thalia, however, wasn't sure how to react to all this. Part of her wanted to argue on their behalf, especially Naruto's after everything he'd done for her. But she couldn't. Because she knew what the real world was like, how dangerous it was. It may not be filled with monsters like back home but Iruka had filled her in on all the new dangers, the vast majority being enemy shinobi. She knew she'd never have made it without Luke so she knew that Kakashi was right here. She agreed with everything he'd said. These three needed to measure up and quick because soon they would have to go out in the real world and face these dangers. And if they weren't ready, they would die.

"You'll have three hours to get a bell," Kakashi said. "Eat lunch now to build up strength. But Sakura doesn't get any."

"What?" Sakura cried, feeling her stomach let out another growl.

"Wait, why Sakura?" Naruto asked, confused.

"While you and Sasuke may not have shown any willingness to work with each other, you were both willing to work with Thalia, you proving to be most adept at that Naruto," Kakashi informed them. "Sakura on the other hand went around the woods only thinking about Sasuke, fell for a genjutsu trap and then fainted when she saw her comrade in trouble. And then, when time was running out, thought giving up was the best option. Not once did she consider teamwork and if this were a real mission, she would have likely gotten herself and her squad either killed or captured, something that we cannot allow."

As Kakashi talked, Sakura felt like boulder after boulder was slamming down on top of her, trying to bury her in the ground. The worst part was she couldn't argue against any of it. She hadn't done anything to contribute. Everyone else had at least made some mark for Kakashi-sensei to notice but she'd just embarrassed herself. It was just like she'd thought yesterday. Thalia and Sasuke would pass and even Naruto now would do better than her.

"Sakura will be tied up to that log," Kakashi gestured. "And if either of you tries to feed her, that person will immediately fail."

Sakura gulped, internally wailing. She hadn't eaten dinner last night because of her diet and she hadn't eaten breakfast because of what Kakashi-sensei had said. Now no lunch? She already felt like she was going to pass out from hunger.

Naruto eyed her worriedly, mumbling to himself.

"I make the rules," Kakashi warned them, the hard edge in his voice back. "You follow them. Got it?"

He tied Sakura to the post before turning and leaving, gesturing for Thalia to come with him. She hesitated for a second, eyeing her comrades. She again had gone over what Kakashi said and thought she knew what he was getting at here. She wanted to pass on advice, especially to Naruto since he was so dense. But she couldn't. Kakashi was right. They couldn't rely on others to help them through their trials. They had to figure it out on their own. So, reluctantly, she turned around and walked up to Kakashi.

"You knew I'd feed Sakura right away, didn't you?" she asked as soon as they were far enough away, both now perched on a tree branch watching the three.

"I suspected, yes, which is why I didn't want you to be a part of this test," he replied. "Like I said, you would have just led the way for them and they haven't proven to me they have what it takes yet."

Thalia nodded. "So you want them to feed Sakura," she checked though already knowing the answer.

Again, Kakashi nodded. "In the shinobi world, following the rules is considered to be of the utmost importance."

Thalia snorted at that. "I exist because the guy making the rules couldn't keep it in his pants," she muttered then froze, realizing she shouldn't have said that. She glanced towards Kakashi sheepishly who had an eyebrow raised.

"I already know all about you," he said, making her sigh in relief. "When the Hokage placed you as one of my charges, he told me the whole story. Quite a tale, I must say."

"So that's why you…" she paused, not wanting to mention her little breakdown.

"Like I said, there's nothing to be ashamed of there," he told her. "We've all suffered in some way."

Thalia recalled what he'd said about his comrades. "I'm sorry," she said sincerely.

"Thank you," he replied, letting a few seconds of silence settle between them before continuing. "Like I was saying, following the rules here is considered to be of the utmost importance. And that's how I used to act, only caring about the rules. But because of that, one of my squad mates lost his life."

Thalia blinked at the admission, not expecting that kind of confession from him.

"He taught me that rules are still important, but not as important as the lives and welfare of your squad mates. Of your friends. Those three need to understand that. If not for you, I have no doubt Naruto would have rushed in blindly and made a fool of himself. He probably would have broken the rules and tried to eat the lunches if you hadn't intervened."

Thalia frowned at that. He'd been watching them? Actually, now that she thought about it, from his analysis of them, it was like he'd been watching them the whole time. Damn, ninjas were really awesome, weren't they?

"Naruto was willing to team up with you because of your history, however brief. As for Sasuke, he only respects strength and once he saw how strong you were, he saw you as an acceptable teammate. But neither was even willing to consider working with the other one. They need to overcome that right now or else they won't survive. Outside these walls, if they try to make it on their own, they'll die."

Thalia found herself nodding along. Given how easily Kakashi had defeated them, she had no trouble believing that. "So they both need to agree to feed Sakura?"

"Yep."

"Ok, so what about Pinky? What's her test here?"

Kakashi sighed then. "This test honestly won't do much for her. But if the others pass, this will at least show her how far behind she is and how much more she needs to grow. Like I said, her actions today would no doubt bring about the downfall of her squad out in the field."

"Right," Thalia said, looking at the three for another few seconds. "So what do I need to improve?"

"You're too impulsive and eager for a fight," Kakashi replied. "You'll need to temper that."

"Ah," Thalia sniffed, not too concerned about that. "Whatever. Hey, can I ask you something?" she suddenly asked.

Kakashi raised his eyebrow again at the change in conversation but held out his hand in a 'go-ahead' gesture.

"What's with the mask? Is it a ninja thing or are you trying to look cool or you have some sort of hideous injury there or what?" Ever since she'd seen it, Thalia had been wondering about that mask and what might lie behind it.

"My mask?" Kakashi asked, touching it. "Hmmm. I don't feel like telling you."

Thalia smirked. "You know that just makes me more curious."

"Yes, I figured."

"I'm going to find out."

"You can try."

"Oh, and give me back my damn bracelet."

"I already did."

"What?" Thalia cried, looking at her wrist and seeing Aegis back on it. "How? What? Damn it!"

---

Naruto and Sasuke slowly ate their lunch, Naruto eyeing Sakura from the corner of his eye, his food tasting like ashes in his mouth. Next to him, Sasuke wasn't feeling much better, the growls coming from Sakura's stomach feeling like they were stabbing at him.

Sakura tried her best to endure but it was getting hard, especially since she could smell the food from the lunches, making her stomach hunger for it even more. She kept thinking back to everything she'd done in the test, cringing at every mistake she'd made. She could have done a hundred different things but instead she kept making the wrong choice. This was her punishment.

"D-don't worry about me guys," she said after her belly let out another loud growl. "I'll be just fine. Just get your strength up for the next test."

"Sakura," Naruto whined, hating this.

Sakura gave Naruto what she hoped was a brave smile. It was weird because he had always been the loser back at the Academy and yet she'd been the one to epically fail on the test while he actually did well. She'd always laughed alongside everyone else when he'd failed and yet here he wasn't laughing at her. He wasn't even pitying her, just looking at her with sympathy.

Naruto regarded her again and sighed. He thought back to what Thalia had said about her life, about being on the run, and then earlier when she'd admitted to eating breakfast this morning. With that in mind, he made his decision.

"Here."

Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other, their words synchronizing as they both held up their lunches. Sakura stared down at them, shocked.

"Sasuke?" Naruto gasped. "What are you doing?"

"Same as you, apparently," Sasuke replied, rolling his eyes. "I'm giving Sakura my lunch."

"But, you guys can't do this!" Sakura warned them, despite her body urging her to eat all the food up. "You heard what the sensei said."

"Kakashi's gone," Sasuke replied. "We need to get those bells as a team. If you're hungry, you'll be weak and ineffective. That hurts the team and jeopardizes the mission."

"Yeah!" Naruto nodded in agreement. "Who cares what stupid Kakashi-sensei said? You're my teammate and you're hungry so I'm going to feed you. You won't be able to get those bells on an empty stomach so you need to eat! Believe it!"

Sakura stared at the two of them, her eyes watering. "S-s-sasuke! N-n-naruto!" she sniffed, trying to hold back the waterworks.

"Stop crying and eat fast," Sasuke almost snapped at her. "We don't know when Kakashi will be back."

"R-right, thanks."

In the trees, Thalia watched with a smile. Seemed they did understand after all. Food had always been hard to come by on the road and she and Luke and later Annabeth had always had to scrounge up what they could, often sharing small portions split between them. Yeah, there was no doubt in her mind she would have given Sakura the food right off the bat.

"Um…I can't really eat because…" Sakura stammered, embarrassed as she looked down at her tied up hands.

"Oh, I've got this!" Naruto said eagerly. "I don't need to eat that much anyway. I could go for days without food, weeks even, believe it!"

The sudden growl from his stomach betrayed his words, making him laugh sheepishly, but he still held up his chopsticks for Sakura to eat from. She felt embarrassed being fed to like this but she was too hungry to care, gobbling up the food so fast she barely tasted it.

"Hurry up, he could come back any minute," Sasuke warned them.

"Hey, I'm doing my best here," Naruto replied angrily, accidentally shoving the food right into Sakura's mouth.

"Maruno!" Sakura mumbled around the food, glaring at him.

"Oh, sorry Sakura."

"Loser."

"Shut up Sasuke! I don't see you helping!"

POOF!

"You!" Kakashi roared, his voice sounding like a god's as the air in front of them practically exploded in cloud of dust, his face looming over them. Naruto and Sakura instantly screamed while Sasuke grimaced, readying himself for a fight.

"You broke the rules," Kakashi told them. "I hope you're ready for the punishment." He then made ninja hand signs, putting all three on edge. Instantly, the clouds above them darkened just like with Thalia and lightning flashed.

"Damn, he can do that too?" Thalia muttered, looking up. "That's not fair…actually, that lightning hand thing earlier was pretty cool. Maybe he could teach me some things. But still, it feels like he stole my thunder. Literally!"

"Hey, you stole Thalia's jutsu!" Naruto complained.

"Thank you Naruto!" she said in his direction, even if he was too far to hear it.

"Any last words?" Kakashi asked, ignoring the blonde.

Sakura whimpered against the log while Naruto did his best not to cower next to her, failing miserably. Sasuke, while still scared, managed to keep his cool, preparing for the inevitable attack.

"But you said…" Naruto began, hesitating.

"Yes?"

"You said that there were three of us!" he cried out, courage overriding his senses. "That's what you said! And that's why Sasuke and I-"

"We're all on this squad and we're all in it together," Sasuke finished. He knew what this might mean for him and his goals but he didn't care right now. He was sick of Kakashi and his little games

"Yeah! We gave our lunch to Sakura because we're a team!" Naruto said.

"Yeah!" Sakura chimed in, not wanting to be left out. She couldn't just let them stand up for her like this, not without doing anything to earn it. "The three of us are one and we'll come at you again and get those bells!"

"That's right! Believe it!"

"The three of you are one? That's your excuse?" Kakashi asked, the sky still darkened around him.

They stared back at him, terrified of what this would mean but refusing to back down.

"Four, actually."

The lightning flashed down again, but this time struck a little ways away where Thalia was standing, spear pointed right at Kakashi. She knew she could have stayed on the sidelines, watching what her teammates did, but after their stand towards Kakashi, she knew she couldn't just stay back anymore.

"We're all part of Team 7," she said, smiling. "And we'll all fight you together and beat you cause that's what teams do."

Sakura and Naruto grinned as they saw her while Sasuke just gave a soft smirk, all three of them turning back to Kakashi with fierce looks of determination.

"Hmm," he said, regarding them for another few seconds. "You pass," he suddenly said, smiling behind his mask.

"Huh?" Naruto and Sakura said, blinking in surprise. Sasuke just stared, thinking this was another trick.

"You pass," Kakashi repeated.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked. "How did we pass?"

"You're the first squad that ever succeeded," Kakashi revealed as the clouds dissipated, the sun once again shining down. "The others did exactly what I said and fell into every trap. They couldn't think for themselves. A ninja must see through deception," he told them. "In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum. That's true. But, those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."

He'd been worried but they'd made it through. And Thalia showing up had been a nice touch. She technically had already passed but her backing up her teammates just affirmed for him what a good addition she'd make to this squad.

"He's, uh…you know. He's…kind of cool," Naruto stammered, tears brimming in his eyes out of relief. It had taken a while but he'd finally passed. He was now officially a ninja, that much closer to his dream.

Next to him, Sasuke smiled in relief. He was closer too now. But this had been too close a call. He couldn't let that happen again. His eyes darted up to Thalia, narrowing slightly.

Sakura just let out a pent up breath. She'd passed. She'd really passed.

"The exercise is over, everyone passes," Kakashi told them. "Squad 7 starts its first mission tomorrow!"

"So at like 5 am or at like 11 am?" Thalia questioned, giving Kakashi a look. "I don't want to wake up early if I don't have to."

"Oh, and one other thing."

"Hey, don't ignore me!"

"Sakura," Kakashi said, his voice hardening slightly and stopping the girl's celebration.

"Y-yes Kakashi-sensei?" she asked nervously.

"You do pass, but just barely," he told her. "Because of the others' actions, I'm not willing to break up the squad just yet. However, you have one week to prove to me you have what it takes to be on a ninja squad or you're out. Whether that means back to the academy or out of the program entirely will be up to you. Right now, you're a liability. You'd better not stay that way."

"R-right, of course K-kakashi-sensei," she said hurriedly, a pit of despair forming inside of her.

"You may have gotten the top grades at the academy but those don't mean much out in the field," he warned her. "So you'd better brush up on your skills. That's all. Now, let's go home."

Sakura drooped down, her expression becoming grim. She really hadn't done anything. She had hoped that she could prove her worth in their second chance test but that was pointless now. Still, she did have a second chance with this week and she refused to fail. She just had to get better.

"H-hey, Thalia?" she asked the girl.

"Yeah?"

"C-can you train me?" she said, giving her best pleading look.

"Sure, no problem," Thalia replied.

"Really?" Sakura grinned, the pit now getting slightly smaller inside her.

"Yeah, I was going to offer anyway."

"Thank you," Sakura said, breathing out in relief. "Oh, could you also untie me?"

As Thalia did that, Naruto danced up and down, screaming out that he was now a ninja, saying the word over and over again like he couldn't get enough of it.

"We're ninja now Thalia! Ninja! Finally, we're real ninja!"

"Yes, I got it! The whole village got it!"

"Ninja! Say it with me Thalia! Ninja!"

"Oh fine. Ninja."

"Aw, give it more gusto Thalia, come on!"

"Fine. One time. Ninja!"

"Yeah, ninja!"

As he walked away behind Kakashi, Sasuke glanced back behind him at the spiky-haired girl. "Let's see how strong you are," he said, finger curling over his kunai.

---

Hey all, thanks for reading.

So yeah, the whole survival test went through many changes in my head before I started writing. I knew right from the start that Thalia would pass because she's used to working as part of a team and would see the test's true meaning. And I also knew Naruto wouldn't go up on the pole because he would now team up with Thalia. So, originally I was going to have Sasuke up on the pole but that changed because he would see Sakura and Naruto as beneath him but not Thalia like I explained there. So, then it would have to be Sakura.

Kishimoto is a great writer but he said himself back then he didn't know how to write girls and Sakura is honestly a pathetic character in the beginning, which is something I want to change. So her big revelation moment comes here instead which will impact the canon going forward.

Hope you enjoyed, feel free to message me with any questions, and leave a review if you can.