A/N: Thank you for the favorites and follows. They absolutely made my day :) Please review to tell me what you think and what you want to see more or less of!

Kimiko trudged into the training grounds at dawn, blearily rubbing sleep from her eyes. She had woken up before Hikari, which in her mind meant this was an ungodly hour. She had packed her bag last night (read: her grandma had gently suggested she pack the bag the night before so she didn't rush this morning, and she was right. As usual) with a change of clothes, a fire-started kit, rations for a couple days, some extra tools/weapons, and a sleeping wrap that could double as a make-shift shelter if needed. She wasn't sure what the survival exercise entailed, but she hoped she had covered it.

"Here," she told her teammates, who looked just as tired as she did, handing each of them a ration bar. "My family's recipe. Grandma says if we puke these up, it would be a miracle."

"Thanks, I was starving!" Naruto said, shoving the whole bar in his mouth.

"Uh, Naruto…" She tried to warn him, but it was too late. His face turned green as the thick, gummy texture wrapped around his teeth.

"Mmm…so…good". He mumbled, swallowing with great difficulty and obviously desperately trying to be polite.

"It's not meant to taste good. It's packed with nutrients that a shinobi needs on the go, in case they can't stop to eat or they're fighting. They were popular during the Third Shinobi War." Kimiko explained, somewhat impressed with Naruto's ability to swallow it whole. She had had to chase every bite down with milk, and she was hoping it wouldn't come back to haunt her later.

"I thought you came from a civilian family." Sasuke said, surprised as he took one from her and very carefully began to nibble on it.

Kimiko shrugged. "Sort of. We aren't a clan or anything, but we have a good mix of shinobi and civilians across the family. Both of my parents and my grandma were ninja, and my dad still works as a Chunin. My mother was a tokubetsu Jonin. She was the best in the family that we know of. Everyone else who became a ninja was in the Genin Corps or in research or something like that," Kimiko said, her voice laced with pride as she spoke about her mother.

Sasuke nodded, satisfied with her answer. They lapsed into silence, but as dawn passed and they had been waiting for more than an hour, Kimiko got to her feet again.

"This is ridiculous." She declared.

"I agree. Let's go to Old Man Hokage and demand a different sensei." Naruto suggested.

"Idiot. It's not like there's a bunch of free jonin just waiting to teach a bunch of kids." Sasuke scoffed.

"I knew that!" Naruto turned on him, his hands balled into fists.

"I was thinking - " Kimiko cut in, "that maybe we're supposed to do something. Kakashi-sensei did say this was a survival exercise. He could be watching us now to see what we are doing."

Sasuke cursed. "And we have just been standing around doing nothing. Let's split up and explore the Training Grounds, then we will come back and pool our supplies." He said, taking charge.

"Who died and made you leader?" Naruto grumbled.

"I agree with Sasuke's plan, unless you have a better one." Kimiko said.

"Well…I was going to set up more pranks for him being late." Naruto said sullenly.

"You know what? Do that, Naruto. Just make sure we know where they are. And make them useful to trap game or "enemy ninja,"" Kimiko used air quotes, "that he might send our way or something. You can use some of my ninja wire and extra shuriken in my bag." Mizuki-sensei had pretended to be an invading bandit during one of their survival exercises. The kid on guard had fallen asleep and the whole class had been "killed". Fun times. There was nothing quite like a 2am lecture from Iruka-sensei. It hit differently from his 9, 10, 11, 12, 1300, and 1400 ones.

"On it, Kimiko!" Naruto saluted. As Kimiko and Sasuke left, she felt a little bad giving Naruto what was most likely a pointless task, but at least she would have some peace from their bickering.

She and Sasuke split up, Kimiko heading towards the river that she could just barely hear and Sasuke heading deeper into the forest. The Training Grounds were fairly extensive, and it took her about a half hour to explore her half of the area. The river wasn't full of fish, but there were some. Near the clearing where Naruto was gleefully setting up his pranks, there were no signs of game, but deeper in she spotted rabbit and squirrel trails, so they would be able to hunt for their food. There were also plenty of sheltered spots, and a few plants that Kimiko knew were either edible or useful in some way. She'd have to look closer to see for sure: she was never good at remembering plants. She almost failed their kunoichi flower language class.

She was about to step into the clearing when Naruto yelled, "WAIT!" She froze, her foot hovering over a trip wire. To her left, it looks like he had rigged a giant log to come swinging at her.

"Okay, walk in a straight line towards me, and you're fine." Naruto said. She approached him cautiously, annoyed to see Kakashi-sensei was still not there.

"How many traps did you create?" She asked as Sasuke also approached slowly from his side.

Naruto's answer was a devilish grin. "Well, while you were gone, I had just a great idea for some help, and we sort of got carried away."

"What do you mean, we?" Kimiko asked. Naruto smiled even wider, reminding her of a fox that had just scored a delicious prize, and she felt a shiver go down her back in response. She hoped Kakashi-sensei knew what he was walking into.

—-

Another hour had passed. After checking over their combined supplies and going over ideal shelter spots, Sasuke seemed to lose the fervor for her "Kakashi is watching us" idea, and had moved a few feet away from them to brood, or whatever Sasuke did.

With nothing better to do, Kimiko decided to follow one of the katas from the Library. Learning from yesterday, she had brought a scroll with her that detailed a transition from the basic Academy Style of taijutsu or kunoichi. While still very similar, it had advanced stretches from what she had learned at the Academy, and she started with those to warm-up. She was so focused on doing her backband into a handstand as slowly as possible, she didn't notice the storm approaching until it appeared behind her.

"Good morning!"

Kimiko's "Good morning sensei!" in response was overshadowed by Naruto's scream of, "YOU'RE LATE!", which sounded infinitely more satisfying.

"Sorry, a black cat crossed my path and I had to take the long way." Kakashi-sensei said, rubbing his head apologetically.

Is he…for real? Kimiko thought in disbelief.

"Anyway…" Kakashi placed an alarm clock on a training post. "Your mission today is to take these two bells from me." He moved his hip slightly, causing the shining silver bells at his side to make a soft jingling sound.

"That's it?" Kimiko asked, thinking of all their preparations. "Just…take the bells?"

"That's it. Oh, but there's a catch. If you don't get a bell, you will be sent back to the Academy." That got a reaction from all three Genin, but Kimiko quickly noticed another problem.

"Sensei, you only have two bells. Genin teams are supposed to be in groups of three with a Jonin commander." Kimiko couldn't see how he had overlooked this fact, but she also didn't understand what he expected them to do.

"Well, that ensures at least one of you is going back to the Academy." He responded evenly.

"That's not fair!" The moment she said it, she regretted it, but it was too late to take the words back.

"Oh, is it not fair? I'm sorry. I didn't realize the life of a shinobi was fair." His voice dripped with venom, and Kimiko couldn't hold his gaze for more than a second before turning away, shamefaced.

"This is your mission. Accept it or don't. If you don't, you're obviously not ready to be a ninja, and I'll send you back regardless." He said.

"Of course we accept the mission! We aren't going to back down!" Naruto yelled determinedly.

"Good. To get these bells, come at me with the intent to kill. You can begin when I say start." Kimiko and Sasuke tensed, but Naruto couldn't take the tension. He launched himself forward, screaming "I'm going to crush you!" with a kunai brandished.

"Naruto - " Kimiko gasped, and then blinked. It was like her brain skipped an image. She was seeing Naruto charge at Kakashi-sensei, and now Kakashi-sensei had Naruto's arm twisted at an angle that had the kunai pointed at the back of Naruto's head, the dust around him just beginning to float and then settle back into the ground.

"Now, now…I didn't say start yet." Kimiko swallowed as she became aware of the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears. I didn't even see him move…

Kakashi released Naruto, then barked, "Start!"

Kimiko dashed for cover, even as part of her knew it was useless to try to hide from a ninja of his caliber. After a brief moment to think, she chose to swerve behind a tree that she knew was rigged with one of Naruto's traps. His "prank" idea was actually genius. I'll have to thank him later. She glanced around carefully, and amended her thanks. If he lives.

Naruto had decided to go for a physical confrontation, which was completely suicidal based on what she remembered from Naruto's taijutsu skills. Kakashi seemed amused by his proclamation, and reached for his kunai pouch. Naruto tensed, ready to counter his attack when Kakashi-sensei pulled out…a book?

I can't get a read on this guy…Kimiko sweat-dropped. He's equally as scary as he is a complete goof.

Naruto launched a series of blistering attacks, throwing all of his strength behind each blow. That was Naruto's MO - his technique was sloppy, but he could keep going, and all he needed was one good blow to turn the tides.

But Kakashi wasn't going to let him get that hit. He blocked Naruto like he was fending off a toddler. Kimiko wouldn't be surprised if she saw him yawning.

What do I do? She thought desperately. How do I get a bell from him? She would have to surprise him. But all on her own? Maybe she could try to work with Naruto or Sasuke, but then what? Neither deserved to go home. Sasuke was Rookie of the Year - another year at the Academy would be pointless, not to mention a unique form of torture for him. And Naruto? He had been so happy to finally pass. To finally take the first step towards becoming Hokage. Could she really take that from them? Yesterday she had considered them teammates. Now she felt like a backstabber.

Her attention was drawn again to the battlefield as Kakashi-sensei suddenly appeared behind Naruto, his fingers pressed into a hand sign. She wasn't sure which element it represented, but any jutsu from that close was sure to do damage.

"Naruto, duck!" She shouted, slicing the wire she stood next to. Shuriken launched from above her at a downward angle towards the middle of the clearing. She was too late, however, as Kakashi's fingers met their mark and…

"A Thousand Years of Death!" Naruto was launched from his rear end to the pond, and Kakashi neatly flipped over the shuriken, heading towards where they had been fired from.

Crazy freaking ninja! Kimiko shouted mentally as she fled her hiding spot. He baited me into thinking Naruto was in real trouble, and now I've given up my position.

Realizing there was no way she would be able to run quietly enough for him NOT to find her, she angled back towards the clearing, clearing a bush with a running leap and rolling to her feet. At least he wouldn't be able to sneak up on her if she was out in the open.

"Nee-chan?" Kimiko stumbled to a halt at the unexpected voice. Standing in the clearing, clutching a slowly spreading red stain in her gut, was her little sister Hikari.

"H-hikari?" Kimiko stuttered. She tried to move, to run to her, to go get help, but her legs were frozen in place. Her sister reached for her, her hands stained in red…in blood…

"I wanted to see…you be a ninja…" She whispered as her knees gave out. Kimiko felt a horrible cold feeling sink into her stomach, and the edges of her vision began to turn to black.

This can't be real. Like someone had slapped her, Iruka-sensei's voice echoed in her head. "If it doesn't seem real, it might not be." He said, bringing his hands together in a seal. "To release the illusion…"

Kimiko brought her hands together. "Kai!" The world shattered, and she stumbled backwards as a tree almost slammed into her face.

No, the tree hadn't moved - it was the same one she had originally been hiding behind. In fact, she hadn't run at all. She had been standing exactly where she had released the trap, completely visible and vulnerable. She shook the image of her dying sister out of her mind.

He could have taken me out of the fight for good. She realized. He must have weaved the hand-sign for the genjutsu while he was flipping in the air. Why didn't he?

It was a test, of course. He had given her another chance. She squared her shoulders. She was not going to waste that chance.

She walked into the clearing, as hiding at this point was beyond useless. There was a log with shuriken embedded in it, and it looked like Naruto had been snagged with one of his own traps.

"Kimiko!" He waved enthusiastically, despite being upside down. "This Kakashi guy sucks! He tied the bells to one of my own traps!"

"And you, what, thought he dropped the bell on the ground and went for it?" She guessed, amused. She could see it now.

"Well, it could happen!" Naruto argued. "Anyway, get me down from here! He went after Sasuke-teme after he tried to skewer him."

"That would explain the log then." Kimiko guessed as she threw her kunai to cut Naruto down from the tree. He flipped, landed, and then for some unknown reason dove away from the tree.

"Uh, just in case there was another trap. Cause I wouldn't fall for that, believe it." Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Right…" Kimiko said disbelievingly. She thought back to her plan earlier, which was to surprise Kakashi-sensei. It didn't look like Sasuke had managed that, but maybe between the two of them, they could do it.

"Naruto, we have to work together to get the bells. Kakashi is too strong for either of us." Kimiko half-expected Naruto to argue, but he just nodded. "I mean, I could totally beat him by myself, but I wouldn't want you to be without a bell, Kimiko."

"Right…" Kimiko said again. "I think the best plan is to try to surprise him and confuse him. Do you have any ideas?"

Naruto smirked. "Konoha's #1 Unpredictable Ninja, coming up! Now, what would surprise him the most?" Naruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he gazed towards where Sasuke and Kakashi had gone.

—

Sasuke cursed as he was buried in the ground. Kakashi turned to leave him - just turned his back! Like he was nothing! When a blur of purple appeared in front of him.

"Sasuke-kun, no!" Kimiko cried out, landing in front of him.

"Oh, you got out of the genjutsu then?" Kakashi noticed, turning back to face her.

"I had to!" Kimiko declared, placing her hand on her heart. "Sasuke-kun was in peril!"

"What." Sasuke deadpanned. Kakashi looked bemused. Had she been exposed to him too long? Was it just a matter of time before any female became a part of the Sasuke Fanclub? He had been pleased that he had been paired with Kimiko, because at least she was the least useless and annoying of the females in his class, but apparently he had been grateful too soon.

"Sasuke-kun, I will protect you! Clone Jutsu!" Three illusionary versions of Kimiko appeared next to her.

"If Shadow Clones don't work on me, surely you realize the standard clone won't either, right? " Kakashi questioned her, still looking a slightly put-off by her out of character behavior.

"I must try. Get him girls!" But instead of running forward, all the clones pulled out smoke bombs and threw them down. Only one should have exploded, asd the other bombs should have been fake, but four smoke bombs filled the area with thick smoke.

Kimiko whirled around and slammed an explosive tag near Sasuke. Before he could react, it exploded, filling the area with even more smoke. He could hear other explosions happening as the ground around him loosened.

"Are you crazy?" He asked, horrified at how close she had come to blowing his face off. He expected that kind of reckless behavior from Naruto, not her.

"NARUTO SMOKE BLITZ! MULTI-SHADOWCLONE JUTSU!" He heard the whizzing of weapons and clanging in the distance as what he assumed were Naruto clones began to unleash havoc in the smoke.

He felt two hands under his armpits and he was yanked out of the ground.

"Wha - " The Kimiko that had slammed down the explosive tag glared at him and dropped the Henge, revealing none other than Naruto.

"Sorry, Sasuke-kun. No such luck to have me proclaiming my love for you." Naruto smirked.

"Naruto, go, that's not going to keep him distracted for long!" The real Kimiko who had dragged him out of the dirt, shouted.

"Right. I'll keep him occupied, believe it!"

"Kakashi is going to leap out of the smoke if the plan works." Kimiko whispered in his ear. "We need to keep him trapped in the air long enough for Naruto to snatch the bells."

Sasuke thought of a hundred responses, dozens of other plans, but he knew he had just had his ass saved. "Okay." He said instead. He would just make sure one of the bells goes to him.

"You're faster. Cover the other side." Kimiko said, dashing backwards towards the edge of the smoke. Sasuke bit back another annoyed response - now was not the time. Instead, he dashed around the edge of the cloud, listening to the startled shouts and groans and pops of Naruto clones being destroyed. He had just made it to the edge when Naruto yelled, "NOW!" Wires began to whir as the ground became hazardous. As Kimiko and Naruto had hoped, Kakashi leaped into the air to avoid the slicing wires the clones had set up.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke had enough chakra for another grand fireball and shot it directly where Kakashi emerged from the smoke.

His singular eye widened in surprise at seeing Sasuke's attack, and Kakashi quickly tied a kunai and threw it towards a tree to change his trajectory.

As Kakashi fell towards the tree, Kimiko leaped from a branch to meet him. She wasn't exactly a pro at airborne taijutsu, but by throwing all of her weight into the attack, she got Kakashi to do what she wanted - use both of his arms to block her hammerkick. She left herself completely open to a counterattack, but she had done her part.

"HERE I COME!" As the smoke cleared, a Naruto clone launched what Sasuke guessed to be the real Naruto towards Kakashi's hip. Kakashi had already undone his crossguard and had both his hands on Kimiko to swing her to the ground, which meant his hands were occupied and his hip was open as Naruto's outstretched hand reached…

A log appeared where Kakashi had been, and Naruto crashed into Kimiko, sending her and Naruto crashing into the ground.

"Arrrghh, damnit! I had him!" Naruto shouted, clambering to his feet.

"Geez, Naruto, what do you weigh?" Kimiko wheezed, standing up and clutching her stomach.

"You idiots, was that the best you could do?" Sasuke snapped.

"Oh, like how you were being so helpful buried neck deep in the ground? Face it Sasuke, we're not good enough to face him." Kimiko retorted, finally fed up with his attitude and angry at herself for failing.

"That can't be." Sasuke turned away from them, clenching his hands into fists. "I HAVE to beat him. I have to get training! I have to get stronger."

"How are we supposed to beat him? There has to be a way!" Naruto declared, slamming his fist into the palm of his hand.

"What if there isn't a way?" Kimiko asked thoughtfully. If it seemed impossible to defeat him, well, maybe it was impossible.

"Don't think like that Kimiko! I'll never give up, believe it!" Naruto said encouragingly.

"I appreciate that Naruto," She smiled, "but that's not what I mean. What if this test is set up for us to fail?"

"Like, there's another objective?" Sasuke said with a frown. That was better than accepting he had failed at something he was supposed to pass.

"Or maybe he doesn't want to be a teacher." Kimiko shrugged. "He's pretty eccentric. Maybe the idea of having a bunch of Genin as his responsibility bothers him."

Naruto frowned. "Well, he's just going to have to suck it up. We're Team 7, believe it!"

Just then, the alarm bell rang, signaling noon and the end of the test.

"You better be right." Sasuke said as they turned to head back to the clearing.

"I better be." She agreed, and they walked back together.

—

Kakashi took in the appearance of the Genin as they approached. Naruto looked full of fire, ready to go for another match despite all of the chakra he had used. Kimiko looked tired and weary, eyeing him with suspicion. She was dusty from her fall with Naruto, but otherwise looked fine. Sasuke was dirty, and his face was singed from the explosive tag that freed him. He too looked suspicious and…hopeful wasn't the right word, but almost like he was bracing himself for good and bad news at the same time.

"Well," Kakashi moved his hip, allowing the bells to jingle their taunting melody. "You failed. I guess it's back to the Academy for you."

In all honesty, he was impressed. They showed the most drive towards teamwork than any of his previous teams. He was close to passing them, but something held him back. I need to know for sure. He thought, eyeing them. I need to know they won't be like us. Sasuke had only worked with them out of timing and convenience, he was sure. And he didn't know if Kimiko and Naruto would have offered him a bell.

"Nuh-uh!" Naruto crossed his arms in an X. "We see through your tricks, sensei!"

Did he actually figure it out? Kakashi thought, shocked.

"We figure you don't want us as your students, or any students." Kimiko spoke up. She sounded hesitant, but continued to speak. "We won't be a waste of time, sensei. We won't get in your way. We just want to become stronger, to serve our village, and achieve our dreams."

Interesting conclusion. Kakashi thought, as they waited with bated breath for his response. But are they truly united?

"Excellent work. I suppose I should reward you." He pretended to think for a moment. "Which one of you figured it out?"

"Kimiko!" Naruto said. Kakashi nodded, and tossed her a bell. She caught it, staring at him with shock.

"I will take just one of you as my student. Since Kimiko figured it out, I'll take her."

"B-but sensei…" She glanced at her teammates. Sasuke looked murderous. Naruto looked crestfallen, but gave her a thumbs up. "Take it Kimiko! You deserve it. We'll be okay."

Kimiko thought back to what she had been pondering earlier. Both Sasuke and Naruto deserved to continue on as Genin. She wasn't sure then, but she was sure now. She couldn't take it from them. It just felt wrong.

"I can't sensei. One of them can have the bell, and become your student." She shook her head and held out the bell to her teammates.

"You're seriously giving it up?" Sasuke asked her. Kimiko bit her lip and nodded.

"It's not that I don't want it. I do. But I can't take it from you two. You both deserve it." She said, her resolve hardening as she said it. She would always feel like she stole it from them if she took the bell. She didn't want this haunting her as she trained.

"I…I can't take it either." It looked like Sasuke was about to vomit as he choked the words out, but he said it. "I didn't get the bells. I didn't understand the test. I failed."

"Well, this is bullshit!" Naruto declared. "Kimiko helped me and found where you two were. I came up with the plan and did the awesome Naruto blitz, and Sasuke…" He stumbled for a moment, but continued, "He can make fireballs, and that's cool enough that he should be a genin!"

"So none of you accept the bell?" Kakashi asked, hardly daring to believe his ears.

They all looked at each other uncertainly, then nodded.

"We'll become Genin, even if you send us back to the Academy!" Naruto said resolutely.

"You get all of us, or none of us." Kimiko said.

"I'm not even sure if we want you as a teacher anyway, after all this," Sasuke somewhat echoed their sentiment.

Minato-sensei…you would be so proud of your son. Maybe they have a chance after all.

"Congratulations, Team 7, you pass." They gaped at him. "Though not because of the reason you think. This was a test of teamwork." He explained. It was pretty funny to watch three lightbulbs appear over each of their heads as it clicked.

"That's why you put us against each other! To see if we would work together anyway!" She turned triumphantly to the boys. "See? Teammates!" Kakashi wasn't sure what she was referencing, but Naruto cheered and extended his hand, which Kimiko grabbed. They both turned to Sasuke expectantly, who looked like he would rather be set on fire, but slowly reached out and briefly touched their hands.

"Teammates," he said, like he had just lost a battle. Naruto smirked. "Damn straight."

"Follow me." Kakashi said after their moment, guiding them towards the stone that sat a little further into the Training Grounds. They fell into line like a pack of puppies, and Kakashi thought that maybe having Genin wouldn't be so different from training his pack. He wouldn't voice that out loud, of course, yet…maybe there was something to that thought. He was just going to send them on D-Ranks and see what happened, but maybe different method would be more helpful.

They reached the Memorial Stone. Kakashi's gaze immediately found the names he was always staring at, and he felt his Genin spread out behind him.

"This is where the greatest heroes of Konoha are recognized." He said quietly. "My closest friends are here."

"Ooh, what did they do?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"They were all KIA." Kakashi explained.

"That's it, that's it! I'll have my name on that stone one day!" Naruto exclaimed exuberantly.

"Naruto, they were all killed. KIA means "Killed in Action", in service of the village." Kimiko stepped forward, and Kakashi watched as she traced a name longingly on the stone. "My mother is here."

Kakashi watched both of her teammates react with surprise, apparently not having known this information.

Kakashi continued with his lecture when no one spoke for a minute. "Your lesson, your test today, was about teamwork. You see, every ninja knows that to abandon the mission would make you scum. But those who abandon their comrades are even worse than scum."

"Hai, sensei." His Genin chorused.

It seems I've taught them one thing. He thought. He looked at the children before him, and he felt something untangle in the dark weave over his heart. Could I teach them something more?

A/N: Well there you have it. Kakashi thinking about training, the bonds of teamwork beginning to form...

Next up: Missions and Training! Please review!