Sasuke's Apartment: Morning…
After eating a healthy breakfast, Sasuke tied his forehead protector around his head and proceeded to the door. He stopped short of opening it as his eyes glanced back at that dumb scroll Naruto left him. He scoffed and shook his head before departing his apartment.
"I really should throw that away."
Sakura's Home
Sakura was within her room, ensuring her appearance was perfect as she tied her forehead protector like a headband and checked herself in the mirror.
"Sakura, isn't it time for you to get going!?"
"I know!" Sakura called out to her mother, frustrated. "I'm on my way out now!"
Konoha
"I'm not a little academy student anymore." Sakura left her home and was now on her way to the academy. "I'm Sakura Haruno, Kunoichi in training."
She was walking up on the Yamanaka Flower shop, happening upon it just as Ino stepped out. "Good morning, Sakura."
"Good morning, Ino." Sakura returned.
She started walking, the blond doing the same as the pinkette reached her.
"So, they actually let your graduate." Ino smirked. "What a surprise."
"Those classes are ancient history." Sakura returned. "We're both ninja now, making us equals." She looked the blond's way firmly. "I won't lose to you anymore."
This saw the two girls steadily walking faster before breaking into a run.
Academy
Sasuke had long since arrived at the academy and took his usual seat by the window. He, like anyone else there today, was waiting for their sensei to arrive and inform them of what team they would be assigned to. All he hoped was whoever he got assigned wouldn't hold him back.
Sakura and Ino suddenly arrived, the pair fighting to enter through the doorway and ultimately managing to push in at the same time. "I'm first!"
They were panting.
"I won again, Sakura." Ino voiced smugly.
"Give it up." Sakura returned. "I had to look back to see you."
Suddenly, the pinkette spotted the Uchiha and took off towards his otherwise empty row.
"Hey, where are you going?" Ino asked.
"Good morning, Sasuke." Sakura reached the Uchiha's row, cupping her hands together but only seeing him glance her way uninterested. "Mind if I sit next to you?"
"Back off, Forehead." Ino grabbed her arm. "I'm sitting next to Sasuke."
"I was here first." Sakura growled.
"I walked into the class before you did." Ino argued. "Everyone saw it."
"Dream on." Sakura retorted.
This conversation saw other newly made Kunoichi, other fan girls of Sasuke, jumping into the conversation.
"Actually, I get here before either of you."
"So did I. I'm sitting next to Sasuke."
"No, I am."
They proceeded to argue amongst themselves while Sasuke just did not care. Even if he didn't care, he did eventually find their arguing to be annoying. It got to the point he stood without a word, moving along the free side as these girls were too engrossed in their argument to notice.
The Uchiha then walked along the back before hoping into the back middle row between Hinata Hyuga and some other guy from their class he hadn't bothered to learn the name of. The Hyuga glanced his way, though Sasuke didn't look hers as he simply stared ahead.
Eventually, Iruka entered and reigned the Kunoichi in as he moved to stand at the podium. This saw the formerly arguing girls to notice Sasuke had left his original seat, prompting some of them to take the row as others found seats elsewhere.
"As of today, you are Shinobi." Iruka informed. "To get here, you've faced difficult trials and hardships; however, that is nothing. What comes next will be far more difficult. Now, you are only Genin, first level ninjas.
All the Genin will be grouped into three-man squads. Each squad will be led by a Jonin, an elite ninja." From there, he began running down the squads. "…Squad 7, Sasuke Uchiha, Hinata Hyuga, and a Genin from the reserves by the name of Sai"
Hinata didn't see anyone in class currently that hadn't graduated with them, meaning whoever this Sai was must have not arrived yet. This left her to glance at Sasuke, who once against didn't look at her in return.
"Someone who has been a Genin for at least a little while, and one of the only girls in class who doesn't annoy me." Sasuke thought, recognizing it as potentially better than anything he could have gotten.
Iruka proceeded. "Next is Squad 8, Sakura Haruno, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame."
Sakura deflated at being placed with bug and dog boy. "I'm doomed."
Kiba grinned while Shino adjusted his glasses.
"Now Squad 10, Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi." Iruka finished.
Ino gripped her head. "Lazy and food boy!"
"Those are all the squads." Iruka stated. "After lunch, you shall meet your new teachers." He walked towards the door. "Until then, class dismissed."
Outside the Academy
Hinata walked outside and was looking for Sasuke in hopes they could have lunch together. Even though the Uchiha was a cold person, they were teammates now. That meant they should at least try to get to know each other, right?
"Since I can't find Sasuke, maybe I should try looking for Naruto again." Hinata thought.
Ever since he failed graduation, Hinata hasn't been able to find the blond like she normally would have, and it was starting to worry the poor girl.
Konoha
Sasuke was walking along a seemingly empty street with his hands in his pockets. From atop a nearby roof, Sai took out his paint brush and unfurled his empty scroll before proceeding to draw. Suddenly, Sasuke's eyes widened before he lept clear to the right.
This saw an ink Tome Lion landing where he'd been standing. Just as it turned towards him, Sasuke drew one kunai in each hand and proceeded to slash the Tome Lion until it became nothing more than a puddle of ink on the ground. He then quickly scanned his surroundings.
"There!" Sasuke spotted his attacker.
It was some guy, sat on a roof, with straight black hair and dark eyes which contrast his pale skin. He carried a tipless tanto on his back. His attire consisted of a short black jacket, high-collared midriff shirt, black pants, shinobi sandals, gloves, and the Konoha forehead protector.
"He's wearing a Konoha headband, yet is attacking me?" Sasuke questioned himself.
He didn't know what was going on, but a good way to get answers was staring him down from atop that roof. This saw the Uchiha sprinting down the street. As he ran, the assailant went about painting on his scroll rapidly.
Sai made a hand sign. "Ninja Art: Super Beast Scroll."
A whole pack of Tome Lions lept off his scroll, coming right as Sasuke.
"Just one hand sign!?" Sasuke came to a stop as he wove through a set of hand signs rapidly and took a deep breath. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
He spewed forth the fireball as the lions were mid leap, seeing him at least tagging the coming Tome Lions enough to reduce them to ink which burned up in the flames. Sasuke had hoped to use the momentum of his run to leap up to that roof, but it couldn't be helped.
He now lept with all his might, holding out his right arm and just managing to catch the edge of the roof. Sasuke got his other hand up and pulled himself up. He then withdrew a kunai and rushed forward.
This saw Sai casually stand and draw his tanto, blocking the Uchiha. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he had to put his all into keeping things at a lock while this guy seemed casual about it, meaning he could push forward with just a little more effort if he choose.
"Who are you?" Sasuke asked.
"Funny, you're pretty weak." Sai voiced, faux smile on his face. "I mean, do you have any balls at all?"
"Say that again." Sasuke retorted, pushing harder against his kunai only for it to not move.
Sai simply pushed the kunai back, making Sasuke stumble. He then pushed forward, planting his foot firmly into the Uchiha's gut and kicking him off the roof. Sasuke crashed down to the ground below, only to immediately get to his feet and look up.
Sai had made a hand sign as ink swirled around him. "I'll be seeing you soon, Sasuke Uchiha."
It expanded out, seeing him vanishing through an ink variation of the body flicker technique. Upon him vanishing, Sasuke clenched his fist in anger over achieving nothing.
"Who was he and what did he want?" Sasuke contemplated, frustrated.
Outside the Academy
Sakura sighed from her place on the bench as she put her lunch away. "I managed to slip away from Kiba and Shino, only to not find Sasuke like I was hoping. Given we're not on the same team, anything I get with him will be crucial. Aw, who am I kidding? How could he ever like me?
Let's face it, I'm scrawny and small with the only exception being my forehead." She looked up in surprise as Sasuke was walking this way back to the academy. "He looks disgruntled…Ah, I know what must have happened." She stood. "Sasuke."
"Not in the mood." Sasuke muttered coldly.
"I was just going to say, I understand why you're looking disgruntled." Sakura pressed on. "Naruto must have come around to pick a fight with you, wasting your whole lunch. Ugh, he's just so annoying.
You know why that is? It's because he wasn't raised right. He doesn't have a mother or father, no one to teach him right from wrong. Think about it. He just does whatever comes to mind." Sasuke glared at her. "If I did things like Naruto, forget it.
My parents would get mad, and I'd get in trouble. Naturally, that's why I wouldn't do them. If you don't have parents to tell you what's right, how would you ever know? He's selfish and bratty. He's all alone."
"Alone. Isolated." Sasuke voiced, drawing her attention. "It's not about your parents scolding you. You have no idea what it means to be alone."
"W-why are you saying that?" Sakura questioned.
"Because, you're annoying." Sasuke answered.
Sakura was stunned as Sasuke turned away from her and continued onto the academy. His mood soured more than it was from that encounter with the Shinobi that attacked him. Said shinobi, Sai, had observed this interaction from atop a tree branch.
Academy: Later…
Today was doing everything it could to frustrate Sasuke. Everyone else's Jonin had shown up not long after lunch, with the exception of his and Hinata's. On top of that, their supposed third teammate had yet to arrive.
Couple all that with the attack during lunch and the idiocy Sakura spewed, it saw Sasuke fed up with today. Hinata, for her part and keeping in mind she's only had to deal with the prior two points, was more worried than anything else.
"I hope they are okay." Hinata thought genuinely.
Just then, Kakashi entered the room which saw the two Genin looking his way. There was silence as they looked at each other before Kakashi concluded just what he was going to say. Of course, it helped he had prior information on them.
"My first impression of this group." He looked at Sasuke and Hinata while assigning each a short phrase that described his impression of them. "Mr. too cool to be here…less outspoken…." He stepped aside and turned as Sai entered. "Far too late for my liking…"
Hinata deflated at what her new sensei said while Sasuke was too busy glaring at Sai, recognizing him as the Shinobi who attacked him earlier. It was made all the worse with that stupid smile on his face.
"Hm, I was under the impression neither of you would know this Genin." Kakashi noted.
"As I was going to get lunch, he attacked me." Sasuke informed coldly.
That drew a concerned look from Hinata.
Kakashi turned his visible eye to him. "Care to explain yourself."
"I'm sorry about earlier." Sai gave his faux smile. "You see, I knew we were going to be teammates and wanted to see how strong this year's Rookie of the Year was. I must say, for Rookie of the Year, I was disappointed by what you were packing."
Sasuke's glare intensified upon being insulted. "This guy is more annoying than Naruto!"
"Hey, I don't think that was very nice." Hinata voiced softly.
"Oh, don't write me off as I like everyone." Sai gave a faux chuckle. "Even you, Mousy."
Hinata's eyes widened before she dropped her head sadly.
Kakashi sighed. "Things are off to a great start."
Roof
The three Genin sat on some steps while Kakashi leaned on the railing across from them. "Alright, each of you will take it in turn to introduce yourselves. Things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future, hobbies…things like that."
"Sensei, would you mind going first to give us an example?" Hinata asked.
"Me?" Kakashi pointed at himself. "Well, I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate? I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future? Never really thought about it. As for my hobbies? I have lots."
"That wasn't much to go off of." Hinata thought.
"Alright, your turn." Kakashi stated. "Let's start with you on the right."
"You can call me Sai." Sai voiced, faux smiling. "I like momen tofu and dislike mitarashi dango. My hobbies include drawing and calligraphy. I suppose my dream for the future would be to one day have a true fight as equals with you, Kakashi Sensei."
"There's something different about this one. He's emotionless, though closer to someone like Tenzo than a true member of Root. All the same, I doubt Danzo would have used anyone less than an official Root member." Kakashi shifted his gaze. "Next."
"I'm Hinata Hyuga." Hinata voiced quietly.
"Could you please speak up?" Kakashi inquired.
"Uh, yes." Hinata voiced, at a more normal level. "I'm Hinata Hyuga. I like zenzai and cinnamon rolls while disliking crab and shrimp. My hobby is pressing flowers. My dream is to become strong like my father is and kind like my mother was."
"She might be timid, but at least she's seeming like a Kunoichi rather than a fan girl." Kakashi shifted his gaze again. "Last one."
"My name…is Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke began coldly. "I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream because I will make it a reality. I will restore my clan and destroy a certain someone."
Sai and Kakashi stared at Sasuke while Hinata inched away from him slightly.
"Just as I thought." Kakashi nodded. "Good, you're each unique and have your own ideas. We'll have our first mission tomorrow."
"Oh, what kind of mission will we partake in?" Sai inquired.
"It's a task the four of us will do together." Kakashi answered. "A survival exercise."
"A survival exercise?" Hinata asked.
"What I'm about to tell you three is likely something you won't enjoy." Kakashi voiced. "Of the 27 of you assigned to teams this year, just 9 will be permitted to remain Genin. The remaining 18 will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words, it's a make-or-break test."
Sai was impassive, Hinata was utterly shocked, and Sasuke's gaze hardened.
"S-Sensi, we all worked hard to get here." Hinata stated.
"Correction, all that work you undertook to reach this point was to select candidates who had the best chance of becoming Genin." Kakashi responded. "Simply how it is, I'm afraid. I decide whether you pass or fail. Be at the designated training spot at 5 am and bring your ninja gear."
"Unexpectedly harsh, given what I've learned of you Kakashi Sensei." Sai thought.
Since he was brought up within Root, Sai hadn't been given your typical experience. That meant he didn't know what to expect of this as he wasn't put on your typical team, like any other Genin fresh out of the academy.
"As the daughter of the Hyuga clan head, failure wouldn't be looked upon favorably." Hinata thought, shaking from her nerves..
Sasuke clasped his hands together and did his best to hide the fact he was shaking.
Kakashi had turned his back on them. "That's it; you're dismissed." He then seemed to remember something and looked back at them with an eye smile. "Oh, tomorrow you should skip breakfast; otherwise, you'll puke."
With that warning instilling a minor amount of fear, on top of the pressure from his prior words within two of the Genin, Kakashi took off.
Hyuga Compound: Mansion
Hinata returned home and went to inform her father of what had transpired at orientation. When she found him, Hiashi was doing calligraphy. This saw Hinata sit on her knees before him, awaiting to be recognized. Hiashi finished up his brush stroke before putting it away.
"Hinata." Hiashi acknowledged. "Your team would have been announced today. What is yours?"
"Team 7, under Kakashi Hatake." Hinata answered, giving her father pause. "My teammates are Sasuke Uchiha and a Genin from the reserves by the name of Sai."
"Kakashi Hatake, I see." Hiashi sighed. "Hinata, do not skip breakfast tomorrow."
"Father, it was my Sensei's recommendation." Hinata retorted.
"A recommendation made to serve the lesson he wishes to teach." Hiashi sighed. "Ordinarily, I'd abide by tradition and not reveal a thing; however, Kakashi Hatake has failed every squad prior to yours. While that is his right, I am giving you something of a chance to pass."
This was really as far as his advice could go in this situation. If she were the heiress, he could offer more; however, that role had been decidedly passed on to Hanabi. Even with the small bit of advice he gave, Hiashi would not hold it against his daughter were she to fail tomorrow.
With her father's piece said, Hinata took her leave. "I don't know about Sai, but Sasuke won't have anyone to offer him advice like this."
Despite not being close to her new teammates, Hinata decided she'd help them regardless. The Hyuga set out along the halls of the mansion, heading for the kitchen. Once there, she began retrieving everything needed to make enough food for them.
Sai's Apartment
Sai had returned to his apartment, which had various paintings he'd made hung up, where he checked over and repacked his equipment for tomorrow. Among said equipment was a book. One cover being that of a black haired boy and the other a grey haired boy.
He was almost done and grabbed the book last before stopping to stare at the black haired boy. Suddenly, his eyes shifted. He had instantly put the book back on the table and withdrew his tanto to clash blades with a fellow Root member.
"Very nice, but remember to never let your guard down."
Sai nodded at that before the two disengaged. "What do you need, sir?"
"In accordance with your mission, it is imperative you do not skip breakfast tomorrow. It is a recommendation Kakashi made to serve the lesson he wishes to teach. One which no other squad has seemingly learned, leading to Kakashi Hatake failing every one of them prior."
"I had thought it was a strange command, as an empty stomach potentially lessens critical thinking." Sai reasoned, though still had been intending to follow through on it. "Certainly not conducive to any test, unless that is the point."
"Orders from Lord Danzo are absolute." The Root member suddenly stopped and threw a kunai out the window, seemingly scaring a cat off. "Just a cat." He looked to Sai, proceeding. "In all other things, Shinobi must look past deception."
"Critical thinking could be a detriment to quite a few test, though it is within reason to assume tomorrow's test will be about teamwork." Sai reasoned. "In line with that, the bell test he was once given by his own sensei would be what we're up against."
Sai would not have this idea confirmed until tomorrow, as the Root member merely pressed on.
"We did not expect you to be placed with who you were. Giving your mission has garnered more importance to the future of Konoha, mistakes will not be tolerated."
"Yes sir, I understand." Sai returned.
"Good." The Root member noticed the book. "You're still carrying that around?"
Sai looked at the book. "This is…"
"Those of the foundation have no name nor emotion."
"There is no past and no future." Sai recited. "There is only the mission."
"We are the roots which support the great trunk of Konoha, invisible from within the earth. Never forget that."
He then vanished in a poof of smoke.
"Yes sir." Sai answered.
Training Ground 7: Sunrise…
Sasuke, Sai, and Hinata arrived at the training ground at roughly the same time.
The Hyuga was holding a knapsack, which she sat down before taking out two bentos. "I brought each of you breakfast since I figured you wouldn't have eaten."
Sai looked at this, deciding to play along and see just what Hinata knew of what was to come. "Kakashi Sensei said we shouldn't eat."
"No, he suggested we shouldn't unless we want to throw up." Hinata voiced. "My father helped me see that was a scare tactic to prevent us from eating. Without food in our stomachs, we wouldn't be thinking critically nor operating at our best."
"I see." Sasuke realized what she was saying. "We went against what we were told in the academy because we assumed our Jonin was correct. In truth, not eating when you have the chance to is a mistake no Shinobi should make."
Hinata began setting the bentos before their intended recipient. "That's right."
Sasuke would have been frustrated if Hinata realized this herself, but she'd been just as willing to buy into this as they had. While certainly a little miffed he hadn't seen it himself, it was manageable. The two boys began eating.
"What I can't figure out is why sensei told us not to eat." Hinata voiced. "Like I just said, we won't think critically or operate at our best. Given he put such a rule in place, I can't imagine it is a general thing. I think someone like him has done this for a specific reason."
"I've actually done a little research into the topic." Sai voiced, seeing this as his opportunity to jump in. "Kakashi Hatake has a reputation where he fails every team he's had."
"Father told me much the same." Hinata supplied, wanting to be helpful. "That information, coupled with the fact we should eat breakfast, is all he really told me."
"I've only gone a little further than that." Sai voiced, having only been told so much more. "What Kakashi wants is for us to display teamwork. No matter the test, that's the answer. Not eating is to make the test harder."
Learning that saw the three of them sharing looks with one another. Given how Sai and Hinata's information could be collaborated, it was likely the paler boy had the right information. That said, Sasuke wasn't particularly sure how to feel about this.
Before anyone could speak, Kakashi suddenly appeared. "Seems two of you have picked up quite the lesson, even if unintentional." He flashed an eye smile. "Robbing your opponent's biggest advantage can be crucial."
"Considering I have revealed the answer, as fellow countrymen, perhaps we could do away with whatever you were going to use to test us." Sai offered, with a faux smile.
Kakashi, unfazed, looked between them before pulling out Make Out Paradise. "Go on."
"I've been a Genin for a year now while the academy deemed those two to be fit for Genin status, so any further testing would be irrelevant." Sai explained. "If you wish to cultivate teamwork between us, that can be achieved through training."
"The Jonin test is tradition." Kakashi lazily rebutted.
"As I've learned, tradition does not often equate too positive or productive." Sai retorted.
More like what he's been told about Konoha from his time in Root; however the point stood in his opinion. Sasuke was stupefied by the revelation and anti-climax of it all while Hinata was intrigued by how Sai was parlaying with their sensei.
"For what faults I find in him, Sai raises some good points." Despite being stupefied, Sasuke would not allow these two to outdo him like this. "Tradition doesn't always equate to positive or productive; however, it doesn't have to be negative or unproductive either."
"I must say, I did not expect to be challenged this way." Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Regardless, the secret is out; however, I have not seen enough teamwork, so we shall proceed with an altered bell test." He walked over to a stump, set up a clock, and started it.
"This is set for noon." He presented three bells. "Your assignment is to take these from me. If you fail to secure all three by noon, or display inadequate teamwork, I'll send you all back to the academy. If you three can show the bare minimum in teamwork, there should be nothing to fear.
You can use anything at your disposal, but if you're not prepared to kill, you won't claim even a single bell. I will say, you three are proving quite interesting." He chuckled. "How can I say this? I'm starting to like you guys. Now, get ready." They crouched. "aaaannndd…start!"
Everyone took off into the brush while Kakashi took his position at the center of the training ground and got back to reading. "Ninja must know how to conceal their movements and hide effectively." He looked up. "Seems they've taken it a step further by garnering distance, smart."
Since the point wasn't for him to come to them, he'd be staying here to enjoy a good read. Whether or not they tried to put what was gleamed into practice would be up to them.
Clearing
The three Genin convened within a clearing.
"Well, this is unexpected." Sai noted, as the profile he'd read on Kakashi would not generally lead him to this conclusion.
"Still, you were right." Hinata offered. "What efforts we put in together with words just wasn't enough to pass us like you thought."
"Right." Sai nodded. "What is best now would be to share what we can do and make a plan around that to snag those bells."
"Given the mind Kakashi has, it seems this is unavoidable." Sasuke thought, a touch reluctantly.
The three Genin took it in turns to list off what they were capable of before talking about the plan. What they came up with combined the book smart strategies of Sasuke with Sai's experience. Hinata actually added a measured voice that saw the plan flow…
Training Ground 7: Hours Later…
Kakashi yawned as he glanced at the clock. "One hour until this is over, yet none of them have tried anything." He looked back at his book. "I was certain Sasuke would have at least tried something."
He suddenly picked up something before a flurry of shuriken hit him. There was a poof of smoke as that Kakashi turned into a log, the Substitution Jutsu. This was what they wanted as the Uchiha proceeded to get out of there.
Sasuke eventually touched down in a new clearing, seemingly ready to continue until he heard Kakashi's voice. "Even though you know this is about teamwork, you insist upon attacking me alone?"
"I'm not like Hinata or Sai." Sasuke returned, turning to face him with a cold expression.
"I'd say that after you get the bells." Kakashi voiced.
They then faced off, neither making a move as they were silent for a good moment.
…
Sasuke made the first move, hurling more shuriken which Kakashi dodged. "There's no point using normal attacks." Sasuke threw a kunai at some rope, catching the Jonin's attention. "A trap!"
He dodged as the trap hurled kunai his way, seeing them impale a tree behind him. As he landed, Sasuke lept up behind him and kicked. Kakashi blocked with his right forearm before crossing his arms and grabbing with his left hand. Sasuke wound up a punch.
As he threw it at Kakashi's face, the Jonin grabbed it with his left hand. Sasuke utilized the hold to spin and kick with his free leg, which the Jonin blocked with his forearm. This put Sasuke upside down, at the bells. Kakashi's one eye widened as the Uchiha's fingers grazed one.
"This kid…" Kakashi immediately let the Genin go and lept back. "This one is fierce, seems I won't be able to read Make Out Paradise now." They both now stood across from one another. "I'll say this, you are different from most other Genin I've seen."
At that, Sasuke weaved through his hand signs while taking a deep breath. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
"He's even got an elemental Jutsu under his belt." Kakashi noted.
Sasuke spewed forth the flames at Kakashi, who vanished from sight as the Jutsu was going. "Where did he go!?" He looked all around. "Behind me? Above?"
Suddenly, the Uchiha was grabbed by the legs.
"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!" Kakashi pulled Sasuke underground, leaving him buried up to his head, before coming to the surface. "I'll admit, you caught me a bit off…" Sasuke was unusually calm, as typically they'd struggle. "You do realize you can't move now, right?"
"I don't need to." Sasuke smirked. "If I couldn't get the bells, I was just meant to distract and see about lowering your safeguards."
Kakashi's ears suddenly perked up as what sounded like rope being cut, coming from two distinct directions, could be heard. This was followed by multiple kunai and shuriken coming at him from the East and West.
"Multiple traps!" Kakashi realized. "So, they did plan something together."
He noticed they were set off in a way that none of the weapons would hit Sasuke, so the Jonin fell to the ground himself. This resulted in the ninja tools flying by harmlessly overhead.
This bought enough time for Sai to reach them, leveling an axe kick down at the Jonin. Kakashi rolled to the left, avoiding it, before leaping to his feet. At that exact moment, Hinata was coming in with her Byakugan active and aiming to strike at him.
"I didn't manage to hear her, but Hinata must have come from the brush while my focus was on Sai." Kakashi thought.
The Jonin managed to grab the Hyuga's wrists, stopping her palms from making contact. In that moment, he could feel a kunai wiz past and glanced back to see it was Sai who'd thrown it. Said kunai severed the string, sending the bells falling to the ground.
Before he could react to even try catching them, Hinata picked up her right foot and threw it forward. All Kakashi had to do from their present position was shift his body back to avoid it, but it did prevent him from catching the bells. Something Sai did by sliding in to snag them.
"They got me." Kakashi noted before eye smiling. "Despite knowing the answer, they still did it with better teamwork than I thought they'd achieve." He let Hinata go before walking back to a large, dark blue stone. "You three managed to pull it off.
Before I get to the debrief, I have a question. Did any of you happen to look at this stone over here? The names engraved on it are all of Shinobi who are honored as heroes in our village." This is a Memorial Stone. The names of my closest friends are engraved here."
He took a deep breath before turning to the Genin. "Being a ninja is no game, not even close. When an individual puts themselves above the squad, it can lead to failure and death." He approached the Genin. "One of those friends I mentioned told me something that stuck with me.
Those who break the rules are scum, that's true, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum. You three showed potential, so I'm hoping you understand what I just said." He then flashed an eye smile. "That is a hope that does not impact your result. You three pass."
"What a relief." Hinata thought.
Sasuke gave a small smile while Sai flashed a faux smile.
"From this day forward, we are Squad 7." Kakashi then turned from them. "Now, let's go home."
Hinata and Sai began to follow.
"Hey, I'm stuck in a hole!" Sasuke yelled, frustrated they'd forgotten.
Hinata realized their mistake and immediately rushing back to get him out.
Evening…
Sasuke had gone home, as content as he would be having passed onto the next leg of his journey to gain strength. As the day wore on, he found he couldn't get what Kakashi told them out of his mind and found himself glancing at that stupid letter from Naruto. It eventually bugged him enough to step out of his apartment and take a walk.
He had no real destination in mind, seeing him eventually end up back at the Memorial Stone. Sasuke ended up looking at it, though figured there wouldn't be many Uchiha on it. That didn't mean there weren't any Uchiha, just none he recognized. That made sense since this stone was for those who died in the line of duty.
Seemingly the last Uchiha to be added here did catch his attention. "Obito Uchiha?"
Kakashi happened to arrive at this time, spotting one of his newest students and approaching him. "Do you recognize any of the names on that statue?"
"From the history books." Sasuke answered.
"Anyone on here are true heroes to Konoha, those who sacrificed everything for the village. For their friends." Kakashi stated. "It is no coincidence this is where I've taken Genin to have my test prior, nor that it will continue to serve as our training grounds.
I'd hopped by bringing you here, the spirits of true heroes would bless you and give you the understanding to learn this lesson. Not everything is free, and sometimes you must pay a price nobody else can pay. There is such thing as survivor's guilt.
In this world we inhabit, sometimes a Shinobi loses friends and families. You'll look back and wonder why it couldn't have been you. In the end, we all carry our burdens and must be willing to do what is necessary to defend the village."
After what Kakashi said, the two of them stared at the monument in silence.
…
After taking the time to digest Kakashi's words, Sasuke glanced at him. "Are there people you know who are up there?"
"I've seen my share of troubles and lost those most precious to me." Kakashi answered. "You aren't the only one who knows what it's like to have lost somebody. For a time, everyone I cared about ended up on this stone." He eye smiled. "Having said that, you can take it from me.
You keep going long enough, you'll find new comrades to fill the void." Sasuke hung his head at that, seeing Kakashi hesitantly putting an arm around him. "In any case, I know how you feel. Because of that I know, within your heart of hearts, you know what my training will be for."
Sasuke said nothing, seeing the two of them once again stood in silence once again. Unlike he normally would, the Uchiha didn't bother to make Kakashi remove his arm.
…
Rather than Sasuke breaking the silence, it was Kakashi who patted him on the back as he removed his arm. "In any case, it is getting late out, and I'll hedge a guess you didn't get a chance to eat." He started walking. "If you want, I'll treat you to dinner."
Sasuke glanced at his retreating sensei, contemplating what he wanted to do. Ultimately, he ended up shaking his head and heading back to his apartment. Kakashi saw this and sighed, though he just kept walking.
The way I see it, there are seven possible combinations of team 7 without Naruto. Keep in mind this is under the assumption we must have teams consisting of two guys and one girl within Konoha. That is never outright stated; however, it is what we typically see. Also do keep in mind I am working under the assumption Sasuke would be the character we follow. The teams are as follows:
1. Sasuke, Sakura, & Rookie 9 male
2. Sasuke, Sakura, & Sai
3. Sasuke, Sakura, & Unnamed male Classmate
4. Sasuke, Ino or Hinata, & Sai
5. Sasuke, Unnamed Female Classmate, & Sai
6. Sasuke, Ino or Hinata, & Unnamed male Classmate
7. Sasuke, Unnamed female classmate, & Unnamed male classmate
Anything unnamed is immediately taken out of the running for me, as in this story I am not attempting to utilize an OC in such an important role. That leaves us with the following, potential teams:
1. Sasuke, Sakura, & Rookie 9 male
2. Sasuke, Sakura, & Sai
3. Sasuke, Ino or Hinata, & Sai
To narrow this down further, I do not see Naruto's absence breaking up the traditional Ino-Shika-Cho formation. This does exclude Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji from being on a team with Sasuke. This means the female role is between Hinata and Sakura. If I utilized Shino or Kiba as the other guy role, Sakura be on this team as a balance. Either between Sasuke and Shino's more stoic personalities or between Sasuke and Kiba as the usual dynamic of prodigy and dead last.
This prior one does assume Kiba becomes the dead last without Naruto there; however, in all seriousness, I see that role falling to one of the unnamed classmates over someone like Kiba. While Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai is an option for a team, I do not think it's a good balance with part 1 Sakura. This led to me deciding on Team 7 here being Sasuke, Hinata, and Sai as I feel she is a good buffer for the other two.
While this does break a tracking team, I don't see that as much of a thing as breaking the Ino-Shika-Cho tradition would be. As for Sasuke vs Sai, context matters. This is beginning of series Sasuke vs Sai, who I remind you is still in the Root at this time and was trained by tghem. Their training is not at all similar. Sasuke here doesn't even have his Sharingan. Heck, he doesn't even know how to climb a tree with Chakra.
I think the only people of the Rookie 9 and Team Guy's Genin who could beat Sai at this point, prior to any true development these characters make, would be Neji and Lee opening gates. I know that might be a crazy thing to say; however, keep in mind Sai is essentially Anbu trained. Danzo sends them, regardless of age, on some pretty important missions which one could be considered high ranking. So, I do not think it is a stretch to say his speeds is at least on par with unweighted Lee.
We are led to believe Neji can compete with unweighted Lee. This is baring anything that happens from here to improve Sai as a Shinobi. This does present another reason why I choose Sai here as one of Sasuke's teammates. While Sasuke is by no means weak, it does put him in a lesser position than his canon role of at the time strongest Genin on Team 7. Before you get on me for Sai learning what Kakashi's lesson is ahead of time, we're talking about Danzo Shimura here.
If his mission for Sai wants him on a team with Sasuke and Hianta, he's not going to care about withholding what the test is. He's going to care that Team 7 is formed with Sai on it. Everything that is changing, tends to see Sasuke becoming reflective. Now, this is not to say Sasuke is going to commit to Konoha. For all you know, I'm doing all this just to make his turn to Orochimaru all the sadder because it looked like maybe he won't leave the village.
volcasiron30: Thank you.
God of Wind 200: That's fair. I'm certain there are a lot of people who would exclude Sasuke if they wrote a chapter similar to mine, at what is essentially the start of the series. From my perspective, even if Sasuke denies it for most of the series, their bond started when they were kids. Even though I won't be utilizing the filler that has Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba as Naruto's friends, I don't discount all filler.
Essentially, anything that happened between Naruto and Sasuke in pre-season filler, along with what we know to be cannon, all comes together to weave a tapestry of a bond between these two. Looking at it that way, Sasuke is essentially the closest thing Naruto had to a friend within the village. In the letter he left for him, Naruto does say as such. Again, we all perceive these stories differently, and your interpretation is a valid one.