HAS NOW BEEN RESOLVED AND AM LOOKING FOR FEEDBACK
Hi. I'm currently in the middle of writing a fanfic and have just found out this website. For about the past month, I've been stuck on this chapter because I just didn't know how to go about writing it. I wanted Team 7 to pass while keeping some things the same, but I don't know what should be the same.
For a summary of events that have happened before: It's a Bleach/Naruto crossover. Ichigo was transported into the Naruto world thanks to Urahara and joins up with Naruto. They won the Fourth Shinobi War but lost lots of people, so they went back in time due to Naruto's new skill in Fuuinjutsu. Naruto has become his younger self and Ichigo (after Quincy War) is there too. Same things happen, Mizuki what not, though it happens differently. Now it's the Genin Test, and here's where I'm stuck.
I would love some help.
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One of the few remaining Uzumaki’s sat at his dining table, slurping up a cup of instant ramen. While not amazing, definitely not compared to Ichiraku’s, it would do for breakfast. Holding up his carton of milk, Naruto delicately sniffed at the cover, before putting it back down in disgust. It was definitely off; he should’ve restocked on his food much earlier, but his insistence on subsisting on Ichiraku’s Ramen had put off that chore for a while.
Mentally noting to do some grocery shopping under a Henge later, he headed over to the mirror in his bedroom, tying on the hitai-ate around his forehead, grinning to himself. Not unlike the last time round, he had gotten reacquainted with Konohamaru again, and the events had played out exactly the same. This brought a smile to Naruto’s face as he recalled the last time he’d seen the boy, just about to leave on his last mission.
With a grimace, he shook off his depressing thoughts and set off for the Academy. He arrived relatively early (or at least when compared to Kakashi) and sat down at an empty bench, making sure to avoid Sasuke all the while grinning to himself. He was going to see his old team again! Well, technically he had seen Sakura and Sasuke before, but it was different when they would actually be a team.
Hearing footsteps closing in, he turned to find Shikamaru looking curiously at Naruto. “Eh?†Shikamaru asked. “Why are you here? Today’s explanatory meeting is only for those who graduated.†Naruto furrowed his eyebrows.
“But I did pass on the actual exam. See?†he pointed at his headband. “Iruka-sensei gave this to me.â€
“I heard you got one mark below the pass mark,†Shikamaru explained.
“It was one mark above the pass mark,†Naruto clarified, to which Shikamaru shrugged.
“Troublesome,†Shikamaru muttered before heading over to a seat next to Choji and promptly falling asleep on the desk. ‘Typical Shikamaru,’ Naruto thought with a small smile.
Barely a minute passed when Naruto’s ears picked up what sounded like a stampede coming through the hallway. When Sakura and Ino appeared in the classroom, he tuned their bickering out; it was quite annoying at this age.
Before long, Iruka was in the classroom, and the background chatter died down as Iruka started speaking.
“Good morning, class! Today you will be receiving your team assignments. You all will be in a group of three, where you will accomplish missions under a Jounin sensei. We have arranged the teams so that overall abilities will be equivalent. I will now read out the team names,†Iruka introduced. Teams 1 through to 6 were all the same, and Naruto waited in anticipation for Team 7.
“Team 7 will be… Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura…†Iruka started, causing Sakura to bow her head in dismay, whereas Naruto merely kept waiting patiently for the last name, hoping it would be the same.
“And Uchiha Sasuke,†Iruka continued. The reaction was immediate, with Sakura pounding the air with her fist in ‘victory’ and Naruto breathing a sigh of relief that no changes were made. If anyone was surprised by Naruto’s lack of reaction, none were apparent on anybody’s faces.
Unknown to the blonde Uzumaki, one very watchful eye was eyeing his unresponsive backlash in interest through a familiar crystal ball in the Hokage’s office. Who knew how much one person could change someone else?
The other teams were announced, with no noticeable changes made to Teams 8 and 10, the other two-thirds of the Rookie 9. Once the announcements were over, numerous Jounins came and went picking up their teams at various times until only Team 7 was left, bored in an empty room.
“He’s late,†Sakura complained, while Naruto just gave a nostalgic snort and Sasuke continued brooding on his existence, ignoring everything around him.
Taking it as an insult, Sakura rounded on him, “Are you saying I’m dumb?â€
Immediately, Naruto hastened to reassure her. “Trust me, you’re not. It’s just our sensei is well-known for being at least two hours late.â€
“It’s already been three hours,†Sakura pointed out before Naruto’s words began to sink in. “How do you know who are Jounin sensei is?†Naruto cocked an eyebrow.
“Iruka-sensei didn’t mention it?†Sakura shook her head, which triggered Naruto’s panic. Great. Make up a valid lie time.
“Well, there are only a certain number of Jounins who become senseis for Genin teams. There’s one who’s been on the roster every year but has never had a Genin team for more than a day or two and he’s always late. He didn’t come early, and by that I mean on time, and pick up any of the other teams, so I can only assume that it’s him: Jounin Hatake Kakashi,†Naruto lied. During his little explanation, Sakura had begun staring at him like she’d never seen him before, and even Sasuke had perked up and paid attention.
“What? Do I have something on my face?†Naruto asked with a shaky grin.
Sakura blinked a few times, before saying, “For a moment there, you actually sounded… smart.†Before Naruto could rebut the insulting comment, a gray head of hair popped in through the door, drawing everyone’s attention.
The copy-ninja stuck his head into the room and smiled happily underneath his mask.
“Sorry I’m late, I got stuck helping an old lady carry groceries across the street, and then she insisted I follow her home for cookies, and we argued for one hour about it and then-“
“You’re late!†Sakura and Naruto yelled in unison. Man, he’d missed doing that. Kakashi stared at the trio for a moment. “How should I say this… my first impression of you guys… I don’t like you.â€
A feeling of disappointment that was nearly tangible overcame Sakura and Sasuke in the form of a blue cloud whereas Naruto merely grinned brightly; it was better than ‘I hate you’. Meanwhile, Kakashi was looking at Naruto as if he were a bit wrong in the head.
However, in the next blink of an eye the expression was gone, and Kakashi ordered, “Meet me on the roof.â€
With some apprehension, the three new genin exited the classroom and started climbing up the stairs, Naruto leading in front. “Hey, don’t you think our sensei’s a bit weird?†he heard Sakura whisper to Sasuke, which received a non-committal grunt in response.
He opened the door to the roof to find Kakashi sitting on the railing, his perverted orange book open in front of him. Without looking up, Kakashi motioned to take their seats on the stairs facing him.
Snapping the book shut, the Jounin looked up at his prospective genin team, and said, “Let’s see, why don’t you introduce yourselves.â€
Almost exactly like Naruto’s memory, Sakura immediately piped up. “Introduce ourselves? What should we say?â€
Spreading his arms out, Kakashi replied, “What you like, hate, your dreams and hobbies. Well, something like that.â€
“Hey, hey. Why don’t you introduce yourself first, sensei?†Naruto asked.
Sighing, Kakashi’s lone eye travelled to the clouds in the sky. “I’m Hatake Kakashi. I have no intention of telling you my likes and dislikes-,â€
‘I like little orange books and admire the pervert who writes them,’ Naruto mused.
“-as for my dreams… “ Kakashi continued, completely unaware to Naruto’s thoughts. “I have many hobbies,†he finished lamely.
‘Which include more reading of those books and writing down excuses and methods for being late,’ Naruto thought.
“So all we found out was his name,†Sakura muttered in the background.
The copy-ninja overlooked this. “Okay, you,†Kakashi indicated Naruto, “Introductions. Let’s go.â€
“Hey, hey. I’m Uzumaki Naruto. I like my friends, training and Ichiraku’s Ramen. I dislike stupid Uchihas,†Naruto ignored Sasuke and Sakura’s glare, choosing instead to continue, “people who hurt my friends and the three minutes it takes to cook cup ramen. My hobby is to train. And my dream is to become a Hokage that will surpass all the others!â€
Naruto winced at the ‘stupid Uchiha’ comment. He was letting too much slip out. Granted, his goal wasn’t exactly that right now, but if he said ‘save the village’… well, Kakashi wasn’t known for being dumb.
The Jounin nodded. “Okay, next.â€
Pink hair swayed as Sakura started speaking. “My name’s Haruno Sakura. I like…well, the person I like is…†At this, a light red blush spread on Sakura’s face as her eyes flickered to Sasuke’s brooding form next to her.
“And my hobby is… well, my dream is to…†Her flush covering her face grew steadily darker, her eyes switching to Sasuke increasingly often before she screamed like a fan girl.
“And? What do you hate?†Kakashi asked, obviously bored.
“Naruto.†Sakura’s voice switched from the previous high pitch to one filled with loathing. Externally, crocodile tears gleamed in the blonde’s eyes, though internally Naruto was making plans to ‘fix’ her view of him. How he missed the old Sakura.
“Last guy,†Kakashi called.
Hands still folded under his chin, Sasuke began. “My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are many things that I hate, and there aren’t a lot of things that I like. Also, I have an ambition that I have no intention to leave as just a dream. The revival of my clan and to… kill a certain man.â€
“Alright, you three have unique personalities. I like that. We’re going to begin a mission starting tomorrow,†Kakashi announced, crossing his arms as he leant back on the railing.
Immediately, Sakura piped up, “What kind of mission is it, sir?â€
“First, we’re going to do something that we four can do,†Kakashi further divulged.
There was an awkward pause as no one spoke up, almost like in a play when someone had forgotten his or her line. Naruto cringed; he knew, sure as sure could be that the next line was originally his.
But he remained silent, realizing that it was too late to rectify his error. When the tension finally proved to be too much, Sasuke spoke up. “What is it?â€
“Survival training.â€
“Survival training?†the pink-haired kunoichi echoed. Naruto hid a smirk. This was sure to be fun.
“Why are we going to train when it’s a mission? We had plenty of training at the academy,†Sakura asked, just on the verge of complaining.
“This is no ordinary training.â€
“Then, then what kind of training is it?â€
Kakashi chuckled.
“Hey, what’s so funny, sensei?†Naruto questioned.
“No, well, if I say this, I’m sure you three are going to be surprised.â€
“Huh?†Naruto and Sakura let out in unison with Sasuke grunted his curiosity.
A dark aura overcame Kakashi; it was obvious he took great pleasure out of the potential reactions of his possible team. “Out of the 27 graduates, only 9 are going to become Genin. The other 18 will be sent back to the academy. In other words, this training is going to be a very hard test with a dropout rate of 66%.â€
No one spoke as the trio (or at least the most of them) digested the information. “See? You three are surprised!â€
“No way! I went through so much trouble… Then what was the final exam for?†Naruto queried.
“That? It just picks out those who are qualified to become a Genin,†Kakashi said off-handedly. Inwardly, Naruto was applauding the man for his delivery, his mind furiously taking notes. If he ever had a genin team, he would definitely do the same.
“What?!†Sakura exclaimed.
“Anyway, I'm going to determine whether you pass or fail tomorrow at the training grounds. Bring your shinobi equipment and meet at 5a.m!†The son of the White Fang stood up, snapping his book shut. Just as he made to leave, he glanced back towards the trio.
“Now then, meeting over. Oh yeah, don’t eat breakfast. You’re going to throw up if you do,†Kakashi warned, before vanishing in a plume of smoke.
Naruto grinned. Oh yeah. This was going to be fun.
ナルト—ブリーãƒ
In front of a glinting stone, a scarecrow stood before a memorial, his lone eye regretfully focused on two particular words.
Uchiha Obito.
Since that day, Kakashi had never stopped wishing that he could go back and do things over. Maybe try harder to save Rin, actually stop and listen to what his teammate had been saying or even being the one to suggest the idea of a rescue. He didn’t know. But he had to have done something more.
The onyx eye drifted to another phrase.
Nohara Rin.
If it hadn’t been enough that Kakashi had failed Obito by letting him die, then he had failed the Uchiha even more so, by not only failing to accomplish his final wish by allowing Rin to pass away, but also by doing so by his own hand. Kakashi shook his head. No, passing away was too nice a word, for what he had done. Murder was more like it.
Never mind the fact that Rin had practically forced herself on his hand, it was still his fault. Kakashi gave a sigh as he finally allowed the words to fall from his mouth.
“Hey, Obito, Rin. How’s it doing? I like to believe you’re up there, somewhere you can hear me. You wouldn’t believe the team that Hokage-sama assigned to me. They’re just like the three of us. A stoic, silent one, a loud idiot and a fangirl.†Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows. “Or at least as much a fangirl as one can get going by wartime standards.â€
“The silent one, believe it or not, it’s the Uchiha. If you were the epitome of everything not of the Uchiha, then he’s the epitome of everything an Uchiha is supposed to be.†Kakashi paused as he considered his next few words.
“He’s a problem. The council wants me to play favorites with him, and completely neglect the others. I’ll have to follow their orders slightly, or at least make it seem like I am. In all honesty, those old cougars can stuff their orders somewhere else. The girl, it’s a fangirl. To be fair, Rin, you weren’t anything like her, although if you were given another time and place, who’s to say?â€
“Though honestly, the one who acts the most like you… I can’t place my finger on it, but I’ll get there someday. He seems like an idiot, but when he acts out of place here and there, you can tell there’s something else underneath. ‘Look underneath the underneath’, right? He’s sensei’s brat, so I feel somewhat obliged to make sure he’s not… I dunno, weird.â€
Lifting up his head, the silver-haired shinobi moved his unmoving stare to the sky and the sun. “It’s eleven. I’ve kept them waiting long enough, haven’t I?†Settling into a crouch, Kakashi let his fingers brush against their names.
The next second, only a gentle wind existed in the plain.
ナルト—ブリーãƒ
To say Kakashi was weirded out was like saying Gai was only a little abnormal. In a phrase, it was a massive understatement. The picture that greeted him the moment Kakashi appeared in the field was bizarre.
Sitting calmly in a tight circle on the bright green grass were his three potential students, eating. Naruto was brightly slurping up some ramen from a take-away box with Ichiraku clearly emblazoned in red. To his left was the Uchiha, previously labeled ‘problem’, half-way through an onigiri, desperately trying to bury his obvious enjoyment with a sullen look. Taking a glance at the inside, it was clearly filled with tomatoes and okaka. To his right was Sakura, nibbling nervously on a stick of dango.
This looked like a scene from a team who had been together for at least a month, not one that had been announced the previous day. Kakashi blinked.
“What are you guys doing?†At the sound of his voice, the lone female jumped on the spot, while Naruto and Sasuke merely looked up.
“Snacking,†Naruto answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Didn’t I tell you not to eat breakfast?†Kakashi asked in a voice that caused a stab of fear to appear in their hearts, as could be seen in their faces. However, the expression on his sensei’s was a bit strained. Maybe it was the way that his eyes just projected ‘FEAR!’ too much or the way his body was just a little too relaxed, but regardless, it wasn’t a genuine face.
“It was Naruto’s idea!†Sakura immediately blurted. A look of hurt flashed across said blonde’s face. Now this, this was real. His eye cast a fleeting look on the young boy’s form. ‘Hmm… Interesting.’
Apparently, Sakura had caught sight of this look of pain, and Kakashi would bet all his savings that she was feeling more than a little bit guilty. Trying to correct her mistake, and as a way of apologizing, she immediately switched tracks.
“S-Sensei, you just told us not to eat breakfast. You never said, um, anything about snacking. Um, besides, it wasn’t an order…?†Sakura stammered out, haltingly. From her tone, the Jounin could tell she wasn’t quite so confident in this reasoning herself. If he were to connect the dots… He glanced at Naruto again; it seemed everything was coming down to him these days.
“True,†Kakashi conceded. “Pack up your food. We’re going to start.†With a quietly observing eye (and ear), Kakashi watched as the three potential genin handed their food to Naruto.
“Nah. You keep it. I don’t like any of these anyway,†he said, covering his ramen and placing it into the plastic bag that had been drifting beside him. The other two shared a look and shrugged, before setting their food into the same bag.
“Thanks, Naruto. I’ll take it later,†Sakura said, hesitantly, almost as if she didn’t want to speak nicely of the Uzumaki. Sasuke grunted in agreement. Worry creased Kakashi’s eyebrow. Just how far had the adult’s dislike for Naruto spread?
Slamming an alarm clock on a log, Kakashi announced, “Ok, it’s set for noon.†A question mark seemed to float out of the trio gathered in front of him.
The tintinnabulation of bells drew their attention to two silver bells clinking together in Kakashi’s fingers. “Here are two bells,†he remarked redundantly. “Your task is to take them before noon.â€
“Those who cannot get a bell by noon get no lunch. I’ll not only tie you to one of those stumps, but I’ll eat right in front of you.†Kakashi expected the annual grumble of stomachs before realizing that of course, since they snacked, there would be none.
In the wake of this revelation, Sakura shot a reluctant look of gratitude towards Naruto; Sasuke ‘hmphed’ and turned away. ‘So the class idiot saw through it but not Rookie of The Year,’ Kakashi thought in consternation.
“You only need to get one bell,†he continued. “There are only two, so one of you will definitely be tied to a stump. And…â€
“The person who doesn’t take a bell fails. So, at least one of you will be sent back to the Academy.†Kakashi could see the trio gulp and smiled inwardly; scaring new genin was always fun.
With a swing of his hand, he enclosed his fist over the jingling bells. “You can even use your shuriken; you won’t succeed unless you come at me intending to kill.â€
“But! You’ll be in danger!†Sakura immediately cried out. A grunt of surprise came out of the Uchiha and Kakashi shifted his attention to the last genin.
“Hmph,†Naruto smirked. “Sounds like fun.†He grabbed a kunai from the pouch and spun it into his hand, at the ready. This was odd… the genin wasn’t matching up at all to the reports written by the Academy. Based on that information, the Uzumaki should have shouted an insult and when easily countered, lose control of his temper and attack recklessly. That left two conclusions…
The Jounin shook his head to clear his thoughts; he could think about them later. “Well, start when I say…†Leaping forward, Naruto aimed a kunai as he made to stab at his examiner. The boy was moving so slowly (or at least it was so to the Jounin); Kakashi took his time planning out what to do next. With a puff of smoke, he travelled to where Naruto was and redirected his hand to point the sharp weapon at the nape of his neck. Sasuke and Sakura had jumped out of the way, and now stood observing.
“Slow down,†Kakashi sighed. “I haven’t said start yet.†To his surprise, Naruto cocked an eyebrow.
“Since when do you get a signal on the battlefield?†he asked. Now Kakashi certainly was caught off-guard; the boy had never been on the battlefield, and the question spoke of maturity beyond his age.
“Besides,†A mischievous grin widened on Naruto’s face, “who’s to say I didn’t want you to capture me?â€
‘Huh?’
In the next moment, he heard the thuds of feet falling on the dirt. Looking in his peripheral vision, Kakashi saw numerous Naruto’s stampeding out of the forest.
“Kage Bunshin no Jutsu… so the rumors that you learnt a Jounin level technique are true,†he muttered.
Taking advantage of the distraction, the other two genin prospects took the chance to hide themselves, though the kunoichi was a bit slow on the uptake. As Kakashi saw the Naruto standing in front of him pop, he turned to face the rapidly approaching army. He sighed. “I won’t be able to read,†he muttered angrily.
“You know, the basics of a Ninja are to hide yourself well. Sakura and Sasuke seem to have hidden well, but you… you’re a bit different,†Kakashi lectured lazily as he quickly disarmed the first clone. He sidestepped to the right and avoided a jab before catching the arm and heaving the Naruto over his shoulder and onto the ground.
Amongst the swarm of clones, one Naruto stood back. ‘Is that the real one? He’s standing back… quite unlike his personality. Headstrong, brash, and yet he’s not jumping in. Is he… evaluating me?’ Kakashi wondered.
Naruto grinned. “I could hide, but what good would that do? You’re Jounin Hatake Kakashi, also known as the Copy Ninja but highly renown for tracking as well,†the Uzumaki said, professing knowledge of information usually overlooked by genin.
“So what would I do? Wait until you flush me out? We’ll have to fight to get the bell,†Naruto pointed out. “And if we’re on our own, there’s nothing you need to co-ordinate, so what’s the point in hiding?â€
The army was quickly running out of men (or in this case, boys) and Kakashi was utterly confused. Had Naruto seen through it? He couldn't tell; his speech clearly implied that he knew they had to work in a team but his actions... If he had truly realized it, why was he still here? Unless...
Kakashi's eye widened as he realised his mistake. "You're just a clone." The clone nodded an affirmation, a grin stretching on his face.
"Took you a while to get there, Kakashi-sensei." All movement in the grassy field stopped as the clones simultaneously flinched. So Naruto had read the memory clause that night.
"It seems that my job here is done. We'll see you soon Kakashi-sensei." Forming a cross seal with his fingers, any remaining clones vanished, obscuring the teacher's vision with smoke.
ナルト—ブリーãƒ
Sasuke was surprised. He had just seen the class idiot pull off a Jounin level Jutsu, trick one of the best ninja in Konoha and convince him, an Uchiha, to follow a dead last's plan. Though honestly, after that fight, Sasuke wasn't sure whether the Uzumaki truly deserved that title. Currently, the two were trying to put some distance between Kakashi and themselves.
Sasuke saw Naruto flinch as he flew from one branch to the next, resulting in the blonde completely missing his step. He sweat dropped. As much as Naruto had shown that he was more than he seemed, it was moments such as this that caused Sasuke to think otherwise.
"Can't even jump from tree to tree, dobe?" Sasuke asked, making sure to keep his voice monotone. In the next moment, the so-called ‘class clown’ was standing next to him.
“Teme. Nothing like that,†Naruto retorted as the two of them began jumping towards the location Sakura and the other him were heading to. “It’s just the memories coming back from the clones. Normally, it wouldn’t affect me so much but that was a lot of clones.†The other boy seemed like he wanted to say something more, but didn’t open his mouth, so Sasuke paid attention to moving to the next tree.
“Stop,†Naruto ordered. “They’re here.†Sure enough, when Sasuke turned his vision to the ground below them, there stood a Naruto clone and Sakura.
The two Naruto’s shared a nod before the one standing next to Sakura dispersed, causing Sakura to look upwards, her eyes immediately focusing on Sasuke’s form. ‘Oh no…’ Sasuke moaned in his head. “Sasuke-kun!†she squealed.
Immediately, Naruto rubbed a spot on his head. “Ouch, did you need to hit that many clones in the head?†he whined.
Sakura crossed her arms and turned away stubbornly, her pink locks swaying as her head turned. “Never sneak up on a kunoichi, Naruto-baka,†she sniffed. Sasuke’s eyebrow twitched; this wasn’t what they gathered here for.
“Okay, what’s the plan, dobe?†Sasuke asked. He should’ve backed out the moment he saw Naruto grin.
The smile of the mischievous prankster would haunt him for years.
ナルト—ブリーãƒ
Kakashi leaned against a log, an eye on the text he had read dozens of times and his ears on the surrounding forest. The only sounds that graced his ears were the rustle of the leaves in the wind and the occasional flick of a turning page. He glanced at the clock. There was still a half hour before noon.
He knew that last Naruto clone had only dispersed then to buy some time to allow the trio to get away, how Naruto convinced the other two to come with was beyond him. Kakashi supposed he could look for them, but at this point, they might’ve had traps set up, and while they would not be too much of a trouble for the Jounin, they would still be… troublesome. Perhaps he shouldn’t hang out so much with Nara Shikaku.
The tell tale soft thud of feet landing from a tree drew Kakashi’s attention away from the Icha Icha Paradise sitting in his palm. His eyes narrowed; it was show time.
To his surprise, only Sasuke came out from between the folds of the trees. “It’s just you?†he enquired. He was sure he sensed one other person nearby.
The Uchiha snorted, the sound ringing with arrogance and complacency. “The Dobe’s plan was awful, no way I was going to follow that. Besides, I don’t need them.â€
Kakashi lifted an eyebrow. “You think you can defeat me when an army of genin couldn’t?â€
“Zero multiplied by any number is still zero. I’m not the same as them,†he claimed.
Kakashi shifted his attention back to his book. “Say that after you get the bell, Sasuke-kun.†Sighing, he heaved himself off the log. “The strength of the Village’s ＃1 Uchiha Clan… This should be interesting.â€
A pause permeated in the air. At some unseen signal, Sasuke leaned downwards and reached into his back pouch, his eyes never leaving the Jounin’s form. In a quick move, he threw all the shuriken held in his hands towards Kakashi.
Seeing this, Kakashi pushed himself to the side, out of the shurikens’ path, quickly tucking away his precious book into his kunai pouch for safe keeping. “Such obvious attacks are pointless!†Kakashi said. The edges of Sasuke’s mouth twitched into a smile, and the white-haired copy ninja spotted one last assailant speeding through the air.
‘A trap?’ Nevertheless, no sooner did he land did he leap upwards to avoid the coming weapons. When he did land, Sasuke had moved to be behind Kakashi and was coming in for a kick. ‘What?’
He quickly assumed a position to block, grasping onto Sasuke’s leg at the same time. Before he had even realised what had happened, Kakashi had caught the Uchiha’s punch. And then another leg came in. Where was the kid getting the momentum for this?
Kakashi moved that arm that had previously been blocking the sidekick to face upwards, effectively blocking this other kick as well. But just then he heard a jingle and alarm filled his mind as he realised Sasuke was in the perfect position to grab a bell. Just as his fingertips touched it, Kakashi backed away, releasing his hold on Sasuke.
Sasuke was sent sprawling to the ground but managed to shift his position at the last moment, while Kakashi set his body low. ‘What’s up with this team? I didn’t have time to read Icha Icha Paradise.’
After a moment’s rest, Kakashi straightened back up. “Well, I will acknowledge that you are different from the other two.†This seemed to infuriate Sasuke for some reason.
“Bah,†he muttered, his arms blurring into a flurry of seals. Kakashi recognized them as they slowed down on the last two. ‘Horse, tiger,’ Kakashi identified idly. His eye widened. ‘But that’s-‘
“Goukakyuu no Jutsu!†Sasuke yelled somehow around the mouth full of chakra.
“What?!†Kakashi exclaimed, caught off guard. ‘A genin shouldn’t have enough chakra to be able to use that jutsu!’
Sasuke switched his stance to place his right foot forward and hand in front of his mouth, blowing out a huge fireball. As Kakashi saw the approaching fireball, he formed the ram seal for a body flicker, but when he executed the Jutsu, he found something obstructing his feet.
He looked down to find two pairs of hands coming out of the ground were clasped around his ankle, making it so he couldn’t move anywhere.
‘S---!’ He barely had anytime left before the fireball was upon him, so he switched tracks to use Substitution with a nearby log, hoping to get out alive.
As it was, he managed it by the tips of his fingers, though the parts of his body that had faced the fireball were suffering from minor burns. From where he crouched in a tree, he observed the fireball eventually dying out as Sasuke stopped producing flames. When it dispersed, Kakashi found a charred log in the middle of the small crater the Jutsu had created with the hands that had previously been blocking his feet nowhere to be found.
“D--- it!†Sasuke swore loudly. “D--- you Naruto! I thought you said this plan would work!†‘Naruto? Was he the other presence?’ Kakashi wondered.
In response, both Naruto and Sakura came out into the open. “I thought it would! We would’ve had a chargrilled sensei to pick the bells off!†Naruto defended. Immediately, Sakura punched him in the head.
“Baka! How could such a simple plan fool a Jounin?!†She screeched, causing all three males to cover their ears to preserve their hearing.
“He was underestimating us. Besides, it’s not like you guys had any better plans,†Naruto pointed out, rubbing his head. “Oh look, I’m Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, I’m going to take on a Jounin all by myself and somehow win.†At least the two had the decency to look somewhat ashamed.
Kakashi was now looking at Naruto in a new light. The class idiot was apparently not so. Had he always had the ability to see through deception? Kakashi didn’t know; it was never in the boy’s profile.
---
Stuck here.
Hi. I'm currently in the middle of writing a fanfic and have just found out this website. For about the past month, I've been stuck on this chapter because I just didn't know how to go about writing it. I wanted Team 7 to pass while keeping some things the same, but I don't know what should be the same.
For a summary of events that have happened before: It's a Bleach/Naruto crossover. Ichigo was transported into the Naruto world thanks to Urahara and joins up with Naruto. They won the Fourth Shinobi War but lost lots of people, so they went back in time due to Naruto's new skill in Fuuinjutsu. Naruto has become his younger self and Ichigo (after Quincy War) is there too. Same things happen, Mizuki what not, though it happens differently. Now it's the Genin Test, and here's where I'm stuck.
I would love some help.
---
One of the few remaining Uzumaki’s sat at his dining table, slurping up a cup of instant ramen. While not amazing, definitely not compared to Ichiraku’s, it would do for breakfast. Holding up his carton of milk, Naruto delicately sniffed at the cover, before putting it back down in disgust. It was definitely off; he should’ve restocked on his food much earlier, but his insistence on subsisting on Ichiraku’s Ramen had put off that chore for a while.
Mentally noting to do some grocery shopping under a Henge later, he headed over to the mirror in his bedroom, tying on the hitai-ate around his forehead, grinning to himself. Not unlike the last time round, he had gotten reacquainted with Konohamaru again, and the events had played out exactly the same. This brought a smile to Naruto’s face as he recalled the last time he’d seen the boy, just about to leave on his last mission.
With a grimace, he shook off his depressing thoughts and set off for the Academy. He arrived relatively early (or at least when compared to Kakashi) and sat down at an empty bench, making sure to avoid Sasuke all the while grinning to himself. He was going to see his old team again! Well, technically he had seen Sakura and Sasuke before, but it was different when they would actually be a team.
Hearing footsteps closing in, he turned to find Shikamaru looking curiously at Naruto. “Eh?†Shikamaru asked. “Why are you here? Today’s explanatory meeting is only for those who graduated.†Naruto furrowed his eyebrows.
“But I did pass on the actual exam. See?†he pointed at his headband. “Iruka-sensei gave this to me.â€
“I heard you got one mark below the pass mark,†Shikamaru explained.
“It was one mark above the pass mark,†Naruto clarified, to which Shikamaru shrugged.
“Troublesome,†Shikamaru muttered before heading over to a seat next to Choji and promptly falling asleep on the desk. ‘Typical Shikamaru,’ Naruto thought with a small smile.
Barely a minute passed when Naruto’s ears picked up what sounded like a stampede coming through the hallway. When Sakura and Ino appeared in the classroom, he tuned their bickering out; it was quite annoying at this age.
Before long, Iruka was in the classroom, and the background chatter died down as Iruka started speaking.
“Good morning, class! Today you will be receiving your team assignments. You all will be in a group of three, where you will accomplish missions under a Jounin sensei. We have arranged the teams so that overall abilities will be equivalent. I will now read out the team names,†Iruka introduced. Teams 1 through to 6 were all the same, and Naruto waited in anticipation for Team 7.
“Team 7 will be… Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura…†Iruka started, causing Sakura to bow her head in dismay, whereas Naruto merely kept waiting patiently for the last name, hoping it would be the same.
“And Uchiha Sasuke,†Iruka continued. The reaction was immediate, with Sakura pounding the air with her fist in ‘victory’ and Naruto breathing a sigh of relief that no changes were made. If anyone was surprised by Naruto’s lack of reaction, none were apparent on anybody’s faces.
Unknown to the blonde Uzumaki, one very watchful eye was eyeing his unresponsive backlash in interest through a familiar crystal ball in the Hokage’s office. Who knew how much one person could change someone else?
The other teams were announced, with no noticeable changes made to Teams 8 and 10, the other two-thirds of the Rookie 9. Once the announcements were over, numerous Jounins came and went picking up their teams at various times until only Team 7 was left, bored in an empty room.
“He’s late,†Sakura complained, while Naruto just gave a nostalgic snort and Sasuke continued brooding on his existence, ignoring everything around him.
Taking it as an insult, Sakura rounded on him, “Are you saying I’m dumb?â€
Immediately, Naruto hastened to reassure her. “Trust me, you’re not. It’s just our sensei is well-known for being at least two hours late.â€
“It’s already been three hours,†Sakura pointed out before Naruto’s words began to sink in. “How do you know who are Jounin sensei is?†Naruto cocked an eyebrow.
“Iruka-sensei didn’t mention it?†Sakura shook her head, which triggered Naruto’s panic. Great. Make up a valid lie time.
“Well, there are only a certain number of Jounins who become senseis for Genin teams. There’s one who’s been on the roster every year but has never had a Genin team for more than a day or two and he’s always late. He didn’t come early, and by that I mean on time, and pick up any of the other teams, so I can only assume that it’s him: Jounin Hatake Kakashi,†Naruto lied. During his little explanation, Sakura had begun staring at him like she’d never seen him before, and even Sasuke had perked up and paid attention.
“What? Do I have something on my face?†Naruto asked with a shaky grin.
Sakura blinked a few times, before saying, “For a moment there, you actually sounded… smart.†Before Naruto could rebut the insulting comment, a gray head of hair popped in through the door, drawing everyone’s attention.
The copy-ninja stuck his head into the room and smiled happily underneath his mask.
“Sorry I’m late, I got stuck helping an old lady carry groceries across the street, and then she insisted I follow her home for cookies, and we argued for one hour about it and then-“
“You’re late!†Sakura and Naruto yelled in unison. Man, he’d missed doing that. Kakashi stared at the trio for a moment. “How should I say this… my first impression of you guys… I don’t like you.â€
A feeling of disappointment that was nearly tangible overcame Sakura and Sasuke in the form of a blue cloud whereas Naruto merely grinned brightly; it was better than ‘I hate you’. Meanwhile, Kakashi was looking at Naruto as if he were a bit wrong in the head.
However, in the next blink of an eye the expression was gone, and Kakashi ordered, “Meet me on the roof.â€
With some apprehension, the three new genin exited the classroom and started climbing up the stairs, Naruto leading in front. “Hey, don’t you think our sensei’s a bit weird?†he heard Sakura whisper to Sasuke, which received a non-committal grunt in response.
He opened the door to the roof to find Kakashi sitting on the railing, his perverted orange book open in front of him. Without looking up, Kakashi motioned to take their seats on the stairs facing him.
Snapping the book shut, the Jounin looked up at his prospective genin team, and said, “Let’s see, why don’t you introduce yourselves.â€
Almost exactly like Naruto’s memory, Sakura immediately piped up. “Introduce ourselves? What should we say?â€
Spreading his arms out, Kakashi replied, “What you like, hate, your dreams and hobbies. Well, something like that.â€
“Hey, hey. Why don’t you introduce yourself first, sensei?†Naruto asked.
Sighing, Kakashi’s lone eye travelled to the clouds in the sky. “I’m Hatake Kakashi. I have no intention of telling you my likes and dislikes-,â€
‘I like little orange books and admire the pervert who writes them,’ Naruto mused.
“-as for my dreams… “ Kakashi continued, completely unaware to Naruto’s thoughts. “I have many hobbies,†he finished lamely.
‘Which include more reading of those books and writing down excuses and methods for being late,’ Naruto thought.
“So all we found out was his name,†Sakura muttered in the background.
The copy-ninja overlooked this. “Okay, you,†Kakashi indicated Naruto, “Introductions. Let’s go.â€
“Hey, hey. I’m Uzumaki Naruto. I like my friends, training and Ichiraku’s Ramen. I dislike stupid Uchihas,†Naruto ignored Sasuke and Sakura’s glare, choosing instead to continue, “people who hurt my friends and the three minutes it takes to cook cup ramen. My hobby is to train. And my dream is to become a Hokage that will surpass all the others!â€
Naruto winced at the ‘stupid Uchiha’ comment. He was letting too much slip out. Granted, his goal wasn’t exactly that right now, but if he said ‘save the village’… well, Kakashi wasn’t known for being dumb.
The Jounin nodded. “Okay, next.â€
Pink hair swayed as Sakura started speaking. “My name’s Haruno Sakura. I like…well, the person I like is…†At this, a light red blush spread on Sakura’s face as her eyes flickered to Sasuke’s brooding form next to her.
“And my hobby is… well, my dream is to…†Her flush covering her face grew steadily darker, her eyes switching to Sasuke increasingly often before she screamed like a fan girl.
“And? What do you hate?†Kakashi asked, obviously bored.
“Naruto.†Sakura’s voice switched from the previous high pitch to one filled with loathing. Externally, crocodile tears gleamed in the blonde’s eyes, though internally Naruto was making plans to ‘fix’ her view of him. How he missed the old Sakura.
“Last guy,†Kakashi called.
Hands still folded under his chin, Sasuke began. “My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are many things that I hate, and there aren’t a lot of things that I like. Also, I have an ambition that I have no intention to leave as just a dream. The revival of my clan and to… kill a certain man.â€
“Alright, you three have unique personalities. I like that. We’re going to begin a mission starting tomorrow,†Kakashi announced, crossing his arms as he leant back on the railing.
Immediately, Sakura piped up, “What kind of mission is it, sir?â€
“First, we’re going to do something that we four can do,†Kakashi further divulged.
There was an awkward pause as no one spoke up, almost like in a play when someone had forgotten his or her line. Naruto cringed; he knew, sure as sure could be that the next line was originally his.
But he remained silent, realizing that it was too late to rectify his error. When the tension finally proved to be too much, Sasuke spoke up. “What is it?â€
“Survival training.â€
“Survival training?†the pink-haired kunoichi echoed. Naruto hid a smirk. This was sure to be fun.
“Why are we going to train when it’s a mission? We had plenty of training at the academy,†Sakura asked, just on the verge of complaining.
“This is no ordinary training.â€
“Then, then what kind of training is it?â€
Kakashi chuckled.
“Hey, what’s so funny, sensei?†Naruto questioned.
“No, well, if I say this, I’m sure you three are going to be surprised.â€
“Huh?†Naruto and Sakura let out in unison with Sasuke grunted his curiosity.
A dark aura overcame Kakashi; it was obvious he took great pleasure out of the potential reactions of his possible team. “Out of the 27 graduates, only 9 are going to become Genin. The other 18 will be sent back to the academy. In other words, this training is going to be a very hard test with a dropout rate of 66%.â€
No one spoke as the trio (or at least the most of them) digested the information. “See? You three are surprised!â€
“No way! I went through so much trouble… Then what was the final exam for?†Naruto queried.
“That? It just picks out those who are qualified to become a Genin,†Kakashi said off-handedly. Inwardly, Naruto was applauding the man for his delivery, his mind furiously taking notes. If he ever had a genin team, he would definitely do the same.
“What?!†Sakura exclaimed.
“Anyway, I'm going to determine whether you pass or fail tomorrow at the training grounds. Bring your shinobi equipment and meet at 5a.m!†The son of the White Fang stood up, snapping his book shut. Just as he made to leave, he glanced back towards the trio.
“Now then, meeting over. Oh yeah, don’t eat breakfast. You’re going to throw up if you do,†Kakashi warned, before vanishing in a plume of smoke.
Naruto grinned. Oh yeah. This was going to be fun.
ナルト—ブリーãƒ
In front of a glinting stone, a scarecrow stood before a memorial, his lone eye regretfully focused on two particular words.
Uchiha Obito.
Since that day, Kakashi had never stopped wishing that he could go back and do things over. Maybe try harder to save Rin, actually stop and listen to what his teammate had been saying or even being the one to suggest the idea of a rescue. He didn’t know. But he had to have done something more.
The onyx eye drifted to another phrase.
Nohara Rin.
If it hadn’t been enough that Kakashi had failed Obito by letting him die, then he had failed the Uchiha even more so, by not only failing to accomplish his final wish by allowing Rin to pass away, but also by doing so by his own hand. Kakashi shook his head. No, passing away was too nice a word, for what he had done. Murder was more like it.
Never mind the fact that Rin had practically forced herself on his hand, it was still his fault. Kakashi gave a sigh as he finally allowed the words to fall from his mouth.
“Hey, Obito, Rin. How’s it doing? I like to believe you’re up there, somewhere you can hear me. You wouldn’t believe the team that Hokage-sama assigned to me. They’re just like the three of us. A stoic, silent one, a loud idiot and a fangirl.†Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows. “Or at least as much a fangirl as one can get going by wartime standards.â€
“The silent one, believe it or not, it’s the Uchiha. If you were the epitome of everything not of the Uchiha, then he’s the epitome of everything an Uchiha is supposed to be.†Kakashi paused as he considered his next few words.
“He’s a problem. The council wants me to play favorites with him, and completely neglect the others. I’ll have to follow their orders slightly, or at least make it seem like I am. In all honesty, those old cougars can stuff their orders somewhere else. The girl, it’s a fangirl. To be fair, Rin, you weren’t anything like her, although if you were given another time and place, who’s to say?â€
“Though honestly, the one who acts the most like you… I can’t place my finger on it, but I’ll get there someday. He seems like an idiot, but when he acts out of place here and there, you can tell there’s something else underneath. ‘Look underneath the underneath’, right? He’s sensei’s brat, so I feel somewhat obliged to make sure he’s not… I dunno, weird.â€
Lifting up his head, the silver-haired shinobi moved his unmoving stare to the sky and the sun. “It’s eleven. I’ve kept them waiting long enough, haven’t I?†Settling into a crouch, Kakashi let his fingers brush against their names.
The next second, only a gentle wind existed in the plain.
ナルト—ブリーãƒ
To say Kakashi was weirded out was like saying Gai was only a little abnormal. In a phrase, it was a massive understatement. The picture that greeted him the moment Kakashi appeared in the field was bizarre.
Sitting calmly in a tight circle on the bright green grass were his three potential students, eating. Naruto was brightly slurping up some ramen from a take-away box with Ichiraku clearly emblazoned in red. To his left was the Uchiha, previously labeled ‘problem’, half-way through an onigiri, desperately trying to bury his obvious enjoyment with a sullen look. Taking a glance at the inside, it was clearly filled with tomatoes and okaka. To his right was Sakura, nibbling nervously on a stick of dango.
This looked like a scene from a team who had been together for at least a month, not one that had been announced the previous day. Kakashi blinked.
“What are you guys doing?†At the sound of his voice, the lone female jumped on the spot, while Naruto and Sasuke merely looked up.
“Snacking,†Naruto answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Didn’t I tell you not to eat breakfast?†Kakashi asked in a voice that caused a stab of fear to appear in their hearts, as could be seen in their faces. However, the expression on his sensei’s was a bit strained. Maybe it was the way that his eyes just projected ‘FEAR!’ too much or the way his body was just a little too relaxed, but regardless, it wasn’t a genuine face.
“It was Naruto’s idea!†Sakura immediately blurted. A look of hurt flashed across said blonde’s face. Now this, this was real. His eye cast a fleeting look on the young boy’s form. ‘Hmm… Interesting.’
Apparently, Sakura had caught sight of this look of pain, and Kakashi would bet all his savings that she was feeling more than a little bit guilty. Trying to correct her mistake, and as a way of apologizing, she immediately switched tracks.
“S-Sensei, you just told us not to eat breakfast. You never said, um, anything about snacking. Um, besides, it wasn’t an order…?†Sakura stammered out, haltingly. From her tone, the Jounin could tell she wasn’t quite so confident in this reasoning herself. If he were to connect the dots… He glanced at Naruto again; it seemed everything was coming down to him these days.
“True,†Kakashi conceded. “Pack up your food. We’re going to start.†With a quietly observing eye (and ear), Kakashi watched as the three potential genin handed their food to Naruto.
“Nah. You keep it. I don’t like any of these anyway,†he said, covering his ramen and placing it into the plastic bag that had been drifting beside him. The other two shared a look and shrugged, before setting their food into the same bag.
“Thanks, Naruto. I’ll take it later,†Sakura said, hesitantly, almost as if she didn’t want to speak nicely of the Uzumaki. Sasuke grunted in agreement. Worry creased Kakashi’s eyebrow. Just how far had the adult’s dislike for Naruto spread?
Slamming an alarm clock on a log, Kakashi announced, “Ok, it’s set for noon.†A question mark seemed to float out of the trio gathered in front of him.
The tintinnabulation of bells drew their attention to two silver bells clinking together in Kakashi’s fingers. “Here are two bells,†he remarked redundantly. “Your task is to take them before noon.â€
“Those who cannot get a bell by noon get no lunch. I’ll not only tie you to one of those stumps, but I’ll eat right in front of you.†Kakashi expected the annual grumble of stomachs before realizing that of course, since they snacked, there would be none.
In the wake of this revelation, Sakura shot a reluctant look of gratitude towards Naruto; Sasuke ‘hmphed’ and turned away. ‘So the class idiot saw through it but not Rookie of The Year,’ Kakashi thought in consternation.
“You only need to get one bell,†he continued. “There are only two, so one of you will definitely be tied to a stump. And…â€
“The person who doesn’t take a bell fails. So, at least one of you will be sent back to the Academy.†Kakashi could see the trio gulp and smiled inwardly; scaring new genin was always fun.
With a swing of his hand, he enclosed his fist over the jingling bells. “You can even use your shuriken; you won’t succeed unless you come at me intending to kill.â€
“But! You’ll be in danger!†Sakura immediately cried out. A grunt of surprise came out of the Uchiha and Kakashi shifted his attention to the last genin.
“Hmph,†Naruto smirked. “Sounds like fun.†He grabbed a kunai from the pouch and spun it into his hand, at the ready. This was odd… the genin wasn’t matching up at all to the reports written by the Academy. Based on that information, the Uzumaki should have shouted an insult and when easily countered, lose control of his temper and attack recklessly. That left two conclusions…
The Jounin shook his head to clear his thoughts; he could think about them later. “Well, start when I say…†Leaping forward, Naruto aimed a kunai as he made to stab at his examiner. The boy was moving so slowly (or at least it was so to the Jounin); Kakashi took his time planning out what to do next. With a puff of smoke, he travelled to where Naruto was and redirected his hand to point the sharp weapon at the nape of his neck. Sasuke and Sakura had jumped out of the way, and now stood observing.
“Slow down,†Kakashi sighed. “I haven’t said start yet.†To his surprise, Naruto cocked an eyebrow.
“Since when do you get a signal on the battlefield?†he asked. Now Kakashi certainly was caught off-guard; the boy had never been on the battlefield, and the question spoke of maturity beyond his age.
“Besides,†A mischievous grin widened on Naruto’s face, “who’s to say I didn’t want you to capture me?â€
‘Huh?’
In the next moment, he heard the thuds of feet falling on the dirt. Looking in his peripheral vision, Kakashi saw numerous Naruto’s stampeding out of the forest.
“Kage Bunshin no Jutsu… so the rumors that you learnt a Jounin level technique are true,†he muttered.
Taking advantage of the distraction, the other two genin prospects took the chance to hide themselves, though the kunoichi was a bit slow on the uptake. As Kakashi saw the Naruto standing in front of him pop, he turned to face the rapidly approaching army. He sighed. “I won’t be able to read,†he muttered angrily.
“You know, the basics of a Ninja are to hide yourself well. Sakura and Sasuke seem to have hidden well, but you… you’re a bit different,†Kakashi lectured lazily as he quickly disarmed the first clone. He sidestepped to the right and avoided a jab before catching the arm and heaving the Naruto over his shoulder and onto the ground.
Amongst the swarm of clones, one Naruto stood back. ‘Is that the real one? He’s standing back… quite unlike his personality. Headstrong, brash, and yet he’s not jumping in. Is he… evaluating me?’ Kakashi wondered.
Naruto grinned. “I could hide, but what good would that do? You’re Jounin Hatake Kakashi, also known as the Copy Ninja but highly renown for tracking as well,†the Uzumaki said, professing knowledge of information usually overlooked by genin.
“So what would I do? Wait until you flush me out? We’ll have to fight to get the bell,†Naruto pointed out. “And if we’re on our own, there’s nothing you need to co-ordinate, so what’s the point in hiding?â€
The army was quickly running out of men (or in this case, boys) and Kakashi was utterly confused. Had Naruto seen through it? He couldn't tell; his speech clearly implied that he knew they had to work in a team but his actions... If he had truly realized it, why was he still here? Unless...
Kakashi's eye widened as he realised his mistake. "You're just a clone." The clone nodded an affirmation, a grin stretching on his face.
"Took you a while to get there, Kakashi-sensei." All movement in the grassy field stopped as the clones simultaneously flinched. So Naruto had read the memory clause that night.
"It seems that my job here is done. We'll see you soon Kakashi-sensei." Forming a cross seal with his fingers, any remaining clones vanished, obscuring the teacher's vision with smoke.
ナルト—ブリーãƒ
Sasuke was surprised. He had just seen the class idiot pull off a Jounin level Jutsu, trick one of the best ninja in Konoha and convince him, an Uchiha, to follow a dead last's plan. Though honestly, after that fight, Sasuke wasn't sure whether the Uzumaki truly deserved that title. Currently, the two were trying to put some distance between Kakashi and themselves.
Sasuke saw Naruto flinch as he flew from one branch to the next, resulting in the blonde completely missing his step. He sweat dropped. As much as Naruto had shown that he was more than he seemed, it was moments such as this that caused Sasuke to think otherwise.
"Can't even jump from tree to tree, dobe?" Sasuke asked, making sure to keep his voice monotone. In the next moment, the so-called ‘class clown’ was standing next to him.
“Teme. Nothing like that,†Naruto retorted as the two of them began jumping towards the location Sakura and the other him were heading to. “It’s just the memories coming back from the clones. Normally, it wouldn’t affect me so much but that was a lot of clones.†The other boy seemed like he wanted to say something more, but didn’t open his mouth, so Sasuke paid attention to moving to the next tree.
“Stop,†Naruto ordered. “They’re here.†Sure enough, when Sasuke turned his vision to the ground below them, there stood a Naruto clone and Sakura.
The two Naruto’s shared a nod before the one standing next to Sakura dispersed, causing Sakura to look upwards, her eyes immediately focusing on Sasuke’s form. ‘Oh no…’ Sasuke moaned in his head. “Sasuke-kun!†she squealed.
Immediately, Naruto rubbed a spot on his head. “Ouch, did you need to hit that many clones in the head?†he whined.
Sakura crossed her arms and turned away stubbornly, her pink locks swaying as her head turned. “Never sneak up on a kunoichi, Naruto-baka,†she sniffed. Sasuke’s eyebrow twitched; this wasn’t what they gathered here for.
“Okay, what’s the plan, dobe?†Sasuke asked. He should’ve backed out the moment he saw Naruto grin.
The smile of the mischievous prankster would haunt him for years.
ナルト—ブリーãƒ
Kakashi leaned against a log, an eye on the text he had read dozens of times and his ears on the surrounding forest. The only sounds that graced his ears were the rustle of the leaves in the wind and the occasional flick of a turning page. He glanced at the clock. There was still a half hour before noon.
He knew that last Naruto clone had only dispersed then to buy some time to allow the trio to get away, how Naruto convinced the other two to come with was beyond him. Kakashi supposed he could look for them, but at this point, they might’ve had traps set up, and while they would not be too much of a trouble for the Jounin, they would still be… troublesome. Perhaps he shouldn’t hang out so much with Nara Shikaku.
The tell tale soft thud of feet landing from a tree drew Kakashi’s attention away from the Icha Icha Paradise sitting in his palm. His eyes narrowed; it was show time.
To his surprise, only Sasuke came out from between the folds of the trees. “It’s just you?†he enquired. He was sure he sensed one other person nearby.
The Uchiha snorted, the sound ringing with arrogance and complacency. “The Dobe’s plan was awful, no way I was going to follow that. Besides, I don’t need them.â€
Kakashi lifted an eyebrow. “You think you can defeat me when an army of genin couldn’t?â€
“Zero multiplied by any number is still zero. I’m not the same as them,†he claimed.
Kakashi shifted his attention back to his book. “Say that after you get the bell, Sasuke-kun.†Sighing, he heaved himself off the log. “The strength of the Village’s ＃1 Uchiha Clan… This should be interesting.â€
A pause permeated in the air. At some unseen signal, Sasuke leaned downwards and reached into his back pouch, his eyes never leaving the Jounin’s form. In a quick move, he threw all the shuriken held in his hands towards Kakashi.
Seeing this, Kakashi pushed himself to the side, out of the shurikens’ path, quickly tucking away his precious book into his kunai pouch for safe keeping. “Such obvious attacks are pointless!†Kakashi said. The edges of Sasuke’s mouth twitched into a smile, and the white-haired copy ninja spotted one last assailant speeding through the air.
‘A trap?’ Nevertheless, no sooner did he land did he leap upwards to avoid the coming weapons. When he did land, Sasuke had moved to be behind Kakashi and was coming in for a kick. ‘What?’
He quickly assumed a position to block, grasping onto Sasuke’s leg at the same time. Before he had even realised what had happened, Kakashi had caught the Uchiha’s punch. And then another leg came in. Where was the kid getting the momentum for this?
Kakashi moved that arm that had previously been blocking the sidekick to face upwards, effectively blocking this other kick as well. But just then he heard a jingle and alarm filled his mind as he realised Sasuke was in the perfect position to grab a bell. Just as his fingertips touched it, Kakashi backed away, releasing his hold on Sasuke.
Sasuke was sent sprawling to the ground but managed to shift his position at the last moment, while Kakashi set his body low. ‘What’s up with this team? I didn’t have time to read Icha Icha Paradise.’
After a moment’s rest, Kakashi straightened back up. “Well, I will acknowledge that you are different from the other two.†This seemed to infuriate Sasuke for some reason.
“Bah,†he muttered, his arms blurring into a flurry of seals. Kakashi recognized them as they slowed down on the last two. ‘Horse, tiger,’ Kakashi identified idly. His eye widened. ‘But that’s-‘
“Goukakyuu no Jutsu!†Sasuke yelled somehow around the mouth full of chakra.
“What?!†Kakashi exclaimed, caught off guard. ‘A genin shouldn’t have enough chakra to be able to use that jutsu!’
Sasuke switched his stance to place his right foot forward and hand in front of his mouth, blowing out a huge fireball. As Kakashi saw the approaching fireball, he formed the ram seal for a body flicker, but when he executed the Jutsu, he found something obstructing his feet.
He looked down to find two pairs of hands coming out of the ground were clasped around his ankle, making it so he couldn’t move anywhere.
‘S---!’ He barely had anytime left before the fireball was upon him, so he switched tracks to use Substitution with a nearby log, hoping to get out alive.
As it was, he managed it by the tips of his fingers, though the parts of his body that had faced the fireball were suffering from minor burns. From where he crouched in a tree, he observed the fireball eventually dying out as Sasuke stopped producing flames. When it dispersed, Kakashi found a charred log in the middle of the small crater the Jutsu had created with the hands that had previously been blocking his feet nowhere to be found.
“D--- it!†Sasuke swore loudly. “D--- you Naruto! I thought you said this plan would work!†‘Naruto? Was he the other presence?’ Kakashi wondered.
In response, both Naruto and Sakura came out into the open. “I thought it would! We would’ve had a chargrilled sensei to pick the bells off!†Naruto defended. Immediately, Sakura punched him in the head.
“Baka! How could such a simple plan fool a Jounin?!†She screeched, causing all three males to cover their ears to preserve their hearing.
“He was underestimating us. Besides, it’s not like you guys had any better plans,†Naruto pointed out, rubbing his head. “Oh look, I’m Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, I’m going to take on a Jounin all by myself and somehow win.†At least the two had the decency to look somewhat ashamed.
Kakashi was now looking at Naruto in a new light. The class idiot was apparently not so. Had he always had the ability to see through deception? Kakashi didn’t know; it was never in the boy’s profile.
---
Stuck here.
