After the nightmare, Naruto could only sleep for a few hours, by the time 4:30 had rolled around, he had already been awake for 4 hours. He left the house watching for anyone looking to pull him into an alley, but with what seemed like divine luck, Naruto made it to the meeting spot by 4:50.
"Good morning," called Sakura, looking well-rested, but it seemed she was not a morning person.
Sasuke silently strolled up, as usual, his cold facade in place, and his mysterious meter turned up to ten.
Wobbling down the path, Naruto reaches out. "Good morning."
"Naruto, were you out causing problems again last night? "Sakura starts eyeing Naruto's dirty jacket. After getting home so late he didn't have time to wash it. "That's probably why you look like a dead person walking." She states firmly crossing her arms with a huff.
"No, Sakura-chan, I just couldn't sleep well." Naruto sleepy says while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Excuses, you're going to drag us down if you keep acting so careless Naruto!" Sakuras voice started raising to a screech, signaling she was starting to wake up.
"Okay, okay, I'll just lay down here then while we wait for Bakashi to come." Naruto sighs as he starts kneeling down to rest.
"Baka Naruto, it's Kakashi-Sensei!" Sakura wacks him on the back of the head, "Sen-sei." She repeats the word slower hoping he will use it if she makes him feel dumb.
"Sorry Sakura-chan, I'll remember that." Rubbing the back of his head, he sits in the grass and began to dose off.
"Baka Naruto, can you believe him Sasuke-Kun? The way he just acts like he's the big hero? Who does he think he is?" Sakura turns to Sasuke to hug his arm. "I know you're the hero Sasuke-Kun, not some dead last like Naruto."
"Hn," is all he had to say back. Pulling his arm away, he put his weapon bag down and began organizing them according to how he thought the fight would go.
"Well, nothing to do but wait for Kakashi-sensei I guess." Sakura sets her weapons down as well and sits beside Sasuke, watching as he meticulously placed everything in an order she couldn't understand.
It was now 10:15 and Kakashi appears in front of his genin, "Hello, good morning!"
"You're late!" Sakura and Naruto yell at the same time, Sasuke standing to the side with his usual glare on his face.
"Well, you see, I was walking here on time, but a black cat crossed my path. So naturally, I changed coarse and-"
"We've been waiting here for five and a half hours!" Yelled Sakura before he could finish his excuse.
"Ah, darn it was a good one this time." Though Kakashi, "Oh well, the clock is set for 12," he spoke as he walked to a post with an alarm clock on top. "Your assignment is to take these bells away from me before the timer goes off." Kakashi pulls two bells out for his pouch. "If you can't get a bell before the timer goes off, you will be tied to a post and will watch as everyone else gets to eat in front of you."
"But Sensei, there are only two bells." Comments Sakura.
"Yes, that will ensure one of you will be tied up!" Kakashi turns to Sakura and smiles with a look to make her a little uneasy. "The person tied up will be failed and sent back to the academy." The genin look with worry at the swinging bells in Kakashi's hand. He lets them sit in their uneasiness for a little bit before saying, "You won't be able to get a bell if you don't come at me with the intent to kill."
"But Sensei, we might hurt you!" Sakura looks taken aback that he would tell his students to attack their teacher and attempt to kill him.
"Yeah, I can't lose a sensei! Who else would make me stronger?" Naruto puts his hands behind his head and relaxes into his taunt. "You couldn't even dodge an eraser."
"People who lack in skills, tend to complain more," Kakashi states bluntly looking between Sakura and Naruto. "So I just ignore losers."
Gritting his teeth at the name, Naruto pulls a kunai.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Kakashi disappears and reappears behind Naruto. "I didn't say start yet."
Sighing, Naruto drops the kunai and goes back to listening.
"Okay, ready?" Kakashi now stands in the center of the training ground. Pulling out his book he opens it to the page he was reading, "begin."
Sasuke and Sakura jump back into the bushes, trying to conceal themselves from their Sensei. "They've got good instincts," Kakashi thinks, peering at where his students were hiding. "But this one on the other hand." Kakashi peers over his book and sees Naruto standing in front of him with a kunai in each hand.
"Why aren't you hiding?" Kakashi looks at Naruto credulously.
"That's not my ninja way!" Naruto yells before leaping at his sensei.
Sighing Kakashi Dodges the first stab, then smacks Naruto's hands, throwing the kunai away from the blonde. Next, he grabs the arm that was coming for his face and throws Naruto in the air. Naruto creates two cage bushin, using them to throw him back at Kakashi. "At least he has some fighting instinct." Kakashi steps back as the blonde shoots to the ground then kicksNaruto to one of the posts, knocking the wind out of him. "Next, Sasuke." Kakashi thinks as he Shunshins into the forest.
"So hungry," thinks Naruto. "I'm used to it! I can do this!" He jumps after Kakashi. Stopping, Naruto spots a gleam of light from the ground nearby. "That's not what I think it is, right?" Naruto says aloud, walking towards the bell. Everyone heard the blond say it aloud and turned to see. "Yes! Kakashi Sensei must've been in a hurry!" As he stoops to pick up the bell, he feels a tug on his leg.
Kakashi appears in front of Naruto again, "Don't get caught by such an obvious trap, idiot." Kakashi picks up the bell, waving it in front of the upside-down Naruto. "A ninja should be able to see through traps."
"I know, Dattebayo!" He yells trying to squirm free.
"No, I'm telling you because you're too thick to understand," Kakashi knocks on Naruto's head. "Listen up, You have too big of movements. You waste your energy by moving like that." Before Kakashi could continue, shiruken hit both him and Naruto.
"Ouch, Sasuke that hurts!" Exclaims Naruto as Kakashi falls to the ground in front of Naruto. "Now look what you've done! You killed out sensei!" But as Naruto says that, a puff of smoke reveals a log filled with all Sasuke's shiruken.
"Damn, a kawarimi." Sasuke leaps off his branch knowing his location had been discovered. "He purposefully lowered his guard to lure me out. I fell for his trap while he was talking to the Dobe about not falling for traps."
Kakashi watched from a few trees over. Sakura was running in the same direction as Sasuke. "Well, this might be interesting." he jumped down where she would stumble upon him, and as he thought, she hid in a bush waiting for him to leave. "Behind you," he whispered, shunshining without her knowing. Using the Hand signs snake then rat, Kakashi uses the Hell Viewing Technique.
Sakura sees hundreds of leaves encircle her, then she's just standing in the field. "Wait. Where did Kakashi sensei go? What?" Sakura starts looking around, but finds no one, "I guess he let me go." she says trying to think of why he was gone.
From behind a tree, Sasuke calls for Sakura. Upon stepping out, he is almost dead, covered head to toe in fatal wounds. Sakura, not able to comprehend that it is all a genjitsu, screams and passes out.
"Well, that was easy." Kakashi perches on a branch waiting for Sasuke. "She created the perfect bait."
After a few moments, Sasuke jumps into the clearing. "Looks like she wasn't hurt." Sasuke eyes Sakura, making sure that he doesn't let his guard down. "This may be a trap," thinks Sasuke. "I'm not like the others Kakashi," Sasuke yells, knowing his teacher is probably laying in waiting nearby.
Shunshining behind Sasuke, "we'll see about that." He states before turning the page on Icha Icha Paradise.
"Tsk," Sasuke throws some shiruken and starts running towards his Sensei.
Kakashi jumps out of the way, "a head-on attack won't work." Kakashi steps on a tripwire setting off a pre-laid trap by Sasuke. "A trap," Kakashi's eyes widen as Sasuke charges at him with a fist. Kakashi sidesteps the trap, catching Sasuke's hand. Next, his foot then blocks the other, before throwing the boy away and leaping back. "I guess there's no time to read. I acknowledge you're different from the others, but..." Kakashi disappears.
"Where did he go?" Sasuke looks around, "he's gone."
"Below you," Kakashi's hand reaches from the ground and pulls Sasuke into his Head Hunter Jitsu. "You're still just a genin." Kakashi finishes his statement, standing in front of the stuck Uchiha. "Oh, you hear that?" Kakashi stands up, "It sounds like it's over."
Kakashi releases Sasuke and Sakura comes running into the clearing. Kakashi heads to Naruto and drags the rope around his leg to the post, tying up Naruto. "Now, for the purpose of this training." he stands before his three tired genins. "I am not sending you back to the academy."
"Yes! We did it! We-" Naruto is cut off.
"Failed," Kakashi says flatly. "You three aren't fit to be Ninja."
"What?" Naruto looks at Kakashi with wide eyes. "But you said..."
"You think that being a ninja is a game?" Kakashi crosses his arms looking at the three children. "Why do ninja work in three-person teams?" No one answers, "Teamwork, which you guys seem to severely lack. You could've gotten the bells if you had worked together, but individually, you had no hope." The children sit in silence, looking at the ground disappointed. Kakashi stood up walking to a stone that was in front of the children. "This stone has the names of every ninja considered a hero to the village."
"I want to get my name there then!" Naruto starts squirming in anticipation.
"Well, they aren't just any heroes." Kakashi puts a hand on the stone, growing a solemn look. "These people were all killed in action." Again the three genins where silent. "Of the many names, the names of my Sensei, and friends are carved here." After a beat of silence, Kakashi turns around, "I've decided. I will give you all one more chance. You two can eat lunch, but don't feed any to Naruto. He is the biggest loser of you three so he will not have any. Taking the bells this time will be harder now that you know the reason for the test."
Kakashi walked off before Shunshining into a nearby tree. The two genins began eating lunch when they heard Naruto's stomach growl. "Sorry! I haven't eaten for a while." Laughing Naruto blushed and looked away.
"Here," Sasuke held out his bento box to Naruto. Naruto looked at Sasuke shocked, "I can't have a member of the team be weak because they didn't eat. We are going to work together to get the bells from Sensei."
Sakura holds out her bento as well, "Sasuke is right."
"S- Sakura-chan!" Naruto begins tearing up, "but, I can't eat. My arms are tied." Naruto blushes looking at the ground.
"Fine, just this once." Sakura sighs and picks up some rice, "but we will never speak of this!"
After Naruto took his first bite, a giant cloud of dust appears as a figure begins to yell, "YOU THREE!"
"But sensei! You said we are a team!" Naruto yells.
"Yeah sensei, we were just helping a team member!" Sakura pitched in.
"This is how we work together. "Sasuke pulled out a kunai and pointed it at Kakashi.
"You three, Pass." Kakashi stands up straight, crossing his arms.
"What?" Naruto looks at his sensei with a face full of confusion.
"In this world of ninja, someone who breaks the rules is branded as trash," Kakashi crosses his arms and looks at the three genins, "but those who leave behind their friends are worse." The children all look at their sensei with smiles. "You are now done with the exercise, Team 7 starts their first mission tomorrow." Kakashi Smiles and puts up his thumb, signing a good job.
"Yes sir!" Sakura Yells putting a fist up in the air.
"We did it!" Naruto starts squirming around in excitement, "we're ninja!"
"Well, let's go everyone." Kakashi begins to walk back towards town, "I'll treat you to some Barbecue."
"Wait!" Naruto calls out, "don't leave me here!" the rest of team 7 kept on walking, laughing a little as they played this prank.
"Damn, I knew this would happen." Naruto pouted. "Guys come back, you forgot about me!" After a few moments, he heard some people walking. "Hey, I'm over here!" Seeing who turned the corner, his eyes widen.
"Well, well, well, it's our favorite toy!" Yuuto turns walking towards Naruto. "It looks like someone gift-wrapped him for us!"
"Maybe we can add some more art to him since he's here!" Rito says, looking at Naruto with an evil glint in his eyes.
Nozomu steps forward, pulling a kunai out cutting Naruto free. Rito then also steps forward helping pin Naruto as they unzip his jacket and cut his shirt off. "Looks like the demon kept our last pieces of art!" comments Nozomu excitedly.
"Then how about we play a game?" Yuuto says as he picks up Naruto. Walking back to the post he ties the boy to the post with his torso on full display. Stepping back he pulls out a few shiruken, aiming he throws one hitting Naruto just above his bellybutton. "Yes! Two points for Yuuto!"
Next came Rito, throwing his star, he hit just below Naruto's right eye, "Three for me." Giving a high five to Yuuto as he moves so Nozomu could throw.
As Nozomu's shiruken flew, it was struck out of mid-air by a Kunai. "What? Who did that?" Nozomu, turned around to see Kakashi and two genins.
"Who the fuck are you?" Yuuto asks, pulling out a kunai.
Sasuke pulled a kunai of his own, charging the three men. He grabbed Yuuto by the hair and flung his head into Nozomu's. Then throwing his kunai at Rito's sandal, pinning his foot to the ground. Kakashi stepped to Rito then, kicking him in the stomach making him fall over in pain. after that he grabbed Yuuto and Nozomu tying them together on another pole; meanwhile, Sakura cut Naruto free asking if he was okay.
"Thanks, Sakura-Chan." Naruto stood up pulling out the shiruken. Turning to the three men, Naruto says, "These are my teammates. We are team 7."
Kakashi looks at his genin who nods in agreement. "Looks like the exercise worked." he thought, proudly observing as Sakura kicked Rito in the head. "Well done Sasuke, Sakura." He then turned towards Naruto, "sorry we left you, we where pranking you, but these three came along and, well, you know." Kakashi looked away from his Sensei's son, disappointed that he let Naruto get hurt.
"It's alright Sensei, they did the same thing last night," the blonde turned to Kakashi with a goofy smile.
Kakashi said nothing and just turned his head away. "Naruto, what is that?" Sakura asked, pointing at his scars all over his torso.
"Oh," Naruto flushed remembering that he was shirtless, "it's um."
"They did that?" Sasuke asked pointing at the three men over his shoulder.
Nodding, Naruto looked away and looked for his Jacket. "But it's fine, really. I heal fast."
Sasuke turned and walked to the three men. "You know who I am?" Sasuke asked, glaring at the three. After receiving nods, he smirked, "then you would be better off if I never see you again. If I do, I'll kill you." Another nod comes from the three, knowing that the Uchiha was serious.
Naruto found his Jacket with his tattered shirt, picking up his shirt sighing, he slipped on his jacket and turned to the others. Sakura gasped and pointed to his face where he was hit with the shiruken, "Naruto, where did your injury go?" She looked at his face confused.
"As I said, I heal fast!" he smiles at Sakura before turning to Kakashi, "Sensei, its time for Barbecue!" smiling he starts walking back to town.
"the other three stared after Naruto processing what had just happened. "Okay Naruto-Kun," Kakashi sighed pulling out his book and striding after Naruto. Sasuke followed with his scowl back on his face. Sakura stood for a moment, wondering if she was the weird one, before giving up and running after Sasuke. Later, Kakashi reported to the Hokage that his team had passed and arranged for the team photo to be taken at training ground 7 later that day.