007
An exhausted Naruto pushed his way through the underbrush, nearly collapsing onto grassy plain that was Training Ground Three. Even with all of the sleep he got last night, he still felt rather drained. His morning had been...interesting so far. On the plus side, he'd awoken to Zero Two curled into a ball on his chest. But at the same time, she had slobbered all over on him in her sleep...like a lot. It was the only reason she'd even allowed him to get up in the first place. The rosette was too embarrassed to even speak to him.
After a trip back to his apartment and a short shower later, he was all set for whatever the day had to throw at him. First on the list was his exciting girlfriend. He spent a solid ten minutes fighting her off just so that he could shower alone. While he'd grown used to and appreciated her affections, there were still some things that were a bit too much for his pubescent mind. As "punishment", she forced him to carry her on his back, not that he minded much. 'Damn it, it's still dark out. Why are we doing this before even Lady Amaterasu herself has woken up?!" Naruto grumbled as he glanced towards the eastern horizon. The skyline was pitch black and the sun wouldn't even rise for at least another hour. A soft moan reverberated throughout his ear canal and he gently shifted the weight on his back.
"Are we there yet?" Zero Two groaned.
"Yeah. Looks like we weren't the first ones either," Naruto commented when he spotted a figure seated atop the middle of the three wooden posts. Sasuke spared a glance in their direction and sneered.
"Prince Angst huh? Doesn't surprise me," Zero Two said as she climbed off of Naruto's back." Just then, Sakura came stumbling out of the treeline. "Oh look, even Pinky is here. I figured she would be too busy doing her hair or something." The clearly miffed pinkette threw a glare in the older girl's direction, but didn't offer up a rebuttal. She refused to let Zero Two get under her skin so easily like yesterday. Instead she elected to ignore the couple and crossed the field to the wooden posts, hopeful to Sasuke into a date. Zero Two frowned when her provocations failed to elicit a response from her new teammate.
"Tch, well that's no fun," she yawned before stretching out her body. "Neh Darling, let's have a spar."
"You really think now is a good time?" Naruto queried. "Kakashi-sensei will be here any minute."
"We got plenty of time to kill, trust me," the rosette smirked before settling into a stance. "Unless you're scared of little old me~?" she taunted.
Naruto snorted at the thought. "Tch, You're on!" To be honest, he was rather excited at the opportunity. After seeing her in action the other night, Naruto been enthralled by Zero Two's strength. But he couldn't just rely on her to fight his battles. He would get stronger in his own right and fight as her equal. Naruto cracked his knuckles as he flashed a toothy grin in her direction. "I don't care if you were an ANBU, don't even think about holding back!" Despite the distance and Sakura's loathsome nagging, his words reached Sasuke and the raven-haired boy found his interest piqued.
"I would never do such a thing Darling~! I hope you can keep up!" Zero Two returned his smirk in full.
The rosette flashed out of sight, catching Naruto by surprise. She materialized on his left in the midst of a roundhouse aimed at his head. Naruto was quick to block with his arm but the force alone was enough to send him skidding backwards. Zero Two advanced with a sweeping kick that Naruto managed to narrowly avoid, but not her follow-up swipe at his exposed abdomen. Her nails tore into skin like claws, making the blonde wince. He knocked away her arm but Zero Two pressed on with her assault. She kept Naruto on the defensive with a flurry of kicks and lashed out with a stray punch every so often. She was quite impressed with his performance so far. His stance was awkward and sloppy, which allowed her to easily pick apart his defenses. She wasn't pulling her punches in the slightest yet Naruto shrugged them off as if they we're nothing. If anything, he could definitely take a hit and any fight could boil down to which combatant had more tenacity.
Zero Two feinted an uppercut, to which Naruto countered with a jab. He was too slow to realize his mistake and the rosette took hold of his arm. Zero Two rammed her shoulder into his chest and flipped the dismayed boy over her shoulder, slamming him into the dirt with a sickening crunch.
"Gah!" the blond cried out as he felt the air from his lungs forced out of his body. 'She's certainly keeping her word...' He mentally groaned as he tried to regain his breath. Zero Two's face suddenly popped into his view, staring down at him in concern.
"Are you okay Darling?"
"Yeah. Nothing I can't handle," Naruto grunted as she slowly pushed himself back to a standing position. "Come on, let's continue."
"Actually, I have something else in mind," She held up her hand. "It would serve you better if I helped you correct your stance, rather than beat on you senselessly."
"Huuuh?!" the boy blanched, offended by her words. "What do you mean "correct"? I thought I was holding my own pretty well."
"I'm being serious Darling. Taijutsu is more than just exchanging blows and seeing who can hold out the longest. A fight between ninjas is can turn deadly at any given moment and if you aren't careful even the slightest mistake can cost you your life. And I for one refuse to let that happen." Zero Two replied matter-of-factly as she poked him in the chest. "So I'll teach you what I know. It's a hell of a lot better than that crap they taught you guys in the academy ya know."
Naruto wanted to protest but her argument was solid. Memories from their fight with Mizuki flashed through his mind and he remembered just how useless he'd been. We're it not for Zero Two, he'd be six feet under by now. She also had a lot more experience when it came to this so it would serve him well to take any help he could get. "Fine..." he grumbled, bringing a smile to his girlfriend's face.
"Alright, first I'll show you a nifty little trick," She said, taking a few steps back to put some distance between them. "I want you to make as many shadow clones as you can."
"Er...sure," Naruto nodded as he brought his hands together. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Zero Two watched as a plume of smoke enveloped the entire field and completely obscured her vision. It dispersed seconds later and she nearly faulted at the sight before her. Surrounding her on all sides was an army of Narutos. Even Sasuke and Sakura were left staggered by the sheer number of clones. If she had to guess, there had to at least be a hundred of them. "Will this do?" the blonde questioned.
"Y-Yeah..." Zero Two shook her head, breaking out of her stupor as a smirk found its way to her face. "I hope you're prepared for the workout of your life Darling!"
Naruto's body went limp, gracelessly collapsing to the ground with a dull thud. "Can't...breathe..."
For the last five hours Zero Two had been putting the legion of her boyfriend's clones through a rather intense training regimen. Majority of the time was spent on Taijutsu. Shaping up his "sloppy" posture as she so delicately put it and drilling technique after technique into him. The rosette herself seemed took great pleasure in the self-appointed task at hand. It was like having her own little personal army to command. For the last hour she had them all pair off for light sparring so that they could put her lessons to practice.
Zero Two smirked as she stared down at the exhausted blonde. She had discarded her blazer for the time being and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. "You'll be alright when you get better Darling. And we haven't even gotten to the good part yet."
Naruto struggled to lift his arm and raised his middle finger at her in response. Unlike the rest of the clones, she had placed a seal on him that weighed down his body. She claimed it was to help build up strength, speed, and endurance but all it did was delay his reactions and make all of his movements sluggish, forcing him to burn through his stamina at an alarming rate. But despite that, he managed to keep pace with his clones throughout her various lessons. Though, she had still yet to explained what this little "trick" of her was.
"You look like you could use a hand boss," one of his clones appeared above him.
It was the same one he'd be assigned to spar with. He never thought that looking at his own vexatious, cocksure grin could piss him off so much. He also realized that he could be a bit of an asshole. "Fuck off!" He leveled a glare at the doppelganger.
"Oi, don't get your panties in a bunch because you couldn't keep up," the clone shrugged. Zero Two suddenly appeared next to him and propped an elbow on his shoulder.
"You did well Darling. Now for the best part!" the rosette beamed. She leaned in close to the clone and whispered into its ear. Naruto watched his clone turn red in and its face contort with a discontented expression. But before it could voice a thought Zero Two punched it in the face, dispelling the double with a pop, much to Naruto's confusion. His brow suddenly furrowed and he shot a heated look in her direction.
"Oi! I told you not to call- Wait...what the hell?!"
The blonde was thrown for a loop. In his mind, he had a distinct memory in his mind of Zero Two whispering in his ear about how "cute and fluffy" his tail was just now, yet she was standing over him and no where close to his head. "What sort of witchcraft is this?!"
"That Darling, is the true strength of the Shadow Clone Jutsu," Zero Two grinned. "Any experience the clones gain during their existence is transferred to the user once they are dispersed," she explained. In her eyes, This made the technique ideal for spying, since the user can simply send a clone to spy on a target, then have the clone disperse itself on the spot to pass the information back to the user.
"That's...some freaky shit right there..." Naruto uttered, still bewildered. How come he'd never noticed this when he used it the day before.
"Indeed, but that's what makes it so excellent for training," Zero Two continued. "The total amount of experience the clones gain is all transferred to the user when they are dispelled. For example, if you create one shadow clone and train together with it for an hour, you will gain a total of two hours of training when the clone is dispelled, despite training only for one actual hour. The total hours of training undergone by both you and the clone are added together. Simple math really."
It was certainly a nifty trick unique to the technique alone. The old geezer had shown it to her long ago, but she could only make two at the time. But Naruto could summon a hundred on a whim. Training that could take weeks or months can be completed in a few hours. If she had to guess, he was the only person able to effectively make use of this type of training, due to the sheer amount of chakra he possessed.
"Is that like...cheating ya know?" Naruto questioned, earning a shrug from the rosette.
"The way of the Shinobi is filled with deception. He who has the upper hand controls the pace of the battle. And believe me Darling, this gives you quite the advantage compared to most."
"Huh...guess you have a point," the blond reasoned as he sat up. "Wait...there's like a hundred clones here!"
Zero Two only grinned as realization hit him. "That's right. The last five hours you've spent training will be more like 500 once they're all dispelled." She'd already given her beloved nearly three weeks of training and it wasn't even noon yet. His potential for growth was limitless.
"Bad...ass!" Naruto exclaimed. He brought his hands together, eager to soak in the plethora of knowledge that had just been bestowed upon him, which made Zero Two's eyes widen.
"Darling wait that's-"
She was too late. In a mere moment, all of Naruto's clones dispersed at once, flooding the boy's mind with a surge of information. "Eh?!" Naruto's eye twitched in shock before he promptly fell back to the ground. The aghast expression etched onto his face was almost comical as he faded out of consciousness.
"-not a good idea..." The teal-eyed girl finished with a sigh. While the technique can be extremely beneficial, one had to excerise caution when using multiple clones for training purposes. It was best to dispel them gradually so as to ease the mental stress it afflicted upon the user.
Staring down at her beloved, she reasoned he wouldn't be waking up any time soon, at least not on his own. But she already had a plan set in motion that she figured would do the trick. It was just a matter of waiting. Glancing around the field, Zero Two noticed that their so-called sensei had still yet to show his face, which didn't surprise her. His perpetual tardiness was on of his more irksome traits.
She saw Sasuke on the other side of the field near the river that bisected the training ground. He'd brandished a ninjatō and was gracefully flowing through a series of katas that weren't unfamiliar to herself. 'So he's a swordsman as well,' she thought, not surprised in the slightest. The Uchiha Clan was widely known for their prowess in battle and a vast majority of them were highly skilled swordsman. In fact, the kenjutsu style utilized by the ANBU was derived from a schooling that was once employed by the warmongering clan.
She spotted Sakura not too far off sitting atop of the wooden posts. The girl, in all of her infinite wisdom, had elected to pass the time ogling their dark-haired teammate. This made Zero Two scoff in annoyance. It was girls like her that gave kunoichi a bad name. Rather than perfecting her skills, she would much rather waste time on trivial things like appearances and fangirling over boys.
Sparring a glance at slumbering Naruto, who was now snoring at this point, a smile lit up the half-blood girl's features. To be fair, even she was slightly guilty of that. She had practically squealed on the inside the first time he called her beautiful and he wasn't bothered by her horns in the slightest. And she may obsess over the blond at times, but never to the point of what one would consider to be a fan girl. Ok maybe a little...But Naruto never had any to root for him until now, and she was more than willing to be his personal cheerleader.
'But that's beside the point!' The rosette blushed at the thought. 'Girls like Pinky don't last long in this career field.' The life of a ninja was short enough as is. If the girl didn't shape and get serious about her training, she would find hers to be a lot shorter than she expected. Not that Zero Two cared much anyway.
The rustling of leaves caught Zero Two's attention and she turned to see Kakashi emerge from the forest. "Good morning!" He waved jovially at her.
"Hmph!" Zero Two scoffed in return, making the jōnin sweat drop. It was then Kakashi took notice of Naruto's unconscious form sprawled out in the grass.
"Er...what's up with him?" He queried.
"Well, while you were taking your sweet time, Darling and I were busy training. Don't worry, he'll be awake soon enough," Zero Two answered curtly.
"Uh...training?"
"Training."
Seeing the girl standing before him defiantly, not even sparring him a glance, Kakashi only sighed. He waved to his other two charges, drawing their attention and they began to make their way over. Sakura stormed her way up to then silver-haired man and pointed an accusatory finger at him. "You're late!"
Kakashi, for his part, actually managed to look embarrassed as he scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that. This black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way around."
Sakura's eyebrow twitched and even Sasuke brought a hand to his forehead with an annoyed sigh. Another rustle in the bushes caught everyone's attention. A second Zero Two entered the field, carrying large plastic bags in both hands. "Well it's about damn time!" Zero Two threw her hands up in exasperation. In the midst of training her beloved, she had created a shadow clone to run back to the village to fetch some food. They hadn't really eaten much that morning for breakfast and with the regimen she'd put him through, the near indefatigable Naruto was bound to have worked up an appetite by now. Hell, even she had started to get hungry just from watching him work.
"Oi, I'm not a messenger bird ya know!" The double shot back as she crossed the glade, equally irritated. "I only did this for Darling's sake."
"Yeah, yeah, did you get the goods?" Zero Two waved dismissively. She accepted the bags from her clone and began rummaging through their contents to ensure nothing had been left out.
"Of course! Twenty sticks of Mitarashi Dango costed in honey and three large orders of ramen from Ichiraku's for Darling," The clone rolled its eyes. "Did you you know he has a special named after him there?!"
"You're dismissed," Zero Two waved her hand as she finished ransacking the bags, dispelling the clone. She looked up and noticed the eyes of the rest of their team staring at her in bewilderment. "What? I got hungry..."
"Kakashi-sensei said not to eat anything before the exercise." Sakura pointed out. She felt her stomach grumble when the smell of food reached her nose.
"Noooo, his exact words were, and I quote, 'I'd skip breakfast if I were you.'" Zero Two said matter-of-factly. "That's more of a suggestion and not a direct order."
Kakashi moved to speak, only to stop himself. 'Damn...she has a point. I just assumed they would actually heed my warning.' Seeing the horned girl smirk victoriously at his lack of a rebuttal, he mentally cursed himself. He'd have to start being more direct with his instructions in the future.
Zero Two shuffled over to the still sleeping Naruto and sat down next to his head. She retrieved one of the containers of ramen and popped off the lid. "Time to wake up Darling~!" She sang as she held it up to his nose. The scented vapors wafted over the blond's face and his nose twinged. His tail squirmed and his eyes shot open before he jolted upright, wide awake.
"IT WASN'T ME IRUKA-SENSEI I SWEAR!"
Naruto glanced around in a panic, which quickly morphed into confusion. Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi were staring at him, each bearing a befuddled expression. Then there was Zero Two sitting next to him, smiling brightly. "W-What happened? How long was I out?" His attention was soon drawn to the large styrofoam cup his girlfriend was holding in her hand.
"Is...is that what I think it is?" He inquired shakily as his mouth began to water.
"Yep~!" Zero Two beamed as she placed it in his hand. "Figured you'd be hungry. And there's two more where that came from!"
Naruto's gaze quickly shifted back and forth between the grinning Zero Two and the broth of the gods that he now held in his hands. His chest began to swell with unfamiliar emotions as a goofy grin found its way to the boy's face. "You're the best Zero Two!"
"And don't you forget it~!" She winked at him.
"So you two just are just gonna sit there and stuff your faces knowing me and Sasuke-kun haven't eaten?!" Sakura all but shrieked. Sasuke tried to keep his expression indifferent but he too was betrayed by a gurgle from his abdomen.
"Damn right! Sounds like a personal problem," Zero Two blabbed as she gnawed away on a stick of dango.
"My Ramen!" Naruto held the container close to his chest as he eyed the rest of his team warily.
"I wouldn't get too comfortable Naruto," Kakashi spoke up, barging in on the teens' touching moment. "We'll be starting the exercise in a short moment."
"Oh not a problem Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto assured him. Without sparring a second thought, Naruto put the cup to his mouth and practically inhaled the entirety of its contents while his teammates observed with horrified expressions. The only exception was Zero Two, who was happily munching away on another skewer of sweetened dumplings. Naruto quickly snatched another container of ramen from the bag before looking up at the scarecrow ninja expectantly. "You were saying?"
"R-Right..." Kakashi recomposed himself as he banished the memory of the boy's recent display from his mind. "This survival exercise will be a test. In order to pass, you much take away these bells from me by using any means necessary," he explained as he withdrew a pair of silver bell from his pouch. They were tied together by a small red string which he used to fasten them to his flak vest. This prompted Sakura to raise her hand.
"Um...there's only two Kakashi sensei."
"I'm glad you pointed that out Sakura," he said jovially. "I talked it over with the Hokage and as it turns out, I only need two of you. Whosoever manages to get a bell will become a full-fledged genin and the other will be sent back to the academy. That is of course if either of you actually do manage to get one."
"So let me get this straight," Naruto said as he finished slurping down his third serving of ramen. Kakashi blinked in surprise. He hadn't even noticed him finish the second one. "All we have to do is take those bells from you?"
"Exactly. By any means necessary. I'm authorizing the use of weapons, ninjutsu, and the like. You'll never succeed unless you come at me with the intent to kill." He explained.
"Sounds easy enough!" Naruto exclaimed before jumping to his feet. That ramen really hit the spot and he felt completely reenergized.
"Also Zero Two, you won't be taking part in this test. Your success depends solely on whether or not Naruto passes." Kakashi informed.
"Fine by me," the girl shrugged apathetically. "I have faith in my Darling."
"Alright you guys have until this timer goes off," the silver-haired man said as he pulled a small windup clock out of his pouch. "That gives you two hours." Kakashi walked away from the group of teens and made his way toward the trio of wooden posts in the middle of the field.
"Don't worry Zero Two, I'll get one of those bells in no time!" Naruto flashed her a grin, pumping his fist excitedly. With everything she'd done for him, he refused to let her down.
"Do your best Darling~! And kick his ass good for me!" She returned the gesture with a bright smile.
Kakashi set the timer on the middle post before turning to face his charges once more. "You may start whenever. Remember, time is of the essence."
Almost immediately, Sasuke and Sakura flickered out of existence. He was rather impressed with how well they'd managed to conceal their presence. 'Good. It seems they understand the importance of remaining undetected. A good ninja only strikes when the opportunity arises. And then there's this one...' His eyes fell on Naruto who stood before him, a cocksure grin plastered on his face. "You don't seem to keen on this whole ninja thing do you?"
"Oh please, you're looking at the number one prankster in all of the Hidden Leaf," The blond laughed. He had evaded the ANBU many times without ever getting caught. Hiding in the shadows was second nature to him. But was not the time for hiding. This situation called for a more direct approach. "Let's see what you're made of O' great jōnin!"
Naruto took off, making a beeline for the older ninja, who simply stood in place. Kakashi's hand moved towards his pouch, setting off alarms in the boy's head. Naruto skidded to a halt, eyeing his sensei cautiously.
"In that case, we'll start with the first lesson: Taijutsu." Kakashi reached inside his pouch and withdrew his small orange book. He flipped it open to the page he'd been reading previously before casting a look at the apprehensive blond. "Well?"
"Oi! What's the big idea?!" Naruto snorted.
"What? One hand will be more than enough to take on the likes of you. Don't forget the clock is still running," Kakashi said dismissively as he turned to the next page.
A scowl marred Naruto's features as he glared at the man. He was looking down on him like everyone else, and that pissed him of to no end. His hand shot to his own pouch and he palmed a kunai before charging in. He slashed at the seemingly unsuspecting jōnin, but was surprised when the man effortlessly caught his wrist. "Well at least you came at me with the intent to kill," Kakashi noted.
Gritting his teeth, Naruto went for a low kick to which Kakashi easily stepped over. Using him momentum, Naruto spun and brought up his other leg, lashing out with a roundhouse. Kakashi released his hold on the boy's arm and batted the offending leg away. Naruto somersaulted backwards to give himself some space and brought his hands up in a cross sign.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He cried out. Five identical copies of the blond appeared at his side.
'I see...he employs solid clones. This could be tricky,' Kakashi thought to himself.
"We'll see how well you handle this with one hand!" Naruto spat as he and his clones rushed forward.
Hidden in the trees, Sasuke observed the fight from a far. 'So this is the strength of a jōnin,' He watched as the horde of blonds swarmed the man, coming at him from all sides. He had overheard what Zero Two said earlier about training with shadow clones and he'd dismissed the idea as shear ludicrousy. But as he watched Naruto fight, he couldn't help but notice a significant change in the boy's movements. They were sharper and more refined compared to the brawling tactics he used while they were in the academy when they had sparred. And unless his eyes were deceiving him, he also appeared to be somewhat faster as well.
Sasuke would admit that the blond was the only one in their class that was capable of going toe-to-toe with him, even as the dead last, but he'd always bested Naruto. And now he was fighting on a completely different level than before. He soon found himself thinking such an obscene method of training might actually have some merit to it. The raven-haired teen's eyes flashed red and three distinct tomoe swirled around his iris as his Sharingan spun to life. He just had to standby idly and wait for an opening to strike.
Zero Two had also had also been watching the fight intently from the sidelines. All in all, her Darling was doing an excellent job at pressuring the scarecrow, but he couldn't seem to land a solid hit. All of his attacks were easily deflected or evaded by the experienced jōnin, which she had no doubt in her mind was thanks to the Sharingan hidden in his left eye. She was no stranger to the older man's old reputation. His peers knew him by many titles, such as the "Friend-Killer" and "Cold-Blooded", but the most prominent of them all was was "Kakashi of the Sharingan".
Hell, even the first time she met Kakashi she had been wary of the man. It was her very first taijutsu spar, at the behest of the old geezer. She could admit he was quite strong and his reputation spoke for itself, but she had lost all respect for him after he used that damnable "1000 Years of Death" technique on her. Zero Two shuddered at the memory. Never in her life had she felt so violated. But as she spectated their battle, she felt herself swelling with pride. Naruto seemed to take to her training like a fish in water. He still had a long way to go of course, considering this was the first time putting it to practice, but it was progress nonetheless. 'Go on Darling. Show him what you're made of!' She silently encouraged her beloved.
Kakashi avoided a kick aimed at his side with a half-step and struck the clone in the face, promptly dispelling it. He turned to face the last remaining Naruto. The boy was admittedly more skilled than he'd originally given him credit for but it wasn't nearly enough. "You're going to have to try a lot harder than that if you're hoping to get a bell." He was slightly put off by the boy's smirk and soon sharp pain behind his knee that coursed throughout his leg. Kakashi dropped down, only to find himself caught in a full nelson hold. He quickly glanced over his shoulder and spotted another Naruto, grinning madly. 'Another clone?! But when?' His attention snapped to back tot he other Naruto who was charging at them with his arm drawn back.
"I'll show you to underestimate me!" the blonde roared.
Channeling all of his strength, he drove his fist into the silver-haired man's face. Or so he thought at least. Confusion settled onto the blond's face when he saw his other self go flying from the impact. "Eh?!" Naruto groaned as he tried to rub the soreness out of his jaw.
"You idiot! You were supposed to hit Kakashi-sensei ya know!" He barked at his clone.
"Why the hell did you get in the way?!" his double retorted.
"I didn't! You missed dumbass!"
Sasuke sweat dropped at the blond's stupidity. Only Naruto could actually manage to argue with himself. Unlike his ignorant teammate, he'd witnessed how the entire altercation unfolded thanks to his Sharingan. Kakashi had used the Substitution Jutsu to replace himself with the Naruto holding him before disappearing into the nearby tree. 'Damn it...Kakashi-sensei is crafty. But if that loser managed to make him drop his guard then I just have to wait for another opportunity to arise.' He thought to himself.
Kakashi reappeared on the field moments later, drawing the attention of the bickering blonds. He stashed his book away back inside his pouch before turning to face his student. "Very good Naruto. I admit I underestimated you," he said. Naruto was about to speak when all of a sudden a volley of kunai burst from the trees slammed into Kakashi's side, knocking him off his feet. Naruto's eyes widened in horror as he spotted Sasuke land in the field. "Oi Sasuke! That was a bit much ya know!"
"Would shut up already you idiot," the Uchiha scoffed. "This is far from over."
"What was that you bastard?!" Naruto roared. But as soon as the words left his mouth, Kakashi's body ruptured in a cloud of smoke, revealing a small log that was embedded with Sasuke's kunai.
"He's right Naruto," a voice came from behind the the raven-haired teen. "This is far from over. A ninja must see through deception."
A glare flashed through Sasuke's eyes and he spun around with a low, sweeping kick. Kakashi vaulted over the boy, catching him by surprise. He took hold of Sasuke's shoulder as he landed and harshly tossed him in Naruto's direction. Sasuke was quick to right himself in mid air with and slid to a stop beside his downed teammate. He drew sword in one fluid motion before eyeing his sensei critically.
'So already has a fully matured Sharingan. Interesting...' Kakashi thought to himself. He wasn't left much time to ponder the thought as the boy charged at him with his blade poised to strike. Sasuke slashed at his torso but Kakashi sidestepped the strike and pulled a kunai from his holster. Sasuke flourished his blade and went to stab his sensei only to be deflected away. "You seem rather handy with a sword," Kakashi commented.
"I'm nothing like those other two hinderances!" Sasuke scoffed as he pressed on with his assualt. The two engaged in a carcinogenic waltz of steel in the middle of the field. Kakashi noted that Sasuke was considerably faster than his blond counterpart and his movements were a lot sharper and more precise, thanks to his dojutsu. After deflecting another strike aimed at his head, Kakashi moved to counter but in an impressive show of speed, Sasuke lashed out with an unsuspecting roundhouse. The jōnin was forced to drop his kunai to block attack. He held Sasuke's foot to keep him in place but the boy surprised him ever further when he relinquished his sword and threw a right cross. He caught the fist with his free hand, forcing the two into a deadlock. Or so he thought at least.
A smirk crossed Sasuke's features as he brought up his other leg. Using Kakashi's arm as leverage, he kicked himself away and his hands started to rapidly shift through a series of hand signs, ones that Kakashi recognized all too well.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive orb of fire exploded from the flying Uchiha's mouth and rocketed towards the startled Kakashi. Reflexes took over and the scarecrow ninja jumped up to avoid the blast when he noticed a shadow looming overhead. After seeing Sasuke cross blades with their sensei, Naruto saw it as an opportunity to make a move of his own and came flying in with a spinning axe kick. 'He used the fireball to cover his approach!' Kakashi analyzed as the blond teen descended on him. Not one to be bested, twisted his body at the last second to avoid being hit and thrust his palm upward into Naruto's chin, stunning him. He grabbed the boy's arm and spun him around before slinging him at the off guard Uchiha. Naruto slammed into Sasuke with a resounding thud, causing both teens to knock heads as the skipped across the field before crashing into the dirt in an unceremonious heap.
"Don't get in my way you idiot!" Sasuke barked as he shoved Naruto off of him.
"Oi you're the one that's in the way ya know!" The vehement blond shot back.
Both were too heated to notice the hand that burst from the ground between them until it was too late. It reached over and forcefully took hold of Naruto's ankle. "Eh?"
"Earth Style-Headhunter Jutsu!"
The duo were both taken by surprise when Naruto was suddenly yanked downward into the earth, leaving him buried up to his neck. "EHH?!" The blonde cried out in confusion. Kakashi stepped out of the dirt behind them with a grin. "Lesson number two: Ninjutsu!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth and hurriedly bounced to his feet. Using the incapacitated Naruto's head as a springboard, he vaulted into the air and his hands started forming signs again. Kakashi's eyes widened. 'He wouldn't...'
"Don't step on me you son of a-"
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Another ball of flame burst forward from the Uchiha and rocketed towards the ground, raining down on Naruto and Kakashi's position. Zero Two's eyes widened in horror until she caught sight of Kakashi reappearing on the other side of the field. She breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted her beloved, who was being held up by his collar in this scarecrow's grasp.
"You bastard! You could've killed me ya know!" Naruto raged as he waved his fist at Sasuke.
The raven-haired teen landed gracefully next to his sword and only sneered in response. "I told you not to get in my way."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. The boy had an obvious disregard for the life of his comrades. But before he could reprimand him, he sensed a sudden presence to his rear. Kakashi tossed Naruto aside and the blond was sent sailing into the river, cursing his sensei as he flew. Kakashi spun around a delicate arm which held a kunai that was aimed at his back and took hold of the slender appendage. In a quick reversal, he forced his assailant to her knees. Sakura let out a pained cry as she felt her arm twisted behind her back.
The pinkette cursed for allowing herself to get caught. She had used a genjutsu to conceal herself while her two male teammates engaged their sensei. She saw an opening when he saved Naruto from Sasuke's reckless attack, but her plan backfired in the worst possible way and she'd been taken hostage. Naruto emerged from the river moments later, hacking up water as he pulled himself onto dry land. He glanced over to see Kakashi holding Sakura in place by her hair while directing the girl's own hand, armed with a kunai, at the back of her head.
"You three should give up being ninja," Kakashi glared at the trio. Gone was his usual mirthful and uncaring tone, instead replaced by irritability. "It's already apparent to me that you guys will never understand the true meaning of this test."
"Oh yeah? Care to enlighten us then," Naruto growled.
"Tch...are you all brain dead or what? Why think the Hokage put you all into three man teams?" Kakashi questioned. His gaze shifted between the trio and he shook his head in disappoint when neither of them could provide an answer. "The answer is teamwork."
"Teamwork? You mean like working together?" Sakura spoke up from her downed position.
"That's exactly right, not that you fools could ever comprehend that. Naruto, all you do is run solo. Sasuke, you too acted on your own, labelling the other two as hinderances and even went as far as to endanger Naruto's life. And you Sakura, hid the entire time and your recklessness led you you being taken captive." He berated the three of them.
"Missions are carried out in squads for a reason. While it is important for ninja to each have unsurpassed skills of their own, nothing is more important than teamwork!" The spike-haired jōnin continued. "Individual actions that disrupt that throw the team into a crisis which can lead to loss of life. For example..." Kakashi tightened his grip on Sakura's arm, forcing another cry out of the girl as he inched the knife closer to her head. "Naruto, kill Sasuke or Sakura dies!"
All three genin flinched at his words, and the two males tensed as they hesitantly locked gazes. Upon seeing their reactions, Kakashi took it to mean his words sunk in and they realized just how dire the situation was. "Now that you-"
"Tch teamwork?" Naruto spat. "I'll show you teamwork!"
Before Kakashi could get a word out, Naruto fired off a kunai in Sasuke's direction, surprising the older boy. He flourished his blade with a scowl and blocked the projectile. He snatched it out of the air before it hit the ground, aiming to return it back with equal fervor, but his eyes bulged the moment he touched the handle. 'So that's his play...'
"Naruto! What do you thin-" Kakashi was interrupted when Sasuke took that same kunai and launched it in this direction. Gritting his teeth angrily, he disarmed Sakura of her own kunai and used it to bat away the one barreling towards his head. "You two-"
The deflected knife exploded in a cloud of smoke that dispersed to reveal another Naruto. Not giving the alarmed man any time to react, Naruto grabbed onto Kakashi's wrist, leaving the man with no way to defend himself. "A ninja must see through deception! Right Kakashi-sensei?!" The blond exclaimed as he drove his foot into the side of the unwary scarecrow's head.
"Gah!" Kakashi grunted in pain. The sudden impact startled him so much that he released his grip on Sakura's hair. The pinkette immediately moved to escape when something caught her eye. Naruto flipped away and landed next to Sakura, who herself had rolled to safety in the ensuing confusion. Kakashi quickly recovered and rage streaked through his lone eye. Said rage quickly dissipated and was replaced with fear as his gaze fell on his charges.
"Neh, you seem to be quite fond of this Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura smiled as she helped up a small orange book. Kakashi's hands shot to his backside and his horrors were confirmed when he noticed his pouch was missing.
He turned back to see the three of them standing there with varying degrees of victorious expressions. Naruto and Sakura bore matching grins while Sasuke merely smirked as the Sharingan faded from his eyes. "We're willing to give it back to you in exchange for the bells."
"Do you really think I can be persuaded like such?" Kakashi did his best to play it cooly, but inside he was panicking. 'That's an original paperback copy signed by Jiraiya-sama himself!' He had purchased it long ago before the books switched to hardback covers and they nearly impossible to find these days. The fact that it was signed by the author as well practically made it a collectors item worth a fortune in the right market.
"Hey Sasuke-kun, that fire jutsu was pretty cool. Can you show us again?" Sakura sweetly requested.
"Gladly," the stoic teen replied with a smirk as he started channeling chakra.
"Alright, Alright!" Kakashi relented. As much as he hated to admit, he'd been duped. He had no choice but to relinquish the bells to save his prized possession. And in doing so, that would mean they'd accomplished the original objective of the test in the first place. They had even worked together at the end to do so, no matter how uncanny and unorthodox their methods were. "Guess I don't have much of a choice here," the silver-haired jōnin chuckled to himself. "You all pass."
"YOSH!"
"Alright!"
"Hn."
"Now if you don't mind, my book please," Kakashi extended his hand out, trying to hide the desperation in his tone.
"Oh right, sure thing." Sakura placed the book back inside Kakashi's pouch before handing it back to him when a thought occurred to her. "Neh Kakashi-sensei, if the whole point of this test was teamwork, they why are there only 2 bells? That only served to create discord amongst the three of us."
"That was the whole point. If you three had failed to come together as a team, then I would have failed you like the rest of the groups sent my way. But even then, you guys still have a long way to go," Kakashi replied.
Naruto suddenly caught sight of Zero Two approaching the group. "Hey Zero Two, I did! Just like I promised!" He waved excitedly at her. His enthusiasm slowly evaporated when he noticed the grimace marring her delicate features. Her steps were heavy as she purposefully strode across the field. She marched right up to Sasuke and slugged him with a heavy cross, astonishing everyone. Sasuke's blazed to life as he glowered at the rosette but he found himself frozen by her icy stare. Zero Two's eyes were burning a fiery shade of vermillion reminiscent of his own, but what disturb him the most were her glowing horns.
"I don't care if you're the last Uchiha, the Hokage, or the Fire Daimyo himself! You threaten my Darling's life like that ever again and I'll kill you myself!" She snarled.
"Hey you can-"
"Shove it Pinky!"
Sakura recoiled in fear when the older girl's wrathful gaze fell on her. Kakashi brought a hand to his forehead and let out a sigh.
"Zero Two, brash as she is, does have a point. You were out of line back there Sasuke. Had I not pulled Naruto out he could've been gravely injured or even worse, killed," he admonished. "Those who break the rules in the shinobi world are trash, but those who would forsake their comrades are worse than that. I don't expect you all to be buddy buddy, but you will have respect for one another as teammates. Is that understood?"
A collective "yes sir" circulated around the group of teens, with the exception of the still fuming Zero Two, to which he hadn't really expected a response in the first place. "Good, glad we could all come to an understanding." Kakashi clapped his hands together. His lone eye crinkled in such away that it looked as if it were smiling itself. "That being said, I must report your success to Hokage-sama. We will reconvene tomorrow to start actual missions, but for now you're all dismissed for the day." With a small wave and another eye smile, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Tch...how annoying," Sasuke grumbled as he picked himself off the ground and dusted off his clothes. "Naruto."
"Huh?" Came the blond's intelligent reply.
"That was a gutsy move you pulled back there. But just because it paid off doesn't mean anything has changed. You're still the dead last in my eyes." Sasuke chided.
"Ha! I'm the one who's gonna be the all-star of this team. Just you wait!" Naruto grinned, unperturbed by the older boy's remarks.
"In your dreams idiot."
"Up yours bastard."
The two boys locked eyes, exerting their wills over one another with neither willing to back down. Moments passed before Sasuke final closed his eyes and turned away. "You aren't even worth my time," he spoke ostentatiously, careful to hide his smirk as he flickered away.
"Pay him no mind. You were amazing Darling!" Zero Two beamed. "You kicked him so hard I thought his head was going to fly off!" At least she was really hoping it would.
"It was nothing!" Naruto grinned, happy to see his girlfriend return to her cheery self. "But I don't think I could've done it with out your help Zero Two," he smiled before pulling her in for a kiss.
"Well I am pretty amazing ya know!" the roseate girl simpered at his praise.
Upon seeing the excitable couple gush over one another, Sakura silently excused herself. The last thing she wanted to see was other people being all lovey dovey, especially when her own love life was practically nonexistent. 'I suppose they aren't so bad after all...' the pinkette thought to herself as she exited the training ground.