The secret test
"Start!"
Sakura, Sasuke and I jump back and hide in the bushes and trees. Crouching on a branch you watch Naruto fight Kakashi. 'Since I know what this is about I don't really have to fight, just watch out for when I can go help them'. Seeing Naruto tied up and Kakashi gone I quickly jump down to help Naruto. Taking out a kunai I cut the rope he was hanging from and undid his binds, "Naruto, if we fight him together I bet we can get a bell!" Naruto shook his head and stood up, "Sorry wrathos, I have to get one myself! Then I'll be one step closer to Hokage!" With that he dashed off. 'This is going to be harder than I thought' Sighing and shaking my head I hear a blood curdling scream, 'There's Sakura' I run over to her and see her shaking with tears flowing down her face. Crouching down I performed the correct hand signs, "Release!" I shout. Sakura looks around then to me,
"We need to find Sasuke! He's hurt!"
"Sakura it was just a gen-" She took off before I could finish. 'useless pink banshee' I followed her, knowing she'd lead me to Sasuke. Running though the trees I spot a familiar head and a recently fainted Sakura.
"And that's my teammate" Sasuke said annoyed.
"Correction, that's our teammate, the one and only useless pink banshee" I said he chuckled a little.I walked into the clearing squatting down to his level. "Just get me out of here" He growled at me. "Now that's not how to ask for help, Duckbutt" He "tsked" and looked to the side, "Please?" I smiled a bit before digging away the dirt around him enough for him to wiggle out, pulling him up as he got out a little at a time. He started to walk off before I grabbed his arm, "Sasuke, hes a joinin we can probably get a bell if we team up together" He yanked his arm back and said while taking off, "No, I touched one earlier, I'd only be held back if I had to watch you too" He responded blandly before turning off the other way. Sakura woke up at that moment, and seeing Sasuke walk off she jumped up and went after him.
"He certainly has become one with the stick" I growled out while kicking the dirt, "That's true" Hearing the familiar voice I turned around to see Kakashi resting on one foot and of course reading his make out paradise. "People change over time... hopefully." I responded , being coy.. He shrugged, "True, but will it hurt you or your teammates first now aren't you going to try to take a bell?" I relaxed and shook my head, "No, I know the real reason for this test, even if these buffoons don't, so there's no need for me to fight you" He looked somewhat surprised.
"Whats the reason?" I simply rolled my eyes. "It's teamwork.Ninjas need to look underneath the underneath, and I've never heard of a two man gennin squad." He started to chuckle, "You're a smart one, I do have to say I'm quite surprised, no one has figured it out before" He complimented. Just then we heard the alarm go off, signaling that it was noon. "Well, looks like it's time for phase 2?" I ask. Not answering he walked forward towards the stump. I quickly fall in line with him and we have a peaceful silence between us. Almost nearing everybody, I decided something, "I'm gonna call you freckle-sensei"
He looked at me from the corner of his eye, "Why? I don't have any freckles" I smirked and turned to him, pointing at a spot below my lip, "yes you do, because you just lied" His eyes went to the widest I've ever seen and stopped walking. I laughed and ran to everyone. Kakashi went back to his normal self and stood in front of us. "Well, I've decided that I'm not going to send any of you back to the academy" Everyone started cheering, except me, knowing what hes going to say next, "I've decided that the three of you will be dropped from the program, permanently!" Naruto looked shocked, Sakura gasped and Sasuke was livid.
"The three of us, but wrathos didn't get the bell either!" Sakura added. Before he could answer her Sasuke lunged at him. Kakashi quickly countered by grabbing his arm, twisting it behind him and pushing him to the ground, with his foot on Sasukes head. "And don't step on Sasuke like he's a bug!" Sakura finished.
"You are correct, he didn't get a bell, but he understood the meaning of the exercise"
"The meaning?" Naruto questioned.
"It's so basic, teamwork. Why do you think the academy puts you in teams?" Kakashi replied.
"But there were only three bells!" Sakura exclaimed.
"To pit you against eachother, to see if you would over come that and work together, clearly I was wrong" Sakura froze at the realization, "Naruto! You wanted to do everything on your own, even brushing off wrathos as if he was nothing, I thought he was your friend?" Narutos eyes widened, and he spun his head over to me, looking at me for forgiveness. I quickly smiled kindly at him, reassuring him hes done nothing wrong."Sakura, you were just worried about Sasuke the whole time, even when wrathos got you out of a genjutsu" Sakura looked down in shame,"And Sasuke, you thought everyone else was not even worth your time, if wrathos wasn't there to help get you out, you'd still be in the dirt" Kakashi finished as he got off of Sasuke, and pushed him towards us. He started walking towards the memorial stone, explaining what it was and what it represented.
"I wanna be on that stone!" Naruto shouted.
"No you don't Naruto, all the names on there are KIA, Killed In Action" I explained to him, once I said killed in action he paled and took back his statement. Kakashi turned back to us,
"I'm going to give you one more chance. You will have three hours to get the bells. For now everyone may eat, except Naruto. If I catch any of you feeding him, there will be punishment, understand?" We all nodded, and with that Kakashi poofed off and left us. Grabbing another fruit out of my pocket I cut it up and held it up to Naruto. He looked at me in surprise, "What are you doing wrathos-ni? You'll get in trouble!" I shook my head and held it closer to his mouth,
"Naruto, you're the hungriest out of all of us, plus, what kind of friend would I be to let the future Hokage starve?" I giggled. He gasped, but soon got teary eyed, "Thank you nisaan!" and quickly ate the food in my hand.
"Here" I see a pair of chopsticks to the left and see sasuke feeding Naruto, looking over and seeing Sasuke I smirked, "Aww, look who's helping, its Duckling" He quickly grew a tick mark, "I'm only helping because we have another chance for the bells tch!" Sakura, noticing that Sasuke is helping jumped up and held her own sticks. Soon a large dark cloud with lightning sets over us, turning around we see an ominous Kakashi.
"You dare to brake the rules?! Any last words?!" Kakashi yelled. Standing in front of Naruto with my hands on my hips I reply, "Damn right we do! We're a team! All for one and one for all!" "Yea! We're a team!" "If we go down we go down together!"
"YOU...Pass" Kakashi finished with a smile. Everyone is stunned except me.
"Oops, sorry about that, I was excited. Hey! Lets go get ramen!" Everyone agreed and I cut Naruto down. As we all started walking towards the stand I remembered something, "Freckle-sensei?" Kakashi turned to me. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the bells. Everyone stopped and turned to me with widened eyes. "When did you get those?!" Kakashi asked in disbelief.
"When we were walking, you never should of stopped paying attention to me"<hahaha I went intangable and invisible when he wasn't looking and swapped it with a genjutsu> I replied coyly. Putting them back into my pocket I continue on my way towards the shop, leaving a baffled team in the dust.