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Naruto Uzumaki awoke to the first crack of dawn and realized he needed to be ready for today’s survival training. Suddenly, he smells something delicious in the kitchen and saw Shindō Shunsoku who finished preparing breakfast. “G’morning, onii-chan!” Naruto shouted.
Shindō reflexively covered his ears with an index finger each before shouting, “Naruto-kun, what have I been telling you about yelling in the house!?”
Naruto cowered in fear at his older brother’s outburst as he strictly enforced one of the most important rules which was keeping his indoor voice. “Sorry,” he apologized in a lower tone.
Nodding, Shindō smiled and presented Naruto some eggs and bacon and a bowl of ramen to which made the Uzumaki salivate but remembered Kakashi-sensei telling him and his teammates to skip breakfast and turned around to leave; it was almost time for him to be present at Training Ground Seven anyway.
“Naruto-kun, you better not to be skipping out on breakfast which I prepared for both of us, are you?” A shiver ran down his spine and he turned to see a smile on the Shunsoku’s face which promised pain if he decided to try and escape.
Gulping, Naruto decided to ignore Kakashi-sensei’s suggestion and said, “Eh, uh, n-no. No, Shindō-kun. I-I was just looking for my coat.”
Shindō let go of his oppressive aura and smiled genuinely and said, “Well eat up. If you’re going to be Hokage someday, you’re going to need a full stomach so you can be at 100% strength.”
Naruto’s rumbling stomach seemed to agree with Shindō’s point and Naruto decided that he will risk throwing it all up because Shindō has always been there for him and he will listen to him if it means becoming Hokage someday. During breakfast, Shindō and Naruto reviewed the blonde Uzumaki’s fundamentals including his progress of using the Shadow Clone Technique for both training and combat. “Remember, Naruto-kun, the Shadow Clone Technique is but a tool which is only effective as the shinobi using it. If you don’t use it properly, then it won’t help you.”
Naruto was paying attention half the time, but then asked, “Hey, Shindō-kun, how’s Ebisu-sensei? You didn’t talk much about him since I came back home from my team meeting.”
“Well, Naruto-kun, I have made a huge milestone on chakra control and can now weave the twelve basic hand seals to mold my chakra as I wish.” He rubbed behind his neck, specifically the first thoracic as he felt the power of constant chakra flowing into his system. Naruto noticed and could not help but be a bit jealous that his older brother was born with a gift. Alas, he did not, but he was happy that they were brothers in all but blood, and Naruto missed their father so much, in fact Shindō was looking more and more like him every day. Still, he was content and today he will do his best. BELIEVE IT!
Dawn broke over Training Ground Seven. It was an enclosed, large open field surrounded by trees and other vegetation. In the middle were a nearby pond and three thick wooden posts adjacent from one another that were a bit worn-down from countless ninja training by both genin squads and just individual ninjas themselves. Speaking of teams, the latest squad of mostly wet behind the ears genin stood in front of each wooden post, waiting for their team sensei. Naruto could hear Sasuke Uchiha’s and Sakura Haruno’s stomachs growl and was happy his was just fine. He finished his morning stretches, receiving ire from his pink-haired teammate. He recalled Sakura yelling, “Baka, what’re you doing?! Kakashi-sensei will be here any minute!” Sasuke just ignored his teammates once again, distracted by how hungry he was by skipping breakfast this morning. Sakura was making the situation feel even worse and told her, “Sakura-san, shut up!”
Sakura was surprised at Sasuke’s words but decided to keep her mouth shut and began using a finger and circling the ground, thinking about how cool Sasuke was, but he could at least be a bit nicer.
At 11 AM, Kakashi finally arrived at the training ground before greeting his genin squad. “Good morning, everyone.” Upon noticing their teacher, Naruto and Sakura shouted, “YOU’RE LATE!!!” Sasuke only grunted in anger for Kakashi-sensei’s tardiness. The jōnin placed an alarm clock down onto the middle of the three stumps. “Okay, it’s set up ‘till noon. That’s the time you have to take these,” Kakashi said, pulling out a red string with two bells attached to them from under his weapons pouch attached behind him.
“Here are two bells, and your task is to take these from me before the time is up. If you don’t get a bell by noon you don’t get to eat lunch.” Kakashi also placed a stack of three bento (弁当, bentō) next to the alarm clock.
Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke looked at the bells intensely before Sakura said, “But, Kakashi-sensei, there are two bells.”
“Good observation, Haruno-san,” Kakashi said sarcastically. “Like I said before, only one of you could get a bell, and one of you will be tied up onto one of the posts while the rest of us eats lunch. Also, I need to add that not only will the person who fails to get a bell will not only be tied to the posts and watch their teammates and sensei eat, but they’re being sent right back to the Academy.”
All three genin were stunned at their sensei’s declaration and began thinking about how to get a bell when Kakashi does his trademarked eye-smile. “Oh, and come at me with the intent to kill, or else you won’t get a bell.” Naruto smiled and rested both his hands behind his head, saying, “Yeah, we’ll be able to kill you, Kakashi-sensei. You’re too slow as you couldn’t even dodge a blackboard eraser.”
“…” Kakashi’s eye narrowed into a half-lidded, bored or lazy expression as he said, “You know, in the real world, those with no talent often bark the loudest.” He then shrugged, keeping his eye focused on Naruto. “Well, Mr. Deadlast, you may begin when I say…” Naruto all of a sudden used his right hand to grab into his weapons pouch, hooking a kunai with his middle finger, before spinning it around and then charging their sensei
Kakashi disappeared in a blink of an eye and before stopping Naruto by grabbing the blonde’s hand holding the kunai and locking it behind his head which he used his left hand to keep it at bay. “Jumpy are we, I didn’t even say ‘start’ yet. Still, at least you have the right intent,” Kakashi replied with an eye-smile.
‘He was too fast, I didn’t even see him!’ Sakura thought, her eyes as wide as dinner plates.
Sasuke, however, narrowed his expression and thought, ‘Wait, so this is the power of a jōnin.’
Suddenly, the Naruto whom Kakashi pinned in place popped in a puff of smoke before the real one attempted to attack Kakashi from behind, charging from the nearby bush; however, the cycloptic jōnin dodged and jumped back away, surprised at Naruto using the Shadow Clone Technique despite being only a genin. “Hmm, it seems you might not be a deadlast after all. And that’s quite the technique you have,” Kakashi admitted, stroking his chin in a thinking pose. Sasuke, however, was shocked but then seethed in rage and jealousy at seeing Naruto get the best of their sensei while Sakura could not believe the baka managed to trick their sensei again. On top of that, she wondered what sort of technique he just used as it was definitely not the original Clone Technique as Kakashi-sensei could have easily passed through it as it was just a basic illusion meant to fool an enemy at a glance before following it all up with a more tangible attack.
Kakashi then smiled under his mask, his eye forming an upside-down U as his trademarked ‘eye-smile’ before saying, “Still, I haven’t said start yet.” He then stood back onto his feet, his hands now in his pockets. “Anyway, let the test begin, START!”
This time, everyone scattered and the Naruto from before popped in a puff of smoke, surprising Kakashi once again. ‘It seems he is using the Shadow Clone Technique as intended. I wonder what he’s up to. We’ll just have to see what happens.’
Naruto hid behind the trunk of a large tree as he peeked to watch for Kakashi-sensei’s next move. Sasuke, meanwhile, hid amongst the foliage of a shrub, away from his comrades, as he observed the cycloptic ninja with a critical eye. Sakura, however, was lying on her stomach under some vegetation, struggling not to make a sound nor make any sudden movements to alert her position. observing their sensei who said, “Well, it seems they’ve to at least hide themselves, something ninjas must always do.” He scratches the back of his head before remarking, “They’re hidden pretty well.” Still, he could not shake off his thoughts about the blonde Uzumaki. According to his file, Naruto Uzumaki is supposed to be a complete idiot; however, it seems being a prankster makes him unpredictable based on how he tried to get Kakashi earlier. He hopes that he will not need to resort to his secret weapon for this survival test. Suddenly, Naruto appeared just ten meters away from Kakashi. “Fight me!” he demanded with an arrogant smile.
“Hmm, you know, it’s always the loud ones who are the first to die,” Kakashi said casually.
“OH YEAH!” Naruto yelled, charging at the cycloptic shinobi but Sasuke and Sakura knew it was reckless until the Uchiha noticed that the dobe’s steps may seem brash and impulsive, but there was…measurement in each step?
Suddenly, Kakashi used his left hand which disappeared into his weapons pouch behind him, causing Naruto to immediately stop and standing with his kunai drawn from his own kunai holster around his right thigh in a fighting stance nobody present had ever seen Naruto assume before. He was five meters away from Kakashi who pulled out…an orange book with the title Icha Icha Paradise (イチャイチャパラダイス) written across the top with an image of a man chasing a woman below, along with the author’s name to the bottom of the cover. This caught Team Seven off guard before Kakashi simply turned to a page with a red bookmark before seemingly reading it without looking at Naruto who was shocked and confused. Looking up, the jōnin looked up from his book and said, “Well, go one then. Attack me and see if you can get the bells.”
“But you’re reading a book, how’re you supposed to fight?”
“Oh don’t worry, I just want to see what happens next. Besides, you won’t be able to touch me,” Kakashi replied, waving off the blonde’s concern.
Naruto then forgot all his lessons for a moment due to anger and rage and shouted, “I’M TOTALLY KICKING YOUR ASS!”
A charging Naruto flew at Kakashi with a roundhouse kick that was flawless and not clumsy, despite his emotions. This was, however, effortlessly blocked by the cycloptic shinobi with one hand, his attention still on the book itself. He then attempted a sidekick instead, only to find he connected with air instead of Kakashi-sensei’s head. To his teammates, they could not believe how effortless it was for their sensei to just block and dodge just now before Kakashi appeared again behind Naruto, crouched down using both hands to hold his now closed book, his fingers making the familiar hand seal to Sasuke.
‘What, that’s a hand seal for fire! He’s going to burn that dobe!’ Sasuke thought, slightly surprised.
‘No way, Kakashi-sensei is going to use a fire technique against the baka!’ Sakura thought, her eyes as wide as saucers.
Naruto realized heard Kakashi-sensei when he said, “A shinobi isn’t supposed to be caught from behind, but now it’s too late!” Konohagakure’s Hiden Secret Taijutsu Technique: One Thousand Years of Death! In the blink of an eye, Kakashi launched his two erect index and middle fingers of his hand seal into Naruto where the sun never shines, causing the blonde to embarrassingly scream as he was now flying into the air, clutching his butt as he fell into the nearby lake.
Sasuke scoffed at the display, thinking, ‘Ugh, make that two dobes.’
‘That’s a “Hiden Secret Taijutsu Technique”?!’ Sakura questioned mentally. ‘That was nothing but an ass poke! I thought Kakashi-sensei was about to burn that baka!’
As Naruto landed into the nearby lake with a huge splash, Kakashi went back to reading. Naruto, meanwhile, was underwater massaging the pain in his rear from Kakashi’s attack. ‘Well, that didn’t work as planned,’ Naruto thought before calming himself down, still scowling at the humiliation. ‘I can’t believe Kakashi-sensei would do that! Hold on, calm yourself down, Naruto. Think! Suddenly, a lightbulb lit up in his head and on land, Sasuke and Sakura were wondering how they were going to get the bells when two shuriken burst out of the water and were flying towards Kakashi who simply caught them in a way that they continued to spin, but this around his index and middle fingers of his right hand, his left one still holding onto the orange book and attention still seemingly on what was written. ‘H-He’s just toying with Naruto-baka!’ Sakura thought, eyes widening in realization. “…” was Sasuke’s only response, amazed with Kakashi-sensei’s power and skills.
Underwater, Naruto only used that to gauge Kakashi-sensei’s reaction and awareness, seeing that he was on a higher tier than Shindō-kun who he can now match in terms of taijutsu without the Shunsoku’s unique trait. ‘I won’t fail this test, no matter what!’ Naruto thought as he made the familiar crossed hand seal. Meanwhile, Kakashi turned a page and wondered if Naruto was okay and if he needed to pull him out lest he drowned. He was not going to let the legacy of his late sensei die before getting startled when an army of fifteen shadow clones of Naruto Uzumaki burst from the water and were attacking Kakashi-sensei. Sasuke and Sakura could not believe these clones of their teammate were actually real as each of them interacted with the world around them before Kakashi-sensei was forced to put away his orange book and begin focusing on getting rid of Naruto’s shadow clones, one-by-one. Despite being solid and superior to the standard Clone Technique, Naruto’s and his clones’ taijutsu is left to be desired as despite being armed with a kunai, each attack was easily parried and blocked by Kakashi with just his hands before dispelling each one of them in a puff of smoke with an attack of his own, even headbutting the last one who foolishly believed he could attack the jōnin from above. The real Naruto, meanwhile, hid amongst his clones in a coordinated effort to confuse Kakashi-sensei and get to the bells; however, after headbutting the last clone, Kakashi noticed Naruto reach for one of the bells, managing to at least touch them both with his fingers before grabbing Naruto and pinning his hands on the ground with one hand whilst the other on his back, using his adult strength to keep the unruly student from escaping. “Well, that was a close call. I must say that it wasn’t a bad plan, but you forgot one crucial detail…” He paused for dramatic effect. “…My senses aren’t just with my eyes but also my ears and nose. Better luck next time.” He then used the Body Flicker Technique, letting Naruto get back on his feet cursing, “Damn it! I almost had them! AAAHHH!”
Elsewhere, Sasuke and Sakura could not believe their eyes that Naruto Uzumaki, the deadlast of their graduating class, managed to almost retrieve the bells from their sensei. “Huh, maybe that baka isn’t so useless after all!” Inner Sakura said, with the real Sakura nodding in approval. Maybe she has been a bit too harsh with the blonde as he is improving by leaps and bounds compared to the Academy. But wait, that means she needs to step up too so that her beloved Sasuke-kun could finally notice her. Sasuke, meanwhile, seethed in anger as the dobe was, for once, outshining him as he almost got those bells. They were HIS after all and his pride as an Uchiha would refuse to that baka surpass him as he needed to avenge his clan. He then decided to formulate a plan to get the bells from Kakashi-sensei. If that baka could get close, let alone touch the bells with his fingers, then he should since he is an elite after all.
At the clearing, once Naruto calmed down a little, the blonde looked around and saw in front of a nearby tree one of the bells and could not believe his luck. He figured Kakashi-sensei accidentally dropped it during their brief exchange but just when he was five meters from it, he paused. Wait, it seems too good to be true. He then remembered touching the bells with his fingers before Kakashi-sensei subdued him at the last moment and prevented him from getting a bell. He then remembered setting up elaborate pranks and booby traps. This was clearly a trap and no different from pranks which made him infamous in the Academy. In the hands of a shinobi like Kakashi who proved to be powerful, pranking seems to be a deadlier art and he was not going to fall for a trick like that! He produced several shadow clones to check for traps, only for one to get his feet tied together in a loop of rope and getting strung upside-down, panicking before dispelling himself. The other clones became aware of the now dispelled clone’s plight before they all, including the real Naruto himself, became immobilized and fell onto the ground with a thud and struggling to move. Kakashi appeared in the blink of an eye. “Well, it seems you know that a shinobi should watch for traps,” Kakashi said, eye-smiling at his blonde student struggling to free himself. “Take a closer look, do you know why you can’t move?”
Naruto looked at his wrists which were bound in a way that he could not form hand seals and saw what resembled a strand of hair shining from the sunlight. Naruto’s eyes widened further at recognizing this versatile ninja tool. “AARGH! Let me go, Kakashi-sensei!” the blonde shouted.
Kakashi placed a finger on his masked chin in a thinking pose. “Hmm, I don’t think so,” Kakashi said, mocking him with his trademark eye-smile.
“WHAT?!” Naruto shouted indignantly.
“Let this be an important lesson for you to think about. Remember, a shinobi must always expect the unexpected, be aware of their surroundings at all times, and look underneath the underneath. You’re not the only one who’s unpredictable, you know. Now, let’s see what pinkie and broody are doing,” Kakashi said as he turned around and walked away from Naruto who was struggling against his wiry bonds.
Watching Kakashi-sensei and the blonde dobe, Sasuke knew it will take everything he has to get the bells. When their sensei moved away from Naruto, he threw one volley of shuriken and kunai after another, followed by Kakashi dodging before pinpointing Sasuke’s location. “So, there you are,” Kakashi said with a serious look in his visible eye.
‘Damnnit! He dodged everything and he knows my location now. I gotta move now!’ Sasuke thought, sweat beating across his brow. No, he was not scared. He was just…doing a tactical retreat to form a better plan. Besides, he has an idea of Kakashi-sensei’s reflexes and saw how close Naruto was at getting the bells with the dobe’s fingers managing to brush them. He should have no problem as he was better at taijutsu than the dobe, or so he believes.
Sakura watched as her blonde teammate struggled against the ninja wire immobilizing him; however, she too terrified to go near as she believed Kakashi-sensei possibly laid traps around that baka and decided to find Sasuke so they could grab a bell each and pass this test. After all, love conquers all right? She stealthily crawled backwards, out of her hiding place. Believing she was hidden from sight, she quietly went through the surrounding forest when she was startled with a familiar voice. “Behind you, Sakura-san,” Kakashi-sensei replied nonchalantly as he read his orange book, leaning against the closest tree. She saw him put his book away, looking Sakura in the eye before going through two hands seals: Snake → Rat .
A foliage of leaves swirled and surrounded Sakura before falling, leaving Sakura stunned as she replied, “W-What’s going on? Where’s Kakashi-sensei?” Sakura looked high, low, left, right, and even behind her and there was nobody. Did he simply vanish? No, he had to be nearby. This was a survival test after all, but she was now wondering if she can do it as she heard a voice, one she knew all too well. “S-Sakura-chan…” Sasuke appeared in her line of sight, leaning against a tree with only his right arm as numerous shuriken and even some kunai were impaled into his body and remaining hand, blood pouring from the stump of his missing left arm. His left leg was broken into an odd angle while he was still on his knees, barely looking at Sakura with his face bloodied, hair disheveled but still in some of its recognizable shape, and growing pool of blood below him. He said with complete agony, “…h-help me, Sakura-chan.” Sakura, however, only went wide-eyed and could not believe what Kakashi-sensei did to her Sasuke-kun. No, this cannot be happening! Tears flooded her eyes before she screamed so loud, all of Konoha could hear a blood-curdling, “AAAHHHHHH!”
Sasuke and Naruto were not too far away from the scene, with Kakashi taking the brunt of it the most due to being in close proximity to the pinkette as the wannabe kunoichi fainted on the spot, tears still flowing from her face.
Kakashi’s visible eye widened as he thought aloud, “Hmm, well, that wasn’t what I expected. Her file clearly stated that she excelled in identifying and dispelling genjutsu at the Academy.” He then paused to think before deciding that he could test the Uchiha prodigy himself. “I’ll have to find out after today. There’s a discrepancy between her academics and application of shinobi arts. I know she’s a fangirl, but c’mon, I expected some more from her. After all, that was only a D-rank technique, nothing too serious.” Kakashi leaned his head back in frustration before deciding to test the last student he had yet to test their merit.
Elsewhere, Sasuke heard Sakura’s blood-curdling scream and did not understand what Kakashi-sensei did to her. He then shrugged, thinking, ‘Hmm, maybe Kakashi-sensei used genjutsu on her. After all, she was a stickler for the theory but not the practical application of techniques, especially genjutsu. Anyone could break out of it, but still.’ He then cracked his knuckles. ‘It’s about time to get those bells and pass this stupid exercise.’ He narrowed his eyes, filled with the pride and determination only an Uchiha can possess. Meanwhile, Sakura was frothing at the mouth, eyes still shedding tears as the wind picked up as Kakashi lifted the genjutsu, hoping she will wake up lest he get into some trouble with both the Third Hokage and the Konoha Council. He hoped that she could prove her worth or fail this exam.
Sasuke stood up with a determined look as he noticed Kakashi-sensei reading his book, his attention apparently on the page but can see from the corner of his eye at the Uchiha before saying, “Well, it looks like you’re left. Care to join your comrades?”
Snorting, Sasuke replied, “I’m not the same as them.”
Kakashi looked away from his book and at the scowling Uchiha. “Say that when you can get a bell, Sasuke-kun.”
Hearing Kakashi-sensei mention his name for the first time since yesterday filled Sasuke with pride, but his expression did not change as he was now in a new fighting stance he has not assumed before, even during his pointless spars with Naruto Uzumaki in their Academy days.
“This will be interesting,” Kakashi said, putting his book away and giving Sasuke his undivided attention. “The village’s most powerful clan, the Uchiha.” Both combatants stared at one another before Sasuke launched shuriken at Kakashi-sensei before crouching down, ready to follow up with another attack. Kakashi, meanwhile, saw the attack coming and dodged, only for it to be revealed as a trap as Sasuke used the same wire strings Kakashi used on Naruto, but instead used it in an attempt to immobilize Kakashi who simply jumped away. When he saw he was clear from the range of the wire-based trap, Kakashi realized too late when Sasuke appeared beside him on his right in a burst of speed. “What?” Kakashi muttered as Sasuke attempted a roundhouse kick to Kakashi’s face, only to be blocked by the jōnin, but still causing the cycloptic ninja to skid back a few meters along the ground and picking up quite a lot of dust under his open-toed sandals. When Sasuke came to his left and attempted to do the same kick as before, Kakashi followed up by grabbing his ankle before Sasuke attempted to punch Kakashi, only to be blocked also. Sasuke twisted himself around and got close to the bells attached just below Kakashi-sensei’s flak jacket. Like Naruto, Sasuke also came close to getting the bells with his finger grazing them, shocking Kakashi who muttered, “Damn,” in a low tone before pressing the Uchiha away, preventing the prodigy from getting his prize. As the two landed on their feet, Kakashi thought to himself, ‘Damn, he almost got the bells as did Naruto-kun. He’s good, no doubt about it. But I’m afraid it’s not enough.’
In the forest somewhere, Sakura woke up in a cold sweat, saying, “Sasuke-kun, don’t leave me behind!” She shook her head before looking at her surroundings. Sasuke and Kakashi were nowhere in sight. “Sasuke-kun? Where are you? Huh.” She remembered seeing the gnarly state her crush was and knew she must help him. He cannot be dead, right? She decided to go find him and help him the best she could. She did not realize that it was all an illusion, and not even a strong one if one were to realize that the real Sasuke Uchiha never asks for help, let alone ask HER of all people due to her fangirlish ways.
Elsewhere, Naruto Uzumaki heard the scream of Sakura and knew he needed to free himself if he wanted to save her. What did Kakashi-sensei tell him again? Oh yeah, he said that a shinobi needed to look underneath the underneath, but what did that mean? His brain struggled to find the answer as he doubted it had something to do with the wires which are preventing him from moving, let alone weaving hand seals to create shadow clones to free him. Suddenly, he remembered the one time in class where they taught the Rope Escape Technique and attempted to look for a knot, not seeing one. He then knew the next step would be painful. He may be immobile, but he can at still dislocate his joints temporarily and long enough to escape these wires which were starting to nick at his skin. Preparing himself mentally, he managed to dislocate his shoulder with an audible crack which made him yell out in pain. Any rational person would think this was stupid, but it worked as Naruto managed to free arms, followed by his wrists and then hands before he managed to painfully relocate his shoulder back into place with an even louder painful yelp. He hoped Sakura did not hear his painful cries or watched the macabre way of escaping. He will need to learn how to better escape from wire strings before he looked at them and an idea popped in his head.
As their battle continued, Kakashi and Sasuke were about five meters from one another. Sasuke glared at Kakashi but with a gleam in his eye as the fight was making his Uchiha blood pump faster throughout his veins and the cycloptic jōnin was proving to be quite the challenge and it was taking everything he got to get those bells from Kakashi-sensei’s hip. The jōnin was still on his feet before saying, “I’ve got to say, you’re different from those two. But…it’s nothing I can’t handle. You’re probably the most skilled out the three, but this battle is over.”
Glaring, Sasuke decided to prove Kakashi wrong and went through the following hand seals―Snake → Ram → Monkey → Boar → Horse → Tiger ―as fast as he could, shocking the jōnin with his visible left eye widening. ‘W-WHAT?! A genin shouldn’t have enough chakra to perform a C-rank technique, let alone a technique that is a literal nature transformation!’ Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique! At the final hand seal, Sasuke kneaded his chakra from throughout his body and into chest, up the throat, and then breathing it out into a large steady orb of burning orange flames came out of Sasuke’s mouth, cupping his lips with his thumb, index, and middle finger from his right hand forming an “O” shape as the technique was launched at Kakashi-sensei. A few seconds later, the technique used up all its chakra before dying out, leaving the ground completely scorched with residual orange flames still flickering from the surrounding wind; however, there was no sign of Kakashi-sensei, not a charred corpse or anything. Sasuke’s eyes widened in surprise as he thought, ‘What? He’s gone! Where could he be? In the air?’ He checked above but found nothing. ‘No, on the side?’ He turned left and then right, preparing for an attack. Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed his ankles from below him! “Below you!” yelled Kakashi-sensei. Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique! “Wha…?!”
Before he finished his sentence, Sasuke was pulled down underground, leaving only his head above ground, completely immobile as Kakashi broke through the ground and squatted in front of his glaring face. “Well, I must say you’re much further along than the others. But hey, they say an exposed nail should be hammered in…” He began chuckling at the Uchiha’s expense.
“Hn, damn you!” he muttered as Kakashi walked away. “Damnit!! The difference is that large…How am I going to kill HIM…?” Suddenly, Sakura walked into the scene and saw Sasuke still stuck underground with only his head sticking out, making her exclaim, “AAAAHW!! HIS SEVERED HEAD!!” She fainted right before him, believing it was another genjutsu which caused the Uchiha to sweat drop before shouting out her name three times without an honorific. The pinkette stirred at the sound of her crush’s voice. “Mmm, Sasuke-kun?” when she awoke, she found the Uchiha struggling to get out from underground before she ran to help dig him out. By the time she helped her crush get out of the ground, she hugged Sasuke tightly. “Sasuke-kun, you’re alright!!”
“Get off of me!!” growled Sasuke, pushing Sakura off him. She pouted as she has once again failed to win her crush’s heart before getting startled by his glare. “There’s not much time left before lunch. I’m going again to get a bell.”
“Ah, I see,” said Sakura with her hands folded in front of her chest while her forehead showed signs of perspiration. ‘This is bad! At this rate, I’m ever getting a bell after seeing that baka and now Sasuke-kun unable to get one. I’ll be separated from Sasuke-kun for sure.’ “Sasuke-kun, you should take it easy and there’s always next time if we―”
“Sakura,” Sasuke interrupted, startling the pinkette, “there’s a man I must kill.”
“W-What do you mean?” Sakura asked, not believing her crush’s tone changing from annoyance to somber.
“At that time, I cried…I vowed I wouldn’t cry anymore.”
Confused, Sakura asked, “What do you mean?”
“I’m an avenger. I have to become stronger than him. So I can’t stay here doing nothing. Every second passes is a second wasted and that man gets further away from me. I won’t let that happen.”
Sakura then remembered Sasuke’s introduction yesterday, stating his goal was “to kill a certain man” and realized that Sasuke was not here for camaraderie, love, or even to protect the village as Iruka-sensei stated during his farewell speech before and after team placements.
Elsewhere, Naruto managed to gather up Kakashi-sensei’s wire strings, he managed to check his hands and fingers to see if he could weave hand seals. YES, HE CAN!!! He created several shadow clones before they all scattered into several directions while the real him scouted for Kakashi-sensei and keep him busy. After a few more minutes of searching, he found the jōnin reading his book. He made several more shadow clones with a hand seal before coordinating with them to surround Kakashi-sensei who decided to put down his orange book again. It looks like he will not be finishing the latest chapter today as the blonde was stubborn and did not know when to give up. With a sigh, he said, “Haven’t you learned to never rely solely on one technique? It won’t work, and you won’t become Hokage doing that.” He hoped to get a rise out of the blonde.
“Hahahaha…Yeah right, I’ve still got some tricks up my sleeve,” Naruto said with a foxy grin before he and the clones took out a kunai each from their respective holster around their right thighs and getting into the same fighting stance as before. The jōnin was ready as he charged at his student before dispelling each clone without effort, kicking the real Naruto away before dodging some shuriken the blonde flew, only to see the wires connected to them. Seeing the boy’s plan to immobilize him, he dodged by jumping out, only to receive a kick on the top of his head from another Naruto. The clone attempted to grab the bells, only for Kakashi to get his bearings and grab his wrist while kicking him in the solar plexus, dispelling the shadow clone instantly before appearing before the real Naruto in a Body Flicker before the alarm clock he jōnin set up earlier went off, signaling the end of the test. Sasuke and Sakura heard it too and Sasuke clenched his fists. “Damn, I wasted too much time!” This was followed by Sakura’s only answer being, “…”
