"Alright. Why don't you introduce yourselves, one at a time?"

"Introduce ourselves?" Sakura repeats. "What are we supposed to say?"

Finally having our new Sensei is... great, and all, but when he'd called us a "bunch of idiots" with little hesitation, I didn't like that one bit. I don't like how he doesn't like us over something so silly. Of course, I can understand... Makara-sensei taught me that respect is one of the most important factors in a relationship, so having someone prank me with a dusty, dirty chalk brush, well, I guess I wouldn't like that, either.

"Things you like," he answers slowly. "Things you hate. Dreams for the future. Hobbies. Things like that." And he crosses his arms.

"Why don't you tell us stuff first?" Naruto suggests, rocking back and forth on his feet. "I mean, before we talk, why don't you so we can see how it's supposed to go?"

"Me? I'm Kakashi Hatake," he says. "Things I like and things I hate... I don't feel like telling you that." MY smile falters.

"H-Huh?"

"My dreams for the future... I haven't really thought about that. As for my hobbies... I have a lot of hobbies." Groaning, Sakura turns to us.

"That was useless," she hisses. "All he really told us was his name!"

"Uh-huh."
"Yeppers."
"Hm."

"Okay, your turn." He points at us. "You, on the right; you go first." Adjusting his headband, Naruto grins.

"Believe it!" he exclaims. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I like instant ramen in a cup, and I really like the ramen Iruka-sensei and Kari always get me at the Ichiraku Ramen Noodle Shop! But I hate the three minutes you have to wait before you pour the water in the ramen cup. My hobby is eating different kinds of ramen and comparing them, and my future dream is... to be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody, somebody important!"

For a few seconds, Kakashi-sensei stares at him, as if studying him. "Okay. Next?" Since I'm right beside Naruto, it means it's my turn to introduce myself.

"O-Oh, I'm Kari Yamada," I say. "I'm not originally from here – although, I guess I kind of am; it's still a little confusing..." The one visible eyebrow on Kakashi-sensei's face lifts. I clear my throat. "I-I really enjoy training and I liked being in school for that little time that I was, and I like eating ramen with Naruto and Iruka-sensei, until someone goes and asks for a fifth serving, because my wallet empties really quickly... I don't really hate anything... and all I want is for Naruto to fulfill his dream—" Naruto can't help himself, and lets out a shrill giggle "—and then... I'd like to get stronger and find the man who killed my grandmother."

It's... a very far-fetched goal I'd set for myself just days after I'd entered the Academy, as motivation to get my act together and not be so weak. Being with the people I'm with now – meaning Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi-sensei – I just know I can get stronger! Er, o-or maybe not... I'm still unsure how things are actually going right now.

I look back up at Kakashi-sensei and catch that he'd been staring at me. Not just paying attention to me, like I first thought. It's the kind of look... where you're trying to see if you've seen that person before. I frown. Then, he speaks up again.

"Alright, next?" With a bright smile, Sakura starts.

"I'm Sakura Haruno!" she says. "What I like, u-uh... I mean, the person I like i-is..." Somewhat not very subtly, she glances over at Sasuke, who's doing his best to mind his own business. "U-Uh, my h-hobby is, uh..." And again. "My dream for the future is..." And once more, but this time she squeals, almost instantaneously slapping her hands over her mouth. I sigh inwardly.

"And?" Kakashi-sensei says. For someone so stoic, it's unfortunately obvious to me that he'd gotten a little annoyed at how slow moving this was going. "What do you hate?" Pulling her hands away, her previously excited expression turns into one of disgust.

"Naruto!" she says, with no hesitation. He springs forward on his hands and screams.

I frown. Even though I'm not very good at telling what people are thinking, I've always been good at sensing their emotions. It's very clear that Naruto values what Sakura thinks of him, even though she thinks the world of Sasuke and doesn't really think of Naruto much, otherwise. And, I don't think Sasuke likes anyone, as far as I've been able to tell. I've made friends with almost everyone I've spoken with since I've gotten here, and now that Sakura and Sasuke are in a group with me, I'm even more determined to befriend them.

Kakashi-sensei sighs at her. "Last one," he calls out. With no change in his expression, Sasuke begins.

"My name... is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything." The redness on Sakura's cheeks fades completely. "What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan... and destroy a certain someone."

Things get... very quiet when he finishes. But, from what I've learned since my arrival, he's the only one left from the Uchiha Clan. Apparently, someone named Itachi killed everyone except for Sasuke... I can't even imagine something like that happening. It's so sad. I wonder if that's who he wants to destroy so terribly. I'm not going to pry—why would I risk ever being put into the same category as that "certain someone"?

"Good," Kakashi-sensei finally says. "Each of you are unique and you have your own ideas. We'll have our first mission tomorrow."

"What kind of mission are we going to have?" Naruto asks excitedly, sending him a one-handed salute.

"Seeing as we have an extra member on this team, certain things will have to be fixed and adjusted," he explains, "but it's a task that the five of us will do together."

"What? What is it?!"

"A survival exercise," he answers.

I deflate. "So... it's not a real exercise," I say, "just more practice...?"

"This isn't like your previous training," Kakashi-sensei says.

"So, uh, what kind of training is it, then?" Naruto asks. And then, very suddenly, our Sensei starts to laugh, sending a nervous chill down my spine.

"Hey, hold on a minute," Sakura rests her chin on her knees and frowns. "That was a normal question. What's so funny?"

"Well, if I tell you the answer, you're not going to like it," he chides with a laugh. Then, he gets serious. "Out of the twenty-seven students – now, twenty-eight graduates – who came here, only three groups will be accepted as Genin. The remaining will be weeded out and sent back to the Academy. In other words, this is a "make it or break it" pass-fail test, and the chance that you fail is at least sixty-six percent."

My lips part, but the only thing that comes out of it is my audible breath. "See? Didn't I say you wouldn't like it?"

"That's crazy!" Naruto exclaims. "We worked hard to get here, believe it! What was that graduation test for, anyway?!"

"Oh... that? That was just to select candidates that might become Genin," he says, "or, might not."

"What?!"

"That's how it is. I decide whether you pass or fail. Be at the designated training spot at five in the morning. And bring your Ninja gear." Pushing himself off the railing, he looks over the roof and up at the sky.

He's really... really able to say whether we stay or go? What?! I mean, I-I still think I've done pretty well in catching up to the others for only being here the past couple of months. I had to prove that my general knowledge, like my maths and my language comprehension, were good before I could continue onto strictly studying Ninja stuff! That'd been two months of hellish one-on-one lessons with Iruka-sensei, late nights reading book after book, scroll after scroll, and that damned Clone Jutsu had nearly been the death of me, but I did it, against all the odds.

If Kakashi-sensei fails me, I won't be able to find the man who killed my grandmother. If I fail, I won't be able to complete my goal! If we all fail, we're going back to the Academy.

"That's it, you're dismissed. Oh, tomorrow, you better skip breakfast," he adds, looking back at us. "Or else, you'll puke."

I'd barely slept. I'd finally exhausted my brain at around two in the morning, trying to think of all the possible survival exercises he could possibly put us through today, and I came up with way too many. Then, I started to think about if I should eat or listen to our potential Sensei, I'll call him, since he's so keen on failing us, and then I ended up becoming hungry at around four-thirty despite my huge meal I'd made only seven hours ago, so I shove a banana in my mouth on my way out my front door. He's a Jōnin, yes; maybe I should've listened. But what if he makes us do something so harrowing that I needed to eat?!

We all meet up near the field by the crossroads, wiping the fatigue from the corners of our eyes and letting the yawns escape from our chests. Well, except for Sasuke.

Simply put, I wish I could go back home. I've never been up this early in my entire life, not even with Makara-sensei. I don't think I ever want to be up this early ever again. I don't know how Sasuke looks like he isn't tired one bit. Maybe he'd been lucky enough to get to sleep deeply.

I sigh. "Good morning, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke."

Save for Naruto, we're all wide awake now. When he'd crouched down two hours ago, it was obvious he hadn't planned on getting up, not until Kakashi-sensei arrived.

It has now been three hours since our meeting time. He still hasn't arrived. Sakura chose to sit down a half hour ago. Naruto's still passed out. Sasuke looks beyond impatient. Me, I've been doing jumping jacks to keep myself awake. And that's when I finally hear it—the quiet footsteps sliding and stepping over grass. When I turn my head, I see our Sensei standing behind me, his one visible eye closed in a smile.

"Good morning, everyone," he greets. "Are you ready for your first day?"

"You're late!" Naruto and Sakura chorus, bitter.

"Well, a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way," he explains distantly, pointing off to the left.

"And that took three hours?" I whine, so tired that I could cry.

"Well..." Kakashi-sensei clears his throat. "Let's get started." Pulling his bag off his shoulders, he reaches inside and pulls out...

"A clock?" He nods and sets it down on one of the four posts off to the right.

"It's set for noon," he says. And then, out of his pocket, he pulls out a bunch of silver bells. "Your assignment is very simple: you just have to take these bells from me. That's all there is to it. If you can't get them by noon, you go without lunch."

"What?!"

"You'll be tied to those posts and watch while I eat my lunch in front of you."

Forget noon; I might as well tie myself up to the post now! I'm so tired, I don't know if I'll even make it that long. But, if this is truly the case, then thank goodness I ate that banana. Still, I need to focus.

"Wait a minute," Sakura says. "There's four of us! How come there are only three bells?" He smiles again.

"Well, that way, at least one of you will be tied to a post and will ultimately be disqualified for failing to complete the mission. That one goes back to the Academy. But then again, all four of you could flunk out. You can use any weapons, including shuriken. If you're not prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bells."

"But those weapons are too dangerous, Sensei!" Sakura points out worriedly.

"Yeah, especially since you couldn't dodge that eraser," Naruto mumbles.

"Class clowns are usually the weakest links," Kakashi-sensei says, voice raised. "You can safely ignore them—lowest scores, losers." Naruto glares at him. I can only wonder what kind of mark I'd gotten on the written exam... I never found out, and I never want to. At least it'd been enough to let me graduate. "Alright. When I say 'start', we can begin."

"Naruto!" Pulling a kunai out from a holster, he rushes forward, prepared to strike. What is he thinking?! He didn't say we could start yet!

But even so, it's clear just how good our new Sensei is, barely moving and not even breaking a sweat when he places Naruto's own arm and kunai behind his head.

"Don't be in such a hurry," he scolds. "I didn't say start yet." How malice his tone had become... it's no surprise we all back off, just as he lets Naruto go. "But... you came at me with the full intent of destroying me, so... I'm actually starting to like you guys. Get ready," he tells us. Jumping away, Naruto lands beside us. "And..." Taking stances, we wait for the word. "Start!"

It's easy to guess that our test requires nearly all the fundamentals and skills we'd learned in the Academy, seeing as Kakashi-sensei doesn't immediately give chase. Ducking under and around branches and behind roots and trunks, the trees become our shield. I stay within the bushes along the edge of the lake, thinking that if Kakashi-sensei comes one way, I'd be able to escape through another. If he catches me, I-I... what would he even do?

I think I just gave myself an incomplete ultimatum, I realize. If he catches me, I'm obviously done for. I get that it's not him going after us and the other way around, but he so easily dispatched Naruto like that. It's unfortunate to say, but I know that I'd at least last a little longer than him with my Taijutsu, but it's all so nerve-wracking. If he catches me, I'm done for, I repeat in my thoughts. But... it would appear that one of us didn't grasp that thought as well as I'd hoped he would.

"Alright!" Naruto shouts at Kakashi-sensei from the middle of the clearing. "Let's fight! You and me, fair and square! Let's go!"

"You know, compared to the others... you're a little bit... weird," he replies with a sigh.

"Oh, yeah? The only thing weird here is your haircut!" And he runs at him again; unarmed, this time, but with the same intentions. And then, Kakashi-sensei reaches into the bag attached to his belt. Naruto stops running and waits.

"Shinobi Battle Techniques, Part One." Confused, I watch on from my spot in the bush. "Taijutsu—the physical art." Hand-to-hand combat? I hiss in my thoughts. Naruto's terrible at hand-to-hand combat! Wait, but then why is he taking out a weapon? That's Bukijutsu.

It turns out I'm wrong. He isn't taking out a weapon. He's taking out... a book?

"Well?" Kakashi-sensei says. "What are you waiting for? Make your move."

"B-But, I m-mean... why are you reading that book!?"

"Why? So I can find out what happens in the story, of course. Don't let it bother you. With your weak attacks, it doesn't really matter if I'm reading, or whatever." Clenching his fist, Naruto pulls back his one sleeve and charges at him again.

"I'm going to crush you!" Each of his hits are easily deflected, and when Kakashi-sensei appears behind Naruto, their spar is dubbed over. "Huh?" What is said next ends up being unheard by me since I'm next to the water. And because Naruto's back is toward the lake, I can't tell if he's making a hand sign or not. A flash of pink appears near the tree's edge by the path.

"Naruto, get out of there, quick!" Sakura shouts. "He's going to destroy you!

"What? What is he going to—?!"
"Too late. Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu!" Unable to react in time, Naruto starts flying through the air, screaming, and not in pain. It's just because Kakashi-sensei'd goosed him. Our Sensei, the man who reads the strange books and pokes people in their behinds for kicks... I sigh.

With a loud splash that drenches the river's shore, Naruto disappears beneath the surface, the water bubbling here and there. Obviously, he's just fine. Very suddenly, two shuriken fly out from the bank and toward Kakashi-sensei, who easily catches them on a single finger. Hand having been on my own weapons pouch, I take it off, relenting to his skill. We don't even know close to half the skills our potential Sensei has, but it's just been proven he's no pushover with weapon assaults. And, it's not like we have any Ninjutsu available to use...

An invasive thought enters my mind, telling me to quit and just go back to the Academy, tail between my legs. I can try again next year; it's too soon for me to be trying to be a Shinobi anyway, the thought says. You're just going to embarrass yourself if you continue. I clench my fist and disappear through the underbrush.

There is one thing I've learned that I'm good at, and that is setting up traps and snares for hunting purposes. Tweaked enough, they can be used offensively. Unfortunately, I hadn't expected Kakashi-sensei to be so skilled. Actually, I don't know what I'd been expecting from a Jōnin. The whole Shinobi hierarchy was explained to me in detail by Iruka-sensei, but clearly, I should've taken them to heart a little more thoroughly.

Because I hadn't expected so much of a gap, I didn't come more prepared to build any traps or snares. With my surroundings, I fill the void of not having wire with pulled string from my bandages and use milkweed and dogbane to reinforce the string. Mid-prep, I hear a scream, most likely from Sakura, and catch a flock of birds fly away from one of the highest trees in the area. Sighing heavily, I finish tying of the last of the "trip wire" and give it a quick flick to test its springiness.

I'm internally battling with myself now, over whether or not to finish setting up my snare or running to Sakura's aid. I know Kakashi-sensei wouldn't hurt us or anything, and it most likely was only a scare for why Sakura screamed, but everything in my heart is telling me to go to her. The smallest part of me, the one that tells me to "stick to my plan and show off what I've learned", ends up winning the fight. Rigging the last of my tools to the final point, I quickly jump from branch to branch, up a large pine tree, waiting for my Sensei to come along the path, in the odd chance that he might.

M-Maybe in the meanwhile, I can let the trap do its job and I can go to Sakura, I think. Nodding in agreement with my thought, I start adjusting my position in the tree in my descent. And that's when Kakashi-sensei starts along the path. Now, I can't move without him seeing me. Who's to say that he hasn't yet? I'm not exactly wearing a blend-in-able colour – teal is quite bright, even in the shade. So now, I have no choice but to wait things out in the off-chance he ends up tripping my trap: three separate, perfectly timed volleys of kunai and shuriken, placed so that it'd be as though he's stuck inside the three walls of a triangle. Then, I'd swoop down and attack for one of his bells! Being able to successfully recreate this snare trap excites me; incidentally, it'd be a practical test during a survival class we had early on in my arrival. If it wasn't for Iruka-sensei helping me adjust the angles, it wouldn't be possible for me today. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here, hiding in a tree, trying my hardest to become a proper Genin.

"I'm waiting."

With those two words, I nearly fall out of the tree, my left foot losing traction on the branch beneath me. My only option to keep me from injuring myself is to grab the trigger – yes, it saves me from falling, but it releases my trap pre-emptively. They all go off at different intervals, and instead of pressuring Kakashi-sensei to deflect any of them, they simply hit the dirt trail several meters ahead of him. Sighing deeply, I carefully begin to lower out of the tree.

It took so long to set that up, I think, saddened by my failure. I shouldn't have gotten so startled; it might've been okay if I hadn't been thinking so deeply! I lost my chance to try for those bells.

All of us have our own goals, Sakura's and Naruto's being the clearest. It'll take some time to get done, but I'd realized mine and Sasuke's have the future set high in mind and at a completely different level. His being slightly more violent, but all the same... we have our reasons for needing to achieve them. I don't know what Sasuke's is, but I know that I need some kind of closure. I'm sure if I'm ready to even think about considering revenge. I just need to know who it was behind that mask.

I finally leap off the last branch and jump down a few meters away from him where he stands, reading that novel of his.

"Aren't you going to put your book away?" I ask him. Refusing to answer verbally, he just shakes his head. "B-But..."

"Listen," he says, flipping it shut. "After the performance your other teammates put on, I can't say I can expect much from you. No point on being hopeful, right?"

"W-Why would you say that?"

"Naruto's trap failed. Sasuke's trap failed. Sakura didn't even attempt to set one, or even fight. What makes you think you can do better than them?"

My heart twinges, aching. I wonder if Naruto felt this way when Kakashi-sensei made that class clown comment earlier. I... I know I'm not that smart, and that my knowledge of the Shinobi world is about as equal to a civilian's as can be... and that Taijutsu is my only real skill. It's hard to keep my chakra together sometimes, let along control what little I have of it right now. I just don't think It's fair of him to say something like this – to anyone, not just me.

"Even though the trap failed, I'm not about to give up," I tell him, steeling myself in the process. It's time to just buck up or throw in the sweaty towel. "I can't go back to the Academy, Kakashi-sensei. I made a promise to both myself and my grandmother."

"And what promise was that?" he inquires, raising his one visible eyebrow. I pull out a kunai.

"I promised I'd see her again," I say, moving toward him quickly. "I promised her we'd be together again." I swing my arm out away from me, the tip of the kunai pointed toward him, and he easily stays away from it, having sucked his stomach in. "I... I promised her I'd get strong!" I contort my body, being low to the ground, and spring upward, having made myself horizontal to the dirt path. Using my momentum, I separate my knees from their locked position and launch my right leg at him as I spin.

"Oh!" he exclaims at me with false surprise. "And how's that all working out for you so far?" However, doing all of this had just been the decoy. Still midair, I quickly fling the kunai up toward him, at the same time I reach out for the bells on his belt. Something cold hits my middle finger and my eyes instantaneously widen – and just by reacting this way, I'd condemned myself to reality.

Kakashi Hatake is a Jōnin. And I am barely even a Genin, no matter what this headband tells me; no matter who trained me. I have the knowledge and the skill – I certainly do not have the experience I need to properly execute them yet.

I'd barely blinked after what I'd barely managed to accomplish, but somehow, I'm facing the ground again, unwillingly, my two wrists held together behind my back, my bare knees digging into the grit and gravel, Kakashi-sensei's one foot pressed up against my back.

"It... could be going better," I mutter. He suddenly releases my arms, in the same moment that he pushes me forward with the bottom of his shoe. I fall forward, hitting the ground with a groan. I immediately flip over onto my back and elbows, prepared to charge in again, but he's nowhere in sight.

Whether in relief or disappointment, I sigh, and proceed to gather my useless tools from my useless trap.

One scream – that's all it takes for me to start running. I'm surprised that it'd belonged to Sasuke. Another suddenly rips through the forest, loud and terrified, about five minutes later, followed by a very shrill: "Sasuke's just a head without a body!"

Now what does that mean?

When I finally find them, I no longer need to ask. Sakura had been... half right. Somehow, Sasuke managed to get himself stuck in the ground. I hadn't expected to see this, at all. Of course, it's still funny to see. It might be difficult to help him, considering it'd been Kakashi-sensei to put him there in the first place.

"Uh..."

"Kari, get me out of here," he says, his eyebrows knitting together in frustration. I walk to him and kneel a couple feet away from him – well, his head, really – and inspect the dirt. "Are you waiting for more grass to grow?"

"No," I answer, slightly indignant. "That was dumb to ask." He deadpans at me. "I'm checking to see if it's going to be difficult or not to pull you out of this dirt."

"... how can you tell," he grumbles. I pick up a chunk of dirt and hold it up to him.

"If it's solid and damp or cold, you'd be more stuck," I say, but then easily break apart the dirt in my fingers. "If it's crumbly, we just need a little bit of leverage lower down."

"Then if it's that easy, hurry up and get me out of here."

"You could ask me nicer," I say, arms crossed. "We are teammates now. We're friends?"

"I don't need teammates," he says, almost automatically. "I don't need anyone. All I need to do is get that bell. If I don't, I won't be able to stop him."

"Who?" I wonder – he can't be referring to Kakashi-sensei, right? I sigh at him before reaching into the hole and grabbing the lowest part of his shirt that I can reach. "Put your feet on something solid and push yourself up when I pull." Nodding, he does just that, and seconds later, he's up and out, brushing off his clothes.

Makara-sensei and I used to get stuck in the snowbanks in the mountains, so we always had to rely on each other to get the other out. Snow and earth are about as different as light and day, but ultimately the way they pack themselves together around an object is the same. Thinking about it now on my way to shaking Sakura awake, it probably would've been much, much easier to get out of those situations if she weren't busy hiding the Shinobi world from me.

"Sakura," I call, her head bobbing as I yank her back and forth toward consciousness. Her lip twitches, but that's about it. Gesturing me out of the way, Sasuke does the same thing, and less than a second later, her eyes flutter open.

"Sasuke," she whispers. Then, as the colour returns to her face, she jolts up and swings her arms around his neck, knocking me backwards in the process. "Sasuke, you're okay!" I sigh. This obsession she and the other girls had... must not be a healthy one.

Sasuke pries her arms from him. "I've got to get a bell before lunch," he says, looking around. "That doesn't leave much time." Sasuke starts walking away from us, and Sakura stands.

"You're still trying to get one of those bells?" she asks him.

"A while ago I touched one. Next time, I'll get one."

"That's really great," Sakura says. "I can't believe you did that; you're amazing!" I glance over at her, noting the new twitch in her eye. Is she mad that she hadn't been able to get one, or touch one, as he had? I decide not to mention my near success. "U-Uh, it's almost lunch, and there's not really much time left, so maybe we should just give up and then try again next year?"

... I suppose this is what I'd meant before when I mentioned I'd been a little intimidated by Sasuke – him being able to fit so many negative emotions into a single look he uses on us... is a little scary. I'm not scared of him. I'm concerned for him, and about his goal.

"Like I said before—I'm the only one who can destroy that person."

"Do you mean Sensei?" Sakura asks.

"That day... I was crying."

"When were you crying?"

"I-It was my..."

"What? What happened to you?" Sasuke balls his fists at his sides.

"I'm an avenger! That means I must be stronger than my prey! I need this training; there's no time for setbacks." I sigh when the alarm clock goes off. Sasuke growls angrily before stalking away in its direction. "I wasted too much time!"

"Sasuke..."

"Sakura— let's head back," I say. She seems upset, so I figure my words don't register in her mind. Until I start pulling her back toward the clearing, she hadn't even acknowledged me. "Come on, let's go." Very reluctantly, she follows alongside me, though surprisingly, she doesn't try to take my hand off of her.

I... I feel bad. For the others, I mean. I hadn't listened to Kakashi-sensei's words when he told us not to eat anything before coming here – I ate that banana... and thank goodness for that or I'd be suffering with the rest of my team. Still, I'm scowling along with them at the stack of bento boxes on the ground in front of us. They mock us for our failure... as does Kakashi-sensei.

"Uh oh, stomachs growling, huh?" he says, sounding falsely sympathetic. "That's too bad. Oh, by the way, about this exercise? Well, I've decided I won't send any of you back to the Academy."

"Huh?!" Naruto exclaims.

"What? I passed?" Sakura blinks up at our Sensei. "All I did was faint and fall over. Do you get points for that?"

"I-I don't understand," I say, shaking my head at him. "You're joking, aren't you?"

"Th-Then, that means, all four of us – I mean, all four of us—""Yes," Kakashi-sensei interrupts. "All four of you are being dropped from the program – permanently."

"Drop us from the program!?" Naruto repeats, angrily kicking against the post he's tied to. "But that means we'll never be able to become Ninja! You said if we couldn't take the bells we'd be sent back to the Academy! You can't just change your mind and kick us out! Why would you do that!?"

"Because you don't think like Ninja; you think like little kids," he answers. "Like brats." Very quickly, Sasuke shoots up from his seat on the ground and runs at him, only to be swung underneath Kakashi-sensei's backside as a seat, holding his arm behind his back and forcing his head down with his shoe. "You think it's all about you, don't you?"

"Let go of Sasuke!" Sakura cries. "You can't just step on him like he's some bug!"

"You don't know what it means to be a Ninja! You think it's a game, huh? Why do you think we put you on squads? Did you ever consider that question for one moment?"

"I-I don't know what you mean," Sakura says nervously.

"I mean, you had never realized what this exercise was all about. Not even close."

"What it's about?" says Naruto.

"Yes," says Kakashi-sensei. "That's what determines whether you pass or fail."

"B-But that's... I wanted to ask you that from the beginning," Sakura mumbles.

"Use your head," he goes on. "Having several people on a squad- why would you think we would do that?"

And then it hits me; the answer to this entire test. The reason why they'd done this, the reason we're with Kakashi-sensei and why Ino, Shikamaru, and Chōji are with their Sensei, and Hinata, Shino, and Kiba and Akamaru are with theirs.

"Teamwork," I whisper.

"That's right. It was so basic, too."

"Just working together?" Sakura says. "Is that what you mean?"

"That's what I mean," he confirms. "It's too late now, but if all four of you had come at me, you might've been able to take them. Well, anyway, it's over." Sakura gasps.

"Wait a minute!" she shouts. "You set it up with four people and only three bells! If we worked together and got the bells, only two of us could keep them and that would lead to group conflict and the squad would break up!"

"Exactly," Kakashi-sensei says. "I purposely pitted you against each other. I wanted to see if you could overcome that and put the squad ahead of yourselves. A Genin should have a natural feel for teamwork, but you... it never even crossed your mind.

"Sakura – you obsessed about Sasuke, who was gone, while both Naruto and Kari were in front of you and you wouldn't lift a finger to help either one of them." She hangs her head, disappointed.

"Naruto – you do everything on your own, everything." He frowns.

"Kari – you kept worrying about becoming strong on your own, and that made you completely forget about the others, even when they were in trouble." I stare down at my feet, feeling sick to my stomach. I knew I should've gone when I had the chance.

"And you, Sasuke – you thought the others were so far beneath you, they were worthless. What arrogance. Ninja missions are carried out in squads. Of course, you need individual skills, but teamwork is the most essential element. Ever Shinobi understands this. When individuals put themselves about the squad, this can lead to failure-and death.

"For example..." He pulls out a kunai and rests it against Sasuke's neck. "Sakura, kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies." We all let out a scream, one of fright; one of indignity; mine is of horror. If this is the reality of the Ninja world, I don't like it at all. "Kari, kill Sakura if she fails to do it." We scream again.

"That's what happens on a mission," he says, pulling the kunai away and tucking it back in his holster. Both Sakura and Sasuke lets unified breaths of relief. "The enemy takes a hostage and you've got an impossible choice... and someone ends up dead." Getting up off of Sasuke, he starts walking away, towards an oddly shaped rock. "Did you look at this stone? The names engraved on it? They are all Ninja who are honored as heroes in our village."

"That's it, that's it, that's it!" I look up at Naruto, who's grinning. "I've decided I'm gonna have my name engraved on that stone! I'm not gonna live and die for nothing like a dog! I'm gonna be a hero! A hero!"

"They are a... a special kind of hero," Kakashi-sensei says quietly. And I'd known exactly what kind of hero he'd meant.

"Huh? What kind of heroes are they?" Naruto asks him. "C'mon, tell us!"

"They are all... K.I.A."

"That sounds real cool!"

"It means "Killed in Action"," Sakura says, her shock from before morphing into grief. "They all died." Naruto's smile vanishes.

"This is a Memorial stone," Kakashi-sensei goes on to say. "The names of my closest friends are on here."

Those who died in action are remembered on this stone. I think it's... sadly beautiful, both the idea and what the brave Ninja who'd given up their lives fighting for their homes, their families. I begin tearing up at the thought, imagining how excited the faces of sons, daughters, wives and husbands would have been if they'd been greeted at the door with a smile, only to find that one of their loved ones had died protecting the place and people they cherish most. Their smiles are gone, now. They will never return.

"Alright," Kakashi-sensei says, turning away from it. "I'm going to give you one more chance. But I'm going to make it much harder on you. You have three hours to get a bell. Eat lunch now to build up strength. But... Naruto doesn't get any."

"What!?"

"That's your punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat by yourself. And if anyone tries to feed him, that person will immediately fail. I make the rules. You follow them. Got it?"

"Kari, hurry up and eat so we can get started!"

"I'm not hungry," I insist, angry. What comedic timing my stomach has to growl against my words! "I'm not! I refuse to eat if you can't, Naruto. It's not fair." What else also isn't fair is the fact that it's specialty bento – hinomaru; the best kind, in my opinion...

Sakura calls me stubborn, but she hasn't seen stubborn. I'll starve before I eat my bento.

"K-Kari, just eat it," Naruto says. A moment later, his own stomach rumbles. "You gotta get your strength up." I shake my head. "Don't worry about me; I can go without eating for days, believe it! I-It's no big deal." I look up at him, exasperated.

"We both know you would die after the first day," I say pointedly. Suddenly, I have an idea.

Jumping up to my feet, I quickly and thoroughly look around the clearing for any sign of silver, spiky hair or an inappropriate orange book. But the coast is clear. Turning back to the others, I scoop up one of the untouched bento and pry the lid off. Sakura gasps as I squish a ball of rice together.

"Kari, you can't do that!" she hisses. I'm glad she's aware that if she yells, it would alert our sadist Sensei.

"Why not?" I say, keeping my grip firm on the wooden sticks. Naruto's tongue is already outstretched toward it in waiting. "I won't ignore the fact that he's hungry and just eat in front of him. That's not very team-like, now, is it?"

"But Kakashi-sensei said not to give him any! We'll all fail because of you!"

"So? It's like you said earlier, Sakura. We can just try again next year."

Clearly disgruntled, she looks back down at her Bento. I can hear shuffling, but when I look back at her, I see that she hasn't moved. When I look the other way, I see that Sasuke has shuffled over, and is actually holding his box out to him.

"Here," he says. Sakura gasps.

"No, Sasuke, you can't do that!"

"Kakashi's gone," he reminds her. "We need to get those bells as a team. If Naruto's hungry, he'll be weak and ineffective. That hurts the team and jeopardizes the mission. Kari's right, here." I nod, thankful that they both hadn't started arguing with me. I'd known I wouldn't win if it'd been two-against-one. But since it's Sasuke, I also figured that she wouldn't ultimately go against him.

I pop the rice ball in Naruto's mouth. He sighs, content, before swallowing.

"We have to hurry, then," Sakura mutters, holding up her own lunch, finally.

"But these are your lunches," Naruto says.

"Not that you truly mind having any of them," I start, "but you're my friend, and now, you're my teammate. Why wouldn't I share with you?"

"A-And I'm on a diet," Sakura says. "I mean, I don't eat as much as Sasuke and Kari, so... just take it, Naruto!"

"Why you think you need to go on a diet is beyond me," I murmur. "You're perfect the way you are." And the look I get from her might just be the most wonderful look I've gotten from anybody. I'd made her smile and turned her cheeks red. I grin.

"B-But I can't take it! Because... I can't move my hands; you have to feed me."

"Huh?!"

"Just hurry up," Sasuke snaps. "He can come back any minute."

"This is one time only!" she growls. "That's it, I'll never do this again, is that clear?!"

"Clear as a bell, Sakura!" he agrees. Before he can even swallow the piece that she puts in his mouth, a ginormous cloud of smoke appears before us. Out of fear, I end up dropping my bento and chopsticks and slide backwards, instinctively guarding Naruto, when Kakashi-sensei pops out, looking angry.

"You broke the rules," he says sharply, his posture is suddenly very intimidating. "I hope you're ready for the punishment!" After doing several hand signs, a dark and equally-as-intimidating storm cloud appears overhead, rumbling with thunder and being illuminated with lightning. "Any last words?"

"B-B-B-B-But you s-said—""Yes?"

"You said there were four of us!" Naruto shouts at him from behind me. "That's what you said, and that's why Kari and Sakura and Sasuke—"

"We're all in this squad and we're all in it together!" Sasuke reminds him.

"That's right!" I say, crossing my arms over my chest. "If one of our own gets into trouble, we're going to defend them! We'll all take the fall!"

"Yeah!" Sakura nods quickly. "We gave our lunch to him because the four of us are one!"

"Yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah! Believe it, that's right!"

"'The four of you are one'?" Kakashi-sensei repeats. "That's your excuse?" We all stare at him, waiting for him to – well, bring on the thunder, if we consider the huge storm cloud above us. And then, the strangest thing happens – he starts chuckling, and with a bright, one-eyed smiles, he says, "You pass."

It takes several moments for it to sink in. My own eyes widen.

"Huh?"

"What?"

"You. Pass."

"W-What do you mean?" Sakura asks, looking up above us in time to watch the storm clouds start to disappear. "How'd we pass?"

"You're the first squad that ever succeeded," he tells us. "The others did exactly what I said and fell into every trap. They couldn't think for themselves. 'A Ninja must see through deception'. In the Ninja world, those who break the rules are scum-that's true. But those who abandon their friends... are worse than scum."

We... we'd done it. This last little piece of the test, the last chance Kakashi-sensei had given us had been to see if we'd be able to live up to his standards, the standards that all Ninja should live up to. We truly did it!

"Y-Y-You know..." Naruto sniffles. "H-He's kinda cool."

"The exercise is over," Kakashi-sensei announces. "Everyone passes! Squad Seven starts their first mission tomorrow!"

"Yes!"

"W-We passed!"

"I did it, I did it, believe it! I'm a Ninja! Ninja, Ninja, Ninja!"

"Let's go home." Grinning, I follow after the others, until Naruto's voice pierces my back. Whoops!

"I knew you guys would do that!" he shouts at me, thrashing his legs again. Grabbing at the knot, I force my fingers inside and started tugging at the rope – until he lands one of his kicks on my upper thigh. "S-Sorry, Kari!"

"Yeah, sure you are," I mutter, having half a mind to just leave him tied up. Instead, I give my leg a quick rub, pull the last knot loose, and let him fall to the ground, head-first into the half-eaten Bento. Giggling, I pull him up.

"How about we go out for ramen to celebrate?" I say, dragging him after the others.

"You're buying, then, believe it!" he says.

"W-What? But I bought last time!" I remind him.

"You almost forgot me!"

"And you kicked me!"

"It was an accident! C'mon, Kari!"

I sigh, finally relenting. I suppose it's consolation for letting him sniff up rice. But I agree, regardless, which leads to him cheering, the others turning around and wondering what had gotten him so happy all of a sudden, and me buying three more spots for dinner.

Oh, well. I'm happy.

Updated December 21st, 2020 | 7,597 words