Third person pov

He didn't succeed in dropkicking Kakashi off the roof, but that's not to say he didn't try. Multiple times, and from multiple different angles. Naruto would get there one day.

Their introductions had gone about as smoothly as they could've, which is to say that they went incredibly rockily and they'll be lucky if their team lasts the week. Normally, Naruto probably would've rambled on for the sole purpose of annoying Sasuke as much as humanly possible, but he was still recovering from the incident. 

Better to keep it succinct-- the sooner he got it over with, the sooner he could go cry himself to sleep. After tattling to his apparently-already-pissed dad. Kashi was going to need more than one therapy appointment after everything was all said and done, that's for certain.

It could've been worse. It just also could've been way better. Sakura still looked vaguely wary of Naruto, glancing at his stomach every so often like she expected Kurama to explode out of it at any moment and rip her face off. As if he'd bother. If Kurama was eating anyone, Sasuke was first on the menu.

Naruto's introduction could be summed up into a short collection of major points: He liked ramen and flowers, he didn't like Sasuke, and his dreams for the future were to achieve world peace and be as put together as Ayumu was. One of things was never gonna happen-- you can probably guess which one. 

He would've gone on a long rant about finding Kurama's siblings, but that was certified P.P.I. Personal Private Information. He wasn't at liberty to discuss that with anyone aside from Ayumu. And Shikamaru and Lee, because they were all super tight and also Naruto had no idea how to shut the fuck up. Kurama had given up being upset about it, honestly.

Sakura's entire introduction had been along the lines of wanting to marry Sasuke and make babies with him, which was... special. Naruto hoped she really did utilize that business card Kakashi gave her. She clearly needed it.

Sasuke didn't even give an introduction, that's how shellshocked he still was. If he never talked again, maybe the sacrifice of lip locking was worth it. Naruto would never be subject to his (not very good) insults, nor would he have to deal with the daily headaches that would inevitably come with having to listen to him breathe his thoughts out into the open air.

Kakashi's introduction was useless, but Naruto knew him well enough that it didn't really matter. Maybe he'd give his new bunk buddies the PSA on him tomorrow, but honestly? There wasn't much to the masked man. He was traumatized, a pervert, liked dogs, and not all that bad once you got to know him. Comments on the incident aside.

As much as Naruto wanted to be angry at him for not mentioning Naruto's team placement, he couldn't muster up the fire. He knew it wasn't his fault-- he knew it wasn't his dad's fault, either. It was the council doing what they did best: slimy council things. And worse, Naruto wasn't sure how much he could blame them as well.

The idea of anyone wanting to control Kurama made his blood boil and his stomach turn, but he simultaneously understood the mortal terror that had to come from knowing the fox could come out at any give time. As much as Naruto trusted and loved Kurama with all his heart, he was under no false illusions about what he was capable of, or what he'd done in the past.

Naruto knows the fox did it because he was angry-- angry of being treated like a monster, of being locked away and left to rot inside a seal, inside of people who didn't even see him as a thinking and feeling being. Naruto would rampage too if he were in Kurama's... paws? Yeah, paws.

Even with his reasons though, that didn't change the fact that he had hurt people. He'd destroyed the village, he'd killed thousands in his lifetime. He'd killed Naruto's parents in a fit of outrage, all to try and keep from being sealed again. Naruto understood, knew the fox had changed, but how was anyone else supposed to know that?

They didn't know him like Naruto did. They never would, either. They'd never see endless flower fields and the way Kurama would look at him, soft but trying not to show it.

"Did you just call me soft?" Kurama's voice rumbled, sounding utterly affronted. As if he didn't already know. Had he been sleeping this whole time? Should they get that checked out? "You moron! I wouldn't have to sleep all day if you didn't make my ears bleed all night with your incessant chattering. Or did you forget that you spend hours upon hours telling me all the trivial details of your mundane life?"

Wow, bite his head off much? Someone was in a bad mood today. But he was kinda right. Naruto totally did do that, didn't he? Whatever. Kurama actually sort of really loved when he visited and talked about anything and everything. The vibrancy of the flowers gave him away. 

It was strange that Naruto could be conscious in the mindscape and still wake up refreshed, but Kurama wasn't afforded the same. Maybe because Naruto was a mental construct within his own head, but Kurama was actually himself, solid and whole? Hm... no. No, that sounds like too smart of a guess for someone like Naruto to make. He's going to stop while he's ahead.

"I expect you all at the training grounds bright and early! Six on the dot." Kakashi chirped out, as though he hadn't been like, a thousand hours late today. The man stood, pausing in an overdramatic manner that made Naruto's entire face scrunch up. He tilted his head slightly. "Oh, and I wouldn't eat breakfast if I were you. Not unless you want to lose it." 

The man was gone before Sakura could open her mouth and ask what the fuck he even meant by that. Naruto pressed his lips into a thin, unimpressed line. Right, well. He knows exactly what he's doing tomorrow morning.

"...You're not going to listen to that impudent fool, are you?" Kurama sounded reproachful and still a little drowsy. Naruto was immediately offended.

"Of course I'm not going to listen to him! What do you take me for?!" Naruto scoffed out. Sakura jumped at his sudden outburst. Not so subtly, she glanced down at his stomach. Naruto looked at her, and then at-- ugh, Sasuke. He pointed firmly for emphasis. "You guys, don't listen to him. Eat breakfast. And also expect him to be like, super late again. Believe it."

See? He can be a good teammate. This is camaraderie. He's practically an expert on it... kinda. 

Sasuke nodded robotically in agreement rather than arguing like he'd half expected, which was special. Naruto turned away to hide his gagging. Something about Sasuke agreeing with him is making him feel sick. Is this what having an allergy is like? It's too unnatural for him to process. His body is rejecting the mere notion. 

"How would you know?" Sakura asked skeptically, sounding like she absolutely did not believe him even slightly. Naruto gave her a look that he hoped conveyed how absolutely stupid he thought she sounded right now. Like, hello? 

"Because he lives in my house?" Naruto offered back in the exact same tone, though slightly more mocking. Sakura's face immediately started to flush, but Naruto didn't pay it any mind as he stood up. "You don't have to, but I'd suggest taking my advice, believe it. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go wash my mouth out with acid and ramen and then go cry myself to sleep! See you tomorrow!"

Sakura blinked rapidly at his chirpy tone of voice. Naruto didn't bother glancing back, launching himself over the side of the roof without hesitation. He could feel their eyes drilling into him as he went, but he paid them and their bewilderment no mind. After all, he had food to eat and a therapy session to get to!

~~~~~~

The ramen is delicious. He tells Ayumu this as soon as he walks through the door before he then proceeds to collapse onto the couch in his office, bury his face into one of the many throw pillows populating it, and start screaming.

To his credit, Ayumu is utterly unphased. He just raises a singular eyebrow at him and pulls out a stopwatch to time how long it takes him to get it out of his system. Naruto's current standing record is twenty minutes. That had been following the-- yeah, you guessed it-- melon trade debacle. He seriously still can't look at one without breaking out into a nervous sweat.

Naruto screams. Screams because they put him on a team with Sasuke, and it's less about Sasuke and more about the fact that they think that they can control Kurama that way. He screams because the council hates him, and Shikamaru's dad looks at him like he's an explosive tag about to go off these days. He screams because he's a ninja now, and holy shit. He screams about the incident, and about everything, and just--

"Sleep? Who needs sleep?" Kurama grumbles in the back of his mind as Naruto angrily kicks his feet, still shrieking at the absolute top of his lungs. "My life is a fucking nightmare."

Yeah, well. He can join the club. At least Kurama's first kiss hadn't been Sasuke Uchiha of all people. How're they supposed to be sworn rivals after that? Naruto just wants to crawl into a hole and never come back out.

The session is just about halfway over when Naruto finally stops, feeling oddly freed of his burdens. Ayumu makes a considering hum, clicking the stopwatch and writing something down. If Naruto didn't know any better, he'd say the man looked almost impressed. Naruto flops over onto his back, staring at the ceiling blandly.

This was his life now. As though it hadn't been absurd enough before. Maybe it was his fault for wishfully assuming it would probably level out into some semblance of ninja normalcy. Naruto and the idea of normal had never coexisted, and now he was starting to see that they likely never would. 

Ayumu didn't speak for a moment. The scratch of his pen flying across his clipboard was familiar and cathartic. Naruto sunk into the sound, listening to the wind rustling the leaves outside. Ugh. Things would be totally fine, right? He could (hopefully?) do this. Naruto could do anything he set his mind to.

"...Kashi said he was late because he had an extra therapy session with you." Naruto noted after another beat of neither of them speaking. He rolled his head to the side to peer at the Yamanaka man. His hair was up in a bun today instead of a ponytail, and it made him look younger. "Was he lying?"

"Patient confidentially law states that I'm unable to discuss the details of another patient's sessions with you." Ayumu responded automatically before he stopped, considering. He pursed his lips. "But yes. Yes, he did. And he spent half of it crying."

Naruto nodded, feeling infinitely lighter. Hearing that was all the therapy he needed.

~~~~~~~ 

Shikamaru's genin team was decided before he was even born. He always knew exactly who he was going to end up fighting alongside most closely, and Naruto was sort of envious of that. At least he had forewarning. This? This was sprung on him out of literally nowhere.

Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought he'd get put on a team with Sasuke. It's not even that he hates Sasuke. Sure, they don't get along even on their best days, but that's just the way they've always been. They take potshots at one another like it's going out of style. Naruto gives as good as he gets, and they fight like a couple of stray cats-- it's just how things are.

Naruto has no idea how they're going to work together functionally without butting heads every two seconds. He knows that they have no choice but to, and it's driving him up the wall. Ayumu says that acceptance is the first step, but Naruto has always been stubborn as a mule. He can't help but internally resist. 

He laments over his bad luck from the dining room table, shoveling ramen into his mouth. His mom sits across from him, patting the back of Naruto's crying father. He'd collapsed into his chair like a puppet with his strings cut the moment he walked in and saw Naruto dressed and ready for the day, headband shining on his forehead.

"H-He's just grown up so fast." Minato practically wails, face buried in his arms. Kushina hums, still half-focused on her own bowl of ramen. "He's a shinobi now! A-And he had his first kiss!"

Naruto hesitates to actually call it a kiss. More of an accidental mashing of lips. He's already long since cleansed his body of the travesty with ramen, an entire glass of lemon juice, and a shower so hot it nearly boiled his skin right off the bone. He has let go, because he will go insane if he doesn't. 

"Yeah. Time flies." His mom let out an overexaggerated, wistful sigh. "Next thing you know he'll be getting married."

His dad let out another sob, heavy and choked. Naruto shoved some more ramen in his mouth, sharing a look with his mom. His dad had been like this since waking up, and it only seemed to be getting worse. It had been... a longer than usual morning. Kurama growled irritably in the back of Naruto's mind, evidently not happy with his sleep being interrupted.

Naruto shrugged and went back to his food. The sun was already high in the sky, long since having risen above the horizon to take its place amongst the lazily drifting clouds. Naruto watched them go by, feeling strangely more subdued. He'd had trouble getting to bed last night, so that could be a part of it.

He could do this. As he'd said before, Naruto could do anything he put his mind to. People learned, and they grew, and they changed. Maybe Sasuke would change to be... cooler than he was. Cool like his brother, Itachi. Those genetics were in there somewhere, weren't they?

Ugh. No, it was a pipe dream. Itachi and Sasuke couldn't possibly be more different from one another. For one thing, Itachi was seemingly born cool. For another, he also wasn't a raging dick that told Naruto his hair made him look like an undercooked tater tot. Naruto knows life is supposed to have its fair share of trials to overcome, but this one is testing him.

"M-Marriage." His dad sounded scarily close to passing out. Naruto slurped up some more broth, morbidly interested in the way his face seemed to be changing colors. Blue, purple, red. He looked like he was about to be sick. "T-To Sasuke?"

Yeah. Yeah, he'd be horrified too. Absolutely not.

The sound of nails on hardwood sounded from down the hallway before Naruto could claim his intent to sooner die than get married to Sasuke, or really to anyone at all at this point. Again, he's not allowed to date until he's thirty anyway. Marriage is a really big leap. Off a cliff. Into an icy ravine.

Naruto twisted around as Kashi sleepily stumbled his way into the room. The masked man froze as soon as his eyes landed on him. He stood, watching blandly as the dogs all swarmed Naruto for love and attention. He blinked slowly, gaze ticking over to the clock they had hanging in the kitchen.

The mask hid his frown, but Naruto knew it was still there. He raised an unimpressed eyebrow in return.

"You're eating breakfast." Kashi pointed out. How smart and observant of him! Naruto never would've known if he hadn't said anything! "And it's eight o'clock."

"You're just waking up." Naruto pointed out back. "And it's eight o'clock."

And yeah. There really wasn't much he could say to argue with that, was there?

~~~~

Naruto had thought the fight of his life was when he almost had his foot entirely chopped off that one time, but no. No, getting Kakashi out the door trumps even that.

It's literally the hardest thing he's ever had to do. When he says words were said and feelings were hurt, he means it. Kashi may very well need to go back to weekly therapy sessions after this. Hell, Naruto might need a couple extra tacked onto his usual ones too.

Even despite the struggle, it's a little reassuring to see that Kashi is clearly just as reluctant as he is, probably even more so. He sees the situation for the clusterfuck it is and knows that whatever happens, new scars will be obtained no matter what they do. At least they're suffering together. That's two out of four people on their team resonating-- they're already halfway there!

The only word that can be used to fully describe Sakura's expression when Naruto finally manages to wrangle Kashi to the training grounds is absolute fury. Naruto's not sure he's ever seen anyone as royally pissed as Sakura clearly is, and that's saying a lot when you consider who his mother is and what she's named for.

Sasuke just stares at them, seeming unamused. At least he doesn't look like a possum trying to play dead like he did the other day.

"Before you scream at me, know that I fought for this." Naruto hastily shoved Kashi out in front of him. He wasn't sure if he was using him as a human shield or if he was presenting him as an offering. Maybe it was both. "Look! I got him here. I dragged him halfway across the village and I got him to actually show up."

If they knew Kashi at all, they'd know this was a big deal. That he could've kept them waiting upwards of five hours instead of just three. Sasuke probably knew to an extent, learning vicariously through his brother and cousin who had to have complained about Kakashi's lack of punctuality at some point in their time working with him.

Sakura, though, had no real point of reference. All she knew about Kakashi was that he sometimes sat in their academy classroom watching them like a creeper. Naruto living with him was basically just guilt by association in her eyes. Fuck, Naruto should've just left the masked man behind and pretended he overslept by mistake instead of showing up with the most incriminating evidence he ever could've produced.

"You're LATE!" Sakura's voice was so shrill and loud it scattered birds from the trees. Naruto winced from his place behind Kakashi, who twitched like he was viscerally resisting the urge to run away. "Where have the two of you been?! It's been hours! You said six AM sharp!" 

Naruto slowly released Kakashi, inching out from behind him and hopefully out of the line of fire. He could feel Kurama stirring irritably in his stomach, his frustration settling under the surface of Naruto's own emotions. First his dad crying, then him and Kakashi almost killing each other on their way out the door, now Sakura doing her best impression of a banshee.

Sasuke eyed him dubiously as he gradually slid his way over, and he looked a bit constipated. Naruto gave him a look back. Were they commiserating right now? Maybe this is the first step towards true teamwork. There are two evils, and this is the lesser one.

"Well!" Kakashi chirped out. And then he stopped, because he had no idea what to say. It took him a solid five seconds to come up with something on the spot. He snapped his fingers as it came to him. "I told you to come at six in the morning! I never said when I'd be here!" 

He sounded so enthusiastic, offering a closed-eye smile. Naruto immediately knew it had been misstep. Even Sasuke winced this time. Was Sakura's incandescent anger going to be the thing that brought them together? Naruto had no idea how to feel about that, actually. Was it a good thing or just super depressing?

Sakura's face slowly got redder and redder. Naruto brought his hands up to his ears and braced.

~~~~ 

Bad news, team. Sakura's incandescent anger did not, in fact, bring them together. The moment Kashi took those bells out of his pocket, it was every man for himself.

Naruto had never been explicitly told about the point of the bell test, but it didn't take a genius to figure it out either. If his dad had given the exact same test and all three of his genin they had still passed, that meant the obvious point of the exercise was to get them to work together. Naruto had never seen a team with just two genin and a jonin sensei before.

The bells were just a ploy to pit them against one another. As much confidence as Naruto had in himself, he also lived with Kashi and knew him well. He'd have to be a moron to think he could go up against him alone and come out the other side with the bells. And even if he could, the point stood that they'd (probably?) still fail if they didn't accomplish the true point of the test.

"You sounded... almost smart, kit." Kurama sounded flabbergasted and maybe even a bit apprehensive. He was notably less grumpy now that it was just them and the trees, no screaming or crying to be heard. "You are running a little warm. You've never gotten sick before, but--"

"Why's everyone assume something's wrong with me as soon as I say something that makes sense?" Naruto whined as he fought his way through the brush, following his nose towards Sakura's flowery perfume. His sense of smell had always been better than most, but releasing Kurama from his seal had only seemed to make it all the stronger. "Besides, Kashi told me all about his time training under my dad after--"

Well. After Shikamaru and Naruto came across the photo of Obito.

It wasn't something that had been brought up in a long time, and even if it was, the general consensus reached was that there was simply an Uchiha from his branch out there wreaking havoc. They insisted it had to be someone else-- that Obito was dead and gone for certain-- but Naruto wasn't so sure. Shikamaru and Kurama didn't seem to be either.

There was no use dwelling on that right now, though. Point is, Kashi had given him all the details of his past teammates. Apparently, he hadn't been very happy about having to do the bell test with his newly assigned teammates, having graduated early and having had Naruto's dad all to himself for a fair amount of time before.

Young Kakashi sounded like a total dick. Also not the point. Point: it's not super surprising that Naruto was able to deduce what's going on, seeing as he had insider information. Now if he could just convince his new team of that so they didn't all get sent back to the academy for another year of suffering and humiliation...

Iruka-sensei would probably shed genuine tears if they turned back up in his classroom.

"Ah, yes. The Uchiha who kidnapped you." Kurama's tone was sour. "The one they deny could possibly still be alive. As if that pineapple boy did not see him with his own two eyes, and you as well."

"Stop calling Shikamaru that." Naruto half-heartedly jabbed. "He has a name, you know. He uses yours. The least you could do is give him the common courtesy, believe it."

"Why? It's not like he can hear me." Kurama snorted. "Aren't you humans keen to respect your elders? By the standard of your pathetically short lives, it's--"

Sakura's shrill scream of terror cut Kurama off before he could continue, and it sent Naruto jolting forward in a fit of adrenaline. He practically threw himself through the giant pair of unruly hedges in front of him, fully expecting to come upon an incredibly gruesome scene, full with blood, guts, and who knows what else.

He stumbled to a stop, blinking. Kashi, who had porn in one hand and the other planted on his hip, stopped to blink back. He pulled his foot back from where he'd been using it to nudge Sakura's unconscious body on the grassy forest floor. Naruto sighed, shoulders slouching as his heartrate died down.

"Genjutsu?" He asked morosely. Kashi smiled a closed-eye smile. "Man. Why am I even bothering?"

"You have until noon, Naruto. That gives you a whole two hours." Kashi sung. Naruto was going to let Kurama come out and use him as a chew toy. Then there really would be blood, guts, and who knows what else. "Better not to waste them!" 

He jangled the bells at him teasingly before he was vanishing in a puff of smoke. Naruto stared at the place he'd just been with a scrunched nose for a second before allowing himself to look at Sakura, who was laid out face-down and looking a little dead. Immediately, he released a heavy sigh. 

He had his work cut out for him. Only two hours to convince his teammates to rally with him, make a plan, and effectively enact that plan without any of them trying to kill each other. Sakura he felt confident he could get, but Sasuke's favorite hobby was going against anything Naruto said, and vice versa. 

Two hours. Two hours to make this count. Two hours to pass.

Naruto can do this.

~~~~ 

Naruto can not fucking do this.

Sakura reluctantly agreed to come with him, but Naruto suspected it was probably just because she was traumatized from whatever Kakashi had shown her. Pile that on with his promise that they were going to track Sasuke down, she's managed to pull herself up and shaky legs and promise not to run off again.

When he explained it and how he knew, she seemed a bit more inclined to believe him. Naruto was too tired to be offended by her suspicion that he was maybe full of it. Stress was beginning to mount the longer and longer it took to find Sasuke, whose Sharingan gave him the upper hand in terms of speed, stealth, and evasion.

Sakura complaining didn't help either. About how hot it was, and how harsh Kakashi was, and how unprofessional, and about how he "took it too far, showing her that". Naruto's not saying that to be insensitive, but let's just say he's been in one too many near death experiences to sympathize. 

Naruto's nose twitched further, and he veered right. He didn't bother trying to keep quiet. If Kashi wanted to know where they were, he'd know where they were regardless of how quiet they were or weren't trying to be. It was likely he was somewhere in the trees watching, whether it be with his own eye or the eye of a clone. He'd been an ANBU captain for a reason-- his nose and ears weren't something they could evade.

"He's left." Kurama sleepily grumbles. "Go left. Left, you brat."

"He doesn't smell left." Naruto complains, but he changes directions anyway because Kurama probably knows best. Sakura sucks in a sharp breath of air. "His smell is everywhere, though. What'd he do? Rub his sweat on every tree trunk this side of th--"

Naruto's foot hits a rock. The rock makes a sound of protest. Naruto looks down and yeah, never mind. Not a rock.

Sasuke's red glare doesn't look very intimidating, as tied up in ninja wire as he is. Kashi got him good, leaving him with no wiggle room to try and cut himself free or maybe squirm his way out. Shoving his own headband in his mouth to keep him shut up was probably a step too far, but whatever. Sasuke probably did something to deserve it.

Sakura gasps in absolute horror, like this is the worst thing she's ever seen, some heinous crime against humanity. Immediately, she's pulling a kunai out and dropping to her knees to cut him free. Naruto snaps out of his train of thought, reaching out to grab her shoulder before she can.

"Naruto! What are you doing?!" Sakura sounds genuinely confused as he pulls her back. He holds a hand up.

"No, wait. This is perfect! Now he can't run away or tell me to shut up, believe it!" Naruto cried out happily, also dropping down. Sasuke's glare became all the more deadly, though it looked less intimidating as a red flush joined it on Sasuke's cheeks. Good, he should be embarrassed. "Alright, listen. I'm gonna explain this fast, and you're going to listen if you want to pass!"

Sasuke made a muffled sound of what was probably denial. Kashi has no idea the solid he just did Naruto. Or maybe he does? No, that's ridiculous. Kakashi definitely wanted them to fail so he could go back to spending his days reading porn and not having to worry about herding a trio of children who don't get along around.

Sasuke's humiliation is obvious, but Naruto wants him to comply so he doesn't make fun of him for it. Do you know how hard it is to resist saying anything? Naruto and Sasuke's entire way of communicating has been through insults and punching each other since like, the dawn of time. Now that he's actually having to talk to him with socially acceptable words and phrases... ick.

"Can we cut him out now?" Sakura asks anxiously, eyes darting about like she expects Kakashi to leap out of the woodwork and scare them. Which honestly, Naruto wouldn't put it past him. "I think Sasuke-kun gets the point, Naruto."

Naruto, who'd been stumbling over his words in a rush to simply get them out, squinted down at Sasuke consideringly. He wasn't looking at Naruto anymore, instead choosing to stare blandly at the sky. He wasn't thrashing around either like he had been originally. Naruto... had no idea what that meant.

"Is he breathing?" Kurama asked, sounding excited at the prospect that he maybe wasn't. Naruto swallowed a snort.

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Naruto agreed, also shooting a glance back over his shoulder. He could smell Kashi, close but not too close. He gave Sasuke a look as his new teammate blinked back into awareness. "Do not run away. I will literally cut your anchovy tendon."

"Achilles." Kurama corrected.

"Achilles." Sakura corrected.

"Achilles, you idiot." Sasuke bit out as soon as he was able to yank his headband out of his mouth. He still looked a little red in the face, refusing to look at either of them. He scooted further away from Naruto, jaw clenched as he glanced up. "But whatever. You live with the guy. Not that I think working with the likes of you will get us that far."

Naruto is the bigger person here. He is like, the biggest person. He can rise above this. If he doesn't quip back, he's automatically a better person than Sasuke and it's more proof that the Uchiha sucks. They just-- have to pass. If they can pass and secure their place, Naruto can go back to insulting him. 

So instead of sniping back, he takes a deep breath instead and squares his shoulders. He forces the tension out of his body. Kurama snickers as he lets an easy smile fall across his face, determined and bright. Sakura squints in the face of it, and Sasuke is starting to look a bit like a possum trying to play dead again.

"Right! Well! That was insulting and I'm not going to say anything! Believe it!" Naruto clapped his hands together, beaming. "But never mind that! Are you guys ready to get those bells?!"

Sasuke is definitely looking like a possum trying to play dead again, but Sakura smiles back tentatively, his vigor evidently at least a little contagious. Naruto shakes his hands out, steeling himself for the fight ahead. They can do this. Kakashi won't know what hit him!

(Kakashi does know what hit him, actually. After all, you'd have to be an idiot not to know what a fireball is.)


~~~~

Ughhhahdah you can read up to chapter 8 on Patreon's early access the link is in the bio here's a sneak peek of the next chapter: 

"I didn't say I couldn't at all. Believe it." Naruto frowned, reaching up to brush his hands and chakra against it. Neji looked about ready to bite him for daring. "Man, this is super fucked up. You know this is super fucked up, right?"