~Chapter 6~

“Give it up. Not one of the three of you….will ever be a ninja!” Kakashi had a scary glare on his face as I turned my back to them, smoking a….I lost count how many cigarette’s I’ve had by this point.

“What do you mean give up?!” Naruto yelled.

“Give me a break! Okay, so maybe none of us got our hands on one of you guy’s stupid bells….but why the heck should we quit over that?” He continued.

“Because not one of you has what it takes! Especially not that bratty little Uchiha!” I snapped, turning around in annoyance.

I blinked as he rushed up, running towards me as Naruto and Sakura reacted differently.

I smirked, smacking him onto the ground and sat on him, one foot on his head and one arm pulling back one of his behind his back.

“What you are is a trio of spoiled brats….” Kakashi said which a smirk under his mask.

“Don’t step on Sasuke! Get off of him!” Sakura shouted. Both Kakashi and I glared at them.

“Are you trying to make fun of the shinobi with the way you act? Well, are you?” I spat.

“Did you even stop to wonder for a minute….why you were divided into teams?” Kakashi continued.

“Uh….excuse me?” Sakura asked in confusion. My eye twitched.

“Obviously not. So you missed the entire point of the exercise.” Kakashi sighed as I pushed my foot down on the Uchiha’s head.

“It had a point….?!” Naruto asked in confusion.

“Of course. And that point determines whether or not you would succeed.”

“But….you haven’t explained what it is!”  I’m going to have a lot of eye twitches with Sakura around….

I sighed as Kakashi just stared at them. “……..I don’t believe this.”

“Aw, come on, already! Tell us!!!” Naruto shouted impatiently.

“It’s….teamwork.” Kakashi glared at them once more. Huh. He can be scary.

Sasuke jerked under me in surprise while Sakura and Naruto got shocked looks.

“If the three of you had come at me….together you might have been able to take the bells.”

“If we were expected to function as a team, why did you only have two bells? And say to go after you instead of also going after Hokori-sensei?! Even if we’d worked together to go after you, one of us still would have no bell! You’re preaching teamwork, but you played us against each other.”

“I warned you Hokori was stronger than me, did I not? If you couldn’t even get a bell from me, how do you expect to get one from her? Anyway, this task was designed to cause dissension in your ranks.” Kakashi carried on as the Genin stared at me warily. Except Sasuke. He was gritting his teeth in anger.

“The situation was set up to reveal which of you….would set aside you individual interests….and propose to the others that you work together for the good of all,” Kakashi said, “Instead of which….you, Sakura, ignored Naruto, who was right in front of you….while you focused your attention on Sasuke, though you didn’t know where he was. Naruto tried to do single-handedly what should have been the work of all three! And Sasuke had already decided that the other two just got in his way….that he was better off playing solo and went after the stronger of the senseis.”

I stuffed the Uchiha’s face in the dirt as he growled.

“You are a team! Learn to act as one! Yes, it’s necessary for ninja to have individual skills, but….what is even more important now is teamwork!”

Making a play as an individual is bad for the team and exposes your comrades to unnecessary danger. You might as well kill them yourself. Here’s an example.” Kakashi pointed for me to lead as I wiped out my sword, putting it next to the Uchiha’s neck.

“Sakura. Kill Naruto or Sasuke dies.” I ordered with a smirk, my blade itching to slice the little boy’s skin.

“What!!?” Naruto shouted looking around in horror as Sakura looked terrified.

“The day could come…when one of you may be taken hostage, and you’re forced to make such a choice. When you are on a mission, your lives will always be on the line.” Kakashi said, motioning me to get off the Duck-butt Uchiha. I scowled, stepped off him and put my sword away as Spoon headed for the KIA stone.

Sasuke sat up, wiping his mouth and glaring at me before I appeared next to Kakashi and looked down at the stone with a frown.

“Look at the marker….all the names carved in the stone. Heroes of our village. Ninja.” Kakashi said as I focused on almost all of my clan’s names.

“That’s it! I just made up my mind!” Naruto shouted in excitement, “There’s where I want my name to go! I’m not gonna throw my life away! I want to be like them-a hero!” I glanced back at him with a scowl as Kakashi spoke, clearing his throat.

“But the ones listed there aren’t just any heroes….”

“Really? What kind of heroes are they?” Kakashi and I glanced at each other before he sighed.

“Come on! Come on!”

“The dead kind. They died in the line of duty.” You look pretty miffed now, don’t yeah, Naruto?

“This is a memorial. It includes the names of my best friends….and….” He glanced over at me and I glanced back at them.

“And my entire clan.”

They all looked shocked, staring at us.

“Pay attention….! I’m giving you all one last chance. One that will be far more difficult than our last little game with the bells. If you’re prepared to continue, you may eat one of the bento boxes. But no sharing with Naruto. He goes hungry.”

“Why?”

“He brought it on himself when he tried to sneak lunch for himself. If either of you feeds him, you fail the test right there. My word is law. Do you understand?” He glanced at me and I nodded, jumping away.

Both Kakashi and I leaned against a tree as they chatted away. He glanced over at me and I raised an eyebrow, holding up a small canteen. He raised an eyebrow, holding out his hand and I tossed him it. He opened it, sniffing then smirked at me.

“Sake?”

“Maybe….” I drawled as he took a sip before lightning clouds summoned and scaring the shit out of the Genin. He tossed me back the alcohol while he went to announce they passed. Hm….sake….

I gulped down the rest of it before throwing a kunai which cut Naruto’s ropes since everyone else had already left. When I walked over to him he thanked me, grabbing his bag.

He kinda looked afraid that I was going to do something. I chuckled, putting my hand on his head. He flinched slightly and I just ruffled his hair, smiling.

“Don’t worry kid. You’ll probably be the only student I’ll like.” He grinned, nodding.

“That’s right! Ha! In your face Sasuke-teme. Hokori-sensei likes me and not you.” He mumbled under his breath and I snorted.

“Uchiha’s. Annoying bastards, right?” He nodded as we walked towards the main part of the village.

His stomach growled and we both sweat-dropped. “Alright kid, Ichiraku’s. Now. I’ll pay.”

“You don’t-”

“Walk before I decide to eat without you.” I told him, walking ahead. He grinned and caught up with me quickly.

“Hey….you haven’t smoked in a while.” Naruto pointed out as I slurped down a third bowl. Naruto was on his seventh.

“You don’t annoy me.” I stated, then motioned for another bowl as I finished.

“I….don’t? That’s new….”

“Kid. Everyone always gives you a hateful look, right? The villagers?” He nodded, a sad look in his eye.

“Because I’m the fox.” He spat and I grinned.

“You’re a cute little Foxy.” I teased, ruffling his hair again and he blushed, looking up at me as I thanked the man who handed me another bowl and started eating quickly.

“You….don’t….”

“Mind? Nope. I think it’s cool. I mean, you could end up more powerful from me even with my eye.” I mused.

“You’re eye?”

I gave my eye patch a tap. “Let’s just say….this baby get’s me way up on the strength and skill level. All of the Uchiha’s couldn’t even beat me if they were alive.” I smirked as he laughed.

“You really don’t like them, do you?”

“Nope.”

“Where’ve you been?” Kakashi questioned as I walked to the door of the building they were staying at in the Land of Waves.

Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto and the three from the family they were staying with jumped in surprise.

“Sorry. Hehe. After the Demon brothers came I kinda got kidnapped.” I chuckled lightly, scratching my neck as they all sweat-dropped.

Naruto had somehow convinced old man Hokage to let us on this C-rank and I’m beginning to believe it isn’t.

I sighed, staring down at the Demon Brothers that we had tied to a tree then my head snapped up, hearing something. I glanced over at Kakashi. “I’ll be back.”

He nodded and I disappeared into the forest before any of the Genin could speak. Then I blacked out from a Genjutsu.

“It’s that easy to knock you out?” Kakashi questioned and I sent a glare his way.

“No! I woke up in five minutes and then killed the people attacking me. It was quite a while before I actually got rid of all them though.” I grumbled, leaning against the doorframe with my body still outside.

“Oh! Do come in. I’m Tsunami, Tazuna’s daughter. This is my son Inari.” A black haired woman pointed at a little boy with a hat covering his head and I nodded.

“Nice to meet you. Though you probably don’t want me to come in.”

“Why?”

“Hokori, why are you hiding your arm?”

“Oh you know,” I pulled it from behind my back and all their eyes widened as blood gushed from it, “It’s just a little blood. Don’t want it staining anything, you know.” I smiled before scowling, looking at the my arm. Stupid person had been able to swipe the sword completely down it.

I sighed, turning around and waved over my shoulder. “I’ll be back.”

“Wait! Hokori-sensei!” Sakura cried as I disappeared, walking into the woods again.

-Kakashi’s POV-

I’ve been worried since Hokori left but with that blood flow….I should probably go help. I suddenly froze as I felt a huge blast of chakra in the direction Hokori had headed. It disappeared after a second and she came back, wiping the blood off her shirt with her arm completely healed.

“Always hate doing that….” I heard her mutter to herself as we all stared at her wide-eyed.

She looked up at us with a frown, raising an eyebrow.

“What?”

“You….you just….” Tazuna trailed off and she tilted her head.

“Was bleeding so much I should probably be dead?” He nodded and she smirked.

“I’m a ninja. Miracles can happen.” She grinned then walked in after taking off her shoes, patting Naruto’s head as he frowned at her. She always seems to care for Naruto....but not the others. I wonder how she would have been in that fight with Zabuza.

“Anyway, is there a place I can crash? All I’ve ate is….well, nothing and all I had was my vodka.” I sweat-dropped. She drinks about as much as Tazuna….

At that moment she pulled out a canteen and drunk some.

Scratch that. Probably more than Tazuna.

Tsunami lead her away after giving her some of the leftover dinner we had eaten half an hour ago.

“Kakashi-sensei? We saw what you keep your eye hidden for when you fought Zabuza, but, what does Hokori-sensei have under her eye patch?” Sakura asked curiously as the boys listened in. I froze, my mind flashing back to before I got my Sharingan. The acrid smell of burning bodies, the blood red eye and tattoos….

I glanced over at my students carefully before shrugging. “Hokori can tell you.”

-Hokori’s POV-

Hm….nice save Kakashi.

I had thanked Tsunami and was about to fall asleep as I listened to my team complain about no knowledge.

But wait….Zabuza? He….

I shot up, walking out into the hall and paused as I saw Kakashi come down the hall. My eye narrowed and he raised an eyebrow at me.

“You fought against Zabuza while I was….away?” I questioned and he nodded. My eye twitched and I started gnawing on my nails as I headed back into the room I was previously in.

Kakashi peered his head in with a raised eyebrow. “Hokori? Are you alright?”

“What? Oh yeah, sure. So how’d that fight turn out?” I questioned, sitting cross-legged as he hobbled in and rested against the wall.

“Well, the reason I’m hobbling around is because I overused my Sharingan. I was about to kill him then this hunter-nin came and took his body away.”

“What was that last part?” My eyes flashed up and he nodded.

“Yeah. He used senbon needles, most likely putting him into a temporary death-like state.” I nodded, scratching the back of my head. My hair was down for once.

“Alright….so….a week? At best?” I questioned, tilting my head. He nodded, starting to head out of the room.

“Oh. And the kids are training to climb trees, by the way.” I grunted to show I heard him then laid down again, my hands behind my head.

Zabuza, huh….?

My thoughts were interrupted as Sakura suddenly came in. She paused, blinking at me. I nodded to her, glanced up at the ceiling with my eye patch still on.

“Um….Hokori-sensei?” Sakura asked hesitantly after she had gotten ready for bed. I was wondering why there was another bed set up.

“Yeah?”

“If you don’t mind my asking….what’s under your eye patch? And….how’d you heal so quickly?”

“That….is a secret. If I told you, you’d probably puke or something. Well, if I told you what happened to my eye, anyway. Let’s just say….it could probably save anybody’s lives. Oh, and my arm? That was nothing. Once got stabbed repeatedly in the lungs and almost died. I healed though.” I smirked, yawning after a moment.

“One more question….” She said after a moment of her looking at me.

“Hm?” I mumbled, rolling over.

“Do you hate me and Sasuke-kun?”

I froze. My eye widening. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you always pay attention to Naruto. You give Sasuke-kun the cold shoulder and….well, you mostly ignore me.”

I shut my eye, rolling back over and opened it half way, gazing at her sadly. “I don’t hate Sasuke. Sure, his attitude pisses me off, but I don’t hate him. I hate every Uchiha out there. Just for being an Uchiha. My clan, Hinome, and the Uchiha’s were enemies,” She blinked in surprise and I continued before she could ask anything, “And as for you….again, your attitude and fan girl ways pisses me off but I don’t hate you. I hate your name.”

“My name?” She wondered. I shut my eyes, turning away again.

“Sakura….that name brings up horrible memories.” I mumbled, going to sleep.

-Sakura’s POV-

I stared over at my sensei’s sleeping form, my eyes wide. She just hates….my name?

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Authors Note

Hehe….any comments on that chapter? ^^

P.S. I don't know when I'll upload next considering I got back to school tomorrow -.-'