Mages and ninja - The Story Of Three Legends

Bell test(26)

Sasuke gave a nod, a hint of smirk on his face as he too raised his tanto and then, there was the familiar sound of lightning as it engulfed his sword in a blue-white light.
Naruto raised his own tanto and that was all that they needed as a signal it seemed as they all surged forward as one.
Kakashi said nothing. He spun kunai into his hands, expertly holding off their swift strikes. He kicked Naruto away and grabbed Sasuke's forearm, throwing him away from him and ever aware of the sharp weapons they wielded. He bent back to dodge Zero strike and he met another swipe of Sasuke's tanto with a shower of sparks and a sharp sound.
They continued to fight for a long time, getting lost in the rhythm of battle.
Kakashi made note of their abilities all the while and he concluded, once again, that the Academy graduates were leagues away from the level of their peers. The sheer tenacity that they came at him was admirable and so was the burning determination in their eyes. What struck him the most however, was the way that they moved around each other, the way they seemed to communicate with the bare minimum of words and glances. It spoke much of their comradery and friendship and it hinted at him that they have known each other for a long time.
Not only that, the skills that they displayed was short of astounding and he wondered how it was they gained such prowess. They all practiced Kenjutsu that spoke of time and effort. Their taijutsu was nearly seamless and it was clear that they've long drifted from the basic Academy Taijutsu Style. Their speed, strength, endurance was also very much above average as most Genin would have given up by now or would have failed for their selfishness and sheer lack of cooperation and teamwork. They've also dived into Ninjutsu and he wondered if they had received training for that as well. It was slightly worrying considering that there was a certain danger that accompanied Ninjutsu. He had yet to see them use Genjutsu but he was sure that the ones with the most potential would be either Zero or Sasuke. Naruto had too large of a reserve but the control that he displayed was for a lack of a better word, impressive.
Sasuke leaped away from the Jounin, watching as Zero moved swiftly in conjunction with Naruto, hands blurring through seals as he breathed in deeply.
Naruto glanced at him briefly and a sharp smirk crossed his face. "Zero." He called out and Zero nodded without even turning towards him. He leaped away from them and he came up to Sasuke's side, his own hands forming seals.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" [Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu]
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" [Fuuton: Daitoppa]
Sasuke breathed out a ball of fire, its flames scorching as it grew in size and even more so when Naruto's great gust of wind rushed forward. The fireball grew substantially, glowing a bright red of destructive power and neither was in the least worried for their teammate or sensei.
Zero was too good of a fighter to get caught by something like this and she already knew them well enough to know what they were planning. As for Kakashi, the man was a Jounin. Enough said.
Their thoughts were proved correct when Zero joined them. Idly, Naruto slapped a seal on the ground a barrier flickered to light, colored a deep blue that edged on violet.
"Barrier?" Sasuke commented.
Naruto nodded as he hunched forward slightly. "Yeah. It's a seal on the works, you know?"
Both Sasuke and Zero nodded.
"Mn." Zero hummed in appreciation as she saw the foreball surge forward with great speed despite its size. "It's amazing Naruto. You've really taken to Fuinjutsu nicely." She praised, smiling as she saw Naruto murmur his thanks.
They all stared as the large fireball engulfed the training grounds in fire and as there was yet another explosion. The heat that radiated was immense but they stood unfazed and later still as there was a large torrent of water. There was a great billow of steam that burst forward, briefly obscuring all view but it was carried away from the wind, unanchored by the aid of chakra.
Kakashi stood before them, staring at them with a single eye. He glanced at the large amount of uprooted earth, twisted and broken trees, the puddles of water and to the remnants of flickering embers. The training ground hardly looked the way it had before. It seemed that it had been reshaped by the onslaught of attacks.
The bells were still on his person by his side but Kakashi was hardly concerned about that as he watched the three graduates tense and slide into a fighting stance. They were intending to continue but it was then that there was a loud and shrill sound, bringing them all out of the frenzy they had been pulled in.
Zero blinked, turning to where the clock lay. "Was that... the alarm?"
Naruto frowned, eyebrows furrowing as he muttered. "Damn it."
"Don't worry about that." He said, his mind briefly flashing the image of his own team, so young yet one of the biggest failures in his life. He shook his head slightly, eyes lowered slightly as he took in the three before him, standing so determinedly and passionate.
"Our time is up." Sasuke said, a frown on his face. He was displeased, as were Zero and Naruto. They wanted to get the bells but they had been so involved in the battle that it seemed to have slipped their minds. A mistake they weren't likely to repeat. "And we didn't manage to get the bells."
"That won't be a concern." Kakashi put away his kunai, standing straight and gaze sharp. "I've already made my decision." Kakashi sighed, eyes closing briefly as he contemplated their shared words on the Academy rooftop.
Zero, Naruto and Sasuke tensed in anticipation and part nerves.
"You all pass." Kakashi said.
At his words, the trio gave a silent sigh of release, tension lessening to make room for elation and satisfaction.
"We... pass?" Naruto said, trying to confirm.
Kakashi nodded, "You all pass. It seemed you found the purpose of this exercise."
"Teamwork." Zero put in.
"We figured it out." Sasuke said coolly. "There is no such thing as two man cells, only three. The bells were a test and a tool to pit us against each other. If we had gotten the bells, only two of us would have passed."
"That would have led to group conflict." Zero said softly, brushing her hair away with a hand. "But we didn't care about that. As we said before, we pass or fail together. Our squad comes first."
"You're a sharp group." Kakashi said, "I'll give you that. You're all nothing like I expected but I'm coming to believe that was on purpose." He lifted an eyebrow as they all merely stared at him serenely but there was a certain sense of satisfaction drifting form them. "A ninja must see through deception. In the shinobi world, those who break the rules are scum but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."
Zero nodded in agreement, as did Naruto. She smiled fondly, her mind drifting towards a life already lived, of a guild filled with unbreakable bonds. Those words couldn't be truer Kakashi-sensei, she thought. Maybe we'll get along with Kakashi-sensei better than we thought...
"Meet me here tomorrow." Kakashi informed. "We'll have our first mission tomorrow." With that said, Kakashi disappeared in a flurry of leaves.
The trio stood still for a moment before they all collectively gave a sigh of relief.
"That was..." Naruto started. "We're a team now."
"We passed." Zero murmured, "We're a step closer to our goal."
Sasuke nodded in agreement but earlier events flashed through his mind and he hesitated."Zero...what you said earlier..."
Zero blinked and she tensed slightly but she gave a heavy sigh. "I haven't forgotten." She took one last glance around the clearing before facing her teammates. "Let's go to our usual grounds... we'll have more privacy there."
Naruto frowned and he said nothing. He slid his hand into Zero in an easy motion and he merely shrugged when Zero glanced at him curiously.
Sasuke did the same with her free hand. "Let's go then." His hand squeezed Zero, a wordless reassurance.
Zero stood still for a moment and then, a smile bloomed on her face. "Right." She murmured, her grip tightening around their own hands. "Right." She repeated, stronger this time as she led them to the Forest of Death