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『 𝐂 𝐇 𝐀 𝐏 𝐓 𝐄 𝐑 𝟐 』
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━『 icebreaker & survival exercise 』
"First things first, let's break the ice with some introductions," our new sensei declares.
"Introductions? What are we supposed to say?" Sakura wonders aloud, mirroring my own uncertainty.
"Feel free to share your likes, dislikes, future dreams, hobbies – you know, the basics," Sensei suggests, nonchalantly shrugging.
"Wait up! Before we spill our life stories, how about you give us a sneak peek into yours?" Naruto interjects, his curiosity evident. I respond by curling up, drawing my knees closer to my chest and resting my chin on them, awaiting Sensei's response.
"Me?" he says, pointing to himself with a casual flick of his thumb. "I'm Kakashi Hatake. Likes and dislikes? Well, I haven't really dwelled on those. Future dreams? Not really my thing. Hobbies? I've got a few," he adds with an air of mystery.
"In the end, all we know is his name," Naruto and I mumble in agreement.
"Alright, enough about me. Next is you guys," Kakashi-Sensei declares, extending his open palms in our direction. He folds his arms, a silent prompt for us to take the stage. "Let's start with you."
"My name's Uzumaki Naruto! I like instant ramen, but what I like even more is the ramen from Ichiraku that Iruka-Sensei treats me to. What I dislike is the three minutes after pouring hot water in the instant ramen. My hobby is eating and comparing ramen! And my future dream is to surpass the Hokage. And so, I'm going to get the entire village to acknowledge my existence!"
"Okay, next."
"I'm Haruno Sakura. What I like... I mean, who I like is.... And my hobby is, I mean...My future dream is..."
Sakura's likes revolve around Sasuke, her hobby? Oh, that's easy – it's stalking Sasuke. And as for her future dream, it's crystal clear – She wants to marry Sasuke. I can't help but roll my eyes at the sheer love-struck nature of her response. Honestly, there's nothing extraordinary about my brother. If anything, he's just your average guy.
Sensei raises an eyebrow, a sweatdrop appearing on his face. "And what about your dislikes?" he prods.
Without a moment's hesitation, Sakura fires back, "Naruto!" Her response makes me frown at the sheer bluntness of it. It seems everyone's a bit harsh on him.
"Next," Kakashi-Sensei says with a sigh.
"My name's Uchiha Misaki. I like a lot of things but, I hate when people are mean to people for no particular reason, I'd also hate if I were to turn on someone I love, to hurt them-" I say side-eyeing Sakura making her pout and look away "-My hobbies are mostly training and cooking. Oh! I also like reading. My future dream is to prove someone wrong and to be somebody who is strong."
"Okay, and lastly."
"My name's... Uchiha Sasuke. There are plenty of things that I hate, But I don't see that it matters, considering that there is almost nothing I do like. It seems to be pointless to talk about 'Dreams'... That's just a word... But what I do have is determination. I plan to restore my clan. And there's someone I have sworn to kill."
I can't help but roll my eyes internally at his brooding demeanor. On a more mundane note, something my brother despises is sweets, and oddly enough, he's quite fond of tomatoes.
"Good! The four of you are quite distinctive and interesting. We'll have a mission tomorrow!"
"Yes, sir! What kind of mission?" Naruto bursts out with enthusiasm.
"First, let's see what we can do with just five people," Kakashi-Sensei responds.
"What, what, what?!" Naruto exclaims, his excitement turning into a restless display as he taps his feet on the pavement. I can't help but smile at the sight of the energetic boy.
"A survival exercise," Kakashi states.
"Survival exercise?" Naruto responds, a clear hint of confusion in his voice.
"An exercise? Even though this is supposed to be a mission? We've had more than our share of exercises in the Academy!" Sakura exclaims.
Sensei chuckles, "This is no simple exercise."
Naruto looks intrigued, "Then... what kind of exercise is it?"
A chuckle leaves our teacher's mouth and the unexpected action makes all of us suspicious. "What's so funny, Sensei?" I ask.
"Oh, nothing. It's just that... if I told you, you'd chicken out," Kakashi teases.
"Chicken out? Why?" Naruto responds, his confusion mirrored on all our faces before Kakashi-Sensei continues.
"Out of the twenty-eight members of the graduating class, only nine will actually be accepted as junior-level shinobi. The other eighteen go back for more training. The test usually has a sixty-six percent pass rate, but because there are four of you, the rate is now seventy-five percent."
A laugh escapes from Kakashi's mouth. "See? You're chickening out already!"
"That sucks! We've been through it all! What about our graduation test?!" Naruto exclaims.
"Oh, we wanted to eliminate all the hopeless cases from your ranks. The ones who are left are the only students who show true potential," Kakashi explains.
Naruto's jaw drops. "Say what!"
"Well, that's the way it is. I'll be determining whether you pass or fail. Bring your complete set of ninja tools. We meet at five in the morning," Kakashi says, pushing himself off the fence. "Oh, and you best skip breakfast. You'll throw up," he adds with a casual yet ominous tone.
━
"Did you guys really skip out on breakfast?" Sakura mumbles, her stomach audibly grumbling with hunger.
Naruto groans in pain, "Yeah." Sasuke lets out his classic, "Hn."
"What about you, Misaki? You're the only one that doesn't look in pain," Sakura asks me.
"I would rather throw up than fight hungry, and I kind of figured that Kakashi-Sensei was the type to make us wait," I reply, lying down on the grass beneath us, attempting to ease the discomfort of an empty stomach. "Although, I didn't think he'd make us wait this long. I'm now starving."
"Good morning, class!" Kakashi waves to us.
"You're late!!" Naruto, Sakura and I yell in unison at him.
"Well, a black cat crossed my path, you see. Ahem! Oh well... Anyways, I've set this alarm to go off at noon."
We all stand before him confused as he pulls out three bells with a hand propped up on his hip. "Your mission is to take these bells from me before the alarm goes off. Anyone who fails doesn't get any lunch. Instead, you will get ties to that tree stump, so I can eat your lunch in front of you."
That's why he wanted us not to eat breakfast. We already had to wait a good six hours for him to just show up, and now we had to engage in fighting on an empty stomach. The three bells clicked together in the wind as we awaited someone to start talking.
"But wait, why are there only two bells?" Sakura questions, and I'm wondering the same thing. I had never seen a genin team with only two students and one Sensei; it's always been three students.
"There are only two, so at the very least, one will have to go to the logs and in our case, the other will get a similar punishment. That person will be disqualified for failing the mission and will return to the academy. It might be one person at the very least, or it could be all four of you. You may if you choose, use shuriken. You won't be able to take the bells unless you come with the intent to kill me."
"But, that's dangerous, Sensei!" Sakura protests.
"He's an elite shinobi, Sakura," I say. "He'll be fine."
"You couldn't even dodge an eraser!" Naruto exclaims folding his hands behind his head as he lets out a giggle. "He's gonna get himself killed."
"Only the weak speak loudly. Why must you talk so big? Now, let's forget the dunce, and we'll start on my signal."
Naruto seemed to completely disregard the 'we'll start on my signal' part, as he already had a kunai out and pounced at Kakashi. The three of us were left in shock—not at Naruto's actions, but at the lightning speed with which Kakashi-Sensei moved. He effortlessly grabbed Naruto's arm and secured the back of his head, immobilising him before he could make a move.
"Not so fast. I didn't say go yet. But at least you struck with the intent to kill. So it seems you've begun to respect me," He says with a laugh slipping out his mouth with a masked smile. "Just maybe... I'm starting to like you four. And now... Ready... Steady...Go!"
"I think we should work as a team for this," I trailed off, only to notice that the three of them had already darted into the bushes, attempting to find cover to sneak up on Kakashi.
My shoulders slumped. Do they not see what Kakashi-Sensei wants us to do? If only Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto had been more observant, they would have noticed that Genin teams typically consist of four members, while ours has five.
"Are you going to try to come at me first?" Kakashi questions.
"No," I mumble. "I could probably attempt to take a bell, but even if I succeed, you wouldn't pass me."
"You're a sharp one," He says loud enough so only I could hear. "You're the only one going to pass this if they don't recognise what's happening."
"Wait, what?" I reply confused.
"Yeah," He says pulling out a book. "Sit down for all I care."
"Really?!"
"Sure," He says with a closed eye smile.
━
In the end, all that remained was myself, still leaning against the wooden post, followed by Sakura and Sasuke, both visibly slumped at the outcome of this survival exercise. This left Naruto tied up to the wooden post.
"By the way, about this exercise. Well! There's no need for you guys to go back to the Academy," Kakashi announces. Naruto's excitement is evident, while Sakura, who was unconscious for a part of the exercise, looks clearly confused.
"Yes! You all fail!" Kakashi declares before adding with a closed-eyed smile. "Apart from Misaki."
"We have to quit being ninja?! What do you mean?! And why only Misaki?! Well, it's true, we weren't able to take the bells. But why do we have to be told to quit!!" Naruto exclaims, attempting to wiggle himself out of the restraints.
"That's because you're all squirts who don't have the qualifications to become Ninja," Kakashi replies, and this causes Sasuke to become furious, launching himself at Kakashi-Sensei.
"Sasuke!" I yell out, but he doesn't listen to my shout and continues heading toward Kakashi in an attempt to strike him. In an instant, Kakashi pins Sasuke to the floor, sitting on his back to keep him down and placing a foot on his head, restraining his arm effortlessly.
My eyes widen at the sight, and Sakura begins to grow angry, causing me to slowly look over at her in confusion. This girl is down badly.
"Why do you think you're doing this exercise in teams? Only Misaki realized that, that's why I am passing her. It's as if you guys have no understanding of the answer to this test."
"Answer?" Naruto replies, sweat dripping down his forehead, indicating his earnest attempt to figure out what it could be. The sight makes me smile at how hard he's trying.
"Yes. The answer that determines passing or failing this test," Kakashi trails off, and Sakura and Naruto reply with answers that aren't even close.
I let out an audible sigh, causing them to look over at me since I hadn't spoken much. "Teamwork," I tell them. "Why else were we placed in a squad? Have any of you idiots seen a team with only three members?"
Kakashi praises, "Misaki figured it out instantly. That's why I had her sit out for the whole exercise because I knew that none of you would have realized it. You might have been able to take the bells if you had come as a team... Well, it's too bad."
"Why use teamwork if there were only two bells?"
"It's to show that we still work together, even under dire circumstances," I reply to Sakura, and Kakashi nods in agreement.
"Sakura! Kill Naruto, or else Sasuke dies, and if you don't, then Misaki has to kill herself!" Kakashi sternly says, placing a kunai against Sasuke's neck, and all of us start to worry. Why do I have to be chosen to end my own life? "I'll give you guys one last chance! However, after noon, it'll be a harsher battle to take the bells. Those who want to take on the challenge can eat lunch. However, don't let Naruto have any. It's punishment for breaking the rules and attempting to eat lunch on your own."
Kakashi begins to walk away before turning around to speak to us once more, "That person who feeds Naruto will be disqualified on the spot." At Kakashi's statement, Naruto's jaw drops dramatically.
As we were all enjoying the bento that Kakashi gave us, Naruto's stomach was audibly grumbling, evoking a sense of sympathy within me. I sighed and held out some rice on my chopsticks, urging him to eat, accompanied by a soft smile on my face.
"Misaki!" Naruto exclaims, his eyes sparkling. "Really?!"
I tilted my head slightly and nodded, "Of course."
"I love it when you feed me," Naruto chuckles, but my expression turns into a frown, and I pull the chopsticks away from his face. "No! No! Misaki! Please!"
"I'm joking," I reply.
To my surprise, Sasuke did the same, bringing some food up to Naruto's mouth, "The four of us are going to take the bells together. It'll be trouble for me if he becomes a hindrance, so..."
Naruto eagerly ate the food I offered him and then, a poof of smoke appeared in front of us causing us to shield our eyes away from the smoke.
"You four!! You defied the rules! Do any of you have something to say?"
"We are a four-man team," Sasuke says looking to all of us to back him up and Sakura obviously did first.
"That's right! The three of us are one!"
"We have to work as a team, it would be ineffective if Naruto was left hungry," I say.
"Yeah, Yeah! That's right!" Naruto exclaims.
"The four of you are one, eh..." Kakashi drags out, then he suddenly places his hands on his hips and leans forward. "You pass!"
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. . . . .╭──╯╰──╮. . . . .
𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒
. . . . .╰──╮╭──╯. . . . .
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(a/n) ── hope you enjoyed, finished with volume one and onto volume 2. I rlly wanna get through to of naruto quickly bc i have so much planned for shippuden (i literally have 10+ chapters written already for shippuden)
(✧) ── wc; 2.3k+
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