Chapter 14 - The Bell Test
Author's Note: As you can tell, I'm back. Sorry about the break, but it had to be done. Chapter 13 is the bell test. It took me forever to get this chapter right. I was never satisfied with it, and honestly, I'm still not. Oh well. I've been editing the same chapter over and over again for a month, hence the break. I simply couldn't get it right or up to my standards. As always, critiquing is welcome, as I'm trying to improve my writing as a whole. By the way, mentions of Shisui x Anko in this chapter. It isn't actually a ship, but I think it works well for this story. Plus, my versions of Shisui and Anko are practically made for each other.
REALLY QUICK POLE: How many of you would be interested in seeing an original story of mine up on here? Comment if you care. Be honest with me.
Have fun reading the new chapter!
Editor's Note: So yeah, I don't know why I decided to make Shisui and Anko a romantic relationship. It's really minor and probably would've been better just platonic. Ah well, I'm not going to change it now. The poll is technically closed, but eventually I'll have my novel for sale on Kindle for like five dollars. Anyway, consider interacting with my social media or buying some quality stuff from my Redbubble!
Chapter 14
The Next Morning - Naruto's P.O.V.
I wake up easily to the sound of Kurama yelling at me to, "Wake the fuck up!" I nearly fall off my bed in shock of the thundering voice. It's been awhile since Kurama's been so loud to me. Ever since he started talking to me regularly, he's been fairly quiet. Gruff if mad, but never yelling anymore. Loud noises startle me, and Kurama is just like an overprotective big brother.
'Kura, why are you being so loud?' I whine in my head.
He's probably trying to punish me for using up all of my chakra yesterday. It's not my fault that I never have any time to relax! It's not like I'd take a day off anyway. I try to get out of bed and almost instantly fall back into it. My muscles don't hurt, but it's like every nerve in my body is tingling. I feel, well, weak.
'Why does my body feel so weak, Kura?' I ask.
"It's because you finally kicked your sickness an hour or so ago. Your immune system is back up and running, but you have to use minimal chakra today. You can't use Sensory full time, but you'll be able to use your Hiraishin seals to get around for the most part. Anko is still here, too," Kurama gripes.
'Still? What the hell happened? What day is it? Shit! What's the time?'
If I was late and Kakashi showed up on time, he'd never let me live it down. Not getting embarrassed is way more important than health!
"Your Hokage got her to come here to look after you. Kakashi brought you back here after you collapsed, and your teammates were adorably worried about you. That was yesterday, and it's 5:18 in the morning, so you still have time to get ready for the bell test. No morning routine today, you're still recovering. No missions until your chakra is overflowing, either. I'll let you start your routine again once I think your chakra system can handle it," Kurama demands.
'Kura, you are so overprotective. Are you mad at me for running out of chakra, is that why you're being so loud today?'
We both know that I'm right, but he typically won't admit it. He looks like a grizzly bear, but he is in fact nothing more than a plush teddy bear.
"I'm not mad at you, kit," he mutters in a low voice.
I'm almost surprised that he's voicing his opinion to me, as he usually doesn't.
"I'm mad at Danzo and at myself. I think that we need to work on expanding your chakra stores more,"
'How? When I'm full chakra, I have more than any reported ninja in a really long time. I don't know if my chakra can be increased,'
"I've got a theory that if you learn fuinjutsu, you could probably make a seal to store chakra. If you can do that, then you could just funnel a bunch of chakra into it and leave it. The chakra you gave the seal will regenerate and you'll be at max again and still have extra chakra,"
'If I learn fuinjutsu, that would be a great solution. But I'm not going to learn fuinjutsu. It would be a disgrace.'
"Kit, just because you're blind doesn't mean it would be a disgrace to learn sealing, it just means you would have to work a lot harder,"
'A blind person shouldn't bother. It's a disrespect to the art,'
"Naruto! It's what your parents would've wanted, blind or not!"
'Just shut up, would you?'
I get up off of my bed for the second time that morning and run a hand through my hair, messing it up. I already know that my parents would've wanted me to learn the art that they excelled at and loved, but they also wouldn't have wanted me to be a jinchuuriki. Sometimes, I have to believe that mother doesn't know best. If they were still alive, I wouldn't have lost my eyes, I'd be best friends with little Sasuke, and I wouldn't be in the ANBU, much less their commander.
I shrug out of the sleep shirt I'd been put in and move to my closet. I grab a fishnet and a hoodie that I know to be orange and red with yellow flame designs. I almost always wear something representing the colors that my parents were associated with. Once I figured out that orange was made by mixing their colors, I became enthralled with it.
'Ah, childhood. So sweet, so innocent,'
I put on some black ANBU pants with it and grab my black combat boots. The door to my bedroom slams open, startling me, as I'm keeping my Sensory range to the bare minimum as I dress, and preparing to stop using it altogether. Conserving chakra will be the name of the game today.
"Naru!" Anko's all-too familiar voice cries. "You're awake!" she shouts.
She certainly seems happy. I guess that I did kind of maybe pass out while standing up yesterday just because I have a cold. That maybe might have sort of worried her a little tiny bit. Whoopsie.
"Yeah. Kicked the cold an hour or so ago, or so says Kurama. Can't use Sensory full-time though." I reply blandly.
Anko dashes forward and wraps her arms around me.
'Happy, indeed,' I muse to myself.
"Sorry for worrying you," I apologize sheepishly, letting An-nee squish my cheeks.
"I'm glad to see that you're feeling better than yesterday," she sighs. "You were pretty bad," she chuckles, releasing me from her embrace and bending down to tie my remaining boot for me.
I thank her internally. Everyone who knows me well knows for a fact that I don't like being treated like an invalid or a cripple. She does stuff for me without making me feel like I'm not good enough, which is something that a lot of people can't manage. An-nee has similar self-esteem issues, though.
"I guess I overdid it a bit this past week," I grimace.
"You think?" Anko replies sarcastically.
I laugh. "Okay, okay! I definitely overdid it! Hopefully I'll be able to take a bit of a break and just focus on my undercover mission for a while," I sigh wistfully.
"If Hokage-sama tries to give you any missions for the next week, I will strangle him," she threatens.
"He hasn't given me a mission for months!" I complain. "I have to spend all my time filling in for everyone and monitoring ROOT!"
"You've just been filling in all this time?" Anko gasps, horrified. "But we haven't even been able to chat and get dango together for like four months! What are those damn ANBU doing?" she frets.
"Hell if I know, An-nee,"
She pouts for a moment before perking up again. "Think Kakashi'll show up on time?" Anko asks teasingly. A tick mark forms on my forehead at the question.
"He better, or else I'm throwing Icha Icha Paradise in the river. I have better things to be doing," I murmur darkly.
Anko laughs at my behavior. "So reminiscent of me, my little minion!" she cackles.
She rises to her feet again, and both of my shoes are now tied. She probably rubbed off on me a little bit, but I know that I would probably still be pretty sadistic all by myself. I may love people and want to protect my loved ones, but that doesn't mean that I won't make them suffer along the way.
"It isn't all you, y'know! I'm a tiny ball of anger and disappointment!" I protest proudly.
All that earns me is guffawing laughter and a hair ruffle. I cross my arms and pout at Anko.
"You're such a jerk!" I pout.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm terrible. Are you going to use your Hiraishin seals to get around today? I can't imagine you'd want to do too much walking right now. I'm sure you're not feeling one hundred percent quite yet," she asks replies.
"Yeah, the altered forms Jiraiya and Kakashi brainstormed don't require too much chakra. Just enough for activation, so it'll suit me better than my shunshin for a while," I point out, raising an eyebrow at her question.
Anko goes a bit green in the face.
"I don't know how you manage to use that monster jutsu so easily! It's terrible!" Anko croaks. I frown.
'Ah, that's right, everyone hates the newer Hiraishin but me. Even Kakashi doesn't like it when I drag him with me, and he helped structure the damn thing,' Everyone always grumbles about nausea or something, basically they're all being babies.
"Is something wrong, Naru-chan?" Anko asks in a concerned manner.
"No, why?" I reply dubiously.
"You just seem rather monotone and bored. Kinda like you're in gear," she mutters, almost to herself. "Did you and Kurama argue?" she asks suddenly.
I flinch slightly, already knowing that my reaction gave me away.
'It's a good thing I wear a mask in the ANBU. I wear my damn heart on my sleeve,'
Anko's always right on the money. She's been in the Interrogation and Torture Unit since before we met, so she's really good at putting two and two together. Not to mention that she was Orochimaru's personal student. If she could understand that crazy bastard, she can probably dissect all of my obvious emotions. It's one of the things about her that I have a personal love-hate relationship with.
"Yeah. He's still trying to get me to learn fuinjutsu. I'm still resistant. It's the same old routine," I gripe.
Everyone knows how much I detest the idea, and yet, they all want me to do it. I know that my parents were masters, and that it's important, but I'm freaking BLIND. I believe that it would be a disgrace, but everyone else seems to disagree, which I find freakishly unreasonable. At least Shikaku-san has the capability to see things my way and doesn't push me about it. The others are lacking that common sense.
To the Uzumaki Clan, respect of the art was one of the most important cultural facets in Uzushio. I wouldn't be able to appreciate it fully, and that just feels disrespectful.
"I think it would be good if you learned it too, though. Think of how useful it would be!" Anko says lightly. "Not to mention, you're such a baby prodigy that I'm sure you'd get the hang of it quickly,"
"It probably would come naturally, both of my parents were masters after all, but what would people say when they learn that the blind village idiot is learning fuinjutsu?" I ask hopelessly.
I know that she'll never sway to my way of thinking, but I won't just give up without a fight. I can't exactly explain my full reasoning though. The cultural reasoning just feels to personal. I'm not a part of the culture, so I shouldn't try to appropriate it.
"For one," Anko starts. "the village doesn't know that you're blind, and two, you aren't actually an idiot. You just pretend to be sometimes because the Council are a bunch of dicks," she remarks in a frustrated tone. She should know by now that she'll never sway my opinion either.
"Whatever," I grumble, crossing my arms with a huff.
"Wow, you really are a teenager, jackass. There's no reason to be so melodramatic. I definitely wasn't this bad at your age," she chuckles teasingly.
'I'm fourteen, does that even classify as "moody teen"? Eh, probably.'
"An-nee, at my age, you were torturing people. So I dare say you were worse," I state blankly. She scoffs.
"I need to go take my bell test, Anko-nee," I continue as if she hadn't just disagreed with my sentiment. Sometimes it's for the best if you just ignore the more stupid comments. This is one of those times.
"First, you're eating breakfast. It's important since you just recovered. You've got to stay healthy now," Anko instructs.
She grabs my hand and leads me into my kitchen, forcing me to sit down at the table while she decided to look in my fridge. I wonder if I even have any not-rotten food in there. I haven't eaten at my own place in a little while. I think back to the last time I went grocery shopping.
'Was it last week? No, the week before? No, not then. When did I last shop? Was it even last month?'
"Na-ru-to?" she asks, enunciating each syllable of my name separately.
It sounds dangerous. Whenever a girl that doesn't immediately object to cutting you into bits and pieces with nothing more than a scalpel sounds dangerous, you know that it's time to run. Run far, far away.
I purse my lips together and can almost feel the blood drain out of my face. "Yeah?" I question, hoping that she won't dismember me.
"Why don't you have any food in here?" she asks darkly. My guess was right! "You haven't had food in there for a week or more,"
'It's not my fault that I'm always eating everywhere else but here,' I complain.
I turn my attention back to Anko, because death and dismemberment isn't out of the question. She might be my big sis, but she won't hesitate to put me through the ringer when she feels like it.
"I'm always eating with others at their places. Jii-san, kaa-san, with ROOT," I say easily.
'I'm too young to die! Kurama, you'll protect me, right?'
"I'll keep you alive, but that's it. Don't expect anything else. I'm not getting involved with the crazy snake woman if I can help it," the demon fox chuckles harshly.
I visibly blanch at the statement.
"Come on, we're going to Ichiraku's to get you breakfast," she says sternly, ignoring my faces, well used to Kurama and I's antics.
I rise from my chair, Anko grabbing my hand and leading me. I use my Sensory as little as possible as we walk that familiar route to Ichiraku's. I had memorized the exact amount of steps it took to get there a long time ago. There are always certain things that blind people have to do that people with sight don't, and that's just one of those things. Memorizing steps to familiar places is simply something that I do subconsciously now.
"Yo, Teuchi-san," Anko smirked.
Teuchi looks over and I can practically feel his warm smile lighting up all the nearby areas. He's such a sunshine!
"Anko, Naru. How are you two doing?" he replied warmly.
It seemed that they were just starting to open. Ichiraku's always opens early for their typical morning crowd of ANBU trailing after me like lost little Kakashi's.
"Pretty good. Naru has his final test to become a genin in a little while," Anko chirped.
She's always been fond of Teuchi, but when he was one of the first "outsiders" to show his support from her impromptu relationship with Shisui, she grew to like him even more. They were an interesting relationship. I honestly hadn't expected Shisui to get involved with anyone outside of his Clan, primarily because of his incredible sharingan. His borderline psychotic sadism was kind of a turn off for the Uchiha girls, apparently.
Anko had been furious when I had sent Shisui away to help Jiraiya. Despite the decision being Hokage-sama's, I'm the one that took the fall. So she thinks that I separated her from the man that she loved, and it wasn't fair. She had been bitter for a while, and I think that she still is from time to time, but she understands why I had to do it.
"Oh? Who's your sensei, Naru? I assume that you want the usual?" Teuchi asks.
"Kakashi-nii ended up being my sensei, and yes please!" I reply happily.
I had never tried another type of ramen than what Ita-sensei had ordered for me the first time we came here. Besides, I was a regular. Both Teuchi and Ayame know what I like and how I like it.
"I saw both Iruka-san and Kakashi-san carrying you around yesterday. What was up with that?" he asks, starting the ramen.
I blush in embarrassment that I was found out, especially by someone I admire so much, but I doubt that anyone else besides Ayame would've noticed. They're the only ones outside my ring of trusted confidants that actually care about me enough to watch the skies in hopes of seeing me pass.
"My immune system crashed from lack of chakra, so I got really sick, but I'm fine now," I explain.
Teuchi chuckles in amusement at my odd attitude. I had always had a different outlook on most things. I suffered for a while, but it doesn't really matter. I had always been a rather optimistic person, and spinning things to a positive light is one of my talents. Plus, making people feel better is fun. People are so much prettier when they smile.
"Who are your other teammates?" he asks.
"Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura," I say monotonically, losing a bit of the sparkle from my eyes.
I have no idea what our team dynamics will be like. I know everyone in the ANBU, so working in teams (not that I do it often) is usually easy. At least with my senseis, I already knew what I was getting myself into. Now, I know what I'm getting myself into, but I really dread the idea. I absolutely am not afraid of the damage that my ears will sustain from that shrieking banshee. If she would just get her head out of the Sasuke-kun gutter, then she'd actually be useful.
"Itachi-kun's little brother and a fangirl?" Teuchi clarifies.
I merely groan, face-planting at the bar in front of me. Teuchi laughs at me, a loud, booming laugh, not unlike my own. Teuchi gives us our ramen and I slurp mine down as quickly as humanly possible. I ask what the time is the second I've pushed my bowl away from me.
"It's a few minutes past six, why?" Teuchi asks. I feel myself pale instantaneously.
"The bell test was supposed to start at six. This is what happens when you're fucking blind," I mutter dryly. "Fuck. Gotta go!" I shout as I teleport to a Hiraishin seal near the meeting place.
I activate my Sensory again, keeping it at the bare minimum, and take off at a non-chakra sprint towards where I knew the bridge was. I run up, barely managing to step onto the bridge and not into the river.
'Being blind sucks, it sucks a lot. I hate my life. Kurama, please just let me die. I don't want to be blind anymore. I want to see. I bet that I'll be able to see in the afterlife. I get so used to my sensory that I forget what it's like to exist without it!'
"Kit, noooooooooo. Stop it, I love you. I'll be your eyes. Had you actually missed the bridge, I would've stopped you," he swears.
I giggle under my breath at his cuteness. He always gets so sweet whenever I want to yeet myself into the sun, because it would make his existence more difficult too.
"Did you just call me cute?" that dark, demonic voice asks darkly.
'Much dark,' I easily suppress an involuntary shiver at the killing intent being thrust at me. 'Kurama, you know I love you, furball.' I think back teasingly.
"Whatever. And you know that isn't the only reason either. I do like you sometimes, kit," Kurama grumbles.
'Awwwww, Kura-chan! You're so sweet!'
"Am I late?" I ask Sasuke and Sakura with a gasp.
I don't even bother trying to look my teammates in the eye (or even check if they're there, really), choosing to lean over with my hands on my knees to seem out of breath instead.
'Hope I'm not talking to myself. Haha, being blind makes me make myself look like a wimp. Fuck life,'
"I'm honestly surprised that you showed up," Sakura says, luckily in a normal volume level so I don't scream.
'That doesn't answer my question,'
"Did you expect sense from that banshee, kit?" Kurama asks.
'Only sometimes, Kura,'
"Kakashi's not here yet, so you're fine," Sasuke adds.
I breathe a sigh of relief. Yes, I hadn't bothered to look for Kakashi's location. That would've taken way too much chakra. Plus, I'm really lazy.
'He would've given me so much shit if I was later than him to a meeting,'
"You never would've heard the end of it," Kurama agrees solemnly.
"I would've been on time if An-nee hadn't dragged me to Ichiraku's and forced me to eat something for breakfast," I grumble in annoyance.
"You ate ramen for breakfast?" Sasuke asks, horror-stricken.
"Well, yeah! Ramen is the best!" I cheer in response. "Besides, I haven't gone grocery shopping in like over a month, so..." I finish sheepishly.
"How are you alive." Sasuke deadpans.
"You don't even sound sick anymore." Sakura says in amazement, completely ignoring Sasuke and I's exchange.
"Ah? Yeah. Kicked that nasty cold like two hours ago," I chuckle in embarrassment.
I hate being in the spotlight when it comes to personal things. I'll let you put me in the spotlight dead-center for my fighting, just not my healing or anything that I consider to be private or personal.
"Aren't you always front and center for ANBU stuff though?"
'Another reason why I question Hokage-sama's judgement in making me of all people the commander of the ANBU,'
"And you're still here? You should be home resting!" Sakura scolds.
I refocus back on the moment at hand. I tilt my head to the side, trusting my memory to look her in the eye. I have a very keen memory, and my body remembers the typical angle that it's at when I look at Sakura. Besides, I trust myself well enough. I just hope to kami-sama that I don't embarrass myself. That would be awkward.
"Did Kakashi-nii tell you about my immune system?" I ask.
I certainly hope that he did because I don't want to have to explain it. Explaining things takes time and energy and frankly, I'm still a bit tired.
'Explanations are troublesome,' I grumble.
"You're a lot tired, Naru-chan,"
'Okay, a lot tired. I could probably fall asleep standing up, but that probably won't be a problem,' I hope.
"Yeah," Sasuke responds.
'Refocus, Naruto,'
"Your immune system runs on chakra," he states stiffly.
Sasuke seems a bit out of his element. Unnatural, almost. It reminds me of Itachi being forced to interact with strangers without help. Once he had been able to do that without looking at them like they were from planet anywhere-but-here, he was finally promoted to captain. It was a tad overdue.
'Again, literally why am I the commander? I'm literally so inexperienced,'
"I'm just going to let you guys know now that I have to use the absolute bare minimum of chakra today. My chakra system is kind of fragile because I ran out yesterday, but I can still take the test," I say quickly, closing my eyes and turning my head to the side so that I don't have to look at them, because recalling where their eyes are takes effort, even if I'm good at it.
"Are you sure that you should even take the test?" Sasuke asks.
'Does he sound worried?' I wonder.
"Definitely not," Kurama drawls.
"I'll be fine," I reply.
I really don't want anybody on my case. I know that it was stupid to use all of my chakra like that, but there wasn't any other choice. It's not like these two know that, though.
"But you'll be better if you don't take the test, right?" he points out.
'Okay, seriously, why is he worried? I'm visibly fine and I'm not showing symptoms. I can handle it. He's totally underestimating me,'
"Kit, can you blame him? It's not like he knows that you're Kitsune-sama. He doesn't know what you're capable of, so cut him some slack,"
'You, demanding slack for anyone other than yourself? Who are you and what did you do with my furball?' I demand teasingly before getting back to the situation at hand.
"I don't know what I'll do yet. If I don't think I can handle it, I'll just find a quiet place to lay down and sleep or something," I compromise.
I really don't want to do that, so I'll just say that to make them both feel better. Master manipulator right here.
"Such manipulate,"
"Hey!" Kakashi exclaims as he poofs into existence.
He even surprised me, and damn, I'm not good at handling surprises. I school my features in order to avoid screaming like a little girl.
"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura screeches.
Kakashi and I groan simultaneously at the eardrum-bursting sound. Sasuke grunts in annoyance. Sensitive ears suck, and Sasuke shoots us both an almost pitying glance, but me more so because he knows that I definitely have sensitive ears.
"Sorry, I got lost on the path of life," Kakashi says with fake innocence.
"This bullshit again?" I snap. "If you're going to lie, nii-san, come up with something believable like, 'I woke up late.' or, 'My boyfriend wouldn't let me leave the house without breakfast.' Geez, how dense can you get?" I complain noisily, just to piss him off.
I'm grateful that he helped me out yesterday, but I hate feeling like an invalid and he knows that. Yet, he didn't even do anything to ease that feeling. Because he is responsible for my feelings. Obviously. Such health dynamic. The noise shall be a glorious revenge.
"Apparently not dense enough, seeing as how you haven't given up on me yet," he taunts in reply.
There's a five second awkward silence in which I'm pretty sure that we're expected to laugh, but it honestly wasn't all that funny. I purse my lips and cough into my fist.
"Anyway, let me explain your test," he says, grabbing what I'm pretty sure is two silver bells out of his kunai pouch, if the jingling is any indication. "You need to get a bell," he says, jingling the bells in a tantalizing manner.
'Jingle, jingle, jingly,'
"If you don't get a bell by lunchtime, you get tied to a stump and you'll be forced to watch me eat my lunch in front of you. If you don't get a bell at all, you'll be sent back to the academy," he explains.
Sasuke raises an eyebrow. Sakura pales drastically. I just sit there looking like he'd just killed my puppy, or in this case, my fox.
"B-but, sensei, there's only two bells," Sakura stutters in concern.
"That means that one of you will be sent back to the academy no matter what, huh?" Kakashi replies dubiously. "Start when I say," he instructs.
I take off walking towards the trees, not waiting for whatever que he'll give them.
"Naruto! Where are you going?" he calls.
"I'm going to go find a place to sleep. Don't bother me," I shout back, flipping him off over my shoulder just to piss him off.
Sure, I can handle a simple bell test, but I want to see what the genin-to-be will do. They might actually get the point of this test, and besides, I'm not allowed to help them. They need to earn it on their own merits.
'We love it when Hokage-sama dictates my every action,'
"Get back here, you little shit!" Kakashi calls.
I don't bother to look back. I activate one of my Hiraishin seals, teleporting elsewhere without a care. Hopefully, that will be enough of a hint that I can be fast if need be. Just because I have a cover to maintain doesn't mean I have to care.
Sasuke's P.O.V.
"Get back here, you little shit!" Kakashi yells angrily at Naruto.
'He said that he's going off somewhere to sleep, so does that mean that he doesn't feel capable of doing this?'
Suddenly Naruto vanishes into thin air. I scan for his chakra, but I can't locate anything. I'm not that great with sensing chakra signatures, but I should be able to sense the dobe's chakra signature, right? Well, Naruto did say that he's stronger than I think, and he's obviously fast.
'Maybe he does feel capable of participating,'
I try to ignore what just went down, even though our sensei is still grumbling about it under his breath. After all, Naruto's lack of effort means that I have a higher chance of passing. With two bells and two people, there's no reason for me to fight with him or Sakura.
"Okay, now that our third idiot has left, you can begin," Kakashi states calmly.
He doesn't seem too distressed at the idea of going up against the rookie of the year and the top kunoichi. I calmly jump back into the trees, immediately taking off and masking my chakra signature. I hide in the trees, trying to formulate a plan.
'It will definitely be hard to beat Kakashi. I may be rookie of the year, but he's a jonin, and rumors say that he's ex-ANBU. Then again, I don't have to beat him. I just need to get a bell. I don't think that my taijutsu is on that level quite yet, though,' I think.
Kakashi will definitely be a difficult opponent.
'I'll probably be able to get help from Sakura if I need it,' I nod to myself. 'Now to locate him.'
I scan for Kakashi's chakra, finding that he's not even attempting to hide it. He's underestimating us, but I guess that can work in my favor. I take off towards Kakashi's chakra signature.
Kakashi's P.O.V.
Now that Naru-chan has left, I can calm down and take it easy. I was slightly worried that he was going to try to humiliate me in front of the genin. Knowing him, he would succeed with his devious plan, too. I'd rather not face an extremely embarrassing defeat at the hands of a not-even-genin.
It isn't as if I'm not capable on my own. Naruto is just on an entirely other level. An incredible prodigy with plenty of experience and teachings to boot. He's still just a kid, though. Shinobi are usually best young in general, but in this case, he's at a disadvantage compared to more seasoned shinobi.
But the second that I had told my other two potential students to begin, they'd leapt off into the trees. Based on their files and what Naru has told me about their personalities, I can assume that Sasuke will go for a more direct approach and that Sakura will simply sit there worshipping him.
I sigh. I don't know why Naru and I had to get stuck with the pinkette. The team would've been better off with Hyuuga Hinata or Yamanaka Ino as the third ninja. Of course, that would've broken the other ideal patterns, which Hokage-sama was loath to do, therefore, Naruto and I are stuck with Sakura. She does have potential if she could just focus on herself more. Separation from Sasuke would be ideal for that, but no.
I activate my Sensory, keeping track of Sasuke's well-hidden chakra signature. If it had been anyone else, Sasuke would be considered perfectly hidden. He's mastered the basic technique. I, however, am an S-ranked sensor-nin trained by the most powerful Sensory user of all time.
Sakura's chakra signature is weak and hidden a bit, but it's evident that she really sucks at hiding her chakra. She's kind of following Sasuke, who's on his way here. They must be wondering why I'm not even bothering to hide my chakra signature. I barely notice when Sasuke's chakra signature changes, but the second it does, I'm up, alert, and in a defensive stance as his foot collides with my guard.
I see the frustration on his face and try not to laugh. After training so long with Naruto, these genin-to-be will be a piece of cake to deal with. Sasuke throws a few punches, adopting a guard of his own as I make a move. I go for a punch to the face, and he manages to block it.
'Good reaction time, at least,'
He tries to kick my legs out from under me, and I take the hit. Sasuke's eyes widen in shock as his foot makes contact with my ankle and I don't even budge.
'Let's see if he can adapt,'
I change my taijutsu style to one similar to Kushina's and continue, making quick jabs at his face and neck. Sasuke manages to block all of my hits, but I'm pushing him back, and he's beginning to tire out. He's faster than the reports, which means that he must have purposely downplayed his own abilities, but that doesn't make sense based on his personality. He's hiding something. I doubt that I'm the first to notice, though.
'Decent adaptability. He needs to loosen up, though,'
Sasuke leaps back and forms several hand signs in a quick succession. I can feel my eyes widen as I recognize the order. Itachi and Shisui had this jutsu mastered as genin as well, but I certainly didn't expect Sasuke to be that disciplined. His brother and cousin had gone from genin directly into the ANBU, after all.
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu," I barely hear him whisper.
'At least he doesn't scream his jutsu, like most kids at this age do,'
I leap back just in time to avoid the fairly large fireball. A genin level ninja shouldn't be able to perform that jutsu. A genin level ninja shouldn't be able to make a fireball of that size either. I guess Sasuke isn't your average genin.
'Following in the footsteps of my other Uchiha pupils, I suppose. Quite likely that Hokage-sama will recruit him straight away,'
I see a rapid movement through the flames and then I hear a jingle. I immediately use the Hiraishin to get the bells away from Sasuke. I gag a little at the nausea that accompanies Jiraiya and I's unstable masterpiece.
I take a moment to take in Sasuke's appearance. He's winded and his face is slightly flushed. His skin is a bit paler than when this little scuffle started, but this genin-to-be made me use the Hiraishin. I was going easy on him to be sure, not even using my sharingan, but I didn't expect this level of skill from him, or any child outside of war time to be honest.
His clothes are slightly singed because of his attempt to get the bells. It was impressive. Sasuke had used what must surely be his most powerful jutsu as a decoy. He willingly leapt through brilliantly hot flames in a solid attempt to get the bells. I wouldn't let anyone have these bells until they worked together for them, though.
Sasuke immediately leaps into a defensive stance, preparing himself for my next attack.
'Good, most kids think that they can call a break whenever. Sasuke obviously knows otherwise already. One less thing that I'll have to beat into this one,'
I think back to the almost-constant mental assaults I put Naruto through when he was little. It certainly wouldn't hurt to take Sasuke down a few notches. He's cocky, whether he downplayed his abilities in the academy or not.
I need these genin to be as obedient as their undercover colleague. It'll be useful on missions when Naruto has to actually work to protect Sasuke. Unfortunately, if you don't learn to at least fake obedience as a shinobi, your higher ups will devour you whole. Teaching these kids how to survive is my main objective with every student, from Itachi and Naruto to every student I've gotten rid of.
"You aren't even worth the effort," I huff, turning away in a bored manner and hiding a smirk.
If he's cocky, the best thing to do is make him feel small and worthless. He'll have to be able to take this mental assault if he wants to be a good shinobi and survive in this world where your superiors lie to you and your comrades stab you in the back.
"You think you can beat Itachi?" I ask, knowing that this is a taboo subject from his introduction yesterday.
Sasuke growls a little, but remains mostly calm, keeping his temper in check and resisting the urge to do something stupid.
'Excellent. Self-control is incredibly important. Much better than I expected,'
"You're far too weak. I trained your brother and one of your cousins, and they were stronger than you while being far younger. I'm ashamed that you're the last Uchiha. You certainly don't live up to the name," I scoff.
That part hurts. I mean, sure, Itachi and Shisui were more advanced, but Itachi was an incredible prodigy and both grew up in chaotic times, when the academy was pumping out genin as soon as they could hold a kunai. Sasuke may not be the last Uchiha, but he certainly surpasses my expectations. He more than lives up to the name, and I hope to kami-sama that he never doubts it.
Sasuke's P.O.V.
My blood is practically boiling. I can't believe he would say something like that. And I can't believe I was so close to getting a bell. If I remain level-headed, I might be able to take advantage of him turning his back on me. I don't give him another reaction. I wait for an opening. Kakashi turns that one eye towards me. That bastard actually looks amused.
"If you're going to try to kill him, you'd best not try to do it alone," Kakashi warns.
Somehow, I get the feeling that he isn't really referring to me killing Itachi. Killing Itachi isn't even on my bucket list. I know that I need to get stronger. Is it a hint? Suddenly, Kakashi vanishes in a flash of gold like he did before when I nearly had a bell, but this time, he's nowhere in sight. It dawns on me. A genin could never hope to beat a jonin, at least not alone. I consider my teammates.
Didn't Naruto say he wasn't feeling well? Or what if he was just screwing around? Sakura could be helpful, maybe. All three of us together would have a better shot at taking Kakashi down, though. Sakura jumps out of a tree and her face lights up in a bright grin. If we work together, we might just be able to do it. There are only two bells, though. This will be difficult. I can't just abandon one of them. It would make me a terrible teammate.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura whisper-shouts.
At least she has enough common sense to realize that her typical screeching would be a bad idea. I motion for her to come closer. Her smile gets bigger as she does. Naruto has sensitive hearing, and I'm willing to bet that Kakashi does as well.
"Listen, Sakura, we need to work together," I hiss.
"Huh? You didn't get a bell?" she asks, astounded that her precious crush couldn't get a bell. Ick.
I shake my head. "There's no way a genin can take a jonin alone. Plus, there are rumors that he's ex-ANBU, and he trained the person who supposedly massacred my clan. He's crazy strong," I sigh. "We need to find Naruto. All three of us together would have a better shot at getting the bells,"
"That baka wouldn't be useful at all!" she protests. "Plus, there are two bells, not three," she points out.
I sigh at the fact that she didn't pick up on the way that he simply vanished into thin air and that neither of us can track his chakra.
"Do you know what jutsu Naruto used earlier, when he vanished?" I ask.
"Well, no, I didn't recognize it," Sakura answers slowly.
"Neither did I, but I just saw Kakashi used it too, so it must be a pretty powerful jutsu," I reply. "So Naruto must be pretty powerful too. He will be useful," I say sternly. "We're going to find Naruto and figure out a plan to take Kakashi down,"
Naruto is definitely stronger than anyone knows.
"But who will get the bells?" Sakura asks. She sounds a bit worried.
"I have a feeling that who gets the bells won't be a problem, but I want to see if Naruto agrees with my theory. Kakashi said something to me about working together," I say softly.
"Why do you want that baka's opinion? There's no way he could come to the same conclusion you have!" she grumbles.
"He's known Kakashi for a lot longer than we have. And he does actually have a solid understanding of people, something I think both of us lack," I point out.
Sakura's eyes widen a bit and she nods hastily. "That makes sense. He is really intuitive about that sort of stuff," Her face flushes, embarrassed that she didn't reach that conclusion faster.
"So maybe stop calling him an idiot," I mutter.
Sakura looks sheepish. "Honestly, it's mostly habit, but it isn't very kind. I'll try to at least curb it, though,"
"You can't break a habit formed over several years in a few minutes, I guess," I reply.
I immediately scan for Naruto's chakra, but he's still nowhere to be found.
"Can you sense him?" I ask.
Sakura closes her eyes, focusing. I'm better than her when it comes to masking chakra, but she's better at sensing it.
"No," she says softly, shaking her head and reopening her eyes.
'Just as I suspected. He is good at hiding,' I think. 'We'll need to stay undetected if we want to beat Kakashi,"
"Then we'll just have to look around. Kakashi wouldn't let him leave the training ground," I grumble.
Naruto's P.O.V.
I chuckle to myself as I release the jutsu I had used to spy on Kakashi. Using that fair amount of chakra was definitely worth it.
"No it wasn't. Don't be dumb," Kurama grunts.
Sasuke actually asked for help. It would have happened eventually, but to think that they're also searching me out is rather interesting. Sasuke must have taken the answers that I gave him to heart, or else he wouldn't risk not getting a bell himself. He wants revenge, and for that, he needs to be stronger. He won't get stronger as fast if he went back to the academy.
"Kit, stop using your chakra or go into Sage Mode. Seriously, you're going to make yourself sick again. What are you, dumb?"
'Yeah, yeah. I know. Responsibility and all that jazz,' I reply.
I sit up and move myself into a criss-cross-applesauce position. I close my eyes and meditate with my sensory turned off. Things are always a bit too overwhelming when I let myself fall into my sensory. Everything sharpens to an extent that my mind can't handle, so turning off my mind is a must.
Time fades until all I know is the sound of my own breathing. Gathering nature chakra is something that I learned a long time ago. Jiraiya taught me the basics of it on one of my birthdays that he was able to come to. I'm a full-blown Sage, but Jiraiya promised that he would teach me once I officially made chuunin, and that one day I would take his place as the Toad Sage. I'm practically his son, so it makes sense.
Though, the toads don't exactly get along with Kurama very well. Hopefully having the title officially transferred to me will help them get over it. For now though, nature chakra will serve as a nice boost to counteract my current weakness.
I hear a rustle behind me and perceive the faint sound of two people landing lightly on the ground at the edge of the forest. This is the one time that I don't really mind being blind, when my senses sharpen so much that I don't need sight in the first place.
I continue with my meditating, listening to perceive where the intruders are moving. My senses are stronger than normal because of my blindness, but I also have Kurama and I'm in Sage Mode. There's not a sound in the world that could get past me right now.
They're definitely moving towards me. They seem to be light and are trying not to make too much noise. I guess that I can appreciate the effort. I quickly apply a minor Henge around my eyes to get rid of the tell-tale signs of being in Sage Mode.
"Chakra usage!" Kurama complains.
'Oh, hush. I can do a henge like this in my sleep, Kura,'
"Naruto?" Sasuke asks unsurely.
I open an eye and cock my head to the side to show that I'm listening. I can't see, and it bothers me, but the advanced hearing and smell is almost making up for it. This strange balance of nature chakra without my sensory can be disconcerting.
"What are you doing, Naruto?" Sakura asks at a normal sound level.
'Good. Her screeching would have hurt even more than usual right now,'
"Eugh, loud noises while you're like this sucks," Kurama gripes.
'So it's good that she's being somewhat considerate,'
"Meditating" I reply simply.
"I didn't know that someone so hyperactive like you knew how to sit still" she sneers.
I hum in response.
"Sakura. You said that you'd try," Sasuke hisses in warning.
"Ah, yeah," she winces. "Sorry, Naruto,"
I straighten my head. "It's fine. You don't have to like me,"
There's a long moment of silence. "Naruto, I need to ask you something," Sasuke says softly. He seems almost unsure, but not quite. It's something else.
"What?" I snap in irritation. Their presence is beginning to bother me.
"The point of the bell test is teamwork, right?" he asks.
"No duh, rookie of the year," I sigh. Sasuke mulls over the information I've given him for a moment, thinking carefully.
"Work with us to get a bell," Sasuke says.
"Is that an order, captain?" I taunt.
"No, it's a request," he states simply.
"Hmm," I consider. I tilt my head to the side thoughtfully for show. "No," I decide.
"Why not, baka?! You should be honored that Sasuke-kun is even talking to you!" Sakura screeches.
My hands snap up to cover my ears as I wince.
'Why the hell did she have to screech like that?'
"Because she doesn't know how to control herself once someone insults her precious Sasuke-kun because she is a banshee," Kurama's tails lash angrily in my head. His ears are also covered. Sage Mode makes us both extra sensitive.
"You alright?" Sasuke asks softly. He kneels next to me and puts his hand on my shoulder. I take a deep breath.
"Just fine." I grit out. It's annoying that I can't even control my own reactions. "You both should just leave me alone,"
"Your ears are sensitive," Sasuke points out, his voice just above a whisper.
"No duh, baka," I growl in irritation.
"Sakura, keep your voice down," Sasuke orders softly.
"Uh, yeah, sure," Sakura mutters. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I didn't mean to hurt your ears," The ringing in my ears slowly fades.
"My answer remains the same, Sasuke," I say softly, just barely loud enough for Sakura to hear me.
"Will you tell us why you don't want to work with us at least?" Sasuke asks quietly.
"Because I don't work with people that I don't trust," I say harshly. My eyes are still closed, an excuse to not look at them.
"So it isn't that you feel like you can't handle the test, then," Sakura concludes. "You were giving us a better chance at passing ourselves. Why would you do that?" she asks.
'So she's actually analyzing the situation? Alright, I'll play along.'
"Actually using that brain that she's supposedly renowned for? Novel concept," Kurama growls.
"Because I don't care if I pass right now," I state simply.
'Let's see what they say to that. I'm just as interested in testing them as Kakashi is. I wonder if they'll fall for my mind games,'
I feel Sasuke shift beside me.
"If you aren't going to be on my team, then what's the point of trying to pass the test myself?" Sasuke asks.
He had shifted to sit next to me on the ground. My eyes widen and I activate my Sensory as I gape at him.
"I have a chance to be on the same team as the person who taught me how to throw a kunai. I'm not just going to throw that away. Especially since you're already supposed to be a year ahead of us," he explains.
Still, I can't believe that he would just give up. He has an alternative reason. He doesn't care about something like that. The Sasuke that I know now is too prideful for something like this.
'But I haven't seen him since our conversation. The conversation that rattled the entire foundation of our relationship,'
"Wait, what?" Sakura asks, bewildered.
"Naruto taught me how to throw a kunai when I was little, before the academy," Sasuke states.
"But that's not possible!" she exclaims. I flinch slightly. "I mean, um, he's terrible at throwing them now, so how is that possible?" she asks much quieter.
"He's a liar," Sasuke shrugs.
Sakura stares at him for a minute, then she looks at me. She suddenly moves to my other side and plops down next to me.
'I'm really confused now. They're acting totally out of character,'
"Kit, people aren't always predictable. You don't know their every thought and emotion, so it can be difficult to judge just what someone's made of. Don't be too surprised,"
"If Sasuke-kun couldn't get a bell by himself, then what chance do I have?" she asks herself. "Besides, I wouldn't want to be all alone. I'd much rather be with you guys," she says softly.
I can sense Sasuke looking at her, and for some reason, it makes me a bit angry that he's paying attention to her. I ignore the odd feeling and wait to see who budges first. Kakashi's chakra signature is coming in our direction, though.
"Anyone know what time it is?" I ask. Not being able to see the sun to determine the time really kind of sucks.
"It's almost lunch time. Why?" Sakura asks.
"Weren't we supposed to get a bell by lunch or else we'll be tied to stumps and forced to watch Kakashi eat?" Sasuke muses.
"Oh, yeah," Sakura agrees.
"Hmm, well he's coming for us," I state emotionlessly.
"What?!" they whisper-scream. I smirk subconsciously at their reactions.
"Why, hello there, my adorable genin-to-be," Kakashi jeers as he lands on the ground. "You're out of time for the morning part of this test, however, it's pretty amusing to see you all together," he taunts.
"Oi, sensei, mind helping me out a bit?" I ask haughtily.
"Why would you ever think you could request something from me, dead-last?" he taunts.
I'm well used to his mental torment, though. He always picked on everyone, making sure that they know their place in the hierarchy of ninja. Being able to withstand a mental barrage is absolutely essential to becoming a good shinobi. Besides, I know just which cards to play to bend the puppy to my will.
"Because I thought my onii-san loved me," I sniffle sadly, turning up the dramatics. I sense Kakashi flinch. "Poor kaa-san doesn't know that nii-san doesn't love Naru-chan," I muse sadly.
"You're really laying it on thick, kit," Kurama laughs.
"Okay, okay, oh my kami." he huffs. "You know I'm a stickler for tears. Gosh. C'mon," he says, motioning for me to come towards him.
I use the Hiraishin seal right in front of him, reappearing with a knife to his neck. My eyes open in a deadly glare that has made grown Uchiha ANBU shake in their boots on every occasion.
"Restart the clock, now," I order, narrowing my eyes further.
I tighten my grip on the kunai, which is pressed with a dangerous pressure against Kakashi's throat, and effectively causes one of my knuckles to pop menacingly. I sense Kakashi flinch harshly. Kurama's presence has enhanced my glare since my early childhood, practically making my face into a weapon.
"Okay, yeah. No problem," he squeaks in fear.
I hear the timer click into place for three hours and hear Kakashi toss it on the ground away from himself.
"There," Kakashi breathes.
I take my kunai from his throat. "Move." I order.
I sense a brisk nod, and the chakra change for a shunshin, and that body vanishing in a golden flash.
"Come on," I say stiffly, motioning to my two teammates.
"Huh?" Sakura asks. "I thought you said that you weren't interested in passing,"
"I'm not, but I'm not going to let you two fail just because I'm as lazy as a Nara right now," I say stiffly.
"What if we still don't want to pass?" Sasuke asks curiously.
"Then I'll make you get off your ass and pass, gaki," I growl, ensuring I don't leak any killing intent at the mentally fragile genin-to-be.
I'm not just going to let them fail. They know the reason of the test, so now they need to pass. That's the way this works.
"Okay, okay," Sasuke huffs, climbing to his feet, Sakura following suit.
"Okay, first we'll need a plan. We know that Sakura can hit really hard, she just needs a distraction to get in close enough to deliver a few hits. Sasuke, do you have enough chakra for another Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu?" I ask.
"Yeah. Do you want that to be a distraction for Sakura to get in close?" he clarifies, not paying any heed to the fact that I said another.
"Yep. Sasuke uses his Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu as a way to distract Kakashi. Normally, Kakashi wouldn't fall for the same trick twice, but right now, he's toning it down to give us a chance, so it should work. Then, Sakura comes in and delivers as many hits as she can in a quick succession while Sasuke supports her with kunai and shuriken. I'll wait for an opening and use my Hiraishin no Jutsu to grab the bells. The goal is to distract Kakashi fully, but once I go, he won't be able to stop me, and it'll be too late for him to use a Hiraishin seal," I say easily. Explaining things and making tough decisions has always come easily to me. "Are we agreed?" I ask.
"It seems foolproof," Sakura says in a thoughtful manner.
"It should be. The fool came up with it," I chuckle lightly.
"You aren't a fool, Naruto. You might not be known for your book smarts, but you aren't stupid," Sakura protests.
I startle a bit, gaping at her. "Thanks, I guess," I mutter. "Follow me, I've already tracked Bakashi's chakra," I order stiffly, recovering myself.
"How can you sense his chakra? I can't even get a read on him," Sakura complains.
"Sakura, just be glad that he can," Sasuke pleads. It's amusing to hear him so desperately defending me.
I don't wait for them to work it out. I dash forward, using chakra to propel myself off the ground and into a tree.
"Kit, you do realize that you can't use Sensory full time today, right?"
'Yeah, why?'
"Running through the trees like this is stupid because you need to focus your Sensory, right?" Kurama huffs.
'Shit, you're right!'
I immediately jump out of the tree I'm in and dash across the ground, weaving through the trees to use less chakra. I barely notice my speed increasing to something similar to my normal speed, and immediately slow down, cursing myself for such a stupid mistake.
'Again, why am I the spy here?'
"Kit, your mask is slipping," Kurama warns.
'I know! I know! Kami! I can't keep up! I'm so overwhelmed! With everything that's going on, I don't even have a second to breathe!'
"Kit, calm down. I know that you're stressed, but at least wait until you get home to have a complete breakdown. You're speeding up again,"
'God damnit! That's it!' I snap, slowing myself down again and keeping half a thought on Sasuke and Sakura's chakra signatures. 'Tonight!'
"What? Naru-chan, your thoughts are so scattered that I can't even tell what you're thinking!"
'You're teaching me fuinjutsu tonight! I need to expand my chakra stores again! I need to get some control back!'
"Kit, I'm happy that you finally want to learn fuinjutsu, but this isn't the way. You need to rest, not work. You need to just take some time to relax," he scolds.
'Kurama! I don't have time to relax. I'm an undercover ANBU on a genin team doing ANBU missions, meeting with other undercover operatives, and working for that asshole Danzo JUST TO KEEP MY CHARGE SAFE!!!!'
"KIT, SHUT UP! I KNOW ALL OF THAT! YOU STILL NEED TIME TO RECOVER! YOU AREN'T SUPERHUMAN!"
'JUST BE HAPPY I AGREED TO IT!'
I immediately lock down my thoughts, shutting Kurama out of my head to cool down. His anger makes me even more upset. It's a loop of constant feedback. His anger feeds mine and my anger feeds his. I can't take it anymore. My entire world has been slowly crumbling for years.
"Naruto!" I hear Sasuke call as quietly as he can.
Just then, I realize just how far his and Sakura's chakra signatures are from me. I jump up into a tree and make my way to them, ignoring Kurama as I feel his irritation seep into me.
"Sorry," I say quietly as I land in front of them. "You guys good?" I ask.
Sakura is still gasping for breath with her hands on her knees and Sasuke seems a bit winded. My speed is difficult for practiced shinobi to keep up with, much less freshly minted genin. They did admirably, though.
'Note to self: drill their speed and endurance,'
"Yeah, we're good. Didn't know you were that fast," he breathes.
"Sorry, I got lost in thought and wasn't paying attention. It won't happen again," I say apologetically.
"Don't... worry... about it..." Sakura says between sharp gasps.
I wince slightly at how winded she is. She's surprisingly weak for the top kunoichi of the graduating class. She's smart if she gets her head out of the gutter labeled "Sasuke-kun". She's nearly as smart as Shikamaru if she tries. She'd be a good strategist some day, but for now, we'll need to work on her physical strength.
'I'll need to have Kakashi-nii set them up on an exercise regimen,' I think to myself, Kurama still fuming in the depths of my mind.
"You alright?" Sasuke asks softly. I look up suddenly, realizing that I had been staring at my feet with furrowed eyebrows as I thought.
"Uh? Yeah, fine, why?" I stutter slightly.
A screw must be loose because I'm usually never surprised so easily. Sasuke managed to catch me off guard, and that's not good.
"You looked troubled, and you're tense," Sasuke points out lightly.
As he says it, I realize just how tightly my shoulders are tucked into my body and how stiff my back feels. I feel the blood rush to my face in embarrassment. Kurama's irritation is getting to me. I pray to whatever deity is out there that I'm not blushing.
"Sorry," I say quickly. I notice that Sakura has caught her breath again. "Are we good to go?" I ask.
"Yeah. I'm good. Sorry," she says stiffly.
I make a note about the tone in her voice, telling myself to investigate her slightly upset manner later. I jump out of the tree, easily landing in a crouch and start running again, this time at a much slower pace. I keep my Sensory range as low as I can while still keeping Kakashi in my mind's eye.
Third Person P.O.V.
Kakashi Hatake stands in a clearing in the forest, patiently awaiting his genin-to-be. Now that Naruto was getting himself involved, Kakashi knew that he'd have to pay attention. No doubt that the little genius managed to make a foolproof plan to take him down already. He mentally cursed himself for showing such weakness in front of the genin.
Naruto usually never startles him that badly. Kakashi focused his chakra as he used Sensory to try to track his pupils' chakra signatures, but he couldn't locate any of his students.
'Naruto is hiding their chakra,' he thought.
A set of onyx eyes watches Kakashi shift in discomfort. The onyx eyes locked onto a set of green eyes. Both figures, hidden in the trees, nod sharply to each other. Sasuke leaps out of his tree and immediately performs Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu.
Kakashi jumps back, slightly panicked at his student's sudden arrival. Almost immediately, he feels a hard hit to the gut. He looks down, locking an eye with the pink-haired kunoichi. Kakashi catches her other fist and tries to jump back, but a kunai whizzed past his face, forcing him to stay in his current position. Sakura yanks her arm free and goes for another hit, which Kakashi blocks.
Naruto's P.O.V.
I carefully monitor the fight between Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi, waiting for the opening I know Kakashi will give me. Copying someone's fighting style has its perks. I can't afford to wait too long, though. The balance is tenuous.
I carefully manipulate my chakra to form a new Hiraishin seal. As I complete my seal, I feel my violet eye begin to ache in a familiar manner. Every time I did something relating to fuinjutsu, that eye would ache just a bit. After a bit of research, we figured out that the violet eye was a doujutsu mimic, a little physical manifestation of chakra, that would allow me to achieve advanced fuinjutsu techniques along with my clan's jutsus easier.
I turn my attention back to the fight and sense Kakashi raise his headband, exposing his Sharingan eye.
'He's right not to underestimate me. Too bad, he isn't suspecting that I'll use the Hiraishin.'
Kakashi draws back a bit, his right leg just a tad unsteady.
'There!'
I immediately activate my Hiraishin seal. My hand darts out, snagging the bells by their ribbons. I stand with my back to my team, the light jingle from the bells making everyone freeze. I feel a grin curl my lips. I toss both bells over my shoulder, one hitting Sakura on the head and Sasuke catching the other one.
"Damn," Kakashi mutters.
"Good job, Naruto!" Sakura cheers as she picks up her bell and twirls in a circle.
"Naru, you know what not having a bell means for you, right?" Kakashi asks.
I deactivate my Sensory, but I deduce that Sasuke and Sakura's moods instantly dropped. I close my eyes lightly.
"I pass?" I ask jokingly.
"Naru." Kakashi scolds.
I sigh. "What?" I ask.
"That means you go back to the academy," he says strictly.
"No way!" Sakura screeches. I feel my lips curl up a bit more.
"The test was about teamwork!" Sasuke protests. Now, I'm grinning widely, my face still hidden.
'Their panic over such a small thing is endearing.'
"The objective was to get a bell, Naruto didn't," Kakashi says in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Actually," I hum. "Didn't you say, 'If you don't get a bell at all, you'll be sent back to the academy'?" I say, mimicking Kakashi and turning towards my team, a smirk on my lips and mischief in my eyes.
"Yes, I did, and as you know, Sasuke and Sakura have the bells, not you," Kakashi points out.
'Hm, he didn't say "as you can see". Did he already figure out that I'm not using Sensory, or is he just being respectful? If he keeps that up, he might expose the fact that I'm blind, however, I doubt that Sakura and Sasuke will figure it out.'
"If you don't get a bell at all, hm? Didn't I get a bell though?" I question.
"You don't have a bell now," Kakashi says sternly. Sakura makes an 'oh' noise.
"You never told us that we had to end up with a bell, Kakashi-sensei. You only said we had to get a bell, but you never said how long we had to have it in our possession," Sakura states.
Sasuke smirks, making a sound of approval. Kakashi pales slightly.
"Damn," he mutters. I chuckle slightly at the hole in his explanations. "Alright, team 7 officially passes," he huffs. "Oh, damn, what do I do with you now?" he asks himself.
"What do you mean, Kakashi-nii?" I ask. I raise an eyebrow at him.
"Your buddy is being an asshole and I said that I wouldn't be done with you 'til three in the afternoon. He's demanding to speak with me, and I just keep putting it off," Kakashi says.
"Which buddy? You have to be clear." I scold.
"Danzo," Kakashi shivers.
"That pig-headed, stubborn, asshole, miserable excuse for a human being, and you're calling him my buddy! What the hell!?" I shout, pointing an accusing finger at Kakashi and reactivating my Sensory to make sure that I'm looking him in the eye.
"Hey, you're the one always doing stuff for him!" Kakashi shouts back.
"Yeah, against my will!" I respond.
'Kami-sama! First I get into a fight with Kurama and now I'm arguing with Kakashi! Why the hell is today just not my day?!'
"It doesn't matter if you're willing or not, as long as you do it!" he replies angrily.
"That's like saying a rape victim asked their attacker to attack them!" I shout. Kakashi gasps sharply and I feel blood rush to my face in embarrassment.
'And I can say that because I am a rape victim! So suck on that, Bakashi!'
"That's not how I meant it and you know it," Kakashi sighs.
"Shut up," I mutter, turning my back to him again.
'The incident is coming up a lot lately, isn't it?' I think, once again gaining no response from Kurama.
"I'm sorry?" Kakashi tries.
"I don't forgive you." I growl.
"What's going on?" Sakura asks in confusion. I feel my eyes widen momentarily. I forgot that Sasuke and Sakura were even here.
"Nothing!" I squeak, my face turning even more red.
Kakashi chuckles at my reaction. They don't need to know what happened on those two days. No one ever needs to know ever again. It's a secret that I'll take to my grave.
Edited 12-15-2020