*3rd Person's POV*
"Give it up. Not one of the four of you... Will ever be a ninja!" Kakashi said.
~scene change~
"You invited me to lunch because you wanted to learn something, right, Iruka? What is it?" Hiruzen asked.
"Team 7, Naruto and the others... What kind of teacher did you assign them, Lord Hokage? Is he very strict?" Iruka questioned.
"Who... Kakashi? Does it worry you? Here!! It's a roster of all of Kakashi's previous students among the junior level shinobi who passed and who failed." Hiruzen replied as he handed Iruka a book.
Iruka flipped through the pages before going Kakashi's page, his eyes widening.
~scene change~
"What do you mean give up?!" Naruto shouted.
Shiro whined softly at the loud noise.
"Give me a break! Okay, so maybe none of us got our hands on one of your stupid bells..."
"Actually..." Shiro murmured as he showed his teammates the bell he got before tossing it back to Kakashi.
Naruto stared at Shiro and blinked as he looked back at Kakashi.
"Well Shiro got a bell... But why the hell should we quit over that?" Naruto asked.
"Because not one of you... Has what it takes!" Kakashi answered.
Sasuke didn't like the answered and went towards Kakashi.
"Hunh?!"
"Sasuke!!"
"Show that little ducky some lessons, sensei."
In a second, Sasuke was on the ground, Kakashi sitting on top of him.
"What you are is a quad of spoiled brats." Kakashi said.
Shiro huffed.
"I've never been spoiled... I had to work hard to get what I wanted." Shiro muttered.
"Don't step on Sasuke! Get off of him!" Sakura yelled.
"Are you trying to make fun of the shinobi with your behavior? Well, are you? Did you even stop to wonder for one minutes... Why you were divided into teams? Shiro even knew what it was and tried to tell you all." Kakashi said.
"Uhh... Excuse me?" Sakura questioned.
"Why is she so useless?" Shiro mumbled.
"Obviously not. So you missed the entire point of the exercise." Kakashi states.
"It had a point...!?" Naruto replied, confused.
"Of course. And that point determines wether or not you would succeed." Kakashi said.
"But... You haven't explained what it is!" Sakura says.
"You useless little... It was teamwork, you idiot!" Shiro shouted, turning towards Sakura, receiving a glare from the said girl.
"Shiro's right. It's... Teamwork." Kakashi said.
This surprised the other three.
"If the four of you had come at me... Together... You might have been able to take the bells." Kakashi states.
Sakura apparently seemed to realize something.
"If we were expected to function as a team, why did you only have three bells? Even if we've worked together, one of us would have had to go without lunch. You're preaching teamwork, but you played us against each other!" Sakura said.
"Oh my kamisama..." Shiro grumbled, facepalming.
"Of course. This task was designed to cause dissension in your pranks." Kakashi replied.
"What?!" Naruto shouted.
"The situation was set up to reveal which of you... Would set aside your individual interests... And propose to the others that you work together for the good of all. 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 four! Shiro tried to persuade you all this morning that teamwork was the answer but you all ignored him! Plus, Shiro didn't think of trying to persuad you all again because he you that you guys wouldn't work together! He had his summoning spy and help him to get the bell. And Sasuke had already decided that other three just got in his way... And he was better off playing solo. 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 said as he reached into his weapons pouch.
Kakashi had a kunai in his hand in an instant, holding it up against Sasuke's neck.
"Sakura! Kill Naruto. Or Sasuke dies. And if Sakura doesn't kill Naruto, Shiro kill Sakura." Kakashi said.
"What!!?" Naruto yelled, in shock.
Shiro just clenched his fists, biting the inside of his cheek.
Kakashi got up off of Sasuke.
"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 states as he walked over to a boulder with names on them.
Sasuke sat up, wiping his mouth.
"Look at the marker... All the names carved in the stone. Heroes of our village. Ninja." Kakashi states, as he stared down at specific names.
Shiro went up to the boulder and bent down, catching a name that he had his name and sadly smiled.
Takashi Kitsune.
"So, Otou-san was a shinobi in Konohagakure, then?" The boy murmured as he ran a thumb over the name.
"That's it! I just made up my mind! 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!" Naruto said loudly.
"Hmph..."
"Ahem! But the ones listed there just any heroes..." Kakashi states.
"Really? What kind of heroes are they?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi stayed quiet.
"They're KIA." Shiro murmured as he stood up.
"Come on! Come on!" Naruto says.
"The dead kind. They died in the line of duty." Kakashi replied.
The answered shocked Naruto and made him feel bad for asking.
"This is a memorial. It includes the names of my best friends."
"And... My father."
Kakashi gave a side glance at the fox boy beside him.
"He's Takashi's boy? Oh great, sorry Takashi... But... I think I might've fell in love with your son." Kakashi thought, mentally sighing.
"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?"
Kakashi turned towards the genin he was training.
"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?" Kakashi questioned, with a glare before vanishing into thin air.
Shiro walked back over to his teammates and plopped down, picking up a bento.
"Hey, this'll be a breeze. I can go without lunch... No problem." Naruto said as his stomach grumbles loudly.
*Shiro's POV*
Time has passed, as Sasuke, Sakura and I were eating our lunch while Naruto stayed limp on the stump.
Naruto's stomach grumbled making me give him a side glance.
Sasuke held out his bento.
"Here." Sasuke said, shocking Sakura.
"Bu... But Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei told us--!!" Sakura quickly said.
"I'm not worried. He's probably miles away by now. And we'll all need our strength if we're going to work together to get those bells. You're no good to me if you're just going to be a liability." Sasuke replied.
I noticed the small blush on Naruto's cheeks.
"Hah... Gay." I said, between bites.
"Eeeeh?! What do you mean Shiro?! I'm not gay! You know what, I'm not buying you dango for a month!" Naruto shouted.
I stood up on my feet instantly, feeling threatened.
"Hah?! You can't do that!!" I replied, my tail swishing behind me.
"Oh yes I can! I'm the one usually buying you them when you run out of your months supply since you eat them all in a week!" Naruto responded.
I pouted, knowing that Naruto had a point.
I pointed my chopsticks at him, "You have no right for threatening me with my dango. I'll stop making you dinner for a year." I said, causing Naruto to pout this time.
Sakura glanced at her bento before holding it up at Naruto.
Naruto looked at Sakura with a blush before looking away with a grin.
I picked up a piece of rice with my chopsticks before holding it up to Naruto's face.
"Eat, you dumb fox." I said.
Naruto huffed.
"Eh?! But your a fox yourself!" Naruto shouted.
I stuck my tongue out as I forcefully stuck the rice into his mouth, almost choking him.
"Ack!" Naruto cried out causing the others to mentally smirk or just giggle at Naruto's misery.
"Heh heh... Uhh... Thanks..." Naruto said as I stuff more rice into his mouth.
~scene change~
*3rd Person's POV*
"This... This is..."
"Yes... There's no denying that Kakashi is extremely strict... And when his students come to him, they are utterly naive..."
"I can see that... But... No one? No one at all...?"
"Yes. Kakashi never passes anyone. Ever."
~scene change~
*Shiro's POV*
"What the heck?!" Sakura yelled as a large puff of smoke appeared in front of us.
"You..." Kakashi said appearing from the smoke.
This caused the three others to flinch at the sudden appearance.
Kakashi looked down at us before closing his eye, as if he was smiling.
"Pass!" Kakashi said, happily.
"Eh...?!"
"Hunh?"
Sasuke just sweatdropped with an annoyed look.
"We pass!? But... Why?!" Sakura asked
"You four have just taken a giant step forward." Kakashi states.
"Ummm... How?"
"Up until now, all any of you have done is listen unquestioningly to everything I say... Like mindless little drones. A true shinobi seeks for the hidden meanings within hidden meanings. In a ninja's world, those who violate the rules and fail to follow orders... Are lower than scum. However... Those who do not care for and support their fellows... Are even lower than that!" Kakashi says.
"Oh!"
Naruto blushed, thinking about something.
"This exercise is now concluded. You all pass!! That's all for today, Team Seven. Your duties will commence tomorrow!!!"
"I... I did it! I'm a ninja! Ninja! Ninja! Ninja!"
"Let's go home." Kakashi said walking off with Sasuke and Sakura.
"Uh... Hey, guys? I'm still tied up here... Guys?!!" Naruto yelled.
"Stop telling, now come on!" I said as I let Naruto free, following Kakashi and the others.
"Oh, right!" Naruto replied, following after me.