Sasuke was on a tree branch, Sakura under the bushes, and (Y/N) had climbed to the tallest tree-which wasn't very tall by the way-and was currently looking at her crush, who hadn't hid at all.

"Ninja must know how to conceal their movements and hide effectively." Kakashi said, looking around. "Hmm....Well, they understand that much, they're hidden well....Huh?" He wondered to himself, noticing Naruto in front of him.

"You and me! Right now! Fair and square! Let's go!" Naruto pointed at his sensei, while Sakura deadpanned.

"What a fool..." Sasuke muttered from his hiding place.

(Y/N) just grinned. Sounds like him!

"You know...compared to the others, you're a little bit weird.." Kakashi said.

"OH YEAH?! The only weird thing here is your haircut!" Naruto yelled and charged at him. Kakashi then placed a hand on his weapon pouch and Naruto came to a sudden halt, hesitating.

(Y/N) sat down on one of the highest branches, concealing her chakra, her legs dangling. Hahaha! If anything, I'd say the weirdest thing here is Sasuke's duckbutt hair! She giggled silently.

"Shinobi battle techniques part one: Taijutsu. The physical art." Kakashi started a small lecture.

Naruto narrowed his eyes in confusion. Taijutsu? That's hand combat! But then why is he reaching for a weapon? He furrowed his brows.

(Y/N)'s eyebrows twitched. Kashi pevert! Ero-kashi!

Kakashi opened his pouch, and reached inside, pulling out...A book?!

"What the...?!" Naruto looked at him confused, while in the distance, you'd barely hear a facepalm.

(Y/N) narrowed her eyes, annoyed. Reading that in front of a kid is disgusting.

"What are you waiting for? Make a move." Kakashi provoked him, opening his book.

"But...I mean...Why are you reading that book?" Naruto asked confused.

"Why? To find out what's going to happen in the story of course." He answered nonchalantly. A faint facepalm could be heard from above them, but Kakashi ignored it for the time being. "Don't let it bother you. With your weak attacks it doesn't really natter if I'm reading...Whatever."

Naruto got annoyed and angry. "I am going to crush you!!" He yelled and charged at him. He dodged and blocked his attacks without breaking a sweat. Kakashi then suddenly got behind him, and made the 'tiger' hand sign; the fire hand sign.

"Don't let your enemy get behind you all the time." Kakashi warned.

Sakura's eyes widened. That hand sign...Is it the tiger's?! That's dangerous! He could destroy Naruto with that!

That hand sign is for a fire jutsu. He is not just toying with that dobe. He's going to demolish him! Sasuke tched.

(Y/N) just rolled her eyes, aware of his stupid move. Stupid Kashi, stupid book, stupid Duckbutt, stupid Pinkie. She ranted angrily in her mind.

"Naruto! Get out of there quick, he's going to destroy you!" Sakura yelled, forgetting that she had to conceal her position.

"Too late! Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu: A Thousand Years of Death!" Kakashi yelled.
And he poked Naruto's butt with his fingers, sending him flying to the river.

That wasn't a hand sign at all. He just poked him. Sakura deadpanned.

Those two are just idiots. Sasuke almost facepalmed.

(Y/N) rolled her eyes with a groan. Stupid. Now, I have to at least try to ask them for help. Though I know they'll most likely say no, since they haven't understood the point of this test yet.

Kakashi Sensei continued to calmly read his book, leaning against a tree, as Naruto struggled in the water.

Dammit! This wasn't part of the plan! Naruto growled underwater, as memories of how Iruka and (Y/N) had encouraged him came to him. His arm was suddenly grabbed, and he was pulled out of the river by the (S/T) girl.

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, as Naruto thanked her. She then grinned at him. "Ne, Naruto, let's all work together and-!"

"No, I'm sorry (Y/N)! I have to do this on my own and prove myself!" Naruto declined.

Kakashi observed the scene, as (Y/N) teleported away with an annoyed growl and Naruto came back to him. It appears as she gets it, as I had expected. I don't think the other two will listen to her either, so what is she going to do?

"What's wrong? If you don't get the bells by noon you won't have lunch." Kakashi reminded him.

"I know, I know!" Naruto retorted.

"You sure are weak, for someone who's going to surpass the Hokage."

"DAMMIT! I can still fight on an empty stomach!! I was just a little careless, that's all!" Naruto yelled, made a sign, and shadow clones started coming out of the river. "HA! That's my new jutsu! Shadow Clone Jutsu! You better not get careless around me, there's more than one me!" Naruto's jutsu caught Kakashi off guard, but he remained straight faced.

"No matter how many there are of you, you're still Naruto, you can't beat me with that jutsu!" Kakashi mocked. From her new hiding place near Sakura, (Y/N) growled. I think that what he was trying to say was: 'No matter how many there are of you, you're still ONLY Naruto, you CAN'T beat me ALONE'

A Naruto grabbed Kakashi from behind. "Weren't shinobi not supposed to be caught from behind?" The whiskered blonde smirked triumphantly. He raised his fist and attempted to punch his sensei, but all of sudden ended up punching his own clone.

"You're Kakashi Sensei, aren't you?! You used the Transformation Jutsu to transform into me!" Naruto pointed accusingly to one of his shadow clones, which led to all the clones and himslef fighting each other.

(Y/N) shouted. "Release the jutsu Naru!" Then quickly teleported away, so that her sensei wouldn't be able to know her location and attack her.

"Ah! I see!" Naruto said cheerfully, releasing the jutsu and turning to a tree. "You should have told me that earlier!" He shouted back at her, not getting an answer.

The clones poofed away, leaving a confused Naruto.

(Y/N) groaned in frustration. "Of course it was a Substitution Jutsu..." She muttered to herself.

A sparkle of silver soon caught Naruto's attention, making (Y/N) sigh in disappointment. Naru dear, don't take an obvious bait.

"He must've been so desperate to escape he dropped this!" Naruto grinned and reached for the bell, but a rope quickly wrapped around his foot, resulting in him hanging upside down. Kakashi reappeared, calmly picking up the bell.

Suddenly, kunais were thrown at Kakashi, and pierced through him.

"Sasuke! You teme! You went too far this time!" Naruto yelled angrily, moving around in the air.

(Y/N) sighed, realizing Kakashi was going for Sasuke now.

It surprised the boys and Sakura when instead of a falling dead Kakashi, there was a falling log.

Sasuke grunted, running away. Dammit! Another substitution, now he knows where I am!

Sakura quickly realized Sasuke's predicament and went towards the sound of metal clashing.

It wasn't long until there was a scream.

(Y/N) sighed, tucking her hands inside her pockets and headed towards Sasuke first. She found him quickly, following his scent, and laughed when she saw his head sticking out from the ground and a fainted Sakura beside him.

She laughed loudly, holding her stomach. She pointed at him and giggled. "Hey Duckbutt, need a body~?" She laughed at her own joke, as Sasuke's eyebrows twitched.

"Just get me out of here you Lizard."

She stopped laughing and glared. "I have a question first: Wanna work toge-?"

"No. I'm gonna do this alone, I do not need the help of a Lizard like you." Sasuke spat back. (Y/N) growled.

"I'm gonna kill you someday for that Duckbutt~." She angrily grabbed his barely visible shoulders, and harshly pulled him up, setting him on the ground. As soon as he was down, he ran away, searching for a certain sensei.

(Y/N) continued to growl, as she kneeled over Sakura. "Lizard?! Stupid Duckbutt.." She muttered angrily, before she shook Sakura awake.

The pinkette opened her eyes slowly, sitting up, looking at (Y/N). Her eyes then widened and she frantically looked around. "Where's Sasuke?! Is he okay?!"

(Y/N) tched. "Yes. Would you like to work with m-?!"

"I've gotta go look for Sasuke!" Sakura said, running away, completely ignoring her question.

(Y/N)'s eyebrows twitched as she had a nasty look on her face. "They are all so arrogant...!"

Kakashi, who had seen everything, jumped down from a tree, barely surprising the girl. "So, you understand the point of the test?" He asked her.

She turned to him and tched. "Of course I do Kashi! It's basic logic!"

Kakashi raised his eyebrows, leaning against a tree. "So, what are you going to do? None of them want to listen to you or cooperate."

(Y/N) put her finger on her chin. There's not much time left, according to the sun so...I'll just have to try to get the bells by myself! She grinned, bumping her fists against each other. "Fight you! Apparently, I'm just going to have to try!"

Kakashi smiled under his mask, putting his book away. "What are you waiting for then?"

(Y/N) smirked. "Hehe. Who says I haven't began already sensei~?" She said, surprising Kakashi, as he noticed he couldn't move.
The Fear Paralysis Jutsu!

(Y/N) smirked. "I think you know this jutsu, Kashi. This Ryuudo Jutsu triggers the fight or flight instincts of your brain, uses them to paralyze you like a prey caught in headlights." She neared Kakashi, reaching for the bells, but before she could take them, Kakashi broke out of her jutsu and jumped up, avoiding her.

(Y/N) growled, throwing kunai. She noticed Kakashi was too busy dodging them and quickly made a few hand signs. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Ten clones of (Y/N) appeared, starting to attack Kakahi.

Meanwhile, the real (Y/N) sat on a tree, trying to figure out a way to get the bells. Hmm.....Let's see, I have my clan's jutsus, and my crazy acute senses..and speed and agility of course, sooooo, what can I do?....Hmm....The Fear Paralysis won't work for too long, but I could use it as a diversion...Hmmm...I could trap him in a fire cage and then take the bells while he's still immobilized! She snapped her fingers and grinned triumphantly. That might just work! She looked up at the sun, as her shadow clones continued fighting with her sensei. Gotta do it fast though! There's not much time left!

She jumped down from the tree with a smirk, vanishing all her shadow clones except one.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, as (Y/N) got in front of him. Though he couldn't tell if it was the real one or a clone. He thought that the jutsu had already been released completely, but wasn't sure. What is she plotting? "What are you going to do?"

(Y/N) smirked, canines slightly bigger. She weaved hand signs. "Fear Paralysis Jutsu!"

This again? Kakashi thought annoyed, struggling to move. It was as if cold nails went through his limbs, pinning him down to that spot.

(Y/N) smirked. It will last a little bit longer than the last time, since I put more chakra into it! In the meantime while Kakashi struggled, the last shadow clone had gotten behind Kakashi secretly, silently, concealing her presence. Her clone then stuck a paper near Kakashi's feet and dissolved.

Kakashi struggled. I can't move! My fears take control of me while in her jutsu, so I just have to overcome them! He thought and battled with himself, soon able to move, he threw a kunai at her, but it was too late.

(Y/N) smirked, her hands forming the tiger seal. "Dragon Style: Fire Cage Jutsu!" She exclaimed, and the paper the clone had stuck to the ground suddenly burst into flames, which quickly expanded and surrounded Kakashi in a sphere before he'd escape.

Dragon Style was a style only available to the Ryudo, who were blessed by a dragon. It enabled them to use various jutsus involving fire, lightning, and shadows.

(Y/N) smirked, as Kakashi was trapped inside her fire cage. "Hehe. If you move even a centimeter sensei, my fire will burn you inmeaditely." She chuckled. She walked closer to the fire sphere, as Kakashi was surprised.

She performed that jutsu quickly, and she stuck her trigger on the ground without me noticing! She is certainly not a little girl anymore... He was beyond shocked, when a small hole opened in the fire sphere, and a (S/T) hand snuck in and quickly grabbed the bells.

(Y/N) then released the jutsu and ran away, cheering. "Yahoo! I did it!" She waved the bells around, running around like an idiot.

A few seconds later, the bell rang, and the test was over.

~><><><~

The team had gathered; Naruto had been tied to the middle stump and the other three genin were standing around him.

Suddenly, Naruto's stomach grumbled.

"Uh oh, stomach's growling huh? That's too bad. Oh by the way, about this exercise, I decided I'm not gonna be sending any of you back to the academy." Kakashi said, his voice with a sarcastic glint.

"Uh ahaha." Naruto laughed in relief, as Sakura sighed in relief.

"Huh? I passed? All I did was faint and fall over, do you get points for that?" Sakura said. Love wins! Cha!

"Hn." Sasuke said.

(Y/N) snickered quietly, leaning against a stump. She had already given back the bells to Kakashi.

"Yeah!! Hahaay!" Sakura cheered, jumping up and down.

"Then...that means all four of us...!" Naruto threw his legs up and down in excitement.

"Yes...The three of you are being dropped from the program, permanently." Kakashi stated bluntly, with a slight scowl.

"Wah?"

"Hrm."

"AH!"

The three panicked.

"Drop us from the program?! That means we can never become ninja! You said that if we couldn't take the bells we'd be sent back to the academy, you can't just change your mind and kick us out!! Why would you DO THAT?!?!" Naruto complained in a panicked frenzy.

"Because you don't think like ninja, you think like brats." Kakashi stated.

Sasuke scowled, angry, and charged at thim.

Naruto gasped and Sakura yelled. "Sasuke!"

(Y/N) merely tched and growled.

Kakashi suddenly pushed him down, foot on his head, and arm grabbed forcefully behind his back.

(Y/N) snickered with a scowl. "You're just proving his point, Duckbutt."

"You think it's all about you." Kakashi said.

"LET GO OF SASUKE! YOU CAN'T STEP ON HIM AS IF HE WAS SOME SORT OF BUG!!!" Sakura yelled, annoying (Y/N).

"You don't know what it means to be a ninja! You think it's a game huh? Why would we put you on teams? Did you even consider that question?" Kakashi asked, obviously annoyed and the three looked at him confused.

"I don't know what you mean." Sakura said, making (Y/N) facepalm.

"I mean you didn't realize the point of this exercise! Not even close! The only one who understood from the very beginning is (Y/N)!" Kakashi explained.

"Huh?" Naruto turned to look at (Y/N), confused. "What's it about (Y/N)-chan?"

(Y/N) tried not to snap at her best friend. "Please think. Four people on a TEAM. Why?"

"Huh?! How would we know?! We didn't make the rules!!" Naruto answered.

Kakashi sighed, pointing to (Y/N). "Would you care to explain?"

(Y/N) grinned. " Of course sensei!" She turned to the three. "Guys, it's in the word TEAM. It's SO basic! TEAMWORK!"

"Huh?"

"Working together? That's what you mean?" Sakura asked.

(Y/N) facepalmed. "No, alone Sakura, alone." She muttered sarcastically to herself.

"That's what I mean. It's too late now, but if all four of you had come at me, you might have been able to take them from me." Kakashi said.

"Wait, Kakashi-sensei, earlier you said three of us. There's four of us. What did you mean by that?" Sakura said.

"I know Sakura. I meant that the only one here, besides myself, qualified to be a ninja is (Y/N)! She understood the point from the beginning, and tried to get you three to help her, but none of you listened to her! We do these exercises to determine who is worthy of being a ninja, and so far (Y/N) is years ahead of you three! When you didn't listen to her, she actually planned a strategy, and took the bells from me!" Kakashi explained, as the three gasped in surprise.

"You did (Y/N)-chan?!" Naruto asked her in surprise and excitement.

(Y/N) grinned, pointing to herself. "Yep! After all, I'm a Ryudo!"

Sasuke tched, angrily. She did it?! That Lizard...! Just how strong is she really...?!

"Wait a minute, you set it up with four people and three bells! If we worked together and got the bells, only three of us could keep them, and that would have led to group conflict and the squad would have broken up!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Exactly. I purposely pitted you against each other." Kakashi stated, surprising Naruto and Sakura. "I wanted to see if you could overcome that and put the team before yourselves. A genin should have a natural feeling for teamwork. But in your cases, it never even crossed your minds!" Kakashi explained, then pointing to each of them. "Sakura! You obsessed about Sasuke who was gone, while Naruto was right in front of you and you didn't even lift a finger to help him! And when (Y/N) asked you, you completely ignored her and went after Sasuke! Naruto! You want to do everything on your own, and when your best friend asked you to help her, you denied! And you, Sasuke." Kakashi explained, pushing his foot harder against Sasuke's head. "Thought the others were so far beneath you they were worthless! Arrogance! Yet, (Y/N) was the only one who understood and actually could get the bells alone! If you had all just listened to her and worked together, you might have been able to take the bells. Ninja missions are carried out in teams, of course individual skille are needed, but teamwork is the most essential element. Every shinobi understands this! When individuals put themselves before the team, it can lead to failure or death." Kakashi explained. "For example." He pulled out a kunai, and put it against Sasuke's neck. "Sakura, kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies. (Y/N), if Sakura fails, kill her and Sasuke or Naruto dies."

Naruto and Sakura freaked out, while (Y/N) shivered at the last part, the last sentence resonating on her mind. Or Naruto dies...or Naruto dies...Naru?

"That's what happens on a mission." Kakashi continued, withdrawing the kunai and lets Sasuke go, who sighs in relief. "The enemy takes a hostage and you've got an impossible choice, and someone ends up dead." He twirls the kunai around his finger, before placing it back on his pouch. "On every mission, your life is on the line." He stands up straight, and walks towards a stone, which (Y/N) recognized as the memorial stone. "Did you look at this stone, the names engraved on it? They're all ninja who are honoured as heroes in our village."

"That's it, that's it, that's it!" Naruto exclaimed. "Now I know! I've decided I'm gonna have my name on that stone! I'm not gonna live and die for nothing like a dog, I'm gonna be a hero! A hero!"

(Y/N) widened her eyes in fear, still affected by what Kakashi had said. She slapped the back of his head. "Don't say that Naruto!" If you died...

"They're a special type of hero." Kakashk explained.

"Huh? What kind of heroes are they?! C'mon tell us!" Naruto cheers. "Well, well?!"

"They're all K.I.A." Kakashi replied with a sad tone.

"OoOoOh! That sounds very cool!" Naruto exclaims, as (Y/N) punches his arm softly.

"It means 'Killed In Action'. They all died." Sakura said sadly. Naruto realized, and his expression drops, as he looks down.

"This is a memorial stone, the names of my closest friends are engraved here." Kakashi said, and the four bow their heads in respect. "Alright, I'm going to give you one more chance, but I'm going to make it much harder on you. You'll have three hours to get a bell. Eat lunch now, but Naruto doesn't get any. It's his punishment for trying to break the rules and eat by himself. If anyone tries to feed him, that person will inmeaditely fail. I make the rules, you follow them. Got it?" Kakashi said menacingly. "Maybe this time you'll actually listen to (Y/N)." He 'disappeared'.

Sasuke, Sakura, (Y/N) take a bento box and eat. Well, more like Sasuke and Sakura eat. As soon as (Y/N) opens hers, she takes the chopsticks and pokes Naruto's mouth with them.

"Eat." She stated, poking his lips. Naruto blushed faintly and shook his head. But his stomach betrayed him.

"Ehehehe. This is no big deal, I can go without food for days, for weeks, believe it!" Naruto laughed nervously, but his stomach growled again. "No problem."

(Y/N) rolls her eyes and smiles, poking his lips with the food. "Baka Naru, just eat. I ate breakfast anyway." She insisted, while Sasuke stared at his food.

"Here." Sasuke suddenly held out his bento.

"Huh?!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Sasuke, (Y/N), don't do that! Didn't you hear sensei?" Sakura protested, worried.

"Kakashi's gone. We need to get those bells as a team. If Naruto's hungry, he'll be weak and ineffective. That'd hurt the team and jeopardize the team." Sasuke argued.

Naruto hums, and Sakura and (Y/N) share a look. She then offers her lunch to Naruto with a kind smile.

"Thanks." Naruto said, tearing up.

"Don't thank me, just hurry up and eat." Sakura says.

"But isn't that your lunch?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

"Uh, I'm on a diet." Sakura said.

(Y/N) sighed, she simply shoved inside Naruto's mouth her food. "Diets don't work Sakura. If you don't eat well, you won't have enough energy to fight." She stated bluntly, shoving inside Naruto's mouth another bunch of her food. Sakura was surprised to hear that from the girl who hated her.

Naruto was struggling to speak, but
(Y/N) kept interrupting him by feeding him more food forcefully. He finally swallowed, and opened his mouth to speak, but a sudden thunder broke the silence.

And the four flinched when a huge shadow towered over them.

Kakashi had appeared and was glaring at them harshly, scaring them. "YOU BROKE THE RULES! WHICH MEANS YOU..!" Kakashi yelled harshly. "Pass!"

........

"WHAAAAA?!?!" Naruto and Sakura exclaimed, while (Y/N) fist bumped the air and Sasuke merely 'hned'.

Kakashi smiled under the mask. "You pass. You see, all the other kids just listened to me. A true ninja must be able to see through deception. Those who break the rules and codes are what the ninja world considers trash or scum." Kakashi explained. "But those who don't take care of their comrades are worse than scum."

Naruto got teary eyed, still trying to swallow the last bunch of food. "I mwean...He's pwettty cool!" He said, his voice muffled as (Y/N) nodded, Sakura blushed, and Sasuke stared.

"Naruto, don't speak with your mouth full!" Sakura scolded him.

"Well, that's it! Tomorrow, Team 7 will start doing missions!" Kakashi announced, as he walked away. Sakura and Sasuke followed, but (Y/N) stayed to free Naruto.

She cut off the ropes tying him with a kunai, and smiled at him. "We did it!"

Naruto pouted. "Mou, (Y/N)-chan! If you knew the purpose why didn't you tell me? I'm your best friend!" He whined.

(Y/N)'s eyebrows twitched and she whacked his head. "I TRIED BAKA!!"

Naruto ran away in fear, as (Y/N) chased him with a huge smile.

She grinned, but then frowned. Will it always be like this? Or will something change?