The second hand on the little clock ticked past 8:35. The instant Kakashi began the test, Sasuke vanished into the tree. Sakura hesitated for a split second to look at Naruto before ultimately slipping in the nearby direction of her crush.
'Ninja must know how to conceal their movements and hide effectively.' Kakashi looked around and didn't find any visible signs of Sasuke or Sakura. 'Those two hid well. Not a bad start.'
Naruto meanwhile jumped back from the Jonin and gained some distance but he had no intention of hiding.
Kakashi looked at him and tilted his head. "Aren't you going to hide?"
Naruto crossed his arms and shook his head. "No way. You and me! Right now. I'm taking those bells fair and square!"
Sakura, already concealed, clenched her teeth. "Naruto, you idiot—!"
'That fool.' Sasuke paused behind a trunk, frowning. 'Then again this could be my chance. He's drawing his attention. If I time it right…'
Meanwhile in the clearing, the silver haired Jonin sighed as he looked at the boy. "You know, compared to the other two, you're a bit… odd."
Naruto was instantly annoyed. "The only thing odd here is your stupid haircut. I'm gonna get those bells! Believe it!" Naruto declared, jabbing a finger at his sensei.
Kakashi didn't even take his hands out of his pockets. "Fine. We'll begin with taijutsu."
Naruto rushed forward in high spirits. "Heh! You're gonna regret calling me a loser!"
As the Genin came closer, Kakashi reached into his pouch and Naruto came to a sudden stop. 'If he wants to use Taijutsu then why is he reaching for a weapon?'
Kakashi casually pulled out a familiar orange book from his pouch and held it in his left hand. He didn't even look at Naruto and opened to the middle and flicked a page. "Mm. Go ahead."
"Huh? What are you—" Naruto blinked a couple times at the unexpected development. Immediately after, he got angry. "Are you—are you reading?! Hey, take this seriously!"
Kakashi turned a page with his thumb. "I don't need to worry about you."
Sakura's mouth fell open as she watched from her hiding spot. "Is he… reading?"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he looked at the man. 'Is he really that confident or is he baiting Naruto?'
Seeing the Jonin's nonchalant attitude, Naruto's face flushed in anger. "Oh, I'll make you worry!" He burst forward, and attacked Kakashi from his left side with a punch. Kakashi easily blocked it with his right palm.
Naruto instantly crouched down the next second and did a leg sweep in the hopes of tripping Kakashi but the man simply jumped over Naruto's leg.
"Too slow," Kakashi murmured.
Seeing his attack fail, Naruto rushed up as fast as he could, throwing a right punch towards Kakashi's face.
He tilted his head, avoiding the strike with ease, then used his foot to trip Naruto, sending the boy rolling backward.
"Tch—!" Naruto quickly composed himself, jumped back to his feet and rushed towards his enemy again. 'Come on. I can do it.' Naruto snarled and attacked again from different angles.
Kakashi easily tilted his head or leaned his body or lazily blocked the Genin's attacks.
Seeing his punches and kicks ineffective made Naruto more frustrated. "Faster. I have to go faster." He muttered to himself.
The blonde Genin moved again. His muscles tightened and his steps became faster.
This time Kakashi noticed the difference from the corner of his eye. 'His strikes are coming faster than before.' The Jonin's gaze discreetly traveled down to Naruto's feet.
The Genin's footwork, while not refined, had a surprising amount of control and his grip on the ground during turns and pivots was solid.
Kakashi's eye tracked the change. 'Feet grip and release are clean on direction changes. He's using chakra to stick to the ground... So he's mastered the tree-walking exercise, huh.' Kakashi mused. 'That explains the stable footwork... Interesting. Better than I expected from a prankster like him.'
Kakashi shifted to the side, letting a knee miss his face by a hair. Immediately before Naruto could even react, Kakashi placed his palm on his chest and pushed his back with a bit of force from his side.
"Good enthusiasm," he murmured without looking up. "But it's not enough."
"Ghaa!" Naruto rolled backwards a few meters before coming to a stop. He was laying on the ground breathing rougher than usual while looking up at the sky. He clenched his fists as he tilted his head to look at the Jonin who didn't even glance up from his book.
Sasuke and Sakura were shocked at the way Kakashi handled Naruto. For Sasuke it was as if he was in a deja vu. 'It's almost like my fight with Daichi… Naruto is completely outclassed.'
Sasuke wanted to attack the Jonin while he was dealing with Naruto but after watching the short battle, he decided to wait. 'If this guy is like Daichi, he won't have his guard down no matter what.'
'Damn it. I need to get a bell.' On the 'battlefield' Naruto got up and went at it again.
Minutes passed by without any success but Naruto refused to quit. 'Should I use the shadow clone jutsu now? No. I'll wait till I can take him by surprise.'
He blew through combinations until his shoulders burned but Naruto kept pushing. Soon his breaths grew heavier, but no matter how hard he tried or what angle he attacked from, Kakashi dodged them all with minimal movement, barely glancing up from his book.
After nearly twenty minutes of relentless effort, Naruto was visibly panting. The only sounds in the clearing were Naruto's grunts and the soft rustle of pages turning.
"Still coming?" Kakashi asked, arching an eyebrow.
Naruto clenched his fists and growled. "You bet I am!"
Kakashi sighed. He closed his book with one hand and finally slipped it back into his pouch. "Okay. That's enough. It's over."
"Not yet it isn't!" Naruto roared and surged with another burst of new found energy.
In a blur, Kakashi vanished from Naruto's field of view.
"What the—!?" Naruto blinked and looked side to side. "Where is he?"
While Naruto was oblivious to Kakashi's location, the others on the training ground could clearly see him.
Sakura's breath hitched as she saw the hand sign her Jonin sensei made. "Wait! That's…"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. 'He wouldn't! The Tiger seal is the precursor for a Fire style jutsu. At such a close range…'
"Naruto. Get away. He's behind you." Sakura suddenly yelled, getting Naruto's attention. 'Behind?'
"Don't let your enemy catch you off guard, Naruto." Kakashi whispered in a cold tone. "It might just be the end of you."
The hair on Naruto's body stood in terror. Before he could escape from his position, Kakashi made his move.
"Ninja art - Secret Leaf village jutsu-" Kakashi said calmly, and rammed two fingers upward. "One Thousand Years of Death."
"GYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Naruto shot through the air like a rocket, arms flailing, and landed with a splash in the nearby river.
Sakura stared, face blank. Then her expression twisted into disbelief. "He didn't…" 'That wasn't a ninjutsu. He just poked Naruto.'
Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose and looked away. "Hn." 'Those two idiots. I can't believe this guy was Daichi's Jonin instructor.'
Kakashi straightened and dusted his gloves. "One must never lower their guard." 'Nearly 9 AM,' he thought. 'That's thirty minutes.'
From a distance, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. 'Time's running out. Half an hour is already gone. He's toying with us now. I have to act soon… but I can't rush in blindly.' He recalled sparring with Daichi and how charging in without a plan always led to his quick defeat. 'Set traps first.' Sasuke silently crept through the underbrush, beginning his preparations.
Back in the river, Naruto was sinking, bubbles rising around him. But his eyes were focused. 'No way I'm giving up that easy! I'm not losing to a dumb prank!'
He started swimming towards the surface but just before surfacing, he tossed four kunai from beneath the water.
Kakashi, still standing on the bank, caught them effortlessly between his two fingers. "Hm."
Naruto slowly emerged, dragging himself onto the shore. He dropped to his hands and knees, soaked and breathing heavily. "You… jerk."
Kakashi looked down at him calmly. "Hm? You look tired. Is that all you have?"
"I…" pant… "I didn't even eat breakfast…" Naruto muttered bitterly.
"Running on empty wasn't a smart idea." Kakashi spoke nonchalantly.
"How's that my fault? You told us not to eat!" Naruto snapped. "How am I supposed to fight when I'm starving to death here!"
Hidden in the trees, both Sakura and Sasuke grimaced as their stomachs growled audibly.
"A ninja must fight through all adversities placed in front of them. A little bit of hunger is nothing compared to the dangers you'll face in the field." Kakashi said with a shrug.
Hearing those words, Naruto stopped his complaints. He recalled the near death experience he had when he was fighting Mizuki. 'He's right. This is nothing.'
Naruto took a deep breath and stood with a new determination.
Kakashi glanced at the boy with a slightly raised brow. "Are you still ready to fight?"
"Yeah! I'm not going to give up. I will get a bell and I will become a ninja. Believe it!" With those words Naruto rushed towards Kakashi faster than he had gone before.
'Interesting.' Kakashi was ready. He easily parried the punches and kicks Naruto sent his way and kicked him away. "Your spirit's impressive," Kakashi said with a small smile, turning away. "But you'll need more than that."
"I know. Now!" Naruto shouted at that moment. Suddenly the river erupted and fourteen shadow clones burst forth. The clones quickly jumped near Naruto and faced the Silver haired Jonin.
'The Shadow Clone Jutsu?' Sakura's eyes widened. "He's using it again. Like when he fought Mizuki…"
'Shadow clones huh?' Sasuke's mouth tightened a fraction. 'So he does use them when he remembers he has a brain.'
The real Naruto was up on his feet and pointed at the masked ninja. "Get him."
Kakashi faced the wave of Naruto with a calm attitude. "All right. Shinobi Battle Techniques, Part Two: Ninjutsu. Let's see how good you are with that jutsu."
The Naruto clones charged while the real one stood back and looked on.
Kakashi didn't fight the clones head-on. He let them reach him, then slipped through the gap with ease. A heel clipped a clone's knee—puff. A palm redirected an elbow into a chest—puff. A forearm brushed a throat with surgical precision—puff.
"Aarrr!" Two clones shouted and rushed at him from left and right. Kakashi easily dodged and the two clones collided onto each other and popped.
"Careful," Kakashi said. "Your spacing is—"
"Shut up!" three Narutos yelled at once, and tried to dogpile his upper body.
"—poor," Kakashi finished, and flowed out from under them with a slip and a twist. He jumped back and looked at the clones grouped together around where he was.
As the small group of Narutos looked at Kakashi, another clone stealthily came from the river behind him and immediately latched onto his back. "Haha! Got you now!"
Kakashi looked shocked. "What?!"
The other clones immediately seized the chance. They rushed forward to grab his arms and legs and held him in place.
"Don't let your enemies catch you off guard. That's good advice sensei. Thanks."
Sakura's eyes widened with surprise but Sasuke remained calm. He knew catching a Jonin by surprise wouldn't be that easy.
Kakashi didn't struggle but he looked concerned.
Above them, the real Naruto leapt into the air. "PAYBACK!" he shouted, fist raised to punch Kakashi in the face. Naruto's fist came closer and closer to Kakashi and the boy's face was filled with glee.
But the next moment, his fist hit a clone and reduced him to smoke. Poof!
Naruto's target turned into one of his own clones. "What the—?!"
The entire mass of Naruto froze. "Huh?!" "What just happened?" "Where is he?"
"Over here." Kakashi's voice drifted from behind them, five meters away. Naruto and his nine remaining shadow clones snapped around and glared at him. "How'd you do that?" The real one shouted/asked.
"A simple substitution with your own clone. No big deal." He rolled his shoulder. "Continue."
"You sneaky—!" "Don't try to act cool!" Naruto snapped, cheeks coloring with embarrassment and rage in equal parts. "Again!"
Naruto and his clones swarmed at Kakashi but this time the Jonin was ready to attack. He moved forward and began defending the oncoming strikes and actively attacked the shadow clones. They tried grabbing the bells on his belt but he slapped their hands away and retaliated without pause.
A knee to the sternum here, a lazy backfist there, a hip throw, a leg sweep kept bringing down the number of fighters on the field.
Poof. Poof. Poof…
One by one, they quickly vanished in clouds of smoke. "Stop popping!" the real Naruto roared, and popped two more by accident when he collided with them.
After a couple minutes of chaotic movements, the field quieted down. Kakashi stood untouched with hands in pockets. Naruto was kneeling on the ground, gasping for air, sweat dripping down his face. Purpled bruises formed under his wet clothes.
Kakashi looked at him and shrugged. "Catch your breath. I'm going to read my book."
He strolled off, pulling the orange novel from his pouch again.
Naruto glared. "Darn it…"
Nearly a minute later he caught his breath and stood. He looked around trying to find Kakashi when a glint of light caught his eyes. "What is that?" He came near it.
A little glint winked from under a tree, half-hidden in grass. Naruto blinked as he looked. He blinked again as he took a closer look at the item. "No way…" It was silver and bell-shaped. Naruto's face split into a grin. "Yes!" He grinned, stupid and wide. "He dropped one! He dropped one!"
Naruto's hands bolted forward. But just before he could touch the bell–
A rope tightened around his ankle and yanked him upward. "Waaaa—!" He flipped in a wild arc and thumped against the trunk, dangling upside down from the tree branch.
Kakashi stepped out from behind a neighboring tree and plucked the bell from the grass with exaggerated care. He hooked it back to his belt. "A ninja," he said conversationally, "must see through deception. Traps aren't only yours. And try to remember. The obvious thing on the ground… is rarely a prize."
"I know, I know!" Naruto barked, red-faced and furious. He yanked a kunai from his pouch, sliced the rope, and dropped. He flipped mid-air and landed clumsily on his feet. He straightened fast and jabbed a finger. "You—"
"You'll have to find me first," Before Naruto could say anything further, Kakashi vanished from his spot..
"Sensei?! Hey! Where—" Naruto's jaw hung. He spun in a circle. "Hey—HEY!"
Just then, Sakura emerged from behind a tree. "There you are!" she said.
Naruto brightened instantly. "Sakura. Did you see that? He ran away!"
"Kakashi-sensei's fighting Sasuke on the other side of the field!" she said with concern. "I think Sasuke has cornered him."
Naruto straightened like someone had run a current through him. "Sasuke cornered him? I'm ready to go!" He took a step.
Just then Sakura walked closer, twirling a finger shyly, eyelashes lowering. "But… Can you help me first?"
He blinked. "Huh?"
"Can you do me a favor before we go? As a good luck charm?" she said, cheeks faintly pink. "A kiss… on the cheek?"
Naruto's brain threw a parade. "Uh—uh—yes!" His grin got stupid fast. "S-Sure! For luck!" He leaned in, eyes half-closed, lips puckered, heart doing somersaults.
—-
Kakashi watched with arms crossed as Naruto hugged the tree trunk and pressed a kiss to the rough bark.
Naruto was kissing a tree trunk, muttering Sakura's name with a dreamy smile.
From a nearby bush, the real Sakura's eyes went round, then flat with fury. "What is that idiot doing?" 'He's kissing a tree. He's actually kissing a tree and saying my name—' She held her breath, listened. Naruto murmured, dreamily: "Sakura…"
Suddenly her stomach dropped as she realized what was happening.
"Shinobi Battle Techniques, Part 3. Genjutsu," Kakashi murmured from his position.
Naruto dangled and didn't cut any rope. He was hung like a fish, upside down, while making smooching noises at the bark and mumbling as if the tree bark smells like shampoo.
"As expected… he needs a lot more work defending against illusions." 'One hour has passed,' Kakashi noted, glancing at the sky. 'Two more to go.'
Just then, several shuriken came from the treeline and struck Kakashi. But a couple seconds later…
Poof!
A log with shuriken embedded in it dropped to the ground where Kakashi was.
'Substitution. Now he knows where I am.' Sasuke darted from his previous location, realizing he'd been spotted.
From her hiding spot, Sakura saw the movement and stood up. "Sasuke!"
She was about to run after him but then looked at Naruto, still hanging upside-down, kissing bark.
She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on!"
After a few seconds of hesitation, she made her decision. "I can't believe I'm doing this." She sprinted to him, muttering, "Idiot, idiot, idiot—" under her breath.
"Hold still!" She flicked a shuriken up, sliced the rope, and Naruto dropped to the ground with a thud, still entranced.
Sakura knelt and placed a hand on his shoulder and made a seal with the other hand. "Release."
Naruto's eyes cleared as he was freed from Kakashi's Genjutsu. He blinked and saw Sakura right in front of him. He reached up with a goofy smile. "Sakura—" He leaned forward.
WHACK! A second later, her fist dropped onto his head with power and precision.
"Ow!" Naruto sat up, holding his skull and rubbing the lump on his head. "What was that for?!"
"For trying to kiss me. You were hanging upside down and kissing a tree, you idiot." Sakura snapped. "Kakashi-sensei put you in a illusion. He got you. Again."
"H-huh?!" Naruto tilted his head as he didn't understand what was going on.
Sakura groaned tiredly and crossed her arms. "You were caught in a Genjutsu, dummy! You were kissing a TREE!"
Naruto stared, the words fighting through the fog in his mind. He sat up fast. "Genjutsu? But—" He looked at the tree bark, which did not look like Sakura's cheek at all. It looked like bark. He turned pink to his ears. "A-Argh! That masked pervert! When I find him, I'm gonna kick his ass."
Sakura exhaled exasperated. 'I'm already beginning to regret this.'
—--------------
Author's Note:
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