Of Pranks, New Sensei's, and Survival Exercises
-Of Pranks, New Sensei's, and Survival Exercises-
"He's late." Naruto complained for the umpteenth time as he peeked out the classroom door, looking down both ends of the hallway repeatedly.
"Naruto, just sit down!" Sakura exclaimed, tired of watching him and listening to his complaints.
"I don't want to! How come our teacher is the only one that's late? I'm ready to roll! Believe it!" He replied, looking over at Amaya who was sitting in the windowsill boredly swinging her legs, watching the two banter. He continued on, "The other groups already met their new teachers, and took off on some adventure or something. And Iruka-sensei's gone too!" The Minamoto only shrugged in response before looking away and back out the window.
"We know okay?" Sakura replied tiredly, slouching in her spot.
"Saa~ Lets just all calm down, okay? I'm sure there's a good reason why he's late." Amaya advises, hoping to ease some of the rooms tension as she hopped down from the windowsill. Her words earn her blank looks from the trio, causing her to sweatdrop. 'Oookaaay then...' She thought, walking over to take a seat next to Sasuke, laying her head on the tables cool surface.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Sakura suddenly asked, prompting the Minamoto to open her eyes and sit up in her seat.
The trio watched as Naruto grabbed an eraser from the chalkboard, opened the door and placed it in the opening. "Naruto!" Sakura scolded as Amaya smirked at the scene.
"That's what he gets for coming late! Surprise!" The blond cackled loudly, pleased with the prank.
"You're asking for trouble, you know you shouldn't do that." Sakura replied, seemingly uninterested in what he was doing. On the inside however... 'CHA! I LOVE STUFF LIKE THIS!' Her inner self exclaimed in excitement.
"Hn, our teachers a Jounin, an elite ninja. You think he'd fall for that?" Sasuke comments rhetorically behind his clasped hands.
"Yeah, Sasuke's right! You're so clueless, Naruto!" Sakura belittles.
Rolling her eyes, Amaya scoffs, easily gaining the trios attention once more. "Either he'll stop it, or he'll be lazy and just let it happen." She cuts in, causing the Uchiha to look at her and grunt out his infamous "Hn."
***
Everyone froze when a gloved hand appeared through the crack in the door. Pushing the door open slowly, it was soon followed by a head of a man with silver gravity-defying hair, his face and left eye obscured by a mask and his forehead protector. The eraser, only being held up by the door, soon gave way and dropped onto the man's head.
"I GOT HIM! HE TOTALLY FELL FOR IT!" Naruto bellowed out, clutching his stomach while laughing obnoxiously, causing Amaya to shake her head and snicker into her hand.
"I'm so sorry, Sensei, I told him not to do it, but he wouldn't listen! I'd never do anything like that!" Sakura babbled out nervously.
Rolling her eyes, Amaya leaned back in her seat. 'What a kiss ass.'
'PERFECT SHOT!' Naruto thought to himself proudly, watching as the man picked up the fallen eraser.
'He actually fell for that cheap trick? Is this guy really a Jounin?' Sasuke thought in disbelief, his expression however, remained passive.
Amaya sighed and brushed her bangs from her eyes, observing the new arrival closely. 'There's no way he fell for that. Like I said before, I bet he was just too lazy to dodge it.'
"Hmm, how can I put this? My first impression of this group..." The man started in a bored tone, catching the quartets attention. "You're a bunch of idiots." He finished, causing all four of them to deflate depressingly.
They soon found themselves on the rooftop of the academy. The four of them were sitting on the steps in front of the silver haired Jounin, who was sitting on the railing. "Alright, why don't you introduce yourselves, one at a time." He orders, confusing the four slightly.
"Introduce ourselves? Well... What are we supposed to say?" Sakura asked, earning nods from some of her teammates and a sigh from the man.
"Things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future... Hobbies... Things like that." He replies, shrugging slightly before crossing his arms over his chest.
"Why don't you tell us stuff first, I mean before we talk, tell us about you so we can see how it's supposed to work?" Naruto suggested with Sakura nodding along in agreement.
Luckily the man complied. "Me?... I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate... Mnn, I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future... Never really thought about it. As for my hobbies, I have lots of hobbies." He introduced -if you could even call it that.
'Kakashi Hatake huh?... I think Toshi-nii mentioned him before.' Amaya thought to herself, tilting her head curiously.
'Another Minamoto, huh? Hmm, hopefully she doesn't disappoint.' Kakashi thought to himself, smirking under his mask.
"That was totally useless, all he really told us was his name." Sakura mumbled lowly to Naruto, who nodded in response.
"Okay, your turn. You on the right, you first." Kakashi called, gesturing towards Naruto.
Grinning widely, Naruto leans forward in excitement. "Believe it! I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like instant ramen in a cup, and I really like the ramen Iruka-sensei got me at the Ichiraku noodle shop! But I hate the three minutes you have to wait after you pour the water in the ramen cup. My hobby is eating different kinds of ramen and comparing them."
At the beginning of his introduction, Amaya couldn't help but shake her head, amused. 'Of course.' She thought to herself, eyes filled with mirth as she thought back to all of the times Toshiaki became broke as he ended up having to pay for the boy's multiple bowls of ramen, tears comically streaming down his face. 'And yet he still offers to treat us.' She added silently with a smirk.
"And my dream is... To be the greatest Hokage! Then everyone will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like somebody! Somebody important!" Naruto finishes, a determined glint in his eye.
'Well... He's grown up in a very interesting way...' Kakashi lightly mused to himself, observing the boy before looking to the pinkette. "Alright. Next."
"I'm Sakura Haruno! What I like.. uh.. I mean the person that I like is...mhn...--" The addressed girl started before correcting herself, giggling while looking towards Sasuke who of course, like always, ignored her. "Ah, my hobby is, uh...--" She tried again, her face turning red when she glanced at the boy for the second time. "My dream for the future is..." Once again, she cut herself off, this time by squealing into her hands.
Kakashi looked at the girl dully - clearly unimpressed, while Amaya scoffed, facepalming with a sweatdrop.
"And? What do you hate?" The silver haired Jounin deadpanned, ready to be done with this whole situation. 'It's not like they'll make it through the test, no one has yet. Well... The Uchiha and Minamoto might prove to be talented, but then again, I don't know how well they work together.' He thought to himself, relaxing against the railing as he observed the two children before turning back to the pinkette.
"Naruto!" Was the girls quick and nasty reply, her answer causing the blond to screech in dismay.
'Girls her age are more interested in boys than ninja training...' Kakashi mused to himself uninterested, before looking at the young Uchiha before him.
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything." He began, immediately gaining his three teammates' attention, and causing Sakura to deflate. "What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan and destroy a certain someone." He finished darkly, staring off at nothing.
'Geez, ah... I hope he doesn't mean me...' Naruto thought, his face paling as he shuffled away from the raven-haired boy.
'Well... This isn't awkward at all.' Amaya grimly joked, also scooting over a smidgen.
'Sasuke is so hot...' Sakura swooned, practically looking at the boy with hearts in her eyes.
'Just as I thought.' Kakashi mused to himself before looking toward the last member of the group. "Last one."
Turning toward her sensei, Amaya gave a small closed eyed smile. "Saa~ My name is Amaya Minamoto! I have many likes and interests... Some of which include hangin' out with Naruto, dango, training, and annoying my three older brothers." She began while wrapping an arm around said blonds' shoulder, unknowingly catching the attention of the broody Uchiha who began to stare intensely at her. "I don't particularly hate anything, well besides Toshiaki's trashy personality-- but that's besides the point. However, what gets under my skin the most is people putting down someone I care about! My dreams for the future are to follow in my father's footsteps and become one of the strongest Kunoichi in the world, as well as helping Naruto become Hokage! As for hobbies... Well, I don't really have much time to do anything else besides training and studying with Papa. Anything else, you'll just have to find out on your own!" The Minamoto finished with a small laugh as she released the grinning blond.
'Follow in her father's footsteps, huh? I'd say Minamoto-sama is teaching her everything he knows... I'd like to see what she can do...' Kakashi mused to himself.
'Three brothers?! So, I was right before... I don't really know anything about her at all.' Sakura thought, glancing at the cheerful brunette.
Kakashi nodded in approval. "Good, you're each unique and have your own ideas. We'll have our first mission tomorrow." He informed, uncrossing his arms.
"Eh?! What kind of mission are we going to have?" Naruto asked, excitement filling his voice as he leaned forward anxiously.
"It's a task, that the five of us will do together." The Jounin informed in a bored tone while staring at the four in front of him.
"What?! What?! What?!" Naruto asked repeatedly, jumping up from his seat while gesturing wildly.
"A survival exercise." Kakashi deadpanned, standing up straight while placing his hands in his pockets.
"Huh, survival exercise?" The blond asked confused, as Amaya tilted her head to the side.
"I thought we were supposed to have a real mission, not more practice? We already did this stuff at the academy, that's how we got here!" Sakura cut in, just as confused.
"This is not like your previous training." The silver haired man said, suddenly feeling amused at the whole situation. 'They really have no idea.' He thought, his one visible eye filled with amusement as he took in their expressions.
"So what kind of training is it then?" Amaya asked, her expression morphing from confusion to bafflement as the man began to laugh. 'Why do I suddenly feel sick?' She asked herself, not liking where the conversation was headed.
"Well, if I tell you the answer, you're not going to like it." Kakashi replied, quickly calming himself from his little episode.
"Hah?" Naruto questioned, beginning to somewhat feel frustrated from his teacher constantly beating around the bush.
Kakashi sighed, "Of the twenty-eight graduates who just came here, only ten will actually be accepted as Genin. The other eighteen, will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words, this is a make it or break it pass/fail test. And the chances that you'll fail are at least sixty-six percent. See? Didn't I tell you, you wouldn't like it?" He informed, causing the four to tense up in shock.
"That's crazy! We worked hard to get here! Believe it! What was that graduation test for anyway?!" Naruto yelled out in anger and confusion, disbelief painting his face.
"Oh that... That was just to select candidates who might become Genin. Or not." The Jounin replied calmly.
"WHAAT?!" The blond screeched, placing his hands on his head.
"That's how it is, I decide whether you pass or fail. Be at the designated training spot at five a.m. and bring your ninja gear." The man added, watching the confidence of the four crumble as they realized they're not out of the woods yet.
'Sixty-six percent?! Nobody said anything about this?!' Amaya thought, slightly panicked before taking a deep breath. 'No... No, don't freak out yet. You can still prove yourself, you've trained for this, Amaya!' The Minamoto thought reassuringly to herself with a nod, glancing determinedly at Kakashi, ready for whatever he'll throw at them.
"That's it, you're dismissed. Oh, tomorrow you better skip breakfast or else... You'll puke." Kakashi said casually over his shoulder while beginning to walk away, as if this happens every day. Causing the four to tense up even more, if that was even possible.
-THE NEXT DAY-
The next morning for Amaya consisted of her mother trying to forcefully remove her from her bed after she slept through her alarm. It wasn't until Mitsuko threatened to get Toshiaki involved, did the youngest Minamoto fly out of bed and get ready with such speed it'd put the Fourth Hokage to shame.
Saying her goodbyes to her mother, who decided getting another hour or so of sleep sounded like a good idea, Amaya wandered downstairs into the kitchen contemplating whether or not she should listen to Kakashi or eat instead. Choosing the latter, she grabbed an apple and a bottle of water along with her pack and made her way out the door, locking it behind her.
As she walked, she happily returned the waves and greetings from her neighbors and the people out doing some early shopping. 'Saa~ What if he's late again?' She thought to herself, taking the final bite from her apple before throwing its core in a nearby bin.
She soon found herself nearing the clearing of the designated training ground. Looking around she saw Sasuke, who gave a small nod of acknowledgement. The two were soon joined by Naruto and Sakura, both mumbling out their greetings in yawns and grunts.
Hours pass. And by the time Kakashi finally arrives, the sun is already high in the sky. 'It's at least ten o'clock. I could've slept in for another three hours or so.' Amaya thought with a pout while glancing up at the sky before looking at their sensei who's slowly approaching.
"Morning everyone, ready for your first day?" Kakashi asks in a cheerful tone, acting as if he wasn't five hours late.
"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto and Sakura yell out at the same time, while the other two opt to remain quiet.
'I hope this doesn't happen a lot in the future...' The Minamoto thought once more, stretching lazily as she stared at the Jounin unamused.
"Well, a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way." Kakashi excuses, only to be met with silence and blank stares from the four children. "Well--" He begins, before clearing his throat. "Let's get started." He then proceeds to walk over to three wooden posts nearby, one of which, has a timer sitting on it.
"Here we go, it's set for noon." He informs, pressing in on one of the buttons to set the clock.
Turning around, he walks back to the four. "Your assignment is very simple. You just have to take these bells from me. That's all there is too it." He then pulls out three bells for emphasis, causing them to chime lightly. "If you can't get them by noon, you go without lunch." He adds, watching as bafflement paints some of the faces in front of him.
"WHA?!" Naruto exclaims, slowly piecing everything together with the rest.
"You'll be tied to those posts, and you'll watch while I eat my lunch in front of you." Kakashi adds nonchalantly.
'So that's why...' Sasuke thought to himself, narrowing his eyes on the Jounin.
'He told us not to eat breakfast, to make it harder on us.' Sakura sulked to herself, mentally deflating.
'That's kinda harsh... I guess I'm lucky I didn't listen.' Amaya mused, glancing at her teammates before eyeing her teacher.
Sakura observed her teacher while thinking about the exercise. "Wait a minute, there's four of us. How come there's only three bells?" She asked, causing Kakashi to feel a small spark of amusement.
"That way at least one of you will end up tied to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission. That one goes back to the academy." The man answered before adding, "Then again, all four of you could flunk out too. You can use any weapons, including shuriken. If you're not prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bells."
"Those weapons are too dangerous, Sensei!" Sakura gasped out causing Amaya to roll her eyes.
'And being a ninja ISN'T dangerous? Boy oh boy do I have a newsflash for you, pinkie.' The brunette thought, completely done with all of this.
"Especially since you couldn't even dodge that eraser." Naruto adds, laughing to himself as he thought back to the previous day.
Kakashi remained unbothered at the boy's words. "Class clowns are usually the weakest links. You can safely ignore them... lowest scores... losers." He shrugged, his voice void of any real emotion.
Naruto, realizing instantly who the Jounin was referring to, growls at the insult and pulls out a kunai before charging forward.
"When I say start you can begin." Kakashi informs, watching the boy run closer. Suddenly and in the blink of an eye, Kakashi was behind the blond, twisting Naruto's arm holding the kunai so that the sharp end was at the base of the boy's skull. "Don't be in such a hurry, I didn't say start yet." He added dully, his gaze moving from the blond to the remaining three.
'Uwah... So cool! I didn't even see him move!' Amaya thought in awe, her eyes sparkling in excitement.
Silence fills the air as the four processed what just occurred. Kakashi smiles behind his mask, his visible eye closing at the action. "But you came at me with the full intention of killing me so, how can I say this? I'm actually starting to like you guys." He states, releasing Naruto from his old.
"Get ready..."
The four Genin tense, readying themselves for what would happen next. Kakashi observes their stances, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Start!"
At the word, the four jump away, putting distance between themselves and the Jounin.
***
"Ninja must know how to conceal their movements and how to hide effectively." Kakashi mumbled aloud to himself as he looked around the clearing. 'Well, they understand that much. They've hidden well.. huh?' His musings are stopped when he realizes that not all of the children had hid. Naruto was the only one standing in the clearing besides himself.
"YOU AND ME! RIGHT NOW, FAIR AND SQUARE! LET'S GO!" Naruto roars, pointing at the Jounin determinedly.
'Fool.' Sasuke thought to himself as he watched from his spot on a tree branch.
"You know compared to the others, you're a little bit... Weird." Kakashi comments, not at all phased by the loud blond in front of him.
"Oh yeah? The only thing weird here is your haircut!" Naruto yells out before giving a war cry, running towards the man in the center of the field.
Amaya snickers silently at his quick retort from her perch above Sakura, who was concealed in a bush below.
"Shinobi Battle Techniques, Part One. Taijutsu, the physical part." Kakashi states, reaching into his pouch. The action alone gives the boy pause, making him stop in his tracks.
'Taijutsu. That's hand to hand combat. Then why is he reaching for a weapon?!' Naruto questions, tensing as his eyes follow the older males' movements. However, imagine his surprise when the man pulls out a book instead. "What the?!"
"What are you waiting for? Make your move." Kakashi calls, not once taking his eye from the now open novel in his hands.
"But... I mean, why are you reading that book?" Naruto asks, completely bewildered.
"Why? To find out what happens in the story, of course. Don't let it bother you, with your weak attacks it doesn't matter if I'm reading or.. whatever." Kakashi informed as if it were obvious, still not looking away from the book.
Naruto's anger grows at the uninterested response. Clenching his fist, he charges forward once more. "I'M GOING TO CRUSH YOU!"
Kakashi dodges the punch and grabs the boy's fist, holding him in place. However, that doesn't stop Naruto from spinning around, aiming a high kick - which is also avoided.
Pivoting on his heel, Naruto turns with a kunai in hand. "NOW YOUR'E MINE!" He exclaims, stumbling forward slightly as Kakashi was nowhere in sight. "Huh?"
Suddenly, Kakashi is behind the boy, crouching with his hands forming a sign. "Don't let your enemy get behind you all the time." The man deadpans, catching the boy by surprise.
'A hand sign to focus his chakra... Is that the sign of the tiger? That's dangerous! He could kill Naruto with that!' Sakura observes worriedly, wondering if their sensei would really go that far.
'That hand sign is for a fire jutsu... He's not just toying with Naruto, he's going to demolish him.' Sasuke thought to himself, curious as to how the blond dobe will get out of this.
'Saa~ I don't think Naruto knows any elemental jutsus to counter that... I mean technically Genin aren't supposed to be able to do anything like that, as they don't have complete control over their chakra. However, despite having no control, some are an exception to that, myself being one of those. Sasuke as well, seeing as Uchiha are trained from a young age to use fire jutsu. Sakura... Well, I don't think she even has enough chakra to even attempt those sorts of techniques.' Amaya muses, pitying the blond for what's about to happen.
"Naruto, get out of there quick! He's going to destroy you!" Sakura yells out, not only blowing her cover, but also Amaya's.
Kakashi's eye briefly shifts over into their direction, sending Amaya into a panicked frenzy as their gaze's lock. 'Tch, damn pinkie! Even if you warned him it's too late, Sensei's too fast!' The brunette thought to herself, quickly moving from her spot to another tree, making sure to keep far away from the loudmouth Haruno.
"Too late." Kakashi hums as Naruto turns his head, the blond's expression turning into one of disbelief as he tries to escape.
"LEAF VILLAGE SECRET FINGER JUTSU!" Kakashi then exclaims and promptly pokes Naruto in the butt, making the blond's face scrunch up in displeasure. "A THOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH!" He exclaims again as Naruto shot into the air before landing face first into the river.
"..."
"That wasn't a hand sign at all, he just poked him." Sakura grunts with a scowl.
Deadpanning, Sasuke hangs his head and closes his eyes with a terse sigh. "Those two are just.. total idiots."
The young Minamoto, however, was currently sporting a red forehead from facepalming too hard. Her cheeks beginning to turn a light pink from secondhand embarrassment. 'I'm ashamed to be involved in any of this...' She thought with a slight shake of her head.
"Okay, where was I?" Kakashi mused aloud as he pulled out his book once more, intent on finding his place, acting as if nothing happened.
A minute or so passes, leaving everyone wondering if Naruto was going to try a second attempt. Soon enough, however, their question is answered as two shuriken came flying from the water. Both turn at an angle towards Kakashi, who in return, frees one hand from his book and catches the weapons on his pointer and middle fingers. The metal clinking slightly as they slowly spin to a stop.
"What are you doing now? You won't get lunch unless you get a bell by noon." Kakashi drawls dully, facing the river as Naruto slowly crawled out.
"I know, I know, you told us already!" Naruto groaned, squinting up to the silver haired man.
"You look pretty wobbly for someone who's going to surpass the Hokage." Kakashi mocks, returning his gaze back to his novel.
Suddenly, Naruto's stomach let out a loud growl causing him to grip his jacket. "You told us not to eat breakfast, how can I fight when I'm starving to death?!" As he said this, the others started to hear and feel their own stomachs growl.
'Breakfast?! I didn't even have dinner last night. Really bad idea to go on a diet.' Sakura thought pitifully to herself.
'Even though I ate that apple this morning, it can only hold me off for so long...' Amaya thought, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.
"So you caught me off guard! That's all it was, believe it!" Naruto exclaimed, looking down to the ground as he continued to speak. "I'm.. so hungry I don't have any strength. But I can't let that stop me, I've gotta get one of those bells no matter what! I'll find the strength somehow. Believe it! I'm gonna pass this test, and I'm not going back to the academy! I will become a ninja!" As he spoke, multiple clones of himself shot out of the river. "You're overconfident, Sensei! That's why you weren't ready for a Shadow Clone attack! My best jutsu!" The blond yells, joining his clones as they ran towards Kakashi.
'Saa~ No matter how many times I see it, I just can't get used to seeing him make so many clones...' Amaya thought to herself as she watched the clones get closer to their sensei.
"Hmm, it looks like the stories are true. He can create shadow clones." Kakashi mused to himself. 'It's a forbidden skill, and he defeated Mizuki with it.'
"Great technique, but I don't think you can maintain it for very long. You talk like you're the best Naruto, but you're still the worst student. You can't beat me with this jutsu." Suddenly, as Kakashi says this, a Naruto clone comes up from behind and jumps on his back.
"What?! He got me from behind!" The Jounin said aloud, turning his head to look the clone in the eye.
"Didn't you say, "Don't let your enemies behind you"? Good advice, Sensei, believe it. I had one of my clones come out of the river and sneak behind you super quiet. NOW THIS IS FOR NAILING ME IN THE BUTT EARLIER!" Naruto informed as another clone aimed another punch at the teachers face. "You're mine and so are those bells!"
The clone's fist smashes into Kakashi's face, however, the hit was immediately followed by a popping noise and a cloud of smoke. Once it cleared, Kakashi was nowhere in sight and in his place was a battered clone.
"Huh?" Naruto voiced as all the clones stopped moving, looking at the replacement in confusion.
"He's holding himself?... Naruto punched Naruto!" Sakura mumbled to herself confused.
"Ouch!" The clone grunted, lightly rubbing the spot of impact.
"It's you! YOU'RE KAKASHI-SENSEI AREN'T YOU?! YOU TRANSFORMED INTO ME USING A JUTSU!" Naruto yelled out angrily while pointing at the clone. This statement caused another argument between the clones. Similar to what happened the day before.
"You're Kakashi-sensei!"
"No, you are!"
"You smell like an old man, you must be him!"
Looking around, Naruto holds out his arms. "Hey! Let's undo the jutsu!--"
"Yeah that's it! Believe it! Then there'll be just two of us, so we'll know who's who!"
Coming to a decision, Naruto undos the jutsu, only to find a very depressing and embarrassing development. He was all alone in the clearing, with Kakashi, once again, nowhere in sight.
Despite feeling bad for her friend, the whole situation had Amaya nearly in tears as she muffled her laughter with her hand.
'Naruto, you are so not cool.' Sakura thought to herself as she rebuked her earlier thoughts.
'He got you with a replacement jutsu. Loser.' Sasuke thought with a light scoff. The raven-haired boy went on to review what they learned in the academy to himself. 'With this jutsu, you quickly switch your own body with an object. So your enemy thinks he's attacking you, when he really attacking a log or rock. Leaving him open to a counter attack. In this case, the Jounin let himself get caught then switched bodies with one of the Naruto clones. So, Naruto thought it was really him when actually Naruto was attacking himself, and that Jounin was so smooth he made Naruto look like a total moron.'
Out of the corner of his eye Naruto spots a slight sparkling object on the ground not far from a nearby tree. Looking closer he realizes that it's a bell. "Hmm?... A bell? I must've got to him with my attack. He dropped a bell!" He muses aloud cockily as he walks forward, suddenly he sets off a trap as his foot gets caught in a rope, leaving him hanging upside down.
"HEY! HEY, LEMME DOWN! WHAT IS THIS?!" Naruto yells out as he swayed back and forth.
'Of course it was a trap.' Sasuke thought as it were obvious - which it was to everyone except Naruto himself.
"SOMEBODY!" The blond yelled out again, and Amaya wanted to move and help but she didn't know what Kakashi was going to do next.
'A Jounin doesn't let down his guard. Even when he's fighting a fool. Naruto.' Sasuke thought to himself as he watched the swaying blond.
Soon Kakashi appears right in front of the disgruntled boy. Reaching down he picks up the bell, rolling it between his fingers as he looked back to the Uzumaki. "Think before you use a jutsu, or else your opponent will use it against you... Oh and also, if the bait is obvious... Don't take it. A ninja must see through deception."
"I. Get. It!" Naruto grunts, flailing around in hopes of freeing himself.
"I'm telling you this cause you don't get it. You think you get it, which is not the same as actually getting it. Get it?" Kakashi states, making no move to help the boy down.
'This is my chance!' Sasuke thought as he reached into his pouch. 'He finally dropped his guard!'
"Won't you ever learn?" Kakashi asks before he is hit by an array of kurai and shuriken, catching the rest by surprise.
"AHH, HE JUST GOT BLASTED BY SHURIKEN! ARE YOU OUTTA YOUR MIND, SASUKE?! YOU WENT TO FAR!" Naruto screams looking from where the weapons came from to Kakashi as he fell to the ground.
Once Kakashi hit the ground, there was a light "poof" sound. The smoke cleared to reveal a log impaled by shuriken and kunai. This sends Sasuke into a panic, prompting him to move from his hiding spot with haste.
'Another substitution jutsu, and now he knows where I'm hiding. Gotta move fast! I thought he lowered his guard, but he did that on purpose. And I fell for it.' The Uchiha thought as he jumped through the trees.
'So that's where he is.' Kakashi thought mischievously from his own perch in a tree, one of his hands reaching into his weapons pouch.
Immediately understanding the situation, Sakura also began to run through the woods looking for Sasuke. Her thoughts slightly panicked. 'Sasuke! Where'd you go? Don't tell me Kakashi-sensei found you! No, he can't capture my Sasuke! I won't let him!' She suddenly dropped to her knees as she spotted Kakashi not far ahead in front of her. 'Whew, he didn't hear me. I'm safe.' The pinkette thought to herself with a sigh while closing her eyes relieved.
"Sakura, behind you." Kakashi suddenly whispered into her ear from behind.
Soon, her screams were heard all over the training grounds, if not the whole village.
***
'Those screams... He must've gotten Sakura...' Amaya thought to herself as the screams echoed around the surrounding woods, causing her hair to stand on end. Looking around her to make sure the one-eyed man was nowhere in her vicinity, she turned back to Naruto, who was still trapped in the tree.
"A ninja must see through deception. Yeah, yeah, how am I supposed to do that? Well I'm sure not falling for anymore of his traps!" Naruto grumbled to himself as he pulled out a kunai and cut the rope causing him drop to the ground. However, Kakashi set another trap at the base of the tree, causing the boy to get caught in another rope, once again hanging him upside down. "I FELL FOR IT AGAIN!" He screamed out again, exasperated.
'No doubt Sensei went after Sasuke next... I should have time.' The Minamoto thought to herself while glancing around the clearing for a second time before looking back to Naruto. Amaya watched the struggling boy for a moment longer before deciding to throw caution to the wind, moving to help the blond. Jumping down, she made her way over to the tree cautiously, still unsure of anymore traps.
"Amaya! Boy, am I glad to see you!" Naruto called happily, still struggling with the rope around his ankle.
"Heh, hey Naru-chi. How's it hanging?" The brunette asked playfully, receiving a groan from the boy. "Sorry. Hold still for a sec, yeah?" She continued as she made her way around the base of the tree, her eyes zeroing in on the rope.
Seeing what she was about to do, Naruto complied, stilling his movements so she could cut the rope more effectively. Once he was on the ground again, the blond turned to the girl and gave her his thanks, earning himself a nod in response.
'There's no way we can take him on our own. Seeing what happened to Naruto confirmed that.' Amaya thought to herself, placing a finger to her chin thoughtfully, while the blond ranted to her about the Jounin. 'We have to work together, there's no other way around it. Sensei's too strong.' She concluded, moving her gaze from the treeline and to her friend.
"Hey Naruto..."
Hearing his name, he pauses mid-complaint and turns to her. "Yeah?"
"I've been thinking... Sensei's too strong for us to take on individually. We need to get the others and work to together to get the bells." Amaya informed, already putting a strategy together in her head. However, the blond wouldn't hear of it.
"No way! Sorry, Maya-chan, but there's no way I'd work with Sasuke! I've gotta do this on my own and prove to that scarecrow that I'm gonna be Hokage someday!" Naruto refused, running off to look for the Jounin before she could say otherwise.
"Hey, wait--!" Amaya called, taking a small step forward, groaning in annoyance as he disappeared into the foliage. 'He was practically my only chance... Sakura will be too focused on finding Sasuke, and Sasuke will flat out refuse cause he's so "above us". I'll just have to do this myself! I win sparring matches with the three stooges at home all of the time! I mean how hard can it be, right?' She thought to herself before also taking off to find Kakashi.
-Meanwhile-
"Shinobi Battle Skill Two, the Illusion Jutsu. Sakura studied it in class, but she still didn't see it coming." Kakashi said to Sasuke while leaning against the tree, reading his book. Thinking back to how he cast a Genjutsu on the girl, making her think she was seeing an injured Uchiha.
'Genjutsu. It's simple mind control. I'm not surprised he caught Sakura with it, but--' Sasuke thought to himself before adding aloud, "I'm not like Sakura, Amaya, and Naruto."
"Say that after you get one of these bells. 'My Sasuke'." Kakashi replies with a laugh, mocking the pink haired girl from earlier as he walked towards the Uchiha.
Suddenly, Sasuke throws a few weapons from his pouch, which Kakashi dodges, as always.
"There's no point in using normal attacks." The Jounin informs, barely looking up from his novel.
Sasuke then throws another kunai, which cuts a rope on a nearby tree, immediately setting off a trap.
'A trap?!' Kakashi thinks to himself shocked as a log comes swinging down in his direction.
While the Jounin was distracted, Sasuke throws a few more weapons as Kakashi dodges the log, causing them to imbed into the bark of a tree behind him.
As Kakashi moves away, Sasuke appears in front of him again -this time aiming a kick to the Jounin's face, which is then quickly blocked. Sasuke then spins in midair in order to throw a punch, however, his fist is caught. Seeing this, the Uchiha twists his body, this time rotating it to land another kick with his free leg all the while angling his head to the ground.
'This kid!' Kakashi grunts, watching somewhat intrigued as Sasuke reaches his arm out, his fingers barely grazing the bells. Releasing the boy from his hold, Kakashi jumps back a few feet and puts his book away. 'He's fierce... Hmph, I won't be able to read 'Icha Icha Paradise' now.' The Jounin muses again, locking eyes with Sasuke once more. "Well you are different from the other three I'll grant you that."
Sasuke grunts and begins to form hand signs. 'Horse; Tiger; Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!'
"What?! Genin can't do fire jutsu! It's too much chakra! There's no way!" Kakashi exclaims.
Sasuke takes a deep breath and then exhales a huge fireball, leaving a crater behind in its wake where Kakashi once stood. Seeing his teacher had vanished, Sasuke began to panic. 'Where did he go?! Behind me?! Above?!' The ravenet questioned, looking around furiously.
"Where?" Kakashi asked, his voice sounding slightly muffled as his hand shot up from the ground, his fingers latching around the Uchiha's ankle. "I'm where you least expect me." He adds before pulling Sasuke down into the dirt.
***
"Right under your feet. Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu." Kakashi informs, crouching in front of the boy's head - the only visible part of his body sticking out of the ground. "Can't move, huh? That was Ninjutsu, the Third Shinobi Battle Skill. You have talent, and you were right, you are different from the others. But different isn't always better. They say the nail that sticks up is the one that gets hammered down." Kakashi adds as he stands up. Pulling out his book, he walks away leaving Sasuke stuck in the ground.
"Great!" Sasuke barks out, a scowl growing on his face.
It's not too long after that when Sakura comes barreling through the underbrush. She pauses in her stride and looks around, freezing upon seeing Sasuke's head sticking out of the ground.
The pinkette's eyes grow wide for a moment as they lock on the Uchihas blank expression. She lets out a nervous laugh and briefly looks away, hoping it was just her imagination before glancing back.
"Sakura?" Sasuke calls out, watching the pinkette's face turn white as she grabs her hair in her fists, screaming something about talking heads before passing out on the spot.
As she lightly jogged through the woods looking for Kakashi, Amaya heard a light chime, prompting her to slow down her pace to a walk. Turning around, the brunette spots the Jounin leaning against a tree.
"I was wondering when you'd show up." He muses aloud, looking up from the page he was reading for a moment. "However, you don't stand a chance. So, you might as well save yourself the embarrassment and accept the defeat early." He adds, not even sparing another glance from his book.
'This guy, why I oughta... Wait. No.. he's just trying to get me riled up like Naruto earlier.' Amaya thought to herself while giving a grim smile. "I know." She agrees, causing his head to snap up in confusion.
"What?" He asks curiously while adjusting his position.
"Saa~ I know without the others help, I don't stand a chance. However, the problem is, there's basically no teamwork on this team. I mean, have you seen the members? But I won't let that hold me back." The Minamoto says as she shifts her body into a relaxed fighting stance.
Kakashi chuckles as he walks forward slightly. "Well, c'mon then. Let's see what you've got." He says as he puts his book away.
Reaching into her weapons pouch on her right hip, Amaya pulls out a few kunai and throws them at the Jounin, before sprinting towards him.
As the brunette reaches him, she throws a punch, which he catches. Seeing a slight opening, she drops to the ground in a crouch, the sudden pull of her weight causes him to stumble forwards a bit. Amaya then sweeps her leg out, in hopes to make him lose balance completely. Expecting this, Kakashi let's go of her fist as he jumps back. The Minamoto quickly follows, and the duo engage in a Taijutsu battle. Hit after hit, kick after kick, he blocks and catches everything she throws at him until eventually, the girl finds herself in a position similar to the one Naruto was in earlier. Amaya then twists her body downwards while pulling out another kunai in hopes of cutting the red string the bells are attached to. Seeing what the girl was going for, he pulls out his own weapon and blocks before releasing her and once again, jumps away.
Amaya clicks her tongue in annoyance as she begins to form a single-handed hand sign, the movement causing his eyes to widen slightly.
'Not only Sasuke, but her as well? What is with these kids?... Well, I can't say I'm too surprised seeing as who her father is.' Kakashi thought to himself as began to study her fighting stance. 'This isn't an ordinary jutsu...' He added to himself before focusing on the hand sign she was making with her right hand.
Amaya's thumb laid across her palm while her ring finger was bent forward, overlapping the tip of her thumb. The rest of her fingers were kept straight. Kakashi's eyes widened once again. 'Don't tell me she's already learning her clan's bloodline limit!'
"Yōso no Mage." The girl mumbled aloud to herself as she felt her chakra seep from her pores and thicken the pre-existing coat covering her body. Once she felt that it was the right amount, she charged forward towards her sensei. She aimed a roundhouse kick, this time however, a sharp gust of wind followed suit. Dodging out of the way, Kakashi hears the sound of splitting wood. Glancing behind himself, he found that a tree took the brunt of the hit, seeing as it had deep jagged marks embedded into the bark.
'Her range is quite impressive for a beginner.' Kakashi thought to himself as he stared at the tree that was a few meters away.
While he was distracted, Amaya summoned a clone. Soon the two were charging forward for the third time. Taking a chance, Amaya juts out her hand, her palm facing outward, sending out another sharp gust of wind. She soon aimed another kick and as he dodged to avoid, the clone made her move for the bells. Expecting that was the plan, Kakashi pulled out a kunai and stabbed the clone just as she touched one of the bells.
Hearing the loud popping sound of the clone disappearing, Amaya looked to where the Jounin and clone were once standing. However, she was unsurprised to find the spot empty. Suddenly, she hears a light chime of a bell behind her. She quickly turns to face her sensei in hopes to evade, but she was too slow.
Kakashi infused a small portion of his chakra into his fist, promptly hitting the brunette harshly in the stomach. The girl flew back from the force as a wave of pain went throughout her body causing her to faint.
Kakashi lightly chuckles to himself. 'Not bad. Definitely needs to work on that a little bit more...' He stares at the brunette for a moment before adding thoughtfully, 'The 'Yōso no Mage', huh? Literally meaning 'element bending', it's a technique that is only found in the Minamoto clan, where the user - using a single right handed sign - can incorporate their chakra nature into Taijutsu... That's all that's really known about the clan's technique, as their intent on keeping some details to themselves, making them all the more dangerous as an opponent.'
When the girl doesn't move after a minute or, so he lets out a sigh. 'Maybe I put too much force into that hit...' He muses as he picks the brunette up, slinging her over his shoulder like a sack of flower before making his way back to the clearing.
Coming to, Amaya is fully aware of the sharp pain in her abdomen. Gasping out in pain, she rolls over and onto her side before curling up into the fetal position. "Ow, ow, ow, ow. That's definitely gonna bruise..." She grumbles out, unknowingly gaining the others attention.
"Amaya! You're alive!" Naruto cries happily, his eyes tearing up comically as she slowly raises up, pulling one of her knees to her chest.
Looking over to where his voice came from, the Minamoto could only stare blankly at his form, which was tied to one of the wooden posts.
"W-what happened? Sensei came back carrying you over his shoulder." Sakura stammered out, looking at the brunette slightly wide eyed.
"Ahah... I don't want to talk about it..." Amaya answers awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. "I guess you could say Sensei can pack quite a punch." She adds, laughing at the group's collective expressions of annoyance and the growling of Naruto's stomach.
At the sound, Kakashi finally speaks up, changing the subject. "Uh oh, stomachs growling, huh? That's too bad... Oh by the way, about this exercise... Well I've decided, I won't send any of you back to the academy." He informs, catching the quartet by surprise.
'Why do I suddenly feel uneasy?' Amaya questions, a hand finding its way onto her stomach as she stares up at the passive Jounin.
"What? I passed? All I did was faint and fall over. Do you get points for that?" Sakura asked cluelessly, tilting her head to the side.
"T-THAT MEANS ALL OF US... ALL OF US--" Naruto began excitedly before Kakashi cut him off.
"Yes. All but one of you are being dropped from the program permanently." The Jounin states, earning himself mixed looks of both disbelief and shock.
"DROP US FROM THE PROGRAM?! AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY "ALL BUT ONE", WHEN THERES FOUR OF US?! THAT MEANS WE CAN NEVER BECOME NINJA! YOU SAID IF WE COULDN'T TAKE THE BELL'S, 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 yelled angrily, his struggles to free himself from his bonds becoming more and more desperate.
""All but one" as in Amaya is the only one who passed." Kakashi replies as if it were obvious.
"Eh?! What? I passed?" Amaya asked, her shocked expression making the Jounin chuckle lowly to himself and nod.
"You don't think like ninja. You think like little kids. Like brats." Kakashi teplied in a bored tone, angering Sasuke who pulls out a kunai and runs forward to attack the Jounin.
"Sasuke!" Sakura exclaims in surprise before the ravenet is promptly flipped over onto his stomach with Kakashi on his back.
"You think it's all about you." The Jounin growls darkly, his gaze flitting over each of the children one by one.
"LET GO OF SASUKE! YOU CAN'T STEP ON HIM LIKE HE'S A BUG!" Sakura all but screeched, making Amaya to cringe slightly at the high pitch.
"You don't know what it means to be a ninja. You think it's a game, huh? Why do you think we put you on squads? Did you consider that question for one moment?" Kakashi asked while looking at the pinkette.
"I don't know what you mean..." Sakura trailed off.
"I mean, except for Amaya, none of you realized what this exercise is all about. Not even close." Kakashi states, prompting Amaya to hide her red face by looking down at the ground.
"What it's about?" Sakura questioned, still as clueless as before.
"Yes. That's what determines whether you pass or fail." Kakashi replied calmly.
"But that's--... I mean I wanted to ask you about that from the beginning." Sakura stammered.
"Tch, use your head. Three people on a squad, in this case four, why do you think we would do that?" Kakashi asked, annoyed at the slowness of the children in front of him.
"HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHY YOU PICK THREE PEOPLE?! WE DON'T MAKE THE RULES!" Naruto yelled, still struggling with the rope.
"It's so basic." Kakashi scoffed.
"Teamwork." Amaya adds quietly, looking up in understanding.
"Just working together? Is that what you mean?" Sakura asked curiously.
'No, not at all. Teamwork means doing everything separately and on your own.' Amaya thought to herself sarcastically.
"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. Well anyway, it's over." Kakashi replied with a shrug from his spot on top of Sasuke's back.
Sakura was quiet for a moment before saying, "You set it up with four people but only three bells. If we worked together and got the bells, only three of us could keep them and that would lead to group conflict and the squad would break up."
"Exactly. I purposely pitted you against each other." Kakashi answered before adding, "I wanted to see if you could overcome that and put the squad ahead of yourselves, a Genin should have a natural feel for teamwork! But you, it never even crossed your mind."
He soon continued his lecture. "Sakura!" He called out, causing the girl to tense. "You obsessed about Sasuke, who was gone while Naruto was right in front of you, and you wouldn't lift a finger to help him!" His scolding caused her to deflate slightly in shame.
"Naruto! You do everything on your own. Everything! Amaya tried to get you to help her find the others so you four could work together, but you brushed her off saying you had something to prove!" This statement caused the blond to cry out in annoyance.
"Sasuke, you thought the others were so far beneath you, they were worthless." The Uchiha only grunted in reply from his spot on the ground.
"And Amaya, despite grasping the concept and passing the exercise, you were disheartened after your idea was rejected by Naruto. You also didn't have faith in your other teammates to help, no matter how true your assessment of them was. You, like Naruto, felt that you had to do it on your own." At his words, the trio glanced towards the brunette, however she payed them no mind as she kept her gaze firmly on Kakashi.
"Ninja missions are carried out in squads, of course you need individual skills, but teamwork is the most essential element. Every Shinobi understands this. When individuals put themselves above the squad this can lead to failure and death." The Jounin elaborates before adding, "For example..." He then pulls out a kunai from his weapons pouch and holds it against Sasuke's throat. "Sakura, kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies!" Said girl tenses up looking in between both boys as Naruto cries out indignantly.
'Why do I get the feeling she probably would do it if this was a real situation...' Amaya deadpans, quietly watching everything unfold.
"That's what happens on a mission." Kakashi finishes, putting the kunai away before releasing Sasuke from his hold.
"Oh boy, that was really scary..." Sakura mumbles with a small sigh of relief, her once tense muscles relaxing.
"The enemy takes a hostage, you've got an impossible choice, and someone ends up dead. On every mission your life is on the line." Kakashi states as he walks over to a nearby KIA stone. "Did you look at this stone? The names engraved on it? They are all ninja, who are honored as heroes in our village."
"That's it! That's it! That's it! Now I know! I've decided I'm gonna have my name engraved on that stone! I'm not gonna live and die for nothing, like a dog! I'm gonna be a hero! A hero!" Naruto says excitedly.
"They are... A special kind of hero." Kakashi replies sadly.
"Huh? What kind of heroes are they? C'mon, tell us!" Naruto prompts, only continuing when Kakashi doesn't say anything else in return. "Well? Well?"
"They're all KIA." The Jounin finally replies after a moment, looking at the dense blond.
"Oooh, that sounds real cool!" Naruto comments in awe and even more excitement.
"N-no, Naruto it's not like that..." Amaya cuts in, trailing off. Luckily Sakura picks up where the brunette left off.
"It means 'Killed in Action'. They all died." After she said this, the smile on the blond's face dropped slowly in realization.
"This is a memorial stone. The names of my closest friends are engraved on here." Kakashi begins as everyone goes quiet for a moment. "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 to build up strength. But Naruto doesn't get any." He adds, causing the blond to cry out in dismay. "This is your punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat by yourself. And if anyone tries to feed him, that person will immediately fail. I make the rules. You follow them. Got it?" With that being said, he walks away, leaving the children behind.
***
The silence amongst the four is broken by the sound of Naruto's stomach growling. Prompting the trio seated on the ground to look at him. "This is no big deal! I can go without eating for days! For weeks! Believe it, this is no big deal!" He reassures them -or rather himself, before his stomach growls again. "No problem..."
Having not opened her bento yet, Amaya scoots forward towards Naruto and holds it out. With Sasuke following suit not long after.
"Here ya go Naru-chi!" She calls cheerfully as Sasuke grunts out a low "Here." Causing Sakura and Naruto's eyes to widen slightly.
"What?! No Sasuke, Amaya, you can't do that! You heard what Sensei said!" The pinkette frets, watching the Minamoto gather some rice with her chopsticks to give to the blond.
"I ate an apple earlier, so I can wait until Naruto has his fill. Besides, I don't like eating in front of someone who has nothing. It's just how I was raised." Amaya replies simply with a small smile as she gives Naruto another bite.
"Kakashi's gone. We need to get those bells as a team. If Naruto's hungry he'll be weak and ineffective. That hurts the team and jeopardizes the mission." Sasuke answers for his own actions as he looked around the field, still holding out his bento for Naruto.
Sakura looks between the two, and after seeing the points both were trying to make, holds out her own bento of food as well.
"Uh... Okay, thanks." Naruto stammers out but doesn't move, causing Sakura to get a tick mark on her forehead.
"Don't thank me, just hurry up and eat it!" She snapped, annoyed.
"But isn't that your lunch?" He asks obliviously.
"I'm on a diet. I- I mean I don't eat as much as Sasuke so... Just take it, Naruto!" Sakura informs, beginning to lose her patience.
"I can't take it! Besides, I can't move my hands, you have to feed me like Amaya." The blond replies as he strained his bounded hands, emphasizing his point.
Sakura blanches, making Amaya snicker at her expression.
"Hurry up, he could come back any minute." Sasuke cuts in as he looks around the field once more.
"This is one time only! That's it! I'll never do this again, is that clear?!" Sakura yells, her face turning red in both anger and embarrassment.
"Clear as a bell, Sakura!" Naruto replies happily as the pinkette begins to help Amaya feed him.
Suddenly, a huge gust of wind appears behind the trio, prompting them to spin around. Once the dust clears, they see Kakashi. "YOU!" He growls, leaning over the three before continuing ominously, "You broke the rules! I hope you're ready for the punishment." He then begins to make hand signs as the sky turns dark and cloudy with flashes of lightning appearing behind him. "Any last words?"
'Okay... As scared as I am right now... That's pretty cool." Amaya thought to herself with a sweatdrop.
"But you said..." Sakura trailed off.
"Yes?" Kakashi prompted.
"You said that there were four of us! That's what you said and that's why Sakura and..." Naruto began before trailing off to look at the Uchiha and Minamoto for backup.
"We're all on this squad and we're all in it together!" Sasuke picked up where Naruto ended, his body tense as he waited for Kakashi to do something.
"Yeah, that's right! We gave our lunch to him because the four of us are one!" Sakura piped up.
"Yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah! That's right, believe it!" Naruto chants as he wiggled around furiously.
"The four of you are one? That's your excuse?" Kakashi asked emotionlessly, earning furious nods from the four. A moment of silence passes, building the suspense immensely before he suddenly bent forward with a closed eyed smile. "You pass!"
"Hah/Huh/What?" Naruto, Sakura and Amaya asked at the same time.
"You. Pass."
"What do you mean? How'd we pass?" Sakura asked just as confused.
Kakashi straightens back up, the skies behind him begin clearing. "You're the first squad who ever succeeded. The others did exactly what I said and fell into every trap. They couldn't think for themselves... A ninja must see through deception, in the ninja world those who break the rules are scum, this is true, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."
Hearing a light sniffling Amaya looks to her left. "He's uh... Ya know... He's kinda cool..." Naruto concedes, no longer trying to fight back the tears that now comically stream down his face.
"The exercise is over. Everyone passes! Squad 7 starts its first mission tomorrow!" Kakashi says happily as he gives a thumbs up.
"YES!" Sakura yells out.
"I DID IT! BELIEVE IT! I DID IT! I'M A NINJA! NINJA! NINJA!" Naruto cheers loudly.
"Hn." Sasuke grunts out, looking off to the side as Amaya laughs lightly.
"Let's go home." Kakashi sighs with a small motion of his head, and the trio to follow him, leaving Naruto tied to the post.
"I knew they'd do this! It happens every time! Believe it! HEY, YOU GUYS FORGOT TO UNTIE MEEEE!" He yells out making them stop and turn around to look back.
Laughing, Amaya runs back to the post and cuts the rope with a kunai, freeing the blond. Once he has his bearings, they both run ahead to catch up to the rest.