Naruto was empty. Not metaphorically or any bullshit like that, he was literally running empty on food. The boy had been awoken to a small puppy dog leaving a note on his front step that sprawled out the following text:

To: Naruto Uzumaki, 22nd Flat on Hamada Street

Skip breakfast and report to training ground number six at no later than 9:15PM.

Best wishes, Kakashi Hatake.

Naruto had promptly turned around to see that it was 9:00 already, which resulted in what sounded like a miniature explosion going off in his room. Bags were stuffed full of things he didn't know if he needed, sandals were haphazardly thrown on and his door was nearly knocked off his hinges as he went running towards…somewhere.

The cool air was strangely heavy with transpiration. It felt somewhat nice, but Naruto had no chance to take it in, his own raging body heat tearing through the chilly weather.

His vision was blurry at this point. Leaves, leaves and more leaves, that's all he could make out from his running gaze. Slowly but surely, droplets of light sailed past his face like beads of sweat and he felt the friction loosen from his feet. The sashaying leaves finally scattered as he emerged into the forest clearing, where both his teammates were already waiting.

Without even looking up at his rival, he could feel Sasukes demeaning eyes burrowing into him. Just because he was a few minutes late, it gave this guy the right to look at him like he was some weird freak?

"Cutting it close, aren't you Naruto?" Sakuras voice distracted him enough so that his demeanor changed from tense to joking, as his beaming smile returned in full force.

"I was just taking time on my strategy that's all! Kakashi-sensei's not gonna know what hit him!"

POOF!

The chill of smoke ran down Narutos back half, as a sudden explosion of the substance appeared behind him. Before he could even react, a hand emerged from the field, slapping Naruto in the back of the head and sending him tumbling to the floor in shock.

"…What were you saying?" Kakashi asked the floor-bound boy, smoke dispersing.

"Uh, you asshole!" Naruto yelled back, pushing himself up from the grassy ground, shooting a comical-looking death glare at his teacher.

"Language."

"Whatever! I'll say any swears I want! Asshole, shit…uh…" If this had been a 20-meter dash, Naruto had tripped and fell on the start line.

"Fuck." Kakashi added.

"Yeah, fuck!"

"Language."

"Wait, what?!"

"Sensei." Sasukes voice pierced through the air of humor like a pin to a balloon. "Can we get on to the actual lesson? "

Kakashi's eyes slumped in boredom, clearly unenthused to do anything resembling his job, letting out a sigh and losing any comicality that clung to his voice.

"Alright, today we will be doing a…survival test." He dug a hand into his pocket and retrieved two small, white painted bells. "You see these bells? They're your objective. If you get a bell off me, you get breakfast and you pass the test, but if I catch you, you will go the rest of the day starving and tied to one of those stumps. To pass this test, you must be willing to kill me so anything goes."

All three felt their stomachs grumble and realized that he'd not asked them to abstain from breakfast for any mobility reasons (Naruto had thought they would be going swimming).

"A timer will be set for noon. If you can't get the bells or I capture you all, you fail the test and will be sent back to the academy."

This realization slammed onto the genin like a ton of bricks (despite not being new information). Existential dread began to wash over them, each one picturing themselves being thrust down to the academy. In contrast, Kakashi had care-freely placed his dinky alarm clock down on the floor, quickly snapping a gloved finger in the air to get the trios attention.

"I'll give you thirty seconds to position yourselves."

Sasuke and Sakura wasted little time dashing off into the outstretched forest, body flicker delicate enough to leave little trace for Kakashi to follow.

"1…2….3….4"

Making sure to catch any leaves that she'd left behind her, Sakura looked to her side to see Sasuke expertly ducking through the branches, completely avoiding contact with anything that could leave a trail.

He's so cool!

Somehow, this inner-echo made her realize the fact that there was no one to the other side of her. Curious, she slid over to the clumpy dirt ground and took shelter in a bush which overlooked the previous clearing, peering through to try and see what Naruto was doing.

Eyes on the prize! Inner-Sakura jeered, making her realize it was in her best interest to keep a look on Sasuke so they could coordinate, only to find him nowhere in sight. Normally, she would take time to beat herself up about this, but she was more interested in what was transpiring on the other side of the bush.

"20…21….22…"

Naruto was standing right in front of Kakashi, having done the hide and seek strategy of stomping his feet in the ground to create the illusion of walking away. His fist was clenched backwards, shit-eating grin on display as he prepared for what he considered the smartest strategy devised in ninja history.

"…23…"

Naruto waited.

"…24…"

Naruto waited.

"…25…"

Naruto waited.

"…26…"

Naruto waited

"…27…"

Naruto waited.

"…28…"

Naruto waited.

"…29…"

Naruto waited.

"…30."

Naruto immediately swung his fist at Kakashi's head, the older man not even blinking as he caught the punch and promptly pinned Naruto's hand behind his head, before sweeping out his legs and sending him tumbling to the ground.

Completely dazed, Naruto was efficiently strung up on the wooden stump, stars circling around his head like a halo.

"uhhhh…Hey Kakashi-sensei, you coward, face me one more time!" His newly-recovered voice blew through the foods, although being easily silenced by a single finger from Kakashi.

"Nope, don't think I will."

Kakashi quickly body flickered away, leaving Naruto completely alone in the open clearing. No other people, no wildlife, no sounds, just him and the small river that ran along the training ground.

Naruto's face drooped downwards. Something had gone wrong with his plan; he just couldn't put a finger on what…

Kakashi's presence anywhere was made readily apparent by the chattering bells on his belt. Due to this, he had little hope of getting the jump on either of the genin still left in the wild. Each footstep was accompanied by a jingle, as he strode through the forest lazily, hands in pockets.

The sound of wind slicing through the air sent Kakashi's mind racing in the miniscule time frame he had to figure out where it was coming from. His one exposed method of vision surveyed the scene, squinting at a small refraction of light from the corner of his eye.

Two shuriken brushed through the air; lethal force put behind them, only for Kakashi's hand to quickly shoot out and send them spinning on his fingertips.

More leaves rustled from behind him, the sounds surprisingly light considering what emerged. Kakashi turned on his heel to face a charging Sasuke running at him unarmed. Closer and closer the boy got, intensity in his eyes meaning nothing to the man in front of him.

Sasuke leapt up in the air and brought his leg up, preparing a kick.

Kakashi still didn't move.

With intensity, the genin completed his attack and threw down the savage kick…only for it to completely phase through Kakashi, as the teacher had expected. "Sasuke" promptly disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"…I've seen worse clone jutsus." Kakashi offered a backhanded compliment to no one (or so he thought)

Leaves once again swished from behind him, Kakashi turning around to face a kunai knife being thrown at him.

FWOOSH!

Out of nowhere, another Sasuke appeared, his fluid movements indicating that this was in fact the real one. He outstretched his hand at Kakashi's belt, fingers centering on the bells.

Time slowed down for Kakashi, his strategic mind running at a mile a minute to try and figure out what he could do here. Different plans of action stacked up in his brain, faster than Sasuke or the kunai could even move in real time.

He could jump up into the air and use his foot to kick Sasuke, while grabbing the kunai out of the air? No, Sasuke was too low on the ground and at that point he'd grab the bells even if the kick landed.

He could simply take the kunai to the back? Nope, he'd rather give up the bell than have to feel a stab wound in the morning.

The only solution that ended up with him both keeping the bell and not getting stabbed was risky and required absolute trust in Sasuke's instincts of how not to get himself killed. He snapped back to real time, eye flashing towards the kunai and extending an arm to catch it.

As soon as the cold metal met his hand, he thrust it towards Sasuke, in a move that was completely intended to be fatal. The Uchiha's eyes broadened as he saw the knife move closer to his head.

He shifted his whole body in an unexpected spiral, latching himself onto Kakashis arm and using the teachers forward momentum to send him flying forwards, which Kakashi snappily pivoted into a cartwheel, throwing the kunai at Sasuke as soon as his feet hit the floor.

The knife flew through the air, cutting through the breeze around it as it launched for Sasuke's head.

Clang!

It embedded itself in the dirt just behind its target.

The fact that he had just come and inch away from death did little to phase Sasuke, as he quickly came back to his feet, clutching his hands together and blowing through hand signs quickly.

For the first time since Sasuke had met him, a flash of surprise filled Kakashis eye. He attempted to retreat but it was too late. The fact that a fresh-out-of-the academy genin would know this technique had not even crossed his mind.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Sasuke yelled, breathing out a barrage of fire balls, each one hitting the ground and causing small amount of sizzling smoke to erupt from it.

Fire release? But the amount of chakra for that… Kakashi didn't have time to finish his thought, before another flaming assault rained down on him. He looked backwards, urgently trying to see through the smoke screen that was forming.

No room to dodge, no room to attack. Sasuke's phoenix flower barrage meant he had no way of trying to close the distance. Defensive strategy was the only option. Facing down a sizzling bolt of flame, Kakashi started to go through his hand seals. He felt sweat start to pour down his face at a quickened pace but his mind was more focused on completing his hand signs then anything else.

BOOM!

Sasuke and Kakashis battleground had been completely overrun with smoke, the substance making it nearly impossible for either to see. Any overseers of the forest would've been able to spot smoke pouring from treetops like a chimney, as the sky naturally weaned out all the residual gas.

What was left in the clearing was no Sasuke and a rough, mid-sized ball of pure rock. The crumbly outer bits of the earth cocoon started to crumble, as a gloved hand shot out of it, fingers twitching.

Lacking the structural integrity to stay solid, half of the rocky globe cracked open, revealing a cooped-up Kakashi gasping for breath. He scanned the scene for any signs of Sasuke, but it came up negative.

Taking time to let air flow resume normally, his eye became…angered.

Maybe I'll have to take these kids a little more seriously.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp…ayyaya!" Naruto screamed out, his animal noises serving as a ridiculous attempt to try and attract the bird had landed on a near-by tree. It simply turned its head peculiarly at the boy's ridiculous display.

"Chirp, chirp…come rip up these ropes! Or if you're a woodpecker you can peck through the tree…nah, that's dumb. Chirp, chirp!"

The bird turned on its small little legs and flew away, igniting Naruto's blazing fury.

"HEY COME BACK HERE YOU ASSHOLE! I'M GONNA' BE THE HOKAGE SOME DAY AND YOU AND ALL YOUR BIRD BUDDIES ARE GONNA REGRET IT! HOKAGE NARUTO DECLARES OPEN SEASON ON BIRDS!"

Sandals crashed against the tree branches, as Sasuke desperately retreated from his fight, slightly winded by the action that he'd been through. Like a bad migraine, voices of frustration rippled through his mind.

Damn it! I had one chance to get those bells while he was underestimating us and I blew it! DAMN IT, DAMN IT, DAMN IT!

Seeing a particularly puffed up tree on the horizon, he decided a regroup was in order as he leapt out at the cloud of leaves, charging through the branches with little collateral to the tree and no injuries save a minor scratch on his knees.

However, instead of finding the dark hideaway he expected, he was greeted by a small torchlight and Sakura sitting in the corner, legs curled up. Fragrant drops of amber-colored sap bled from the leaves, visibly coating the girls fingers.

"Aah!" She let out a small scream at his intrusion, thrusting out a kunai only for her nerves to settle at the realization that it was Sasuke…and then for her nerves to shoot back up at the realization that it was Sasuke.

"Sakura…what are you doing in here?" Sasuke asked with slight confusion.

"…Strategizing." She blurted out, half-telling the truth.

"Okay." Sasuke replied, taking a seat that was as far away as hers as it could be.

Neither of them made eye contact, Sakura out of nervousness and Sasuke out of apparent boredom. One minute turned to two, two minutes turned to three, three to five, the lapse of time didn't stop its insurmountable attack until Sasuke finally said…

"I'm gonna' leave."

"Okay."

So he did.

Silence filled the treetop clearing, Sakura making sure he was gone before she pumped her fist in the air and screamed inwardly.

And that's the kind of interactions you only get from Team 7! Take that Ino!

"Ugggh…ugghh…" Naruto attempted to push himself up with no luck, the tight ropes minimizing any chance of an escape. The futility became obvious to even the thick-headed ninja, as he let out a sigh of resignation.

SWOOSH!

Leaves rustled to the back of him, although Naruto was powerless to turn around and see it (something he didn't realize as he started to brush up against the ropes like a dog to a leash. Somehow, he managed to use his bodies friction to pivot his head slightly to the left, giving him a decent view of the forest surrounding his stump.

He saw Sasuke crouched down in a bush.

"Hey! Stop moping around dickhair, and go after him."

"It's called waiting dumbass, something that you clearly don't know about considering you're currently unable to even move your arms." Sasuke glared at the side of Naruto's head, eyes flickering with annoyance. "Now, could you quiet down. If he catches me, you fail as well."

Naruto begrudgingly shut up, understanding that this was true. His lips folded up in a frustrated pout which would normally be accompanied by him crossing his arms which was clearly not an option here.

Stupid Sasuke, I just wanna scream and shout and tell Kakashi-sensei he's here! That'd show him…wait…

"Sasuke?" Naruto finally said, breaking a silence in conversation.

"What?"

"I've got an idea."

"…Which is?"

"You'll see…just go on the count of three, okay?"

Sasuke had no idea what "go on three" meant in this context and was about to voice his protests, when he heard the undeniably convincing sound of Naruto screaming at the top of his lungs.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI, HELP! THERE'S A SPIDER ON THE WOOD AND IT'S GETTING CLOSE TO ME, HEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"

In under 10 seconds, Kakashi arrived in front of the stump-lodged boy, clearly disappointed.

"Okay, okay, where is it?"

"Around the foot." Naruto basically sobbed, sounding like he'd just been assaulted.

Kakashi crouched himself downwards and scanned the crevasses of the bark for any creatures. An initial run through brought little results, so he squinted, trying to improve his view. This attention to finding the spider meant he was not focused on Naruto, who stuck his hand out around the tree stump, motioning his fingers at Sasuke.

Three fingers.

Two fingers.

One finger.

Go.

Sasuke shot out of the bushes, arm outstretched for the bells that dangled off Kakashi. He felt his fingers graze the metal, almost ready to properly get a grip on the at lest one of the bells, but the euphoric sensation was soon replaced with pain, as a knee was raised up to his gut.

The Uchiha boy was sent flying backwards onto the open training ground, quickly recovering back up to his legs.

"Credit were credit is due. That was decently coordinated." Kakashi mused, clearly feeling no fear as he planted his raised leg back onto the ground, one hand still in his pockets.

Dread started to swim around Sasukes gut as he realized he was completely out-matched in a pure 1 vs 1 situation. Kakashi's gaze reaffirmed this belief, vision looking lethal as the older man clutching his palms together in a hand sign, quickly shifting through different forms befo-

BAM!

Kakashi felt his head throb. It felt like he'd just been hit over the head with a metal weight of some kind. His knees buckled and he ended up seated on the ground, which gave Sasuke more than enough time to retreat to the surrounding woodland. One thought pulsated through his mind:

Maybe…he's not such a moron after all.

Cursing himself as he realized he'd just let the biggest threat in the squad get away, Kakashi turned around to see Naruto clutching his own head, smirking.

"HAHA! Bet you didn't expect that Kakashi-sensei! I totally got you."

Kakashi simply starred back at him, before quickly attaching another rope to the top of Narutos head, leaving the boy with absolutely no automation aside from the waste up, which turned the Uzumaki's smirk into a frown.

Paying little mind to the restrained target, Kakashi rushed after Sasuke, general tone surprisingly calm despite having been tested by children. Upon opening up into the forest, Kakashi immediately found footsteps implanted in the dirt and leaves.

He's getting sloppy.

Indeed he was, as Sasuke was far more concerned with simply making distance from Kakashi than masking any getaway attempts. Unfortunately for him, the speed difference between the two was far greater than he'd estimated, Kakashis footsteps already being audible on the horizon.

Thinking quickly, Sasuke leapt off a tree branch and twisted his body in mid-air, reaching into his pocket for a kunai knife, only for his hand to completely brush through the previously filled weapons pouch.

What?!

Cold metal clinked as Naruto grasped the knife in-between his feet. Sasuke hadn't even seen it coming!

Now came the difficult part…

He measured the weight of the weapon as delicately as he could without any vision or real control of it, praying that he could manage to toss it up to his slightly exposed hands. With two quick practice kicks, he eventually threw it up upwards with his feet…

And immediately he realized he'd overshoot it. For a second, Naruto was sure that he'd essentially killed himself, mind constantly playing and re-playing the humiliating image of the rest of his team returning to find him stabbed in the face by accident.

SHINKT!

The knife imbedded itself into the tree stump, just above Narutos head.

The boys thought process began to whirr into a dripple down of euphoria.

The kunai was up there. The kunai was not in his face. His face was fine. He was fine. He was not dead!

Then Naruto quickly realized that while he may not have been dead, he was still tied up to a tree stump and ready to fail the most important test of his life.

"Uh, give me a break…" He whined, brain being too worn out to muster the shouting he desperately wanted to do.

What?! That idiot must've stolen my kunai!

Before Sasuke could even blink, the light above him distorted and Kakashi appeared in front of him, thrusting his elbow down towards the Uchiha's stomach. Sasuke braced, only for the attack to phase right through him.

A clone!

The real intention of this illusion was to keep Sasuke from making a quick aerial recovery, something that (quite literally) hit the boy like a ton of bricks as he felt the real Kakashi's knee bash into his back.

Dirt was sent up from the forest floor, as Sasukes lean form spun around like a Beyblade. He stopped his momentum with an extension of his knee, taking a minute to catch his breath, eyes glaring with anger at the teacher that stood before him. This had no longer become a fight or flight situation, it was fight or fight situation.

Sasuke's mind desperately racked itself, trying to think of a strategy. He observed the seemingly statue-like Kakashi for any cracks or openings he could exploit. His eyes scanned everything, including looking into his eye.

This proved to be a mistake. Whether it was something about the emotional "back-against-the-wall" feeling or the expression in it, the eye sent shivers through Sasuke. He felt…weak, he couldn't do anything, the whole world was dark, bodies at the floor, red eyes peered back at him evilly, blood adorning the invaders sword.

"Ahem." Kakashis through clearing brought Sasuke's sight back to the present, proving that his vision was a product of his own fear and not some illusory jutsu. "I have a commitment at five, so are we going to stand here all day or what?"

The self-illusion may have subsided but Sasukes lingering fury didn't. His eyes became filled with apparent murderous intent, so much so that it completely overrode any reason in his mind.

"You bastard!" Sasuke screamed, running towards Kakashi with the nonsensical idea of attempting to brute force overwhelm him.

Instead of any taught martial arts or strategic combat moves, the Uchiha opted to try and deck Kakashi in the face. In his brain, he expected to punch his teacher hard enough to break his nose. What he did not expect a sudden explosion of smoke, and the sudden blow back of wood on his fist.

Sasuke had fallen for a substitution jutsu. A technique that was (quite literally according to some shinobi literature) the oldest trick in the book.

Crack!

The heel of Kakashis foot crashed into the side of Sasukes face. Any more accurate and the boy would have lost an eye. The older man pounced on this opening, quickly delivering an axe kick to the back of Sasukes head, which had become exposed thanks to his previous attack.

Sasuke fell to the ground, each part of his face pulsating with pain. Dirt was thrown up into the air, as the heel of Kakashis foot brushed through the muck like he was performing an interpretive dance.

The younger boy barley moved his head in time to avoid a concussion, backflipping away to try and create distance. This may have been a viable strategy before, but against an even-slightly motivated Kakashi, it was a death wish

Before he could even complete a rotation, Kakashis elbow drilled into his stomach, the older man quickly following it up with a sharp hook kick that Sasuke managed to weave through.

He's using Uchiha-style kickboxing. That means the next attack…

Sasuke ducked his head, fully expecting to duck another kick, only for Kakashis knee to connect with the underside of his chin.

Swoosh!

The boy threw his own upwards kick, putting so much momentum behind the attack that he may as well have backflipped. Kakashi simply countered it with a palm, both blocking the kick and helping Sasuke complete his rotation.

WHACK!

As soon as he felt his face rise back up to normal, Kakashi threw a light palm strike into his face, the sheer unexpectedness of the attack sending Sasuke recoiling.

That's…Hyuga style…just who the hell is this guy?!

In contrast to his previously crisp strikes, Kakashi's current battle style resembled more of a performance art, as he outstretched both of his arms, one behind his back and one towards Sasuke, his stance radiating defensive stability.

While he was absolutely confused at Kakashi's melting pot of cultural fighting styles, he recognized a break when he saw it. Slowly, he unhitched his breathing which were previously sharp and raggedy, and began to experiment.

FwooshFwoosh!

Quickly, he threw out two kicks, both of them cracking the surrounding wind with their speed. Kakashi easily blocked them, pushing off the attacks like he was passing through a heavily-crowded walkway.

Peacefully, he retracted one of his arms and pushed out his leg in a sweeping formation, which Sasuke had expected, jumping up in the air.

BAM!

The back of Kakashis fist slammed into Sasukes face before the Uchiha even touched the ground, the man's fist clubbing against his nose like a sledgehammer. The previously retracted arm was pushed behind his back, as Kakashi assumed a more traditional martial arts stance.

Wiping the drips of blood from his face, Sasuke charged Kakashi once again, ducking a second hammer fist. Kakashis other arm shot out in an attempt at a punch but it was countered by Sasuke's crisp kick.

This small victory turned into a major defeat, as the boy suddenly felt the same hands he'd just seemingly bested grab him around the stomach and toss him back-first over Kakashis head. Sasuke crashed into the leave adorned dirt like a bomb, sending chunks of the ground flying everywhere.

He felt his muscles ache and his limbs nearly give out on him as he ran back towards Kakashi, once again lacking any strategy whatsoever, nearly tripping over his on feet as he sluggishly attempted a punch.

Easily caught, Sasuke felt his arm be slung around his head, the limb nearly breaking under pressure. His eyes widened as the silent intensity radiating from Kakashi pressed into him like needles.

"Konoha Secret Technique:" The teacher harshly whispered; words coated in lethality. "ONE THOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH"

Sasukes heart stopped at the ominous sounding jutsu, at beast expecting several bones to be broken. He felt a small blockage towards his feet turn his legs to jelly, his balance hanging on by a thread.

Wack!

Kakashi gently slapped him over the head with the force of a light breeze, providing the push Sasuke needed to completely tumble over himself and fall to the floor in humiliating fashion.

The silence that hung in the air said more than any quip or taunt from Kakashi ever could. The apathetic quiet only fanned the flames of Sasukes anger, as the boy stood up and began to smash his hands into signs.

What caught Kakashi's eye however, was a long rope of leaves that began to descend from the treetops above, obviously directed at the man's belt. Initially confused as to what purpose the nature-made leave string was held, Kakashi felt his breath hitch as small rays of sunlight glimmered off the sticky sap that had been painted onto the final leaf.

He reached into his pocket for a kunai, only to come up empty, the motion only gifting him wasted time. The cord bounced through the air, coming inches away from the bells, with no apparent time for Kakashi to stop it.

"Fire release: Fire Ball jutsu!"

All attention was diverted back to Sasuke or, more accurately, the surging fire that he'd just breathed out. Muscle memory kicked in, and Kakashi instantly body flickered away from the roaring ball of flame, which ended up only burning through the leaf chain instead of any actual target it had.

The fire ball traveled for a short distance before folding in on itself and dispersing into a small stream of smog, which traveled upwards, into the miniature biome of wood and leaves that made up the treetops.

Sakura's eyes curled up, put off by the burning air of the smoke, so much so that she seemingly didn't notice the man who had parked himself behind her.

"This is…surprisingly impressive Sakura. I can't say I pegged you as any kind of strategist."

"Eek!" She nervously turned around at Kakashis intrusion, expression not even attempting to hide her surprise.

"Unfortunately, there's one thing you forgot…"

THAT MORON! Inner-Sakura was howling with laughter. He fell for a clone jutsu! Everything's going according to plan!

The real Sakura was busy trying to quench her nerves, as she clutched a kunai to her hip. She felt her sandals press down on the surprisingly sturdy leaves that made up the woodland canopies, as her pale green eyes rested on Kakashi.

Breathes disjointed, she rushed at him, eyes half shut and half focused on the bells.

"…clones don't have shadows." He said, context initially cracking through Sakura almost as hard as the kick that followed. Sent spiraling to the ground, the leaf backing of the treetops gave and the pinkette's hair became dressed with green as she slunk through down to the depths of the forest.

The now pastel-like scenery of pinks and jade were soon joined by a swirling twist of orange, as Sasuke injected more fire into the air, aim squarely locked on Kakashi.

"Wind release: vacuum zone sphere!" The jonin yelled back, thrusting an open hand out, strong gusts of wind discharging from his palm. True to its name, the wall of air vacuumed up the storm of fire, compressing it downwards into an orb small enough to fit into the palm of Kakashis hand.

His shaky hand thrusted it back, causing the sphere to unfurl like before, only this time, the flaming bullets were sent back at Sasuke, who instinctively flipped away. The beautiful shells of fire smashed into the ground, giving rise to another rise of smoke.

Sakuras eyes blinked twice. Once to realize she wasn't dead and another to realize she was laying on her back. Growling slightly in pain, she sat up, hand resting on her back as she looked towards the tree she'd previously taken shelter in.

Her teal eyes darted back towards the smoke that was rising through the forest, squinting as the natural light became further blurred. Downsizing in scale yet again, her gaze returned to her hand, which she lifted off the dirt to find no shadow.

The lights…gone.

Immediately, a plan was pieced together in her mind.

"Sasuke! More of that please!" She screamed, motioning to the steam that was radiating off the burnt, bitter dirt.

Sasuke, while perplexed, complied, unloading another phoenix fire barrage upon the dirt, sending an ungodly amount of smoke sizzling up through the mass of forest. Thinking fast, Sasuke began to speed away from the area, Kakashi being unable to keep a hold on him now that everyone was essentially half blind.

Speaking of which, sensing the having the high ground in a situation where he couldn't see both of his opponents was a bad move, Kakashi slowly began his descent onto solid ground, more focus put on his hearing than his sight as he tossed down a rope, ignoring any flashes of pink he saw. She'd learnt well, clones had now become unidentifiable.

Tentatively, he began to shimmy down the rough rope, nerves going nearly numb with focus.

CLING!

A shruiken was thrown at Kakashi, each blade shimmering light muted by the smokescreen and making it hard to see. However, the sound of it flying through the air was all Kakashi needed to catch and redirect it, breathing a sigh of relief as he heard it embed itself in wood.

Estimating how far he was up in comparison to the ground, Kakashi took an estimated risk and dropped off the rope, beginning to free fall, back towards the ground to cover his wider vulnerability above him.

Fwoosh!

Smoke broke underneath him, as Sasuke emerged, reaching upwards for the bell…only to come up empty as both had been unhooked from the older man's belt and were now resided in the palm of Kakashis hand.

Immediately savvy to the genins plan, Kakashi threw the bells high up in the air, hoping Sasuke would take the bait. Despite seeing the obvious ploy from a mile away, he did just that, planning to redirect himself upwards off a nearby tree.

His sandals cracked the slightly scorched wood, as pressure was applied to the bark…only for the Uchiha to feel himself phasing through the wood. His gravity halted and he feel face first into a bed of leaves.

Rushing back up to his feet, he looked down to see Kakashi descending from the rope, facing upwards. The surroundings had shifted and he was back on the tree tops.

That means…genjutsu!

A bolt of fear ran down his spine as he realized he'd spent too much time thinking up an explanation, when Kakashi had already reached the ground.

The masked jonin placed a flat palm to the dirt, analyzing any vantage points he could be attacked from before letting out a cry of "Wind release: uprooting tempest."

A pillar of wind erupted from the ground, blowing Sasuke away to the sides, and excavating all the residual smoke from the area. Sunlight once again flickered through the forestland, as the sky became slightly booged by the fleeting cloud of muck that had just been expelled.

More wind started to blow, causing Kakashi to whip around in preparation for another shuriken or kunai attack, only to find that his wind jutsu had sent a massive bunch of leaves scattering around him.

Looking up, he found Sakura standing by the wreckage of a tree, smiling. Looking closer, he saw her mouth…counting down?

"…Five…four…"

His eyes began to roll around like marbles, trying to get a view on any sign of a weapon, until a badly-contrasting piece of white caught his eye…as well as another and another and another and another.

Taking a closer look at the storm of leaves that had surrounded him, he noticed each individual leave had a scrap of white attached to it. His gaze broadened when he saw the black ink dried on those scraps of white, one word exploding into his mind…

Explosive tags!

"…Three…two…"

Kakashi wasted no time in clapping his hands together, shifting signs as fast as humanely possible. He wasn't even sure what jutsu he was going to use; he just knew that he didn't want to get caught in the oncoming detonation.

"…one…got ya!"

Each leaf caught fire, emerald mixing with amber in a twisting squall of destruction. It would've been pretty if it wasn't about to explode. Each tag sent ripples through the air, before the waves of space caught fire, igniting completely.

BANG!

….

….

BANG!

BANG!

Naruto threw his head back against the stump, desperate to try and dislodge the kunai that peaked over the top of him. He felt the clinks of the knife as it cracked in the wood.

"Come on, come on…"

BANG!

BANG!

Finally, after one last triumphant head bash, the weapon was extricated from the stump, falling directly into whatever was exposed of Narutos hand. Smiling to himself, he began to saw through the thick rope, eyes strictly aimed downwards before a ringing began to enter his ears, accompanied by the smell of burnt dirt.

"Ew, what the…"

His eyes followed the scent to find the top of an explosion erupting from the forest, flecks of burning flame bling tossed across the top of the treetops. Leaves in the surrounding area were singed from the outbreak of sparks, creating a spectacular colour gradient of orange, green and black.

"…. holy shit."

Dusk tinged smoke began to fly up the residual area, flooding the skies of Konoha with murky darkness.

"ACK!"

Sakura exhaled quickly upon snapping back to reality, eyes tinted with red from the heat of the explosion and smoke. Upon realizing she was in great pain, Sakura's brain let out a small dopamine rush of happiness at not being dead, followed by realizing that she was alive and in great pain.

Painfully, she craned her neck to the side, coming face-to-face with Sasuke, who was clearly in a similar position to her own. She would've let out a shriek of surprise, if her lungs didn't feel like they were on fire.

"How are you doing." She managed to rasp out.

"…Fine." Sasuke replied, evidently lying from how his face became pained from talking. "How about you?"

"Everything hurts."

The weirdly normal conversation between the two of them was cut off as a small stone slowly rolled towards them, eventually hitting a dull stop. Both of their eyes traced the pebble upwards, finding a tall stone pillar imbedded in the dirt.

Up and up they looked (this action being surprisingly difficult considering the pain they were both in) before their vision reached the top, resting on the sight of Kakashi, not a scratch on him.

"Yo."

Sakura and Sasuke were promptly placed next to Naruto on the logs (only they were simply leaned against them, due to the fact they were only just starting to regain movement), while Kakashi leaned against the stump that the timer had been placed on.

"I can't say I'm not impressed…" His voice was surprisingly upbeat but this positivity was too short lived to give any one of them even the slightest glimmer of hope. "But I also can't say I'm not dissatisfied."

His visible eye slanted somewhere between laziness and apathy. "Sakura, I had you pegged as dead weight and while you certainly defied those expectations, I'm curious on what your thought process was in trying to capture a bell by becoming a suicide bomber."

She had no answer except for a meek "Sorry Kakashi-sensei."

"Sasuke, while you initially seemed exceptional, you cost your team the biggest opportunity at a wain they had by blowing away the leaf rope. There were slight shimmers of coordination, but you were a well-trained hindrance more than anything."

"Haha!" Naruto laughed at the criticism his rival received, with a bellow that would've been accompanied by a point of his arm if he could free them.

"Naruto." Kakashis voice switched from apathetic to angered, as he switched his focus to the restrained boy. "You attempted to punch me in the face in the first three seconds and did barley anything of note for the rest of the test. If I was grading you, you'd get a Z…for zero."

Naruto's eyes were squarely fixated on his feet at this point.

"And that's why, and I take no pleasure in saying this…team seven officially…" Kakashis words loomed in the air, sending visions of humiliation through the genin.

Naruto was on the swing once again, pushing it along by himself.

Sakura's mother had come home furious, rushing into her daughters' room and tearing her a new one.

Sasuke's parents shook their heads in pure disappointment...they were quickly struck down.

What the trio eventually noticed however, was that while they'd taken the time to think up their worst-case scenario, Kakashi hadn't given his verdict. In fact, from his expression and pause, it was almost like he was biting his tongue.

"…you know what, I'll give you one last chance. Two more hours to take the bells off me, how's that sound."

All threes eyes lit up on various levels of the brightness spectrum.

"Yes, t-thank you sensei!" Sakura spoke first, managing to put to bed her nightmare, at least for a little while.

"And, to renew your strength, here's breakfast or, more accurately, lunch!" His tone was cheery. Sasuke recognized it was too cherry, and these beliefs were confirmed when Kakashi pulled out two bento boxes.

"Sasuke…here's yours and Sakura…here's yours." He said, passing them to the pair. "Eat up quickly."

"Hey, what about mine!" Naruto yelled out in anger, eyes demanding answers to which Kakashi provided with a masked but obvious smile.

"Well, do you really need to renew any strength? After all, you spent the entire test tied up to a post."

"…but that's not fair Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto was surprised as Sakura came to his defense, clearly angered. "That's not even how the human appetite works!"

"Sure it is." Kakashi brushed off her complaints like it was dust on his vest, standing up straight and beginning to walk away, only to remember the one last thing he wanted to say. "Oh, and if you share any food with Naruto, you fail."

"WHAT?! THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! 'TABBAYO!" The boy in question yelled, his plan to annoy Sasuke into giving him some of his potatoes already dashed before he could get it started.

"I'll be back in ten minutes, take care." Kakashi said, flickering away before anyone could protest further.

Almost immediately, the smell of the two bentos aside from him became intoxicating to Naruto, his eyes appearing strangely sleepy. Sakura flashed him an apologetic look, but she couldn't help herself from digging into the full meal that was laid out in the plastic container. It was lucky he couldn't reach out and grab one due to the restraints on his arms.

Fwoosh!

Without even a look in his target's direction, Sasuke held the box of food up to Narutos face, the intense, mixed aroma of the bento causing the Uzumaki to become somewhat angered.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" He yelled, interpreting the gesture as some sort of taunt on Sasukes part.

"Just eat."

"…Are you kidding?! You heard what he said, we'll fail if I do!"

"He's right Sasuke!" Sakura chipped in, eyes flashing a look of confusion and concern.

"I know, but…we already tried our hardest to get the bells of him with just us two and we lost. Doing the same thing with the idiot on an empty stomach will just give us the same result." Sasuke closed his eyes and breathed in, clearly slightly disgusted by what he was about to say. "As much as I hate to say it…he's the only unknown variable."

Both of the other shinobi sat there, slightly shocked by the interpersonal analysis that didn't usually stem from Sasukes tone. Without warning, he stealthily cut Narutos arms loose, causing the Uzumaki to instinctively grab hold of the treasure trove of food.

"Sakura, we'll share one. He won't know the difference."

She nodded in agreement, scooching over to the front of the stump so she and Sasuke could share the remaining bento better. Naruto in the meanwhile, had about two seconds of hesitation, before digging his hand into the array of rice and curry, and yanking it out like a savage.

His eyes widened in ecstasy, the fragrant flavors that were emitted from his hand were almost enough to trick his brain into thinking he'd eaten. Almost. Closer and closer his hand got to his mouth…closer and closer.

Plop.

The hand-formed mush of curry and rice dropped into his mouth with a triumphant slurping sound, tasting exactly as good as it would if you'd gone nearly a day without food. However, this small clump of rice apparently had big geological consequences, as the clouds around the trio began to darken and the winds began to hasten, stinging cold sensations from it feeling like it was burning their skin

Lighting cracked through the darkness, before a low voice hummed out.

"I'm disappointed. Very disappointed." Kakashi's voice boomed out from the abyss, any clouds that had sunk to ground level fluffed over around him. His exposed eye shone with anger, slanted so far inward the genin could barley see it, even if their vision hadn't started to blur from shock and surprise.

"K-Kakashi-sensei?!" Sakura looked on the verge of tears as she spoke, tone choked with surprise. Sasuke said nothing, bur his feeble attempts to project a blank slate on his features was completely see-through.

"I gave you one instruction and you couldn't even follow that." His voice was harrowing in its hostility, never had the three ninja present heard a voice so quiet, yet so filled with rage. "This is why, I no longer have any hesitation in saying team seven has officially… "

"I stole the food!" Naruto completely derailed whatever Kakashi was about to say with an outburst. All fury seemed to fade slightly from Kakashis voice, even the dark skies seemed to revert back to their sunlight-riddled ways.

"…What?"

"I was so hungry, I tried to get Sasuke to give me some food and when he didn't, I grabbed it out of his hands and started eating! If you're gonna' fail us, just send me back to the academy and let them stay as genin." Naruto solemnly said, voice cracking slightly in sadness.

Kakashi briefly analyzed the situation, having been taken slightly off guard, before his former anger returned.

"Okay, fine then, I will."

"No Kakashi-Sensei!" Sakura's yelled; her expressions previous sorrow having been replaced by defiance. "If…if…if you send him back to the academy, you have to send me back as well!"

This display of teamwork once again caused Kakashis rage to be transferred into curiosity. Unfurling his eye, he titled his head at Sasuke who responded by taking a long look of contemplation at the other two before he turned back to Kakashi.

"I'd probably have to go back to the academy with them anyway, so you'll…have to send me back too, I guess."

The (admittedly tepid) display of unity was all Kakashi needed to softly sit down, beginning to laugh.

"…Hey, what's so funny?!" Naruto shouted, waving a slightly restrained arm at the man.

"You figured it out." He said back, eye gently shut.

"Huh?" Naruto said what the other two were thinking.

"Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are far worse than scum. Teamwork is the core of a team. You displayed teamwork, and because of that, you passed the real test."

Silence overtook all three of them, before their fountain of despair and rebelliousness turned into a party platter of smiles, however slight.

"…WE DID IT!" Naruto screamed, as Kakashi cut him down from the stump. His voice echoed victory throughout both Sakura and Sasuke as they stood up, finally letting their joints and brains relax for the first time since Kakashi announced they would be taking the survival test.

Their collective chatter merged together in Kakashis mind, as the sounds of the three washed over a wave of something deep, maybe…nostalgia?

"Haha! We did it! We passed!" A boy shouted, his bulky orange goggles reflecting the light from the forest.

Kakashi couldn't react in time as the boy sandwiched him in a hug, quickly turning to the girl next to him and doing the same to her.

Light suddenly faded and his eyes raised up in a blink. Where he and two others were situated was now occupied by Team 7 as Sasuke made a desperate attempt to keep Naruto off him.

Yes. It was definitely nostalgia.