In the end, Naruto was tied to a pole while the three of us sat around him on the grass. The sounds of stomachs growling filled the air. And apparently I wasn't the only one who heard it.

"Oh oh, stomachs growling. That's, too bad. Oh, and by the way, about this exercise? Well, I've decided, I won't send anyone of you back to the academy."

When Kakashi said that, the rest of my teammates exhibited shock. Naruto was making "Waaah" sounds while Sakura actually said:

"What? I passed? All I did was faint and fall over. You get points for that?"

I almost died from suppressing my laughter.

AAAHAHAHAHAAA!!! Well, at least you're aware of it, Sakura...

Sasuke just snorted, still being his too-cool-for-anyone self. Sakura started jumping up and down, cheering, while Naruto excitedly moved his legs (he was bound and only they were free) up and down, excitement evident in his voice when he started asking;

"Then, then then that means, all four of us, that, all four of us will-"

"No, Naruto." I cut him off, my eyes indifferent as I gave Kakashi a glance.

"That's not it."

Then Kakashi smiled at me and continued.

"Yes Cei, you're right. The thing is, all four of you... are being DROPPED FROM THE PROGRAM. PERMANENTLY"

Aaaaand YOU SHOULD'VE SEEN THEIR FACES. I almost died right then and there.

Naruto started kicking his feet furiously, as if it would change anything...

"Drop us from the program?! That means we can never become ninja! You said if we couldn't take a bell we'd be sent back to the academy, you can't just change your mind and take us out, why would you do that?!"

I sighed. Don't get me wrong, Naruto is a great person. But, he's not exactly the brightest crayon in the box.

Kakashi put his hands on his hips before lecturing us with an exasperated voice.

"Because you don't think like ninja. You think like little kids, like brats."

I raised an eyebrow at Kakashi as an insane smirk started forming on my face. But before I could do something I might, maybe, someday, regret, I saw Sasuke clenching his jaw out of anger before suddenly standing up and charging straight at Kakashi. I sighed at the level of immaturity surrounding me, and had to continuously remind myself, they're just kids.

And then I realized I almost did the same thing, only a much more bloody and fireproof version...

Yeah right. As if. Never happened. Immature = I'm mature. See how that works? (only when applied to me though...)

"Sasuke!"

Ahhh, Sakura again.

Kakashi skillfully maneuvered Sasuke onto the ground and twisted his arm around his back while putting a foot on his head and then immobilizing the rest of his body by sitting on his back. It was...funny, on some level.

Actually, those two would't make a half bad couple either...

"You think it's all about you!"

"LET GO OF SASUKE YOU CAN'T STEP ON HIM LIKE HE'S SOME BUG!!!"

Sakura was back to screeching. Figures.

Kakashi twisted Sasuke's arm further behind his back, making him to grimace in pain, before turning to face the rest of us.

"You don't know what it means to be a ninja! Think it's a game huh? Why do you think we put you on squads, did you consider that question for one moment?!"

I grabbed my chin between my thumb and forefinger, turning my face to the sky.

Hmmm, well, I wouldn't really say it's a game... more like a super fun pastime??

I looked around at the confused faces of my teammates.

"H-huh? I-i don't know what you mean!" Sakura stammered.

"I mean, you never realized what this exercise is all about! Not even close."

"What it's about?" Naruto parroted. I just rolled my eyes.

"Yes. That's what determines whether you pass, or fail."

I looked at Kakashi's bordering on angry face and turned my face to the side, before quietly but clearly saying:

"Teamwork."

It was quiet for a while before Kakashi turned to me.

"Yes, Cei. Teamwork."

He then turned to the others.

"Teamwork. It's so basic. I mean, it's too late now, but if the four of you had come at me, you might have been able to take the bells."

He then lifted his head in an imposing manner and said in a harsh tone:

"Well anyway, it's over."

I had a very serious expression on my face. It was taking an immense amount of concentration to curse the wild carrots I had felt growing in the training ground...

There was a moment of silence before I saw Sakura's face flood with understanding.

"Wait a minute... 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 apart!"

"Exactly! I purposely pitted you against each other. 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 minds!"

He took a deep breath before continuing.

"Sakura! You obsessed about Sasuke, who was gone, while Naruto was right in front of you and you wouldn't even lift a finger to help him!"

"Naruto! You do everything on your own! Everything!"

"Sasuke! You thought the others were so far beneath you they were worthless! Arrogance!"

"And you, Cei! You just, well... slept. You could have helped your teammates instead of being lazy and pushing all the work on to them!"

"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. For example,"

Kakashi reached into his holster and pulled out a kunai which he skillfully pointed at Sasuke's throat.

"Sakura! Kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies!"

Gasps echoed through the clearing but I cleared my throat.

"Ehem, sensei? Not to disturb your very dramatic educational moment, but..."

Kakashi slowly tuned to me, the kunai still pressed to Sasuke's throat.

"... what is it, Cei?"

"Well, that you see, the way you said it earlier you made it sound like you had something against naps, so I feel obligated to prove to you that naps are almighty."

I casually reached into my pouch and pulled out a bell, dangling it in front of my face. My teammates looked at me in shock, while Kakashi just seemed confused. He reached into his own pocket, and as expected, he pulled out only two bells. He then looked from the bells in his hand to me and back.

"When did you... why didn't you say anything?"

I just shrugged and threw the bell to him. He caught it and looked at me.

"There was no point. Even if I had a bell, I wouldn't have passed because it wasn't the point with the test. So I figured there was no need to announce it just to be brutally rejected by you anyway right sensei~"

I leaned my head back, tilting my face to the sky.

"But my nap is excused now, right? No hard feelings?"

Kakashi just stared at me silently for a minute before sighing and relenting. I think he's completely done with my sh*t by now...

Kakashi removed the kunai pointed at Sasuke's throat and got off of him.

"...that's what happens on a mission, the enemy takes a hostage and you've got an impossible choice to make. And someone ends up dead. On every mission your life is on the line."

I was internally refuting his statement when Kakashi started walking away, and it took me awhile to realize his intended destination.

The 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."

I lowered my eyes, my expression blank. My nonexistent heart was aching for Kakashi... It will be years before he finds out Obito is still alive... and then they'll just be enemies. Tragic. Truly.

But Naruto got excited, wriggling where he was still bound to the pole.

"That's it that's it that's it! Now I know! I've decided I' 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!"

And even though I love Naruto and Kurama, at that moment I wanted to stab him around a little.

There's a limit to how insensitive you can be, Naruto.

But I didn't say anything. Instead I just looked at Kakashi with sad eyes.

Kakashi just looked back at us with a wry smile on his half-covered face.

"They are... a special kind of hero."

"Huh? Well what kind of heroes are they? Come on, tell us!"

Kakshi just remained silent, seemingly ingoring Naruto's question. Not that the blonde would give so easily...

"Well? Weeelll?"

Kakashi took a deep breath before replying in a hushed voice.

"They're all... KIA."

"WOW, that sounds so cool!"

Sakura turned to face Naruto.

"It means killed in action. They all died."

Naruto froze up, his grin slowly fading from his face. I looked with sad eyes as Naruto started to understand the meaning of his earlier words before looking back at Kakashi. The jounin was still looking at the stone, his lone figure seeming so cold and solitary at that moment.

"This is a memorial stone. The names of my closest friends are engraved on it."

Sadness seemed to wash over the clearing as we watched our sensei standing in front of the stone. I slowly stood, before walking to him. When I stood beside him, I felt his gaze on me as I reached out my hand towards the stone. And I let my fingers brush over two names.

Rin Nohara.

Obito Uchiha.

I could practically feel Kakashi stiffen immediately but before he could say anything, I crouched down on the ground, laying my palm flat against the ground's surface. In just a few seconds, stalks started sprouting from the ground, growing before opening their buds. In mere moments, the KIA stone was surrounded by a garden of beautiful black roses. When the breeze picked up, black petals flew into the air, circling the stone. It gave a very special feeling... I don't know how to describe it.

Kakashi seemed to have swallowed whatever words he wanted to say to me, and just stared at the scenery I had created. Black petals were flowing in the breeze, beautiful black roses surrounding the stone sending a tragic yet beautiful message.

And I thought I heard him whisper something. It was so faint, I though maybe it was just the wind or something. But could swear that I heard a very faint

...thank you

After a moment of staring at the new scenery he turned around to face the rest of my shocked teammates.

"...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. It's your punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat by yourself. And if anyone tries to feed him, that person will immediately fail."

Naruto made an agonized sound.

"I make the rules, you follow them. Got it?"

After saying that in a sinister voice, Kakashi disappeared. We were quiet for a while before reaching for our lunches and starting to eat. I don't really need to eat, so I just leaned onto Sasuke's side while absentmindedly munching on my food. The growls of Naruto's stomach kept getting louder and louder.

*GROWWLLL*

"THIS IS NO BIG DEAL, I CAN GO WITHOUT EATING FOR DAYS, FOR WEEKS, BELIEVE IT, THIS IS NO. BIG. DEAL."

*GROOOOOWWWWLLLL*

Yah right Naruto.

I covered my mouth with my hand to contain the giggle. In the end, even Sasuke couldn't stand looking at Naruto's depressed face and with a sigh handed him his lunch.

"Here."

I smiled. Widely.

"What? No, Sasuke, you can't do that! You heard what the sensei said!"

Sasuke didn't even wait two seconds before refuting Sakura's statement.

"Kakashi's gone. We need to get those bells as a team. If Naruto is hungry he'll be weak and ineffective. That hurts the team and jeopardizes the mission."

I smiled before supporting his statement.

"Yes, I agree. What Kakashi doesn't know can't harm us, right~"

I stood from the ground and walked over to Naruto. Standing in front of him, I held out my lunchbox for him. From the side, a slight huff came from Sakura before she too, held out her lunch to Naruto. When Naruto saw Sakura was giving him her lunch, he got all sparkly-eyed. I giggled.

"Aww, I'm not preferred... my poor heart and soul!"

After I realized that I had become a third wheel (in Naruto's eyes) I walked back to Sasuke and sat down next to him again. Closing my eyes, I sensed Kakashi hiding behind a nearby tree, watching us. I smirked, and leaned back onto Sasuke. When I looked back up at my team, Sakura was feeding a very happy looking Naruto with an annoyed expression on her face. Glancing up at Sasuke, I saw him quietly munching his lunch, eyes closed and a satisfied smirk on his face. A smirk started spreading on my face as if in response.

Isn't he just adorable...

All of a sudden, a huge, and I mean HUGE puff of smoke exploded in front of us. The wind force from the puff of smoke even seemed to be hurting my teammates. Not that something like a breeze could hurt me, but still... THAT PUFF OF SMOKE SURE MEANS BUSINESS.

When the ridiculous boss-sized puff of smoke cleared we were faced with the furious face of none other than Kakashi.

"YOU!!! YOU BROKE THE RULES! I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR YOUR PUNISHMENT!"

He made a few hand signs and the sky was covered in dark clouds, thunder roaring in our ears.

"Any last words?"

Naruto and Sakura were trembling from the thunder that seemed to be shaking the ground itself.

I slowly lifted my hand before uttering a slight remark.

"Well, uhm, am I really the only one that thinks that it's a little extreme to ask for our last words just because we shared some of our lunch...?"

My voice was completely calm, but I don't think my teammates heard me at all. Naruto started stuttering.

"B-but y-you said..."

Kakashi glared at him.

"Yes?"

"Y-you said that there were four of us! That's what you said and that's why Sakura..and..."

When Naruto trailed off, Sasuke continued in his stead.

"Were all on this squad and were all in it together."

"Yeah that's right! We gave our lunch to him because the four of us are one!"

Sakura put in. I was dying inside.

This is the epitome of cringeeeeee. Waaaah. LaLalalalalalaaaaa don't listeeen.

"Yeah yeah yeah yeah believe it that's right!"

Noooooo Naruto not you too.

The lightning behind Kakashi flashed.

"The four of you are one, that's your excuse?!

...

You pass."

He said the last part in a completely happy-go-lucky tone. The storm clouds cleared as if they were never there. And everyone was confused.

"Huh"

"You. Pass."

In the end Sakura was the one to pose the question.

"What do you mean? How did we pass?"

"You're the first squad who ever succeeded. A ninja must see through deception. The others did exactly what I said and fell into every trap. They couldn't think for themselves. In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, that's true, but..."

I cut him off.

"... those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."

This time Kakshi glared at me suspiciously. I quickly averted my gaze and started whistling very innocently. But again, mentally I was high-fiving myself and laughing like some maniac.

"The exercise is over! Everyone passes. Team seven starts its first mission tomorrow!"

...Okay seems Kakashi decided to ignore me this time. But don't worry, I still have plenty of time to mess with your poor minds... Hehehee... kukukuuuu.... Hahahahahaaa... MWAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!!!

Sakura and Naruto cheered, Sasuke smirked while I just smiled. Kakashi's features also melted into a closed-eye smile.

"Let's go home..."

Saying that, Kakashi very coolly turned his back on us and started heading towards home. I stood up and dusted off my pants before running after him with a smile on my face. I could feel Sasuke and Sakura following not far behind. But when we were a distance away, we could hear the desperate shouts of a poor Naruto whom we had forgotten tied to a pole.

This time I couldn't hold it. And my twinkling laughter sounded through the forest.