Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Young And The Hopeless ❯ Survival Against Kakashi! ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

[03] The Young And The Hopeless [Survival Against Kakashi!]

A bird chirped against the violet sky at five a.m. The four Genin walked to the same spot from four different paths. Sasuke and Naruto coming from the paths across from each other, Sakura and Takyua the same.

"Ohayou..." Sakura said, rubbing her jade eyes from the sleep that was lodged in them. Naruto walked with his eyes closed, holding his hand out like he was about to grab something.

"Ohayou..." he mumbled, the word not even sounding anything like he wanted it to. Sasuke's hair was slightly messed up from him not having the time to wash out the gel from the day before and put new hair gel in. He was wide awake though. Takyua had her headphones on her ears, drowning out Naruto's strange grumbling.

Tooku de kikoeru koe wo hinto ni
Hitori mato hitori de chi agaru toushi
Kurikaesu dake o fudan douri
Itsuga iku junbi ii ARE YOU READY? blasted through Takyua's headphones. The birds continued to chirp as the hours passes and new songs blasted through Takyua's headphones. After a few minutes, Takyua took off her headphones and placed them in her bag. Naruto sat on the ground, half asleep while Sakura and Sasuke stood. Takyua was in a tree. After a while, Sakura ended up sitting on the ground as well. At ten a.m, Kakashi showed up.

"Hey, ohayou." he said, raising his left hand. Sakura and Naruto, suddenly off the ground, pointed at Kakashi while Sasuke stood there angrily.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura and naruto screamed, causing Takyua to jump down from her position in a tree and land next to Sasuke.

"Well, a black cat crossed my path so... " Kakashi trailed off. The four Genin growled. Kakashi cleared his throat."Well, let's move on." he said, walking over to a tree stump. He placed an alarm on it and pressed the top. "The alarm is set for noon. If you don't get one of these three bells from me, you'll be tied to a stump while I eat your lunch in front of you. Three stomachs growled in unison.

So that's why he said... Sasuke thought, frowning.

Not to eat breakfast... Sakura said, clutching her empty stomach. Takyua smiled nervously.

I completely forgot about the no breakfast thing! I had an apple! she thought, feeling guilty.

"But wait! Why are there only three bells?" Sakura asked, holding up three fingers. Kakashi grinned.

"Since there are only three, one will end up tied to the log. That person will fail since they didn't complete the mission. That person will go back to the academy. It might be just one of you, or all four of you. You may use shuriken. You won't be able to get this if you don't have the will to kill me." Kakashi said.

"But sensei! That's too dangerous!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Yeah! Especially since you couldn't dodge that eraser!" Naruto said, laughing with his hands behind his head.

"Only the weak speak out. The losers. Just ignore the idiot We'll begin when I say "go", alright?" Kakashi asked.

Idiot... idiot... idiot... rang in Naruto's head. Naruto swiftly pulled out a kunai and charged at Kakashi. Instantly, Kakashi was behind Naruto, one hand on the Naruto's hand, the other on Naruto's head. The kunai was pointed at the back of Naruto's neck.

"Don't get so hasty. I never said go." Kakashi said calmly. Sakura and Sasuke backed away from Kakashi, Sasuke nearly running into Takyua.

No way! I never saw him move! Sakura thought.

So this is a Jounin... Sasuke thought.

Hatake Kakashi huh? Interesting... Takyua thought with a smirk.

"But, you came at me, ready to kill me. How should I put this...? I'm starting to like you four. Anyways, we're going to start." Kakashi said. The four Genin got ready. "And... go!" the four Genin jumped away, Takyua behind a bouler, Sasuke in a tree, Sakura under a bush, and Naruto hid behind a tree.

A basic for a shinobi is to know how to conceal their prescence. They've obviously got that down... Kakashi thought. There was a thunk, and when Kakashi looked up, there stood Naruto, arms crossed with a goofy grin.

"Let's have a match! Fair and square!" the boy shouted. Kakashi tilted his head to the side.

Utsuratonkachii... Sasuke thought, moving a branch out of the way slightly.

"Hey, aren't you a little weird compared to the rest?" Kakashi asked, looking at Naruto.

"What's weird is your hair style!" Naruto said with one eye closed. He charged at Kakashi, who stood there. Kakashi reached into his kunai pouch, stopping Naruto in his tracks.

"Shinobi tactic number one; taijutsu." Kakashi said.

Taijutsu is hand-to-hand combat with no weapons! So why is he...? Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Takyua wondered at the same time. Kakashi's hand came out of his kunai pouch to reveal a small orange book.

Icha... Takyua began thinking.

Icha... Sasuke thought.

Paradise?! Sakura exclaimed mentally. Naruto blushed lightly, gaping at the title of the book.

"Do shita? I thought you were going to attack?" Kakashi asked.

"Ano sa! Ano sa!... why did you take out a book?" Naruto asked.

"Why? I got curious as to how the story would develop. Don't worry about it thought. Whether I read this or not, it doesn't matter, your attacks are useless anyways." Kakashi said. Naruto's fist tightened.

"I'm going to crush you!" Naruto shouted as he charged at Kakashi. Naruto punched Kakashi, only for Kakashi to block it. "Kuso! Roundhouse kick!" Naruto shouted as he went for said attack. Kakashi ducked out of the way. "Ahh! Kuso!" Naruto shouted as he went to punch Kakashi again. This time, Kakashi was gone. "Oro?" Naruto wondered, seeing that his sensei was gone.

"A ninja shouldn't let his opponent get behind him more than once, baka." Kakashi said frm behind Naruto with his hands in the tora seal.

That hand sign is... tora fuuin?! He's going to use a high level ninjutsu against Naruto?! Sakura thought, realizing what it was.

That hand seal... it's for a Katon no Jutsu! He's not just toying with Naruto... he's going to destroy him. Sasuke stated mentally. Takyua smirked.

Katon no Justu? Why waste chakra on that dobe? Ah well, Uzumaki's funeral. she thought, imagining the funeral in her head.

"Naruto, run! You're going to be killed!" Sakura shrieked from her position.

"Too late. Konoha's secret taijutsu..." Kakashi fingers jammed themselves up Naruto's butt. "SENNEN GOROSHI!" Kakashi shouted weirdly as Naruto screamed. Naruto landed in a lake, rubbing his butt. Takyua burst out laughing at the scene while Sakura sat in her bush, embarrassed for trying to warn Naruto about something pointless.

"That wasn't a ninjutsu..." she muttered.

"Utsuratonkachii watari." Sasuke muttered, his eyes closed. Kakashi turned to the laughing boulder.

"Takyua, if you find it so incredibly funny, how about you try to defeat me?" Kakashi suggested, opening his book again. Takyua stepped out from behind the boulder, wiping her eyes from the tears that had fallen from laughing so hard.

"Sensei, it was funny! You jammed your fingers into Uzumaki's ass and flung him into a lake! That takes some skill!" she complimented, giving Kakashi a thumbs up. Her laughter quickly stopped as she became serious. "But it'll take a lot more than just that to defeat me." she said. Kakashi raised an eyebrow as he looked at a smirking Takyua. In a quick series of handsigns, Takyua raised the Tora fuuin to her face. "Taiyoton: Hikari Mienaku Suru no Jutsu!" she shouted.

Suddenly, the rays of the sun became brighter than they had ever been before, blinding Kakashi instantly. Kakashi shut his eye, keeping himself from actually going blind. Taking this chance to grab a bell, Takyua rushed towards Kakashi, trying to grab a bell. The jutsu wore off quickly, and Kakashi opened his eye in time to see Takyua reach for a bell. Grabbing her arm, Kakashi flund Takyua over his shoulder, keeping her away from the bells.

Takyua flipped over, landing on her feet. Kuso! That jutsu takes up a lot of chakra! There's no way I can win by using ninjutsu! Looks like I'll have to use genjutsu! she thought, putting her hands in the ram seal. Owari Saiminjutsu! she thought, draining the last of her chakra.

Kakashi's vision was clouded by what looked like his first Jounin mission with his sensei and two teammates. His male teammate getting crushed by the rock was quickly replaced with his own twelve year old body. His female teammate cried desperately for him not to die while the teammate that was originally under the rock moved his goggles up and wiped his eyes. He shook his head and put a hand on the kunoichi's shoulder. His sensei walked up behind the two Chuunin. He spotted Kakashi's crushed body and looked down sadly.

Outside of the genjutsu, Takyua breathed heavily and struggled to stand. Kakashi stood there in a daze, not paying attention. After all, he was trapped in a genjutsu.

"Wh-what happened to sensei?" Sakura asked, coming out from the bushes. Sasuke jumped down from the tree and walked over to the scene with his hands in his pockets.

"There's nothing to worry about Sakura. Kakashi's trapped in Takyua's cruel genjutsu. It brings the victim's most painful memory where someone close to them died to the surface and the person that was killed is replaced by the victim's body when they were that age. Takyua used it on me when she was trying to perfect it. It was a pretty horrible sight." he explained. Sakura looked at Takyua in astonishment.

"It's a jutsu of my own creation, along with the Hikari Mienaku Suru no Jutsu. I came up with them, and Sasuke helped me perfect them. Unfortunately, Kakashi's trying to break free of the genjutsu and he's doing a hell of a good job." Takyua said, looking at the now alert Kakashi.

"I must say, Takyua, that was one hell of a jutsu. Your own creation huh? I'm impressed." Kakashi said, blinking away the genjutsu.

"Arigatou, Kakashi-sensei." Takyua said, using Sasuke as support to stand. She grinned, holding up two tiny silver bells. Sakura gasped, trying to grab one of the bells from Takyua. Takyua moved the bells out of Sakura's reach and threw one of the bells in the air. Sasuke, being the closest, caught it and stared at it. Kakashi's eyes widened and looked at his pants where the bells should be. There was only one left.

"Heh, good luck, Sakura. There's one bell left. Either you or Naruto will get the bell. Tsukareta!" Takyua whined, slumping against Sasuke who sighed in return.

So, it's between me and Naruto... I'll get that bell! Sakura thought, determined.

~:+:~ ~:+:~ ~:+:~ ~:+:~
Three bento boxes sat in front of Naruto, Sakura, Takyua and Sasuke. Kakashi had stolen the bells that Takyua and Sasuke had back, so none of the Genin finished with any bells. Three stomachs growled as three of the four sat on the ground and one was tied to a stump.

"Uh-oh, stomachs growling huh? Well, that's too bad. Oh, by the way, about this excersize. Well! There's no need for you guys to go back to the academy." Kakashi said. Naruto grinned happily while Sakura sat there, stunned.

"What? I passed? All I did was faint and fall over. Do you get points for that?" Sakura asked. Love wins out! Shannarou! she thought while Sasuke and Takyua smirked. Sakura cheered while Naruto attempted to jump.

"Ano sa! Ano sa! That means the four of us..." Naruto said happily. Kakashi smiled.

"Yes. All four of you... are being dropped from the program! Permanantly!" Kakashi shouted. Sakura and Naruto stopped cheering while Sasuke glared at Kakashi. Takyua sat there, speechless.

"Drop us from the program?! That means we can never become ninja! You said if we didn't get a bell, you were going to send us back to the academy! You can't just change your mind!" Naruto shouted, trying to get loose from the ropes that bound him to the log.

"You four don't have what it takes to be ninja. You don't think like a shinobi, you think like brats." Kakashi said. Sasuke growled and stood up. He charged at Kakashi, who quickly flipped him over and sat on his back, holding one arm behind his back.

"Ah!" Naruto gasped.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried.

"Sasu-kun!" Takyua shouted. When the dust cleared, Kakashi looked like a giant compared to Sasuke.

"See? You think it's all about you." Kakashi said as Sasuke growled.

"Let go of Sasuke-kun! You can't step on him like he's some bug!" Sakura cried. Takyua looked fearful as Sasuke struggled to get out from under Kakashi's big butt.

"You don't know what it means to be a ninja! You think it's some game! Why do you think we put you on squads. hm? You consider that question for one moment?" Kakashi asked.

"I, uh... What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"I mean you never realized what this excersize was about! Not even close!" Kakashi said.

"What it's about?" Naruto asked.

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

"But that's... I mean I wanted to ask you about that from the beginning!" Sakura said.

"Tch. Use your brains! Three or four people on a squad. Why do you think we would do that?" Kakashi asked.

"Agh! Why do you think we would know why you picked three or four people?! We didn't make the rules!" Naruto shouted.

"It's so basic... Teamwork!" Kakashi said. Realization dawned over the four Genin.

"Just working together? Is that what you mean?" Sakura asked.

"That's what I mean. It's too late now, but if you four had come at me at once, you might have been able to get the bells. Well, anyway, it's over." Kakashi said, peering at the three Genin who still stood.

Wait a minute... Sakura thought. "You set it up so there were four of us and only three bells! If we worked together and got the bells, only three of us could keep them! That would lead to group conflict and the squad would break up!" Sakura said.

"Exactly. I purposely pitted you against each other. I wanted to see if you could overcome your differences and put the squad in front of yourselves! A Genin should have anatural feel for teamwork. But you... it never even crossed your minds. Sakura!" Sakura looked up. "You obsessed about Sasuke who was gone, while Naruto and Takyua were right in front of you and you wouldn't lift a finger to help them, since Takyua is a good friend of Sasuke's and you despise Naruto!" Sakura looked down in shame.

"Naruto!" Naruto looked up as he name was mentioned. "You do everything on your own. Everything. And you, Sasuke," Kakashi pushed Sasuke's head farther into the ground. "You decided that Naruto and Sakura were useless. Arrogance. You didn't even offer to help your best friend get the bells back that she got for both of you!" Kakashi looked at Takyua.

"And you, Takyua. I'm very disappointed in you. Iruka-sensei had some good things to say about you too. You managed to get two bells, yes, but you remained so ignorant that I was able to snatch the bells back! You had only grabbed two in the first place, for you and Sasuke, but didn't bother with Naruto or Sakura since they weren't as strong as you. And to think you're as smart as that Nara kid, purposly failing all the written tests so you didn't stand out. Looks like you're not as smart as Asuma said." Kakashi said. He turnde to face the group.

"Missions are carried out in squads! Of course, you need individual skills, but teamwork is the main focus! Every shinobi understand this. When individuals put themselves in front of the squad, this can lead to failure, and death. For example..." Kakashi reached into his kunai pouch and pulled out a kunai. He held the kunai to Sasuke's neck. "Sakura! Kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies!" Kakashi said. Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke and Takyua's eyes widened, Sasuke's and Naruto's eyes being the widest.

"Nani?! Nani?! NAAAAANI?!" Naruto cried, afraid Sakura might actually kill him. Takyua made the sign of the ram, about to use her genjutsu to free Sasuke when Kakashi put his kunai away. Sasuke made a noise and relaxed as the kunai left his throat.

"That's what will happen on a mission." Kakashi said.

"Oh boy! That was scary!" Sakura said while Naruto sighed in relief.

"The enemy takes a hostage and you're left with an impossible decision. Either way, someone winds up dead." Kakashi said, getting off Sasuke. Takyua ran over to her friend and helped him up. The two walked back to the group, Sasuke feeling mildly embarrassed. "On every mission, your life is at risk. Did you look at this stone? The names engraved on it?" Kakashi asked, standing in front of an obsidian-blue stone. "They are all names of ninjas who are honored as heroes in our village." Kakashi said sadly.

"Sore! Sore! Sore! Sore! Sore ii! I want my name engraved on that stone! I'm not going to live and die like a dog! A hero! A hero!" Naruto said happily. Kakashi turned to Naruto.

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

"Huh? What kind of heroes are they? Come on! Tell us!" Naruto exclaimed.

"They're K.I.A, Uzumaki." Takyua said sadly.

"Ooh! That sounds cool!" Naruto said.

"They were killed in battle, dobe! My parents are on that stone!" Takyua shouted, pointing at that stone. Naruto froze and looked down. Sasuke sighed sadly, knowing fully well why Takyua was so upset. He was upset as well, since some of his family members were on that stone.

"It's a memorial stone, Naruto. The name of my best friend is on this stone. Uchiha Obito died saving my life. It was the day I became a Jounin." Kakashi said sadly, remembering that day and the genjutsu Takyua put on him. "...Alright. I'm going to give you four one more chance. But it's going to be much harder on you. You'll have three hours to get a bell. Eat now and gin your strength. However, if you feed Naruto, you'll fail automatically. Naruto, this is your punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat all three bentos by yourself. I make the rules. You follow them. Got it?"

~:+:~ ~:+:~ ~:+:~ ~:+:~
Sasuke lifted a piece of rice to his mouth with his chopsticks, as did Sakura. Takyua's bento, however, laid untouched as she sat in front of the memorial stone, looking at the names engraved. naruto's stomach let out a large growl and the three other Genin looked at him.

"This is no big deal! I can go without eating for days! For weeks! This is no problem at all, tebayo!" Naruto said as his stomach let out another growl. Naruto's head fell as his stomach argued with him.

"Your stomach says different, Uzumaki." Takyua said, focusing her gaze back on the stone. Just as Sasuke was about to offer his bento to Naruto, Takyua sighed. "Sasuke, untie Naruto and give him my bento. I ate breakfast this morning, foretting Kakashi told us not to eat. Uzumaki will be useless if he doesn't have any strength. He'll just be a burden, and we'll need his help to get the bells." she instructed. Sasuke nodded and pulled out a kunai, releasing Naruto from his rope prison. Naruto fell to the ground, thanking Sasuke and Takyua over and over again.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun! Sensei said-"

"It's fine. Kakashi isn't around. It's like Takyua said, if Naruto doesn't have any strength, he'll be a burden and we need his help to get the bells." Sasuke said, inturrupting Sakura and handing Naruto the unopened bento box.

"Arigatou, Takyua. For letting me have your bento. And, as much as I hate to say this, arigatou for freeing me Sasuke." Naruto said, opening the bento.

"Just shut up and eat, dobe." Sasuke muttered as Takyua walked over to her team.

"Ikidakemasu!" Naruto said quietly but happily as he broke apart the chopsticks. An explosion appeared right after Naruto broke apart the chopsticks. Sakura and Naruto screamed, the uneaten bento flying every which way.

"You four!" Kakashi shouted through the smoke. Sasuke took a fighting stance. "You broke the rules! I hope your ready for the punishment!" Kakashi said, forming three handsigns. Dark clouds formed overhead, and lightning came down in small streaks. "Any last words?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke glared at Kakashi while Sakura and Naruto covered their heads.

"D-demo! You said..." Naruto trailed off.

"Yes?" Kakashi asked.

"Demo! Demo! Demo! You said that there are four of us! And that's why... Takyua gave up... her lunch..." Naruto said, glancing at Takyua.

"We're a team!" Takyua said, pulling out a kunai.

"We're all on this squad and we're all in this together!" Sasuke agreed, pulling out his own kunai. Sakura pulled her hands off her head.

"Yeah, that's right! Takyua gave up her lunch because the four of us are one!" she said. Naruto looked between Sasuke, Sakura and Takyua.

"Hai! Hai! Hai! Hai tebayo! That's right!" Naruto agreed, clueless.

"The four of you are one? That's your excuse?" Kakashi asked, looking at his students. Kakashi smiled. "Well then... you pass."

"Huh?" Naruto and Sakura asked.

"You. Pass." Kakashi said slowly.

"What do you mean? How did we pass?" Sakura asked. The dark clouds cleared away as Kakashi continued on to explain.

"You four are the first to pass. Up until now, the others did exactly as 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, that's true. But, those who abandon their comrades are even worse than scum." Kakashi said, looking up at the sky. Naruto's eyes glossed over as tears welled up in his eyes. Sasuke smiled slightly while Takyua grinned.

"He's, uh, kinda cool." Naruto said, trying not to cry.

"That's it for the excersize. Everyone passes! Squad seven begins their first mission tomorrow!" Kakashi said, giving the four a thumbs up.

"Yatta!" Sakura squealed.

"I did it! I did it! I'm a ninja ninja ninja!" Naruto shouted, jumping in the air.

"Let's go home." Kakashi said, turning away from the four. Sasuke and Takyua followed.

Shannarou! I did it! Sakura thought, giggling as she followed her sensei. Naruto ran after Sakura, eating her unfinished bento.

"Ano sa! Ano sa! What will our mission tomorrow be sensei?" he asked with his mouth full.

"I don't know. We'll find out tomorrow, Naruto." Kakashi replied with a grin.


Squad 7: Next time on The Young And The Hopeless!

Naruto: Why this old guy anyways! I wanted to protect a princess!

Sakura: Protecting a princess would be an A-Rank assignment!

Takyua: If you didn't hear Hokage-sama, we're doing a C-Rank assignment, dobe!

Naruto: Kuso! Now you've gotten Takyua calling me dobe, Sasuke!

Sasuke: You baka! She's calling you that becuse you are dead last, dobe!

Naruto: STOP CALLING ME THAT TEBAYO!

Squad 7: Next time; Enter Tazuna, Master Bridge Builder!

Naruto: Woah! Where did these guys come from?!