"The three of you should quit as ninja!" Kakashi declared, looking at Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura.
Y/n understood, but couldn't agree with it. She looked at Naruto worried. Kakashi had influence as much as to ruin their chances to become a shinobi. He hasn't pass a single student after all. It was hard to believe at first, but now she was seeing it first hand.
"QUIT AS NINJAS!?" Naruto yelled in frustration. Y/n covered her ears. She was going to have a headache. "WHAT DOES THAT MEAN !? OK!WE COULDN'T GET THE BELLS, BUT DO WE HAVE TO QUIT!?" Y/n did get a headache.
"Because all thee of you punks, who doesn't deserve to be ninjas." That had touched a nerve. Sasuke went and attacked the jounin. 'Idiot!' The change for him to beat Kakashi were negative zero. Sakura screamed Sasuke name loudly. Y/n bloodlust almost got out for a moment. All this yelling didn't stand well with her, right now.
"That's why you're a punk." Kakashi said to Sasuke, seating on the boy.
"NO!! DON'T STEP ON SASUKE!!" Y/n was going to step on her, if Sakura didn't shut up. This was ridicules. Couldn't they just speak as normal human beings.
"Are you guys underestimating ninjas? Heh?" This was a little personal. "Why do you think that you were divided into team and are doing this training!" Y/n looked at her confused teammates faces. She facepalmed.
"Basically, you guys are not understanding the answer to this test." Y/n did know. She wanted to have a team to work together with, since her father told her story about his own teammates.
"Answer?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion. 'This is painful to watch.'
"Yes, the answer that helps you pass the test." Confirmed Kakashi.
"So, when are you going to tell us?" If Sakura know what shinobi did to get information she would most likely faint.
"Geez." Kakashi sigh.
" Ahh! Damn it! What the answer already?!" Y/n had enough.
"It's teamwork!" Both Y/n and Kakashi said in the same time. His eye met hers. Y/n didn't expect Kakashi to say it.
Sasuke looked at her wide eye, she averted her's from him. It was his fault for not listening. Apparently she was the only one with a brain in this team.
Naruto mumbled her name in surprise. Y/n was starting to doubt that he was going to listen to her if she asked him to cooperate.
"The thee of you working together may have gotten the bells." It did confuse Y/n that he was referring only to the other three.
"The three of you working together may have gotten you the bells." Y/n eyes zoomed at the bells. There were two of them. 'Hold a damn minute!' Y/n eyes widen.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY TEAMWORK? THERE ARE ONLY TWO BELLS!!" Sakura started yelling again. Sasuke eyes went at her at the mention of the remaining two bells. Y/n only rolled her eyes at Sakura. Kakashi had driven the attention only at the three out of four, he had something going, but Y/n didn't know what "Even if we work together and get the bells, one of us would still fail." It was a chance to fail, since there were four when it should be of a team of three, but that was beside the point. "What team work? That just make us fight each other." If you wanted to be a ninja and survive, you had to learn how adapt and work with others.
"Of course! This test is purposely set up to make you fight among yourself." Nothing is easy for a shinobi. Being able to making the right decision at a right time was the trait of a great shinobi.
"The purpose is to see whether you can forget about your own interest, and successfully work together under these design circumstances." It was a smart. "Yet, you guys.." Kakashi looked disappointing. Y/n knew he had done this before, she had read some files.
He looked towards Sakura. "Sakura insisted of Naruto, who was right next to you, you were only thinking about Sasuke who was far away." That didn't surprise Y/n at all.
"Naruto, you were running around by yourself." That did disappoint Y/n a little. Mainly because all of them wouldn't be in this situation if Naruto had stuck with her since the beginning, and stopped being a idiot who thought only of food by the end of it.
"Sasuke!! You just assumed the others would get in your way and tried to do everything yourself." Y/n agreed at that statement, glaring daggers at Sasuke.
"The duties are done by the team." Y/n shoulders dropped. 'Did he completely forgot about me?' She didn't voice her concern, letting Kakashi lecture continue. "Of course superior individual ability is important to a ninja, but even more important is "teamwork"." Y/n second that.
"Individual play that disrupts the team can put your comrades in danger." It was so obvious. Y/n couldn't understand why Naruto and Sakura were surprised. 'What do they think mission are, picnic.' She sigh. Her eyes caught her sensei hand move behind his back. 'Is he going to start to read his erotic book now?' Wrong!
"Even get you killed. For example.." Kakashi held a kunai on Sasuke's throat. "SAKURA KILL NARUTO OR SASUKE DIES!" Y/n hand went to grab her kunai. Sakura was surprised. Naruto looked at Sakura scared and shook his head.
"You see? If hostage is taken, you will have tough choices and then die." Naruto was relived he wasn't going to get killed. Finally Kakashi moved away from Sasuke. If he didn't pull that example at the end, Y/n most likely would have thought Sasuke was comfortable to set on. "You will be risking your lives in these duties." Y/n eyes followed to were Kakashi was going. Her eyes saddened.
"Look at the number of names carved on the stone." Y/n lowered her head. "These are ninjas who are recognized as heroes of the village." Heroes that had left families and friends behind.
Y/n tried hard to ignore Naruto's loud comment about becoming one of them, because she couldn't bare it if that happened.
"But they aren't just normal heroes." They were heroes that lived only in the hearts of the people who loved them. "They are heroes that died while on duty." Y/n's father name was on that grave. She never bought Naruto in here. It was like a memorial than a grave, his body wasn't there. Y/n wondered sometimes if it was worthy to visit when there was only a name and nothing else.
"This is a memorial.." It was just a stone... "My best friend's name is also curved there." ..that weighted their heart with sorrow. "That includes your teammate's father."
The three genin looked at the red haired girl, who stared at the stone emotionless. "Y/n." Naruto said in a sad voice. Kakashi walked at her and showed the bell whose lace was cut short.
"Y/n, you managed to cut the bell down." Sakura's eyes widen in surprise. Sasuke turned his head away, hands in his pocket. Naruto smiled at her achievement. "What I want to know is what were you doing during the exam?" Y/n looked Kakashi In the eye.
"Do I have to?" Kakashi's face was neutral as he nodded. "Alright!" Y/n nodded, confirming that she was starting.
"First I went to hiding." She crossed her legs to get comfortable. "My initial plan of using a certain jutsu Naruto does, to take you by surprise." She pointed at Kakashi. Naruto was about to say something, but Y/n stopped him. "Don't." She schooled him. Naruto shut his mouth. "I gave up on that because Naruto was staying into the open." Her eyes narrowed at his. Naruto murmured "Sorry!" Y/n nodded and continued.
" My second plan included Sasuke." She could feel Sakura's glare. Sasuke found the forest interesting because he wasn't looking at her. "But he refused to help." Y/n looked at Kakashi, her lips in a thin line. "I know Sakura enough, to say she wasn't going to come with me, when her priority is someone else." Kakashi nodded. "I watched your fight with Sasuke, with no intention of interfering." Sakura looked like she was going to throw a fit. " He thinks to highly of himself. I thought a defeat from you was better for him to know his weakness, than an opponent that can kill him." Y/n finished her rant.
Kakashi stared at her for a good moment, then throw the bell at her. "It doesn't mean you past the exam." Y/n didn't believe him, but nodded. "I will give you guys one more chance." His face turned serious. "But after lunch, I will make it even tougher to get the bell." Y/n turn the bell between her fingers. "Those who still wish to challenge can eat lunch, but don't gave any to Naruto." Y/n had her's half eaten. Naruto protested. "It's punishment for trying to eat by yourself. If anyone gives him any food, they will fail immediately." Kakashi open his hand in Y/n's direction. She throw the bell at him. "I am the ruler here! Got it!" And he left.
"Heh! I don't need any food. I am fine!" Naruto's stomach growled in disagreement. Y/n was in thought. Sasuke and Sakura started eating.
"So what's the plan now?" Sasuke asked her. Sakura looked on the other side, not liking the attention Sasuke was giving her. Y/n knew Kakashi was very close. She started at where he was staying. There was a thin thread of chakra connecting her finger and the bell that was in her hand early.
'There is no plan.' If her sensei valued teamwork that much, this was the right cause of action. She took her lunchbox, taking the food in front of Naruto with her chopsticks. "Open up~" she sang like she was feeding a baby. Naruto blushed ,but turned his head.
" No, Y/n! You are going to fail." His stomach growled.
"If we are going to pass this I need you in your top condition." That picked Sasuke's interest.
"Here!" Sasuke offered his lunchbox. 'One dawn, one to go.'
"HEY SASUKE, SENSEI SAID.." Y/n rolled her eyes.
"Don't worry I don't sense him near here." Y/n looked at the tree were the thread led and smirk. "After lunch we will work together and get the bell." A little more push. "Without food, he'll just be in a way and that will hurt us." Check mate. Sakura offered her bento box too.
Naruto felt touched. Y/n shoved her chopsticks into his mouth laughing at his happy face. A poof of smoke was created in front of them. Kakashi showed up from it.
"You guys..." His face was scary. Sakura and Naruto were screaming. In that confusion, Y/n tugged the thread. "..Pass." Kakashi smile at them. The bell was in Y/n's hand. All turned at her, she just smirked and shrugged.
"PASS!BUT WHY?!" Sakura asked. Y/n wanted to know too, it surely didn't have to do with her taking the bell, though she was proud of that achievement.
"You guys are the first." Y/n smiled at the others confusion. "Everyone else would do whatever I told them. They were just morons." Y/n laughed. Feeling all light. Kakashi smiled at her. "A ninja must see underneath the underneath." They should be sharp. "Those who break the rules and codes of the ninja world are scam, but you know what?" Y/n had a feeling he was going to say something cool. "Those who don't take care of their comrades are worst than scum." Y/n couldn't find the words to describe how happy she was that Kakashi was her teacher.
"That ends the training. All of you pass." Kakashi lifted a thumb up. Y/n cheeks hurt, because of how much she was smiling. "Ok! Starting tomorrow team 7 will begin it's duties. Let's go." They followed their sensei.
"UNTIE ME!" Naruto yelled. Y/n laughed, then threw a kunai at him. "NONONO!" Naruto screamed closing his eyes waiting for the pain.
It never came. When he opened his eyes the rope was hanging loosely around him. "Move it Naruto !" He looked at Y/n , who was waiting for him, her hands on her hips, a bright smile on her face. "I am not treating you at Ichiraku if you just stand there." Naruto smiled, running fast towards his best friend.
Their life took another step towards the uncertain future.
Hope you enjoyed!