Chiko arrived back at home, "Mom, why didn't you tell me that we need to pass another test to become genin?"
Mina Zawa chuckled, nursing her chai, "Where would be the fun with that? Are you worried you won't pass?"
"One of my teammates is the dead last… I don't like my odds", Chiko looked gloomy, "can you at least tell me what the test will be? Our sensei said it would be survival training against him but didn't specify"
"Every Jonin has a different test, it's all part of the fun. Don't worry though, you are just Genin, he won't kill you and you have the advantage of blood release. As it is a new kekkei genkai, no one has fought against it yet and you know other jutsu too", Mina explained, taking another sip of her chai, "You said one of your teammates is the dead last… is the other teammate at least passably strong?"
"Sasuke Uchiha", he sighed, "Not weak but I fear he won't be much too keen on teamwork. Anyways, I'll be going to bed now, want to be well rested for whatever he has in store for us tomorrow"
"Do that dear", Mina took a bite out of a cupcake, sitting on the table. When he was gone to his room, her expression darkened and she took up the paper on the desk, which Chiko hadn't noticed, "Why did it have to be Kakashi? He has never passed a genin team… let's hope team seven can break the mold. My son is too powerful to waste another year at the academy"
The next morning, Chiko, Sasuke and Naruto were at the training ground, waiting for Kakashi sensei. five minutes became half an hour, that became an hour and eventually, two hours late, Kakashi walked in, "Hey guys, good morning!"
"You are late!", they exclaimed in unison.
Kakashi sensei walked over to a stump and put a clock on it, "It's set for noon", before pulling out two bells on strings, "Here are two bells. Your task is to take these from me before the time is up. Those who don't have a bell by noon… get no lunch. I'll not only tie you to one of those stumps, but I'll also eat right in front of you"
So that was why he didn't want them to eat! Not because they might throw up but because he wanted them hungry! Such an underhanded tactic!
"You only have to get one bell. There are only two, so one of you will definitely be tied to the stump and… the person who doesn't take a bell fails. So, at least one of you will be sent back to the academy. If you want, you can use shurikens and kunais. You won't succeed unless you come at me intending to kill me. Go all out"
"You can't even dodge a black board eraser!", Naruto laughed mockingly, "We'll definitely kill you"
"In the real world, those with no talent, often bark the loudest. Well, Ignore Mr Dead last and start when I say-"
"Dead last?! DEAD LAST?!!" Naruto took a kunai from his belt, ready to throw it but -in the blink of an eye, Kakashi stood behind him, one hand on his kunai throwing hand and one on the back of his head. Chiko felt a shiver down his spine. He didn't even see him move. He was even faster than his mother. Something which he hadn't thought possible until now. His mother was always the peak he was aiming for but now, this Jonin was outshining her without even breaking a sweat. He had expected something like this from the lord third but a random Jonin? Chiko realised in that moment, how big the gap between them was.
"Calm down, I haven't said start yet. Well, it seems you are prepared to come at me with the intent to kill. So you finally acknowledge me? Hehe, it seems like I'm beginning to like you guys, okay, let us get going. Ready… begin!"
The three of them rushed to hide, whilst Kakashi just stood there. Chiko was in one of the trees, watching silently. Naruto apparently didn't get the memo, as he sprang out into the open, "Come here and fight me! I said fight me!"
"Uhm- you are a little bit off"
"The only thing that is off is your haircut!"
Truly, he was the dead last.
He was rushing at that jonin, that force of nature, that is, until he began looking through his pouch. Chiko looked intently, what ninja tool would he pull out?
"Shinobi fighting lesson #1 Taijutsu. I'll teach you about it", he pulled out a- a smut book? "What's wrong? Hurry up and attack me"
"But- what's up with that book?"
"I just want to know what happens next but don't worry, it won't make a difference against you guys"
Naruto rushed in and Chiko took the chance, slitting open his palm, flicking his blood at the ground behind the Jonin and performing his jutsu, "Blood release: Blood clone"
The next moment, A perfect copy of Chiko stood behind him just as Naruto attacked. He thought the jonin wouldn't notice but, as he blocked Naruto's reckless blows, he also swept at his legs, causing him to fall down, "A physical clone? Not bad but- as with all clones", he stomped the clone with a lot of force, dispelling it, "a hard enough blow will destroy it"
He ducked under Naruto's kick and landed behind him, "A shinobi isn't supposed to be caught from behind, idiot", he formed the tiger seal. Chiko was panicking. Was their sensei actually about to use an elemental jutsu on the dead last? Wasn't that… overkill?
"Hidden leaf, ancient jutsu, supreme technique, 1000 years of pain!", he rammed his fingers at his bum and sent the blonde boy flying. Supreme technique? That looked like something a civilian could do! Chiko doubted there was any chakra at play.
Naruto landed in the lake. Shuriken shot out from it but Kakashi didn't even look, catching them with one hand. Chiko got an idea and he flung droplets of blood around, leaving droplets around the training field. Now he had to wait for the right moment…
Naruto came out of the water, coughing.
"Hey, what's wrong? If you don't get a bell before noon, you won't get lunch. You sure are weak for someone who is going to surpass the hokage", Kakashi mocked, not looking up from his smut book.
"Crap! I can still fight, no matter how hungry I am! I was just a little careless, that's all!"
"Carelessness can be your worst enemy, you know?", Kakashi walked away, sure that Naruto posed no danger. Then, eight clones sprang out of the water, real, corporeal clones! How did the dead last know an advanced clone jutsu? He couldn't even perform the regular one during class?
"Hah! My new jutsu, the shadow clone jutsu! You better not get careless! There are more than one of me now!", Naruto gloated, a cocky grin on his face.
"Not just the clone technique but the shadow clone technique, a jutsu that multiplies your body. I expected this from the other two but not you, dead last. You can probably only hold this for a minute. No matter how many of you line up, you are still Naruto, you can't beat me with that jutsu!"
To everyone's surprise, Naruto grapples him from behind, "Weren't shinobi not supposed to get caught from behind? Kakashi sensei? I sent a shadow clone out of the water, to sneak behind you- My ass still hurts, here's payback!", he was about to punch but Kakashi sensei vanished. The clones beat the shit out of each other and he was gone. Substitution jutsu!
Naruto looked around after dispelling his shadow clones and saw one of the bells, lying on the ground, "He must've been desperate to escape. He dropped a bell, hehehe!"
He was almost at the bell, when a rope trap caught him, "What the hell is this?"
Kakashi sensei walked up and took the bell.
"Think before using a jutsu or it could be used against you and also… don't fall for such obvious traps", he looked at Naruto and now, Chiko saw his opportunity, he focused on the droplets of blood right behind the jonin, in his blindspot, "Blood release: Blood clone"
A clone of Chiko manifested behind Kakashi and snatched the remaining bell on his belt, throwing it to the real Chiko before the Jonin could notice. Kakashi looked at the bell, resting in Chiko's hand with shock, "You… pass?", he sounded absolutely confused, "How did you get a clone up to there? You were nowhere near that place!"
"That is my blood release at work!", Chiko grinned, "I can use any blood of mine to activate my technique, so I spread around droplets of my blood. It was good luck that you were standing right behind one of my droplets"
"So this is the kekkei genkai that has elevated the Zawa family into a clan… how interesting"
Chiko sat back at one of the stumps and began meditating, he had secured his place, now, all he had to do was wait, so, he closed his eyes and meditated, shutting out the outside world. It wasn't long before the bell rang, he opened his eyes and saw… Naruto already tied to a stump.
"You guys look really hungry and oh- by the way, well… there's no need for you three to go back to the academy. You should- quit as shinobi"
Naruto who was cheering before, now looked distraught, "Quit as Ninja's?! what does that mean?! We couldn't get the bells but why do we have to quit?!"
"And I got a bell, why should I quit?!"
"Are you punks underestimating ninjas? Why do you think you were divided into teams and are doing this training? Basically, you are not understanding the answer to this test"
"Answer?"
"Yes, the answer that helps you pass this test! Any of you got any ideas?"
Chiko was silent for a second before it clicked, "It's teamwork, isn't it?"
"Teamwork?" Naruto looked at him blankly
"We all went at him separately. I may have gotten a bell but I did it alone. My mom always says that teamwork is one of the key pieces of being a ninja. But then… why were there only two bells?" Chiko mused.
"Of course, this test is purposely set up to make you fight amongst yourselves. The purpose is to see whether you can forget about your own interests and successfully work together, under these designed circumstances. You were just running around by yourself, not coordinating at all. The duties are done by a team. Superior skill is important to a ninja but what is more important is team work. Individual play that disrupts the team can put your comrades in danger and even get you killed. For example… Chiko, kill Naruto or I'll kill Sasuke", he was at Sasuke's throat with a kunai at that very moment, "You see? If a hostage is taken, you will have tough choices and then die. You will risk your lives in these duties. You see this stone? The names carved on them? They are heroes of the village"
"Hey, hey, hey, I've decided to get my name carved on that stone too! Hero! That's what I'll become", Naruto struggled against the rope.
"Idiot!", Chiko slapped him, "Those heroes, are the shinobi who died on duty, it's a memorial"
"You guys, I'll give you one more chance. But after lunch. I'll make it even tougher to get the bells. Those of you who still wish to challenge me, can eat lunch but don't give any to Naruto, punishment for trying to eat by himself. If any of you give him anything, you will fail immediately, understood?"
He vanished from sight.
"Hey! I'm starving here!" Naruto protested.
With a sigh, Chiko gave him some of his food, as did sasuke.
"What about kakashi sensei?" he asked.
"We need to be on full alert if we want any chance at getting the bells, we can't have Naruto hungry. Screw the rules"
A smoke explosion happened, "What is this?!", Kakashi burst out of it, "You guys… pass"
"We- pass?"
"You guys are the first. Everyone else would just do whatever I tell them. They were all just morons. A ninja must see underneath the underneath. Those who break the rules and codes of the ninja world are called trash but you know what? Those who don't take care of their comrades are lower than trash… That ends the training. All of you pass! Starting tomorrow, team 7 will begin it's duties!"