Team 7 Is Formed

The bell rang.

Sasuke's hand closed around the bell too.

The two sounds nearly collided.

The training ground fell silent for a moment.

Chiya still gripped the wire in his hand, his eyes fixed on Sasuke's hand.

Did he really get it?

Sasuke lowered his head to look at the bell in his hand, his chest rising and falling twice.

Kakashi was still tangled in the wire, his arms and legs bound tight. He could not move.

Sasuke clenched the bell and looked at Kakashi.

"We won."

Kakashi lowered his head and glanced at the wire around himself.

Then he looked at the alarm clock.

"Doesn't count."

Sasuke's expression darkened.

"Why not?"

Kakashi lifted his chin.

"Well, because time's already up."

"But I got it."

"You got it after the bell rang."

Sasuke's fingers tightened around it.

Kakashi's voice remained lazy.

"When a ninja carries out a mission, if it is not completed by the deadline, then it is a failure. There are no other excuses."

Chiya stood beside them, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Seriously.

Failed by a hair.

Kakashi gave his wrist a slight flick. Somehow, the wire around him loosened a little. He slipped free, then took the bell back from Sasuke's hand.

Sasuke did not let go.

The two of them were locked in a brief stalemate.

In the end, Sasuke released it first.

Kakashi hung the bell back at his waist.

Naruto had climbed out of the water by then.

"Hey! How can that count? Sasuke clearly got it!"

Kakashi looked at him.

"You've got the nerve to say that?"

Naruto choked on his words.

Kakashi pointed at his soaked clothes.

"As a ninja, you didn't gather any intelligence on your enemy and charged straight in. You were knocked into the water in under three seconds."

Naruto's face reddened.

"I just wasn't ready!"

"Before a battle starts, does the enemy have to remind you to get ready?"

Naruto had nothing to say.

Kakashi turned to Sakura.

Sakura lowered her head and said softly, "I know. I got caught in a genjutsu."

"You fainted in terror from a single enemy genjutsu. Your mental fortitude is far too weak."

Finally, he looked at Sasuke and Chiya.

"As for you two, not bad."

Sasuke kept a cold expression.

Chiya shook out the fingers that had been painfully constricted by the wire.

Not bad.

Why did that sound so irritating?

Kakashi continued, "Your teamwork was good. You were just a little unlucky. If time had not run out, the bells would indeed have counted as yours."

Kakashi walked over to the posts and called them over.

"Sasuke and Chiya, you can eat lunch."

"Naruto and Sakura can only stay tied up and watch."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Huh? Why?!"

"Because your performances were too poor."

Sakura did not say anything. She had already been screaming furiously inside, Damn it!

But when she remembered how she had fainted from the genjutsu and had not helped at all during the fight, she was too embarrassed to speak.

Before long, Naruto and Sakura were tied to the posts.

Naruto was still struggling.

"Let me go!"

Kakashi could not be bothered with him. He took two lunch boxes from his bag and tossed them to Chiya and Sasuke.

Naruto's eyes nearly turned green.

"Kakashi-sensei, I'm hungry too!"

"Stay hungry."

"That's too much!"

Kakashi added another sentence.

"You two can eat, but don't share with them. Otherwise, you fail."

After saying that, Kakashi vanished from the spot with a pop.

The training ground became quiet.

When the wind blew, Naruto's wet clothes clung to his body, and he sneezed.

Sakura was tied up beside him. She was much quieter than Naruto, though her eyes drifted toward Sasuke from time to time.

Chiya opened his lunch box.

Rice balls, grilled fish, and some vegetables.

It smelled pretty good.

Naruto swallowed.

Loudly.

Chiya picked up a rice ball and glanced at him.

Naruto immediately turned his head away.

"I don't want any."

His stomach let out an especially cooperative growl.

Grrr...

Naruto's face turned red.

Chiya held the lunch box out in front of him.

"Eat."

Naruto froze.

"Huh?"

"I ate this morning. I'm not hungry."

Naruto looked at the lunch box, then at Chiya.

"Aren't you afraid of failing?"

"Quit talking and open your mouth."

Naruto immediately opened his mouth.

On the other side, Sasuke opened his lunch box too.

When Sasuke saw Chiya sharing his food with Naruto, he felt too embarrassed to eat alone.

He stood and walked toward Sakura.

The moment Sakura saw him approaching, her whole body stiffened.

Sasuke walked up to her and held out the lunch box.

"Eat."

Sakura's face instantly flushed.

"S-Sasuke-kun..."

"Hurry up."

"But Kakashi-sensei said..."

"He's not here."

Sakura blushed all the way to her ears. She took a tiny bite of the rice ball, her eyes nearly spinning as her heart practically flew into the sky.

Naruto chewed as he looked over there.

"Sasuke, you're pretty good at taking care of people."

Sasuke turned to look at him.

"Shut up."

"Tch, won't even let me say it. You little tsundere."

Chiya sat nearby and could not help laughing.

I guess I've sort of become part of Team 7 too.

They had barely taken two bites when Kakashi's voice rang out behind them.

"You lot."

Naruto nearly choked.

The redness had not faded from Sakura's face, and she stared blankly.

Sasuke's hand moved toward his kunai.

Chiya set down his chopsticks.

That was fast.

Kakashi stood beneath a tree, his eyes narrowed, his expression unreadable.

"I said it before, didn't I?"

Naruto still had food stuffed in his mouth and could barely speak clearly.

"K-Kakashi-sensei..."

"Whoever feeds them fails."

The air was silent for a while.

Naruto lowered his head.

Sakura lowered her head as well.

Sasuke kept a cold face and offered no explanation.

Chiya thought for a moment, then said, "Then fail us."

Naruto abruptly raised his head.

Sakura froze too.

Sasuke glanced at Chiya.

Chiya spread his hands.

"We can't just stand by and watch our teammates go hungry."

Kakashi looked at him.

After a while, he suddenly smiled.

"Pass."

Naruto forgot to keep chewing the food in his mouth.

"Huh?"

Kakashi walked over and untied Naruto and Sakura.

"In the ninja world, those who break the rules are called trash."

He paused.

"Those who do not cherish their comrades are worse than trash."

Naruto blinked.

Sakura understood as well.

"So, we passed?"

Kakashi nodded.

"Starting today, Team 7 is officially formed."

Naruto sprang to his feet.

"Awesome!"

Sakura rubbed her wrists, still sore from the ropes. The flush on her face had yet to fade completely.

Sasuke gave a cold snort, clearly pleased as well.

Chiya looked at the lunchbox still half full in his hands. Without standing on ceremony, he sat down and kept eating.

After all that fussing around all morning, who wouldn't be hungry?

Kakashi glanced at him.

"You really don't stand on ceremony."

"Can't waste food."

Once they finished eating, Kakashi told them that they would officially start taking missions tomorrow.

The moment Naruto heard the word "missions," he came back to life.

"Will they be really awesome missions? Like protecting the daimyo, or defeating rogue ninja!"

Kakashi opened Make-Out Paradise.

"You'll find out tomorrow."

Chiya wiped his mouth and said nothing.

He knew it wouldn't be protecting the daimyo, nor would it be defeating any rogue ninja.

Most likely, it would be grunt work like picking up trash or catching cats.