You stay where you are, deciding to think up a plan. Whether Kakashi-sensei was lying to you or not, it didn't matter. There was no sense in chasing after Sasuke, because you had no intention of working with him.

That being said, you settled yourself more comfortably on your perch on the tree branch and set the kunai down beside you. You closed your eyes to both aid you in thinking and to keep yourself alert to the possibility of approaching chakra signatures.

Sasuke actually does want to work with you, don't make it so hard for him like you just demonstrated to me. It's remarkable that he's even considering teamwork, bear that in mind.

Kakashi most likely wouldn't be expecting you. The way he worded his advice, it was almost as if he wanted you to pursue Sasuke. It seemed that you would have the element of surprise to your advantage.

Next, there was the matter of how you were going to ambush your sensei. Based off of your previous observations, he seemed to have a keen sense of hearing as well as competency in chakra-sensing. You would need to disguise your chakra signature and make sure you wouldn't be heard.

And finally, the main aspect of your plan, what exactly were you going to do? You squeezed your eyes tightly shut, thoughts whirring through your head in rapid-fire succession.

-:-

Kakashi's vague suspicions were confirmed. He had reason to believe that, if given the chance, Sakura and Naruto would be prepared to engage in teamwork. It was you and Sasuke that troubled him. He couldn't pass a genin team if two of them were arrogant, self-reliant blockheads. He had previously assumed that, of the two, Sasuke was more of a nutcase. Proven wrong, he decided to test you.

He now realized that Sasuke was much more practical than he had conceived at first. The Uchiha, though preferring to work solo at the beginning, recognized that he had to team up with someone in order to succeed. You, on the other hand, completely disregarded his efforts. He now knew why he felt so strongly about your problem.

You were just like him.

At least, that was what Kakashi thought. It didn't matter if he was right or wrong, because he would stamp out the problem at its roots. And that meant he had to check something.

A few minutes later, you arrived, with a multitude of crude attacks up your sleeve. He was impressed at all the traps you set that required him to look underneath the underneath. The direct attack was undoubtedly a ruse; your retreat was only a trick. The kunai only set off another trap, which concealed a log that would've knocked him unconscious if he wasn't paying attention. The longer he fought you, the more your fighting style reminded him of Rin. The memory brought a fresh wave of pain to his heart, and he slipped up in his defences momentarily.

You skidded to a halt. Instead of throwing the improvised spear at your sensei, you swerved and smashed into a tree trunk. You had seen the flicker of pain in Kakashi's eyes, and that had brought you up short.

"You shouldn't let me distract you like that," Kakashi advised, deactivating the last of your traps. You disentangled yourself from the tree, sorely disappointed at your failure. Your sensei must've done that on purpose, you realized. The alarm rang, indicating noon and the end of the training mission.

-:-

"Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. You all pass."

You squirmed, trying to find a more comfortable position that seemed unachievable when tied tightly to the log. Looking into the stern, unforgiving eyes of your sensei, you knew what was coming next.

Read Chapter 23, the return to this page.

"[Name], you fail."

"But sensei…!" Naruto protested indignantly, giving you a concerned glance. "That's not fair!"

Kakashi ignored him and your recent fainting episode. "The rest of the team will start a joint mission tomorrow with Team 8. And [Name], you have one more chance. You will partake in some training…with me."

You stared at him, your mouth agape. His verdict was so unexpected, you felt a flicker of doubt. "But after I'm done training, you'll send me back to the Academy, right?"

"That depends," Kakashi shrugged his shoulders apathetically. "This mission was a training exercise after all. You'll just be embarking on a second, more difficult training exercise. The rest of the team, you're dismissed. [Name], stay here for a moment."

You wanted to tell him that you couldn't go anywhere anyways, seeing as you were tied to the log. But you kept your mouth tightly shut as Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke left the training grounds. Kakashi waited for their chakra presence to be completely out of earshot. Then he cleared his throat.

"By observing your actions, I've concluded…"

You held your breath, waiting in trepidation.

"…well, there's only one way to find out if I'm right, isn't there?"

You were confused. Kakashi handed you a slip of paper, which you took hesitantly.

"Pinch it between your fingers and imbue it with a small amount of your chakra," he instructed. You did as he asked, and to your amazement, the paper began to wrinkle before your eyes.

"Just as I assumed," Kakashi said, groaning inwardly.

"Whoa, that's so cool!" you exclaimed, looking at the crumpled paper in awe. "Why did it do that?"

He rolled his eyes. "It's nothing special. The paper is made from trees that have been fed with chakra, so it can react easily with yours. This wrinkling demonstrates that you're lightning-natured."

"What are you then, sensei?" you asked curiously, sensing his disapproval. What could be so bad about being lightning-natured?

In response, Kakashi pulled out another piece of paper and held it up for you to see. Prominent creases formed on the smooth surface, much like the one in your hand.

"So…so then…" You gazed at the wrinkled paper, open-mouthed.

"That's why," he said, sounding weary. "I will be teaching you. You'll be learning Lightning Release nature transformation, and perhaps technique of my invention that I call, the Chidori."

"And then you'll pass me?" you asked meekly.

"That depends."

You gave him a questioning look.

"You'll have to perfect this jutsu, and I promise you – it won't be easy."

"Got it sensei!" you saluted. "And um…can you untie me now?"

Kakashi gave you an amused glance. Then he pulled a kunai out of his sleeve and handed it to you.

"Thanks…"

Go to Chapter 70.