The sun filtered gently through the clouds, casting dappled rays over Training Ground Three. The air was heavy with silence. Kakashi Hatake stood tall, his single visible eye narrowed as he looked over the three Genin before him — bruised, dirt-streaked, and exhausted after the bell test.
"As a team," Kakashi finally said, voice low and measured, "you failed."
His words struck like a hammer.
Sakura flinched. She clutched her head, blinking rapidly, and then began to sob quietly. Sasuke looked away, jaw clenched, fists trembling at his sides as he tried to suppress his anger and embarrassment. Only Naruto stood firm, arms folded, golden eyes locked onto Kakashi with a piercing gaze.
"You said the objective was to take the bells," Naruto said, his voice calm but sharp, like the blade of a sword sheathed just beneath the surface. "Now you're saying it was about teamwork. If that was the goal, why didn't you say that in the beginning? Why mislead us?"
Kakashi didn't respond immediately. His eye narrowed further, reading something behind Naruto's defiance — something deeper.
Naruto took a breath, his tone dropping into something darker, colder.
"And what gives you the right to call us failures based on your personal philosophy? That whole nonsense about 'those who don't protect their teammates are worse than trash' — that sounds like someone trying to project their guilt."
Sakura's sobs quieted, and even Sasuke glanced at Naruto in surprise.
Naruto's eyes didn't waver. "You say that a team should protect each other — that there should be comradeship. Fine. But look at them," he gestured toward Sasuke and Sakura. "Sasuke acts like he's above everyone just because of some test scores. He's an arrogant loner who believes no one can match him. And Sakura…" He turned slightly, his voice tightening. "She didn't even try. All she did was fawn over Sasuke and collapsed from a simple genjutsu."
Sakura lowered her head in shame, her tears drying against her cheeks.
"And you, Kakashi-senpai," Naruto continued, his voice now colder, "set rules for us and then graded us based on something you never even told us to value. You said take the bells. You said the ones who fail go back to the Academy. So, I fought for that goal. I relied on my own strength. Because that's all I've ever had."
The forest seemed to still around them.
Kakashi's single eye lingered on Naruto. For a brief second, he didn't see a Genin. He saw a younger version of himself — proud, self-righteous, and isolated. He thought of Obito, of Rin, of Minato-sensei, of the friends he had failed to protect because he thought he knew everything.
"…You remind me of someone I once knew," Kakashi said quietly, more to himself than to them.
A long silence stretched before he finally spoke up again.
"I won't deny your points, Naruto," Kakashi said. "But part of being a shinobi… is knowing what your orders don't say. The bell test has been the same for generations. It was never about the bells. It was about unity, about trust. And despite your strength… none of you trusted each other."
Naruto said nothing. His arms remained crossed, but he slowly stepped back, head turned away.
Sasuke scowled, then looked at Naruto out of the corner of his eye. "Tch."
"I'll give you all one month," Kakashi said. "Train, learn about each other… and learn what it means to fight alongside someone you don't like. Because that's what a real mission will demand."
With those words, Team 7 was officially formed.
One Month Later
Time passed. Days bled into weeks, and Team 7 began taking on D-rank missions. Menial, frustrating tasks — cleaning sewage canals, pulling weeds, and chasing stray animals — but beneath the surface, something began to shift.
Bonds, fragile as spider silk, began to take shape.
One morning, under a blazing sun, Naruto pounced onto a rooftop, chasing the infamous cat of the Daimyo's wife — Tora. The fat feline hissed and darted through a hole in the fence.
"Not again!" Sakura shrieked, out of breath.
"I'm not doing this for the seventh time," Sasuke muttered.
But Naruto smirked. "I got this."
Using a low-grade spatial flicker, Naruto vanished in a golden blur — reappearing behind the cat mid-leap. With precise movement, he scooped it into his arms. The cat meowed furiously, claws scratching at his face.
"Still got it," Naruto said, slightly scratched up but victorious.
Back at the mission desk, as they returned Tora to her overjoyed owner, Sakura whispered under her breath, "He's not so hopeless."
Even Sasuke gave a quiet nod of acknowledgment.
Over lunch that day, seated under the shade of a tree near the river, they shared dango and awkward silence. For the first time, the tension was lighter. The silence wasn't cold — just unfamiliar.
Naruto leaned back and looked at the sky, a quiet sigh escaping him.
Naruto's monologue:
I'm starting to get used to this. Maybe… maybe they're not completely useless. Sasuke's still a pain, and Sakura barely tries unless he's watching, but… I don't feel alone anymore. That's dangerous. Getting used to people means being vulnerable.
Sasuke watched Naruto eat, expression unreadable.
Sasuke's monologue:
He's annoying. Loud. Reckless. But that strength… it's real. He's not just talk. And the way he moves — like someone who's fought real battles. I don't trust him… but I'm beginning to respect him. Damn it.
Sakura glanced between the two boys.
Sakura's monologue:
Why do I feel like I'm the weakest one here? Naruto's changed. He's not the loudmouth from class. He's confident, strong… and that sword of his… it's not normal. Sasuke's still incredible, but he looks at Naruto now, like… a rival? Where does that leave me?
They weren't a perfect team.
But they were becoming a team.
That Night – Naruto's Apartment
The moonlight filtered through the small window of Naruto's modest home. He set his sword on the rack and stretched, exhausted from the day's missions. As he turned to check his pendant realm — where he usually meditated — a soft humming filled the room.
He froze.
A golden light radiated from the wooden table near his bed. The egg — the Divine Fox Egg given to him by Yin Long — was glowing with waves of life force.
Naruto's eyes widened. "It's almost time."
He approached and instinctively reached for a kunai — slicing his palm. He let a drop of blood drip onto the shell.
The egg pulsed.
A ripple of Qi washed across the room. Naruto stumbled slightly, sensing a tremendous presence awakening within. The egg's surface flickered with ancient runes and illusionary images of a majestic fox surrounded by frost and flame.
Inside, something stirred.
Next Day – Hokage's Office
Team 7 stood stiffly before the Third Hokage. Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed his pipe, eyes half-lidded but sharp as ever. Kakashi stood beside him, a folder in his hand.
"This will be your first mission beyond the village walls," the Hokage said. "Consider it a step toward real experience."
Kakashi opened the file. "A C-rank mission — escort Tazuna the bridge builder to the Land of Waves."
At that moment, the door creaked open. A disheveled old man with a gourd of sake stumbled in, hiccupping.
"These are the brats?" Tazuna muttered, sneering. "They look like they're still in diapers. Are you seriously expecting me to trust my life to this pack of snot-nosed brats?"
Naruto's eye twitched. "I'll show you snot-nosed—"
Sakura grabbed his sleeve.
Sasuke just clicked his tongue and looked away.
Kakashi sighed. "Let's meet at the village gate in two hours. Bring your supplies. This is a long journey."
Later – Village Gate
The sky was bright. Birds chirped overhead as Team 7 assembled, backpacks and weapons secured.
Naruto arrived first. His sword was slung across his back, and a faint smile played on his lips. The egg had calmed for now, but he knew… it would hatch soon.
Sasuke showed up next, silent as always.
Then Sakura. She looked… more determined than usual.
And finally — Kakashi, fifteen minutes late.
"Yo," he said with a wave. "I was caught in traffic… with a cat."
They groaned in unison.
Tazuna rolled his eyes. "We're so dead."
With that, the gates of Konoha opened, and the journey began — a step not just toward a distant land, but toward something far greater.
Toward battle.
Toward trust.
Toward destiny.
To Be Continued….