Critical Moments-Volume 1

XV

Chapter Fifteen

Naruto marked his target from overhead, trying to focus through the dizzy haze of hunger and exhaustion. Dad had insisted he eat a protein bar before leaving for the third training ground this morning. At first, Naruto thought it was dad being overbearing; however, after arriving, Naruto realized it was an act of mercy. Naruto had arrived with ten minutes to spare, Hinata five, and Sakura with only seconds to go.

The bell test had started immediately – no breakfast, no breaks, and no mercy. "Good morning, Team Seven! Today's test is a test of skill and a test of wills!" Naruto still heard Kakashi's greeting circling in his head. Kakashi had ordered them to drop their lunch boxes in the center of the training ground. Kakashi then informed them that the objective of the test was to seize one of the two bells he was carrying on his vest before sundown. They had three days to successfully complete the test to be promoted to genin. Anyone who hadn't seized a bell by that time would be sent back to the Academy. You were also forbidden to touch your lunch unless you'd seized a bell.

Of course, hunger wasn't the only opponent they were up against. Kakashi planned unique penalties for each of them for any failed attempt to seize a bell. If you failed and he managed to mark you with a penalty tag, you had to stop everything and pay the penalty before being allowed to resume the test. Naruto's penalty consisted of having to complete a math workbook page. Each question answered wrong meant ten pushups. Hinata had to read aloud a full chapter from a trashy romance novel; it was ten pushups every time she was too embarrassed to read a particular passage aloud. Sakura's punishment involved running with a pitcher from wherever she had been caught back to the river near the training ground's entrance. She then had to fill the pitcher and carry it back to where she had been penalized. Every minute she took over fifteen minutes was ten pushups. If the pitcher was less than three-quarters full, it was another ten, and if it was less than half, thirty.

Needless to say, they had great incentive to not screw up. Unfortunately, Naruto had just finished page fifteen in his workbook, taking extra caution to double-check his work. On page twelve he'd screwed up royally for a penalty of seventy pushups – a mistake he didn't repeat again. He knew Kakashi was trying to teach them lessons individually, and he was also trying to teach them a lesson as a group, but this was getting ridiculous. All three of them were exhausted and no closer to getting one of the bells.

It has to work this time, I don't think any of us has any more energy! He nodded, signaling to his shadow clones – almost a dozen of them – to get in place around the clearing. He had tried a swarm tactic with a large number of clones earlier with near success, but physical and mental exhaustion now made it difficult to summon and coordinate even the handful he'd summoned.

Kakashi sat, reading from one of the trashy romance novels, laughing. Whether or not he knew Naruto was here and was taunting him, Naruto wasn't sure. He silently counted as he ticked off on his fingers, three... two....one... GO!!!

Naruto dropped from the branch holding him, gravity clutching him like a greedy thief. He immediately noticed something was wrong. He's not reacting at all... oh SHIT!!! As Naruto and his clones converged, Kakashi dissolved in a puff of smoke. Thankfully, the clones had mostly broken his fall – they disappeared in a puff of smoke. Unfortunately, the book that Kakashi's shadow clone had been reading started to crackle. Naruto barely started to move away before the concussive blast threw him like a shuriken.

As Naruto flew through the air, he felt something slap him on the rump. He landed at the edge of the clearing. Kakashi was again in full view in the center of the clearing, and Naruto had a penalty tag stuck on the butt of his pants. Could this get any worse!