Kids In The Dark (A Kakashi Love Story) (1st Place in NWA Kakashi 2015)

Hold On

As Meiko's team arrived at the training ground, she shoved the note into her Kunai pouch and stood up, smiling at her best friends. They all embraced and then turned towards their sensei who was smiling at them.

"Are you guys ready?" She asked, and the three of them nodded before she held up two bells in her fingers, dangling them in the air slightly. "Today's exam is simple, you just have to get one of these two bells from me."

"That's it?" Izumo asked with a confused tone to his voice, but their sensei just nodded.

"That's it. You have until noon. If all three of you do not get a bell, you go back to the academy. If two of you get these bells, the other one will go back to the academy while the other two continue being Genin. Any questions?" She said, a simple nod of her head. The kids all glanced at each other and nodded their heads slightly before glancing back at Kumiko who was smiling brightly at them.

"If there are no questions, Begin!" She said, and Izumo, Kotetsu, and Meiko all jumped away from her and into the trees.

(( I can't find a good way to write the fight, so I'm going to skip over the actual training exercise because I've been writing it for two days, and I hate how it turns out every time. Izumo and Kotetsu get the bells, Meiko created a distraction for them and they got the bells.)

Kumiko smiled at her three student, watching as Meiko hugged her friend who she thought would be the only two of the three to pass. But their sensei walked up to them, and placed her hand on Meiko's head and ruffled her hair slightly.

"Congrats! All three of you are certified Genin!" Kumiko said, and Meiko tilted her head slightly.

"But, I thought that the person who didn't get the bell would be sent back to the academy?" She asked, and Kumiko shook her head slightly.

"I just told you that so that I could see if you guys would turn against each other in a time for need. You didn't. You are my first team to ever actually use teamwork to get the bells, even if it meant that one of you would not get the bell and be sent back to the academy. You made it clear to me that you three will become amazing ninja, and an amazing three man squad. A lot of ninja do not understand why we put them in three man squads, but I can tell you three do. So I am happy to say that you three are now certified Genin of Konoha!" The brown haired lady said with a closed eye smile, tilting her head slightly to the side.

As she was smiling, Meiko, Izumo, and Kotetsu glanced at each other and then smiled, before they ran forward and hugged their sensei. "Oh thank you sensei!" Meiko said quietly, the three of them hugging their sensei for a few more moments before they pulled back and smiled up at her.

"You are welcome." She said, ruffling Meiko's hair slightly. "Team 10's first mission starts tomorrow, be here at noon!" She smiled, and Meiko glanced t her best friends.

"Do you guys want to go eat?" Meiko said and Kotetsu nodded, both of them slowly making eye contact before their eyes widened and they screamed "Nose Pays!" in sync, placing their fingers on their nose.

Izumo looked at them and grumbled slightly, kicking a pebble in front of her slightly before sighing. "Fine, I'll pay." He sighed, and Meiko giggled quietly. She grabbed Kotetsu's hand, lacing their fingers together and pulling him towards Ichruka's ramen.

They arrived at the ramen place and took a seat at the barstool, smiling at the younger man standing behind the bar stood. "Same as normal, Meiko and Kotetsu?" He said, and they both nodded with a beaming smile on their lips.

"Yes sir! Plus one for Izumo!" They said in sync as Izumo finally trailed into Ichruka's, his head thrown back and his feet dragging slightly on the ground as he grumbled quietly.