His Gift to Her (Mary Sue Series)

Chapter 4

"How are you not hungry?" Sakura whined, hugging her stomach. Naruto frowned, his own stomach rumbling with hunger.

"Slow metabolism," Qui droned, taking down her long tresses. She ran her fingers through, idly combing out any stray knots. After a brief run through, Qui braided her hair from the nape to the crown, twisted the ends into a tight coil, then slid in her hair sticks. A puzzle balanced on her lap, swaying from side to side. Once done with her hair, Qui returned to her game.

"Same," Sasuke said from the tree.

"You're so lucky, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura praised weakly, trying to look impressed. "That's really useful."

"Hn."

"You have my condolences," Qui dragged out, looking amused. Sakura glared, but before she could retort, Kakashi Sensei arrived.

"Yo, I was helping this old lady--"

"YOU'RE LATE!"

"--across the street. And you're all here. Gre--"

"We've been waiting for hours!" Naruto shouted, getting into Kakashi Sensei's personal space. "You told us to get here early!"

"Sensei is here now," Sakura tried, keeping her own anger at bay. Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms and glaring harshly at Kakashi Sensei. It was only understandable that he and Sakura were upset, considering half the morning was wasted waiting, and the unforgiving sun beat down on them both more than Sasuke or Qui.

Sasuke had been tucked away from direct sunlight, taking the shade of the tree. Qui squatted at the base of the same tree, the little hollow in the ground giving her a bit more shade area to hide. Sakura and Naruto stood right out in the blazing sun, taking in its magnificent glory.

"What was the test for today?"

"Oh, see this? You four need to get these two bells. Get them, and you pass," Kakashi Sensei explained, holding up two silver bells. He tied the strings to the loop of his pants, the bells tinkle brightly as they rattled against each other.

"But Sensei, there's only--"

"Oho! This will be easy!" Naruto boasted, looking eager and proud. Sasuke hopped down from the tree, and Qui pocketed the puzzle.

Kakashi Sensei raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that?"

"You couldn't dodge the eraser from yesterday?" Naruto pointed out.

"But he's supposedly Jounin..." Sakura thought out loud. Sasuke shifted his weight impatiently.

"Are we starting or what?"

Kakashi Sensei turned to face him, giving the boy a calculating look.

"Hold on. I'm not finished yet," the sensei scolded, walking over to a stone monument some ways from the single tree the four children stood at. He took out a plastic fast food bag and placed it on the monument before returning. "Oh, I need to set this." He rummaged around for an alarm clock, set a time, and placed it on the center wooden posts nearby.

"Sensei?" Sakura asked, her earlier question forgotten.

"Okay. You four are going to take these two bells from me to pass. However! If you fail, then you will..."

"Will what?" Naruto demanded.

"Not get to eat lunch--"

Two stomachs growled in agony.

"--and repeated the Academy!"

"What!?" Sakura and Naruto shouted. Sasuke didn't look any surprised or afraid. Actually, he looked even more interested. Qui wasn't phased in the slightest.

"Well, it will still be easy! I'm going to pass this!" Naruto grinned, looking excited.

"Hold on. I'm not done yet--"

"Oh come on!" Naruto whined, looking annoyed at the delay. "Let's just get this over with!"

"Wait." Sakura stopped Naruto. "Something doesn't look right."

"You finally noticed," Qui interjected. Sakura glared.

"Then why don't you say it?"

"Sensei only has two bells. At least two people will go back," Qui said correctly.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan! I'll get one for you!" Naruto exclaimed, giving her a confident smile.

"Um, I'll, uh--"

"Okay. I'm done. Let's begin. On my mark...get set...go!"

Qui, Sakura, and Sasuke took the training and skill set they had developed from the Academy and disappeared from the field. Naruto, unable to apply that training, failed epically.

After running into multiple traps, following poor gut instinct, and breaking the rules by trying to eat lunch, Naruto was out for the count.

Sakura, although she had the classroom intelligence and basic common sense, she failed to adapt herself to the environment and fell for Kakashi Sensei's simple genjutsus.

Sasuke had both adaptability and compatibility in his actions and planning. However, his pride was his downfall. After a swift fight with Kakashi Sensei, he was defeated and left stuck in the ground, additionally becoming Sakura's next fainting scene.

Qui was the only one left, and Kakashi Sensei wasn't about to let this chance to see what the second girl was made out of.

"I really hate fighting," Qui muttered exasperatedly, squaring herself.

"And yet you fight well for your age," Kakashi Sensei pointed out.

The blue-haired girl looked even more downhearted. "Doesn't mean I like it. I'm not fighting for...never mind." Although she had started running, ready to build momentum, her feet slowed into a trot. She stared aimlessly as Kakashi Sensei's hand shot out towards her and stopped short of grabbing her throat and choking her.

"But you, like the other four, failed." Kakashi Sensei replied just as the bell rang and the duo stopped fighting.

"Does it even matter?" Qui asked tiredly. Kakashi Sensei clapped his hand on her shoulder, pointing towards the forests.

"Go get your teammates."

"Hai." Kakashi Sensei headed back to the starting point, while Qui looked for the other three. After dragging a tired Sakura to the starting point and finding Naruto was tied up, Qui went to look for Sasuke.

"Hi."

Sasuke grunted wriggling in the confined space. Qui helped free him, the two working in silence. Finally, he hauled himself from the hole and ignored the outstretched hand extended to him.

They walked back to the starting point to see Sakura fully awake, and Naruto sulking.

"Sit." Kakashi Sensei ordered hands in pockets. Qui and Sasuke followed, sitting on the ground next to the other two teammates. "You guys shouldn't worry about becoming ninjas," Kakashi Sensei began, his tone falsely cheerful.

"Really!?" Naruto exclaimed, kicking his feet.

"All I did was faint..." Sakura said uneasily.

"Right! You should quit being ninjas!"