You'll notice the '___' down there. For some reason, it wouldn't let me post, 'both.' So for the record, the '____' is 'both.'
“ANYWAYS,” Kakashi coughed, *ing the bells in his pocket and taking out a book, “The test is starting! In 3… 2… 1!” Crimson lunged at Kakashi, who disappeared in a puff of smoke.
“Ack!” he coughed, white smoke burning his nostrils and eyes, “It was another clone!”
“We might do better if we split up and surround him,” Breeze said, taking out her fan and leaping into the trees. They nodded at each other, taking off.
‘Hm. Not bad,’ Kakashi thought, casting his uncovered eye up from a particularly juicy scene to survey his surroundings, ‘One brat there. One brat there. One there. And one-’ he ducked as a katana crackling with electricity swished through the area where his neck had been. He spun in a low arc, going back to his book, and delivered the heel of his foot to
“Here!” …air.
Midnight jumped into the air, flipping his sword upside down, raising ____ hands up to bring the blade down heavily. He stabbed it into the ground, sending a shockwave through the earth. Dust, dirt, and Kakashi, who had been expecting a direct hit but quickly adjusted with a flip, flew through the air. From his perch, Crimson sighed.
“Typical.”
He dropped from the tree, racing towards the instructor and preparing his super stone fist jutsu. Simultaneously, Azure popped out of the other side of the forest, making the signs for what Crimson recognized as her shark bomb. He turned to another area of the training field, where Breeze was already running towards their teacher.
‘Are we all just doing our special jutsus?’ she mouthed. Crimson shrugged, and she rolled her eyes. Two clones appeared, running by her side, and she got ready her trump card- giant rasengan. He grimly faced forward again. Despite their only being genin, if Kakashi hadn’t been infamous for being one of the greatest shinobi ever, Crimson might have assumed that either Kakashi would lose a few limbs, or they would all die in a tangled mess of jutsus, except for Kakashi. Actually, the second one still seemed like a very real possibility. Up ahead, Midnight whirled his sword, this time crackling with energy from the Chidori. His black cloak fluttered about his shoulders. Kakashi’s eyes widened.
‘Chidori! Interesting… So he actually learned how to use it. With a sword, no less.’
Many times, Kakashi had noticed a child’s presence during his lessons with Sasuke, but he hadn’t thought much of it. Chidori was such an advanced jutsu; it would be nearly impossible for a kid, and indeed, most adults, to master it at the rate Sasuke had, despite being a kid himself. The watching child shielded his chakra fairly well, but he’d let his concentration slip whenever anything cool happened. Of course, it was quickly covered again, but not fast enough to escape Kakashi’s notice. Who would have thought that that same child could one day use his own invention against him? It wasn’t quite mastered, since Midnight had only learned by example, rather than instruction, but that he could use it at all was in itself a feat, much less as well as he did.
‘If I disappear, they’ll all kill each other, so…’
____________________________________
Crimson wasn’t exactly sure what happened, but one moment he was running at Kakashi-sensei, about to pound him into the earth, and the next thing he knew, he was cartwheeling backwards through the air.
“Whoa!” he landed hard on his back and tumbled several yards before coming to a rest in the forest he just ran out of. The world spun, or maybe he was still spinning. The sound of bells tinkled in his ears… Wait. That was real.
“Wow! You really flew!” Scarlet laughed, crouching next to Crimson’s head and shaking a silver bell over his face, “Hey, take it, dude. And meet at the stakes in five minutes.” The bell, trailing red string, dropped onto his face, slowly sliding off onto the ground. Then, he was alone.‘Huh? Well, that was weird…’ The earth ninja groggily sat up, putting a hand to his head. Seemed okay. Nothing was broken. Bell? Yep, there it was, sparkling in the dirt. But how had Scarlet gotten it when the rest of them had clearly failed, even using their signature jutsus?? Deciding that he’d get answers later, Crimson made for the stakes.
Breeze had enough control over her surroundings that she was able to land on her feet, but it was clear that the ‘everyone-gives-everything-they’ve-got-in-a-giant-attack plan’ hadn’t worked out. Rolling her shoulders back with a sigh, she froze as she heard the tinkling of a bell.
Attack! The air ninja swung her fan in a sweeping arc towards the source of the noise, not expecting a hit but hoping she could at least * away her sensei’s cover. The leaves were stripped off the trees and trunks of some of the younger ones split under the gale, but Kakashi didn’t show.
“...What’s the big idea?” A voice complained from behind a cracked trunk. Breeze relaxed, allowing herself a small smile.
“Scarlet,” she greeted, before a scowl darkened her features. She stomped over to him, smacking his head with the closed fan, “Where the crap have you been!? We’ve been busting our *s trying to kill sensei, while you’ve been hanging out in the forest!? Do you want to fail???”
“Ah, itai!” he cried, rubbing his head, “Jeez, it’s not like I’ve been doing nothing! Here, take the * thing!” He threw a bell at Breeze. Her eyes widened, and she caught it out of reflex.
“Where did you get-?”
“I’ll explain later, it’s really good, haha, promise! But for now, go over to the stakes. Crimson should already be there!” With a casual wave, he disappeared as fast as he had arrived.
Breeze gaped incredulously at the spot where her friend had been just a few seconds ago.
______________________________
“Alright, I think we’re doing pretty good on time!” Scarlet said, pulling his wrist in front of him to take a look at the time before remembering that he didn’t actually own a watch.
“Note to self… get a watch. Maybe with your own money.”
Leaping from branch to branch, he headed to the general area he had seen Azure fall into. It wasn’t long before they crossed paths, the water ninja healing some of the injuries she had acquired in the very brief bout with Kakashi-sensei.
“We did all that stuff, and we couldn’t even lay a finger on him…” she thought aloud, depressed. Suddenly, she felt a high amount of chakra closing in at a fast clip. Eyes wide, she swiftly pulled out her dagger in a smooth arc, expecting a battle.
“Heeeeyyyyy Azzzuuuuuuurrrrreeee!” A familiar voice shouted, and she relaxed, slowly lowering the blade.
“Oh, it’s you, Scarlet. Say, where were you during the fight? I don’t think I saw you.”
“Haha! I was getting my hands on…” he fished around in his pocket, pulling out a silver bell hanging from silky red thread, “This!”
Azure’s mouth dropped open as the knife fell to the ground.
“Wwwwwhhhhhhaaaaaaaattttttttt!?” She darted over for a closer look, “No way! When did you get this? How did you get this!?”
“All in good time, my friend,” Scarlet grinned broadly, “By the way, have you seen that brooding lightning nin? I missed the patch of trees he fell into. I know he really doesn’t deserve it, but out of the goodness of my heart, I got him a bell, too. And this one is yours.”
He dropped the bell into her hands. Azure furrowed her brow.
“But… If you’ve got one… and you’re giving one to me… and Midnight, who supposedly doesn’t deserve it… That makes three. What about Breeze and Crimson?” Scarlet winked.
“Don’t worry! I’ve got it covered! They’re already at the stakes, so you should head there too. I just have to find Midnight, and then we’ll meet you there. ‘Kay?”
“Okay… I think I saw Midnight fall about a kilometer from here. That way,” Azure said, pointing in the direction she had been walking.
“Thanks, Azure!”
Flashing her one last smile, he took off again. Azure waved with a little smile of her own, watching him disappear into the leaves.
“Did he clone himself with one bell?” she wondered, “But then, where are the clones? If they disappeared, then the bells should have, too. And where was he all this time…?”

This post was last edited by Goat_Kiddie911 at 2017-4-20 04:51