Sakura Unhinged

"Start!"

Sighing in annoyance, I hop after Naruto. If teamwork is the passing criterion, I might as well work with the only teammate who won't burn me alive. Standing slightly behind Naruto, I wait for Kakashi to finally notice us. 

"Huh?"

"Just you and me! Right now! Fair and Square Dattebayo!"

Charge in with Naruto? No way, not only will it not work, but Kakashi might even give me a thousand years of social death. For now, I'll just support with long-range attacks. Grabbing a handful of long grass, I slowly for the transformation seals with one hand. Changing them to needles, I get ready for his counterattack with a basic substitution jutsu. 

Occasionally launching a needle at Kakashi-sensei, I slowly make my way to the river. Dodging the flying Naruto, I briefly think about trying out the MultiShadow Clone Jutsu before giving up. It might work, but I might also just die. My chakra is many times above Sakura's from the show, but it should only be enough for the regular Shadow Clone Jutsu. 

"Mah Sakura-chan, I can understand Naruto not hiding, but why are you still here?"

Pouting, I fold my arms aggressively, "Yeah, so that I can get picked off alone trying to accomplish a near impossibility. Neither Naruto nor Sasuke understand teamwork so I've got to be the one to take the initiative. As for me hiding and finding Sasuke, how can I trust that he won't use me as bait or sacrifice me for the objective?" 

"That's quite the negative opinion you have of Sasuke, Sakura-chan. Why don't you give him a chance? It seems that you've figured the objective out, yet you refuse to even try to pass?" 

Rolling my eyes, I suddenly think of a decent idea. Snorting I glare at Kakashi-sensei, "Fine! If the coward shows up, I'll consider working with him."

Suddenly feeling the hair on the back of my nape prickle, I activate the substitution jutsu I've been holding. 

"That's fine and all, but- Substitution Jutsu? Mah mah Sakura-chan. What a surprise."

Flickering away, I catch several shuriken and kunai curving through the air towards him. Smirking, I decide to let Sasuke have his solo. Anyway, I need him to understand he's no match. Waiting until he uses the useless fireball technique after five seconds of seals, I suddenly throw a kunai at his feet. Walking towards him, I grin as Kakashi-sensei pops out from underneath him, only to hastily tumble away. 

As expected of Saske-kun!

Watching Sasuke hopping backward until he stops to my right, I glance at the dripping Naruto who unknowingly stopped on my left. Do I want to fight as a team to defeat Kakashi-sensei? No, not really. If he took any of us seriously, he wouldn't be standing still reading smut. No, all we need is to demonstrate teamwork. While striving to overcome difficulties is great and all, wasting time on useless goals is not smart. I won't fight to win, but I can take those bells.

"Hey Sasuke, Naruto I've got a plan. Come here."

Beckoning them closer, I start whispering my plan, "Naruto, you need to throw shuriken just slightly to his right. Don't worry about hitting him, just throw everything you have. Sasuke, You'll have to do that fireball again, this time aim the ground below him. Pass me an explosive tag, I'll have it explode above him while attacking from the left."

Sasuke-kun is listening to me!

Simple. Flawed. Convincing. Now I just have to fill in the flaws with Sensei's weakness. Grabbing the explosive tag from Saskue, I rush to the left while Sasuke goes right. Naruto, as usual, rushes in while screaming. Again, nothing fancy, Kakashi should have already prepared the substitution technique, but that just won't cut it this time.

Hearing the whistling of sharp metal through the air, I nod at Sasuke before throwing a kunai with a blank tag attached in a parabolic arc. I rush in to meet Sensei in the middle. As the sloppily thrown shuriken forces Kakashi to respond, Sasuke's fireball makes him hop toward me. While Sasuke couldn't resist aiming a bit higher to burn Kakashi, Sensei's current positioning is perfect. With an almost lazy grace, Kakashi redirects one of Naruto's Shuriken toward my falling Kunai Knocking it far away. As if expecting my attack, he flips in mid-air, reaching towards my kunai hand. 

As his hand approaches mine, I use my off hand and reach for my tool bag. It's Showtime! Taking out the explosive tag Sasuke had given me, I hold it behind me just out of his vision but clearly in Naruto's. 

"Sakura-chan!"

Feeling him grab my arm in a vice like hold, I pull myself closer while igniting the explosive tag. With naruto's anxious shout, Kakashi should already be suspicious. Little chance we both die if I reveal the tag now right? Grinning from ear to ear, I stare right back into his confused eye. Forming a seal with my captured hand, I flick the explosive tag so its just above us. 

"You crazy-"

"Be careful!"

"What?"

Forming an illusion, I mask my arm so that It remains by my side in his eye. Reaching for the bells, I add another genjutsu to mask any sounds from the jostling bells. Not that they'll be able to hear anything shortly, but cutting corners leads to dead cats.

In a blur of motion, Kakashi's vest is suddenly being pressed against my body and the surrounds change rapidly. The air is filled with ringing and my vision seems to be swimming. Feeling the gravity pull me away from the vest, I fall onto the firm ground bonelessly. Unable to help myself, I flop over, facing the sky. Chuckling, I take a deep breath only to devolve into laughter. That was amazing. I can't seem to stop my vision from spinning, but the cold bells hidden in my fist are proof of my first real victory in this world. After a few moment of deafening silence, I head Naruto's screaming voice as if underwater, "Sakura-chan! Are you alright?"

Sitting up, I glance up to find an apprehensive Kakashi kneeling not far away with small streaks of electricity occasionally bursting from his body. 

"Mah, Sakura-chan, are you insane?"

Greedily taking in another breath of fresh air, I cockily dangle his bells in the air, "No, I just put my trust in my teammates and in you, my Sensei."

It could have been my ears, but all I can hear is the crisp jingle of bells.