The Strength of the Weak {A Naruto Fanfiction}

The Strength of the Weak - Chapter 10

Satomi P.O.V.

I sat on the ground next to a tied up Naruto, sulking silently at my failure. I can't believe how fast Kakashi-sensei was able to release my genjutsu! I know my own power, and that should've been able to hold him for another three seconds at least. That was the most powerful attack I had up my sleeve, and he brushed it off like it was nothing.

I was still skeptical, though, since the only thing that could have been responsible for him breaking out of the genjutsu so fast was a kekkei genkai or something along those lines. Or, he was just extremely skilled. I'm probably overthinking this... There is no way Kakashi-sensei had anything that could have broken my jutsu other than his own power.

"It seems like the four of you don't understand the true meaning of this test," Kakashi-sensei says, breaking me from my previous thoughts. There it is again, the true meaning of this test. I feel like it's on the tip of my tongue, but I just can't grasp exactly what it is we were supposed to understand. Was it how we handled ourselves in a fight and our willpower? No, I don't think it's that simple... What could he mean? The four of us stare at him confused, as he sighs in disappointment.

"Why do you think all of you were put on teams in the first place?" he asks. I think it over, was it to help us each advance based on our sensei's skills? None of us answer, still confused as to what exactly Kakashi-sensei was getting at.

"The answer is teamwork," Kakashi-sensei informs, watching as all of our faces morph into ones of realization. The entire exercise was made to see if we would be able to overlook all of the disadvantages to complete the mission together.

"Naruto, you tried to do everything by yourself, without asking for help from anyone even though it was clear you couldn't beat me alone. Sakura, you were only concerned about Sasuke, forgetting about Naruto and Satomi completely. Sasuke, you're arrogant and think that everyone else is below you. Satomi, while everyone else was fighting me, you were off doing something else entirely, instead of attempting to help any of them. Although, I will give you credit for helping the three of them after I had fought each of them. You displayed the most amount of understanding of teamwork out of everyone," Kakashi-sensei explains.

I nod at his praise silently, no expression crossing my face. To be honest, I didn't understand the concept of the mission at all during the exercise. When it was explained to me, though, I began to piece together what he expected of us and how we should have dealt with the situation.

"You four are genin and should have a natural feel for working together, but instead you all tried to take me down alone. All of you should be ashamed of yourselves," This statement pisses Sasuke off, and he foolishly charged at Kakashi-sensei with a kunai. He sighs and flawlessly pins him down.

"It seems you still aren't getting it. Take this, for example, Sakura, kill Naruto or Sasuke dies. Satomi, kill Sakura if she refuses to kill Naruto," Naruto gets freaked out, Sakura looks unsure of what to do, and I frown at the situation. I understand now.

"Situations like these happen all the time on a real mission, and one wrong move could get your teammates killed. You must trust your team and act together if you want to stay alive," Kakashi-sensei says, releasing Sasuke.

"Now, I'll give you all one more chance. You may eat lunch, but don't give any to Naruto or else you will immediately fail. Is that clear?" The four of us nod, causing Kakashi-sensei to smile and disappear.

I grab a bento box and open it, preparing to dig in. From beside me, Naruto's stomach growls, making him blush and look away.

"I can go days without eating, believe it! I'm not even hungry!" And as if on cue, his stomach growls once again. I purse my lips and scan the tree line for any sign of Kakashi-sensei. When I don't see him, I quickly take a riceball out of my lunch and shove it into Naruto's mouth. He sits there confused, with a portion of the rice ball hanging out of his mouth.