They had been waiting for three hours now.

Genma sighed, eyes wandering across the field. He could see his two brand-new teammates scattered to their own corners. Gai, loud as always, was busy demolishing the training equipment. Ebisu had a book of rules on his lap, sunglasses reflecting light towards Gai. If Gai was anyone else but himself, he'd probably would have started yelling at Ebisu to move. But Gai was treating it as one of those ridiculous challenges he liked bothering Kakashi with.

Well, at least there wouldn't be a fight breaking out. Genma smiled slightly as he fell back onto the grassy field, staring up at the cloudy blue sky. While the other two were relaxed, Genma was nervous. His stomach felt like a bubbling pot.

This would be the third time he'd attempt to get on a team. He had technically graduated from the academy at age seven, but at age ten, he still wasn't on a team. If he managed to screw this up… then there was a very, very good chance he wouldn't be getting on a team at all. This was the last chance.

Gai paused in his kicks, glancing around the empty field. "We did come to the right field didn't we?"

Genma blinked, noting that the sun had jumped further up into the sky. Somewhere during this time, he had fallen asleep. It was well past noon now, and they had all arrived at the field near the crack of dawn.

Ebisu glanced up from his book. The sunglasses hid his eyes, but Genma didn't need to look into them to see the nervousness in his shoulders. Gai's frown grew- Genma glanced around the empty field.

"Well, we should still have one more test." Ebisu murmured as he glanced back down at his book. Ebisu was about the same age, and he too was probably feeling the pressure of not having a team yet.

"Is this the test?" Gai asked curiously, glancing around again. "Find our new teacher?"

"Probably not." Genma muttered. "The other times we were supposed to talk to each other before we started the test- and it was always a test of battling abilities."

Gai glanced back at the posts he had managed to destroy. Then his eyes switched back to where Genma and Ebisu sat with their own, simmering worry. "But it's nearly four o'clock, and we still haven't met our new sensei."

Four? "And just how do you know that?" Ebisu muttered, obviously not expecting a real answer.

"Papa just went by." Gai pointed to where Genma could distantly make out a small figure running laps. "He always goes for laps here at four. I usually join him."

Genma really, really didn't want to miss out on joining a team. He didn't want to be Maito Dai, infamous for being a Genin at age thirty. In fact, if Gai managed to pass the test, and the three of them weren't found wanting in regards to teamwork, Gai had a very, very good chance of becoming a Chūnin. They'd drag him along as long as it meant they were on a proper team and not sent back to the academy.

That is, if they weren't flat out failing the test right now through not locating their teacher.

Genma climbed to his feet, pulling out a senbon. He started chewing on the thin metal, eyes lazily scanning the empty field. "Well, should we split up and look for him? I think we've waited around long enough."

"Wait." Gai and Genma glanced at Ebisu, slowly standing with a frown. "I don't think that's a good idea. The rules state-"

Gai snorted indelicately. Ebisu ignored him. "-That we don't leave the field until we're contacted by our teacher."

"Well, we won't leave the field; we just look around the field." Genma rationalized. "As long as we don't leave the field itself, then we should be fine."

Ebisu didn't exactly look that comfortable with the idea. Genma waited patiently- there were always rumors about why someone would get sent back to the academy. Ebisu's rumor was that he was too fussy about the rules for his teammates to get along with.

"Fine. As long as we don't take a step out of the designated meeting spot, it should be fine."

Gai trotted up to them, uncapping a nearly empty water bottle. "Then are we going together, or splitting up? If the teacher is waiting for us, then we might get sneak attacked if we split up."

But splitting up meant covering more ground. And, there were fewer chances for an argument to break out and destroy their teachers' assessment of them. "Let's split up. If one person gets attacked, then the other two can recover at a distance and get in a counter." Ebisu frowned for a moment- "At least, that's what the rules suggest."

Genma and Gai nodded- it made sense. And it wasn't like either one of them had a better idea.

"Remember to thoroughly search the entire field even if someone else has already searched." Ebisu said, taking a bit more confident tone now that he was actually being listened too. "Three searches will be better than one."

"Okay, I'll start on the far end." Gai volunteered.

Before either one could object or confirm, he was already trotting towards the far end of the field.

"Where should I start then?" Genma questioned languidly. Ebisu was pretty good at taking charge already, so there was no need to ruin a good streak.

"I guess if we start at opposite corners of this side, and work our way towards Gai?" It was more of a question then an order, but it was good enough for Genma.

"Then I'll start on the eastern side."

The sun was beginning to set by the time the three managed to work their way to the opposite end of the field. They could find absolutely nothing. Judging by the way Gai walked towards them, feet dragging, he had found nothing either.

The three grouped together in the center, gathering around where they had stashed their food. "I know I didn't mistake our meeting spot." Ebisu muttered. "All three of us couldn't have possibly mistaken it all at once."

"And he isn't hiding anywhere on the field. We all searched really carefully." There were foot-shaped holes all across the ground from where Gai had attempted to trigger any traps. Gai sighed tiredly, and plopped next to his food box.

"Looks like we're out on a limb, aren't we? At least we haven't had to run all over town." There was a certain dark humor to all of this. Genma laughed a little to himself. "We should probably consider ourselves failed."

"I refuse to give up so unyouthfully!" Gai shouted back. "We arrived here at dawn, and have been here since! None of us have broken any of the rules! We weren't tested at all."

"Is this our test? To see how long we're willing to wait?"

That was kind of grasping at straws. Even Gai had a dubious look on his face at the suggestion.

Genma shrugged, and popped open his lunchbox. It was still untouched, seeming how he had slept straight through noon. "Then should we continue to wait here?"

Gai glanced into his box, and grimaced a little. "I suppose. I don't have much food left though."

"If you hadn't eaten it all throughout the day-"

"I can't just eat it all in sitting! Then what would I do if I got hungry mid-way through training?"

Ebisu sighed, and stared down at his box. "I thought we'd be done before now, so although I packed breakfast and lunch I didn't pack dinner."

Genma tilted his lunchbox towards Ebisu. "We can share."

Gai nodded, "I packed extra just in-case."

Ebisu inched closer, before frowning. "No. Poison-"

Ah, Genma knew that rule. Don't take any foreign food without testing for poison first. It was kinda ridiculous out here in the middle of nowhere, but their teacher could have slipped something in there while they were searching.

Gai frowned at his lunchbox. "I might have a poison strip tester." He didn't sound too sure though. "But there are other ways, aren't there?"

Ebisu pulled out his small book of rules. "I have chakra countermeasures for poison testing in here, but they're a little advanced." They wouldn't be able to do it then. Genma settled down with the express intention of waiting it out.

Gai thrust out his hand. "We don't know until we try!"

Genma peeked over Gai's shoulder- realistically speaking there was no possible way for Gai to be able to pull together enough chakra to use it. It was three pages worth of chakra tracings and hand forms. Genma doubted he'd be able to do it either honestly.

Gai stared at it, before closing the book with a quiet little 'poof'. The three students stared at each other across the two boxes of food.

"Nope." Genma muttered. "So here's the question- do we eat and hope we won't end up dead? Or do we starve?"

Gai muttered as he started rooting through his lunchbox. Ebisu turned to his own empty lunchbox, also rooting for a poison strip. Genma's stomach rumbled loudly and hopefully. He was the one who had gone on the longest without eating after all.

"Do we have any extra lights? The sun will be completely gone soon," Gai asked plaintively. He was the youngest out of them, so it made sense that he was the one eying the darkness with the most fearfulness. Genma was a little surprised when it was Ebisu who nodded understandingly.

Ebisu pulled out a small lantern. "It'll only last a few hours." The warning lingered on the air.

"We just need to last until midnight, right?" Genma questioned, rather hopefully and trying to plan on where they could sit in the encroaching darkness. "After that, it's obvious that we messed up somewhere."

"I… Yeah." Ebisu and Gai looked down at the ground.

Genma ignored the way his stomach dropped out of his body at the thought. It was really kind of pathetic, how three loosers had managed to find their way onto the same team. Gai would have to prove he wasn't his father and show that he was worth something to a team. Ebisu had the basics down, but most teams found him too fussy to work with. And Genma? He was one of the oldest, most laid-back people who could fit on just about any team but through some small disaster found himself kicked off each one due to personality clashes.

Stars were really beginning to come out in earnest now, the towns lights a faraway twinkle. Gai's stomach rumbled like a hungry elephant. Ebisu's stomach wasn't far behind.

Ebisu lit the lantern.

"Let's eat."

Ebisu swallowed his protest, and nodded. "Let's."

Chopsticks crossed as Gai and Genma set about the task of distributing what food they did have to make three equal portions. Gai had the most food leftover, surprisingly enough. Despite Ebisu's snap of Gai chowing down throughout the day, he'd packed more than enough for it. Genma's lunch was a little nasty after staying out so long. Neither one of them had any sort of charm to keep the food fresh.

Ebisu pressed his hands together, "Thank you for the food."

Gai grinned, teeth glinting even in the small lanterns light. "No problem!"

"It's fine. I guess it's a good thing I slept through lunch." Genma took a bite of rice, before another thought entered his head. "Why didn't you two wake me up?"

"I thought you were cloud gazing, not sleeping." Gai stated matter-of-fact. "Plus I was busy training."

Ebisu shrugged, "I thought the same at first, and by the time I noticed you were actually sleeping, it was getting late and I was more concerned with the teacher missing."

Genma sighed.

What a motley crew they were. Chances were they were failed already-

"What are you kids doing here?"

All three children screamed as a masked figure melted out of the darkness. Gai instinctively tossed his box full of food directly at the man- it slammed into his head with remarkable precision. Ebisu brought his chopsticks down, aiming directly for the feet. Genma spat out his chopstick like his senbon, straight at the unprotected throat.

The ANBU member fell backwards with a quiet whimper and thoroughly unconscious. At least, Genma hoped that was unconsciousness.

A very, very short silence fell. "We are dead." Genma announced, mind beyond panicking. "We're gonna be tortured and murdered."

Gai scooted back a few steps. "Ebisu, back up. You're not out of his arm reach." He spoke like he knew that from experience.

Ebisu backed up, sunglasses masking his eyes and concealing the wide-eyed panic he was no doubt experiencing. His entire body was shaking with tiny little tremors that ran up and down. A wooden chopstick snapped underneath his feet.

All three jumped, and froze. Hopefully they looked at each other. If nobody had come out yet, then that would mean there was only this one, right? And if there was only one, they still had a chance of-

"Ebisu, duck!"

Gai hurtled forward as Ebisu dropped to the ground without questioning. Genma could see Gai's foot connect with something. Ebisu seemed to register the human presence as well, and kicked out. There was a rather solid thud, and Gai's yelp as he was sent tumbling down with the person.

Genma's mind slid past the split second panic, right into cool thoughtfulness. Gai was the one with the most experience in night brawling apparently. Ebisu's sunglasses had him at a complete disadvantage. "Ebisu! Get Gai! Gai, how many-"

"GENMA! DOWN!"

Genma rolled to the right, while going down- and ran straight into the feet of another ANBU member apparently watching all of this while swallowing his laughter. Genma could feel the small vibrations of a laugh against his back where he had rolled up against the legs.

It was with great satisfaction that Genma punched upwards with the knowledge that at least the other would stop laughing.

The ANBU member fell back with a strangled cry. Genma was about to use his body as a stepping stone, but stopped when a hand lifted him into the air. Lights flared all around, lighting up the field. A group of twenty-odd ANBU members were gathered around them.

Genma surveyed the chaos as Gai savagely chewed on the arm of one member, attempting to shake him off. Another was approaching with a rather steady pace, face hidden by the mask. Ebisu was also tucked beneath an arm, and seemed to have given in quietly. "Gai, stop!" Genma called out- the last thing he really wanted to see was Gai ripped in half by ANBU members.

Gai dropped to the ground like a stone, face twisted into an angry frown. "Genma, Ebisu, you two okay?"

He had a rather spectacular bruise blossoming across his cheek. Genma sighed, "We're fine."

Ebisu muttered, "Fine, but probably not for long."

They let Gai sit on the ground, even as they kept Ebisu and Genma suspended in the air. Genma could feel exhaustion creeping into his limbs. The adrenaline was fading, he had once again failed to get on a team, and the ANBU members were probably going to kill them all quietly.

"What are you three doing out here? All students should have left already."

"We're waiting for our teacher." Genma stated calmly. Gai wiped away blood with one hand, seemingly unbothered by it. A few ANBU members were gathering around the one person they had actually managed to take out.

Fox-mask guy hummed softly, but Turtle-mask questioned further. "Where is your teacher?"

"We don't know," said Genma. Ebisu and Gai kept their mouths shut.

It occurred to Genma that this was a really huge group of ANBU members that had apparently decided to take a stroll around the fields with their masks on and weapons at ready. This was a really bad sign. Ebisu seemed to of realized it as well, though Gai seemed confused.

"Anyways, I'm guessing we should go home now and say nothing to anyone about what we saw out here?" Genma smiled hopefully.

"Hmmm." Dove-mask turned to Fox-mask. "We should probably take them in for now. We still haven't caught the culprit."

Gai nearly lashed out when an ANBU member took a step closer to him, but stilled at Ebisu's hissed words. The expression on his face clearly stated his thoughts on the entire ordeal. The angry, muleish look was the last thing Genma saw before darkness overtook him.

A throbbing, pounding headache did a tap-dance along his ears. Genma stifled a groan as he slowly sat up. Blurry eyes attempted to focus- he was in the main mission hall, and there was a nurse crouched before him. Her eyes were soft as she ran chakra-glowing hands along his forehead.

He closed his eyes, leaning into the gentle touch thankfully. There was something missing, just a little, but Genma couldn't quite place it- "Gai? Ebisu? You two here?"

Gai's voice spoke up from his right, "Over here."

Ebisu mumbled, but didn't speak up. Genma forced his eyes open, and turned towards where the sound was. Ebisu was lying along a similar bench, arm flung over his eyes and ignoring the world. Gai shuffled closer. "Looks like they knocked us out with drugs."

Ebisu muttered, "My father is going to punish me for this."

Genma ignored the two's dark tones to joke, "Well, we managed to at least get one ANBU member pretty good."

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a hint of a smile on Ebisu's lips. Gai frowned further. "That just means they'll come back for revenge."

"Revenge? Oh no, I already forbade that."

Ebisu immediately sat up, Genma straightened from his slouch, and Gai grew stiff and still. The Hokage had arrived sometime while they were busy chatting, flanked by two masked guards. "Now then. I believe the nurses should be almost finished with driving away the headache. As for you three- once healed you may return home."

Ebisu sighed softly, and Genma's gaze dropped to the ground. They had failed whatever test their teacher had placed before them. They would once again return to the Academy.

"We're disbanded, huh?" Gai muttered discouraged.

"Oh, no, no." The Hokage held his hands up. "We will be assigning a new teacher to you three. Until that happens we will set up some temporary teachers. You should return home, and we will send message when we have made a few more decisions." The unspoken admonition not to ask about their former teacher was clear enough.

It took another half-hour, but they were released near midnight.

Gai stared up at the cloudless black sky. Streetlights flickered. "We passed." Ebisu muttered. He was staring off down the road a dumbstruck look plastered across his face. The sunglasses slid down his nose unheeded. "We passed."

Genma whooped with joy, hands flying into the air- "We passed!"

Gai roared with excitement- It may have been a skin-of-your-teeth, not really official passage, but they had passed. They were on a team. Even if it meant they had to see each others ugly faces, Genma knew that it was a whole lot better then facing going back to the academy once again.

The nurse who had followed them out sighed, "Now then, go home."

It was the start of a team that would go on later to become known as Team Disaster.

a/n: Team Disaster is really tickling my fantasy, but expect gratuitous amounts of Kakashi later on. Can't have Gai without Kakashi in there somewhere.