Team 7 (Kakashi)

Team Kakashi, also known as Team 7, is a team led by Kakashi Hatake, which was formed after the members became Genin. The members were selected in order to balance out their talents: Naruto, the worst student in his graduating class, would benefit from Sakura's intelligence and Sasuke's proficiency with ninja skills. Sakura would similarly benefit from her more battle-capable teammates, whereas Sasuke would benefit from being forced to work with others.

When Sasuke defected from Konoha at the end of Part I, Team 7 was disbanded for the next two and a half years. The remaining members reformed as Team Kakashi at the start of Part II in order to go and rescue Gaara. After that mission was completed, Sai was added to the team as Sasuke's replacement under Danzō Shimura's suggestion, and Yamato briefly led the team when Kakashi was hospitalized. Although intended to be a temporary replacement, all of Team Kakashi's subsequent missions have been led by Yamato. According to Sakura, Team Kakashi also has the best teamwork with Team 10. The Yamato-led Team Kakashi, otherwise known as "Team Yamato", was later part of the Eight Man Squad led by a recovered Kakashi.

Throughout Part II, the remaining members of Team 7 tried their best to retrieve Sasuke back to Konoha and restore their team's happiness. However, Sasuke refused the idea of returning, and after learning the truth about his clan's destruction was Danzō's doing, he became antagonistic towards the village, and committed several high-level crimes that classified him as an international criminal. Naruto and Sakura, in turn, was persuaded by Shikamaru Nara to take action to stop Sasuke at all cost, in order to prevent any potential wars that Sasuke may initiate in his quest of revenge. Indeed, Naruto has realized that the hopes of bringing back Sasuke has shattered completely, as the village would no longer accept him, and Sakura intends to kill Sasuke herself. However, Kakashi manages to save Sakura from a murderous Sasuke after Sakura knocks Kiba, Lee, and Sai out with sleeping gas, and is facing off against the criminal himself, with all his attempts to dissuade Sasuke's vengeance failed. Sakura is then millimeters away from stabbing Sasuke with a poisoned kunai, but cannot bring herself to kill her former teammate. Sasuke disarms Sakura in her moment of hesitation and is about to strike her down with her own kunai. The original team members are reunited when Naruto saves Sakura from being killed by Sasuke a second time within the space of a few minutes. Sasuke shows himself irredeemable by claiming that he felt killing and revenging is a high, and that he will not stop until either he dies or he destroys Konoha completely. Naruto has concluded that the two of them are destined to fight to the death, but he will shoulder Sasuke's hatred as a friend, while Sakura and Kakashi have fully given up hope for Sasuke.

Missions

 * Find the Lost Pet Tora
 * Rank: D-Rank
 * Status: Success

Team 7 was assigned to find Tora, a lost cat owned by the Fire Daimyo's wife, Madam Shijimi.


 * Escort the Bridge Builder
 * Rank: C-Rank (technically A-Rank)
 * Status: Success

Because rescuing lost animals bored Naruto, he requested a more challenging mission. Because of this, Team 7 was assigned to escort Master Bridge Builder Tazuna to the Land of Waves. Along the way, they discovered that Tazuna had assassins after him, and needed protection while he finished building a bridge. Because he could not afford the fees for the actual B-Rank mission, he had lied about what he was hiring Team 7 for. Team 7 stuck with the assignment, however, and after Gatō was killed, Team 7 was able to return home.


 * Find Genmai (OVA only)
 * Rank: D-Rank (turned B-Rank)
 * Status: Success

In the anime OVA special, Team 7 had to search for a man from the Inaho Village, Genmai who was kidnapped by a group of missing-nin and their leader, Kajika. Kakashi gets trapped in some spell jutsu with Genmai after finding him and Kajika and his group kidnap Sakura after a little scuffle with Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto and Sasuke defeat Kajika and his teammates and Team 7 return Genmai to his son.


 * Miscellaneous D-Rank Missions
 * Rank: D-Rank

When Team 7 returned from the Land of Waves, they were given a number of uneventful assignments. These included pulling weeds, picking up litter, and walking dogs. Kakashi noted that their teamwork has deteriorated during these missions.


 * Stop Gaara/Find Sasuke
 * Rank: A-Rank
 * Status: Success

During the Invasion of Konoha in Part I, Kakashi assigned Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Pakkun to find Sasuke and Gaara. This stated to be the first A rank mission since the Land of Waves.


 * Protect the Runner
 * Rank: B-Rank (possibly A-Rank as Tsunade stated)
 * Status: Success

In the anime, Team 7 was hired to protect Idate Morino during his race.


 * Rescue the Kazekage
 * Rank: A-Rank (S-rank in the anime)
 * Status: Success

At the start of Part II, Team Kakashi was sent to help Sunagakure rescue Gaara from Akatsuki. Sasori, one of the Akatsuki members, was killed during the course of the mission, and Gaara was saved.


 * Infiltrate Orochimaru's Hideout
 * Rank: A-Rank
 * Status: Failed

Using information gained from Sasori, the new Team Kakashi (led by Yamato) went to Kusagakure to meet with a spy in Orochimaru's ranks. Although hoping it would give them an opportunity to bring Sasuke back to Konoha, Sasuke eluded capture.


 * Protect the Twelve Guardian Ninja Tombs
 * Rank: B-rank
 * Status: Failed

In the anime, Team Kakashi and temporary member Sora were assigned to find and stop thieves robbing the tombs of former Twelve Guardian Ninja. They were unable to stop the grave robbers or reacquire the stolen bodies in time.


 * Back-up Team 10
 * Rank: Unknown
 * Status: Success

Following Naruto's completion of the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, Team Kakashi was sent to help Team 10 fight Akatsuki members Hidan and Kakuzu. Their combined efforts were enough to kill the latter.


 * Hunt for Itachi and Sasuke
 * Rank: Unknown
 * Status: Failed

As part of an Eight Man Squad, Team Kakashi started a mission to capture the missing-nin Itachi Uchiha. It called for the squad to split up and search the area for any sign of Itachi. However, upon seeing Deidara's suicide explosion, the team regrouped, with Kiba finding Sasuke's scent. With Sasuke so close, the squad's primary mission of finding Itachi was replaced with finding Sasuke instead. While being stalled by Akatsuki member Tobi, the team learned that Itachi had died in battle with Sasuke. They tried to reach Sasuke before Tobi could, but failed and were unable to rediscover Sasuke's trail.


 * Protect the Tsuchigumo clan Kinjutsu
 * Rank: Unknown
 * Status: Success

In the anime, Team Kakashi is sent on a mission to assist the near-extinct Tsuchigumo clan protect its destructive and forbidden jutsu from bandits as per a peace agreement made between the clan and the Third Hokage.

Trivia

 * All original members have defeated and/or killed at least one Akatsuki member: Naruto defeated Pain and helped defeat Kakuzu, Sasuke defeated Deidara and Orochimaru, Sakura defeated Sasori with Chiyo's help, and Kakashi finished off Kakuzu.
 * Due to Sasuke's defection, all four original members of Team Kakashi had not been together on the same page in 308 chapters, from chapter 176 to chapter 484.
 * All original members, excluding Kakashi, have been trained by one of the Sannin: Naruto by Jiraiya, Sakura by Tsunade, and Sasuke by Orochimaru. However, Kakashi was trained by Minato Namikaze, who was the student of Jiraiya and father of Naruto.
 * Of all the student-teacher relationship between the four members of Team 7 and their mentors, Sasuke and Orochimaru is the only relationship to be a negative one, as Sasuke gave absolutely no respect to his mentor, and was fully willing to betray a weakened Orochimaru.
 * Three of the four original members - Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi - have all suffered loss of family and close friends at a young age, and as such, hold friendship and family very dearly (or in Sasuke's case, an obsessive desire to avenge his clan). Sakura, the only one not to have lost anything of the such, takes them for granted. Although it could be argued that the loss of Sasuke has considerably affected Sakura. Also, Sai, who lost his adoptive brother, Shin, fell back into his emotionless state until he spent some time with the team. Yamato was not noted to have any such loss.
 * Out of all the teams in their generation, all formations of Team Kakashi, based on their stats and the enemies each member has defeated, can be called the strongest team.