Big Paja: I haven't revealed it's a genjutsu or not...yet. I must admit, though. I'm finding working out the reactions to be very fun. I thank you for being such a loyal reader, and I hope my story continues to be something you enjoy.

Syn'ri: I know! Isn't she just so terribly mean! I must say, though, that the antsy feeling gives me the feeling of: Mission Accomplished! I was aiming for short, like the manga often is annoyingly so. As for quality...I'm not so sure about that. I'll let my readers be the judge of that. I'd like to add one last thing. I was in a bad mood until I read your post. It made me snickerfit, in a good way.

Lesson IV

Sasuke stood as he held his right arm. "The fight was boringly predictable." His eyes fell on Naruto as blood slowly oozed from the wound he received when he scraped the cement on his fall. He spat some more blood, so he could clearly speak. "Looks like we've both had enough, then."

Naruto's knees nearly buckled, and Sakura and Sasame caught him before he had the chance to fall. Naruto gave Sasuke a glower before repeating his question. "Does it mean anything to you? Our friendship?" Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You've asked me once before." Naruto gasped in surprise as he continued. "It means everything, and I can't live for the future if you keep holding me back."

Sasuke turned and started walking back towards the enclosed hallway. His progressed was slowed by a limp. He almost cringed when he heard Naruto retort. "That's it?! You can't get over something that happened in the past because we're trying to help you?!"

Sasuke stopped as he opened the door and looked at Hinata. "You're such an idiot. You can't understand because you can move forward by abandoning loneliness for companionship." His gaze towards Hinata intensified as his voice fell to a whisper. "You're so dense you can't even recognize feelings one has been offering you since the very beginning."

He walked through the door, making sure to slam it shut behind him. Hinata could only watch as he made his way down the hallway. He looked over his shoulder and barked his next words at her rather than to her. "Tell that knucklehead that I'm the one heading to the academy infirmary. I'm not in the mood to see his face again, so tell that idiot to either go somewhere else or wait an hour." He smirked and chuckled. "Though, the academy will be kicking students out to lock up for the night by then."

Hinata looked after him confused. As he rounded the nearest corner, she could only guess that was the route towards the infirmary he mentioned. She huffed. Naruto needed to see the academy doctor or nurse or whoever, too! She gasped as she remembered something! She had some medicinal knowledge, and Sakura was an official medical nin. With that thought in mind, she rushed out the door.

She wasn't really surprised by what she saw. Sakura and Sasame were supporting Naruto as they made their way back to the building. She stood there and watched them for a moment, and her heart was in her throat as she held back tears for his condition. The only support he needed was to make sure he didn't fall down, but the two girls were being careful and tender. Hinata couldn't help but smile at this as she politely cleared her throat go get their attention.

Hinata nervously fidgeted as she always did around Naruto. Her face was flushed as her eyes attempted to avert their gaze from him. "Um… Sa-Sasuke s-said he was g-going to the infi-infirmary." The three gave her a confused look as they thought about how obvious that was. She continued after a nervous laugh. "He-He said he didn't want to s-see Na-Naruto-kun. I-It sounded like a th-threat, so maybe…"

She was interrupted by Sakura as she rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it, Hinata. Naruto just needs some first aid, and he'll be able to go home once I get him cleaned up a bit." She started walking forward which forced Naruto and Sasame to keep up. As they walked past Hinata, Sakura lowered her voice to talk to her privately. "If you want to make sure he's okay, you can follow us." She smiled as Hinata's blush reddened.

Sasuke walked into the infirmary showing far less of a limp. He looked around with a scowl on his face. With a deep sigh, he walked up to a desk. There was a medicine cabinet to one side with a mirror. He looked into the mirror and traced the bruise along his cheekbone. "That idiot can at least throw a punch." An image appeared in the mirror which earned his glower.

Sasuke turned around to scowl at the man whom had just walked into view. He was tall with vibrant red hair and crimson eyes. He also wore a scowl as he crossed his arms over his chest and surveyed the damage done to the boy's face. He wore a white labcoat over his simple attire, so he looked like he might be the doctor or nurse in charge of Konoha Academy Middle School's infirmary.

Sakura found a first aid kit and walked Naruto into the nearest science classroom she could find. At least a science classroom offered water and paper towels without having to worry about teenage angst surrounding bathrooms and 'the wrong gender' entering. She had enough to deal with as it was. She was pleasantly surprised that Hinata had followed them, but she asked both her and Sasame to wait outside while she patched Naruto up. There was no point worrying either girl more than they had been already.

The first thing Sakura did was seat Naruto. With that accomplished, she inspected his wounds. She was, once again, reminded of the gravity of the situation when she noticed the Kyuubi chakra wasn't working its magic. His wounds were comparatively minor, so they should at least be mostly closed up by now. To her dismay, blood still oozed from both the gashes to the back of his head and left eyebrow.

When she was done with her inspection, she started looking for the best position to clean and dress his wounds. She started with the gash to the back of his head. She removed a swab from the first aid kit and applied alcohol to it. She always relied on medical ninjutsu for something like this, but the concept was the same. She applied the alcohol-soaked swap to the wound to which he immediately winced.

Sakura sighed. "Of course it's going to hurt, but I've got to clean it." Naruto tried to laugh it off. "Ah, I'm sorry…" He trailed off with a pained intake of air as she continued. When she was satisfied the wound was clean and mat of blood dispersed, she carefully inspected the gash. It wasn't too deep and the bleeding had already stopped. She let out a relieved breath as she stood.

Naruto's face was to the ground as Sakura walked around to inspect his face again. She could tell he was depressed. "I can't believe he said that…" She shook her head and sighed. She couldn't really fathom it either. As she looked for a comfortable position to treat his face, she finally shrugged as she straddled a leg. She already had a new, alcohol-soaked swab. She applied it to his bleeding brow before he had a chance to realize what was going on.

He nearly bit his inner lip as the alcohol stung at yet another wound. Outside the science classroom, Hinata and Sasame were staring at the scene with wide eyes. They didn't think Sakura would do something like that, and they were both fuming in their own ways. Sasame was obvious with a clenched fist in front of her as she shook in jealously and rage. Hinata was flush crimson with jealously and a general feeling of defeat. She got defeatism rather easily.

Sakura wasn't really thinking that much about sitting on Naruto's lap. She had to clean his wounds, and it was easier this way if she couldn't lie him down. Seeing as none of them really wanted to see Sasuke at the moment and he shared their setiments, it was much better than trying to get him to lie down on the cold, hard floor. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she wanted to avoid getting alcohol in his eye while she wiped the blood from his brow and cleared away the mats it formed.

Thankfully in the course of cleaning his wounds, they stopped bleeding. She knew his eye would be bloodshot for a while, and the bruising wasn't going to be going down too soon. She was happy he wasn't going to need any more than first aid. She stood up and walked to the nearest faucet to start wetting a towel. She wanted to make sure his wounds were clean and prevent infection. She was almost surprised at how rigidly she was following her training despite thoughts this was no more than a genjutsu.

Sasuke finally spoke up as his scowl turned into a confident smirk. "What, exactly, should I call you then?" The red-haired man scoffed. "I don't care what some Uchiha brat calls me." Sasuke chuckled, closed his eyes, and shook his head. When he heard a giggle, he looked up to see who it was he heard. The voice was too childish to belong to the red-haired man, so he was confused.

The scowl returned to his face as he stood up straight and took a few steps towards the door. In the middle of the door frame stood a small girl, no older than seven or eight. She stood about average height for her age, and her hair was cut clumsily short. Her dark, short-cut hair gave her a tomboy look, and the light reflected just right to reveal extremely dark, natural red highlights. She wore a black robe which appeared to have spirals, chaotic like galaxies, embroidered randomly.

Sasuke had no idea who the girl was or why she was here, but the red-haired man stood with a face full of recognition and panic. Sasuke wondered at this as he returned his attention to the girl. He took a long, drawn out breath as he addressed her. "Are you lost, little girl? I'm pretty sure your parents are worried about you, so you should hurry home." He did have another thought he didn't mention out loud. "Of course, she could be a daughter to one of the teachers." She just stood there and giggled again.

Sakura was sitting on Naruto's lap again with a damp towel. She wanted to make sure his wounds were properly cleaned, and she was also making sure any remaining blood mats were washed away. As she was inspecting his eyebrow, his head was leaning forward, and he could clearly see the nape of her neck.

Sakura suddenly felt pressure against her neck, and her body shuddered slightly as she realized what it was. Naruto was kissing her neck. She was surprised by how much she liked the feeling, and that surprise forced her to stop cleaning the gash to his eyebrow. When he touched her waist, she felt a tremor run up and down her spine. Instinctively, she embraced him.

Her arms wrapped around his torso, and her legs tightened around his she was straddling. As his hand started moving up her side, her eyes widened in realization and awareness. She looked to the science classroom's portal to see Hinata and Sasame clasping at the frame. While Sasame bore resentment on her face, Hinata looked more ashamed and defeatist.

Sakura immediately pushed away from Naruto and stood. She was more surprised by her own body's reaction. She was forced to take a moment to recompose herself before finding the right words to scold him and keep as serious and livid a tone as possible. She found this practice harder than it sounded. "I think that's plenty, mister." She cursed herself for not sounding believable. "I think it's time to tell Hinata-chan and Sasame-chan just how fine you are."

Sakura rolled her eyes. She inwardly chastised herself for emphasizing the word 'fine' because Naruto wouldn't understand what she meant. Nevertheless, he stood with a nervous chuckle. "Y-Y-Yes, Sakura-chan. Let's let them know I'm fine…" He trailed off leaving her to wonder if he did understand her implication that making out like that was a rather poor decision. She sighed. "He must have gotten into the moment, as the saying goes."

"Hey! Kid!" Sasuke was getting frustrated. The little girl only smiled at him and giggled. The doctor looked oddly flustered, and he had to admit that was adding an element of worry to his own demeanor. When the girl only tilted her head to one side and continued to smile, Sasuke continued. Though having raised his tone, he still managed to sound calm and collected. "You should answer people when they talk to you. Who are you?"

She completely ignored him and turned her attention towards the doctor. He stiffened as one foot inelegantly staggered back. It looked like he was about ready to run. "Hi, Kyuu-chan!" The doctor nervously chuckled as he answered. "G-Greetings, Princess…how have you been?" Sasuke looked at the doctor. "Kyuu-chan?" He took two steps towards the girl, anger apparent. "Don't ignore me."

The girl's eyes opened which revealed them to be hazel. Her eyes were also slanted. At first, her expression was light. He thought she was just bubbly and happy to see people. However, her expression changed to one of disappointment. "Oh? It is just another Uchiha brat." Her words angered him, and his eyes showed outrage. He grabbed her by the seam of her robe and pulled her closer to eye-level as he leaned down slightly. Her eyes looked at his offending hand in displeasure before returning to his gaze.

The girl remained silent. She was obviously challenging Sasuke. With a confidence on his face and in his voice, he finally broke the short silence. "You should learn to respect your elders, little girl." The doctor began laughing, and Sasuke looked over his shoulder to give him a curious look. He sighed and returned his attention to the girl, but he was starting to feel pressure. The pressure was familiar to him as bloodlust, which surprised him. Nevertheless, he continued. "Maybe you should run off to your parents to learn some manners."

The pressure from bloodlust continued to rise, and it was making Sasuke uncomfortable. He couldn't figure out where it was coming from. The girl closed her eyes again and smiled at him. "I don't have any parents." He blinked in surprise, but she quickly started ignoring him again to look at the doctor. "Kyuu-chan, she's coming." Her smile brightened as his face went pale. Sasuke looked at the girl with curiosity before looking back over his shoulder to the doctor. There was only one problem. The doctor already seemed to have vanished.

As Sakura and Naruto walk into the hall, Hinata and Sasame step away from the science classroom enough to give them space. "Naruto's going to be fine." They were glad to see he was already starting to look better. His face was a little bruised and eye bloodshot, but he didn't look nearly as bad as he did with the blood mats cleaned up. They sighed in relief as Sakura continued. "He'll probably look just about back to normal by tomorrow. I've got some herbs I can use for the bruising, but that eye's going to be bloodshot for a while."

"I-I'm glad, Na-Naruto-kun!" Sakura and Sasame looked at Hinata a bit surprised she was the first to speak up. Hinata found herself gasping before she could continue, however, as Sasame jumped at Naruto. She clung to him by draping her arms over his shoulders and pressing herself against his back. She pressed her chest into his back as she leaned up to his ear so her breath tickled at him as she spoke.

"I wouldn't have stopped you there like Sakura-chan. You'd be much happier with my reward for defending me." Sakura and Hinata were flabbergasted by Sasame's behavior and very direct words. Sakura balled her fist and took one step towards Sasame. With a wide grin, she jumped off Naruto's back and stuck her tongue out at Sakura. Before the pink-haired girl could begin pummeling her, Sasame took off in the opposite direction. Sakura was hot on her heals.

Hinata watched the two of them. Her face was flush and breathing shallow. She was remembering what Kiba told her. "I don't want to lose to another girl! At least…I don't want to lose without trying…" She looked at Naruto. He was scratching the back of his head. "Sa-Sakura-chan…" Sakura and Sasame were already out of sight. Hinata's eyes were displaying her wavering. Her fists clenched in resolution when she heard Sakura yelling out Sasame's name. "I can't sit on the sidelines anymore! What if some strange girl takes Naruto? Would he really be happy? Could I be willing to just be okay?"

As fans of Naruto may have noticed, this chapter starts a rather heavy divergence from cannon. You'll see how this moves things along very soon.

I have one final note. My goodness, I'm doing an awful lot of research for this story!

Story Word Count: 2,764
Story Page Count: 5.5