Disclaimer: I don't own the work of Kishimoto or Naruto. If I met him, I'd congratulate him for making such a good series, and maybe warn him to tone down Duck-butt a bit. Otherwise, thumbs up. Don't sue me. I'll ignore it.

Hinata stood in her stance, and neither moved.

Stillness.

Stillness.

Boring.

"Somebody MOVE!" Iruka yelled.

Hinata looked toward the loud voice instinctively. She had trained with her father for most of her life, and he always demanded that she look at him when he was speaking.

In that brief instant, Sasuke attacked.

A fist flashed toward Hinata's face, and glanced off her cheekbone.

She spun, off balance, and the back of her hand caught the Uchiha a light tap across the belly.

Sasuke immediately grew angry, this damn girl had dared to touch him! A Hyuuga girl, at that!

His father and the others of his clan had always held the Hyuuga Clan as a lesser Clan than them, and for one to touch him.....

Unacceptable. If for nothing more than the memory of his family, this must not be allowed.

He would break her.

His leg lashed out, hitting her in the knee, and the training he continually took to catch up to his brother kicked in.

He moved faster than kid should, as faster or faster than a Genin, and punched her in the face, square on, as she was falling.

Hinata had some training as well, and she recovered, hand twisting on the ground, momentarily supporting her weight as she spun back up to her feet.

Her open palm lashed out, heading for her chest.

He caught it in mid-air, and pulled her forward.

He savagely twisted her wrist, and a loud crack filled the air.

Her eyes glazed with pain, he yanked her over his shoulder, and threw her on the ground.

His foot slammed into her side. He could feel the ribs flex unnaturally to take the force.

Her foot came from the side and awkwardly attempted to move him away.

He kicked her in the knee, and he heard a small pop as her leg suddenly bent the wrong way.

He jumped up, and landed on her chest with a knee.

In his adrenaline-filled state, the slight shouts behind him went unheard.

He raised Hinata's head by her jacket front.

"Never."

PUNCH!

"ATTACK!"

PUNCH!

"ME."

PUNCH!

"AGAIN!"

Each word was punctuated by a brutal punch to the face.

A hand grabbed Sasuke's collar, and flung him off.

Mizuki crouched over Hinata, and attempted to keep her out of shock. "Now now, look at my finger, keep track of it, focus on it, don't let you attention wander.... MEDIC!"

Iruka sent one of the assistants to get a medic. He turned to Sasuke, and picked him up by his shirt.

"Now, I want you to listen very carefully, you little punk. You may be young, you may be the last of your clan, you might have had your family slaughtered in front of you, but...."

He slammed Sasuke into a nearby wall.

"YOU NEVER DO THAT TO ONE OF YOUR COMRADES! YOU COULD HAVE KILLED HER!"

Sasuke managed to get out.

"But she touched me! And she's a Hyuuga, she shouldn't have-"

Iruka slammed him into the wall again.

"THAT IS NO EXCUSE!"

Iruka raised him up to eye level, and spoke in a very calm voice, an abrupt switch.

"You will never do this again. Or anything like it. Do you understand me?"

Sasuke nodded frantically.

Iruka continued, ignoring the boy.

"I don't think you do."

He lifted higher, and higher, the boy's feet clearing his waist. Sasuke could see fires in Iruka's eyes, burning into him.

"You stay away from that girl. I don't want you going near her. Ever. Except for a formal apology."

Sasuke began to relax as Iruka started lowering him.

Iruka stopped mid-way, and held him.

"I'm keeping my eye on you now, boy. I will not tolerate further actions of this nature. Be a model student, because I am watching you."

Iruka dropped him.

"Sasuke wins. Next fight. The medic should be here soon. You, and you, your turn."

Naruto watched, fists clenched.

That was..... mean. He thought.

Mean? I think the word you are looking for, is brutal. Perhaps a tad psychotic. The Kyuubi commented.

Brutal, then. Naruto thought. That shouldn't have happened. To anyone, let alone that girl. She looks so... small... fragile. She didn't even get a chance to hit back. I'd still be pissed if he did it to someone else, but to her...

That's just a sort of male protection instinct, I think. Not many enjoy the sight of a woman getting beaten half to death. Otherwise, it would happen far more often.

But the question is, what are you going to do about it? Thought without action, carries little meaning.

Well, I'm going to go kick his ass, what did you expect?

That's the Naruto I know. Straight to the point, and just a little stupid. How are you going to kick his ass?

I'm...... going to punch him and kick him until he gives up, in other words...... kick his ass?

After what you saw he did to that girl? It iss not logical that you would be able to 'kick his ass'. Not logical at all.

Meh, other people's logic doesn't mean that much to me. I'm just going to go do it.

Hinata was seen to by a medic ninja who came from the hospital. He went over to Hinata, popped her leg back into place, and re-located her wrist. He healed her face, and told her she was to eat well for the next few days.

In specific words. "I don't want you eating like other girls your age eat. Eat healthy portions, don't go light on meat, and vegetables. Healing borrows against your body's reserves, so now you need to rebuild them."

Naruto went up, and tapped Iruka on the arm. "Iruka-sensei, can I go against Sasuke next?"

Iruka stared at him for a moment.

"What? You want to go against him? But you saw what he just did-"

Naruto shook his head.

"I still want to fight him."

Iruka closed his eye, and winced at what he imagined happening.

He sighed. "Far be it from me to fight against stupidity. Fine. Next fight Uchiha Sasuke versus..."

He looked at his ledger. ".....Uzumaki Naruto."

The two went into the make-shift ring that had formed from previous fights.

The class looked on the sudden fight, and some began calling out, teling Sasuke to beat the crap out of the blond-kid.

Some called out, bets, wagering candy on the fight.

Hinata merely watched, he head still ringing barely making out some of the words.

She'd been trained in lip-reading, but she still wasn't a master at it. Barely one word in three came through.

Iruka yelled out, "Fight!"

Neither moved. Sasuke returned to his fighting stance. Naruto did nothing.

Naruto asked the other.

"Teme, why would you do that to that girl, Hinata?"

Sasuke did not relax his stance.

He snorted. "I did that to her because she's a Hyuuga, and she dared to touch me. My family told me to never let them touch one of us. They're a lesser clan, and punishment is due if they touch us."

Naruto spat. "Eeh. Your family were.......er..... what was the term..... brutal bastards then. If that's what they did to people who touched them, its no wonder somebody killed them. "

Sasuke shook in fury.

"How... how dare you! You know nothing about us!"

He charged forward, disdaining any style, and delivered a roundhouse punch to Naruto's face.

Naruto didn't even flinch.

He'd had worse.

He smiled at the other boy. It was not a very nice smile.

"You're wide open. TEME!"

Naruto grabbed hold of Sasuke's arm, and his right fist came up in an uppercut that lifted the Uchiha off his feet.

Sasuke recovered in mid-air, and skidded back.

The boy charged forward, and the other met his fist with the back of his hand, moving it aside. He stopped the charge with hsi shoulder, and kneed the yellow-haired boy in the mid-section.

He jumped up in the air, and planted his other knee in the same place. He used the momentum to turn around and land on the boy. The boy violently sat up, tossing off the black-haired boy. He shook his head, clearing out the fuzz, and charged forward again.

The black-haired boy attempted the same block, and this time, when the fist slid down the arm, the shoulder-charging Uchiha met with a straight fist to the face. They both fell back, the Uchiha to feel his broken nose, and Naruto to rub his fist.

Damn, that stung.

The fox was shouting encouragement, "Nice shot! You just might be able to do it! Now, attack! ATTACK!"

Naruto charged forward swinging a leg from the left. Sasuke braced his arm, attempting to block it. He did not expect the crushing impact that followed, and skidded to the right.

Naruto followed up with the kick, and punched at Sasuke. Sasuke smoothly dodged it. While Naruto's strength and stamina were greater than Sasuke, Sasuke had training.

He grabbed the other boy's arm, and heaved, unbalancing him. He surged past Naruto's guard, and planted an uppercut to the boy's chin, mimicking the one Naruto had given him.

Sasuke, however, did not have the strength the other boy did, even at his age. The blow, which had knock him from his feet, jarred Naruto, but left him open for a return blow.

Naruto's instinctive reaction was one that came very easily to him. He arched back his head, and smashed it into Sasuke's already broken nose. The headbutt sent the slightly smaller boy crashing back, landing on his ass.

Now, Sasuke was getting angry. The Hyuuga had pissed him off, and he had demolished her. He'd been rebuked for it. Harshly, in his mind. Now, however, his ire rose.

It was one thing to be attacked by someone from a Clan that your family had always thought of with derision. It was quite another to be taken a beating, from some clanless little brat, who didn't look to have the least training.

Although, he thought, as he ducked under a blow that ruffled his black hair, this clanless brat had excellent reflexes, and lots of stamina. Not to mention, as he was unable to dodge a kick, tremendous strength. He was thrown back a few feet, and settled into a crouch. His arms hurt, and he was getting a headache from the pain of his broken nose.

The other boy was covered in bruises, had blood leaking from his nose, and was bleeding from a few cuts as well. This cemented the thought in the black-eyed boy's mind. Perhaps this would be a worthy rival.

But now, it was time to end this. A simple finishing move he had learned from another ninja would work. He had analyzed the other boy's style, and was confident that it would work. The strength of Naruto's style..... was that he had none.

This made him uniquely dangerous to Sasuke. As a Uchiha, he had been trained to analyze an opponent's style, essential for copying when he would eventually obtain the Sharigan. Naruto had no style, so it was impossible to anticipate his next blow without years of experience. Which, Sasuke did not have. Sasuke could not predict where his moves would go.

But, the weakness having no style was great, as well. It boiled down to, well....... He had no style. He had no formal training. He was full of openings. And while Sasuke could not anticipate where the opening would occur, he could take advantage of one he might see.

He came out his crouch, a standard right punch leading the way toward Naruto's face. Naruto blocked him with crossed arms, then attempted to hit him cross-wise with the back of both forearms. Sasuke ducked, and brought back his head to avoid the knee that headed for his face.

Arms akimbo, and one leg off the ground, the move he had seen would work perfectly. He tensed his legs, and swept one forward, knocking Naruto into mid-air. He followed the boy, leaping up, and turning him around, landing on Naruto's back, as Naruto's front impacted on the ground.

He proceeded to yank Naruto's head up by the hair and repeatedly pound it into the ground, using both hands. After a few times, Naruto began to lay still. Sasuke stopped, and jumped back.

Naruto didn't move.

The two boys were unaware of the silence that descended on the class during their fight.

At first, there was the usual banter, and snickers. Then, once the fight picked up, silence began to fall.

The students were watching, and jaws were falling slack.

------------

Sasuke staggered a bit, as his fatigue caught up to him. The adrenaline had blocked out most of his pain, and the adrenaline was fading. He turned to Iruka, and looked tiredly at him, though bruised eyes. He began walking toward him. "I think I win, sensei."

"Sasukes Uchiha is the-"

Iruka paused in mid-sentence. His eyes widened.

Sasuke stopped. No. No. Not possible. Not even probable. This is not happening. I hit him hard enough to do more than knock him unconscious. Do not turn around. DO NOT TURN AROUND!

Sasuke's body turned anyway.

Behind him, not two meters away, Naruto was getting up.

THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!

Sasuke's mind boggled.

Naruto came to his feet, panting, and bloody. Dirt encrusted his face, and a few stones looked to have been driven into his flesh.

He staggered toward Uchiha. Sasuke stood paralyzed, his body refusing to move.

Naruto looked at him, head down, and angled toward the other boy. He turned his head slightly, looking at the still-bandaged Hinata.

His legs strengthened. His steps were stronger.

"I'll never lose to someone who does that." He said, voice quiet.

"Not to someone who would do that, for no reason." He continued, voice growing louder.

Naruto hobbled the last few steps. He placed his hands on Sasuke's shoulders, bracing his arms.

"This is for what you did to that girl. DON'T EVER DO THAT TO SOMEONE YOU CAN BE FRIENDS WITH!" He screamed out the last line in rage, and pain, and sorrow in his voice. Rage, for what Sasuke did. Naruto had known each of those injuries inflicted on Hinata intimately, and he knew just how much they hurt.

Pain, from the fight he had just had, and sorrow. Sorrow, because he knew he could never be friends with any of these other kids, never. Not in a million years. He had no chance whatsoever. None of these kids would ever associate with him, willingly. And this boy, this talented kid, who probably had never been beaten once in his life, who fought so well, it made him look like a doddering idiot, had just crushed the chance to become friends with one of them, as easily as squashing a bug.

Someone tossing away something, something beautiful, something he would never have a chance to have.

It made him see red, with total, all-consuming anger.

He drew back his head. Then, brought it forward with terrifying swiftness.

CRACK!

Forehead to forehead. He pulled his head back.

SQUISH.

Naruto's forehead struck Sasuke's nose. Again, he withdrew his head.

THUD!

Naruto's forehead hit Sasuke's chin.

Naruto slid down Sasuke's form, hitting the ground. Out cold.

Iruka cleared his coughed.

"Ahem, perhaps I was a bit pre-emptive in saying it, but Sasuke is still the-"

Sasuke made a small, confused sound in his throat. He slumped backwards. Unconscious.

Iruka massaged a piece of his forehead.

"Ughhhhhhhh. Y'know what? To hell with it!" He raise his hand and declared in an official voice.

"Both unconscious. Both are disqualified. NEXT!"

The class looked at the two boys as they were carried away by Iruka and Mizuki.

They began muttering among themselves.

"Damn, that kid actually fought one-one on one with the Uchiha?"

"Yeah, fought him to a standstill."

"Aren't the Uchiha like the best Clan Konoha ever had?"

"Other than the Hyuuga, they were. And they were some kind of police too."

"And that kid, anybody know if he's part of a Clan?

"No. he's just some kid."

"He must be some kind of lunatic then."

"Freakish."

"Yeah, he's gotta be a freak to do that."

"Maybe he's nuts. I don't wanna get hurt. I'm staying away from him."

"Yeah, me too."

"Ditto."

Hinata watched anxiously as the two fought, she could make out some of the sounds, and she heard a little bit of the conversation. When the end came, she concentrated with all her might. She made out every word of his first sentence. She was too stunned to remember the rest.

"This is for what you did to that girl."

He did it for her? But...... no-one had ever done anything like that for her, and he had...... he'd actually fought the Uchiha for her. He'd seen what the boy had done to her, and was willing to fight him?

It was stupid, it was idiotically naive, it was..... tremendously brave of him. Her heart gave a small flutter. And after what the other boy had done to him, he still got up? She doubted anyone else in the class would have gotten up after having their face pounded into the dirt.

She watched him carried out of the field by Iruka, while Mizuki dragged the Uchiha out, and Naruto as well. They set him against the wall. She shakily moved off the bench, and slowly started her first step toward him. She opened her mouth to call out thanks..... and nothing came out. Her vocal cords refused to move. She sat back down, and stared at the boy attempting to work up the courage to say hello.

It didn't come to her.

Several fights later, the two final contestants stood in front of each other, ready to battle for the deliciousness of the box of cookies.

Shikamaru faced Chouji.

He looked at the other boy, who was bearing bruises, and looking at him with steely determination. If he fought, he would probably win.

Probably.

And it would leave him exhausted. With no energy to enjoy the cookies.

He grimaced, his father's saying coming to him. "Troublesome."

He pinched the brow of his nose, and shook his head. "Iruka-sensei, I forfeit. I don't want the cookies that bad."

Iruka arched an eyebrow. "You sure? You have been doing pretty well, so far."

Shikamaru began walking out of the makeshift ring. "Yes, I'm sure."

Iruka turned to the now overjoyed boy. "I guess that means you win, Chouji."

He handed him the box of cookies. "Enjoy."

Chouji took the box, and lifted it up to the sky with both hands.

"COOKIES!"

Iruka shook his head.

"Yes Chouji, cookies."

Naruto finally woke up, near the end of class. For some reason, the other kids were avoiding him. Except for one girl, who just kept staring in his direction. He mostly ignored it. Perhaps she was staring at that black-haired kid who was still unconscious beside him.

Iruka was showing the kids how to throw kunai.

Naruto joined in.... and completely missed most of them.

10 minutes before the end of class, Iruka passed out a paper, and pencils. He said to circle the answer to the question that were asked.

Naruto had poor reading skills, so he just randomly circled one of each.

Iruka was handed back the tests, and said he would show the results tomorrow.

The parents of the children came to pick them up.

No-one came for Naruto.

He sat outside, and watched them go.

He found a tear leaking from his eye, as he watched. There was no one for him to go back to.

"Hey, you forget me so quickly. I'm going to have to do something about that, someday."

The voice of the Kyuubi said, inside his head.

You're.... You're right. I do have someone now. He thought back.

He wiped the tear from his eye.

I've.... never had that before. No one's ever come back with me, The Hokage takes me out sometimes, but only sometimes.

Well.... Buck up! You said it yourself. You have me now. And I must compliment what you did earlier. I much approve. Although, I can feel your headache from in here.

Naruto rubbed his forehead.

Yes, I think I 'll try not to do that in the future. Lucky I've got a hard head.

Yep. So, lets get back, I think its time for you to learn a few things.

Wait. Naruto thought.

He saw the black haired kid begin walking off.

Isn't someone picking him up?

I don't know. How about following him?

Sounds good.

They followed the kid to what looked like an abandoned complex. The boy spoke a password, and dripped a drop of blood on the door.

The door opened and he went inside. A few moments later, and a light appeared in one of the windows. Shadows moved in the window, showing that they boy was practicing fighting.

I can't see anybody else in there.

Neither can I.

He must live alone. He's the Uchiha. I remember you said that his entire family had been killed.

I....I did, but... I thought he'd be adopted by some other Clan or something, not....... this.

Hearing about something, and see it for yourself are two different things. This is one of the hard lessons life has to teach. You know how he feels now. This is called empathy.

So.... he's like me? Almost like how I was?

Almost. You are close. There are several key differences. He saw his family killed in front of him. He had a parent growing up. And you..... you have me.

Close, eh? I feel different about him now. He doesn't seem quite so much like a...... a bastard. He's just... lasing out.

You'll find that, as you get to know someone more, you begin to understand them. You understand them, and you can sympathize with them.

So, the more I know someone, the more I'll learn bout them?

Someday, I'm going to have a word with you about tautology, but close enough, for right now. Now, we have to go. I'm going to show you something, it would be better to do this back at the school.

Alright.

"Hokage-sama! This is unacceptable work!" Iruka was waving Naruto's test paper. "Its like reviewing the two legendary Stupid Brother's tests!" He let his hands drop back to his sides. "And the kunai throws! He's more likely to hurt himself than the enemy! Even Shikamaru got a better score than him, and he fell asleep half-way through both exercises! I mean-!"

He laid the paper on the Hokage's desk. "Look at this! 'What do dogs eat?" HE ANSWERED GRASS! GRASS! And 'What price does the smith store sell kunai at?' He answered 'I don't know.' Any aspiring ninja should be able to answer that one in a heartbeat! Whay are you telling me to still train him!"

Sarutobi sighed. "To be fair, I have seen dogs eating grass. And there is a very good reason that he does not know the local price of kunai."

Sarutobi leaned forward, and beckoned for Iruka to do the same.

"You see, I have it on very good authority, that he has never been to the weapon shop."

Iruka's body stiffened in shock.

"What? Is he stupid? He wants to be a ninja, but he's never gone near a weapon shop? Hokage-sama, this only reinforces my point, this kid should never have even considered being a nin-"

Sarutobi interrupted him. "Perhaps I should rephrase. He has never been allowed near the weapon shop. Does that clear it up for you a bit?"

Iruka spluttered in mid-sentence. "W-Why? Sure, he's the.... vessel, for you-know-what, but he's not the thing itself. And the people at the orphanage are taking good care of him, right? I mean, I saw he's pretty good at fighting, excellent reflexes, but for for anything else I could swear he's stupid, or somewhat.... slow."

Sarutobi closed his eyes. His mouth quirked up, and he gave a small chuckle. " 'Good reflexes', eh? Heh, I would think he gets that from his father."

His chuckle immediately vanished, as he contemplated his next words. "However, I am slightly disappointed in your information gathering skills. I would have thought you'd at least know the housing situation of one of your students. The..... I hesitate to say people, at the orphanage were....... abusing him in ways I do not see fit to speak about outside of the interrogation room, or a mission debriefing. Suffice to say, I was forced to remove him from the orphanage."

Iruka blinked in surprise. "So, he lives on his own? At his age? He's not even 10 yet! That's incredible... but cruel."

"Yes." Sarutobi replied. "But most people don't seem to see that. They merely see the Fox in his belly. Any punishment is too light, in their minds."

He sat back in his chair. "Now Iruka, I'm going to show you something. I want you to look at me, specifically, my eyes."

Iruka did as he was told.

And almost jumped back.

Had he been a dog, his ears would have flatted against his head. As a human, he had to settle for his neck hairs violently stretching themselves straight.

His heart seized.

When he looked into Sarutobi's eyes, he saw hate.

He saw loathing.

He saw something...... else. Something that he couldn't put a name to. But it filled him with terror.

Then, it melted away.

He let go of the breath he had been unknowingly holding.

"What.... was.... that?" He gasped out, trying to regain his breath.

Sarutobi sat quietly for a few seconds.

"That... was the look that boy, Naruto, has to see everyday he walks the streets. The look he sees when he attempts to go to the stores necessary to become a ninja. It is a look that I have pondered long nights over. I have been able to put it into words that you can understand."

He steepled his fingers.

"It is a look of hate, and loathing, yes. But anyone can be hated, or loathed. But there is one thing that adds to it, makes it... unique. It is the thing that made you instinctively back away. It is the look in the eyes, that say, you have no right to exist. That you offend the very air you breathe. That just by being, you taint everything around you. Imagine, if you will, what if would feel like to have that look pointed at you from the very beginning. They think even Orochimaru, damn his miserable soul, has more of a right to exist than Naruto. Orochimaru, who killed, and still kills, countless people in his experiments, contributed, at least in the beginning, to the village. Contributed, and liked, more than Naruto ever could, or ever would be. Orochimaru."

He took a breath.

"If I could, I would wipe this from the village like the cancer it is. But it is a cancer that hast infected everyone. Only an individual can choose how they act. So, Iruka, I'm giving you this assignment. You will watch the boy, along with the customary observation team, and see exactly what he has to go through everyday. Then, your charge is done. You are free to act as you wish regarding the boy."

He waved his hand.

"You are dismissed, Iruka. Act as you will."

Iruka nodded, and left.

"Well, that was pretty cool, what Naruto did." Ino said to Sakura as they sat under a tree, gazing at the sky.

"Cha, it was." Sakura said, combing her bangs over her head.

Ino reached out a hand, and moved the curls away.

"You shouldn't do that, it makes you look like a ghost." Ino laughed and shook her head.

"But... my forehead! Its way too big, everyone teases me about it." Sakura said.

"You still shouldn't hide who you are." Ino poked her in the shoulder.

"Besides, I'll tell you the secret way to get accepted amongst the girls here." Ino put a finger up to her mouth, the sign for Sakura to be quiet.

"The secret, is to get a boy! Preferably one of the cooler ones."

Sakura screwed up her eye in thought. The turned to Ino.

"Then who would be the coolest? That Naruto kid?"

Ino laughed. "Him? No, he looks to be the bubbly and cheery type, no-one will will look twice if someone manages to pick him up. It has to be someone.... with bad qualities, someone you can change, and present to the other girls!"

Sakura looked confused.

"But, who's like that?"

Ino smirked. "The best one for changing I've seen so far is the boy Naruto fought against, Sasuke! He's silent, he's bad, he broods. He had his family killed in front of him, so he's bound to have some issues. He's prime material for changing!"

Sakura nodded, more to herself than Ino.

"Then he's the one I'll get."

Ino gave a small laugh, and poked her in the shoulder.

"But he's the one I'm after. You can't have him."

Sakura laughed along.

"We'll just see about that, Ino, may the best girl, win!"

Naruto looked at the stick in his hand, and at the tree a few meters away from him.

You want me to hit a specific part of a tree, with the pointy end of this stick?

Yep.

But... that's really hard!

You're going to have to get used to it. You don't have any kunai. But you still need to train at throwing things.

Alright.... lets get this over with.

Naruto hurled the stick....

....and completely missed the tree.

We are definitely going to have to work on your hand eye co-ordination.

Shikamaru lay in his bed at home, looking up at a cookie he was holding in his hand.

---------Flashback (No Jutsu)------------

Shikamaru was sleeping after the test had been passed out. He had answered about three questions, then fell asleep.

He woke up to someone poking at his shoulder. It was the stocky kid he had forfeited to.

"What are you doing....erm, Chouji?"

Chouji smiled. "You let me get some cookies I know you're smart, you probably could have won, but you forfeited anyway."

He brought out his other hand. There was a cookie in it. "Thanks, Shikamaru. I'd like to be friends, would you?"

Shikamaru was about to answer, when Iruka called for the tests to be handed in. He lost Chouji in the hustle and bustle.

--------Flashback (No Justsu) End------

Shikamaru bit into the cookie, and munched.

"Eh, why not. Sure, Chouji."

He rolled over, and sleep took him.

While training throwing sticks, he never noticed the black-haired, white-eyed girl watching him.

He never noticed her following him home, or even when she left to go back home.

Author's note:

Sorry for not updating for so long, I've had little of the enormous free time I had when writing the original chapters.

Still, I think this catapults my story into 20,000+ words.

Comments are welcome.