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Lesson VII

Naruto came to his senses when Sakura gently placed her hand on his shoulder and carefully emphasized each syllable of his name as she spoke it. He had to blink as he realized Hinata was gone. She ran away, and he couldn't make heads or tails of anything she said to him. He knew she was talking, but his mind felt completely blank.

Naruto looked at Sakura with eyes almost pleading to understand. She wore a strangely warm smile as she grasped his hand and started walking towards the main hall. There was no point sticking around. She may not have heard all of Hinata's confession, but it was interesting to hear just how jealous the Hyuuga heir had grown. Sakura suppressed a smirk as she reminded Naruto of his promise, acting like she hadn't seen any of the previous events. "You promised me some sweets before escorting me home."

He nodded in response as he put on a mask of confidence. Inwardly, he was debating what just happened. "Am I really that dense I never even noticed? What's worse…am I just being overly suspicious thinking Sakura-chan saw anything that happened? This is weird. I'd never…imagine…anything like this." His thoughts trailed off as he saw the footlockers.

Kiba was standing between the many rows of footlockers and the main entrance. He scratched the back of his head like he was confused about something before turning around and nearly dropping his jaw. He bit his thumb nervously before speaking up, like he was debating something. "Uh… Do any of you know why Hinata ran off so quickly?"

Naruto and Sakura looked at each other as they retrieved their shoes and put them. When they turned back to Kiba, Naruto was about to say something, but Sakura cut him off. "She probably has some important appointment to keep, or clan duties." She licked her lips as she watched for reactions to the last part. She hadn't forgotten about her suspicions from this morning, but she'd been so caught up in how interesting, and quite frankly fun, it all was that she, more or less, played along with the genjutsu.

Kiba scratched the back of his head. Naruto gave a sidelong glance. When the former sighed and chuckled, Sakura's eyes locked on him. He spoke as he walked to his footlocker to retrieve his shoes. "That father of hers can be a real stickler for tradition." Her eyes narrowed. She really wasn't sure what type of game was being played here, but the scenario seemed…surreal. As Kiba continued, he pulled out a leash. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Gotta get home before Kaa-san or Nee-chan string me up."

Naruto waved vigorously as he called out to his canine-like friend. "Hey! Tell Akamaru I said, 'Hi!'!" Sakura sighed as she pushed Naruto from behind. "Hurry! Hurry!" He laughed in reply and rushed for the door to hold it open for her. By the time they exited into the dusk air, Kiba was long gone. Sakura sighed as she walked with Naruto off the school grounds and wondered just where they would acquire these promised sweets.

It didn't take that long to get to what she guessed was a dango shop. She was surprised by the fragrance which immediately washed over her. There were a variety of sweets mixing with the bitterness of tea and coffee. It was a wonderful aroma, and she let a simple sigh pass her lips. Sakura sat down as Naruto ran up to the counter to place an order.

As she sat, she studied the architecture of the place. It was somewhat similar to what she was used to, but there were elements she just didn't recognize. Her face scrunched in thought. "This place is a little…too detailed. It's odd having nothing familiar but being wrapped in nostalgia." Sakura stifled a sigh as she watched Naruto place a tray on the table.

She looked at the still steaming green tea and two skewers of dango in front of her. It seemed like less than she was expecting, especially considering who was sitting directly across from her. He smiled and scratched the back of his head as he picked on up and chomped a single dango off. When he swallowed and realized she hadn't touched one yet, he spoke up. "Don't want to spoil your meal. Your mother'd kill me!" She giggled, finally starting on her snack.

After their pit stop, Naruto walked Sakura straight home. As they rounded the gates, they nearly jumped seeing Sakura's mother standing in the open door. She wore a bright smile as she addressed them. "It's getting late. Naruto, would you like to join us for dinner? It's almost read." He chuckled nervously. "Nah, Baa-san would kill me if I were late for dinner!" He gave a quick bow. "See ya tomorrow Haruno-san!"

Naruto ran off, waving Sakura and her mother goodbye. For some reason, she couldn't help but roll her eyes and sigh. "Naruto will be Naruto." She turned to her mother who beckoned her inside. She stepped inside and closed the door, watching her mother enter the kitchen. With a sigh, she looked at the shoes to figure out if her father was home. "Kaa-san, is Tou-san going to be home for dinner?"

"Hnn?" Sakura almost sighed at her mother's response. She was about to ask the question again when the rest of the reply came. "No, Tou-san's going to be busy at work tonight. It's just the two of us." There was another pause as Sakura placed her backpack down at the foot of the stairs. "Then it's off to homework for you!" She rolled her eyes with a sigh. "…and Kaa-san will be Kaa-san."

Dinner at the Haruna household was uneventful. As Sakura lay in her bed, she didn't really feel like doing the homework her mother told her to do. She lay there looking at the picture she 'intercepted' from Kiba. It really was a cute photograph of Hinata, and she was curious why the loyal as a canine teammate of hers hasn't actually done anything like this.

With a sigh, she wonders just how big a threat this genjutsu really was. She didn't reveal anything the shinobi wouldn't already know to create an illusion to this degree. She was worried about the fact that she couldn't release the genjutsu under her own power. Before her thoughts could go very far, she started feeling an incredible urge to sleep. She fought it, but, eventually, her mind gave way to the darkness of sleep.


Hinata didn't really know what to expect as she tore past Kiba. He tried to stop her, but she ignored his concerned calls. She just wanted to leave. She ran as fast as she could through the courtyard and finally slowed to a walk as she rounded the corner created by Konoha Academy's main gate. Her breathing was heavy as she recollected on the most recent events.

Her mind worked backwards from when she nearly kissed Naruto. She shook off the blush as she continued to stroll along the sidewalk leading past Hanabi's school and towards home. She worked along her memory as she rewound through her confession, which brought a smile to her face, and the events between Naruto and Sakura in the science classroom. Her gaze was downcast as she walked past Hanabi's school.

Hinata stopped for a moment when she thought back on Sasuke walking past her towards the infirmary. Her face heated in anger, but she stopped on that memory for another reason. "Naruto-kun seemed surprised by Sasuke's reaction to his question. What did he ask?" As she pondered this, she heard a familiar voice call her name. She stopped and turned around.

Neji and Tenten wore a smile as they caught up to Hinata. "Oh! Hello Neji-niisan. Hello Tenten-chan." Neji looked at her as if he caught something. "Is something the matter, itoko?" Upon hearing the question, Tenten looked at her with her own concern. Hinata quickly shook her head. "No. No, there's nothing wrong." She lied. She didn't want them finding out what she did. She felt guilty enough as it is.

Neji sighed and shook his head. "You've been acting weird since this morning." Hinata's eyes went wide as she remembered something else. Her day was so exciting she nearly forgot about her suspicions. Reminded of this morning, she calmed slightly. She hadn't given any vital information, but she still didn't know how her Byakugan had been blocked.

When worried glances from Tenten and her cousin told her she had delayed too long, she gave them a warm smile. "I promise there's nothing wrong. Maybe I'm a little tired, though." Again, she lied, but she didn't know what else to do. She happily discussed the day's events with her two companions on the way to the Hyuuga estate. For her part, Hinata purposely skipped over the parts happening after school ended. She made sure to indulge in questioning Neji and Tenten about their day.

Tenten said her farewells at the Hyuuga estate gates. Neji invited her for dinner. His excuse was something about forcing her to stay late to help him with some upcoming club activities. She apologized politely and mentioned something about an important family dinner. Hinata just giggled as she listened to the two make the longest goodbyes she'd yet to see between them.

Hinata and Neji were greeted by Hanabi as they entered the house. Hanabi and Neji quickly headed into the dining room, and Hinata took her time. She sat on the stairs and pulled a book out of her backpack to make it look like she was busy. She wanted the time to think. There were plenty of questions she had which didn't make sense to her.

Naruto and Sakura both seemed to know Sasame, but she was sure she'd never seen the orange-haired girl in Konoha before. Did they meet her on a mission, or was it part of some trick or trap set up for whatever she was experiencing? Neji was wary of something happening between Sakura and her when they met in front of the Academy, but Naruto and Sakura seemed surprised by his reaction. Was this significant?

While Hinata was trying to wrap her head around her quandaries, her father called from the portal connecting the hallway, where Hinata sat on the stairs pretending to read, and the dinning room, where a wonderful aroma wafted from. "Hinata, dinner's ready." She nodded and stood to acknowledge she heard and was coming. With a quick turn, he retreated back to the kitchen to retrieve the remaining dinner items.

Hinata was relieved when dinner didn't bring up the day's events again. She was glad to take her mind off her worries. After the quiet dinner, she withdrew to the sanctuary of her room. She lay in bed, turned on her side. Her lavender eyes gazed upon the full moon as she fought off sleep. She wanted to think more on the day's events while things were quiet and remained undisturbed. Sleep quickly won, however, as she drifted into peaceful slumber.


Naruto wasn't very fortunate upon arriving home. As he slowly turned the doorknob, it was suddenly wrested from his hands. He found himself gawking at a very agitated Tsunade. She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped a foot against the hard floor. He scratched the back of his head and swallowed. "H-Hi, baa-san." He greeted her nervously as he tried taking a step into the house.

She immediately pelted the top of his head. "What time do you think it is?! It's getting late!" He walked past her nursing the bump on the top of his head. Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice the bloodshot eyes, bruises, or scrapes. He froze as she slammed the door and continued to berate him. "And how many times to I have to tell you it's no baa-san?! I'd think you'd come up with something more respectful to call me by now."

Naruto merely nodded as he took off his shoes and placed his backpack on the floor. He knew Tsunade could probably drone on like this for a long time. He took a particularly long pause to mean she was done and started walking up the stairs. He was stopped when a strong hand grasped the back of his collar before he was twisted around by a second hand. He was brought face-to-face with a concerned looking Tsunade.

"What kind of mess did you get yourself into, this time?" He let out a sigh as he waved a hand dismissively to the side. "It's between men." She gave him the 'give me a break' look before rolling her eyes and letting him go. "Go get yourself washed up and come down for dinner." Naruto gave her a nod and rushed upstairs. Tsunade sighed. "Sometimes I wonder what goes through that boy's head."


Sasame was walking through Konoha Academy Middle School's halls towards the place she knew Sasuke would be. She wore a merry expression as she practically skipped towards the infirmary. She had been overjoyed to hear his proposition when he first approached her, and she couldn't decide which benefit she enjoyed most. She was offered both the chance to see Naruto again and completely free the Fuuma clan from Orochimaru's demented experiments for, in her mind, no real loss.

As the door to the infirmary came into view, she picked up the faintest scent of blood. Her eyes narrowed as she flattened her back against the same wall as the infirmary. She slowly edged her way along the wall until she could peer through the entrance. When she only saw Sasuke and the red-headed doctor, she turned into the infirmary and looked around.

Sasuke still clutched his left shoulder. Sasame made out traces of dried blood. She noticed that the doctor merely looked winded. "What happened?" Sasuke heaved a heavy breath as he looked at the battered edge of Kusanagi. "I'm not sure I want to know." The doctor cackled. "He messed with forces he was better off leaving alone." Sasuke gave the doctor an angry glare before turning to Sasame. "What happened?"

Sasame smiled as she leaned against the nearest wall. She took a quick glance outside. The sun set a while ago, and the full moon was rising in the sky. "I got Sakura-chan mad enough to chase me around, and Hinata-chan was left along with Naruto-senpai." She held the senior honorific for fun. She preferred something less formal, but she wanted to keep playing long.

Sasuke nodded. "I can't say things went quite according to plan." He eyed the doctor who was looking through the window. He wasn't ignoring them, but he had nothing to add on. Sasuke continued as he started to sheath Kusanagi. "However, I can say today's objectives have been obtained." Sasame nodded and watched as a slight ripple ran across the scenery. The doctor sighed.

Yawning, Sasame felt the urge to lie down and take a nap. She knew why, but she still fought the sleep to see if she were to be given orders. Kusanagi was more than halfway sheathed. "You can move closer to the village. You've fulfilled your end of the agreement, so you are free to do as you please. However, you will not discuss anything I have told you." Sasame nodded as she slid down the wall and wrapped her arms around her legs. Darkness overtook her vision as she fell into something similar to sleep.


A red-head vigorously shook a sleeping Sasuke as he seemed to tremor from what an untrained eye would see as night terrors. "Sasuke! Sasuke! It's okay! You're back!" Sasuke's eyes were wide open as his Mangekyu slowly morphed to the regular Sharingan, and the red disappeared from his irises as his eyes returned to normal. He closed his eyes as the chakra drain caught up to his body. He heard a relieved sigh. "Thank you, Karin." He opened his eyes to look at the kunoichi. Karin's eyes pinched shut in relief. She only opened her eyes when he placed his hand on her shoulder, and she gazed into his eyes as he issued his next order. "Status report."


This is where the fun begins! I wonder how many thought the climax had already passed. In case anybody was wondering, the fight scene in the last chapter was the weakest I ever wrote, and it was done that way on purpose. The girls were meant to clearly overpower Sasuke. I will be writing what I consider true fight scenes which will be much more interesting; though, I don't know that any more will actually appear in this fan-fiction. Until then, I'm just having fun with this story.

As always, reviews are appreciated, and flames outright ignored.

Story Word Count: 2,712
Story Page Count: 5