Author's Note: Sorry to take so long updating. This is the last week I have before my summer vacation ends, so I figured I might as well update when possible.

As for why I haven't updated…I've had a new baby cousin to take care of:) Babies are complicated creatures!

Anyway. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

Geniuses are patient, even if they don't show it. They work well in a team. They adjust, and they learn things about their teammates that help them bond. Geniuses, in short, are very quick to interact with their teammates.

Uchiha Sasuke was an excellent example of this.

"Seven?"

"Go fish."

"Drat! You sure you're not cheating, jerk?"

"You make fidgety noises when you've got a card I want, that's all."

"Do not!"

"Do too."

"Anyway, this is boring!"

"You didn't want to learn poker," Sasuke said with a shrug.

Well, he would have been quick to interact with his teammates, had one of them not fainted three hours ago. Although he was strangely getting used to seeing Hinata out cold, he nonetheless wished the girl would wake up. Naruto only needed one pair to catch up and tie him in this dumb card game.

Lo and behold, the Hyuuga did start fluttering her eyelids. Just as Sasuke fell off his seat with surprise and relief, Naruto leaned eagerly towards Hinata.

Too close.

The first thing Hinata saw when she opened her eyes was a bored, card-holding Naruto.

Not good.

"N-N-Naru-Na-Naru-"

"Hey, Sasuke, why's Hinata turning-?"

With a growl, Sasuke pushed Naruto towards the living room corner. The dobe being safely out of the blushing Hyuuga's personal boundaries, he turned and faced Hinata. "You fainted. Naruto and I carried you here to my compound. It's 5:21 P.M. Start cooking."

"I-isn't it supposed to be a g-group effort?"

"Yeah, that's right. I'll help you Hinata!"

Sasuke blinked. Naruto. Near an oven. Near his oven. Not going to happen. "Stay away from my oven," he scowled, eyes narrowing.

"Huh? What's your problem this time, jerk?"

"This house is over one hundred years old. The last thing I want is for you to burn it down because of your cooking."

"I won't burn anything!" Naruto protested.

"Easy enough to say, but a dobe like you would definitely-"

"Y-you're an expert in that Fire Extinguishing Jutsu, right, Sasuke?" Hinata added in meekly.

"…Fine. I guess the dobe can cook then."

"Right. The first thing we need to do is figure out what we're gonna cook," Sasuke said matter-of-factly.

Two pairs of eyes stared at him blankly.

He sighed. "The first poison Iruka-sensei assigned is famous for its sweet flavor, so we'll have to have good dessert. The second is pretty mild, so we can cook anything there. As for the third, we should probably go with onigiri. Preferably with fish filling."

A lightbulb went off in Naruto's head.

"Hey, no FAIR! You're just saying that because that's your favorite food!"

"No. I'm saying that because it's easy to make and we don't have that much time." That, and it's delicious.

"I wanna make ramen!" Naruto interrupted

"You don't even know how to!"

"Sure I do! You open the cup, add some water, and stick it in the microwave, so ha!"

Sasuke's eye twitched.

"We're not making instant ramen."

"Why not? It's way better than rice balls!"

"The flavor's too commercial and therefore recognizable. The poison'd stick out like a sore thumb," Sasuke explained. The dobe was really dense at times.

"Ramen's a better picnic food than rice balls. Right, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, appealing to the up-till-now silent Hinata.

"U-um…"

"Are you really gonna risk the grade that way?" Sasuke asked, a bit more annoyance in his voice than necessary.

"W-well…"

"I refuse to show up with instant ramen."

"Ramen makes people happiest, right Hinata?"

"S-S-Sasuke-kun-said-the-second-food-could-be-anything-we-want-and-I-really-want-to-do-ramen-please," Hinata stuttered quickly.

"It'd be a B at most," Sasuke scowled.

"Alright! A B! We're all set!" Naruto cheered.

"U-um…I know how to c-cook ramen a l-little…so it'd be b-better than instant, a-and y-you wouldn't mess up your p-perfect A record, Sasuke. P-please?"

"Ramen cooked by a twelve year old girl in a twelve year old boy's kitchen. …Whatever."

"Alright! You're the best, Hinata-chan!" Naruto whooped, hugging Hinata.

Watching Hinata's smiling face grow alarmingly redder and redder, Sasuke had a sudden urge to punch Naruto.

"U-um…thanks Sasuke," she managed to squeak out. Ah, that was better, Sasuke thought with a smirk, until he noticed exactly how red Hinata's face was getting. That couldn't be-

Thud!

-good. Ouch.

"Hey, jerk, why'd Hinata faint again? All I did was hug her!"

"…idiot."

Geniuses were good teammates because they adapted.

Sasuke made a mental note to stock up on smelling salts whenever partnership when Hinata became necessary.

"…Hinata?"

"…darn it, stop poking her, you moron!"

Mental Note #2: Stock up on aspirin for dobe-induced headaches while he was at it.

"No."

"B-but Sasuke, it's for sanitation purpos-"

"...I'm NOT wearing that apron."

"Mah, if Sasuke-jerk won't do it, I won't either!" Naruto said, throwing his own colorful apron off.

Very quietly, Hinata sighed.

"I-If you don't put it on, your c-clan's shirt might get dirty," she hinted shyly.

"It has ruffles," Sasuke mumbled out.

"Haha, Sasuke-chan has to wear a frilly apron!" Naruto grinned.

"I'm not wearing such a girly apron," Sasuke scowled.

"I-I'm sure y-you'll still l-look quite m-manly no m-matter what," Hinata said, throwing him a sincere look.

…

…

…

"Fine," Sasuke relented, throwing the apron around his waist carelessly and trying to ignore the warm feeling in his stomach that came with Hinata's words.

"Great. Now the hairnets," Hinata said softly.

"Hairnets?" Sasuke and Naruto chorused, eyes widening.

"W-we could use plain bandanas i-instead," Hinata offered with a weak smile.

Geniuses are quick to learn things about their teammates.

Hinata Talent #482: Getting boys to put on aprons.

"Hey, These bandanas are softer than I expected. Thanks, Hinata-chan!"

…and she was also good at making them put on bandanas too.

"U-um, how is t-this?" Hinata asked, holding out her first batch worriedly.

Sasuke frowned as he tasted it. "To be honest, it's good, but a little-"

"Wow, Hinata-chan! This tastes AWESOME! You ought to go into the business!"

"T-thank you v-v-v-very m-much, N-Naruto-kun," Hinata beamed.

"Not nearly good enough. The poison's sweet, but it's also a bit dry. You'll need to adjust the taste accordingly. I think a little more honey added to the red bean paste will do it."

"O-oh. Alright, then," Hinata said, a little crestfallen.

"Don't listen to him, Hinata, you're doing great!"

"Thanks, Naruto-k-k-kun!"

"Hey, Hinata."

"Yes?"

"Pass me the seaweed."

"Aren't I closer to the seaweed, jerk?"

"Yeah."

"And isn't Hinata all the way over there?"

"Yeah."

"Then why does Hinata have to pass it?"

"Because you have ramen-y hands," Sasuke blurted.

Naruto's eyes squinted shrewdly. "That's the dumbest excuse I've ever heard of," he said scornfully.

"…"

"Ramen-y hands make it taste better!"

Geniuses are quick to learn things about their teammates.

Naruto Talent #06: Being a much bigger idiot than people gave him credit for.

Although since Hinata ended up passing the seaweed anyway while the dobe was off on a rant, Sasuke wasn't complaining too much.

"Ahh, man, this is the 32nd batch already! When are you gonna be happy with it?" Naruto complained with a yawn.

Sasuke frowned and popped the sweet into his mouth.

He hated this type of sweet bread, anpan with red bean paste…but this one tasted…okay.

And no, the fact that this one was made by Hinata had nothing to do with it. Really.

The fact that he hadn't tasted a single trace of poison on this one wasn't something he'd admit easily either.

"…that'll do," he said, keeping his face blank.

"Really?" Hinata asked, pleasant surprise on her face.

"Yeah. The rest of the food's good to go too. We're done," Sasuke said.

"Finally! I'm leaving! See ya, Hinata-chan," Naruto shouted before running off.

"B-bye, Naruto!" Hinata shouted back, cheeks flaming red.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Ah, S-Sasuke…thanks for giving me a-advice about the food," Hinata nodded.

"Mmm."

Geniuses are patient, even if they don't show it. They work well in a team.

"Hey, Hinata."

"Y-yeah?"

"You really like red bean paste, don't you?"

"Y-yes."

"You don't cook it half-bad."

"T-t-thanks."

They adjust, and they learn things about their teammates that help them bond.

"See you later then. I wouldn't mind working with you again."

"M-me neither. U-um, see you later."

Geniuses, in short, are very quick to interact with their teammates.

When the teammate is Hinata, anyway.

Author's Note:

Okay. For the next chapter, I wanna write down a scenario I've been thinking about for a while. The only thing is…it involves the dramatic, serious, non-funny Sasuhina that this series is famous for not having. That said, I'm not sure you guys would like it. I also have another chapter in mind, though, that's a bit more light-hearted but not as…flow-y, I guess. So. Me being terrible at making decisions, I leave the choice up to you.

Would you guys absolutely hate it if there's one serious chapter? If you do, I won't write it…I'd hate to kill the fic's style, after all.

Anyway. Please let me know whether you think I write the serious chapter or not. Or if you're just as lazy as I am, please review and let me know what you thought about this chapter anyway.

Next Chapter Preview: 1.) In which Sasuke walks Hinata home after the project! Or 2.) In which the picnic starts!

Reviews, as you know, are always appreciated. :)