Chapter 10: Time to wake up

Hiru woke with a start and a jolt of pain, and immediately decided this wouldn't be much fun.

"Good morning Hiru-kun," Tsunade greeted him, looking down.

"Oh, is it really morning?" He smirked. "Time for me to sleep then. G'night." His eyes fell shut.

Across the room, Sakura smiled weakly. A few moments ago, The fifth Hokage had stormed back into the room, declared that it was time for Hiru to wake up, and slapped him across the face. It worked once, so now she tried it again.

Smack.

"Ow!" he yelped. "What was that for!?"

"The bed doesn't belong to you, so find somewhere else to sleep."

"How cruel! The last time you treated me you were so...gentle."

Tsunade shivered. "You were six years old! And such a nice kid, too! If Jiraiya hadn't gotten to you I swear..." She trailed off when she caught Sakura staring at her.

"...Anyway, get out."

"Oh? I thought for sure I'd never be kicked out of your home, not while I have..." He'd reached for his vest, and rummaged in it for a second. Then his expression changed.

"What do you have?" Tsunade asked in a deceptively nice voice. "Some of your stuff was damaged in the fight, so I threw it away."

"Oh."

"Now, out!" She grabbed his wrist and stood him up. Hiru finally seemed to wake up completely.

"Oh, right." He threw the jacket over one shoulder and leaped out of the window.

"Sensei, what was all that about?"

"Tch. Idiot thought he could blackmail..." Tsunade caught herself. "I mean, he once stole something from me, and I finally got it back."

Sakura's head spun from the information, but she managed to stay on track.

"That's...not what I meant. Why did you kick him out like that?"

"Oh." Tsunade looked uncomfortable. "Hiru can't stay here, that's all there is to it."

"But you took care of him last night!" the pink-haired girl pressed.

"It was dark last night. I didn't recognize his face until this morning...right Sakura?"

The girl's eyes widened.

"As soon as I recognized him as a missing nin, and therefore a lawful target of Umou village's hunters, I attempted to subdue him. He escaped, and I made the executive decision that it would require an unreasonable amount of Konoha's military strength to recapture him. As such, no attempt will be made."

"That's..."

Tsunade smirked. "Actually, it happens a lot. None of the major villages want to spend their time solving each others' problems, and Umou isn't even considered a major village.

Sakura felt like she was looking at her sensei for the first time, and it was just a little scary. Still, something was tugging at the back of her mind, something she'd forgotten...

"I'm back!" Ino announced outside the door. "Is Hiru-sensei up yet?"

Urk!

"Come in, Ino," Tsunade commanded. "I need to talk to you as well."

"as well as me?" Sakura realized.

Ino opened the door with a smile on her face and a bento in her hands. "He told me he isn't much of a breakfast person, so I made this instead." then she took in the empty bed, and her smile faded fast.

"Sit down, please." Tsunade gestured to a chair next to Sakura. She made it a point to keep standing, so they could feel the authority radiating down on them.

"Where'd he go!?" Ino demanded, but still sat down. "He can't be better yet!" Tsunade silenced her with her authority and one eyebrow twitch.

"There are a few things you two need to understand," she began. "The first is that the rules change drastically when you enter or leave Konoha. I can claim that I don't know what you're doing when you're outside the gate, but the instant you come back to Konoha, you will not assist a missing nin in any way."

Ino wanted to speak, but that eyebrow kept her mouth pinned shut.

"The second is that leaving Konoha without passing through the gate is against the law." Here she hesitated. "...unless you return the same way and nobody can prove that you left." They both understood immediately, and started to feel hopeful for just a second.

"And the third: you two are now forbidden from leaving Konoha until I decide you can, whether you walk out through the gate or I use the convenient jutsu Hiru gave the third Hokage that informs me whenever a summoning scroll is used nearby."

Ino finally broke free of the authority/eyebrow combo. "But what about that Anbu? He was following us and he took Hiru back here, without using the gate even!"

"What's an Anbu?" Tsunade smiled at them.

At that moment they were interrupted by a polite knock on the door.

"Come in!" Tsunade called. Druj opened the door but stayed outside it.

"Permission to resume following my target." He didn't make it sound like a question.

"Permission granted." The door slid shut. Sakura and Ino both sweatdropped.

"Now, where was I?" Tsunade asked. "Oh right, What's this Anbu thing you're talking about? We have no records that anything by that name exists in Konoha."

Both girls stared at her, no clue what to say.

"I have a few relatives in Anbu," Ino offered dumbly. Tsunade frowned at her, while Sakura giggled.

"We get your point," she told Tsunade with a smile. The fifth scowled and rounded on her.

"Sakura, if you were actually planning to stay in the village you'd be angry. The fact that you're taking it so well means you're planning on disobeying me.

It was Sakura's turn to scowl. "Don't do it," her sensei said calmly, in a voice that would take no argument. "Besides, why do you want to so badly?"

That started the pink-haired girl thinking: why did she want to help Hiru? The answer stuck out to her too soon, and she didn't like it at all. I couldn't help Sasuke. Maybe I need to help somebody, anybody to prove that I can.

Next to her, Ino replied with a different answer.

"I finally understand what's going on," she said seriously. "Hiru-sensei was running from his sister so he wouldn't have to fight her, but he decided to stop because I asked him to. How am I supposed to just leave him in this situation!?"

Tsunade turned to face her with a slightly different look. "Ino, is there something between you and Hiru?" she asked directly. Ino blushed.

"Well, I guess so..."

At this point Tsunade called upon one of the great secret techniques of Konoha's leaders: the Hokage-sigh no jutsu. Sakura and Ino felt exasperation flowing out from her, filling the room.

"You two come with me, now!" she snapped. They both snapped to attention, then had to scramble to follow her out the window. Seriously, who in Konoha uses stairs anymore?

"Yo!" Hiru called over his shoulder. He'd been making his way toward the gate when he noticed his Anbu tail. The white-haired teen stopped on a wide circular roof and turned. A second later he was joined by an Anbu wearing an owl mask. As Druj rose from his crouch Hiru noticed he was shaking slightly.

"It's been a while," he offered politely. When the mask was silent, he tried again. "Is everything okay?"

"I don't know, you tell me." The Anbu's voice was husky, and he was still trembling.

"Then I'd better-" Hiru started, but was cut off.

"You never know with us Anbu, do you?" the man asked sharply.

"Know what?"

"Who we are, who we're related to, what we really care about...things like that." He raised a hand to the mask, shifted it slightly.

"Is something wrong, Druj?" Hiru asked point blank.

"Yeah, actually, there is." With a sudden movement, the Anbu tore off his mask. His face looked like it was once very handsome, but a pair of vicious scars now ran from underneath his eyes to the back of his neck on either side. The effect made him look like a tortured animal.

"Wow," Hiru breathed. "But I thought you weren't supposed to remove your mask?"

"I'm taking a break as an Anbu," he growled. "For the next few minutes, I'm Druj...Yamanaka Druj."

Hiru's eyes widened. "Yamanaka...Druj?"

"I told you to stay away from my niece!" he roared, and charged forward. His sword slipped out of its sheath, slicing the air as Hiru escaped its path.

"Woah! Wait up! What are you talking about!?"

"You know what'll happen! You know and you still tried to get her involved! You unforgivable scum!" A sword slash accompanied each accusation as if fueled by it.

Hiru didn't respond. He took the first opening and fled, leaving a dent in the roof.

Druj flitted after him, radiating bloodthirst. More than one person walking below noticed him and looked up, sometimes shouting in surprise. When Hiru came down from his jump the Anbu was waiting for him, and nothing could prevent a deep cut into his arm.

"You know I won't let anything happen to her!" he shouted, stumbling back.

"Lies! You told me yourself that you can't stop it!"

"I can't stop it for my own sake. If...if it were for someone else I'd-"

"Stop lying to yourself." Druj seemed to be calming down a little. "Just move on from here, and everything will go back to normal."

"I'm not going," Hiru said firmly. Druj approached him menacingly.

In an instant, the Anbu darted forward and there was a loud crack. When the smoke cleared, he was nowhere to be found.

Hiru panted heavily. Ten seconds...ten seconds was not long enough, he realized. He bent his knees experimentally, but the next jump wasn't in them. In fact, neither were the next few seconds of standing: he collapsed to his knees and his hands hit the dirt in front of him.

Three... he counted to himself. ...Two...One. Druj appeared again where he'd been standing, a look of surprise on his face.

"So, you've finally perfected it have you?" he asked darkly.

An instant later, Tsunade and the two genin arrived.

"Druj!" the Fifth shouted.

"What are you doing!?" Ino shrieked, running toward Hiru. A look of pure malice passed over the Anbu's eyes as he watched her crouch down next to him.

"Druj!" Tsunade repeated, and he turned to face her.

"Hokage-sama, even you cannot order me to stop attacking a missing nin."

"Druj, I order you to put on your mask."

The Anbu looked taken aback for a second, then he took a deep breath and reached behind his back. He took the mask from its place there and with a trembling hand fitted it into place. His shoulders heaved in another breath before he approached Hiru again.

"S-stay back!" Ino shouted when she saw him coming closer. He totally ignored her at first.

"Hiru, that's not good enough," he said simply, then looked at Ino. "And you, Ino! Throwing yourself at a boy you just met, you're embarrassing your family and myself."

"Do I know you?" she asked coldly.

Druj froze for a second, then chuckled. "Now I look like a complete idiot."

"Tsunade-sama, with your permission I will take a leave of absence from my duties, effective immediately. I have acted quite foolishly."

"Permission granted," she replied blankly, and he was gone.

"Thanks for your concern Ino, but I'm fine." Hiru pushed himself back and stood up, although he wavered a bit.

"I apologize for Druj's rash actions," Tsunade decided to say. "He has quite a temper, but it only manifests itself when he takes off his mask. Many of our Anbu have similar quirks." She shook her head.

"Actually, the Druj with his mask on is the one I remember," Hiru replied unexpectedly. "Something must have happened while I was away."

Tsunade thought for a second, then turned to go.

"Oh, wait!" Hiru called out. "Can you or Sakura-chan help me with this wound before you go?"

"What makes you think that Sakura can heal your cursed skin?" Tsunade asked immediately.

Sakura had been out of the conversation for so long it took her a minute to realize it was about her. "I bought a scroll," she admitted. "He was teaching me last night before Asuka showed up."

"In that case, you should be able to handle it." Did Tsunade sound...jealous? No, just a little torqued, Sakura decided as her sensei disappeared.

Hiru's wound was much deeper than the ones she'd practiced on last night, but healing it seemed much easier. When she was done he stretched like some huge cat, and prepared to jump out of Konoha.

Ino and Sakura watched him go, knowing they would probably never see him again-

"No way that's happening! Mind-body disturbance!" Ino cried. Hiru fell flat on his face, caught in her technique.

"Stay here with us until you're healed. You'll need to absorb more chakra to fight." Hiru said nothing. He didn't move either.

"...Let's go on another date, okay?"

Now Hiru spoke up. "Ino, did you not understand any of what just happened?"

Sakura thought back to what Tsunade had said while they were traveling.

"Ino, listen. If you want Hiru to stay in Konoha, don't let him out of your sight. The moment he leaves the village again he'll decide to move on, it's how he is."

Inner Sakura had been fuming ever since. Make up your mind, woman! Do you want him here or not!?

Hiru locked his gray eyes with Ino's silvery ones for a few seconds. Finally, he laughed.

"Fine, but first I'll show you my technique for escaping your...'mind-body disturbance?'"

For a second he concentrated, then his eyes turned coal-black and he slumped to his knees. His breathing got slower and slower, until he breathed out and stopped. Sakura watched in interest, Ino in horror for a second as his eyes turned coal black and closed. Ino felt her technique slip away as the target died, but an instant later Hiru took a deep breath and opened his eyes. He shivered once, but got back up and smiled. His eyes seemed brighter somehow.

"Sweet, I can still do it properly," he said with a grin.

"Don't scare me like that!" Ino scolded him.

"Just don't be scared by it," he replied.

Suddenly Sakura felt her strength drain away, and she almost fell over. Hiru was in front of her immediately, offering his arm. "Did you sleep at all last night? After all that healing you did you should be out of action for at least a day."

"I-I'm going home now," she decided. Sakura shook off his arm and stood straight before walking away, to prove her stability. Behind her, Hiru took a step forward and staggered himself.

"Sorry Ino, I think all I'll be doing today is sleeping."

"Then come to my house. We've got a spare bedroom you can use."

"Maybe...yeah, okay."

Sakura stirred, but kept her eyes closed. In her mind's eye she could see her room flooded with light: there was no reason to actually look at it. She hugged the pillow tighter and pretended she could go back to sleep.

Besides, any second now her mom would call up to her, telling her to get up and come down to breakfast. It was like clockwork, how she always woke up a few seconds before it came.

Any second now.

Those seconds came and went, and nothing happened. "Huh?" Sakura asked aloud, and opened her eyes. The room was much darker than she'd thought. A quick glance at her clock told her it wasn't 9:30, it was 6:30. She sat there wondering for a second before she remembered what happened. After getting home she'd fallen fast asleep, and that was before lunch yesterday. What a nap!

Of course, as she realized this she also noticed that her body was brimming with chakra the way it always did after a stress/rest cycle. It might be early, but she wouldn't be sleeping again. Sighing, she changed from the red dress she'd fallen asleep in, to another identical red dress. A little tiptoeing and she was out the door for a walk or something.

Sakura hadn't the slightest clue where she was going, but it was kinda nice. The sun wasn't doing much yet, and everywhere she went it was quiet. It was a while before she found anything interesting, but when she did it was worth it.

"Hyaa!" she heard a girl's voice cry out nearby. A second later it was answered by a familiar boy's voice.

"Crap, I'm so bad you feel like doing war-cries now?"

"N-no! That's not it, I just..."

"Besides, I'll show you how it's really done...GRAAH!!"

There was an audible thump.

"S-Sorry Naruto."

Frustrated, Sakura headed toward the voices. Naruto was too loud this early in the morning, it wasn't fair to everybody else!

When she turned a corner and saw Hinata standing over him, she paused for some reason. She even stepped back so they wouldn't see her.

Naruto grunted in frustration. "We're still sparring!" he reminded the Hyuuga girl. A trio of clones dashed at her, one on each side and one from behind. In an instant, Hinata's arms blurred and she popped the two she could see. Neither Sakura nor Naruto knew about the Byakugan's blind spot, so they were surprised when the third clone rammed into her back with his shoulder. Hinata cried out as she lost her balance and fell forward.

Both teens in the clearing were dazed for a second.

"Ooh," Hinata whimpered. Then she felt something beating beneath her, and froze up completely.

Naruto took a second longer. "How did?-" his gears turned slowly at first, then faster and faster:

--Ninja "A" is standing over ninja "B" when they are knocked over from behind by ninja "C." Ninja "C" then falls over from his own charge and lands on top. The resulting pile of ninjas is C/A/B.--

Yeah, that sounded right. In this case "B" was Naruto, "C" was a Naruto clone, and "A" was...

"Hinata! Are you okay!?" She didn't answer, so he panicked. So did the clone, when it should have been getting up instead. "Hey, Hinata!" Naruto couldn't move unless he used chakra, and that would probably be sudden and explosive.

Sakura was almost as stunned as Hinata, watching them from her corner. That Naruto! What is he thinking!? Now she would have to go beat him up, but at the same time there was no way she was coming out right now.

"Hey, get off!" Naruto told his clone. "R-right." Now it was a two-person sandwich, and just as uncomfortable. The yellow-haired boy expected her to move, but it wasn't happening. He could feel her warmth on his chest, and it felt so wrong! I bet normal people enjoy things like that, he wondered. The only time I've ever felt heat like this before, it was coming from the stupid fox. He wanted so much to just relax and enjoy it like a normal person, and the more he thought about it the less he felt like telling her to get off.

Of course, both Hinata and Sakura were normal people so they continued to freak out. Finally Hinata managed to speak.

"N-...Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry!" She couldn't really think of anything else to say.

"What? Oh, don't worry about it." Neither of them moved, though.

"I'll get off now," she said after another few seconds.

"Sure, whenever you feel like it." Naruto grinned.

Hinata shifted to the side and they both sat up.

"Hinata, your face is completely red!" Naruto chuckled.

"Actually, your face is red too," she pointed out.

"Weird."

They were silent for a minute.

"The sun's coming up, Hinata."

"Yeah."

"Wanna spar some more?"

"No, not really."

"Oh."

"...Man, I can't wait for tonight. Hiru-sensei better be available this time."

"Actually, my scroll said he won't be teaching tonight."

"No way!"

"He said...the scroll said we take a break from training."

"A break!? What am I gonna do all night then?"

There's always sleeping, Inner Sakura grumbled.

"I was going to...I mean...umm..." Hinata tried.

"What?"

She turned bright red again. "I-if you have nothing else to do, would you...would you like to go out with me?"

"EH!?" Sakura said aloud. They both turned to look, but she ducked behind the corner. After a minute they shrugged, and turned back to each other.

"I don't know," Naruto answered, looking down.

Poor Hinata, she doesn't realize what a little kid Naruto is.

"Why not?" Hinata looked devastated.

"I went on a date once, and it wasn't much fun. I don't think I'm very good at them."

When was that?

"R-really? With who?"

"It was with Sakura-chan."

What the!? When was that!?

"Really?" Hinata was thinking hard. "What happened?"

"We went to Ichiraku and I got some ramen. She said she wasn't hungry so I just sat there and ate in front of her. She talked a little, then left." He gave Hinata a strange look that was half smile, half sad. "If a date with me is that boring, I wouldn't want to put you through it."

Images flashed through Sakura's mind. "Naruto, I'll go out with you or whatever, just get over here now! I need to talk to you about something... Looking back now, it was a disgusting thing to say.

"I'm not worried about that at all!" Hinata looked relieved. "If we really do start to get bored we can just spar some more."

That doesn't sound much like a date... Inner Sakura noted, trying to shake off her feelings of guilt.

"That doesn't sound so bad," Naruto said. "Okay, then."

Suddenly Sakura felt a strange sinking feeling. She couldn't figure it out: Naruto had nothing to do with her outside of team 7, so there was nothing wrong with him going out with Hinata. He'd probably be happier if they stayed together, happier than he was now anyway.

...Happier than he's been liking me.

"Let's meet here at sunset, then."

...Finally, the fifth wheel will fall off...

"We could meet earlier and eat together. Do you like Ramen?"

...and it'll be me and Sasuke, a line instead of a triangle...

"Not very much, but Ichiraku sells takoyaki as well. I don't mind eating there."

"He doesn't understand me at all! It's like he deliberately tries to ruin my life every chance he gets!"

"No way! They don't...do they really?"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't bring him back. Someday...someday I'll do it though."

Sakura pushed off of the wall and ran home.

Critic: In 20 minutes I have to leave and go camping for the weekend, but I wanted to post this first. As such, I haven't put it past my writer friends yet. If you find a mistake or a part you don't like, tell me because I'll be willing to change it on Tuesday.

I also haven't re-checked the manga yet so the flashbacks might be a little off from what was said.