Author's Note: Man, I'm starting to feel like this is a chronicle of my life up here in these author notes. First off, disclaimer, I don't own Naruto -do I have to say it every damn chapter...-

I don't know if anybody pays attention to the silly news about the East Coast weather in the US, but we're having flooding. Right now, we're under mandatory evacuation. Maybe that'll change by the time I post this. However, my house is stone and on a hill, and we just started getting water in our basement. I'm just hoping that any of my East Coast readers are okay.

I also just came back from a really great event called Stones Rising. It's nice to remember what it feels like to be in a place I happily call my home. A big lesson they were trying to teach there is "Know Thyself", so, I wanted to pass that gem off to my readers. The more you know yourself, the more you can figure out why you hate the things you hate and why you enjoy the things you enjoy. When you know that about yourself, you can start seeing similar stories in others.

Also, be the friend that everyone runs to when they have problems. It might be a hassle, and it might put a lot more on your plate than you want to, but you should never put anything above the well-being of people you care about. Naruto is one of those friends, but he's much more proactive than I'm suggesting XP

So sorry if this chapter is not your favorite, my mind is a bit elsewhere. If I end up not liking the Trial I pulled out of my ass, I'll consider it a bookmark and go back to fix it after I'm done.

Trial 9: Understanding

This idiot can't be serious.

I've made it very clear to him. I don't like being in Konoha, I don't like his friends, but more than everything else, I despise being forced into social situations.

So why did he even think for a moment that it would be okay to invite his crowd to dinner at a barbecue joint in Konoha? Great, all of the people I don't wish to talk to cramped into one room with me. Granted, not everyone will be there, but it's still too many. Neji, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, Hinata, Sakura, Ino, and Sai were all invited, and they're the ones that agree to come. The rest of Neji's team is on a mission, and Shino had something more important to do. I try using that same excuse, but Naruto insists that pretending to have something to do is less important than subjecting myself to torture.

There isn't any point, so I had start walking back to the inn. Dobe takes a few punches before he comes up with an effective bribe.

"Hey! If you can spend this little bit of time here, I'll do the next report myself. You'll be able to go straight back to the inn! Now will you just come already?" He grabs and shakes me by the strap of my katana holster. What? It's perfectly customary to bring weapons to a social gathering with ninjas, certainly in my case. This way, I'll be able to slice them up when they start turning on us.

"Fine enough, but I'm warning you, dobe. If they annoy me, I'm leaving. I won't let you stop me the next time," Wrenching his hand away, I walk in the direction of the damn restaurant.

"Who said you'd be letting me? I could make you," He's too cocky for his own good, which is why he thinks he can slip his arm around my waist and walk in stride with me.

"You know, bastard, we can leave whenever you want. Chouji would make us stay for hours if we didn't bolt!" So, he's sucking up to me. Good, it means he's learning.

"We? Why is it always we, dobe? I've never agreed to being referred in conjunction with you," The restaurant is in sight, so I push his arm off me. I don't want to dwell upon the fact that I let it stay there for so long. That would lead my thoughts in the wrong direction entirely.

"Maa, Sasuke! We're working together, living together, and so we might as well have fun together," Somehow, I haven't overdosed on this idiot's presence.

"Fun is subjective," Though I say that, I'm still not stopping him from dragging me to the restaurant.

We end up being the last ones to arrive (We? Even I'm doing it...), so everyone has already started eating, or, in Chouji's case, inhaling.

"Damn, you guys! Can't you even wait two seconds for us to show up before you stuff your faces?" Naruto dashes around the room, hugging and greeting his friends. Meanwhile, I stay hovering between the hall and the doorway.

"Did you forget that Chouji was here?" Ino must be the only one who could say that without causing an Akimichi rampage. Hn, maybe that's something else I could give a try to get out of this.

""No, I didn't forget. That's why I brought extra money!" Of course, everyone laughs for the master of social skills.

"Why are you two so late, anyway?" Before Neji's answered, Naruto sits us down between Sakura and Shikamaru. Needless to say, I chose to sit next to my former team mate.

"Man, we aren't that late! It just took longer to get him to come than I thought it would," Well, nothing about that seemed strange to me, but then the girls started giggling. Did he really...seriously? Why do I always have to fix his mindless comments?

"I didn't want to be in Konoha for longer than necessary."

"Yeah, I just had to convince him!" Damn it, dobe! Keep your mouth shut, everything you say sounds perverted!

"Dig in, guys!" Look, Ino. One hyperactive blond is more than enough. Naruto throws enough meat on the grill for ten people, proving to me that his stomach is a black hole bigger than Chouji's.

"So, how did your last Trial go?" Sakura's directing the question at me, but Naruto answers for us.

"It was so easy! It was a bunch of pranks, except for the last one. Seriously, I felt like a kid again!" Turns out, part of the barbecue that Naruto had slapped on the grill was for me, since he puts it on a plate and sets it in front of me. Humoring him, I dip the meat slightly into the given sauce and eat it. At least dobe knows how to not overcook food.

"You are a kid, Naruto," Chouji expertly speaks around his food. He magically doesn't spit on me at all, even though I'm across from him.

"Asshole! I did what I had to do! You know damn well that I've changed since then!" I have to agree with him, though I don't verbalize it. If he hadn't changed, I wouldn't have listened to him whatsoever when the time came. The change was more dramatic for when I noticed it, since I hadn't been around him for the entire time like the others in Konoha.

He'll always be dobe to me, even if he becomes Hokage.

"N-Naruto-kun is right. His strategies during the war were a-amazing!" I'm sure you were only paying attention to his strategies, Hinata.

"I was also impressed during the war, Naruto," The other Hyuuga compliments him, "You managed to be passionate while keeping your thoughts calm. That's difficult for any shinobi during a war, but you did it."

"We all know he's his own kind of shinobi, guys," Kiba joins the conversation, though he continues to stuff meat into his mouth. He's sitting next to Chouji, so it might be some sort of dumb-ass competition.

"Heh, thanks!" Naruto hooks an arm around my neck and his other around Shikamaru's, "I love you guys, really!" Dobe is the only one I know who can sincerely say that to a room full of people.

"Speaking of that, didn't you invite us out to tell us something?" Sakura's eyes glint deviously. Looking as confused as I feel, Naruto asks her what the hell she's talking about.

"Uh, we all assumed..." When will these idiots realize that assumptions are nearly always incorrect? Depending on what they're talking about, it might be annoying enough to justify leaving.

"You mean you aren't announcing it yet? Man, and I had this whole speech thought out, too!" Why would Inuzuka ever feel obliged to make a speech about anything?

"What the hell is 'it'? I just wanted to hang out with everyone! I didn't plan an announcement!" No, I think I know what they're implying. Not this shit again, I just know Naruto'll say something ridiculous unless I set their facts straight.

"I'll say this once; Naruto and I are not together, or dating, or whatever it is that you suspect. I don't know what we've done to make it seem that way, but-"

"You're always together," Neji, don't you dare interrupt me with something so asinine.

""Naruto ran after you after rejecting me," Damn those Hyuugas!

"He whined about you constantly, man! I told him so!" Kiba, don't be a bitch.

"You listen to him and no one else," Just keep eating, fat-ass!

"I've been around you two sine the beginning," Sakura lays a gentle hand on my knee, "And I've seen it, even when I didn't want to."

So, not only do they believe the rumors, they perpetuate them with these twisted observations. There's a logical reason for everything I did! Naruto was the one who just ran with whatever his feelings said. Not me. I merely recognized that my path was leading to being controlled by Kabuto, so I rejected it and chose something different. I'm not in love with Naruto just because I chose him over the other fate!

"Last time I checked, this wasn't an intervention," Thirty more seconds of their stupidity, and I'm out.

"Okay, okay, stop playing. If I was dating anyone, I would just yell it out, not organize something like this!" He squeezes one of my tense shoulders. Maybe he's learned more of my verbal cues than I thought. His hand stays on until he's sure I won't try to leave. He manages to do a subject change, and we don't tread those waters for the rest of the time.

Though they aren't saying anything more, I can't help but notice their pointed glances every time Naruto gives me the food. Their stares intensify whenever he puts his hands on me, which happens much more often than necessary or wanted.

After two hours, Shikamaru gets up to leave. This is my chance to ask something that bothered me about the last Trial. I meet his eyes with my own, so he should get the message. Dobe starts to ask what's wrong, but I tell him that I'd be back.

He's right outside the restaurant when I leave. Finally, someone who can listen and follow orders without them being stated outright.

"So, what is it?" it doesn't matter that he's staring at the night sky instead of looking at me. I know where his focus lies, and it better stay on me every moment I speak.

"You wasted your chance. The elders gave you the opportunity to force me to leave. A couple of orders and I could've been in a deadly situation or one I would never agree to. Why didn't you?" Silence lingers for just a moment between us, but unlike Naruto, I have learned patience. If I hadn't, Shikamaru would already be incinerated by my Amaterasu.

"It would have been too troublesome," Really, now? I slam him into the wall with my arm and draw myself closer. He must not realize who he's addressing, so I might as well make it clear.

"You're regarded as a master of strategy, huh?" His eyes stay lazily on mine as I growl, "You're the only one who could have figured out a way to get me out of the picture without hurting Naruto's chances! Tell me, dammit! Why didn't you!"

"True, but I would be hurting him directly."

Am I supposed to believe that this is for him? Keeping me around is for Naruto and nothing more? I'm a threat, and they had realized it long before the bastards put me on death row!

"Chasing you was for Naruto. Protecting you was for Naruto," Finally, his voice begins to rise, "Letting you side with us was for Naruto. Taking you back was for Naruto. Putting you in jail was for Naruto! I have done nothing for just you!"

"The jail was your idea? You lied to him about where I was!" The star and shuriken spin in my eyes, reminding him of my position over him.

"Technically, it was a group effort, Uchiha. All I said was that Naruto needed to focus on training. If you weren't put somewhere else, he would be trying to help you with your transition back," So, I was put in storage in a jail? Why am I not surprised that these cowards would pick the only option that could eliminate any threat I pose?

"Death row was an afterthought, then, a way for you to make up for your utter incompetency?" Of course, why would be stupid enough to challenge me when I'm unchained and not blind? Most of the ninjas here wouldn't dare to fight me even if I was comatose.

"I never wanted you dead, you know. I wanted your revenge to end before you attacked people I care about. Naruto stopped that from happening. All I want now is for him to concern himself with his own problems for once."

"He's dragging me along for these Trials, so it seems that your goal is accomplished," My grip on him loosens, but I keep my tense stance and close proximity to him.

"No, it's not. The second he saw you again, all of his thoughts turned to you again. I saw it myself, so," Hn, it's his turn to threaten me, so his chest presses back against mind, "Don't you dare break his heart. You have to ability to do it. If you don't hurt him, then I won't regret what I did for you two."

"Nara, you-"

"The fuck, Shika!" Arms wrap around my waist and rip me away from Shikamaru. My back is assaulted by a familiar, muscular heat.

"Sorry, Naruto. Didn't meant to get so close," He shrugs and casually dusts himself off.

"What? You weren't fighting? Then, you were...?" Everyone gets the wrong idea, I'm sick of it. If anybody's coming on to me right now, dobe, I'd say it's the one who won't get his hands off me.

"We had a discussion about the last Trial. It devolved into an argument, dobe. Now let go of me," There's a hint of something when he slides his arms off me. Reluctancy? Can't be.

That doesn't stop the effect that the suggestion has on my heartbeat.

"I'll see you guys around. Stay safe, and good luck," With that and a single wave, Shikamaru strolls down the street. Coming in the opposite direction from him with a much more purposeful speed, an ANBU stops to address Naruto and I.

"The elders have requested a meeting with you two regarding the Trials," One fight to the next, no rest for the wicked. I doubt this next Trial will be a walk in the park.

It was the criminals against the executioners, but it's hard to tell which group was which. An unwavering aura of malice permeates the room. Delicious.

"You do realize, Uzumaki Naruto, that we aren't your enemies," I'm impressed that dobe didn't call bullshit on Koharu outloud, "If you do pass these Trials, we will be working very closely together. We shouldn't start that relationship off so poorly, don't you think?"

"Putting Sasuke on death row didn't start it off too nicely," For emphasis, I raised an eyebrow and brought the focus to what they fear most about me. The high contrast between Naruto and I serves as intimidation when we work in tandem. His bright colors come off as confident, quite like the flamboyancy of the alpha males in nature. I'm built for mental terrorism from the shadows, and swift destruction on the field. Together, we make a complete beast that strikes these elders with fearful awe.

In short, they're fucked.

"Now, Naruto. We've made an agreement and we will abide by it. All you have to do is complete the Trials we assign to you, such as this next one," I'm prepared for the level of difficulty of this next Trial. I needed a challenge.

"For your next Trials, we want to make sure that you understand that agreement. So we're going along as your comrades," They should hope they don't end up alone with me during this, then.

"You'd really risk going out alone with Sasuke and I? And what would our objective be?" Judging from his tone, Naruto is much more taken aback by this than I am. I knew to expect something drastic from them, but not anything that would get their own hands dirty.

"Our objective is to capture Kashiwa Kuroni. He eluded the ANBU until now and is said to have escaped into the Sound Country. Not only is this out of the Fire Country, but we're going to the very village that Sasuke joined after he became a missing nin. Therefore, we must come along. Concessions will be made for our safety, however," Ah, there it is. They're testing whether or not I would attempt to kill them when given the opportunity. It's even in a country that I'm more familiar with than any of them.

They think I'd also kill Naruto if I could get the elders at the same time. If I would do it in the Sound Country, I wouldn't even have to escape afterwards.

"We're not going to attack you, dumb asses. I'm trying to become the damn Hokage! Can't I just do that in peace?" It's strange to listen to his voice be a low growl instead of a childish whine like when we were young. I can't imagine Naruto in his twenties...thoughts, do you mind not digressing to Naruto when something important is going on?

"I doubt you'd be able to do that with Kuroni wandering around, dobe," On-topic, much better.

"You're right, Sasuke," he sighs and returns to glaring a the elders, "So, what are these 'concessions' going to be?"

"Before you over-react and do something improper, listen to the end," Mitokado pauses to note that we're paying attention, "You'll be given a chakra-activated cyanide bracelet. We promise to release it after the Trial is finished."

"Chakra-activated cyanide? How the fuck are we supposed to do our jutsus then, or anything?" My matching response is an animalistic growl. Not again, they are not putting me under restraints again!

"To be more precise, it's activated if we do a specific jutsu. It's similar to remote activation," I can't believe this is happening, really.

"We'd be able to kill you before you'd be able to make a single hand seal, you realize," Naruto and I both have taijutsu far more superior than even the Konoha Beasts. These decrepit, so-called shinobi should fear for their lives even if they have a sure-kill strapped onto us.

"Yes, and that is why it also activates if we die. Either way, you aren't coming anywhere near us," He's lying out his ass, I can see it.

"That may be true, but that would defeat the purpose of coming along in the first place. You want to see if I would betray you all, so why give me no choice in the matter? If I wanted an opportunity, I take it right now or during one of our reports, not when I would be killed by a bracelet."

"Who said anything about you getting a bracelet, Uchiha?"

She must be joking. So, that's they're plan, huh? Using Naruto's life as collateral is the best they could come up with?

Do they really think that would work on me?

Damn them!

"Get the hell away from him! You do a single thing to him and you two won't be the only ones I kill! Think for a moment about the consequences of pissing me off again! Would you really want to murder the world's only hope against me?" This isn't a moment for subtlety.

"Sasuke, it'll be fine, right? We'll go there, kick Kashiwa's ass, then come back. No one will do anything stupid," I know it's bad if Naruto's the level-headed one here. I just can't stand their arrogance, and they obviously hate mine.

Even if Naruto becomes Hokage, our relationship with the elders won't end well.

I'm appointed as the lead since I seem to be the only one who knows this territory. One would think that Konoha, or at least one of the neighboring countries, would have set out to do something about the Sound Country after the war. No, instead they've left it to its own devices. In the absence of Orochimaru's financial support, the whole country sank into poverty. Not even the thieves, loan sharks, or drug dealers have anything left.

"You've gotta be kidding me! This place looks worse than the old Wave Country!" I didn't feel the need to point out that these aren't regular citizens he's looking at from the trees. There are kids in the mixed crowd, so he has a right to his concerns.

"This country is not our issue. Kuroni is our target," Koharu tends to be the all-business type. Mitokado isn't any more trustworthy, but I don't have such a strong aversion to him. In my mind, they're lumped together as the elders.

"Can't we, like, annex them or whatever it's called? They aren't enemies anymore and they could help us rebuild," Just keep adding to your list of things to do as Hokage, usuratonkachi. Maybe you'll finish it by the time you retire, if you're lucky.

"And lower the status of the Fire Country even further? No, they'll just have to reap what they sow. They should've thought of this before they sided with someone like Orochimaru," If they would've bickered like this on the way here, I wouldn't have any patience left for this.

"So, since you two are the elders here and supposedly know more than we do, how are we going to find Kuroni?" The fucking idiot, he's leaving us open to orders from them!

"In a place like this, it's as simple as locking him in and smoking him out. Naruto, you use your kage bunshin and surround this village while Sasuke starts fires," Koharu's plan isn't anything new, but it visibly upsets Naruto.

"So we're supposed to burn their homes? They don't have anything else left! Let me just send in bunshins to check all the houses!" Also a reasonable plan, and it's one that doesn't require unnecessary damage. It's not as merciless, but it's more fitting plan for shinobi.

"He could escape that way, Naruto. We need you on the perimeter. Sasuke, begin using your Fireball jutsu when Naruto decides to follow orders," I should've known that they weren't planning on doing anything themselves. This is our Trial, so we shouldn't receive much help, but they could have changed out of their normal robes, at least.

"Amaterasu would be better for this," My Amaterasu? I can understand why that would be better, but why would Naruto be saying it?

"Whatever he wants," Mitokado gives me the okay, and Naruto proceeds to make thousands of clones. They let me go closer to the town so I could have more focus. Before I can activate the jutsu, a very small, black bird lands on my shoulder. When I look over to it, I notice it has blue eyes.

"I wasn't sure if you knew why I told you to use Amaterasu instead," So, the bird has Naruto's voice. Interesting idea, dobe. It's easier to keep in contact with me this way, and the elders won't find out. Plus, the bird should blend in with my hair from a distance.

"You're learning some good tricks with your bunshin, Naruto. However, I already assumed what you wanted of me. You want me to be able to pull the flames back, right?" I could prevent most of the damage that way.

"Not exactly. I don't really know too much about your Amaterasu, but can you control where it is?" The bird's head keeps twitching to the sides, but I'm picturing Naruto cocking his head to the side.

"I can control it. What's your plan, then?"

"Don't like the fire touch the buildings. Just have it hovering over. If you can do that, I'll transform a whole other batch of bunshins search the buildings. They'll be disguised as bugs or small animals like this one, so Kuroni and the elders won't notice. Can you do that?"

"Yeah. Amaterasu doesn't tire me anymore with these eyes," Naruto is going very far out of his way to help these people. Now that I think of it, "But, Naruto, the people will still panic if they see black flames over their houses."

"That's where it gets a bit tricky for you. Can you also put them all under a genjutsu?" Well, I've done a mass genjutsu before, but not while controlling such a large Amaterasu. Frankly, I don't foresee any problems.

"Alright. Just remember, most of these houses have trap doors and hidden rooms. They were all thieves, you know. Most of them are behind alcohol bottles, if I remember correctly."

"Hey, Sasuke?" He whistles lightly in my ear. It's low for a bird that size, so it comes off strangely.

"What, dobe?" He raises his feathery wing and skims over my cheek. I know he can't do anything but soft touches since he's a bird, but I keep picturing him being normal.

"I'll be fine."

"Hn," Of course you will be, dobe. That doesn't mean you should have a lethal injection strapped to your arm.

He puts his clones in place and gives me the signal to use the genjutsu. It's a simple cover up of the flames, so none of them look suspicious. Keeping the black fire away from the roofs while still making it look plausible isn't simple. There needs to be a little smoke and scent, so I let it scorch some of the roofs of completely abandoned buildings. Naruto begins his search for the crazy bastard in all the buildings.

An old inn with boarded up windows becomes my next target. It's near the outskirts of town and down wind, so hopefully the smoke will blow over the rest of the town and make the other flames seem legitimate. When the walls catch on fire, someone bursts through the boards. They cough incessantly and collapse on the ground. Damn it, after all that work to prevent hurting citizens, I'm the one to fuck up!

"They finally did it! They made their attack, but no way they could take me, no sirree! Those walls are no match for me! Ha! Look at them squirm, listen to them scream!" This horribly familiar screech precedes an obnoxious coughing fit.

"Naruto, I got him!"

"Right!" An orange flurry of bunshins speeds by and tackles the raving scientist. He's pulling out chunks of hair from his long beard for some inexplicable reason, and he's wearing a woman's kimono backwards. If his shoes weren't duct-taped on to him, they would've been flung off by Naruto's force.

"Orochimaru, you've come to save me! Orange lord, orange savior, orange light, orange soda! Would you like something to eat? I hear burnt wood tastes fantastic! Tee hee!" His head falls down limply, and I pull the hilt of my katana away from his neck.

"That should shut him up long enough to get him back to Konoha."

"Good job, good job," Naruto and I spin around and see Koharu approaching. Her wrinkled lips are turned upwards in a smirk, and her puffy eyes are slitted enough to glare at us.

"You didn't follow our orders very well," Mitokado looks displeased, but Koharu is obviously supposed to be the intimidating one. He stays behind her and doesn't break eye contact with me while Koharu directs her anger at Naruto.

"We said burn the houses, you don't even let the flames touch. We saw the people! You would think one of them would see the fires and start panicking. That was the point, you imbecile, to stir them up into revealing Kuroni!" Shit! I should have noticed such an obvious error!

"Naruto didn't know! I had a new idea and I wasn't able to tell him!" I have to cover for him. There aren't any other options!

"Oh? So what was your plan, then? Trick us into thinking you were following orders, then run away while we weren't paying attention!" Get that bracelet off of Naruto! I want to kill this bitch right now! Calm...I can't convince them unless I have a calm voice.

"Kuroni would be the only one of the citizens who could see the fires. He's not in the right mind, so the simple genjutsu didn't affect him. If he had been outside, I could have seen him panicking. When no one did, I began at the most likely places that a criminal would hide. I burned the old buildings until we found him, and we did. There shouldn't be any complaints about what I did. You said burn the houses, I just started in a different manner. Naruto did his job perfectly, so there shouldn't be a problem there," I let my lie sink in with them. Since they don't immediately claim that I'm being insubordinate, I feel as though I can relax.

"Damn it, Sasuke. Can't you at least think to tell me? I have bunshins surrounding the village; you could've talked to one of them!" Good, Naruto has become a better actor over the years.

"I apologize if there wasn't enough clarification on my front. Usually, if I'm given orders, they're more specific than 'burn the buildings'," I'm getting a bit too confident, though this is an appropriate moment for hubris. Koharu's spitting in anger, so Mitokado has to speak for her.

"We'll consider this Trial finished when you make your report back in the village. I know it was short, but you seem to have learned the lesson it was made to give. We'll be taking him to Konoha."

"Oi, take this damn bracelet off me!" Naruto flings his wrist in their face. A clunky bracelet is squeezing his wrist until his hand turns purple. The shining, metal ring breaks apart in half when Mitokado makes the Tiger seal.

"Homura, you idiot! You've just set them free in the Sound Country!" True, and they're also not in safe from us in this place.

"What? We're just gonna go back to our inn. It's been a long night! Hell, the sun's even starting to rise!" Naruto likes playing the nonchalant card, I see. That's a great way irritate someone as unstable as Koharu, so I commend him for using it. However, if the idiot doesn't knock it off soon, they'll start to suspect something.

"We'll see you in the afternoon, Uzumaki Naruto," Mitokado finishes with a seal and a puff of smoke, but Koharu lingers behind.

"Don't go thinking that your insolence bears no consequence," After her threat, she's gone.

"Oh, man, that was way too close!" Naruto collapses on the ground and cradles his growling stomach, "Why did you have to make me leave the barbecue joint, huh? I was still hungry! Now it's already morning, so I'm gonna miss breakfast, too!"

"Usuratonkachi, I didn't make you leave. I even said I would be back in," So, we finish a Trial, and all he can think about is his shortened dinner?

"Yeah, well, I thought I felt something slam into the restaurant. I went out to go check, and you're pinning Shikamaru against the wall!"

"I just wanted to know why he did some things," I shrug and join him on the ground. I've done enough to warrant sitting down. Doing Amaterasu and in conjunction with a genjutsu isn't enough to tire me out, but it still strains me to control it so precisely.

"What I wanna know is why our friends thought I was going to make an announcement! They're so weird. First they believe the rumors, now they actually expect it to come true! Seriously, what are they smoking, I mean-"

"I get it, they're idiots. Now shut up," I'm not going to listen to him ramble about how ridiculous it is to even assume that he would ever be interested in me.

He needs to make up his mind! Either there's a possibility, however slim, that he could find out that he's gay, or it's moronic to even think it could happen.

Not that I ever thought it would.

"Okay, I will, but not until I say this next thing," My glare doesn't dampen his high spirits, "That was a really cover story. You saved my ass back there."

"Don't celebrate too soon, dobe. You heard Koharu, right? Or were you too busy listening to your stomach?" He jabs me in the shoulder, so I snub him by casually re-adjusting my arm guard.

"I'm not deaf, teme. Big deal, though! We only have four more Trials!" His eyelids fly apart, "Wait! We only have four more Trials! I'm gonna become Hokage for sure! Sweet!" His celebration shouldn't include jumping me, but it does. Good thing we stayed out of sight, as I don't think any villagers would be kind to two boys rolling on the ground together. I just know they wouldn't take my protests into account, nor would they notice me pushing him away.

All they would see is two entangled boys.

I'm very glad to get this done, and somehow it didn't turn out like a piece of crap. I honestly had no clue what to do here, since I was too focused on the next few chapters *hurr de durr* By the way, I realize that this Trial has nothing to do with goats. The Horse Trial had nothing to do with horses. So, it's mostly about what they represent/their personalities. I just thought that some of you might be wondering about that XP

The water has receded, but I don't know the next time I'll have school. Until then, read and review *~*~*~*

By the way, extra butter popcorn for my 69th reviewer, Dashel *~~*~~*~~*~~*