A/N: Don't own it, never will, etc.

Chap. 26

Sakura was sobbing before they left the Haruno's yard, but neither Hinata nor Naruto could think of anything to say to cheer the woman up. After a while, she simply stopped in the middle of the street and cried, eventually sinking to her knees.

"Sakura-chan..."

"Oi, Sakura... I know it sucks about your mom and dad," Naruto said softly, doing his best to actually be a comfort, "but it's just a shock, you know? They'll... um... they'll get used to the idea? And then they'll want you in their lives. Right?"

Sakura sniffled, but didn't respond. With a sigh, Naruto bent low and picked up the crying woman bridal-style, saying, "No need to cry out here where everyone can see it. Let's get home."

Hinata, now leaking silent tears herself because of Sakura's pain, opened the door for the other two without a sound.

The Hyuga woman was shocked to see Tsunade- but not alone.

With a quiet gasp, she shut the door quickly, too quickly, and thus told everyone on both sides of the door that something was up.

"Uh... Hinata?" Naruto asked, confused.

She blushed deeply and stammered, "Uh... the Hokage-sama is... umm... er... in...disposed? We should... umm... wait."

Naruto sighed again, bending down a little to set Sakura on her feet. She wasn't crying anymore, but her head was hung so low that even the shorter Hinata couldn't see anything but the tip of her nose through her thick, pink bangs. "Oi, Obaa-chan! Get decent already!"

"N-Naruto!" Hinata gasped out, but he didn't change his countenance.

"We need to come in. So quit changing clothes in the living-"

The door was opened to reveal a towering, raging older blond woman, her eyes burning with anger. "Naruto. Why are you shouting things like that across the whole neighborhood?"

He gulped, but didn't back down. "We need to come in. Sakura's upset, so... wait, your clothes are already on. What were you doing?"

Tsunade finally looked at the two women, her face softening at once when she saw her student. "Come on in, then. I was just..."

But her voice trailed off, Naruto had already led Sakura in through the door with his arm around her slender waist.

"Uh... Genma? What are you doing here?"

Tsunade turned red, but went back in with a sigh anyway while the Jonin stammered. "I... uh... Lady Tsunade has something to... umm... discuss with me in private?"

"Tch," the Hokage responded before Naruto could say anything else, "pathetic. You're a Jonin, you should be able to lie better than that. He's here with me privately, Naruto. And that's all you need to know."

Mercifully, it, for once, didn't take Naruto long to make the connection. Comprehension stole across his face, and to his credit, he didn't blush or make any sign that he was uncomfortable with the prospect, though Hinata did. "Fine... just keep it in your bedroom please, okay? With the door shut?"

Geez, it's like being scolded by my parents... and my grandkid!

"So," Genma said trying to break the sudden chill, "how have you three been? I haven't seen you much since you got your teams, and..." The Jonin trailed off when it became obvious that, in fact, none of the three were doing very well.
"Genma... maybe you should go home for now. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Tsunade's voice was soft and measured, but everyone present could hear the concern for her student in it.

He nodded once, bowed to the others with a mumbled apology for his indiscretion, and left through the front door.

"So... I take it that things didn't go well, today?" Tsunade asked after a while, walking across the living room to take the recliner for herself.

With a collective shake of their heads, Naruto still leading Sakura by the waist, the three walked around the couch and sat down on it.
"Hmm. Maybe I can talk to Hiashi for you..." Tsunade began, a finger on her chin, "But I don't really know the-"

"My father is okay with it," Hinata interrupted, not even looking at the Hokage, "so are Neji-kun and Hanabi-chan. They seemed almost eager, in fact."

Tsunade was obviously surprised, but she recovered quickly. "Oh... so it's just the Harunos that are giving you problems?"

Sakura, reacting for the first time since they'd gotten home, nodded once.

"Those bastards. I'll rip 'em a- Oh. Sorry, Sakura."

Hinata was the one that spoke first, "No... we understand why you're angry, Tsunade-hime. It's just... if Sakura has the right to choose her own path in life, so do they. So... we can't be mad at them for it, can we? It would make us just as bad as they are."

The old woman sighed, relaxing back into the chair again and replied, "Fine, fine... I guess I won't go beat them to a pulp. But can I at least hurt them a little for making my baby cry?"

Sakura looked up finally, her emerald eyes glistening with tears, but a weak smile on her face. "Shishio... I'm not your baby."

Tsunade gave a little chuckle and answered, "Maybe not by blood. But you've been my little girl since I first took you under my wing, whether you like it or not. So... I guess what I'm saying is, I'll... I'll give you away. I'll be both your parents if I have to."

Sakura started crying again at once, and didn't stop until she had fallen asleep with her head in Hinata's lap, her torso laying across Naruto's.

* * *

"All right, you guys. Let's head out!"

Naruto gave a fist-pump, his three Genin teammates mimicking the move as well.

As the four shinobi walked down the wide road through the forest after leaving the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Inoko asked her teammates in a whisper, "Does Naruto-sensei seem a little different today? He doesn't seem like himself, right?"

Tenchi looked thoughtful for a second, but Kamisori played it off, waving his hand, "Nah, he's just a little tired, that's all. He's got two beautiful girls at his beck and call. But even he's got to get tired every once in a while, right?"

Tenchi's fist met the teen's jaw with a resounding smack. "You dick! How often are you gonna bring that up?! Do you think he likes it when people talk about him behind his back like that?!"

Inoko sighed, and Naruto looked back over his shoulder, his face stern, "Hey. I don't care what you guys say, but you should say it quieter. Are you shinobi, or a comedy act? I mean, really."

All three of the Genin stopped, suddenly laughing, though Kamisori was still rubbing his red jaw.

"Should we tell him about all the stories your mom told us about him when he was our age, Inoko?" Tenchi whispered to her friend, and the younger girl snickered harder.

"No... he's trying to pretend to be a serious shinobi now, we shouldn't make fun of him for it!"

"Hey... where'd Naruto-sensei go?" Kamisori asked, looking ahead. But he was gone.

"Umm... this can't be happening, right?" Tenchi asked, suddenly nervous. "I mean... this is our first real, C-rank mission. There's even supposed to be some combat, right? So... so where is sensei?"

Kamisori stood up straight and raised his hand to shade his eyes. "His tracks stop right... there. They just stop. Let's check it out!"

Hesitantly, even though they were less than five miles from the village, the trio moved forward down the wide road. They had seen traffic frequently, but now, there were no signs of anyone.

"Do you... do you think it was enemy ninja?" Inoko asked, her eyes flickering back and forth to watch all the trees around them.

The other girl started to shake visibly, and stammered out, "St- ststt- Stone? I don't... it's a long way from the Land of Stone, isn't it?"

Kamisori's eyes narrowed as they approached the spot where they'd last seen Naruto. "Doesn't matter. If they're good shinobi, they can penetrate even here. That's what ninja do- even ninja guards can't keep out a decent ninja." Inoko shared a look with their silver-haired teammate, and nodded firmly.

"Sh... Sharingan!"

Despite the lack of proper training, the girl's inherent talent worked to her advantage. Only one eye- her right- activated fully, and only had one whorl, but it was a Sharingan nonetheless.
"He... there's a really faint chakra trace. I can just barely see it... some kind of jutsu, but I'm not sure what kind. No signs of a struggle."

"Right," Kamisori said, his own jaw set, "I'll go look for him. You two stay here."

Inoko scoffed. "I don't think so. Just because you're older doesn't make you in charge. I'll go scout with you."

"But I-" Tenchi said quietly, but both of the others gave her a look that said, quite clearly, 'stay out of this'.

"Heh, just because you finally started to get your eyes doesn't make you a better scout than me, Little Ino."

The raven-haired Yamanaka's eyebrows raised a smidgeon. "You're right, old man. It doesn't. But my scores in tracking compared to yours do. But that's why we're both going. Tenchi- you stay here. Send out bugs to look for him, follow his chakra trace. Keep some with us, too, so you'll know if we need help."

Kamisori opened his mouth to say something else with a glare, but shut it when it became clear that Inoko wasn't backing down. "Fine, whatever. Let's just go find sensei."

Re-focused, the three Genin shared a determined look and the oldest and youngest jumped off into the thick forest, leaving Tenchi to stand alone in the middle of the road.

"Hey there, little girl."

The voice was soft and rasping, just the kind a pretty young teenaged girl doesn't want to hear when she's all alone in the middle of a forest.
Aburame Tenchi was, by no means, a coward. She was a ninja, after all, and had proven her bravery simply by passing the Academy graduation exam. But that voice sent chills up her spine.

"Who... who's there?" She pulled out a kunai with each hand, her dark sunglasses glinting off of the occasional ray of sunlight that broke through the thick clouds and foliage overhead.

She spun suddenly, hoping to catch at least a glimpse of the man- or whatever- was out there, but all she saw was the road and more trees.

"I said, who's there?" Her voice was louder this time, but she was rather proud of herself from keeping any sound of fear out of it.

"It's just me, little girl," the voice said again, from right behind her. But when she whirled around again, her kunai moving toward her target's throat, there was no one there.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of little old me, are you little girl? Are you... afraid of a poor, lonely man like me?" After the voice finished speaking, there was a quiet, half-mad chuckle.

Beneath her long, heavy coat, Tenchi's knees began to shake. "I'm not afraid! Show yourself! Do you know anything about where my sensei is?"

"Tisk, tisk, little girl... it's not safe for you to wander the forest, all alone. Not safe to play at being a ninja, either... you could get hurt."

The Aburame spun once again, but she still saw nothing. Wait... the bugs. They aren't agitated. Am I... imagining this? Am I letting my fear get the better of me?

"I have an idea, little girl... How about you come with me? I'll take you somewhere quiet, where you can rest... there's no need to be scared. I'll keep you good company!"

The last word was hissed out, and Tenchi couldn't stop herself from giving a little cry of fear.

And that only made the voice laugh again. "You are afraid, aren't you! You don't have to be afraid of me... I know what you're thinking. You want to do things with that other boy... the one with the silver hair, don't you? Well... I want to do those things with you, too."

"What?! No... I don't!" she cried out, spinning again. Now, at last, the kikaichu that made their home in her body began to react as if they were in danger.

"You can't lie to me, little girl... I know every thought, every desire, every fear in your pretty little head. You want him to make you a woman. You want to be an adult, and do the things that adults do, don't you?"

"I... no! I mean..." she didn't even notice that her eyes were filling with tears.

"It's all right... I'll take you to somewhere private, and I'll teach you things that adults do that your silver-haired friend wouldn't dream of doing to you... yet. I'm sure we'll have a really good time together..." As the voice trailed off, Tenchi felt something wrap softly around her ankle, sliding up the wraps, around and around her leg. Oh kami... what is it? I can't- see it through my coat! It's... it feels like... a snake! But...

The thing, whatever it was, made no sound as it slithered it's way around and around her leg, up inside her loose shorts, higher and higher up her thigh.

"Noooooooo!"

* * *

Kamisori had moved off the road to the right, into the northern forest. He had searched for a long time, had used all of the skills and knowledge he'd gained in tracking from both the Academy and his highly-skilled mother and father, but had found no trace of either Naruto or anyone else. Am I... did I take the wrong side? Is Inoko... walking into a trap? And why'd she choose that side, anyway? She knows I'm stronger than she is- most of the time. Damn it... I have to finish here. If anything happens to Tenchi, or Inoko... damn it! I don't have time to be worried- I have to find Naruto-sensei and get back to the others. I'll have to use mom's technique. Even if it hurts. I can't let my teammates be hurt just because I'm afraid of a little pain!

The boy clenched his fists together before him, then moved fingers rapidly to form six different signs before saying firmly, "Secret Art: Hidden Adder Call!"

Kamisori then stood, quite still, for over five minutes. As he stood, a number of serpents, most small, but one as long as three feet in length, appeared before him, slithering out of the forest, up through the leaves, and down from the trees around him. He bit his thumb, hard enough to draw blood, and let some of the crimson liquid pool in his other palm before placing it, palm up, on the forest floor.

One by one, the many snakes came up to him, each flicking out one long, forked tongue to taste the blood before turning their eyes up to meet his. He bowed before them once the last had smelled the ichor, and said in a quiet voice, "Help me find my sensei. Help me protect my teammates. I don't... I don't know what I would do if they were hurt. I will pay any price you ask."

The largest snake, a green viper so ancient that it's spots and eyes were too cloudy for the young man to read, rose up on half of it's length before him to stare into his determined eyes for a moment. Then, quick as a whip, it lashed forward and sank it's long teeth into the teen's neck.

Is it going to kill me? I... no... I can't die! I have to protect them! I... I...

* * *

Inoko was furious at herself, and at Kamisori when she took off away from the other two. I can't believe that egotistical bastard! Just because he's a man and a year older than me, he thinks he's so much better than me at everything! And Tenchi! He follows her around like a puppy, does whatever she asks, and as soon as she's a little worried, he tries to make like a big man and solve it all himself! Well... I'll show him! I'm not a pathetic, worthless little girl! I can take care of myself! And why'd I let him get to me like that? I should have stayed with Tenchi so I could protect her- she's good at Taijutsu, but so weak! Damn it!

"Heh... poor little lost Leaf. You're a long way from your village."

The voice was right beside her, just a little to her left and behind. Inoko didn't hesitate, out in the wilderness, even close to home, a strange voice could mean death for a shinobi. The kunai left her hand in a blur, flying with deadly accuracy.

It sunk with a wet thwack into Tenchi's throat.

"T... Tenchi! What did I- I- I'm so sorry!"

And then Tenchi vanished, replaced by a soggy mass of vines.

"Aww... did the little Leaf think she was killing her friend? Well.. that's all right. A shinobi should be prepared to do whatever the mission takes, right? Even if it's killing your own friends and family. Right?"

The voice was chilling, cold, but Inoko couldn't see who was speaking. There was too much foliage and underbrush around. "Sh... Sharingan!" This time, fueled by adrenaline, both eyes activated, each showing one distinct whorl. The dark-haired teen turned slowly, a kunai in each hand in a defensive stance, but even with her eyes activated, she couldn't see any chakra networks in the area.
"Aah... that won't work on me. Sorry about that, little Leaf... I don't have any chakra to speak of."

The voice was right behind her!

She spun, but her hands were stopped mid-strike with a wrist on each of her own.

"Tch. So... you're the daughter of the last Uchiha and that Yamanaka whore? Bit weak, I think."

The man standing before her was tall, almost three feet taller than the girl, and slender, but his muscle was corded and tight. "Is this the best the new generation of Leaf shinobi has to offer? I'm... disappointed."

Inoko growled, wrenching her arms from the man's grasp and jumping back a few feet, "Who are you? How do you know who I am?"
He shook his head slowly, a dark smile on his scarred, weathered face, "I know everything about you. Uchiha Sasuke was my lord and master. Which makes you my new mistress... if I find you worthy. Can you do what your father could? Can you do what the mission takes, and turn against your friends and allies to succeed?"

Inoko couldn't move. He... my father did that. He fought against his best friend, tried to kill him over and over again. Anything for the mission.

"No! I'm not like him! I wouldn't ever betray my friends!"

The man smiled even wider, but the his next words chilled Inoko to the bone. "Even if your friends are the betrayers? If they turned against Konoha, would you be able to kill them?"

"I... I..."

The tall man smirked, vanished, and reappeared behind Inoko before she could react. "No... you aren't worthy. You aren't even a decent Genin, much less a strong one like your father. A shinobi should never hesitate. Whatever you decide to do, it must be decisive, and you mustn't look back. Your father knew that lesson. Even your mother learned, idiot that she was, after a while. But you haven't seemed to grasp it yet."

"Shut up! My father was a bastard who betrayed everything that he should have protected!"

"Heh... so he was, so he was... I won't deny that. And you're his daughter, right? You know what they say... the apple doesn't fall too far, and all that. Or is it like father, like-"

"Shut up! I will not betray Konoha! I'll never hurt my friends like that! If my father was in front of me right now, I'd kill him myself!"

The man was silent for a long time while Inoko cried. After a long time, a soft, reassuring voice said, "No you wouldn't. You'd have to get through me, first. Or at least, beat me to it."

"N... Naruto-sensei?" Inoko wiped her tears away rapidly, ashamed to reveal such weakness to him.
"It's me. Don't worry about the tears- we all do it. I cried just last night, in fact."

"But... showing emotions is a weakness! A shinobi shouldn't-"
"Inoko, am I strong?"

"Huh? Of course you are, sensei! You're the strongest shinobi in the village!"

"Do I show my emotions?"

She froze for a moment, then nodded.

"Right. I always have, and I always will. It's not a weakness to wear your heart on your sleeve- I think it's a strength. Sure, some enemies will use it against you. Some friends, too, sometimes. But it shows you have emotions, and that's what makes you human. So... it's all right. Just don't let it rule you."

Inoko nodded, and said after a little while, still trying to wipe the last of the tears from her face, "Did you... how did you escape?"

He chuckled and blushed a little, "Well, about that... see, I didn't get caught. The whole thing was a setup. This is actually a shadow clone," he said, pointing at himself, "the real me is over there somewhere, watching Tenchi's test."

"T... test?"

The clone nodded and said, "Yeah. I've been wondering something for a while, and I thought it would be best if I found out this way, that's all. So... I arranged a little test for you."

"Did... did I do well?"

He laughed and took a few steps toward her, and put his hands on her shoulders. "You did perfect, Inoko. You wouldn't betray your friends for anything. You would kill your own father to protect them. That's... I couldn't have asked for a better score."
She sniffled again, and the clone pulled her gently into a hug. It whispered in her ear for a moment, then vanished, leaving her to sob alone for a while.

* * *

"Dumb kid."

The haze of pain and blackness kept Kamisori from focusing on the face that went with the voice, but the voice itself was quite clear. "Narut...to-sen-sei?"

"Yeah, it's me. Well, a clone, anyway. So... you'll even let yourself die to protect your allies, huh?"

Kamisori tried to speak, but couldn't get enough air passed his swollen throat to speak.

"Heh. Your mom's gonna be really mad at me. She made me promise you wouldn't ever be trained in Orochimaru's jutsu, but you just had to use a snake-summoning art. But oh well... she'll have to do it now, I can't do that stuff."

The boy tried to talk again, to move one hand to his throat, but the pain was too intense.

"Oh... yeah, don't try to talk. Sakura said the antidote would only work to keep you alive- you would still have to deal with the pain. Your mother said that's the price of the snake jutsu. She told you that already, didn't she?"

Kamisori tried once more, but Naruto interrupted after only a moment, "Hey, sorry- I shouldn't ask you questions if you aren't supposed to talk. So forget about it. You passed, by the way. The test... oh, should I have said that? Oh well, doesn't matter.
"What matters is that you have the guts to suffer for the people precious to you. And that makes you a damned fine shinobi in my book, any day. Oh... and about the poison. Don't worry... your mom's on her way to take care of it. Sorry... we're going to have to do the mission without you. But this clone will stay here until she gets to you, don't worry. I'll keep you safe.

* * *

The thing gliding up the bare skin of Tenchi's thigh was dry, smooth, but hard all the same, like a snake. And Tenchi, who had lived with bugs inside of her all of her life, detested nothing so much as snakes. When she screamed, the snake- or whatever it was- vanished at once. Instead, rough, strong hands grabbed her from behind. They weren't kind, and there was more than two. She was thrown on the ground, one set of strong arms twisted themselves under her armpits and across her chest, pressed up against the bottom of her breasts, and the other, larger set grabbed her thighs, hard enough to make the young shinobi cry out in pain.
"Heh, little one's got nice legs," the man at Tenchi's feet said, his voice uncultured and loud, "Soft and white. Won't be so white after we're done, right Kankudo?"

The man by her head gave a short bark of a laugh, and replied, "Nope. Be black and blue- like the rest of her. Come on, Tamari, we gotta get her back to the hut before she's missed, or we won't get any play time!"

Both men gave short, loud laughs, and began to carry the woman off into the forest.

She tried to scream once, but as soon as her mouth opened, one of Kankudo's hands yanked up a piece of her coat so hard it ripped off, and stuffed it into her mouth. "There ya go, little one. No good if we let you call help, right? No one gets to save you from us. We want you all to ourselves!"

Now completely panicking, Tenchi's eyes spun desperately, looking for any solution, any way out of her situation. The bulge in the larger man at her feet's pants as he walked made it perfectly clear what their intentions were- her worst fear, coming true. Kamisori! Inoko! Naruto-sensei! Help me!

But when the two men had carried her what felt like hours into the forest, the one by her head, whom she still hadn't seen, used the same arm he'd gagged her with to reach behind himself and open a door. We're... at their hut. They're going to... oh Kami, they're going to rape me over and... and they'll probably kill me! I'll never get to see Kamisori... or Inoko... or mom and dad, or... or...

The shinobi's brain shut down, paralyzed with fear.

Over her, the two men were having a short, impassioned argument as to who would be first.
"I spotted her, so I got dibs!"
"Yeah, but I carried most of her weight! Besides, you got that nice view up her coat all the way here!"

"That's so, but that got me more worked up than you are! And you got to check out her pretty, white boobies too!"

Oh... Kami... Maybe they'll get into a fistfight and I can use that as a distraction!

But Tenchi had no such luck. The two had decided it with a simple game of rock-paper-scissors.

The larger man cheered as he moved back over to Tenchi, towering over where she cringed on the small, lumpy bed. "Ah, such a sweet little girl. Won't be a girl much longer though, will you? Like he said, we know all about what goes on in your head. You should be happy a big, strong man like me's gonna be your first!"

He grabbed her thighs again, wrenching them apart, and Tenchi cried out in pain- but the pain brought with it clarity.

Her face went dead calm, and the two men were taken aback by the threat in her voice, "Take your hands off me. If you touch me again, I swear you'll die."

The two men glanced at one another, and the big man let out a guffaw. "Shinobi? Psh. We're both rogue ninja ourselves. We can handle a little Genin all on her own. Especially a weak one like you!" His hands tightened on her soft thighs, but she didn't wince even as the calloused hands began to grind their way up higher.

Instead, the beetles that nested inside the young woman were flooding out through the tiny holes they maintained.

The big man screamed, wrenching his hands away when he noticed, but it was too late- the insects were on him, and they would be relentless. Short of him diving into a fire, there was no way he would survive unless Tenchi called them off. And judging by his smell, that would just make him burn faster!

The other man cowered, his painted face showing terror as the teen got up off the bed, standing before him. He raised his arms to protect his face as she raised her own to let loose another bunch of insects, but a quiet, familiar voice came from him instead of the one she'd heard earlier.
"Enough, Tenchi."

She paled visibly, her already-white skin- what little of it that showed- turning almost bone-white. "Naruto-sensei?"

The man behind her stopped screaming and vanished with a puff of white smoke, the one before her suddenly transforming into her sensei and standing up to appraise her coolly.

"You did pass... barely. But you had a much harder test, too, so I can't complain."

"T... t... test?!" She was screaming hysterically, and didn't even care, "You were going to rape me?! And it was just a test?!"

He didn't show any emotion at all on his face, but the pain in his eyes was very real- and that was the only thing that calmed the teenage girl down enough to listen to what he had to say.
"Yes, a test. And no, I wouldn't have raped you. You know better than that. Though if you'd let it get much farther, you wouldn't have passed at all."

"You... you... my cousin is going to kill you!"

"No he won't. This whole thing was Shino's idea," Naruto answered, taking a seat at the grungy table, "He told me you were too soft to be an effective ninja. That you worried too much about things like... Kamisori. Like popularity, things like that."

She froze, but her face still showed only fury. "How dare you! You don't know what I-"

"I don't think I was wrong, was I? I don't know everything in your head. I'm not a mind-reader. But Sakura-chan and Ino-san were the same way at your age. I hate to say this... but with the danger we went through back then, I'm amazed either of them pulled it together in time to keep themselves- and us- alive. That's why I agreed to this test- I didn't want to, at first."

"You... Shino put you up to this?"

The blond nodded, and explained, "Yeah- he wanted me to test how you'd react in a situation where you had no control, where it was do or die. This was the closest I could come up with without being thrown off a cliff. That's what happened to me."

"And... and I passed?"

He nodded again, and said, "It's not wrong to have emotions. It's not wrong to love, or even lust. Infatuation is just fine, I don't care how much you feel of anything for Kamisori. What matters is that, when it comes down to it, your priority is the mission. And to protect your teammates. Because without them, any mission is meaningless."

Tenchi, still crying through her fading anger, didn't say anything.

"So... the other two are done with their tests, too. Kamisori's going to live, but he'll be dropping out of the mission. Inoko is all right. So I need to ask you... are you up for this?"
"What... what do you mean, sensei?"

He sighed and looked away, his gaze on an old photograph sitting on the table beside the tiny bed, "I need to know if you're okay to continue the mission. Inoko and I can do it alone if we need to. I... I'm sorry I was so hard on you, that you had to go through this, but... I really couldn't think of another way, and I'm sorry. But if it hurts... if you don't want to do the mission, if you need some time alone, or even if you... want to change teams, that's okay. I just need to know so I can plan."

"I don't want to be weak."

His gaze was back on her wet face at once. "Tenchi... it's not weak to feel pain. If I was you... I'd hate me right now. I would understand if you don't want to be on a team with me, or even a mission."

The one thing on the table was a fork, old and pitted with rust. She flung it at him, and he didn't even try to dodge. It struck him, tine-first, on the right cheek, where it left three red dots of blood as it fell to the ground.

"I do hate you! You... you... damn you! But I have a mission to do! I'm a shinobi of the Leaf! I won't give up just because... because..."

He nodded slowly, making no move to touch his bleeding face, "I understand. Congratulations... now you really pass. I had to make sure you wouldn't break. I'm sorry- I really am."

The girl jumped up, flinging the table across the room as she did, and screamed, "You're sorry?! You aren't the one whose own sensei betrayed her trust in the worst... the worst..."

"No, you're right. I'm not. But I am the one who had to do that... knowing how it would be for you. Like I said, I am sorry... I wish there was more I could say, but..."

"I'm going home."

Naruto nodded, and said as she stormed the few steps to the door, "I understand- you still pass. This would be too much for anyone. I'm going to... burn this place down before I leave. I don't need it as a refuge anymore, and it has... nothing but bad memories, now."

The tone of his voice and words combined to penetrate the fog of pain and betrayal in the young woman's mind, and least a little. "... refuge?"

Behind her, he nodded, "Yeah. I used to come here when I was little. It was a long walk, but out here no one in the village would glare at me, or shout at me, or tell me to stay away from their kids. It was the only place I had to be in the quiet, until I got my apartment."

"And you... you gave that up for... for a stupid test?"

She hadn't turned around, so she didn't see him shake his head, only heard his words, "No. I gave it up for my student. For my teammate. To help her get stronger. If it works... it will have been worth it. And if it doesn't... well... at least I tried. I couldn't give up on you, so..."

She stormed off then, not saying a word.

After a few minutes, Naruto stood up from the lonely chair and stepped outside. He then activated the hidden tag he'd placed the day before, and watched as the building went up in flames at once. "Ah well... guess I'd better get back to Inoko."