A/N: I'm back in town, so I should be updating regularly now! Sorry for the delays (as soon as I got home I promptly got sick, ugh).

This chapter is dedicated to KiraKchan because you inspired a little fun angst. You'll see. ;)

Learn By Example

For the next two days, Naruto and Sasuke didn't spar. They practiced chakra exercises over and over and over, until Naruto's stamina waned and Sasuke's vanished completely. Sasuke felt frustration mounting. Like there was some kind of brick wall Naruto couldn't climb over, he only improved the smallest bit. In some areas he excelled, but in others he was well below average.

And he was not the only one feeling it. "Fuck!" Naruto cursed as their link unraveled for a fifth time. "This is ridiculous."

Sasuke didn't try to reestablish their link. ""Could this have something to do with your third form?" he asked. "Kakashi did tell me once a Controller with multiple forms can only master one of he's mastered them all."

Naruto flung himself backward on the mat. "Probably." He buried fingers in his hair. "But I can't practice with you in that form. I'd just hurt you."

Curious about the form he'd never seen (and Naruto's apparent nervousness about it), Sasuke leaned toward him a little. "What is your third form?" His second form was much bigger and more destructive than his first, so his third would be even more so than his second.

But what could be more destructive than a gun form? Sasuke wondered. Gun-forms were accepted as the most dangerous.

A smirking grin crawled over Naruto's face. "You wanna know more about me, Sasu-ke?"

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke straightened. "Stop saying my name like that, dobe."

"But Sasu-ke, you get the cutest little blush on your cheeks when I do!"

Growling, Sasuke curled his hand into a fist and raised it, fully intent on punching the idiot in the face. Laughing, Naruto caught his hand and straightened out his fingers.

"Be careful," he murmured, pulling Sasuke closer and feathering his lips over Sasuke's knuckles. "These precious hands just healed."

Heat flushed Sasuke's cheeks, and he tried to gather the strength to pull away. There seemed to be none in his body. Naruto lifted his free hand and brushed a strand of black hair off the other teen's forehead.

"Ne, Sasuke?" he whispered.

Sasuke's stomach fluttered at the intensity of that blue gaze. He tried to come up with a snappy reply, but all that came out was a faint, "What?"

"I really wanna kiss you right now."

Swallowing thickly, heartbeat speeding up in a sickly combination of anticipation and trepidation, Sasuke tried to find his voice. There were all kinds of reasons why this wasn't a good idea, top of the list being that he didn't like Naruto (he didn't like Naruto, right?). They shouldn't get close when there was no chance they'd bond at the end of the year. There just wasn't any chance of it. They were terrible together.

So why didn't he protest Naruto reaching up and cupping the back of his neck? Why didn't he struggle against being pulled down closer to the blonde? Why did his eyes slip shut and his lips slightly part? The warm wash of Naruto's breath fanned over his mouth, the other teen so close he could feel the heat emanating off him.

The door opened. Instantly putting a meter of space between him and Naruto, Sasuke looked up in bland greeting as Kakashi walked in. The older Controller looked down at Naruto, snorting softly through his mask.

"You two are always working so hard when I find you."

"Hey," Naruto said, looking rather peeved, "me and Sasuke have been at it all afternoon. Bystanders don't get to make cracks at hard workers."

Kakashi ignored him. "I have good news and terrible news. First, your scores together haven't improved much, so the good news is I'm taking the band off you, Naruto." He swung the tiny key on its little ring. "The terrible news is, someone else has taken an interest in my teaching methods. Tsunade decided she's going to be your personal demon for the next week, Naruto."

"What?" Naruto burst out, sitting up at once. "Tsunade?" Then grinned. "Heh, even she recognizes I'm amazing!"

Kakashi's only visible eye told Sasuke the man was not in agreement with that sentiment. The older Controller leaned down and flicked Naruto right between the eyes. "It's because she recognizes how terrible you are."

Sasuke almost choked on a sudden fit of laughter. He managed to politely cough instead.

Naruto pouted. "I'm not terrible. I'm just not the best. Yet."

Pulling the little key from his pocket, Kakashi gestured to the blonde to hold up his left arm. "Well, I guess you have plenty of time to work that out. Now hurry to her office, she's waiting for you."

The idiot's energy apparently restored, he leaped to his feet and bounded out of the room, throwing Sasuke a cheeky wink. Sasuke hoped he didn't blush as he watched Kakashi put the band on his own left wrist.

"You two seem to get along well," Kakashi commented. "I'm glad." Before Sasuke could even begin to correct him, Kakashi moved on. "Now then. I'm much more proficient with this tool than Naruto, so let me see if I can teach you a few tricks. Go ahead and link up with me, then form any of your jutsu attacks."

Inexplicably nervous and excited at the same time, Sasuke held out his hands to his mentor and guardian. Kakashi took them in a firm grip, spun Sasuke around and pressed him close. Sasuke barely had time to open himself up to initiate before they were abruptly linked. For the first time, he got confirmation of what he'd always suspected.

Kakashi was so powerful it made Sasuke's head spin. The sheer amount of chakra surging through his channels made it almost impossible to even feel it all at once. It also didn't emanate from his veins like a rising cloud of energy, so tightly perfect was his control.

Not wanting to keep the man waiting, Sasuke started channeling some of his own chakra. He kept the flow small and careful. Instantly, a bolt of pain shot through him. It was so unexpected he yelped, especially because it shouldn't have happened.

"Too slow," Kakashi said. He finally released Sasuke and stepped away from him. "You can't approach learning control with an attitude of starting slow and gradually increasing your speed once you've gotten good at slow. That's doubling the amount of work you have to do. That's the problem with learning during relative peace." He shook his head.

Pointing to the wall, he nodded. "Stand over there and watch."

Disliking the chastising tone, the rather nonplussed boy did as he was told without a word. Kakashi waited for him, then took a wide and aggressive stance. Then with blinding speed he began to form hand seals. He unleashed three separate fire jutsus so fast they blended into each other, and not so much as the faintest sting of pain punished his effort. His control was absolutely perfect.

Sasuke felt a sudden (and by now unfamiliar) burn of envy toward Itachi. He knew his brother had sailed through his first year so far ahead of his peers even the teachers had felt intimidated. He didn't realize he'd looked away, chagrined, until Kakashi cupped his chin and made him look up.

"Everyone learns at a different pace," he said, voice kind but firm, "so don't compare yourself to others. Learning control is difficult for nearly everyone. Do you think my jutsus were always so effortless?"

"I don't know," Sasuke muttered, pulling free. "Probably."

Kakashi snorted. "Well, okay. I was called a genius. But if it makes you feel better, Itachi's ability to power up massive attacks was poorer than yours."

Blinking, Sasuke looked up with a little hope. "Really?"

"Truly," Kakashi confirmed. "His control was flawless, but he couldn't build up the necessary power for the big forms like you can. It took him about eight months to master that, and you've already got that down."

That actually did make Sasuke feel a little better. Shaking his hands and arms to loosen them up, he rolled his shoulders. "Okay, I want to try again."

"Good boy. Try visualizing what you want. It's a very effective tip I learned from Iruka."

A trick Sasuke had also learned from his guardian's gentle lover. Nodding, he took a few deep breaths and tried again. The sting of pain was no less than last time, cutting him off right as he began.

Kakashi, however, nodded. "That was a little better. Try not to think so much. Over-preparing yourself makes you tense up, which wastes time and energy."

Obviously this stupid band isn't punishing him, Sasuke thought with some venom. That didn't seem fair. Still, he wasn't about to let that keep him from this rare opportunity. He was well aware no other student received this kind of special attention, after all. The thought abruptly warmed him.

Closing his eyes, he tried again. Again, the sting of pain.

"Faster," Kakashi instructed. "You're still hesitating."

For the next two hours, Sasuke attempted to follow Kakashi's instructions. Each attempt ended in that flash of pain. He grew more and more frustrated, body tensing further with each time. Kakashi's tone of voice never changed, something weirdly hypnotizing about the calm but firm sound. After probably the one hundredth attempt, Sasuke felt on the very brink of losing his temper.

Then, as quickly as water pouring out a sieve, the anger flowed out of him. What was the point in getting mad? It solved nothing and accomplished even less than nothing. Eyes closing, entire body relaxing and going half limp, Sasuke dropped into a cross-legged position and just formed a quick hand seal for the fireball jutsu, the signature seal of the Uchiha clan.

The pain that thrummed along his nerves was half as strong.

"Much better, Sasuke," Kakashi's voice said. "Do that again, but do it faster."

Feeling mildly stunned, Sasuke did his best to obey, and again the pain diminished a little more.

"Good," Kakashi said. "Now stand up, and perform a series of fireballs as fast as you can."

This time not even taking the time to breathe, Sasuke just did so. Each one came more smoothly and even quicker than the one before it until by the twelfth there wasn't a whisper of pain traveling along his nerves.

And when he looked up at Kakashi, breathing hard, the man was smiling.

"Excellent. Come here. Let's work on something with a little more real-world application."

~*o0o 0o0 o0o*~

Two days later, Kakashi seemed satisfied with Sasuke's progress on various levels. The boy, worked harder than ever by his guardian, developed enough of an appetite he filled out a little more. His control improved dramatically, and thanks to partnering only with Kakashi his scores spiked.

The downside, of course, was that he couldn't use Poison while bound to Kakashi. Since it had been two days since his last dose before switching Controllers to Kakashi, he was starting to feel the effects of withdrawal again. All he could do was hope Kakashi wouldn't notice.

He hadn't seen much of the other students during this intensive training, so after morning classes and a quick lunch, he headed to the sparring arenas to catch up with his friends. He found Gaara and Suigetsu immediately, talking with the three girls Sakura, Ino, and Hinata.

"Hey, beautiful!" Suigetsu greeted him, draping an arm around Sasuke's shoulders. "Where have you been? Still Kakashi-sensei's prisoner, I see?"

"For only another day or two," Sasuke confirmed.

"Well, you're just in time to watch the most epic threesome you've ever seen!" Suigetsu exclaimed.

Sakura and Ino both started laughing, and Hinata blushed.

"What he means," Ino said, still chortling, "is that he, Gaara, and Hinata are all going head to head with me, Sakura, and Naruto."

That would definitely be something to see. Even as that thought crossed his mind, Naruto came trotting up to the group.

"Good! You're all here. Oh, Sasuke! Just in time. We're about to have the first three-way contest this year. You just sit back and watch, we're gonna knock your socks off! C'mon, you guys, while the mat's free."

A little nonplussed by Naruto's rather impersonal greeting (accompanied by not a single touch), Sasuke watched the six teens take to the sparring mat. The three Controllers took the hands of the three Coordinators, and Sasuke found his eyes go right to Naruto and Hinata. She was a full head shorter than he, so she fit in his arms perfectly. She blushed when the blonde embraced her.

Sasuke had the surprisingly uncharitable thought she looked blotchy and un-pretty when she flushed. And why did Naruto lean down to whisper something in her ear? What did he whisper? Hinata blushed even deeper and giggled. A muscle in Sasuke's cheek twitched.

The three Controllers transformed simultaneously, and Sasuke blinked to see Naruto take his gun form. It looked somewhat unwieldy on Hinata's petite frame, but the second the change was complete she tapped her feet on the mat and sprang into the air.

The three barrels of the gun instantly glowed with an upwelling of chakra, the silvery-lavender of Hinata's. Six short bursts sent three blasts toward Gaara, three toward Suigetsu while Hinata executed a perfect spin in the air to scatter the shots in a way that would make them difficult to avoid.

What the hell? Sasuke thought venomously, eyes narrowing. When the hell did the dobe learn to do that? The attack was flawless, their combined control obvious.

Suigetsu deflected the shots by spinning Ino, and Sakura protected Gaara with her chakra shield, but Hinata and Naruto kept them both on the defensive with continued bursts from the gun. Unfortunately, Sakura's perfect shield left Gaara's hands free to perform the necessary seals.

Sasuke recognized the jutsu for his relentless sand attacks, and the enormous gourd on his back opened. Sand poured out, passing through Sakura's shield and flying through the air, forming a huge fist as it went. Hinata paid it no mind, her hands forming a seal of her own. While she worked, Naruto shocked Sasuke yet again.

The spikes on the gun all lifted off and formed a grid on both sides of her and behind her as well. The space between the spikes was filled with glittering red chakra, an impressive shield. And seemingly impenetrable, as well. The sand ricocheted harmlessly off.

Grinning in obvious excitement, Suigetsu leaped up. The length of the spiked chain grew in his hands, and he whipped it vigorously toward Hinata. She, however, completed her hand seal, and this time the word 'shock' didn't do it justice. The gun in her hands changed lightning fast to the black sword of Naruto's first form. The spike shields, however, remained firmly affixed to her sides and back.

Impossible, Sasuke thought dimly. A Controller couldn't transform but keep elements of his different form. It was simply impossible.

But as Hinata landed on the mat and danced forward with brilliant speed and grace, Sasuke had to reconcile what he knew with what he saw. Naruto had somehow blended his two forms. In two days he'd gone from average to defying logic.

Hinata swept the black sword forward, and Suigetsu grinned again as the spiked chain wrapped around it. Hinata, however, performed a quick one-handed jutsu that Sasuke recognized. Unique to the Hyuga clan, her silvery chakra traveled up the sword and to the spiked chain, arcing up the length to Suigetsu's hand.

Sasuke winced. It would be a painful sensation, her attack. Indeed, his friend yelped and dropped Ino, their link severing.

That was when Gaara moved. Sakura's shield still protecting him, he drove forward with the two katana swords. They clashed with Naruto's, and with that tremendous speed Hinata performed that one-handed jutsu again. Sakura, however, harmlessly deflected it away with her superior shield. Gaara pressed this physical attack, his two blades locking with Hinata's one, sending showers of sparks.

Naruto was not the only one to have learned a new trick, though. Sakura's shield suddenly changed shape, going from spherical to spiny. These spines of pure chakra abruptly drove forward in a straight line faster than Sasuke could blink. The front being the only place without Naruto's shields of spikes, Hinata leaped upward to avoid it. Sakura's spines instantly curved to keep pace with her.

In the blink of an eye, Naruto transformed to his gun form. The three barrels powered up, but instead of releasing three short bursts, a steady stream shot from them to collide with ground-shaking force with Sakura's jade green chakra. It flung both Coordinators backward, but they both regained their feet with easy grace.

She's holding her own against Gaara, Sasuke thought, feeling stunned. He's the best Coordinator in The Academy, and she's holding her own.

A hand on his shoulder made him jump. He'd been so focused he didn't see or hear Neji's approach. He spared his friend only the barest glance, eager not to miss a second of this mock battle.

"She's doing well," Neji said, sounding surprised.

Which wasn't so shocking. Neji didn't like Hinata, but Sasuke didn't understand his hostility toward his younger cousin. He knew it had something to do with the clan's structure, but he'd never wanted to pry.

"You need to come over tonight," Neji went on. "You're probably already feeling sick."

Slightly annoyed by the unwanted distraction, Sasuke held up his left hand. "I can't. I'm bound to Kakashi, remember? He'd know the instant something changed." The only thing he wanted at the moment was to jump into the fray and join his friends.

"What are you going to do without it?" Neji pressed.

Slight annoyance changed to irritation. "I've been fine for four days, haven't I?" he almost snapped.

If Neji said anything more he didn't hear. All his attention riveted to the ongoing battle.

Ino and Suigetsu had reformed their bond, and Suigetsu looked more than a little pissed. Without forming a seal, his violet chakra abruptly blazed all around him in a cloud, leaping down the entire length of the spiked chain. Sasuke's body tensed; his friend had finally gotten serious. Though the platinum blonde could have a lackadaisical attitude about everything, unleashing this particular ability meant he was done playing around.

And what an ability it was. Now swathed in violet light, the spiked chain instantly developed long whip-like blades of pure chakra. Suigetsu spun the chain as it grew longer and longer, the two ends acting independently and never entangling with each other.

Hinata reacted first, displaying that unusual aggressiveness. She took four lunging steps forward before springing up into the air, Naruto switching quickly back to his katana form. The blade immediately began to glow silvery lavender with Hinata's chakra, and she made a blinding-fast series of arcs and sweeps in the air. Shimmery curtains of her chakra fell with incredible speed over the battlefield, aimed at both her opponents.

Harmless though it may look, Sasuke knew this was an extension of the Hyuga clan's special ability. Those strands of chakra would deliver a deadly painful and potent blow if they connected, capable of disrupting its victim's chakra flow.

Suigetsu and Gaara both knew it. They attacked chakra directly, so Gaara had Sakura drop her shield and protected himself with his sand. Suigetsu, never ceasing to spin the chain, launched himself into action. He lunged upward, nimble and agile as he avoided each of her attacks, forming a familiar seal.

The very fireball Sasuke had taught him a few years back.

Practically holding his breath, Sasuke leaned up on tiptoes as if to get closer. Suigetsu inhaled a deep breath, chest swelling. Flame burst from his lips, but instead of racing toward Hinata it blazed down the spiked chain to mix with the chakra enhancements already shimmering around the length.

Only then did they burst from the chain as Suigetsu swung it twice more, scattering in all directions. The force of the combined jutsus lit the air itself on fire, traveling faster and faster toward his opponents. The formidable attack forced both the other Coordinators into the defensive, but Sasuke felt another pulse of surprise toward Hinata.

She didn't dodge. Instead she formed another rapid seal and used the katana to deflect every single burst of fire and chakra. Naruto's spiked shield remained in place, so she defended from the front, above, and below. She was so fast not a single burst got through her defense.

Gaara chose that moment to send his persistent sand jutsu at Suigetsu, the sand forming a massive fist to strike at him from behind. Sasuke reflexively winced, having been on the receiving end of that attack more than once.

Suigetsu didn't so much as flinch. Spinning in midair, he brought his hands together and made a slashing motion with the chain, flicking both ends forward in opposite directions. The chain tore through the sand, sending particles everywhere.

Apparently perfectly willing to go with an ever-changing flow, Hinata landed lightly on the mat. Naruto changed forms once again, and she powered all three barrels with alarming amounts of their combined chakra before releasing the attack. Gaara reformed the sand, that giant fist moving to back up her attack.

Which prompted her to leap back up, whirling and sending the exact same attack down at him.

Ino's coils closed around Suigetsu, her pink chakra shimmering between them to protect her Coordinator from the blast. The sheer power knocked them both back. Sakura instantly reformed her chakra shield, but while she deflected the blow, the power behind it also knocked Gaara back. The redhead almost lost his feet. Hinata pressed her advantage, Naruto changing instantly to the sword, and plunged straight down at Gaara.

Against a lesser Coordinator, it might have worked. She was so fast she appeared to have the upper hand, even when his sand reformed to strike up at her. She used the sword with those incredibly fast slashes to cut the sand away, now within striking distance of Gaara.

A persistent jutsu was hardly the reason Gaara was such a dangerous opponent at his age. He simply vanished. Of course, Sasuke knew it was combination of using chakra to fuel his speed and being fast naturally, but Gaara reappeared right above her. Hand seal already complete, sand covered his raised fist and it glowed bright green as he slammed it down.

Not even she was fast enough to completely avoid that attack, and she went flying. Sasuke winced as she hit the mat, her link to Naruto severed. She looked dazed as the blonde Controller quickly helped her sit up with an arm around her shoulders, clearly asking if she was all right. When she sat up on her own, Naruto threw Gaara a huge grin.

"Fuck, that was awesome!"

Naruto's friend Kiba jumped up onto the mat. "Please let me in on this. Gaara, you and me?"

"Hell, yeah!" Naruto exclaimed. "You two against me and Hinata! Suigetsu, c'mon, you gotta get in on this action too!"

As they squared off again, Sasuke felt a weird sensation coil in his gut. He couldn't define it, but he didn't like it. Another Controller with whom he'd never sparred asked him politely for a match, but Sasuke absently declined. Then he rose and left the sparring halls. Anger, a low and distracting burn, simmered within him.

Why is that idiot so eager to spar with someone else? He'd grown accustomed to the blonde's fixation. It might annoy him, but it was somehow . . . comforting. It provided Sasuke with something he'd never experienced and apparently wanted (liked).

He hissed. Am I actually jealous?

How . . . unattractive.

Without stopping, he stormed through the halls to the instructors' offices. He shoved the door open without knocking. Iruka, who'd been sitting on the desk leaning over Kakashi, straightened and smiled at Sasuke.

"You're here early in the day. Students usually enjoy watching the matches."

"I was," Sasuke said, giving the pair appraising looks. He'd thought he wanted to talk to Kakashi, but seeing Iruka changed his mind. "Can I talk to you? Alone?"

"Of course," Iruka said, rising. He paused only long enough to drop a kiss on the bridge of Kakashi's nose before striding around the desk. Then with an arm around Sasuke's shoulders, he guided him out of the office and down the hall. "What's on your mind, little one?"

He, Sasuke thought distractedly, was the only person from whom Sasuke tolerated (liked) endearments. Now that he had Iruka's attention, he suddenly didn't know what to say. So he asked the first random thing that popped into his head.

"Why did you decide to bond with Kakashi?"

Looking only momentarily thrown, Iruka smiled softly. "It was a combination of things, really. I suppose I was flattered by his fixation on me, the intensity of his focus. And it helped that he was charming. And the best Controller of our year. His scores were so much higher than anyone else's he really stood out."

"Did he partner with other Coordinators a lot?"

"Of course," Iruka confirmed. "We both did. The Academy's philosophy is, the more Shinobi with whom you partner, the more you learn from each other. The more you learn, the better prepared you are to bond at the end of the year." He shrugged a little. "But he always came back to me, and I to him. As I mentioned before, I knew after a few months I would bond with him."

"Did he flirt with you?" Sasuke blurted. The question made him want to cringe, but he decided it was a good thing the connection between his brain and mouth seemed to have shut down. Didn't give him enough time to think when he actually really wanted to know.

Iruka chuckled. "Incessantly."

"Did he flirt with other Coordinators?"

This question made Iruka give him a long look before replying in a careful tone, "Not particularly." Then, even gentler, "What's bothering you, Sasuke?"

Suddenly uncomfortable, Sasuke shrugged off the arm still lightly holding him. Opening up was never easy, and this in particular just made him feel foolish. Sorry Iruka, I just wanted to whine that I'm jealous. Grimacing, Sasuke folded his arms across his waist. Yeah fucking right.

"Just . . . curious, I guess." Which sounded really fucking lame.

The pair hadn't stopped walking, and Sasuke blinked to realize Iruka had led him right to Kakashi's instructor suite. The older Coordinator took him inside and sat him down on the plush sofa. The suite was a hell of a lot bigger than the student dorms. A fact which Sasuke found vaguely unfair. Iruka knelt in front of him and put his hands on Sasuke's knees, squeezing lightly.

"Talk to me."

Sasuke resisted the urge to bite his lip. "It's nothing."

"Clearly it isn't," Iruka insisted. "Whatever it is, I'm here for you."

Propping his elbows on his knees, Sasuke buried his face in his hands. Even though he wanted Iruka's advice—or at least insight—Sasuke found himself choking on the words. So he picked a different topic, but one which was far more relevant.

"Have you and Kakashi talked to Tsunade about Itachi?"

Iruka blinked, looking understandably taken aback by the change of subject. Then he blinked and recovered. "Only a little. I think he's hoping she'll forget about her idea of using you to draw Itachi out of hiding."

Sasuke peered at him silently for a few moments. "You don't want me to do it, either."

Snorting softly, Iruka stood up only to sit beside him. "Of course not. I'll never want you to do anything dangerous. But I understand your needing to do this."

Standing, Sasuke started to pace. Then, once more without thinking, "Naruto told me he wants to kiss me." Then closed his eyes and grimaced. Fucking hell, he's going to think I'm worse than a PMSing girl.

Iruka looked suspiciously like he wanted to smile or laugh. Or both. "Did that bother you?"

"Yes," Sasuke snapped, so quickly it was obviously a lie. Then he rubbed a hand over his face. "I don't know. Maybe. At first." He was still trying to get used to the idea of Naruto wanting more than a partnership.

"Only at first?" Iruka prompted, voice kind.

"Now he's flirting with some other Coordinator," Sasuke all but spat, "and I don't know if I'm special to him or if he just wants to have fun."

"And you?" Iruka asked. "Do you just want to have fun, or do you want to be special to him?"

A question which had never occurred to Sasuke, so something he'd not considered until just this second. He blinked. In a moment of total honesty, he realized he liked the thought of being special to Naruto, that was true. Partly because the attention flattered him, partly because he liked how normal it was, and partly because . . .

He liked Naruto.

That epiphany startled him.

"I like him," he said without thinking.

Iruka immediately smiled. "I'm glad. He's a good kid. And would you like to hear a little secret?"

Sasuke hesitated before nodding.

"You are special to him," Iruka said. "Very special. And if you want his affection as well as his attention, I sincerely doubt you will have to encourage him much."

The words sent an odd little thrill through Sasuke, and he wanted to ask how Iruka knew. Instead, he gave the older Coordinator a wan smile. "Thank you, Iruka. I'm sorry I dragged you away from Kakashi."

"Don't apologize," Iruka said, rising and giving Sasuke a quick embrace. "I think you should head to bed early tonight. You look awfully pale."

A problem only one thing would fix. Sasuke just nodded and made his way out of his guardian's room. Encourage him, huh? In retrospect, that might not actually achieve the results he wanted. Especially since he couldn't seem to figure out what that was.