Author's note: WE'RE GETTING TO THE CRUX OF THINGS! This chapter made me giggle while writing it. Mostly at the expense of poor Shino. I love him, but I couldn't resist. Hopefully y'all enjoy :-)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Hinata's teammates seemed both surprised and nervous to see Sasuke. As he studied them closer, he decided they couldn't have been on a secret mission. They weren't even trying to be stealthy, though they were both wearing serious expressions. Rather, Kiba looked serious. It was hard to tell what… um, what was the Aburame's name again? He knew they'd been in the same class at the Academy. Was it Shibo? Sherma? Sasuke shrugged. Whatever his name was, it was hard to tell what his facial expression was because of the high collar, hood, and goggles.

Come to think of it, Simba had always dressed to conceal most of himself to others. Was that some kind of pre-requisite for being on Team Eight? Hinata had that hideous jacket and Kiba also wore something that seemed much too hot for the general Konoha climate. Or did Suiget - no, that couldn't be it. There was no way he knew two people named Suigetsu. Anyway, was his excessive clothing to hide the bugs? Hadn't he seen him before at the hot springs? How did that work? Would the insects not drown? Sasuke shuddered at the idea of dead bugs floating in the relaxing mineral water at the hot springs.

Pushing that train of thought aside, the Uchiha decided he wasn't about to admit that he couldn't remember the bug user's name so he'd just call both former classmates by their last names. Yes, he was definitely a genius.

"Inuzuka. Aburame." He said, nodding at each in turn. Naruto should be proud of him for being so polite.

"Uh, hey Sasuke," Kiba said. Was his voice always that high pitched? Why did he seem so nervous? Sasuke hadn't killed anyone in a while and it'd been at least a few months since he put someone from Konoha in a genjutsu. Plus, the genjutsu had been minor and the guy deserved it for trying to buy the last tomatoes.

Was there something he was missing?

"Are you two on a mission?" he asked, trying to sound casual. He was sure he was getting better at casual. He now talked to Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata so he would be a master at socializing any day now.

"Not exactly," Kiba replied, eyes flicking nervously to the side. That seemed suspicious. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"What Kiba means to say is that we just returned from an official mission. We are now on something of a personal mission."

The Uchiha focused his attention on the Aburame who made much more sense than his companion. Maybe if he tried to forget Kiba's name he could replace that space in his brain with the Aburame. The insect-user seemed like a more desirable person to interact with. He already had the loud, loyal, and aggressive categories filled in his few friendships. Three friends - six if you included Taka who knew better than to visit - already seemed excessive, but a quiet acquaintance didn't seem like a terrible idea for some of the get togethers that Team Seven would drag him to.

Sasuke pursed his lips in annoyance at the unfamiliar notion of making nice with people. He didn't use people solely to fill a need anymore, but he did not intend to be someone like Naruto either. The blond waved and greeted everyone when they were out. It was absurd.

He breathed in and out once. Back to the task at hand.

"I could say the same. There's some strange energy around here and I was investigating to make sure it wasn't anything harmful to the village. Do either of you know what's causing the commotion?"

He could have sworn Kiba let out an odd sounding giggle, but at that same moment a slightly inebriated group of men and women nearby burst into raucous laughter. Sasuke glanced at them with furrowed brows and then back towards his former classmates who didn't seem to have anything to say.

"Well if you two aren't aware of what's going on I'll leave you to whatever you were doing."

Sasuke turned on his heels to walk further down the street. He saw some people crowding around the entrance to a restaurant and while that wasn't unusual at this time of day, the people pressing their faces to the front windows and gesticulating to friends to come look with them seemed rather out of the ordinary. It could just be some new sensational food. He'd heard about a dessert recently that was apparently lit on fire at the table. As someone who routinely had fire in his mouth he didn't understand the draw of that, but he didn't care enough to make his opinion known.

He decided it would be best to get close so that he could find out what was drawing the attention of so many people. Perhaps that would lead him to the preferably benign source of the strange energy and he could go home and have a snack.

Kiba and Shino watched as Sasuke walked straight towards the restaurant where Naruto and Hinata were having dinner. Shino had sent a couple of bugs to find them while they had been chatting with the Uchiha. As a tracking specialist he knew that locating your target was the most important task. Strategy and action could be dealt with best once one had proper information. Knowledge of location also allowed for better improvisation, which is exactly what he felt they were going to need in the coming minutes.

"Uh, Shino, you know that Sasuke is walking right toward Naruto and Hinata." The conversation - or whatever that had been - between them and Sasuke had allowed Kiba time to pinpoint Hinata's scent and trail in the bustling district.

"I am aware."

"He didn't seem like he'd heard anything about Hinata and Naruto being out together."

"True. He seemed unaware of the incendiary gossip that we heard earlier."

"... So if he checks things out and finds what looks like his best friend and rival on a date with his… with Hinata what do you think he'll do?"

Shino remained silent for a few seconds. "Sasuke hasn't been consumed with vengeance for some time now."

Kiba watched Sasuke approach the restaurant, his anxiety growing with each passing moment.

"And you don't think seeing what probably looks like Naruto in an intimate setting with Hinata might break that streak?"

Shino did not reply, but within seconds had disappeared from Kiba's side and reappeared next to the crowd by the windows. Kiba quickly followed suit and one glance confirmed that Hinata was indeed inside the restaurant, seated across from Uzumaki Naruto who was speaking earnestly and… was he holding her hand? Was Naruto blushing?!

There was a loud commotion at the entrance to the restaurant and Kiba and Shino were able to divert their attention from the odd scene before them to the hostess stand where a young woman was trying - unsuccessfully, of course - to keep Uchiha Sasuke from waltzing past her into the dining area. One had to hand it to her. That her professionalism overcame the sheer terror that is disagreeing with or trying to dissuade the last Uchiha was downright impressive. Professionalism could only get you so far, however, when dealing with one of the strongest men in their world, and Sasuke had stalked to the back wall of the dining area where booths with backs all the way up to the ceiling allowed diners the opportunity to eat and speak with a semblance of privacy.

Kiba and Shino rushed to the door and towards the Uchiha as quickly as they could, before his voice stopped them dead in their tracks. In fact, at the sound of his exclamation the entirety of the restaurant seemed to hang in suspension.

"What the hell is this?"

Aaaaaand we're there. Tune in next week for more misunderstandings and confusion and in the meantime drop me a review telling me what you think and what you're hoping for! It's still in progress so I will take feedback into account when writing! Thank you again for all the love and support