A/N: Sorry for the long wait and the short chapter, but I had a massive paper to write last week for my lit class.  Though I don't particularly like Sasuke, it fit his character to be the one used for my purposes in this chapter.  I hope it reveals something to all of you.

Chapter Eight

Thick lashes blinked rapidly, adjusting the brown orbs they protected to the bright light and the harsh whiteness of the room they were now in.

"SENSEI!" Several childlike voices chorused at her side, alerting the woman to the vein that was now throbbing painfully in her forehead.

She sat up and rubbed at her head, trying to assuage the pain.  "Where am I?"

A man with a slightly graying brown ponytail and a long scar across his nose stepped forward from amongst the small throng of children.  "You're at the hospital TenTen.  You passed out at school."

"Is that so?" She ran a hair through her now loose hair.  "The last thing I remember was breaking up a fight between Daijiro and Katsuya."

Daijiro blushed and changed the subject.  "You look beautiful like this sensei."

Iruka tightened his hand on the boy's shoulder causing him to "Eeep!" softly.  "Okay kids, why don't you clear out and give your teacher a chance to rest?"

The students groaned, but wandered out through the door, emptying the room of everyone save him and the occupant of the bed. 

"What happened?"

"According to Daijiro you passed out right after you conjured up fire without using a jutsu.  The doctors think it may have been exhaustion."

She rolled her eyes and leaned back against her pillow.  "So that's what the problem was?  Neji said the Phoenix was gone, but I just had to go and see for myself.  I am such an idiot."

"I called your house, he should be on his way.  The doctors insisted he be the only one to be allowed in, but the kids all cried, so we all compromised and said that they could only stay in for a few minutes and then they'd have to leave."

"Thanks for being here." She shifted positions again, sitting up and leaning against the wall.  "I really appreciate it."

"No problem." He smiled sweetly at her and then headed towards the door.  "I'll tell him to come in." Iruka opened the door and disappeared into the hallway.

A few minutes later he entered the room, leaning heavily against the walls to support him.  On his way in his eyes were downcast and his face looked withdrawn and sorrowful.  However, when he looked up and saw that she was awake, the sadness vanished and was replaced with the closest thing he did to a smile, a tiny brightening of the eyes, and his lips curved up from a frown to a blank expression.

He leaned over her and brushed a few stray brown strands away from her eyes.  "What happened?"

"Exhaustion.  I passed out after summoning the flames." She groaned, pressing the palm of her hand against her forehead.  "I probably shouldn't have done it."

He grunted.  "Damn right you shouldn't have done it.  Your body still hasn't completely recovered from having Haruka."

She rolled over on her side.  "It's been nearly seven months."

"That doesn't matter," he chided her.  "Look at me, I'm in better shape than you are and it still nearly killed me to summon the Phoenix."

She didn't like the free shot he took at her strength and thought briefly of mentioning the fact that he was the one who had come crawling home, but then realized that she was the one currently lying in a hospital bed and decided to ignore it.  "Where's your Mom and the baby?"

"She's still at home watching Haruka." He stood up.  "I really want to stay here with you, but I should get back to my training.  I'm sure Hokage will find something for me to do soon."

"Neji, you've barely been out of the hospital one day, you shouldn't push yourself."

"I'll be fine." He kissed her on the forehead and then stood up.  "I'll be back later to sit with you and I'll bring Haruka with me." With that he walked over to the door and exited.  He continued to walk towards the exit of the hospital, even when Iruka made a motion as if to get up and talk to him.  He didn't stop walking until he was some distance out of town and then faced a tree.  "You can come out now.  We're alone."

The trees rustled as a dark figure jumped down from amongst them.  "Report the status of your mission Fuyuki."

"Give me a moment." His hands reached up to his chin and peeled back the mask like a second skin.  "I'm more comfortable without this on."  Fuyuki was a relatively good-looking man, and the long dark hair was all his own.  He had a smooth baby face that was unmarred by battle scars.  The strangest thing about him was his eyes.  One was dark brown and the other was sky blue.

"Your report." The other man insisted.

"Successfully infiltrated the Hyuuga home.  No one has any reason to suspect that I am not indeed Hyuuga Neji."

"And your relationship with his wife?"

"She accepts me as Neji as well.  However, my supposed injuries make relations with her rather difficult.  I know it had to be believable, but a broken arm would've sufficed."

The other ninja ignored his sarcasm.  "And your other mission?"

"This is only the second time I've been allowed out of the house since my return, but rest assured I won't let anything stand in my way."

"Make sure that you complete your mission to the fullest.  There is no room for failure on either end."

"There shouldn't be a problem with that.  Apparently this Hyuuga Neji is a very cold standoffish man."

"Don't forget what we're really here for."

"Of course." Fuyuki smiled widely, his canine teeth shining in the setting sun.  "What sort of criminals would we be if we didn't commit crimes?"

~~~

Inuzuka Kiba groaned.  He had been assigned to find the bodies of Neji's teammates and destroy them, not a mission he treasured, even though he understood that with both Akamaru and his enhanced nose he could find them quicker than anyone else could.  What really made him dislike the mission was the fact that Uchiha Sasuke was the one who was assigned as his teammate. 

The incident with Orochimaru five years ago had changed him.  He'd always been cold and cruel, but now he spurned anyone that even tried to make contact with him, including the one person who wanted him to talk to her more than anyone else, Haruno Sakura.  Kiba may not have looked like it, but he was a gentleman, and he hated it when girls were treated with anything other than the greatest of care.  He'd often thought long and hard of giving Sasuke a piece of his mind, but despite everything he'd done, the last of the Uchiha clan was still the pride of the village, so he restrained himself, for everyone's sake.

Kiba's mood bled down into Akamaru, and the dog turned towards his master and gave him a questioning whine.

"It's nothing Akamaru."

Sasuke leapt from the trees, landing in a small clearing.  "Here they are."  And true enough, the bodies of three of Neji's teammates were lying there, broken and twisted, dried blood coloring the grass red near their necks.

Kiba scanned the clearing.  "Shouldn't there be one more body?"

Sasuke nodded.  "Hyuuga said he and Senrou went on ahead, these guys were ambushed, and then Senrou was attacked and killed before he could respond."

"We should find Senrou and bring him back here.  It would save us the time."

Sasuke agreed and set off with Kiba to walk in the direction Neji had relayed to them.  When they arrived, they found Senrou's body, the man lying awkwardly on his side, his mask broken and glassy eyes staring straight ahead.  Kiba bent down and gently closed the dead man's eyes.

Sasuke continued to survey the area, and a few broken tree limbs caught his keen eyes.  "Didn't Hyuuga say that he attacked and killed his enemies here?"

Kiba stood from where he was kneeling over the ANBU member's body.  "Yeah…"

"Look around, does anything look like it was burned."

"No…" he glanced in the direction Sasuke was staring.  "But it looked like there was a struggle and someone was dragged away."

"I'd bet anything that this supposed fight didn't take place here."

Akamaru sniffed at the blood on the ground and barked enthusiastically.

"Akamaru says that the blood isn't all Senrou's."

Sasuke stroked his chin.  "But it's not nearly enough to have come from the injuries he had.  So either the beating and his attack didn't take place here, or he was lying to us."

"Why would he lie?"

"I don't know," Sasuke replied honestly.  "But you'd better believe I'm going to find out."