SPOILERS: OMFG! I just now realized that the people who don't read the manga probably don't even know who Obito is yet! If there are any of you who have read this and don't know that Obito was Kakashi's teammate who died, well, sorry…but it's your own fault for not reading ahead! KUKUKUKU! Plus, Obito has been mentioned before in the anime, in the episode where they have the funeral for The Third. Anyway, just thought I should mention that.

NOTE: Okay, things start to get…weird…exactly HERE. I had to do some pretty imaginative thinking, and I hope it's not too confusing, so just keep reading and all will be revealed in time. Also, my apologies, but this part is just packed with memories and flashbacks…it's the only way I could think to describe Obito and his motives as well as the teams feelings about each other. As always, things may not actually be as they appear. So have fun! And don't get too pissed at me, I had to cut this chapter in half…again…it's too frigging long!

This promises to be a very exciting chapter indeed! I'm just tickled pink that it happens to be the SEVENTH chapter and it's the first chapter that deals fully with Team Seven (AHEM Team Obito) as a whole! I didn't even plan it that way! (O-O)

IN OTHER NEWS: I've seen the word Akatsuki translated as the following: Aka red, and Tsuki moon, but I found that the actual translation of the entire word 'Akatsuki' is this: Daybreak/Beginning; or Ending. Soooo, would that be the reason that shadowy organization calls themselves by that name? The Beginning and the End? Like Alpha and Omega? Do they have a 'god' complex? I just thought it was interesting….sigh

DISCLAIMER…or whatever: um, yeah…if I owned Naruto, I would say Screw College and just do nothing but Naruto all day long… (picks nose and dreams of money)

WARNINGS: Language and violence …nothing too naughty...yet. For now it's just 'hints' and 'nudges' with evil grins. Evil grin I think I'm gunna have to throw an OC warning in here too…just in case. Don't worry, I try very hard to be tasteful. If not, you can always bitch about it. But I would cry…hee hee hee.

We will begin at the point where the four left the bench, except this time, it's from Sakura and Obito's point of view… I hope this chapter isn't too confusing…it's giving ME brain bubbles.

Enough of my idiot babbling…on with the friggin' story!

"So did you understand what I was talking about back there?" Obito glanced back to the small, pink haired girl that was lagging behind him. He stopped walking and waited for her to catch up.

Sakura flinched and looked up at her new teacher. She hoped he hadn't noticed her checking out his ass! "Ugh…What?"

"The jutsu, did you understand what I was saying?"

"OH! Well, I guess, a little of it. I don't really know much about healing jutsus. I've only read a little bit about them, but I do know that they are difficult to do."

"Do you find them difficult?"

"Well, I've never tried one! Only read about them, remember?"

"Yeah, but from what you've seen, do you find them difficult?"

"Well, not really, I mean, I can see where other people might have trouble with them."

"That's good."

"Why do you say that sensei?"

"Because I was thinking of teaching you that skill."

"Me? Why?"

"Because I was told you have excellent chakra control, the best in your class."

Sakura blushed. She'd never really gotten much positive attention for being the smartest girl in the class before. They all would just pick on her about it and tell her she had a wide forehead. "Sasuke is the top of the class. I'm sure he's probably has better chakra control than me."

"I doubt that. Have you ever noticed that sometimes when you hit, it's harder than you expected?"

Sakura thought back to that morning, when she hit Naruto on the back of his head. She really didn't mean to hit him that hard! "Well, sometimes, I guess."

"That's because when you hit, you are occasionally able to use chakra to heighten the force of the blow. You seem to be doing it unconsciously though. But don't get me wrong, that's a good thing! Most people would have to train themselves for a very long time just to be able to do that with a lot of effort."

"How do you know all this?"

"Well for one thing, I was watching when you were beating the shit out of Naruto. I'm curious though, I was told that you were also good at genjutsu type skills."

Sakura's face practically glowed red, and a vain started to form on her forehead. "Naruto…." She grumbled. 'That disgusting pervert! How could he just…steal my first kiss like that! YUCK! I'll make him pay for that I swear! Stupid, filthy, creep! He's ruined everything! Again!' "That little creep!"

"What threw you off? Why do you think you fell for that jutsu?"

She hated to admit it, but… "He's good at that technique! I was totally fooled by it. He even smelled like Sasuke!"

"…You know what he smells like?" Obito was confused. Did he ever behave that way when he was younger? NO! He was too busy trying not to get killed! 'It must be a girl thing,' he thought.

"Of course I do! How could I not? I try to get as close to him as possible, whenever I can! He smells like peppermint! …and something else…hmmm…" Sakura racked her brain to put a name on the other elusive scent that always seemed to hover in the air whenever Sasuke Uchiha was near. She couldn't. "And his shampoo! He even smelled like that too! How the heck did he manage that?"

"Hahahaha! I see. Your eyes don't see through it."

"What?"

"You figure out the illusion based on logic. That's why you were able to be fooled by it. It makes total sense now."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Naruto was at Sasuke's house."

"What?"

"Yesterday, I was following him. He was at Sasuke's house. He probably took a shower there too. Hahaha! That would explain the shampoo!"

"Logic." Sakura grumbled to herself. She'd never even considered that option. How was that possible! "Sasuke and Naruto hate each other! Look!" She pointed ahead of them to her male teammates. Naruto was poking Sasuke in the chest, and Sasuke had that arrogant smirk on his face. It was OBVIOUS they were about to start brawling in the street pretty soon. "What the heck would he be doing at his house?"

"Haha…they got into it yesterday. Sasuke was the one who did that to Naruto's arm. He took Naruto to his house to tend to the wound."

Sakura was shocked. "Sasuke did that to him?"

"Yep. That's how I knew exactly how to explain the injury. I saw it happen. Well, I was far away, I didn't see it up close, but I did see him get stabbed."

"You saw that…and you didn't heal him THEN?"

"Nah. I wanted to give Sasuke a chance. I wanted to see how he'd handle the situation. You know, he's kind of…um…he's…"

"Yeah. I noticed."

"So why do you like him so much? He doesn't seem to be particularly fond of you."

Obito's bluntness stung Sakura for a moment. She wasn't stupid like Naruto was! She knew all that stuff! "Well, see, I like him because, I don't know…" She looked down at her feet and scrutinized her feelings for the unpleasant Uchiha. Her thoughts drifted back to the first time she'd encountered him. Ino was showing her off to all of her friends.

"Hey guys! This is Sakura!"

"Um... Nice to meet you."

Sakura wasn't exactly sure how to respond to all the attention she was getting that day, but she was glad that she'd become friends with Ino. Ino was so outgoing, and she was very popular too! Sakura wanted everyone to like her as much as they liked Ino. She let herself be led around all day, meeting all of Ino's friends.

"…And over there, that's Yoshi. He's supposed to be really good at ninjutsu," Ino lowered her voice and spoke softly into Sakura's ear, "But I'VE never seen him do anything cool."

Sakura giggled. "Ino, that's not nice."

"Who ever said I was nice?" Ino gave her friend a sly grin, but before she could say anything else, her eyes got large and her grin turned to a smile of pure delight! "Sasukeee!" Ino grabbed her new friend by the hand and practically dragged her over towards the boy who had just come into view. He was walking with a few of his friends.

Sakura noticed that when the boy saw Ino, his face shifted quickly from one of casual speaking, to one of horror for a split second, then settled on one of what seemed like forced pleasantness.

"Oi! Ino. How are you? ACK!" To Sakura, it looked like Ino was trying to squeeze the life out of him!

"SaSuKE! I've been looking for you all day!" Ino removed herself from his person and stood aside, allowing the boy to get a good look at her new companion. "SasuKEEE…Thiiiiiis is SaKuRa! Isn't she just the CUTEST?"

"Umm…" He looked at the other girl for a minute.

Sakura thought she would die of embarrassment! She could just tell that she was blushing like crazy. Why did Ino have to embarrass her so bad in front of THE cutest boy in the Ninja Academy?

"Sasuke is THE most popular boy in our class Sakura. So you should be nice to him!"

"Ino…" Sasuke looked embarrassed FOR Sakura. He had amused smile on his face. It was a nice smile.

"Um…Hi…" Sakura wanted to curl up into a ball and die.

"Hey." He didn't look disgusted…that was a good thing! "Sakura. Nice to meet you." He held out his hand to the fumbling ball of nerves, that was Sakura.

Sakura took the boys hand and shook it gently. "It's…nice to meet you too…" Right as she finished speaking, one of the boys that Sasuke had been walking with called out to him. He turned to acknowledge the voice, but he was still holding her hand.

"Sasuke! Come on already! I thought you wanted to go practice with shuriken!"

"Yeah! Wait up! I'll be right there!" He turned back to Sakura. "Well, I guess I'll see you around then." He gave her a little smirk and let go of her hand. Sakura thought she felt his finger rub gently against her hand as he slipped away from her. "Bye Ino." With that, he turned and ran towards his friends that had gone on ahead of him.

Sakura shook her head and sighed. "IIINOOO! Why'd you have to go and SAY that?"

"Sasuke is an Uchiha, Sakura! The Uchiha are the strongest clan in the village. Sasuke comes from a VERY important family! But he's very nice! He's not all stuck up like some of the other kids. And isn't he just the CUTEST?"

Later that day, while Sakura was in the woods picking flowers for an arrangement that was due in class the next day, she happened upon him again…rather, HE happened upon her. Out of nowhere, a shuriken buzzed passed her face, clipping off a lock of her hair. As she jerked to avoid it, she let out a shriek. 'Where the heck did that come from?' She sat there panting. Her heart was beating hard against her ribcage.

"Oi! Hey! Are you okay over there! I'm SO sorry!" She heard footsteps quickly approaching her.

She was still clutching her chest when she looked up to see who the voice belonged to. Her expression didn't change. She was still in shock. 'It's HIM!'

"Hey!…Oh! Sakura…" His face suddenly changed from concerned to a friendly smile. Sakura wanted to melt immediately. "Did I scare you? I'm sorry…look, I didn't mean to almost kill you…I just…kind of suck at shuriken throwing…well, I mean, I can throw ONE just fine, but when I try aiming with multiples…well…I suck. Really! I'm sooo sorry." A slight pink tint stained his pale cheeks. He was chuckling faintly to himself. Sakura thought she had never seen anyone who was so beautiful. He had achieved 'godlike' status in her young eyes.

"It's…okay…" Suddenly feeling quite bashful, Sakura examined the ground, so as not to embarrass herself further by staring. That's when she noticed the lock of hair he'd accidentally cut off. "My hair!"

Sasuke looked down at the strands of pink hair that had sprinkled the ground near where they sat. He looked back up at the girl and cringed. "NO! Ugh… Look! It's cool!" He smiled again and pinched at a bit of the severed hair, brought it up over Sakura's head, and blew it into the air. "See? Just like sakura!" Sakura stared blankly in front of her, watching the tiny hairs flutter gracefully to the ground again. When she focused, her eyes found the boy sitting in front of her. He was smiling contently. She saw his eyes moving to follow the strands as they fell around her.

"Um…what?" She was at a loss for words.

"Your hair, it's pretty and falls about your face…like cherry blossoms, Sakura." He leaned forward, brushed a strand of her hair off her face, and tucked it carefully behind her ear. "Hn." He smirked at her. "There. It's perfect." That was about the moment she fell in love. He was perfect. She thought she was seeing stars.

Her bliss was cut short though, when a voice called out from the tree line. "Sasuke, if you're done flirting with that girl, I wonder if I could speak to you for a moment?" The boy flinched and jerked his hand away as he spun around at the voice.

"Sh—Shisui? What?" Sasuke looked startled, as if something was wrong.

"Come on, I'll show you some shuriken tricks."

"Ugh...okay…hang on a sec…" He turned back to Sakura, still blushing slightly. He smiled sweetly and scratched at the back of his head. "Well, I guess since you're okay…I'll see you later…Sakura." With that, he stood and hurried to follow the older boy that had interrupted them. She never even got to say goodbye.

Sakura didn't see him for a while after that. When she did, he'd…changed…

"He's just, always so sad! Everyone likes Sasuke, but Sasuke doesn't ever want to be around other people. I think I just want to see him happy…like he used to be. But no matter what I do, he pushes me away. I guess I should just give up on him." The last statement came out with a long disappointed sigh. "He hates me anyway."

Obito smiled down at the small, pouting girl. "Aww, come on now. He's just a little…weird…that's all. I'm sure he doesn't REALLY hate you. Anyway, it's good that he has someone that cares so much for him. He probably needs that more than he'll ever admit. Don't give up on him yet." He put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her close to him for a moment before letting her go. He was trying to cheer her up. It worked. A LOT!

Sakura blushed hard. He touched her! He was so hot! He seemed like he was really cool too! She was sooo happy that he was her new instructor! Obito had continued to talk to her but she couldn't really say that she was paying attention. She glanced ahead to her two male counterparts. It looked like Sasuke was whispering something to Naruto. Naruto glanced over his shoulder at her. She quickly turned and nodded attentively to their new instructor. 'Naruto looked strange just now… THAT JERK!'

Lunch was ALMOST a quiet, and awkward affair. Save for Naruto and Obito's slurping, and Naruto occasionally asking for a refill, none of them said a word. Sasuke sat next to Naruto on one side, Obito sat on the other, with Sakura next to him.

Naruto sat slurping his noodles, perfectly content. Well, except for the fact that he was currently in the middle of THE absolute WEIRDEST day he ever experienced and he was having trouble coming to terms with it. His mind swirled in every direction at once. He was a ninja today. He kissed Sakura today! He got his ass kicked by her today as well. He'd nearly been killed by the guy he was supposed to hate above all others, and he'd also sort of, become friends with him in the process. Sort of. He met some strange guy who showed up out of nowhere, toting a severed head, and he'd just learned, from the guy he was supposed to hate, that the guy with the head was his supposed to be his guardian and he was also his new teacher too. What the hell did that mean anyway? And that wasn't even the half of it! Too much information! SLUUUUURP!

Sasuke was glad that Sakura was as far away from him as possible. God he hated her! She just got on his nerves in a way that nobody else ever could. He'd never once shown any interest in her, so why did she continue to relentlessly pursue him? He glanced over at her. She wasn't even eating. She just sat there absently poking her chopsticks at her ever fattening noodles with a dreamy look on her face. He hadn't even noticed that he was doing something similar, except, the look on his face was one of boredom and annoyance.

Sakura had taken the seat next to her teacher to avoid sitting next to the two boys who she was currently pondering killing in their sleep. 'Damn it all! Naruto's stupidness is rubbing off Sasuke now! What the HELL!' Those annoying thoughts though, were pushed neatly away and tucked into the deep recesses of her mind so she could enjoy the nice view of her new instructor's profile. She suddenly found herself deconstructing the seemingly perfect architecture of his features. His skin, though pale, was flawless, save for a couple of tiny, black, beauty marks that would almost certainly go unnoticed with less inspection. The one just below his right ear, on his neck, caught her attention for some reason. He wore two silver spikes through his ear, one above the other. They were about the half the diameter of a pencil, and were held on by rubber rings on the front and back. His jet black hair looked thick and ruff. It stuck out in semi-long, windblown spikes that were pushed off his face by a pair of round, black, goggles. The goggles were small. They looked like they would only just fit over his eyes. Those eyes, Sakura thought, were like beautiful black holes that could draw anything in with their gravity and hold them forever. She ached to stare into them full on. They were lined by a row of long, slightly curled, black lashes that would gently brush his skin when he blinked. Her gaze trailed down to his mouth. She was spellbound by the way his perfect, pink, lips puckered just a tiny bit when he sucked in another tangle of noodles. 'MMM! Yummy! Do ALL Uchiha's look this good?' That was a stupid question.

Obito's mood had taken a slight downturn upon entering the Ichiraku Ramen shop. He didn't expect the nostalgia to hit him as hard as it was. He normally would have been filling his student's ears with pointless chatter, but for some reason, the chatter was manifesting itself inwardly, in the form of powerful, saddening memories. They were jumbled and scattered and they swirled around in his head, dredging up old times.

"Thinking about heavy thoughts?"

"Sensei?"

"We've been waiting for you to show up for a while now. I thought I'd better come find you."

"Obito! You were supposed to be back here two days ago! Where have you been?"

"I got caught up! Sorry."

"I had to assign your mission to someone else AND THEY FAILED IT! It makes ME look incompetent! You owe me BIG TIME for this!"

"Obito, I think I…made a terrible mistake…please…we have to hurry…I don't have much time left…"

"You'll find your 'client' at the Ichiraku Ramen shop."

"Yeah? How will I know her?"

"She has a large round belly."

"I thought you said she was pretty! I don't care how much you think I OWE you! I am NOT wasting my time lugging shit around for some fat cow, when I could be doing an IMPORTANT mission! I'm a Jounin now! Not a fucking Genin!"

"This mission IS important OBITO! And she is VERY pretty… if I do say so myself."

"So I guess you're my little ninja 'helper'. Hang on a minute. Hey old man! I'm leaving now! Come on kid. Let's get this over with, so you can get back to your wonderful, adventurous life."

"What's that supposed to mean, lady?"

"Hegh…nothing. I'm just bored to death. This staying in one place crap is starting to get to me. And having to do menial labor to earn money? Oh my god. It's too much."

"Okaaaay…So, where are you from?"

"Ha! I'm from everywhere! I actually just came here from Sunagakure, but that ain't my 'home' or anything."

"So where are you from originally?"

"What, me? Or are you wondering about my clan?"

"…Both…I guess."

"Haha! Yer funny kid. Fine. I THINK the place I was born in was…I think it was in Kirigakure. I can't say for sure though, since I was an infant and all. I grew up mostly just wandering around. As far as my CLAN is concerned, well, I'm told that we originated in the area that is now called Wave. Though, back when this happened, well, I don't really know if there is a recorded timeline of it, but I think the guy said it was a couple thousand years ago. Since then, we've all just kind of spread out, all over the continent. So, yeah…Does that answer your question?"

"Um…yeah. It does... I guess… So what's your rank?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Your rank. What level are you at? You keep mentioning all these hidden villages, and it makes me wonder what your rank is."

"Ooooh! Hegh hegh! I get it! You assume I'm a ninja. I'm not. I have no affiliation with any one nation. I roam amongst them freely, like I said before."

"…How?"

"What are you stupid? You don't think that a being can just roam free without ties?"

"That's not what I said at all! …And you look pretty tied to me!"

"What? This? Yeah well, that was before. Now I'm here. And I really can't go anywhere, so let's just stop talking about this! It's making me want pull up stakes and run away!"

"If you hate it here so much, then why did you come here?

"Because I fell in love. Well, it doesn't help that I can't even use my chakra. As you can see, I'm in a rather fragile state right now."

"Sooo, who's kid is it anyway?"

"I don't see how it's your business who my kid's daddy is."

"Sorry, didn't mean to offend."

"Don't worry about it. I'm not married. If you ever call my kid a bastard though, I'll be sure to cut you up into little tiny pieces and feed you to the vultures in Suna."

"OOOOKAAY! Look we're almost there. I guess you get to pick out whatever you like. I'll be hauling it back to your place for you. Then I'll just go about my business and get back to my wonderful, adventurous, life."

"Right."

"You dropped you're knife."

"No I didn't. I threw it at you. That was a nice dodge kid. Not bad."

"Why do you keep calling me 'kid'? You look younger than I am!"

"Wow. Thanks, I guess."

"Why did you throw this at me!"

"Because I wanted to see how good you were, that's all. I was bored, and I happened upon you here, so, that's why I threw it at you."

"Why are you here?"

"BECAUSE I'M BORED!"

"And you want ME to entertain you."

"Yeah sure, why not?"

"Who the hell are you?"

"Just a stuck traveler with nothing to do. Why don't you show me your skills? Or are you afraid to show them off?"

"Alright. Fine."

"Now we're talkin'!"

"So, um, I'm curious…You keep mentioning all these hidden villages, um…how is it that you aren't a ninja again?"

"I don't need any other skill than the ones I already have. It would be unnecessary for me to learn more."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just what I said. I'm content with what I have."

"Why is it that you can't use your chakra? I wanna see what you've got, for myself."

"It's the baby. It eats it all up. Don't tell anyone that I said that though. If you do, I'll cut your tongue out and make you swallow it."

"Damn! Chill out!"

"I'm serious. Never speak to anyone about the things that you and I talk about. I'm only telling you these things because I like you, and you ask, but I won't hesitate to END you if I feel even the least bit threatened."

"Why would you even feel threatened in the first place?"

"Kid, you have no idea."

"So why do you hate staying in one place so much anyway?"

"It's just something I've always done. I don't really like to have too many ties. What do you think when I tell you my clan is spred out all over? We're wanderers. Nomads. We only know each other by our symbol. That's how we tell each other from the masses. The descendants from the main family wear this mark on their back, but the rest of them, if they want themselves to recognized, will wear it somewhere else. It's a basic communication method. That's why I tend to frequent the hidden villages. Many from my clan are allied to various ninja affiliations. It's easier for me to find friendly hospitality among my own."

"Hn."

"Did I say something wrong?"

"I was just thinking about how people can be so hypocritical sometimes."

"Are you referring to ME?"

"No. MY clan."

"Why's that?"

"It's just all the bullshit that my father used to bore into my head. 'All, Uchiha are family, Obito…Know their faces and be kind to them and they will do the same for you.' It's kind of like what you were just talking about, but in THIS case it's horribly untrue. My clan hates me. The only reason they haven't rid themselves of me yet is because my sensei is Yondaime. He's the only thing keeping me from being assassinated."

"That sucks for you, kid. What did you do to them?"

"Nothing. I acquired a 'forbidden' skill…by accident."

"How's that happen?"

"I'd rather not talk about it, thanks."

"Alright. Fine. Be that way. See if I care."

"I wish I could just leave. Wander around."

"Why don't you?"

"Because I would become a Missing Nin. You know, ties."

"So, even your parents hate you?"

"I don't have parents."

"I see. Well, at least you had parents."

"What about you?"

"I've always been alone."

"Always? Even when you were little?"

"Yup. Most of the time anyway. There was a guy for a while. I followed him around and talked to him. That's how I found out about my clan. We both had the same symbol. He asked me where I got it from. I spent a few years with him. That was when I was little though. Since then I just kind of kept to myself. I have my own ways. It's easier if I don't have to answer to anybody."

"So, what do you do? Besides wander around that is?"

"I'm an assassin."

"…"

"Look, kid…I don't think I'm gunna be around much longer."

"What? Why?"

"Once this baby gets here, I'm gone. I just wanted to let you know that if you ever decide to start wandering…take this. If you see a place that bears that mark, show it to them, and tell them you got it from me. Tell them I consider you my family. It'll all work out for you. Got it?"

"But…why?"

"I told you, I like you. You're entertaining."

"Where…where will you go…from here?"

"Not too far. But no one will be able to reach me. Don't look so sad! Perhaps we'll meet again someday. Remember though, what I said about keeping things to your self. I meant it."

"I won't say anything. Don't worry…but I still don't even know what the big secret is."

"You mean you haven't figured it out? Now I'd rather not tell you. This is strange."

"You'd really just leave and not let me in on the mystery?"

"I've already told you way more than I've ever spoken or implied to anyone else. Most people, I thought, would get the idea by now."

"Stop with the cryptic shit and just tell me!"

"I've got a fun idea. I challenge you. If you really want to know about me that bad, go out and look. See what you find. Use that. If you ever solve your 'mystery' come and find me. We'll talk again. How would that be?"

"Are you serious?"

"Very. Try to hunt me down. That is your task. If you fulfill it, I'm the prize."

"I still don't really understand what you mean though."

"What, you don't want to see me again?"

"I do!"

"Then do as I ask."

"…"

"I guess this is goodbye for now, Obito."

"Well…I guess this is goodbye for now, kid. Take care of yourself…Naruto…"

Obito glanced up from his bowl to the old man that was currently preparing another bowl of noodles, and then turned his gaze to the small blonde that was sitting next to him, stuffing his face. He felt a tiny pang of guilt set in. He turned back to his meal and continued slurping it up with practiced precision.

"It's been a long time since I've seen your face around here, Obito. I heard that you'd retuned. It would seem that you are the talk of the village right now." The old man was smiling cheerfully at Obito while pouring the freshly cooked noodles into Naruto's bowl.

"I'm pretty sure everyone's heard about it by now. It's pathetic really. I hadn't planned on making such a 'stunning' entrance." He glanced back up and gave the old man a look that showed his annoyance at the whole situation.

"I hope you have a lot of money on you." The old man motioned to the stack of bowls that was steadily increasing in height in front of his most reliable customer.

Obito had been too lost in his thoughts to notice that the kid had consumed an ungodly amount of ramen in the short time they'd been there. He'd never seen a kid eat like that! "Naruto! You're going to get sick from all that!"

"Che! I never get sick. Especially not from RAMEN! Ramen is my life blood! And free is something that don't come around too often."

"Free?" Obito was curious.

"Yup!" Naruto grinned happily at his new teacher. "It was your idea for us to have lunch, so it's your treat. Besides, I'm broke anyway. Welfare money only stretches so far you know. Konoha is stingy with war orphans. Plus, I figure you owe me. Since," he paused briefly for effect, "You knoooow…" He made sad, pouty eyes at Obito, and stuck out his bottom lip, but grinned evilly to himself. He knew that his well placed whine would hit its mark, dead center.

Defeated, Obito slammed a wad of money on the counter and stood up. "Alright you guys. Let's go. We got a lot of stuff to do today." With that, the four exited the shop and headed to a quiet place to talk amongst themselves. Obito lead them to a small bridge that crossed the stream that ran through that part of town. He hopped up onto the railing and crouched down. His hands gripped the rail in between his feet. "All right. I guess it's time we have that little 'informational talk' thing. I guess I'll go first. Like I said before, my name's Obito Uchiha and I'll be your Jounin instructor. I just want to make it clear, however, that I'm being blackmailed into this gig and I have no intention whatsoever of fucking around with you. So here's the deal, Two days ago I snuck into this village toting the head of what I thought was my last precious relative. I took it to your honorable Hokage to collect the bounty on it, and he proceeded to threaten me with imprisonment if I did not comply with his demands. You can guess what his demands were. So here I am, standing before you, stripped of my rank and trapped in this village. The only thing that I have to do to occupy myself is to turn you three bumbling idiot children, into full on ninja killing machines. I'd prefer it if you made my job just a tad easier by AT LEAST trying to get along. At the VERY least, put forth a little effort to be civil with one another…especially in public. Naruto, Sasuke, that means you. No more knife play when you are among civilized people."

"Hey what about her?" Naruto pointed over to Sakura with a confounded look on his face. "She totally beat the shit out me back there!"

"You deserved that, and you know it." Obito had no intention of coddling the boy.

"HMPH!" Naruto huffed and folded his arms across his chest.

Obito continued. "You are Ninja now, and you belong to me for the immediate future. It is my job to teach you all the skills that you will need to function properly as individuals, and as a team, emphasis on the word 'team'. You are responsible for each other's lives from now on and I am responsible for yours, so don't fuck up and make me look bad."

"Got it boss!" Naruto was sporting a 'smart ass' grin on his face.

"Shut up. I wasn't done talking." Obito chuckled down at the boy from his perch. "Now look, here's how its gunna go. We'll go down the line, and you'll each respond to the following questions: 'Who are you?' 'What's your situation?' and 'Why the hell are you here?' Got it?"

"I have a question." This was the first time Sasuke had spoken since he told Dead Last about Obito being his guardian. No one could have expected what he was curious about.

"What's that?" Obito turned his eyes to the quiet boy.

"When you killed my brother, was it fast, or did you do it slow?"

"WHAT KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT?" Naruto thought his new 'kind of' friend's question, was inappropriate to discuss so soon after that big lunch.

"Shut up Dead Last!" He turned back to Obito. "Really, I want to know."

"Hn! You're funny kid! If you really want to know THAT BAD, I'll tell you. No…Maybe it would be better if I showed you." Obito leapt from his perch and landed directly in front of his young relative. Sasuke flinched, but when he got his focus again, his eyes met with Obito's, and he saw something that froze him with terror.

To Naruto and Sakura, it happened in a second. They didn't even have time to react to what was happening.

Sasuke gripped his hands on the rail tightly, as if bracing himself for pain. Reality spun. He felt as if he was going too fast, but time was in slow motion. He saw a bowl of ramen sitting in front of him. Although he was in a crowded restaurant, he distinctly heard two particular voices.

(((((((((((("That one. There. That's the one they say calls himself a demon.))))))))))))

(((((((((((("Is that so? Hn! I recognize him. Wait here for me. This promises to be fun."))))))))))) Sasuke heard the sound of footsteps approaching. "Excuse me sir, you look familiar. Have we met before?"

"I believe we have." Sasuke heard what he thought was a twisted version of his own voice.

"Really, my memory is poor. Forgive me."

"You were very young then, I wouldn't expect you to remember it." Sasuke felt his lips curve into a smile.

"So it seems I've forgotten one."

"What is it that you want?"

"To finish what I started. Also, I believe that you might have something that I want."

"Is that so?"

"It is."

"So what is it, exactly, that you assume I have?"

"I'm looking for a demon."

"I think you've got plenty. Actually, I'm glad you conveniently showed yourself to me. I'm very fortunate today. The bounty on your pretty little head is quite large. If you'd like to continue this though, I suggest we go someplace a little more 'personal', if you take my meaning. "

"Very well then."

Reality snapped back to normal in an instant. Sasuke's mind recoiled from the sudden shift. He half choked and fell to his knees. A loud tone rang in his ears and his vision spun slightly, as if he'd been running in circles. He panted frantically trying to catch his breath. He knew the after effect of that jutsu by heart, but he still hadn't fully recognized what had been done to him yet. Before he fully regained his senses, he felt two hands grab him and pull him to his feet. He felt the rail of the bridge on his back, the hands held his arms firmly at his sides. A voice breathed soft, stern, words into his ear.

"I'll just go ahead and say this right now. If I ever think that you'll become a problem for this village, your brother's death will be the last thing you see before you die. Understand?" As he said it, Obito felt a little disgusted with himself. He thought he sounded just like the rest of his godforsaken clan…but what other choice did he have? He had to make that point clear. From what he'd seen, the kid had very dangerous potential, just like the Hokage said.

"Y-yeah…I get it." Sasuke closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. His heart was still racing in his chest. The restraining hands left him, and he was left to stand by himself. He used the rail as a crutch and looked up to see that his instructor was again perched on the opposite rail.

"Moving on then! Sakura, why don't we start with you? What's your deal?" Obito turned his eyes to the little pink haired girl.

"Umm…" Sakura glanced over at Naruto, who was standing next to her. He held out his hand to try to steady the wavering Uchiha boy, but Sasuke quickly jerked his arm away and gave him a dirty look. Uneasily, Sakura turned back to her instructor. "I don't really know what to say…" She looked pretty uncomfortable. She didn't want Obito to do whatever he did to Sasuke, to HER if she said something wrong.

"Haha! Don't look so nervous! This is just an exercise in getting to know each other. Just tell us about yourself. The stuff you like, what you don't like, what your dreams are, why you want to be a ninja…stuff like that. Okay?"

"Well, I like…um…" She blushed. "I HATE NARUTO!" She turned to him. He looked crushed. "YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME YOU DISGUSTING PERVERT!"

"Hey now! Calm down! Remember? We're in public. Be civil. Just skip to where you tell us about why you want to be a ninja."

"I guess I want to be a ninja because the concepts of chakra manipulation are easy for me to understand. There aren't really that many ninja in my family, so my parents are excited that I have this opportunity. I don't really know what I want to specialize in yet, because really, the only thing I'm pretty good at is book stuff. I know all the concepts, but I'm not really that good at the physical part. It's a little intimidating." She glanced back over at her teammates, blushing slightly.

"That's a great start. And thank you for being polite this time. Don't worry about your ninja career for right now though Sakura. I think you'll find it easy to apply the book knowledge into actual combat ability, and I'm positive that when you find the thing that you are best suited for, you'll have no problem excelling at it. Don't let these two intimidate you. They have their own strengths and weaknesses. You'll learn soon enough."

"Thank you sensei."

"Don't worry about it. All right then, moving on again, Naruto, it's your turn."

"My name is Uzumaki, Naruto, and I like cup ramen! But my favorite is the kind that the old man at Ichiraku makes." He paused, thinking. "I don't like having to wait three minutes to eat it. I want to be a ninja because I want everybody in the village to recognize my existence and accept me! My dream is to one day become Hokage, and I want to be stronger than all the previous ones, even The Fourth!" He sat smiling, pleased with his answer to his teacher's question.

"Is that all you have to say?"

"Sasuke is an arrogant prick." He jerked his thumb at the boy standing next to him.

"You're an idiot." Sasuke didn't even seem fazed by the remark. Naruto looked like he was going to continue his insult, but was stopped by Obito.

"Hey! Don't start! Naruto, come over here." Obito hopped down from his perch and stood facing the young blonde. Naruto approached him cautiously. "You'll have to forgive me for this kid, but I think they should know."

"About what?"

"Take off your shirt."

"WHAT? YOU NASTY PERVERT!"

"Shut up and do as I say. I'm not trying to touch you in 'the bad place', so just do it."

"I don't wanna!"

Obito quickly reached behind Naruto, grabbed his jacket and undershirt, and yanked them over the boy's head in one quick gesture, before he could protest further. He didn't find what he was looking for. "Hey! Where the hell is it!"

"What the hell is wrong with you! I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Don't play stupid with me! I watched him put it there! What happened to it?"

"You're crazy! I'm telling old man Hokage you're not fit to be our teacher!"

"I know. Mold some chakra."

"No!"

"Do it now."

"I don't wanna!"

"Just show them! They should know what you are!"

"You jerk! Why would I wanna do that? So they can HATE me EVEN MORE? It's forbidden! Even for ME!"

Sasuke and Sakura sat watching the other two bicker. They both had wide eyes and open mouths. Hey hadn't expected their 'informational meeting' to turn out like THIS.

Sasuke was sure that Obito was trying to get Naruto to talk about that weird chakra that he'd seen with his Sharingan before. He didn't think that Naruto was actually THAT serious when he said it was forbidden for him to talk about it though. What could possibly be so secret? And why was Naruto so intent on them not knowing about it? How did Obito know? "Hey…Sakura…?" He glanced over at her, she look horrified about what she was seeing.

'What the HELL does that sensei think he is doing? Stripping him like that! I don't need to be seeing those kinds of things!' She couldn't stop herself from remembering the taste of him in her mouth, and how it felt to be kissing him…and, his hands… 'BLAAAAA! NO! NO! NO! NOOO!' She covered her face with her hands shrank down to her knees. 'THIS IS THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!'

Sasuke turned back to his new teacher and the Dead Last. He nearly choked when he saw what was happening over there. Obito was currently, apparently…trying to strangle Naruto to death…AND HE WAS LAUGHING ABOUT IT! 'That guy's…probably going to kill me! What the fuck!'

"Damn it Naruto! I can do this all day!" Obito loosened his grip on Naruto's throat just slightly, enough for him to take one quick breath before again applying pressure. "Just mold some chakra!" Naruto gave him 'the finger'. Obito laughed about that. "Looks like I missed out on some interesting times!" He put on his serious face again. "Come on! It's not like everyone ELSE doesn't already know! They are going to be your teammates! You have start trusting them with your life! This is nothing!" He repeated the previous action. This time Naruto had breath in his lungs to speak with.

"Fuck y" He was being choked again. This was nice. Talk about having a fucked up day.

"Really, Naruto, this is important. I really need you to show them. Stop being such a little PUNK and MOLD SOME CHAKRA!" This time he held steady on Naruto's throat. The kid would cave. He'd have to! He knew that Naruto wouldn't actually let him just sit there and choke him to death. Would he? He examined Naruto's face tinting slightly blue, but he didn't look like he was about fight back. 'What the fuck!' He decided to be as calm about it as Naruto was. "You know, I hear the sensation of being strangled to death is supposed to be orgasmic." He got a puzzled look on his face and rubbed his chin with his free hand. "Do you even know what an orgasm is yet?" He stifled a laugh and glanced quickly at Sakura. Then he tuned back to Naruto. "I bet you do." He chuckled to himself. Naruto was starting to look a little pissed. 'About time!'

"I heard it was drowning."

Obito turned at the voice. "What?"

"I heard that drowning to death is supposed to have the same sensation as an orgasm. Or is it just the suffocation part that does it? You know, drowning and choking, they both cause the brain to cease from lack of oxygen…but then, all forms of death stem from brain death…well, except maybe for decapitation…but if that's true, then would DEATH itself be orgasmic…and not just the strangling part?"

"YOU'RE FUCKING 12! Who the hell taught you those things?" Obito could not believe the words that had just come out of Sasuke's mouth. He forgot completely that he was still choking Naruto.

"Who do you THINK! ASSHOLE! So did you fucking torture him or NOT? I thought you were going to show me! Or are you just a fucking tease?"

Obito was absolutely shocked. This was almost the most fun he'd EVER HAD! He broke into an insatiable fit of laughter.

THIS HAS GOT TO BE THE SHITTIEST PLACE EVER TO END THIS CHAPTER! But that's what I gotta do. It's getting too long. I have twenty pages already and it's still not where it's supposed to end! Geez! So I guess I'm gunna post this, and then when I finish, I'll put up the rest. Don't worry, the end is drawing near…then I can get the next part! So stay tune for "…When They Became Genin…(part 4) and then, if you want more…I'll be working on: "With Bells On" Can you guess what that section will cover? Kukukuku Things are getting sticky now.

Once again…reviewers…YAY! snuggle Keep reviewing! It makes me dance with glee! See you in a few days with the next part! And as for what I said last time, perhaps it makes a little more sense now even though it ain't finished yet… (Hint: Naruto gets 'out-ed', Sasuke a roommate, and Sakura gets a clue!) winkwink

Here I go! Posting now!