Disclaimer: Same old, same old.

And just a quick note here before I get on with this chapter. There were originally supposed to be 2 parts of 2 songs in this chapter (lyrics I had to take out). You'll see what I mean when you get to that part, but just so you know, "Fall Behind Me" belongs to The Donnas, and "Farther Away" to Evanescence.

Chapter 10: Advanced Bloodlines: Prologue

The orange and black ball bounced several times before it was caught. He held it tightly in his hands, positioning them perfectly. Onyx eyes gazed at the basket, his target, which he was sure to get. Bending his knees and then propelling himself upwards, the ball left his hands.

"Jinx!" a rather distracting voice called out, breaking his concentration slightly. No matter, it went in with a swish anyhow.

The perks of Phys. Ed class. Just proved that high school students were indeed still juvenile. Choji stood under the basket, and caught the ball as it came down. He tossed it back to Sasuke, who lined up for another shot. "Hey, Naruto. Be quiet next time, will you?"

"Humph, not that it matters," he grumbled, watching his friend sink another perfect basket. "You're doing fine, showoff."

"Neh, Naruto, leave Sasuke alone will you? Not like he's doing you any harm other then insulting you," Choji spoke up, sending back the ball to the dark haired athlete.

"Harm? Why does he automatically get a spot on the team without tryouts?"

"Because he was last year's star player. You know that." The conversation between the two continued, Sasuke ignoring them both. Selective listening came in handy some times.

"Yeah, and how do explain Rock Lee's case? He was on the team last year, and he doesn't need to try out again either!" he jerked a finger to the basket opposite them. The three of them actually turned to see Lee practicing drills with their gym teacher Matto Gai. He was a Rock Lee look alike…no, more like Lee looked like him. It was rather scary.

"Yes! That's perfect Lee! You are indeed in the prime of your youth!"

"Thank you, Sensei! I'm honored you think so!"

"I knew my best student would never fail me!"

"Sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Sensei!"

"Lee!"

They both gave a thumbs-up sign. The three watching them all just turned back to their previous activities, not bothering to question exactly what they were seeing. Sasuke executed another perfect basket. "It's because he's got Gai-sensei's recommendation, or influence," he replied.

"Say, Naruto. Weren't you on the team last year too?" Choji asked.

"Yes, but I have to try out…something that Sensei said about being out of practice…or whatnot."

From the other side of the sliding gym door, resided the girls' gym class. "Alright girls, go get changed," Kurenai-sensei spoke, and then multiple footsteps were heard crowding the entrance to their change room door.

After the noise died down, Naruto shook his head. "Why do they let them out 20 minutes early to change?" he asked, and got 2 shrugs in reply. "Seriously, 20 minutes…what do they do in there?"

"And you expect us to know?" a deadpanned-toned Sasuke asked, not expecting an answer.

"Oh, who're the lucky two today?" one of the girls spoke rather loudly, checking a board in the change room. Her finger scrolled down the list of names, "Ah ha! Today it's Chie and Sakura!"

Great, the pink-haired teen threw back on her uniform shirt. If there was one thing she hated doing (of many) it was public speaking, never mind public singing. It was like a Phys. Ed tradition. After every class, there would be two classmates who would sing a verse to a favorite song. A stupid tradition passed on from their previous years of singing in the change rooms. It was a girl thing.

"Hey, you've done it once already," Tenten assured her, zipping up her skirt, "how bad can the second time be? No one cares if it's bad…"

"Easy for you to say," she mumbled in return. Thankfully the girl Chie was going first. Not that she would do any better then that brunette.

Flipping her shoulder-length hair, Chie grabbed a hairbrush lying on the bench, pretending it was a microphone. "This song's been in my head lately," she cooed, and began to belt out the melody.

The twenty-some-odd girls hushed to listen, some clapping their hands to the familiar tune of the Donnas Fall Behind Me.

The class usually gave polite claps, not cheers, but in this case it was that good. "And the moral of that song is: Don't skip steps or else you'll trip and have a huge bruise that make-up won't cover." Everyone laughed.

"Sakura!" Ino's high voice rang, startling the girl greatly, "don't think that just 'cause the bell's about to ring doesn't mean you're off the hook. Now sing with all that your tiny vocal chords can take."

She really hadn't needed to put it that way. "Uh, th-thanks, Ino. Um…I guess this is just the first song that came to me now. Depressing if you ask me." She drew in a deep breath and started.

She chose Evanescence's Farther Away, and even though it wasn't Amy singing, it was still pretty good. With a foreign wave of confidence, stood up on the bench and continued.

And so it should happen that right in the middle of the next verse, the bell had rung. Sakura placed her hand over her heart and climbed down, while students began to run out the door. "Hey, that was decent," Tenten complimented, as they both exited together, "you have to little confidence."

"Can I borrow some of yours then?" she asked sarcastically.

"Nah, sorry. It isn't for sale," she shot back, "well see you later, this is my class," and stepped into the room labeled 'Physics Lab'. Her, on the other hand, would dump her gym clothes in her locker, and then set out to find her great conversation piece…it was a spare period, of course. Now where would beloved Sasuke-kun be hiding today?

Kakashi-sensei stood at the front of the class, reading out pages of a book to the half of the class that was still there. Yes, he'd been late again, so of course the usual had skipped. He turned to the blackboard, and began to write some notes on iambic pentameter.

During this time, several people were doing different things. Sakura was attentively looking back and forth between the front of the class and the notebook in front of her. Language was her worst subject, after all. Best to pay attention. Sasuke had his head rested in his hand, and in the other held a pencil, taping it boredly on the desk. Others were doing the same. Naruto on the other hand, his head was face down, buried in his arms, fast asleep.

The silver haired teacher paused with his notes and turned, his one good eye inspecting the class. Sure enough, his gaze landed on Naruto. He walked over to his student's desk, the class eyeing him the entire way. He tapped his shoulder.

The blond sleepily tilted his head up, only to be faced with an indifferent look from his teacher. "Naruto, is the lesson that boring?" he asked. The class was dead quiet.

He jumped up with a start, blue eyes wide with panic. "I'm sorry, Sensei! It won't happen again! I promise!" and as fast as he'd gotten up, sat back down.

"That wasn't the question, Naruto. Is my lesson that boring?" he repeated. The blond was at a loss for what to say. "I want an honest answer."

Well, he'd asked for honest. "Yes, Sensei." Some people laughed. Frankly, Kakashi hadn't hoped he'd be so blunt. Yet, that was Naruto for you. Typical. You'd think after being his Shishou for a few years, would know his student by then.

He walked back to the front of the class, and another silence loomed. This was it, detention for everyone. He sat down at his desk, "So what would you like me to teach the class then?" No one answered. "Well? I just want to know, what do you want to be enlightened on?"

"Sensei, why do you always wear that mask?" a student piped up. It was followed by a chorus of ''yea's' and 'good point's'.

He rubbed the back of his head, "My, my. What an awkward question. I guess you could call it a superstition." The class hushed again. His free eye roamed again, every single person was attentive. Or, more attentive then usual. "If I'd known that this would get all of you up, I'd have done it long ago…"

"Get on with it!" another student, said.

"Yes, yes. Well, a long time ago, humans weren't really…humans. Well, they were but not really human, human, but really they were in a way…"

"Sensei!"

"Yes, sorry. Anyway, at the time, there were such things as demons, talking animals, supernatural powers…"

"Are you making this up?"

"No, no! It's true. Let me finish here! Well humans had found a way to channel special energy flowing inside them to create these supernatural powers, whether it be fire breathing or casting illusions…"

"Why does this seem like another one of his stories?"

Kakashi chose to ignore that comment, "This way of life suited a lot of people. More importantly, the people from clans of advanced bloodlines."

"Advanced bloodlines? What's that, Sensei?"

"Will you all be quiet and let me finish?" and then not a word, "advanced bloodlines, were special powers that other humans couldn't have. It let them do things that no others were capable of achieving, and usually you recognized a bloodline limit because some physical change happens. It's not a big change, like different eye colour, or something."

"So what happened to those clans?"

He shrugged, "Some people believe descendants still exist." He inwardly smiled, he'd used this story ages ago if he'd knew the whole class, even Sasuke and Naruto were paying attention. "I can't really prove that. But they say that people who still have this limit will never tell anyone. It's considered a curse to society, and they'd probably be shunned, for it's not a normal occurrence. From what I've heard, they can't control this limit anymore, so it's more of a curse to them then anything. So it's said that people with this curse are usually very secretive, and prefer to be alone."

All gazes fell on the Uchiha boy. He looked from side to side at all the eyes staring, and it freaked him out a bit. "What?" he asked angrily.

Kakashi, still at his desk, cleared his throat. All attention shifted again. "So that's that. I hope that answered your questions," he said smiling under the mask.

"But Sensei," Naruto spoke up, "what does that have to do with your mask?"

The clock ticked in the background, while no one dared talk in the class. Suddenly, the bell rang. "Well, have a nice weekend, kiddies. Homework is on the board," and with that, the teacher had zoomed out of the room before further questions could be asked.

It left the class rather dumbfounded. Well, that was Kakashi-sensei for you.

Time was running out in the school day, and calculus class made it that much slower. And not only that, they'd been assigned group projects. Yes, group projects in calculus.

Now, at her old school, Sakura never had group projects, much less in math. Apparently their task was to find everyday uses for calculus, and prepare a presentation for it. Yes, it would be hell this project. And guess what? It was due on Monday.

Asuma-sensei had chosen the partners. He'd gone in alphabetical order. Luckily, Sakura had ended up with Hinata. So when the time for class to end finally came, the conversation went like this.

"So can I come over today and do it? Because it's such a drag on the weekends, especially since we could be doing other things then math," the pink haired girl carried her books alongside her two friends.

"I…um…don't know. It's up to Neji-nii san." Her cousin said nothing and shrugged a 'Do-as-you-please' shrug. "Well…then…okay, I guess…"

"Yes! Okay! Thanks! I'm going to run up to my locker, be back here in a second." And then she dashed up the stairs, out of sight.

The Hyuuga children could have sworn it was merely a second before she returned with her small school shoulder backpack. "Well, shall we go?" she asked rather happily, setting foot outside.

The sky was getting grayer by the minute, and the humid air seemed to have that same effect on the group. "Say, Neji-kun. Aren't you supposed to be doing your project with…what's her name…Lina?"

"Yeah, but she said something about wanting to do it alone, and I'd get in the way. Something along those lines, so I left," he shrugged uncaringly.

They were a good minute walk from the estate when the rain started to come down. The three of them ran fast, and only ended up slightly wet. Hinata had gone to tell her father that a guest was over, and left Sakura alone to admire her room. How she envied the blue-haired girl at this moment…

"S-Sakura?" Hinata entered her room quietly.

"Yes?"

"Um, you can stay, but you'll need to leave before 8. Father's wishes."

"No problem. We'll be mostly done by then."

By the time itwas 6 o'clock, Sakura was told that she'd been invited down to dinner. There, she'd met Hiashi, Hinata's father, and Hanabi, her sister. They were all very friendly, despite her being a stranger in the house. However, her friend's mood seemed to be going from bad to worse over the course of the evening, as her gaze kept shifting to the outside. The rain was coming down in buckets, with the occasional flash of lightning.

Oh, this would not end well.

AN: Well, first off, I have to say I can't believe I made it past 100! Omg guys! I love you all so very much at this moment! (Probably why this chapter came faster then usual). I'm so glad that it isn't going to slow for most people.

Ok, notes on this particular chapter. Shishou, for those who don't know, is a title given to martial arts masters/teachers. The only actual important part was the ending. (Kakashi explaining his random facts). Once I wrote that part, I realized I had nothing more I really wanted, but that was waaaaay to short. So there's the random gym moments. Boring, yes, I know, but it needed to be done. I think that's it.

On another random note, reading over the reviews again, I've been starting to wonder if people read my author's notes anymore. In chapter 1, I described all the pairings that would be used. Neji/Saku was one of them, but need I remind you, like my summary says, it is mainly Sasu/Saku. So all you guys don't worry, okay?For the other pairings that are in the summary, just be patient. It'll come, it'll come. And the sand sibs, I've said they come in later, way later. In fact…-goes and checks chapter planning sheet- not until chapter 19! So patience.

So, for next time (yup, I'm going to do a little preview here from now on): The Hyuugas have a secret, and they aren't willing to share it. But sometimes, hiding the truth can be worse. You never know how it'll bring you closer to others…