In which Sasuke embarrasses himself.

O-O-O-O-O

Naruto let out an involuntary scream, his hands shaking Sasuke's arm in excitement.

On the stage, a panting Kasumi stood over Kimimaro's limp body, covered in blood and sweat. The referee waited a few seconds longer but when the boy remained unconscious, he declared the fight over and Kasumi the winner.

Victorious, Kasumi collapsed onto her knees, her blade held loosely in her hands. Even from the distance, Naruto saw tears roll down her face and onto the ground.

With the results clear, the stadium erupted into furious muttering and scattered jeers.

As before, Kasumi ignored the negative attention. She used the last of her strength to crawl to her teammate's side, brushing Kimimaro's bangs away to look at his face. As she did so, a group of medics carrying a stretcher entered the stage.

"That was so cool!" Naruto yelled, his hands moving up to pull at his own hair. That had been the best fight he had ever seen in his short life. Even better than the practice match between Utakata and Yugito in the Room.

Sasuke grunted, his wide open eyes still focused on the stage. While he had said nothing during the match, Naruto could tell he had been equally captivated. His eyes had not left the stage since the fight began and his knuckles had turned white from clenching the railing. He had even remained silent when Naruto had grabbed onto his arm.

Back on the stage, the medics moved Kimimaro onto a gurney while Kasumi fretted over his unconscious body.

"I should've known Kasumi nee-san would win, ya know!"

'She did really well, didn't she?' Yagura's excitement only augmented his own.

Naruto giggled, turning his attention back to his friend, shoving an elbow into his side. "So what'd you think, jerk?"

With a frown, Sasuke stood up and leaned on the railing. "It was... much better than I expected." His frown deepened as he studied the girl standing underneath. "I'm glad we came to watch the finals."

Naruto joined him on the railing. "Yeah! Kasumi nee-san is so cool! Did you see the way she swung her sword? It was, like, blam! And pow!"

Naruto laughed. He leaned on the corridor railing and looked down again. Kimimaro was being pushed out of the stage by a group of medics, although they looked unconcerned.

Kasumi tried to follow after them but was stopped by the referee who shook his head and said something. She hesitated for a second before nodding and heading back with the center of the arena.

Naruto cheered again. "Kasumi nee-san was so awesome! I don't know how she got Kimimaro nii-san to let his guard down though, ya know."

"I think it was a genjutsu." Sasuke stared speculatively at the girl standing at the center of the stadium. "Because it looked like he was in some sort of trance before she attacked."

'Your friend's right. It was a genjutsu,' Yagura added. 'I didn't know she had learned how to do that. It surprised me too.'

Naruto hummed as he thought over Sasuke and Yagura's words. Was genjutsu that powerful? And could he learn how to do it? There were probably many ways to use it, too. He looked back at the stage.

With the final match over, the Hokage and the Mizukage had jumped down to stand with Kasumi. Some sort of ceremony was starting, although Naruto and Sasuke were too far away to make out their words.

"What do you think the genjutsu did?" Naruto asked. "It made Kimimaro nii-san act like he'd won."

"Maybe it was some sort of happy illusion?" Sasuke guessed. "And that's why he let his guard down?"

'Seems like it,' Yagura added. 'Your friend's smart. Keep this boy near you. He'll save your life one day.'

'Yeah yeah, if you say,' Naruto mumbled to Yagura before turning to Sasuke. "But isn't Kasumi nee-san just so cool? You gotta admit it too, ya know!"

"Fine." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "She's..." he swallowed. "She's kinda cool."

Naruto blinked at him, surprised at Sasuke's admission. Sasuke never thought anyone was cool. Not since— Naruto shook his head to get rid of the thought.

"Wait, you think Kasumi nee-san is cool?"

Sasuke's cheeks became pink and he refused to meet Naruto's eyes. "She's very good at using a sword. Do you think—" he swallowed, still looking away. "Do you think I could learn how to use a sword, too?"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't see why not. Lots of people use swords, ya know."

Sasuke grunted in assent. "The hard part would be finding someone to teach me. My father—" He grew quiet and he turned to look back at the stage where the two Kage were speaking with Kasumi.

An awkward silence fell over them and Naruto could think of nothing to break it. A familiar pain at the memory of losing the Uchiha family struck him and he placed a hand over his chest.

Was there anything he could say to make Sasuke feel better? He could barely understand his own feelings. If he missed the Uchiha family so much, what did Sasuke feel?

'You should say something to your friend,' Yagura said after the silence had stretched on for a few seconds.

'What? Why? What do I gotta say?' Naruto tried to suppress the panic from showing on his face.

'It's not a bad thing to remember the people that we loved and that are now gone,' Yagura continued.

'Huh?'

Yagura sighed. 'Think of it like this. You like when Roshi and Fuu tell you about your mother, don't you?'

'Yeah.'

'Even though they didn't know that much about her and she died soon after you were born?'

Naruto shifted in place, thinking of the photo he had stolen from Sasuke's house. Unlike him and Sasuke, the girl in the picture would never grow old. She would never talk to Naruto. She would never hold him in her arms. She would never tell him she loved him. She existed frozen in time. But...

Naruto bit his lip. Even though he would never talk or hug her, she felt familiar because of Fuu and Roshi. He knew her favorite dish— the same as his. He knew what she had liked to do in her free time— cook and share recipes. He knew she had been excited to meet him.

He glanced at Sasuke from the corner of his eye. 'Do you think Sasuke wants to talk about his parents, Yagura-san?'

Yagura made a non-committal sound. 'It's possible. If you like when Fuu and Roshi tell you about her, why wouldn't Sasuke like talking about his own parents?'

Naruto nodded and turned his full attention back to Sasuke. The other boy's eyes were focused on the ceremony, but his blank stare told Naruto he was only pretending to watch.

"Uchiha-san used a sword, right?" Naruto dug his elbow into Sasuke's ribs again.

Startled, Sasuke turned to him, his eyes open wide. "What?"

"I asked if Uchiha-san used a sword." Naruto repeated. "He must have been really good at it, right? If he was the clan head, ya know."

"I... um..." Sasuke swallowed before turning his face away again. "He said that kenjutsu wasn't his specialty," he continued. "But a lot of the men in my clan used to practice it. There's even an Uchiha-style kenjutsu."

Naruto grinned. "That sounds really cool! Do you think you'll learn it one day?"

Sasuke shrugged, the earlier grief diminished but never ending. "I hope so. It's a clan tradition."

Naruto put his chin down on the railing and hummed. "Can I learn it with you, then?"

"You're not an Uchiha," Sasuke huffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest as he returned to his normal grumpy self. "Though..." he glanced away again. "If you wanna learn a few moves, I guess that's okay."

Naruto snorted. "Gee, thanks." He rolled his eyes but inside he breathed a sigh of relief. Well, I guess he's back to normal now.

Yagura hummed in amusement. 'Take care of each other, Naruto,' he said. 'I think I'll go now. Maybe talk to Utakata for a bit. Thank you for lending me your eyes.'

'You're welcome, Yagura-san!' Naruto replied. He felt one last impression of gratitude before Yagura severed their connection.

"Kimimaro nii-san was really cool too," Naruto added with a grin.

Sasuke nodded his agreement. "That was an interesting kekkei genkai. I didn't know he had one."

Naruto shrugged. "Me neither. But it looked cool, didn't it?"

"Hn. I guess it did."

"Though it was creepy. So many bones."

"Hn." Sasuke nodded again.

They looked back to the arena.

The ceremony was wrapping up. Already a few people had left and gone home, most of them markedly unhappy.

"Think they're upset about losing to someone from Kirigakure?" Naruto speculated.

Sasuke snorted. "I'm sure of it. They should get over it. Kirigakure is an ally now, isn't it?"

"They really should." Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest and gave an emphatic nod.

Inside the arena, the Hokage placed what looked like a medal over Kasumi's head. He spoke a few words to her and she bowed. The Hokage replied with a nod and a few more words. Kasumi stood up straight and left the stage. The Hokage and the referee leaped away and back to the observation box on the other side of the stadium. With that, the ceremony ended and everyone else remaining left their seats.

"I guess we should go home?" Naruto asked, resting his chin on top of the railing. "It's not like there's anything else to watch, ya know!"

"We should wait for more people to leave first," Sasuke pointed out. "I don't wanna deal with the crowd."

Silent and still recovering from the excitement, they watched as the stadium emptied. Naruto tried to find Utakata or his students among the masses, but they were nowhere to be found. Guess they went to check on Kimimaro nii-san.

In silence, they waited for more people to exit and for the sanitation workers to come out before leaving their spot on the corridor. Lost in their own thoughts, they left walking side by side, giving everyone else a wide berth

As they left through the main entrance, Sasuke was the first to break the silence. "Do you know when she's going back to Kirigakure?" he asked.

"She?" Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Kasumi nee-san, you mean?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, her." He paused. "Kasumi."

Naruto shrugged. "Tomorrow morning, I think. But I'm not too sure, ya know."

"Oh." There was a definite sound of disappointment in Sasuke's voice. "I wanted to talk to her about something."

"Y-you did?" Naruto gaped at the boy at his side. Ever since Utakata had arrived in Konoha, Sasuke had expressed little interest in joining their meetings. Most of the time, Naruto had met with the Kirigakure shinobi alone.

Sasuke blushed and glanced away. "I just wanted to talk to her about learning how to wield a sword," he mumbled.

Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "I forgot to ask Utakata nii-san when they were leaving," he admitted. "I guess we could wait at the gate and hope we catch them before they leave?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No. It's fine." He sighed. "Guess I'll have to learn on my own."

"You can ask Iruka-sensei."

Sasuke turned back to Naruto, one eyebrow raised. "Do you really think he'll know anything about kenjutsu?"

Naruto shrugged. "He might? Or he might know someone who does, ya know."

Sasuke let out a non-committal hum before glancing up at the sky, hands in pockets as they walked together. "There are books and scrolls in the Uchiha library," he mumbled to himself. "I can learn the basics that way at least."

"Probably." Naruto shrugged again before turning to Sasuke with a teasing grin. "It's funny to see you fanboying over a girl though."

Sasuke turned to him with a scowl. "I'm not fanboying!"

Naruto giggled. "Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm not! I just think Kasumi is cool!"

"You never think anyone is cool!" Naruto retorted. "That sounds like fanboying to me, ya know!

"It isn't."

"It is!"

Naruto laughed as they walked past a crowd of people. A few strangers glared at him with scowls but he ignored them. He started to laugh.

"You're a fanboy, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted behind him.

"I'm not!" Sasuke chased after him, his face flushed in annoyance and embarrassment. Yet, Naruto noticed a hint of a smile on his lips.

With Sasuke at his heels, he ran back home, laughing all the while.

O-O-O-O-O

When Kimimaro woke up, everything hurt.

But it wasn't the worst pain he had ever experienced, so he ignored his body's complaints and forced himself to sit up. Groaning, he rubbed at his eyes.

"Kimimaro?" The sound of his teacher calling out his name made him take a sharp breath in. Out of all the people he knew, why did it have to be Utakata? He forced himself to open his eyes and look for his teacher.

Utakata sat by the wall, an open book in his hands. Seeing Kimimaro awake, he stood up and walked toward him.

"Kimimaro?" Utakata sat down at the feet of the bed. His face was full of sincere concern and compassion that Kimimaro did not deserve. "How are you feeling?"

Kimimaro tried to answer, but his throat refused to make a sound.

Unable to talk, Kimimaro shrugged and forced his eyes to check his surroundings. They were inside a windowless hospital room— the smell told him that. Next to his bed were two others, both empty. By his bedside table was an IV pole, thankfully unused.

"You're in the hospital," Utakata said, pointing out the obvious. "It's almost eight o'clock in the evening, in case you were wondering."

Kimimaro nodded. He felt pressure building behind his eyes and he turned his gaze away from his teacher to glare at his hands. After the pathetic display in the finals, he was surprised Utakata was even talking to him.

Though perhaps... he tried to gulp down his fears but it hurt too much. Please don't say goodbye to me, sensei.

Utakata waited for Kimimaro to respond before continuing. "You were knocked out for a few hours but you've already gotten treatment and the medics say you're fine. Kasumi avoided hurting you as best as she could."

Kimimaro's hands clenched his blanket into tight fists. He knew Utakata was expecting him to say something, but his mind was blank and his tongue refused to move.

"It's right around dinner time now," Utakata continued, his voice starting to sound worried. "Kasumi is with her family and Haku is with Zabuza. Harusame-sensei wanted to be here when you woke up, but he's needed at the Mizukage's side for their final meeting."

Kimimaro nodded. It hurt his neck, but it was better than staring at his hands in silence. He waited for the inevitable moment when Utakata would cast him aside with bated breath.

"Kimimaro? Are you okay?"

Kimimaro nodded.

"Can you talk?"

He nodded again, biting his tongue. He knew that as soon as he spoke, he would be unable to keep the tears inside. Losing a fight was sad; crying about losing a fight would be outright pathetic.

"Kimimaro?" Utakata placed a hand on his forehead, leaning forward to look into his eyes. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Kimimaro could only nod again as he looked away. The pressure behind his eyes was building, but he suppressed it as best as he could.

Utakata gave him one last concerned look before leaning back and standing up. "Let me get the doctor," he said. "I don't think—"

"Wait! Sensei!" Before Utakata had taken a single step, Kimimaro reached out to grab onto his teacher's wrist.

Startled, Utakata spun to look at him. "Kimimaro, what—?"

Kimimaro couldn't hold back the tears anymore. As if electrified, he let go of his teacher. Too ashamed to meet Utakata's eyes, he pulled his knees up to his chest and sobbed. He tried to use the palms of his hands to suppress the rest of his weeping, but it was impossible to hide it.

Without hesitation Utakata sat at the edge of his bed. Ignoring his weak protests, Utakata pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around him in a hug. "It's okay. Don't cry. It's okay."

Kimimaro tried to push his teacher away but it was pointless. Unless he wanted to stab his teacher through the ribs with one of his own, he was stuck in the tight embrace. Unable to escape, Kimimaro pressed his face onto his teacher's vest.

"It's okay. It's okay." Utakata repeated as he began to pat the top of Kimimaro's head awkwardly with one hand. "Everything's going to be okay. Don't cry."

Kimimaro shook his head in disbelief. No matter what his teacher said, nothing was fine. How could Utakata still want to spend time with him? After failing? After transforming into a blubbering mess? He wasn't even strong enough to break out of a hug.

Unable to control his own body, he sobbed harder than he could ever remember, the pain of his injuries a constant reminder of his failure. His chest heaved, lungs contracting as he swallowed air, making him wheeze. He felt ugly trails of snot and tears run down his face and stain his teacher's clothes.

Another thing to apologize for, a small part of his brain reminded him as he cried.

Yet, despite the pain and shame, Utakata's presence kept Kimimaro from truly breaking down. Like a small child searching for comfort, his arms wrapped themselves around Utakata.

When had he become so pathetic?

Sensing his weakness, Utakata tightened his grip. "It's going to be okay, Kimimaro. Don't cry."

"I— can't— stop—" Kimimaro confessed, gasping between sobs as he struggled to get the words out. His vision grew so blurry he could make out nothing in front of him.

"In that case, let it out," Utakata said. "Cry to your heart's content."

Kimimaro nodded, knowing he couldn't have stopped the deluge of tears anyway. Overwhelmed with shame, he stayed close to Utakata.

Kimimaro stayed locked in the hug until his breathing started to return to normal and his eyes were almost dry. He felt a few more tears dribble down his eyes and onto the already stained cloth of his teacher's vest. Shifting, he wiped the last set of tears on the sleeve of his yukata.

With bated breath, he waited for his teacher to speak.

"Are you done?" Utakata asked, his voice full of genuine concern.

Kimimaro hesitated before nodding. Reluctantly, he sat up, expecting Utakata to stand up and leave him. Instead, he shifted on the bed and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Get everything out of your system?" Utakata squeezed Kimimaro's shoulder.

Kimimaro nodded again. He looked down at his lap, afraid to meet his teacher's eyes. I'm pathetic.

"Do you want anything? Food? Water?"

With a start, Kimimaro noticed how empty his stomach was and how his parched throat cried with thirst. He hesitated before nodding. "Water, please," he whispered.

"I imagine. One second."

Kimimaro waited for Utakata to break their hug but instead he created a shadow clone. Kimimaro leaned his head onto his teacher's shoulder, feeling tears already starting to reform. Utakata-sensei is too kind.

A few seconds later, the clone returned bearing a glass of water. Kimimaro accepted the offering with both hands and took a sip. The water hit his tongue and flowed down his throat, the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. He took another sip.

"Are you hungry?"

"A little, sensei."

"So you're starving then." Utakata sighed. "You don't have to play down how you feel, Kimimaro. Whenever you say 'a little' it always means 'a lot.'"

Kimimaro's face grew pink and he shifted in place. "How do you know that, sensei?"

Utakata sighed again. "Because I know you."

"B-but why?" Kimimaro used his sleeve to wipe his face again. "W-why do you know so much about me, sensei?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Kimimaro shook his head, head still resting on Utakata's shoulder.

"It's because I love you." Utakata punctuated his statement by squeezing Kimimaro's shoulders again.

Love? Kimimaro frowned.

He had heard the word a few times but never toward him. He knew it meant some sort of attachment to someone or something. But was he supposed to say something in return? He would have to ask Haku and Kasumi later.

"Oh, okay," Kimimaro mumbled, heart pounding. He wanted to look up at his teacher's face but he was afraid of what he would see.

Locked in a hug, they sat together in silence as Kimimaro took more sips of his drink.

It was Utakata who eventually spoke. "So is there anything in particular you want for dinner?" His voice sounded tense and he spoke faster than usual.

Kimimaro shook his head. "Anything is fine, sensei." He summoned what little strength he had to whisper the words onto Utakata's shoulder.

"Oden?"

Kimimaro shrugged before nodding.

"I'll send a clone out."

Kimimaro nodded again. He sighed as he closed his eyes. "Thank you, sensei."

Utakata shifted and Kimimaro heard the sound of a shadow clone being formed. Footsteps followed as the clone left their room.

Utakata grunted. "We'll probably leave tomorrow after lunch," he said, returning to practical matters. "The medics said you should stay the night here for observation. Though they also said there's nothing to worry about. Do you want me to stay the night here with you?"

Kimimaro felt his face warm up. "You don't have to, sensei."

Utakata squeezed his shoulders again. "But I want to. Do you?"

"I-I do." He swallowed back yet another deluge of tears. "Thank you."

Utakata patted his head. "Don't mention it."

O-O-O-O-O

Partially hidden in one of the many alleys of Konoha, Sasuke inspected the main street with a frown.

After Naruto's teasing about being a fanboy— which he most certainly was not— Sasuke had decided to track down Kasumi on his own.

He had checked the streets, eavesdropping for rumors about when the Kirigakure shinobi would leave Konoha. But the only thing he learned was that everyone was disappointed with the final matches. After all, it was the first time Konoha had ever lost the finals in its home turf. The fact many had lost outrageous amounts of money gambling only added salt to the wound.

In the end, Sasuke learned nothing useful.

Unable to deduce the Kirigakure shinobi's whereabouts, Sasuke was left with one choice. He had to ambush them by the gate before they left.

Leaning on the wall, he shifted and tried to look relaxed. The dawn was yet to come and the streets were mostly empty. Konoha shinobi and civilians wandered about, getting started on their day. But no one from Kirigakure.

He forced his face to remain neutral as he searched for any hint of the Kiri delegation and especially Kasumi. Where is she? Am I too early or did they already leave?

Tapping his foot, he saw the run rise over the horizon but there was still no hint of his target. He was glad he had gone back to his own apartment the night before. What kind of excuse could he give Naruto for sneaking out before dawn to loiter by the main gates of Konoha?

He'd just call me a fanboy again.

A few hours later with the sun now over his head, he began to pace. A few passerby glanced at him, a combination of pity and curiosity in their eyes, but Sasuke ignored them as usual. He was going to talk to Kasumi no matter what.

His stomach started to rumble in hunger as noon approached. In his hurry, he had skipped breakfast. Still, he couldn't afford to leave his post. What if Kasumi and the Kirigakure shinobi left while he went to get food? It was safer to wait. His stomach whined in protest.

Finally, after hours of waiting, he felt the people in the streets tense. Whispers followed and he saw people leave, walking too fast for it to be a coincidence. Sasuke looked down the street. His heart pounded in anticipation and excitement.

With that, Sasuke got his first good look at the Kirigakure shinobi.

At the center was the Mizukage, wearing the standard cloak and hat. At her shoulders were her guards— an angry-looking man and a petite red-headed woman. Behind them were Utakata with Haku and Kimimaro. Kasumi trailed behind them all, talking to a woman and an older boy that looked like her family.

Finally.

He took a deep breath in and out to gather his courage before running to the middle of the street, bringing the entire delegation to a stop.

The man with a giant sword on his back glared down at him, one hand already wandering toward the hilt of his weapon. The red-headed woman followed suit with the swords at her hips, saying nothing. In comparison, the Mizukage only stared at him, a confused frown on her face.

Sasuke almost ran away at their glares but he swallowed and clenched his hands into fists. He had seen much scarier things.

He met the Mizukage's eyes in defiance, jaw clenched.

"Sasuke?" Utakata stepped forward, hands in his pockets as he stared down at him, one eyebrow raised. "What are you doing here? Is Naruto here, too?"

Sasuke regained control of his tongue. "I wanted to talk before the Kirigakure delegation left," he managed to get out.

"Talk? To me?" Utakata pointed to himself.

Sasuke shook his head. "No. I wanted to talk to—"

"Wait, Sasuke? You know this kid, Utakata-kun?" the short red-headed woman interrupted.

Sasuke turned toward the woman to defend himself but he was stopped short. The woman had sharp teeth, akin to a shark's. His stomach buzzed in triumph despite the situation. I knew Shisui wasn't lying! There are Kirigakure ninja with sharp teeth!

"He's just a kid we've had ramen with a few times," Utakata explained, turning Sasuke's attention back to the young man. At his heels his students stood, blinking curiously at Sasuke. Despite the long fights from the day before, they seemed unharmed, if a bit tired.

"So?" The man with the large sword glared at him again, his hand tightening around his weapon. "What does he want with us?"

"I just want to talk." Sasuke gathered the rest of his courage to meet the man in the eye before looking back down at Kasumi. "I wanted to talk to Kasumi."

"M-me?" Kasumi pointed to herself, eyes open wide in bewilderment and cheeks tinted with pink. "Why do you need to speak with me?"

"It's a bit of a personal matter, ya know." Despite his best attempts, he felt his face warm up, cringing inwardly at using Naruto's verbal tic. "Can we talk somewhere in private?"

"P-private?" Kasumi's face turned red.

"I can't explain it in front of everyone," Sasuke muttered. "So can I talk to you in private or not?"

Kasumi swept her gaze at her companions in a mix of fear and embarrassment. Except for Kimimaro— who seemed bewildered at their exchange— the other shinobi met her gaze with smirks and raised eyebrows.

"I... uh..." Kasumi's face turned a deeper shade of red and she stared at her toes, fidgeting in place.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Without waiting for her response, he walked away toward the alleyway where he had been hiding earlier. He paused to look back at the group, gesturing with his head for Kasumi to join him.

"So can we talk or not?" he asked. "It's just one question."

"You should go, Kasumi-chan," the woman who looked like Kasumi said with a smirk. "If you're anything like your mother, you'll have to deal with broken hearts the rest of your life."

Broken hearts? Sasuke frowned, but he didn't want to say anything else. He just wanted to talk to Kasumi.

Kasumi glanced up at her mother once before turning back to look at her feet. She gulped and nodded. "S-sure. It's gonna be quick, right, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke nodded. Still fidgeting and staring at her toes, Kasumi finally followed after him. Together, they left the group and hid inside the alleyway. Alone, they waited for the other to speak.

"So what is it, Sasuke-kun?" For some reason, Kasumi refused to meet his eyes.

"Well, you see..." Sasuke gulped to gather his courage. "I have this... friend. He has a question for you."

"Oh, a friend?" Kasumi's face was still red. "What question does your friend have?"

"He wanted to know..." Sasuke trailed off, his face growing warm.

"Know?"

Sasuke swallowed again before blurting out his question. "He wanted to know how you learned kenjutsu."

Kasumi froze and she looked up to meet Sasuke's eyes, a confused frown on her face. "Wait, what?"

"My friend wants to know how you learned how to use a sword," he repeated. "He said it looked really—" he paused to swallow. "Really cool."

"Wait wait wait." Kasumi waved her hands in front of her body as her blush disappeared. "This is what you wanted to talk about? Swords?"

Sasuke nodded and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What did you think I wanted to talk about?"

"Oh!" Kasumi gasped, covering her mouth with the palm of her hand. "I thought you—" she shook her head. "Nevermind. So you want to know how to wield a sword then?"

Sasuke pouted at her. "Not me," he lied. "A friend."

Kasumi giggled. She took a step back and crossed her arms in front of her chest, a smirk on her face. "So what does your friend want to know?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Just how to get started I suppose. How did you learn it? How do you choose a sword? What are the basic katas you need to learn? How would you—"

"Wait wait wait, one question at a time!" Kasumi waved her hands in front of her body again as she took a step back. "I don't have time to explain everything I know about kenjutsu!" She brought a hand up to stroke her chin. "Honestly, I learned almost everything I know from my teacher, Ameyuri-sensei."

"So you don't think it's possible to learn alone?" He struggled to hold back the disappointment in his voice.

Kasumi hummed to herself. "Oh, it's possible, just really, really hard. It's best to have someone there to correct you when you make mistakes."

"I see." Would Iruka know how to wield a sword? Or maybe a different teacher in the Academy? He might have to ask around.

"Yeah, it's best with a teacher," she admitted with an embarrassed smile.

"And—" Sasuke swallowed. "Where do you think I— I mean, my friend can get a sword? How does he know what's good or not?"

"Your friend has to choose what works best for his body." Kasumi nodded, arms crossed in front of her chest for emphasis. "Not too heavy and not too light. You gotta know what's best."

Sasuke frowned. "But... how do I know?"

Kasumi shrugged. "Practice. Though considering you're still going to get taller, it's a bad idea to get a full-size sword now anyway." Her eyes widened and she grinned as she seemed to come to a realization. "Actually, there is one way that I could help you— I mean— your friend out."

"What is it?"

His heart pounded inside his chest as Kasumi rummaged through her weapons pouch. A moment later, she pulled out a collection of sealing scrolls, muttering under her breath as she examined them one by one.

"I think it's this one.. No.. this... Aha!"

Triumphant, she grinned and opened up a scroll, browsing through it until she got to the seal she wanted. She placed the open scroll on the ground and pressed a hand on top. With a pulse of chakra, a sheath containing a small sword appeared within a cloud of smoke.

She grinned, her eyes glinting with self-satisfaction. "This is the sword I was using until I became a genin," she explained as she took the sword out and gave it a few expert swings. "It's blunted so it's specifically made for learning." She took a step forward, holding the hilt out reverently with one hand and the blade with the other.

Sasuke blinked. "Wait... what is—"

"I want you to take my old practice sword," she explained as she held the weapon out, gesturing insistently. "I'm not using it anymore, so you might as well take it."

Sasuke felt his face become warm. He reached a tentative hand out and touched the blade, the cold touch sending a shiver down his spine. "A-are you sure...?" He swallowed, unable to finish his question.

Kasumi nodded, taking another step forward. "Like I said, I don't need it anymore. You can take it."

Sasuke bit his tongue, his pulse loud in his ears as he stared at the sword with desire. Would he get another chance to get another practice sword any time soon?

Letting out a deep breath, he reached his hands forward. When Kasumi saw his fingers wrap around the hilt and grip it, she let go. The sword fell, the blade pointing at the ground. Sasuke moved his other hand forward, grasping the hilt with both hands. Unsure what to do, he stared down the blade and waited for instructions.

Kasumi giggled. "You look so cute!" she teased. "You have no idea what you're doing, do you?"

"I'm not cute." Sasuke shook his head, face flushed. He couldn't remember the last time he had been called cute and he didn't want to remember.

She giggled again and walked closer. Without pause, she kicked his legs further apart and fixed his grip on the hilt.

"Much better," she said with an emphatic nod. "You need to have an unbreakable stance to begin with."

"Hn." Sasuke tried a few tiny experimental jabs, sure he looked ridiculous. At least they were in an alleyway hidden from view. "So what do I do in a fight?"

"Stab them with the pointy end." She chuckled when Sasuke turned to her with a pout. "But seriously, it's just practice, practice, and more practice. I wish I could stay at least one more day to teach you the basic kata, but I do have to go back home."

"I see."

Sasuke turned his attention back to his gift, inspecting it more closely. He knew close to nothing about swords but even he could tell it was well-crafted for a learning tool. The sharp end was blunt and the hilt was covered with soft leather. It must have been expensive to commission. Who is this girl anyway?

"Take this as well," she instructed as she picked up the sheath. "It's only a practice sword, but you don't want to wander the streets carrying what looks like a deadly weapon."

Sasuke nodded. Silent, he took the sheath and slid the sword in. Kasumi watched in silence as he struggled with the simple task for a few moments. He felt his face grow warm again but was glad she didn't step in to help. Sooner or later he would learn the basics by himself anyway.

"Thank you." Arms wrapped around the sheathed sword, he bowed down, sure his face was red. He was glad Naruto wasn't there. He would never live it down otherwise.

Kasumi chucked again. "You're welcome! It's not like I was using the sword anymore anyway."

Feeling his face returning to normal, Sasuke dared to look up. He nodded in gratitude. "Hn."

Kasumi snorted at whatever she saw in his face. "Anyway, I should head out now. Maybe we'll meet again some day."

"Maybe." Sasuke tightened his grip on his gift. "Until next time." He gave her one last nod.

"See you, Sasuke-kun!" Kasumi started to walk away, waving goodbye. "Say goodbye to Naruto-kun for me."

"I will."

"Maybe one day we'll have a practice match, Sasuke-kun. Goodbye!" She gave him one last grin as she reached the end of the alleyway and walked out.

Alone with his new gift, Sasuke blinked at the space where she had disappeared, heart pounding. She's so cool.

Still awe-struck, he stared down at the gift in his arms again. He was sure that if he practiced, he would one day become even better than Kasumi. With the help of the Uchiha library, he could learn the clan kenjutsu, too, although he would need the sharingan to take full advantage of the style.

Sasuke stared up at the sky, daydreaming of the future. How long would it take to learn the basics? Would the Uchiha Library have everything he needed to learn? How would he know how to choose a sword when the time came?

His stomach grumbled in hunger, a reminder of how he had eaten nothing in the entire day. Torn out of his daydreams, he stared at the ground and frowned. In his excitement, he had forgotten an important detail

How was he going to explain to Naruto where he had gotten a sword?

O-O-O-O-O

A/N: There is a 110% chance that Utakata told Naruto about what happened between Kasumi and Sasuke later in the Room.

Morket is super cool and awesome and always a great beta reader.

I'm available on Tumblr at waffledogwrites.

Next chapter: Hinata suffers.

Can y'all guess what the next chapter's title will be?