"You two may begin at the first sign of light," Hiashi ordered. He sat there, watching his daughter and nephew stare at each other. He had woken them up extremely early. If it had been Mayu, instead of Hinata, which had been abruptly sent for, someone would have died. Even now, the girl was complaining, and only the Hyuga kunoichi could hear the ranting. Now, Mayu was hissing about the glare on Neji's face.

Hold up! That means you have to stare at each other for thirty minutes?!

"My father thinks this is training... an intimidating method," Hinata explained.

I am really starting to dislike your dad, Hinata.

For the time being, Hinata ignored her guest. This form of training had never really helped. She had never improved with staring a person down. Even now, she felt uncomfortable keeping her eyes locked with Neji's. Hinata swallowed, forcing her gaze to return to her cousin's eyes whenever they adverted. Usually, in this type of training, her opponent would only scoff and allow her to keep her eyes on the ground. However, her father was watching. Surely, he would not allow such a thing to happen in his presence.

Hinata inaudibly breathed out. Soon, she would have to battle Neji again. The very thought caused a cold sweat. Would she have the strength to keep up with him like last time? Or would she look utterly foolish. Her father would most likely not trust her word again if that were to happen. Saying that she had almost beaten her cousin was a bold statement, and he had probably wanted to see for himself. The kunoichi pressed her lips together. The sun was about to rise any minute now. Already, Neji had gotten into his fighting stance and activated his Byakugan. Hinata did the same and silently prayed. "Please Mayu-san... Naruto-kun, give me enough strength to impress father," she thought.

Sunlight hit the eyes of the two Hyuga clan members, and then they charged at each other. Hinata could clearly see the snarl on her cousin's face. His intention was to end this battle as soon as possible. She felt her eyes narrow. Under no circumstance could she allow this battle to end after one strike from him. Although she didn't have the confidence to beat him by herself, she did feel a tiny bit certain that she could do some damage. She had done it before, after all. However, before the two could collide, a cloud a smoke suddenly appeared between them, causing the both of them to halt. Hiashi stood up, eyebrows furrowed, as the puff of smoke cleared. Standing in between the two cousins was an elite ninja.

Kakashi-sensei…? What's he doing at the Hyuga estate?

"What are you doing here, Hatake?" Hiashi demanded to know. "Not just anyone is allowed to enter."

"Pardon the intrusion, Hyuga-sama, but I wish to speak with your daughter," Kakashi said. "This comes directly from the Hokage."

"Hanabi...? She has no business with the Hokage. What could you possible want with her?" Hiashi asked.

"Um..." Kakashi's eye shifted to Hinata, causing the young Hyuga to take a step back. "Actually, I was referring to your eldest daughter."

"We're in the middle of training," Hiashi stated.

"Training will have to wait." Kakashi's aloof response caused a twitch in Hiashi's brow. Still, he glanced at his firstborn. Expectedly, his daughter turned her eyes away.

"Hinata, take him to an empty room so you can talk privately."

"Y-Yes, father!" she replied, bowing. She then turned to the silver-haired male. "This way, Kakashi-sensei." The kunoichi gestured for him to follow her before turning. Without a word, Hatake Kakashi followed her into the main house. She could feel his eye on her. Silently, she shivered, feeling chill bumps arise on her arms. She knew the feeling well. This man behind her—he was highly suspicious. Actually, he had been there during her match with Neji, hadn't he? He has seen it all. "Mayu-san…"

As I told you last night, only Sasuke knew. But Kakashi-sensei is smarter than Sasuke…

Did this mean someone else had already known—this quickly? Hinata bit her bottom lip as she walked. This did not bold well. A ninja of his status most likely had told the Hokage. He had indeed mentioned the Third to her father. She did not know this man. However, she did know he communicated with her sensei from time to time, as he did with the sensei of Team 10. Who knew if the man behind her liked to talk? The dark-haired kunoichi swallowed hard. The longer she thought about it, the worse she felt.

Finally, Hinata came to a stop. The room chosen was rarely used by the Main house. Like the other rooms in the Hyuga manor, this room was specially designed so that the Byakugan could not penetrate its walls. Why the special property? That embarrassing event from the past was the reason. When the eyes of the Hyuga are initially triggered, it is quite weak and cannot see into the body to see the chakra network. However, it is still strong enough to see through walls… and clothes. Hinata had been traumatized by the sight of her grandfather undressing himself at the tender age of seven. Most Hyuga children ignored their eyesight. However, since she was the clan head's daughter, and her father seemed to care for her at the time, the special property rooms were established. Hanabi didn't have to go through the same thing—lucky girl.

Ridding herself of thoughts of the past, and Mayu's giggling, Hinata closed the door after Hatake Kakashi entered the room. "Wh-What is it you want to sp-speak to me abo-about, Kakashi-sensei?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the tatami mats of the floor. "And what does the Hokage have to do with it?" she finished in thought.

"Well, I'm going to train one of my students…" He peered down at the young Hyuga. "But you see I have two objectives. First, the Hokage has asked me to observe you for the next month." Hinata blinked in rapid succession. Kakashi almost chuckled. "Second, my student needs a sparring partner, but he wants a specific partner. She goes by the name of… Mayu? It has come to my attention that you know this girl." The kunoichi repeated the name in a stammer. "Yes, Ishikari Mayu, if I remember correctly." His eye seemed to express amusement. "Perhaps the two objectives are related to each other?"

"W-What does this have to d-do w-with m-m-me, Kakashi-sensei?" Hinata asked, trying to hide her nervousness. She clearly failed miserably. Her head had even begun to feel lightheaded. It was as she predicted. He knew! How—already?! She couldn't handle this. She had not prepared words to explain the situation, and so she was out of her element completely. This was too much attention, coming too fast for her. And it didn't help matters when the jounin replied to her.

"Oh, I think you know~!" Kakashi said. His tone was melodic. She could see the movement of his lip beneath his mask. There was a smile. He was enjoying this! "So… why don't you explain it to me clearly?"

Stupid bird brain...! Hinata let's switch. I'll handle this.

"Okay..." Hinata said, mentally breathing a sigh of relief.

The familiar rush of switching washed over the two. Once she was fully in control of Hinata's body, arms folded under chest. "So, he told you, huh?" Mayu inquired with a sigh. "Trust Sasuke to ruin the mystery for me." Kakashi chuckled.

"Yes, and he told me of Sakura, too! For the first month, you were the kunoichi of my team, weren't you, Mayu-san?" Kakashi said.

"Yeah, I suppose I shouldn't have yelled out 'Shazaam' when I kicked Neji's ass, ne?"

"Actually, it was more of the technique you used that tipped me over," Kakashi remarked. "A Thousand Years of Pain is known only to a select few. Even fewer would employ such a technique in battle… and laugh about it so proudly." Mayu scratched at her cheek, grinning nervously. "I only knew of one person—one kunoichi—who would do something like that. Imagine my surprise when the personality I had gotten used to for a month suddenly reemerged in another. Another who is known to be the mildest in terms of temperament?"

"Fine, you got me," Mayu confirmed. "Yes, I inhabited the body of Haruno Sakura right before teams were assigned. The incident isn't my fault, though, Kakashi-sensei. I don't know how I ended up in her body. It was the first time something like that happened to me. This is the second time, but Hinata is still here. We're sharing her body."

"Clearly, this is the work of a jutsu."

"Everyone keeps saying that, but… I have my doubts," Mayu muttered. "I mean, I know for a fact that I was not performing any jutsu before waking up." Kakashi hummed lightly, seemingly questioning. "Sasuke and I already went over that possibility. However, I do not hail from a place where ninja exist. Highly unlikely that anyone used a jutsu on me either."

"Jutsu and ninja do not exist…?" Kakashi blinked. "Just where do you think you come from?"

"Er… not here?" The man gave her the look. How he accomplished said look was a major feat. Whenever her mother gave 'the look' it was quite intimidating, but it required the entire face… or so she thought. "Obviously, some villages don't practice the shinobi arts, Kakashi-sensei. That's what I meant. I don't hail from a ninja village."

"Ah…" Honestly, Mayu didn't know what to make of his response. Kakashi was still as unreadable as before. "Do you have a clan in this non-ninja village?"

"There's only me and my parents," Mayu stated. "My grandparents live… in another village, but they're not ninja either." She grinned a bit. "I also have two uncles. Still, that would not be considered a clan, right?"

"Right…" Kakashi agreed, but he appeared deep in thought. However, it did not seem he would shed light on his musings. "I see."

Mayu raised a brow, but the action did little to prompt elaboration. She sighed lightly. "So, what does Sasuke, who has a bigger mouth than Naruto all of a sudden, want?" she asked, bringing Kakashi from his private thoughts. He chuckled.

"I already told you—er, Hinata that he wanted to spar with you," Kakashi answered.

"Why me?" she emphasized. "There are a lot of other people stronger, after all."

"He said something about a proving his strength over your… combined abilities?"

"Ahh… I remember that." Mayu produced a sour look. "Don't tell him I said this, but I think he has a complex." Kakashi chuckled again. "So… you're training him now? That means Neji won't have the honor of being beaten by Hinata-chan again today?" Shaking his head a bit, Kakashi gave an affirmative answer. He mentioned that Sasuke was waiting. "Meh, let him wait a little while longer—the loudmouth. It probably pisses him off."

"Well, it's already been about two hours since I left him, so…"

"I see you haven't changed at all, Kakashi-sensei."

0-0

"A mission?" Hiashi inquired.

"Well, yeah..." Kakashi started. "It's sort of a last minute mission before the Chuunin Exam starts back up." He rubbed the back of his head. "And it's confidential, too. Hokage-sama asked me not to speak of its details to anyone other than Hinata."

"May I ask why Hinata was specifically chosen for this secret mission?" Clearly, the clan head was suspicious with this excuse. "What specific skills does she possess that makes her an asset to this mission?"

"I am merely following orders, Hyuga-sama."

"Are you trying to piss him off, Kakashi-sensei?!" Mayu thought, sweating nervously. She had seen the flash of irritation in the clan head's eyes. "Would I like to see a fight between them right now?"

"I see..." Hiashi managed to say through gritted teeth. "Very well... Neji, it seems you will not be training with Hinata." Without another word, the clan's leader stiffly walked away, clearly ruffled by the interruption. Neji bowed at his departing back. Once Hiashi disappeared around a corner, the genius shifted his sights on whom he thought was his mild-mannered cousin.

"It seems we won't have the pleasure of fighting, Hinata-sama."

Mayu nearly made a face as she turned to Neji. "He literally just said that. Were you not paying attention?" she questioned. "It seems your ears are just as bad as your eyes." Neji clenched his jaw. "Besides, onii-san, I have become a force you do not wish to tangle with again." Neji glared, and then walked away. She smirked, knowing there was not a thing Neji could do in this type of situation. However, the Hyuga genius seemed to be the spiteful type, so she would be careful not to cross his path so soon after such humiliation.

"Hinata, whenever you're ready," Kakashi said. Mayu nodded her head and stood close to her former sensei. The jounin then performed a couple of hand seals. The two disappeared by means of the jutsu.

0-0

Mayu seriously wanted to puke. She stumbled away from Kakashi, holding her stomach. The Teleportation Jutsu was not her friend. After taking a few moments to make retching noises, causing Kakashi to feel guilty hopefully, Mayu glared at her former sensei. "Next time, I'll just walk!" she exclaimed, pointing a finger. "Ninja are insane!"

"You didn't die," came the uncaring response.

For that, Mayu poked out her tongue.

"Mayu, you're here. Or are you Hinata?" a voice made the girl turn. She saw Sasuke sitting. He was in the process of wrapping his arms in bandages. Her eyes lit up as she called his name. This, of course, caused the young Uchiha to grimace. That look was not normal, especially if it was Mayu, and not Hinata. That girl would not be that excited just by seeing his face. Mayu walked towards him. Sasuke stood up to welcome her properly. "Ma-" he started, but she interrupted.

"Turn around!" Mayu instructed.

"What? Why?" Sasuke asked.

"Just do it~!" came her cheerful reply.

Sasuke blinked, but shrugged his shoulders. He could not think of any reason why Mayu wanted to see his back. Then again, she did prove herself as a familiar enigma whilst she was in the body of Haruno Sakura. The young Uchiha closed his eyes for a bit. In all honesty, all this time, he had been hoping that she had not died that day on the bridge. In the back of his mind, there was a glimmer of anticipation for her return. Again, though, she inhabited the form of another. He wished he knew how this jutsu worked. To maintain dominance of a person's body, so such a long period of time, seemed impossible. However, Mayu had done it twice.

His eyebrows knitted together. She had told him that she was not a ninja. Still, he could not deny what he had seen on the bridge that day. Dreams he could not control consisted of that day. Sometimes, he found himself staring at Sakura—the real Sakura—thinking she would turn around and call him bird boy, or some other ridiculous moniker dealing with birds. However, all he received had been 'Sasuke-kun.' And he still hated it.

Sasuke was so deep in his thoughts that he did not notice the gleam in Mayu's eye. However, it was far too late to do anything. She had unleashed her 'attack' on his body. "Hidden Leaf Ancient Taijutsu Supreme Technique!" She pointed her erect hand seal into Sasuke's rear end. "A Thousand Years of Pain!"

Sasuke did not like the attack at all. He thought of many ways to kill Mayu, and make it look like an accident, as he soared through the air. After crash landing, he could hear the insufferable laughter coming from the girl. She seemed to be ignoring the glare he inflicted upon her. "I-I-I- ca-can't brea-breathe!" Chortling, she fell to the ground. Mayu also did not seem to care for the twitching of Sasuke's eye either. She slapped at the ground, nearly howling. Sasuke huffed, crossing his arms. He seriously had not missed her antics at all. Finally, Mayu managed to calm herself in favor of remembering why she had done it in the first place. She returned the heated stare, causing the young Uchiha to look a bit confused. "Didn't I tell you not to tell anyone? And what's the first thing bird brain goes and does? Tells someone…!"

"It just came out!" Sasuke protested.

"Oh right! Like I'm supposed to believe that! How did the conversation go, Sasuke? Huh?" Mayu asked. She cleared her throat, and then spoke again. "'Sasuke, I'm going to train you for the Chuunin Exam!'" She tried to sound like Kakashi, but her impersonation was quite bad. "'Okay! And by the way sensei, there's a girl named Mayu inside Hinata! And guess what? She was in Sakura's body for that first month after we became a team! I need you to go get her so we can settle who's stronger!'" That time, she had tried sounding like Sasuke. Again, the impersonation was awful. Her face returned to that of a glare. "I can't believe you told my business like that!"

"But..." Sasuke averted his gaze elsewhere. Truthfully, and basically, that had been how the conversation went between himself and Kakashi.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, bird brain!" Mayu shook her head and crossed her arms. "Just admit you did something stupid!" Not wanting to admit it, Sasuke looked elsewhere, grumbling to himself. She blinked once, and then without a word walked over to the Uchiha. The shinobi stepped back, but Mayu did not care. Her hand reached out and took a hold of his shirt, revealing his neck. She pulled at the collar so that she could see his shoulder. Her eyes narrowed, seeing the three familiar markings, along with the circle to contain it. "As I thought, that bastard still got him," Mayu thought, biting her lower lip. She roughly pushed Sasuke away, causing him to complain about it. However, she only turned her eyes to the ground. "Sasuke…" Eventually, this shinobi will leave the village in search of power. He would choose a method that would cause her hatred.

"Mayu…? What's wrong with you?" Sasuke asked. "You're not acting normal…"

"Are you saying I am normal most of the time?" she asked, putting on a fake smile. He frowned in response and muttered how abnormal she truly was. This, of course, caused Mayu to hold back slapping his head. What a rude comment to make! Still… "Maybe things could be different…?"

"Okay, you two!" Kakashi said, making the two turn to him. "I have to pick something up before we start Sasuke's training! Therefore, until then, you guys can do whatever. Bye." Before either of them could utter 'huh,' Kakashi vanished. Mayu's expression turned flat as she stared at the spot where the jounin disappeared.

"He totally just left us, didn't he?"

"What was your first clue?" Sasuke's sarcastic response caused Mayu to glare his way. Ignoring it, the Uchiha sat back down. "This could take a while."

"Yeah, he's always late! I'd be surprised he only took an hour!" She also sat down across from Sasuke. She sighed heavily. "I hope he brings something to eat. I didn't get a chance to eat breakfast because of Hinata's mean parent. How'd he expect Hinata to fight Neji on an empty stomach? I wouldn't do that to my child." Sasuke raised a brow.

"Hyuga Neji…?" He scoffed. "I didn't get to see his fight. I didn't get to see any of the preliminary fights either."

"You didn't miss anything. I totally kicked his ass because he underestimated us." A grin spread on Hinata's face. Weird. Not that he particularly paid against to the shy kunoichi back in the Academy, but Sasuke inherently knew the way her face contorted now-courtesy of Ishikari Mayu-was in no way normal. "I bet he's scared of his cousin now. Fufufu…!"

"I doubt it," Sasuke replied. "I met that guy, and he doesn't seem to be a person who'd scare easily."

"You didn't see us wipe the floor with him!"

"Hinata's strong? She was always so quiet in the Academy. She wasn't even in the top ten."

"Believe me when I say that there's a monster inside her, waiting to be unleashed upon the world!"

"Yeah… I think you're that monster."

"I'm getting tired of your smartass comments, Sasuke." Without warning, she lunged at him, tackling him to the ground.

"What-?" Sasuke found his arms pinned above his head. He blinked rapidly, and then stared, wide-eyed up at his captor. "Wh-What are you doing?!"

"Are you mad?" Mayu asked, smirking. "In this body, I'm stronger than I was before. I haven't just been sitting on my ass after Sakura, you know." No matter how much Sasuke struggled, he could not escape from the vice grip. "I've gotten better, and now that I can combine my abilities with Hinata's, you really don't stand a chance against me." Her eyes narrowed. "Call this payback for that tree incident."

"So you… really were upset that I overpowered you?!" Sasuke replied through clenched teeth.

"Not. Any. More."

"Get off." Averting her eyes, Mayu loosened her grip and rolled over. She was now on her back, staring up at the blue sky. "I don't care how you felt… The next time you do that, I won't go easy on you!" Sasuke threatened as he sat up. Mayu closed her eyes, smiling. "Strength isn't everything!" Mayu sat up as well. She turned hard eyes on him.

"That's right! Strength isn't everything, Sasuke. You remember your words clearly!" she said. Sasuke could only knit his eyebrows together in confusion. Mayu was too weird. What did she truly want from him? She smiled again before looking up at the sky again. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He didn't understand her at all sometimes. "Hey…" After a few minutes of silence, she spoke again. "I'm bored. Let's play a game."

"Let's not," Sasuke retorted.

"Come on. It'll make both of us feel better!"

"Doubt it."

"You antisocial jackass."

"… It so weird hearing Hinata use this language."

"It is, isn't it?" Mayu mused. "Should I separate from her?" It was a question directed at Sasuke, and yet Mayu performed the hand seals for the Clone Jutsu without waiting for a response. She now stood in front of him as a darker version of the original, twirling on the ball of her left foot. She then finished off with some ridiculous pose. "In the name of the moon, I will punish you!"

"…"

"…" Hinata hesitantly clapped her hands.

"I'm going to need you to never do that again."

"Aww, you're no fun!" Mayu stuck her tongue out. She then shifted her blue eyes to Hinata. "Even though we ended up losing to Neji, and aren't in the Chuunin Exam, I think we should focus on getting stronger, too."

"Bu-But…"

"No buts! You're going to be Sasuke's training partner, too!"

"Training partner…?" Dark eyes glanced in Hinata's direction. The kunoichi 'eeped' and scooted away from him. He turned a flat expression back to Mayu, who was sweating nervously. "I decline."

"Come on, Hinata's kickass! She could have won against Neji on her own—you should have seen her!" Mayu explained. "She's just… super shy about it."

"I don't think it's gonna happen."

"Screw you! Me and Hinata will be your training partners. You'll need her because there's a chance you will be fighting Neji." She crossed her arms. "I'm going to be serious about this, Sasuke, so you should, too."

"Why do you care what happens to me in the exam, anyway?"

"Because we're friends, asshole!" Mayu nearly hissed as she crossed her arms. Then she sniffed lightly. "Besides, I can't participate myself, so I have to live vicariously through you."

"Yeah, I can feel the love and support."

"You sarcastic little-"

"Mayu, Sasuke… Hinata?" Kakashi voice got their attention. He blinked several times before shrugging his shoulders. He cleared his throat. "We're moving to a different location now that you two are sparring. Let's go."

"Where's breakfast?" Mayu asked, completely forgetting the insult she was about to give to Sasuke.

The Uchiha rolled his eyes and shook his head.

0-0

Pacing back and forth was really starting to become annoying. Mayu had been doing it for several minutes. She was eating at the same time, too. Eyebrow twitching, Sasuke finished off the breakfast Mayu had forced Kakashi to retrieve. From the looks of it, she was almost done as well. During her pacing, he noticed that her eyes glanced in his direction every so often, which added to his annoyance. Admittedly, he was probably the only one bothered by Mayu's actions. Kakashi sat in a nearby tree, reading his book. Hinata sat under that tree, eating at a slow pace. She was not even half-way finished with her meal.

Suddenly, she gave a loud sigh and stated that she was finished eating. Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Kakashi-sensei, if you're still busy, can I begin?" she asked, staring up at the jounin. The silver-haired ninja gave the go ahead with a wave of his hand. His eye never lifted from the pages of his book. Mayu seemed to cackle insanely. This did not bode well. "Listen up, maggot!" He effin knew it. "There are several people you need to know about, but since I only have information on a few, only three people's information will be revealed! Gaara-kun, Neji, and Temari are probably going to be your most difficult opponents."

"Temari…? Who's that?"

"The one with the giant fan from Suna. She's Gaara-kun's sibling. You don't remember her?!"

"… No."

"Well, she's badass! Hope they don't pit you against her." Mayu heatedly stated. Sasuke rolled his eyes, wondering how she even knew the kunoichi. "The reason I say that those three might be the strongest is because they all have attacks that could be considered offensive and defensive." She smirked at his expression. "The thing that needs the most improvement is your speed."

"What's wrong with my speed?" Sasuke asked.

"It won't be good enough against opponents like Gaara-kun, Neji, or Temari," Mayu explained. "You have to be faster than Gaara's sand, Neji's hands, and Temari's wind techniques or you'll most definitely lose!"

"You don't believe in my abilities at all, do you?"

"But she's right Sasuke," Kakashi stated before Mayu could retort. "As of now, your speed is not enough." He went back to reading his book. "For now, listen to what Mayu has to say. She could be of assistance."

"Thank you for agreeing, Kakashi-sensei!" Mayu said even though the man already submerged in his reading again. Sasuke almost pouted, but decided against it. "So here's the exercise! Hinata will act as your opponent. Your mission: touch her. Anywhere is fine, just as long as you touch her." The Hyuga kunoichi fidgeted where she sat, looking uncomfortable with that mission. Mayu noticed her uneasiness and narrowed her eyes at Sasuke. "Don't you dare try to cop a feel either. I'll beat you until your ancestor feels it! Got it?!" At her threat, both Sasuke and Hinata turned cherry red.

"Like I was even thinking about that!"

"M-M-Ma-Ma-Mayu-san…!"

"Anyway! That's too easy. How is that training me on my speed?" Sasuke asked, frowning.

"It's not so easy when you have to get through me," Mayu stated. Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. "I will be acting as a shield and sword, so you better keep up!"

"Teh, bring it on!" Sasuke said.

"Right! Let's do this! Hinata…!" At Mayu's demand, the Hyuga hesitantly stood up from the base of the tree, leaving her food behind. "Let me give you a fair warning, Sasuke." The girl turned her eyes back to the Uchiha. "This is training, and because of who I am, I will take this seriously and not hold back! Can you handle my combination plus two more months of taijutsu training?"

"Is that supposed to intimidate me?" Sasuke scowled.

"Take it as you will. Intimidation or motivation—I don't mind which." Hinata stood behind Mayu. Blue Hyuga eyes glanced back her. "Let's get started then. Make me proud, my pretty kohai!"

"Hilarious," Sasuke muttered, sarcastically. He narrowed his, watching Mayu sink down into a fighting stance. He recognized it as what Sakura's body used to do. Despite the strange circumstance, it was… good to have her back. "Fine, show me your improvement and I'll show you mine. We'll see who the pretty kohai will be." Mayu giggled, covering her mouth with three fingers. Annoyed, Sasuke frowned. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. I just find it splendid that you think Hinata's pretty," she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. Sasuke blanched, realizing that he had indeed paid a compliment to someone although that had not been the intention. He slid his tongue across his front teeth and tried to ignore the flushing of his cheeks. "See, Hinata...?" The girl looked behind her at her counterpart, who was also pink in the cheeks. "You already have another fan."

"Shut up!" Sasuke demanded while Hinata quietly squeaked. "Let's just fight, damn you!"

"Oh, Sasuke! I missed you, too!" Mayu said, and then she had the nerve to blow a kiss. Nearly growling, feigned catching the kiss before throwing it on the ground and stomping on it. Mayu merely laughed at his reaction before beckoning him with a finger. Obviously, she was pleased about getting under his skin. Maybe that had been her intention all along in order to trip him up. "Let's go, bird boy. Show me what you're working with."

"You asked for!"

0-0