"I can't believe this. Why would he do this to us?"

"You know how he is. Assistant principal was never enough for him. Especially since someone so much younger than he is got the job."

"But he's one of us! He's always been one of us."

"Let him go. He's not right for Konoha High, anyway. I know it's hard to let someone you love walk away, but this is good for him."

"I don't love him, stupid."

"Of course you do. You always have, since we were in school."

"That's absurd. He's not interested, I'm not interested. The only person who is interested is you."

"Interested in my two best friends' budding romance? Absolutely. Interested in you? Don't flatter yourself."

--

Sakura and Ino knew the moment they walked into gym class with Hinata.

"Hi guys! Hi Sakura!" Naruto greeted them, grinning.

"Whatever," Ino said dismissively.

But HInata turned the slightest shade of pink and murmured, "Hi, Naruto."

Sakura watched her closely.

As soon as Naruto walked away, the other two girls pounced on Hinata. "Naruto?" Ino demanded. "You like Naruto???"

"Well, think about it, Ino, she's always admired him. It makes sense that she'd start liking him," Sakura pointed out.

"But he's so… Naruto!" Ino burst out. "And besides, he's always had a crush on Sakura."

Hinata looked suddenly frightened. "I'm sorry!"

Sakura shrugged. "It's not like I like him. And sometime soon, he'll come around and realize that."

"Sasuke might not come back, you know," Ino warned Sakura. "It might be better to settle for Naruto."

"Nope!" Sakura said, mock-cheerfully. "Now he's Hinata's. And besides, I'm not going to forget Sasuke so soon. Especially not when he's just across town at Oto High."

"Oto High kids don't associate with Konoha High kids unless if they're beating them up," Ino said, shaking her head. "Look, I also used to have a crush on Sasuke, remember?" The other two girls nodded. That had been back when Sakura and Ino hated each other. "But when he left, I knew that that was it. Sometimes, you've just got to move on." She considered. "What about Lee? He's not half bad-looking if we give him a makeover. Or Kiba! He's pretty cute without the parka and the dog."

Sakura shrugged. "Sure, Ino. Whatever."

Ino tossed her blonde ponytail over her shoulder. "But don't you dare touch Shikamaru! He's mine!"

Sakura grinned. "If you ever convince him of that."

--

It was bound to happen sooner or later, Shizune mused, stepping into the teachers' lounge. But did it have to be so…personal? Genma was the only other teacher in the room this time. Thankfully, he hadn't seen her yet, since he was lying on the couch with his eyes closed. She could just walk away… But this was bound to happen sooner or later. She might as well just do it now.

"Genma," she said softly.

His eyes opened and he turned to look at her. Really look. His eyes wandered from her heeled feet all the way up to her short, cropped hair, then back to her eyes. Shizune resisted the urge to hide. "Shizune," he said simply.

"Hi." Inwardly, she berated herself. Don't you have anything better to say to him? You haven't seen the man in years! And you didn't exactly part on the best of terms. Hi??? What kind of a greeting is that?

He smirked, seeing the inner turmoil in her eyes. "Hi."

She stood there silently, awkwardly, not knowing what to say. "I'm back."

"Apparently." Genma wasn't making this easy for her.

She said so, and he raised an eyebrow. "My apologies. What would you prefer? A welcome back hug and an invite to dinner?"

Yes. "No. Just…can we at least still be friends?"

Genma laughed. It wasn't a friendly laugh. "For three years of high school, I secretly crushed on you, my best friend. Then one day, you kissed me, told me that you felt the same way, and then, the next day, told me that you were leaving Konoha High. Friends like that I don't need."

"A lot has changed since then," Shizune said desperately.

"Nothing's changed," Genma corrected her. "Rin's right. It's just the same cycle, over and over again, and we're all caught in it. Well, if I'm trapped, I'm going to do it on my terms." He rose. "I'm taking my lunch break."

She watched him go and struggled not to let frustration overwhelm her.

--

Shikamaru was already asleep at the table by the time Naruto, Chouji, and Kiba arrived. "That guy is always sleeping," Kiba grumbled. "It hasn't exactly been a strenuous day."

"He's just catching a few minutes of quiet before Ino shows up," Chouji told them, and they all laughed. Ino made no secret of her affection for Shikamaru.

Sure enough, Ino was at the table moments later. "Hi Shikamaru!" she nearly screeched. Kiba rolled his eyes. "Hey, Hinata," he greeted the quiet girl.

She smiled at him. They were still going to try to be friends, even though she had turned him down. "Hi, Kiba. Hello, Naruto."

Naruto nodded to her, his eyes on Sakura. "Hi Sakura!"

Sakura sighed, taking a seat as far from Naruto as possible. "Have you seen Lee?"

"He's getting lunch," Shikamaru offered. "So are the others."

"Shikamaru, let's go out tonight," Ino wheedled. "There's a great movie showing, and I know a few good restaurants…" Seeing Shikamaru about to shake his head, she barreled on, "And I'm going to keep bugging you about it until you do."

"Fine," Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome woman."

Ino bopped him on the head.

Lee and Shino joined them, and Sakura turned her attention to them. "Lee, will you walk me home tonight?"

Lee's eyes widened. "A-are you sure?"

Sakura nodded meaningfully at him, and he frowned. "If you insist."

"Thanks, Lee. You're the greatest!"

Ino was watching them suspiciously, so Sakura fought to change the subject. "Hey, have you noticed that Tenten's been hanging out with Neji a lot these days?"

Naruto frowned. "What do you mean? They're best friends! Of course they hang out!"

"Leave the gossip to the girls, Naruto," Ino told him. She leaned forward. "Actually, I did think it was weird that Neji actually invited Tenten to his summer home. He never lets anyone come, except Hinata, and that's just because it's her summer home, too."

Kiba laughed. "What are you talking about? All the boys were there."

"But no other girls," Sakura said meaningfully.

"Ohh," Kiba said, nodding. "So you think that Neji and Tenten are dating."

"We are not!" Tenten said from behind them, her hands on her hips.

"Definitely not," Neji agreed, setting down his and Tenten's lunches.

The others involved in the conversation smirked.

"Guess what!" Ino announced. "Shika and I are going steady!"

"So troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered.

--

Tsunade surveyed the cafeteria critically. "Well, that table has got to go. And that one, too."

"You can't just remove a table because you don't like the shape," Shizune said desperately. "The cafeteria's already packed. Better to add some tables instead."

"You take care of it, Shizune," Tsunade ordered. Sighing, Shizune left the room. "I didn't mean now!" Tsunade called after her.

"You seem to be doing well," Jiraiya commented, taking a seat beside her.

"Have you found something productive to do yet?" Tsunade demanded.

Jiraiya leered. "Absolutely. I'm coaching the girls' swim team."

"No," Tsunade informed him.

"Then you'll fire me?" Jiraiya asked mock-plaintively.

"No," Tsunade sighed. "Just…make yourself useful somehow. Get the teachers to go to class. They don't seem to like doing that. Help Iruka in the office so he can get back to his guidance counselor job. I don't know, just do something. I don't want to have to fire you."

"Why not?" Jiraiya asked, almost serious.

Tsunade shook her head. "I need you, you know that. I can't do this without you here." She glanced at him. "Don't look so surprised."

"I'm not surprised that you need me," he said, a smile playing on his lips. "I'm surprised that you admitted it."