Sasuke

Hiashi Hyuuga crawled into bed and felt something slimey crawl into his pants. He screamed as he jumped out of the bed, gripping his bedstool while panting hard. 'Byakugan!'

Just a slug.

He relaxed, picking up the gel-animal by his hands and tossing it out the window.

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Naruto and Sakura burst out laughing.

Sasuke smirked.

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Neji Hyuuga crawled into bed and felt something slimey slither across his body. "Gentle Fists: 38 Trigrams!" He screamed, demolishing his entire room, including Sasuke's surveillance seal. But, not before it sent the scene to Sakura's glasses.

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"Oi, oi, Sakura-chan, who's that?"

"He seems strong, I want to fight him."

"...I've seen him around the Academy in a different class. Anyway, that's an extreme reaction to a slug. You sure you didn't draw a heat seal on it?"

"...No."

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Hinata Hyuuga crawled into bed. She felt something slither up her leg and 'eep'd. Pulling her blankets back, she saw a tiny cute slug. Gently, she grabbed a tissue paper and picked up the slug. Carefully, she exited the room and took it to the garden to set it free.

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"...That was a waste of time," Sasuke exhaled, getting up to leave. "Why am I watching this with you idiots?" It's not going to make me stronger. "I'm going to spend my time more productively, and train."

Naruto had his eyes glued to the screen. "Oi, Sakura, that slug is reusable for another prank 'cos it's alive. I'mma go collect it."

Sakura shrugged, turning off her TV. They were at the living room of her house, on the floor of the couch, reviewing the results of their prank, and those were the last ones. "Since you two have something to do, I'm going to visit some old friends.."

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At the Uchiha cemetery, Sakura crouched on her knees and stared at the tombstones. The tombstones stared back.

Hana

Sawa

Shin

Shiku

And some more names she never bothered to learn, to which she now regretted. She always referred to them as madam, grandma, old lady, old geezer, sir, etc.

As a result, she didn't know which grave was where, except for these four.

It doesn't matter, she tried to convince herself. Yeah! Normally I don't believe in this stuff, but ever since I met Obito-kun...I really hope they can hear me...

..Sakura took a deep breath, then her words came out so short and fast, like she was rushing.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have ignored you guys for so long. When you were still alive, you needed help, but I didn't provide it. I was 'training,' studying for my own selfish reason: I wanted Hana to come back. I was so focused on her that I pushed all of you away, even when you were alive and right there in front of me. I'm sorry I vanished from your lives. There was still so much time we could have shared together, but I wasted it all. I'm so sorry. Studying could always come later, the dead can wait. Sawa, you said it's natural for old people to die. Your deaths weren't natural, but I still should have listened to you. Maybe then, I would have valued the time you had left." Before she realized it, her lip was quivering and her eyes were filled with water, threatening to pour out. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you what I was doing. I thought you'd object. I'm sorry I worried you." Her shoulders shook, and she removed her glasses out of respect, or to keep them dry. "I'm sorry I betrayed every one of you."

..

..drip.

..

..

"Sakura,"

...

"Sa-ku-ra," a foot nudged her back, and slowly, her head tilted back to see...Obito-kun? She blinked hard, the tears that blurred her vision slid out of her eyes, and it was...Oh, it's just him.

"Sasuke! Um, what are you doing here?" She cocked her head, plastering a sweet smile on her face.

That's what I was about to ask you. He answered dryly, "I live here."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her failed attempt at concealing her emotions. "You knew them." It wasn't a question. She was crying. That was stupid. Sasuke didn't cry over his parent's deaths. He was sad, but he didn't cry, he didn't let himself cry, not until he killed that man. He was furious. He wanted to kill him.

His eyes flickered across the tombstones, slowing down upon spotting his parent's names, moving past and landing back onto Sakura's crouched figure. "Now that I'm starting to recall back, you were close to him too, weren't you?" You were in Itachi's room five years ago.

Sakura curled up, not knowing what he was talking about, too afraid to ask.

He heaved a sigh. "My brother," he spat, like it was the most disgusting thing in the world. "The murderer."

"I-Itachi?" Her perfect memory was damning her, she never forgot a word Obito-kun slipped out.

That name is a curse. That name makes Sasuke insane. There was a reason he never uses that name even in his thoughts.

"Y-You traitor!" Sasuke's knee swung into her chest, slamming her back against Hana's tombstone. The breath escaped her lungs and she gasped. "Why didn't you say anything sooner, Sa-ku-ra?" He leaned down, his breath in her ear. "Were you scared?" As scared as I was? Betrayed like I was? "Would I hurt him if I hurt you?"

Sakura's eyes were wide in fear. "N-No! I don't know, you're wrong, you're wrong!" She grasped at his knee, he was pressing painfully against her developing breasts. "I only knew the old geezers! I didn't know anyone else! Not him! Please! Sas-u-kun!"

Sasuke withdrew, watching her collapse. He felt his stomach coil, but he ignored it. "How do you know his name?"

"H-Heard it-somewhere," she managed right before falling facefirst into the dirt.

Sasuke's fists clenched. He felt regret, but he dismissed it. Regret was for the weak. It would only chain him down from facing that man. He looked down at Sakura, and decided that not doing anything about this would be even more of a shackle than any display of remorse. "Sorry, Sakura," he said softly.

She went silent, afraid he'd hit her again. It wasn't really painful, he hit her just as hard in their spars, but those were spars where Naruto was involved, and this was more personal, and scary. ...

He didn't make a move, so she pushed herself up. She unzipped her dress and reached reached her hand underneath her bra, sending healing chakra directly over her wound. Now wasn't the right time for decency.

Sasuke lowered his head. "They gave me rice bean buns on my way to the Academy." He walked over to the next grave. "They were my grandparents." He stepped over them. "Their siblings." He reached the end of the row. "My cousins." He changed lanes. "My uncle, aunts." He stopped upon two graves laid side by side, staring at them fondly. "Father and mother..."

Sakura looked at him. It never occurred to her that the grandparents could have been Sasuke's grandparents. Stupid me.

His bangs hid his eyes. "He took everything from me." His nails dug into his palms. "I deserve something back." His eyes flashed. "I'll take his life." His glare sharpened. "I'll avenge them."

Sakura looked away. She didn't care about any of that.

Sakura wasn't an avenger. She was a girl who missed her grandparent-figures.

She didn't become strong to kill Itachi, she grew stronger to bring them back.

"I'll revive them," she promised timidly.

Somehow, Sasuke heard. He was beside her again. "Interesting...that's the second part of my ambition," he answered cryptically. Sakura didn't know what he meant, surely he didn't have the same means as she did. He looked amused, holding out his hand. "You can try," he challenged.

Surprisingly, Sakura smirked, having an idea; she grabbed his hand and pulled herself up, eager to tell him. Sasuke clicked his tongue and zipped the front of Sakura's dress up.

She realized her indecency and blushed in embarrassment. "A-Ah, u-um, you didn't see that!" She rubbed the back of her head, and looked him in the eye more seriously. "Let's make a bet."

Sasuke already knew what she meant, he hadn't been friends with the two idiots for nothing. "You think you can revive the clan faster than I can kill that man."

Sakura's smirk returned. "Yep. I need the motivation right in front of me."

Sasuke paused, surprised. He was always thinking of Itachi, afraid to forget, afraid he wasn't strong enough, didn't hate enough. Afraid to forget. He snorted. "Do as you wish, I don't care."

They both knew he was accepting the bet underneath his dismissal.

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"N-N-Naruto-kun.." Hinata stuttered out.

She fainted when she saw Naruto, she fainted again when she woke up in Naruto's arms, and she was tempted to faint again upon waking up in her bed, but Hinata wasn't going to faint to that tiny stalk of yellow hair pointing from the bottom edge of the window stall. "I-I can see you," she informed him.

"I knew I shoulda ducked lower!" Naruto straightened, showing his face through her window. "Oi, you're that weird girl in my class!"

She eep'd,

"I'mma trust ya with one big secret! Don't tell anyone, dattebayo!" Naruto started jumping from feet to feet.

Naruto-kun trusts me?

"The deepest top secret is..." Naruto gesticulated widely. "I was here!"

Hinata stared, her face red. "T-Thanks for trusting me with your secret, I-I won't tell anyone," she whispered the last part.

Naruto gave her a thumbs-up, and dramatically spun around, moving his arms back and forth as he tried to walk off. Hinata could have sworn she saw something wet and small wiggling inside his pants pocket. She called out.

"What?"

"The graduation exams...good luck..." she whispered.

"Crap!" Naruto was outta there in less than 1 second. I still can't do the clone jutsu! Sakura-chan will hate me and Sasuke-teme already hates me! But I gotta tell them or I'll get left behind! Kuso! This is so hard!

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