Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Hindsight's 20/20	By : tealeaf Category: Naruto AU/AR > General Views: 1090 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Disclaimer:
Naruto most certainly is not mine but this story is as are the original ideas
in it so no thieving of it please.

A/N:
Chapter 3, finally finished! And 26 pages in Microsoft word, my longest chapter
ever! Yay *happy dances* ^_^

To answer a
few questions:

About
Haruno, it will be explained why she�s called Haruno instead of Sakura,
probably in the next chapter or at the very least, it will be heavily hinted
at.

About the
updates: Yes, I realize I�m slower with this fic that I was with �The Butterfly�
My reasons are that this story has chapters that are about 3 times the length
of the chapters in �The Butterfly� and are much more detailed and have a lot
more subtle hints worked into them and so they take a lot longer for me to
write. Also, I don�t have as much time to write seeing as my brother moved home
and so I have to share the computer a lot more, the house is a lot noisier and
so its much more difficult to concentrate on writing and I�m currently job
hunting so I�m not even home all that often to write. I�m sorry its taking
longer but please just bear with me, I�m doing my best.

If you�re
feeling particularly impatient, I do post several teasers for future chapters
in my livejournal (www. livejournal. com/ users/ anotherstraycat) so check
there.

Anyways,
thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter 2, I hope you enjoy chapter 3 and I
look forward to your reactions ^_^

Oh, and
also, there has been a slight modification to chapter two, Kakashi now tells
team 7 not to eat breakfast before he leaves after their intro session.

~~~

Hindsight�s
20/20: Chapter 3
By: Tea
Leaf/Banana Soap

~~~

Lunch passed
easily, math passed in a blur and now finally Haruno found herself in her
favorite class: visual arts with Shiranui Genma.

The room
was located on the first floor of the school and the back wall was completely
lined with windows so that the art students had lots of light to work with.
There were four large, long tables made of thick, polished wood that were
placed more or less centered in the room and had several chairs and benches
around them.

Haruno sat
at the end facing the window of the table closest to the door. Naruto sat
beside her, Shikamaru opposite her and Chouji beside Shikamaru.

Yesterday
they had been given free reign to check out the class supplies and experiment a
little and today Genma-sensei was supposed to explain the year�s projects.

Said
teacher was standing in front of the blackboards that ran along the wall
opposite the windows and was waiting for the second bell to ring as he chewed
on a long toothpick.

Haruno
liked Genma; he was very laid back and surprisingly creative and so allowed the
students had complete creative freedom. He was also a really good teacher, he
could explain anything to anyone and passed on his knowledge with ease.

Eventually
the second bell rang and a few late students scrambled in. Genma left the door
open, he didn�t really care about punctuality and noise wasn�t a bother seeing
as the hall in from of the art room was usually deserted.

�Alright�so,
last year, if you recall, we concentrated on objects and landscapes.� The
teacher began as he leaned casually against the blackboard behind him.

Several
students nodded in response and he continued.

�So this
year, we�re going to work on people. You should all already have a strong base
when it comes to color, technique and forms so portraits and anatomy are the
logical step.�

He now
walked over to his desk and picked up a pile of papers and handed the pack to
the first student so that it could be handed around.

�As
described on the sheet you�ll receive, this semester�s overall project will be
3 pieces. They can be portraits, they can be bodies, they can be realistic,
they can be cartoon, they can be abstract. Whatever you want really, but they
have to be three people. More specifically, three people that have had an
impact on your life.� He explained.

�What do
you mean by impact?studstudent on the other side of the class asked.

�I mean
people that changed you in some way, that influenced you. They can be parents,
friends, idols, random people you�ve only seen once in your life, anyone as long
as they struck some kind of cord in you.�

�So what do
you want us to do with these people?� another student asked.

�The goal
of this is to try and recreate how you see this person or how they influenced
you. To create something that relays how you see them. So, for example, lets
say you were to pick your mother as a person who�s influenced you. How has she
influenced you? Lets say she�s helped you become a confidant person, to look on
the bright side of life, etc. etc. So here you have all these positive emotions
that you associate to this person. So theoretically, when you see this person,
you feel those emotions. Now your goal is to create something using the image
of your mother that will inspire the same emotions you feel towards your mother
in someone else.� He explained.

�Or it
could be something totally different, it could be that you saw someone save
someone who was chocking or something like that and that event marked you. So
now you want to draw the event that made this person important to you.� He
continued.

�So, the
details. I want three pieces, one for each person. You can do them however you
like, with whatever medium you like, but there does have to be some image of
the person in the actual artwork. I don�t care how you do it, but when I look
at it, I need to see a person in it. Sound good?� he asked then.

Several
students nodded and no one asked any more questions.

�Great. Ok,
so any questions about anything, don�t hesitate to ask. For today, start
thinking about the people you want to use. If you figure that out, then start
planning your first piece.� He finished and headed over to his desk.

Haruno
watched him for a moment, considering the project.

�Hmm�I
wonder who I should pick�� Naruto muttered as he stared at the project sheet in
front of him.

�I have no
idea who to pick, no one really springs to mind.� Shikamaru responded.

�I know I
definitely want Chairman Kaga Takeshi from Iron Chef!� Chouji said.

Haruno
smiled slightly.

�Why him
Chouji?� she asked.

�Because he
has influenced the way I look at cooking. Everything should be savored and only
the best should be served at someone�s table. And because I also admire his
charisma when it comes to eating.� Chouji informed them.

�That
sounds great Chouji. Very good choice.� Genma said from behind him as he did
the rounds of the class.

�You think
so sensei?� Chouji asked, surprised by the teacher�s presence and unexpected
praise.

�Definitely,
I look forward to seeing how you put it into art.� The sensei responded before moving
on.

�Good idea
Chouji. I should find something like that.� Shikamaru told him.

�Any ideas
yet, Naruto?� Haruno asked the blonde beside her, snapping him out of his
distant air.

�Yeah�I�ve
got this one idea�I think I�ll do Yondaime for one of them.� He answered.

�Yondaime?�
Shikamaru questioned.

�Yeah�He�s
this guy I knew when I was little�I don�t really remember much about him other
than his name and a fuzzy image of what he looks like but I�m pretty sure he
became my conscience. So that�s how he influences me.� Naruto answered.

�A
personification of your conscience�brilliant concept.� Shikamaru told him.

�Man�why
didn�t I think of that�� he muttered to himself.

Naruto
grinned proudly.

�How about
you Haruno-chan? Know who you�ll do yet?� Naruto asked the pink-haired girl.

�Yeah�I�ve
got some pretty good ideas�� she answered vaguely, looking out the window.

Naruto
opened his mouth to pry but Haruno changed the subject before he could.

�So Shikamaru,
got anything yet?� she asked the boy in front of her.

He sighed
heavily.

�Nothing
really good��he muttered.

��how about
you use the person who got you to start cloud watching, if there is one. I�d
say they�ve influenced you a great deal.� Haruno told him.

Shikamaru
stroked his chin as he thought over the idea.

�That could
work�� he muttered.

Chouji and
Naruto jumped in then and started giving him more ideas and Haruno took the
opportunity to slip away from the table and head for the supply room.

�Haruno,
decided already?� Genma asked her as she approached his desk that was beside
the supply closet.

�Yes�on all
three actually.� She responded.

Genma
frowned slightly as he stopped chewing on his toothpick momentarily.

�Really?
All three? Have you thought them through?� he asked.

She nodded.

�I even
know how I want to portray them.� She added with a slight smirk.

Genma
blinked in surprise then smirked slightly as well.

�To be expected
I guess. Help yourself to the supply room.� He told her.

She nodded
and walked past his desk and into the side room.

She looked
around for a moment before finding what she�d been looking for. A large set of
pens with various nibs and a large bottle of black ink. She also selected a few
paintbrushes. Finally she grabbed a large sheet of thick white paper that was
designed for water color but would be perfect for what she intended to do with
the ink.

She stepped
back out of the room and Genma eyed her supplies curiously but said nothing as
she stepped past him and made her way to the empty half of the table she was
sharing with Shikamaru, Naruto and Chouji. The three were still in deep debate
and didn�t notice her setting up her supplies slightly further down the table.

She set the
sheet down in front of her and opened the pen set, setting it on her right
side. Then she looked pensively at the blank page, trying to decide where to
start.

She didn�t
want to sketch first because it would be impossible to get rid of the pencil
afterwards and she wanted it to be completely black. She could start with ink
but she wasn�t that confident in her drawing skills and so would rather not.

She frowned
slightly. Maybe charcoal�and then she could smudge it too�she nodded to herself
then stood up again and went back to the supply room, returning with several
sticks of charcoal of various sizes as well as a moldable eraser and set to
work, sketching the face that was forever burned into her mind. She started
with his eyes�those cold, cruel, twisted eyes�

~~~

Kakashi
slouched in his chair at his desk in his classroom. He was feeling lazy today
and so had given the class �study group time� or as he liked to call it �slack
off time�. Slack off for him at any rate. He was always kind enough to make
sure that the students had plenty of work to do that was to be handed in to be
graded by him for the next day.

Then he
collected them�and slacked off in his correcting. Then he�d tell them all it
was a formative exercise as opposed to a summative one and they would bitch and
he would laugh at them for falling into his trap yet again.

For some
reason, he really enjoyed playing with the minds of his students.

But seeing
as it was the beginning of the year, he�d probably go easy on them and correct
the work in class with them tomorrow.

He grimaced
behind his mask at the thought; he hated correcting.

He turned
to gaze around the class, the students all seemed to be, if not working, at
least sufficiently distracted for them to not be paying attention to him.

He smirked
ever so slightly as he slipped his hand surreptitiously into the file drawer of
his desk and carefully pulled out a semi-thick, softer cover, bright orange
novel. He swiveled his chair slowly,
still watching the class until he had his back almost completely to them. He
slouched a little more in the chair lifting one of his legs so that the ankle
rested on the other leg�s knee then flipped open the well worn book to the
bookmark and started reading contentedly, a lazy smile spreading behind his
mask.

Neji
frowned at him from the back of the class then curled his lip in disgust.

Sasuke was
willing to bet that the last time anyone had seen her was right before she�d
sustained that injury.

What
intrigued him were her seemingly long-standing relations with gangs. ANBU then,
Akatsuki now. The odd thing was that she herself had no criminal record. She
was however on the Police Blacklist and apparently was on the infamous Zabuza�s
recruit listing.

What was it
about her that interested these people?

That�s what
he intended to find out.

~~~

Haruno
slumped on her desk in the back of hirstirst class the next morning. She was
exhausted�She�d worked non-stop until Itachi had returned home which had been
at 2am. And then she had stayed up later to finish her project.
cla class=MsoNormal>
She sighed
softly to herself; her inner self was muttering vague obscenities to her now.

It'>It wasn�t
even like the project was due today; she technically had until the end of the
semester to complete it. But she just couldn�t bring herself to stop once she�d
started. She had just been so into it.
>
But she was
paying for it now.

She�d
deliberately chosen a seat in the back today, hoping to avoid any kind of
confrontation with Kakashi and maybe catch up on some sleep before training
next period. She propped up a book in front of her, obscuring her even more to the
front of the class and rested her head on her folded arms, her eyes closing
almost instantly.

Kakashi
frowned slightly at the sight of Sakura asleep in his classroom. He had half a
mind to go over there and wake her up. But then he remembered that she had
training with him afterwards and a slightly sadistic smirk spread across his
lips.

Let her
sleep now, he�d get his retribution soon enough.

Naruto yawned widely before setting his chin in his hand as his elbow rested on
his desk. Early morning classes sucked�hell, anything that had him waking up
before noon sucked.

He looked
to his side and saw that Haruno was fast asleep. He looked to the front of his
class at his sensei; Hatake was ignoring the fact that she was asleep.

He smiled
slightly to himself and set about following Haruno�s example. He set up his
book and crossed his arms over his desk, snuggling into them gratefully as his
eyes dropped contentedly shut.

Kakashi
scanned the class again as he continued in his lecture about Shakespearian sonnets
only to pause in shock as he spotted Naruto sleeping in the back of the class.

�NARUTO!�
he said loudly.

The blonde
jumped suddenly having been shocked awake.

�Seeing as
you were obviously following along in your book�� he told the student pointedly,
Naruto flushed slightly. �Continue with the reading.� He told him in his
trademark nonchalant voice.

The color
drained from Naruto�s face as he grabbed his book and scanned the page
desperately.an>

�Sure�Hatake-sensei��
He said, trying to hide his distress and trying to buy time.

Kakashi
smirked slightly behind his mask as he watched the blonde squirm.

�page 218,
line 12� came a whispered voice beside him.

�Thanks�
Naruto quickly whispered back as he flipped to the correct page quickly and
found the line and started to read.

Hinata
flushed brightly beside him as she buried her nose back in her book. Naruto had
just spoken to her! Her heart was beating madly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes from his seat on the other
side of Hinata. He just wanted this class to be over.
~~~

Eventually
the class bell rang loudly, waking Haruno up, and signaling the class change.

Haruno,
Naruto and Sasuke all stayed in their seats as the rest of the students filled
gratefully out of the room.

Finally,
only the members of team 7 and their �trainer� remained.

Kakashi
scanned their bored faces briefly the sighed inaudibly. Next time he was going
to ask Gai what he wanted before volunteering. He did not enjoy spending his
prep time teaching gym because Gai was too lazy to teach his classes himself.

But then he
smirked evilly behind his mask. Seeing as he couldn�t take it out on Gai, he
would make sure these students regretted ever deciding to take gym.

�So today�I
said we�d train right?� he asked vaguely, more speaking to himself than the
other three occupants of the room.

Haruno
rolled her eyes.

�Yup!
Training starts today!� Naruto answered him energetically, excited at the
prospect of physical activity.

Sasuke
slouched slightly in his chair.

�Ok�well,
seeing as everyone else will be training here, we�re going to train somewhere
else.� Their sensei told them.

�Follow
me.� He ordered as he stopped leaning against his desk and headed out the door.

The three
other members of the team frowned slightly then scrambled to get their things
and followed the older man through the halls then out to the staff parking lot.

He stopped
in front of a black jeep and unlocked the front door then reached back to unlock
the door behind his then leaned across the seats to get the locks on the other
side of the vehicle.

�Get in.�
he said finally as he settled himself in the driver�s seat.

�Shotgun!�
Haruno spoke suddenly before rushing around to the other side of the car.

�Hey!�
Naruto exclaimed indigna as as her rushed after her only to reach that side of
the car as she slammed the front passenger door closed his face and then stuck
her tongue out at him from the front seat.

Naruto
glared good-naturedly before grudgingly climbing into the seat behind her.
Sasuke had already settled into the seat behind Kakashi.

�So Sensei,
where are we going?� Naruto asked as Kakashi started the car and backed out of
his parking space.

�You�ll
see� Kakashi answered vaguely.

Naruto
frowned slightly as he sat back and started to speculate out loud on where they
could possibly be going to train.

Haruno shot
a wary glance at their sensei; she wasn�t a big fan of getting into a car when
their destination was kept secret.

�Don�t worry,
you know the place well.� Kakashi muttered in a low voice so that only she
could hear.

Her frown
deepened slightly but then it cliqued in her mind where he meant so she relaxed
and enjoyed the front seat, settling in for the long drive.

Sasuke
watched the exchange in the front seat but seeing as he couldn�t hear what had
been said over Naruto�s chattering he followed Haruno�s example and settled as
comfortably as possible in the rather cramped back seat and set his sunglasses
over his eyes to hide their calculating look as he decided to take advantage of
the drive to scheme about his quest.

The drive
passed uneventfully, the silence broken only by the low radio playing classic
rock music and Naruto�s chatter that alternated between guessing possible locations
and asking for hints about the location. Kakashi�s responses remained
non-committal and vague.

Haruno
watched calmly out the window as the familiar city flew by, the intensity of
its constructs steadily diminishing as they drove further and further from the
downtown core where the school was located.

Sasuke
watched through his smoky lenses, enjoying how the shadows became intensified
and the colors became muted. He frowned slightly when they found themselves
driving out of the city completely and where now traveling through the
surrounding countryside.

Finally, as
the roads turned from paved to dirt, Naruto snapped.

�Alright! I
give up; I have no idea where we�re going. But are we at least almost there yet?
We�ve been driving for 40 minutes now! How are we going to manage to get any
training done and still make it back in time for the afternoon classes?� the
blonde exclaimed, exasperation lacing his energetic tone.

�Don�t
worry about your classes, I already got you guys excused from them. And yes, as
a matter of fact, we are just about there.� Kakashi answered him as he turned
up a half overgrown side road from the dirt road they�d been driving on.

A few
moments later he slowed the car to a stop on the edges of a largish field
surrounded by several large trees.

�No one�s
been here in a while.� Haruno noticed out loud as she unbuckled her seat belt
and got out of the car, taking her small gym bag with her.

The other
three followed suit and followed her towards a small wooden building that was a
few paces from the parked car.

A few
moments later, the four of them were all sitting in a circle in the center of
the clearing wearing variations of track pants and t-shirts. Kakashi was still
wearing his headband that covered one of his eyes and had changed his
turtleneck shirt for a sleeveless shirt and an independent mask that covered
his face. However, the tattoos on his arms were clear.

Naruto
frowned slightly, the markings were vaguely familiar to him but he couldn�t
quite place them so he shrugged it off.

�So
sensei�what are we going to do for training?� Naruto asked their teacher.

Kakashi
snapped out of the daze he�s slipped into as he�d looked over the familiar
surroundings.

�Easy.� He
began as he reached into his pocket and pulled out two small bells tied to red
strings.

�Today, I�m
going to test you. Your goal is going to be to get one of these bells from me.�
He told the three of them.

Haruno
smiled slightly to herself as she remembered the last time she�d gone through
this exercise.

Naruto
frowned and cocked his head to the side. �We need to get a bell from you? How?�
he asked, confused by the vague task.

�You need taketake one from me.� He answered. �By fighting with me.�

�One at a time?�
Naruto asked then.

�No, all
three of you will be trying to get one at the same time.� Kakashi continued.

�But there
are only two bells.� Sasuke noticed with a slight frown.

�Indeed.
That means one of you will definitely fail.� Kakashi responded.

�What
happens if you get a bell?� Naruto asked.

�You get
lunch.� Kakashi answered.

Sasuke
glared slightly from behind his sunglasses. So that was why he had wanted them
to skip breakfast�

�What
happens if you fail?� Naruto asked then.

�See those
posts over there�� Kakashi began pointing to three large posts beside the cabin
where they had changed.

Naruto
frowned. �Yeah�� he said cautiously.

�If you
lose, you get tied to one of those for the rest of the day and get to watch the
others eat lunch.� Kakashi said, smiling behind his mask.

Naruto
gulped.

�Why are
there three posts�?� Naruto asked almost reluctantly.

�Because
it�s quite possible that none of you will get a bell and then you�ll all get
tied up and get to watch me eat lunch.� Kakashi answered. Sasuke would have bet
good money he heard a sadistic lilt to their sensei�s voice.

�So, to get
food, we need to get a bell.� Naruto stated.

Kakashi
nodded.

�You�re
pretty confident thinking you can take on all three of us.� Sasuke pointed out.

Kakashi
arched and eyebrow at him.

Haruno
laughed.

�Oh, I
would be sorely disappointed in him if he couldn�t.� She told Sasuke before
Kakashi got the chance to respond.

�So, lets
get started.� Haruno continued as she jumped to her feet and stretched a bit
and bounced around a little to warm up.

The other
three followed suit.

�Its about
11 o�clock now. You guys have until noon to get a bell. And allow me to assure
you, come at me with everything you�ve got because there is no way you will get
a bell without a killer intent.� Kakashi said, vaguely ominous as he tied the
bells to one of the belt loops of his calf length shorts.

�I also
recommend trying to take me by surprise. Start.� He finished.

Instantly
the three vanished.

{Well,
this is a good start�} Kakashi mused to himself as he turned to inspect the field around him
to see if any where in clear sight.

And there
was Naruto, standing five feet in front of him with his large arms crossed
across his broad chest.

Haruno
smothered her laugh at Kakashi�s stunned expression from her observation spot
under a particularly leafy bush.

�Naruto,
what are you doing?� Kakashi asked, vaguely wondering if the blonde kid had
somehow misunderstood his explanations.

�I�m not big
on the sneakiness thing. I prefer to tackle things head on.� He said with his
trademark foxy grin.

Kakashi
felt a small smile tug at his lips; he liked the kid�s frankness.

�Alright
then, come on.� The silver haired man said in his typical nonchalant tone as
his stance remained aloof and slightly slouched.

Naruto
narrowed his electric blue eyes slightly; Hatake-sensei wasn�t taking him
seriously.

Naruto
crouched, ready to charge.

Kakashi
ignored him and reached into his pocket.

Naruto
tensed.

Kakashi
pulled out a book with a bright orange cover and flipped it open.

Sasuke
caught himself before he face vaulted due to the title of the book, preventing
what would have been a sorely embarrassing fall from the tree he was crouched
in.

Haruno
rolled her eyes. {Some things just never change�}

Naruto�s
face flushed in anger as fire-like rage burned through his veins and he
pounced, springing from his crouched position and charging at the older man.

Kakashi
dodged him easily, eyes never leaving his book.

Naruto
landed in another crouch, turned and sprung again, raising his leg in a high
kick, that Kakashi blocked, followed by a low kick from the other side, using
his spin to add force to it, again Kakashi blocked. Naruto moved in with his
fist, aiming his powerful punch to his sensei�s jaw. Kakashi blocked and took
advantage of Naruto�s now exposed midsection, landing a hard kick that sent the
blonde boy flying into the foliage at the edge of the clearing.

Naruto
landed roughly but quy juy jumped to his feet about to charge forward again but
something caught his ankle and pulled him down to the ground.

Haruno
winked at him as she held him in the underbrush beside her.

�Watch.� She
whispered and the pair turned their eyes back to the clearing in time to see
Kakashi dodge a volley of kunai.

~~~

Sasuke
smirked at the opening. It was so basic. He mercilessly exploited it, throwing
half a dozen kunai at their sensei.

They all
hit their target but unfortunately the target had been switched and instead of
being embedded in Kakashi�s body, they were embedded in a stray log.

Sasuke�s
eyes went wide; it had been a trap. His position was now exposed. He ran
swiftly swinging through the trees, jumping from branch to branch, finally he
descended to the ground and crouched, searching the area.

�Found
you.� Came a voice from behind him. He spun quickly, moving in time to dodge
the kunai being thrown back at him. Kakashi stood a few feet away from him,
leaning against a tree, spinning a kunai on the index finger of his right hand
as he held his book open with his left.

The bells
were on his right side.

The dark
haired boy reached into the pouch strapped to his leg and pulled out two kunai.
Holding one in each hand so that the blade followed along his arm, he charged
forward. Kakashi blocked one blade with his own, the other with his book.
Sasuke pushed against him trying to break his sensei�s hold on the blade and
book. Kakashi smacked his forehead against Sasuke�s, dazing the boy slightly
and forcing him back.

~~~

Haruno
crouched with Naruto, both well hidden on the outskirts of the small clearing
that was acting as an arena for Sasuke and Kakashi�s knife fight.

�Wait for
it, when Kakashi has his back to us, you�re going to charge in at him. Be loud,
we want him to know you�re there and turn towards you to block. I recommend a
kunai stab from above. Now, Sasuke will react by being annoyed at first and so
might tell you to stay out of it or might attack you or might just be stunned
for a minute before taking advantage of the situation. So, watch yourself,
it�ll be hard for you to take on both Kakashi-kun and the Uchiha kid. If Sasuke
attacks you though, Kakashi will go after him so you don�t need to worry about
that.� Haruno whispered quickly to him.

�What about
you?� Naruto whispered back.

�Don�t
worry about me, it�ll be over before you know it.� She whispered back, a half
smile curving her lips and a mischievous gleam in her eyes. This new move of
hers was going to throw Kakashi through a total loop.

�Alright,
they�re moving this way, get ready!� she whispered. Naruto nodded. She patted
his shoulder briefly and disappeared.

~~~

Sasuke blinked
quickly, attempting to get the sweat out of his eyes as he continued fighting
with Kakashi. The book had long been discarded and both were now using only
kunai.

Both had a
few minor lacerations and were breathing slightly heavier.

They were
both moving intensely, and Sasuke was hard pressed to remember that his goal
was to take a bell and not defeat this man.

Genma
studied it for a long moment, appreciating her technique. The lines were sharp
and broken. The image was distorted from this close up; it would only achieve
clarity from distance. The ink was pure black and the smudged charcoal
underneath added to the distortion of the image but also to its depth. But what
intrigued him where the dark, dark red splatters that marred its surface,
looking almost like lacerations across it.

�Is this
blood?� he asked her tilting his head slightly as he looked at a particularly
long spattering that stretched across what would be the eye of the image.

She shoved
her hand deeper into her pocket, hiding the thick band-aid that encircled her
left thumb, and didn�t answer.

He looked
at her hard for a moment then sighed and let it go.

�May I ask
who it is?� he asked her then, moving his eyes back to the drawing.

�Its�someone
who was too close to me for comfort.� She answered ambiguously.

Genma
nodded.

�Alright.
Hang it on the board in the hall.� He told her.

She
hesitated.

�I�d rather
not it� it�� she told him honestly.

He sighed.

�I
understand that Haruno, but I would really appreciate it if you would. You
don�t have to put your name on it, or explain it at all. But please hang it.�
Genma half pleaded with her.

She was one
of his most talented students and when the school board saw talent, they
invested money in the program and so his stud got got new materials and better
supplies.

She bit her
lip then nodded.

�But I�m
not signing it.� She said.

�Do you
want to frame it before you hang it?� he asked her then.

She
considered for a moment.

�No, I
prefer it raw and open.� She answered.

Her sensei
nodded again and handed her a box of thumbtacks.

She took
them and took the drawing and headed into the hall to post it on the art room�s
designated bulletin board.

She hung it
in the center, not caring that the tacks would ruin the corners of the paper.
It was suiting.

The board
around it was still bare. It was suiting as well.

She stared
at it for a long time. Then she stared at the characters of her name that had
been discreetly scratched into the lower right corner last night when she had
finished it. They blended into the scratches that made up the pile of blood�no
one would find it.

She heard
steps at the other end of the hall but ignored them as she continued to study
the drawing.

Itachi had
been right; the blood spatters had perfected it. It was odd but he always
seemed to know what her artwork was missing.

The steps
at the other end of the hall paused and something dropped to the floor.

She turned
and stared back at the stunned Kakashi.

�Haruno-sama��
he muttered low, staring past her, eyes glued to the image of his former boss.

Haruno
walked towards him and grasped his hand.

�Look
closer.� She said, pulling him towards the drawing until they were standing
directly in front of it.

�Its not
him. Its just lines. Lines have no power.� She told him, still holding onto his
hand as she explained it to him.

He looked
at it impassively for a long moment.

�Someone
might recognize him.� He told her.

�If they do,
they won�t say anything. No one would admit to knowing his face.� She
responded.

The last
bell rang before he could say anything more and she quickly dropped her hold on
his hand, breaking their connection.

�I�ll see
you in class tomorrow.� She said lightly as she left him in the hall and
returned to the art class to return her supplies and gather her things to
leave.

Kakashi
watched her disappear behind the door, lost in the flood of students that were
flowing out of the room.

He shook
his head slightly, clearing it, and walked back down the hall to pick up his
briefcase and the papers he had dropped.

He looked
back at the image from this distance. It was just lines, he knew, but from here
it looked eerily real. He suppressed his shudder and walked away.
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Hindsight's 20/20