Chapter One
Author's Notes: So it begins. As stated above this is a story centering on Neji's life, love, and experiences. He will be training a genin team and will be raising them up to chunin level at least. So yes, there will be Original Characters abound. I'm also changing Neji's outfit cuz I can. *winks* Pairings start off as Neji X Kiba X Shikamaru then move to Neji X Shikamaru and Kiba X Tamaki, and eventually to Neji X Kankuro, Shikamaru X Temari, Naruto X Hinata and Sakura X Sasuke. There's probably a lot of OOC going on as well.
This is also going to be a long piece of fan-fiction as at the time of this writing I'm not finished it yet. *sweatdrops* There will be a lot of fluff, some on-screen and off screen sex, swearing, long chapters, and a lot of liberties taken with the Naruto-verse. I will try to update as often as I can. Again, this was written mostly for my own amusement in a free-writing exercise that got a bit out of hand.
Rated M for sexy scenes, swearing, blood, and a bit of gore.
Time: Pre-Fourth Shinobi War followed by a two year time skip in which the war takes place but with obvious altercations as Neji doesn't have the same fate.
I don't own any Naruto characters. I just borrow them, abuse them, dust them off then return them in a somewhat scarred condition.
The mission started out as normal. He had been assigned Inuzuka Kiba and Nara Shikamaru as teammates and sent out on what was supposed to be a relatively easy guard mission. They had left Konoha at the meeting time he had set with their client and moved at an easy pace for their client. The client was talkative but not overly so and Neji found he was enjoying this mission likely more than he should be.
The mission was supposed to take a week: four days to get the client back to his mansion, one day of rest on the insistence of their client and two days for them to get back to Konoha at shinobi pace.
The first two days had been uneventful. Neji kept his Byakugan activated regardless and during the night, he, Kiba, and Shikamaru slept in shifts. They would each get four hours of sleep, their client six, and start out relatively early in the morning after a rather slow breakfast.
Day three they had been attacked by bandits but it was nothing two chunin and a jonin could not handle. Shikamaru kept the client beside him as Shikamaru's attacks were mainly long-range while Neji and Kiba (with Akamaru of course) fended off the dozen or so bandits trying to kill their client.
Once the dozen bandits had been run off or killed, the client had been shaken to the point Akamaru had needed to carry him. The client did not seem to mind as Akamaru was horse-sized and large enough to carry Kiba comfortably. Neji had wanted to start up a shinobi pace but Shikamaru reminded him the client might fall off Akamaru especially after witnessing first-hand how shinobi fought. Neji had reluctantly agreed with the strategist's plan and they kept at a (slow) walk.
Amano Kinji was their client, a man specializing in silk trade who had pissed off the wrong gambling man. He had paid his debts but the man wanted interest in the amount of flesh. Apparently the gambling man was a sadistic bastard, actually in the Bingo book to be taken down despite being a normal civilian. Neji had been somewhat impressed with the fact a civilian made it into the shinobi Bingo book.
Impressed went to carefully guided fear by the fourth day on the mission. They were a mere eight hundred meters away from Kinji's estates when the second group of bandits attacked. There were fewer bandits but they were more skilled. A dozen almost chunin level fighters against three shinobi from the leaf and one man who had a bit of skill with a long sword. It had not been a fair fight to start and the Gambler, Hoshino Kido, had made an appearance.
There were times when information was wrong and Neji had come to accept it. Intel could not always be perfect on any mission or person but the fact Hoshino Kido could actually use ninjutsu should have been in his file or at least the brief description of him in the Bingo book. They had fallen into a sort of formation, Shikamaru protecting Kinji while Neji and Kiba fought off the others when Hoshino struck out with a lightning attack.
Neji had barely seen it coming as he had been concentrating on the men in front of him, disabling three with his Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms technique. Neji had taken the shot to the shoulder when it was intended for his head. It had still numbed his entire left arm and shut every chakra point in it. Neji had winced as his attack was reduced to half.
The three men in front of him had sensed it but they had been too disabled to attack him. Neji had finished them off with his right hand anyway because he had not wanted to be surprised again.
This had been the point in the battle where things got interesting. Hoshino had kept striking out with his lightning attacks and aiming for Neji. It seemed Hoshino had known Neji was a Byakugan user who relied on his chakra to attack.
Neji had always thought the fact he used Byakugan was obvious. His eyes had the pale lavender tint and he wore his hair in the traditional style coupled with the traditional robes. Regardless, the battle had not lasted long for Neji after he had been struck in the left shoulder.
Between dodging and fighting enemies with one hand he had begun to wear down. The four bandits who had come at him kept making him shift; attacking his useless left side and had eventually forced him into a second attack from Hoshino which took out his right arm. Neji had known he was beaten, so had Shikamaru. Kiba had been distracted by the six bandits with him so when Shikamaru called a retreat, Kiba looked confused.
Neji had been the first to move for a retreat, Shikamaru second while grabbing up Kinji. Kiba gave a final Fang over Fang which blinded their opponents and they took off. Kinji's screaming at moving so fast had not helped with the quiet escape but none of them cared. Hoshino and his men caught up two hundred meters away but it was Hoshino who struck out.
He did not aim the lightning at Neji and for the split second Neji had been confused. He understood when the strike headed towards Kinji. A ninja taking the strike would result in closed chakra paths. A civilian with low charka flow taking the hit would be killed. Neji reacted without thinking and had jumped into the path of the strike. It hit him in the middle of his back, full force and Neji had no clue what had happened after.
"Idiots!"
"Sorry boss,"
"Yeah, we didn'tâ"
"We lost Kinji!"
"But we got a Hyuuga."
Neji kept his eyes closed as he took in his situation. The ground beneath him was rough, stone judging by the feel of it. He had ropes keeping his arms tight to his sides and his ankles rubbed together from more rope but he was sitting upright. Someone had taken his hair tie out and his hitai-ate off which made his hair tickle his face.
The smell was damp, earthen so Neji knew he was in a cave. Voices echoed as well but not as far away as he had hoped. The scuffling of feet also told him he had rock overhead. Something dripped not far away and he could feel the coolness in the air. Neji cracked his eyes open but not all the way.
His hair blocked his advisories from seeing his expression but he easily looked through his long locks to see he had been captured by Hoshino and the six remaining bandits. The group stood ten feet away, arguing about Kinji and Neji.
"He's a damned branch member," Hoshino shouted. "The Hyuuga clan won't care that he's captured!"
Neji kept his smirk down. Uncle, Hinata, and Hanabi, the only people who mattered in the clan would care if he was killed. Plus he was one of the few Hyuuga jonin and since the family prided themselves on providing for the Leaf then the elders would care. Neji decided to keep all this to himself. No need to make his capture seem important.
"I don't know, Boss, he looks older, you know? Maybe he's a chunin. You know how much the branch family would have to work to get that. They might care," one of the bandits said.
Neji frowned. He decided it would be best to get out of this mess and pulled his senses inward to see what chakra paths were available to him. Neji bit back a groan.
All his chakra paths except the ones from his knees down and the ones around his eyes were useless to him. He could use Byakugan but the blood-line limit was useless without the chakra to push into someone's system.
He did notice the paths in his left arm had started to come back. All he could to do was wait until it all came back but Neji had no clue how long these men would wait around for him to get better. Hoshino likely knew how long his strikes would impede a person and hit Neji again when the appropriate amount of time had passed. Neji would have to hope Hoshino over-estimated and did not hit Neji on time.
Neji activated his Byakugan but none of the men noticed. Shikamaru and Kiba were nowhere in sight so Neji pushed out. He scowled when he noticed they were not within his sight range. They were further than eight hundred meters out and worse yet, Neji did not recognize where he was. He would not entertain the thought of the bandits killing his two friends and the client before they captured Neji.
Neji de-activated the Byakugan and blinked away the wetness in his eyes. Kiba and Shikamaru were not dead. Shikamaru was too smart to die and Kiba too damned stubborn. Both had survived taking on S-rank ninja in a mission when they were all barely into puberty, surely they could survive one man from the Bingo book and his dozen friends.
The group kept arguing and Neji assessed his situation. Assuming his partners were out of commission (not dead) for the time being, he was stuck trying to get away without chakra. He did have an advantage with the Byakugan but his ankles were tied together and he could not untie the rope.
His weapon's pouch had been taken and even if he shifted until he could reach his ankles with his hands, his hands were stuck to either side of his body. He could not untie a rope one-handed, especially not when the knot was atop his ankles, well out of reach of any kind of flexible pose he could do. Neji sighed. He was stuck.
Neji had never been in this position before. He had never even been captured by an enemy though he had spent a few missions so low on chakra he would not be able to use any of his techniques. Those had been few though compared to the bulk of missions he had been on and he had always been on the way home or to a safe point when he got that low on chakra. Not this time.
"I think he's awake."
Neji kept his eyes open as the group came over to him. Hoshino pushed Neji's hair out of his face before putting a hand under Neji's chin. The hand was oddly gentle but Neji put a frown on his face as his head was forced up and his eyes met Hoshino's brown ones. Hoshino smirked at him but Neji did not blink.
"Hello, Hyuuga," Hoshino said.
Neji kept his face impassive, frown in place and eyes wide. A few of the bandits shifted uncomfortably behind Hoshino because of Neji's stare and Neji wanted to chuckle. He knew how intimidating his eyes could be when he left them wide open for so long. He didn't need to blink as often as other people.
"You're probably wondering what happened to your friends, hm?" Hoshino asked.
Neji said nothing. He did not even flinch when Hoshino began rubbing Neji's jaw. Hoshino shifted to straddle Neji's outstretched legs in a sort of squatting position which brought their faces too close. Neji kept quiet and unblinking.
"We didn't kill them," Hoshino said.
Relief. Neji did not show it on his face.
"They abandoned you," Hoshino told him.
They had gotten Kinji to safety. Shikamaru would not abandon his friends and had likely sent an urgent message to the Leaf about needing back-up. Either that or he and Kiba were all ready making their way here. Neji did not wince when Hoshino smacked him for remaining unmoved.
"You can't keep pretending you don't care, Hyuuga," Hoshino said.
Neji raised an eyebrow at him in question and Hoshino scowled. Hoshino stood and walked away from him, glaring down at him with his arms crossed over his chest. For a civilian, Hoshino was well-built.
He had a barrel-like chest that was ruined by a sake belly. Thick arms and legs sprouted from the impressive truck. His hair was dark, tied in a traditional top knot and just starting to go sparse on the top of his head and gain a gray tinge. He wore a simple outfit in black. The bandits all wore black as well but Neji did not pay much attention to them. He would remember what they looked like with a glance.
"So, do we rip his eyes out?" one of the bandits asked.
"No," Hoshino said. "That curse seal will activate the moment one comes out and render it and the one still in his skull useless. We need to keep him alive if we want to do any testing on the Byakugan."
Neji did not like the sound of it. The bandits' grins did not help but Neji kept his face calm and simply stared at them all. Hoshino shook his head and turned away from him.
"We'll rest here for the night. You two, keep watch on him. You two guard the entrance to the cave. We'll switch in two hours." Hoshino said.
Neji kept his mouth shut as the two bandits settled across from him. They started at him but lost their will when they met his eyes for too long. Neji finally blinked and let out a breath. He could do nothing but wait until his chakra came back or until Shikamaru and Kiba came to rescue him. It would be a long wait.
Neji opened his eyes went the bandits muttered. Hoshino took over for the two and they went to some other area of the cave. Neji stayed silent when Hoshino came to stand directly in front of him. The bigger man squatted and met Neji's eyes. Neji kept his stare unblinking but Hoshino snorted.
"Your gaze alone would make weaker men cower. It's like a snake's. I'm not a weak man," Hoshino said.
Neji did not remark. Hoshino did not seem to care. Neji did frown when the man reached out and began to shift Neji's defenceless body. Neji huffed as he was forced to kneel. He had not gained enough chakra in his left arm to strike out but it was coming back. Hoshino knelt in front of him and Neji huffed.
Hoshino's hand forced Neji's head up a bit higher and began to make Neji tilt his head to and fro. Hoshino kept up his study until he got bored and Neji glared at him. Hoshino chuckled.
"Don't like being touched, huh?" Hoshino asked.
Neji didn't mind being touched. Hell, Shikamaru and Kiba had touched him before in much better settings. Neji didn't want Hoshino to touch him.
Hoshino placed his hands at the collar of Neji's shirt. Neji kept his body still when Hoshino undid the button on Neji's right shoulder to pull down his shirt. Neji shivered in the cool air of the cave and kept glaring at Hoshino as the man arranged Neji's shirt to his liking.
"With your hair down and your shirt scrunched up like this I can almost pretend you're a woman," Hoshino said.
Neji blinked. He scowled which elicited a chuckle from Hoshino. Neji gritted his teeth when Hoshino ran a hand though Neji's hair a few times before keeping a hand at the side of Neji's face. The contact was completely unwelcome and Neji wanted to head-butt the bastard but it would do him no good.
Neji tensed when Hoshino's hand moved to run along Neji's right eyebrow. Neji remained stock still as Hoshino traced Neji's cheek bone with one finger then moved down and rubbed a thumb against Neji's lips. Hoshino forced Neji's lower lip to separate from his upper lip and Neji glared. Hoshino snorted.
This was not happening. The bastard wouldn't use him like a woman. Neji knew it could be done, Shikamaru and Kiba had taught him that, but he would not sit here and be raped by this bastard. Neji forced his heart rate to slow down. Even if he did not want it he couldn't prevent it. He had limited chakra and was tied up.
Neji tried to pull away when Hoshino's thumb pressed into the small opening of Neji's lips all the way so Hoshino could rest his hand flat against Neji's cheek. Neji wanted to gag and move back but there was nowhere to go. Neji did the only thing he could do: he bit.
Hoshino yelped and tried to draw his hand back but Neji glared and didn't allow it. Hoshino punched him in the side of the head but even so Neji did not let go. Hoshino's dull nails dug into the side of Neji's face but the pain was mote.
"You son of a bitch," Hoshino growled.
Neji pressed harder and tasted copper on his tongue. He did not recoil and instead bit even harder. Hoshino kept yelling as Neji continue to gnaw. Finally they separated but not because Neji let go. Neji spat Hoshino's thumb onto the ground as Hoshino backtracked on his ass, holding his mangled right hand up. Hoshino's eyes had gone wide and he kept gasping in pain and awe.
The bandits had come running and gaped at the scene in horror. Neji spat again to get the taste of blood out of his mouth. He had felt it dribble down his chin and onto his chest during the episode but there was nothing he could do about it now. Neji shifted until he was sitting back on his ass but kept his knees up in front of him. At least now he would be able to kick out if someone came closer than he wanted.
"Boss, are you okay?" one of the bandits asked.
"Do I look okay? He bit my thumb off!"
One of the bandits came over to retrieve the digit. Neji watched, eyes narrowed as another bandit supported Hoshino upright and began cleaning the bleeding stump. One of the others had started sanitizing a needle and was preparing to stitch the thumb back on.
Hoshino grunted in pain every time the needle had to go through his flesh but finally his thumb was back in place. The bandit smeared medicine on it before wrapping it. They all looked to Neji and he grinned as he licked his lips.
The bandits shuddered and backed off. Even Hoshino paled and shifted back. All of them left his section of the cave and Neji let out a breath. He did see two of them post at the threshold that joined his cave to the other one but they would not come in. Neji smirked and relaxed against the rock. They would not dare touch him now.
Neji opened his eyes to hear the bandits and Hoshino muttering in the other cave. His chakra had returned in his left arm, well, most of it. It would not be enough to escape but he was getting there slowly.
His body told him he had slept about six or seven hours. He did not know how long he had been unconscious from travel but would assume twenty-four hours had passed since he had been struck the final time until now. Damn Hoshino's attack was powerful. Neji scowled.
He could not make out what the bastards were saying about him and ignored the sad rumbling of his stomach. His throat was dry and his lips still tasted of blood when he licked them to get some moisture to his body. He needed to go to the bathroom but did not dare request it. They would tell him to piss his pants. Neji would once one of them carried him as he might as well make his humiliation theirs as well.
Hoshino, with his newly bandaged thumb, came into the room with his bandits. Neji tilted his chin upward and narrowed his eyes. The bandits jumped and Hoshino scowled. Hoshino pushed one of the bandits close and the man whimpered. Neji waited until the bastard was in range before kicking out with his bound legs.
Normally his kicks would send a man flying across a distance of fifteen or more feet but he did not have his chakra to help him. Flying five feet and landing in a skid was good enough. Neji snarled when two of the bandits grabbed his now extended legs and dragged him across the floor.
Two bandits grabbed his right arm in theirs and the other two (the kicked one got up) grabbed his other arm. Hoshino cut the ropes binding his arms to his sides so Neji started to struggle for all his worth.
Nothing happened and Neji had not expected much. Without his chakra he was lost and they all knew it. He stilled and Hoshino grabbed Neji's right wrist in his. Neji took a breath when Hoshino revealed a set of sharp sheers in his left hand. The sheers were placed open, on the joint joining Neji's right thumb to his hand.
"You're going to answer a few questions for us, Hyuuga," Hoshino said. "Every time you say no or keep quiet for longer than five seconds, you'll lose a digit."
Oh Hell. Neji inwardly screamed but kept his face impassive. He needed his hands.
"Now, we all know a shinobi, especially a Hyuuga, needs his hands intact. Missing a finger can end your career because you can't do hand signs. I can guarantee I won't be attaching anything I cut off, at least not properly."
Neji bit his tongue. Hoshino was right. Without his fingers Neji could not do any of his attacks or manipulate his chakra in the way he needed. All he could do was be a scout and screw that. The not attaching things properly sounded especially horrid.
"Yeah, I think once one hand is completely missing the fingers I'll put your thumb back on but where your pinkie is supposed to go. Then I'll put your pinkie where your index finger goes. Index to thumb, you get the idea."
Neji didn't want to get the idea. Where the Hell were Shikamaru and Kiba? Surely they hadn't abandoned him. Right?
"First, we'll start with something simple. What's your first name, Hyuuga?"
Neji gulped. Hoshino began the count-down and Neji considered. His name wasn't that bad. They likely didn't even know him. Besides, he needed his damn hands.
"Neji," Neji said.
Hoshino grinned. The pressure of the sheers on his thumb had caused a bit of pain and some blood to leak out. It wasn't much and the cuts would heal so long as he kept answering questions.
"Good. Hyuuga Neji," Hoshino said.
Neji nodded. He ignored the way his heart pattered in his chest. His breaths wanted to come out hard and fast but he kept them measured. He knew his body wanted to shiver but he could not panic.
"What rank are you?"
Neji took a little breath and let it out slowly. His rank didn't matter much either.
"Jonin," Neji said.
Hoshino grinned. Perhaps his rank did matter. No. His name and rank were known to anyone inside and some people outside of Konoha. Hoshino could have walked around with a picture of Neji and gotten the same information after a while.
"There's only one Hyuuga jonin named Neji in Konoha, right boss?" one of the bandits asked.
Shit. Hoshino smirked.
"Yeah, the prodigy of the clan: Hyuuga Neji who made jonin at fifteen, two years ago now. He helped save the Kazekage, Gaara of the Sand, during his second chunin exam and has been trained by Might Guy. Well, I believe Hyuuga Hiashi would pay a mint to have you returned safely," Hoshino said.
Perhaps his name and rank had been worth mauling his hands for. Hoshino removed the sheers and Neji let out a breath. Neji scowled when Hoshino bent forward and licked the blood off Neji's hand.
"How much do you think your uncle will pay for you, Neji?" Hoshino questioned.
Hoshino grinned at him, speaking in a child-like glee. Neji wanted to spit on him or bite another finger off but it would not end well. Hoshino might decide Neji could be a little damaged before being returned.
"I do not know," Neji said.
"But you can guess," Hoshino said.
Neji scowled. Uncle would be so disappointed if Hoshino sent word about a ransom for Neji of all people. Hell, the elders might want to take a vote on deciding whether or not to pay such a ransom. It would take weeks for them to decide, the Hokage would be involved, plus Neji's teammates (likely thanks to Naruto), and other people he had worked with.
"Do I have to bring out the sheers again?" Hoshino questioned.
Neji shook his head.
"Depending on the amount you ask for, it could take weeks to get a decision whether you like it or not," Neji said. "The elders will want to take a vote on it, the Hokage, and other people in the village will be involved."
Hoshino frowned as the bandits muttered. Neji waited as Hoshino thought.
"Clan politics, hm?" Hoshino asked.
Neji offered a half shrug. Hoshino scoffed and shook his head.
"Then we set a time limit," Hoshino said.
"Never good to rush a Hyuuga," Neji replied. "Or make enemies of the Leaf. You do remember Suna is one of our largest supporters now, correct? That Uzumaki Naruto is one of my close personal friends and the container for the Nine-Tailed Fox? He has a strong connection to his friends, takes personal vendettas against those who hurt his friends. Let's not forget my ties with both the Nara and Inuzuka clans. Hm, what a conundrum you face."
Neji tsked and shook his head. Hoshino had gone a sickly shade of green as had his bandits. Neji kept his smirk back as the seven leaped away (hastily tying him down of course) and had a huddle a few feet away. Neji shifted so he was sitting up and waited. They kept glancing over to him so Neji tilted his head to one side and raised an eyebrow, keeping a little frown on his face as Hoshino and his bandits thought about it.
Phrases like "not worth the cash," "he's right, we'd be doomed!" "The Nine-tailed fox brat would kill us," "not worth it!" kept coming through as Neji waited. Finally, Hoshino pushed his men aside and walked up to Neji, chest puffed out and a scowl on his face.
"We've decided not to incur the wrath that would be brought down upon asking a ransom for your safe return," Hoshino said.
Neji wanted to laugh but kept the curious expression on his face.
"In exchange, we ask that after we untie you, you wait for an hour or two to give us a head start so we can, uh, move onto more, safer, adventures," Hoshino said.
Neji pretended to consider. He inwardly snickered. He was going to see how far he could push this.
"I want food, water, and a mat to rest on," Neji said.
Hoshino went red and was about to shout but Neji repeated Naruto's name. Hoshino gulped, then nodded and said Neji would be outfitted with two days worth of supplies, a sleeping mat, and some water. Neji nodded in agreement and was untied. He followed Hoshino to the main cave where his supplies were then organized, his hitai-ate given back as well as his medical kit and other belongings. He gave Hoshino and his men a wave as they took off out the main entrance of the cave.
Neji smirked and settled on his mat. He sipped some of his water and snacked on an apple. He would wait for more of his chakra to return before seeking out his friends. The report of this mission would be interesting.
"You're serious?"
Neji wanted to laugh at the tone in Shikamaru's voice. The normally calm, cool, and collected special chunin sounded as shocked at the lazy bastard could sound. Hell, Neji had almost made Shikamaru drop his cigarette which alone said something.
A day after Neji had been set free, Shikamaru, Kiba, and half of Kinji's army had come to the entrance of the cave where Neji sat peacefully munching on some cheese and crackers. He had waved to his friends and the army. Every person but Shikamaru had promptly deadpanned, some hitting the ground in shock (literally) when they saw him unharmed and waiting with a little smile.
"Completely," Neji said.
He had finished recounting the capture (such as it was) to Shikamaru, Kiba, and Kinji. Kinji looked on the verge of laughing or groaning, rubbing his forehead with one hand while the corners of his lips twitched. Kiba stared at him with mouth agape and eyes wide. Shikamaru watched him with a thoughtful look on his face.
"So, you told him if he ransomed you he would have to deal with weeks of political issues within the Hyuuga clan, a pissed of Fire and Wind country, Naruto, my clan, and Kiba's clan all coming down on him for revenge?" Shikamaru questioned.
Neji nodded. Kiba whacked his head off the ground. Kinji held back a snicker with a hand. Neji smirked. Shikamaru sighed, sending a plumb of smoke into the air and rubbed the top of his head.
"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered.
Neji smirked. Shikamaru sighed again but a smile came to his face. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Neji with a raised eyebrow.
"This was after you bit the guy's thumb off and after he threatened to take your thumbs and fingers off if you didn't give him your name and rank?"
Neji nodded. Kiba made some unholy noise from the ground but Neji didn't bother to glance at him. Kinji was still trying not to laugh. Shikamaru let out another puff of smoke. Only Akamaru seemed happy about the situation, smiling his dog-grin with his tongue lolling out to a side.
"Then he left you supplies and a mat to sleep on?"
Neji inclined his head in the positive again. Kiba groaned. Kinji finally started laughing. Shikamaru muttered troublesome again and shook his head.
"And the only injuries you sustained were a bit of a cut on your thumb, some superficial scratches on your cheek, and some scrapes on your back?"
"They do hurt," Neji mused.
Shikamaru rubbed his forehead this time. Kiba snorted but didn't raise his head. Kinji kept chuckling. Akamaru kept grinning. Neji smirked.
"Has your chakra retuned in full?"
Neji shook his head. Even after close to fifty hours he did not have the full use of his chakra system. He did have all the chakra in his eyes, from the knee down, and in his left arm but the rest was sluggish.
"Come stay a day or two at my estates," Kinji said.
His face was red from laughing but he had a grin on his face. Shikamaru shrugged but nodded. He got to his feet and Neji followed. Kiba got up as well and Neji walked between his friends as they and Kinji's army headed towards the estates, a mere thousand meters away. Shikamaru huffed and Neji raised an eye at him. Kiba groaned but Neji chuckled when Shikamaru voiced his issue:
"How in the Hell are we supposed to sum that all up in a sentence to send to Tsunade-sama as an update?"
The message ended up being: N safe. Staying with client for 2 days. Return in 4 â S. Despite the small size and Shikamaru's tiny writing it took up the entire slip of paper. The bird took off and Neji knew it would hit Konoha in half a day. He wondered if they would hear Tsunade-sama's scream of annoyance from here.
Neji watched the bird take off before looking at his two teammates. Shikamaru still smoked but his eyes were on the bird. Kiba had a smirk on his face and was petting Akamaru's head. Neji grinned at both of them and Shikamaru shook his head. Kiba chuckled.
"Man, that has gotta be the best way to get out of capture," Kiba said.
Neji chuckled.
"Yeah, I can see it being taught at the academy now: Neji Technique #32: to avoid ransom mention you know Uzumaki Naruto and are friends with Gaara of the Sand as well as other powerful friends. This only works if you're part of an infamous clan or are in fact, known friends of powerful people. Troublesome," Shikamaru said.
Neji swatted him playfully in the shoulder and Shikamaru grinned. Kiba snickered. They left the roost and strode along the elegant hallways of Kinji's mansion. Kinji had given them two adjoining rooms but Neji had a feeling they would only need the one room. The beds were big enough to fit all three of them comfortably, after all.
"You did have us worried, you know," Shikamaru said.
Neji hummed as he led the way to one of their rooms.
"Yeah, we could hardly eat or sleep and Shika must've gone through a carton of cigarettes," Kiba added.
Neji smirked as he pushed back the door and stepped into the room. One of them closed the door behind, leaving Akamaru out but the nin-dog would make sure no one entered. Neji casually unbuttoned his shirt, released the few ties on it then let it slip down his shoulders and to the floor.
Neji heard Kiba purr and felt a strong, larger hand encircle his bicep. Neji saw the claws at the end of the fingers, the darker complexion and leaned against the muscled chest. He tilted his head upwards and gave Kiba a small smile. Kiba licked his lips before capturing Neji's lips in his. Neji closed his eyes, humming at the passion behind Kiba's kiss and snaked a hand around the back of Kiba's head.
He felt deft hands at his waist but knew they weren't Kiba's. The smell of smoke lingered as Shikamaru undid Neji's pants and let them fall to the floor. Neji shivered in anticipation. This was going to be fun.
Afterwards, Neji lay in the crook of Kiba's arm while Shikamaru played with Neji's hair. The room smelled strong of sex but Neji didn't mind. His ass would be sore come morning as neither bottomed but the soreness would be welcome. The sound of a lighter catching went off and Neji smelled smoke.
"Do you have to do that?" Kiba asked.
Neji felt the rumble of it and grinned.
"Yep," Shikamaru said.
Kiba huffed and pulled Neji tighter to his side. Shikamaru did not complain, knowing well and good Neji did not like Shikamaru smoking so close to his hair. The smell would linger for days and as much as Neji liked Shikamaru he did not appreciate the smell of smoke in his hair. Neji half closed his eyes and smiled when Kiba began lazily rubbing Neji's lower back.
"Seriously though, we were worried," Kiba said.
"My apologies," Neji told him and meant it.
"They could have killed you," Shikamaru said.
"But they didn't and I escaped, well, was let go," Neji said.
Shikamaru snorted but continued playing with the tips of Neji's hair. Kiba kept rubbing Neji's lower back and Neji felt completely relaxed.
"Maybe you should like, change your outfit, you know? So people don't recognize you as a predominate Byakugan user right away and will target you less often," Kiba said.
Neji shifted to meet Kiba's chocolate brown eyes and happy grin. Neji snorted, kissed Kiba chastely on the lips then put his head back on Kiba's shoulder.
"The mutt does have a point," Shikamaru said.
"Hey!"
Shikamaru chuckled as Kiba tried to kick him around Neji. It didn't work so Kiba settled with grumbling. Neji kissed his chest and saw Kiba grin.
"Okay, so assuming I would take the suggestion, what would you have me wear?" Neji questioned.
Kiba coughed and his cheeks went pink. The hand on Neji's lower back cupped a butt-cheek and Neji smirked.
"Nothing but a leather collar but that might be too distracting," Kiba said.
Neji snorted. Shikamaru hummed.
"Well, if we keep the leather collar," Shikamaru began. "We could couple it with form fitting black pants, ankle length but low riding on the hips, you know? And you could wear a vest that has a button that does up above your belly button and splits from there to kind of hang low over your butt so you don't have to worry about bending over in low pants. A mesh shirt, short or long sleeved under that, and maybe some arm bands. Oh, and keep your hair down. And just to drive the point home you're just a Hyuuga Branch member you could wear your hitai-ate around your left thigh instead of around your head."
Neji blinked. He brought up the mental image and had to admit he did look hot. The Hyuuga wouldn't mind him wanting to dress differently after this.
"Oh and fingerless black gloves," Shikamaru added.
Neji smirked. Kiba snickered and Shikamaru blew smoke. Neji looked over his shoulder to see Shikamaru with a grin on his face.
"Cuz you've totally never given this thought," Kiba said.
"Hey, Neji in all black and leather with mesh," Shikamaru said.
Neji could see the way the image effected Kiba without having to look at the man's face. Kiba did grin though, wolfishly so a bit of fang popped out. Neji smirked.
"I know just the place to get it all too," Shikamaru mentioned.
Neji grinned when he heard Kiba purr. He yelped when Kiba got atop him and shifted his hips against Neji's in an enticing way. Neji chuckled when Kiba kissed his mouth, teased it open and began moving against him seductively.
"You wear that and you'll have everyone in Konoha kissing the ground you walk on," Kiba muttered.
"And asking for a fuck," Shikamaru added.
Kiba snarled and Neji stopped him by placing a hand on Kiba's cheek. Shikamaru tossed his cigarette into an ashtray with a grin and Kiba beamed when Neji spoke:
"They would have to get through you two to get that."
"Is that?"
"Woah! Annddd I'm suddenly into guys now."
"Holy crap!"
"Someone get me a camera."
"Do you think he lost a bet?"
"Hell no, he's doing this deliberately."
"If he did lose a bet I'm going to make sure I bet to win and make him wear the same thing."
Neji kept his smirk to himself as he strode down the streets of Konoha two days after arriving back from the fateful mission. He had taken Shikamaru and Kiba's advice about changing his outfit to heart.
It was why he now wore well-fitted low riding pants in a breathable cotton material that produced a shine similar to leather, a mesh no sleeved shirt, and a leather vest that had a single button a few inches above his navel. The vest exposed his chest and his mid-section, split at the button and fanned out to cover his hips and ass to his mid-thighs.
Under the flaps of the vest he kept his kunai pouch, a pouch of shuriken, and some explosive tags, much more gear than he had carried before. At his back was his med pack, black leather and hidden by his free hair. He wore fingerless black gloves on his hands and as Shikamaru suggested, wore his hitai-ate wrapped around his left leg.
He had added to the outfit. Some bandages with a black band encircled his right leg and he had hidden more weaponry in the bandages. His shoes were black sandals which went to his mid-calf and had decorative chains that could be used as weapons on them. He had wrapped bands around his arms from wrist to mid-bicep that were two inches wide but spaced about an inch apart at each cycle. These were home to more minute weapons and supplies.
He wore headband but it simply pulled the hair back off his forehead and the sides of his head so it didn't fall into his face when he fought. It too was black and he had allowed the ends of it to trail down to meet the tips of his hair. He had also found a leather collar to wear around his neck.
Hiashi-sama had grabbed onto the frame of his office door when he spotted Neji coming down the hallway this morning. The shock on his face would have been worth millions but Neji hadn't had a camera ready. He had simply nodded, said "Good morning, Uncle" and walked off. Hanabi-sama and Hinata-sama had gaped as well as every Hyuuga (and now every villager) he passed.
"Hot damn!"
"I knew he had a great ass but wow!"
"Oh-my-god! If I knew I wouldn't die by touching his hair I'd totally go touch it right now!"
"Screw his hair! I'd be touching something else..."
Neji saw someone walk into a pole, rebound, and fall on their ass. Funnily enough it was a jonin Neji had met when he went to the unofficial (but completely official) jonin dinner at Arcaro's Pork House. The dinner occurred once a week and was open to jonin only, giving the elite privacy to talk about the tough missions, their students, and whatever else in the company of others with good food and sake. Neji would never admit out-loud he loved the dinners even if it did include him having to endure Guy-sensei's touchiness.
Neji caught purple and pink out of the corner of his eye. He spotted Sakura and Ino gaping at him from in front of the flower shop. He nodded to them and kept walking. More shinobi and civilians walked into poles, tripped over their own feet, or otherwise gapped at him as he passed. He was sort of disappointed when he left the village and strode into the training area. He could hear Guy-sensei and Lee talking about youth but put it to the back of his mind.
Neji strode into the training area and watched with his arms loosely crossed over his chest and his right hip thrust to a side. He spotted Tenten turn to greet him but her smile dropped into a gape and she wavered where she stood as her eyes went wide. Her hand stayed frozen in the air and Neji smirked.
"With the Power of Youth!"
The Green Beasts finished. They flashed the "Nice Guy" pose at each other. Guy-sensei caught Tenten's distress (ha, she had a nosebleed) and followed her gaze. Guy-sensei began sputtering dramatically (he could never be un-dramatic) and pointed at him.
"N-n-n-ne-ne-ne-" Guy-sensei tried.
Lee clicked in on the affliction of his beloved sensei and looked in the same direction. His eyes went wider, his jaw dropped, a blush came to his cheeks, and he took up the same dramatic pointing pose as Guy-sensei.
"Ne-ne-ne-ne-" Lee attempted.
Eventually they would get his name out. Neji flicked some hair over his shoulder and waited as the two sputtered incoherently for a few more minutes. Finally they both shook their heads and shouted out his name in unison. Tenten got stunned out of her stupor but fell over. Neji raised an eyebrow at them all.
"You changed!"
Guy-sensei and Lee were still in sync. Neji nodded. They both fell flat on their backs in shock. Neji smirked. Tenten got to her feet, wiped her nose bleed, and shook her head at him.
"Wow," she said.
"Thank you," Neji said with an incline of his head.
She giggled. Her cheeks were still pink. Neji kept his laugh to his mind. Tenten looked to their knocked out teammate and sensei and rubbed the back of her head.
"So, can you actually fight in that outfit?" Tenten asked.
"That is what I plan to test," Neji returned.
She grinned. They walked away from their two stunned partners and stood ten feet apart. Neji activated his Byakugan and fell into a loose fighting stance. Tenten summoned a staff. She was still blushing but her words were serious:
"Let's do this."
Neji grinned as he watched Tenten put away her arsenal. Turned out, he could fight in this outfit, exceptionally well if he did say so himself. The sleeves of the old shirt used to get in the way with some of his moves but they didn't now. The general looseness of the outfit had always bothered him when he did an attack but now he felt more streamlined, fluid. No wonder Guy-sensei and Lee wore body suits.
The outfit also had the overall benefit of distraction. The fighting stances he employed tended to make the pants tight across his groin (in a good way for everyone involved) and made the pants ride a bit lower which made his opponent (Tenten in this case) drop their eyes to his almost exposed groin for a millisecond longer.
His free hair also acted as a great distraction and Neji caught Tenten watching his hair more than his hands a few times. She had also watched his ass more times than he could have counted which made him smirk. The additional benefit was he did not get visible sweat marks. Blood wouldn't show as horribly and he felt free.
"Damn it," Tenten muttered.
"What?" Neji asked.
"I'm missing a kunai," Tenten said.
Neji had no idea how Tenten knew with the amount of weapons she kept in her scrolls. Regardless he activated Byakugan again and scanned the area. He spotted Guy-sensei and Lee still doing push-ups fifty yards off (awfully close considering Tenten's attacks) but found the missing Kunai five yards away from them.
"Five yards from Guy-sensei and Lee," Neji said.
Tenten nodded in thanks, looked at his ass for a bit, and began to stride off towards her missing weapon. Neji smirked and followed after her, disengaging his Byakugan as he went.
"You were faster today," Tenten remarked.
"I know," Neji said.
"More fluid,"
"Hn,"
"More in control,"
"Mm,"
"Freer,"
"Hmm,"
"And hot,"
She flushed. Neji blinked then grinned.
"Glad to see my change meets your approval," Neji said.
"Hell yeah and some cake," Tenten said.
Neji snorted. They got to Guy-sensei and Lee who had moved into squats. Tenten picked up her kunai, blinked at her teammates then shook her head.
"Ramen?" Tenten asked.
"Done," Neji replied.
They left the two Green Beasts training and walked out of the training area. The stares started again but Neji didn't mind. Tenten smirked as they strode to Ichiraku Ramen. The restaurant had expanded in the four years Neji had began eating there. Instead of six seats, it now had twelve: enough for the Rookie Nine, plus Neji's team. When Sai wasn't around they always ordered a bowl of Sasuke's favorite ramen and placed it at one of the end seats. The tradition wouldn't die until Sasuke was returned.
Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Choji, Ino, and Shikamaru were all ready there. Hinata-sama, Shino, and Kiba were making their way from the opposite direction as Neji and Tenten. Sai sat at the end of the row then Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru. Neji took the seat beside Shikamaru and Tenten sat one over as Kiba took the seat beside Neji. Hinata-sama sat beside Tenten then Shino. Lee would take the final seat and everyone knew it.
"Woah," Kiba said with a grin.
"What?" Neji asked innocently.
Shikamaru swallowed the ramen in his mouth hard and stared. Choji turned and gaped. Hinata-sama giggled. Shino, well, Neji thought the bug-user's eyebrows went up. Naruto stopped yelling at Sai and gaped at Neji. Sai blinked.
"Neji?" Naruto asked in a shout.
"Yes?" Neji returned.
Teuchi chuckled. He had begun preparing their favorites and Neji was glad he did not have to order for once.
"You look, um, um," Naruto tried.
He struggled for a few more minutes, cheeks going red, and began rubbing the back of his head.
"Sexy," Sai provided.
Naruto sputtered then fell into his seat and whacked his head off the bench. He rose with a raised fist and his face completely red.
"That's not what I meant!"
Sai blinked. His head tilted to a side and the fake smile came on his lips.
"Fuckable?" Sai questioned.
Again, Naruto deadpanned then started shouting. Neji snickered as Choji went back to his ramen. Sakura and Ino rolled their eyes. Shikamaru had a smirk on his face. Kiba was almost drooling. Hinata-sama and Tenten giggled while Shino, well, Neji thought Shino blushed.
"Wow," Ayame said.
Neji nodded to her and she went red. She handed him his ramen and Neji thanked her with a little smile. She fainted. Neji raised an eyebrow as Teuchi snorted.
"You know," Shikamaru said. "That outfit could be an S-class weapon."
Silence. Sakura and Ino laughed. Choji nodded in agreement. Kiba went pink but nodded. Hinata-sama and Tenten chuckled. Hell, Shino grinned. Naruto turned from yelling in Sai's face and blinked.
"Yeah, why are you wearing that anyway?" Naruto asked.
Neji flicked some hair behind his shoulder and heard some fan girls swoon behind him. A couple sounded like they fainted. This was too good. He should have changed his outfit sooner.
"I'm an S-class weapon now, don't you know," Neji replied.
More silence followed by uproarious laughter. Neji went to his ramen after saying his thanks and the others began digging in as well. The only thing that gave them pause was Sai's question. Neji knew Shikamaru and Kiba would be having a word with the artist-nin later:
"Neji, can I sketch you in just the collar?"
Next chapter coming soon. Reviews welcome ;)