Author's notes:
This would be my second attempt at writing a fanfic, since evil writer block turned the first attempt into a fiasco, so please, constructive criticism will be highly appreciated. I'm from Mexico, so if my grammar or vocabulary or (most likely) both sucks, that's why, on that account a Beta reader will be a great help and will have forever my thanks. This is a NaruxHina fanfic with some NejixHina friendship, if you don't like the pairing stay out. I intent to update monthly, but if luck smiles on me, maybe I will update sooner.
Having bored you already, please, enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Notice me
by Geork.
'Destiny is something that can not be changed.' 'Everything is set in stone.' 'It is foolish to believe that one can just randomly decide what one wanted to do or be because everything had already been decided.' 'Everyone is borne with their lives already settled.' This was Neji's mantra, this was what he believed for the past years. Then something happened. What he believed was irrefutable truth had abruptly changed. And it all boiled down to one fact. That meddling Uzumaki Naruto had managed to beat him.
O yes, Hyuga Neji, the strongest genin of his year had somehow lost to Uzumaki Naruto, dead last of his year, in an one on one combat. From that moment on everything started changing. He learned the truth behind his father's death. The head of the Hyuga clan, Hiashi-sama, had bowed before him, a member of the branch family. Not only that, Hiashi-sama had decided to take Neji under his wing, personally supervising his training.
Somehow Neji was able to survive his fight with the sound nin and his spiders when he and some of his peers tried to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke a few days ago.
All these changes in what life appeared to be were giving him a headache. He laughed at this. He thought that changing his perspective of life was supposed to enlighten him. Instead he was thrown into this crossroad where he didn't want go back to his old believes but wasn't too sure of this new way of watching things that appeared before him.
So here he was, in the Hyuga compound, walking with no particular destination, pondering about how the past events in the last couple of weeks had changed him and his view of things. It really annoyed him, he'd rather be training. But Godaime Hokage had banned him from training until he had fully recovered. After all, she argued, better rest now and deal with it than risk furthering the damage on his shoulder and lower torso. "You almost died you know" she said when he complained about this "You were very lucky, had the backup arrived a few minutes later you wouldn't be here complaining in the first place. So you will rest and NOT train until I say so. And that Neji is an order."
It was unnerving him not to be able to train. But even Hiashi-sama agreed with Tsunade-sama, so that also let him without his usual chores in the Hyuga compound. He tried to meditate, but apparently even his subconscious wouldn't let him be. That's when he decided a little walk was in order.
He stopped when he reached the garden that would let him out of the compound and into the village. There was Hinata-sama, practicing the forms of the Juken style. This was another part of the riddle his life had become, for the longest time Hinata had been this stuttering, insecure, weak, little girl that was supposed to be the future head of one of the strongest clan in the Leaf. An unfitting position for such girl. Everyone knew that, Hiashi, Neji, the Hyuga council, even Hinata herself knew it. She was everything a Hyuga shouldn't be.
What happened then? The chunin exams. Hinata had showed some courage when she battled him. Even after all the damage he had done to her, she kept trying. "Stubborn naive girl" He had thought at that time. The after match was obvious. She was left with a heavily damaged chakra circulatory system and a seriously weakened heart. Every Hyuga thought she was done with.
Well, they were all in for a surprise. Since her control over her chakra was all messed up as a consequence of her damaged chakra circulatory system she worked harder than ever to regain control of it. And since her heart wouldn't allow her much physical strain she was forced to work on her speed, coordination and swiftness rather than her endurance. Always ending coughing up blood if she so much as thought of going beyond her limit. That was the time when Neji realized that for all the time and effort Hinata spent training she was focusing on the wrong task. It was no secret that she trained almost all the time and that she stayed longer than anyone in the training grounds.
Her resistance was also lacking and that training sure helped to improve it. However this forced change in her way of training helped a lot in all the other flaws she possessed.
As her body had slowly but steadily started to heal she found herself improving at a pace that made many double check if she really was Hinata. Her reflexes, coordination and speed doubled and she jumped from a good chakra manipulation to an excellent chakra manipulation which also empowered her Byakugan, finally revealing to her the Tenkutsu (1). This opened for her the possibility to learn the most advanced techniques exclusive to her family.
But there was so much she could improve on her own. Maybe he should…
-"Um…"-, this mere sound barely above a whisper broke Neji's train of thought and brought him back to reality. Only to find that Hinata had stopped training and was looking at him with that uncomfortable look she had when she was confronted by anyone. He just looked back.
-"I-is there anything y-you need? N-neji-niisan?"- Neji looked at her with an odd look until something clicked in his mind, Hinata-sama had caught him staring at her. Not really knowing what to say he stayed silent, which visibly increased Hinata's distress. So he said the first thing that occurred to him.
-"Your stance is too broad"-
Whatever answer Hinata was expecting this was not it.
-"W-what?-" She asked almost stupidly. Neji sighed, relieved that his slip had gone unnoticed.
-"Your stance is too broad, that's why your foot work is sloppy."-
Hinata stared at him, not really knowing what was happening. She had barely spoken to Neji since the chuunin exam when he had tried to kill her. And now he was giving her a piece of advice? In how to fight better no less? She had caught him staring at her. First she tried to ignore it and keep on training, but after a while it made her nervous. She asked him in hope that the staring would end even if that meant Neji insulting her or something. Well, that something certainly wasn't the advice she just received. When Neji's eyes narrowed in that way that always had her wondering if he could read minds, Hinata rushed to speak and stumbled over her words for a moment before adopting the Jyuuken stance.
-"L-like this?"-
Neji eyed her, yes, her stance was better now. He nodded.
-"Now, do that form again"-
For all the awkwardness Hinata complied even though she'd rather be somewhere else, doing something else without someone breathing down her neck. Sometimes, if she used her imagination, the forms to practice the Juken would look like a dance. This thought would relax her. She'd rather focus in that instead of the knowledge that Neji was analyzing every step of the form and staring at her again.
When she was done with the form she breathed deeply and relaxed her stance.
-"That was acceptable, but it would be better if you weren't so tense"- Neji had a pretty good idea what had Hinata over the edge, it was him. So, for the sake of her training he would leave.
-"I should leave now"-
Hinata stayed where she was watching Neji turn around and go back to the compound. When he disappeared from her sight her brain started working again. Neji-niisan had just supervised her training. Somehow that made her fell very happy. She rushed back to her house an idea already forming in her mind.
More author's notes:
(1) As I've seen this to fluctuate from site to site I will clarify: The byakugan in its early stages allows the user to see the chakra circulatory system. This allows the user to effectively damage it. In more advanced stages the byakugan can perceive the tenkutsu or chakra points, potentially allowing the user to shut off the opponent's chakra flow completely or increase the chakra flow as well. As I see it, in the chunin exam Hinata wasn't able to see said points. There's a very big chance that I'm actually wrong about this. If I am, I apologize.