The Birth Day of a Woman
*happy birthday Tenten*
*don't own Naruto but can celebrate their birthday*
*back in Konoha* Feb. 21st
"So Hinata…how did you get Naruto to finally see your feelings for him?" Tenten asked as she and Hinata sat at the park after just coming from the bakery, relaxing after a hard mission. The teams split up to enjoy their successful mission, Neji challenging Naruto to a spar to see how much strong the blonde had gotten, leaving the girls to go out for dessert.
"What do you mean Tenten?" Hinata asked curiously as she looked at the weapon mistress who was chewing on a sesame dumpling, a small frown on her face.
"I man did you use some of kind of jutsu to make him see you, hit certain chakra points…hit him upside the head?" Tenten asked hopefully which made Hinata giggle as she shook her head no. Tenten sighed as she went back to her dumplings. "Then it's hopeless" she sighed as she looked out at the doughy treat in her hand before she took another bite.
"What's wrong Tenten?" Hinata asked as she looked at the kunoichi beside who grew quiet before she voiced her problem.
"Well, there is someone that I like, but he's too dense to see that I like him"
"Yes, niisan tends to look everywhere but directly in front of him. It's sort of his bad habit" Hinata said as she hid the smile behind a cinnamon bun she was eating when she watched Tenten jumped up, a blush on her face.
"I never said it was Neji."
"You didn't deny it just then either" Hinata countered back, making Tenten stare at the smirking Hyuuga.
"You're good…alright it's Neji" Tenten sighed in defeat as Hinata patted her on the back when she sat back down. "You have any advice on how to get him to notice me?" Tenten asked, looking at Hinata who asked her if she told him her feeling which earned her a dull look.
"Yes, I told him straight up that I loved him and he said he loved me too."
"Then what's the problem?" Hinata asked confused.
"He told me he loved me like a team-mate" Tenten said dryly, making Hinata face-palm as she muttered about dense family members, Tenten silently agreeing as she finished her dessert. "So you have any suggestions?" Tenten asked, looking at the quiet Hyuuga next to her who was deep in thought.
"Hm, we need to come up with a way for Neji to see the real you"
"This is the real me" Tenten said with a frown as Hinata took in her appearance, a faraway look on her face. Tenten then watched as Hinata summon Konona, her fox summoning given to her by Itachi (read The Birthday to Remember), before she relayed a message to tell to Kyuubi. They watched as the blood red fox yipped once before she ran off to find Naruto before Tenten asked Hinata what she was doing.
"I have a hunch about Neji, if I'm right than I know what to do"
"What's your plan?" Tenten asked, seeing the grin on Hinata's face as she got up and drew away the cinnamon box before looking back at Tenten.
"You'll see" Hinata said as she motioned for Tenten to follow her as they made their way toward training ground three.
*Training Ground Three*
"You indeed gotten stronger" Neji said as he looked over at Naruto who was equally breathing hard before they decided to take a break. They sat down on a log, taking a drink of water, when they saw Konona approach who they greeted as she jumped up on Naruto's lap.
"Hey Konona, what's up?" Naruto asked as the fox looked up at him with big eyes before she rubbed her head against Naruto's neck, transferring her question to Kurama, who started to snicker, catching Naruto's attention.
'What's so funny?' Naruto asked curiously as the saw the large grin on the fox's face.
"Oh nothing brat but I need you ask Neji about his team."
'Why?'
"Just do it" Kurama said irritated as he sat back in his cage, grumbling about dense blondes.
'Fine' Naruto thought as he turned toward Neji and did as Kurama instructed, wonder what the fox was planning.
"Hey Neji, how is your team doing?"
"Same, Gai and Lee being themselves…and Tenten's doing well" Neji asked as he looked off in the distance but Naruto noticed the catch in his voice as he talked about Tenten. Naruto looked down at Konona, hiding a smirk as he started to put the pieces together.
'I think I know the reason why now' Naruto thought as he turned back toward Neji.
"So are you and Tenten dating yet?" Naruto asked suddenly, hearing Kurama tell him that he was too direct and would cause suspicion.
'It's me we're talking about, direct is the best approach' Naruto responded, Kurama muttering that he had a point, as they heard Neji cough as he said no.
"Why not" Naruto asked, ignoring the look Neji shot at the fox then at him before he said that they were team-mates. "That's a dumb reason for not dating Tenten" Naruto said with a frown as he looked at the Hyuuga prodigy. "If you like her then why don't you go out with her?" Naruto asked loudly before he went quiet with Neji's answer.
"But I like her as a team-mate" Neji asked confused as he stared at the blonde who was giving him a strange look.
"Neji…is Tenten a female or a woman?" Naruto asked suddenly, making Neji and Kurama confused as they tried to figure out the meaning behind the question.
"What kind of question is that?" Neji asked, Kurama seeing Naruto's plan in his mind while Naruto told Neji to just answer it.
"Fine, she's a female, why?" Neji answered before Naruto sighed, grumbled something under his breath, and said never mind before he petted Konona who jumped back up in his lap.
"Tell Hina-tenshi I'll be done soon" Naruto said to the fox as he summoned Yipsu to join Konona, rubbing his hand over the fox's head to send him the information about Neji's response, before they watched both run back to Hinata. After the foxes left, Neji asked if Naruto was ready to get back to the spar in which the blonde nodded before they went back to their battle. About half-way to the training grounds, the two foxes met up with Tenten and Hinata, who picked Yipsu up and received the information, sighing as she placed the fox back down.
"Just as I suspected" Hinata sighed as she started to head in a different direction, away from the training grounds.
"What?" Tenten asked, looking down at the foxes that were following Hinata before she looked up to see Hinata looking at her.
"Neji niisan only views you as a female, not a woman."
"What's the difference?" Tenten asked.
"When some people, like Neji, view a kunoichi as a female, they see nothing but a little girl who's not really grown up" Hinata said, noticing the frown on Tenten's face as she nodded, seeing Hinata's point. "When he starts to view you as a woman, then he will see the truth that you're a strong, independent kunoichi who can hold her own in battle, that's what we're aiming Neji to see you as" Hinata answered as she stopped and looked at Tenten.
"So, what do we do?" Tenten asked, noticing the grin on Hinata's face that spelled that she had a plan already in mind.
"We need to recruit some people then we're going hunting" Hinata said as she started to move again, walking faster, making Tenten almost run to catch up with her before she paced with her.
"Hunting for what?" Tenten asked a little scared as she saw the grin grow wider on Hinata's face as she turned toward the weapon mistress.
"Man hunting"
Tenten gasped before she thought about Hinata's words before she came up with what Hinata was talking about doing.
"Wait is your plan to make Neji jealous?"
"That's exactly what I'm planning, you in?" Hinata asked as she looked at Tenten who was thinking about it before she nodded, saying she was. "Alright let's get started" Hinata said as she picked up Konona while Tenten picked up Yipsu and they rushed off, Tenten asking where they were going.
"We need some help so we're going to find Kurenai-sensei, Anko-san, and Temari."
"Why are we recruiting Temari?"
"While you have to deal with Neji niisan, she has to deal with Shikamaru and his lazy self" Hinata answered, making them giggle as they went to find the rest of the kunoichi to put their plan into action.
*next day Feb. 22nd*
"Team Gai, Kurenai, you don't have any missions but so you're free to go" they heard Tsunade say as they nodded, happy to have the day off. Neji turned to look at Tenten who was checking a scroll in her pocket before she looked up at Neji when he called her name.
"Do you want to go training?" Neji asked calmly but a look of surprise came on his face when she shook her head.
"I can't, I have a meeting to go too, later Neji" Tenten said casually as she said later to her male team-mates and sensei before she left the room, seeing Temari and Anko out in the hall already. Neji frowned, wondering what kind of meeting, as he looked at Tsunade who he noticed also had a suspicious look on her face as she watched Tenten leaving. Neji, ignoring Gai and Lee talk of youth, turned to look at Hinata before his frowned suspicion grew stronger as he saw the grins on Hinata and Kurenai's face as they also said later to the boys and quickly left too. Kiba and Shino, shrugging it off, left to do whatever as Neji, Gai, and Lee followed suit, the former trying to piece together the strangeness of the girls.
'Maybe I should follow them' Neji thought before he mentally shook his head, thinking that was silly thing to do, before he went home to train. In a secret location at training ground three, all the kunoichi gathered in front of Hinata, saying that they were ready.
"Alright, now I want to introduce my friend who will help make this possible. Hyou can you come here please" Hinata answered to the air and they watched as a lone kunoichi appeared from nowhere, shades over her eyes, and turned to Hinata.
"Sup Hinata, so whatcha' call me for?"
"I need you help in finding a good male candidate to make my cousin jealous."
"Ooh, how is the lucky kunoichi?" Hyou asked as she turned to look at the girls and looked at Temari and Tenten before she noticed the blush on Tenten's cheeks. "A weapon user, I got the perfect group of boys to look at" Hyou said, a grin on her face as she ushered them closer. "Alright, time for a little trip, "Demon Style: Pack Teleportation", hang on" they heard Hyou cry as they felt their bodies go light before they disappeared and reappeared a few seconds later in front of village where they saw people going about their lives.
"Where are we?" Kurenai asked curiously as she looked around at the new place.
"This is my kind of place" Anko said as she noticed all the men in the village while Hyou chuckled.
"We're in weapon county, high in the mountains" Hyou responded as she made her way inside the village, the others in tow behind her.
"Why do they call it that?" Temari asked.
"It's because-" Hyou started to explain before they heard Tenten gasp and looked at her before looking at the village, their eyes widening, as they noticed the men and weapon with weapons and scrolls on their backs and all around their bodies. "It's because the people here really love to create and use weapons" Hyou finished with a smile as Tenten and the rest of the kunoichi watched as trio of males approached them.
"Welcome back Hyou, I see you brought some friends" the oldest of the trio said as he looked at the group behind the kunoichi in front of him.
"Hello Kasuri, Bo, Kama, nice to see you again" Hyou replied before she introduced the trio to the group and back, saying they were the leaders of the village and brothers each a year apart from the oldest.
"So, you must be Tenten?" Kasuri said as he took Tenten's hands, making the kunoichi blush and say yes before she became confused when he started to check her hands, studying them with a concentrated look.
"What are you doing?" Tenten asked before she heard Bo and Kama chuckle as they explained their oldest brother's actions.
"He's looking at the calluses on your hands to determine how well you use your weapons."
"And she uses their very well, has an excellent aim-hit ratio, flexibility, and a natural talent to use multiple weapons even being able to understand a new weapon" Kasuri added as he let go of Tenten's hands, clearly impressed while Tenten was busy trying to blush and giggle, the other kunoichi smirking as they thought how well the plan would go.
"So who do you suggest?" Hyou asked as Kasuri looked at his brothers who moved to stand next to him, nodding as Bo answered.
"A kunoichi of such caliber should choose from one of the higher ups" they said, making Hyou grin and said she figured while Tenten and the rest of the kunoichi looked at them in confusion.
"What do you mean?" the kunoichi asked curiously.
"I brought everybody here because we need to find a fake boyfriend for Tenten so I decided to get one who can play along and share interest with Tenten so I chose a weapon master-"
"No, what did he mean by the higher-ups?" Hinata explained.
"Oh, they choose who to date by the skill of the warriors and to choose higher up means one of them" Hyou explained, grinning as she noticed the way the others were giggling while Tenten blushed even more.
"I don't want to force any of you" Tenten said quickly, wondering if it was still a good idea while they chuckled, saying it would be hard for them to choose. This got Hyou thinking as she grinned and said she knew the solution to their problem.
"Then all three of you be her pretend girlfriend"
"Huh?"
"Think about it, Neji won't feel intimidated if one person starts to look at Tenten but if three show interest and they share something in common like weapons…"
"I get it, he will start to notice Tenten as a woman who is also interested" Hinata said in which Hyou nodded and said right before they looked at Tenten and asked if she was up for it. The weapon mistress looked around at all the grinning faces before she sighed and said sure, the girls giggling as Hyou turned toward Hinata.
"Make sure you have Naruto drop hints around Neji that Tenten might be taken."
"Will do" Hinata responded as Kasuri, Bo, and Kama said okay as they snapped their fingers and their weapons appeared on their back.
"Wow, how did you do that?" Tenten and Temari asked as they watched the trio check their weapons before turning back to them.
"A seal on our finger tips, we snap our finger while fueling chakra and summon any weapon we have on our back" Kama answered as the two kunoichi said they wanted to learn. "Well teach you when we meet you in Konoha" Kama said with a smile that had some of the kunoichi blushing and giggling while Hyou smirked as she said they should get started. Waving later to the trio, they gave them a wink before they returned to Konoha, the boys going to explain their plan to their village.
* Next day, Feb. 23rd*
"This should be an easy mission" Lee said as he and his team ran through the forest, in pursuit of a thief who stole a scroll from the Konoha library.
"Why today of all days" Tenten muttered as she sped up to catch the thief, Neji noticing this as he ran faster, wondering what she meant as they caught sight of the thief before he through a smoke bomb that blinded them. "Neji can you still see him" Tenten yelled out, frowning as she thought she heard a second set of footsteps but heard Neji voice from beside her.
"No, I lost him it's some kind of chakra-blocking smoke bomb. The only thing we can do it go through it" Neji yelled as Gai and Lee said alright and started forward when they stopped when they heard grunts and watched as the smoke cleared. There in front of them was Kama who had the scroll under one arm and the thief over his shoulder, a grin on his face as he started to walk toward Tenten and handed her the scroll.
"Wow" Tenten said with a giggle as she thanked Kama for the scroll. Neji, who noticed the way Tenten was acting, ask who was he in which Kama introduced himself, saying he was weapons country. Neji frowned as he said he never heard of the country.
"It's high in the mountains, we like to stay isolated so we can hone in our weapon abilities" Kama explained, giving Hinata a smile. Neji was about to ask some more question but was interrupted by Tenten who was thanking Kama for catching the thief. "It's my pleasure to help out a fellow weapon mistress" Kama said with a slight bow, making Tenten blush and giggle, both sensing the way Neji was staring at them.
'Hook' they thought as Lee and Gai took the thief from Kama, Lee noticing the large kama on the weapon shinobi's back.
"Wow, I never saw a kama that big before, where did you get it?" Lee asked curiously as they started to head back to Konoha, Kama saying he was headed their too as he was traveling.
"This, I got it directly from the weasel summoning boss, Raijuu the six tailed weasel after I managed to defeat her for right to summon her" Kama explained, making Tenten look in surprise for she didn't know that and asked to know more. "Sure" Kama said as he and Tenten walked back to Konoha, forgetting all about the others.
"What about the team?" Neji asked with a frown as Tenten looked back, clearly showing she forgot all about them as she handed Neji the scroll.
"Well you got the guy and now the scroll, so I guess I will talk to guys tomorrow, later" Tenten said with a little wave as she walked back to Kama, him continuing his story about his battle while the trio watched them leave, Neji's eyes narrowing as he activated his byakugan, wondering if Tenten was under some kind of genjutsu.
"Wow, I never knew Tenten had a boyfriend?" Lee said to Gai who was talking about the power of youth while Neji said she didn't and quickly followed the rapidly disappearing duo back to Konoha. Lee and Gai decided to race back, Lee taking the scroll from Neji as to make it more of a challenge as to see who can deliver first.
*2 days later Feb 25th*
"Where has Tenten gone now?" Neji muttered as he looked around for the weapon kunoichi when he spotted Hinata and Naruto several feet in front of him, talking to each other. About to call them, he stopped when heard them talking and decided to listen in to see if they knew what was going on with Tenten.
"So three shinobi came from weapons country and decided to hang out with Tenten. Well they do sync well with her" Naruto said in his usual loud voice while Neji grew quiet and continued to listen, hoping to get some answers.
"Yes, I met Kama the other day and today I hung out with his middle brother Bo. I heard he's very well with a bo staff and was thinking about teaching Tenten some advanced moves using one" Hinata replied, both of them hearing the growl Neji let out which made Naruto grin as he decided to put on the finishing touches.
"Well we better watch out or Konoha and Team Gai will become short a weapon kunoichi" Naruto said casually while Hinata giggled and said true before they heard footsteps and watched as Neji rushed by, not even greeting them as he ran by.
'Line' they thought with a smirk as they headed for the Dango Shop to tell the others that Neji had taken the bait. Neji found Tenten at her favorite place, the weapons shop, where he saw two men, brothers he knew thanks to Hinata and Naruto, walking beside her as she talked with them both while Neji watched from a distance.
'I feel like Hinata' Neji thought ironically as he activated his byakugan and watched them talking and laughing as they left down the street. Neji, following at a safe distance, watched as Temari approached with a smirk on her face as she met up with Tenten.
"Well it seems like you got yourself a lucky catch, and two men too, I bet their strong" Temari said as Tenten smirked as she said yes before they both looked when Bo asked to see Temari's fan. With a surprised look, she handed her fan over and watched as Bo opened and examined it before he nodded and handed it back to her, saying she kept her fan in excellent condition.
"A good way to keep your fan sharp, even when out on a mission, is to take several river rocks, dry them, have them sliced open and use them to sharpen the edges, thus cutting down on wind resistance and using the lessen resistance to strengthen your wind attacks".
"Wow, I'm impressed, these two are definitely keepers. You better to hang on to them because if Shikamaru don't get his lazy butt up soon then I might have to steal one from you" Temari said with a smirk as the boys said thanks and that their brother would be there tomorrow. "Oh, I can't wait, later boys, Tenten" Temari said as she continued her walk back to her hotel as weapon users continued through town, Neji's eyes narrowing as he tried to figure out what was going on.
*next day Feb 26th*
"I'll get some answers out of Hinata" Neji grumbled as he made his way to the dango shop, looking for Hinata but found Anko and Kurenai instead, who he was walking up to as they were having a conversation.
"I'm telling you Kurenai, those boys are fine" he heard Anko say which made Neji twitch as Kurenai sighed, a smile on her face.
"Anko you need to stop, we're discussing Tenten remember?" Kurenai said as Neji quickly made his way over to them and issued a greeting in which they said hi back before he asked if they saw Tenten. Anko grinned as she turned toward the frowning Hyuuga, sensing his irritation at not knowing where his team-mate was at.
"Yea, she's hanging out with Kasuri, and boy is he good with those chained-nunchaku blades, I mean he's the oldest of the trio so I'm not surprised but that boy makes me want to go visit them at their home."
They noticed Neji clench his hands while his face remained calm and asked if everything was okay in which he said fine and that he wanted to talk to Tenten.
"Hmm, I think she said she was going to the training ground 3 with them and-" Kurenai was saying when Neji said thanks and rushed off, not letting her finish her sentence.
"Temari and Hinata…sinker" Kurenai finished as she and Anko started laughing as they decided to go watch the show as they disappeared to find a good spot to watch. Neji made it to the training grounds and was shocked to see Temari, Tenten, and Hinata training with the trio, each using weapons. Temari was battling with Kama in a fan vs. kama battle while Hinata was training with Bo, strange gloves on her hands, and Tenten was battling with Kasuri, using her scrolls as he deflected her weapons with his chain blades.
"You guys are good" Tenten said as she resummoned her weapons while Kasuri wrapped his around his waist and back.
"All of you aren't bad yourselves" Kama said as he sliced through Temari's wind attack while Hinata did some gentle style exercises with the strange gloves.
"That's enough training for now" Bo said as the girls straightened and walked over to the side as the brothers met up and decided to spar a little.
"Hey Hinata, what kind of gloves are those?" Tenten asked as she saw the claw tipped gloves on Hinata's hands.
"They nekote gloves that they made, Bo's letting me have several pair. They're cool and can be used with the byakugan to duel even more damage or use to just attack without much chakra use" Hinata explained as they continued to talk until the boy's sparring caught their attention. "I got to admit those boys are handsome, but I got my Naruto-kun, it's you two who need to be looking" Hinata said, looking at them from the corner of her eye as they nodded and giggled, playfully shoving each other. Neji, at the final straw, was about to go over when he stopped, noticing something about the way the girls acted now and their reaction over the week.
"Maybe that's the reason for their behavior?" Neji muttered as he hid in a tree continuing to watch as the girls went back to training, glance at each other with knowing smirks, as they continued to spar until they called an end to training. After exchanging goodbyes and leaving, Neji sighed as he put the pieces together in his mind, feeling like an idiot for not noticing earlier.
'That must be the reason, but I better watch a little longer just to be sure' he thought as he jumped out of the tree and followed, missing the way Naruto, Anko, and Kurenai were watching him, mentally patting themselves on the back as they figured that Neji finally figured it out.
*several days later March 8th*
Tenten was talking with Hinata and Temari and eating dekopan fruit (it's like an orange) when they saw Neji approach, a calm look on his face.
"Tenten, can I talk to you alone?" Neji asked as Tenten said sure, saying later to the kunoichi as they headed for the training grounds, all the kunoichi happy thinking that their plan worked.
"So Neji, what do you want to talk about?" Tenten asked, knowing that the others would soon be there as Neji looked at her.
"I know the truth" he said and noticed the way Tenten tense as she asked what he meant. "I know your plan and that the guys you were hanging out with is not your boyfriend and will not be your boyfriend" Neji said with a frown while Tenten was mentally celebrating.
'Yes, he figured it out' she thought as he continued, saying he didn't realize it at first but that he finally got the message she were trying to send to him. 'Oh, this is the best day ever' Tenten thought as she waited for Neji to finish, neither of them aware that Hinata, Naruto, Temari, Anko, and Kurenai were hiding in the trees, smiling and listening in.
'I knew you weren't that dense niisan' Hinata thought as she motioned to the others that they should leave and was about to when they heard Neji say something next.
"I fully support you" he said which made them stop and look down in confusion as Tenten asked what he meant. "I mean I understand your love for Temari, I don't care if you a lesbian, I will still be there for you" he said as he looked at Tenten who was speechless, brain trying to comprehend what he just said. Hinata and the rest were shock as Temari, eye twitching, asked Hinata if he was truly that stupid in which she shook her head, hand covering her face, as she sighed and said no.
"He's smart but just extremely dense when it comes to females" Hinata muttered as Naruto grumbled that Neji was denser than he was as the rest watched as Neji kissed Tenten's forehead before getting up to leave. Tenten just blinked as she thought about what Neji just told her, an aura surrounding her.
'He thinks…I'm in love…with Temari?'
As Neji was walking away, he shuddered as he sensed a dark aura coming from behind him in which he activated his byakugan and saw Tenten, a bad feeling coming over him as he turned to look at her.
"Neji…you think I'm in love with Temari" Tenten said calmly as she stood up, the aura growing darker.
"You're in love with Hinata?" he asked confused before he took a step back as the aura grew darker, missing the struggle that was going on in the trees as Naruto was stopping Hinata from throwing her dekopan fruit at her cousin for the comment.
'He really is dense' the other kunoichi thought until everybody stopped when they felt the angry aura coming from below and looked at Tenten, Neji slowly walking backwards as he saw her twitching.
"Are you alright Tenten?" Neji asked, thinking maybe he got the message wrong as Tenten chuckled lowly.
"Oh I'll be alright-" she said as she brought out several scrolls full of kunai, kama, shuriken and other pointy weapons.
"After I turn YOU INTO A PIN CUSHION" Tenten screamed as she glared at Neji who, after seeing the rage in her eyes, decided to do the smart thing and took off running, knowing he got the message wrong and was about to pay for it. The group in the trees heard Tenten growl before she gave chase, calling him all sorts of names that had Naruto and Anko laughing while Kurenai asked if they should go help him which she noticed Temari and Hinata's frowns.
"No, it's time he learned that females can be feared too" they said before a loud crashing sound coming from the village was heard and Tenten screaming that had them listening.
"NEJI, YOU GET YOUR HYUUGA PRODIGY ASS BACK HERE" they heard her yell which succeeded in making Naruto fall out of the tree in laughter, Anko jumping down beside him as she suggested to go catch the rest of the show. With a nod, Naruto got up and took off over the rooftops to watch the show just as Shizune appeared and asked what was going on, seeing the frowns on Hinata and Temari's face. Kurenai sighed and said she would explain to Tsunade as she followed the confused kunoichi to the Hokage's office, Temari and Hinata jumping down after they left.
"Maybe he will now see her as a woman" Hinata grumbled as they heard crashing sounds in the distance and more yelling as Tenten continued to chase Neji all around.
"…want to get some lunch" Temari suggested in which Hinata said sure as they walked off together, watching as the teams ran to them, asking what happen when they heard another shout.
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" followed by the sounds of more weapons unsheathing as they stared in the distant, wondering who pissed off the weapon kunoichi.
"Neji is just getting a wake-up call" they said casually as they heard another round of attacks, sweat dropping at their words as they watched them walk away as if that was normal.
"Maybe we should go help him" Kiba suggested as the teams agreed and started toward the fighting when they heard Tenten again.
"WHEN I GET THROUGH WITH YOU, YOU WILL TRULY KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A FEMALE!"
The teams froze, the boys turning pale, as they shook their heads no and started to head in the other direction, away from the sharp, pointy weapons, as the sound continued. Hinata and Temari ate lunch then went for dessert as Temari ate chestnuts while Hinata nibbled on cinnamon buns, greeting Naruto and Anko when they joined them, ordering dangos when they were summoned by Tsunade. When they reached her office they saw all the sensei, the Sand siblings, Matsuri and the Sennin staring at them as Tsunade asked them explain Tenten's problem and they all listened as they told Tsunade how they were trying to make Neji notice her and how their plan failed. Tsunade frowned as she looked out the window, noticing that the sounds had stopped.
"I guess she ran out of weapons" Asuma said hopefully until there was a loud explosion and he sighed, saying never mind. Curious as to what was happening now, Jiraiya spied on the show with his scope, Gaara used his third eye, and Naruto sent out clones to find out, dispersing them every minute.
"She just brought out her personal weapons and nearly took off his head with that flail" Jiraiya twitching a bit as he complimented Neji on ducking under the attack.
"She just grabbed his leg with a kusari and is currently dragging him back" Gaara said calmly, Temari chuckling darkly while Kankuro stepped away from his sister, not liking the look on her face. They all watched as Jiraiya and Naruto both flinch before they bowed their heads, whimpering and sniffing a bit.
"Let us bow our heads for now Neji is a girl" they said, making the rest sweat drop and ask if they were serious in which they nodded until one of Naruto's clones disperse and sighed in relief.
"Nope, he still a boy, he used the Body Substitution Jutsu in time to avoid the tanto in Tenten's hand" Naruto said before they heard a roar of anger.
NEJI, YOU CAN'T HIDE FOREVER" before all was quiet. They guessed that Neji finally managed to escape Tenten.
"5000 yen Neji is hiding in his closet, scared to come out."
"Naruto" Hinata said with frown as he grinned and said sorry while Jiraiya closed up his scope, muttering about how to never make her angry, as Naruto agreed, saying one powerful kunoichi on his tail was bad enough. Matsuri giggled as Tsunade sighed and said they were dismiss before she asked Anko to find Tenten and their guest to see her in which she nodded and opened the door to see Hiashi who had a frown on his face as he looked straight at Hinata.
"Neji can't tell a female from a woman" she said simply, hoping her father knew what she meant as he grew quiet before he sighed.
"I was afraid of that, my brother was the same way" he said which surprised Hinata as she asked how he finally noticed Neji's mother, in which had his lips twitching. "You mother and aunt decided to knock some sense into him, although it was more with cutting off his chakra then weapons" he said, making the girls laugh as Hinata said that Tenten work was done and now it was her turn. "He's in his room, dressing his wounds" Hiashi said as he turned to leave before they heard him muttering something else under his breath.
"I feel sorry for my nephew, she almost made good of her promises too."
Naruto started coughing as to hide the laugh that had escaped before he suggested they go visit Neji, which Hinata said she would, as she walked toward the window.
"Alright, I'll go pick up the weapons, I want to see what she used" Naruto said as he went to inform the rest of his clones as Hinata made her way out of the window and jumped over rooftops to get to the Hyuuga Manor. She looked around to make sure Tenten wasn't around before she snuck inside and went straight to Neji's room where she saw Hanabi in front of their cousin's door, staring at it with her byakugan, a grin on her face. Hinata frowned as she stared at her sister who turned to look at her, deactivating her byakugan and giving Hinata a grin.
"She really tortured him good he's too scared to come out of his room now"
"Hanabi, go find Konohamaru and leave Neji in peace" Hinata said with a grin as she watched her sister blush and leave the hall before she sighed and turned back to Neji's door. Knocking on the door, Hinata was greeted with silence before she called out.
"Neji, it's me, Hinata"
When she didn't receive an answer back she said loudly that she was coming in and went inside to find the room empty and quiet. Looking around, she spied the closet and sighed, thinking how she owed Naruto 5000 yen as she went to it and opened it up to see her cousin in the corner of the closet.
"Neji niisan, why are hiding?" she asked as she noticed the cuts and bruises everywhere as he sat with his legs drawn under his chin, thinking before he looked up at Hinata.
"What did I do wrong?" he asked his cousin who looked down at him with a frown.
"You were looking too hard."
"What do you mean?" he asked as Hinata wondered how someone so smart couldn't see the most obvious thing in front of them but then she thought of Naruto and decided maybe it was just something else.
"Remember when Naruto asked you how you saw Tenten?"
"Yes"
"You said you saw her as a female instead of a woman"
"What's your point?" Neji asked confused as Hinata sighed and said never mind, turning to leave the room.
"If you supposed to be a prodigy then you should be able to figure it out" she said over her back before she left the room, her footsteps growing lighter as she headed down the hall to her room. Neji remained in the closet, still thinking what Hinata meant before he gave up and came from out of the closet, an idea in his mind.
'Maybe Naruto can explain what she meant' he thought as he left his room, byakugan activated as he snuck out of the Manor and stuck to the shadows as to avoid meeting anybody when she saw someone approach him from behind and hid, only to recognize Naruto. Waiting until he passed, Neji grabbed the blonde and brought him into the dark alley, surprising Naruto as he got into a fighting position until he noticed who had grabbed him.
"Whoa, oh Neji it's you, you scared me"
"I need to talk to you" Neji said seriously as Naruto asked what about before he noticed the way Neji was looking around.
"Tenten is at the training ground torturing the training dummies" Naruto answered, knowing the reason behind Neji's jittery behavior and watched as Neji relaxed, heading toward the ramen shop. Once there Naruto and Neji ordered ramen and while waiting, Naruto asked what Neji wanted to know when their food arrived and Naruto dug in, not waiting for Neji to answer. Neji looked at Naruto, who was clearly enjoying his ramen, before asked how he saw Hinata.
"Hmm, well I see her as a woman" he said as he ordered another bowl of ramen while Neji slowly at his, thinking about Naruto's answer.
"Why do you say that?" he asked as soon as Naruto's bowl arrived and he was about to do in. Naruto sighed and placed his chopsticks down and look at Neji with a serious look.
"Neji, I see Hinata as a strong independent female who not only grew up physically but mentally and emotionally. She's not just another kunoichi, she's more special than that, she in her own category" Naruto said as he went back to his ramen, letting Neji think about his words.
"Now I see what they were trying to prove…I can't believe I overlooked that" Neji said as he finished his ramen, paid for it, and got up as Naruto asked if he was sure this time. Neji frowned at Naruto who grinned and said he deserved that.
"Hey, it might have taken me a minute to realize Hinata's feelings but it took you longer than me."
Neji sighed as he said he needed to go see Tenten, walking toward the door.
"Okay but you better take Hinata as back-up" Naruto said as he started on his third bowl of ramen, noticing how Neji froze and gulped saying it was good idea as he headed back to the Manor, missing the grin on Naruto's face.
*switch views*
"Stupid…baka…Hyuuga" Tenten grumbled as she continued to aim at a target dummy, hitting the bulls eye every time while the weapons brothers watched from behind, impressed with her aim and secretly happy they weren't the dummy right now.
"You really have strong feelings for him" Kasuri said as watched Tenten toss once more kunai before she stopped, growing quiet as she sighed and said she did before heading over to the boys. Sitting down beside them, she continued to explain her feeling and ask why Neji just didn't get it.
"I know it's not because he's dense, look at Naruto, he finally caught on to Hinata's feeling but why can Neji catch on to mind" she sighed as the trio sat there listening, thinking about something.
Maybe his clan is the cause of his problem" Kama said which made Tenten look at him and ask how, not seeing any connection.
"Has he ever had a female figure in his life?" Bo asked as Tenten sat, thinking, as she said she didn't know.
"I'm not sure about his mother, he never talked about her, but I do know he was close to his dad before he died" Tenten said in which Kasuri said was the problem.
"He always seen his father as a role model, I bet his uncle the same way but he never been around many females except for his cousin Hinata."
Tenten grew quiet as she pieced the rest together as she gasped and said that was the reason.
"Now I know why he views girls the way he does. He was ordered to protect Hinata because he was a side branch member but she was weak when younger but she grew a lot stronger."
"Has Neji seen this stronger side of Hinata yet?"
"I doubt it Hanabi always won the spars so he said he stopped watching."
"There's the reason, he was made to protect Hinata he saw a weak girl so that is how he views females in general unless they have proven their strength."
"So if we show him the stronger side of Hinata then he will view me differently" Tenten said shooting up as she looked around.
"Maybe but it can help" the trio said as Tenten thanked them when she spotted Hinata and Neji approaching, seeing her opportunity walking toward her as she quickly walked over to them, missing the way Neji stopped and activated his byakugan, keeping a distance away in case she went crazy again.
"I challenge you Hinata to a spar" Tenten said suddenly which surprised Hinata and Neji as they asked why but Tenten didn't answer. She just pulled out a kunai and swung at Hinata who jumped back to doge the bladed weapon as she asked what she was doing. Seeing that the kunai wasn't going to work she summoned up a staff and continued to fight Hinata, not giving her time to get steady before Hinata growled and said fine, jumping back a few feet.
"You want a spar, you got one" Hinata said as she put on her gloves, snarled and started to fight back as she broke through Tenten's staff and continued to fight, Tenten using the broken staff to fend off Hinata, attacking each other when they could. Neji, who was forgotten, watched in surprise and interest as he watched the two going at each other, truly fighting and demonstrating their power.
'I see what Naruto meant now' as he watched as Tenten blocked an attack with a piece of the staff, hitting Hinata with the other part before it was pushed out of the way and Hinata slashed at Tenten's arm, drawing blood. Tenten soon abandoned the broken staff and brought out her scrolls, tossing so that weapons rained down on Hinata who countered with her Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms Guard, shocking Neji for he didn't know Hinata could do that.
'She really has improved'
"I see what you mean" Neji cried out but noticed the girls continued to fight which made Neji frown. "Okay, you two can stop now" he said louder but they continued to spar which soon made him concerned as they were still going all out, as if nothing matter except them sparring.
"They're having a serious spar now" Neji heard someone say and turned to see the weapons brother before he looked back at the duo as Hinata who was now as bloody as Tenten and going at it full force, no signs of stopping. "Should we stop them" he asked in which the trio said no, saying this was more than just about him and that this was to prove to themselves that their really improved.
"So what should I do to make up for being a baka?"
"Tenten's birthday is tomorrow right?" they asked in which Neji said yes before he looked up at them. "Come with us, we know what you can do" they said before all four left to find a certain kunoichi to help with their plan.
*later*
"Now that was a spar" Tenten said breathing heavily as she looked at Hinata who was almost bleeding, but a big smile on her face as she said she never felt better in her life.
"Thanks" Hinata said before she looked around and noticed that the boys were gone along with Neji, making her sigh. "Now where did he go and after we were coming to apologize too" Hinata thought as she looked around while Tenten gasped and said she was sorry.
"I went overboard and scared him off" Tenten thought sadly as Hinata patted her on the back and suggested they go get Chinese food for dinner which made her smile as they left, wondering where Neji was. Tenten followed Hinata back to the Manor where they met Hiashi who informed them that Neji was on a mission which surprised them.
"So late at night" Hinata asked suspiciously while Tenten sighed, said thanks, and left, feeling sad that she scared Neji off. As soon as she was out of sight, Hinata turned to her father, a knowing look on her face. "He's out getting her a gift isn't he" she stated more than asked as Hiashi nodded his head with a smile at his daughter figuring it out.
"Well I hope it's special at least he finally figured it out"
Hiashi watched as his daughter left for her room as he left for his study, stopping when heard the sound of training and went to see Naruto in the Hyuuga training ground, sparring against his clones, breathing hard as he demolished the last one. Hiashi smiled as he went back to his study, thinking about his strange but wonderful family.
'Yes, even the densest person can figure out love if they look directly in front of them'
*Tenten's house, 11:59pm*
Tenten sighed as she looked at the clock before looking up at the ceiling, heart heavy as she believed she lost her only chance of getting Neji to notice her, thinking what a lousy birthday it was starting to be as she looked at the clock and continued down the time until it hit mid. Once midnight struck, Tenten sighed, looking up at the ceiling with a frown on her face.
"Happy birthday Tenten" she said sarcastically as she closed her eyes.
"Yes, happy birthday Tenten" a voice said near her window, making her jump and grab a kunai as she asked who was there, seeing four people, the shortest one holding something in his hands. Tenten calmed down when she saw the moon came from behind the clouds, shining light on her mysterious guest, recognizing the clear eyes of the byakugan.
"Neji what are you doing here?" Tenten asked in a hushed voice, not wanting to wake her parents up as she saw the weapons brothers behind him ask Neji said he could take it from there, the trio wishing her a happy birthday before the left. "What do you mean? "Tenten asked confused until she noticed the gift in his hands.
"Sorry for not realizing you true reason earlier. I now know you're a beautiful woman whose strength is unbelievable, your intelligence unlimited, and your use of weapons unmatched."
"Oh Neji" Tenten said almost in tears as the Hyuuga handed her the gift in his hands.
"For the birthday of a woman" he said as she opened the gift to see a 3-section staff, a red Chinese dragon engraved on it. "I noticed how Hinata broke your previous one in your spar earlier" Neji said as he watched Tenten examine it before she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.
"It's beautiful" she gasped as she got up and hugged Neji who returned the hug.
"Not as beautiful as you" Neji responded, making Tenten blush before she grinned, her eyes growing half-lidded.
"Do you know what this woman wants to do now?" she said in a seductive way that had Neji's eyes going wide as he blushed and ask what. Tenten just grinned as she stepped closer to Neji, making him walk back.
"She wants you to…have a spar with her to try out her new weapon" she said with a smirk as Neji blink, brain processing what she said. "That is if you're up for it now" she asked as Neji smirked and moved back to her.
"Only if you agree to be my woman forever and always" he said, giving her a kiss.
"I think that's fair" she said as he grabbed her hand and they jumped out of the window, making their way to the training grounds where the sound of grunts and sparring was heard in the night, two hidden eyes watching them from the trees.
"I knew he would finally see the woman in Tenten" Hinata said as she deactivated her byakugan, a smile on her face while Naruto looked at Hinata with a mischievous grin.
"Well I want to see the woman in you now" Naruto said with a look that had Hinata blushing.
"Naruto-kun" she cried as the blonde laughing, jumping out of the tree, Hinata right behind him as they ran back to the Manor, missing when Neji and Tenten kissed under the stars, love in their eyes as they celebrated the birth of a woman.