Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

A/N: I found this Naruto challenge on Tumblr and I decided to convert it to fanfiction! It will be a collection of thirty one-shots based on the prompts given, the idea is to do one a day but I may fall behind because of midterms, be patient. Let me know what you think by reviewing!

I almost forgot to mention, I used a random mood generator to up the challenge a bit. The mood generated for this one shot was: aggressive, seemingly loyal. I'll post what the emotion is for each one-shot at the top.

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DAY 01 - favorite male character [Neji Hyūga]

Exactly three years ago Naruto Uzumaki had defeated him in the tournament round of the chūnin exams; now he was sixteen and a jōnin. His acceptance of fate had been reconsidered that night as he lay in a hospital bed thinking about the blonde's words.

"Because unlike me... you're not a failure."

That single sentence had redefined his entire way of living.

How could he have been so naïve? - only a child believes in such foolish things as destiny. His future was for him alone to decide, and so here he was defending Hinata as he was meant to, but this time she fought alongside him. The Hyūga heiress was not content with being protected any longer, Neji had seen it in her eyes: courage.

Many would mistake his current course of action as loyalty - but he owed his loyalty to no one, despite his lineage. In truth, he guarded his cousin out of pure aggression; he would not be beaten again, especially not by these pathetic marauders who seemed to think they could raid the Hyūga clan's estate without consequence. The fact that Hinata had earned his admiration only added fuel to the fire.

He glanced out the nearby window, seeing that it was not yet morning. The moon glimmered brilliantly in the black sky, the stars acting as its entourage for the night. These thieves had some nerve to attempt to steal from one of the most prominent families in Konoha. They had picked the wrong target, and they would pay dearly for that mistake.

He had no intention of allowing three petty criminals to escape.

Neji felt Hinata's back press against his, drawing him away from his anger and grounding him. A katana came flying toward him and out of instinct he ducked beneath it, watching it slice a few strands of Hinata's dark hair as she dropped with him. Her lavender eyes narrowed as she sent a kunai flying in the swordsman's direction. He blocked it easily but it provided an excellent distraction as Neji swept his leg out and tripped him.

The man landed on his back and the heiress pinned him down with a few well placed shiruken. Then the makeshift team turned to face their only remaining opponent. This one had eyes glazed with fear from watching his friends be cut down, his hands trembled where they held the bag of stolen possessions.

Neji took a step toward him, his long ebony hair falling away from his eyes which were revealed to be locked on the trespasser. The enemy ninja dropped the canvas sack and broke into a sprint, fleeing from the enraged Hyūga who had entered a threatening offensive stance.

The boy made a move to chase him down but turned when a gentle tug came from his sleeve. Hinata was looking up at him and he realized for the first time how much taller he was than her - at least half a foot. Her pale orbs closed as she smiled at him and ran a dainty hand through her mussed blue hair.

"We cannot let him get away," Neji said through clenched teeth.

"I- I know, I just thought we should clean before everyone wakes up."

The jōnin looked around him to see multiple overturned chairs and a very expensive - and now very torn - rug crumpled on the wooden floor. Then he observed the overflowing contents of the bag, they would have to sort out what was theirs and then send the rest of the belongings to the Hokage so she could return them to the proper owners.

He sighed, knowing Hinata was right.

"Very well, we should begin now then."

"Hai."

Neji began to replace each piece of conservative furniture to its original position while his cousin rolled up the exquisite tapestry and stuffed it into an empty closet. They were both aware that the missing rug would be noticed and an explanation would be required to recount the events of that night.

It would be a quick story - he had been sleeping when a muffled noise sounded from the downstairs. Throwing on his clothing, Neji crept down the stairs and saw the intruders surrounding Hinata who must have heard the disturbance as well. She had already taken one of them out when he intervened to level the playing field. Two against two.

The marauders had been dealt with quickly and easily.

Now that everything was back in place within the Hyūga house, Neji turned to Hinata who was still fussing with a vase. She was trying to put it back on the mantle but her limited height was proving to be a disadvantage in this particular task. A suppressed smile tugged at his lips as he watched her struggle.

Neji crossed the distance between them and took the beautiful porcelain decoration from her small hands. He reached above his head - not bothering to stand on his toes like she had - and replaced the missing item. Hinata blushed slightly, her ivory cheeks staining with pink.

She clutched her hands in front of her and looked up at him with an appreciative smile which he returned with developing affection. It was strange, he had despised her only two years earlier. Hated her for being born into the main branch of the clan - for being the heiress despite his preferable skill. Now he found himself coming to adore the kind-hearted girl.

Neji brushed a strand of her raven hair away from her face, his eyes softening.

"Are you alright, cousin?"

Hinata gasped a bit, he had never referred to her as family before. "Y- yes."

She stared down at the floor unsure of what to say. Neji never really cared for her, even though his rank demanded it. She had always understood, knowing that it pained him to be considered second class. Hinata had always agreed with him on this point, he was superior to her and she had always regarded him with substantial respect, even when no one else did.

Neji regarded the dark circles beneath her eyes and put a firm hand on her shoulder.

"You should get some sleep, I'll take care of the rest."

She nodded with a ghost of a smile caressing her pretty features. The heiress looked so delicate in the moonlight and it only served to make her seem more fragile but nothing could be further from the truth. Hinata was becoming a better kunoichi every day, her improvement was increasingly noticeable even to him. She was getting stronger, surpassing his expectations.

Neji had thought she would always be timid and useless, an inadequate leader for the Hyūga clan. Now he could see how wrong he was - and strangely, he was glad. He really was starting to regard her as family; a flower that, after such a long time, was finally blooming.

You've truly become something else, dear cousin.

Sliding on his typical shinobi sandals, Neji threw the canvas sack over his shoulder and twisted the doorknob to the porch. He looked back briefly to see Hinata making her way up the stairs to her bedroom, then the young man pushed the door open and headed out into the night. A cool breeze rushed to greet him and he closed his eyes against its touch.

I look forward to seeing you grow even further.