Depth Perception
The Hokage sipped her sake and closed her eyes, savouring a rare moment of quiet, which lasted all of five seconds before Shizune appeared with a large pile of papers.
Tsunade's former apprentice, and current assistant, placed the various documents on the Hokage's already overflowing desk with a sigh. She shot her master a disapproving look, which was completely ignored in favour of the sake.
"Hyuuga Neji is waiting outside, Tsunade-sama. Should I show him in?"
Tsunade's brow pinched in a frown, but she nodded slowly. Her frown deepened as she searched her desk for a mission's request that she appeared to have misplaced. She muttered irritably when it failed to instantly materialise at her fingertips, eventually exploding.
"Shizune! Where is-!"
A scroll was placed immediately in her hand.
Tsunade unrolled it with a huff and ignored Shizune's superior expression, quickly scanning the contents of the parchment. She gave her head a satisfied nod, and then finally looked up at the ninja who had silently entered the room in the interim.
"Neji."
"Hokage-sama."
The young man bowed, lowering his extraordinary eyes to the floor. Tsunade regarded him in silence for a moment before speaking.
"Neji, as I'm sure you know, I have consulted at length with the Elders. I have talked with your sensei. I have even spoken to Hiashi, and we are all in agreement."
She paused and pressed her fingers together, attempting to gauge Neji's reaction. There was none. His pale face betrayed not the slightest flicker of emotion, not hope, not fear, not the smallest hint of uncertainty. Tsunade smiled very slightly.
"Although you are still young, your abilities have surpassed the level of Chunin. I'm sure it won't come as a surprise to you to hear that I am therefore promoting you to the rank of Jonin."
There was a beat of silence in which Tsunade felt the eyes of the Hyuuga regard her carefully.
"Arigatou, Hokage-sama." Neji bowed his head again.
"Jonin are highly-experience ninja with great individual skill. They typically serve as our military captains," Tsunade continued, toying with her sake bottle thoughtfully. "This means you will be sent on more A-rank missions, and given the current state of Konoha, probably S-rank missions too. You may be asked to complete these missions alone. Do you understand?"
"Hai."
The reply was instant and unwavering. Tsunade looked down again at her bottle of sake, and was surprised, on looking up, to find that the stoic young man in front of her had turned his pale, pupil-less eyes towards the window.
Neji's eyebrows had lowered, hinting towards a frown.
"I understand, Hokage-sama, but… I have a… request."
Tenten was cleaning and sharpening her arsenal of weapons. Blades gleamed all around her, winking in the sunlight like a hundred deadly eyes.
Lee and Gai-sensei were training together. Tenten had joined them earlier in the day, but she had since excused herself. They had asked her to stay with them, aware that she was lacking her usual sparring partner, but she had still made her excuses and left them to… well, whatever insanity that they were indulging in today.
The prospect of dealing with the 'dynamic duo' on her own on a daily basis from now on did not fill Tenten's heart with joy. She was very fond of the eccentric pair. But only in small diluted doses.
Stupid Neji!
Tenten picked up a kunai and threw it idly at the one of the targets that hung on the wall. It hit the centre with a satisfying thud that did nothing to lift her spirits.
She sighed, and fiddled with the senbon needles that she had just been about to test for weight. She was being selfish. Of course Neji wasn't going to remain with Team Gai forever, frankly it was a miracle of epic proportions that he had lasted this long. He was in a different league to the rest of them; considered a genius ever since their first days at the academy.
And Tenten wanted him to be the best ninja that he could be. She really did. That was why she nearly killed herself (and not in a figurative sense) helping him train. That was why she didn't understand her current malaise. She thoughtfully twirled the senbon in her dexterous fingers like a miniature baton. She would be happy for him.
Maybe it was the prospect of change that was leaving her feeling unsettled? Or maybe the prospect of being left behind? Maybe they would get a new team member? For some reason that thought was even less palatable than being left alone with Lee and Gai.
Tenten gave her head a little shake. There was no point worrying about what she couldn't change. She determined to adopt her typically cheerful demeanour and returned to the task at hand, and she did exactly that, until she was interrupted by a knock at the door.
Two honeyed-brown eyes looked up, as the rest of Tenten's body froze, not moving a muscle until the knock was impatiently repeated. She got up then, and grabbed the kunai from the target, moving quickly and silently towards the front door.
She hadn't quite believed what her senses had told her about the Chakra signature waiting irritably for her to answer the summons. All the same, she didn't think that the best replacement Jutsu in the world could duplicate the exact look of subtle irritation in Neji's eyes when she pulled the door open. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
"Konichiha," Tenten said weakly, dipping her head, and then, recalling her earlier resolve, she summoned a sunny smile. "Well then? Do I need to congratulate you?"
"I don't believe congratulations are compulsory."
Tenten laughed, even as her heart gave a funny little lurch.
"In that case, I have a present for you," she smiled, disappearing inside and then reappearing a few moments later with a sturdy little box clasped in her hands. Neji glanced between it and her face. "It's a 'well done for becoming a Jonin' present," Tenten elaborated, when he didn't immediately take it from her.
"Does it come in the form of a kunai?"
Tenten frowned. "Did you peek?" she demanded. She narrowed her eyes and glared up at him suspiciously. She hadn't noticed him activate his Byakugan.
"No, but you always-" Neji stopped speaking and wisely left that sentence incomplete. He cleared his throat and accepted the present. "Thank you, Tenten."
There was a small, awkward silence in which Neji regarded the beautifully practical handcrafted weapon, and Tenten busily tried to work out what Neji was doing standing on her doorstep if he hadn't come for congratulations or presents? She was quite sure he was meant to be at the Hyuuga compound having a surprise party inflicted on him.
"You weren't at the training grounds."
Tenten started. Had she spoken her question aloud or was Neji reading her eyes? He had promised never to do to her outside of their training battles! But maybe she was just easy to read?
"You looked for me at the training grounds?" she asked, curiosity winning over suspicion.
"To give you the details of our next mission. Gai and Lee are already preparing to leave."
"Team Gai's next mission?" Tenten whispered, staring at Neji with hope that couldn't be hidden. Unfortunately he was simply frowning back down at her rather harshly.
"Yes. Of course. Did Lee kick you in the head while I was gone?"
Tenten ignored the taunt and snatched the scroll that Neji was now offering her from his hand. She read it through quickly and licked her lips, unable to keep the question that she was dying to ask to herself for a second longer.
"Are you coming too?"
She felt a real unexpected jolt of fear when he looked away, and tried to convince herself, unconvincingly, that his answer didn't matter.
"I'm part of Team Gai, aren't I?"
"Hai," Tenten whispered. She bowed her head. Her breath left her body in a rush of sheer relief, and a sense of balance returned to her world. "Part of the sane half," she grinned, coming back to herself. "If you leave, it's just me, and they might manage to break me."
Neji actually cracked a smile. Just a small one.
"Okay. I just need to grab my stuff and then I'll be ready to go," Tenten announced, darting back inside to fetch her scrolls and backpack.
Neji leant back against the outside wall of the building and spun his new kunai around his fingers.
"I'll wait for you," he murmured quietly.
≈≈ fin ≈≈
My first attempt at a Naruto fic. I hope it's okay. I just love the subtleties of the relationship between Neji and Tenten. Reviews are most welcome. :)