A/N: This is almost too perfect. I've wanted to do a Neji-centric fic for a while, and this song fits him so well. Also, this is going to be one of the many tributes I will pay my favorite character, considering what has recently ensued in the manga, though I refuse to believe it until the series is over. *tries very very hard to not start sobbing* because kishimotO, YOU FUCKING TROLL. YOU DESTROYED MY LIFE WHEN YOU DECIDED IT WAS PERFECTLY FINE TO KILL OFF MY FAVORITE CHARACTER OF ALL-TIME 'KAY. NOT COOL. YOU'RE DRUNK. GO HOME. *ahem*
I'll try to keep it in character as much as possible. Sorry if I can't seem to do it well!
Hope you enjoy!
#3: Indestructible – Disturbed
Another mission
The powers have called me away
Another time to carry the colors again
My motivation, an oath I've sworn to defend
To win the honor of coming back home again
The way of the ninja was never far from Neji's mind when he was on missions, fighting. His moves were always calculated, precise, premeditated. His pride for his village was always shown when he put on his headband, covering the bandages that wrapped around his forehead, preventing others from seeing the mark of a Branch House Hyuga member.
This time, though, Neji thought bitterly as he surveyed his opponents, maybe he'd make an exception on one of the rules.
The ninja he was to fight were bulky and well-built. Neji instantly recognized the signature headbands from the Village Hidden in the Clouds, and felt his blood run cold. These bastards didn't know what was coming for them.
"What, you gonna dance for us, girly?" the biggest one who seemed to be their leader said. He was round, his belly sticking out of his shirt. His big face was lit by a mocking smile as Neji slipped out of the traditional fighting stance of the Gentle Fist. His teammates weren't present, as the mission had called for a sole ANBU-ranked ninja, and he had been chosen.
The young Hyuga smirked behind his hawk mask, leaping into the trees like a flash of lightning.
"Tricks like that ain't gonna work on us, punk!" another one said, looking up to the tree tops as Neji kept his form hidden from view.
His Byakugan was activated, though his adversaries could not see it. The veins protruding from the sides of his head were pounding severely, the chakra being sent to his eyes to perform his jutsu pulsing.
He was sure they were after the secrets of the scrolls he carried with him back from the Sand village. The fact that the scrolls would be moved that day from the Sand to the Leaf had somehow leaked, and Neji had been faced with many rogue and enemy ninja who were after them. There were political and medical secrets in those scrolls, Neji knew. He wasn't exactly sure what the content was, but he knew the subject.
"Goddamnit, where the hell did you go?" the leader said, his voice throaty and low. He seemed to be talking to himself, however.
Neji didn't want to be seen. Not yet. He, instead, threw kunai and shuriken, jumping around the trees as to not be detected. In the end, the two ninja below him had finally fallen for his trap and were now standing right where he wanted them. Swiftly, he performed a couple of hand seals, and murmured, "Eight Trigrams: One Hundred Twenty Eight Palms." Under his breath, and jumped directly in front of them from the branch that had kept him concealed. He slipped into his stance.
"That's it? You gotta be shitting me," the leader said, narrowing his eyes. His voice was disbelieving, and the long-haired Hyuga smirked, though they couldn't see it.
"You are now within my range," Neji said quietly, and his wild attack of palms began.
No explanation will matter after we begin
Unlock the dark destroyer that's buried within
My true vocation and now my unfortunate friend
You will discover a war you're unable to win
The two men he had been fighting now laid on the ground, gasping for breath and spouting out blood. Neji hadn't killed them, he'd just intended to impair a few organs and cause enough internal bleeding for him to make a clean escape.
The young ANBU gave them one last sweeping glance, making sure no one else was in the vicinity, and leapt off into the trees once again.
It was strange, he though, how many ninja seemed to know that he was on his way to the Leaf already. The exchange had only really been assured by the Hokage and Kazekage (who still remained Gaara) for a little less than a week. It was insane how all these enemies seemed to already be well-informed for the current situation that could be instigated if any of them were to get hold of the scrolls: The Hokage herself had to debate who to send out to retrieve them, and she had to choose wisely. She had told Neji that if any enemy ninja got a hold of them, it could mean war.
He had been merely traveling back to the Leaf for perhaps a day and a half, perhaps a little more than that, and he had already come across about four teams, who insisted he hand over the scrolls, lest he be killed. The surprise had been on them, when he reveled his true prowess.
And now, tired and a bit annoyed, he trudged back to Konoha at top speed, soaring through the forest via tree branches.
Mere minutes after the last fight, he found himself in the middle of a clearing full of what seemed to be, Chunnin and perhaps a couple of Jounin. He stopped dead on his tracks, because if he made a false move, it would give away his position almost immediately.
The ninja underneath him didn't seem too strong, judging by their chakra flow. But he reasoned that, since he was outnumbered 6 to 1, he'd rather not take his chances, no matter how much of an ANBU ranked ninja he himself was.
"Goddamnit. I'm sick of sitting here doing nothing. Who the fuck even knows if this kid will show up or not? Maybe he was killed or somethin'." Neji guessed the owner of the voice to be the average-height boy who seemed like he was perhaps fourteen years old. He looked irritated, and promptly sat down where he stood. The rest of the ninja that were with him scowled.
"Shut the hell up, and stand up from there. We gotta be on guard; he could be here any moment." An older man said, pulling the boy up by pulling on his sleeve.
Neji decided it was now or never. After a couple of hand seals, and mimicking a fellow comrade of his, a shadow clone stood in front of him. He made of couple of other hand signs and transformed it into a hawk, and prayed his plan would work.
"Did you hear that?" another man said, shutting everyone up effectively.
"I didn't hear a damn thing-"
"Shut up, I think he's here!"
The hawk fluttered his wings, and flew from the tree he rested on to an adjacent one, gathering the attention of the shinobi beneath them. Neji took it as his chance, and jumped across the clearing, attempting to get away.
"I told you I didn't hear a damn thing-" but he was interrupted.
"It's him, goddamnit! It's him!" the man who had heard the 'hawk' said, pointing in Neji's direction.
The ninja, all befuddled, turned towards the tree tops, some hurling kunai and shuriken as they leapt up, For Neji, dodging these was relatively easy, especially after having a weapon's expert in the team for so long, and sparring with her every day for the past seven years. In comparison to Tenten's deathly speed and accuracy, these poorly-aimed weapons stood no chance of stopping him. He battled them away with his hands as if they were flies.
"After him!" one of the men said, and, in a rapid succession, they jumped up, trying to catch up to the masked man.
Finally, Neji decided he'd rather fight than run. At least then, when he won, he'd have the advantage of a clean escape.
He stopped suddenly, poised on a thick tree branch as the six shinobi in front of him realized that he had decided to advance into battle.
A thin blonde stepped out of the posse, looking both arrogant and superior to everyone else. "So you're done runnin', sweetheart?"
Neji felt a vein in his forehead pop in anger: Long hair did not mean he was any less masculine, goddamnit!
"If you hand over the scrolls…" he drawled, eyeing Neji from head to toe. "I promise to not hurt you too badly."
Under his hawk mask, Neji narrowed his eyes, feeling ready to Jyuuken the shit out of him.
"But you know, such a pretty man should take his mask off to battle," the blonde continued. "It's of bad fighting etiquette to not show your opponent your face, you know…"
Now Neji was just pissed. He slipped into his usual fighting stance, his body tensed and ready to attack whenever he saw the first opening.
"Now, now…" the blonde casually slipped his hand into his pocket, and Neji knew there were smoke bombs in there. He smirked. "Don't get so defensive, babe."
As he finished his sentence, he brought his hand out from inside his pocket, releasing the smoke bombs with a swift of his wrist.
To Neji, the smoke was meaningless.
With his Byakugan, the Hyuga spotted the men in front of him charge at full speed at him. He smirked.
He slid into his Jyuuken stance, muttering "Eight Trigrams: 128 Palms," He performed one of his signature moves, moving from one man to another quicker than the human eye could see.
The persistent ones who kept coming back for more were rewarded with a bitter taste of the young Hyuga's Air Palm, sending them back against tree trunks.
"This is impossible…" the blonde, now bleeding from being flung against a tree, said. "The smoke remains thick. How – how are you able to fight back with such exactitude, such precision, as if it were a clear day out?"
"In front of my eyes," Neji said, his quiet voice amplified in the quiet clearing. "It is meaningless."
I'll have you know that I've become indestructible
Determination that is incorruptible
From the other side, a terror to behold
Annihilation will be unavoidable
The men looked bewildered. They looked up at Neji with awe and wonder, asking themselves how someone could be as powerful as the mysterious masked man with the long hair.
Practicing with Tenten, as aforementioned, had been exceedingly beneficial when it came to his development and prowess while handling weapons; though not nearly as good with them as her, he was certainly skilled. His enemies were now lying about the forest ground with various senbon sticking out from their battered forms. They were bound in their own bodies, affected by the poisoned volley of the thin needles. Neji himself remained more or less unscathed.
"Shit!" the blonde shouted out in anger. "This isn't over!" but he couldn't move. Neji could see this just as well as the man could feel it.
"You… You're no regular shinobi…" one of them, an older man, said. His eyes narrowed in both pain and suspicion.
"This guy…" the youngest one from the group murmured. "He's… invincible. Indestructible."
Underneath his hawk mask, Neji stared back with stoic indifference.
"This... isn't over, damnit!" the blonde repeated stubbornly.
"It was over before it started." Neji said, voice low and velvet.
With one last sweeping glance, he jumped back to the tree branches.
Every broken enemy will know that
Their opponent had to be invincible
Take a last look around while you're alive
I'm an indestructible master of war
The continued fighting left the young Hyuga practically out of chakra. He was also nearly out of soldier pills, which had been extremely beneficial up to this point. The journey back to Konoha was still maybe about five or six hours from being over, and he couldn't wait to get home.
His last fight had left him with various cuts and bruises, covering part of his pale arms and legs. He suspected he had a torn ligament in his left arm. His chest also felt compressed: there was probably a bruise there, too.
Granted, it was virtually nothing for three full consecutive days of non-stop fighting. He continued on, however. He intended to get to Konoha without any more fights if he could help it.
Something one of the many men he fought said about him kept circling him mind over and over, refusing to let him be.
"This guy… He's… invincible. Indestructible."
Another reason, another cause for me to fight
Another fuse uncovered now for me to light
My dedication to all that I've sworn to protect
I carry out my orders without a regret
Two hours before his arrival at Konoha, he was ambushed once again. It was a bit of a pitiful sight, if he was being honest. The ninja who were against him looked to be Genin from the Grass, but the fact that they were so close to the village and hadn't been detected was a bit worrying. Their chakra wasn't strong though; it even seemed like their chakra coils weren't fully developed yet. It faintly reminded Neji of a young, academy Lee.
There was one adult with them, who Neji guessed to be their sensei. He himself seemed to have a not-so-strong chakra signature, like his students. The young Hyuga wasn't too keen on underestimating them, though: he'd made that mistake before, and he wasn't about to do it again. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, and pumped more chakra to his feet, soaring through the tree tops at superior speed.
"All right, team, go!" the older man in the posse yelled, getting the rest of his team to leap after the masked shinobi.
The last reserves of his chakra were almost fully used up in pumping it to his feet. Neji cursed grimly in his mind. 'Fuck. I've almost run out of soldier pills…'
His stamina was almost as good as Lee's, though. And even if he had almost no more chakra left, his speed was exceedingly fast. The young ninja after him had no chance or hope to catch up. Not even their sensei.
They tried throwing kunai and a couple of shuriken and some senbon at Neji. He dodged those easily enough, even managing to send a couple back. His aim wasn't as good as he would've liked because of his fatigue, but they were still pretty close to their arks. A couple of the senbon managed to hit two of the fastest kids. Their speed lessened considerably due to the poison now cursing through their veins.
"Zuki! Kensuke!" their sensei called out to his fallen students.
Neji forced his legs to move faster, to get closer to Konoha so he didn't have to deal with the brats behind him. Five minutes away from the familiar red gates, they were still behind him, not giving up despite the fact that they were in enemy territory, and that that chase had been going over an hour. The long-haired Hyuga had to acknowledge their persistence.
But it was time to end the pursuit, he thought bitterly.
He gathered the last reserves of his chakra, and formed the necessary hand seals, popping the last soldier pill he had at hand in his mouth. The young shinobi who had been after him looked both tired and surprised at his sudden stop.
"You're all now within my range." He informed them, his voice low.
One of the younger kids suddenly broke out of his fighting stance, looking confused. "Wait, Ryuu-sensei," he said, looking back to his mentor. "I thought we were chasing a girl?"
There was an awkward silence, and Neji swore he could feel a vein pulsing dangerously in his forehead.
"Yeah! Long hair like that can't possibly belong to a man!" another yelled.
Ryuu-sensei looked irritated, barely able to mirror the anger Neji was starting to feel.
"Enough nonsense, just attack! He's stationary!"
But before his squad could even begin to move back to position, Neji moved into his signature jutsu: Eight Trigrams: 128 palms. Neji was sure he had used this move more than 50 times since returning back to Konoha. Anything less seemed highly implausible.
But they were just kids, after all. He didn't actually damage any organs or fatally wound them, despite the ulcer-inducing comments regarding him. Instead, he'd just made sure they wouldn't be able to move for a couple of hours.
The commotion had gathered the attention of the gate's guards. Kotetsu and Izumo rushed to the aid of the young, drained-of-chakra shinobi they had grown to know as Neji Hyuga.
"Are you all right? Do you need medical assistance?" Izumo asked him, rushing to his aid as he dropped to one knee from the fatigue and the over-usage of chakra.
"No, I think I should be fine after some rest. I've just – run completely out of – chakra…" he said, his vision going cloudy at the edges. His hearing was also deteriorating, as if there was some sort of eerie wall muffling all sound from his eardrums.
The last words he heard before the darkness engulfed him were something along the lines of "It's Hyuga, he'll be all right." He couldn't be sure who had said them, but they gave him a funny feeling in his tummy.
He'll be all right. He always is.
My declaration embedded deep under my skin
A permanent reminder of how it began
No hesitation when I am commanded to strike
You need to know that you're in for the fight of your life
You will be shown how I become indestructible
Determination that is incorruptible
From the other side, a terror to behind
Annihilation will be unavoidable
Every broken enemy will know
That their opponent will had to be invincible
Take one last look around while you're alive
I'm an indestructible master of war
A/N: The last bit felt incredibly rushed. And honestly, I didn't feel the need to explain if he was okay in the end because that last line (which is left open for a reason) sort of explains my feelings about it. He would be okay in any situation. I MEAN, IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR KISHIMOTO, THAT IS. ASDFGHJKL;
Anyways, hope you enjoyed.
xo