Beginning Anew
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…
A/N: Well, thank you to all those that reviewed. This chapter contains a report on how Naruto and Jiraiya is fairing in Suna. Yippee!! It also contains some scenes with Sakura and Neji although there still isn't much. I don't want to rush things. Once again, please tell me if one of them gets too out of character. It will all eventually change but if it is too sudden please let me know so I can't work it out. Read and Review .
Full Summary: Now somewhat darker and serious, a journey is taken to fulfill his dream, while leaving behind a cherry blossom wallowing in her own despair. Will she be able to stand and catch up to her team mate who is so close to achieving the final title that every shinobi would die to have or protect? Who would be her pillar to lean on when she collapses? Please read and Review.
"speech"… 'thoughts'… "Kyubbi"
Bumping Into You
The other set of eyes that had follows Sakura from he market place to Aisura's home stepped out of the shadows that hid him so well. Piercing pearl eyes glinted dangerously as his mind was in chaos. From what he could tell, the 2 women that Sakura was talking to were kunoichi. Two skilled kunoichi that were able to hide their chakra well. He would have never known that until one of their's flared slightly doing a jutsu. It was fast and he had barely been able to catch it. Once he found out that the other knew and was a kunoichi as well, he hid his chakra. Putting and closing of a few pathways until he only had enough to act like a normal civilian if were caught. Luckily for him, the 2 seemed extremely occupied by his charge to notice that he was there.
Neji's mind was a mess. Many thoughts and questions ran through his head at abnormal speeds. His head was starting to hurt from trying to process all that he had seen today.
'Take a deep breath, let it out. Okay, I'm calm. Now I need to go back to the compound and meditate. There are many thoughts that I have to organise and sort.'
He slowly started to walk back towards the market place and back to Hyuuga compound. He didn't run, in case he drew attention to himself.
'Why does this girl draw so much unneeded attention to herself? My life would be so much simpler without the added complications.'
The numbing sensation of pain was slowly dulling as he continued to relax as he walked. Closing his eyes, he briefly thought about all the events that had occurred within an hour time span.
'What does the pink haired kunoichi possess that would attract skilled shinobi and kunoichi to her. What does she have that I have not seen?' The image of an alien yet calming chakra came to mind. 'Was it her that used that chakra? It was that that drew me to that sector of the market place. There were no other ninja around the district but her and the old kunoichi. Was it the old kunoichi that emitted the strange chakra?'
His mind started hurting again so he opened his eyes and rubbed his temples to get the soothing effect. To his surprise, his feet had carried him to the front of the compound.
"Finally," he said with a sigh of relief.
Xx
"I'm terribly sorry that I'm late Tsunade-sama. I bumped into an old lady and had to heal her. And then I carried her bags for her so that her twisted ankle wouldn't have as much strain…"
Tsunade seemed distracted as she waved her hand dismissively to Sakura's excuse for being late. In fact, something seemed wrong as Tsunade was busily doing her paperwork. Writing a few letters and stamping a few she actually looked like she was hard at work. Sakura's eyes narrowed at the person before her.
"Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked hesitantly.
"Take a seat Sakura. I got a few things to discuss with you. Listen well because I won't repeat." Tsunade said as she continued to busy herself as Sakura hastily took a seat in front of her desk. Once seated, Tsunade lifted her head and put it on top of her clasped hands.
"I received the report from Jiraiya and Naruto." Sakura's face visibly brightened when she heard that her friend was alive and ell. "The time in which they are scheduled to return to Konoha has remained the same. He is doing really well under the frog hermit's tutelage. I am not however allowed to share what they did because it is classified."
"That however is not the important news I needed to tell you. Some things have been brought to my immediate attention. I will not be able to train you as much. You'll need to find someone to tutor and teach you on the days that I can't. Unfortunately for you, you won't be able to take any days off due to a few problems that have risen."
The expression on Sakura's face turned from confused to utter shock. Questions were racing through her mind a mile a minute. She was about to start her rant when her sensei cut her off.
"I know that this is hard on you but please understand that my duty as Hokage at this critical time is very important. It isn't like I won't be able to train you. Think of it as I won't be able to train you as much. Your new tutor and sparring partner should be able to cover it all as well as more."
After a few more moments, Sakura nodded in understanding. The Godaime gave her a grateful smile. "Now before I forget, you'll probably be undergoing the chunnin exams again in about a year. It's not like I don't think you'll pass but relations with Grass has been quite shaky recently and I don't wish to risk the lives of potential chunnin in the exam in 4 months."
Sakura gave a nod in understanding once again.
"Good. Before we continue talking about unneeded political matters we should start our lesson. Do you feel like learning anything specific today?"
Sakura thought for a short while until she came across and event that still had her flustered. The incident from this morning… "Um, I was wondering… can you detect other ninja's with our chakra by their chakra?"
Tsunade arched her eyebrows in surprise. "Well, yes. A lot of ninja's do so when tracking, hunting, and battling. If you are familiar with one's chakra, you would be able to detect them. Just send out a thin veil of chakra outwards. Reach out and take in all your surroundings like when you are meditating. If it is foreign it usually means that I might be an enemy shinobi. Now why would you be interested in this? People who are usually talented and have excellent chakra control would be able to detect another easily. Some intelligent ninja's in our research labs have also deduced that the same theory could be used to detect those who try to hide it as well. Are you experiencing difficulties?"
A slight flush appeared on Sakura's features. "Um well, actually I've never done it before. But I can see why the same concept would work to find those who try to hide their chakra."
"So what brought up your sudden interest?"
"Um…nothing."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes…"
"Okay then. Today's lesson will start with some quick medical jutsu warm-ups. Then we'll learn the concept behind super-strength taijutsu. Now I warn you that I don't want you shouting off to your friends or practicing in public. You will need to find a place to practice that is secluded and that no one will come upon. Hmm… I guess your sparring partner would be allowed to know but he or she will not be able to tell. Understood?"
"Hai," Sakura said while nodding her head vigorously. All her body movements indicated that she was excited. 'I'll worry about other matters later.'
Xx
Pearl like eyes opened to see a clean pristine room. Extremely neat; the furniture not either crowded or sparse. Cosy yet unwelcoming to guests or strangers other that it's owner. Neji's eyes scanned his room briefly to see if anything was out of place. It was normal habit for Neji to do so in case anyone had come in. He had 'kindly' asked the main house and maids to leave his room alone. Neji was a neat person. Close to perfect but always seemed to hold his own flaws. Most remain unseen to others and yet those that can be seen, no one dares to point out or they would suffer his wrath.
He is a secretive person as well. He hides his secrets as he hides his emotions. One slip and it could be over for him. Neji keeps to himself. Never sharing and never talking unless it was needed. A mysterious boy turning man. Handsome as they come. What girl wouldn't fall for him? Another Shino minus the glasses, high collar, hair, and bugs…
Seeing that nothing was out of place, he went and sat down on one of the meditating mats set in front of the drawer that held his ninja weapons. Neji sat in a comfortable position and closed his eyes once again. He took a few deep breaths to relax all the alert muscles and began to go into a trance.
The room was eerily silent, as if there were no one inside. Even chakra was barely detected behind the white sliding doors.
His mind was a mess as soon as he entered his usually calm abode. As of right now, his brain seemed to be working on the fumes alone. To put it simply, the place was a mess. It was hectic. It was not Neji. As the better part of his head began to fix the mess of events at the end of the day, Neji began to organise and find the meaning of the events that had occurred.
He watched as he watched the pink haired kunoichi doing her daily exercises before giving her attention to her other skills. He was a witness to her ninjustu which were compromised of the 3 basic ones learned at the academy and 17 others. This list was quite short, although the ones she could perform were near or exactly perfect. The other art that se sae her practice was her genjutsu. It was hard to admit but he had to say that she was quite talented in this section. Although she had not learned much, the ones she knew were at least B-rank. 'If she had a sparring partner then she would be able to learn more quickly. However training and isolating yourself may be good at times, people still need teamwork or human interaction to improve.' A memory of his team flashed by quickly as his train of thought was interrupted. Okay, now from observing her, Neji deduced that her main focus was on her taijutsu. It used to be one of her weakest points but now it is beyond average of a genin's. She was improving steadily but it would be halted once in a while when she did exercise that required two people. If her were to rank the 3, the order would be ninjustu, genjutsu, the taijutsu. Although her genjutsu was pretty close to her taijutsu.
Watching her practice everyday for 2months, Neji himself would have thought that she would learn and practice medical jutsu's. He had learned that the Hokage was the best medical-nin in the history of Konoha form Ten Ten when they were still in the academy. Ten Ten was a huge fan of Tsunade's so that was no surprise. He was sorely disappointed when he hadn't seen a single healing jutsu throughout this time period. He had thought that the Hokage would teach her some of the skills that would and could be used on the battle field proving to be a great asset and advantage. And he would have thought that the girl would ask to be trained in that area. But unfortunately his deduction seemed to be wrong. Neji was rarely wrong so this surprised and puzzled him. 'What piece of the puzzle am I missing? What is it that the 2 kunoichi would want form Sakura-san? Her skills are only slightly above average at the moment and there are a lot more talented shinobi in Konoha. What does she have that I had not seen?' Neji gave a mental sigh filled with stress. 'Okay no jumping. Let's go back to the forest of training ground 28.'
'Shortly after being detected, I left to have some lunch. The canopy and trees were thinning out as I got towards the market pace so I abandoned the idea of practicing my stealth. Walking along the streets I ran into Shikamaru-san. The lazy genius chunnin. We had a brief conversation about the chunnin exams in Grass. I was surprised that only a single genin would attend to hold up our shaky relations. I wanted to be the representative but it was risky. And I admit that there might have been a few genin more suitable for the job. But when I thought about it again I saw a problem…'
Flashback
"But aren't there supposed to be at least a 3 man team that attends? Grass would like to practice wouldn't they?" Neji asked.
"I asked Tsunade too during the meeting but she said that only Konoha and a few other villages follow this tradition. Others only want to test one's skills and power in combat. Some like Grass do this as well as teamwork. But their teams would be selected randomly. So one team might consist of 3 genin's each from a separate village. All this is so troublesome. I don't understand why they can't just do some silly test like those genin's and pass the ones that qualify." Shikamaru said while rolling his eyes at his own thought.
"Villages such as us want to advertise our ninja's to get better business. I'm surprised and yet I still understand the Godaime's reason for only one shinobi. Our relations are shaky and after losing a huge part of our forces in the invasion we don't want to risk the chance of losing potential chunnin. But wouldn't she want to send more so that we could show all the other villages that we can stand up strong even after the war?"
"That's why I say this is troublesome. Our senseis should know when we are ready. I say they should be the ones to promote us to chunnin."
"You really are terribly lazy. Asuma-san would have already made you chunnin a long time ago then. Your team although quite good still are lacking in areas. But Asuma-san can't see all your weaknesses."
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed a bit when he thought that Neji was declaring him and his team weak. But then he snorted and said, "I guess you're right." A mental image of Asuma-sensei being lazy with a cigarette in his mouth dozing off while the team was arguing about what to practice first flashed through his mind. "But I still say this is too troublesome for me to look for a candidate for this exam. All of us were instructed to do so, however a genin must know before he is nominated. I would ask Shino but Kurenai would probably nominate him and since Asuma-sensei is dating her he would probably nominate him as well. Your sensei might be fretting over Lee and you. If he frets our entire village would be doomed by his extremely long winded and boring and not to mention annoying youthful rants. Besides you are suited for the job and others might nominate you as well. Now it's up to the rest of the chunnin's and jounin's to vote who would go. So do you want to go or not?"
Neji had an amused smirk on his face when Shikamaru mentioned his sensei's habits. 'Maybe I can get along with him. But he gives much unneeded information. Talks too much… or maybe he's trying to tell me something. Hn, could also mean he's nervous or just plain lazy to ask another. Probably the latter.' "Hn, sure. I don't care."
"Good because I already put in my slip." With that said, Shikamaru lifted himself off the wall that he was leaning on and started to walk away. With his back towards Neji he waved and said "See ya and good luck with the hag if you are to go. Ugh… so troublesome."
Neji looked slightly irritated that Shikamaru entered him without asking first. But the harms already done so he couldn't complain. He didn't want to complain. He wasn't one to complain. 'He's truly lazy but I can't help but think that there was something he wanted to say. He usually wouldn't talk so much. Probably classified information. I'll think about it later.'
End of Flashback
'Yea I'll think about that later. I'm more worried about that girl's problem. Okay, after talking to Shikamaru, I continued down towards the centre where all the food stands were. I passed by many people from the academy; some of which were chunnin's and jounin's. I paid them no mind as I made my way to the usual café where I have lunch. It was a quiet place secluded and isolated from the rest of the market.' That part of the town wasn't in the best conditions either therefore Neji found it the perfect place to enjoy his meal away from fan girls. Unfortunately it had a certain downfall. There was only one alley that led to that area.
Speaking of which, as Neji continued walking down dark alleys and lonesome streets while darting every female in his club from the site his mind began to wander. At first he was thinking about Hinata-sama's problem; debating whether or not to write to Naruto about it. And then about the obnoxious fan girls that had chased him in the market place before finally settling down on a thought about a certain pink haired maiden.
But he snapped out of his stupor when he came upon the last and most dangerous alley. This alley was dangerous because it led right past the outskirts of the market place. A few girls had caught sight of him before and waited there for him everyday. It was bothersome but he had gotten used to it. He contemplated on whether to just put on a mad dash across or to henge himself. In the end he decided that he could use a bit more exercise. Hence he carefully placed some chakra at his feet.
And he was off! He ran at speeds that no trained eye could catch. Only those of mid-jounin and up were able to detect his presence. As he ran he saw at least 13 girls hiding in the shadows waiting to jump him. He gave a slight shudder at the disturbing thought. The end came really fast, his senses on high alert. Then just as he leapt into the street that held his café and past the busy outskirts of the market place he saw a blur of pink.
He stopped abruptly as his curiosity got the better of him. 'Wasn't Sakura at the training grounds moments ago? Why is she here and at this time? Who cares, I need lunch first.' And so he started to walk off once again. Not more than 7 loitering steps later his chakra was suddenly attracted to a warm and familiar one. Yet the chakra felt alien to him.
"Byakugan."
All the walls became invisible as he searched for the chakra. He had only felt it twice in his lifetime. Once in the chunnin exams when he was injured and the other time being when he had barely survived from trying to rescue the Uchiha kid. 'It was a medic's charka I feel! But why here out in the open? Usually they would be in the hospital. They wouldn't be out here unless there was a big accident or war. Yet I didn't fee; any large chakra flare up at all within these 2 hours. And it feels do familiar!' Then he saw it. It's warm green glow.
'The curiosity killed the cat.' Neji told himself when e had felt the urge to go and check who exactly was emitting the chakra. 'But the satisfaction brought it back,' Neji contradicted himself. With that said he began to retrace his steps as quickly as he could.
The just as it appeared, it vanished out of thin air. Neji's heart rate increased as the steady beating became increasingly fast. 'Where is it? I can't find it! Where could it have gone?' His questions only made him run all the faster. He ran back to the market place, eyes searching frantically for the source of the green chakra. Turning his head to the left he saw only civilians walking about searching for the needed merchandise. Looking in front only served him no good as a fan girl nearly saw him, He dashed to the right hoping to catch sight of cotton candy pink. His feet just carried him, acting on instinct. Taking a turn he caught pink with grey.
Stopping abruptly once more that day, he took a few deep breaths to calm his erratic heart beat. He was barely sweating and hadn't really exerted himself so he found it odd that he was acting this way. 'Am I sick? Why do I feel this way? So excited with great anticipation. I rarely feel this way, I hardly feel much at all. Is it because of that chakra?'
Once he had finally calmed he stuck to the shadows and follows the talking ladies. He was silent, quiet, and stealthy. Not many people even knew that he was there. His eyes were still activated as he watched the 2 talking intensely on a topic related to herbs and medicine. He was only mildly interested in a few things that could help on the field.
Neji went into alleys and hid in shadows as he continued to watch the 2 intently. A block from reaching their unknown destination, Neji got an idea. Instead of watching their movements he looked and focused his eyes so that he could see their chakra pathways, vital organs and chakra.
'The old lady's is a bit too big and unnatural but that would be normal if suffering from old age and illness. Their chakra would usually bee very lively for a few more months before it goes out. What a shame, and its colour is the normal blue that a civilian would have.' Neji paid no mind to her as she continued to talk to her pink haired companion. And thinking of which, Neji focused his eyes on her. The well trained eyes of the Hyuuga were met with a surprise when he looked at the color of her chakra. Blue tinged with green, its center pulsing a steady and healthy glow of green chakra making its' way into her reserves. It swirled a different pattern, had a different effect, and tinged a different color, emitting a different feeling.
In training grounds 28, he always only watched how her chakra was moving, spread, and used. Never actually checking the color, always assuming it to be blue like the rest of the ninjas their age… well most ninjas of their age. At times like these, Neji would always silently curse himself that he had ignored a tactical way of identifying a ninja.
He continued his silent observations as the continued walking. Not a moment after they were nearing a house a flicker of a strong chakra signature flared. A brief second later it was gone. He scanned the houses like a madman! He was intently watching Sakura the entire time therefore he knew it wasn't her. Neji's eyes finally settled on a woman with brown hair watching the conversing ladies intently. He checked her chakra color and not surprisingly enough, it was green. A bright green outlined and shaded with an astounding blue. Neji watched as her chakra flickered lively as she continued to watch specifically Sakura. From what he could tell from her chakra reserves to her complete control of her chakra, she was a kunoichi. A powerful one at that too.
Neji's eyes roamed back to Sakura and studied her chakra. Ever so slightly the color returned to its normal shade of blue while her inner core continued to pulse the healthy green chakra.
'Can 2 different types of chakra be in a body?'
Then all too soon the chakra completely disappeared. Looking again, the brown haired women's chakra was about the same size of that of a civilian's. Neji narrowed his eyes.
'She hid it so fast and so well. Within that one second when her chakra flared, did she find what she wanted? A powerful enemy? Ally? Whoever she is, it is best that the girl better stay away from her.'
Neji kept asking question as he witnessed the passing of events. Knowing that he was dealing with skilled ninja here, he quickly hid his own chakra to the best of his capabilities as he continued to watch. The brown haired woman's deceiving acting and the bond that she shared with the older lady was rather disturbing.
'Those 2 are strange. The old lady must be a kunoichi too then. Pink hair seems to be deceived. She is too friendly to others and not being able to tell friend from foe. Is she truly suitable for this type of profession?'
He watched as she waved a big farewell and ran towards the Hokage tower. Movement caught his attention. The 2 kunoichi were talking and unfortunately if he used chakra to heighten his senses the kunoichi would be sure to catch him.
'I've got a bad feeling about this…'
Ever so slowly he opened his eyes from meditating. A sign of stress and utter frustration left his lips. All the memories he replayed over and over again revolved around a certain girl.
'They are after her for something. I really need to talk to Naruto about this… but on second thought it might actually only distract him. Hn, I have to take care of this problem myself.'
His head still ached slightly from over thinking, so the place to relax was deep in the forests of training ground 22. A peaceful pond with a meadow at one side and a deep nature filled forest on the other. The area was near a park. More specifically an orchid filled with sakura trees. At this time of the year, it was in full bloom. Sakura petals would slowly drift from the sky doing a mesmerizing dance that held Neji captivated. It was only at this place that he could relax. No one tended to go there often because the training ground held no specific training characteristic. And civilians were not allowed in the vicinity. It was the perfect place. So that was the place he headed to.
Xx
Much later in the afternoon a chunnin was awakened rather instantly as a voice rang out in the lobby.
"I need to speak with Tsunade-san…"
"But she's busy at the moment! You need to pre-schedule in order to speak to her," the chunnin on duty drawled out nonchalantly.
"That's fine but may I please speak with Shizune-san then?"
The chunnin frowned before nodding curtly then headed to the study room beside the Hokage's room. He gave a brief knock before a lady answered the door. Whispering could be heard as they conversed. A few short moments later Shizune came out into the lobby. Her face set with a frown as she scanned the room looking for said person that needed to speak to Tsunade.
"Shizune-san?"
"Hai?" Shizune replied naturally while spinning to face the source of the voice. Momentarily shocked at the person in front of her, Shizune remained silent.
"I need to speak with Tsunade-san. It's important but unfortunately I'm not allowed in. Would you mind informing her that I'm here? It's rather important."
Shizune nodded in understanding before she quickly moved towards the Hokage's office. She entered as soon as she heard enter on the other side. Less than 3 seconds later, Shizune scurried out with a stern expression. She approached the woman that had requested for the audience of the Godaime.
"You may enter…"
A brief nod was the only acknowledgement that she had heard before the woman headed into the room.
Tsunade looked up from her work expectantly at the woman before her. 'It's been years since I've last seen her. She sure has grown into a fine lady.' The Godaime's eyes hazed over slightly as she continued with her train of thought. 'She isolated herself from all of us since her sensei's death. She would have helped so much in the hospital, but unfortunately her husband had to die. She just lost it then. Boy, does this bring back bad memories. What does she want from me now?'
Tsunade shook her head slightly only to clear her head before she raised an elegant eyebrow. Its simple action asked the question, 'What are you doing here? Aren't you off duty?'
"Good afternoon Tsunade-san. It's been a while hasn't it?"
"It has, it truly had been. So what brings you here in my office on this very afternoon Rin-chan?"
"Aah, nothing much really. I just wanted to discuss a few things with you."
A blond eyebrow shot up higher into its owners face. "And what might these few things be?"
"Sakura."
"Pardon?"
"Sakura."
"I see. So you've met her. What do you think?"
"A fine medic-nin. She has great skill but let me get to the point. I still need to pick up my son from school…I want to train her. Aisura and I have discussed our places and so I've decided that you really are too busy to help her."
"I'm offended Rin-chan. Are you saying that I can't teach?" Tsunade asked with a dry humour before she closed her eyes to actually consider Rin's offer. During the entire time, Rin remained silent and read the Hokage's expression. Moments later the Godaime's voice was heard once more. "What do you have to gain from this? And why her?"
"I have my reasons, now may you answer yes or no," came the curt reply.
"Do you know what she needs? Truly understand her reason fro fighting? Her skill?" Tsunade questioned.
"She made it clear that she wants to help a friend rather than kill. When one becomes a medic-nin, it's because they have lost someone important to them. They wish to help others so that it does not happen again. Few have ill intentions but considering that you are the one teaching her and our meeting yesterday, I believe that she has good intentions."
"Does she know of this?"
"No, but if you accept I will let her know when she comes over for tea."
"Tea… you say. Am I invited?"
"No…"
Tsunade's grin faltered. "Now may you please answer my question? Yes of no?" Rin firmly stated.
Tsunade brought her hand up and rubber her forehead as if in thought. 'This will solve a few of my problems.' "Fine."
"Very well. I shall inform her of our actions in a few days. Hokage-sama." Rin bowed before dismissing herself.
Xx
Rin walked towards the Academy thinking over her conversation with Tsunade. But before she came up with when to inform Sakura of these events, she noticed that she was going to be late.
She arrived just as the students were leaving to meet their parents. Her warm-up run to the academy left her in good spirits because it let her exercise her muscles while enjoying the fresh Konoha air. She searched the faces of many children until she found Kitai. She smiled when his smile brightened when he spotted her. Rin spread her arms as he ran up to her and gave her a hug.
"Mommy, you're here today. Where is Aisura-baa-chan? She isn't sick is she? Did she hurt herself? Should we go see her? Wait, don't tell me she's in the hospit-"
"Shh darling, Aisura-san is fine. She just got home from shopping and so I decided to come and surprise you." Rin said with amusement in her eyes as she heard her son rant out his concerns for his grandmother. "Don't you want me here?" Rin asked with mock hurt laced in her voice.
Kitai shook his head vigorously. "Of course I want you here okaa-san, but I just wanted to know baa-chan's well being."
Rin smiled warmly at her only child, and then it turned into a frown. 'He's so young. So kind-hearted. I know he wants to help others but I can't bear to think about what would happen when he faced the real world. When he would be required to kill. Please kami-sama, wherever you are. Please don't shatter the heart of my son.'
Abruptly by her side Kitai voiced out his concern, "Okaa-san, are you okay? You're frowning. Did I do something wrong?"
Rin smiled again at his thoughtfulness, "I'm fine… I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"Oh nothing really. I'm taking on a student. She's really nice, I'm sure you'll like her. You'll see her in a few days," Rin fibber. 'Well I was going to tell him anyways. Might as well tell him now, besides he shouldn't worry about things yet to come.'
Kitai's eyes widened. "Really, you're taking in a student. Wow! She must have impressed you. You've never accepted apprentice's before. I can't wait to meet her!"
"Well she certainly caught my interest," she said as she ruffled his hair. "Come on, let's get home."
Kitai grabbed his mother's hand and smiled brightly before enthusiastically walked in the direction to their homes.
Xx
Sweet pink blossoms drifted relaxingly to the ground. At this time of the year, the orchid was in full bloom. Sakura sat on a bench under a tree watching the pink petals fall endlessly from above. It was a site to behold. The sweet smelling air and relaxing scenery was bliss. 'I can stay here all day, but its getting late. I better go buy groceries before the sun sets.'
With a dejected sigh she got up and started walking down the trail that led out of the training ground. She closed her eyes trying to enjoy the essence of the training ground a little while longer. Her senses were dulled and her guard was down as she slowly wandered off the trail and into the secluded clearing in the small forest.
Xx
The air was peaceful and the trees swayed a hypnotic beat against the light breeze. From his position on the ground he could catch the sweet scent of Sakura blossoms and the tangy smell of spine and oak as well as having a perfect view of the sky and clouds. 'This is quite a change from the usual attention that was needed when surrounded by civilians and shinobi's. As he continued listening to the relaxing beat of his heart, he drifted off.
Slumber had claimed him and for the first time in many days, Neji was having a pleasant dream.
Dream
"Father, look father! I can throw the kunai properly now. Look father!"
Hizashi looked down at his only son and gave him a fatherly smile. "Really now, I would like to see it Neji-kun."
Neji looked adoringly up at his father. His father was his role model, the only person that Neji cared for and loved since his mothers death, Neji dragged his father to the training dummy they had at the back of the Hyuuga complex. There he showed his father that he was able to hit the targets. The kunai's would sail through the air swiftly and gracefully as it should when thrown by a Hyuuga.
Hizashi looked at his 3 year old son with a smile and congratulated him for his success. The smile on his face brightened Neji's day as well as making his pride soar for making his father proud. Hizashi lifted hi hand and gave a small pat on his head before saying that he was proud of him. The 3 year old Neji beamed and opened his mouth to speak, "Father… can you teach m-"
Neji's eyes widened. Something was wrong; his father seemed to be covered in a shadow and was no falling towards him.
"Father?"
There was no reply… the figure seemed to loom before him. It was getting closer, and closer. Closer before-
End of dream
"Umpf, oww."
Neji opened his eyes from his sleep and felt pain around his torso. He was greeted with a stricken sight.
Xx
The air smelt wonderful and the breeze that carried the scent of her favourite flowers seem to lead her somewhere but she kept her eyes closed. She was afraid that if she opened them the magic spell would break. Her feet lead her out into a clearing and she could feel the warmth of the sun. A content sigh left her mouth but unfortunately it turned into a startled gasp as her foot caught on something.
Her eyes shot open and she almost… almost let out a scream when she saw what or should I say who it was.
Xx
Pink, that was what he saw. Peaches were what he smelt. And a girl was on top of him. He blinked once then once again before the pink mass on top of him leaped into the air before landing on her feet. She was a stuttering mess from what he could tell. Not that he can say anything about himself but at least he hadn't said anything as of yet. He regarded her with narrowed eyes full of suspicion.
"I'm s-s-so sorr-rry, I didn't mean to f-fall on top of y-you… I was just walking on the t-trail and I guess I went of the trail and well you see my eyes were closed and I really wasn't watching where I was going and I'm so sorry!!!" when Sakura finally managed to form sentences again.
There was a pregnant pause when both were thinking.
Neji was thinking of how she reminded him of Hinata when she was stuttering before she startled rambling. A blush had crept onto her face without her knowing it when she mentioned falling on top of him but he did not miss that detail. In her rambling he caught the words wasn't looking and off trail and sorry. 'Hn, so that's what happened. I can't believe that she is this careless. She'll get killed sooner or later. Preferably later though when she isn't in my care anymore. Now I am obliged to watch her closer in case she goes off and alters her fate.'
Neji let out a sigh which finally brought Sakura's attention to him. "Is there anything you want or may I leave?"
'Oh my god, I can't believe I just fell on top of him… oh my god! He is so not going to forgive me; I just hope that he doesn't kill me. Sheesh now that is too harsh. He won't do that… at least I hope he won't.' The sigh caught her attention and when he asked her a question she was startled. She let out a sigh of relief. 'He's not going to kill me…'
There was yet again another unhealthy pause.
'Sakura!!! Say something intelligent for once. Don't stand here like an idiot!'
"Ano, would you mind to have a spar with me?"
Neji's eyebrow shot up. 'A spar? What is she thinking? I was sure that was not the reason why she was here. I was expecting her to leave, but she asks me fro a spar. Well I already know all her fighting style but I can't say that now can I? Might as well see how she would do to improvise with an enemy that is of another league…"
'OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! Did I just ask him to spar with me? Sakura you big idiot! Now you're done for. You just had to go ask for your death wish didn't you? I'm too young to die! Well I'm sure he'll say no. Who would want to spar with me anyways? Right?'
"Sure…"
'Ok… I'm just going to drop dead right now. OH MY GOD! He said he'll spar with me. I'm dead.'
Xx
The last of Sakura's kunai soared through the air, going so fast that there was a sharp whistling coming from it. Neji immediately jumped down from his tree and ran towards Sakura readying his fingers for striking her chakra points. He was expecting her to fall from chakra exhaustion a few minutes ago but his prediction was wrong. He engaged her in taijutsu, and before long he had her on the floor panting.
"I give."
"Hn."
Neji wiped away the little sweat that was gathering on his face. 'Well that served to be a good workout.'
'Boy am I tired… hmm, I wonder what time it is?' Sakura looked up at the sky and noticed that the sun had just set. 'Oh my lord! I forgot to get the groceries!!!"
"Um Neji, I gotta go! I forgot to get my groceries today so I better run before the market closes for today! I'll see you around."
Sakura started to go but Neji's voice stopped her in her tracks. "I'll go with you."
Sakura looked at him wide eyed. She managed a nod before doing a 180 and walked furiously down the path towards the market place. Neji's light footfalls could be heard behind her. It made her walk all the faster, hoping to get out of his presence as soon as possible.
Xx
'Why did I go with her again? Oh, because it is getting dark and I cannot allow her to wander in the streets all alone at night. I promise you Naruto great pain when you get back for causing me all this trouble. If it weren't for the promise I made with you I would be back at the Hyuuga compound meditating myself to sleep. Well at least I know her strength has greatly improved.'
The pair went into the market where many people were just leaving after a day of shopping. Sakura quickly grabbed a basket and headed towards the fruits area. Neji observed as she placed apples, peaches, and strawberries into her basket. Soon after, vegetable and meats of all sorts followed. He raised his eyebrow when he saw her pick up some cookie dough, tea, and other little pastries. 'She eats a lot of sweets…'
All this time Neji had walked very silently along with her, he even waited stock still as she paid for her groceries. His silent ness was really starting to unnerve her. 'He hadn't said a word since we left the clearing. Oh lord, I must look like a klutz right now.'
Xx
The two had finally arrived at Sakura's house which was sandwiched between two other identical houses. "Ano… would you like to come in?"
Neji stiffened at the thought of going into her house. 'This couldn't already make the situation worse. I might as well scout out her environment in case.' Neji gave her a nod of confirmation.
Sakura sighed eternally, she was hoping he would say no but since he said he wouldn't mind coming in she had no choice. 'At least I cleaned up the house yesterday.'
Sakura opened the door and let them both in. Neji's senses were hit with the warmth that the house provided. The house looked welcoming and cozy unlike the Hyuuga compound and there was even the scent of cookies in the air. Now that was something never found in his home.
Sakura locked the door behind her and lead him to what seemed like the living room where there were two couches cream coloured on a beige carpet. In the center stood a little coffee table with a small pile of magazines on top. Two lamps were tucked nicely in the corners, and a door to the side lead to the kitchen.
"Ano, please take a seat. Would you like some tea and some cookies that I made this morning? I know that it isn't as fresh as it could be but I didn't have time to make them in the afternoon so I made them in the morning but now that I think about it, maybe I should hav-"
'She's rambling now.' Neji internally sighed.
"No thanks, I'm not hungry."
"Oh, ok…"
Sakura stood there not knowing what to do. 'Oh lord, what do I do in situations like these? Wait, how would I know, I've never been in a situation like this before. Ok, calm down Sakura. He said he did not want cookies but he never said that he did not want tea. Ok let's ask him if he wishes to drink some tea.'
"Ano… would you like some tea then?"
"Sure."
"Um, ok. Would you like to take a seat while I go and prepare the water?" As Sakura walked towards the kitchen, she saw that Neji headed towards one of the couches and took a seat. Sakura let out a sigh, 'So what am I suppose to do now? He's not a very talkative person so it would be just plain weird to try and start a conversation with him.'
Moments later, the two Konoha shinobi were seated and sipping hot tea. The silence was uncomfortable and awkward since one did not speak much while the other did not know what to say in this case.
Sakura's eyes looked up when Neji started speaking, "Where's your parents? Your house is too quiet."
'Her eyes are downcast, should I have not asked that question?'
There was silence in the room once again but this time, it was tense. Neji was anticipating Sakura's answer as she sat still debating whether to ask him to leave or answer.
"My father died on a mission a few years ago. My mom is a jounin on a mission right now in Sand. She won't be back for another week or so."
"I see, sorry for asking."
'Her place was relatively safe but now that I know that no one is with her, it's rather unsafe. I suppose I would have to watch her everyday now.' Neji sighed inwardly thinking of all the trouble he would have to watch her and stay undetected and inconspicuous.
"Ano… if I am not intruding, Neji-san, what about your parents?"
Neji's frame stiffened slightly and answered in a cold voice, "I'd rather not talk about it."
There was silence again.
Sakura was fidgeting in her seat; her eyes unable to look at Neji straight in the face were darting everywhere. 'What can I talk about now? Sakura… get a hold of yourself. Why don't you ask him to become your sparring partner or something? He was awesome and tired you out today, perhaps he won't mind sparring once in a while. Well it's worth a shot.'
"Ano… I was wondering… would you like to spar once in a while with me." Neji made no immediate comment so Sakura continued, "But I understand if you do not wish to because you are too busy."
'Her sparring partner? Well there really isn't anything wrong with that. I can help her improve while keeping an eye on her so that later on I know that she will be strong enough to defend herself. It may also prove to be an asset if she continues to improve. If I am able to be in her presence without drawing suspicion then I will be able to find out what the 2 kunoichi want from her. I can see how well the Hyuuga Juken work against a medic-nin. If I am lucky, I may be able to get her to help Hinata-sama become a medic-nin as well.'
"I'll think about it. I'll answer you tomorrow, but as of now it is getting late and I think that I should start heading back the Hyuuga compound. Thanks for the tea and I'll see you tomorrow." Neji got up and gave a short bow before leaving.
Sakura was very surprised when Neji actually said that he would think about it but she wasn't about to let her hopes get high. She got up and bowed to Neji as well and closed the door behind him. Then she remembered that she forgot to say thanks. So she flung open the door and shouted to the figure that was disappearing down the street. "Arigato Neji-san for walking me home and spending your time with me."
The figure stopped and gave a slight nod before leaping away. Sakura stared at the spot where Neji was a moment before, before going back in. 'What a weird day, but there's no use dwelling over it now. It is best to tidy up and study a bit before sleeping.' Yawning, Sakura made her way back to the room to clean up the dishes.
Xx
With great stealth, Neji made his way around the complex before reaching his room. As always, he let his eyes search his room before going in but as he placed his hand on the shoji doors, his eyes caught something that did not belong on his desk. It was an orange blob of some sort. He took out a kunai before opening the door.
Neji did not expect the frog to turn around raise its' webbed hand and say "yo".
"What took you? You were also standing outside your door for so long. I thought you would never come in. I don't have all day you know. Naruto sent me here to retrieve a letter he was expecting. You better hurry up because the old hag expects me back at her office tomorrow night and I want to catch a few Z's before that happens."
"I see," Neji said his face passive. "Would you mind to give me an hour to compose this letter? Your visit was unexpected and I just arrived."
"Sure, just hurry up. I'll take a nap while I wait."
Neji gave the frog a nod before taking a seat and starting the letter.
Naruto,
As you have requested I have been keeping watch of the kunoichi these 2 months. At first, I was disappointed with the kunoichi's lack of skill but she has been steadily improving. She should be bordering chunnin level in another 2 weeks or so. However she seems to have trouble detecting others within the vicinity. But what troubles me most are that 2 kunoichi's seem to have taken an interest in her. They seem to be powerful but I can not go near her at times unless I draw suspicion upon myself. I have found a way to get closer to the kunoichi. She has asked me to be her sparring partner, and I have yet accepted but this will give me the opportunity to watch over her as well as train her. I will inform you about the 2 kunoichi's the next time you send a letter. I hope you are faring well. Until then.
Neji
After sealing the letter to make sure that it could not be opened by any other but Naruto, Neji attached the letter to Gamakichi's leg. As the frog left, Neji cleaned up and changed before retiring for the night.
Moments later the frog was back in the Hokage tower waiting for dawn. The next night was going to be a long one. 'Stupid sennin, frogs aren't suppose to run in the desert! Gah, I'll make pa give him a wacking the nest time he is summoned. But for now, time to catch up on my-y Zzzzzz'
A/N: Oh my… haha! I am incredibly sorry for the late update but my computer had sorta broke down --" . Besides that school was exhausting and I never found the time to write. I'm so sorry but I am sure the next update would be a lot earlier. I promise it would be out before exams come!
Next Chapter: Confrontation
TBC…