AN: Well now. Sorry for the delay. Let's get the show on the road, eh?

THE FIC IS A LIE! (Points to who can figure that partial-quote out)

Chapter 4: Don't Hate Yourself!

A situation that was dire. Neji's feet were frozen to the ground, and Naruto just stood there, analyzing the situation. The fact that paralyzed both of them is that Naomi saw Neji as a girl. Naruto and Neji couldn't figure out how she figured it out, but was willing to wonder why.

"How... How do you know?" Naruto blurted out. Naomi turned around to face Naruto. She gave a pleasing smile that was enough to make it creepy.

"Foolish boy," Naomi then turned around to Neji. "And foolish little girl. I have been spying on you two ever since you started walking down this road. And I found the conversation between you two quite... pleasing and surprising." She walked up to Neji, and cupped Nejis chin with her hand. "But my my... I didn't think such a man would be a girl instead..." Naomi examined Neji's face while Naruto's face grew with anger. Naruto was about to charge at her until Neji made an action. Neji pushed Naomi's hands away, or at least, she tried. Naomi's remaining hand quickly grabbed both of Neji's hands together, and placed a blue tag on them. After tapping the tag two times with Naomi's fingers, there was a tiny flash. When the flash cleared within a second, Neji's hands were frozen from the wrists, similar to handcuffs. Naomi waved her finger with a 'ah ah ah, not so fast' kind of motion.

"I wouldn't want such an interesting girl causing any violence towards me... You're just too cute to be angry." Naomi said in a seductive voice. Naruto had enough of this, he immediately rushed in, until Naomi brought a kunai to Neji's neck. Naruto immediately halted his charge, looking at her with anger and nervousness. Naomi smiled.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Unless you want to risk a 100% chance of this girls head being sliced off, hm? Now then..." Naomi turned to Neji. "It makes me wonder... how such a girl like you can hide your own 'assets'." Naomi immediately unbuttoned Neji's robe, just to reveal the sarashi on Neji's vest. Neji started to fidget to get out of the icy prison she was in, but she couldn't budge. Naomi looked at Neji's chest in curiousity.

"A sarashi... of course, a typical bandage to decrease a woman's breast size... I wonder what kind of size you have--"

"Stop..."

"Hm?"

"I said stop! Don't even dare of--- ah!?" Neji's last words sounded very unlike her, as a girlish gasp came out of Neji's lips. Naomi had grabbed one of Neji's 'assets' and started to rub it around.

"Hm hm... not so 'manly' anymore, are you? That was the cutest yelp I ever heard.. hee hee..."

Naruto just stood there, watching his teammate get toyed with like a dress-up doll. 'This is getting out of hand, I have to rescue Neji somehow... But how am I going to do that!? I could use a Kage Bunshin, but there's no place to where I could launch a sneak attack..." Naruto was a sitting duck.

"You..." Neji said in a cold voice.

"Hm? Is there something you would like to say, little girl? I can imagine that there's a percentage of--"

"DON'T YOU EVER CALL ME A GIRL!" Neji immediately launched two of his palms towards Naomi, creating a type of airblast to push Naomi away. Naomi took it by surprise and started to fly towards Naruto. Naruto, taking this as an opportunity, immediately started using--

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto summoned a Kage Bunshin, and started to form chakra within his hand-- his bunshin started to rotate that chakra so Naruto could perform the Rasengan. Naomi saw this as she was flying towards Naruto, but it was too late. When Naruto's Rasengan was formed, he immediately rushed forward and yelled "RASENGAN!" and smashed his Rasengan right into Naomi's head. However, it didn't push Naomi back like the Rasengan normally does. Instead, her whole body turned to liquid! As the water absorbed the Rasengan and immediately dissipated, he noticed that it was a water bunshin that took the attack as a diversion! So that means the real Naomi was hiding somewhere. But while Naomi wasn't here, Naruto seized this opportunity to go near Neji. He immediately started to form a few handsigns to prepare the 'Fire Breath' Jutsu. When Naruto got there, he took a deep breath, and blew out his jutsu on the ice, being careful not to burn Neji.

The ice melted away, and became weak enough for Neji to break away from. The flames also melted the handcuffs Nejis hands were sealed in, and he immediately broke the grip from them as well. Neji was completely free. Neji immediately buttoned up his robe, but he didn't recover from the incident Naomi tried to pull. Neji put her hand on her chest, with her face full of anger.

"Damn that woman... trying to mock me like I'm some kind of girl to her..." Neji said, straightening up her robe from any other 'distortions'.

"But Neji... you are a girl." Naruto said, correcting Neji, but this only enraged him further. Neji put her face closer to Naruto's to give him a very angry look.

"Don't ever... call me a girl!"

"W-Why...? Aren't you a girl to begin with? Or were you lying...?" Neji, fed up with Naruto's curious attitude, grabbed Naruto's collar and lifted him off his feet. Naruto gave a surprised look at Neji's behavior. "W-What the hell Neji!?"

"Naruto, if you call me a girl one more time---"

"You'll punch him?"

"Yes, I'll punch you...Hm?" Neji immediately pushed Naruto away from herself due to the sudden voice behind her. She looked up in the nearby trees, but didn't see anything. Neji performed a handsign and yelled out Byakugan. His eyes had veins all around them and became more focused. He searched around the trees and the area around him, but she didn't see anything. But what Neji failed to notice is the water-ish figure slowly taking form behind him. With Neji's Byakugan activated, he saw it immediately. Neji used his Jyuken abilities to land a hit on Naomi. With punch after punch Neji tried to land, Naomi had quick reflexes and managed to dodge every Jyuuken fist with no problems. Naomi only chuckled at Neji's foolish attempts.

"Your accuracy rate is only 14%. What's the matter? You seem to be slow as a girl." Naomi taunted at Neji. This only infuriated her further, and tried to kick up her speed. But it proved to be futile. With every hit Neji tried to land, she hit nothing but air.

"Dammit, stand still!"

"Or what? Your girly 10% strength will hurt me? I'm so shocked." Neji continued to let her taunts get ahold of her. And Naruto tried to step in.

"Kage Bunshin no--" But he was interrupted by Neji's voice.

"Naruto! Let me... handle this!" Neji said, still struggling in trying to hit Naomi.

"Forget that! Kage bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto formed 6 Kage bunshins. Naruto ordered them to distract Naomi by making a frontal assault. However... the Kage Bunshins failed to notice the puddles of water on the ground. When they stepped in it, the bunshins were suddenly pulled into the puddles by a pair of hands in each puddle that each bunshin came across. The puddle looked harmless, but as each bunshin was pulled down, it seemed like they were being dragged into a bottomless ocean. Almost every bunshin was taken down, until only 1 was left, plus the real Naruto. Naruto had no choice. He didn't know what Neji's sudden dislike is about being a girl, but it's straining him in the fight. He had to finish it quickly. Naruto summoned one extra bunshin. He put forward his palm so he could have one clone 'rotate' the Rasengan. Naruto then ordered his other Kage Bunshin to get Neji out of range.

"Now go!" The Kage Bunshin launched off to get Neji. Unfortunately, when the Kage Bunshin tried to find the opportune moment to get Neji out of the way, Neji made a split second attempt to hit Naruto's Kage Bunshin!

"What the hell Neji! I'm trying to help here!"

"Naruto, I SAID LET ME---!?" Neji lost focused on his battle, and was immediately punched in the gut by Naomi. Neji was punched so hard she coughed up blood. However, this also got Neji flying away from Naomi. Neji regained her posture and landed on the ground safely. By the time she backed off, Naruto's Rasengan was ready, as the blue sphere shined with such intensity. Naomi widened her eyes, seeing that she didn't see it coming. Naruto rushed forward to connect the Rasengan to Naomi.

"RASENGAN!" Naruto yelled, as the Rasengan made contact to Naomi's stomach. Naomi went off spinning into a nearby tree, as the Rasengan pierced her stomach. She crashed into the tree, and the next one before that. And the impacts finally stopped at the 3rd tree. Naomi was still conscious, but gravely injured. There was a hole in her stomach. She kneeled to the ground, clutching her stomach with distorted pain. She slowly got up, and balanced herself to a nearby tree. Seeing as how Naomi was immobile, Naruto approached Neji to see if she was alright. Neji was in pain, but she was fine. Naruto lended a hand to Neji to help her up. But then Neji just slapped Naruto's hand away, and got up on her own. Neji looked at Naruto in anger.

"I said I had it under control Naruto!"

"What the hell Neji. Why are you acting like this!? Why are you not letting me help you!?"

"I said I had Naomi right where I wanted her. If I could just land a hit on her---"

"By hitting the air? I don't know what's gotten into you, but you got hurt because of her!" Naruto said, pointing at the blood on Neji's face. She wiped it up with one of her hands.

"This is nothing! I can handle everything on my own without your help!" Neji had it up to here with Naruto. She walked towards Naomi, until Neji's back collar was pulled by Naruto's hand.

"We're not done here. Don't think I don't know. You kept giving in to the taunts that Naomi had been giving you. 'You fight like a girl' and all the other similar lines. Is this what this is about? That you're a girl?" Naruto explained, Neji turned around with a contorted look on her face.

"You have no idea how it's been like in my life--"

"SO WHAT!? You're still Neji, and nothing's going to change that!" Neji had a look of surprise on his face as he heard Naruto say that. Neji hadn't thought about that before, and noticed that she has been pissed off this whole time... She had not taken notice of her actions.

"Naruto... I..."

While Naruto and Neji were bickering about their problems, Naomi seized this opportunity to look for a plan of escape. She looked around her, and saw a nearby puddle. She smiled with a contorted face. She weakly unleashed a few handsigns towards the puddle. And yelled.

"S-Suiton...! Mizu Monko no Jutsu!" The puddle began to distort into a type of whirlpool. As the puddle swirled, her sudden yell alerted Naruto and Neji to Naomi. Naomi just smiled as she crawled into the puddle.

"I estimate a 100% chance from escaping from you two. Until then!" Naomi dived into the whirlpool, thinking she had claimed victory, but she was so wrong... Neji looked at Naruto.

"We'll settle this later! We need to get into that whirlpool, quickly!" Naruto nodded at Neji's decision. While the whirlpool was still open, they rushed into it. Neji dived in first. But the whirlpool gradually became smaller. Naruto dived into it in just the nick of time. The whirlpool seized its 'whirling' completely after Naruto's exit.

Meanwhile....

"Keh... W-What are you green beasts...!?" The guy with the skullcap was suffering from several injuries. His skullcap was torn a little bit, his left arm and leg was broken, and he was exhausted. The skullcap guy could keep up with Lee and Gai for a shrot time, but he fell short of speed and strength, and only succumbed to their attacks. The skullcap guy was on his unbroken knee, kneeling.

"That is who we are. We are Defenders of Justice, and the Green Beasts of Konoha! Might Gai and Rock Lee!" Gai made a pose with a manly arm pump, and a smile that shined. Rock Lee couldn't help but admire Gai for what he is. But then another sudden disturbance came about. A nearby puddle suddenly formed into a type of miniature whirlpool. It was right near the skullcap guy, too. The skullcap guy wondered what that whirlpool was. But suddenly, a young woman in a light-colored kimono came out of it. She slowly crawled out of it due to her grave injury in her stomach. She crawled completely out of the whirlpool, and finally started to relax with a sigh, until she suddenly saw the Green Beasts of Konoha in her presence. She was shocked.

"N-No way... This wasn't in my calculations...?!" Naomi blurted out. She then pounded the ground. "WHY AM I MISCALCULATING EVERYTHING!?" Naomi pounded the ground repeatedly. And then suddenly, 2 more figures popped out of the whirlpool. A blonde and a black-haired person came out of the whirlpool as they just suddenly jumped out of it. It was Naruto and Neji, and they landed right near Naomi. Not only that, but they were drenched with water.

"Kehhhh! I'm soaked! Look! My hair is all drooped down! Do you have any idea how much I put into this hair to make it spiky!?" Naruto complained as he started to mess with his hair. Neji looked at his situation, and saw the skullcap guy, Naomi, and even the Green Beasts of Konoha. Neji looked at Naruto.

"Naruto, tie up that guy and Naomi with some wire. Looks like our mission is accomplished. We'll talk later, alright?" Naruto nodded. And Neji looked at Might Gai and Rock Lee. "And it's good to see that you two are alright. I see you've had your hands full?"

"Hai. But it wasn't a big deal, we were worried when you two fell into the river. But I can see you managed to make it back in one piece."

As they started to talk about what happened (Minus the part about Neji being a girl), they managed to turn Naomi in and the other criminal to the law enforcement of this country, to let them be dealt with. With their mission accomplished, the group started to walk back to Konoha. As they walked back to Konoha out of Wave Country, Neji whispered something in Naruto's ear.

"Don't tell anyone what I am. No one knows, and I intend it to be a secret." Neji whispered. But Naruto also whispered something back.

"Are you over it now? And are you sure no one knows?"

"...Yes. I let it get to my head, but please understand that I am not use to such a thing. I was selfish..."

"Alright..." With Neji's and Naruto's agreement, they agreed to keep their 'discovery' a secret. Soon they would reach Konoha.

AN: FINALLY that battle is over and done with. You have no idea how desperately I wanted to end it. It felt like I kept dragging it on and on and on... But enough about that, this chapter is posted. But what will happen to Naruto and Neji in Konoha? Will Neji's secret be discovered? Will they bang each other!? Not easily I'm afraid... Stay tuned for the next epi-- er, I mean chapter!

Mizu Monko no Jutsu: Water Portal Jutsu.