Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto. I can only hope to contain it… no, that doesn't fit that opening line at all. Anyway, those famous storyliners and artists own Naruto, but I wish I did. P

Moving on, we're now entering the juicy part of the story, and I may not be updating every week, as it is getting more and more complicated to be certain of what exactly I want to express on paper.. It may become a week and a half to two weeks per chapter, but I'll try not to let it go any longer than that! Just keep reading and keep enjoying it as much as I am writing this.

sp.


A Sunset Not Seen

The rain had ceased over the course of the afternoon, but the layer of clouds covering the usually-bright summer skies of Konoha remained. The storm came and went very suddenly, and the humid air was now filled with birds chirping, returning to the trees from their shelters. The sun desperately tried to break through the covering, and though small, soft rays of sunlight occasional touched down to the Earth, the clouds would not back down.

It had been a difficult time for the young jounin, who was now on his way back home after a quick and easy mission. Not only has he struggled with the ravaged emotions of his younger cousin, but now he had to dismiss her for the day while his counter-part and friend, and his cousin's true love, lay hospitalized, drifting in and out of sleep.

"Hyuuga Neji?" Neji turned to see one of the attendants at the entrance of his community as he was stepping out to leave.

"Uzumaki Naruto had awoken briefly around three this morning, but a few moments after, an aftershock had put him back to sleep. He was injected with a dose of antalysis, though that should keep him asleep until tonight. When he wakes up, the shocks should be gone and Naruto would be close to his full recovery.

Neji nodded his head slowly, thinking about his cousin and what worried must be going through her head, even in sleep. "So this is merely a safety precaution?"

"Yes. Shall I tell Hinata?"

He thought for a moment, and then shook his head. "Wait until he wakes up. She's worried enough without needing to know he's still hurting."

The nurse nodded, "Alright then." And turned back to the hospital and began her slow walk back to work..

It was a shame that the kid had fallen asleep as he was leaving. He would awaken again soon enough much to the delight of his romancer. Neji understood that though the Kyuubi may heal his wounds far faster than any normal body system, sleep was still the best remedy, and Naruto know how to sleep.

He had assumed Naruto would stay asleep most of the day, so he had no qualms in taking this mission, considering it was the one left for Team Seven earlier in the week. Tsunade had requested he take the necklace to Kotoya himself, and, being a skilled user of the Byakugan, it wasn't too hard for him to stay out of trouble while about the city. He had left before dawn, while Hinata was still asleep, and he had planned to be back early in the evening in hopes that Naruto had still not awoken. So far, he had been right on schedule, and he couldn't have asked for better conditions. The covering kept the usually-scorching plains cool, so he was able to take a direct route to the city, and the rains on the way back kept his body cool and hydrated.

He stopped in the branch of a tall forest tree as he heard thunder rumble across the woods, coming from the direction of Konoha. "The storm must be heading west and through the village, now," he said to himself. He continued to jump from branch to branch, keeping with the cool winds as droplets of rain scattered once again, through the leaves, across the ground, forming small puddles in the dirt. A flash of lightning beamed from in front of him, followed by the roar of thunder a few seconds later. The sound of the rain and the thunder was soothing to Neji. It was one of the few times he got to appreciate nature, and he always had scolded himself for not doing it more often.

He took a deep, relaxed breath when another flash of lightning touched down and the following blast of the impact was felt immediately, catching Neji off balance as he stumbled onto the branch he had jumped to, nearly falling. He looked around carefully.

"The storm must still be going on, it's probably best if I stay low." He hopped down to the ground, avoiding all of the puddles as he landed. He brushed off his robe, which was now getting pretty wet from all of the time in the rain. He stepped again when a huge tremor shook the Earth where Neji stood and he fell forward, losing his balance, catching himself on his hands before hitting the ground. The rumbling continued on for almost a minute, and then everything had gone quiet. He slowly picked himself up and looked about him, looking at the trees and the landscape, making sure nothing was dangerously threating to him or the area around him.

"Everything looks fine." His eyes traveled across the setting, double-checking the environment. "What was that? If that was thunder, then where the hell was the lightning?"

"Right behind you."

The voice startled Neji and he immediately turned himself around, in fighting stance, towards this stranger, dressed in all black, standing on the branch of a nearby tree. The first thing Neji had drawn to his attention were the young man's eyes: blue, cold, bloodthirsty. This was the look of a true fighter, and Neji carefully kept his guard up.

"Hyuuga Neji," the young man spoke, his cape catching the gusts of wind and flowing freely in the air. The leaves rustled loudly, and the drops of rain began to scatter from the treetop leaves at which they once rested. Neji's hair and robe blowing in the breeze, his eyes never moved off of this new obstacle. He spoke again.

"I've been anticipating your return, Neji." He clenched his fists open and closed repeatedly, loosening up his fingers. "I assume your mission went well."

"My mission is none of your business," he answered, unmoving. He remembered what the Hokage had said to him..

"Beware the shinobi in black. He is Minaya Kaelu, a skilled raijutsu user. He's the one that brought down Team Seven."

Neji nodded slowly. "What is he after?"

After Tsunade had explained the prophecy and the situation, she warned Neji. "Help protect the village at all costs. I have instated extra security, and I will know if any strangers enter this establishment. If he is able to enter our village, we'll all be in great danger.."

Kaelu smirked. "I'm not concerned about your mission, I'm concerned about you." Neji gulped. He knew where this was leading.

"You have what I want, Neji." He raised his left arm up and slowly pointed his index finger at the Konoha ninja. "And I'm going to take it," he smirked. "So, well.."

Neji continued to glare at his opponent, trying to study and predict his movements. His Byakugan eyes slowly developed as Kaelu spoke the last of his sentence.

"It's time for you to go," and it clicked.

Neji gasped and saw the massive chakra build-up in his left index finger. 'Shit, move!!' he screamed to himself. He quickly tucked and rolled to the right as he saw a quick flash as a loud thunderbolt boomed to where he once stood. On one knee, he looked up towards his opponent as he laughed to himself. Finally aware of the situation, Neji spoke up.

"You're the raijutsu master." His breathing was heavy from the adrenaline rush and he slowly got himself standing and back into fighting position. His eyes carefully examined the boy's chakra system and he was amazed by what he saw. The chakra was flowing at an insane rate through the ninja's body, and even more chakra was entering his body from the environment. He himself was a conduct for electricity! He looked closer, and saw that the electricity was still molded within the chakra. 'This must be where the raijutsu power comes from,' he said to himself, but upon further examination, he saw that the static in the boy's system was still setting off within him. Neji was amazed. 'That's unreal!' he thought. 'That chakra must be destroying him from the inside out. His control must be perfect, he'd be dead if it wasn't.' He looked up to the boy's eyes again, the cold stare being returned to him.

'So that's how he's so powerful,' he continued with his theory. 'Even though he can manipulate any electricity around him, any new currents that enter his body must still be converted into chakra at his heart gate, which means on the path there, it's electrocuting his system internally. That's why he tries to end the fight once it starts! If he has to exceed his limit and delve into the pool of external currents, he'd only be hurting himself at the same time. I have to stall, and make him drain his pool, then wait for a time to strike.'

"What's wrong, Hyuuga? You look like you've seen a ghost." Kaelu smirked. He blew the smoke from his index finger, then clapped his hands together firmly. "Let's see how you do with this." He raised both of his hands above his head, fingertips spread. The wind began to slowly circle around Neji, his eyes now had to focus on two things. Branches and leaves began to break away and get caught in the wind funnel around the jounin.

"Lightning Elemental." His smirk faded behind a tone of seriousness. He didn't want the fight to go any longer. The winds picked up to a rapid spin around Kaelu and Neji, surrounding him, so that he couldn't escape. The landscape outside the cyclone was becoming too dangerous as twigs, branches, and shards of wood, bark, and rocks began to circle at deadly speeds. The tree Kaelu stood on was caught in between the path of the funnel, and it began to splinter and break apart. 'Damnit!' he cursed to himself. 'I'm running out of time.' The branched he stood on buckled slightly, and he had to regain his balance before raising his arms again and finishing the attack. "Storm's Eye Bellow!" As the light in his fingertips formed, Neji quickly pivoted on his back foot and began to turn to his left quickly. He wrapped his left foot around his right and pivot again, turning back towards Kaelu once again, rotating himself as the lightning dropped down upon him. From above, ten steady currents of electricity rained down towards Neji and were suddenly shot off course as a bright blue hemisphere of chakra began to spin around Neji's body as the young jounin defended himself.

"Kaiten!" Neji's chakra repelled the lightning attack, shooting it back into the cyclone. Kaelu stopped the attack after a couple of seconds, seeing it wasn't going to connect.

"Damnit!" he muttered to himself. "This isn't going to be easy." Then, he felt the branch buckle again, and the wind around him began to swirl like crazy. A rock flew in from the cyclone and caught him on the right elbow. "Ahh!" He yelped out as debris began to flow everywhere. The wind made by Neji's kaiten was going counter-clockwise, and clashing with the clockwise cyclone made by Kaelu. The end result: the wind from the cyclone was imploding upon itself, shooting gusts and debris in every which direction, including inside the funnel. Though Neji was protected by his kaiten, Kaelu was a projected path for a lot of pain.

His eyes circled about the area, as debris strewn about, coming as close as graze across his skin. "I have no choice," he told himself. He had to act. He crossed his arms at his chest. "Lightning Emission." At that instant, all of his chakra points exerted electricity outwards, surrounding his body, giving himself an inch-thick layer of strong magnetic current. Everything that hit Kaelu either was deflected away at great speeds or singed upon contact. Some objects even deflected a second time off of Neji's kaiten before plummeting to the ground.

As the cyclone died down, both combatants released their defensive techniques and, breathing heavily, surveyed their new situation. The area around them had been severely cut down. Nearby trees were reduced to wood-chips and bark. Grass and plants were pulled and strewn out. Even whole trees were uprooted and toppled over, leaving a mess of branches and leaves around them. Above them was now the open sky, grey and unforgiving. Death had seemingly surrounded the two of them.


"You've kissed?!" A shocked Hinata walked her friend down the road, not particularly going anywhere. On this cloudy, hazy day, the two girls had no problem wasting time walking around the village. It was about time they'd caught up wit their girl talk anyway. Though it was Sakura's turn to do the talking as she had confessed her most recent secret to her best friend.

"A few times actually," she smiled, not trying to hide her blush. "It was so exhilarating!" Her voice squeaked and squealed and got a few giggles from Hinata. "He just takes my breath away and when we kiss, it's like I'm somewhere else, it's amazing!" She flung her arms out in excitement, nearly clotheslining a bypasser on the street.

"Careful!" Hinata yelled. Sakura dodged the pedestrian, apologizing quietly as she continued on. Hinata sighed and couldn't help but laugh at the sight of her friend. "How did the first feel? I mean, that.. that first kiss? What did you do?"

"Aw, well, sweetie, it just happened. We were talking and it just felt like the right moment, I can't really explain it, Hinata. You just.." She pumped her fists as if to try and express her emotion. "Feel it. You know when it's right." They walked over to a nearby bench on the street corner and sat down together. Sakura eased herself down onto the bench. She was recovering very quickly, but it didn't take much for her to lose her balance, and she wasn't taking any chances.

"You haven't kissed Naruto yet, have you?" Hinata frowned and softly shook her head. "Aww, you'll get your chance, girl." Sakura tried to cheer her up, "and you'll love it! Take it from me, you'll be nervous and shaky at first but after that first moment, it'll feel so.. so natural!"

Hinata offered a small smile. "I guess so. I just want it to happen. I've daydreamed about this moment for so long, and I just want it to be perfect. I want to be able to say to myself, 'Hinata, this is it. Show the boy you love him.' Everytime I say that to myself, I take a step forward in my confidence, but whenever he looks at me or says something to me, I feel myself wanting to shy away and I take a step back." She sighed under her breath. "I guess once I get that first kiss, I'll be alright. It's just so nerve wrecking, even to just get it, I mean.."

"Well you could steal it now and he wouldn't even know.." Sakura joked.

"No, I could never!" Hinata argued. "I love him, and that's a moment I'd want to share with him."

Sakura laughed, "Calm down, girlie, I was only joking. You need to loosen up a bit." She lightly punched Hinata playfully in the arm. "Roll with the punches, honey. Good or bad, whenever something happens, go with it, do what feels right. You'll know in time if it was the right or wrong thing, and you'll have to be willing to accept whatever follows. Just take that first step." Hinata nodded.

"I understand," her smile grew. "Thank you, Sakura."

"Anytime," Sakura's smile beamed back at her friend. "By the way, I want details when it happens." They laughed. Hinata was slightly embarrassed, but she didn't mind. She felt she could tell Sakura anything.

"Hey, Sakura," she asked timidly. Sakura responded with a slight headtilt.

"Hm?"

"Have you, I mean, have you ever thought of.. you know, getting.. well, close with Oroyo?" She stuttered immensely. She knew what she was trying to ask, she just couldn't get herself to say it.

"Oh, that??" Sakura laughed to herself, though she blushed slightly at the same time. "Well, of course I have! I'm sixteen years old, and as far as I'm concerned, those thoughts are natural." She leaned back on the bench and put her hands behind her head, lounging back. "I haven't done anything to that extreme, if that's what you're asking, but it's crossed my mind once or twice."

"I see," Hinata wasn't sure how to respond. For an innocent teenager, she had many fantasies about Naruto, though they hadn't been very frequent at all. That is, until he came back home.

"I'm just not ready for that," Sakura added. "Even though some of the older nurses and girls around work and the academy say it's such a great thing, I really don't feel the need to rush into such action." She put her hand at her waist, over her innocence. "This is precious to me, and I'm waiting for somebody I truly love to share it with." She smiled and ran her hand swiftly through Hinata's hair, and she blushed more in response. "You've thought about that with Naruto, haven't you?"

"I!... I… uhm," Hinata was completely caught off-guard, despite knowing she should've expected this. She succumbed to the pressure of the moment and nodded her head in embarrassment. "I have."

Sakura laughed and lightly pushed her. "That's nothing to be ashamed of, girl. Like I said, it's perfectly natural. So, give me details!"

"What?!" Hinata was in for more than she bargained for.

"You know. Thoughts, fantasies! How, when where, why?"

By this time, Hinata was hiding herself within her collar, struggling to come out, but she knew she should. Sakura was her best friend, and if she couldn't trust her, she'd be hard pressed to find anyone else to share herself with, with the exception of Uzumaki Naruto of course, but he's no girl.

"I have no particular 'when' or 'where'. It never really occurred to me, I guess." She scratched her head. "I just want him to hold me, I want to feel his warmth." She took in a deep breath. "To hear his heart beat, to give… to give.."

"Your innocence." Sakura finished for her. Hinata's eyes quickly glanced into Sakura's, and the red upon her cheeks was now as bright as they could be.

"Yes... Yes I would." She admitted. "I'm not saying I would now. I wouldn't do that and risk everything I have, everything I do. But one day.." She smiled warmly, the biggest Sakura had seen in a long time. "I'll be his."

Sakura grinned. 'You will, girl.' She said to herself. 'You will.' She leaned forward again and spoke out, "Well, let's keep moving, shall we? Tonight's going to be a good night. I can feel it." Sakura stood up and stretched herself out. Then, she took a deep breath, and then coughed it back up. The humidity was too heavy for her exaggeration. Hinata stood up and pat Sakura gently on the back.

"Are you okay, Sakura?"

Sakura cleared her throat. "Yeah, I'm fine. Maybe I jinxed myself with that."

"Don't say that!" Hinata argued. They continued their walk slowly through the village. "Naruto-kun is waking up tonight! And you're feeling better! And I'm sure when we get to the hospital, we'll hear that Kakashi's surgery was a success! Today will be a great day." She smiled at her sister and got a grin in response.

"I hope you're right," Sakura said. "The last thing we need is another problem."

"By the way," Hinata interrupted. "Where is Oroyo?"

"He said he went out with his grandfather and his brother today." Sakura shrugged. "I don't know where to, but I didn't want to ask. It's not polite to impose on family plans, I believe." Hinata nodded in agreement. "I'm sure I'll see him eventually."

"Let's hope he doesn't get into any kind of trouble." Hinata wondered.

"Nonsense," Sakura rebuked. "It's Aidon's grandkid. He wouldn't get himself into trouble. I'm sure he's out having a blast."


Kaelu, simply, did not know what to do.

Here he was, already exhausted and still internally hurting from his fight two days earlier, face to face with whom Sakura had said was the most dangerous hand-to-hand combat fighter in Konoha. He had started out of the gate at full blast, chakra under complete control and at full power. Yet he couldn't connect with his Storm's Eye Bellow as Neji was perfectly prepared. Something about those eyes enraged him. Neji was so calm, so settled in his technique, and he showed no fear, no doubt. Those eyes gave him an advantage.

"Damn you," Kaelu shouted out. Neji smirked and kept in his stance.

Kaelu was at a complete disadvantage. He couldn't fight close combat, not with him. As quick as he may be, one mistake and it would be all over. Also, Neji's strategy was to fight by not fighting. Kaelu knew that Neji was trying to tire him out, and he had fallen for it. 'Half of my natural chakra is already gone,' he thought to himself, 'and I don't know how much intake my body will allow. I'm still damaged from my last fight.' He cringed and put his hand to the wound on his left shoulder.

"You're patient, unlike my previous opponent's." Kaelu rolled his left shoulder slowly to try and ease the pain from the kunai wound. "They tried to compete with my level of power and failed. But you, you're different." Kaelu glared, his eyes cold, filled with fright and murderous intent. Neji held his ground.

"I will not let you get past me," Neji replied. "This is as far as you'll go."

Kaelu looked for any kind of opening, any kind of answer. He needed to find a way to break this kid's focus. Otherwise, there would be no way he could connect effectively. Kaelu took a step forward and the stunning silence was broken by the snap of a twig under his foot. Neji readied himself more, his knees bent slightly more as he slightly leaned himself back, his arms extended in Gentle Fist style. 'The last thing I want to do is waste my chakra,' he told himself. 'Going head on would be stupid.' He sighed under his breath.

"I have no choice." His closed his eyes and raised his arms high above his head, to the cloud covering and the open patch of sky above him. Neji tried to comprehend his motives. He saw the chakra flow increase it's speed throughout his body. Neji's eyes widened.

'I have to strike now!' he yelled at himself and he took a quick step forward and lunged towards his enemy, palm facing out towards Minaya. Kaelu's eyes shot open in a menacing glare towards Neji. "Lightning Elemental!" He screamed out. Neji stopped. He decided it was better not to charge into a technique he didn't know.

Kaelu slowly lifted his glare up to the sky and spoke quietly to the sky above him.

"Pain's Reward."

At that moment, a flash of lightning fell from the heavenly clouds and stuck the hands of the raijutsu master. His body spasmed pon contact with the massive voltage and he screamed out in agony over the magnitude of electricity running through his body, but he kept his arms firm and withstood the entire lightning strike. Neji looked on in amazement. He could barely fathom what was going on in Kaelu's body. The electricity was literally eating away the flow system from the inside out, but the power being converted at his heart was incredible. This probably would have easily killed anyone else who tried this.

'I don't think I can match this power,' Neji thought to himself. 'I'm not going to be able to keep yp with this crazed strength. I'm just going to have to survive.' The flow within Kaelu was not the normal blue that he usually sees within people but, instead, bright gold, electrified, and flying through his entire system at near-light speed.

"There's no way you can't keep that up for long. You'll eventually kill yourself from the inside out." Neji taunted. His opponent saw no humor in that fact.

"This fight won't be to last that long now," he responded, cringing, his body twitching from the sheer amount of shock within him. His skin was giving off static and smoke.. It was obvious he was in terrible pain.

But in Kaelu's mind, he no longer cared. This fight wasn't about the physical pain. It was about the mental scars, the one's he had just recently learned about, and the ones he had carried his entire life. From his running away, to his trials and life as a homeless, wandering boy, to learning of his dark past, to learning he has merely been a tool for the political power that took his father's life, Kaelu's anger had now soared to an all-time high.

"I.. will have the Angel for myself.." his voice grunted, stuttering and stopping a lot mid-sentence. "With her, I … I will avenge my father… and I…" His eyes began to glow with the same eerie lumiscence from the night before.

"I will kill… anyone in my way!" In an instant, a bolt of lightning, and he had vanished. Neji's eyes widened. All that was left was a cloud of smoke and the black ashes of dirt from the ground that he stood over, from the sheer heat of his body.

Neji stepped back on his right foot and began to pivot quickly, ready to start another Kaiten, when he was interrupted by a sharp punch to his chest, sending a stinging electric shock through his body. His eyes widened even further as he recoiled back and put his arms to his ribcage, looking around frantically.

"What the hell..? I couldn't even see him!" A second later, Neji's head flew forward as his body contorted downwards towards the ground. Kaelu had appeared over Neji's head and had drop-kicked him straight down. Neji kept on his two feet and was able to recover and jump back a few feet, taking a few more small yet swift punches and kicks from his opponent.

"At this rate, he'll burn out before me," Neji said, confidently to himself. "But I can move just as fast as him." He concentrated his chakra, and he planned out his attack with delicate precision, even though he was being hit with strike after strike. It wasn't the hit that hurt, it was the after effect, the shock, that really bothered him.

Either way, he knew this was it. This was his opportunity to strike and take him down. Neji knew he could keep up with his speed, and if he could land a blow to Kaelu's chakra system, he knew the electricity would eat at the wound and basically disable him. One strike was all he needed, and the fight would be over.

But Neji also knew that this would leave him open for more damaging strikes, and hat was a risk he was still doubting himself over. As long as he had his arms over his face and chest, he could avoid serious attacks to his body, and he'd simply have to deal with the electrocution, as troublesome as that may be. Unfortunately, Kaelu was holding out far longer than Neji had expected. Either that or he was doing a really good job of hiding the pain he was in. Regardless, he kept up the barrage at the same pace and strength he had started at, and considering the attacks had gone on for a couple of minutes, the brave Konoha warrior had decided enough was enough. Neji decided that the risk was worth taking.

"Eight Trigrams," his focus could not be broken. His fingertips twitched in anticipation. In his mind, he pictured the attack design. In his mind, another ring added to the attack cycle.

"One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!" He spun, pivoting on the balls of his feet and began to spin around, striking in every which direction. He came into contact with Kaelu a number of times, deflecting away blow after blow at amazing speeds.

Kaelu was growing weaker. Now Neji was fighting back and each shot to his hands, arms, and legs slowed him down. Neji was narrowly missing chakra points on his body, which meant that some would be hit at any point. He knew he couldn't keep the barrage up much longer. The Konoha jounin was just as fast and would certainly last far longer than he, and he was suffering a large amount of physical pain. Each replication, every swing, every strike hurt more and more. He knew this would be it. He knew that, eventually, Neji would outlast him and overtake his strikes.

His eyes moved to the ground, as they kept moving, stepping back and forth preparing for each other's strike's. Neji turned his body and stepped into a huge puddle in the dirt, splashing up water, his arm moving faster than, and right through, the droplets, landing a strike on Kaelu's left shoulder. The pain was insurmountable. He screamed and, flailing his left arm, was able to lean forward and, with his right hand, strike the puddle, sending waves of electricity through the water, shocking both fighters tremendously.

Neji spasmed and nearly fell back from the intensity of the jolt that shot through his body, but he was now left wide open as his arms fell to his sides in slight numbness. He took a few stumbles back, steeping a couple of yards away from the puddle, and found that his arms were heavy, tingling on pins and needles, but he still tried to defend himself. He swung desperately, throwing his arm out, at the enemy, missing as Kaelu ducked under it.

On the verge of tears, burning on the inside both mentally and physically, and staring death in the face, Minaya Kaelu now followed through with his objective, following the sick decree that Kagetsu Shiro had laid out for him. He ran forward, past the puddle, with the debris of the forest surrounding them. He grabbed onto Neji's shirt and pulled himself up with his right arm, his left now dangling, dead, by his side. He used the momentum to jump up at Neji, swinging his right arm back and then forward again towards Neji's face. Neji stared the cold-hearted killer in the face, and it wasn't until he went to lift his left arm to block, and it didn't move, that he knew this was it.

"Hinata…"

The last thing he saw were those blue, cold eyes and his curved fingertips jetting towards his face. At last glimpse, he saw the strangers look of anger, pain, and agony. He didn't need to see in order to know what would happen next..

.. and he didn't.

Neji closed his eyes and braced himself, taking a . The palm of Minaya Kaelu met the lips of Hyuuga Neji as he drove his fingertips into the eyes of his submissioned opponent, shooting a last jolt of electricity into the poor soul's body. Neji's body shook from the final devastating jolt into his body, and as Kaelu released he fell backwards onto the ground, exhausted, injured, and at his limit. His body was literally cooking as smoke poured from the pores on his skin. His hands were covered in dark burns and painful blisters. His once bright blue eyes were dimming as all of the energy seeped from his body. Tears formed in his eyes and began to stream down his ashed and dirt-covered cheeks. He heard his father's voice..

"Kaelu.."

He shook his head and wiped away his tears agonizingly with his forearms, the burning from his skin rubbing against his eyes stung him all the more. He looked up at his opponent, in a daze on the ground, most of his face singed and covered in ash. His breathing was short and stuttered and he continued to mutter under his breath.

"Hinata.." His arms shook at his sides, but he planted them on the ground firmly and was able to get himself to sit up. Everything was black, and continue to stay black.

"Kaelu!" He screamed out. "What have you done?!" His voice was shaky in both fear and panic. He raised his right hand, slowly, to his face. He felt up from his chin, past his lips and up his cheeks and nose, and when he had reached his eyes, he had felt and finally understood the horrible, horrible truth of the matter.

"Kaelu!" He cried out. "You bastard!! Noooo!!" He fell forward, pounding his fists into the ground in front of him. "Damnit, you son of a bitch, what have you done!!"

Kaelu began to shake, and the tears returned to his eyes. The great opponent that once stood proud in front of him had now been reduced to this, and it was his doing.

"Naruto, Sakura.." he quivered and put his hands to his face, sobbing for tears that would never escape. "Hinata, I've let you down. My dear, cousin. No, this can't be!" He pounded the ground once more and raised his head to the sky, screaming out to the Fates, themselves.

"This can't be!!!" He fell forward again, falling into his own arms. He sobbed in fear and distress. "Hinata.." was all that was left for him to say. Above them, the clouds broke and the late sun shone brightly over the forest. The woods were once again enriched with color, and, in the midst of the sunlight, in the patch of dirt that saw no shade, lay the darkest part of all.

Kaelu blinked away his tears and rolled onto his knees and stared coldly at Neji, trying not to let the streams continue. He shouldn't have to try, he shouldn't feel the need to, but something pressed him on..

"Kaelu…" The voice echoed again.

The young tool stumbled to his feet. He could barely hold himself up as he reached into his weapon pouch, pulling out a kunai. His hand trembled the entire time

"Kaelu!!" Neji heard his movements and began to swing feverishly at the air, hoping he would strike his opponent and take his sorry self down with him. Kaelu moved very slowly, each step he took was labored, and he practically dragged his feet over towards his blinded opponent.

Neji scowled and grimaced in pain. He had suffered a fate far worse than death. His pride, his power was now taken away from him, and he had been rendered useless. He was growing tired quickly, he had been drained well past his limit. He stopped swinging, laboring desperately to keep his arms up in readied position. He continue to grunt and grimace in pain. He shook his head furiously, trying to see anything. All he could see was his cousin's shining smile..

"Thank you… Neji… for being there for me…"

Quietly, he stopped. A subdued Neji dropped his arms, exhaled, and lowered his head. He had nothing left to give, and no reason in his mind to continue.

The sun began its descent down in the West, and it brought to the sky an amazing palette of colors. Kaelu stopped to take a moment, kunai in hand, to look up at the beautiful sight. He sighed to himself at the majesty of nature, and he shook his head. He continued to fight back tears as he neared his opponent. Memories choked back his objective and made him hesitate more and more with each step.

".. and that's when I lost my father.."

He continued to take small steps towards Neji, who didn't move. He had accepted his fate, and was now letting the thoughts in his mind do all the talking he needed.

"Uzumaki Naruto," he said harshly, then he took a deep breath and let it out with a smile. "Take care of her, drop-out."

Kaelu kneeled himself down a couple of feet in front of Neji and saw that the once panicked, traumatized fictim was now once again tranquil.

"I can do.. no more." He lifted his head and appeared to stare Kaelu in the face. Kaelu had to look away, partially ashamed of his act. He had killed many enemies in his lifetime. He had disposed of so many fighters and ninja, mobsters and gangsters. Why did this feel different? This was the first time it had truly felt like murder..

"Hyuuga Neji," Kaelu whispered. He leaned forward, kunai readily aimed at his foe's heart.

"Tell me, Kaelu." Neji said calmly. He felt the warmth beaming down on his skin, and the birds began to chirp around him once more. "Is.. is the sun out?"

Kaelu could no longer contain his emotions as tears began to trickle down his face.

"Yes.. yes it is."

Neji nodded his head with a slight grin, "too bad I missed it. I never appreciated the little things enough. Not like…" he thought about her once again, ashamed and embarrassed of himself.

"I'll see you in hell, Minaya," he whispered, he voice dark and honest. Kaelu brushed away his tears with his forearm.

"No," Kaelu choked back the last of his tears. "You won't be there."

Neji's left arm slowly reached up and grabbed the hand of Kaelu's. He ran his fingers over his knuckles, and brought them forward, feeling the edges and point of the kunai. He was far too weak to try and defend himself. He placed his hand over Kaelu's and, with the last of his strength, and all of his honor, pulled his opponent's hand forward, the kunai, he knew, pointed right at him..

"Neji!!"

.. and it hit.

The pair of them did not move for a moment. Kaelu's hand trembled as he held the dagger firmly, the tip of his far knuckle brushing his victim's chest. The blood began to stream from his body in the way his tears could not. Neji knew what was soon to come, and he was not afraid.

"Minaya Kaelu," he whispered. "You will not succeed. If the shinobi of Konoha don't put an end to you.. you, yourself, will."

Kaelu shook his head to himself. Neji continued, his voice fading into nothingness.

"You cannot escape your past, Kaelu. Do the right thing and give up this mission, change the future for yourself. Uzumaki.." he stopped to cough up blood, his grip on Kaelu's hand tightened. "Uzumaki Naruto once taught me… that you can change your destiny, single-handedly. That fate is not set in stone.."

Kaelu sighed and looked down at the ground, "If only it were that easy."

"I lost my father, too, when I was young," Neji reassured him. "There will always be many mysteries. But don't live your life full of vengeance. I'm sure your father would have wanted you to live your own life. For yourself." Kaelu's frown grew. He could barely remember his father. All he had were his early childhood memories, which were already fading over time.

"Be your own person, Kaelu." Neji continued to cough as his breathing began to vanish. "Leave here, leave everything behind, and become who you… truly… want…"

Kaelu looked down at his opponent, who smiled, and, with his last breath, spoke.

"I have.. and with that… I.. can rest… fulfilled.." Kaelu felt Neji's fingers drift off of his hand, and the young jounin began to fall back, slowly, onto the ground. Kaelu put his arms behind Neji, and led him down slowly and gently. As his head reached the ground, Neji let out his breath for the last time, and with that, he was gone.

"Hyuuga.. Neji.." was all Kaelu could say to himself as he stared down in wonder at this brave, young jounin. He leaned over his body and pulled the kunai from his heart and rested it on his chest. He ripped a piece from his shredded cape and remorsely clean up his victim's face from the cinders, dust and dirt that covered it. He wiped the blood that built up in his eyes and on his face. He ran his fingers down from Neji's forehead and closed his eyelids completely on his way down.

The sun began its final descent as the two remained motionless as time passed. Kaelu looked down and saw a proud opponent, and a hero. He closed his eyes, and in his mind, he saw his father, standing tall, nodding his head at him. Minaya Kaelu had now learned a very hard lesson about life, through a person he would never expect.

"Hyuuga Neji," he said one last time, as the shadows and the darkness began to overtake the once-colorful sky. He looked up and watched the sun disappear over the horizon in blazing glory.

Kaelu stood up quietly, and began to stumble away, holding his left shoulder in pain. He took one last glance back at Neji, who, after all the agony of the fight, seemed to be at peace. He distanced himself from the fallen hero and reached into his pouch, pulling out an emergency explosive. He released the seal and through the tag as high into the air as he could. The tag exploded with a loud booming thunder and set off a display of bright lights into the air.

"You'll be home, soon.."

With that done, the Southern jounin limped away, leaving the horrible scene behind.

"Become who you truly want…"

Already, his words echoed. He had thought about Atsuke, about Aidon, and Sakura. He thought about Naruto, Tsunade, Hinata, and the lives they all led.

Then he had thought about himself, and the life he was directed to follow..

.. and follow no longer.

Minaya took with him that night the painful memories of his past finally brought to light,

..and the memory of a fighter, and a hero, he would never forget.