Chapter 10

(AN) As always, thank you for the reviews. I had held off posting this fic for so long because I wasn't sure if anyone but myself would be interested in it.

In the future, my updates will probably largely depend on the manga. There hasn't been much of Neji or Sakura lately, for instance, but depending on how the next few manga chapters go, there might be some inspiration for me to write about Ino during the timeskip. In fact, I just got an idea ::goes and jots down a note to herself:: (/AN)

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Neji hated pomp and circumstance, but he understood the necessity at times. The past year had been a difficult time for Konoha, and the people needed a reason to celebrate.

He stepped through the flap of the enormous tent and blinked at the dim interior. Tables were set up to one side, and a large dance floor dominated the other. Servers wandered through the milling people offering appetizers and drinks, and a band was already playing on a small platform beside the dance floor.

A large knot of people had formed around the reason for this celebration – five of Konoha's ninja had become Chuunin after this last exam: Tenten, Sakura, Lee, Shino, and Kiba. It was a record for the village and the display of potential and power at the exam would greatly increase business for Konoha.

Kiba stood talking to his sister with his hand on Akamaru's head, which now reached his waist. Shino was standing with Shikimaru and Chouji, and Sakura and Tenten had their arms around each other's shoulders and were laughing at something Ino must have said.

Lee was of course bouncing in front of Gai, who kept sending smug looks towards Kakashi. As usual, Kakashi affected not to notice and kept his nose buried in his little orange book.

"Come, Neji-nii-san," Hinata said, pulling at his sleeve. "I haven't congratulated Sakura yet."

Neji allowed himself to be led further into the tent by his diminutive cousin and took in more of the details. Most people were dressed formally in kimono or suits, and some women wore evening dresses. Despite the festive atmosphere, he glimpsed two robed ANBU figures and knew there must be more that he couldn't see. The Godaime took no chances, it seemed.

Neji stopped to offer his congratulations to Kiba and Shino. Despite being eliminated in the quarter finals, they had fought well enough to earn the rank of Chuunin.

It had been a strange tournament this year. Not only had Sakura and Tenten been matched together, but Tenten and Kiba as well. Kiba had not taken his defeat well, but upon learning that he was still being promoted he began strutting again.

Shino had also lost in the quarter finals in a grudge match against Kankerou. Tenten went on to beat Kankerou in what was a brilliant match of two ranged ninja. Kankerou also became a Chuunin along with the guy that Sakura fought in the quarter finals. Only one Genin of the final eight had not been promoted.

Neji turned to look for his cousin and spotted her with Ino and Sakura. All three girls wore kimono, and Ino certainly looked beautiful, but Neji found his eyes drifting back to Sakura. She was wearing a silk kimono that deepened from light blue at the shoulders to a rich sapphire by her feet with diagonal swirls of pink sakura blossoms. Her white obi was brocaded with shimmering butterflies that matched the comb holding her pink locks in a simple chiffon.

He paused a moment to marvel at how different she seemed from when they first really met six months ago. Then, she had worn a carefully arranged mask of happiness. Beneath, he had seen a young woman who did her best to distract herself from her demons. Now she absolutely radiated. He could see her smile came truly from within and wasn't merely something to hide behind.

"If it wasn't for that buffoon who was placed in our group, Chouji and I would have made it past the second test," Ino was saying.

Hinata, who had made it past the second test with Shino and Kiba, was eliminated before the main fights. She looked down and blushed, and Neji knew she was still embarrassed that her teammates had been successful while she had failed again.

"Hinata-sama, why don't you train with Ino-san and Chouji-san for the next exam. Then they won't have to rely on an unknown genin again," Neji suggested, stepping up behind his cousin.

"That's brilliant!" Ino exclaimed flashing Neji one of her killer smiles.

"Really? You wouldn't mind having me?" Hinata stammered.

"I think it's a great idea, too!" Sakura said, beaming at Neji.

"What's a great idea?" asked the Godaime, strolling up to the group.

"Neji-san suggested that Hinata train with Ino and Chouji for the next exam," Sakura answered promptly.

"Ah, that is a good idea," the Godaime said with a tipsy smile. "Look how training with other teams has helped Sakura. Speaking of which, I'd like to see you in my office tomorrow. Nine AM sharp." With a small nod to Neji, the Hokage sauntered off in search of more sake.

Sakura glanced over at Neji with a worried frown, but before he could say anything to reassure her, a group of people descended to throw praise at the new Chuunin, and Neji decided to find himself a nice corner to sit in.

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After the Godaime left the group, another cluster of people she didn't know came over to Sakura to congratulate her on her achievement. For the first time, Sakura had been acknowledged by the village, and she felt like she was floating on proverbial air. She knew many people cheered for her because she was a dark horse – no bloodline, no family history of techniques and famous ninjas. She began to realize why Naruto craved such attention.

Ino swung by and grabbed Sakura's elbow. "Let's dance!" she shouted over the music. On the way to the dance floor, they snagged Tenten and Hinata, the latter of whom looked ready to faint at the thought of dancing in public. Kurenai and Asuma were already out on the floor, and Ino openly oogled her sensei dancing. Gai was trying to teach Lee the 'dance moves of love and youth,' which had the girls in fits of giggles.

A group of young men from the village came over to the girls and asked them to dance, and Sakura found herself separated from her friends. The young man she was dancing with was nice enough, but she didn't even commit his name to memory.

The song ended and a slow one began, and the young man looked like he was about to ask for another dance when he glanced behind her and paled before scurrying away with a lame excuse about a curfew. Sakura turned around to see Genma smirking down at her with a senbon between his lips.

"May I have the honor?" he asked, taking Sakura in his arms. She felt a bit intimidated by the older Jounin, and nearly squeaked as his right hand dipped low on her hip.

Before they could take five steps, someone coughed nearby, and Sakura looked up to see Kakashi standing with his arms crossed and both eyes visible. Genma bowed quickly and beat a hasty retreat as Kakashi stepped into his place. Sakura grinned up at her sensei as he readjusted his hitai-ate to cover his sharingan and muttered about "dirty old men". Sakura couldn't stifle a laugh as they began weaving around the other couples.

"Kakashi-sensei, I never imagined you as a dancer," Sakura teased.

"Copying dances is as easy as copying jutsu," he replied as he raised his arm and twirled Sakura in a circle.

Sakura had to appreciate the easy grace of her sensei. He wore a dark suit with the jacket unbuttoned and a white silk shirt that was half untucked, and he moved as effortlessly as always. He peered down at Sakura for a moment, and his gaze sharpened until he sighed and looked over her head again.

"Sakura-chan, I apologize," he said in a low voice.

"Apologize? What…" Sakura began.

"For being a terrible teacher," he replied. "You never would have achieved what you did last week if I had remained your teacher. I neglected you. I neglected Naruto, too. I am sorry."

There was an uncomfortable silence before Sakura said quietly, "No, sensei, you're the only one who hasn't neglected me. Regardless of what you have or have not taught me, you were there for me during the exam. I would have been left in the dirt in the arena until someone came around to sweep up the trash. And besides," she continued with a lighter tone, "I hear first-hand how busy Tsunade-shishou keeps you."

Kakashi seemed to think this over a moment before nodding slowly. Sakura knew he could identify with her loneliness. Or rather, Sakura was beginning to be able to identify with his. When they had first met, Kakashi-sensei had mentioned that all his friends and family had already died. Sakura knew she was lucky that her friends had merely left.

"Ah, I nearly forgot," Kakashi said, a smile crinkling his one visible eye. He reached into his pocket and drew out a strangely shaped kunai with an engraving on the handle. "This is your present for being my very first student to become a Chuunin."

Sakura stepped back and took the kunai. It felt very well balanced, but a bit heavier than usual.

"The jutsu it originally had in it is long gone, but consider it good luck," he told her. "It is special."

"Thank you, sensei," Sakura said, tucking the kunai into her obi.

They finished their dance, and as Kakashi left to go get a drink at the bar, she couldn't help but think that she had been given a glimpse into her mysterious teacher's life.

Sakura smiled at the slouched back of her sensei and went looking for Ino, who was on the other side of the floor dancing with Genma. Sakura rolled her eyes and turned around only to run into a green spandex suit.

'He must have his clothes tailored for him. You can't possibly buy spandex like this in a store, can you?' she thought to herself.

Lee struck a pose that bordered on obscene and said, "Flower of youth and spring, please dance with me." He struck a second pose and held out his hand.

Sakura glanced around looking for assistance but found none. Ino was still with Genma, and Tenten and Hinata weren't in sight. "Umm… well…"

"Sorry Lee, but I had already reserved the next dance with Sakura," came a smooth voice behind her.

Lee fell over from his pose and said, "You are truly my rival, beating me even to ask this fair maiden to dance."

Tenten appeared at that point and pulled Lee to his feet. "C'mon, dance over here with me and leave those two alone," she said with a wink to her other teammates.

Sakura sighed gratefully and turned around to face Neji. "Thank you for that," she said.

Neji just smirked and glanced down at the kunai sticking out of her obi. "Maybe you don't need my protection?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It was a gift from Kakashi-sensei!" she said indignantly. "And anyway, are we going to dance or what?"

Neji leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I have a confession. I don't know how to dance. I was just trying to save you from Lee."

Sakura chuckled and showed him where to put his arms. "Just follow what everyone else is doing. You'll be fine," she said reassuringly.

She laughed out loud when he activated his Byakugan and told him, "I didn't mean literally!"

He shrugged and began moving with the music. Sakura couldn't help but giggle when they would pass another couple and she could see that they were the ones Neji was imitating.

"Hey, I could take you back to the green beast, if you like," Neji said with a low growl.

"No, Neji! Anything but that!" Sakura said with mock fear, ducking behind him and peering over his shoulder.

Neji just smirked and spun her back in front of him. They continued their trip around the dance floor, and Sakura decided that all ninja must be good dancers. First Kakashi, then Neji. 'Scratch that,' Sakura thought to herself. 'Make that all genius ninja.' She couldn't imagine Naruto doing anything gracefully.

'I wonder if Sasuke-kun is a good dancer,' she thought idly. Funny, it was the first time that day she had thought about Sasuke. Normally he haunted every minute of her life.

'Sasuke would never do something like dance with you,' the small voice in her head whispered.

Sakura shook her head and realized that the music had stopped, and Neji was peering down at her.

"Is everything ok?" he asked.

"Hai, I'm fine," she said honestly. "Let's get a drink."

Still holding on to Neji's hand, she led him over to the bar and ordered a soda. Neji had water.

"Sometime soon, I want you to show me what you did to deflect Tenten's kunai in the final match," he said, turning to her. "I've been working on a similar technique."

Before she could reply, the tempo of the music changed and the crowd shifted.

They turned to face the dance floor and saw that a ring had formed around two figures in the center. Sakura gasped when she saw that one of the people was Kakashi. "No way!" she exclaimed.

Kakashi had removed his hitai-ate, and his sharingan was faintly visible behind a spill of silver hair. 'He must mean business,' Sakura thought.

She recognized the woman he was dancing with as part of ANBU. She wore a long blue Chinese-style gown with a slit up one thigh. Sakura could see her kunai holster taped to her slim leg.

The two figures circled each other deliberately, stepping with the slow beat of the song. Suddenly, they came together and began dancing so closely that Sakura wondered how they didn't tangle their legs and fall. Their steps were perfectly timed as the made a slow circuit around the floor, and Sakura stared mesemerized by their feet.

Another couple joined them in the same slow tango, and Sakura felt confident that the man was at least a Chuunin. He had the tell tale cat-like grace.

Sakura was startled when Neji took her glass from her hand and placed it on the bar. 'Hey, I wasn't…" she began.

"Let's go," Neji said, tugging at her hand.

"But I thought you didn't know how!" Sakura said. She felt her face heat with the thought of dancing with anyone like that.

"I've been watching like you told me to," he said with a smirk. "Come on, I'll lead."

Sakura hesitated before following Neji to where another couple had joined the previous two. There was still a crowd watching, though, and Sakura balked one last time.

Then she saw Lee striding towards her with hearts in his eyes and Sakura nearly jumped the last few feet to the dance floor.

Neji took her hand the way he had when they danced previously, but then pulled her close so that their chests were touching and she had to tilt her head back to look at him.

And then they were moving. They glided across the floor in step with the music, and for a panicked moment she was unsure of what she should do. Neji made it easy for her, though, by directing her movements with his hand at the small of her back.

Sakura realized they were matching Kakashi and his companion step for step. Even though his Byakugan weren't activated, Neji had already memorized the entire dance.

On their next pass down the dance floor, Sakura noticed Ino staring at her with her mouth slightly agape. Well, she knew what she was doing for lunch the next day.

Looking around, Sakura realized she was not holding up her end of the bargain and started watching the other couples' footwork. The other three women were all wearing dresses, and Sakura was having a noticeably more difficult time in her kimono. Still, she and Neji managed a fair amount of grace and precision if not the more mature sensuality of the other couples.

By the time the song was over, Sakura was exhausted but exhilarated. She hadn't had this much fun in… who knows how long. The three men came over to clap Neji on the back and the women congratulated Sakura once again on her promotion. As Sakura watched the ANBU woman walk away, she said, "I need to get a dress like that. It's too hard to dance in a kimono."

"I agree," Neji said with an emphatic nod.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, looking at him sideways.

Neji grinned and began fussing with the folds of his clothing. "Next time, maybe I'll wear a suit." He was wearing a plain kimono made from the softest charcoal gray fabric and a cream-colored obi that matched his nagajuban. He also wore a black haori embroidered with the Hyuuga crest on the back.

"I think the kimono suits you," Sakura said. "You look good in traditional clothes, Neji."

Neji opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Just then, Gai arrived with Lee and Tenten in tow for a victory toast and celebration, and Sakura turned her concentration to avoiding the glare from Gai's teeth.