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Author's Note: Long chapter is long. Jokes (and some touching) in the desert. Genma appears and gets distracted (Hehe). Neji accidently asks Kankuro out on a date. Neji and Tora have a heart-to-heart.
Monetary break-down of missions included. I'm actually basing this off some research I did. For those curious, 5000 ryo is equal to $680 USD. So if the team gets 2000 ryo each per D-rank mission it's about $250 (I'm not doing the actual math, sorry) per mission, meaning about $500-750 a week depending on the mission rotation Neji's put his genin on. Pay rates come right from the Naruto Wiki for those curious. Yeah, they get paid A LOT.
You now see why Kuma is so excited about going on missions. You can also understand how rich Neji would be as he doesn't have to pay for food, utilities, or rent as he lives in the Hyuuga compound.
Rated M for sexy scenes between two males, swearing, and some blood and guts.
I don't own the characters but I am taking liberties with them and their universe.
WARNING: Two males doing naughty things to each other.
Neji glared up at the sun then down at the desert beneath his feet. He and his students had spent two more days in Suna. They ate with Gaara and Kankuro and trained in the evening and early morning when it was cool enough to do so. In the afternoon Neji spent time in Kankuro's workshop, mainly naked. Most of the time Kankuro sketched him but at least half of the time he was being pounded on or over a worktable, on or over a chair, and even against the wall or on the floor.
Neji could not pretend to be injured any longer and Akino was fit to travel so the morning three days after he woke up saw him getting ready to leave. They had been woken up at 3AM when the sun was still down and the air still cold. They were out the doors by 4AM and in the desert by 6AM. This was when the sun had started to come up.
For the next two hours it was warm but not deadly hot. As eight hundred hours rolled into nine hundred hours, the temperature rose by fifteen degrees. By ten in the morning, Kuma, Tora, and Akino were panting from the heat. Neji was cursing his clothing color change and the slowness of their pace.
They had elected to keep at a brisk jog simply because it was summertime and in the desert running in the summer was not especially smart, not when it got to a hundred and twenty degrees by 10:30 in the morning. Neji let out a little breath and knew this was going to be a long and tiring three or four days.
"Wow, it's so hot. I think I'm melting," Kuma said.
It was 11AM. They would walk for another hour before taking a break for lunch and hydration. Neji caught Kankuro smirking. Gaara had sent along only Kankuro instead of the five other Sand Shinobi he had planned to send under Kankuro's advice. Kankuro had made an argument about a smaller team being able to get away quicker plus with his four puppets he was like four shinobi in one. Gaara had agreed and Neji decided he liked Kankuro's logic.
"You won't melt Kuma, at least not right away," Kankuro told her.
Kuma looked up at him, eyes wide and mouth dropped. Kankuro laughed at her and she whined. Neji grinned. He had learned a lot about the puppet master in a full day and two afternoons. Kankuro liked hamburger steak but hated spinach. He loved anything having to do with puppets and despite using puppetry as his main fighting tactic, considered it a hobby.
He had never gone on a D-Rank mission simply because Gaara had always been over-powered, able to allow Kankuro and Temari the ability to go right into C-Rank missions even as first-time genin. This of course made Kankuro and Temari want to increase their skill not only to be able to fight if Gaara ever decided to leave them alone (which he had done apparently) but also on the off chance Gaara might strike out at them.
Neji realized Kankuro's family was more messed up than the Hyuuga but did not mention it to Kankuro. At least the Sand Siblings had gotten over all their issues and now lived a normal life in the village. The Hyuuga had been screwed up for generations and still were.
"How can you wear all black out here Kankuro-sama?" Tora asked.
Kankuro grinned. Neji had also come to realize his heart betrayed him again. What had to be, should be, a friend with benefits relationship wanted to become more. Neji chalked this up to being so emotionally raw after seeing Shikamaru with Temari and knowing Shikamaru had deliberately hidden Neji from Temari and Temari from Neji.
"I grew up out here so I'm used to it. Konoha's cold to me," Kankuro said.
"It's why he wears a heavy coat in autumn when he comes to visit," Neji added.
Tora and Kuma laughed. Akino snickered. Kankuro looked hurt but then started grinning, patting Neji on the shoulder in a friendly way. This was another mannerism Neji had learned. Kankuro was a touchy man, not with only with Neji but with all of his friends and family. Kankuro patted shoulders, stood close, poked people's arms, and smacked backs, even with Gaara. Gaara took it all in stride, smirking whenever Kankuro touched him.
The hand left Neji's shoulder. The problem with Kankuro's touchy quirk was Neji had no idea how Kankuro felt about him. Neji held back his groan and drop-kicked his heart. Damn Nara. Damn heart. Damn Kankuro though the sex had been amazing.
"Seriously though, I don't know how you guys stand it in the winter," Kankuro said.
"It's only fifteen degrees," Neji said.
"That's below zero in Celsius! Like negative numbers cold! It never drops below eighty in the day here," Kankuro said.
"And down to forty or less at night," Neji returned with a smirk.
"Still above freezing with no snow," Kankuro muttered.
Neji laughed at him and his students joined in. Kankuro pouted but Neji found it cute. He also found he wanted to kiss Kankuro but Gentle Fisted that feeling into the back of his mind. Then the words "Gentle Fisted" sounded weird and all he could think about was Kankuro's hands. Damn it all.
At least the desert with its insanely hot temperatures gave him a good excuse to be blushing and sweating. He did not have to blame it on hormones and could maintain the guise of having innocent thoughts. Neji let out a breath and pulled his hair forward again so he could get it off his back.
When he wore the traditional Hyuuga garb the shirt had always been light, white, and cotton. Neji had brought two thick leather vests, both in black and was suffering with all his long hair trapping the heat under his vest which absorbed it. The black pants were not helping either despite being light and cotton. He had no idea how he had made it to Suna in the first place with all this heat. Perhaps he should pretend to be running for his life again.
"You okay?" Kankuro asked.
Neji looked up at him and nodded. Kankuro smirked. How the man didn't sweat in the middle of the desert but sweated during sex was a mystery Neji wanted to figure out. Instead he went back to glaring straight ahead while Kankuro and Kuma trotted along beside him. Akino and Tora took the back but Neji did not mind.
"You could tie your hair up," Kankuro said.
Neji glared at him but Kankuro was unaffected. It likely had something to do with Gaara harbouring a demon and all but Neji was too hot to think straight. Kankuro's logic was sound (which made this worse) but Neji did not want to stop because his hair kept getting in the way. Kankuro shrugged.
"Fine, but when you fall over from heat stroke I'm going to carry you in the most awkward way possible," Kankuro said.
Neji huffed but kept going. They were going to be having a break soon anyway and he could fix his hair then. Neji scowled as most of it flipped back over his shoulder but left it.
"Why do you keep your hair so long anyway, Neji-sensei?" Akino asked.
Neji did not bother to look back at the boy and Tora spoke up.
"Why not? Neji-sensei has really pretty hair," Tora said.
Akino snorted.
"Yeah, that totally justifies it," Akino said.
Neji could see the sarcasm in the air. Funnily it looked like heat waves. Neji smirked at his thoughts and kept moving.
"At least Neji-sensei's hair doesn't look like, like," Tora tried.
"Dog-butt," Kuma offered.
Kankuro almost tripped but started laughing. Neji stared at Kuma who shrugged. He looked back to see Tora trying not to laugh and Akino pouting.
"Akino's hair does not look like dog-butt," Neji said.
Kankuro laughed harder. Neji could not believe he was having this discussion but he was working with twelve year olds. At least they had gone over most of the sex talk.
"At least my hair isn't puffing out like yours," Akino said to Tora.
She pouted. Apparently her hair did not like the heat of the desert and had puffed out worse than Kuma's their first few hours here. Neji had wondered why she kept it in a slick braid down her back the entire time. Neji had fly-away strands and frizz but nothing horrible. Kuma's hair had gone puffier than normal too but she didn't look like she cared all that much.
"At least my hair doesn't look like, like," Tora attempted again.
"Cat-barf," Kuma suggested.
Kankuro had to stop he was laughing so hard. Neji stopped beside him then Kuma, Tora, and Akino. Neji shook his head at Kankuro and gave his students a look. Kuma grinned, Tora giggled, and Akino looked depressed.
"Akino's hair does not look like cat-barf. Where did you even get that?" Neji asked Kuma.
Kuma shrugged.
"I have a younger sister," Kuma replied.
Neji had no idea how that was relevant but Kankuro and Tora were nodding. Neji sighed and shook his head. At least Akino had a confused look on his face.
"Regardless, can we stop with the insults please? And I don't know, act like shinobi?" Neji questioned.
Kuma pouted. Akino grinned. Tora chuckled. Kankuro snorted and rolled his eyes. His hand landed on Neji's shoulder again and Neji looked up at him.
"Oh please. You get right into the insult game. I have to admit, calling Kiba a bitch in heat was fantastic," Kankuro said.
Neji flushed and knew he could not blame it on the heat this time. Kuma and Tora giggled again. Akino blinked then frowned. He seemed to be having trouble thinking. Neji did not blame him with the heat.
"Wait, insulting your teammates is normal?" Akino asked.
Kankuro nodded. Neji groaned and rubbed his forehead, closing his eyes and bowing his head.
"Only when you're good friends with them, you don't really mean it, and you don't cross any lines they don't like," Kankuro said.
Neji lowered his hand and glanced up. Kankuro had a grin on his face. Kuma and Tora were nodding sagely and Akino stared at Kankuro for several moments with his mouth slightly open and eyes wide. Finally Akino let out a groan and ran a hand through his hair.
"Annoying," Akino muttered.
Neji coughed to hide a laugh when Kankuro gaped then looked between Neji and Akino. Neji inclined his head in the positive and Kankuro shook his head in awe.
"Wow," Kankuro said.
"Yes," Neji returned.
Kankuro rubbed the back of his head and smiled at the three genin.
"Well, we might as well take a break," Kankuro said.
Kuma looked around, saw nothing but sand then peered at Kankuro with a frown and her eyebrows raised. She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head.
"Where?" Kuma questioned.
Kankuro grinned and removed one of the scrolls from his back. Neji said nothing as Kankuro opened the scroll bit his finger and went through the proper signs for summoning jutsu with a few extra hand signs.
"Puppetry Summoning: Sanshuuo!"
The massive puppet exploded into the space and Neji's students gaped in awe. Kankuro began moving his left hand and Sanshuuo's back popped open and shifted to act like a sort of umbrella. Kankuro got into the sand, sitting with a grin on his face as he gathered up his scroll. Kuma settled in the shade near him and Neji took the space between the two. Akino settled to Kankuro's other side with Tora. Under Sanshuuo it was easily twenty degrees cooler.
Neji held back his yelp (barely) when Kankuro reached over and began gathering Neji's hair in his hands. Neji tried to pull away but Kankuro's hands were too close to Neji's neck and all Neji did was get his hair tugged gently. This wasn't exactly a problem but Neji did not wear loose pants with an outer robe overtop anymore.
"What are you doing?" Neji asked.
"Putting your hair up," Kankuro said.
Neji huffed as Kankuro began gathering all the loose, damp strands of hair sticking to Neji's arms and the back of his neck. Kankuro's fingers skimmed over the back of Neji's neck and Neji had to repress a shiver.
"I can do this myself," Neji said.
Again he tried to pull away but succeeded in making this worse for him. Kankuro chuckled. Kuma was watching with wide eyes and an open mouth. Neji could not turn his head enough to see what Tora and Akino were doing. Kankuro had gathered all of Neji's hair and was running his fingers through it to de-tangle it.
"Let go," Neji said.
Kankuro snorted but shook his head. Neji huffed and resigned himself to having his hair tied up by Kankuro. The concept was not particularly horrible but Neji had not wanted it to happen out in the open in front of his students. Plus Kankuro touching the back of Neji's neck was completely on purpose and the whole Kankuro tying up his hair reminded Neji of the sex he and the puppet master had in the workshop. Good thing for the heat.
"Besides, I never get to play with anyone's hair," Kankuro said.
Neji crossed his arms over his chest and wished he could glare at Kankuro. Kuma giggled and Neji heard Tora chuckling as well. Akino said his trademark word and Neji refrained from rolling his eyes.
"What, do you have a hair fetish?" Neji questioned.
Kankuro still ran his hands through Neji's hair, one hand really while the other held the length of it to keep him from turning his head. Finally Kankuro began to twist the length of it into a familiar bun.
"Actually, yeah I do. See, not a lot of Shinobi in Suna keep their hair so long and free, heat and all, so it's nice to be able to play with long hair," Kankuro answered.
Neji blinked. He sighed but said nothing as Kuma and Tora kept laughing. Akino snorted. Kankuro twisted Neji's hair into a tight bun at the back of his head so none of Neji's hair touched the back of his neck. Neji offered Kankuro a hair tie and Kankuro hummed in thanks before finishing off the bun.
"There," Kankuro said, obviously proud of himself.
"Thank you," Neji muttered.
Kankuro patted his shoulder and Neji shifted so he could lean against Sanshuuo. Kuma and Tora kept giggling but Akino had closed his eyes. Neji knew Akino was not asleep.
"Neji-sensei, you never answered my question about why you keep your hair so long," Akino said.
Neji sighed. That was how this had all started.
"The entire Hyuuga clan does it, far as I've seen," Kankuro said.
"It is a status symbol in my clan," Neji confirmed. "Those who do not keep their hair long are considered weak and do not have the proper genes that should be passed on. It is a matter of pride and tradition."
Akino blinked. He snorted, muttered his favorite word and closed his eyes. Tora stared. Kuma made a sound in her throat. Kankuro smirked.
"Huh, though it makes sense with your clan," Kankuro said.
Neji said nothing and sipped his water. They stayed under Sanshuuo to eat and take a breather. When the noon-day sun was melting into the thirteen hundred hours sun, Kankuro called back Sanshuuo and they took off at a brisk jog. By sixteen hundred hours, Kuma was waving at the sun to go down. Kankuro laughed at her but they kept moving. Finally by nineteen hundred hours the sun started to go down and the temperature dropped.
"Finally," Akino said.
"Okay: question," Kankuro said.
"Go on," Neji told him.
"Do we want to turn in early and start early so we can move faster when its cooler or keep going now and wake up later when it's hotter?" Kankuro said.
Neji hummed.
"Can we do a combination of both?" Neji asked.
Kankuro nodded. They ran until twenty-one hundred hours, ate a late dinner, and turned in before twenty-two hundred hours. Neji took first watch and would be passing it onto Kankuro in an hour and a half. Neji watched the sands with his Byakugan, happy the temperature had dropped to sixty degrees.
The hour and a half went by without incident and Neji shifted to sit on his sleeping blanket, placed beside Kankuro's. Neji lightly touched Kankuro's hand and Kankuro's dark eyes opened. Before Neji could say a word, Kankuro sat up, wrapped one hand at the back of Neji's bare neck and kissed him hard.
Neji gasped but leaned into the kiss. Kankuro's hand was messaging the back of his neck, feathering over the nape where softer downy hairs grew. Kankuro opened Neji's mouth and Neji moaned low into the kiss. Kankuro's other hand had gone into motion, undoing Neji's pants with one hand and gripping Neji's dripping hard length.
Neji did not even bother to try and stop him or move away. Kankuro's hand had pulled Neji's cock out of his pants and started pumping. Neji decided to return the favor, pushing a hand into Kankuro's pants. Their position was awkward with Neji leaning mostly on one hip and Kankuro on his ass, sitting up straight. Neji could not get a great angle but worked little bursts of chakra into the tenketsu around Kankuro's groin. Kankuro began gasping into the kiss, breaking their lips apart to get air before smashing back into Neji's mouth with passion.
They released at close to the same time. Neji had to give Kankuro a few more pulls as he shivered in orgasm but neither would complain. When it was over Neji felt his cheeks heat in embarrassment. None of his genin had woken up but damn it, Kuma had been to his other side, Akino to Kankuro's other side.
"Sorry, I kind of made it worse by putting your hair up like that," Kankuro whispered against Neji's ear.
Neji shivered at the burst of heat over his ear then the words caught up to him.
"What?" Neji asked, copying Kankuro's whispering idea.
He felt Kankuro's cock twitch under his hand. Neji smirked.
"Seeing you all hot and sweaty in all that tight black mesh and leather, it was just, damn," Kankuro said.
"Ah,"
"Then I had to go run my hands through your hair and made you shiver when I rubbed your neck and you gave me that smile later and damn it,"
"Hn,"
"Sorry, I needed to do something. I mean I know it's wrong in front of the kids but I wasn't even sleeping this entire time, kept thinking about your hot lips over mine,"
Kankuro was getting harder under Neji's hand. Neji chuckled into Kankuro's ear. The puppet master began rubbing the back of Neji's neck again and Neji mewled in encouragement. Kankuro let out a huge breath, making Neji shiver but pulled back.
"Kids," Kankuro said.
Neji flushed then nodded. Kankuro was right. They could not risk getting caught by Neji's students. Neji lie back on his blankets, tucking his half-hard length back into his pants as Kankuro got up, stretched, and walked away from the blankets. Neji let out a long breath and closed his eyes. Once Kankuro brought them back to Konoha and left everything could go back to normal. The problem was, Neji did not know if he wanted normal.
Crossing into the Land of Rivers had been a relief after the desert. They could quicken their pace and Neji could let his hair down which kept both him and Kankuro from being distracted by Neji's (sensitive) exposed neck. Thankfully, none of Neji's students had heard him and Kankuro that first night.
The second night they were in the Land of Rivers and not so, well, they were as horny but not as blasé about what they did. Kankuro had taken the last watch as well so they could not risk doing anything anyway. Neji had been happy and disappointed Kankuro had done such. This confliction was not normal for him but Neji did not muse on it long.
They entered the Land of Fire by the third day and Neji knew they would be home this evening. Kankuro would rest in Konoha for a day, perhaps two then be gone. Neji tried not to linger on the thought. He did not want Kankuro to be some kind of rebound because Kankuro deserved more than a rebound relationship.
Neji let out a breath as he leaped to the next tree branch. He had taken an unintentional lead. Kuma was his close second followed by Kankuro. Akino and Tora stayed near with Tora in a bit more of a lead. They stopped at twelve hundred hours for a short break and Neji sipped his water. He noticed Kuma biting her lip and gave her a look. She frowned, eyebrows furrowing then nodded and looked up at him.
"Neji-sensei, since this wasn't a real mission, does that mean we won't get paid?" Kuma questioned.
The looks of surprise on Tora and Akino's faces meant the two had not even considered this. Kankuro hummed. Neji thought about it for a moment.
"It depends on Tsunade-sama," Neji replied.
Kuma slouched.
"Normally we would split the money the client gave us anyway so that will likely happen. Considering we did get some information on what the Hidden Rain Village was up to we may get some kind of bonus," Neji said.
Kuma blinked then grinned. She focused on Kankuro who nodded in agreement with Neji's words.
"I'd consider this an A-rank mission to be honest," Kankuro said.
Kuma gaped and Neji grinned when her gaze turned back to him.
"How much do shinobi make in an A-rank mission?" Kuma questioned.
Neji shrugged. She looked back at Kankuro who used the same gesture as Neji. Kuma huffed. Tora and Akino watched, Akino looking bored and Tora biting her lip with her eyes wide. Neji sighed.
"D-Rank range from 5000 to 50,000 ryo, C-rank from 30,000 to 100,000, B-rank from 80,000-200,000, A-rank from 150,000 to 1,000,000, and S-Rank 1,000,000 and up but that of course is divided in the team, not per person. It depends on what rank of mission Tsunade-sama will consider this as, what level of difficulty, and the value of the information we did gather," Neji said.
They all stared at Kankuro who smirked but nodded. Kuma gaped. Tora seemed surprised. Akino did not look bothered until Neji studied his eyes. Neji wanted to laugh. Apparently his students had thought shinobi did not make a lot of money.
"Wait, wait, so if we did even one A-Rank mission a month we'd get 30,000 ryo working on a five-man squad?" Akino questioned.
Neji inclined his head.
"Depending on the A-rank mission you might even go alone. I've done a few higher level A-rank mission by myself or with one person but there have been many times when I've gone on an S-Rank mission with three or more people. It depends entirely on the mission and what is required," Neji said.
"You did a high level A-rank mission on your own? So what, 500,000 ryo?" Akino asked.
Neji thought about it then nodded. All three kept staring at him, stunned. Kankuro chuckled.
"Neji comes from an important clan though so has to pay clan tariffs. I don't know the exact percent of Neji's in particular but it means part of anything he makes from missions goes to the clan for maintenance of the property and all that," Kankuro said.
Again Neji's genin swivelled their heads to meet his eyes. Neji inclined his head in agreement and all ready knew what Kuma was going to ask as she opened her mouth.
"As a genin and branch member my tariff was five percent. When I made chunin it went up to ten percent. Now it's fifteen percent. Right now I do not pay a tariff as I am not making any money as a jonin-in-charge from missions. I do get the option to have a compensation salary given weekly by the Hokage and Fire Lord but I declined," Neji explained.
"Compensation?" Tora asked.
Neji sighed.
"Yes, when a jonin takes on the responsibility of a genin team they can no longer go on many missions and most do not take a share of their students mission salaries as it would break into a small amount. Jonin still have to pay for food, rent, utilities, and other costs so they cannot go without money for however long they have a genin team. It's why the Hokage and Fire Lord give jonin with genin a weekly salary based on the jonin's mission count, where they live, and other factors. It ranges from 3,000 to 10,000 ryo a week," Neji replied.
The three kept staring. Neji sipped his water as the three got confirmation from Kankuro. Akino asked the soon to become awkward question and Neji frowned:
"Why did you decline it?"
Neji capped his water and tucked the canteen away. Kuma would be upset at Neji's words but neither Akino nor Tora knew how bad Kuma's situation was. They suspected she did not have extra money for food so helped out where they could.
"I am part of a clan so I do not have to pay for rent, food, utilities or other such necessities as others have to. The money I have saved from the missions I've gone on is more than enough for me to last a while without going on missions. Why should I take extra ryo when I do not need it?" Neji returned.
Akino blinked then nodded in understanding. Tora smiled at him. Kuma scowled, becoming jealous of the fact Neji got a free pass in life. His question hit her and a smile came to her face. She hugged him and Neji smirked. Kankuro raised an eyebrow but Neji said nothing. They continued on and by sixteen hundred hours were on the main path leading into Konoha, the gates visible in front of them.
"So, how did you kids like your first away mission?" Kankuro asked.
Tora and Akino thought about but Kuma grinned and started walking backwards and ahead a bit so she could look at them all.
"It scary but at the same time really exciting! Neji-sensei's really fast and I wanna be as fast as him one of these days! The Hidden Rain sucks though but their land is kind of nice. The Kazekage's cool and his sand jutsu are so awesome. Your puppetry jutsu is really cool too. Suna's too hot though and there's too much sand. It gets in really weird places," Kuma said.
Neji smiled at her wild gestures and enthusiasm. Somehow she managed to keep walking backwards while talking quickly. Kuma kept her backwards stride.
"But I have to admit all the walking wasn't as fun as training," Kuma said. "I feel like I've been slacking."
Neji laughed when with this announcement, Kuma promptly back-flipped, landed on her hands and began walking on them. Kankuro stared at her with wide eyes and his lips parted. He started chuckling after a moment as well.
"Well, I thought it was more scary then exciting," Tora said. "I mean, when Akino took the kunai to the shoulder and Fukui tried to kill Neji-sensei,"
She stopped talking and frowned. Neji inclined his head to her and she shook her head, sighing as she grabbed onto the handles of her bags.
"And that shinobi would have killed me if Akino didn't help. Now I see why the ranking system is in place and why we have to do what seem like meaningless missions before going for the higher ranking ones," Tora finished.
Neji placed a hand on her shoulder and she gave him a small smile. Akino scowled and let out a little breath.
"Yeah, we're so not ready for anything higher than a normal C-rank mission," Akino said. "I know I was slowing you all down and fighting against someone who wasn't Neji-sensei, Tora, or Kuma really showed me what it means when Neji-sensei says I have to speed up and stop pulling my hits. It was kind of scary to see that shinobi go down so quick when I punched him in the gut though."
Kuma flipped back onto her feet but kept walking backwards. They were ten yards from the gates but Neji did not mind. Kuma had a frown on her face and her head tilted.
"If you hadn't knocked him out so quickly then you wouldn't have been able to help me and Tora," Kuma said. "And thanks for taking that kunai for me."
Akino smirked.
"I figured it was the least I could do after you saved me from being drowned," Akino said.
Neji chuckled as the two fist-bumped. He heard Tora sniffle and looked at the girl who had been considered the top graduate. Tora had her head down, jaw tense, shoulders tight, and hands clenched into fists. Her lips were pursed into a thin white line and her eyes were damp with unshed tears.
She had moved to walk almost completely behind Neji so Akino and Kuma could not see how upset she was. Kankuro did see and put a hand on her shoulder. She accepted the comfort with the tiniest nod.
By the time they got to the gates, Tora had wiped the expression off her face. Neji greeted the two shinobi at the gatehouse and they nodded to him. They did not bother to check Kankuro's passport as everyone in the Leaf knew the Sand Siblings by sight. Neji led everyone straight towards the Hokage tower.
They did not run into anyone Neji knew personally and made it up the stairs and to the Hokage's office without incident. Normally Neji would take his students to the mission room to receive payment but this was a special case. At least he had completed a report while in Suna between training, Kankuro, and more training.
Kankuro pushed open the door and Neji held back his flush as Kankuro gestured for Neji and his team to go first. Neji almost stopped walking once he spotted who was inside the office. He managed to push down his hurt, anger, and want to kill, and take the next step in so his genin did not walk into his back.
Shikamaru stood to the right of Tsunade-sama going over a map with Sakura, Shizune, and Tsunade-sama. All four looked up when Kankuro, Neji, and his team entered. Shikamaru said nothing but went to the open window and lit a cigarette.
"Gaara sent me a letter saying Fukui was a decoy to get your Byakugan," Tsunade-sama said.
"Yes, he informed me. I have my report and the scroll I took from Fukui. My genin's reports will be in by the end of tomorrow. We have not gone over that formally yet," Neji said.
Tsunade-sama smirked but took Neji's report as well as the scroll. Neji focused on her eyes flicking over the papers instead of looking at Shikamaru. It was difficult since all Neji wanted to do was throw Shikamaru out the window he was so casually smoking in front of.
Shikamaru had been one of the first people Neji connected with once Naruto left for three years to train with Jiraiya-sama. It had started out with a game of shoji when Neji had caught Shikamaru playing alone in the middle of a park. They had started going out for tea, ramen, and eventually the others began filtering in. Shikamaru had been the one to take Neji's first kiss. Shikamaru had been the one to introduce Kiba into their relationship but it was Shikamaru who took Neji's virginity.
Neji gritted his teeth and kept the neutral expression on his face as Tsunade-sama finished with his report and the scroll. He kept his eyes on her and tried not to focus on Kuma who shuffled nervously from foot-to-foot, Tora who looked morosely at the ground, Akino who looked bored, and Kankuro who had a concerned expression on his face.
"How is your shoulder, Neji, Akino?" Tsunade-sama asked.
"Fine," Neji said.
Akino jolted then flushed.
"Ah, fine Hokage-sama," he said.
Tsunade-sama rolled her eyes. Sakura giggled then came out from behind the desk to check Neji's shoulder. Shizune went to Akino. Kankuro raised an eyebrow but smirked.
"Nothing against the Suna-medics," Tsunade-sama said.
"I know, Hell, I'd want Konoha medics to check me out too," Kankuro said with a wink.
Sakura snorted at him. Neji tried not to gasp when Sakura accidently brushed his neck with her fingers moving his hair out of the way so she could get a better look at his shoulder. He must have shown something because Tsunade-sama raised an eyebrow and Kankuro coughed to hide a laugh.
"Neji's fine, really," Sakura said. "But I do expect you and Akino for a full physical before tomorrow evening."
"Akino's fine as well," Shizune said. "Kuma, Tora, you'll have to come in for physicals as well. It's mandatory after an away mission."
Neji had explained this to them before they left. All three nodded and Neji put his outfit back into proper order as Sakura and Shizune went back behind the desk. Shikamaru said nothing from his window, casually looking at the clouds with a normal slouch to his back. Neji did see tension in the line of Shikamaru's shoulders. Ah, so the bastard was not completely oblivious.
"You'll be compensated with the pay you would have gotten from Fukui," Tsunade-sama said.
"In addition I'm bumping the level of this mission to A-rank."
She was writing something on a piece of paper. Neji accepted the paper once she was done, glancing at it once. Hm, pay scale five. It meant they would be in the higher tier of A-rank pay. Kuma would faint at the numbers on her check. He wondered if she had a bank account.
"Hiashi, Shikamaru, and I have been working on making sure any Byakugan user going into the Rain Country has extra escorts. I know the scroll says they're going after you in particular, Neji, but we can't be too careful. We've also bumped up border patrol between Rain and us," Tsunade-sama went on.
"Gaara said he's going to get gate houses built and start a patrol along that border as well in case a random Byakugan user has to come running into Suna for safety again," Kankuro added.
Tsunade-sama nodded with a smile on her face. This was good news. Neji was glad the mission had gone awry, happier no one had been killed.
"I suspect you guys want Fukui?" Kankuro asked.
Tsunade-sama inclined her head in agreement.
"We'll be sending Rock Lee, Tenten, Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino to retrieve him in two days," Tsunade-sama said. "Your sister will be going with them and I'm guessing you will be as well."
At this, Kankuro flushed but the coloring was gone after a moment. Tsunade-same, Sakura, and Shizune noticed it. Kankuro cleared his throat and offered a grin.
"Actually I was thinking of staying a bit longer," Kankuro said. "I haven't been to Konoha in a while and want to catch up with some of the people I know here. Gaara's all ready given me clearance."
He handed Tsunade-sama a scroll and she took it with a smirk and raised eyebrows. She nodded. Neji wanted to bolt. He had been hoping Kankuro could leave and they could forget about what happened in Suna. Apparently not. It did not even seem to matter most of the people Kankuro knew would be going on a mission soon.
As far as Neji knew, Kankuro didn't like Ino much and tolerated Hinata-sama. He did enjoy Choji and Sai's company and was likely annoyed at Shikamaru because of Temari and Neji. Kankuro hated Sasuke as well, enjoyed talking with Sakura and Neji did not have to guess about his part in Kankuro's friendship scale. Damn the puppet master.
"Well, sounds good. Dismissed: all of you," Tsunade-sama said.
Neji bowed as did Tora. Kankuro inclined his head. Kuma and Akino were slow to the bow but did. Neji gave a final glance to Shikamaru before leading his students out of the room. They looked confused (as did Kankuro) when he brought them into a briefing room instead of the Mission Assignment room to collect their money.
"Neji-sensei," Kuma said.
"I know, but listen for a moment," Neji broke in. "First, do any of you have bank accounts?"
All three shook their heads in the negative. Neji frowned.
"You're going to need to set one up today with your parents. Instead of ryo you will be getting a check for a rather hefty amount and you cannot keep that amount of ryo in whatever piggy-bank you use," Neji told them.
All three gaped and stared. Neji wanted to laugh but smiled instead. Kankuro did chuckle but Neji's genin did not pay attention to Kankuro. Neji wished he could do the same.
"Secondly, we'll take the rest of the day off and spend tomorrow morning writing up mission reports. I made a copy of mine if you three don't remember finer details. Tomorrow afternoon we'll see how the scheduling is for physical exams and go over what exactly is going to be happening in the physical. Standard protocol for A-rank and S-rank missions is to take no mission for a week to rest, recuperate, and train. Yes, this will go for us as well even if all the missions we might be able to do are weeding. Questions?" Neji finished.
They shook their heads. Neji smiled then finally gave into his instincts. He pulled all three into a hug. Akino groaned while Tora and Kuma giggled. Kankuro laughed but Neji was able to ignore him. The feel of his three students strong, powerful heartbeats near his made Neji want to jump for joy. He pulled back after a moment but kept his hands on Tora and Akino's shoulders.
"You all did well considering the situation. I'm proud of you three," Neji said.
Kuma pursed her lips and her eyes went damp. She threw her arms around his waist again and buried her head in his vest. Tora bit her lip and looked to the ground, shoulders sagging and fiddling with the hem of her shirt. Akino flushed and rubbed the back of his head.
"Now, let's go get paid and relax," Neji said.
He had to de-tangle Kuma from his body but she went after a bit. Genma greeted him warmly when they got to the mission room then began muttering something about awkward math.
"You know what? Fuck it, you're all getting an even two hundred," Genma said.
Neji held back a laugh. Raidou rolled his eyes. Tora and Akino's jaws dropped. Kuma blinked, not understanding yet.
"Neji, what's your registration number?" Genma asked.
"Oh-one-two-five-eight-seven," Neji replied.
Genma blinked then flushed.
"Er, I got distracted by your navel ring, what were the first three digits?" Genma questioned.
Neji smirked. Raidou smacked himself in the forehead. Kankuro laughed. Tora, Akino, and Kuma looked abashed.
"Oh-one-two-five-eight-seven," Neji repeated.
Genma wrote it down on the check and finished filling the slip out before handing it to Neji. Neji thanked him and tucked the check into his vest pocket making sure the information was correct before putting it away.
"Do you know how tempted I was to put "for being a sexy beast" on there?" Genma enquired.
Neji coughed to hide a laugh as his students deadpanned. Raidou smacked Genma this time who whined. Kankuro was glaring.
"Okay, who wants to go next? I don't know any of you three well, yet I'd guess since Neji's your sensei, so name and registration number," Genma said.
Tora got over her shock first.
"Junji Tora, registration number oh-one-three-six-nine-one," Tora replied.
Genma handed Tora the check and she gaped at it for several moments. Kuma and Akino looked over her shoulders and Kuma almost fainted. Akino cleared his throat.
"Rinji Akino, registration number oh-one-three-seven-oh-one," Akino said.
Genma handed him the check and he carefully tucked it into his short's pocket. Kuma gulped and began shifting from foot to foot. Her eyes had gone wide.
"Takenaka Kuma, oh-one-three-seven-oh-five," She said in a rush.
Genma had to get her to repeat the number and she did with a blush. She took her check reverently and stared at it with wide eyes and a dropped jaw.
"All right, Neji probably told you but no missions for a week, you need to get a physical done within two days, and your mission reports are likely due before tomorrow night. See you kids in a week," Genma said.
They nodded. Kuma did not fold up and tuck her check away until they had left the room. Even so she kept a hand on her pocket. Neji wished he could find the humor in this but he knew what she went through. He swallowed down the ball of emotion in his throat and they headed down the stairs with Kankuro still trailing them. Neji stopped them away from the last stair as normal and they all looked up at him.
"Again, tomorrow will be mission reports in the morning so bring pens, paper, and something hard to write on. We'll meet a bit later, oh-eight-hundred hours and work straight through until we're finished or until lunch, whichever comes first. After that we'll go to the hospital to book a slot for a physical. Tonight, go eat a nice warm meal then head to the bank to set up a personal account. Any questions?" Neji asked.
Tora and Akino shook their heads. Kuma bit her lip.
"What if I can't set up an account?" Kuma questioned.
Tora and Akino stared at her in wonder. Neji saw their eyes flick to Neji but he did not answer.
"I mean, my dad doesn't get home till late and mom's sick, so," Kuma said with a flush.
"If you cannot tonight then I will personally help you set one up tomorrow morning when we come drop off our mission reports, okay?" Neji returned.
She smiled and nodded. Neji let out a breath.
"Any other questions?"
They all shook their heads.
"Good, Tora, I'd like to speak with you for a moment before you go home tonight," Neji said.
Tora went pale but nodded. She adjusted her glasses and stared at the ground beneath her feet. Neji dismissed Akino and Kuma who looked curious. Kuma took off in a sprint but Akino leisurely strode away. Neji looked to Kankuro who nodded.
"I'll catch up with you later, maybe?" Kankuro asked.
Neji flushed. It figured Kankuro would want to have more sex. Neji did not mind but this would go sour quickly because of that damned Nara.
"Ah, all right, perhaps ramen in say an hour and a half?" Neji suggested.
Kankuro nodded. He waved as he walked off and Neji watched him go. Fuck. He had a damned date with Kankuro in an hour. At Ichiraku no less. Damn it. What had he gotten himself into? Neji ran a hand through his hair. He needed to shower, change, and generally clean up, but first: Tora.
"You feel like you did nothing on the mission?" Neji enquired.
She met his eyes, her own wide and her lips parted. A flush rose to her cheeks and again she looked down and began fiddling with her shirt. One foot started nudging at the ground with her toes and she let out a breath as her shoulders sagged.
"Kuma disabled two shinobi and Akino took out one. I needed help," Tora said.
"You punched the shinobi that got Akino with a kunai," Neji said.
Tora shook her head but did not raise it.
"Yeah but Kuma was right there. Her kick alone would have knocked him out. I just stunned him so they could finish him off," Tora said.
Neji of all people knew what it was like to feel like a failure after being shown up by who had been considered dead-last. There was a huge difference between passing written tests, chakra control tests, and other odds and ends in the academy and putting all that training to use. Neji often found the people who did the worst in the academy ended up becoming some of the best shinobi.
Those people always had something to prove. They worked hard and did not stop trying to make themselves better to show they weren't dead last. The people at the top always thought they were above everyone and did not have to work as hard. It always made Neji smirk. He placed a hand on Tora's shoulder and she finally met his eyes with her damp ones.
"Kuma will always be the speed in this group," Neji told her. "Akino will be the strength. You though, you will be the brains and trust me, that is as important as speed and strength. When you three make chunin and go on your first-three-cell mission without me it will be you who is in charge.
"You noticed the change in scenery the quickest, you had ill feelings about Fukui the day after I did which I do not even think Kuma and Akino had at all, and you're the one who made sure Gaara knew exactly what was going on once we reached Suna after you knew what exactly was going on. Do not short-change yourself, Tora. Besides, I have a plan in store for you training wise but I need to check on a few more things before I put it into action."
Tora tried to blink away her tears but it didn't work. She wrapped her arms around Neji's body and began crying in his chest. Neji smiled and returned the hug. He had always hated how much Lee and Guy had wanted to hug him but Neji was glad his students made the contact. It was strange how much things changed.
Tora pulled back after a few moments and wiped at her eyes. She apologized, blushing but he told her not to worry about it. She smiled up at him and sniffled.
"Thanks, Neji-sensei," Tora said.
"Not a problem. Trust me when I say I know what it's like to be taken down by the dead-last," Neji said.
Tora giggled. Neji knew she had read his files so knew exactly what his spoke about. Tora bit her lip and flushed again.
"So, um, what plans do you have for me?" Tora asked.
Neji chuckled. He knew she would ask it. He didn't mind giving her a hint but would not tell her outright.
"Well, you have perfect chakra control, and you're exceptionally intelligent with a memory not even I can fathom at times. I'll leave you with that but I'm sure you'll have it figured out before we part," Neji said.
Tora blinked then thought about it. Neji wanted to laugh as her eyes went wide, her cheeks flushed and she grinned. She clenched her fists in front of her heart and gazed up at him with a grin so bright he was reminded of the Suna sun.
"So I'll be training with Haruno Sakura-sama?" Tora enquired.
Neji chuckled but nodded. Tora squealed in excitement. She hugged him again and he laughed. She thanked him with bowing and he dismissed her. She thanked him some more before finally running off towards home, giving him a backwards wave as she went. Neji waved back and watched her go. When she left he took off towards the Hyuuga compound. The rest of the night would be interesting.
Reviews always welcome, next chapter coming soon.