A/N: Wow, the last chapter got about as much response in its first twenty four hours as most of my other chapters got in a few days. Hooray for growing fanbases! Unfortunately, no one has guessed Daisuke's secret yet. Ah, well…
Naruto stood up, his drink forgotten behind him.
"Shikamaru, we have to stop them," he said, turning to the lazy shinobi behind him. "If they start a fight, they could get hurt, and they will definitely get in trouble." Shikamaru sighed.
"Do we really have to? I just sat down." Naruto glared at him. "All right, fine…" As Shikamaru stood, grumbling, he paused. He looked down the street, and chuckled.
"Actually, Naruto, I don't think we'll need to do anything." Naruto frowned, puzzled at this statement.
"What do you mean, we won't have to do anything?" He followed Shikamaru's gaze, and saw who was approaching. Then, he groaned.
"Great…him…"
OoOo
A clash rang out as blades met each other in the center of the street. However, it was not one pair of blades that met, but two.
Where before only Daisuke and Kiyo had stood, two boys had appeared. One of them wore black boots, and long green pants. He had a white t-shirt, and yellow hair. One of his more noticeable features, however, was the sheath that he wore on his back. Currently, the katana that presumably belonged in that sheath was in his right hand, blocking Daisuke's kunai.
The other boy was wearing a gray mesh shirt, and had very long, black spiky hair going down his back. He wore long khaki pants, and ninja sandals. He was holding a blade, but it did not appear to be a kunai. It was attached to a metal ring, with several other blades sticking out from it. He held the blade by this ring, and was currently using it to block Kiyo's kunai. The ring had a chain attached to it that led to a chain wrapped around his body several times like a sash.
Hikaru, Goren, Hanako, and Haruka all tensed, but they did not attack. They did not recognize these boys, who seemed to be their age, but they were both wearing Leaf headbands. Suddenly, a stern voice came from further up the street.
"You two! Is this any way for shinobi to behave, fighting in the street?" The six genin turned, and saw a man walking towards them with a young girl next to him. The man had very long, straight brown hair, and a headband on his forehead. He wore a tan vest, and had bandages around his legs. He had pale, gray eyes. He was Hyuuga Neji.
All of the genin, with the exception of one, stiffened. They recognized Neji, and knew that he was one of the Konoha Eleven. If what they had heard about him was correct, he would not be pleased to see that they had been fighting. They stood, hoping that he wouldn't want to punish them.
All of the genin, except one.
"Neji-nii-san!" Neji's eyes widened slightly as he saw Haruka flying towards him. He only had a moment to mouth a word of protest before she was hugging him.
"Hanako-sama…" It was too late. She was clinging to him, babbling excitedly.
"I haven't seen you in so long, nii-san! I'm on a team with Naruto-sensei, and I have a headband, and-"
The girl next to Neji stepped forward. She had brown hair, and had it curled up in buns. She wore a pink, sleeveless vest, and darkly colored pants. The only weapons she visibly carried were the ordinary supply of kunai and shuriken.
"Neji-sensei, do you need help getting her off?" Neji grimaced, and shook his head.
"It's fine, Kari." Neji looked down at Hanako, and gently pulled her off of him. "Hanako-sama, this is not becoming of a member of the Main Branch. Already you risk your reputation, being with these two who seem so determined to start a fight." He glared quickly at Kiyo and Daisuke, no small thing with the Byakugan. "Excellent job, Ryuichi, Taku." The two boys who were holding back Kiyo and Daisuke's kunai lowered their weapons, although keeping them in their hands. The blond with the sword scratched the top of his head.
"It wasn't really that hard, Neji-sensei. These two were too focused on each other to even see us coming." The spiky haired boy with the chain weapon gave a cocky, sarcastic grin.
"Oh, come now, Ryuichi-kun." He spoke in a lilting fashion, dripping with sarcasm. "Don't make fun of them for their shortcomings that could get them killed in a real battle…they're just children…" The boy with the sword, Ryuichi, gave a mock frown.
"But wait, Taku-kun. Aren't they in the same year as us?" Taku paused for a moment.
"Why yes, they are! I guess there is no excuse, then…"
Daisuke put his kunai back in his sheath angrily.
"And who exactly are you? I didn't see you in our class, how can you be from our year?!" Kiyo also sheathed his kunai, although he was not as flamboyant in his anger as Daisuke. His eyes, however, were glowering.
Taku sighed dramatically, then looked at Daisuke.
"You didn't think that Iruka was the only teacher in the Academy, did you?" Goren made the connection.
"You were in a different class, but in our grade?" Taku looked to see who had spoken, then nodded.
"Yes! At least you guys aren't all bakas…you seem to be bright. If only you had been bright enough to keep your friends from making a scene in the middle of a street."
Kiyo glared at Neji.
"Why did you tell your students to interfere? Daisuke and I need to settle this!" Neji scoffed.
"Really? I was listening to a great deal of your argument. It seemed quite pointless to me. I do have to wonder, however…why did your senseis not stop this fight from happening?"
Hikaru stared at Neji, puzzled.
"Um…probably because they aren't here?" Neji looked at the boy.
"Indeed? You were not aware that they are sitting in that café across the street?"
Shikamaru and Naruto stiffened as the entire group gathered on the street turned to look at them. They had been caught.
"It occurs to me," muttered Naruto, "That this may not have been the best plan you've ever made, Shikamaru."
"Shut up."
The two walked over to Neji and the genin. All of the genin appeared surprised, although some to a greater extent than others. Goren's jaw had dropped, while Kiyo and Hikaru were merely a little wide eyed. Daisuke was glaring at the two.
"You've been there this whole time," said Goren, flabbergasted, "And you didn't say anything!" Kiyo looked at Neji.
"Well, at least they were respectful enough not to interrupt our fight!"
Shikamaru coughed, looking slightly uncomfortable.
"Actually, Kiyo," he said, "We were about to stop you guys. We would have, if Neji hadn't shown up when he did." Daisuke growled in annoyance, and Kiyo glared at all three jounin.
"Why can't you just butt out of our affairs? Daisuke and I have an argument, and we want to settle it!" Shikamaru sighed impatiently.
"Kiyo, I honestly can't tell what you were fighting about, and I heard the whole thing. It seemed like you were just venting your anger. Now isn't the time to be fighting with your allies." Kiyo glared daggers at Shikamaru, who did not particularly care. He had received many worse from Temari. Instead, he turned his attention to Neji.
"So, you've got a team too, huh?" Shikamaru looked at Kari. "She looks a lot like Tenten. Are they related?" Neji winced at the statement, and Shikamaru found out why in a moment. At the sound of Tenten's name, Kari went from a somber looking girl to a beaming, hopping bunny of a girl.
"No, she is not," said Neji. "Tenten is her role model, however. Kari uses Tenten's fighting style, the same type of equipment…she even does her hair the same way. It disturbs Tenten slightly when she comes to see them." Naruto laughed.
"Yeah, I bet it does! Now she knows how Gai must have felt when Lee started dressing like him." Neji stiffened at this remark.
"You just reminded me, Naruto. Byakugan!" Neji activated his eyes, and looked around. Adruptly, he stopped.
"Team Six, Code Green!" All three of the children's heads perked up. Ryuichi looked towards Daisuke and Kiyo.
"I guess we'll see you guys later, then. Try not to kill each other before that happens, please." Before any of Shikamaru or Naruto's genin could respond, the three members of Neji's team, Team Six, jumped onto the rooftops and sped away. Naruto turned towards Shikamaru in confusion.
"Code Green? What is-"
Naruto was interrupted when a man in a green jumpsuit, wearing an Anbu mask suddenly jumped into their midst. Shikamaru sighed.
"Hello, Lee." The figure stiffened, and turned to face Shikamaru.
"You are not supposed to recognize me, Shikamaru-kun! I am wearing this mask to conceal my identity." Everyone sweat dropped.
"Lee," began Shikamaru, "You are the only person in Anbu-no, the whole village, besides Gai, who wears an outfit like that."
Lee looked down at his green jumpsuit.
"Ah. Very clever, Shikamaru-kun. Anyways, I came here because I received a report of a disturbance. Two ninjas fighting, or something similar." He looked around at the group eagerly. "Do you know where these two ninja are?" Hanako, who had been sulking slightly since Neji left, jumped up excitedly.
"Ooh! I kn—umph!" Naruto, showing a rather uncharacteristic presence of mind, had clamped a hand over her mouth.
"No, haven't seen any ninjas fighting here!" Naruto's smile was a little too wide, but Lee did not notice. "Probably just some overexcited pedestrian!"
Lee nodded to himself.
"That is indeed possible, Naruto-kun. By the way, have any of you seen my eternal rival, Neji-san? I have been meaning to challenge him to a contest of strength, but I can never seem to find him!" Shikamaru nodded with a straight face, while Goren, Hikaru, Daisuke, and Hanako could barely suppress their giggles.
"That is quite odd," said Shikamaru. "No, we haven't seen him."
Lee sighed, and then caught sight of the six students. He perked up instantly.
"Ah! You two are senseis now, correct?" The two nodded. "Yosh! Remember, the youth of these students is in your hands. Make sure that they blossom with power!" With those nonsensical words, Lee sprang away, leaving the genin stunned, and Shikamaru and Naruto laughing very hard.
Goren looked the way that Lee had run off.
"That…was one of the Konoha Eleven?" Hikaru nodded dumbly.
"It appears that not all legends behave in a becoming manner," stated Haruka calmly. She was not too shaken up, although she had been slightly surprised by Lee's behavior. Daisuke was staring after the Green Beast, confused. Hanako was still suppressing her giggles. Kiyo, however, had a different reaction.
He had barely been paying attention to Lee. He could feel the anger in his body simmering. However, he was not angry at Daisuke anymore, not really. He was angry with himself.
He had not really been angry with Daisuke in the first place. The rage that he had carried around with him for the past several years had been brought to the surface by the prank Daisuke had pulled, and he had found a person to redirect it at. He knew that he had been rude and insulting towards Daisuke and his teammates, but he didn't really feel like talking to anyone now. Much less making an apology. He turned away from the group, and began walking away. Without turning around, he spoke.
"Our fight was interrupted, Daisuke. Be sure to train as much as you can, or I'll wipe the floor with you once we have a rematch." Daisuke stared for a moment. The remark had not been as venomous as the other things Kiyo had said. Was it possible that Kiyo was cooling down some, even becoming playful?
"Sure," said Daisuke. "You train too. I don't want your teammates to cry when I beat you." Kiyo scoffed, and walked towards his small apartment that had been provided for him by the Hokage.
Shikamaru sighed, and put his hands in his pockets. He turned and faced all of the remaining genin.
"Well, I guess you guys should go home, or something." The genin began to disperse, all heading for their respective houses. Shikamaru began walking down an alley, and Naruto followed him.
"Well," said Naruto, "I suppose that our teams' first meeting could have gone better." Shikamaru turned to face Naruto, and Naruto was surprised to see a wide smile.
"This is actually pretty good," said Shikamaru. "Now they have a nice strong rivalry to motivate themselves with. Of course, it didn't come about in the way I thought it might, but it works." Naruto shook his head.
"Stop pretending this was part of your plan, Shikamaru. We both know that was completely random." Before Shikamaru could respond, Naruto jumped away. Shikamaru sighed, and looked down the street he was on. He had business to take care of before he went home.
OoOo
Kiyo stared at the ground as he walked. It was not because he felt depressed, or anything of the sort, but because he tended to walk faster with nothing to distract him, such as scenery. Because of this, he did not see Shikamaru leaning against the building until he was only a few feet away.
"Oh! Um, hello, Shikamaru-sensei." Shikamaru's arms were folded in front of him, and his face was serious.
"Kiyo, what were you doing back there?" Kiyo stiffened at the question.
"I was just…angry, and I started picking a fight. I don't really know why."
Shikamaru began frowning more deeply.
"It didn't really feel that way, Kiyo. I know less about you than any of the other genin on my team. What is your story?" Kiyo laughed, although he did not sound particularly amused.
"Well, Shikamaru-sensei, if what I've heard about the other teams is correct, the time to ask us that would have been on our first day, along with our likes, dislikes, and dreams for the future…" Kiyo began to walk away. Shikamaru was angry with the disrespectful answer, but did not go after him. He would find out eventually. Besides, if it was important, Tsunade would have told him…probably.
OoOoOoO
Naruto was walking along the street when he thought he heard a noise. He looked around, but saw no living thing on the street with him. He kept walking, when he heard the noise again. He had just begun to look around when the lid of the dumpster next to him popped open. Out of it jumped Neji.
The laughter nearly burst out of Naruto when he saw that Neji had a banana peel on his shoulder, but he managed to suppress it. Neji looked around once with his Byakugan, and apparently saw nothing.
"Thank you Naruto, for not informing Lee of my location. He has been hounding me with his annoying requests for duels." Naruto nodded sagely.
"Yes. It seems like he would have matured since entering Anbu, but apparently not. It can be annoying, being in a one sided rivalry." Naruto would probably never know the irony of his statement. Neji adjusted his jounin vest, then looked at Naruto.
"Your genin look as though they may be strong. Are you considering entering them in the Chuunin Exams?" Naruto tilted his head quizzically.
"I hadn't really thought about it. It's in a few months. I'm not sure if they'll be ready." Neji nodded.
"A wise choice. I intend on entering my genin, but they appear to be exceptionally strong." Naruto had to actively resist the urge to rise to that implied challenge, and just barely managed to do so successfully.
"Well, I still have a fair amount of time to decide. Entering them may not be a smart thing to do." Neji nodded once again.
"Speaking of things that aren't smart to do, Naruto, there is something I have been meaning to talk to you about."
"What?"
"The fact that you have been dating Hinata-sama." Naruto began coughing, and nearly choked. That was supposed to be a secret! Neji smiled at his orange suited colleague. "Do not worry. I do not believe anyone but myself has noticed. However, you should be more discreet when sneaking into the compound. It would not do if Hiashi-sama were to learn of your relationship. Particularly given your…guest." Naruto nodded grimly. He did not doubt that Hiashi would forbid his daughter from having any relationship with the 'demon.'
"I know, Neji. Thanks." Neji turned and began to walk away, then paused.
"Naruto?"
"Yes, Neji?"
"I almost forgot. If you are not a gentleman when courting Hinata-sama, I will be duty bound to find you and break your legs. It is the duty of the Branch Family." Naruto was so stunned by this announcement that he did not see the smile that was almost a grin on Neji's face as he walked away.
A/N: You have no idea how fun that was to write…hehehe.
I got a comment last chapter about how well I am doing distinguishing the characters. Thank you. Personally, I feel that Hikaru and Goren seem too much alike, but I'm working on it.
Remember, if I don't know it's broke, I can't fix it. Review, and tell me what you don't like. In fact, I have an idea.
If you are going to review my story, do one thing first. No matter what else you say in the review, try to include at least one thing you didn't like about this chapter. It will help me improve! Yay!