A/N: Had finals to study for yesterday, so I wasn't able to upload at all. Hope you all enjoy this one regardless.
Time for chapter 25
Enjoy!
Shikamaru sighed and leaned back in his chair as he grappled with the boredom that was quickly consuming him. It had been three days since the preliminary round of the chunin exams, and nothing of note had happened. While many, if not all of the other nominees for the final round were preparing specifically for their individual opponents, the Nara saw no point in doing so, and as such, he had little to do.
'This sucks. I can't even train with my own team outside of morning practice, and my folks aren't much help because they 'haven't seen my opponent in action'. They just want me to do my own training, I'll bet' he thought tiredly. His thoughts then wandered to his future opponent.
'Temari of the Sand. A long range, ninjutsu-centric offensive dynamo who specializes in Wind-Style. Tough riddle to crack. She just about snapped Tenten in half, and it looked like she could have done it a dozen times over without breaking a sweat. Specific preparation isn't possible. I don't have anything to work with' contemplated as he ordered himself another cup of tea from the waiter of the cafe he was sitting in.
'At least I don't have to fight her brother. I feel like I can figure her out given enough time, but Gaara is unsolvable for me. The difference in power is too much. Naruto might be able to beat him, but I have my doubts. Even if what he showed against Hinata was less than half of what he can really do, it may not be enough' he thought to himself. The shadow user then glanced out the large glass pane that made up the outside wall of the establishment.
As he gazed out the large window, he spotted the exact reason he was eating lunch alone. Hinata, who looked quite happy, walking alongside a very tired, but quite pleasant-faced Naruto.
'I just don't get it. She tried to maim you, and pretty much did, three days ago. Despite that, you've been friendlier with her than ever before. God, sometimes it feels like I should just do my own missions. They're off in their own little world. Even when they're at each other's throats' he grumbled mentally as he watched them walk past.
"I never took you for the sulking type. Guess looks can be deceiving"
Shikamaru flinched and turned his eyes back towards the chair on the opposite side of his small table, where Temari now sat with a look of boredom on her face. The shadow user raised an eyebrow at her sudden presence.
"As if my day couldn't get any more irritating. I hate being snuck up on" he said irritatedly a he reached for his cup to take a sip. The sand kunoichi shrugged and snatched his tea cup away from his side of the table before downing the rest of its contents.
"And I hate being ignored. I've been sitting here staring at you since you started watching your star-crossed teammates. Five minutes, just about" she said as she wiped her lips and slid the cup across the table to the lazy genin.
"Any particular reason you just guzzled my saliva-ridden tea? That's more than a little gross" Shikamaru asked tiredly. Temari snorted and folded her arms across her chest.
"Do I seem like the type of girl to care about a little excess fluid?" she countered. The shadow user rested his chin on his hand and rubbed his eyes with his free arm.
"I haven't the slightest idea what kind of girl you are, and I don't exactly care either. We've had exactly one conversation" he replied. The sand kunoichi held up a cluster of fingers.
"Three conversations. Counting this one, at least. In the hallway, on the rooftop, and now here" she corrected. Shikamaru chuckled and leaned back in his chair, a look of amusement forming on his face.
"Look who's counting. Am I really that memorable?" he asked jokingly. The fan wielder leaned back in her chair as well to mirror his posture, a gesture that immediately made the Nara uncomfortable.
"From what I've seen, you're boring as hell. What makes you even remotely compelling is that you're the first person to ever find a way off of Gaara's hit list. Pat yourself on the back, you should be proud of that" she said. Shikamaru returned to his usual hunched posture and shrugged.
"I didn't even do anything. It's not like I scared him off or anything. I just existed for a little while and he got bored of me. Nothing to write home about, just like me" he said through a yawn. Temari studied him for a moment before frowning.
"This is a little off topic, but what did you think of that match between your teammates? Because it looked to me like that could have been the end of whatever semblance of structure your cell had" she asked. The shadow user gave her a tired look.
"It made me angry. Hinata gave into a power she had no control over for the sake of her ego, and she was damn lucky that Naruto happened to be her opponent. He held back for her sake, he tried to reason with her. Hell, he even shaved off part of his lifespan for her to suppress the power she gave into. Our sensei also arranged the match, so I got pissed at him for that. In general, that fight sucked" he said bluntly.
Temari, to his surprise, nodded in agreement and gave him a look of something resembling sympathy.
"I don't know a single detail of what was going on during that match, but I do know this: the girl is luckier than she could ever fully understand. Naruto, or whatever his name is, could have just chin-checked her right away and been done with it. But no, he chose to draw it out and give her a chance to achieve catharsis" she said. The shadow user glanced out the window once more.
"The strangest part about this whole thing is that she and Naruto seem to be closer now than they were. I know for a fact that she apologized to him. Hell, she apologized to me for some reason. What I don't understand is how she could have changed the trajectory of Naruto's feelings by just talking to him" he contemplated. Temari chuckled.
"Either she did a little more than talk to him, if you catch my drift, or she and Naruto bonded during the fight somehow" she said. Shikamaru stretched and cracked his stiff neck.
"Hinata is many things, but a whore isn't one of them. Option one is more than a little outlandish. Option two is weird, but not all that far off from par for the course when it comes to Team Seven" he said. The sand kunoichi furrowed her eyebrows.
"It's a fairly simple concept to understand. When you inflict copious amounts of damage on another person all while absorbing more or less the same amount along the way, your respect for that person increases" she explained. The lazy genin shook his head.
"I don't get into fist fights. I wouldn't know. When I win, I do it from a nice, long distance. Taking damage has never appealed to me" he said. Temari grinned at the sentiment.
"You're out of luck then. I'm going to force you into a fist fight whether you want to engage me or not. Trust me, it's a boon to you. At long range, I'll fillet you" she said confidently. The shadow user sighed.
"Go right ahead. I don't really care about the promotion. I'm only in this so either Naruto or Hinata get a chance to become chunin. If you blow me out of the water in thirty seconds, I'll be just as happy, because that means I can just go home quickly" he said. The fan wielder frowned.
"How the hell have you even made it this far?" she asked bluntly. Shikamaru laughed out loud at the dumbfounded question.
"I have absolutely no idea. Things just tend to work out for me. I don't know what to tell you" he replied. Temari stared at him for several seconds before shaking her head and standing up to leave. As she walked away, the shadow user asked the question that had been burning in his mind.
"What were you even doing here in the first place?" he called out as she made her way towards the door. The sand kunoichi glanced back over her shoulder.
"I had orders to observe you and make preparations based on what I saw. I got bored watching you and decided to gather information the old-fashioned way" she explained. Shikamaru chuckled.
"And now that you've completed your 'mission', what have you figured out about me?" he asked curiously. Temari remained silent for a moment.
"That you're sly as a fox, boring as a wall of dry paint, and about as driven as a homeless drunk" she said before exiting the cafe and leaving the lazy genin alone. Shikamaru followed her with his eyes through the glass pane as she walked away and thanked the waiter, who had brought him his tea.
'What I learned about you is that you're absolutely going to make me want to tear my hair out. A troublesome woman, that's what you are'
Hanabi blew a strand of hair out of her eyes as she walked through the streets of Konoha. She had been granted a free day for the first time in months, and she had absolutely nothing to do with the free time.
'I guess this is what happens when you never take a break. You forget what you did before you settled into your routine. This is horribly dull' she thought to herself as she kicked a stray rock away into an alley and continued to walk. After several more minutes of aimless travel, she spotted a ripe source of entertainment. Team Ebisu, consisting of Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon. The trio was wandering about the streets, much like Hanabi herself.
'Now this could be fun' the Hyuga girl thought to herself as she changed her trajectory to intercept the oncoming group of her fellow academy students. After a moment, the two moving entities made their metaphorical collision. The moment they caught sight of Hanabi, Team Ebisu collectively froze.
"Good afternoon, Moegi-san, Udon-san, Konohamaru-san" the Hyuga girl greeted, a sly grin on her face. Moegi and Udon immediately bowed and shouted back an automatic reply.
"Good afternoon to you as well, Hanabi-sama!" they both said simultaneously. Unlike his comrades, Konohamaru made no move to bow or grovel. Instead, he gave her a glare.
"What do you want, Hanabi? Actually, no, why are you even out here in general? Don't you have family stuff to do?" he asked bluntly. The Hyuga girl's grin widened at his defiant remark.
'Boundless defiance and a complete lack of caring for things such as social status. Never change, Konohamaru-kun' she thought to herself as she took another step forward.
"I have been given the day off. Shocking, I know. As for what I want, I would like nothing more than to wander around with you three" she replied. The group before her all stared at her blankly for a moment.
"Sure, if you really want to. We're not going to be doing anything exciting, though" Konohamaru said with a shrug. Moegi and Udon both looked to their leader fearfully.
"I, uh, have somewhere to be. My parents are expecting me home soon" Udon said quickly as he rapidly retreated. Moegi soon followed him, not bothering to give an excuse as she scurried away. The Hyuga girl furrowed her eyebrows.
"Why the sudden surge of fear? I thought I looked quite nice today" she muttered. Konohamaru snorted and began to walk, prompting Hanabi to follow.
"Can you really blame them? The last time we let you tag along, you tied Moegi up in a tree with her hair and did your weird Hyuga thing to Udon's legs so he couldn't walk" he pointed out as they trekked through the streets. The Hyuga girl laughed a bit as she recalled the occasion being referenced.
"Oh, come on! Both of those things were hilarious! Even you cannot deny that" she said. The Hokage's grandson scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah, maybe they were, but it still wasn't nice" he said. The Hyuga girl responded by stepping into him and latching onto his arm in exaggerated fashion.
"Then let me make it up to you. I'll be extra nice to you today" she purred as Konohamaru struggled against her grip.
"You're a creep" he grumbled as he was forced to allow Hanabi to cling to him. Despite the fairly hushed tone of his comment, he was heard by his pushy companion. The Hyuga girl silently injected a bit of chakra into his arm, numbing it instantly.
"Watch your tongue, Konohamaru-san. You might lose it if you don't" she threatened lightly. Despite the dark nature of her words, her tone held no legitimate content, and the slight smile had not left her face.
"Could you let go of my arm?" the Hokage's grandson asked irritatedly as they walked along. Hanabi shook her head and began to pull him in another direction.
"You'll run if I let go of you, and as much as I'd enjoy chasing you down like the prey you are, I would rather relax on my day off. Now quit struggling. I'll numb your legs next if you don't" she said as she yanked him. Konohamaru stumbled a bit as his body weight was pulled along.
"Where are you taking me?" he asked fearfully. Hanabi grinned at his obvious apprehension and gave him an innocent look.
"I feel like I should bring you home with me. That way, we'll be playing in my domain" she said, eliciting a fearful gasp from the Hokage's grandson.
"Alright, no" he said before breaking free from her grip and beginning to run. Hanabi sighed heavily and sprinted after him. After a brief race through the somewhat crowded streets, the Hyuga girl caught up with him and tripped out one of his legs.
"Didn't I tell you that I wanted to relax today? You could at least try to be considerate" she grumbled as she picked him up from the ground and slung him over her shoulder.
"Unless you want me to paralyze you completely, don't struggle. Just...let me have this, okay?" she said as she began to walk back towards the Hyuga Estate. Konohamaru considered defying her once more, but thought better of it.
"You're really weird. Naruto told me your family is full of scary women. I guess he was right" he said. Hanabi huffed a bit at the comment.
"Uzumaki-san has only met my sister and I. He has no idea what he's talking about. Besides, I am much scarier than Hinata-nesan" she replied. The Hokage's grandson snickered.
"Keep telling yourself that. Hinata is terrifying. She even scares Naruto" he said. The Hyuga girl shrugged.
"Uzumaki-san, unlike you, has a functioning brain. He knows who to fear and when. You, on the other hand, are as fearless as you are stupid. Which is both endearing and frustrating all at the same time" she said as she carried him through the front gates of the Estate. As Hanabi walked towards the main house, somebody came out of the front door.
"Hanabi-sama? What are you...doing?" Neji, who was carrying a pile of dishes that were to be cleaned by the branch family, asked. The Hyuga girl glanced up at Konohamaru and then looked back to her cousin.
"Exactly what it looks like. I am carrying Konohamaru-san into the Estate in order to prevent him from escaping me today. He is quite squirmy when given space to run" she explained. Neji set the dishes down on the porch and rubbed his temples.
"I feel the need to point out that without having been given his consent, this is more akin to kidnapping than a simple playdate" he said.
"See? He gets it!" Konohamaru chimed in from Hanabi's shoulder. The Hyuga girl responded by dumping him to the ground and using the top of his head as an armrest.
"Be that as it may, I highly doubt he will press charges. Both he and I are eight years of age, and legal action between children is uncommon" she said as the Hokage's Grandson struggled under her weight.
"Make sure no harm comes to him" Neji said with a sigh as he picked up the dishes and made went on his way. Hanabi then allowed Konohamaru to stand and dust himself off. She then clapped her hands together and smiled.
"Now that you're here, you're going to entertain me. So either start running, or get creative. Either one works for me" she said. Konohamaru frowned at the half order, half request.
"You said earlier that you wanted to relax. Why did you bring me here if you just want to chase me around?" he asked skeptically. Hanabi giggled.
"That skull of yours really is hollow. I quite enjoy chasing and tackling you. I only brought you here to make sure you couldn't just disappear into a crowd of people to elude me. As I said, we're playing in my domain by my rules. Now get moving" she commanded while taking a step forward. Konohamaru needed no further hints. He took off running at full blast towards one of the property walls with Hanabi soon following. Unbeknownst to them, somebody else had occupied the open door-frame of the main house soon after Neji had left.
Hiashi chuckled to himself and stepped back inside the building, closing the door behind him.
'Perhaps I should give them all more days off. Youth doesn't last forever. I would know'
A/N: Sorry for the longer wait on this one! I had finals to take and studying to do beforehand. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
See you next chapter! Read and Review!