I thank my friend LexKixAss for letting me abscond her twins for my story. As always Naruto belongs to Kishimoto. Please review.
I do hope everyone gets a laugh here. I couldn't resist.
Naomi hurried back from the kitchens for the fifth time that afternoon and was ready to rip her hair out or, better yet, someone else's. How hard was it to get across the idea of 'casual'? She didn't want proper place settings, she didn't want the nice dishware, and she definitely didn't want the usual dinner-guest menu where everything was prepared individually with enough flare to have their guests wishing they could steal the Hyuugas' cooks upon leaving. Not that she didn't want to impress her guests today, but she didn't want them to feel uncomfortable. The traditional atmosphere of the Hyuuga compound could be intimidating to out-of-claners, and she didn't want it to be an overload of propriety from start to finish. This was supposed to be a friendly meeting.
She fluttered into the sitting room to find Neji setting out extra cushions along the wall and rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I thought I said I wanted some proper chairs and seating in here," Naomi huffed.
"You've got to calm down, Mom," Neji laughed. "They're not going to be upset if we don't have modern chairs. People think traditional when they hear Hyuuga."
"I just want your team to feel comfortable," she said.
"Mom, once you meet Gai you'll understand. We're never comfortable in our team."
Naomi snatched the cushion from his hands and thwacked him in the face with it. "You should show some more respect to your instructor."
"He doesn't make it easy," he muttered and earned another thump on the back. She returned the cushion and left him to finish up while her mind ran through what else needed to be done before his team and their families arrived.
Since Hiashi's death, living in the main house meant there were certain restrictions as to the allowance of visitors without escort. They all had to be introduced to the guards and staff so there was no misunderstanding should they show up without warning. So, Naomi decided the best way to accommodate the needs of the clan and provide them an opportunity to get to know Neji's new team was to invite them and their families over for dinner. She surely wasn't the only parent amongst them who was curious who their child was going to be working with. Of course it had taken longer than she'd expected to work out the logistics between all the families, but that simply gave the kids a few weeks to work the beginning kinks of their relationships out.
Naomi checked on Hizashi, who once again promised he'd be finished with his work by the time their guests arrived, and continued on to Hinata's study in search of her niece. They'd been having a few issues with Hinata since Neji got his team, but they'd expected as much. They tried to give her more attention so she wouldn't feel so lonely on the evenings Neji didn't return for dinner or in time for an evening spar. The twins came by more often to try and cheer her up too, but there was still some passive rebellion: coming late to meals or scheduled training; hiding away in her study or at the garden; or Naomi's least favorite, conveniently mishearing them.
Like today, when she'd told Hinata to go to the kitchens and ask them not to put out the formal dishware, which was what Naomi then had to fix when Hinata disappeared from the preparations. They were trying to be tolerant with her, but today was not the day for her passive-aggressive foolishness. Naomi just hoped she wasn't out at the garden. Their guests would be arriving soon and she didn't want Hinata covered in muck when they did.
A sliver of light escaped from a crack in the door to travel across the hall with the fall of the evening sun. That was a good sign. Naomi spied through the opening, not wanting to immediately call out her niece if she was in there. The soft smoke of sandalwood and saussurea incense wafted gently against her sense while a hint of cinnamon burned of spice in her nose. The scent alone was enough to warn Naomi to tread carefully with her niece. Hinata preferred floral notes in her incense; she only burned that flavor when she wanted to remember her father. Hiashi enjoyed sandalwood. Peeking through the crack, Naomi saw how Hinata leaned into the billowing gray haze as if it were her father's warm embrace drifting around her body.
Atop the cedar desk waited a stone mortar and pestle, which had finally been restored to constant use in the last couple years, and a dirty, worn scroll – both inherited from her mother. Thanks to her grandmother's careful tutelage, Hinata was quite proficient in making Atsuko's signature salves and balms and even learned a few basic healing techniques for minor cuts and bruises. Unfortunately, between the academy, her jyuuken training, and her sporadic lessons with Hyobe, Hinata had limited time available to seriously devote to learning medical jutsu. She had the control necessary, according to Yumi's observation, and there was little doubt that once she came home the following year she'd probably take up the study more seriously, if nothing else than to be closer to her mother.
Seeing Hiashi's incense and Atsuko's scroll told Naomi that this was more than Hinata's normal passive resistance to the changes happening. This was something deeper. Naomi rattled the door before opening it to give Hinata warning, but her niece barely raised her gaze in notice.
"Hinata, shouldn't you be getting ready to help greet our guests?" she asked.
Hinata picked up the mortar and pestle and pulled it into her lap. From her place, Naomi could see the mortar was empty, and with no herbs on her desk the item was less about use at the moment as comfort.
Naomi closed the door behind her and sat down across the desk from Hinata. "You want to tell me what's going on? Don't you want to meet Neji's team?"
Hinata shrugged and started grinding the pestle down in a steady scratch, scratch, scratch of stone against stone. It was enough for most to see the avoidance in her, but Naomi knew she avoided the most the closer to the truth it was.
"Why don't you want to meet Neji's team?" Naomi asked, leaning back in the chair to let Hinata know she wasn't going to take silence for an answer.
Hinata shrugged again and snatched up the scroll to hide her face from Naomi. It wasn't fast enough to cover the flash of bitter sorrow desperately clawing to the surface, but not the emotion Naomi expected to see. Suddenly the last few weeks made much more sense.
"Hinata, it's all right to be a little jealous, but you know it's not the same as your parents, right? Neji's not leaving you forever and his team's not stealing him away. You're both just growing up and living your own lives." When Hinata remained silent, Naomi stood and came around to kneel beside her niece. She gently took the scroll and the mortar and pestle from Hinata and set them on the desk. "Hinata, this is just a part of growing up. It's a little sad now, but it'll get better. And Neji'll always be there when you need him, even if he's not around as much anymore. You're father and Uncle Hizashi went through the same thing, I'm sure."
"But they ended up barely talking after they grew up," she mumbled. "Why can't things just stay like they were?"
Naomi turned the chair and forced Hinata to look at her. "Listen to me, Hinata. The problems between your father and Uncle Hizashi weren't just because they grew apart. A lot of it was because of the issues between the houses, and we've done everything we could to make sure you and Neji weren't raised like that. So I don't want you thinking that's going to happen. You understand?"
Hinata nodded.
"Good," Naomi said, standing up and urging Hinata up with her. "Now, we're going to go greet our guests with a smile, even if you don't really want to. Something you're going to have to learn to do as clan head is be able to smile and sit down with people you might not want to be with. It's called being political."
Hinata groaned, which elicited an amused snort from Naomi. "Your uncle hates it, too."
Naomi ushered the young girl ahead of her and followed her through the winding halls to the front courtyard where Neji was already waiting on the front porch with byakugan active. "Tenten and her parents have arrived," he informed them as Hinata stepped up next to him. "Lee and his mother are a ways down the road still. I haven't found Gai yet, but he may be trying to 'make an entrance' so be prepared for anything."
Naomi whacked him on the shoulder hard enough to make him rub it. "What'd I say about showing your instructor proper respect?"
Neji rolled his eyes. "Fine, but remember that when you meet Gai-sensei." He earned another thump on the shoulder for his snark.
In the distance Osamu led three slightly nervous out-of-claners their way. The girl was petite, clean and trimmed in attire, and had her hair dressed in two buns that made her rather cute. Despite the blossoming femininity of her age, Naomi saw enough stubbornness in her eyes that said she wasn't about to simply roll over for anyone, which pleased Naomi. That was going to be a necessity with Neji, no doubt. The two walking behind Tenten were easily recognizable as her parents. She shared her father's facial features –same narrow nose and high cheekbones– and her mother's dark eyes, hair, and her slender frame.
Osamu, or at least the one she assumed was Osamu from the part of his hair –she wasn't as talented in identifying them as her children–, stopped just short of the porch and offered them all a short bow. "Your guests, Aunt Naomi."
"Thank you, Osamu. Two more are nearby, so hurry back and show them here when they arrive."
A cocky grin spread across the teenager's face. "Sure thing, Aunt Naomi. I'll tell Aniki to do that."
Naomi glowered slightly through her snide smirk and shooed Isamu off. Those boys, if they could live one day seriously the world would surely collapse in on itself. Still, it was sad to see their talents wasted on something as simple as guard duty. That just pushed her harder to make sure Hinata was able to let go of her accustomed dependence on Neji, though. She wasn't allowed to squander her life just to have what she wanted.
All negativity melting from her face, Naomi stepped down from the porch to properly greet her guests with a shallow bow, which all three returned. "Hello, it's a pleasure to meet all of you. I'm Naomi, Neji's mother. My husband, Hizashi, will be joining us shortly."
"Thank you for having us," Tenten's mother said in a rather high voice odd for a woman her age. "I'm Etsuko and this is my husband, Saburo, and of course our Tenten."
Tenten politely sided away from the adults to joined Neji and Hinata. "You must be Hinata," she said in a voice that matched her mother's. Unfortunately, it didn't look like Hinata was comfortable enough to speak up yet; Tenten only received a quizzical stare in return.
"Neji talks about you," Tenten offered again and produced a pale tint to Hinata's normally ashen cheeks. That girl was so easily embarrassed it was scary to think she'd be clan head one day. One flirting comment and she'd be rendered mute.
Not today though. In a small voice that belied the confidence Naomi knew she could show, Hinata answered back, "Nice to meet you," and if that was a lie for appearance sake it was better than Hinata had ever managed (and Naomi wasn't certain she was able to lie at all when she was embarrassed). Perhaps the dinner would be beneficial for her as well.
"Tenten," Etsuko called, "why don't you give them our gifts."
"Oh, you didn't need to bring anything," Naomi said.
"Nonsense," Etsuko dismissed with a wave of her hand. Then, leaning in, she whispered, "Besides, if I don't give them away as gifts Saburo just keeps collecting them."
From her back pocket, Tenten produced two pieces of plain, beige cloth wrapping rolled tight. She carefully unraveled one and displayed a set of freshly made and still shining kunai.
"One for Neji-kun and one for Hinata-chan," Etsuko explained. "Saburo always had quite a knack for smithing, which was fine when he was on full active duty and using them. Now he makes them and just fills up the house. I have another set for Lee-kun, too."
"If Tenten accepted how good she is with weapons she could start taking them out with her," Saburo defended.
Tenten rolled her eyes at her father as she handed over the two sets of kunai to the others. "Dad, it would take wagons to get rid of all the weapons you have in the house, not to mention the shed."
Saburo slumped down melodramatically. "Just admit you don't want to learn anything from your father now that he's an old man. Tis the fate of all fathers when their little girls grow up and leave them."
"Dad!"
Naomi and Tenten's parents turned away from the kids to allow them a slight reprieve while they waited for the rest to arrive. "It really was kind of you to have us over," Etsuko said again. "I have to admit I'm curious to get to know Tenten's teammates after all she's told me. And Gai."
Naomi laughed. "Especially Gai."
"Definitely Gai," Saburo echoed. "The way Tenten talks about him it's like he's this phantasm of unpredictability that's haunting her."
"That's about what I've been hearing, too," Naomi chuckled. "Neji was less than impressed after that first day."
"He actually called him the anti-Hyuuga," a welcome voice interrupted from behind her. Hizashi stepped off the porch and offered their guests a short bow. "Forgive me for not meeting you when you arrived. I'm Neji's father, Hizashi." Etsuko and Saburo returned the greeting and introduced themselves in turn.
"It looks like I arrived in time to meet our next guests though," Hizashi said, looking between Tenten's parents to Osamu leading a boy with short black hair and strikingly large eyes and a woman of slight frame. If Naomi didn't know Lee was coming with his mother she'd have easily confused this woman with an older sister. Besides being hardly an inch taller than her son, her lean body, long black hair, and bright pink kimono with orange and red flowers embroidered in such arduous detail that Naomi felt underdressed made Lee's mother display youth more than maternal presence. It didn't help that Lee carried a small bundle of flowers; they looked ready to go on a date.
"Welcome," Naomi called as Etsuko and Saburo stepped aside to allow Naomi and Hizashi their place as hosts. "I'm glad you were able to make it. I'm Naomi and this is my husband, Hizashi. These are Tenten's parents, Etsuko-san and Saburo-san."
They all exchanged polite bows and Lee's mother motioned for him to offer the flowers to Naomi, which she thanked him for. "It was nice of you to host this for us. My name's Miki, and, of course, my son, Lee," she answered in a surprisingly mature sounding voice. Had Etsuko's voice come from Miki's body then all the women would have been in the proper balance.
"I'm sorry my husband couldn't make it," she continued, looking at the couples around her a bit awkwardly. "Unfortunately, he won't be back for at least another few weeks and it didn't seem right to put this off any longer."
"Long term missions can be rough," Saburo agreed, but Miki waved a delicate hand in dismissal.
"Nothing so exciting, I'm afraid. We're tailors by trade," she explained, making a wide curtsy to show off the kimono which was doubtlessly her own work. "Lee here's the first one of the family to be a ninja. Honestly, we weren't sure about letting him try, but he was bound and determined to become one, and we couldn't deny him when he was willing to work so hard. I don't know where he gets his determination from."
"I got it from you, of course," Lee beamed proudly, "After all, you're the one who spent twelve hours straight yesterday finishing the embroidery on your kimono. I'd just rather become a great ninja than sew clothes."
"Lee, a seamstress's secrets are her own," Miki scolded with a smile and enough embarrassment to make her face match her kimono.
"Well," Naomi said to take the attention off Lee's flustered mother, "while we wait for Gai to arrive why don't you meet your son's teammates. Would you like to introduce them, Lee-kun?"
"Sure," Lee bounced back from his mother's discontent (or he didn't notice it) and jumped aside to stand with the kids. "Mom, this is Tenten and Neji and," –his thick brows scrunched together as he worked through the previously unnoticed girl standing partially behind Neji– "Ah! You must be Neji's sis–OWWW!"
Lee hopped up and down on one leg, the other wrapped tight against his chest, as Neji's foot returned from the spot of empty air that had once occupied Lee's shin. Before either Hizashi or Naomi could yell at their son, Lee was in his face, eyes enflamed. "What was that for? I've been training. I'll take any challenge!"
Tenten snatched a hand over Lee's mouth from behind and yanked him away from Neji, who looked as mildly bored with the whole encounter as he could fake. (Naomi still noted how his eyes focused on the ground instead of one of them; he knew they caught that slip up.) Tenten whispered something in Lee's ear and recognition filled the struggling boy's face.
"Ohh-eaah! Ah orat ahou aat!" Lee muffled out from behind Tenten's hand, which she quickly removed and, with a rather disgusted look on her face, wiped off on her pants. Freed, Lee looked back at Neji and away again. "Sorry," he muttered sourly.
Well, Naomi could see that their team dynamic was already taking hold. An exasperated chuckle passed from one adult to another till it hit a dead end at the horror-struck expression on Miki's face. Civilians often didn't understand the way teams worked.
"Don't worry, Miki-san, that's pretty normal for a new genin team," Saburo offered as gentle advice. "I remember doing worse than that with Hikaru, and he became my best friend."
"Really?" she asked as her hand fluttered over her chest. "I thought my heart was going to stop just now."
"Fear not! Every ninja needs a rival!"
Everyone looked around but the source of the new voice was nowhere to be seen. The only thing out of the ordinary was the sigh Neji and Tenten let out in unison.
Suddenly a burst of chakra exploded in the center of the semi-circle the parents formed and forced them all to take a step back as smoke billowed up into the wind. When the haze cleared, a man in a green jumpsuit and teeth sparkling in the sun stood posing with his arm out in a thumbs-up atop a turtle wearing a red polka dot scarf. Naomi could barely believe it; Neji hadn't been exaggerating.
With everyone's befuddled attention squarely on him, Gai turned his glistening grin on Miki. "Don't worry, your son has found his lifelong rival, a truly honorable pact many ninjas enter into and only by having this eternal challenge forever before them will they grow to be great and powerful ninjas of legend!"
A quick glance at Neji, who was rubbing his temple in meditative concentration, told Naomi that Neji wasn't as thrilled to be included in this rivalry as Lee, who appeared to be almost as fired up as Gai.
"Are you done yet, Gai?" the polka dot clad turtle complained from below, and Gai quickly jumped off its back.
"Thank you for your assistance!" he bellowed.
The turtle groaned in reply, "The things you talk me into," and poofed away.
Gai returned to the semi-circle of parents with a flourish (and Naomi was silently dreading the day the twins met this man for any duration of time). "Now, allow me to introduce myself. I am the guardian of your children's future. I shall be their teacher, mentor, and their closest confidant. I'm the GREAT GREEN BEAST OF KONOHA, MAITO GAI! And," –he leaned in to wink at Miki– "the personal rival of the genius copy ninja, Kakashi."
It was a testament to Hyuuga control that the only thing that passed between Hizashi and Naomi was a mild smirk, especially considering beside them Etsuko was covertly swatting at her husband's arm and hissing a near-silent "Stop it!" before he could burst into –what would surely be by the strain on his face– hysterical laughter. Only Miki seemed in control, but she definitely wasn't unaffected.
"My, Lee never told me his instructor was so charming," Miki whispered coyly, carefully adjusting the collar of her bright pink kimono, "or handsome. I always did love a man with strong eyebrows." Saburo's snort turned to coughing fast enough to go unnoticed by the infatuated woman, that or she simply no longer paid attention to the rest of the group.
Gai continued on relatively unaware of the woman's hidden intrigue but posed for the compliment nonetheless. "I attempt to be the true meaning of a man in all aspects of my life, and it's my goal to teach your son the same. And as a true man should always assist those around him, and you are the only one here alone, I feel it is my duty! to escort you inside."
"How gracious of you," she answered, slipping her arm around his proffered one. Her smitten gaze never left him.
"On that note," Naomi said, letting out a long breath to keep the amusement inside, "why don't we all go in."
Neji pulled Hinata up in front of them as Tenten and Lee slipped back in step with their respective parents. He flashed them a very 'I told you so' look before hurrying ahead to lead the way. Naomi had to admit, she wouldn't doubt anything Neji told her about his team after this meeting.
"You know, Gai-san, perhaps you'd be good enough to come by one night and explain all about the ninja world to me," Miki said in a nightengale voice behind them. "Say for dinner at our house."
"Then we could go for training afterwards!" Lee burst in approval.
"Hush, Lee," she scolded, "the adults are talking."
Naomi was very glad to be ahead (and therefore out of sight –facially at least–) of the others. There was no way she could stop the snickering. It was probably a good thing Lee's father was out of the village. Though, given Miki's youthful appearance they actually made a rather cute, albeit height-challenged, couple.
Miki was commenting on how green was a very manly color when they entered the front sitting room. One convenient thing about traditional furniture was its versatility. Simply by adding in a large low-table the sitting room became a comfortable –if more formal than Naomi had wanted– dining room. Set out on either end of the long table were two tall skillets full of a semi-brown stock boiling away thanks to portable burners. On both sides and between the two skillets were three large plates of ingredients –carrots, mushrooms, tofu, cabbage, negi onion, and thinly sliced beef– all waiting to be swished and simmered in the flavored stock. It wasn't as easy with a larger group, but Naomi felt nothing broke down awkward silences quite like a good nabe dish like shabu shabu.
"Please take a seat wherever you like," Naomi instructed pleasantly, placing a hand on Neji and Hinata's shoulders to hold them at bay while the others entered. It would be rude for them to sit before their guests.
Tenten's family quickly took the far seats on the left side, while Gai was sequestered at the end of the table with Miki and Lee on either side of him. If he only realized how odd it made the three of them look (Lee did resemble Gai to an uncommon degree), he might not have been so comfortable there. With the rest seated, Naomi and the children took the final seats next to Lee with Hizashi, of course, heading up the other end of the table.
"I've got to admit, Naomi-san," Saburo started, eyeing the spread eagerly, "when I heard dinner with Hyuugas I had pretty high expectations, but you've still managed to exceed them."
"It does help to be acting head of the clan," Hizashi admitted, "but please, go ahead and start eating."
"Acting head?" Etsuko asked as she gladly picked up the chopsticks resting on her plate and snatched up the piece of beef her husband was going for. A smirk teased Saburo as she gently trailed the meat through the boiling broth.
"Hizashi's only clan head until Hinata comes of age. She's the actual heir to the clan," Naomi explained and quickly shifted the subject before too much clan issues could be brought up. "Tell me, do neither of you have any other children?"
"None but my lovely little girl," Saburo cooed malevolently, yanking Tenten into a smothering one-armed hug she couldn't get free of.
"As if we have room for anymore," Etsuko joked. "Tenten's old nursery currently houses six tanto swords, a couple dozen bo staffs, three yari spears, two boxes of kunai, four kama daggers, one naginata, and how many senbon, Tenten?"
"Three-hundred and forty-seven," Tenten said as she shoved her father's arm away again.
Saburo stared at them both incredulously. "How do you two even know that?"
"Mom had me inventory the whole house while you were gone one weekend," Tenten answered as she stole her father's beef right from the hot pot.
Saburo looked between the two women beside him then settled a serious expression on the two boys across the table. "Remember this, boys, if you ever have a daughter she'll grow up and conspire with your wife against you. It will happen." As if to punctuate his point both Tenten and her mother couldn't stop laughing, though Saburo joined in at the end.
"Yours is almost old enough," he warned Hizashi.
"I think I'm safe," Hizashi chuckled. "As nice as my niece is, I think I'd be okay if she learned to conspire a little."
Niece. To the others it probably meant nothing, but Naomi wished they didn't have to force such a distinction each time an outsider made an offhand comment. If one brancher heard wrong though, just one misinterpreted rumor could end up hurting Hinata with the clan or them with Hyobe. She pulled Hinata into a sidelong hug even if the girl next to her saw little more than necessity in that one little word.
"What about you, Miki-san? Never wanted another?" Naomi asked before anyone capable of seeing it noticed the conflict in her eyes.
"We thought about it here and there," she admitted, "but then with my luck I'd end up with another as crazy as my Lee and then I'd be worried sick about two children out in the ninja world." She rested her chin in her hand and gazed admiringly up at Gai. "And I'm sure it wouldn't have had so talented an instructor as Lee is blessed with."
"Of course it would have," Gai beamed proudly, "all the jounin instructors are full of youth and vigor and the determination to support and train these young minds and bodies into amazing shinobi!"
Naomi was beginning to feel sorry for Miki's absent husband. He was either going to have one hell of a rival for her attention when he got home, or –for better or for worse– a green jumpsuit and one really excited welcome home. She also had to wonder if Gai truly was that ambivalent to Miki's affection. He didn't show any deception in his manner, but, please, the only way that woman could be any more obvious was if she knocked him upside the head and dragged him back to her house.
"What about you, Gai-san? No one waiting in the wings for you to return home?" Etsuko asked with quite a sinister sparkle in her eyes; beside her Miki's breath caught short.
Gai lowered his head behind his arm in contrite resignation. "Unfortunately my youthful visage has yet to enflame the passions of a woman of equal vitality and enthusiasm with whom I will one day match in a lifelong battle of love and commitment and those unavoidable misunderstanding that lead to temporary heartache but eventual reunion that all comes with matrimonial bliss!" Gai bolted from his seat and stood, posing with one foot on the edge of the table and his fisted arm before him, exuding such a raw aura the very air seemed to turn to a brilliant orange sunset behind him. "But I know one day such a fine woman will be wooed and won by my furious determination!"
"Mmm, if I weren't married," Miki murmured, devouring Gai's muscle-trained physique in unabashed delight.
Naomi was beginning to understand the level of endurance Neji'd suffered under these last few weeks. Even Hizashi was struggling not to burst out laughing right there at the table. Gai alone was going to make this an interesting team. Heaven forbid any of the others be as extravagant as him.
"So," Naomi drawled out, giving Gai time to sit back down, "if the boys are now rivals apparently, who's yours, Tenten-chan?"
"I'll leave the rivalries to Lee and Neji," she answered. "I just want to be like the legendary Tsunade-sama."
"Are you planning on training as a med-nin, then?" Naomi asked.
Tenten grimaced through her grin and dropped a carrot into the broth to avoid answering right away. "It doesn't appear I'm very apt at medical jutsu," she admitted quietly.
"But the sashimi was delicious," Neji added with a smirk in his voice.
"Ha. Ha. I'd like to see you try and revive a dead fish," she quipped back. "Bet you wouldn't be so good at it either."
"That's why I leave the healing to Hinata. She's not too bad at the basics." Neji wrapped an arm around her shoulder to pull her close momentarily, causing a pale pink to paint her cheeks puffed up over a shy smile.
"And what about you, Lee-kun?" Hizashi asked. "Besides being locked in an eternal rivalry with my son, what made you want to be a ninja so much?"
"I've always wanted to be a great ninja!" he shouted, not so much answering the question as affirming it. "I may not be able to use ninjutsu or genjutsu and my taijutsu isn't that great, but I'm going to prove with hard work one day even I'll be powerful enough to defeat a genius like Neji!"
Neji's posture stiffened immediately, but so quickly and with such a hasty recovery if Naomi hadn't been looking past him to see Lee she'd have missed it. He chuckled quietly, but, having witnessed the shirking unease that had hit him like a spike in the back, Naomi detected the force he used to push that small sound out so nonchalantly. "I keep telling Lee to stop comparing us, but he won't listen," Neji said. With conscious precision in each flex and contraction of muscle, he plucked a cube of tofu from the serving plate and swished it gently in the boiling broth.
"You just don't think I can do it!" Lee challenged and hopped up on his knees so he could stare down his rival.
"I know," Neji returned calmly, "that natural ability and hard work produce different results. I'm sure you can become a great ninja, but you shouldn't keep comparing yourself to what I'll be."
Lee burst to his feet and towered over Neji, his hands shaking at his sides as he screamed, "Enough hard work can beat anything, even you!"
Neji snapped to attention and matched stature with stature. In his eyes was an anger Naomi hadn't expected to see. "No," he seethed, "hard work will only take you so far. Natural ability is different."
Neji and Lee faced off with such fury sparks were palatable in the air around them just waiting for the final trigger to set off the explosion that would ultimately destroy the entire sitting area they were dining in no doubt. Before Naomi or Hizashi could admonish Neji, and if necessary forcibly drag him back to his seat, a feather-light touch settled on his hand and defused all the fire smoldering inside.
"It's all right, Neji-niisan," Hinata whispered in the same shy voice she'd spoken to Tenten with earlier in the evening. "You shouldn't ruin dinner with a fight."
Neji gazed down at his cousin. The protective instinct struggling to remain in control under the surface façade explained the anger to Naomi better than any words, and a sick feeling swirled in her stomach. Neji had only been repeating what they'd always told Hinata to keep Hyobe's disparaging remarks from biting too deeply into her often fragile self-esteem. Regrettably, no amount of reading her son told Naomi if Neji was just trying to protect Hinata or if he truly believed it himself. Finally, he let out a long sigh and sat down, relenting more submissively to Hinata's quiet request than he would have to their sharp command.
"You too, Lee. This is not the time or place for such things," Miki snapped and Lee immediately dropped out of his fury trance to sit obediently beside Neji.
"Ah," Gai sighed whimsically, "the joys of youthful rivals."
Neji and Hinata walked a few feet behind his parents on the way back to the house after seeing their guests to the compound gate. The dinner hadn't gone as badly as he'd feared. Gai in the compound was frightening enough, though he had to admit it was pretty damn funny to see Lee's mother swooning all over him. Lee's father must have amazing eyebrows if that's what she was so attracted to. It might explain a few things about Lee, too.
If only they hadn't brought up the whole work versus talent debate again. Neji was sick enough of it in the team, but he hadn't wanted Lee to bring it up in front of Hinata. Lee can be as delusional as he wanted to, but to feed Hinata those lies wasn't something he was going to allow. Believing it would only make her feel more miserable when she couldn't achieve it and feed into their grandfather's demeaning rhetoric. If she hadn't stopped him, he would have reminded Lee just what kind of difference talent made.
Unfortunately, it did rather spoil the rest of the dinner. It wasn't uncomfortable, per se, but it wasn't quite as light hearted as it began, no matter what Gai thought of 'youthful rivalries.' Neji hadn't meant for that and surely would be scolded for it once they were back home.
"I'm sorry," Hinata whispered almost too quietly for him to hear standing right next to her.
Neji eyed her curiously and slowed so the distance grew between his parents and them. "For what?"
"I ruined your dinner," she squeaked out, her eyes cast to the ground guiltily.
"Why do you think that?" he asked. Hinata had a bad habit of blaming herself for things, but this time he wasn't following her train of thought at all.
"You and Lee-kun got into a fight because of me," she whispered.
Neji laughed and ruffled her hair the way the twins used to when they were younger. "Don't even think that was your fault. Stopping me and Lee from fighting is like stopping Gai from being 'youthful'. Besides, there's a big difference in getting into a fight because of you and getting into a fight for you, and I'll always be willing to fight for my little sister."
Hinata looked away in a fast growing blush as she smoothed down her fluffed hair. "Do you think he'll be able to do it?"
"Do what?" he asked.
"What he said he would," she clarified, "be able to beat you one day."
Neji just shook his head. "Look, Hinata, I don't doubt he'll become a good ninja someday, but there's only so much hard work can take you. He should focus on what he can do instead of comparing himself to me. Just like you should focus on improving yourself and not worry about what Grandpa thinks you should be. You'll be great in your own way, you don't need to be like me. How useful would I be if you were?"
Hinata shrugged. "Not much I guess."
"Exactly," he agreed. "And if you ever need to be that strong for some reason, all you need to do is ask and I'll be there to take care of whatever it is. Once you're clan head I'll be your right hand to command."
"I know," she replied, but her voice betrayed the hesitation she felt, or perhaps the hope he wished he wouldn't hear. "I was just thinking Naruto-kun always says we can do whatever we want to if we try hard enough. I guess Lee-kun made me think of it."
"Then put your mind to being the best clan head the Hyuugas have seen in generations. That's what you're going to be great at, I know it. You leave the fighting to me."
"All right," she answered, though Neji could see she wasn't wholly convinced.
Lee was definitely going to pay for that the next time they trained together.