Notice: I do not own Naruto, and make no claims of copyright on the characters who are not my property. Original characters, however, are mine.

Author's Notes: New characters! Yay! Or perhaps finally is the right word, since I've been wanting to bring in these two for a long time, to give Neji someone to interact with (Xi really doesn't count). Anyway, now I get to establish the team. This chapter is pretty long for that reason, but there should be a good mix of stuff in it.

Thanks to all who review! And as usual, I'll try to respond to your stuff:

Orhla: Aerial Reversal is a weird jutsu; the best visual analogy I can come up with is when a snake or eel reverses direction in water by turning their body over. That's sort of the principle.

Ali Ahmed: Thanks! Those are some really good points you raised. Here's something of my take: Neji isn't really turning his back on Konoha and everyone so much as being separated from them by circumstances. This is partly a writing artifice. I'm trying to conflict with the plotline to come as little as possible, so I've forsworn interaction with any characters who might conceivably be doing something else. Otherwise: Neji really had only one friend previously, that being Tenten, he hated or was contemptuous of his family (they can kind of kill him at will). He will be loyal to Konoha, and definitely to his teammates who have just arrived. About Tsunade, well, yeah maybe she is a bit out of character, I have trouble writing that kind of person, and Tsunade in the manga tends to go through rather wild emotional gyrations. Part of how she is described is that whenever you encounter she's speaking as the Hokage, not herself, and because Xi's present. She most definitely doesn't trust him, which is why they keep tensing up whenever they encounter each other. If the situation wasn't so dire she'd probably do all sorts of horrible things to him. Which leads into the bit about lightning village. Tsunade doesn't trust Xi, and neither does he really trust her (calls her the witch and all that). Konoha doesn't trust him much either, but the enemy of my enemy is my friend or something, and Xi's attachment to lightning village is not all that dutiful in the first place, and he personally did not fight them in the war. Neji does truly trust Xi either, but then he hard trusts anyone, but Xi did save his life when he could have left him to die, which deep down he (and everybody else) realize was a really strange thing for Xi to do, so that impacts it. This whole puzzle will eventually become clearer as more about Xi's past comes into focus.

Clouds Gather

Two ninja stood by Draci Xi as he arrived, each wearing a lightning forehead protector, one to each side of the dragon ninja. To his left a woman, to his right a man. Similar, but different. Each wore the chuunin uniform of lightning, not the unique outfits of genin, in the gray and blue of the Hidden Village of Cloud. The man wore a false flak jacket of blue over his base garb, while the girl did not. Their bandages matched the standard arrangement that seemed universal to ninja everywhere.

She was a young ninja, and could not have been more than a few months older than Neji himself; though she matched his relatively tall frame with her own lithe form. Her outfit seemed modeled to match Xi's with the extra kunai holster on the lower leg. Her hair was deep, shining black, and kept in a short ponytail, her forehead protector served as the tie. Her eyes seemed a contrast of warmth and coldness, for they were a dark gray blue, and her skin was dusky, unusual on most ninja. Neji noted that there was poise in her step uncommon among most genin, a surety as to her surroundings. Her hands moved constantly through slight shifts, fingers hungry for activity. She greeted him with a smile, and he found himself strangely reminded of Tenten, though they were not at all similar in appearance.

The man was a darker contrast. He was older. At least eighteen, perhaps more, Neji was certain. A long-term genin. He had the grim brown eyes common to most older ninja, and his face was scared by a long mark down in front of his right ear and on the left side of his chin. He wore his short brown hair covered in a bandana, as many older ninja did. The man was not tall, but well muscled, especially his upper body. In fact, Neji thought him surprising that way, and wondered about it. He carried a three foot long steel pole, with hooks on both ends, a very unusual weapon.

They took in Neji as he took in them, silent, ninja weighing those who they were unfamiliar with. When Neji appeared satisfied, Xi made the introductions. "Draci Neji, meet these two lightning ninja, who have answered my request for teammates in the chuunin exam. Senirai Shiren," The young lady ninja nodded to Neji. "And Kabure Gosain." The older lightning ninja simply grunted his acknowledgement.

When no one said anything further Xi scowled. "Well, I have preparations to make for the journey to Stone." He said. "You three need to spend today determining how you will work together." The dragon ninja turned on his heel and walked off.

When Xi was gone the three looked at each other. "So, Shiren and Gosain is it?" Neji asked without inflection.

"And you're Neji." Shiren replied with a bit more enthusiasm.

"Shiren." Gosain said firmly. "I doubt we should be so happy with this. Xi-san told us his dragon ninja student would be leading us in the chuunin exam. You're not what I expected. A boy younger than Shiren. Humph. How many exams have you taken?"

"One." Neji answered honestly. "The most recent here in Konoha, that was disrupted."

"Only one?" Gosain grimaced. "I was beginning to expect that. And Xi expects me to follow you. Ha."

"Why is that a problem?" Neji asked tonelessly.

"Simple." Gosain answered. "I've been to six chuunin exams, why should a boy who's only been to one lead me."

"Gosain, he did make it to the finals, and we know this exam was more challenging than almost any in the past." Shiren interjected. "Though don't mistake me, Neji, we are wondering why Xi wants you to do this."

That answer was a very simple thing, for Neji knew Xi's reasons were the same as his own. "I must become a chuunin so I do not have to kill so many people." He said, his pupil-less eyes meeting the other ninja's.

Shiren gave him a strangely sad look in response, as if she understood. Gosain just grimaced. "Strong words." He said. "Alright, Xi said you'd fought and defeated skilled chuunin in battle, but I won't believe that man on faith. Spies can't ever be trusted. If you're to lead us, prove it."

Ah, so that's it. Neji realized Gosain was a direct type, a ninja who did not believe in words, only actions. If you have failed the chuunin exam six times how strong can you be? He wondered. Still, he would not underestimate this man, for Xi would not have saddled him with the truly weak. At least, Neji hoped. "What did you have in mind?" He asked clearly, no malice in his tone.

"Chuunin are squad leaders, leaders of teams of genin mostly. We've both served under chuunin." Shiren said. "So, we would like to give you a mission." She pulled a scroll from one of her pockets. "We will take this scroll to the exam stadium, and your mission will be to retrieve it before it gets there. Simple enough, yes?" She smiled, a genuinely warm expression that Neji would have had great difficulty matching.

"You agree to this?" Neji asked Gosain.

"Ah," The older ninja replied. "Right now if possible."

Hmm...Neji thought. I don't have all my chakra, since I used up a lot of it training. Still, I need to try and push the level anyway, and it's a reasonable test. "Very well. When the kunai hits the ground?" He reached into his holster.

The two cloud ninja nodded.

Neji tossed the kunai high into the air. It spun for a long moment.

All three ninja tensed, gathering their chakra. Neji could feel his muscles chord and tighten, the pain from his earlier exertions pushed away and forgotten. Gosain gripped his pole with both hands at the lower end, and Neji knew he would fight him first. Still, if I can outmaneuver him and catch Shiren I won't need to fight him. He decided that he would at least try that.

The spinning metal weapon came down, and three ninja listened for the moment of contact.

The kunai hit.

Shiren leapt backwards, spinning in midair, and was off.

Fast, Neji saw, as he dashed right, seeking the trees, so that he could attempt to outmaneuver Gosain and catch up to her.

"Not so fast!" The other cloud ninja was suddenly in front of him. "You're quick, but I knew you'd go this way." Gosain smirked. "Right handed ninja always dash right." He shook his head. "Now you'll have to fight your way past me."

"Which is what you wanted anyway." Neji replied levelly.

Gosain's eyes replied with the truth of that response, and he charged in.

The Byakugan claimed Neji's eyes as he raised his hands to block.

Hard came the attacks from that pole, and Neji's response was just as strong. Even with the reach advantage his weapon gave him, Gosain could not compensate for Neji's knowledge of chakra flow and movement. Still, the older ninja's taijutsu was, if not supremely, skilled, strong and competent, and he fought with a viscous focus that Neji found admirable.

Still. Not enough. Neji flipped in under a strike and dealt a viscous blow to Gosain's midsection. Yet, he did not strike the tenkentsu hard, instead, though a portion of his blow did penetrate to the man's charka circulatory system, Neji found most of his blow deflected by a block of metal. What? Is he wearing plates under that jacket?

"Heh." Gosain muttered as Neji rolled away from the counterstroke. "I'm not that easy to strike boy."

The Byakugan focused in, and Neji saw it. Chains? Gosain wore wrapped chains in cloth under his flak jacket, though the image was hazy. Why didn't I see it before? Neji wondered. Is there some genjutsu in that garment? The chains were puzzling, but they would not be enough to stop Neji. I'll just have to target other areas of the body.

He dashed in, aiming to strike the cloud ninja's arms.

Gosain saw the move, but obviously did not have the speed to dodge the attack, until he did something unexpected. He hooked his pole under his flak jacket, and Neji saw the hooks on the end fit with perfect attachment into links of free chain. So that's it! Neji saw, and he halted his motion and spun backwards.

Chains ripped free from under Gosain's guard, fifteen feet at least attached to each end of his pole, with wicked kunai hanging off the end. The chains were strong and light, and Gosain whipped them into a storm of motion, flashing them all around.

Neji was already tracking, and noting the quickness of Gosain's movement. He moved that fast carrying that much heavy metal, he'll be much faster now. He rolled along the ground, and then launched himself into the air, grasping shuriken.

"Damn you're fast!" Gosain spat. "But it doesn't matter how fast you are, you won't avoid my attacks! Stormfront chain assault!" He called.

The two ends of chain whirled into an advancing line, streaking toward Neji. Fast, extremely fast, those weapons moved. So this is his true skill, a chain fighting style. Neji noted. Still, to control those chains he has to put chakra behind them, and I can see it.

Hard steel coils came in, and Neji's hands ripped out, grabbing them in mid motion.

"What?" Gosain's jaw dropped. "How could you predict their motion?"

"I can see your chakra, Gosain." Neji replied. "A technique like this is useless against me."

"Really?" Gosain chuckled. His hands formed into seals while he gripped the pole. "Chain Lightning Energy!"

Chakra surged down the chains, converted instantly into electricity. Neji barely removed his hands as the vibrant storm arched down to him, cackling with power. Damn! He's put electricity all into the chains. If I touch them I'll be burned. Still, the chakra draw is immense, he can't sustain this, and I can still dodge.

Then Neji realized the Gosain didn't need to sustain the move. If he could keep Neji in place while Shiren escaped, then he would lose. Right, team tactics. I have to remember to think that way. Realizing the situation he was in, Neji knew he had only one real option, to defeat Gosain quickly. How? He wondered.

Charged chains swirled around the two as Neji rolled and dodged, knocking chains away with shuriken when they got to close. He only went a few seconds before he had measured the difference in speed and control between him and Gosain. The chains enhanced the man's speed at a distance because they responded to slight movements of his, but in close, the large weapons would be cumbersome, which was why he fought with the pole. Neji analyzed and saw. There was a point of distance at which he could knock the chains aside and Gosain would not be able to react in time. His strategy was clear.

Neji leaped into the air, and spun forward, coming down in line with Gosain's chest. Chains arched in.

The dragon ninja's hands reached out and grabbed the electrified metal. A shock registered on his hands, but he cut the chakra flow an instant later and hurled the chains aside.

Electricity flowed up the metal in seconds, but that didn't matter, all that mattered was that the chains were out of place, and could not be brought back in.

Gosain wasn't a fool, he saw that he had been outmaneuvered; he dropped his pole and brought his hands up to block.

"Useless!" Neji called as he came in. "Jyouken!" His hands slapped aside Gosain's arms, closing the tenkentsu, and then struck them on his chest, knocking the man to the ground.

The older ninja fell to the ground in pain, but tried to grab his weapon, despite the now uselessness of his arms. Neji kicked it away. "Stay down." He said, and struck hard blows into the Gosain's chest. He regretted inflicting further punishment, but he knew that this man would come after him if he did not. "Now you can't stand, I've closed the tenkentsu on your legs. A good fight," Neji said. "Now I have to find your partner."

He jumped into the trees, leaving the grimacing cloud ninja lying in the training field.

Neji registered a slight pain in his hands, he had not gotten away from Gosain completely unscathed, but that didn't matter. He had to catch Shiren. He focused his eyes, looking through the trees and out into the roofs beyond Konoha.

She was not hard to find. Shiren was moving openly and brazenly past the shocked eyes of many of Konoha's watchful ninja simply because she was not bothering to hide. In spite of the obvious lightning uniform, no one moved to oppose her. Heh. Thought Neji, smart. She's gotten quite the lead on me by doing that. Neji knew catching her might not be that easy. Thankfully the distance to the Stadium was significant, and Neji was a dragon ninja, his pursuit speed had grown with his chakra control. Indeed, all the practice on aerial moves in the past two weeks had greatly increased it. He was off after her in a flash.

Shiren saw Neji coming, as he closed in quickly upon her on the roofs of Konoha's great buildings. She did not stop, though it was obvious he would catch her, but veered aside, getting out of trafficked areas and moving to a distant catwalk. She has decided to fight me, Neji could tell.

Shiren stopped atop a solid stone building, at the edge of central Konoha. Neji recognized the building, the Village's library, a building the ninja rarely used normally, but that hosted plenty of fights atop its sturdy construction. He came in behind her swiftly.

The moment his feet touched the ground Neji was forced to dodge aside from several thrown shuriken. He spun out of the way easily enough, but noticed a tremendous precision behind the weapons. His Byakugan also revealed that in the moment of his spinning roll, when another ninja's sight would have been impaired, she had used the replacement technique to dodge away.

Fast. Neji noted as he slid sideways toward Shiren's true position, she has excellent jutsu speed.

More shuriken came screaming toward Neji, as Shiren realized that he trick had failed. Neji saw their position and slapped them aside with his hands, despite the preciseness of the marks. Her accuracy is better than Tenten's! Neji realized, somewhat astonished. He had not expected to meet another Genin with that kind of accuracy.

Shiren dashed backward, pulling a kunai into each hand, gathering some distance and putting herself on Neji's left. As she moved Neji could see the chakra flowing through her. He was surprised. Her control is excellent; it has the beginnings of what I have seen in Xi, the perfect channels. He immediately upgraded his perceptions of Shiren. A talented opponent, she is better than Gosain.

"How did you see through my replication?" Shiren asked from some distance away, as she fell into a waiting posture.

"Byakugan." Neji answered, allowing Shiren to take a good look at his eyes.

She squinted in from that distance, but was able to see the raised veins and fractal focus of the white eyes of the Byakugan. "You're one of the Hyuuga?" She asked, surprised, but still with a bit of pleasantness in her voice. "That makes this a whole lot harder." She growled and tightened the grip on her weapons. "If I remember what the old war veterans said about the Hyuuga, I can't dare close combat against you."

Neji waited for Shiren's next move, evaluating the situation. He was not just trying to fight and defeat her now; he wanted to get a feel for his future teammate. She did remind him of Tenten, and he suspected she was best at ranged combat. Which makes her weak against me, he knew, unless see can somehow get around Kaiten.

Shiren dropped her waiting posture with blistering suddenness, hurling a kunai straight at Neji before dashing back across his view to her left. She reached down into her shuriken pouch and pulled forth six different weapons, holding them in two groups of three. Then she threw, the weapons expanding into a perfect star pattern.

Almost lazily Neji snatched the kunai out of the air, throwing it back at Shiren right through the middle of the star formation.

When he did that she smiled. "Got you." She said. Her hands flashed through hand seals. "Lightning element: Spark Star no jutsu!" The last seal formed precisely at the moment the kunai contacted the star formation.

Bolts of electrical charge arced between the shuriken, and reached out to grab the kunai. Shiren's technique now had crackling lightning all around the edge of the form and through the center, illuminating the deadly blades.

As the deadly form charged toward him Neji thought rapidly, determining what he could possibly defend with. They will all collapse in upon me if I touch even one, he recognized. I would block that one but the rest of the form would cut and shock me. Well then... "Kaiten!"

The great blast of chakra swirled out from everywhere on Neji's body as the shuriken met him. The form collapsed into the spin, but was then thrown back completely, its power dissipated. The weapons clattered down softly to the rooftop.

Shiren grimaced, but reached into her shuriken pouch once more. "Don't think I'm out of tricks yet." She said.

A problem, Neji realized, breath coming hard. I can't use Kaiten that many more times. I'll have to attack.

He fell quickly into the Jyouken stance, and advanced hard at Shiren.

She hurled more shuriken at him.

They came in twin lines, five each, small light weapons. Neji slapped each one aside as he advanced, so that there were two lines of weaponry embedded behind him in the roof.

He closed with Shiren as she released two last shuriken. What? Neji wondered, for these were not aimed at him. Instead they flee past to impact those two lines. Shiren jumped back at that instant, hands forming into a seal. Neji jumped after her, and then realized something. Damn! He remembered the lightning she had used before.

"Lightning Element: Charged Spark Missiles!"

The two shuriken impacted into the line on the roof, and knocked a grand spark into those buried there. Sparks leapt down the lines of shuriken, building greatly, until they reached the last, which separated from the rooftop and launched toward Neji with tremendous velocity, faster than even his Byakugan could see.

The twin shuriken cackled through the air, matching the sound of their approach in speed.

There was hardly any time to react; those weapons would hit Neji about an instant before he collided with Shiren. So instead, he ignored the female ninja, who could not attack without abandoning the seal anyway, and did what he had been practicing all morning. Neji shifted all the chakra in his body and contorted in midair, coming around with a tremendous force and sound that even drowned out the sound of the approaching missiles. Kunai ripped from his hands then, and his perfect vision tracked them in to knock aside the advancing missiles easily. His hands went down to the nekode then, but Neji let the weapons lie, and instead extended his arms as the ground came up with tremendous velocity. Looking behind him through the Byakugan he saw Shiren's position.

It hurt his hands when he slammed into the library roof, as if a great weight had been dropped upon them, but Neji didn't care. He was already channeling chakra, and as his elbows bent all the way down with the blow, he forced the energy into them and surged back up.

Feet first Neji launched into the air almost as fast as those weapons had, and Shiren, in shock, managed to block only the first foot to her chest. The second slammed in hard, knocking her into a painful crash to the rooftop.

Neji landed on his feet, breathing hard and feeling the pain and strain on his bones from abusing his motion like that. It had forced a tremendous amount of chakra into his arms to pull that maneuver, and his tenkentsu felt as if his uncle had hit them. Shiren hardly looked better, she was bruised and pained as she stood. Her smile had faded, and there was blood on her forehead and in her hair, but she was not done.

Idly it seemed, Shiren pulled the last kunai from her main holster and threw it straight out to the side, so that it embedded in the roof tiles. There's a string attached to that weapon, Neji saw, but what good does it do? She can't have many weapons left now, and she hasn't used a scroll technique like Tenten.

"I'm almost out of tricks, Neji." Shiren said, her voice slightly pained, but not angry. "But maybe you are to?" She suggested.

"Heh." Neji muttered. "We'll see won't we?"

Shiren dropped into the low fighting stance that Neji had only seen once before, hands flat with fingers extended, and the left below the right, the Jinnen fighting style. Neji moved into the ready stance for his Jyouken.

The two ninja charged.

They ran in hard, but Neji saw that not all of Shiren's chakra was focused on the attack. She was running too fast as well, to charge in straight with this much speed, she didn't have the control to dodge any counters he might offer. What is she about to do?

One step before they would have struck each other, Shiren extended her right foot, and threw her left foot outward. She channeled her chakra internally, and spun backwards, pulling on the string that connected to the kunai she had implanted in the ground. She shot back spinning along the string toward her kunai, whirling fast as a tempest, feet flattened against the ground.

What's that supposed to accomplish? Neji wondered for a split second.

"Lightning Anchor!" Shiren called. Her spin stopped suddenly, and the kunai ripped from the ground with the counterforce, but not just the kunai.

The whole string had been converted into electricity, a baleful lightning blot that stretched out from Shiren to the kunai.

It's not chakra! Neji realized in shock. It's from the static energy she generated by the spin! I can't cut it with my own chakra, and I can't dodge the sweep in time!

That kunai came around, leading the bar on its long circle of deadly charge.

Neji did the only thing he could do, and turned to meet it.

Charged string met the dragon ninja. Shiren smiled.

"Rend!"

Shiren looked at Neji in astonishment.

His nekode had met the string, and chakra funneled down it, even as electrical energy crossed over those chakra blades and into Neji. For a second it looked as if he would take the damage from the shock, and then the string exploded, and the kunai flew on past Neji.

"What?" Shiren gasped.

Neji, the skin of his hands slightly charred, looked at her. "I burst your string apart so that the current was broken by enough gap that it couldn't bridge the distance. That is all. Now, are we done?" He asked.

Shiren, bruised and damaged, with most of her chakra used up, and the tenkentsu over her stomach hit from Neji's kick earlier, was hardly in a position to fight, even though Neji had hardly any of his own chakra left, and looked exhausted.

Still, the cloud ninja reached down into her the low secondary kunai holster on her right leg. She pulled a kunai into each hand. "Not just yet." Shiren rasped. She raised her left hand high, kunai pointing downward, and held the right hand low, kunai pointed up.

This stance is...Neji dropped immediately into a fighting crouch and charged in at Shiren.

She responded in kind, moving as fast as she could manage, and then leaping high into the air at the last moment.

Neji tracked her chakra movement, watching for what he knew was about to occur. He saw everything begin as it ought to, and then something failed to complete. From a blinding switch from position to position, Shiren simply became a ninja with two Kunai coming in from above his head. He could still see, and more importantly, could still dodge.

The first kunai came in from above and Neji ducked under it, and then he grasped the secondary low attack with his left hand, his grip coming down vise-like upon Shiren's arm. His right hand crossed back over, and leveled a blow at her stomach. He struck, and Shiren coughed blood and crumpled.

Neji grabbed her arms and held her upright, supporting her. She is lighter than I expected. She looked up a bit at him as she steadied her footing. "Damn that's a hard hit."

'The Jyouken still can target the chakra circulatory system and internal organs, bypassing the ways any ninja has trained to absorb blows, but I had to hit you hard, or you would have tried something." He said the words with as much softness as he could manage, trying to imply no malice.

"Ha," Shiren chuckled painfully. "Probably right. Well, I guess you win."

"I guess I do." Neji replied, placing Shiren down on the rooftop, and sitting across from her. "You are much more talented than I expected of any genin though. Thunder and Lightning Strike?"

Shiren's eyes went wide, and she scowled, brows furrowing. "How do you know about that?"

"Xi killed a jounin with it." Neji said quietly.

"Oh." Was all Shiren replied with. "I'm not good enough to use it yet, though I keep trying. Of course, no one will actually teach a genin how to use a jounin level lethal jutsu." She shrugged.

Neji nodded at that. "Can you walk?" He asked.

"I suppose." Shiren said. "Though I'd appreciate it if I didn't have to jump down from this roof right about now."

"There is a trapdoor." Neji said without much inflection. "The librarians installed it after too many ninja kept fighting up here."

"Really?" Shiren laughed quietly. "That makes it easier anyway. All right, let's go."

The walked over to the trapdoor, Neji moderated his pace to Shiren's, which meant that it took a long time to get out of the building. The librarians gave them the usually stares, which caused Shiren to smile in amusement and Neji to ignore them callously.

"So, what did you do to Gosain?" Shiren asked openly as they started to walk back through Konoha. "He must be pretty hurt to not pursue, he's a dogged fellow."

Shiren's remark seemed knowing, and Neji wondered about the relationship between the two cloud ninja. "I closed most of the tenkentsu on his legs. It will be a while before he can stand and walk, much less follow us. Were you worried?"

"A little." She admitted. "They do say dragon ninja are killers, and Gosain fights pretty all out sometimes.

"Do you know him well?" Neji asked, trying to sort things out.

"Not really. He's got a reputation you see," Shiren replied. "But if you want to know about the two of us you should probably ask Xi, since I'd rather not talk about it, and neither would he, but you have the right to know."

It was an unusual thing to say, to tell someone to ask another about your secrets, and Neji, though he knew he should probably let it lie, couldn't resist inquiring. "Is it important enough for that, or should I just not ask?"

At that Shiren gave him a tired smile, and revealed something darker beneath her midnight blue eyes. "No, ask him, he'll expect it. Besides, we'll be asking him about you in return."

That was not the way things were done in Konoha. Genin did not ask their sensei about the other members of their team, but Neji could tell from Shiren's words that this sort of thing was more common in Lightning. It made him uncomfortable, since he had been unable to tell what Xi thought of him. "I see," Was all he said. They walked the rest of the way back to the field in silence.

Gosain was lying against a tree trunk when they arrived, and Xi was standing next to him. "So, Shiren? He got you too?" The other cloud ninja asked.

"Yeah, hits damn hard this guy does." She joked.

"I should have known you three would cost me another lecture before that witch of a Hokage." Xi told them without amusement. "In the future, don't fight each other within the boundaries of Konoha, it's making the Leaf ninja nervous. In any case, I've arranged guest rooms for Gosain and Shiren for tonight, and had our provisions sent there. Make sure you're ready to go at dawn. For the rest, Neji, it's in your hands."

"Mine?" Neji asked coldly. Xi hardly ever gave him things to do.

"It's you team for the chuunin exam, not mine, I'm simply acting as the sponsoring jounin. I'll command while we're in Waterfall country, but for the rest, you'd better lead your own team." The dragon ninja ordered.

Neji nodded. He turned to Shiren and Gosain. How to lead them? He had ideas, but he knew this would be different than what he'd done before. Certainly he'd led Rock Lee and Tenten, but they'd so outclassed everything they'd been up against it had hardly mattered. Besides, Lee had rarely acted as part of his own team, and Tenten had simply mirrored him easily. This would be far more difficult. Gosain will probably take my orders, but only if I don't slip up, he's experienced, and Shiren... Neji wasn't really sure what he thought of Shiren yet. Well, there's an obvious first step. "Since you're traveling, I suppose I should treat you to dinner. Come to the Hyuuga residence, my family's good for at least that much." He managed without too much bitterness.

Xi gave Neji an unusual look, and one of his customary half-smiles. Gosain said the words for him though. "Lightning ninja in the Hyuuga household." He chuckled, a deep and mirthless sound, as from one who never truly laughs happily. "Who would have thought that?"