Hyuuga Neji; 4 Years Later

Age 17

-The Burden of Female Ninjas-

This was the first year I had entered my name in to be nominated to be put in the jounin exam. I didn't think that entering the exam prematurely would be a very good idea since the exams were dangerous so I wasn't going to jump the gun at all.

But now I thoroughly believed that I was ready to enter the exam and do well.

I was gathered in the Hokage's office, waiting for her to enter with the list of names of people who would be nominated. I was confident that I would be one of them.

The Hokage did enter. She was a little late, but I was willing to let it slide as long as I was nominated.

She came in and sat down in her seat.

I hadn't even noticed that Shikamaru had come in behind her with the paper that listed the names.

The room fell silent as Shikamaru lifted the paper so he could read it, though I didn't doubt that he already knew the list to heart.

"The following jounins have been selected to have a try at joining the ranks of special jounin or ANBU." He said.

I didn't have to listen to this group of names because I, most unfortunately, did not fall within the category of jounin just yet. That, however, would not be a fact for very much longer.

I looked up when I noticed a break in his speech.

"…Nara Shikamaru…" he said.

How could he be promoted to special jounin or ANBU? He was at the bottom of his class when he graduated the academy. I was a year older and I had been the number one rookie of my year.

After faltering for a moment or two, Shikamaru continued with the list. "The following chuunins have been selected to have a try at joining the ranks of the jounin." He said. Then he began to read the names.

The names were not in any sort of order, so it was impossible to anticipate whether or not my name would be called.

"—Hyuuga Neji—"

I knew it would be.

I didn't have to listen to any more of the list because my name had been called.

It was now time for some intense training to prepare myself for the exam. Though I knew I would perform well, I didn't need a fluke occurring like the one that happened in the first Chuunin exam I participated in, when I fought against Naruto and lost. It was a complete and utter fluke.

"Thank you." I heard Shikamaru, zoning in once I realized he was reaching the end of his speech. "If you have not been chosen to compete in the upcoming exams, then don't be discouraged because you have plenty of chances to succeed. And, just because you have been nominated, doesn't mean that you are a new rank."

"You are all dismissed!" said the Hokage with a wave of her hand.

Well, that was easy enough.

The exam was in another week or so, meaning I had plenty of time to prepare myself.

I exited the office in haste and reached the outdoors only to be practically ambushed by a very excited looking Tenten.

"Neji!" she said happily. "Take a look at this!"

She spun around, modeling her brand new chuunin vest that she already had on.

"Very nice." I said sarcastically.

"Aren't you impressed?" she said.

Why would I be impressed with something like that? Tenten was seventeen years old and was only now reaching the rank of Chuunin. Besides, she was the last on our team to become a Chuunin, missing the Consolidation by only a few weeks.

"No," I told her. "If anything, I'm rather ashamed that you and I were on the same team. It certainly says something about the other female ninjas that graduated the same year as us if our supposed best one is only now being promoted."

"Neji…" she said, looking as though she had never expected that answer or any answer like that to ever come out of my mouth. She knows me better than that.

"What's worse, now my time is being wasted." I said.

I knew she still was attracted to me. Just by the way she continued to "bump into me" every time I turned the corner and suggest that we spend the day together for "old time's sake". It was really beginning to get on my nerves and I didn't know what I had to do or say to make her stop.

"But…what…" Tenten begun but she was suddenly interrupted by the painfully familiar sounds of…

Lee.

"HEY YOU TWO!!!" he yelled, stampeding out of the Hokage's office. I hadn't seen him in there for the nominations, but I had also not heard his name. I didn't expect him to be nominated. I am on a much higher level than he.

"Oh, hi Lee!" said Tenten.

"TENTEN!!" screamed the extremely distracted Lee. "You have your vest! CONGRATULATIONS!!!"

"Yeah!" said Tenten, caressing the collar of her vest. I rolled my eyes. "I'm the only one who passed this time around!"

I couldn't believe that officially I was on the same level as these two even though I was vastly much better than the two of them combined. Oh well, it wouldn't be for very much longer. I was going to pass the Jounin exam for sure.

"Now we're ALL chuunins!" Lee yelled. "YAY!!"

I wasn't going to say anything, but the fact that he really actually DID think that he was on the same level as me made me get a little offended. "I won't be a chuunin for long." I reminded him. Perhaps he had not heard my name when Shikamaru had called it for nomination.

"That's right!" Lee said. "Congratulations on being nominated!"

So he HAD heard it. He was just choosing to be ignorant. That is so like Lee. After all, he's the one who believed he could be a great ninja with just taijutsu alone so I suppose I can't blame him for believing that he could ever surpass me in my ninja ability.

"Hey Lee, don't you want to know how Sakura did?" Tenten asked.

"Yeah!" said Lee excitedly.

"Well, when she found out she wasn't promoted, she quit."

"She what?"

Blah blah blah. Sakura was a useless ninja and all she ever did was get in the way and take up space for other potential ninjas who were better than her. It didn't take much to be better than Sakura, though.

"Good." I said. "One less to have to worry about." I decided that that was a good enough closing statement for me and it was time to go. I had to train… or something. "I have to leave now."

Without waiting for them to reply, I turned and left.

I tried not to concern myself with what was going on behind me since I could see it and all, but Lee and Tenten appeared to get in a bit of a fight. Oh well. It's not like whether or not they were on good terms with each other really mattered to me.

"Oh—sorry!" said a girl as she bumped into me and almost dropped everything she was carrying.

"Watch where you're going." I advised her.

Girls are so clumsy. But the worst part is, most of them pretend to be clumsy because they have it in their heads that guys are attracted to a useless and helpless girl.

That was most certainly not the case and whatever girl thought up that revelation is the stupidest of them all.

Unfortunately, I happened to notice that Tenten was following me.

I tried to lose her, but I was largely unsuccessful. I dodged behind a tree and leaned up against it.

She stomped over. "Hyuuga Neji!" she demanded.

"What?" I said.

"I just don't understand you!" she yelled. "What you're looking for is a woman who is strong! But look at me! I bent over backwards to become a chuunin for you!"

"Exactly." I said. "I have no interest in a woman who's doing something solely to attract the attention of a man."

"What will it take for me to get you to notice me?!" Tenten demanded.

What a good question. What WOULD it take?

"You're not a Hyuuga, for one thing, Tenten." I said. "I cannot marry outside the clan."

"I'm not thinking of MARRIAGE!" said Tenten. "I just want to—" But she stopped and cleared her throat.

That's when I looked up and saw Sakura standing there as if she belonged. Sakura certainly had a hand in a lot of girls suddenly getting what they wanted. She enjoyed playing matchmaker. I could tell that it had been Sakura's idea for Tenten to confront me. But what irritated me the most about it all was that she was openly observing us from only a few feet away. The least she could do was hide, even though I could have spotted her no matter where she was.

"So did Sakura set you up to do this?" I said to Tenten who looked utterly defeated.

Tenten shook her head.

"I don't believe you." I said. I hate being lied to.

"No…" said Tenten quietly. "It was all me. I just thought that maybe if I showed you that female ninjas were…"

"What?" I interrupted. "All exactly the same?"

Tenten didn't know how to answer to that. I'm sure that's not what she had intended on saying, but it might as well have been. Whatever she was going to say would have been untrue.

"You're all too caught up in love that you'll never amount to anything." I said, hoping to open her eyes for one last time. I didn't want to have to explain this again. "Tenten, you're just barely a chuunin because you've been too busy drooling over me and Sasuke…"

Tenten looked down at the ground. I looked at Sakura who was only standing idly by CONTINUING to watch us as if we didn't know she was there even though we so obviously did considering she was just STANDING in front of us. You'd think that, with all her experience, Sakura would at least know how to hide while she spied on people.

"And Sakura, you're too caught up trying to look beautiful for Sasuke that you'll probably never even surpass genin rank."

"What?" said Sakura as if what I had just said was completely outrageous.

"The only female ninja I've seen amount to anything is Ino." I said, and it was completely true. Well, with the exception of the Hokage but she can't handle herself without Shikamaru or her other MALE assistants.

"Ino's twice as obnoxious about being with Sasuke!" Sakura yelled.

I sighed. That was definitely like women to change the subject and talk about other girls behind their backs.

"From what I saw, Ino worked hard, became a ninja and impressed Sasuke because of that."

Sakura only stood there fuming. I suppose Tenten had had enough because she pushed past Sakura and ran away in tears. If women weren't so weak then they wouldn't have to cry all the time.

Now it was only Sakura and I.

It was time for her to fess up for what she did.

Or leave.

She wouldn't leave.

Why wouldn't she leave?

"I…have to go now." Said Sakura finally as she turned to leave. I was going to let her go since she had clearly been affected, but I decided to give her one last word of advice to make her think.

"If you have any thoughts about continuing being a ninja, I suggest you go train." I said.

She didn't even flinch. She just kept walking, which suggested her destination was not training grounds. Female ninjas…

What's worse, I was going to have to deal with them my entire life. But especially Hinata. Then again, it's not like she's a ninja anymore. But she's still in the Main House.

And I hate the Main House.