Hyuuga Neji; 7 Years Later

Age 20

-Third Wheel-

Three weeks.

Three weeks I was stuck captured by the enemy on what should have been a very short mission. We had even completed the mission. It was all because our leader needed to check something out.

I don't know why I followed Sasuke. Maybe because he outranked me or maybe because I told that he was the leader but for whatever reason it was, I followed him and I got captured with him.

This is why, when you lead an important mission, you should never bring your significant other.

Sasuke had managed to help us escape, however so I give him slight credit. Not much however as he got us captured in the first place.

Escaping was the hard part but now, we were just putting as much distance as we could away from the place but we approached a wall. Sasuke, with ease, vaulted Ino right over it and then looked at me.

"I can do it myself." I told him. I don't need the same help as a woman.

"Okay fine." Said Sasuke as if he had reason to be offended. "I wasn't going to help you anyway."

That's typical. I didn't know Sasuke was prejudiced against the Branch House too. He WOULD side with the Main House.

Why wasn't I the leader of this mission? If I were, we would be home right now.

I guess it's because of some inner conspiracy against me keeping me from becoming a Jounin that I was unable to lead Sasuke and Ino who WERE both jounins. I suppose the Hokage saw it in her heart to give me a REAL mission and spare me from trivial chuunin missions.

I jumped up on top of the wall without Sasuke's help and then, I jumped down, landing right next to Ino.

I had no gripes with her at the moment. Except for the fact that she distracts Sasuke and he distracts her right back.

Sasuke followed right behind me and landed on the ground, coming over to us in a bit of a huddle.

"We should probably give ourselves a little bit of distance from this place as much as possible before we rest for the night." Sasuke said. Of course we should do that. But why rest when we can probably make it back to Konoha by morning? Especially since we're probably being looked for.

"I say we just travel all night until we get back to Konoha." I told him. "They are no doubt going to come looking for us."

"Exactly." Said Sasuke, looking at me. He knew he had more power than I did in this situation. I deserved it more. "That's why we should give ourselves a little distance."

"I'd rather not run all night either." Ino said suddenly, voicing her opinion.

"It's settled then." Sasuke decided. As much as I hated it, it was a vote that I had lost. Especially since they were both Jounins. And Sasuke was the leader.

I bet Ino only took Sasuke's side because he's Sasuke.

We continued traveling at a good pace. Sasuke always tried to stay ahead but sometimes, I had to put him back in his place by passing him.

During one of the times where he was ahead, he stopped abruptly. Ino and I were forced to stop as well.

"This is a good spot." He proclaimed right then and there. Ino nodded and agreed predictably and then they both turned and stared at me.

I bet they just wanted to hear me agree with them.

Ino ran over to Sasuke and the two of them started being all lovey-dovey.

"I thought we weren't going to get out of there!" she said, nuzzling him. In the time she took to nuzzle him, we could be even further along and maybe even home. "Thank you for rescuing me."

"I wasn't going to leave you behind…" The two of them continued in their obnoxious love fest and just when I thought they were going to just remove all their clothes and start making love right then and there, I cleared my throat to remind them that I was there.

Of course, they didn't hear me so I decided to occupy myself with something else. Maybe I'll set up camp.

I wasn't setting up camp for more than five seconds before I realized I couldn't do it alone. So I coughed louder to get their attention again.

"I hate to ruin the…moment…" I told them. "But we should set up camp together."

That separated them.

"We'll do it quickly." Said Sasuke, coming over toward me. But not before, of course, kissing her.

It's not that I'm against public displays of affection but when there are THREE people and two of them are constantly making love and stuff, it kind of leaves the third person out.

Sasuke sent Ino off to go and collect some large leaves as he and I mutually came to the conclusion that we would bend the trees over for the base.

"How about these trees?" I asked him, pointing to a set of trees that were small enough to bend over.

"They might break." Sasuke said. "I think they need to be slightly bigger."

If they're any bigger, we won't be able to bend them over…

But since he was the leader, I listened to him. We found a pair of trees that were sized to Sasuke's standards.

"Definitely these." He said, grabbing onto one of them to pull it over. I wasn't about to exert myself pointlessly.

I observed Sasuke try fruitless to bend his tree until Ino came over.

"Need a little help?" I heard her ask.

You know, it's not like I'm invisible. Had I been working on mine too, I'd want some help too.

"I…can handle it…" Sasuke said, obviously far from the truth.

"Doesn't look like you can." Ino said, reaching out to help him. I leaned up against my tree as the two of them pulled the tree to the ground.

How they expected to tie it down was beyond me.

They began making out again so I turned away and pretended to be busy rather than watching them.

I'm always left alone.

But I guess I'm used to it.

I suddenly a loud snapping noise and I looked over to see Sasuke on the ground clutching his shoulder.

"Sasuke!" I heard Ino practically scream. "I'm SO sorry!"

"No…" Sasuke told her. It was OBVIOUSLY a lie. "It's fine. It doesn't hurt that much."

I came over. I bet they didn't tie it down tight enough and it hit him in the arm or something.

"You must not have tied it tight enough." I told them, observing their patheticness.

"We didn't tie it at all." Ino told me, looking at Sasuke. I looked at him too.

Or more specifically, his upper arm. It was obviously broken.

How? I don't know.

"Do you think the bone might have snapped?" I asked Sasuke. He's probably know more than the two of us.

"It's broken!" Ino yelled irrationally. "No it's not!"

This is why you never go on a mission with someone you love.

"Yeah…" Sasuke lied. "It's fine…"

You don't lie about how well you feel. It's never a good idea.

Sasuke went to stand up. Not a good idea.

"Sit down Sasuke!" Ino yelled, pulling desperately down on his shirt.

"Listen to your girlfriend, Sasuke." I told him. Maybe he'd listen to me? I don't know. "I'm not a medic but even I can tell by looking at you that you broke your collarbone."

"I probably just pulled a muscle." He said, standing up and leaning up against a tree. Not too smart, are you Sasuke?

Ino followed after him, but I stayed put in the spot I was in. She proceeded to take his shirt off as if that proved anything. I think she might have wanted to wrap his arm up or something. I wasn't paying attention to what they were saying though.

Girl ninjas, even really talented ones, only serve to get in the way.

I suddenly saw Ino looking over at me with a sort of accusing glare.

"You could help you know." She told me.

Does she think she's better than me, commanding me around like this? Because she's a jounin and I'm a chuunin.

It's just a name, really.

I walked over to where Sasuke had lost all the color in his face and was now sweating profusely.

"Sasuke needs to be put out of his pain." I said. It was so obvious. We were probably going to have to carry him anyway so why should be in pain while we do it?

"I'm fine, just give me a minute to shake it off." Sasuke insisted.

I shook my head at him. Stop trying to impress women.

With a quick and skilled ninja move to the neck, I was able to knock Sasuke into a state of unconsciousness.

"There." I said, looking at Ino. "We can carry him better this way."

"…Carry him?" Ino asked me, standing up. Did that not occur to her or something? Or maybe she thought that it was the male ninja's job to do all the hard work.

"Yes." I told her, looking around for something to put him on. "We'll have to carry him back to Konoha tonight. He needs medical attention."

I walked away from the two of them, in search of a long piece of wood or something.

Now we get to go back tonight and I don't have to spend the night in the woods with the two lovebirds.

The two JOUNIN lovebirds.