Standard disclaimer.

Seasons
By: TF

NejiNaru told through one-shots and drabbles.

The Weapons Master

Tenten was suspicious. She kept looking at him out of the corners of her dark eyes, watching him for anything to confirm her doubts. He would find her eyes on him when he was least expecting it, following him closely until he was out of sight or she lost interest. It would have been unnerving for anyone else, but he lived in a clan of people who appeared sightless at first glance, and he was used to unnerving gazes.

Like all secrets in an area heavy with ninja, their secret had spread as soon as they had gotten back from that mission, a few words spreading like wildfire through the ranks of Konoha's shinobi. They were discreet in public, they had to be, but somehow everyone was giving them knowing looks, despite Shikamaru's protests against spreading the news. Now Tenten was watching him like a hawk, and he was having a hard time dodging her gaze.

He suspected that she had a crush on him, and had had one for years, but he had ignored it, thinking that it would go away like her small crush on that traitor Uchiha. But now he knew better. She hadn't stopped liking him, she had actually started liking him more. In fact, she had even started scaring the other girls away from him, not that he minded, but that level of possessiveness wasn't something he had been prepared to deal with.

It was a little awkward when one of your old teammates and frequent training partner started using a straw dummy resembling a certain blond for target practice. What was worse was when said blond appeared on their training grounds, smiling brilliantly and blithely ignoring the representation that was slowly starting to look more like a pincushion than a dummy.

Naruto's smile did falter at the glare sent in his direction by hostile dark eyes, making him frown in confusion, because the fox-boy definitely couldn't remember doing anything to Tenten in the recent past, or even in the not so recent past. He wasn't even sure that he'd ever done anything to her, but he knew something had made her mad, or else she wouldn't be giving him a look of certain death.

The blond sidled up to the taller boy under Tenten's glare, hiding behind the Hyuuga boy as soon as he was close, peeking around the taller boy before ducking back when the weapons specialist's glare intensified.

"I don't know what I did, but she's pissed," Naruto whispered, going up on tiptoe in order to reach the taller boy's ear.

Neji glanced at the blond for a moment before turning back to the girl furiously firing pointed weapons into a rapidly disintegrating practice dummy. It wasn't hard to the Hyuuga prodigy to figure out what was going on, even Naruto was starting to get the idea behind Tenten's glares as oblivious as he tended to be.

"Tenten."

Neji's voice cut through the air of the training field, raising the angry kunoichi's eyes to his own.

"What, Neji?" she snarled, hurling a few more kunai at the already studded dummy.

"Quit it," Neji commanded, eyes narrowing as she hurled a few more weapons in defiance, eyes locked with his.

"What? I'm not doing anything," Tenten replied, making an attempt to shrug.

"I should leave," Naruto cut in, eyes darting nervously between the two.

"Stay," Neji said, stopping Naruto in his tracks before the blond could escape.

"No, Naruto, you should leave. This doesn't concern you," Tenten snapped, still glaring at Neji.

"But it does. You're angry with him because of me. He stays," Neji replied, pulling himself to his full imposing height.

Naruto pulled himself further behind Neji, knowing that if Tenten was anything like Sakura or Ino she was dangerous and willing to throw sharp things in his direction. He was suddenly very glad that Neji was tall enough to provide an adequate shield.

"What's going on, Tenten?" Neji asked, watching the brunette kunoichi as she stalked forward, weapons bristling in her hands.

"What's going on? Why the hell would you ask me that?" she snapped, stopping a few feet short of the taller Hyuuga.

"You're being irrational."

Tenten growled in frustration, restraining herself from punching the taller boy, "Irrational? I'm not the one who comes back from a mission with a boyfriend!"

Neji's eyes narrowed dangerously as Naruto tensed behind him, standing up a little straighter behind his shield. Tenten paled when she caught Neji's look, recognizing it as the look that promised pain to anyone who messed with him or the people he was protecting. She had never thought that she would be on the receiving look of that look; she caught his eye and shuddered, it was much scarier when it wasn't aimed at someone else.

"I would watch what you say," Neji growled, eyes flashing as he looked down at the small kunoichi. She shuddered as she felt his chakra spike dangerously, clearly warning her away from the subject.

"Well, it's true," Tenten snapped, feeling her bravado slowly slipping away. "It's a secret, so obviously everyone knows."

"What's your problem with it?" Naruto asked, moving out from behind Neji so that he could glare at the kunoichi.

"My problem is that you two go on a mission with Shikamaru and you come back as a couple!" she hissed, eyes blazing as she turned her attention away from the intimidating Hyuuga prodigy

Naruto glared back and bared his teeth, showing a small flash of larger-than-normal canine before he spoke calmly, "What we do or do not do is not your problem. If you are jealous, then say so. Don't cause any more trouble than you have to. So what? I'm dating Neji. Either get over it, or do something about it, but don't take it out on me and Neji."

Tenten watched him for a moment before crossing her arms over her chest, dark eyes darting between the two boys a few times.

"I loved him, you know," she whispered, carefully keeping her gaze off of Neji. "It hurts to have him taken away."

"He isn't leaving," Naruto protested, feeling a little deflated. With a frustrated sigh he looked up at Neji who was watching Tenten carefully, an indecipherable look on his face as he watched the kunoichi in front of him deflate.

"But he is. Now he's yours, and I don't stand a chance," Tenten said, clenching her fists before relaxing and idly playing with a kunai.

"Ten-"

"Tenten," Neji cut Naruto off, drawing his former teammate's attention away from the short blond.

"Look, Neji-"

Tenten, too, was cut off by Neji as he raised a hand, "I don't need to hear it. This doesn't change our situation. You're my teammate, and you always will be, and we both know there won't be anything more."

Tenten sighed, and looked between the two boys standing in front of her. Naruto was looking nervous, as if he couldn't wait for the conversation to be over, and Neji was still looking slightly angry, but not angry enough to try to close off all of her chakra points like he had been earlier.

"It's not like I'm going to make him stop hanging out and training with you and Lee," Naruto said, making an annoyed face at the thought. "Besides, if I tried he'd knock me out cold."

Tenten cracked a smile as she watched Neji close his eyes and take a deep breath before looking down at the smiling fox-boy. Neji gave Naruto a moment to decipher his look before he grabbed Naruto by the hair, eliciting a yelp from the blond boy before he disappeared in a puff of ninja smoke and Neji was left holding a log. Tenten started snickering until Naruto appeared behind her and started using her as a shield between himself and Neji.

The situation eventually dissolved into a sophisticated version of tag played ninja-style until Tenten pinned Naruto to a tree, leaving the blond struggling and off the ground as he tried to free himself by wiggling because he couldn't reach the kunai holding him up.

"I'm sorry I snapped," Tenten said as she looked up at the pale boy. "I'm just a little jealous."

"Hn," Neji grunted, away from Naruto for a moment.

"Guys! Let me down! This isn't funny, I can't free myself!"

Neji and Tenten smirked as Naruto increased his wiggling, managing to get himself even more entangled that he had been before.

"Well, same time tomorrow?" Tenten asked, watching Neji out of the corner of her eye.

He nodded and she smiled, retrieving her kunai and other weapons, and left, leaving Neji to help Naruto. One simple motion later and Naruto was on the ground, blinking up at Neji as he rubbed the spot that hit first.

"Sometimes you're an idiot," Neji said, looking down.

"Don't be so mean, Neji-kun," Naruto replied, pouting cutely up at the dark-haired boy, his whiskered cheeks puffing up adorably.

"Come on, it's almost time for dinner, and if I don't go with you, you'll only eat Ramen, and I know you ate it for breakfast and lunch as well."

Naruto blushed and stood up, brushing dirt and dead leaves from his clothes as he smiled up at Neji. The Hyuuga rolled his eyes and started out of the training field, only to be ambushed by Naruto a moment later as the blond ran to catch up, launching himself onto the other's back and laughing at the glare he received. Neji rolled his eyes and let Naruto clutch onto him, trusting the blond to get off before they met someone else. It wouldn't do for anyone to see Neji being treated like a plush toy.

TBC…

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. I probably should have said this earlier, whoops. Thanks again, I really appreciate your comments and opinions, they make my day!