I'm back!
I realize it's been way too long, but I'm attempting to get back into the habit of writing. Things at work are momentarily winding down a little, which I hope will give me time to produce another update soon. This update has been way too long in coming and I'm very sorry for the delay.
As always, feedback is very much appreciated and I hope you enjoy the latest chapter... which I hope was worth the wait.
-sor
Ihad never paid much mind to the main family or their activities so long as they didn't involve me. I had always let them go about their business, staying as far away as possible. But now, I sought them out, lurked around corners and in bushes, observing them as they went about their training, and absorbing every ounce of it. All the things they never told us.
I was never certain if during those weeks of risky spying, I was ever discovered. However, I do not think I was. No one knows better how to avoid Hyuuga eyes than another Hyuuga, especially one who does not wish to be seen. I was silent and discreet, never staying longer than a few moments, sometimes passing through the outer gardens as they worked, observing out of the corner of my eye as I went about other business. This was how I first saw Hakkeshou Kaiten.
I had been sent on a rather convenient errand from Haruki-sama, who had found himself busy with other matters. Some type of conflict in the lower branch families that was of little interest to me. Still, it provided me the opportunity to deliver a message to Hiashi-sama, who was currently in the main yard attempting, in vain, to dredge some hint of talent out of Hinata-sama. Witnessing such a moment was an admittedly wonderful bonus.
I came upon them just in time to hear the last of his explanation, a thing I found absolutely fascinating. It was a technique requiring precise chakra control and I knew that was where my real talent lay. However, I hadn't heard a word of the basic principle of the Kaiten. Had he not demonstrated before he noticed my presence, I may have never figured out a thing. For a boy in my position, who had not until recently had any idea that such techniques existed, it was an undeniably awe inspiring thing to behold. It was not only the intimidation factor of such power that impressed me, but more the precise way in which Hiashi-sama was able to control his chakra and form it into something both powerful and, in my eyes, exceedingly beautiful.
Had I not stood out in the open, mouth agape, I may have seen even more. It was unlike me to be a fool, especially in the exact moment when it would harm me the most. I was jarred painfully from my revere upon realizing that instead of the brilliant blue of Hiashi-sama's impenetrable barrier of chakra, I was staring into a pair of intensely angry white eyes and those eyes were staring back at me expectantly. It took me a moment to recall my task and the scroll clenched a bit too tightly in my fists.
I recovered my composure remarkably quickly and approached, showing all of the proper respect that Hiashi-sama's rank demanded, but did not deserve. "Haruki-sama asked me to bring this to you." There was nothing specific in my posture and tone that suggested disrespect, but somehow Hiashi-sama always seemed to know it was there, hidden carefully just beneath the surface.
It was an admirable quality in us both that we managed to be at all civil to one another; Hiashi-sama never seemed to have any desire for argument, unlike so many of his lesser cousins. Still, it showed in his eyes that he hated me and talented as I was at reading expression, it was impossible for him to hide it, no matter how carefully constructed his mask. So much was communicated between him and me in those few moments of silence before he took the scroll, but like all our encounters, those silent words were nearly impossible to define. It was easier to focus only on what was spoken. "Thank you, Neji. You may return to your training."
I recognized the words for what they were, not as permission to leave, but as a demand to do so. He knew what I had seen and was quick enough to recognize in me the ability to learn through observation. However, he seriously underestimated my resolve and my talent. I had seen just enough to begin my own tentative efforts at mastering Kaiten.
However, after many months of solitary practice in the forest, I struck an impasse. There was no way to be sure I had mastered Kaiten without a method of testing it. I needed help. I could not even consider searching within the clan, nor could I ask it of Gai-sensei. He would see such a request as a crack in my armor and use such an opportunity to try and force me into some emotional display regarding my youth and hard work or some other nonsense. No, Gai-sensei was not an option.
Nor was Lee. To involve him in my training would be to give him the impression that I thought him remotely worthy of my time. Besides that, what fool would show his rival his most powerful technique? Kaiten was a counter to Lee's speed and I would not give him the chance to see it before I used it to defeat him once and for all.
That only left one person who was both discrete and trustworthy, not to mention a perfect compliment to Kaiten training. TenTen.
Despite being teammates, TenTen and I had never really spoken outside of our training sessions. I was both busy and secretive and I'd seen in her nothing more than a member of my team. A much more agreeable member than Lee, of course, but still nothing more. Yet, out of all of them, I liked her best. She was not so loud… or so stupid. Certainly, she had been an eager participant in Gai-sensei's pep talks and had more than happily urged me to be more enthusiastic. Yet at the same time, she held no illusions about her own strength. She didn't battle against fate the way Lee did, but was content with her skill. She was not weak by any means and while she had goals, they were not the sum total of her every thought. In that way, she was quite different from not only Lee, but myself as well.
I liked her more, too, because she was the only one on the team who really recognized my genius and didn't put every ounce of her energy into proving me wrong. She had always acknowledged me.
She and I worked well together right from the start. She did her part for me, despite the extra hours of work, despite the early mornings and late nights. And despite the fact that she was already doing a favor for me, she provided not only her most dedicated aid, but comforts I had never considered a necessity. Homemade obentou, special tea, her mother's recipe that she had made just for me. All the little things that might have been insignificant to most people… but I had never had anyone to make obentou for me before.
A simple meal of rice and beef, nothing spectacular, but I found myself fascinated with the thought of it and sat for what seemed an eternity stirring the meat and vegetables with my chopsticks as if they somehow held the key to my destiny. Or at least the key to understanding why she would do such a generous thing. I was also keenly aware of her presence at my side; the way she pretended to focus on her own food when in reality she was stealing glances at me out of the corner of her eye. It was distracting. So much so, in fact, that I found it impossible to think of anything else.
She blushed fiercely when I turned my most stern gaze on her, but rather than looking scolded as I assumed she might, TenTen merely smiled shyly and averted her gaze once more. My brows furrowed; a common reaction on my part, but one I never particularly noticed. "Is something bothering you?"
Her cheeks took on an even brighter shade of pink and she was quick to shake her head, so quick that I knew at once it was a lie. Not only was she exhibiting all the signs of anxiety, but she seemed to have lost her appetite as well. "No, Neji. I was just thinking. You're improving so quickly with the Kaiten. I was just..." She hesitated, the color rising even more brightly so that her entire face seemed to glow red. I couldn't for the life of me understand why she had such a reaction to a simple question. But at least she managed to find the will to continue. "I was just wondering what would happen when you don't need my help anymore."
It was my turn to shift my focus back to my untouched food, finding the beef easier to face than the girl beside me. Judging by her words and her nervous posture, she was obviously dreading the day our training ended. I had never given any thought to such a thing and so it took me by surprise that it could possibly be significant to her. And if the fact of the matter weren't so confusing, there was still the even worse question of the incomprehensible emotions I could practically feel radiating from her. "I suppose things will return to normal. You'll have more time to work with Gai-sensei, more energy to devote to your own improvement."
"That's not what I meant, Neji." TenTen grew suddenly bolder, turning to face me fully after placing her obentou in the grass. Her expression had become slightly indignant and somehow all of her uncertainty had vanished. "I meant what would happen with us? Are you just gonna go back to training all the time on your own and not work with me or the team anymore?"
It was so easy to ignore all the things I heard beneath her words, if only because I wasn't so sure I wanted to see it. It was too much trouble to comprehend, and while I was never one to take the path of least resistance, it seemed wise in this case to pretend everything was as it had always been. Some new roads were best left unexplored. "Work with the team? Haven't I been doing enough of that lately?"
"You know Gai-sensei hates it when you don't show up." Any discomfort she had felt before had melted away and she was addressing me with an almost scolding tone, as if she thought I should care what made Gai-sensei unhappy. That man had no concept of unhappiness. He would survive the disappointment, no doubt.
Rather than cause conflict by voicing such thoughts, though, I merely shrugged her words off, finally beginning to eat the contents of my obentou. "Gai-sensei should understand that my first commitment is to my clan. I made no secret of it from the start."
My feigned indifference obviously seemed real enough, because all at once she took on a stern tone I had only heard on rare occasions when she thought Lee was acting too stubbornly with his training. However, this was the first time she had used such a tone with me. It did as she had intended and captured my attention completely. "Don't be so cruel, Neji! Gai-sensei only wants to see us improve as a team. The chuunin exam will be coming around soon again and we have to be ready."
"We will be ready. I have every confidence that Gai-sensei will prepare the two of you and I will see to my own preparation." Training with the team at this stage would only take focus from my work. I had been using the excuse of training with the team in order to escape the scrutiny of the clan and should I truly begin to train more often with Gai-sensei, I would lose the chance to perfect those precious, stolen techniques. "I can't waste time, TenTen. I can't afford to at this stage."
I hadn't considered my words quite as carefully as I should have and it was only when I saw the crease of her brow that I realized I had spoken badly. "So training with the team is a waste of time?" I hadn't intended my words to mean such a thing and deep down I was sure she knew as much, but for the first time I found myself unable to read another human being; possibly because I was so effectively put off my game by her sudden accusations. "Maybe I should say training with you is a waste of time, too."
Before I could stop myself, I had rolled my eyes skyward, releasing a huff of breath in annoyance. Whatever game she was playing, I refused to allow it to work. I wouldn't fall for her amateurish little act. "You know damn well I didn't mean that."
My attack against her integrity only prompted her frown to grow deeper and her arms to cross over her chest. Still, it was only a cover for the fact that I had seen through her indignation and my insight had caught her unawares. "You should come train with us tomorrow. Just this once. Please, Neji."
I was on the verge of refusing yet again, but she saw my intentions even before I voiced them and her eyes took on an expression of resignation. Perhaps it was because of this that I finally agreed, simply because my rebellious nature wanted to prove to her that I was not so predictable. "Fine. I'll try to show up tomorrow, but I won't make any promises."
Her spirits brightened in an instant, not bothering to maintain the act that had been such an effective put-on. It only made me feel all the more idiotic for having fallen for it. Still, I had given my word and there was little I could do besides take minor pleasure in the fact that she, at least, was smiling. TenTen's face never seemed at all right without a smile. However, mesmerized as I was by her smile, I failed to detect the tell tale shift in her posture that heralded the oncoming hug.
She had never hugged me before. In fact, other than the occasional embrace from my old aunt, no one since my father had ever done such a thing. Even Gai-sensei, emotional fool that he was, knew better than to force such displays of affection upon me. TenTen, however, seemed uninformed when it came to the unspoken rule that Hyuuga do not hug. "Thank you, Neji! Gai-sensei will be so happy."
She seemed to realize too late that her embrace had only brought forth a fresh wave of tension in my shoulders and she drew back, looking suitably sheepish. Still, she did her best not to make a scene and did just as I wished. She pretended nothing at all had happened and other than the slightest hint of haste in her movements as she gathered the remnants of her food there was no hint at all that anything unusual had occurred between us. "I should get going. Mom's probably wondering what's keeping me. I'll see you in the morning, though." Her smile had returned in full force as she climbed to her feet, tossing a wave over her shoulder. "I expect you to show up or I might just have to come knock down the walls around the Hyuuga compound."
Pointless threats like that never struck me as humorous, though perhaps at the moment it was only because I had already begun to dread the next day. I knew well enough I was exaggerating things in my own mind. Really, training with the team wasn't bad and I had done it often enough to be immune to Gai-sensei, but lately it had seemed even more of a trial than usual. Still, I had given my word and was reluctant to go break it, especially after seeing the joy it prompted in TenTen.
True to form, when I arrived the next morning, Gai-sensei was nearly brought to tears. Despite myself, I nearly smiled. It was nice to know the idiot placed such value on my presence. Even more pleasant, though, was the fact that TenTen was just as overjoyed. Really, it was ridiculous that they would be so pleased over something so insignificant, but I'm not ashamed to say their excitement certainly did its part to inflate my ego.
As it turned out, my timing could not have been better. Once Gai-sensei was through proclaiming his joy at seeing his entire team assembled, he settled down much more quickly than usual into that dramatically serious tone that was only heard on rare occasions. He examined the three of us with a beaming smile while producing three slips of paper from the inner pocket of his vest which he distributed to us directly. It was a simple document; a registration card bearing our names and his along with a few additional lines of text.
Once the cards had been distributed, Gai-sensei stepped back, striking a pose of dramatic overconfidence. Everything with Gai-sensei was overdone, though it was soothing to my ego to note the immense pride in his expression, directed not only at Lee, as I so often felt it was, but at all three of us. "After nearly a year of training and hard work the time has finally come for you to prove yourselves. Those are registration cards for the upcoming chuunin exam." I briefly wondered if the man would manage to contain himself throughout the entirety of his little speech. Every word seemed to bring his excitement to a new level of ridiculous.
And much as I expected, Gai-sensei's serious tone began to vanish, only to be replaced by something far more exuberant. "I'm expecting the three of you to work hard in these upcoming weeks in order to prepare and I have no doubt that you will do your very best!"
It was only a matter of time before Lee practically explode and I was shocked it had taken him so long, but prompted by Gai-sensei's words of encouragement, Lee thrust a fist into the air and exclaimed in an all-too-excited tone. "Hai, Gai-sensei!"
I, on the other hand, responded with my usual confidence, revealing nothing more than a confidant smile. So the chuunin exams had come again. I had been furious six months ago when Gai-sensei had refused to enter us in the exam. Truth be told, I still was furious, however at least now I could see some of the wisdom in his decision. After all, six months ago, I had not even begun to attempt Kaiten and while Gai-sensei knew nothing of my secret training, I had to admit that having such a useful tool on our side would serve the team well in the exam. My gaze lingered on the registration card a moment longer before drifting upward to Gai-sensei where he stood practically beaming, one arm extended to display his typical thumbs up. For once it didn't bother me. He had every reason to have faith in us.
"Hai, Gai-sensei." I could feel my lips quirking into an uncontrollable smile, though I knew well enough to maintain the severity of my gaze, forcing the expression to lose any hint of friendliness lest my idiot sensei mistake it for affection. "It will be no challenge at all."
