Chapter Two
Author's note: Here's the second chappie. Enjoy!
"Good morning," Kakashi greeted his genin team from his upside down position. He had fixed his feet on the underside of a branch with his chakra.
"YOU'RE LATE!" an irate Uzumaki Naruto and Hurano Sakura yelled angrily. They stood back to back, pointing accusing fingers at their sensei.
Sasuke snorted in annoyance but said nothing.
"Ah, don't be angry you guys," Kakashi began as he made placating motions with his hands which for once were free of his Icha Icha book.
"And why shouldn't we be!" Naruto bawled.
"Yeah, what's your excuse this time?" Sakura fumed. "Did you get lost on the 'Road of Life' again? Did you dance for another girl? Did you have to take another route because of a stupid BLACK CAT!" she shrieked, every word growing louder.
Why do those two always make such a big deal about every little thing? Sasuke wondered to himself as he kept his cool.
"Well, I was planning to be later, but instead, I turned up now. Better?" Kakashi-sensei kindly told his screaming subordinates.
"But you were still late!" Naruto whined.
"Yeah, and that's an even a lamer excuse that the fake ones," Sakura snarled.
"STUPID SENSEI! I'LL GET YOU FOR ALWAYS BEING LATE!" roared Inner Sakura as she punched the air amid burning black flames.
"'A shinobi must read underneath the underneath,'" Sasuke quoted softly. His teammates turned around to look at him. "Why were you earlier than you intended to be?"
"Ah, Sasuke-kun is so smart and attentive," Sakura cooed as she gave her crush a starry-eyed glance.
"I was just about to ask that," Naruto grumbled glumly. Sasuke-teme…Stop stealing all my moments of glory!
"I'm glad you asked me that," Kakashi said beaming. He told his subordinates the reason why he was early…but not…because he was still late…
"NANI!"
"What was that?" Tenten asked as she glanced over her shoulder at the loud shriek that had caused several birds to fly out of their roosts from several training fields over. She effortlessly threw her kunai into the target hanging over Hyuuga Neji's meditating form.
"It sounded like Sakura-san!" Rock Lee exclaimed excitedly. His thoughts became fuzzy as he thought about his precious pink haired konoichi.
"Then it probably isn't worthy of notice," Neji's deep voice said. Lee looked extremely offended.
"But she could be hurt or in distress!" Lee said worriedly. "I swore to protect her!"
"Calm down, Lee. She's with Naruto-san and Sasuke-kun," Tenten said reassuringly as she threw a handful of shuriken at the target. Bull's eye times four. Neji frowned slightly. Was that a faint hint of red he noticed tinting his teammates cheeks as she mentioned "Sasuke-kun"? Surely not…
"But still…" Lee's voice trailed off. I'll go visit her with an armful of flowers he promised to himself.
Neji gave a withering glance at his oddball teammate before retreating back into his meditative state. Tenten resumed making pincushions out of the straw target dummies and Lee was lost in his own thoughts. Occasionally Neji and Tenten caught a phrase of "if I can't do that then I'll...a thousand pushups..." and "called fuzzy brows…"
"Let me get this straight," Sakura hissed, venom dripping from every word. "You want two of us to be in this dance competition?"
"Well, yes," Kakashi agreed, delighting in the fact that he had one of the brightest konoichi on his team.
"And this dance competition is a challenge between you and Gai-sensei?" she growled.
"Yes," Kakashi said happily. "And you definitely have to be in it, Sakura, because you are the only konoichi on the team!"
"WHAT!" Sakura shrieked again. Yes, let me dance with Sasuke-kun! Yay, Kakashi-sensei! Inner Sakura said happily.
"Fine," Sakura snapped at her sensei. "Sasuke-kun, will you be my dance partner?" she asked sweetly.
"No."
"But-"
"No, I don't have time for games like this," Sasuke snapped. "If you're going to dance, I'm going to train alone."
Sakura watched him stalk off, her shoulders hunched in disappointment.
"Ah, it's ok, Sakura-chan! I'll dance with you!" Naruto said happily, though he was slightly put out that she hadn't asked him in the first place.
"But-"
"Well, since Naruto has volunteered and Sasuke has left, I'll leave you guys to decide what you want to do. You have a week to get ready!" And with that Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Why me!" Sakura bawled as she fell on her knees.
"Daijoubou, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked worriedly.
"Good morning my youthful students!" Gai greeted as he appeared in his team's meeting place.
"Gai-sensei!" Lee yelled exuberantly. He glomped his sensei enthusiastically. Gai punched him in the face.
"Now is not the time for that, baka!" he roared as Lee flew from him.
"Hai, Gai-sensei! Gomen, Gai-sensei!" Lee yelled as saluted his mentor.
Tears streamed down Gai's cheeks. "How can I treat my passionate student so? Lee, come to my arms!"
"Hai, Gai-sensei!"
They embraced amid crashing waves and a glorious sunset.
Neji and Tenten shot the pair wtf looks.
"Now then," Gai said as he extracted himself from his kawaii student. "I need two of you to enter in a dance competition!"
Silence.
"I'll do it, Gai-sensei!" Lee cried out.
"I knew you'd come through for me, my precious Lee!" Gai said proudly as they embraced again.
"Matte!" Tenten said. "What's this about?"
"Ah, my beautiful flower, I'm so glad you asked!" Gai yelled. "This is a matter of honor! This competition for two of my students will ensure that you burn with the PASSION OF YOUTH!"
Neji closed his eyes, clearly losing interest. Tenten twitched in annoyance about being called a flower, but overlooked it.
"Why a dance competition?" Tenten questioned further.
"I challenged my eternal rival, Kakashi…"
"I WILL HELP YOU DEFEAT KAKASHI-SENSEI, GAI-SENSEI!" Lee proclaimed.
"Thank you, Lee!"
Another hug. Neji's posture shifted from annoyance to hostility.
"But you said that you needed two students…who's going to partner Lee?" Tenten demanded.
"Why, you, my flower!"
Tenten shot an alarmed and pleading look at Neji which clearly said save me.
"Yay! We get to dance together Tenten!" Lee yelled as he grabbed her by the arms and began to swing her around in large, fast circles.
Tenten turned green and was choking in pain. Her arms were going to be wrenched off her body by her idiotic teammate.
There was a sickening crack and a cry of pain.
Tenten swayed dizzily before falling into Neji's arms. The Byakugan master had sent Lee flying into a nearby tree with a chakra-laced palm. Squirrels were chittering in alarm. They had to get their great green protector out of the tree he had been embedded in.
"I'll partner Tenten," he announced in his deep voice. There was no room in his tone for argument. The faintest blush was on his cheeks.
"Why Neji!" Gai gasped, tears streaming down his cheeks. "You want to take this chance to fan your burning passions? OF COURSE YOU CAN TAKE LEE'S PLACE! Right, my precious?"
Lee made a soft grunt of assent from his tree.
"Thank you, Neji," Tenten's soft voice said from somewhere on his shoulder. She was still trying to stop the spinning.
"Hn…"
