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Naruto P.O.V

Certain moments from the night before played in my brain as I slept. My dreams manipulated them into some strange and twisted images. I could see Tenten's crestfallen eyes melt into a dance floor filled with faceless occupants and from the crowd Hinata appears. She approached me quickly, grabbed my hand, and we danced for a few seconds before she was violently ripped from my arms by a man with a menacing smile. The shark tossed her over to his red-eyed partner in crime who was also smiling at me in a haunting and sad way. In front of me were the two men from the Akatsuki ready for a battle, their cackles filling my sleep sanctuary.

I bolted upright in my bed searching for the cloaked men only to find Jiraiya eyeing me from the kitchen table. I threw the covers off and scrambled out of bed trying to ignore my lingering panic. Looking at the clock, I saw that the time was 4:45 and noticing the chilly weather outside, I donned a pullover and walked towards Jiraiya. He was drinking a cup of tea and had another cup already prepared which he pushed over towards me. Normally we would have started our training around this time but Jiraiya still owed me an explanation. As if he knew what I was about to get at, the old man motioned for me to follow him outside. I downed the scalding hot tea and closed the door behind me. We left the apartment but instead of the usual pathway we took to the open training grounds, Jiraiya lead me in the opposite direction. We walked silently next to each other and the further we traveled the less urban our surroundings became. We had walked so far that there were no buildings or civilians around. Instead of seeing the merchants setting up shop early in the morning, I could see large trees and dark green grass leading to a tall and powerful mountain. Jiraiya moved at a faster pace, now running at ninja speed, jumping meters high in the air over large rocks and trees. I followed in perfect imitation until I landed softly in front of a large banyan tree where Jiraiya was already sitting underneath, legs folded in meditation. I pushed through the overhanging roots and sat across from him, using up all of my patience waiting for him to explain. A few minutes had passed by before Jiraiya began. He made swift hand motions and scanned the area making sure no one was anywhere in earshot.

"So about last night. Those men, as I said, are part of the Akatsuki, an organization that has plagued the bingo book for years. Many Anbu and special ops were sent to take down the Akatsuki and never returned. The group is a force to be reckoned with. Judging by their presence in the Commons, their goal in sending those two last night was to capture you. Now, Kisame was once part of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, an extremely skilled guild of elite sword experts. He has a history of killing his comrades and maintains a very sadistic side. Though very skeptical and untrusting of most people, Kisame had a good partnership and fierce loyalty to Itachi Uchiha. Itachi, well you know about his past." Jiraiya looked at me paying particular attention to my reaction.

"Yeah..." I mumbled looking away from him. I watched a small rodent scamper up the tree and hide itself into a hole. "So what do they want with me?"

"Think about it Naruto. What do you have that most other people don't? What separates you from all the other civilians or ninjas for that matter?" He pushed me to think critically. It only took about a minute to make the realization that I should have had long ago.

"The Kyuubi." I spoke quietly as if saying the name out loud would release the demon. Jiraiya nodded his head.

"There are others like you. Other hosts who act as prisons for the various tailed beasts. The Akatsuki has been targeting them as well. You remember Gaara-san?" I nodded. He was a good friend in a similar situation as me.

"The Akatsuki want the tailed beasts but for what reason I don't understand. Their end goal is still unclear. That's why I've come to the Commons to research and find out more about them. It's also why I initially agreed to train you." I stared at him in disbelief. I knew he agreed to train me regardless of the beast, but I never realized he wanted to train me because of it. This meant his agenda was focused on the Kyuubi from the beginning.

"You're telling me you knew about this from day 1 and you didn't think to inform me there were going to be freaky men coming after me?" I couldn't hide the anger in my voice.

"If I knew then I could have better prepared myself against-" I was cut off.

"Prepared for Itachi or Kisame? Naruto you're far from being anywhere near their level of power. You're barely a chunin! I just thought to protect you from the truth for the time being and keep you focused on your mission of bringing Sasuke back." He looked at me softly. "Was it so wrong of me?"

"Yeah, it was! At least now I know what's ahead of me! I mean sure they're probably stronger and faster, but you can teach me something to fight them back with, right? How do I combat those two?" I pressed further trying to ignore Jiraiya's fatherly stare. Suddenly he became very serious.

"Well first, we'll be training here from now on." I looked around for training grounds but couldn't find any.

"Here?"

"This area is secluded and away from civilians and the type of training we'll be doing will require more room and privacy." My ears perked up quizzically. What could we possibly be doing that had us far away from civilians?

"What kind of training are we going to be doing?"

"You are the apprentice of the Great Toad Sage and one of the Legendary Sanin. Did you really think I'd just be teaching you how to throw wind balls for the rest of your life? C'mon Naruto! Have more faith in your old man! I'll be teaching you how to enter Sage mode." He said proudly watching me as I came to an understanding. I jumped up in my excitement.

"You're finally going to teach me some cool stuff?!" I blurted out. He shook his head, laughing as he did.

"I thought I already had been teaching you some cool stuff!" He said with mock hurt in his voice. I rolled my eyes. How many more times was I going to practice that damn Rasengan? I was excited for the change of pace. "You need to know how to protect yourself and this is the first step."

"When do we start?"

"Now."

Hinata P.O.V

By the time I opened my eyes, the room was bright and golden. I realized I had awoken later than I normally would have. I was excused for training that morning since Hanabi was aware of how late I had arrived home. In fact, she was waiting for me to come back and was sitting patiently in the courtyard outside of our rooms. I walked in, overwhelmed with happiness from the recent kiss, only to be shocked to see Hanabi sipping tea and watching me enter the courtyard. She motioned for me to sit next to her and I did so albeit hesitantly. We sat quietly for a few minutes before Hanabi finally broke the silence.

"How was the festival?" She said turning away from me to look up at the moon. I jumped at the sound of her voice. It sounded practiced as if she had spent hours rehearsing the delivery in the mirror, but behind the forced calm I could hear hesitance and, to my absolute surprise, nervousness in her voice. I continued to watch as she sipped more tea, careful not to look at me.

"I-I-It was p-pleasant." Hanabi placed her tea down next to her and turned to me. As she stared at me I really noticed she looked like my father. They shared similar eye shapes and sharp noses. In fact, she looked more like Neji's sister than she did my own. But she was still beautiful, probably more than I was, and she had all the elegance and grace befitting the next Hyuuga leader.

"I was busy attending family matters but-" She stopped midway through her sentence to look back at the moon. She thought for a moment before continuing. "I wish I had gone as well."

Hanabi was opening up to me. For the first time in our shared lives, Hanabi had spoken to me about something other than our training or my inability to lead. All this time I assumed she was uninterested in forming a bond with her older sister, but here she was patiently waiting for my return and confiding her feelings and wishes with me. I could only stare at her.

"P-Perhaps next y-y-year I can t-take y-you?" She looked once more at me this time without the nerves or the fake calm. This time she looked at me with sadness.

"As the heir of the Hyuuga clan, I think it is highly unlikely that I will ever be able to participate. But I am glad you were able to." She said in a knowing voice. Before me sat a girl of 15 years to my 19 yet she was wise and understood more beyond her years. Though she was only a child, Hanabi knew what was to be expected of her and what her future held.

"H-H-Hanabi-sa-" I was cut off.

"I am your sister am I not? So why do you stutter when you speak to me?" I was stunned. I sat open-mouthed gaping at her question. She stood up, grabbed her teacup, and sighed as I remained sitting down.

"I'm tired and I think I'll retire to my room. I will not be needing your assistance in training tomorrow morning. Good night older sister." She said, politely bowing before walking into her room and closing the door. It was a few minute before I did the same, still in awe at her question.

Now, late in the morning, I sat upright in my bed, the memory of everything that had happened the night before rushing through me. Naruto, the boats, Neji, Tenten, Hanabi,...the kiss. I felt the blush creeping into my cheeks as I grabbed one of the many pillows littered across my bed and smothered my face with it. I felt warm thinking about how we had danced all night long. I couldn't contain the delight I felt at remembering his strong arms holding me in place as he planted a delicate kiss which grew into a more passionate one. I breathed in and out trying to calm down my nerves.

By the time I had completed my morning chores and finished combing my hair, a silent knock was at the door. I quickly opened it and in flew a blond blur. Naruto had skillfully landed himself onto the bed I had just neatly made. He ruined the placement of all the throw pillows, wrinkled the sheets, tousled the covers, and smiled at me nervously. He watched me as I locked the door and moved closer to him, finally sitting next to him on the bed. We sat next to each other expecting the other to say something. I was hoping our feelings and ease from the night before would have transferred into the morning but instead of the adrenaline filled romance there was stagnant awkwardness. Naruto inched closer before catching himself and moving off of the bed and stood up. He wrung his hands nervously and coughed.

"So uh, did you sleep well?" He began. I stood up as well and moved towards him though the closer I came to him the more he walked away.

"Yes. Did you sleep well too Naruto-kun?"

"Not really." He said sheepishly. He had made it to the end of the room and made a U-turn, moving back towards the bed without realizing it. I continued to follow.

"So about last night, look, I understand if it was just like an 'in the moment' type of thing-" He felt the bed behind him and almost fell back. He stopped himself and as he was catching his step, I moved closer. "I just wasn't sure if you really felt that or if-"

I kissed him. I had to place my hands on his shoulder and stand on the tips of my toes to reach, but I kissed him. I could feel all the nervous energy and insecurity wash off of him as he wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me back. I pulled back and smiled at him.

"So about last night?" I teased as his face turned bright red. He sat on the bed bringing me down with him. Moving off of his lap, I sat next to him, my face flushed. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and laughed.

"I guess I just wanted to make sure you still meant it. You know, with the boats and all."

"I meant it." I said firmly. Looking straight into his deep blue eyes, I continued with determination. "I like you very very very much, Naruto-kun."

He gave me a surprised look that shifted into joy. Naruto tackled me onto the bed, hovering above my face. He quickly realized the inappropriate position we were placed in, him on top of me. Pushing himself off, Naruto recovered and laughed again.

"Sorry, I was just really excited. I like you A LOT too!" He grinned slowly moving his hand through the covers on the bed to grab mine. I felt my face turn into a tomato again and remembered asking myself when I was ever going to get over the ridiculous blush that cursed me whenever Naruto was involved.

We were broken out of our stupor by a hard knock on the door. I rushed up to open it hoping my face had turned to its usual pale white as Tenten walked in.

Tenten moved to the center of the room, head down making sure not to look at us. She had one hand on her elbow and she kept her gaze on the floor.

"I-I-I'm really sorry for leaving you guys like that." She said finally looking at me. I nodded and moved closer to her, but she held her hand up. Breathing in, Tenten continued.

"That was really really rude of me but," Tenten shifted her gaze towards Naruto and seemed to hesitate. "I was just really tired and wanted to go home."

Naruto looked at me with an exasperated expression. Tenten was trying to deny how hurt she was over Neji's rejection in front of the blond boy, but I knew that he knew her real reason and saw right through her excuse. But Naruto was kind and he pretended to believe her.

"That's okay! It was a long night for all of us." He agreed with her but turned to give me a cheeky smile. The dual meaning didn't go unnoticed as Tenten looked at both of us wide-eyed, grabbing my arm and demanding that we tell her what happened. For the most part, Naruto skimmed over what she would have deemed important. He told her we had just gone to a bar and danced and he took me home. A few hours later, after Naruto left, Tenten begged me for a fuller more detailed story and I obliged, wanting to share my happiness with her.

"And then we kissed again and said goodnight." I ended the story watching her mouth clench in an unbridled smile. She shook me back and forth in her excitement and gave a closed mouth squeal.

"I can't believe you guys finally got together!" She threw herself onto the bed. "I'm SO happy for you guys!"

I sat next to her as she propped her head up on her hands. She stared at me and I saw that her mind was somewhere else.

"Are you really okay?" I asked. She looked at me with sad eyes and sighed.

"Not really. It hurts, but I think it's for the best. He's my teammate you know? Plus he's got a duty to your stupid clan so it wouldn't have worked out anyways. I was just deluding myself into thinking there could be anymore. Besides he doesn't like me and in a messed up way that actually helps. At least it's not one of those 'star-crossed lovers who can never be together' type of thing so I won't be hung up on trying to be with him. He just doesn't like me so coping with the whole thing is, I don't know, easier." She ended. I nodded, unsure of what to say. Before I could give her any words of advice, Tenten quickly changed the subject.

"So you and Naruto huh? This means I'm going to have to leave you guys alone a lot more now." She said giving me a cheeky look. My face turned red again.

"Tenten!"

Naruto P.O.V.

You would have thought after two months, Hinata and I would have moved fairly quickly? I mean it only took a minute after we admitted we liked each other to kiss so I expected things to move pretty fast. After that one super steamy kiss the night of the festival, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. I admit I was awkward at first since it was the first time I was acting so romantic with a girl and the girl happened to be the shy and elusive Hinata Hyuuga. But then Hinata made the first move the next day so I assumed everything was peachy keen. But no! TWO MONTHS LATER and we were still stuck in the hand holding and cheek kissing stage.

I wasn't going to pressure her into doing anything she didn't want to do and it wasn't like I was only with her for the physical. That wasn't the reason why I liked her so much of course. But it's hard you know, when you're a grown man and there's a pretty girl who likes you and you're both in a room completely alone and she's got really nice, uh, skin and you've already kissed and you want to do it again and...I don't know. It's difficult sometimes.

However ridiculous the urges were, I was proud of myself for being able to control them. I matured greatly in those last couple of month, having spent every morning in extreme meditation trying to get my mind and body ready for sage mode (The meditation really helped with my, uh, impulses….). My muscles grew more toned and I had grown significantly in height. Jiraiya realized the change when he noticed my clothes weren't fitting properly and took me to buy a new wardrobe so that my midriff no longer peeked out underneath my shirt. Hinata really liked the new clothes since I still kept the stark orange in the pieces. She said it added color and personality and I had to agree. But I also think she secretly liked the new taller and more buff Naruto.

We were sitting in Hinata's room chatting about something or another. She had seemed preoccupied the entire morning, half-heartedly responding back to me and robotically folding clothes. Though Hinata was keeping the conversation going, I could see her mind was elsewhere. It wasn't until I mentioned training when Hinata finally noticed me trying to massage my aching muscles. She had asked what was wrong and I informed her that I had a particularly grueling workout session with Jiraiya the night before and now my body was killing me.

"Oh! The Hyuuga have a technique to relieve muscle sores. We pinpoint certain spots on the body that helps loosen up the tension." She said not looking at me as she was putting clothes away in her cartoonishly large closet.

"Would you do that for me?" I asked.

"Yes!" She agreed from inside the room. I removed my jacket and discarded it on the floor. I pulled off the white shirt I had on underneath so that my back and chest were completely bare. To be honest, I wasn't really thinking when I took my clothes off. My only reasoning was that it would be easier to relieve the muscle tension if there wasn't anything between the skin and her hands. I walked into the closet and as Hinata turned to look at me, her face turned deep red, redder than I had ever seen it. She looked quickly at the ground.

I wasn't stupid. I knew what the blush meant. Though it did take me a while to catch on, Hinata only turned that color around me. I knew it meant she liked me and from the deep red she was turning I knew it meant she liked what she saw. I moved closer getting a little cocky.

"What's wrong?" I said in mock innocence. I knew full well what was wrong, but I couldn't pass up the chance to play with the pretty girl. There was a feeling of pride in knowing that only I could make her become so bashful. As I walked slowly towards her, Hinata walked backward further and further into the vast room. I kept the flirtatious questioning going.

"Is something the matter?" I said as she continued to move backward.

"N-N-Nothing i-is the m-matter." She stuttered. I raised an eyebrow in surprise. Her attraction was so bad she was stuttering. Without anywhere to go, Hinata's back had bumped into the wall stopping her in her tracks. She was trapped.

"Then why won't you look at me?" I finally closed the gap between us, pushing her chin up so that our eyes met. She could see the coy smile playing on my lips as I pressed against her, one hand against the wall, the other holding her face. I moved my lips to her ear.

"What can I do to...help, Hi-Na-Ta?" I said stressing every syllable in her name. I could feel her shiver as she tried to look away and I let her, snaking my arm down to her hips, pushing myself closer onto the wall thus onto her.

"N-N-Naruto." She said shyly. A fire was burning up in me and I could feel my own face start to heat up. She was so cute and so tempting. I just wanted to kiss her. Moving my face closer to hers, I egged her on.

"Uh-uh?" I wanted her to ask me to kiss her. I wanted her permission so that I knew for certain that Hinata was okay with this. To my surprise, she looked back at me, face still red, and placed her own hand on my face. Hinata's lips moved closer and closer to mine.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Fuck.

Loud knocks that made the closet tremble interrupted what would have been a perfect moment between me and the girl of my dreams. In one quick movement, Hinata had easily escaped my hold and rushed to get the door. I cursed my luck and moved to grab the white shirt at the entrance of the closet door. I shoved the shirt back onto my torso and as Hinata opened the door, I was ready to be a real asshole to the stupid brunette who ruined my day. But when I saw her, my heart dropped.

Tenten had sped into the room and threw herself onto the ground. She was on her knees, head in her hands, hair a mess. I looked towards Hinata for an answer, but she had already flocked to Tenten's side, holding her shoulders and repeating 'It's okay' over and over again.

A strangled cry finally left Tenten's throat and a horrible realization occurred. Tenten was crying, no not crying, sobbing. She was sobbing heavily and finally accepting Hinata's open arms, she fell onto her friend. I stood there awkwardly unsure of what to do. Moving towards the two, I sat down next to Tenten and placed an arm on her shoulder. She jumped back in surprise.

"Oh, N-Naruto. I'm sorry. God, I must look ridiculous." She said with a croaky voice, trying to push away a loose strand of hair. Though Tenten was trying very hard to compose herself, she looked at me, tried to smile at her joke, and broke down again. Hinata motioned for me to help put Tenten on the bed where she sat, head on Hinata's shoulder and continued to cry. Unable to help myself I finally asked.

"What happened?"

Tenten turned away from Hinata to look at me. I expected her to be upset with me for prying but instead she opened up willingly.

"N-N-Neji! He's-" She choked unable to catch her breath between sobs. I waited as she breathed in and out trying to gain some composure before finally crying again.

"He told me this morning during training. I mean, I didn't know what to do or what to say so I just ran all the way here." Tenten said, hands in a fist as she closed her eyes. Finally, she answered my question.

"Neji got engaged this morning."

"What?!" I was completely stunned. Who would want to marry that jerk? Tenten went back to sobbing and Hinata nodded.

"It happened this morning," Hinata said. Tenten looked up to listen to her explanation. "I wasn't sure how to tell you Tenten. Hiashi-sama found a suitable woman from the Inuzuka clan to be Neji's future wife. He asked Neji this morning and Neji accepted the proposal."

Tenten sat in shock, one hand covering her mouth the other gripping her shirt. She screamed in rage.

"Damn it! Why am I getting so emotional over this? This is stupid! It doesn't matter! I don't care that he's getting married to some random woman he's never met. That's what he wants! Besides Neji and I never had a relationship so why am I acting so so so so incredibly stupid?!" She shouted. It was my turn to respond.

"Because you love him." Those four words caused her to fall apart once again. Her anger turned straight back into despair as she looked towards the ceiling and started to sob harder than before. Large tear drops fell from her pretty face and slid down her throat. It was an awful sound, the way the cries caught in her throat. She continued to hiccup and cough and sputter. Hinata grabbed Tenten in a strong embrace.

"I'm so sorry Tenten."

Just then there was a small swift knock on the door. Hinata looked at me in confusion. No one usually interrupted her during the day. She handed Tenten over to me and I held my friend in one arm. Tenten continued to cry into my chest and I used my free hand to pet her hair and push it away from her face surprised that she was comfortable with my touch. Hinata moved right in front of the door but didn't open it.

"Wh-Who is i-i-it?" A familiar voice responded.

"Hinata-sama, it's Neji. I am here to ask if Tenten-san is with you."

Hinata hesitated and looked back towards Tenten whose head had shot up out of my arms. She shook it violently, causing the large strands of hair to whack me in the face, and mouthed the word 'NO' before leaning back into my arms.

"Sh-She is n-n-not here." Hinata lied. A silence followed.

"Hinata-sama, I know Tenten-san is inside your room. Please do not lie to me."

Hinata seemed scared but kept her resolve while Neji continued.

"Tenten," He directed towards the brunette dropping the honorific. She stopped crying to listen. "Please come outside and talk to me rationally. You left without a word during training and I'm concerned with your abnormal behavior." I might have been mistaken but for a second it seemed like he was genuinely worried.

"She-She isn't i-interested in sp-speaking right n-now." Hinata pushed.

"She's being childish and immature. There is no reason to behave so irrationally. Tell her to come out now and speak to me." His demeanor changed rapidly as he responded coldly.

Hinata's anger was growing and so was mine. This guy was acting like a dick to Tenten who clearly was not in the mood to deal with his bitchy attitude. He was being pathetically persistent.

"P-Please leave Ten-Tenten-san f-for the d-day."

"If I had known that I had chosen a partner who was so fragile, I might have made a different decision. She is acting weak and reckless."

I had had it with this man. He was acting arrogant and rude and Tenten had started to tear up again. His words were cruel and unfeeling and he had no love for his partner. I acted with thinking, dropping Tenten on the bed and moving towards the door. I was ready to swing it open and give him a piece of my mind when Hinata grabbed my hand. She quickly shook her head to say no and motioned for me to move back. Neji was silent for a bit.

"Who else is there?" His words sent fear into my heart. Even though I knew he couldn't use his Byakugan to look into the room, I was scared for what he would see if he could. The damn Hyuuga somehow sensed my presence.

"Someone else is in there besides Tenten." He stated. After some time, he spoke again. "Is it the other male that accompanied us during the festival? Is there a man in your room Hinata-sama?"

Hinata didn't answer. She looked at me and I saw the same terrified expression on her face that was probably on mine. I could see her mind racing to try to find an excuse or explanation. However, it didn't matter because Neji continued.

"That doesn't matter right now though. The more pressing issue is my stupid teammate. I don't have time to be dealing with her games. Send that child out right now."

"NO," Hinata shouted firmly. She was commanding and solid in her order. Hinata didn't stutter and I understood that in a moment of real importance, Hinata was the strongest person out of the three of us. She protected Tenten fiercely and her selfish cousin wasn't going to intimidate her.

"Neji-san, please leave at once. That is an order."

"Of course, Hinata-sama." He spat with venom before leaving. Hinata did a quick scan with her Byakugan before nodding giving us the all clear. She moved back towards Tenten who was gripping her sides, tears still flowing freely.

"I'm sorry you had to do that Hina." She spoke quietly. Hinata motioned for her to stop talking. We sat there for a long time, all three of us, as Hinata consoled a crying Tenten and I watched my friend's heartbreak, unable to do anything.

Hinata P.O.V.

Tenten stayed with me through the evening and late into the night in order to avoid Neji's wrath. Though he wasn't near the room, she was worried he would follow her out of the compound if she left early. She knew his schedule well enough to know he would be busy late in the night and decided to leave then. Naruto had to leave for home or else Jiraiya would worry, but he kissed me on the forehead and gave Tenten a large embrace after telling her not to worry because no matter what happened he would be there for her. Naruto made her laugh by promising to, and I quote, "fuck up Neji so bad that he'll choke on the stick up his ass". The graphic image helped Tenten's mood exponentially since she already had a love of dark humor. Naruto did an excellent job of comforting her, even taking turns throughout the day to hold her like a father would his young daughter.

It pained me to see her like that. Tenten, the strong-willed and independent woman who had honored me with her friendship, was suddenly so frail and unguarded. I felt useless because the reality of the situation was there was nothing I could do for her. No amount of persuasion or coercion would ever convince my father to call off the engagement especially since he had been planning the affair for months. Though I could lie and say the proposal came as a shock to me, I think I chose to ignore the signs: the multiple dignitaries that were frequenting the compound in larger numbers, the various letters back and forth from my father to the Inuzuka clan, and his uncharacteristic willingness to allow Neji to engage in commoner activities like the festival. Hiashi-sama had been planning this for weeks, probably months, in advance and I chose to be blind to it. But no matter how much I try to blame my father, ultimately the decision came down to Neji and if he agreed to the marriage there was nothing any of us could do. I'd like to think, to imagine, that even though Neji was so cold and unfeeling, that like me, he knew at some level what Hiashi-sama's plans for him were and that's why he didn't confess his feelings during the festival and why he was acting so harsh towards Tenten. But Tenten was convinced that he never saw her in a romantic way. In between shallow sobs she tried to prove her point by saying that the way he had treated her earlier was clear evidence of his disinterest. Tenten said a man who genuinely loved her would never think to call her weak.

Once Tenten had left, I wrote a short letter to Neji apologizing for my behavior earlier that day. I scanned it to make sure I had written everything appropriately.

Neji-san,

My sincerest apologies for my actions early today in regards to Tenten-san. It was not my intention to hold authority over you. However, you must understand that my priority was the well being of a good friend. We have a duty to protect those in our charge and I only did as I thought would best protect my friend. My hope is that no ill will remains from this event.

Hinata

After deciding that it was good enough, I had a servant give the letter to Neji and I hope he received it and accepted it fairly.

It was late and when I finally retired to my bed, I couldn't fall asleep. The inordinate amount of drama should have exhausted me both physically and mentally, but my mind kept coming back to one particular event. Thinking about it made me nervous and giddy inside and I kept trying to push the memory out my mind. But I could still see him there, standing before me without a shirt, showing off years of physical training and the image made my face turn warm. I fell asleep imagining what might have happened if Tenten hadn't interrupted.

Naruto P.O.V.

The rest of the evening was quiet. Tenten finally calmed down though she was obviously still depressed. She tried very hard to make herself furious with Neji's word, but all she felt was unbelievably hurt. Much like myself, Tenten preferred to be angry rather than sad. She said anger was strength and sadness meant weakness. Anger was physical and easier to deal with. It was fiery and predictable. Since neither of us held grudges, the feeling was fleeting and temporary and she knew it would go away eventually.

But sadness was a disease without a cure. There was nothing she could do to fix the situation and there was no guarantee it would ever leave. The underlying feeling lingers on for days even years without reconciliation. Your body and mind shut down and all your motivation and determination slip away. Tenten kept wishing she was just pissed at him so she could go and take her anger out on him during training. But instead all she could do was lie down, her head on my lap, and pity herself.

Tenten was a funny combination of light-hearted and free-spirited with tough and independent. She never took things very seriously and was able to joke and play while still managing to appear strong and confident. So for someone so carefree, deep emotions like sorrow and melancholy were hard to cope with. Tenten would try to make light of the situation, cracking jokes about how weak she apparently was but every time she tried to poke fun at herself, tears would form and the crying would start again.

Sometime later in the day, Hinata had to leave to attend a quick appointment and Tenten and I were left alone for a few minutes. Tenten had her back against mine so that we weren't facing each other.

"Sorry about all of this. I'm not really this emotional you know? Augh, I must seem so stupid to you."

"No. Don't apologize. Actually, I think the fact that you're so messed up by this shows just how fucking strong you are."

"What do you mean?"

"Like, I don't know. You're not just some sad girl pining for some dude like you think I think you are. You're this person who really truly loves this asshole guy. And it's not some shallow love you know? From what Hinata's told me, you've known him for what, like, 6 years now? So you know him, you've trained with him, you've spent time with him. I mean, during the festival he was a totally different person around you so you must see and experience a different side to him that Hinata and I don't see.

And I know you're this super independent, I don't need a man to take care of me, kind of girl so for you to actually like someone means that this dude has to be a decent human being. So here's something I haven't even told Hinata but I think it'll help explain what I'm trying to say."

Tenten listened carefully as I continued on, unable to stop myself.

"I had this friend back home and she ended up being my teammate. She was super girly and totally drop dead gorgeous. She had this long pretty pink hair and was super intelligent, I mean she was probably one of the smartest girls in our class. And I totally fell head over heels for her. Even when I left home and came here I was still hung up on her. But after meeting Hinata, I realized my feelings for her weren't authentic. Yeah I found her beautiful and liked the idea of being with her but I knew I didn't truly love her because the fact that she didn't like me didn't hurt me the way you're hurt by Neji. On the opposite side of that, she fell madly in love with our other teammate and he was kind of just like Neji. He was like the class heartthrob and every girl was into him. She didn't even really know him before she started chasing after him. He was really mean to her at first and barely even paid any attention to her, but it didn't deter her because she was obsessed with him, not in love. But over time he started to open up to us and show a different side. Kind of like how Neji is different around you and Bushy brows, around Sakura and I, Sasu- um, I mean, my friend was less of a dick and more kind. And her superficial kind of love turned into something legitimate after truly experiencing and getting to know him better. Then he left and broke her heart and she's probably still hurting from it.

And she's hurting from it because her feelings are genuine unlike mine were. What I'm trying to get at is that, Tenten, you're so strong because your feelings are your truth, you know? They aren't fake, they aren't crap, they're your honest to god truth. And it hurts and it should hurt because you've been lying to yourself all this time and you're finally being honest. It's that rejection of you and your truth that hurts and you're tears are proof of it all.

I guess I'm saying, I don't see you in any other way other than the cool and super awesome friend that you are to me and I still think you're strong because strength to me isn't hiding yourself and your feelings and who you are. You can't pretend to be someone else in front of others and especially to yourself. It's you finally living in your own truth and that is the hardest thing for anyone to do."

After I had finished my speech, I felt embarrassed by what I had just said. I must have sounded so weirdly passionate and I'm sure the things I was saying didn't make sense. My long winded tangent silenced Tenten. I waited awkwardly for her to say something.

"Living in your own truth huh?" She whispered. "Thanks for that...It actually helped a lot. I can't try and force myself to be angry because I'm not angry I'm just hurt and sad. I guess I just can't lie or pretend anymore."

"Yeah, uh, you just have to be true to yourself, I guess." I could hear Tenten laugh and felt her body shake as she giggled.

"Since when were you so corny?" I felt flustered as she made fun of me.

"So are you living in your own truth?" Tenten asked her back still leaning against mine. I knew she was just joking, trying to make fun of my words, but I actually thought about it.

"I don't think so. But my truth is a lot more dangerous than most other truths are." I said leaving the interpretation ambiguous. Thankfully Tenten didn't press the matter any further. Instead, she took the conversation in an equally treacherous route. Even in her current state, Tenten managed to press the things that bothered me most.

"So this other girl, Sakura, Hinata doesn't know about her?"

"Well I mean she does. She knows about my teammates and everything, but it's kind of awkward telling your current girlfriend about some chick you were obsessed with before her." I said with a sigh. I had thought about telling Hinata about Sakura a few times but it just always seemed like the wrong time. Besides, I wanted Hinata to really like and get along with Sakura and from what Jiraiya told me, most girls don't take kindly to their man being friends with their ex-love interests. My mind was starting to think of ways I could bring up my old crush to Hinata but I was interrupted by Tenten.

"So Hinata's your girlfriend huh?" Though I couldn't see it, I knew she was smirking at me with that dumb annoying grin of hers. I leaned back harder on her back causing Tenten to start laughing.

"Shut up." Tenten wouldn't stop laughing at my reaction and she moved to get a better look at my embarrassed face. I tried to glare at her as a new wave of laughter fell over her but seeing Tenten like that brought a smile to my face. She stopped and looked at me strangely.

"What?" Tenten asked. I shook my head.

"I'm glad you're feeling better at my expense." I gave her a shove as she smiled softly. She turned to look away from me and I saw the flush in her cheeks.

"Thanks for making me feel better."

"Anything for a friend."

We talked a little bit more about her life and her team. She had a mother who left them when Tenten was very young. Her father was a blacksmith who developed high-quality weapons for military purposes which was the reason why she had an affinity for any and all weapons. Her dad was an old man and passed away, orphaning her at the age of 12. Instead of continuing on to higher studies, Tenten resolved to join the academy where she honed her skills and became a fully qualified weapons specialist. It was hard for her since there weren't many women enrolled in the Academy and the rarity of a woman led to many people underestimating her talents. The particular academy she attended was located in the Kingdom and, as a result, any of the few students who belonged to the royal families were allowed to hand pick their teams after graduation.

"I was honestly super surprised when I learned that the Neji Hyuuga had chosen me for his team. I didn't even think he knew I existed but apparently he was impressed with my knowledge of weapons and traps and said he needed someone like that on his team. I guess he regrets the decision now." She said thinking about Neji's insults from earlier. 'If I had known that I had chosen a partner who was so fragile, I might have made a different decision'. I quickly tried to redirect her thoughts.

"What about bushy brows?"

"Lee?" She laughed. "That's a funny story. Apparently Hiashi-sama was adamant about Gaa-sensei being Neji's team leader. Gai is the world renowned taijutsu expert and he's looked upon with great reverence. So Neji chose Gai-sensei to be his mentor but Gai-sensei said he wouldn't be part of any team that didn't include Lee. Neji kind of hated Lee at first. He saw him as weak and useless since Lee doesn't have much chakra control and can't do any ninjutsu or genjutsu. But Neji agreed nonetheless and I think he's happy with the decision now. Lee is just as impressive as Gai-sensei and together we make a pretty bitchin' team"

"I bet!" I said, encouraged by the confident look on Tenten's face.

Hinata had returned and I left soon after that. I went home happy knowing I had made some lifelong friends during my time in the Commons.

Hinata P.O.V.

The next day I awoke normally, gently pulling the covers off of me and neatly making my bed. I showered and took extra attention to my hair, hoping that maybe today Naruto would try again. I made sure to look very nice and chose pretty clothes.

I opened up my door and all of the anticipation of the day was drained from me as I left my room. To my horror, two Hyuuga guards were stationed outside of my door. I turned to my left and right to get a good look at them hoping they were just standing casually by my door on accident. But they were in fact standing in military formation, greeting me but never breaking eye contact with the wall opposite to them. They stood there rigidly and panic set in as I activated the Byakugan. Ignoring their now confused looks, I scanned the premises and realized to my absolute horror that two other Hyuuga guards were positioned outside of the secret entrance Naruto used to enter the compound.

"Wh-Wh-Why have you b-been p-p-placed here." The answer to my question came from someone lurking in the shadows. From behind a large pillar came Neji, a small smirk playing on his lips. He responded with believable concern in his voice.

"I had a feeling that a suspicious character has been entering the compound and asked for tighter security around the old passageways and outside the heiresses room."

"S-Suspicious ch-character?" I asked. Neji looked at me, the satisfaction becoming more evident.

"Yes. As you said in your letter Hinata-sama, we have a duty to protect those in our charge and I only did as I thought would best protect the Hyuuga heiresses." He spat my own words back at me and in that moment I realized what his goal was.

This was revenge.

This power play of Neji's was all to punish me for my order. Because I prevented Neji from speaking to Tenten, he made sure Naruto couldn't visit anymore. In his eyes, I took away something important to him and he returned the action tenfold. He essentially guaranteed my miserable and lonely existence because where else would Naruto and I meet?

I stared at him dumbfounded as his filthy smirk grew wider. Tears threatened to fall as I was unable to contain my rage. I made a complete 180 and walked straight back into my room, locked the door, and cried like Tenten had done the day before. In a sad twist of fate, we were both miserable because of Neji Hyuuga.

Naruto P.O.V.

I had it all planned out. I was going to make a move on Hinata and this time it was going to work out. In fact, I knew exactly how I was going to do it. I found the necklace I had bought Hinata that one day Jiraiya kidnapped me. It was hidden away in a pile of laundry I had never bothered to touch. I was never able to give it to her and it provided the perfect excuse to get close to her. I was going to place it gently on her neck then turn her around and kiss her and everything was going to be magical.

On my way to the compound, I stopped by the bazaar and grabbed a few desserts for Tenten in case she was still feeling bad. I heard somewhere that girls liked to each sweet things when they were sad and Tenten was going to need all the help she could get.

My thoughts were focused on Neji and Tenten and as I walked I tried to figure out what it was about Neji that Tenten seemed to like so much. I could see why many guys liked Tenten. She was a charismatic and warm person. Tenten was easy to talk to, made funny jokes, and was very pretty in this strong tomboyish type of way. Her boyish mannerisms made it easy for men to become her friend and I could see how over time they would start to fall in love with her. It was so unfortunate that she fell for the Hyuuga, but I guess I shouldn't really be surprised. Tenten doesn't seem like she wants some guy to take care of her or give her baseless praises. She probably wants a strong man that she can rely on, both on the battlefield and off, and someone who can actually appreciate her talents. She wants someone who won't throw shallow compliments at her and treat her like some weak woman. Neji seems like that kind of man who wouldn't hesitate to criticize or challenge her and would treat her like an equal. I could understand why a woman like Tenten would want someone like that.

Finally, I had reached the forest that lead to the entrance but something was off. I could feel powerful chakra from the tunnel even though I was a good 25 meters away. Scanning the area, I focused on targeting the source of the chakra. I panicked at first, thinking it was the Akatsuki, but quickly realized there were various chakra signatures stationed on the inside of the tunnel. I knew it was coming from inside the tunnel itself since the feeling was dull and muted probably by the thick walls. I hesitantly moved closer to the entrance through the forest making sure to suppress my own chakra signature. The closer I moved to the secret passage, the more I felt their presence. Their chakra was familiar, but I was sure I had never met whoever the chakra belonged to. Stopping in my tracks I took some time to think about the facts.

There were people, probably two, close to the secret compound entrance. After a few minutes, I understood that the chakra was familiar because it was similar to Hinata's which implied that whoever was on the other side was probably a Hyuuga. Therefore, they would have the same blood line limit and most likely already knew about my presence in the forest. I waited about 20 minutes and realized that the individuals hadn't moved from their positions. They were guarding the entrance and thus preventing me from going in…

I turned around and sped back home in a confused daze. Why were there suddenly Hyuuga guards stationed at an old servant's entrance and why now? Were they going to be there from now on? How was I going to see Hinata if the only route to her room is being blocked by Hyuuga thugs? I grew angrier and angrier thinking about how shitty our luck seemed to be. Someone out in the world seemed to have something against us.

I had such an awesome time writing this chapter and I especially loved writing about Naruto and Tenten's friendship. At first I was unsure about it because they're such an unlikely pair but I kind of love how brotherly Naruto is towards her and how she seems comfortable talking to him now!

Please be sure to leave a review if you enjoyed this chapter! I hope to update soon!

AN: I had such an awesome time writing this chapter and I especially loved writing about Naruto and Tenten's friendship. At first I was unsure about it because they're such an unlikely pair but I kind of love how brotherly Naruto is towards her and how she's comfortable talking to him now!

Be sure to follow or keep up with this story because the next chapter is going to be very heated! I don't want to reveal too much but let's just say Naruto fulfills his promise to Tenten ;)

Remember to leave a review if you enjoyed this chapter! I hope to update soon!