Disclaimer: Naruto is a wind-element, which is the supreme battle chakra. Kinda like in Tokyo Underground? Anyway, he don't belong to me. He don't belong to anyone.
He's the wind, baby.
Neji's fourteenth birthday was remarkably similar to his thirteenth, down to the scene in which Tenten offered him another birthday present – just before a spar, left alone by Gai-sensei and his miniature version, while Tenten blushed and tried not to stare at the ground too long. And Neji asked the same question, in the same flat quiet voice: "Why?"
But this time Tenten had a different answer, an answer born of a year's worth of battles, and missions, and training, and learning each other's ways and quirks. "Because," she told him, smiling widely, "I'm glad that you were born."
She had forged him kunai, again, but this time it was not a ceremonial, overly-decorated piece. This time, for the quiet, pragmatic boy who was becoming the closest friend she'd ever had, she had forged a set of combat-ready kunai - three of them, made of a new alloy that was strong and hard and took a wonderful dark shine. They were painstakingly wrought and exquisitely balanced – she had thrown out countless failures until she had got them just so – the type of kunai that ninja saved for hand-to-hand combat, the type they did not throw unless they absolutely had to. She hadn't put any of the elaborate scrollwork or engravings that she'd wasted her time on last year, letting the workmanship and lethality of the pieces speak for themselves – except, she hadn't been able to resist carving a tiny dragon on the handles. Two of the weaponsmiths at the Konoha armory had immediately offered her a handsome price for them, and looked disappointed when she had to refuse.
Neji accepted the box as quietly, but this time he said, "Thank you."
Tenten beamed, and something bright and happy rose up in her chest. She skipped a little away from him, keeping her eyes on his face the whole time, and then insisted that they train for the upcoming Chuunin Exams, because she needed an excuse to yell and jump and throw things.
The downside to all this, she discovered later, was that when she noticed that Neji had never used the kunai or even put them in his kunai-pouch, she couldn't shrug it off.
Preview: A new, Naruto-thrashed-and-therefore-changed Neji celebrates his fifteenth birthday.
Notes: I know this is short, but the next chapter'll be much longer, I promise. Also, it will include drunken!Naruto, drunken!Kiba, and the first bits of fluff! (If I can just finish the damn thing...) Thanks to everyone for the reviews, especially Toboe, Ennariel, Anonymouse-who-left-a-nice-long-review, demonesszen, and basically everyone who took the time to tell me what they thought, perhaps their ideas, and therefore jumpstarted the fic-bunnies. We thank you!
And this is a Nejiten fluff piece, so don't worry. Neji will redeem himself.
Eventually.