It was finally the day that Neji had been waiting for. The day he finally graduated from the Konoha Ninja Academy couldn't come any sooner. He had spent numerous hours a day training to become a Genin ever since he could remember, he still had memories of his father teaching him the techniques he now knew. "Everything I'm doing and everything I accomplish I do it to honor you, father,'' He'd repeat to himself over and over while training and in his moments of weakness. It could be said that even though the death of his father had devastated the young Hyuga boy, it pushed him to become the strongest in the family and thus the prodigy of the clan. Unfortunately, it had also strained his relationship with the main branch family and little by little he became more reserved to himself.
As if this wasn't enough motive to become stronger, he would focus all his anger and despair to prove to them that he could be better than any of them despite being a part of the side branch. But, this latter reason backfired on him, as he secluded himself and realized that no matter how much he succeeded, his destiny would only be to serve as a pawn in the game of the Hyuga and nothing else.
Everytime, he'd look at himself in the mirror he would see a powerful ninja. He was better than anyone in his class and he knew it, but glancing at the green curse mark on his forehead would be enough to put him down. It made him feel as if he didn't have any control over his life, it made him feel weak and it made him feel vulnerable. His fear would then become rage, as he'd remember how his father had been punished and submitted to such turtore for disobeying his very own brother. The moment that curse mark was placed in Neji was the moment his destiny had been sealed.
He could never share this loneliness and frustration with anybody. He swore to himself to never let anybody see this vulnerable side of him. He was not weak, at least not in the eyes of those who knew him and he was certain to keep it that way, but deep down inside the despair was engulfing him in darkness.
He graduated at the top of his class and even earned the title of top rookie of the year. He was eager to finally be able to go on missions, but his expectations of gaining equally talented teammates were low.
"I know I won't be grouped with anybody worth getting to know. After all, I was at the top of my class, so nobody can measure to my standards anyways. I hope whoever is in my squad at least is good enough to not slow me down...But, I do have high hopes for whoever my sensei is. I'm sure he'll help me advance my techniques quicker than doing it on my own.." Neji was thinking to himself as he was walking to the meeting point where he would find out who his team and sensei were. He then came to an abrupt stop as he glanced at the people standing before him. It must have been an error on his part, he thought double guessing himself. As quick as he got there, he turned around to make an escape…
"GOOD MORNING MY YOUTHFUL STUDENT! I am DELIGHTED to finally meet THE. DISTINGUISHED. HYUGA. NEJI. in this fine morning! Please come meet your talented teammates!.." Said a strange looking man wearing a ridiculous green spandex suit as he grabbed Neji by the shoulder and dragged him to take a seat.
This action alone was enough to annoy Neji. He always had a chip on his shoulder, but he definitely loathed when people didn't respect his personal space. Already in that mindset, he glanced over at his teammates and he was not impressed to say the least.
"Tenten?, I believe is her name.. I remember her in my class and she's alright I guess..was she on the top ten student rank? I can't remember for the life of my what her specialty was..aaaand...who else did I...? ..THIS FOOL. I am eternally doomed now…" Neji said to himself as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes in disdain.
He opted out of introducing himself and talking about his goals slightly annoyed by the realization he was stuck with this team. He then proceeded to berate his new comrade Rock Lee when he shared he wanted to become a ninja but lacked ninjutsu and genjutsu. The whole idea seemed ridiculous to him and he could already tell by the way Rock Lee was behaving with his overreacting personality that it was definitely NOT his destiny to become one. Neji knew that he could not come to take his comrade serious enough even if he tried his hardest, Lee was a fool for even trying.
Neji was walking towards the training grounds where Guy Sensei had requested his presence. It had only day since Neji had found out who his teammates were. This morning he had been hoping it had all been a nightmare, but now he found himself standing in between Lee and Tenten staring at his ridiculous Sensei make a fool of himself. He had appeared to be walking on his hand all the way to the training grounds from Kami knows where.
Neji continued to zone out as Guy Sensei explained that today he would measure his abilities against him. He watched his teammates attack the flamboyant character with disapproving eyes. Neither Tenten nor Guy were able to lay a hit on their master. When it was Neji's turn, he decided to finish for once and for all with the silly activity. But, to his surprise Guy sensei was able to dodge every single one of his attacks. This only angered Neji even more, and without even realizing it Neji was giving it his all to beat his contender.
Using his Byakugan, Neji approached Guy Sensei from behind. As Neji tried to land a hit, he was suddenly thrown off by an immense force. Guy Sensei was quicker than him and kicked him in the stomach. As soon as Neji stood up he received a punch on the side of his ribs, coughing up blood he aimed for his attacker's Chakra points. He tried to move as fast as he could, but it was futile. Instead of landing any punches, Neji was on the receiving end. His anger had gotten the best of him, Neji would not walk away without at least hitting him once. He ran up straight towards guy and used his gentle fist, the force of his attacked only helped launch him further away as a Guy had taken advantage of the blow and used it to hone his own attack. The force of Guy's defense threw Neji against a tree making a dent in it. Neji now laid on the floor with his head down holding back tears of frustration. How..Am I to lose against such fool!... He thought to himself as he had questioned his own abilities. He felt as if he had been humiliated in front of his teammates, although it was more than certain that Guy would win this battle, He was Neji's sensei and superior after all. He walked away in disdain not wanting to face his comrades and went deep into the forest to cool down. Meditation always helped him evaluate his actions. He'd meditate over his battles and techniques as a kid, this is how he gained many of his clans techniques only intended for the main family. I let Guy Sensei get under my skin..and I see now that I was fooled by his demeanor. I underestimated him, but I see now that he is a rather strong opponent. I can see how he can help to develop my skills..But he's still a fool who loves to embarrass himself publicly...After finally coming to terms with his defeat, he was able to acknowledge that Guy Sensei was indeed a very powerful Jonin despite him being the biggest moron he had ever met. After that battle he started gaining respect for his sensei. Neji finally welcomed Guy sensei's guidance and most methods of training. It still would be a long way before Neji would be open to the ridiculous punishments Guy would come up with, such as carrying his teammates around Konoha and Neji was sure as hell he would not succumb to wear that hideous green spandex suit that Lee had happily accepted. As for the relationship with his comrades, it still would be a long way to getting accustomed to them and acknowledge their strength. It wasn't until their first mission outside of Konoha that Neji began to bond with Tenten and Lee.
The first missions that Team Guy fulfilled where simple. They were more like a service to the community rather than the thrilling adventures the young ninja expected. These simple missions were merely an exercise to introduce Team Guy to the process of being assigned, completing, then reporting back, and to get the Guy's pupils used to working with each other. The Hokade was impressed that the team could complete a mission after another in no time, and shortly after they started they scored top three on the amount of assignments they had finished. As a result, he assigned them to their very first mission outside Konoha.
That morning, Neji was training in the Hyuga compound when one of the servants approached him to let him know a young girl was there to see him. He was surprised as he wasn't expecting anybody and wasn't sure who it could be. He glared at Tenten who was standing by the entrance and was very bothered by the fact she had interrupted his training. What could she possibly want with him? They weren't friends and he was secretly hoping she wouldn't ask him to help her train. Tenten didn't necessarily volunteer to come talk to Neji. She had been forced by Guy sensei to go retrieve him and let him know the Hokage was requesting the Team in his quarters. She caught Neji's discontent right away and as soon as he was within hearing range she explained herself. "Before you say anything...Guy sensei sent me to get you because the Hokage wants to speak to our team". She hoped that was enough to keep Neji from biting her head off for intruding in his routine.
The moment Neji heard the word Hokage his whole demeanor changed. He had forgotten what he was angry about. Without wasting a second he just muttered "Let's go" not even letting Tenten process what he had said as he grabbed her by the hand and ran towards the Hokage building. Tenten was taken by surprise by Neji's reaction, this was one of the few times she had ever seen him in a good mood. She was just hoping that the Hokage would give them good news and that they weren't in any trouble. It was oddly interesting seeing a very enthusiastic Neji, Tenten could tell he was excited, but his face was still not showing any emotions. Their first interactions were awkward, but eventually she started getting used to Neji's seriousness and she started learning his mannerisms. Her two comrades were complete opposite from each other. One lacked emotion and the other one was over dramatic. She wondered in what category she would fall in compared to those two, and the more she thought about it she decided that she would be the bridge to unite the team and bring those two together.
Once in the Hokage's office, they eagerly waited to hear the news. The hokage entered the room accompanied by an Anbu with a scroll and as he sat at his desk he started talking. "It seems that Team Guy has been doing a good job at completing their local assignments and Guy Sensei has advised that you three are ready for more responsibilities. Therefore, I will be assigning you to your very first mission outside the villag…." Said Hiruzen Sarutobi when Lee interrupted him by screaming in delight. All it took to quiet him down as one of Neji's death stares. Lee felt the powerful gaze over him and felt like his chakra dissolved from his body the moment he made eye contact with him. At that moment he questioned if Neji's death stare was actually more lethal than his Byakugan.
"As I was saying, today I will assign your team to a new mission. You are to take this scroll", He said handing it to Neji. "And you will make sure it is delivered to the Feudal Lord who lives in the village by the Kanabi bridge. It is still in the land of fire but it's bordering the Hidden Grass Village, so be aware of your surroundings at all times. You are to leave tomorrow first thing in the morning, meet at the Konoha entrance and don't be late. This isn't a game anymore and I wish you three the best". The Hokage warned with all seriousness. He did not want their first mission to end up in a tragedy, but he was confident they would be successful. The team was dismissed and each shinobi went their separate ways to prepare for the next day's journey.
Neji woke up around 4 to be able to train before leaving for the mission. He didn't have to leave Konoha until six, but he had always been very disciplined and despised tardiness as well. He got to the meeting point 20 minutes early, but he didn't mind, it was better for him since he could use that time to meditate a little. The next one to arrive was Tenten, he saw Neji seating on a tree with his eyes closed as she approached, but chose not to interrupt whatever he was doing. She had pretty much learned her lesson the morning before when she went to the Hyuga compound. He opened his eyes after sensing her presence and was met with a good morning from her, his instant reaction was to smirk at her and with his arms crossed. It was a miracle she thought, two days in a row that Neji was in a good mood and she hoped the streak wouldn't be broken. As time passed and they started training together along Guy Sensei and Lee, she could actually see some progress in her and Neji's relationship. It was as if he didn't think of her as much of a burden anymore. She welcomed the idea that maybe someday he'd see her true potential as a ninja and maybe she would earn his approval. Maybe one day the three of them could even become good friends. She was sure it would happen eventually as they would spend more time in missions together.
Lee was the last one to arrive and although he wasn't necessarily late Neji had already given him an attitude over taking too long to arrive. The team departed Konoha as the sun rose to the sky. The three shinobi and their sensei made their way through the forest. All the excessive training they had endured under Guy sensei had paid off since they had already come a long way and were barely getting tired. "This is where we stop," Said Guy sensei. "Ahh, the power of youth in Spring… You three have made me proud today, we have covered a significant distance towards our final destination. But as powerful and young you are we must stop and rest for the day before the sun sets. We'll camp out here, but we must be alert of our surroundings. We just never know when we'll be under ...ATTACK!" He screamed as he caught Lee off guard landing a hit on him. "GUY SENSEI!" Screamed the three young shinobi in unison. "Why do you always have to be so extra Guy sensei!". Exclaimed Tenten. Lee was holding the top of his head teary eyed condemning himself for failing his sensei, thinking he should have done better and Neji standing against the three crossing his arms and a stern look on his face.
Tenten started a fire and was setting up camp, Neji was using his Byakugan to look at their surroundings making sure there weren't any threats, and Guy sensei and Lee practiced their Taijutsu before going to sleep. The night went by quietly and soon they were up and on their way to deliver the scroll. They must have been close to the border when suddenly they were ambushed by a group of three rogue ninjas. Lee was jumping from one branch to another when he saw a kunai knife flying in his direction, he was able to dodge it but in doing so, he missed his landing and was falling when Neji grabbed him by the arm pulling him to another tree. Since he was distracted saving Lee from the fall one of the rogue shinobi approached him to land a punch on him. Lee countered the punch that would have knocked out Neji to the ground.
Guy sensei was busy fighting one of them off and Tenten was holding her ground as the third one was attacking her with his jutsu. Tenten pulled out her scrolls summoning her favorite weapon: an old school kusarigama she had acquired after graduating the academy. She managed to dodge his kunai bombs, using her weapon she trapped her attacker suspending him over a tree branch. On the opposite side was Neji had been shocked to have missed the attacked directed towards him, he was glad he could count on Lee and thought that maybe he had underestimated him a little. He snapped out of his thoughts as the ninja tried to attack him a second time, Lee had gone off in the direction to Guy who was still fighting with the leader of the group. Neji landed a Gentle Fist on the ninja and activated his Byakugan to hit his main Chakra points and disable him. Having gotten rid of the second shinobi, Tenten and Neji headed in the same direction Lee had gone. Neji looked over at Tenten and she nodded indicating that she still had the secret scroll they needed to deliver.
They found both Lee and Guy Sensei fighting off the last standing man. He seemed to be more powerful than the other two, he was probably the leader of the squad, and Guy Sensei looked to be struggling. Seeing that his team had been defeated, the rogue shinobi activated a smoke bomb and ran away. When the smoke had been cleared Lee was kneeling over Guy Sensei who had been injured. Using his Byakugan, Neji was able to see that Guy a small cut on the side, nothing too serious. Then, he realized that Guy's chakra was being neutralized by some dubious substance. "The weapon that injured Guy Sensei must have been tainted with poison". He said matter-of-factly not too preoccupied. "Someone must stay guarding him until he gains conscience again, but we must deliver the scroll in time". Tenten gasped at the idea of splitting the team, but it was more reasonable than just leaving Guy sensei behind on his own. Neji explained that the poison used was not life threatening but a substance that would knock someone out for a period of time. She was glad it hadn't been lethal, none of them were medical ninja and therefore, they were not carrying any antidotes. "I WILL GUARD HIM WITH MY YOUTHFUL LIFE..I WON'T FAIL YOU GUY SENSEI! Exclaimed Lee holding Guy's hand. Neji rolled his eyes but agreed with Lee's decision. Lee and Neji carried Guy to a hidden area where he would be safe and Lee waved at his comrades walking away. "I believe in the power of youth!...GUY SENSEI WOULD BE PROUD! COME BACK FOR US SOOOON…..". Lee could be heard in the distance as the other two left.
Neji and Tenten headed for the Feudal Lord's land hoping they would not encounter the last shinobi. He noticed that Tenten looked a little shaken by the encounter or maybe it was his presence that made her uncomfortable. He was actually very taken aback by both Lee and Tenten's performance. He finally was starting to acknowledge his two teammates and started to feel that maybe they weren't too bad after all. "Tenten...what you did back there was impressive" Hearing these words coming from Neji almost made her trip, her face turned a deep shade of red as he continued, "You did a good job guarding the scroll, I am glad I can count on you when the squad is under attack". She finally looked at him and her face must have given her away. Neji was looking at her quizzically not understanding why she was blushing so much. He was just trying to diffuse the tension the attack had caused.
"Oh? Ohh..Thank you Neji, it means a lot to hear this from you..since you are always so cond…since you..uhh..since you seem to have high expectations from us" Tenten started nervously.
"Were you about to call me.. CONDESCENDING? Would you care to elaborate more? Asked Neji glaring at her.
"Well..Neji.. You see, sometimes it feels as if you think you are better than us, which in my opinion you are ..." She blushed again. "But, it also seems that you don't think we are good enough and it's a bit intimidating" She finally was able to confess. A long pause followed her last statement and she looked over at Neji to see him deep in thought. She started to apologize and back track what she said when Neji finally spoke.
"You are right, Tenten, I did feel that way at first but I can now see that both you and Lee are capable shinobi. My apologies. It seems like my destiny is to be a part of Team Guy and from now on I won't undermine any of you". Spoke the young Hyuga.
"Neji, why are you always so methodical towards everyone?..and what is it with you and that obsession with destiny?.. Tenten asked worried that she might have intruded into his life and expecting to be scolded by him.
To Tente's surprise, Neji decided to answer her questions..Actually she kind of regretted asking them in the first place. She did not expect Neji to be able to talk so much since he would always be so quiet and to the point. He talked about his ideologies and how their destinies had already been written since the moment they were born. Then he went on to give her a brief 101 on the Hyuga Clan, their Kekkei Genkai, his Byakugan abilities…. Neji could really talk if you asked him the right questions, she thought it was very out of character from him, but she was glad they were finally sort of bonding.
She was glad when they finally reached their destination and delivered the scroll to the Lord. She had never seen such a beautiful compound, it was a beautiful house surrounded by a garden with all kinds of flowers and a pond on the side. She never thought she would ever set foot in a place such as this one. The Feudal lord questioned why there were only two young shinobi delivering the scroll. Neji quickly caught on unfazed by the scenery (he was used to the high life thanks to being a part of the Hyuga Clan) and quickly explained the missing two Shinobi had decided to stand guard nearby in case anything would happen. They quickly handed the scroll to him and accepted payment for their troubles and went on their merry way back to the spot where they had left their comrades.
They were walking through the forest and talking a bit more. Tenten told Neji how she decided to become a shinobi and shared about her love for collecting weapons, she opened up about being an orphan and told him her parents had passed on while going on a mission. Hearing this, he decided to share his past, what had happened to his father, the whole Hyuga affair, and the reasons why he was working so hard to become the Hyuga's prodigy: To get back at his uncle and the main family. Tenten realized that he had suffered a lot and she was very sympathetic. She realized that Neji was actually very down to earth and now understood his distant behavior towards others. She was bothered by how his own clan had been treating Neji after his father's death, but she still questioned Neji's perception of destiny. Tenten never thought of her fate as being predetermined. She knew she was all over the place and was just going with the flow of life, but she understood that her own actions would determine in what direction her life would go. Despite this disagreement, she was happy about him being able to open up to her and that he would try to cooperate with the team a bit more.
Back in their hiding spot, Guy started to regain consciousness he started mumbling something Lee could not make out. "Something about hanging?...The worst hanging...The worst hangover after a night of…. "GUY SENSEI! DO NOT REPEAT THAT AGAIN! IT HURTS MY YOUTHFUL EARS TO HEAR THOSE WORDS COMING FROM YOU" Lee had been scarred for life.
Tenten and Neji heard shouting coming from Lee's direction. They rushed towards the two concerned they had been intercepted by any more rogue shinobi. When they finally made it back, Lee was violently shaking Guy trying to snap him out of his disturbing dream. The violent act awoke Guy who was still unable to stand and walk on his own. Thankfully he was able to summon a red ninja tortoise. He stumbled from one side to the other and got on top of it "Run at light speed my youthful companion, take me back to Konoha!" The tortoise slowly walked as Guy was balancing on one foot. Neji and Tenten glanced at each other unimpressed by their companion.
"Maybe it'll go faster if you put it swims Guy Sensei!"- "GREAT IDEA DEAR LEE" Replied Guy excitedly.
"Guy Sensei! But, Tortoises can't sw…." Neji scorned the two as Tenten interrupted him.
"There is no point...don't argue with these bakas, besides we are in luck, there is no water nearby. We can tell them when Guy Sensei comes to his senses". Exhaled Tenten questioning how those two airheads had survived this long.
Team Guy finally arrived to Konoha after their first mission. The way back had been longer since Guy Sensei had been..indisposed for some time. When the Hokage asked how the mission went, they all looked at each other. Guy Sensei said they were successful in delivering the scroll to the Feudal Lord, recounted in much detail the encounter with the rogue ninja, but chose to omit the part where he spend half of the mission unconscious. The other three shinobi looked at him with a sweat drop rolling down in their back of their heads. He chose to omit the part where they had to babysit him...But they all agreed that their first mission had been a success! They had been able to deliver the scroll and most importantly, they bonded together and became closer to each other and have to take care for the fool they had for a sensei. The three were dismissed from the Hokage's office and directed to the training grounds while Guy stayed behind to talk to Sarutobi. Only if they knew that while the mission had been real, the rogue ninja were a group of Chunin testing their skills and Guy's illness had been an exercise to bring the three young shinobi closer together.
Authors Note: I don't own Naruto.
I know it took me some time to update. But this chapter is definitely much much longer than the others! I think that what I'll do from now on is that I will be uploading chapters every Friday/Saturday. This will give me time to write the story during the week and really get into the story.
I hope you enjoy reading this one! I'm happy to hear your thoughts on this chapter and I apologize if there isn't enough action. I'm still learning how to be more detailed with those action scenes.
Thanks for reading!