Neji's Assignment
Author's Note: The genin are coming! The genin are coming! Sorry, had to. I am proud to introduce my three Original Characters: Takenaka Kuma, Junji Tora, and Rinji Akino: Neji's genin charges.
Also: Skipped two years and Neji's now 19. The war came and went: Sasuke and Orochimaru defected to Konoha's side and were assimilated back into the village. You'll see in coming chapters. Anyway, again this story focuses on NEJI so it will continue to remain in his point of view. Long chapter is long. Sorry?
Rated M for sexy scenes between (male) characters, swearing, and blood and guts.
I don't own the characters but I am taking liberties with them and their universe.
Two years of wearing his all black attire had pretty much made the village and most people Konoha dealt with regularly immune to his way of dress. Neji missed the days he could stun people by walking outside but he didn't mind being ignored. He had not gotten any more tattoos but had started a sort of craze among his friends.
Sakura, Ino, Hinata-sama, and Tenten had gotten matching flower blossoms on their hips. Hiashi-sama had noticed Hinata-sama's tattoo but said nothing, simply smirking. Naruto had gotten "Fox" across his right bicep. Kiba didn't bother with the craze but Shikamaru had gotten a beautiful cloudy day scene on his upper back. Choji got the number ten on his right hand ring finger prompting Shikamaru and Ino to do the same. As far as they knew Shino and Lee hadn't gotten any ink either and Sai made his own tattoos, semi-permanent to suit his mood.
Neji had not bothered with more ink but loved both his tattoos. He had gotten a navel ring which had done well to stun the villagers, the Hyuuga, and his friends for a week. Neji left his thoughts when he sensed chakra landing behind him: ANBU messenger. Neji opened his eyes and inclined his head to the man.
"The Hokage is requesting your presence,"
Neji nodded and stood as the woman disappeared. He did not waste time in running across the village and instead preformed the jutsu to blast him across the village to the Hokage tower. He knocked on the door and entered when asked. Neji blinked when he found he was standing in a room with nineteen other jonin.
"Thank you all for coming," Tsunade-sama said.
Every acknowledged her words. Tsunade leaned forward on her desk, folding her hands over each other in the air and regarding them with her "you will not argue" gaze. Neji wondered what kind of mission would require twenty jonin, especially some who had just become jonin last month. He did not recognize any of his good friends.
"This year our academy will be passing all sixty genin who've come of age which is rare for us. We need twenty jonin to make twenty teams and you've been selected to become those jonin in charge," Tsunade-sama went on.
Neji blinked. He did not remember signing up to take on a jonin team but knew he could not argue. Besides, he had put four years into being a jonin so it was about time he has a break from high ranking dangerous missions to train the next generation.
"Here are your team numbers," Tsunade-sama said. "We'll be doing something a bit different and the twenty of you will meet your team right in the academy classroom. Iruka will be dividing the teams in an hour. Head out."
No one argued. Neji felt an urge to hang back but decided to Hell with it. Training a genin team at nineteen was an enourmous accomplishment. Plus it would give him a chance to have a break in going on missions until he decided his team was ready. With Shikamaru sticking to the village it consequently meant more time to attempt to make Shikamaru his lover.
Kiba had been out of their intimate relations for six months now, courting a woman, and Neji could not be happier. He had realized he had more feelings for Shikamaru beyond friend-with-benefits ten months ago but did not know how to bring it up.
Neji followed the others to the academy and into it. They strode into the proper classroom and Neji noticed he had selected what would be team ten. He found it ironic as Shikamaru's team had been ten.
Neji stood in front of the black board in line with the others and stared up at the genin in front of him. Hanabi-sama was in the crowd and she gave him a little smile. Neji smirked vaguely. He spotted an Inuzuka sitting alongside an Aburame. A Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi sat beside each other. Hanabi-sama would be teamed with the female Inuzuka and the male Aburame. The Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi would make another team. No other predominant blood-line limits were apparent.
Neji watched as the teams were assigned. Hanabi-sama kept her expression neutral when she was assigned with the Inuzuka and Aburame. She frowned when she was not assigned Neji as a jonin. Neji had known it was coming when Hanabi-sama had been told she was on team eight. Team Nine was the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi. Neji stood a bit straighter as his team was called out.
"Takenaka Kuma: Team Ten," Iruka said.
Kuma was a short girl, hardly reaching five feet and slender. Her hair was fiery red and her eyes were violet against tanned skin. She wore orange short shorts over black fishnet leggings. Her shirt was bright yellow with no sleeves but form-clinging and she wore a vest like Neji's in orange. Her hitai-ate was in red and wrapped around her right arm. Neji hoped she was as bright as her outfit.
"Rinji Akino: Team Ten."
Akino let out a long breath and Neji wanted to chuckle. The boy sat at the far back of the class in the corner. He did stand to walk towards a stunned Kuma. Akino stood at five feet, five inches, tall for twelve, and Neji could tell the boy would be a large man. Akino's hair was pitch black and messy and his eyes were dark brown. He walked with a slouch and wore a dark blue tee-shirt with black fishnet arm sleeves. His shorts were black and he wore bandages wrapped around his right leg. He sat beside Kuma with a sigh.
"Junji Tora: Team Ten."
At this Kuma glared daggers at Tora who returned the look. Tora was average in height, brown haired with blue eyes, pale skin, and wore delicate black framed glasses. She wore white leggings that went to her knees under a deep purple skirt. Her shirt was form-fitting and white and arm sleeves in deep purple covered her from wrist to elbow. She sat beside Akino with a scowl.
"Your jonin-in-charge will be Hyuuga Neji."
The room went silent and Neji kept back his chuckle when his three students gaped at him unabashed. Neji stepped away from the blackboard and stood behind his students. They looked up at him in awe. The assigned teams and jonin-in-charge continued and Neji waited. Eventually his genin (that was going to take some time getting used to) looked to each other or the front of the room. Finally, when all the teams were assigned, Iruka told the senseis they could leave with their teams.
His three students (oh Hell what had he gotten himself into?) looked up at him expectantly. Many teams left by the door, some jumped out windows but walked away. Neji hadn't ever been a typical shinobi and smirked at his team.
"Do you know where the training fields are?" Neji asked them.
His question made a few people look over. His students (Holy Shit) nodded. Neji controlled the pattering of his heart and put a light grin on his face.
"Meet me at field twenty-seven," Neji told them.
This said, he leaped out a window, took to a roof top, and started running. Neji activated his Byakugan and chuckled when he spotted his students jumping out the same window and taking to the same roof. Kuma stumbled a bit but got her bearings.
It didn't take long for Neji to discover Kuma had been in the lower ranking of the class, Tora at the top and Akino somewhere in between. As expected, he made it to the training field well before his students and watched them enter, eyes wide, and breath coming out a bit quicker than normal. Kuma was actually winded and Neji made a mental note to work on her stamina.
"Good job," Neji said. "Now, we'll get to know each other."
The three nodded: Kuma and Tora eagerly but Akino with a little sigh.
"First you'll tell me something you like, something you dislike, why you became a shinobi, and what you hope to accomplish."
Tora looked like she wanted to take notes. Akino had an annoyed look on his face. Kuma bit her lower lip. Neji kept back his chuckle.
"I'll start: I like herring soba and meditation, I dislike pumpkins or people who do not try, I became a shinobi to upstage the main house of my family, and my goal now is to protect the Will of Fire and our village. Tora," Neji said.
Tora nodded a few times, practically bouncing with how excited she was.
"I like dango and reading, I dislike certain red-heads, (Kuma snarled at this), I became a shinobi because I want to protect the village and my goal is to be a great kunoichi," Tora said.
Neji smiled at her and looked to Akino. He would have to watch the two girls to see why they disliked each other so much. Tora had good motivation in becoming a shinobi. She would do well. Neji looked to Akino who got the message and let out a sigh.
"I like sleeping (no surprise there), I dislike early mornings (Tora snorted), I became a shinobi because I wanted the steady work and didn't want to be a merchant like my dad, and my goal is to be a good shinobi," Akino said.
Neji wanted to rub his forehead and walk away. He all ready wanted to sign up to dealing with one lazy genius his entire life he didn't need a second. Regardless he kept his expression calm and hardly nodded to Kuma before she started talking:
"I like chocolate, cake, um, spicy food, and bright colors, I dislike Tora (Neji coughed to hide a laugh when Tora glared at Kuma), I became a shinobi to protect the village, and my goal is to kick Tora's ass," Kuma said.
Neji raised an eyebrow when Kuma beamed at him. She reminded him of Naruto. Or Lee. Oh Hell. Tora and Kuma began arguing about something or other and Neji easily grabbed them both by the collar and drew them apart.
"The only time you two will fight is when I tell you," Neji said.
"Yes Neji-sensei," Tora muttered.
"Okay, Neji-sensei," Kuma mumbled.
Oh fuck. He was Neji-sensei now. Neji cleared his throat and blinked away the spots in his vision. He hadn't even had a chance to mentally prepare for the fact he was going to be Neji-sensei to three genin. Neji took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
He would take this challenge like any other: head on. Neji nodded inwardly and regarded his students. Kakashi-sama had preformed the bell test with his students. Guy-sensei had made them all fight him. Kurenai-sama had gotten her students to break out of a genjutsu. Asuma-sama had played shoji.
Neji had not prepared any bells or a shoji board and his genjutsu wasn't anything special, in fact it was his lowest rank mark besides his strength. Neji smiled at his students and took two wide steps back. He held up his hand for them not to follow and they blinked.
"There is one final test the three of you must take," Neji said.
His words elicited a groan from Akino. Tora sagged in indignation and pouted. Kuma grinned and was practically vibrating with excitement, fists clenched in front of her collar-bones in an exceptionally Lee-like fashion. Yeah, she was going nowhere near Lee or Guy-sensei if he could help it.
"What's the test?" Kuma asked after barely a second pause.
Neji activated his Byakugan and offered them a smirk. He winked.
"Catch me. You have four hours. Fail and its back to the Academy with you," Neji said.
He took off across the field and leaped into the trees. His three genin gave chase after a hilarious shout of wonder. Tora had almost fainted. Akino bowed his head so deep he had almost split in half. Kuma had shouted, jumped into the air (complete with fist-pump) and started running after him in a Naruto-like fashion.
Neji slowed down so they could at least catch up to him. He sped up when they got back in his vision perimeter and grinned when Tora began shouting at her teammates:
"WAIT! We need a plan! You can't sneak up on a Hyuuga!"
Neji had to stop so he could laugh when Kuma turned to look at Tora. As well coordinated as the spin in mid-air was, Kuma was not blessed with Byakugan nor had she predicted her trajectory. Before she could fully retort, she slammed back first into a tree and slid down the trunk to the ground.
Tora smacked her forehead and muttered something about being stuck with the "dead-last" while Akino stood on his branch, hands in his pockets, shoulders sagged, and stared. Neji covered his mouth to keep his laughter low and watched as the two approached their dizzy teammate.
"Idiot!" Tora said.
She didn't hit Kuma like Sakura or Tenten would have but crossed her arms over her chest and glared in a sort of Neji-fashion. Akino shook his head and mumbled something along the lines of "annoying." Neji watched.
"We. Need. A. Plan," Tora repeated.
Kuma shook her head to clear it, crossed her arms over her chest and returned the heated stare.
"Why?" Kuma asked.
Tora growled and shook her head, stomping a foot. Neji smirked.
"Our sensei is Hyuuga Neji! He's nineteen, an elite jonin, and has a kekkei genkai called the Byakugan which allows him to see through objects when he wants and for him, eight hundred meters out. We can't just sneak up on him, even if he wasn't a Hyuuga we couldn't sneak up on him. But Neji-sensei especially will see us coming," Tora said.
Kuma blinked. She flushed and rubbed the back of her head before grinning broadly.
"Oh," Kuma said.
Tora whacked her forehead again (good thing for her hitai-ate) and Akino rolled his eyes so deeply Neji swore they were going to pop out of the boy's head. Akino was the other student who wore his hitai-ate on his forehead to keep back the boy's messy dark hair, likely. Tora's hair was straight and down to her waist. Kuma's was all kinds of messy: a longer version of Kiba's and hung to her middle back.
"So, what's the plan?" Kuma questioned.
Tora rubbed the bridge of her nose under her glasses and thought. Akino yawned. Kuma crossed her legs and waited but she still vibrated in impatience.
"He's probably watching us right now," Akino mentioned.
"Really? He's that close?" Kuma asked in wonder.
She looked around as if she could try to see him. Tora stared at Kuma wearily and Akino shook his head.
"Well yeah, he's not stupid," Akino said with another eye-roll.
"Unlike some people," Tora muttered.
Kuma was on her feet, fist raised and shouting in Tora's face an instant later. Akino sighed and mumbled out another "annoying" and Neji smirked. The girls argued for a few moments until Tora pushed Kuma and said she had an idea.
Tora glanced around the area suspiciously and pulled her two-teammates into a huddle position. From this angle, Neji could not see their lips. He had a sense of pride for Tora and blinked at it. Huh. Apparently he had all ready become attached.
The three spilt and Neji blinked. He stood at attention on his tree branch and watched as his three students took off in different directions. Akino was headed towards him but the two girls went in entirely different directions and out of his vision perimeter. Neji hummed in thought and waited for Akino to catch up.
When the boy was five yards away, Neji jumped into a higher tree branch to hide. Akino passed under him and Neji dropped down to follow. Akino was not looking back over his shoulders nor was he looking to either side. Neji smirked and picked up the pace until he was running side by side with Akino but five yards away. Akino almost tripped over his feet when he noticed Neji then yelped when Neji shifted into an attack. The burst of chakra made a nice hole in the tree he hit when Akino barely dodged and the boy gaped.
"What? You did not think I would defend?" Neji asked with an eyebrow raised.
Akino took off and Neji easily caught up again. Akino hardly managed to dodge a second time. Neji spotted Kuma coming back into his perimeter and grinned. He kept striking out at Akino, holding back for the most part and the boy kept dodging. Akino wasn't bad, not wonderful, but he was a genin after all.
"You need to work on your speed," Neji told him.
Akino scowled. He winced when Neji took off a bit of hair on his next strike. Akino back-flipped away and Neji gave a slight nod.
"You do have excellent evasion tactics," Neji said.
Akino's smile was brief but it was there. Kuma was heading upwards and was a mere ten yards away. Neji watched her and kept the pressure on Akino. Kuma might have gotten a half-decent strike in if she hadn't screamed as she came out of the tree above Neji's head with an obvious kick.
Neji grabbed Kuma's ankle and effortlessly tossed her into Akino. The two fell in a tumble of arms and legs but Akino stuck to the tree half-way down. He didn't even attempt to grab Kuma and she fell on her ass for the second time today. Neji frowned.
"You should have caught her," Neji said.
Akino blinked then gulped when Neji came in. Tora had come into his sights now and she carried an unmarked bottle. Neji decided not to test what was in the bottle, whapped Akino in the head without chakra so he joined Kuma (who was rubbing her sore butt) and took off through the trees. He stopped when he could see the three at the edge of his vision.
"What happened?" Tora asked in awe.
"Akino didn't catch me," Kuma shouted.
Akino sighed. Tora blinked. Kuma pouted.
"Neji-sensei threw me into him when I went to kick him and while we fell, Akino caught himself on a tree but let me fall," Kuma explained, hand gestures included.
"It's not my job," Akino grumbled.
"Uh, yeah, it is! We're a team now," Kuma said with a yell.
Akino wiggled his index finger in his right ear with a wince. Tora whapped him upside the back of the head and he gaped at her.
"For once: I agree with Kuma," Tora said.
Kuma let out a whoop of excitement. Tora huffed and adjusted her glasses.
"We're a team whether we like our teammates or not and the only way we're going to come close to catching Neji-sensei is if we work together. Now, let's try again," Tora said.
Akino sighed but nodded.
"Fine, but you talk too much and you're too loud," Akino said, pointing first at Tora then at Kuma.
Both girls whacked him in the shoulders and he muttered another "annoying." Neji smirked. This was going to be damned interesting.
Three hours had passed and Neji's genin team had not come close to catching him. He had noticed Kuma and Akino tried to distract him while Tora stood on the side-lines biting her lip and holding the jar close. She wanted to use it but never found an opening.
Neji tossed Akino over a shoulder and notice Kuma snatch the bottle out of Tora's hands to Tora's rage and dismay. Tora came in to take it back and Neji moved in to attack both of them. Normally he didn't announce his techniques but he had to give his students some kind of advantage.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-four Palms," Neji said.
He saw Akino gape in wonder. Tora paled. Kuma blinked in confusion then gasped when she spotted Neji's charka laced hands.
"Two strikes," Neji said.
He hit both girls in the left shoulder, not particularly hard but he did cut off the charka in the shoulder and part way down their chest. Tora winced. Kuma opened the jar.
"Four Strikes," Neji said.
Two hits on each: the upper left chest and the lower right abdomen. Both winced but Tora wrapped a hand around Kuma's hand that held the jar.
"Eight strikes,"
Four hits on each: lower left chest twice, upper right chest twice. Tora and Kuma let out a shout and tossed whatever the Hell was in the jar towards him. Neji closed his eyes but they (oddly) hadn't been aiming for his eyes. He realized why a second later.
Spicy curry powder went up his nose and he sucked some of it into his mouth taking his next breath to announced sixteen strikes. The effect was immediate. Flames filled his mouth, sinuses, and made his eyes water. His Byakugan de-activated and Neji began coughing harshly trying to hack up the offending powder. He lost his balance on the tree branch and began to fall. He did manage to roll and get to his knees but holy Hell he couldn't take a breath without feeling the fire.
Neji slammed his eyes shut and kept coughing. Oh my god this was almost as bad as eating the Curry of Life Lee loved! Neji wiped at his mouth and spat to get the powder out of his system. He barely heard his students land softly beside him but he certainly felt their hands on his shoulders. Neji blinked, forced back the pain, and looked up at his grinning students.
"Caught you," Tora said.
He coughed in response and she handed him a bottle of water. Neji took it and guzzled it, the fire leaving his throat. It took a few nose blows for it to get out of his nostrils and those hurt. His three students grinned at him as he got a hold of himself. He smirked.
"Good job," Neji said. "You figured out my weakness and used it against me."
Tora beamed.
"I read in one of your data files that you have a low tolerance to spicy food, so," Tora ended with a shrug.
Neji blinked. He kept his laugh but did pat her on the shoulder. Tora's smile could light a damned village for a year and he had to look away. Akino had gone back to his neutral expression while Kuma smiled happily.
"Smart," Neji said. "The best way to defeat your enemy is to know them."
The three kept grinning.
"Now, some pointers,"
The grins faded but they looked up at him with wide eyes.
"Akino, you need to increase your speed. Your evasion is great but without the proper speed behind any of it you will get hit. So you know: I was holding back on my own speed."
Akino sagged. Kuma gulped and Tora looked stunned.
"Akino, you also have to learn to strike out and pay more attention to your surroundings. I can sense you are exceptionally strong for your age, your footwork is amazing, your evasion is well above any other genin I've seen, and you have a lot of stamina."
Akino flushed but nodded.
"Tora, you can't stand on the side-lines even if your main part in a plan is to give some kind of finishing blow. You have to fight. If this had been a mission I could have easily disabled you while you stood there watching your teammates."
Tora bowed her head and clenched her fists.
"But, your plan and the way you took over was brilliant, top notch."
Tora smiled and looked relieved.
"Kuma,"
The girl stood at attention with fists to her collarbones again and vibrating. Neji kept his smirk back.
"Don't shout when you attack,"
She blushed, nodded, and kept waiting.
"Your footwork needs a lot of work and your taijustu is all over the place,"
She sagged and the smile went down a notch. Neji felt bad but she was his student. He had to tell it like it was then work on the weaknesses to help her become a great shinobi.
"You let your emotions get the better of you but it ended up working out in the end. Your impatience with Tora not acting helped,"
The smile was back and Kuma stuck her tongue out at Tora.
"You have a lot of heart and huge amounts of stamina, plus you can take a hit." Neji said.
Kuma beamed. Neji smiled at all of them and chuckled when they groaned at his pronouncement:
"Good job today, all of you. We'll work well together. Tomorrow we'll meet at training field twenty-seven for oh-five-hundred hours."
Shikamaru kept chuckling at him. Neji did not think it was all that funny and swatted Shikamaru on the shoulder. When Shikamaru groused and looked to him, Neji offered a pout. Shikamaru smirked and kissed Neji on the lips chastely.
"Sorry, sorry, but you have to admit it is funny you got bested by three genin and curry powder," Shikamaru said.
"Hey, you go inhale curry powder and tell me how well you do," Neji retorted.
Shikamaru hummed but shook his head. Neji snorted at him and went back to looking at the clouds. They were watching the sunset on Shikamaru's rooftop. He had moved out of his parent's home last year and into a large one-bedroom apartment that had a sunroof in his bedroom. Being a shinobi it was easy for Shikamaru to shimmy out the sunroof and onto the actual roof.
This roof had become his new favorite spot to cloud watched since it was close to his bed, his bathroom, and his kitchen. It was practical, comfortable, up high enough, and had an unimpeded view. Plus the only way up was either jumping rooftops or going through the apartment. Never mind having a sunroof in your bedroom as Konoha's War Leader was likely a bad idea but Shikamaru didn't mind.
"Tora read my file," Neji said.
"Mm, Junji Tora, right?" Shikamaru asked.
Neji inclined his head.
"Yeah, she read the files of all the jonin in the village when Iruka-sama announced they would be splitting into teams today."
Neji raised his eyebrows in surprise and Shikamaru shrugged at him, exhaling smoke towards the sky to join with the clouds above their heads. Neji had not known Tora had read all the jonin files. And in a week. That was damned impressive.
"That's thirty-four files in case you're wondering," Shikamaru went on. "Plus the fact she was able to remember one single tidbit of information about you."
Neji frowned but nodded. Damned impressive didn't cover it. Tora had read all the files and likely memorized what she thought was pertinent information. Then she had recalled something so minuscule out of his file that helped undo him in the end.
"That's like something I would do," Shikamaru said. "If it wasn't troublesome and would end up being worth my time."
Neji smirked. He glanced to the right where Shikamaru laid out beside him and wanted to shift his hand to encase Shikamaru's hand in his. He did not know how the genius would react so kept his hand in place for now. He lost the opportunity when Shikamaru raised both arms to pillow his head. Neji kept his pout back.
"Takenaka Kuma was dead last," Shikamaru said. "Low scores across the board, barely passed, and has a temper but a ton of energy. She's kind of a combination of Lee and Naruto."
Neji chuckled in agreement. Kuma would be a firecracker. He didn't mind in the slightest. Seven years of training with Lee and Guy-sensei had made him immune to any kind of over-exuberant personality.
"Rinji Akino was dead middle, decent in everything. And you know Tora was the top of this year's graduating class. She had higher marks than Hanabi and that's impressive."
Neji let out a little breath but nodded.
"Akino's like you: he likes sleeping, hates early mornings, sighs a lot, slouches, and instead of troublesome, uses the word annoying almost constantly," Neji said.
"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered.
Neji snickered. Shikamaru shook his head and exhaled more smoke. Neji discreetly shifted a bit closer to the War Leader but Shikamaru said nothing. Neji bit the inside of his lower lip and kept his heart-rate steady. Damn it, facing down an S-Rank Shinobi was easier than telling Shikamaru Neji liked him.
"I told them to meet me at training field twenty-seven for 5AM," Neji said.
"Cruel, cruel man," Shikamaru said.
Neji laughed softly. Shikamaru grinned.
"We have a lot to do. I want to spare with all of them to see exactly where their taijustu is and what they need to improve on there, I want to see them make a clone, transform, and replace themselves with something, I want to check their aim with various weapons, and I want to start working on their overall physical strength and speed."
"Drill sergeant."
"Hey, I'm training the next generation here."
"There won't be a war tomorrow."
Shikamaru blew more smoke into the air with a smirk on his face. Neji chuckled but shrugged.
"I know but I'd like to see where they all stand. Numbers on a piece of paper tell me nothing. Plus I will have to lay down some ground rules, get to know their family situations so I know what to expect of them," Neji said.
Shikamaru nodded in agreement. The sun had gone mostly down and Neji kept his blush back at the unintentional romantic moment he was having with Shikamaru. He did shift a bit closer to Shikamaru but again the genius did not remark.
"Do me a favor though," Neji said.
"Hm?"
"If I start rambling on about the Power of Youth then hit me, okay?"
Shikamaru began laughing so hard he almost lost his cigarette. He did nod in agreement and Neji grinned. They watched the sun go completely down together and Neji stood once it finished. They dropped back into Shikamaru's room (atop the bed no less) but Shikamaru did not offer him a hand in any way to help. Neji put the disappointment down and said his good night. Shikamaru returned the sentiment before shutting Neji out of the apartment. Neji sighed and teleported back to the Hyuuga compound. Damn oblivious Nara.
For Neji, waking up at 3:45AM, bathing, dressing, and eating was commonplace. In fact, he felt a bit late as Guy-sensei normally had them meeting at 4AM for training. Neji wanted to have some mercy on his students. Besides, the extra early start meant they could finish well before dinner and still have an evening to themselves. Neji left the compound at 4:25AM and made it to the proper training field ten minutes later.
He did not enter field twenty-seven right away but hung out in the trees, 789 meters from the three wooden training posts in the middle of the field. Kuma was all ready in the field, beating at the middle post with her fists, alternating between left and right.
Her stance was weak and her punches too wide but she struck with force and speed. Neji smiled as she kept striking, counting out as she went. She was up to 305. Neji could tell she had been here a while as there were all ready sweat stains on her back and under her arms. Some red hair stuck against her damp forehead but she kept going.
Ten minutes before five, Tora showed up. She frowned at Kuma, crossing her arms over her chest and putting all the weight onto her right foot. As the day prior, Tora had her waist length hair free but perfectly flat. Tora said nothing to Kuma who had moved onto kicks.
Two minutes before five, Akino sauntered into the clearing. His eyes were still half-closed and he was slouching more than normal. Neji chuckled to himself as Akino stared at Kuma in wonder.
"How can you be moving so early?" Akino asked.
"It's my shinobi way!" Kuma replied.
This came complete with a fist pump. She went back to kicks. Neji tried not to laugh at Akino's weary expression.
"Annoying," Akino muttered.
Neji smirked. Kuma got up to five hundred kicks then sunk into a push-up position. Tora looked up at the sun and frowned. Her right foot began tapping. Akino yawned massively and sat in front of one of the wooden posts, leaning back on it and closing his eyes. Kuma kept doing her push-ups as Tora's foot tapped faster.
"He's late," Tora said.
"It's only been five minutes," Akino mumbled.
Tora huffed and stomped a foot.
"Hatake Kakashi is always late. Hyuuga Neji, our sensei, is early or exactly on time," Tora said.
Akino sighed but didn't open his eyes. Kuma studiously continued her exercises. His initial assumption about her stamina had been wrong. The girl could go forever.
"Maybe we all dreamed him saying five and he meant six," Akino said.
Tora shook her head, sending her hair flying around her shoulders, and stomped a foot again. She pouted and her eyebrows narrowed.
"I didn't get the time wrong," Tora said.
"Annoying," Akino groused.
Neji snorted. Tora huffed and turned her back to Akino and Kuma. Kuma had switched to squats. Neji let five more minutes pass. Tora had begun pacing in front of the three training posts, arms crossed over her chest and a scowl on her face. Akino was completely relaxed against one post. Kuma was still doing squats.
Neji decided to have mercy on his team when 5:30 came and Tora looked like she was going to explode. Kuma had decided to do lunges across the field and back again. Akino napped. Tora had almost made a rut in the ground as she had started stomping in her paces at twenty minutes after five.
Neji easily teleported to the middle pole and stood atop it with a little smirk. Tora yelped, her eyes went wide and she pointed at him. Kuma blinked and waved with a smile. Akino shifted barely enough to look up at him.
"You're late," Tora said in a shout.
"Deliberately," Neji told her.
She deadpanned and almost fainted. Neji stepped down from the middle pole as Tora got a hold of herself. Kuma was giggling. Akino slowly got to his feet but had a little smile on his face.
"I wanted to see how you would react," Neji said.
Tora was mimicking a fish now. Neji wanted to laugh but kept it back. The poor girl didn't need to be embarrassed. Finally Tora got a hold of herself and stomped. She pouted and glared at Neji. Neji returned the heated stare and she shuddered before looking to the ground with a pout. Kuma grinned happily and Akino yawned again.
"I want to see exactly where your skills lie today," Neji said.
Tora straightened at his words, her annoyance at him forgotten. Kuma bit her lip. Akino sighed. Neji held back a smirk and activated his Byakugan. All three gaped.
"First: Cloning Jutsu," Neji said.
All three preformed the proper hand seals. Tora's two clones were perfect and she had used the exact amount of chakra needed. Akino's were good but he had used too much chakra for them. Kuma hadn't used enough so her clones were washed out in comparison to her. She flushed. Neji nodded and they dispelled the jutsu.
"Well done Tora. Akino, you used too much chakra for making two clones while Kuma, you did not use enough. Not bad for either of you though. Next: Transform into me," Neji said.
Again Tora did this perfectly with the right amount of chakra. Looking at the transformed Tora was similar to looking in a mirror. Akino's transformation was good but Akino was a bit short and again, had used too much chakra. Kuma had used the proper amount of chakra but Neji saw his eyes were too big and his general frame too short.
"Tora, again, well done. Akino, I'm a bit taller than that and again: too much chakra. Kuma, perfect amount of chakra but my eyes aren't that big and I'm not that short. Next: Replacement Jutsu," Neji said.
Neji threw three kunai knives and all three hit logs. Neji spotted Tora appear in the trees, Akino appeared behind Neji and Kuma fell on her ass two feet away from her log. Akino blinked at Kuma and Tora came running back to them with a smile on her face. Kuma flushed and got to her feet.
"Again Kuma, not enough chakra, Akino you could have gone further. Tora, good distance," Neji said.
Kuma frowned and looked to the ground. Akino had eaten up a quarter of his chakra, Tora about the same but Kuma had barely used an eighth. Neji had no idea why Kuma didn't use as much charka as she needed as she seemed to have above average chakra reserves.
"All right, next: aim. You three move back ten yards from these posts and I'll put up the targets," Neji said.
They nodded and Kuma started grinning again. Neji stood with his students once he got the targets up. He did notice they had lined up so Akino was between the two girls.
"Tora, you first: kunai, senbon needle, shuriken," Neji said.
Tora swallowed and nodded. Her kunai flew through the air but missed the target by a wide margin, not even hitting the outer white edge. The senbon fared no better and the shuriken ended up in the grass beside the pole ten feet in front of Tora. The girl flushed and began kicking at the ground. She adjusted her glasses, bit her lip, and didn't meet Neji's eyes.
"Your lenses are up to date?" Neji questioned.
Tora's cheeks went a deeper shade of red but she nodded. Neji heard Kuma giggling. Akino muttered his word and rubbed the back of his head. Neji made a mental note to work on Tora's aim.
"Akino, you next," Neji said.
Akino nodded. The kunai hit the target but was off center by three inches. The senbon needle hit dead center as did the shuriken. Akino yawned again and Neji gave him a little smile.
"The kunai was off center by three inches, left. Good job though. Kuma," Neji said.
Not only did all three targets hit dead center, they came with such speed even Neji was impressed. She grinned up at him and Neji smiled.
"Excellent work, Kuma, I am impressed," Neji said.
Kuma beamed. Neji noticed Tora sag. No one could be perfect at everything. Hell, even Tenten had to practice for years before she hit dead center of every target every time. Then again she had started when she was ten.
"Kuma, why don't you give some pointers to Tora while Akino and I spar?" Neji suggested.
Akino shifted to stand closer to Neji when the two girls locked eyes and shared heated looks. Both crossed their arms over their chests, huffed, and looked away. Neji raised an eyebrow at his female students and let out a breath.
"Allow me to reiterate: Kuma you will help Tora practice her aim while Akino and I spar," Neji said.
The girls gulped at the threatening tones in his voice.
"Yes Neji-sensei," they said in unison.
He inwardly balked at the title but nodded to both. He walked towards the wooden posts with Akino but paused after a moment. He looked to the girls who jolted and stood stiffly, staring at him with wide eyes.
"And no fighting between each other while Akino and I spar. I will be able to see it," Neji said.
They nodded vigorously. Neji gave them a final nod before taking Akino beyond the posts by ten yards. He fell into a fighting stance and Akino muttered his trademark word before doing the same.
"Do not be afraid to hit me," Neji told him. "I can take it."
Akino smiled at this then came in for an attack. Neji effortlessly blocked it and the follow-up but Akino did not relent. Neji kept on the defensive for ten minutes while Akino tried to land a hit. The boy might act lazy all the time but once he got moving he was superb.
Akino's general speed lacked and he did not pay attention to his surroundings. He did not take the hits he should have taken at Neji's head or knees. Neji did not know if it was because Akino didn't want to hurt Neji or if he simply did not feel like shifting that high or low. The kicks and punches Neji blocked were strong though, almost as strong as Lee's had been years ago.
"Do not hold back, Akino," Neji said.
Akino nodded. The next punch came and Neji easily blocked it. The force hurt though and Neji smiled at Akino. The boy leaped in for a flying kick and Neji ducked out of the way. He could have struck anywhere on either of Akino's legs but stuck to the defensive. Akino landed and executed a perfect (abet slow) spinning kick.
He followed up with a low fist but Neji shifted out of the way. Akino did not let this get him down and kept launching attacks in wonderfully fluid movements. The boy needed to speed up though and stop missing good chances.
"You could have hit me in the stomach there," Neji remarked.
Akino frowned. Neji blocked another kick. Another punch came and Neji pushed this one aside. Akino missed another opportunity for a solid hit and Neji told him.
"I know," Akino said with a scowl.
"So why do you intentionally miss?" Neji asked.
Akino stopped throwing hits and took two steps back. Neji loosened his stance and raised an eyebrow. Kuma and Tora were arguing but they were not full out fighting yet. Neji surmised Kuma had lost patience with Tora's constant misses (judging by the various throwing weapons around the post) and was now asking what the Hell was going on with her. Neji would let them yell it out for a few more minutes.
Akino kicked at the ground and shoved his hands in his pockets. He did not meet Neji's eyes but Neji kept staring at him, unblinking and Byakugan active. Finally Akino muttered his trademark word and met Neji's gaze.
"I was in this fight at the Academy a few years ago. I didn't start it. I was minding my business by the tire-swing during recess. Anyway, one of my classmates said he wanted to swing and I told him to have fun. I guess I said it wrong so he started punching me. I hit him in the stomach, clear opening, once and he coughed up blood.
"I ruptured some internal organ and his parents wanted me removed from the Academy but Hokage-sama said people like me were needed as shinobi. I just don't want to make anyone bleed again, not in sparring," Akino explained.
Neji realized two important concepts. The first was Akino had been holding back his strength this entire time. The second was it would take the boy some time to break out of the annoying habit of holding back and missing good openings because of his fear of injuring someone.
"Troublesome," Neji muttered.
Akino grinned. Neji shook his head to cover his embarrassment. Damn Nara.
"So you have been holding back this entire time?" Neji asked.
Akino nodded, rubbing the back of his head. Neji let out a breath. Surely the boy's punches could not be too horrible. The other child had been young, below genin level so was not prepared to fend off a good punch. Neji took a breath.
"All right, show me what you really have," Neji said. "Hit me as hard as you can in the stomach."
Akino's jaw dropped and his eyes went wide. He shook his head and looked to the ground. Neji sighed.
"Akino, I am a trained Hyuuga jonin who worked with both Rock Lee and Might Guy. Hit me," Neji said.
Akino bit his lip but nodded. Neji tensed his abdominals and pushed all the chakra he could into his core. Akino launched forward, gritting his teeth, and lashed out with a punch. It connected perfectly, two inches above Neji's navel ring and Neji felt the air rush out of him with force. He actually skidded back half a foot and damn would there be a bruise tomorrow. Neji tasted blood at the back of his throat but swallowed it down. Nothing had ruptured but his organs had definitely been shaken up.
"Are you okay?" Akino questioned in worry.
Neji noted he had doubled over part way and stood to his full height, holding back the wince when his core shifted. He did not let his hands go near his stomach but did lick his lips. Damn the boy had power behind his punches.
"I'll be fine," Neji got out.
Akino let out the breath he had been holding and allowed a small smile to come on his face. Neji felt the throbbing of his whacked core but could not show a lot of pain or Akino would never hit him again. Besides, Lee punched harder and if Neji could take a punch from Lee and keep going then he could take one from Akino.
"We will be working on increasing your speed," Neji said.
Akino nodded. Neji smiled at him and the boy returned the grin. They turned to Kuma and Tora who had gone back to training. Neji glanced up at the sky to see it was almost eleven in the morning. He would have a bit of mercy on his students.
"Let's take a break," Neji said.
Akino nodded and followed Neji back to the training posts where Tora and Kuma stood. They two girls came over when Neji waved at them and he deactivated his Byakugan when they got close enough. Neji took up a position on the grass, cross-legged and forearms resting comfortably on his knees.
"We are taking a break," Neji said.
Kuma was on her feet and running towards her discarded bag. Neji smirked at the girl's enthusiasm. Akino merely took off the small bag he wore on his back to reveal a bento box and a canteen of water. Tora had her bag on her waist and brought out a purple bento box along with a purple canteen. Kuma came back with a sack, a bright yellow bento box and a tan canteen. Neji took out his own lunch and they all gave thanks before digging in.
Akino's bento looked like it had taken some time. The rice had been shaped into a cat face and the fruit all looked like stars. Akino said nothing about his fancy bento box. Tora's was full of maki rolls in all different flavors. Kuma's was white rice on a bed of lettuce with string beans and mushrooms overtop.
"I did not think you would make something so complicated, Akino," Neji remarked.
Akino frowned and shook his head.
"My mom made it last night. She likes to be fancy," Akino said.
"And your father?" Neji questioned.
Akino shrugged.
"Dad's not home for long stretches of time. He works in trade with other villages for leathers and weapons," Akino said.
Akino was basically raised with a single mother who obviously worried about him and had a lot of time on her hands. Akino's gear, the bento box itself, and his canteen were all in exceptionally good condition, well made and top of the line so the family did well. He was as close to the Hyuuga clan for a civilian as possible but did not have the attitude that came with being well-off.
"But you do see him?" Neji asked.
Akino nodded and had a smile on his face. Despite the father being away, Akino had a good relationship with the man. Akino came from a loving home with two parents. Neji offered the boy a little grin and Akino went back to his bento.
"No dango?" Neji asked Tora.
Tora flushed and shook her head.
"Mom and I make maki rolls at night so we have a bunch for lunches the next day. Last night we made spicy salmon, mango, shrimp, pickle and mushroom, sweet potato, banana, avocado, and asparagus. Would you like to try one Neji-sensei?" Tora asked.
Neji blinked but nodded. Tora grinned happily with a little flush coming to her cheeks and offered the box. Tora pointed out the mango rolls and Neji took one.
"Thank you," Neji said.
The mango roll was delicious and Neji was complimented Tora on her cooking. Tora flushed deeper. Neji saw Kuma roll her eyes but the red-head kept her mouth shut. Akino snorted at Tora's joy at Neji's compliment.
"My younger brothers love the mango rolls. My older sister likes the banana though. Dad loves the spicy salmon," Tora said.
She came from a large family but was well cared for. Her clothing and accessories were not the best but they were not hand-me-downs or in need of repair. Neji had never heard of another shinobi with the family name of Junji though.
"How many siblings do you have?" Neji questioned.
Tora's lips pursed and she looked up to the sky. Neji smiled softly.
"One older sister, Madoka, and three younger brothers, the twins Koji and Kata who are eight, and Yozo who's five. I ended up being the only one who passed the entrance exam. Mom's a seamstress, so is Madoka, and dad's a fisherman," Tora said.
Neji remembered seeing a Junji's Dress-shop in the Village when he had went with Hanabi-sama and Hinata-sama to go help them with some shopping. Both had loved the place and told him Ino frequented it a lot. He had not heard of a fisherman with the family name of Junji though.
"My female friends have gone to your mother's shop many times," Neji said.
Tora flushed and nodded, talking about how she talked with Ino a lot when the Yamanaka girl went for new clothes. She knew Sakura-san as well as Hinata-sama and Hanabi-sama. Tora's family were not as well-off as Akino's but there were many more children in the Junji family. She was also well-loved.
Neji noticed Kuma had begun picking at her meal when before she had been eating with enthusiasm. Akino listened with half an ear as Tora finished her tirade of the dress-shop and how amazing Madoka's dress designs were.
"I'm not good at dresses or sewing though," Tora admitted with a flush.
"That is fine, no one can be perfect at everything," Neji said.
Tora nodded and went back to her maki rolls happily. Neji looked to Kuma who didn't meet his eyes. He bright clothing fit her, yes, but it was not the best quality and there were some stains on her yellow shirt. Her orange shorts were frayed at the hems but he did not think it was because of some fashion statement.
"Do you have any siblings, Kuma?" Neji questioned.
"A younger sister, Sako, she's seven," Kuma replied.
Neji nodded. He had mostly finished his lunch and it was getting close to noon. They had rested enough but he wanted to give Kuma the same attention he had given the others.
"Is she taking the academy entrance test?" Neji asked.
Kuma shook her head. A frown came to her face and she continued to poke at her half-eaten food.
"She has to stay home to help mom," Kuma said.
Neji did not like this statement. No seven year old child should be forced to stay at home to help a parent.
"What about your father?" Neji enquired.
Kuma shook her head and Neji frowned. Either her father was dead or had left the family. He would have to speak with Kuma later. No need to grill the girl in front of her teammates.
"Hn, well, let's finish up. Tora, you and I will be sparring next. Akino, do you know what a wall drive is?" Neji questioned.
Akino nodded.
"Good, do thirty of them using one of the posts. I will be watching your form. You know the proper way to do a sled drag?"
Another nod this time with a frown. Neji could tell Akino was thinking about how annoying this would be.
"Good, three sets of fifteen yards, rest five minutes between each."
Akino slumped but nodded.
"Three sets of eight reps for a glute/ham raise, three sets of ten for a hamstring bridge. Three sets of standing triple jumps. When all that's done I want you to do some laps around the area. Kuma, you may follow along with him," Neji instructed.
Akino gaped and Neji raised an eyebrow. Neji made sure Akino knew how to do everything properly before walking off with Tora. Neji smirked inwardly when he spotted Kuma following along with Akino. He and Tora fell into a fighting stance and she struck out.
Her stance was good, the strike not so bad, but it was simple to repel the hit. She was quicker than Akino but her speed did not make up for her lack of strength. Her form was too stiff and she was working hard to impress him.
"Tora, stop trying to impress me and relax," Neji said.
She blinked, flushed then nodded. Her next kick was better but she did not have a good flow. Neji kept sparing with her and wished Akino had Tora's speed and Tora had Akino's fluid movements. That could be arranged and it was likely Kuma would need direct training from Neji while Tora and Akino would work with each other.
He stopped the session after Akino had taken a lap. He called Kuma and Akino over and they came running. Kuma beat Akino but Neji did not comment.
"Akino, I want you to spar with Tora. Tora, your forms are excellent and you have great speed but your movements are too stiff and not fluid. Akino on the other hand has excellent footwork and fluidity but is slow. You each have something the other lacks and will work well together to improve," Neji said.
The two nodded then looked to Kuma. She was frowning and staring at the ground with clenched fists.
"Kuma, that means you will be working with me directly when it comes to taijustu," Neji said.
Kuma gaped and her eyes went wide. The grin on her face had the same wattage as the sun and Neji almost fell when she jumped into him for a hug. Neji had a feeling the girl had never been given the proper attention she deserved in the academy or at home.
"Thank you Neji-sensei!"
Neji smiled and nodded to her. Tora and Akino smirked and went off to spar. Neji fell into a stance and Kuma attacked. Her footwork was sloppy, her attacks a mess of confusion, but she was quick, flexible, and agile. She was the speediest of the three and dodged in the most interesting ways. She also had exceptionally good balance and Neji was impressed.
Where Kuma lacked in any formal taijustu art she made up in interesting combinations of kicks, punches, flying of both, and dodging. It was like a dance in a way but without the footwork Neji could easily telegraph each movement or kick out a supporting ankle. She was definitely a combination of Lee's speed and Naruto's unpredictable attacks.
Neji called for a stop after two hours. Gods the girl could maintain her frenzy for unbelievable amounts of time. He spotted Tora gasping for breath in front of Akino but the boy did not have to be told to allow her a break. They were fifty yards away but Neji did not walk over to them or call them over. He did deactivate his Byakugan.
"You are easily the quickest of the three," Neji told Kuma.
She beamed. Neji laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and her eyes went wide. She stared up at him with intense concentration, a bit of shock, and a smile.
"We will be working on your footwork and fluidity. We'll also make sense out of some of those amazingly unconventional moves you do, make them into an actual style. I do not know what or where you learned some of those kicks but they were wonderful. You are also exceptionally flexible and have amazing balance. It will take a lot of work to get your taijustu up to a level I want but I know you can pull it off," Neji said.
She squealed and hugged him again. Neji snorted but patted her back twice. She pulled away and Neji smiled. She flushed. They strode towards Tora and Akino. Tora was sitting on the ground, panting hard and Neji frowned. They made it to the other two within moments.
"Tora, are you all right?" Neji questioned.
She nodded. Akino had a frown on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. His shoulders were tense and he looked ready to bolt.
"I think I hit her too hard," Akino said.
Tora shook her head in the negative. Neji activated his Byakugan but did not see any internal damage. Tora would have some light bruising come morning but nothing dramatic.
"Don't worry, Akino," Kuma chimed in. "Baby Tora can't take a hit, that's all."
Tora snarled and got to her feet. She swayed where she stood but stalked up to Kuma with anger written all over her face. Neji casually held the two girls apart but he could feel the animosity in their stares.
"Kuma it is not kind to poke fun at your teammates," Neji said.
Kuma looked abashed but her jaw tightened and her eyebrows narrowed.
"But it's true! If you poke her too hard she gets hurt!"
Neji saw Tora blushing. The girl was also trembling under his hand but not out of anger. She was embarrassed to the point of wanting to cry. Neji let out a breath.
"Then we will be working on stamina and taking a hit as well," Neji said.
Tora nodded. He released the two girls but they did not attack. The three lined up in front of him waiting for further instruction and Neji deactivated his Byakugan again. He noticed it was close to the time most people ate dinner, about 4:30PM. Neji crossed his arms lightly over his chest and gave the three a smile.
Tora bit her lip but her eyes were wide. She wanted to take notes. Kuma was vibrating again, virtually bouncing where she stood. Akino looked bored. Neji kept back his laugh.
"Same time tomorrow except this time I will not play late," Neji said.
Akino sighed but Tora nodded. Kuma beamed.
"First: good job, all of you. It has been an excellent first day of full training and now we all know each other's strengths and areas of improvement."
Akino blinked then tilted his head. Neji waited for the question and almost laughed when Kuma gave Akino a swat on the arm to get him moving.
"You don't have a weakness," Akino told him.
Neji smirked.
"Curry powder," Neji said.
Akino rolled his eyes as the girls giggled.
"That doesn't count," Akino protested.
Neji nodded in agreement.
"My genjutsu skills rank at two and my strength is much lower than most people would expect: two and a half. Of course my taijustu, ninjutsu, and speed are fives. Stamina and intelligence are four and a half, hand seals four. Overall that is thirty-two and a half. I have room for improvement with strength and genjutsu but no shinobi can rank fives right across the board," Neji said.
The three nodded at him in wonder. Neji waited to see if there were any more questions and saw Tora nibbling her lip. She raised her hand and Neji held back a chuckle as he inclined his head to her. He did see Kuma roll her eyes.
"But the Sharingan came from the Byakugan, right? So shouldn't you be able to do genjutsu naturally?" Tora questioned.
Neji wondered how much the girl read in her free time. Kuma looked stunned at the news while Akino maintained his blasé expression.
"It is true the Sharingan hails from the Byakugan but it does not make me an automatic genjutsu user. The split happened many generations ago so the difference between what I can do and what Uchiha Sasuke with our eyes is immense," Neji said.
Tora nodded. Neji had a feeling she would be reading (or re-reading) any book she had on ocular kekkei genkai. No one else spoke and Neji went on with what he wanted to say:
"We will start off with laps tomorrow and some group work-outs. At about 10AM you three will break off: Tora to target practice, Akino to your speed drills, and Kuma on chakra control. We will then break for lunch and use the afternoon to spar: Akino and Tora, me and Kuma."
Akino's shoulders sagged and Neji heard "annoying" come from his lips. Tora swatted him. Kuma was too busy vibrating in joy.
"Make sure you are in bed by at least nine tonight so you can get seven hours, assuming you have to be up at three. Bring some extra snacks as well so you are not as tired come this time as we will have a break after the group work outs. Tora, Akino: dismissed. Kuma, I want to speak with you privately for a moment."
Tora smirked, thinking Kuma was in some kind of trouble. Kuma gulped, looked towards the ground and began fiddling with the hem of her shirt. Akino shrugged and strode off with his belongings. Tora did not try to watch from afar and Neji was glad for it. Neji placed a hand on Kuma's shoulder and she looked up.
"Why does your sister need to stay at home with your mother?" Neji questioned.
Kuma had not expected the enquiry and her jaw dropped. Her eyes widened but after a moment she shook her head and put a frown on her face. The look in her eyes hardened and Neji clenched his hand.
"I am your sensei," Neji said. "It is in all of our best interests to know each other as well as possible. You three can read about me in a book but I cannot do the same for you. I may be here to judge you but I want to make you the best you can possibly be. To do that, I need to know what you. Understand?"
Kuma's eyes went damp but she nodded. She sniffled a few times and wiped at the tears. Kuma clenched her fists and kept her gaze to the ground as she considered. She took a deep breath and looked up with a grin on her face. Neji had seen better fake smiles on Sai.
"It's nothing, Neji-sensei," Kuma said with feigned cheer.
Neji let out a breath but dropped his hand and nodded. He knew better than to push her. It was their second day of being his students after all.
"Dismissed then," Neji told her.
Kuma thanked him and ran off, waving as she ran at a half turn and wishing him a good evening. Neji watched her leave with a little smile on his face. The smile turned into a frown once she had disappeared. Neji let out a breath and shook his head. It might take time to persuade Kuma to vent her issues but Neji would put the effort in. He smirked.
He all ready thought of the three as his students and wanted to protect them as best he could. Neji strode away from the training field with a smile. Perhaps being a jonin-in-charge would become an excellent change of pace.
Next chapter coming soon. Reviews are welcome. ;)