"Rivalry discovers that courtesy overlooks." Baltasar Gracián

Chapter 3 : First meeting

I woke up from a dreamless night. I had told my councilor several times about my dreams. She pretended it was just remnants of my traumatism. I knew they weren't normal. Yet if I was important enough to get therapy sessions with a Yamanaka psychologist, I wasn't enough to get a mental check up. I don't know how to explain it, but having these dreams helped me focusing on my daily life. They emptied my head, and I filled the rest of my thoughts with work.

I wasn't working hard before. Onii-Chan was never there for me, so there was no point doing more efforts. Today was different. There was only Sasuke-Chan and I and he relied on me. I couldn't let him down. We were the last Uchiha of Konoha. I would honour my clan and restore its previous fame with my own two hands.

April had started, and the sakura trees were blooming. I wish I was still young and innocent, dreaming of a prince kissing me under the flowing petals. I still found them beautiful, but I knew otherwise. I was the last Uchiha daughter. When I will reach an the age where having children will seem more useful to the village than fighting for it, I will probably get married. I had no idea who will be the (un)lucky man. My life will reach a stop then, and I will kindly be asked to stay at home and give birth to many children.

I didn't want of that life.

It's not that I was against the rebirth of my clan. It's not that I was that found of Konoha's political system (I had seen the towers outside the compound, Onii-San had explained their purpose). But I just couldn't stand the idea of being a pawn that was filling in until it could bring other pawns in the game. This was sick.

Yet this was the world we lived in, full of conspiracies and people dying.

My world used to be Onii-Chan and I, and Sasuke-Chan and Itachi-Sama. It was my little world inside the compound. But this little paradise didn't last long. Father fell sick. I was secretly happy because he would spend more time with me. But he died in the end. Brother fought for his ideas more than he fought for me. Even though it was breaking apart, I couldn't keep filling the cracks with dreams and mushy thoughts. I wanted to keep dreaming.

Now I wish I wasn't.

I started running in the streets of Konoha, my head filled with memories of the past. I remembered my first day at the Academy. It had been Hanami as well. I was wearing a cute yukata. Father had tried to put it on, but it just wouldn't work. Mikoto-Sama helped him and I had been so happy. I trusted people more at that time, I smiled to them. I even dared smiling to the stern face of our clan head.

I wondered where that smile disappeared to.

There was a move near me. My hand immediately went to reach a kunai in my pouch I wasn't wearing any, not in the morning in the middle of Konoha. I stopped running and skid into a defense stance. Breathing slowly, I calmly analyzed my surroundings. I didn't think there was a Genjutsu on. Just to be sure I flickered my Sharingan on.

"Ohayo !" a strong voice boomed behind me.

I lost my balance, totally caught by surprised. I used the move to twirl around my left foot and took a look at the man behind me. He was in the middle of the road, hands on the hips, proud as a peacock in his green spandex suit. I felt hot, noticing how well this suit fitted his genitals. Stupid puberty ! The unknown man was beaming at me, thumbs up. There was a wild glint in his teeth. I couldn't see where the light was coming from to make it glint that way. I relaxed my posture : he was a Konoha ninja. Yet I kept my dôjutsu on, just in case.

"How youthful to see a young lady train in the morning !" he shouted with a happy voice and I felt embarrassed. "Allow me to shake your hand !"

"I... I... no !" I answered, totally freaking out.

Who the hell was that man ! I started running and he was still following me. I went faster and he was still there, jogging in his efficient pace. Unconsciously my eyes analyzed the way he extended his muscles, the way his feet touched the ground, the strength he put in his strides. I went even faster.

"That is the spirit young kunoïchi ! Improving and testing the limits of your organism !" he was happily howling after me.

How could I lose that man ? My heart was pumping fast, and I pushed in my muscles even more. Too bad for the Jutsu training, this morning I would try to lose this man. But where could I go ? I didn't care being noticed with him, but he just wouldn't quit. My breath was getting short. I didn't stop moving. My lungs and legs were burning as I left the lone streets for the hiking path that led to the compound. I wondered how he would follow there. I knew the place better than he did.

I finally stopped hearing him. Huffing, I shifted to a fast walk. The roots and bushed had grown. My footsteps made almost no noise on the bare earth. I tried to expand my senses, checking if I was alone. Sharingan weren't made for detection. I could train my eyes in that field, given that it helped me see chakra sources. I would be unable to determine the distance of that chakra, and whether it belonged to a human being or a Jutsu. I crept in the woods in silence. I wish I was more instinctive sometimes. I was analyzing facts too much.

Outside the small woods stood the remnants of my compound. They really had taken everything they could, dismantling the houses to build others in the town. Only rocks were left. At least they had been fair : the money from all the sold items was given to us. I felt anger bubbling in me.

We had paid such a heavy toll. Itachi-Sama was gone after killing all our people. I should have been dead too. Instead I was just scared and full of questions. I was still looking for the missing pieces of the puzzle. I knew Shisui-Nii had asked the Hokage for a special mission inside the village for he had been more available than usual. Then there was this meeting where Itachi-Sama had been missing. My brother died the same night. He left a note saying he committed suicide. Even I couldn't tell if he had written it or not. Our relationship was odd, he valued Itachi-Sama better than he valued me. I wish he had looked at me. Then I wish they didn't, the others of the clan. There too something was wrong.

Even if I knew there was something missing, or something wrong, I didn't know what it was.

I watched the sun rise on the ruins of my clan.

It must have been around 7:30 when I came back towards the village. As usual I went to the cemetery to pay my respect to my fallen clansmen. The man was there too. He always was. The masked man didn't acknowledged my presence as I went to the tombs. He kept standing on the edges of the training field, silently watching the dark stone. These were the ninja killed in action. I wondered who he had lost.

I stopped before the names of Uchiha Kagami, Uchiha Shimizu and Uchiha Shisui. The mirror, the clear water and the still water. I knew mother wanted to name me Mioko, child of the water path. In the end she wasn't there to name me and Father chose Yanagi, the willow. I'm the weeping tree, the one who tries to reach the reflection of the moon in the water. The one who drinks the clear water to survive. Father had chosen a name that fitted me the best, a name filled with melancholia and bitterness.

"Father, Brother, Mother, it's me again."I said with a soft voice. "I came to tell you I became a ninja today. I'm going to have a team. I wish you were here because there are so many questions I wanna ask you. My eyes have started doing funny things, and I'm still dreaming of that day. I feel... I feel like I'm not strong enough..."

My voice trailed a bit. I remained silent for a while. That pursuit in the morning had prevented me from getting flowers. Maybe I should have picked some wild plants in the woods earlier.

The wind carried someone's words to me. It was a young male voice I quite couldn't pick up. He was asking his father to forgive him for not coming regularly. I looked around to find the Hyuuga ice cube praying near a tomb. I tried not to make too much noise when leaving the place. I didn't want to disturb his privacy. He looked at me, though and I bowed to him. He bowed back.

The masked man was still looking at the stone. He didn't pay attention to me. He seemed filled with silent grief, as always.

I was walking back to the village when the Hyuuga called me.

"Uchiha-San."

I stopped to face him, eyeing him warily. What did he want from me ?

"Good morning Hyuuga-San." I politely greeted him. "Do you need something from me?"

"I have a question for you."

I noted the slight flutter of one of his eyes. I didn't know his body language well, so I supposed he felt uneasy talking to me. Actually we weren't talkers at all. The only time we could have build a cordial relationship he told me my survival over the rest of my clan had been fated. That time I had wanted to punch him. I say wanted because I never reached him. I was sure I would have hit if he hadn't used his Juuken to counter my sighting style.

"Go ahead." I said blandly.

"Did you see anything unusual this morning ?"

Why was he asking this question ? It was as if he had seen unusual things himself. Speaking of which, I still didn't where that green clothed ninja had gone. I furrowed my brows. Did he...

"Did you see anything unusual this morning ?" I asked back and he twitched. "Let me guess, he was green, loud and extremely persistent."

Hyuuga-San clenched his teeth.

"You've seen him too." he said and he started walking. "Do you think he's looking for someone ?"

"You may have a point." I said. "He seemed thrilled by my morning training."

More than thrilled actually, I almost died of a heart attack. Hopefully I had heard a faint noise when he had come. It was a surprise : there usually was no one in my routine. Except for the gray-haired ninja, but he never looked at me. I didn't know he was aware of my presence. Then I remembered that Hyuuga-San was apologizing to his father for not coming.

"When and where did he chase you ?" he asked.

"I'd say from the outskirts of the shopping districts to the wood that led to the Uchiha compound. Around 06:45 I'd say."

"I had to flee from the Hyuuga training fields to avoid him." he sulked.

"You fled and came here." I said, connecting the dots. "He must have known I come here every morning. Whoever he is, he was willing to have us meet."

"You're... quite smart." he admitted reluctantly.

"Thanks." I answered stiffly.

"I should expect nothing less from a member of the Uchiha clan. Our clans are rivals for a reason."

His patronizing tone unnerved me. Who did he think he was ? I had been kind enough to answer him, even though I didn't like him.

"I'm sorry, but the only rivalry our clan has is with the Senju clan" I snapped back. "Like when they actually build this village from scratch."

Take that in you stiff Hyuuga pride !

"Yet none of these can be counted as clans, since there's only one Senju and three Uchiha alive." he answered evenly.

My blood was boiling inside of me. He was doing that on purpose !

"Would it bother you to have some respects for my fallen clansmen?" I hissed.

"I apologize if I hurt your feelings, Uchiha-San, but you were destined to live and they were..."

"Shut. Up." I growled.

"A good ninja must learn to keep his mind clear at any moment." he said.

He was right. I should stay calm when people insulted my pride and my people. Sure, why not ? I should stay totally calm, I was destined to stay alive and dream of the katana that missed my heart, over and over. My mind should be very clear because my brother was destined to jump in the Naka River and drown. And I should also tell Sasuke-Chan that it's totally right for us to be traumatized because his brother was fated to kill us all. I was taking this very well, with a clear mind.

He had rubbed my wounds so nicely. I would be impolite not to share the salt.

"Hyuuga-San, I also have a question for you."

"Ask it."

"Tell me if I'm wrong but, your father wasn't destined to live either ?"

He froze. His moonlike eyes staring at me with incredulity and mute anger. Were we destined to snap insults at each other every time we talked to each other ? He had noted I had been cruel to Barajou Mai yesterday, but that was all.

I felt ashamed. He had been right in a sense. A good ninja shouldn't retort like a child. But I wouldn't tell him that. I was too angry to react positively.

So I just turned my heels and started running, leaving him on the road.

"You're late again today." Sasuke-Chan said when I got home.

"Stuff happened." I answered, remains of anger flaring in my voice.

"Is... everything alright ?" he asked.

I leaned against the wall. No everything wasn't alright. I was distressed. I felt like crying, but I couldn't. I had to hold for Sasuke-Chan. I was his last anchor. So I shook my ideas back into place, put a smile on these crying lips and muttered :

"Yeah... Let's make you a bento and get to school."

"Hn."

Cooking emptied my head a bit. I let the water spray loudly in the sink, covering my thoughts. I took a quick shower afterwards, mixing my tears with the hot water. I hadn't cried for a while. Even with kohl and mascara my eyes looked a bit bad. It would do. I put the headband around my neck ; it made my locks even uglier otherwise.

Outside the sakura petals were flying. Tell me about romantism...

"Team 9 is made of Hyuuga Neji, Rock Lee and Uchiha Yanagi." Mizuki-Sensei announced.

Say what ?

"I feel sorry for you." Tenten sympathized.

"I don't think this day could get worse." I sighed.

It could. It could because he was there. Green, smiling and shameless. His name was Maito Gai, and he was a Jounin of Konoha and apparently our new Sensei. He made us sit on a stone bench on the top of a tower. I refused to look at Hyuuga-San, he would have to apologize first.

"All right, starting today, the three of you are Genin." Sensei said. "I'd like to hear about your goals."

"I don't want to answer." Hyuuga-San answered, leaning on his seat.

Lee-San's hand shot in the air.

"Me! Me! Even if I can't use Ninjustu or Genjutsu, I want to prove that I can still become an excellent ninja !" he yelled."That means everything to me."

I was really impressed by his determination. I had no objection since he managed passing the Academy test. I cracked a slight smile. The other boy haughtily huffed. I stubbornly fixed a pillar, wanting to see neither Gai-Sensei, nor Hyuuga-San. Lee-San angrily stood up.

"What are you laughing at!? I'm serious !" he shouted "Even if it's only with Taijutsu, I'll carry out the job of ninja splendidly !"

"If you can't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, then you're not really a ninja, are you ?" he retorted with a condescending smile. "Heh! They were saying it was the first time someone graduated from the Academy with only Taijutsu, right ? That doesn't mean it's amazing. It only means it's rare."

I hated when he did that ! Like he knew better ! Being a genius didn't kept him from being a brat. Lee-San seemed taken aback, before his shoulders went down.

"That was rude." I said. "What right do you have to judge his skills ?"

"You're the one talking about rudeness ? Let me laugh. At least I have one teammate with skills, even if it's just a tiny Uchiha."

"You're right, we're just the most powerful clan in the village. Your eyes can't compare to mine." I retorted. "Of course they would need a genius Hyuuga to match a tiny Uchiha."

"You're hot-blooded, I like that !" Gai-Sensei said. "If you enjoy your youth with a good rival, by competing with each other and improving then I'm sure you can all become splendid ninjas !"

He put his thumb up and his teeth glinted. Then he loudly laughed, fists on his hips. Lee-San was watching him with admiration. He was literally drinking his words.

"Allow me to demonstrate my words !" he beamed. "I'll show you my precious rival ! But first let's all introduce ourselves. All of you have been seeing me, and I've been seeing you. You all rise early and work hard. Tell your youthful companions about yourself."

"Then why don't you start ?" I suggested.

"Of course not, ladies always go first." he said. "Name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dream about the future."

"Okay... I'm Uchiha Yanagi. I like taking care of my cousin Sasuke-Chan. I don't like blood moon nor sunsets. My hobbies are photography and reading. I can't say I have a dream since I don't like dreaming either, but I want to ask questions to a certain man."

"Right..." Gai-Sensei said. "You have wonderful hobbies !"

"I saw you reparing your camera! It was impressive !" Lee added.

"Thanks." I said lightly.

"I'm Rock Lee ! My favorite words are effort, passion and love ! I like intensive Taijutsu training ! It's unconceivable not to like every kind of food. My hobbies are physical training ! I already told you about my dream !"

I may be impressed by his will, It was too much of Taijutsu. Yet, I didn't know what I would have done if I couldn't mold chakra. I probably would have died that night...

"Lee ! I'm so moved !" Gai-Sensei shouted and rivers of tears fell from his eyes.

"Thank you so much for your guidance Gai-Sensei !"

"What about you, Neji-Kun ?"

Given the way he cringed, there weren't much people calling him that. I wish I could tease him with it, but I was sure it would sound awful if I started calling him "Neji-Kun". The image of Barajou Mai and her friends lasciviously walking near him went to my mind. I imagined doing the same. Yeah, really bad idea.

"Do I have to do that ?" He asked.

"We're supposed to be a team, you know ? Not that I like it, but I'm stuck with you." I said. "I suppose we can have a better start than this morning."

It couldn't be worse anyway.

"I'm Hyuuga Neji. I like herring soba. I'm not fond of spicy food. My hobby is meditation. There's no need for a dream, since everything is fated."

Here we went again. I focused on the pillar again so I wouldn't snap at him.

"My name is Maito Gai. I'm Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey ! I like super spicy curry and udon ! It's impossible to dislike food, just as you said Lee ! My hobbies are repeated side-steps, and hitting focus mitts ! I wish for a rematch with my fated rival !"

Great, another Taijutsu freak...

Apparently he had even planned a meeting with said 'fated rival' this morning to show us his determination. I was really surprised to see the grey-haired shinobi arrive about twenty minutes later near the tower. Now that I looked at him again, he had covered one of his eyes with his headband and his hair truly defied gravity. He was reading an orange book while walking.

Hyuuga-San used his Byakugan, observing the two Jounin.

"That man... His hidden eye is a Sharingan." he said.

"Are you kidding me !" I said. "How did he get it ?"

"Neji-Kun, how far can you see ?" Lee-San asked as we observed them talking. "Can you guess what they say ?"

"Of course I can. I can even read his book at this distance." he bragged as I flickered my Sharingan on to read on their lips.

"His mask really is a pain to guess his words." I huffed in answer. "What's the book about."

"Looks like romance..." he started.

"Not really fit for a Shinobi", I noted, still looking at them. "Gai-Sensei says they've both won 48 matches against each other, so that the one they will have now will settle who is the better."

"How youthful of them !" Lee-San commented. "Neji-Kun, are you all right ? You look a bit red !"

My eyes went to the teenager's face. Why was he blushing that bad ? The glint in his eyes made me feel uneasy. Damn these teenage hormones ! I focused back on them. Gai-Sensei had shifted to a fighting stance, but his partner didn't seem motivated at all. He actually said their match would be janken.

Lee-San seemed totally devastated by Gai-Sensei's attitude, Hyuuga-San was getting excited by the book the man was reading. I thought it was a romance novel; was the story that good ? I should ask about it later.

"Yanagi-San, what are they saying next ?"

"Hum... Gai-Sensei says he would run 500 laps around the village on his hands if he lost. He's just like a child."

"Even if he's a Jounin, I don't know how he could do that..."

"You're sure you're doing fine Hyuuga-San?" I asked warily.

"This book is very documented it seems. I'm learning a lot."

"A well-documented romance novel, you don't seem like the type to read that kind of thing."

As expected Sensei lost the janken. I was quite sure that rival of his used his Sharingan just there to win no matter what. And here he went, walking on his hands around the village. After a while Lee-San decided to follow him. About that time, Hyuuga-San and I parted as well.

Our team had yet to be formed


Thanks for reading !

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Have a very nice day !