Neji sighed and tilted his head back to look at the stars, smile teasing across his face before he closed his eyes and let out a subdued chuckle.

Naruto had been the one to show him, since the blonde had superior eyes to any in the country of fire. Neji wondered how this could be so, but then - even with his strange and unspoken past – Naruto was probably the most confusing person he knew. How could someone be so open and yet still so mysterious?

He shook his head- firming and straightening under the press of memories. In a way, he was glad that some dead last had the ability to defeat the prodigies- though he half thought Sasuke didn't know it yet- he'd already been defeated.

It was hard for Neji to refrain from falling back on his old habits, and it had been in one of his ruminations that he'd realized it was okay to mention fate and destiny and divination…as long as one actually got it right.

And he'd been so very wrong before.

Just as Sasuke was wrong now.

Neji had thought it had been fate for him to go through so much, to suffer and survive with no one to turn to- so he'd turned to himself, been a rock to himself- he'd survived and endured.

A true ninja.

And then he'd understood beyond his misconceptions. His eyes had lost their film and he could see without a doubt that Naruto was a true ninja, the rest of them had only been playing at it in some macabre game while pushing aside the true example they should follow.

But Naruto lived up to his name- he was a whirlpool that drew you in until you understood there was no way out.

The Uchiha was simply in denial.

And the others would realize soon- they weren't the dullest rocks in the stream after all. No, they were sharpened steel waiting on the frothing banks to attack.

And whirlpools were forces of nature, a combination of wind and water and landscape that made the raging rapids seem tame. They drew you in and shook you and tossed you about until you understood that the whirlpool was life and death. You had to understand it and work with it to survive.

Naruto did that. They hadn't realized…Neji hadn't realized… that Naruto worked so hard to find someone on his side. Naruto was uncontrollable and beautiful, a force of nature that couldn't be stifled. He was working on drawing in precious people, establishing connections he would protect with every motion of his being- treasure them at the very center of his soul.

And even though Naruto had worked so hard to deny Neji's idea of destiny and fate, the Hyuuga couldn't help but believe Naruto had a fate. It just wasn't what everyone else thought it was.

And maybe that was what the blonde had been trying to say.

You couldn't limit yourself to one path, you had to be adaptable and able to understand that you might be wrong- but following your intuition never led you wrong. It actually led you to your true fate.

And Neji had been fighting his tears and his anger- instead detaching himself and deciding that he was fated to be caged and suffer.

No.

Neji, branch member of the Hyuuga Clan, was Fated to change.

And Naruto was fated to change them all, to pull them in to his grand ideas and dreams while encouraging them to take hold of their Destiny, to accept their circumstance and strive to overcome it.

Because then, Fate wasn't a restrictive force that held you down and watched you suffer, it was a guiding force that was directed by the conduct of your Soul. Fate wouldn't know where to take you if you didn't understand that your ultimate destiny was molded in your own hands.

Neji had needed to learn that.

Naruto had taught Neji that.

So the Hyuuga was going to stick with the blonde and help him- because, despite Naruto's firm belief in his destiny and his own creation, he sometimes got so caught up and dizzy with being a whirlpool it seemed he didn't understand that he had people protecting him.

Neji sighed and thunked his head against the tree trunk behind him, carefully shifting on his branch as he looked to the leaves on the tree he had seated himself in.

The sheltering branches calmed him on some basic level, and he wondered if he would have noticed this before when he was too busy counting the birds that flew free. He swallowed and looked down at his hands, carefully feeling the hitaiate in his palms.

It was funny that Konohagakure used the symbol of a leaf caught in a whirlpool for their village. It was just how he felt.

Those of the leaf with the will of fire…caught in the swirling, powerful whirlpool that was Uzumaki Naruto's being. The wind had chased them to his reaching waves, and he had drawn them in to fight until they understood he was the answer.

Naruto seemed to be their Fate.

Neji inhaled and then carefully blew out his breath, blinking his cleared eyes as he nodded to himself.

Titles and stereotypes and names were things to be overcome; Branch member, clan name, dobe, prodigy…monster. Neji closed his eyes against the press of a memorized angry shout at the blonde.

Naruto had his destiny swirling in his hands; he tenaciously held onto it and tried to make everyone understand. He wouldn't be moved or falter- he was constant and insistent.

They would all understand and be brought closer to him.

Nejio chuckled as he stood. It seemed that Naruto hadn't quite gotten rid of his ideals of fate and destiny; he had just made Neji understand them better.

Annoying Author's Note!!!!!!:

Celebrating being in 100 Communities!

Woot! XD Neji had to come out, I'm almost done half my finals! Go me! To celebrate, I pick freedom! Though I am fated for three more tests...agh. Yes this means the paper pushing monsters haven't eaten me, instead they've taken in my essays and happily congratulated me on finishing their courses. pouts. So until my finals are over- I miss you all and hope you enjoyed Neji's perspective!

PS: Sorry for errors X[ . I know my grammar isn't up to par but we'll see what I can do about it.