Chapter 10:

"No, you do it like this, ya idiot."

"No! You do it like this!"

This was the argument that filled the camp of Team Rescuers. Kiba and Naruto were both in a heated discussion about the most important part of camping. Setting up a tent.

Naruto had decided he would set his tent up next to Kiba's, and they both had different ways of setting it up. Naruto used his shadow clones to hold onto the pegs while he nailed them down. Kiba only had himself and begrudgingly he placed rocks on them to keep them in place. Of course, this resorted in a comment that Kiba was dumber than rocks and had spurred a massive argument along with competition.

Kiba was nose to nose with Naruto, both of them growling. "I am right, you cheat with your shadow clones you weakling!"

Naruto snarled. "At least I have the brain power to use my shadow clones, unlike you!"

Before anyone could react, Kiba had leapt on Naruto and they rolled around on the ground wrestling.

Everyone around camp sighed. Shino leant against the tree, watching the altercation from afar. Shikamaru was laying atop a hill with a fantastic view of the whole campsite. The camp itself was situated right next to a river, with a small clearing, a forest, and a medium sized hill. Shikamaru had been watching clouds rather happily, but then Naruto and Kiba just had to interrupt. He cast a glance at Ino who was sat by the river bank, scowling at the two boys. Hinata was next to her, gingerly picking up flowers while blushing all the same. She was slightly conflicted, did she want her teammate, or her crush to win?

Closer to the big hill the impromptu training ground was set up. This was simply logs made to stand on end or small areas used for sparring purposes. Tenten was angrily throwing kunai at a nearby stump, everyone in a while turning to look at Neji, who stood off to the side of Hinata, watching her and then turning his gaze to the brawl. Tenten was imagining his face on the tree stump no doubt.

Rock Lee and Gai were training. After much pleading that lasted for over one day, and a lot of pleading from everyone else in the group who were tired of Lee's constant willingness to train, Gai had agreed to allow Lee to do some training. He was currently helping Lee through one armed push ups and every once in a while both their eyes would fill with tears and they would hug and embrace each other.

That left Sasuke and Kakashi, who were a little ways off to the side, nearer the stream.

Sasuke smirked slightly as Kakashi dodged his barrage of kunai. Before he knew what even hit him, he performed the familiar hand signs for the Fireball Jutsu-

The wind was knocked out of him as he was sent sailing backwards, landing with a thud.

Kakashi eye smiled. "You'll have to be quicker than that, Sasuke." He teased, earning a grumble from the Uchiha as he stood upwards.

"Come at me again, we'll focus on Taijutsu for now."

Sasuke nodded and raced forward. He went for a sweep, trying to knock Kakashi's legs out from under him, but the silver haired nin leapt upwards. Sasuke quickly regained his balance and went for an uppercut, Kakashi bent his head back and dodged. While Sasuke was sailing upwards, the Copy Nin went to punch him in the jaw. The Uchiha was slightly quicker and blocked the punch with his elbow. He then swung his lower body around ready to strike Kakashi but he then blocked with his forearm. The duo both disconnected from each other and landed on the ground feet first.

They both panted slightly, before Sasuke opened his eyes to reveal not his usual obsidian, but crimson. Kakashi winced slightly, being reminded of the real reason he was on this mission in the first place. Itachi.

As Sasuke charged, Kakashi wasn't really in the fight. He was too focused on the subject of the missing Konoha nin that he almost forgot to block a punch that the Uchiha sent his way.

What could he do? He had been asked by the dead Third Hokage to find a man who had massacred his own clan and bring him back to the village. If he wanted to come back to the village. But if he didn't?

Kakashi ducked another kick that Sasuke sent his way. That was only half the problem however. Sasuke made up the other half.

Kakashi knew how well Sasuke was doing. He had, in his own little way, made great social progress. Mainly with Naruto. They had both formed a strong bond. A band of brothers. If Itachi came back… What would Sasuke do? In all honesty, as Kakashi thought about it, Sasuke really only had three choices.

One; give up on the vendetta. This was highly unlikely and rightly so. Sasuke was one of only two living Uchiha's left thanks to his brother.

Two; train in the Leaf Village, hopefully understanding the true meaning of friendship and forgetting about his vendetta through that. Again, highly unlikely.

Or three, the worst of the options; Sasuke would leave the village and seek out Orochimaru for power. That was the most likely option out of all three. Sasuke would abandon them all for power.

If worst came to worst, could Kakashi kill his own student?

The Copy Nin couldn't answer that question and he hoped and prayed it would not come to that. And yet, there was this niggling feeling in the back of his mind. And it was going to grow, he just knew it. He would have to kill Sasuke, one way, or another.

Sasuke was also rather deep in thought. Well, as deep in thought as you can be when trying fruitlessly to hit your sensei. Kakashi leapt up to dodge another sweeping kick, much to Sasuke's chagrin. He just couldn't hit him. Not once!

Kakashi, however, noticed Sasuke's frustration and blocked the raven haired boy's punch easily with his hand.

"Sasuke," He said eyeing the boy. "That's enough for today. Go rest."

Sasuke panted, before nodding. Kakashi realised his hand and calmly walked off back to camp. Sasuke surveyed his options. One, head up onto the hill. Nah, Shikamaru was up there. While the lazy genius wasn't nearly as annoying as the other people he was traveling with, he would rather just be by himself. The camp was definitely out of question then. He cast a glance and saw that Naruto and Kiba were still wrestling in the dirt, trying to get the upper hand on each other. Sasuke smirked. Kami, those two were just like dogs. Funny for a while and then they get tedious.

There was the river bank, that seemed the quietest, as it was only Ino and Hinata there. Sure, Ino might try and molest him while he wasn't looking, but she seemed too wrapped up in her conversation with Hinata to worry about him. Seeing as that was the only viable option, Sasuke trudged over and plonked himself down near the river's edge. He was silent for a moment, watching as some lily pads floated across the water's surface. It was a calm and peaceful day. The birds chirped happily, and wind flew through the air gracefully. Of course, this was not the case. A normal person couldn't see it, but everyone was being bothered by something. Sasuke could see it anyway. The way Ino's shoulders were constantly tense, and she every once in a while, when she thought no one was looking, shot a glance in Shikamaru's direction. Or the way Tenten always shoots Neji an angry glare and then beats the evil stump into submission. It was annoying, but it was to be expected. Sasuke too was worried, though he would never admit it.

He was worried about Sakura. Yes, the annoying pink banshee. He was deeply worried. Why? He didn't know. She was his teammate, his friend, as hard as it was to admit it. He did care about her.

His brow furrowed and he absentmindedly kicked his feet over the surface of the water. God damn friendship, getting in the way of-

"So, your related to the famous Itachi Uchiha. I'll be sure to give him your regards."

Sasuke tensed. His heart beat hard and fast, trying to escape the confines of his chest. The only sound was the rapid beats of Sasuke's heart, and feeling of torn dirt under the pale hands of the Uchiha. His knuckles were white, but, with the amount of squeezing the earth, it wasn't surprising. It couldn't have been, could it?

Itachi…

"Sasuke," a shy voice brought him out of his thoughts. His head snapped to the side and Hinata let out a meep of surprise. His face was so cold, so full of raw anger and hate.

"So-sorry," She stammered, holding out a loaf of bread. "I th-thought you would like something to eat. S-so I br-brought you some br-bread."

Sasuke's face softened ever so slightly and he took the bread with a nod. "Thanks," He muttered, taking a long bite of his new found food. Hinata, however, didn't move and played with her fingers nervously. That annoyed Sasuke.

"Do you want something?" He asked a little colder than he had intended. It wasn't her fault that Itachi was-might be near.

She recoiled slightly, but then whispered. "I-I noticed you were lo-looking un-unwell. Are you o-okay?"

Sasuke grimaced. "I'm fine," He announced turning back towards the river bank. "Your worry is not needed."

Hinata nodded, muttered another apology and slowly skulked away.

Sasuke let out an almost inaudible sigh. He shouldn't have been that hard on her. But, there was no going back now. The Uchiha stood up, took one last look across the shallow river, placed his hands in his pockets and slowly trudged away into the woods.

Kakashi watched him go, his brow marred by a thick frown. He knew something was up with Sasuke. Perhaps it was something about the fight? It didn't matter, he would ask him-

"Kakashi!" A booming voice called. Gai landed next to his self-proclaimed eternal rival, beaming with determination. "I challenge you to a race!"

Kakashi didn't respond, just reached into his pocket and pulled out Icha Icha. Gai waited patiently for a few minutes while Kakashi fingered through his book. Eventually, after approximately ten minutes of waiting, the Copy Nin turned to the spandex wearing Jōnin next to him, and said. "I'm sorry Gai, did you say something?"

Gai paled significantly, before turning away, his eyes burning in determination once again. "Damn that Kakashi, always so hip and cool! Well, I'll show him!"

"Kakashi!" Gai's booming voice stirred everyone from their conversations and trances. "I challenge you!"

Kakashi flipped over another page. "What kind of challenge?"

Gai gave his nice guy pose, his pearly white teeth almost blinding the Jōnin. "I picked the challenge last time, or have you forgotten the scaling the Hokage monument using only our teeth challenge!?"

Yes, Kakashi did remember that. In fact, he had teleported up there while Gai spent hours trying to scale the thing. Then, a thought came to the Copy Nin, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Okay Gai," He began still not looking up from his book. "How about a race around the camp? We will race a mile that way," He gestured with his hand to the east, "And then swing around the camp, and back to this position. Do you think you can handle that Gai?"

Gai did his signature nice guy pose once again. "Of course I can handle that Kakashi! Your hip and young ways will not deter me. Let us begin!" and with that he sped off.

Everyone in the camp looked at Kakashi expectantly. He didn't move a muscle for the longest time, and then… He flipped to another page in his book. Everybody sweatdropped.

Then, the sounds of panting and victory cheers reached the ears of the camp and Gai soon came barrelling out of the woods. "Yes!" He yelled triumphantly. "I have bested Kakashi, he-"He stopped as the Copy Nin waved to him.

"Yo."

Gai blinked. Then blinked again. Tears filled his eyes and he collapsed on the ground. "How!? How could my eternal rival best me again!?"

Everyone around the camp was snickering madly, except for Lee, who went to open his mouth and say how Kakashi had cheated. He was swiftly stopped by Kiba and Naruto, who swiftly clamped the boy's mouth shut against his own accord. He let out a muffled cry of horror but with a stern glare from Tenten, he quieted down.

Gai, however, was over it and proudly leapt to his feet. He yelled. "Kakashi! Once again you have bested me, but this will never happen again! The next time we face off, I will be victorious!" With that, the green spandex wearing Jōnin bounded off somewhere into the woods.

Kakashi just shook his head before plonking down on the grass and beginning to finger through his book again. Everyone else went back to what they were doing. Such was the craziness of Jōnin's and their antics.

Naruto kicked a rock. He was bored. Very, very bored. Everyone had told him to go away! He sighed and plonked himself down on the stump of a tree. He could train, but he didn't have anyone to train with. Then a thought crossed his mind. Sasuke, of course! The blonde leapt up and went to yell for his raven haired teammate but then remembered that he had gone into the woods to presumably train. But then, another idea dawned on the blonde. He would go find him!

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called as he bounded over to the Copy Nin. He was still reading Icha Icha, every once in a while a perverted giggle would escape his lips.

"Can I go look for Sasuke in the woods?" Naruto asked when Kakashi didn't respond.

Kakashi looked up from his book, and shrugged. "I suppose. Also, get some firewood."

Naruto nodded and went to trudge off into the woods on his hunt for Sasuke, when Kakashi also called out. "Oh and Naruto, take someone with you. Hinata's available I believe."

Her name being called out caught the pale Hyūga heir's attention and she turned swiftly to see who had called her.

She blushed scarlet when she saw Naruto gesturing wildly for her. She was currently picking and looking through flowers with Ino. While she had never really talked to the blonde and didn't really ever think they would get along, she rather liked her. She knew a lot about flowers and was really quite fun to chat with.

Ino nudged the dark haired girl's shoulder encouragingly. She smiled softly at her, before standing.

"Hinata, let's go and look for some firewood and Sasuke," Naruto called out and she nodded shyly, making her way over to her oblivious crush. The blonde smiled at her happily and she blushed even brighter. Ino just shook her head. When would they ever learn? Unconsciously, she found her gaze drifting to Shikamaru atop the hill watching clouds, but she quickly banished the thought. She had more important things to do, like arrange these flowers that she would never see nor use again. Yeah, much more important. At least that's what the blonde girl in denial by the river said anyway.

Hinata tapped her fingers together nervously. Here she was with her crush, walking through the woods, alone. Sure, she had been alone on the street that one time (even the thought sent shivers up her spine) but it was a densely populated place. This forest was not densely populated, except of course for the squirrels and the birds.

Hinata shyly looked up to see her crush looking at her expectantly. "Well?" he questioned.

Hinata blushed deeply. "So-sorry, I didn't hear yo-you."

"I asked you how old your sister was."

"Oh! Sh-she's four."

Naruto nodded briskly, before his face scrunched up slightly. "Hinata, how come you and your sister are so different? She's a rude bitch and you're really kind and graceful. And, you're not a bitch."

Hinata didn't know whether to be offended that he had called her little sister a bitch, or be flattered that he had called her kind and graceful. She went with the latter.

"Yo-you know Na-Naruto, she's ju-just very protective of m-me."

Naruto shrugged. "I suppose. But, I've never had a brother or sister of any description."

Hinata did feel bad for Naruto as she watched his shoulders slump slightly. "Na-Naruto, yo-you were ver-very close with Iruka sen-sensei. Wo-would he not count as a brother?"

Naruto smiled slightly.

"Yeah, I guess. He was always the nicest person to me in the village, except for you of course."

Hinata's blush grew brighter. "Naruto!" She gasped, shocked.

He shrugged, bending down and grabbing an armful of firewood. "What? You've never shouted at me, or scolded me, or anything. You're always so polite and kind and sweet."

Naruto, being the oblivious fool that he was, didn't noticed Hinata tearing up. When he looked up from picking up the firewood to see tears rolling down her cheeks, he didn't know what to do.

"Uh, a-are you okay?" He stammered stupidly. She shook her head sadly.

"Um…okay… Do you… uh, wanna hug?"

Without warning, Hinata uncharacteristically wrapped her arms around his waist and bawled into his jumpsuit. Naruto was shocked, to say the least. In fact, he couldn't even remember a girl ever hugging him before, let alone anyone hugging him ever. He tenderly wrapped his arms around her shoulders and just sort of stared blankly at the top of her head.

'Come on Naruto, think!' He shouted internally at himself.

"Uh….You feeling okay?"

'What the hell! Are you stupid!?'

Hinata continued to cry into his chest as he held him. They stayed like this for a few minutes, just holding each other, before the pale Hyūga heiress spoke.

"Th-thank you."

Now Naruto was baffled. "Bu-but I made you cry!" He yelled exasperatedly. Hinata shook her head roughly.

"N-no, it-it's just th-that no-nobody has ev-ever said such ni-nice thin-things about me!"

Naruto tightened his hug slightly. "That can't be true." The blonde whispered into her hair. She nodded glumly, the tears, while still flowing down her cheeks, stopped ever so slightly.

"Surely your father, as much of an asshole as he is, must have something nice to you."

Hinata slowly stopped sniffling, and shook her head. "H-he said I remind h-him of mo-mother!"

The crying started again, but instead of wailing it was slow, steady sobs. Naruto could feel her hot salty tears through his jumpsuit. "Isn't that a good thing?"

Her tears increased tenfold. Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. 'What can I say?!'

"Hey, why don't you stop crying and we can go look for Sasuke. He has some food, we can sit and eat. Eating always makes me feel better." Naruto pushed out his chest comically. This effect ended with Hinata letting out a small giggle, wiping the tears away slowly from her lavender eyes.

Naruto smiled also, wiping a tear from her cheek gently. "See, much better."

Hinata gave a small sad smile. "Now, shall we go look for Sasuke?" The blonde asked.

"Hn."

A small plastic container landed at the feet of the two Genin. They both looked up to see Sasuke, leaning against a tree trunk while balancing precariously upon a small branch. "Sasuke!?"

Sasuke snorted. "No. It's Ino."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "We were just coming to look for you! How long where you up there?"

The Uchiha leapt down onto the ground with ease and gave a small smirk. "Long enough."

Hinata let out a small squeak. Had he seen all of that? How weak she was being? That would be another person who saw her-

"I thought you two looked cute together."

Naruto almost choked on his own saliva, firstly because of the insinuation and secondly because he didn't even know the word cute was in Sasuke's vocabulary. Hinata's blush could heat a house for a whole week.

"Sasuke!" Naruto whined running forward to punch the raven haired boy in the face, even though a light blush dusted his cheeks. The Uchiha easily dodged out of the way of the blow.

"Anyway, I came looking for you because I needed someone to beat up. You interested?"

Naruto gave the foxy grin that he was famous for "Alright, prepare to get your ass kicked Teme!"

Sasuke nodded, and began to walk into the trees. "Na-Naruto, what about the fi-firewood?"

The blonde shrugged at the Hyȗga's question. "Don't worry about it. I'll just have a quick training session with this bastard-" He was cut off as a rock hit the blonde in the back of the head. He turned and snarled at The Uchiha, before turning back towards Hinata. "As I was saying, we'll worry about the firewood later. Come on!"

Without waiting for a reply, Naruto swiftly grasped Hinata's hand in his, causing her to drop the firewood that she was carrying and the blonde went to pull the dark haired girl along.

Hinata once again couldn't stop the blush that crept onto her face.

"Lady Hinata."

All three Genin stopped as the cool voice called out to them. Neji Hyūga stepped out of the shadows. He did not look happy. "Lady Hinata," he repeated. "I think it is time we return to camp."

Naruto unconsciously put a hand in front of her. Sasuke watched this interaction with curious eyes. Although he would hate to admit it, it was sorta… sorta… what was that word he had used before? Ah yes, cute. What a funny word that was. Still, they looked somewhat cute.

"She doesn't have to if she doesn't want to." He said somewhat threateningly. Neji's face remained impassive, although his eyes grew a bit colder.

"I would have to disagree. I was asked by her father to look after her while on this mission. She has been out far longer than the allotted time that her father agreed to." The brunette cast a cold glance in her direction, making her shrink back slightly.

"This is a mission to gather firewood."

"Yes, but you were going to abandon that mission to go train with Sasuke. Therefore, you are not only shirking your responsibilities, but potentially placing the heiress of the Hyūga clan in danger."

Sasuke snorted loudly. "We'll be fine Neji. After all, they do have a genius to back them up."

Neji's eyes became colder at his words, which caused the Uchiha's smirk to increase tenfold. "It matters not," He snapped irritably. "Lady Hinata, you will return with me at once back to the camp."

Naruto turned his gaze to look at Hinata.

Her gaze met the floor, and she nodded slowly. "Y-yes Neji." She agreed and began to slowly trudge back to retrieve the firewood.

The blonde's hands curled into fists. Had he taught him nothing!? Before he could speak out, Sasuke placed his hand on the blondes shoulder.

"Leave it." He somewhat whispered somewhat hissed into Naruto's ear. Letting out a deep sigh, the blonde nodded.

"See you later then, Hinata." He called out as she picked up about a quarter of her firewood. Neji picked up the rest including Naruto's.

"Se-see you back at camp." She let out a sad smile and then trudged after Neji.

The blonde let out anther sigh of frustration, before turning around and stomping off into the trees. "Let's go get some training done." He called back to Sasuke.

The Uchiha nodded, casting one last look at the two Hyūga's retreating forms, before placing his hands in his pockets and walking off after the blonde ninja.

Tenten once again hit her mark, the senbon puncturing the wooden training dummy. This was not simple training; however, this was anger management. By anger management, I mean picturing the sound of weapons slicing through Neji Hyūga's flesh. She growled as she thought of that bastard and hastily withdrew a new weapon she had been practicing with from its sheath. A katana.

She pictured him; his cocky smirk, those soulless eyes and she charged. Letting out a fierce battle cry, slicing into what she pictured to be Neji's neck but it turned out to be that of the training dummy. This would not deter her, after all, she could dream right? After a number of hacks and slashes, the wooden head fell off with a loud thud, splinters littering the ground. It was a shame really. You see, Mr Dummy had wanted to retire from his job as a training dummy and wanted to travel the world in search of treasure, but the sweaty kunoichi in front of him took it all away.

Tenten panted heavily, wiping the sweat from her brow. Okay, maybe she had gone a bit overboard. But once again, Neji flashed through her mind and she let out an animalistic growl.

"Stupid bastard!" She half muttered half yelled, before kicking the wooden head for all her might. This was probably not the smartest idea, as she was wearing no protective foot wear. She clutched at her foot in pain as the head connected with one of the many trees in the surrounding area. With a loud thunk, it bounced off the tree and right into something else. If we're being specific, then it would be the bowl cut head of Rock Lee, who was currently sprawled on the ground.

"Lee!" Tenten yelled as she rushed over to her fallen comrade, her momentary foot pain forgotten. Lee rubbed his head gingerly.

"Are you okay?" A hazy voice called through the fog that was building. He wished it away and was met with a pair of concerned brown eyes.

"Y-yes," He called out, half because he was dazed and half because his crush was looming over him.

"I am so so sorry Lee," She said helping him up slowly. He shrugged before reaching down to grab his crutch. He let out a low moan of pain as he jolted the injured limb. The brunette girl in front of him reached down, handed it to him and frowned. "You shouldn't be training with Gai-sensei Lee. You need to rest."

"No, I am fine. There is no need to worry about me!" He tried to reassure her.

It didn't work and he was promptly dragged to one of the many logs surrounding the camp-fire. He tried to voice his disapproval, tell her he was fine, but it was no use as the brunette shot him a fierce glare. He sighed in defeat and sat down while she fussed over him for a moment.

"I'll make you some broth." She announced suddenly. Lee once again tried to voice his opinion, but she would not listen, fixing him with another fierce stare. So, he waited patiently for a few minutes while she made the broth mixture.

She dumped it on his lap and he gave a bright smile in thanks before he chowed down. Tenten plonked herself next to him, every once in a while shooting the forest a glare.

Eventually, Lee finished off his broth by wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "I most graciously thank you Tenten!" he announced. She smiled at him softly.

"You're welcome Lee-"

She trailed off as she noticed the large lump that had formed on the right side of his forehead. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry Lee!" She once again apologized, reaching for a cloth.

Lee's eyebrows went up quizzically but before he could ask what was wrong, Tenten was dabbing the cloth over the bump.

"Hopefully this will help the swelling go down." She muttered to herself before shooting Lee an apologetic smile. Lee then realised how close their faces were in proximity.

He blushed, his eyes going downcast. Tenten frowned. Why was he blushing? Maybe he had a fever?

Lee himself wished to know why he was blushing. It was only Tenten, sure, he had a crush on the girl, but he had a crush on Sakura and never blushed. So what was the difference?

"Lee," Tenten whispered, her eyes trained to the ground. Lee went to open his mouth to apologize for him getting injured (as you do,) but he didn't get the chance. He felt a pair of soft lips touch his cheek. He took in a sharp intake of breath as she felt her breath on his cheek, her soft velvety lips pressed against his rough skin.

"I'm sorry for everything that's happened." She said with a light blush adorning her cheeks as she pulled away.

"I-I… Thank you." He finally resigned after he couldn't find the words to describe what he was really feeling. Like he was on cloud nine.

But, like most things in life, this sweet moment wouldn't last.

"Tenten, you made broth?"

Tenten's gaze shot up, fixing Neji with a cold stare. He stood there, his face impassive, with Hinata standing beside him twiddling with fingers.

"Hello Hinata," Tenten said in the nicest way she possibly could with Neji around. The Hyūga heiress smiled softly.

Neji, however, still looked cold. "You didn't make us any." It was a statement, not a question. Then Neji said something rather stupid. "That wasn't kind of you, was it?"

Tenten's spoon snapped in half. Lee turned to her, wide eyed.

"But it does not matter," Neji shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. "You can make us some now."

"Th-thank you co-cousin, bu-but I'm f-fine-"

"No Lady Hinata, you must be hungry. Come now Tenten, we would like some broth please."

Tenten stood up, her face livid. "No."

Neji eyed her curiously. "No? Why not, you made Lee some. It would only be fair-"

"Fair!" She roared, "I made him something because he's a nice guy. Unlike you!"

Neji didn't reply, just picked up two bowls and placed one on his lap and one on Hinata's, who looked mortified at the prospect of another argument. Neji looked up expectantly, and driving the nail into the coffin, handed out his bowl.

Tenten let out the most vicious battle cry one has ever heard, before swiftly withdrawing her katana from its sheath. She swung down hard, but Neji managed to leap backwards and dodge the attack, activating his Byakugan.

"Neji, p-please!" Hinata cried, trying to intervene, but it was too late. Neji was already leaping forward, ready to strike.

"You treat me with as much disrespect as the main Hyūga!" He roared. Tenten blocked his strike with her blade, letting out a guttural snarl.

"You constantly mention 'The Main House'!" She swung her sword, but Neji ducked, withdrawing a kunai and trying to swipe at her chest. Tenten once again blocked with her katana, rendering the unofficial duel between comrades at a stalemate. "You're nothing but a Main House lap dog."

Neji roared with anger, his Byakugan pulsing with rage. Quick as a flash, he used his kunai and sent Tenten's sword upwards. With his other palm, he thrust it forward, ready to strike her in the chest area. He had however misjudged the distance, and as Tenten recoiled to try and bring back down her katana, her body moved slightly. Neji couldn't stop his palm in time. It was heading straight for her heart. His eyes widened, she was going to-

An ear splitting scream filled the air as Neji's palm, instead of hitting Tenten's heart, connected with the injured leg of Lee. He had hit a vital point the leg, one which cut off all chakra flow to that particular area. Lee's painkillers relied on chakra. With his chakra point turned off, he would feel the exact same pain that he felt when Gaara crushed his leg. The painkillers kept pumping chakra through the leg, to heal it, but with the chakra point sealed this caused the pain to continue to relapse as each small surge of chakra restarted the cycle. This meant that, because the chakra wasn't working effectively thanks to the Jyuuken strike, it surged all over the leg, causing great pain. The green spandex wearing Genin collapsed to the floor, his face twisted and contorted with such anguish.

"Lee!" Tenten's anguished cry broke Neji out of his battle like trance. She looked down as his female teammate dropped her weapons and fell at the screaming Genin's side, tears pouring from her eyes.

Neji, startled, stepped backwards. "I Di-didn't mean-"

The words froze in his throat. No, he had meant it. But for Tenten, not Lee.

However, he didn't have any more time to think as Gai's strong arm wrapped around Neji's neck. His face was contorted into a mix of anguish and seriousness. "We're moving you to the other side of the camp. You will remain there at all times."

Kakashi, having appeared next to Lee, frowned. "This is bad Gai. His leg's in horrid shape."

"I-I know so-some medical Ninjutsu." Hinata called out weakly. Kakashi didn't look up from Lee's leg, but nodded his acknowledgement.

Hinata, taking that as a wordless order, knelt down. Her hands glowed green and she moved them over Lee's legs. She visibly winced.

"He-he's in bad shape. Bu-but the strike did-didn't affect his cha-chakra system. H-he just needs a few hours rest, an-and the p-painkillers will take affect a-again."

Kakashi nodded, and turned a sympathetic gaze to Tenten. "Tenten, you need to move."

The brunette, eyes puffy and red, nodded, standing.

Kakashi scooped up the green spandex wearing Genin in his arms and shouted over to the gawking Ino and Kiba. "Get something he can lay on!"

They both nodded and soon found a blanket. Kakashi rushed over and carefully placed Lee on the blanket, his screams echoing around the area. "We need to stop his shouting," Shino announced coming over. "He'll give away our position."

Kakashi nodded, but Gai came up next to him. "Kakashi let me do it."

The Copy Nin nodded, going over to where Neji was to watch him.

Gai looked down tearfully at his young student. "I am sorry Lee," He let out a choked sob, before he twinged a nerve on the back of his student's neck, knocking him unconscious.

The Green Beast of Konoha stood up and turned around to see Hinata helping a sobbing Tenten up and over to the other side of the clearing. He sighed. How had his perfectly in-sync team dishevelled into a violent warzone? He didn't know, but this would end. Back at the gate was enough, but now that this injured someone- that drew the line.

Ino ran her fingers through her blonde hair. She was stressing, big time. Why, you may ask? Well, because she still couldn't get the hang of it. She tried once again, her brows furrowed together in concentration. She reached out her hand, aiming it for a random stone. For a moment, nothing happened, but then…

Slowly, a thin coat of blue chakra found itself wrapping around the object and ever so slowly, it lifted off of the ground. Ino smiled, maybe she was finally-

It then fell to the ground with a quiet thud.

Ino took a deep breath, before leaning backwards to lay on the grass. She had been trying to do this for little over two hours. When she started, the sky was still a bright vibrant blue, dotted with clouds that Shika-

She banished him from her mind quickly before resuming what she was thinking. After only two hours, the sky was turning a dark shade of orange. The clouds seemed to dim from pearly white to a light grey. It also seemed the forest around her sensed the coming of the night and it quietened down.

The gentle trickling of the stream that lay just behind Ino let out a soothing melody. She turned and admired it. It was very beautiful, thick water that mirrored the orange sky above gave the surrounding area an almost heavenly glow. The reeds swung back and forth to some imaginary hymn that the silent angels sung.

The young kunoichi ran her hand over the surface of the water, her touch sending a shockwave throughout the river.

She cupped just enough water to fill her hand, and scooped it into her mouth. Her parched throat was immediately soaked with the cool liquid. With her frustrations forgotten, she let out a contended sigh.

"H-hello Ino."

The shy voice somewhat broke the blonde bombshell from her serene trance, but nonetheless she turned and gave the owner of the voice a soft smile. "Hello Hinata."

The pale Hyūga nodded shyly. "Cou-could I take a s-seat next to you?"

Ino nodded, Hinata sitting down next to her. They sat in silence, watching as the orange glow that seemed to cascade all around them.

"H-have you dipped your feet into the water yet? It-it's really co-cool."

Ino shrugged, kicking off her shoes before dipping her toes into the stream. She let out a sigh of content, enjoying the icy embrace of the water. "Thank you for the tip Hinata."

The Hyūga heiress blushed but nodded. "You-you are welcome I-Ino."

Once again, the two lapsed into a comfortable silence. "How's Lee doing?"

Ino had seen the whole fiasco with Team Gai. Even though she didn't know any of them very well, she was very sympathetic towards Lee. He didn't deserve any of this. In her opinion, it was a stupid idea to allow him on the trip.

"He-he's fine. Unconscious, bu-but fine. He ju-just needs a day or so to r-rest. I unblocked his Tenkutsu points, he'll be a-alright in the morning."

Ino smiled at the news. At least it wasn't anything serious, although the agonized screams plagued her memory.

"I-I actually wan-wanted to ask you something."

Ino met the lavender eyes of Hinata curiously. She never usually asked people things. From what she could remember in the academy, she could barely remember the girl uttering more than a few words a day. Hell, Sasuke spoke more. "Sure Hinata, what is it?"

"I-I was just won-wondering wh-what your problem with Sh-Shikamaru is? I-if yo-you-do-don't mind me as-asking," She stuttered out after seeing the shocked and bewildered look on Ino's face.

The blonde bombshell opened her mouth, then shut it again. Her eyes became harder and filled with sadness. She kicked the water, sending small droplets into the air. "I don't know," She admitted truthfully. "I-it's just… he never respects me, for me, you know? He always tries to protect me from something I don't need protecting from. An-and… I don't know. I just… don't like seeing him like this. Angry. Angry at me. We're supposed to be friends…"

She trailed off as she poured her heart out. Hinata, however, smiled somewhat softly. She loved him. Even though, from what she knew of the blonde, she would never admit it, she held a deep bond with the lazy Genin.

"Wh-what did he d-do to u-upset you s-so much?"

Ino let out a low growl, her eyes changing from sadness to rage. "He snapped at me because I asked him if I should ask Sasuke out! I didn't do anything and he treated me like an enemy ninja. It's absurd!"

As she continued her much needed rant, with words that shall not be repeated here, a singular thought ran through her mind Love.

While she didn't want to make this about herself, she would have given anything. She would have given her life even to have Naruto talk about her in that way. To care so much, with so much raw emotion…

Finally with a loud sigh and some small pants, Ino finished her rant with "And then, he says I should go with him on the reconnaissance mission. He doesn't think I can fight."

Hinata nodded, taking the information in. "Ma-maybe yo-you should t-try talking wi-with him again."

Ino went to shake her head, but stopped. What else could she do? Sure, it was his fault that she was like this, but he was far too stubborn to engage the conversation first. Men.

Ino smiled softly, turning to Hinata. "Thank you."

A light blush dusted Hinata's cheeks and smiled softly also. "I-it's okay."

As soon as she finished that sentence, Ino stood up, took a deep breath of fresh air and marched forwards to the hill that Shikamaru was sat upon.

Shikamaru was quite annoyed. Why? Because Ino was coming towards him. He really didn't want another argument on his hands. Why couldn't she see he was just trying to protect her, to make sure she doesn't get hurt! Women could be so frustrating.

He sat up slowly, his brown eyes meeting her blue orbs. She stopped at the foot of the hill.

They both didn't say anything, letting the awkward silence loom over them like a rain cloud on a stormy night.

"Can we talk?" Ino asked slowly.

Shikamaru shrugged. "If it involves talking, not bitching."

The blonde's fists clenched involuntarily, and she took a deep breath. 'Calm down…' She thought to herself as she strode up the hill "We're going to talk. Not argue."

She took a place right next to Shikamaru and turned her gaze upwards, her eyes widening as she actually took in the breathtaking orange sky. The lazy Genin next to her noticed her fascination with the sky, and said. "It's nice, isn't it?"

Ino nodded. "It's beautiful. I've never noticed how nice the sky looks. Not even the flowers in the shop look this nice!"

"Maybe you should focus more on things around you and less on yourself." Shikamaru muttered darkly.

In all honesty, he really didn't mean to say that. But he was still very annoyed with the blonde's stubbornness. All the times he invited her to watch the clouds with him, now she notices the sky!

Ino's gaze snapped towards him, her mouth twisted into a grimace. "Can we try and be civil and work through our problems?" She uttered through gritted teeth. Who knew it would be this hard to talk to her teammate.

Shikamaru reluctantly nodded. "Okay then, come with us on the reconnaissance mission."

Ino shook her head roughly. "No. I'm staying with the others Shikamaru."

The lazy Genin rolled his eyes. "Can you try to see my point of view first?"

The blonde bombshell nodded after a few moments but kept her face firm. She wasn't going to enjoy what he was going to say, she could feel it.

"You're not strong enough to go with the others Ino."

Ino's breath hitched. He didn't! He wouldn't… but he did. Now, her grimace contorted with rage. "What was that!?" She snarled. Shikamaru didn't flinch and even though his eyes seemed to fill with sadness, they remained firm and absolute.

"I want you come to come with us. You're not a fighter, Ino." He added as an afterthought. Her eyes grew colder. Before she could retort, he looked at her with such determination it shocked her.

"Ino, you're coming with us."

The blonde let out a guttural growl. "You don't own me, Shikamaru."

The killing intent from the blonde bombshell was building. Hinata looked at the two worriedly "Not another fight…"

Shikamaru let out a sharp bark of laughter. "I'm not trying to own you Ino," He pleaded, "I'm trying to protect you."

"I don't need protecting!" She huffed indignantly. Shikamaru knew he was fighting a losing battle, but he just couldn't stop. She was riling him up beyond the point of no return. If this didn't stop soon…

"And where were you during the battle?" He snapped at her. "You were asleep. You couldn't do anything."

"I was caught under a Genjutsu!" She retorted back. He rolled his eyes.

"As if that's an excuse. Aren't women supposed to be good at Genjutsu anyway?"

Ino le out sharp sound of annoyance. "Shut up you sexist pig!"

Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose, his frustration building. How much longer could this go on before they both said something they would most definitely regret.

"Look, I'm sorry." He finally apologized, trying to defuse the already lit bomb that would soon expand and explode. "I just don't think you're ready for a frontline position."

Now, Ino did look like she was going to explode. "What do you know!?"

"Well, let's see. You got beaten by that sound ninja, you drew with Sakura, you were put under a mild Genjutsu, which may I add Sakura got out of-"

"You bastard! I'm stronger than I was before-"

"By three weeks. Don't kid yourself Ino." And then, he nailed the lid of his coffin. "You're too weak to be on the front lines!"

All of Shikamaru's frustration spilled out, echoing into a loud roar which caught all the camps attention. Ino looked distraught, her eyes brimming with tears. She pushed them back, a fierce look crossed her features. With a loud crack, Ino slapped Shikamaru.

The sheer shock of the slap sent the lazy Genin reeling, he rolled down the hill before righting himself. He looked up to see Ino looking defiantly down at him. Her eyes were filled with rage, anger and sadness.

Shikamaru cursed internally. He hadn't meant that, he didn't mean to be so blunt. She just kept on frustrating him and annoying him and she wouldn't leave his thoughts.

Letting out a frustrated growl he got to his feet and wiped the dirt off of his clothes. Ino then scowled down at him. "I'm getting stronger," She whispered so only Shikamaru could hear, "And I will be able to show you that I can be the best. This time I'm not going to impress Sasuke. I'm going to show you how much I've improved!"

Shikamaru was stunned. She was going to prove herself to him, not Sasuke. For whatever reason, Shikamaru couldn't help but find himself smiling slightly. This, however, angered the blonde on the hill even more and she made her way down the hill, passing her team mate and storming into the trees to train.

Shikamaru turned his gaze towards the camp and saw multiple concerned eyes looking at him. He simply shrugged and walked back up the hill.

Such are the wonders of love.

Finally, after the day's over dramatics, night had finally claimed the small camp of Team Konoha (as Naruto had ever so eloquently dubbed it).

The darkness was only illuminated by the shining crescent moon, it's cool and steely surface broadcasting light but no warmth. The stars flickered every once in a while, telling the now sleeping world that they were present. Well, with the exception of two.

They sat, side by side, in deep contemplation by the warm fire

One was caressing his faithful hound behind the ears, his mouth stretched into a toothy grin, yet his eyes betrayed his deep sense of thought.

The other sat with his back straight, his cool black shades reflecting the flickers of the fire. His grey trench coat whispered along with the wind as a light gust flew through the atmosphere.

Kiba shot a weary glance in Shino's direction. They had barely said more than a few words since the incident at the hospital.

The bug nin was far quieter than usual, not that he was loud before, but even he was never this quiet. During planning sessions, he didn't make any signs of cooperation. He just sat there, unblinking. When he was addressed, he answered with a slight nod of the head. It had been two days since Kiba had heard Shino utter a single word. He missed the sound of Shino's voice.

He was, in essence, a love sick puppy-no pun intended.

Why it was constantly directed in Shino's direction, he didn't know. It was a constant battle with himself, just to make sure he didn't rip off his clothes and screw him right then and there. It was considered a blessing and a curse.

"You want to know something funny?"

Now, if any words could have come out of Shino's mouth at any point in time, it had to be the ones that made no sense. "Wh-what?" Kiba asked.

Shino turned, his gaze piercing into Kiba's brown eyes. "I said, do you want to know something funny?"

The dog nin nodded, there gazes never leaving each other.

"My father was going to marry me off."

Now, once again, Kiba had not expected those words to escape from the bug nin's mouth. "Say what!?" He yelled alarmed.

"Quiet," Shino hushed his teammates rambling. The dog nin complied grudgingly, running his hands through Akamaru's white fur.

They sat in silence again for a while, the crackling of the fire and the chirping of the crickets. Finally, Kiba spoke once more. "When?"

"In about four weeks. I met her once."

"Di-did you want to get married?" The dog nin asked nervously. God, what was he becoming? He didn't really care if his teammate got married… right?

"No."

Kiba let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. Before he could speak, Shino interrupted. "I met her once. She was rather pretty, long flowing brown hair, charcoal black eyes. From the Sand, I believe she was."

Kiba nodded intently, his heart beating faster and faster in his chest. He still had a chance- Wait, what? No, he didn't like Shino. Well, he did, just not as a frie- No, not like that!

The dog nin resisted the urge to let out a frustrated growl at his own internal argument.

Shino watched him with calculated eyes. So it is bothering him? Curious.

"Are you alright?" Shino asked.

Kiba's mood seemed to change, like the flick of a switch. His worried expression twisted into one of annoyance. "I was just wondering why you haven't spoken to me."

The bug nin resisted the urge to sigh. Yes, Kiba was acting far weirder than normal. Hormones, he assumed. Although, they were picking a grand time to play up.

Although, in hindsight as Shino considered it, he didn't really know much about Kiba. Well, he knew he was loud and sometimes obnoxious, but also sweet and caring. He loved dogs and wanted to become head of his clan. Also, his mother was a 'bitch' according to him.

"Kiba," His voice was cool and calm.. "I don't know much about your father."

Now, Kiba's mood was already pretty angry, and yes, he was probably annoyed that Shino hadn't answered his question. Yet, his face and his eyes, softened into sadness. "What about him?" Kiba grunted.

The bug nin looked at the boy with curious eyes. "You've never mentioned him before."

"There was a reason for that."

Now, that was venomous. Still, Shino had to forgive him. "I'm sorry for prying. I shall go and make us something to eat, if you are hungry."

Kiba muttered something inaudibly and Shino took it as whatever.

He strolled the only way he can towards a large spit that lay atop the fire. Along the row were a mixture of fish, caught from the stream.. Carefully, Shino released some of his Kikaichȗ bugs and commanded them to move the two fish from the spit to his hands.

They complied and soon Shino was strolling over with two fish in his hands.

"That was… an interesting way to remove them." Kiba grinned.

Shino broke his stoic mode for a few moments, allowing the smallest curl of the lips. "It was the most logical way of removing them."

Kiba nodded. They were both glad to have each other back; Shino being the logical one and Kiba being the mischievous one. That was the way they liked it.

As Shino sat down, however, Kiba's expression turned forlorn. "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that, I'm sorry."

Shino didn't respond, taking small bites of his fish, compared to Kiba, who was hungrily gnashing at the water based creature. "I suppose I owe you an explanation."

As Shino took another bite of his fish, he quickly went to say that it was okay if Kiba didn't want to tell him anything, but Kiba being Kiba, had already begun.

"My dad was mom's second in command," The dog nin began tossing the leftovers of his ravenous escapades at his loyal companion. "They met while doing a mission. Mom used to say it was really corny, how it was love at first bite."

Shino's eyebrows furrowed, but Kiba let out a humourless bark of laughter. "What I said was correct. They met while they were both Genin and the two teams were sparring. Dad had lunged at mom, and bitten her on the neck."

Shino's eyebrows were now raised. This time, Kiba's laugh was truthful. "She beat the living crap out of him, of course. But… she made him take her out for food. They dated ever since. She was smitten, you know. I've never seen her happier then she was with Dad. Completely at utterly devoted."

The bug nin really couldn't imagine a smitten Tsume; one who blushed adoringly. It would almost be as weird as The Aburame's going ballroom dancing!

"Yeah, she was devoted. But he wasn't. He was devoted more to the hunt than to us. He and mom always fought and yelled at each other. But he didn't walk out," Kiba's mouth turned into a demonic snarl, "He killed my uncle and fled."

Shino nodded thoughtfully, trying to think up words of comfort. He couldn't. Instead, he asked, "Why?"

"My uncle was to be next in line for the clan. He wanted to be more humane; focus more on the preservation of the clan rather than the war-mongering ways of my father. So he called all of my uncle's followers, including nin dogs into the woods and slaughtered them."

"How many of your clan were his followers? To fall so easily to an attack…"

"They were taken by surprise. They thought they were being called for the grand hunt, a special hunt we do once per year. We used to have about eighty or so clan members. We have fifteen now, including me, Hana and mom. He almost wiped us out. Those loyal to him launched an attack on the compound. They numbered at about twenty, compared to the twenty-five of us. He almost killed us all. But Mom managed to defeat him. He fled. But he caused so much damage, almost tearing mom apart and completely murdering three quarters of our nin dogs."

Shino was for once loss for words. He had no idea that this was what Kiba's father had done. He had never heard of such a thing.

"It was also thanks to the Aburame that we managed to survive. They came to our aid. All of dad's followers were wiped out, 'cept for him."

Now, Shino was perplexed. This was never mentioned to him, all throughout his years of history with his mother. He would have to ask fath-mother, later.

"Was your father that strong?"

Kiba scoffed. "He's still in the bingo book, marked as S class. Mom may have run the clan, but Dad was the true warrior. He managed to kill quite a few Aburame's as well." Kiba growled menacingly.

"I don't know where he is, but when I find him, I'll rip his throat out for what he did to mom, Hana and me. I swear it."

The bug nin however, shot him a pointed look. "Revenge is not the answer, Kiba."

"Yes it is!" The dog nin yelled in defence." He deserves everything he gets!"

"That may be true," Shino tried to hush his teammate. "But revenge will consume you. Look at Sasuke."

Kiba turned to the bug nin and frowned. Yes, he had noticed the Uchiha's hungering for revenge. But he wouldn't stoop to that level, would he?

"Don't fall to Sasuke's level. Sure, he's becoming more open with his teammates, but his desire for power is growing. I can see it; Kakashi-sensei can see it. I don't know about the others, but he is walking down a dangerous path Kiba, one that I don't want you to follow."

Kiba softly smiled. "Thanks."

"Motivation is different for everyone, Kiba. Motivate to become stronger, to show your mom that you can be man of the house, not to kill your father."

After Shino's speech, the two lapsed into a comfortable silence. Kiba contemplated the bug nin's words, while Shino was just Shino, finishing off his fish.

"Thank you Shino. That was better than the speech that my mother always gives me when I don't clean the kennels." He chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck tenderly.

Shino gave a curt nod, before turning his head to the side. "We should go and change shifts. Kurenai-sensei will be back from scouting soon, she'll chastise us if we do not go to sleep at the appropriate time."

"Yeah, I get enough of that word at home," Kiba said, standing up, yawning and stretching, "Good night Shino."

With a wave, he trudged off to his tent, Shino doing the same. Both boys were much happier than they were before.