Neji clenched his jaw as he followed a step behind his uncle. Next to him, Hinata looked even more nervous and on edge than him, but he couldn't really blame her. They had both been walking on eggshells around Hiashi after the mock-tests conducted by Orochimaru. Neji had won both of his matches, but Hinata had only one her second, but since neither of them had received the apprenticeship, they didn't know how Hiashi had taken the news.
The man humiliating himself in front of the other clan heads and the Hokage had not helped in the least.
Grimacing at the thought, Neji wished they weren't going to the Sannin's own compound—that meant they would be at his mercy and if Hiashi spoke out of turn again, then he'd be doubly humiliated.
"I will not fight your decision."
"As if you could."
His uncle had truly pushed himself into a corner with that comment. However, it was understandable. Neji might not know much about Haruno Sakura, but since she was from a civilian clan, that spoke volumes by itself. She did not have the prestige that their clan, or the Uchiha or others had, so it was understandable that Hiashi would be upset that the girl had been chosen. She and the Uchiha had been the only ones to fight three times, with Uchiha winning all three and Haruno losing all three. Their levels in power had been obvious.
So, why had Orochimaru chosen the girl?
Yes, she had shown her intelligence, but other than that, she was weak in everything else. Her taijutsu was horrendous, her ninjutsu nonexistent, and she had relied on cheap tricks to confuse her opponents. And honestly, if she had used the dirt trick on him, he would have been furious just like the Uchiha. Maybe not murderous, but as someone who had their own doujutsu, he knew how much of an insult it was to have one of your comrades to disrespect it. The Hyuuga were already known to receive disgust from civilians because of their byakugan, and having their fellow shinobi act the same way was a much deeper wound.
However, none of that mattered now. Haruno had been chosen and from the way Hiashi had been tense since yesterday, she had shown to have a once thought extinct jutsu. The elders and his uncle had been tight lipped about the whole thing, so Neji couldn't even guess as to what that jutsu could possibly be, but he had to wonder. How rare could it be that a civilian could use it?
"Be on your best behavior, both of you," his uncle barely turned his head to whisper the order. With how he stood, he should have been wearing armor instead of the heavy kimono. Both Neji and Hinata nodded along to his words, but it was obvious they didn't need the reminder since they had been silent the whole way to the Orochi compound. They were dressed just as formally as Hiashi, with Hinata's hair having taken some time before they left. Neji refused to take off his hitai-ate even when his uncle had sent him a dirty look about going against the formal dress.
Finally, the entrance to the Orochi compound was in sight and Neji raised an eyebrow at the winding snakes that decorated the gates. The wood seemed to almost be alive with how much detail had been put into the snakes, and he wondered what kind of gems had been used for their eyes as the black rocks sparkled in the morning sun. As they stepped through, he was surprised to see the whole place as one, big garden, with many flowers in full bloom.
Hiashi flared his chakra in the normal pattern to inform other shinobi of their presence. In less than a second, the door slid open to reveal a white haired, young man. His expression was boarding on unimpressed as he bowed slightly in greeting.
"Oro-sama is waiting for you," he told them, gesturing for them to enter. "Please be careful of Kiiro."
Frowning, Neji followed the older boy's gaze and spotted a large, yellow snake that was curled up next to the door. Lazily, the animal's tongue peaked out and tasted the air before lowering its head again. Neji carefully positioned himself between the snake and Hinata, just in case.
Being led through the home, Neji glanced around, but only a few photos revealed anything about the occupants. Many of the photos had various children proudly standing next to Orochimaru. As they got closer to the only room that had an open door, Neji spotted to be what appeared to be a recently add picture frame. Yet another picture of a child standing next to Orochimaru, however, Haruno's pink was extremely distinct as they both smiled at the camera, dressed to the nines. They stood in front of an over grown rose garden, all the flowers coming in a variety of colors that seemed to emphasize sensei and student's beauty.
"Ah, Hiashi-san, I am glad you could make it," a silky voice greeted them.
Tearing his eyes away from the photo, Neji saw Orochimaru sitting at a low table with empty cushions across of him. A variety of foods were spread across the table, ranging from traditional to more modern foods, such as cinnamon rolls.
"Thank you, Orochimaru-sama, for inviting us into your home," Hiashi bowed, and Neji followed suit. He gave a small murmur of thanks, while Hinata's was a stutter of sounds. Following his uncle, Neji kept Hinata in the middle of them as they saw across from the Sannin.
"Please, help yourselves," he waved at the food. When none of the Hyuuga made a move, his smile turned sharp. "Is there a problem?"
"Not at all, Orochimaru-sama," Hiashi said quickly, sending a stern look to the younger two. Keeping his eyes from rolling, Neji slowly began to fill a plate and saw Hinata swiftly grabbing a cinnamon roll, face slightly pink. The Sannin smiled in satisfaction. "I was hoping we could talk about Hinata and Neji's matches."
"Of course. It was very interesting to see the difference in you two, even though you are both trained in the Gentle Fist and other Hyuuga techniques. As for Neji-kun, I do wish you had been able to have a serious match against Nara Shikamaru, but it is expected for their clan to quit when the odds are against them in low stake situations. He refused to come close to you, and unfortunately, your Byakugan did not help in keeping his shadows away. However, in your fight against Inuzuka Kiba, you showed your talent in your clan jutsu."
Neji didn't bother hiding his proud smirk as he glanced at his uncle. He was worthy, no matter what the older man said.
"However," the Sannin continued, meeting his eyes and Neji nearly jumped at the slit pupil in the man's eyes. How had he never noticed that before? "You should study another style if you do not wish to be blindsided in battle. The Byakugan and Hyuuga eyes are very noticeable, so I fear that enemy ninja will know exactly how to counteract you, especially after previous battles with your clansmen. Have you ever thought about taking up a weapon?"
"I have not given it much thought," Neji frowned.
"Ask you teammate," Orochimaru suggested. "She is from a very prominent weaponsmith family and will have advice for you."
"Thank you," Neji bowed his head. He was expecting something much worse.
"As for Hinata," Orochimaru's voice stayed cool, but Neji swore he could feel the trembling in Hinata's limbs as she tried to meet the man's eyes. "I must applaud you on the way you fought against the Yamanaka heiress."
"R-really?"
"Yes," he smiled gently. "There are very few who can counter their mind transfer technique, so it was not surprising that you lost. If you had been on the field, you would have won. If it had been your team against hers, one of your teammates would have easily attacked her and broken her justu, leaving you to finish her."
"Thank you, Orochimaru-sama," Hinata whispered.
"As for your second match with Tenten, am I to presume that you have watched her train before?"
"Yes, she comes to our compound often to train with Neji-nii-san." Her stutter was getting better, but was still very prevalent. Neji could only hope his uncle wouldn't punish her for stuttering in front of the legendary Sannin.
"Then neither of you had much of an advantage," he nodded to himself. "She was very familiar with the Byakugan, but you knew how to avoid her attacks with her weapons. It was only by pure luck you were able to land the blow that ended your fight."
"Oh…"
"Do not be discouraged," he told her firmly. "No matter what others will say, luck is sometimes the deciding factor in a battle. A shift in the wind, the wrong footing, anything can change the tides. However, to make sure luck does not go against you, you must train even harder. As I said before, both you and your cousin are proficient in your clan's jutsu, so you must now focus on something else to give you an advantage."
"And what would you recommend for her?" Hiashi asked. Orochimaru only glanced at him before putting his attention back on Hinata, who clearly did not want it.
"Have you ever considered becoming a medic?"
"Ah, no, I haven't," she lowered her head.
"The Hyuuga are known for their prowess in medical jutsu. Your Byakugan helps see damages to the charka system. I believe, combining your own clan jutsu with medical jutsu will allow you to be an impressive field medic."
"A field medic?" Hiashi let out a strangled noise. "Like Tsunade-hime?"
"Precisely," Orochimaru smiled sharply. "My own apprentice will be starting her own medical training with my son, Kabuto. Would you be interested in joining her, Hinata-chan?"
"I…"
"Let us think on this decision, and we—"
"Yes!" Neji nearly flinched at how loud Hinata's voice cracked as she interrupted Hiashi. Her face was pale as she realized what she had done, but she straighten up as their eyes focused on her. "I would be honored to train with Sakura-chan."
"I am glad to hear that, Hinata-chan."
Glancing at his uncle, Neji kept his face passive even though Hiashi looked like he had sucked on a lemon. Gracefully, Orochimaru turned the conversation away from what had happened, encouraging him and Hinata to eat their fill. Feeling light, Neji gladly did, even though he shied away from the kimchi Orochimaru seemed to prefer. However, he had nearly choked on his rice when a small snake had popped out of his uncle cup of tea.
"Asahi," Orochimaru sighed, gently pulling the snake out. "We have talked countless times about getting into guests' beverages."
"Pinky finished her katas."
"All of them?"
"Yep."
"Hmm."
"Is he talking about Sakura-chan?" Hinata spoke up, and Neji had to admit, even he was curious.
"Yes. She must be taking a break at the moment, if you would like to visit her." Receiving twin nods, Orochimaru stood and led them out onto the engawa. The back garden was just as luscious as the front, and Neji had to wonder if the Sannin was obsessed with rose bushes as they seemed to be taking over one side of the compound wall. However, what caught his attention was the small, pink figure sitting in the middle of the pond.
Haruno Sakura wasn't wearing the dress she had been during the other times Neji had seen her, instead wearing a black tank top and shorts. Her skin was coated in sweat and her hair hung limply as she sat on the water's surface. The water had minimal movement, but it was still incredibly impressive to watch her sit there like she was sitting on solid ground. A large, thick textbook was held inches from her face as she studied it, eyes darting all over the page.
"Hatchling," Orochimaru called. "Show me kata number 28."
With a put-upon sigh, Sakura stood and fell into a kata with ease.
"Number 43."
Her limbs moved fluidly as she fell into it.
"Number 105."
It was no issue for her.
"Do the whole set as quickly as you can."
Neji blinked as the girl's body moved rabidly, falling into each stance elegantly and without drop of hesitation. Her legs swept out, her arms striking an invisible enemy with precise hits, all the while her only weapon being the book in her hand. Her face was fixed in a calm expression as she did the katas with perfection. Once she was done, Neji was sure she had done more than a hundred kata.
"Good job, hatchling," Orochimaru praised her. "You may go back to your reading."
"Finally," she mumbled before flopping back onto the water. It didn't even ripple as she did so, and Neji could only stare as she didn't dip even a centimeter into the water. How did she make it look as if she was on dry ground? Was he under a genjutsu?
"Only a few days with Anko, and she's just as rebellious," Orochimaru lamented, but his smile was fond. "Do not stay out too long, hatchling, we will be having guests at dinner."
Sakura merely nodded, far too focused on her reading to verbally respond. Squinting, Neji frowned at the title of the book: Ninjutsu for advanced users by Senju Tobirama. He had never heard of the second Hokage having written any books, where had that come from?
"How will you be meeting with, if you don't mind me asking?" Hiashi asked.
"Minato-san and his family," Orochimaru answered graciously. "Jiraiya has been staying with me for the foreseeable time, so he likes to bring everyone he can into my home. However, I will never reject an Uzumaki from making my home theirs."
Neji didn't know what he meant by that, but by the way his uncle's shoulders tensed, perhaps he did.
"I see. Give the Hokage and his family our best."
"Of course."
With one more glanced at the girl reading on the pond's surface, Neji wondered if he would be invited back to the compound as well. He would like to ask her to a spar.