Headcannons: There was no way Hiashi didn't pick up on his nephew having a crush and Neji confided in Hinata about his feelings on Tenten.
Tenten's family has done business with the Hyugas for years prior to her birth.
She wasn't a Hyuga, but that didn't mean she wasn't allowed into the Hyuga estate. When they had become gennin, Team Gai was given the task to get to know each other on a personal level. For Tenten, the boys had met her older brother and parents. To the group's surprise, Tenten's mother was not from Konoha. Rather, her mother's side was in the Land of Rivers, specifically Takumi Village. Both of her parents were shinobi, her father specializing in weaponry and even handled the family business of weapons crafting and trading. For Lee, his mother gave a very warm welcome, she was a civilian and loved her son very much. When Tenten and Neji visited their home, she was very quick to greet them with hugs and snacks. When it came to Neji, he had settled on only having his teammates interact with his step-mother. His father had remarried to a civilian after the sudden death of his mother, two years after Neji was born. His step-mother was a lovely woman and found Rock Lee in particular very interesting. When the prodigy had introduced her to Tenten, she immediately noticed the air surrounding her step-son and his female teammate; it made her smile.
As the two of them became closer friends, Neji would handle business with his mother at the main estate and tell Tenten to meet him there so they could train or hang out afterwards. Shizukana Hyuga had mentioned to her brother in law the fascination she had with his female teammate; encouraging him to meet her.
Tenten had already met Hiashi Hyuga as a child. Her father's business extended to transactions with the Hyugas, however she was not formally introduced to the Lord. Whenever she would come to the estate with her father, she would give a very formal-yet quick greeting before being whisked away to be entertained by a Hyuga maid. One day, she got her chance to. Neji had informed his step-mother that he would be leaving the estate early in order to train for the chunnin exams with Tenten. Hiashi stopped him and told him to bring his teammate inside to formally meet him. When questioned, Hiashi simply stated that he was curious as to who this teammate was that he was always out training with. Begrudgingly, Neji complied.
"Wait…what?" Tenten blinked. "Why now?"
Neji rolled his eyes. "I am not sure. Honestly, it was my mother's idea."
"But, Lord Hiashi knows my father. Why does he need to know me specifically?"
"Let's just make this quick. I don't want to be here longer than I am supposed to be." the Hyuga groaned. "He loves to make my life difficult."
Tenten pursed her lips together and followed her teammate into the estate. The Hyuga relatives looked at her in curiosity as she walked behind Neji, their stares obvious and heavy. Neji kept his gaze sharp as she noticed his relatives looking at her, sending a dirty look back at them which caused various reactions. When they had reached the main tea room, the Hyuga gennin let out a loud sigh and turned to her.
"It'll be just a few minutes. Then, we leave." he said flatly.
The bunhead nodded and whipped her palms on her navy pants. She was a bit nervous, mostly because she was in her shinobi gear and about to meet the head of the most prestigious families of the Land of Fire. Tenten wondered how her father felt when first meeting Lord Hiashi. Neji had only mentioned that his uncle was a pain to deal with and was doing nothing to handle the rift between the main and branch families. The bunhead would avoid provoking such subjects with him, but if he needed to vent, she would listen. Neji was grateful for that; being able to have someone to listen to him and share his thoughts with without judgment.
The two stood before Lord Hiashi. The older Hyuga was sitting at the tea table with Neji's step-mother and two younger Hyuga's whom Tenten has not met before. One looked to be about her age and held a very soft expression as she looked at her. Hiashi's eyebrows shot to his forehead upon seeing the bunhead.
"Uncle," Neji cleared his throat. "This is my teammate, Tenten Hua."
"Yes," Hiashi mused. "Your father and I do business."
Tenten bowed respectfully. Shizukana offered Tenten a sweet smile and gestured for them to join them for tea. Neji shook his head stating he wanted to get to training and didn't want to spend more time here than necessary. Tenten pursed her lips together, surprised at how rude he was being. Yes, he thought poorly of the main branch, but he did not have to brush off his step mother. But even if he did, it took a very sharp side glance from Shizukana to get Neji's eyes wide and his spine straight. After a second, he gestured to Tenten to sit first. The bunhead complied and sat awkwardly next to the honey-blonde civilian.
"These are my daughters," Hiashi gestured to the two young girls next to him. "Hinata is a year under you. And this is her younger sister Hanabi."
Hinata smiled at the bunhead and nodded, having already been acquainted with the older kunoichi during the chunnin exams. Hanabi sat quietly, and only tilted her head at the guest before her.
"Tenten-dear, how are your parents? I haven't seen your mother in a while." Shizukana asked after a moment.
"They're well. My dad is in the Land of Rivers right now handling some business." Tenten replied. "My mom is on a mission for the next week or so."
Neji's step-mother hummed and offered the younger girl any lodging or assistance if she needed it.
"I'm sure my Neji wouldn't mind if you stayed with us until they returned. You can take the spare bedroom, right dear?" Shizukana looked to her step son.
The prodigy glanced at his mother, but nodded hesitantly. Why would she offer? He thought. Tenten doesn't need assistance. Tenten didn't need to stay with them, she was fine on her own, especially since her brother was also home for the moment, getting over an injury. It was the bunhead's way of nicely implying that she could handle herself and her brother. Hiashi hummed and sipped at his tea, listening as his sister in law prompted her step son into making sure that his teammate was well taken care of. What peaked his interest was that his nephew was just agreeing with his step mother and not firing back any sarcastic remarks. Instead, the Lord caught Neji half smiling as his teammate continued to converse with the blonde.
"Tenten, you must visit us more! Stop by the house just to say hello with your mother sometime so I can listen to all your adventures. Neji only tells me some things, and I can never get any full details from him."
The Hua chuckled apprehensively; Neji's step mom was quite the outgoing person and loved having the bunhead around for company. Her Hyuga teammate would always mention that Shizukana would ask about her, and invite her over ever since they had met.
"Mother, Tenten is a very busy person-"
"Yes, busy training with you. Which means that she has to put up with your various moods. Tell me, dear. Is my son driving you up the wall yet?"
"Mother, please-"
Tenten held her hands up. Neji had approached her to train for the exams. He was her friend and was happy to help. The prodigy was never rude or attempted to belittle her. In honesty, she was actually surprised that he had asked her specifically since her specialty was weaponry and taijutsu.
"We make great partners," the bunhead looked to her teammate. "Well, I think we do."
Neji nodded without hesitation. His face softened as Tenten offered him a bright smile. Shizukana looked at her brother in law and gestured to the pair next to her. Hiashi was now seeing what she had mentioned to him; the softness in his face. His nephew had made a close friend. It was uncertain how much Tenten knew about the Hyuga clan, or what issues they had; his guess was that Neji had no problems talking to her about it. He watched as they chatted between each other, the bunhead showing how comfortable she was around his nephew. This teammate was bright, and made his nephew feel some level of comfort he has not seen before.
Since then, Tenten had been to the Hyuga estate a number of times since the chunnin exams. Neji had begun training formally under his uncle which left Tenten on her own. To remedy this, the Hyuga would invite her to the estate to spectate, or even partake in training with him if his uncle was caught up with his Hyuga duties. At this time, Neji and Hinata had also begun training under Hiashi. Tenten would sit and watch as Hiashi would instruct his daughter and nephew in their gentle fist drills. During their breaks, Neji would sit with her and his cousin and chat about anything and everything. Hiashi would watch as his nephew would smile and give the bunhead his undivided attention. At one point, Hiashi asked to see how the Hua would engage in training with the branch member. The Lord had conjured up some clones and observed as they worked together. Neji had shared more information than he thought to his female teammate; she was covering his byakugan's blindspot. They had combined attacks and their flow was flexible as they attacked and defended against his clones. Tenten had perfect aim and his nephew was able to pick up on her change in motion almost instantly; they were a singular unit. When the clones had disappeared, the pair stood smiling at each other breathlessly. Hiashi had invited Tenten back to the estate the following morning.
Tenten watched as Neji and Hinata sparred. She hummed to herself and allowed for her fingers to rub against her scrolls, waiting to see if she would be joining in today. She didn't notice the Hyuga lord had taken a spot next to her to watch. Neji's speed was no match for Hinata as he quickly delivered his jabs. Her amber eyes were quick enough to track his movements with ease; the perks of training under Maito Gai was the ability to develop such a necessary skill.
"You have brought your scrolls, today."
Her head snapped to the side and immediately bowed to the Hyuga Lord. "Yes, I wasn't sure if I was training with Neji today or not…"
Hiashi offered a half smile as he watched the bunhead turn back to watch her teammate. The bunhead held her breath as Hinata's body was flung backwards, Neji's force was organic and held much power. Tenten felt a bit bad for Hinata since Neji was on a completely different level than her. She had formed a bit of a friendship with the Hyuga heiress, having been frequenting the Hyuga estate recently. Hinata was very sweet and very soft spoken. Tenten found her to be very cute and found her personality to be the opposite to Neji. And yet, Neji had adjusted his behavior which surprised Tenten; he was trying to be a protector for his cousin as demanded by his role as a branch member. He felt guilty for how he treated her and wanted to make things right. The bunhead was proud of her teammate for that, atoning in a way that only he could.
"Let us finish for the morning, Hinata." Neji announced.
The younger Hyuga nodded and they approached the Lord and the weapons specialist, sweaty and heavily breathing. Neji walked up to Tenten almost instantly, offering a small smile as they chatted quietly about his increase in speed. Hiashi watched as the pair spoke to each other, each maintaining full eye contact and his nephew's lips remaining in a content upwards curve. Hinata noticed this as well, and excused herself into the conversation.
"Will you be joining us today, Tenten?" she asked as wiped her face and neck with a towel.
"Well-"
"I asked her here," Lord Hiashi cut in. "To take a look at the armory we have."
Tenten's eyes grew wide with excitement. She was not allowed into the armory as a young child while her father did business. The Lord gestured her to follow him, leaving the two Hyuga cousins. Neji watched as Tenten walked away with his uncle.
"Big Brother," Hinata spoke softly. "Why are you staring at Tenten?"
Neji pursed his lips together and didn't look at her. Instead, he sat himself on the wooden deck and reached for his water bottle.
"Do you like her?" she asked.
"She is my best friend, Hinata. Of course I like her." he replied flatly.
Hinata shook her head. That's not what she meant and he knew it. They sat quietly for a moment before she turned to him and asked what he liked about her. Neji's cheeks turned pink as he glanced at her. Tenten was always there for him even when he thought he didn't need anyone. She was always cheering him on, and yet keeping him in check at the same time. The bunhead was trustworthy, and genuinely cared about him and what ran through his mind. In a way, Tenten was like a caretaker for himself and even Lee. He was a bit unsure how to pay her back for her kindness besides buying her things that she liked like sweets or something she would find interesting if he was sent on missions without her.
"You are very kind to Tenten, brother." Hinata hummed.
"I have decided," he looked at the sky. "To be responsible for her happiness."
The Hyuga heiress looked at him with wide-eyes. He wanted to make sure that Tenten had no cloudy days and would be there for her just as she was for him. It was the least he could do. In a way, he supposed it was thanks to her that he was able to hold himself in such high regard, even after his defeat against Naruto. It took Naruto to make him open his eyes and see that he was in control of his own destiny. Part of him also knew that Tenten had been trying to tell him the same way over the years, and he was grateful for her doting on him as well as Naruto for (literally) knocking some sense into him. Neji let out a breath and peered into his water bottle. When Tenten had come to see him after his loss, the first thing he was greeted with was her smile; a smile he decided to take responsibility for keeping in her face. Seeing her happiness made his chest warm.
"Brother, it seems you really do care for Tenten." Hinata mused. "Have you told her this?"
"Have you told Naruto that you're madly in love with him yet?" he shot back looking directly into her matching ivory eyes.
Hinata's face fell instantly into a deep red tint. She gave a yelp at his response with the obvious answer; no, she did not. Neji let out a laugh and shook his head. That was his answer as well.
"Speaking of Tenten," Neji's eyebrows furrowed. "I do not understand why uncle keeps inviting her. What interest has he taken in her?"
"If I am going to guess," Hinata replied, her blush calming down. "I think father is being nice because she is the daughter of his business partner…but also your friend."
"It's not his business to get into my personal relationships."
The Hyuga princess let out a chuckle at this, encouraging him to ask Lord HIashi himself when he got the chance if he were that curious. Tenten's presence did not make him uneasy in the slightest, it was his uncle's insistence of having her around that made him wonder if there was something he was trying to get out of it. Hinata didn't think her father had any ill intentions, in fact she was also curious as to why her father had invited Tenten onto Hyuga grounds so often. She wouldn't be surprised if her father also noticed Neji's affections towards his teammate and was trying to figure out how to approach this situation.
When Tenten and Lord Hiashi returned, the bunhead was very excited to tell Neji about how lovely the assortment of weapons were and how she remembers her father crafting the majority of them himself. Seeing the finished product in storage was exciting for her. The Hyuga prodigy offered to walk Tenten home, as they were finished training for the morning and he knew she had other plans with her own family after lunch. The bunhead shrugged, accepting his offer and thanked Hiashi once more.
"Nephew, a word before you leave." Hiashi said. "Hinata, why don't you walk Tenten to the front gates for now."
Hinata nodded and stood. She smiled at Tenten before doing just that. The Lord waited until the girls turned a corner before addressing his nephew.
"I have a question for you, Neji."
The prodigy cocked an eyebrow at his uncle. "Alright."
"What kind of bond are you expecting to get out of your teammate?" the older Hyuga asked.
Neji hummed, unsure as to why he was asking him such a question. The Lord had taken the time to get to know the young lady, she had mentioned that she was rather close to Neji and that she would notice the effort he was putting into their friendship as well as the growth he had made. Hiashi found her affections to his nephew to be genuine and was curious as to how the prodigy felt about his current relationship with her.
"Uncle," Neji's cheeks sprouted a faint pink. "She is my best friend and my partner. Why are you inquiring about such a thing?"
"You care for her." Hiashi hummed. "Your bond with her holds quite strong. Be careful with it, for it can be severed very easily, nephew. But, it can grow if you nurture it properly."
Neji watched as his uncle gestured in the direction of where his cousin and teammate went before turning on his heel and walking away. The young Hyuga pondered no his uncle's words for a moment before making his way to the front gates where the girls were waiting.