Ch.8: Does Friendship Still Stand?
After that day Neji trained even harder. If there was something that would definitely strike the Main House straight up in the ego, it would be a young Branch member getting promoted to chunin before the 'so called' heiress.
Tamaki, along with her teammates, had turned out to be a nuisance, but somehow she had grown fond of them in some sort of twisted way. She still considered them weak, that was a fact as much as it was that they had endured every one of her poisoned words, never leaving her side...for too long.
The day had finally arrived. She had already heard of Sasuke's team. All those rookies were gonna enter. Hinata-sama included. Oh, the girl had made a great mistake by even thinking about signing up for them. Her persistence in defying her fate infuriated Neji, it was crystal clear that the heiress was not made for the shinobi life and so, Neji herself would be the one proving that point.
Their plan of pretending to be some untalented weak shinobi made her opinion on Lee increase if only a bit since it had been his idea.
Once they arrived at the building Neji instantly knew that something was amiss. A quick glance with her Byakugan told her everything.
"A genjutsu has been placed on the building. The third floor to be more exact." she muttered.
"So that was it." Tenten answered back. He had also noticed something. Good.
"What shall we do?" Lee asked as they kept walking.
"Play along until some other team notices it."
"And what if no team does?" her green clad teammate questioned again.
"Oh, believe me, we're not gonna be the only ones." Neji simply answered with her trademark smirk. If Sasuke, an Uchiha, was gonna be there, then there was no way he would not be able to notice it.
A small crowd was gathered outside the door of the second floor, the fools truly believing they were in the third one.
"Neh, I guess it's time to begin. Who wants to make the first impression?" Tenten playfully asked.
"Oh, I shall do it." Lee's enthusiastic voice said.
"Go ahead."
The trio arrived in front of the door. Neji was the first one to ask if they could get, her pleading only being answered by a no. Lee proceeded to try to force his way in, the action predictably being foreseen and harshly blocked.
"You're trying to take the Chunin exam with that kind of level?" one of the guards mocked him.
The words irked Neji. Lee could be way inferior to her on so many levels, but he was a good shinobi all in all and could easily beat every gennin there.
To make the effect more convincing Tenten ran to Lee and kneeled by his side, pretending to help his fallen comrade.
"Maybe you should quit it, kid." The other one added with a scornful smirk.
"You're still just kids." 'Remember the plan. You can prove those jerks wrong later.'Tenten reminded himself. Instead, he swallowed his pride and asked in the nicest way possible.
"Please, let us through." Tenten approached them only to be hit in the face. Okay, now he was pissed but…the plan went first. Various gasps were heard from around them.
"How cruel." someone muttered.
Well, now they saw them as weaklings. Good.
"What did you say?" the one with the spiky hair said, his smirk still in place. "Listen up, we're being kind to you. The Chunin exam is extremely difficult."
"We have seen those who gave upon on becoming a ninja or become seriously injured taking this exam." The other one commented. At this Neji inwardly smirked. 'They were simply not made for being ninja…like you, Hinata-sama.'
"A Chunin is a commander of a squad. It's the commander's responsibilities for failing any missions and the death of their subordinates." The Spiky-haired one began talking again. "And to think, these kids are trying to…"
'You seem to know a lot about the chunin life even if you look our age.'The girl thought. It only required a little concentration to sense the faint strong chakra hidden behind a henge. A Chunin level chakra network.
The one with a bandana covering his head scornfully added. "What's wrong with sifting out those who aren't going to pass anyway?"
"That's a sound argument, but I will pass." A vaguely familiar voice said. Her attention immediately focused on the newcomers, Sasuke being the one who spoke. "And undo this field you've created using a genjutsu."
Neji flashed a quick'I told you so'smirk to her teammates.
"I want to go to the third floor." The Uchiha stated clearly.
"What's that guy talking about?" a clearly confused gennin asked behind them.
"I don't know." Another one answered him back.'Fools. You can't even sense a simple genjutsu like this and are planning to take the exam.'The Hyuga girl thought derogatorily.
The guards looked impressed, the smirks wiping from their faces.
"You noticed?"
"Sakura, how about you? You should've noticed first." Sasuke said instead of answering the question.
"What?" the pink-haired girl accompanying them, Sakura apparently, asked confused.
"Your analyzation skills and genjutsu know-how is the best in our squad."
How smart of you, Uchiha. Telling your squad abilities in front of a bunch of future exam participants.' Neji thought sarcastically.
Neji did not hear what the girl muttered next, but she quickly confirmed her teammate's affirmation. "Of course, I've noticed it already. Because this is the second floor." The girl said confidently.
The genjutsu was dispelled as all eyes were focused on Sasuke's team.
"You're pretty good. But just being able to detect it isn't enough…"Spiky hair said. On a quick move, he attempted to attack Sasuke. The Uchiha noticed on time and with speed prepared to counterattack…until Lee butted in.
Sasuke and his team, as well as the guard, shot Lee incredulous stares. Neji and Tenten were now annoyed. 'All that acting for nothing' was the thought that rushed through their minds.
"Hey, you broke the promise." She icily reclaimed him. "You're the one that didn't want to gather attention by doing something that stands out."
"But…"Lee began saying as he glanced at Sakura, a small blush tainting his face.
Tenten sighed deeply as he shook his head. "She must be why…"
"My name is Rock Lee. You are Sakura-san, right?" her teammate stepped forward.
"What?" The girl was obviously confused. Hell, she would be.
"Let's go out together! I will protect you until I die!" Lee said striking his 'Good Guy' pose.'Go ahead, freak her out.'Tenten sweatdropped.
"No way…" the poor girl muttered.
"What?" Lee's crestfallen expression made both his teammate's eyebrow twitch.
"You're too weird for my tastes."
When their blond teammate chuckled, Neji decided to step in and refrain Lee from embarrassing himself further.
"Hey, you there." Neji engaged with Sasuke. "Identify yourself."
Their gazes lingered a second before Sasuke answered.
"You're supposed to identify yourself before you ask."
"You're a rookie, aren't you?" Her tone sounded the normal arrogant one, but only Sasuke, whom before that year span had spent two years with her almost every evening, could recognize she was not serious at all. "How old are you?"
"I'm not obliged to answer that." He simply stated in a tone matching hers.
"Excuse me?" Neji frowned, pretending to be offended but inwardly having fun.
With a last glance, Sasuke left. The guards were nowhere in sight, but she was still able to notice their presence.
Neji's sight lingered on Sasuke until he was out of sight.'Uchiha Sasuke…I'm looking forwards to our future encounter.'
Once they were the only ones left Tenten approached her.
"Does he interest you?" Dammit. She thought she had been discreet enough. The girl simply scoffed and walked away, Tenten following her with a knowing smirk placed on his lips.
"Lee, let's go. What are you doing?" Tenten suddenly questioned him when he noticed the mini-Gai wasn't coming.
"You two go ahead." The boy said as he turned around. "There's something I need to check out."
"What was that?" Tenten asked the Hyuga girl as Lee walked away.
Neji only raised her nose and began walking towards the registration classroom.
"How should I know?"
The three of them needed to be present for the registration to begin but there were only two. Teams came in and went out, all filling in their registration forms and leaving afterward. As the minutes passed, Neji's frown deepened and Tenten's questions and pacing increased, that being a clue factor at shortening Neji's patience. Finally, Lee arrived running.
"I'm awfully sorry for my lateness. I promise it shall not be repeated." Lee profusely apologized before whispering "Oh, boy. Two times in the day I've wronged, 100 laps around the training grounds won't do."
"Stop your nonsense and let's proceed with the registration." The girl spat. Lee lowered his eyes but followed anyway. As they followed, Tenten watched Neji's long hair swaying behind her back, his face with an annoyed expression. He also was a bit mad with Lee for making them wait but Neji did not have the right to treat them like that.
After they finished their registration and left, he saw Sakura's team now completing it. It was quite obvious the girl had waited till Lee was gone to come out. Again, he felt a slight twinge of anger towards the girls.
"Hey, Neji." He called her after they were a few blocks away from the registration grounds.
Said girl turned around, her eyes narrowed.
"Yes?"
Tenten's words stuck at the tip of his tongue under those white eyes' gaze. The Hyuga girl's lips curved cruelly.
"The cat's got your tongue? I better head off then if there's nothing for you to tell me."
After a beige and brown blur, Neji disappeared in the crowd leaving Tenten fuming.
"Aghhh, those freaky white eyes just caught me off-guard! I was actually going to-"
"Tenten, my friend, I don't think that's the correct way to speak of a lady." Lee interrupted him, placing his hand on his shoulder.
"I know." The boy admitted finally with a sigh. "It's just that…she can't just keep treating us like shit…"
"She's a very talented person and my precious teammate and rival. I don't think she was born that way. Life made me a hard-work genius and life also made her heart get as cold as it is. As her teammates we must try to understand her, support her and not let her get under our skin because, after all, all those poisoned words are nothing else than a shield from letting us get to her." Lee stated.
Tenten faced the bushy-browed boy, awe present in his face. With a sigh, he nodded.
"Then we must hurry before it's too late, Lee."
As Neji arrived at her Side Branch residence the girl slumped down in her bed. She had heard the thing about'those freaky white eyes'coming from Tenten. Sure, like many other Hyugas she had received that same comment in one way or another but, to think that it actually stung that a loser like him had badmouthed her, more than self-conscious made her angry…with herself. The simple fact that her teammate's comment made her stomach drop if even a bit annoyed her to no end.
With a new determination, the girl stood up, slid her feet into her sandals and decided to go for a walk. A long one.
The weather was Konoha's normal one. If not a bit too warm but with a constant breeze that kept making the leaves dance. Some rebel strands of hair snuck out her pristine ponytail.
"Oh, long time no see Neji!" a voice said behind her.
"Tamaki, indeed, it has been some time."
"I heard you signed up for the chunin exams. I wish you luck though I'm certain you won't need it to pass." The sand-haired boy commented as he began walking alongside her. He looked the same except that now he sported a green chunin vest over his regular clothes.
Neji's lips curved a bit, actually meaning it.
"I also agree with you, though… did you hear that the new rookies are also taking part?"
"It's only the jounin's trying to look good. The only one of them who may have the faintest of possibilities of them to succeed would probably be that Uchiha boy."
"Do you know him?"
"Not actually, but my teammate has a huge crush on him. If you ask me I think he's a bit uptight."
Neji nodded, smirking slightly. Yeah, Sasuke was a bit uptight but so was she.
"So am I. Why did you want to befriend me if we're alike in that aspect?"
"You're cool and…" he blushed a bit "I don't know." Was Tamaki vague response until a black-haired girl called him from behind.
"Oh, she's my teammate Akane." The boy told Neji as Akane approached them.
"Tamaki-kun, it's almost time for the mission." The girl said.
"Oh! I almost forgot it. I'll be right there! Thanks, Akane."
The girl nodded and gave Neji a small bow before leaving.
"I was not aware chunins still did missions with their former squads."
"With or without promotion, we'll always be a squad. It's true that a lot of higher rank missions are without our former teammates, but you never truly stop being a unit."
The thought of even after getting the chunin promotion still being tied with them made her inwardly cringe.
"How...fortunate." she uttered.
"I know right!" he beamed completely unaware of the lack of sentiment Neji had spoken the words with.
As the Hyuga headed back to the compound the internal conflict she had dealt with a few months ago returned.
'Was Sasuke still her friend?'