Ch.11.: The Ramen Reunion
After pronouncing those words her teammate retreated, his face blank, expecting a reaction from her. Lee had already left some time ago.
"So that's how it is." She mumbled. "Has the village sent anyone after him?"
"No. We don't have the luxury of sending any men after him. Apparently now without a leader and the village destroyed, that is."
"I see." she paused. "And what is Naruto's opinion on this?"
"Well…he doesn't seem perturbed, he's not even angry at Sasuke. Which brings me to the next point."
Neji's eyebrow arched as he began.
"Naruto asked for all eleven of us, we that were on the chunin exams, to meet up. He wants to talk about Sasuke, it's serious. The meeting was supposed to happen two days ago, but when he found out you were in the hospital he decided to wait."
"So it really is important." She noted, her brows furrowing. Tenten was sitting next to her, his fingers tapping lightly on the bedside and deep in thought.
"There's something you aren't telling me, Tenten." She stated noticing his stressed-out behavior.
Tenten chuckled slightly though it held no feeling behind it.
"Nothing can hide from those eyes, huh?" he sighed. "I was planning on telling you once you were released but I guess the cat's outta the bag."
Neji waited patiently though in her face it was visible how worried she grew.
"We're officially in war."
"You're gonna fight Sasukealone?!" Tenten roared angrily, crashing his fist against a box of supplies. Some nearby birds flew away, scared by the sound. "And you think all of us are just gonna stand here and let you?!"
No one flinched and, instead, stared at Naruto with the same angry face.
"Tenten's right, Naruto. We can't afford to let you have your way on this one. This is a problem for the whole village." This time was the ever-silent Shino who spoke, adjusting his dark glasses.
"So this is what you meant when you said you'd 'Explain when we get back'?" Kiba snarled. "We're all prepared to kill Sasuke, man!"
"I'm not trying to be selfish." Was Naruto's plain response though a tinge of anger was present.
"Naruto…" everyone turned towards Shikamaru who had remained silent like her the whole ordeal. "You're no trying to convince us to let you handle this so you can turn around and protect Sasuke, are you?"
Everyone stayed silent, eyeing the blond boy warily.
"No, trust me. I won't defend him."
And then Neji spoke.
"If he was so weakened from the Kage Summit and killing Danzo, why didn't you just finished him right there?" she inquired flatly, and a bit of irritation tinged her voice as she waited for Naruto's answer. Only that Naruto wasn't the one who answered.
"Madara was there too! You're oversimplifying things! Besides-" The pink-haired kunoichi stated angrily before being abruptly interrupted by the Inuzuka. Neji in change gave the girl a slight glare.
"He couldn't have just slipped away! Naruto, you're as strong as they come. You're already a legend for kicking the crap out of Pain! Sasuke wouldn't have stood a-"
'It's dubitable.' Where the Hyuga's dark thoughts.
"The Uchiha is vicious." It was Neji who spoke, to everyone's surprise. "I wouldn't be surprised if after knowing of Naruto's prowess, he used every method possible to surpass him." Were her cold words.
"Neji's right." Naruto admitted, his gaze cast downwards. "I cannot defeat him at his current level. I…just know it."
After Naruto's declaration, everyone was speechless. The distant sound of hammering was the only thing that could be heard as well as some birds chirping.
"What do you mean?" Chōji asked.
"I mean that I can't let any of you face Sasuke." Everyone's eyes narrowed; some others' eyebrows joined worriedly. "I'm the only one who can fight him."
"What in the world happened? You have to tell us." The elder Hyuga said, her frown deepening.
"I will…when the time is right." Naruto stated seriously before, after being under everyone's intent stares, adopting his carefree attitude again. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm starving! I'll be at Ichiraku's."
After that statement, Shikamaru sighed and left the place followed by Ino and Chōji, but not without sparing Naruto a last glance.
Naruto's figure was still visible and, after sharing a quick glance with Tenten, they began to take their leave.
"Oi, Neji!"
Neji turned towards the person who had called her name, an eyebrow arched.
"You got out of the hospital today, right?" Naruto asked.
"That's right, why?" she inquired.
"It has been a while since we talked, with you being jounin and all, care to join me?"
The people remaining there eyed the boy weirdly and then looked at her though the same disconcert was painted on her face.
"I'll pay, I am a gentleman after all!" he chuckled, his back still towards them.
"…Okay." She agreed, a bit wary.
Naruto waited for her as she walked towards him though Neji couldn't help but feel guilty at the longing look painted across Hinata's face. On the other hand, Sakura eyed them with her eyes slightly narrowed, her clever mind trying to unravel the meaning behind the Uzumaki's proposal.
By the corner of her eye, she could see how Shino and Kiba guided her cousin out of the place and how Tenten and Sakura followed their example, albeit slowly.
Naruto and Neji made their way to the ramen shop, walking down the busy streets. Some people waved at Naruto amicably as he passed by and he waved back at them, a smile on his face.
Neji couldn't help but feel happy for him and his newfound fame.
When they arrived, they were greeted by the owner.
"Oh, Naruto! So glad to see you here-" the old man began before he noticed her. "Ohoho, already bringing girls over, I see." He teased winking at Naruto.
"Shut up, old man. She's just a friend-ttebayo."
"Okay okay, sorry. I'll take your orders now." he chuckled.
Naruto ordered the biggest ramen on the menu while she ordered a medium-sized one.
"So, Neji. How's it going!" he started rambling, grinning. "I heard you were on a mission-"
"Naruto." She suddenly cut him off. "I know you didn't ask me here just to catch up."
Naruto's smile immediately faded.
"How are you so sure of that-"
"To the point." She was being harsh but whatever he had wanted to talk about and that couldn't be spoken of in front of the rest sure was important, so she was keener on ripping the bandage off swiftly.
Naruto huffed and, at that moment, their ramen arrived.
"Is it okay for you if we eat first? I wasn't lying when I said I was starving." the boy conceded slightly offended.
Neji nodded and they started to dig into their respective bowls. To be honest she was also starving.
"Why were you in the hospital?" the boy asked once they finished.
"Just a bit of blood loss."
"Really? Cause Tenten told me that it was sleep deprivation, chakra depl-" Naruto started grinning.
"Okay, okay, if you knew, why the question?" she grumbled to which Naruto responded with a warm laugh of his own.
"Just teasing!"
"Naruto…" Neji suddenly interrupted him seriously, crossing her legs and preparing for whatever he had to say.
"Oh…right." The Uzumaki's smile disappearing again. "Why are you so adamant to not chatting and catching up and just... going straight to the point?"
"I'm not against the motion but only if your true purpose was that from the beginning. If it suits you, we might meet another day, with the sole purpose of catching up."
"Guess you're right." the boy sighed. "And actually, it would be nice…later."
Neji nodded and waited for Naruto to continue.
"Well, you know, after Pain attacked, my house was wrecked up and I ended up sharing a tent with several shinobi. Then, I suddenly remembered Sasuke's old house. It was all that was left of him here and it was the only place where he would be able to stay once he came back so I decided to visit it and check out its state after the invasion." Naruto started.
Neji had no idea what it had to do with her but stayed quiet.
"The compound was intact, it being on the outskirts, and all had paid off, but I decided to enter and check for any possible damage." He continued. "You know, I think that it was just some kind of excuse." Naruto confessed. "I think I went in there searching for clues…"'On what?'Neji wondered. "But that's not the point. You see, I think the Hyuga and Uchiha compounds are very different. I had the chance to enter the Bouke and Souke compounds, both times as a messenger and I was honestly impressed. Aside from the training grounds, everything's pure white." he explained. Neji had no idea Naruto had entered the Hyuga compound, but it was true. The predominant color was white. "Sasuke's house, in change, was dusty and gloomy but you could see that it previously had been painted with vivid colors. Again, I think diverted from the point."
"What I'm trying to say is that I think you had already noticed those differences before, Neji." Naruto finished, staring at her with his blue orbs straight in the eye.
Neji's eyes widened for a fraction of time but that was enough to confirm Naruto's suspicions. Nevertheless, she played dumb.
"I don't know certainly what you're implying but, if what you're saying is that I've been into that place, I don't know where you got that idea from." She said holding his gaze.
"Well, once I was into that compound I entered Sasuke's house and somehow ended up in his room. I was searching for a diary or something that could help me to bring him back but, instead, I found this, in his closet."
Naruto opened his jacket and extracted a small beige bundle. Neji knew what it was before he unfolded it. There, on Naruto's legs, laid that jacket she had given Sasuke, now seven years ago. The jacket was not stained, if only a little dusty but it was in perfect conditions. Obviously, it had been taken care of. There was no way out of this one, her trademark jacket from her preteen years was just in front of her.
Still, she tried her luck.
"I have no idea how it arrived there. If anything, I'm a little creeped out. Maybe Uchiha had some sort of weird fetish with jackets-"
"I'm not that dumb, Neji." Naruto interrupted seriously, his frame getting a bit closer to hers. She, unconsciously, backed off a bit.
"What is your conclusion then, Naruto?" Neji asked in return, mentally scolding herself for showing weakness.
"At first I thought you had some kind of secret romance. I mean, I kind of saw the signs. The way you reacted when he left the village and risked your life, or whenever you two crossed paths those glances you two shared, but I never gave it importance." At this Neji's lips quirked downwards. "But…judging from your reaction I think that's not the case" he chuckled. "In any case, I wanted to ask you personally."
"I'm not obliged to tell you anything, Naruto." She stated, leaning a bit towards him trying to get him to back off, their eyes locking in an intense gaze.
"Neji, I'm not playing right now. This isn't something you can hide, it affects us. All of us. Every bit of information about Sasuke is essential to bring him back." Naruto leaned a bit more.
"I thought that what you wanted was to stop him-"
"I am going to stop him and then bring him back, dattebayo."
"I already told you. I don't have an idea of what one of my jackets was doing at his house."
"Oh, that's it? I think you wouldn't know what this was doing there either, huh?" Naruto took out of his pocket a white handkerchief. It had the Bouke emblem on it.
"I-"
"Sasuke wasn't one for keeping things. The handmade handkerchief that Sakura-chan knitted for him was not there and I even bet the bastard threw it away."
"I'm not the only Bouke member."
"It's your jacket and I hold not a single doubt that it's also your handkerchief. Neji, tell me what links you to Sasuke." Naruto leaned forwards a bit more. She could see the intensity in those sky eyes, and she was sure he could also see the intensity in hers.
"Whatever kind of bond we may have had in the past broke in the instant he left the village." She finally conceded. "I have no links with traitors."
"So you admit you had some sort of relationship with him? And don't call him that. Now you have to tell me, Neji."
"That's where you're wrong, Naruto. You may have saved the village but a gennin has no power over a jounin therefore you can give me no orders. And I can call him whatever I wish to, after all, that's what he is." Her gaze narrowed and so did his. They were so close that Neji could see her reflect on his pupils.
"You little-"
"Otou-san! I just finished delivering-!"
Naruto wasn't able to finish whatever he had to say because the Hyuga's lips crashed into his.
Saying that their lips danced in harmony, drowning in passion, would be nothing else but a blatant lie. A more accurate description would have been a punch between faces which knocked them both to the ground. Naruto on top of Neji, the girl hitting her head against the floor, groaning in the process.
"Oh my god!" Ayame exclaimed apologizing profusely. "I wasn't looking where I was going, I'm so sorry!"
Neji's head was really sore since it had crashed directly on the floor, but her shock was bigger. Both were immobilized, wide eyes and lips locked for a fraction of a second before they moved their beat red faces away.
"Get. Off. Me. Idiot." She commanded in a tone that could freeze hell over.
Naruto quickly jumped to his feet and started wiping his mouth with fervor. Neji did the same and rubbed her head afterward. It had really hurt, leaving her a bit dizzy.
Naruto noticed her still on the floor and extended a hand to help her get up, but she quickly slapped it away, standing on her own and, on the meanwhile, glaring at Naruto and Ayame.
"I-I'm really sorry. Are you okay, miss-?" Ayame began but was quickly cut off.
"Don't worry." Neji said coldly before facing Naruto again after wiping her mouth with a grimace once more. Ew. He tasted like pork ramen.
"Look! I didn't really mean to, Neji! I'm sorry-!"
"If that was all you had to speak with me about, or even if it wasn't, I'll take my leave, Uzumaki-san." The Hyuga's use of the boy's last name and the suffix added to it was like a bucket of cold water to him. Neji left the money for both their ramen and walked away without looking back.
Her strands were long and firm as she continued her angry pace to her residence. Her head was really sore, and she was really angry. Besides, shame also figured on Nejis's mayhem of emotions. To say that her first kiss happened to be the idiot, what a shame.
The guard at the gate, after noticing how angry she was, opened the door promptly and made no visual contact.
Neji walked past him and opened her door, closing it before falling on her bed. Her chakras were not aligned enough to meditate but she tried it anyway with no positive results. In the end, she opted for a shower.
The warm water that ran through her body soothed her until all she could feel from her previous anger had faded almost completely. In a more relaxed state, she could finally meditate, with comfy clothes on helping her to do so.
Her success was short-lived since the knocking on her door took her out of her trance.
A bit annoyed she opened the door. It was already getting dark.
Hinata was standing there, her eyes puffy and red-rimmed.
"N-Neji onee-san. I-I just w-wanted t-to congra-gratulate you on y-your relationship w-with N-Na-Naruto-kun." The girl stuttered, tears threatening to fall.
Neji sweatdropped and sighed.
"Hinata-sama, I have absolutely no idea of what you're talking about. I have no relationship with anyone and if I was to ever have a relationship with someone, it wouldn't be with him." Neji stated calmly as she guided her little cousin to the inside of her room and closed the door behind them.
"B-but Ino-san and many others saw you two kissing at Ichiraku's-" Hinata reasoned wide-eyed.
"An accident was all it was, Hinata-sama. If those people had paid more attention, they would have noticed how someone bumped into us, the so-called kiss being the result as well as my sore head since we both fell from our seats and it bumped on the floor from the impact." she explained while rubbing her head on the place where it had collided with the floor.
Hinata's eyes widened even more.
"R-Really?"
"I wouldn't lie to you, my little cousin. Besides, do you really think I would go after him, knowing about your feelings?" Hinata's face reddened. "Or that he would go after me for that matter."
"How did you know?" Hinata asked tomato red referring to her secret.
"Hinata, dear cousin, I think the only person that doesn't know is Naruto who happens to be the most clueless person in the village."'Only in some things'Neji inwardly grumbled.'To think he'd notice my ex-bond with Sasuke...'
In that instant Hinata tackled her cousin with a tight embrace which knocked them both on the floor, causing Neji to hit her head again and groan in pain.
Hinata quickly got off her while apologizing profusely and helped her up.
"I'm so sorry, Onee-san." Hinata apologized one last time before taking out of a pocket a jar of balsam. "I always carry some around just in case." She explained apologetically.
After applying a bit to her head, Neji thanked her and both girls sat on the eldest bed.
"You know. This event reminds me of something that happened on our last day of Academy." Hinata chuckled.
"Is that so?"
"Hai. Naruto-kun and Sasuke were discussing, and someone bumped into Naruto, both of them kissing by accident." The shy Hyuga giggled at the memory.
It was Neji's turn to laugh.