Ch.12.: Red Horizon

"Would you like to join me for tea, niece."

Those were the words that Hiashi-sama had spoken to her a month ago. That tea reunion had turned out to be a strategy planning one for the upcoming battle. Two months had passed since her leading on the Hyuga troops had been announced.

It felt like a distant memory now, almost like a vanishing dream, those days where training with her team was part of her daily schedule instead of a luxury. With war around the corner, even the warm days on Konoha seemed to be stressful. When the shinobi weren't preparing for the upcoming battle, they spent all of their time with their families and showered them with gifts. The purpose behind it made those happy moments sad ones since they were created with the thought of those moments being their last ones with their beloved ones in mind.

Neji did nothing of the sort. It was futile to try to construct another image of herself in a few weeks, or create those fear-induced nice memories in case she didn't saw them again.

"Hey." A hand waved in front of her interrupting her from her musings. "Are you still there?"

"Sorry, I spaced out."

"Wow, this whole war tension has even affected you, Neji. I don't remember the last time you spaced out." Tamaki remarked after giving his onigiri a bite. He had dark bags under his eyes and his sandy hair was messier than before as well as opaque.

"Don't speak nonsense, it's just that…" she sighed.

"Don't sweat it, I was only kidding besides, everyone is tense nowadays. I'd honestly be worried if you weren't."

The girl sighed and took a bite of her dango as she watched some birds fly away into the sunset.

"Just a day. Wow." Tamaki uttered.

"I know. How is your Granny?"

Tamaki snickered.

"You won't believe it but she's actually regretting having pressured me to become a shinobi. With all this war thing going on she says…" he paused for a moment before casting his eyes down "well, it doesn't matter. I am a shinobi and actually enjoy it."

Neji nodded.

"Just keep in mind that this won't be our last time seeing each other."

"I…know it. Still, I actually can't help but think, what if…"

"Stop right there. If you go to war with that kind of mentality, then those'if's'will change into'will's'." The girl interrupted him, her tone serious.

Silence reigned over them. The sun was setting, and the dark shadow of war was looming over them. A vague memory of a sunset on a lake, birds flying came to her. The streets were busy, almost every family was hanging out at some restaurant or something. The Hyuga clan wasn't. Most of them at least. It bothered her that so many people strived to spend time with their loved ones because of the possibility of not seeing them again. One couldn't allow themselves to go to war like that, thinking of not coming back even if it was true. Even Hiashi-sama and Hinata-sama had that kind of mentality even if the Clan Head denied it.

Hiashi had taken his two daughters out for dinner. Of course, she had been invited, and Hanabi and Hinata had insisted, yet her resolution was as firm as a boulder. Then she had encountered Tamaki who was about to grab a bite, and they had ended hanging up.

"Still, I can't help it. If this really is our last time seeing each other..." he hesitated a bit. "Then there's something I must tell you." Tamaki started. His hands were sweating, and his gaze was still downcast. Stars were starting to sparkle up in the sky and a small breeze blew giving him shivers. They were eating on a bench at the park so there weren't any walls protecting them. Neji did not fancy crowded places, so he brought her there.

"Well, I actually wanted to tell you this since…well, long ago. And…" he started rambling.

"I'm hearing you, Tamaki." Neji stated nonchalantly. 'Obliviousness must be something that runs on the Hyuga blood' the boy thought.

"I really like-" he began, his hands fidgeting.

"Oi, Tamaki, Neji!" a voice interrupted him, startling the boy.

Tenten and Lee were walking towards them, the former waving his hand.

"Oh, hi guys." The Hyuga greeted them.

"We were looking for you. Sakura-chan told us she had seen you two heading towards the park." Lee said with a wide smile.

"We didn't interrupt anything, did we?" Tenten asked teasingly.

"N-not in the least!"

"Actually, yes."

Tenten snickered. Neji turned to the boy with an eyebrow raised.

"Why would you deny it, Tamaki? You were about to tell me something." she asked genuinely curious.

"W-what? Not at all." The boy stuttered, his face red.

"You told me 'I really like...' but did not finish your sentence."

Tenten at this widened his eyes and had to bite his fist to stop from laughing.

"Ah yes, I was about to tell you I really like…I really like pumpkin! Yes, I know you don't like them, so I hadn't told you so…yeah, I like app- I mean, pumpkins!" Tamaki stated nervously.

Neji sighed.

"Even if I dislike that thing, I won't be upset in any way just because you like it."

"Yes, Tamaki-kun! I also like pumpkins and am not afraid of Neji to know it!" Lee stated. "We all can be friends whether we like or dislike something, for example, I like spicy things but my rival here dislikes it, yet we hang out together and…"

"Lee, I think it'd be better if we left…" Tenten started with a snicker.

"Oh, but we were actually looking for you in order to invite you to grab some dinner with us seeing that tomorrow we…"

"I actually have to go. Tomorrow will be a long day and rest is of foremost importance. Good night."

After that Neji left.

Tenten gave Tamaki an apologetic look before patting him on the back.

"You wanna come, man?"

"Yeah." he sighed.

The bandages felt heavy as she wrapped them around her calves and forearms, the soft fabric feeling more like the heavy weights Lee wore.

A sigh escaped her soft lips as she gave her room a last look. The door closed behind her as she stepped out of it. Outside, the Bouke members with families were saying their goodbyes. The rest were only waiting for her, the so-called commander. She walked to the main gates; the Bouke, slowly realizing this, following behind her. She waited patiently for the ones who had yet to finish packing their things or bidding their goodbyes. They didn't take too long, ten minutes later all the side branch was ready.

Once she gave the order, they sped off.

They met with the small Souke delegation commanded by Hiashi-sama on the outskirts of Konoha. They merged and, with Hiashi at the head, continued their trajectory towards the land of lightning.

Hiashi, the Clan head; Hinata, the Heiress, and Neji, the Commander were at the front. As they ventured into the dense forest surrounding Konoha, the vibrant green leaves started changing into yellow, orange and brown ones; autumn's way of saying 'Here I am.'

It had been, somewhere in this forest where she had met death for the first time face to face. Her limbs had gotten cold and then, she hadn't been able to feel anything except for Death's sweet embrace. All her grief for her father had disappeared that time as well as the feeling of betrayal she felt. She still remembered that pinky promise which had held so much value to her. 'I promise. You know I rather die than break my promises.' Still, he had left the village and abandoned her.

At that moment she wasn't adamant to the motion of giving her life for a comrade, no- the first friend she had ever had but now, the only feeling that predominated now in regard to that memory was shame. How had she been so loyal, devoted or even thought to give up the most precious gift her father had granted her, for what? A traitor that is. He had betrayed the village and her…especially the village, yes.

Neji was going to battle, for Naruto, so mixing past emotions would do her no good. When they stopped for the night, she closed her eyes and meditated, clearing her mind from all thoughts. Good and bad. Bitter and joyous. Until all that was left was the mind of a tool, a shinobi. Her purpose was to win and at the moment that was all that mattered.

She shared a tent with Hinata and another female Souke shinobi. Her sleep was dreamless and the next day, after a brief breakfast they continued their way. If the Hyugas continued with that pace, they would reach their destination by night.

The vegetation slowly began to be scarce, a clear indicator that they were into Otogakure. They crossed the small country with no problems though never letting the guard down.

"Neji, once we arrive at the designed location, you'll be in charge of commanding the clan into victory." Her uncle stated the destination just a few hours away. "We are the strongest of the Leaf."

"Yes, Hiashi-sama." she had answered nonchalantly.

Kumo's scorching sun did nothing to demotivate every single shinobi and samurai there. They had been divided into 5 divisions and those ones into other subdivisions. One of them, the Hyuga one of the second division, was the one lead by her.

The battle began sooner than planned and so they began. Some Hyuga were adamant to her leading them, but every trace of doubt was erased once the battle began. White Zetsu's came in hoards, many shinobi not surviving the first attack, most of them were chunins. The second attack resulted in the extermination of most Zetsu's.

"Hinata, stay behind me. You'll be my eyes, okay?" Neji said. Her head was hurting pretty badly for the strain of using the Byakugan. If it wasn't recommended to use it for more than 40 minutes, less for three hours ten minutes. She knew that the repercussions could be her inability to perform the Byakugan for a few hours, difficulties on controlling chakra or, in the worst-case scenario, temporary blindness; but she couldn't afford to lose Hinata.

During those hours, she had already seen the corpse of a kunoichi with her guts spilled out, painting the dirt red, and the corpse of a shinobi without their head. They looked to be about their age. Young, inexperienced, naive and still sent to war. That could have been Hinata.

"Neji-oneesan, are you sure you're alright? You can rest a bit; I'll gain you some time."

"I'm perfectly fine, Hinata. Now, eyes on the battle." Neji managed to say through the pounding on her head.

Hinata's worried glance only intensified but did as told anyways.

"Yes, commander."

Neji sighed. She knew Hinata was upset, therefore the use of her title. Still, Neji couldn't help but-

"Neji-oneesan!"

Her guard had lowered and a Zetsu had captured her from behind. The torso of the Zetsu opened and, with a firm grip, restrained her. She could feel how the Zetsu was managing to steal her chakra –what was left anyways. With a last effort, she freed herself, falling to the ground, gasping for air. She quickly pulled out of her pocket a chakra pill as well as a pain killer and swallowed them with nothing more than her saliva helping them slide through her throat.

"Neji-onee-"

"I'm fine, Hinata. Don't lower your guard."

"If you were fine, you wouldn't have pulled out that painkiller. You thought I wouldn't notice."

"Hinata, go back to battle."

"I'm not going anywhere until I make sure you're fine-" the girl stood her ground.

"Hyuga Hinata, as the Commander of the Hyuga Delegation I order you to continue performing your duties to their full extent and…not to worry yourself over other people. Have I made myself clear?"

Hinata glared at her. Hinata's eyes were of the few Hyuga eyes which did not look frightening, but right now, her inner Hyuga was out, giving Neji a glare that could freeze hell over. Still, Neji matched it with her own. If Hinata was not focused solely on herself, then she wouldn't make it alive out of the war and that wasn't something that, as long as she was alive, Neji was going to allow.

"Yes,Commander." Were Hinata's cold words before the girl parted from her cousin's side to confront more Zetsu.

Neji sighed once more and pinched the bridge of her nose. The headache was starting to dull but still was there. With a Juuken she quickly blew the head of a Zetsu who was lurking behind her. She would not fall for the same cheap trick again.