Big thanks to Ichigo-chan, FruitySmell and marionne345 for reviewing!
Hyuga Neji was a man of honour. He strived to excel and maintained a steady golden streak in both his academics and training. He took pride in the fact that he was a level-headed, analytical thinker - especially under mountains of stress. He amazed both his teachers and classmates with his ability to be able to do almost everything and was quickly acknowledged by all throughout his village for being the Hyuga clan's genius, and had gained quite a few admirers, not that he was the type to get distracted by trivial things like romance.
However, one thing he did not (and never will) pride himself on was the fact that everything a certain hyperactive blonde boy did infuriated him to no ends. He was the exact opposite of Neji and all he stood for. That boy strived to not excel and maintained a steady "loser's" streak in both his academics and training. He was not a level-headed, analytical thinker - certainly not with that hot-tempered attitude of his - especially under mountains of stress. He amazed both his teacher and classmates with his ability to be able to do almost everything to cause trouble - in and out of school. He was quickly acknowledged throughout the village for being a prankster, and gained quite a few (thousand) 'haters' in all age groups. This boy, this arrogant, overbearing boy was constantly distracted and indulged in past-times as useless and cruel as hurling spitballs at innocent passers-by.
But, to Neji's dismay, he was - with no doubt - the boy his beloved cousin was completely, and undeniably in love with, as was the entire village.
For that reason, and that reason alone, he refrained from hurling knives at the boy every time he made Hinata-sama faint or even showed symptoms of doing so - which happened to be every time the blonde was nearby. Only recently Naruto had began to step up his game and to Neji's surprise, moved up from the beginner's combat classes to Neji's advanced one.
But despite his rapid improvement, nothing - nothing - could stop him from beating him up right then and there. When he saw Naruto running up towards the Hokage Monument, Neji's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Cradled in his arms was a limp Hinata, face ghostly white.
"Neji! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I swear I did nothing. All I did was hold her hand so we could run to the Hokage Monument faster but then she fainted! I swear, I'm innocent!" Naruto's face was red from shouting out the story to his livid teammate.
"If you weren't guilty, Naruto," he replied, voice icy cold, "then your palms wouldn't be sweating so much that you've left two wet holes on Hinata-sama's jacket. If you weren't guilty, Naruto, then your face wouldn't be as red as a tomato. You and I both know that you can't get tired - it's in your Gensho. If you weren't guilty Naruto, then your eyes wouldn't be darting around in different directions as we speak."
He took a menacing step towards the shaking boy. "Give me one good - very good - reason why I shouldn't kill you right here and now."
"Neji, stop it. You're being overdramatic. Naruto, position her on that bench." He turned around, startled after hearing his principal's commanding voice through the crowded streets. He bowed respectfully before opening his mouth to protest, but was quickly silenced by a pointed glare from Tsunade. She approached the unconscious girl, barely acknowledging the dutiful bows from her many students, and placed a hand on Hinata's head.
Naruto and Neji anxiously stood by as Tsunade closed her eyes. A soft white glow illuminated the Hyuga female's face underneath the Sannin's hand, immediately drawing colour to her cheeks. Her eyelids fluttered open, revealing warm, pearlescent eyes. She sat up, clutching her head at once.
"Seems like you still need a bit of rest," Tsunade fussed over the now-conscious Hinata. She stood up, brushing the dirt off her pants and continued. "Sit here for a few minutes; make sure you drink lots of water and eat something. Our guests will be arriving soon."
"U-Understood, Tsunade-sama." She glanced over at her cousin, who was currently regarding Naruto with a sceptical expression, as he was being held back at the collar by a frustrated-looking Tsunade, who refused to allow him to run off and gulp down several bowls of ramen.
"Shishou! Shishou!" A pink-haired figure was seen running towards the group, vigorously waving a hand in the air to make herself visible. "Shishou! Suna's team have arrived!"
The arrival of a dusty, white bus attracted a humongous crowd which circled around it, pushing their hands against the glass windows in order to see the opposing competitors from Suna (hidden by dark curtains, fortunately). Tens of shinobi police littered the roads in a desperate attempt to repress the hordes of people while last minute touches to the central plaza were made before civilians congregated in it for the Opening Ceremony.
The bus drove on the relatively-clear road to Konohagakure's renowned mountain, of which it's five venerable leaders were etched into it's cliff faces - hence, spreading it's name far and wide as the Hokage Monument. The village's rocky terrain situated at the rear proved itself to be a reliable - and natural - defence system, thus being an excellent location to rebuild the Gensho Academy of the Leaf.
If a pupil in the Academy was asked to describe it's appearance, he or she would say it was big, strong, and a valuable asset to the village since it enhanced the town's already strong defences. But, if someone who recently moved in or was visiting the village for the first time was asked to describe it, he or she would say it was grand (with its white-washed walls and cobalt blue slating), enormous (after all, parents from rich clans spared no expenses when "donating") and modern (only state-of-the-art facilities for their precious children, of course!).
As the bus made its way up the roads to the top of the Monument, a great, looming building came into view. It turned around a corner into a parking lot, finally resting it's tired engine. Several students stepped out of the bus, staring at their sister Academy in awe (Well you don't see that everyday.).
Suna's sweltering and stormy climate made sure no building (or Academy, for that matter) could remotely resemble a sparkling castle. Where sandy brown walls established their Academy's exterior walls, rich and green gardens stretched far in front of Konoha's Academy building itself, ending with freshly-cut lawns. The most Suna's Academy Principal Baki could afford to build in their climate was a sturdy, yet ominous, sandy prison designed to keep students in and relaxation time out - though of course, he had the Fourth Kazekage's approval on his side. Though their village was considered to be one of the most prosperous of all Five Great Villages, due to the violent winds of their land, little could be done to showcase their wealth, hence their added emphasis on and reputation for having ruthless fighters.
All students were snapped out of their dazes and herded back to the bus to retrieve their luggage by an irritated-looking bus driver. As the students swarmed around the bus's compartments, they failed to see a brown-haired woman carrying a clothed piglet rush out from the Academy's large double doors to greet them. She hovered around them uncertainly as if waiting to be acknowledged whilst she watched them bickering back and forth ("No, that's my make-up bag, stupid.")
Her sudden cough startled the competitors and they abruptly dropped their bags once noticing her. She sighed.
"Good evening, Gensho competitors," she said, noticing them sheepishly pick up their disheveled bags, "I hope you had a pleasant journey to our wonderful village." In your...rather grimy vehicle, might I add. "My name is Shizune, and I will be in charge of your settling into Konoha's customs for the month. If you have any inquiries, please see me and feel free to talk to anyone in the village - don't worry, we're extremely friendly folk. Just a reminder, though."
Her audience, settled down from the previous ruckus, listened intently for her warning.
"The pig isn't food."
Did she really just say- what? The pig isn't food?
Tenten heaved a heavy duffel bag over her shoulder with practised ease while following Shizune, who was guiding them through the school's front garden to the entrance. She caught up to Gaara, laughing while he pulled uncomfortably at the thick blazer covering his upper body. Temari had dressed the boys up in their best clothes before arrival, and strong-armed them into promising first-rate behaviour and spotless clothes by the time the Opening Ceremony started. It was almost comical seeing Gaara in anything other than his typical Sunese robes.
"Oi, Gaara." He turned around, sharp emerald eyes losing their fear upon registering her presence - clearly, Temari had done a number on him. He lingered in his spot, patiently waiting for her to catch up before turning around and striding towards the Academy's double doors again. "We finally made it."
Gaara nodded slowly. "We did, Tenten."
She smiled at him cheerfully, punching his shoulder in the same way she did - has been doing - for several years. He caught her look, eyes letting out a trickle of happiness before returning to their forward gaze.
"Buns."
What? "Wot?" She spun around and caught sight of Sai, who repeated his word again.
"Tenten-san, from now on I will call you Buns."
Gaara stopped walking and turned the side of his head around to observe the conversation taking place behind him. However, a sudden tug at his hand jerked him forward and prevented him from listening any further.
"Tenten, why are you-? All he did was call you-"
"Shut it, Gaara."
She tightened her grip on the boy's wrist - ignorant of his obvious pain - and dragged him further along the white concrete pathway, adjusting the bag strap on her shoulder every so often to keep it from falling off. As she furiously charged past Shizune to the entrance, she missed the slight blush forming on Gaara's pale face and ignored the strange looks (wolf-whistle and wink coming from a particularly amused Uchiha) directed towards her.
Her arrival at the doorway did not appease her spirits in the slightest way, much to the chagrin of Gaara's wrist, which was beginning to become frightfully numb. The front doors slammed open moments later, revealing a shocking green jumpsuit attached to orange leg and arm warmers. Tenten's gaze travelled past the shinobi jacket and landed on a pair of extremely bushy eyebrows and a glossy, black bob that shined marvellously. She refrained from gaping in shock, however difficult that was.
"Oh, hello there Gai-san," Shizune barely batted an eyelid at him, so Tenten straightened her expression, "Are they ready?"
"Yes, oh youthful Shizune, our youthful crew has been prepped and pampered and is now waiting in the Hall for our youthful competitors!" The sheer volume of his - ahem, youthful - voice was powerful enough to blast all eight people off their feet, but miraculously, no such thing happened and he continued to bellow at the top of his lungs. "And what a young team we have here! Oh, Shizune, I can see the buds of their youth have only just sprouted! What is this? A budding romance? What is your name, little blossom? ("Uh, Tenten.") TENTEN-"
"That's quite enough, Gai-san. We don't want to overwhelm our guests. Don't you have a few hundred more laps to complete around the village?"
"NONSENSE, Shizune-chan. I was told by the youthful Principal herself after finishing three-hundred laps to assign our lovely guests to their rooms! If I didn't know better, my blossoming Shizune, I'd say you were trying to be rid of me!"
A few sympathetic glances were thrown in Shizune's direction as she sighed heavily.
"Alright, competitors, welcome to the Gensho Academy of the Leaf. As you can see, our institution's recent reconstruction has enabled us to provide more rooms for our Gensho competitors as well as facilities for both teams as well as everyday students. To my right is the Academy's top martial arts instructor and training supervisor for the Gensho Tournament, Maito Gai. He will show you to your rooms and as you know, each one of you will be partnered up with someone from the opposite team. Remember, if you have any questions, please ask me or any other friendly residents. I will now hand you over to Gai-san."
With a cheerful smile, the elder brunette swiftly entered the building, leaving them behind with an overzealous man leaping around in a green jumpsuit.
"NOW, my youthful blossoms, let us proceed to the Gensho Hall. I'm sure the others would not appreciate being kept waiting, would they?"
The inside of the Academy was no where near as lavish as the exterior of it, but was simpler and much more sophisticated. It's pure white walls decorated by affluent artworks and black tiles practically screamed expensive and was just as distant as the rest of the building, but was less overwhelming.
As the team of seven trailed confidently behind Gai, they turned their heads to wherever he pointed out (which was everywhere) in order to memorise the positions of every important room in the Academy. Arriving in front of a set of sleek black doors, Gai took a step back and flashed his teeth at the confused competitors before leaping in the air and switching into an airborne sidekick.
"DYNAMIC ENTRY!"
A loud crash resounded through the Hall after he unpredictably slammed (er, kicked) the doors open with his "Dynamic Entry". Several ticks of a clock echoed throughout the large assembly area while a busty woman standing at the podium fisted her hands to prevent herself from running towards Konoha's Green Beast right there and then and send him flying through the walls with a sucker punch.
The flabbergasted guest team slowly edged their way to the plush seats in front of Konoha's Gensho Academy's Principal Senju Tsunade, who was taking deep, shaky breaths - evidently to control her renowned hot temper.
"As always," she started with a strained voice, "It is a pleasure to have our guests here in Konoha for the Tournament. I would like to say a brief welcome to the competitors from Sunagakure, who I assume have had a tough journey to our village, and that you will all be sorted into your rooms for the upcoming month's competition. Our martials arts instructor Maito Gai, who I presume you have all met, will assign you to them."
"OF COURSE, PRINCIPAL TSUNA-"
"Enough," she quickly cut off Gai's words, vein visibly throbbing upon her forehead. "As you can all see, Konohagakure's team are not present in the Hall. Official rules state that you will not meet them until the Opening Ceremony itself, so please be patient. Exactly ten minutes after being allocated to your rooms, please assemble in the main foyer, where you will all be taken to the festivities outside celebrating your arrival and the beginning of our countries' Alliance Tournament. Before departing, please remember to wear your best clothes for the celebration - it is a marvellous day."
With that, Principal Tsunade smiled slightly and strolled out of the Hall at the same time Gai took her place upon the podium.
"Alright, youthful children! I have successfully pinned up a sheet of paper on the noticeboard for all of you to see! I am afraid your roommates have already unpacked and settled into their respective rooms, but not to worry - I am absolutely certain that you will all find a way to personalise your section of your respective rooms. Now, GO AND DISCOVER THE ESSENCE OF YOUR YOUTH."
Room 1 - Hyuga Neji, Gaara No Sabaku
Room 2 - Haruno Sakura, Sai
Room 3 - Rock Lee, Uchiha Sasuke
Room 4 - Inuzaka Kiba,Yamanaka Ino
Room 5 - Uzumaki Naruto, Temari No Sabaku
Room 6 - Kankurou No Sabaku, Nara Shikamaru
Room 7 - Hyuga Hinata, Tenten
"Well, shit."
"What's wrong, Sasuke?"
"They didn't put me with a girl."
Tenten rolled her eyes. "Hey, at least they didn't pair you up with the Uzumaki Naruto. I've heard he's so stupid that he had to take his Academy entrance test 3 times before he was accepted. Good luck with him, 'Mari."
"Yeah, yeah. Well whoever's with Uchiha'll probably have a hard time with him." Temari laughed. "I'm just glad it's not a girl - honestly, the day he settles down with a nice, headstrong girl - little Sasuke's "one true love" - will be the day I let my hair down from these four hairties."
She waved a hand around her four-pig-tailed head to emphasise her words.
"Oh yeah?" interjected a smug-looking Sasuke, "let's make a bet on it. If I find this so called "one true love" by the end of the year, then you'll let your hair down and give me all your lunch privileges for the rest of your Academy life."
Temari scoffed. No one ever saw her with her hair down and live to tell the tale. And lunch privileges. "And if you lose? Let's say you think you found "the one", but she turns out to be the last person you ever want to be with and by that time the year's up."
Sasuke seemed to think about it before letting out a smirk. "I'll be your personal slave for 6 months. You know me - Uchihas never serve anyone. Besides, how hard can it be to fall in love? All I have to do is woo one of those fangirls and I'm set for life."
Tenten chuckled loudly. "If only it was that easy, Sasuke. Love isn't something as simple as that, is it Gaara?"
Said boy turned around to face Tenten, surprise evident on his face. "I guess."
"Anyway," Temari exclaimed, "it's about time we head over to our dorms. We only have ten to fifteen minutes to unpack so let's go, go, GO!"
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review! :D
~misspandalily