Fifty Shades of Gennin: Chapter 20

A/N: I know my uploads have been delayed this week. I'll do two chapters tomorrow, and a more normal schedule will resume next week.

Chapter 20

A Little Help

“Explain,” Sasuke grunted, crossing his arms. 

“What my lovely boyfriend means, Hinata, is why would you be fighting your own family?” Sakura asked.

The three of them were sitting at the same table where they ate lunch with Naruto. Minus the blond, it felt quiet. Fitting for this discussion, maybe, but less exciting.

“There is going to be a public sparring match,” Hinata said. “I have quite a lot riding on it, so I’d like to give a good performance, if possible.”

“How strong are you?” Sasuke asked.

“I’ve been described as particularly competent, for a chūnin.”

“That’s not bad,” Sakura said. “Especially at our age.”

“Who are you fighting?” Sasuke asked, his tone still neutral.

“Hyuuga Neji.”

Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other.

“You’re aware of him?” Hinata asked.

“He’s been a teammate on missions,” Sasuke said. “He’s annoying.”

Sakura nudged him. “That’s her cousin!” she whispered.

“Her cousin’s annoying,” Sasuke said. “Tough, though. Most Jounin know of him. Are you trying to win?”

“That’s not a very realistic goal,” Hinata said.

“I didn’t ask that,” Sasuke said. “I asked if you’re trying to win.”

Hinata flexed her fingers, meeting his eyes.

“I want to very badly,” she confessed.

“Okay,” Sasuke said, leaning back.

“Something doesn’t make sense, though,” Sakura said. “You and Naruto have been engaged for almost a month. Political marriages are done quickly, so that there’s less time for either party to try and get out of it. I can’t understand why your family would let you spar right now. They have no reason to risk an injury so close to the wedding.”

Sakura’s expression was thoughtful, rather than accusing. She spoke the words innocently enough, but Hinata was reminded that despite her rather relaxed atmosphere, there was a reason this girl set academic records in their academy days.

“True.” Hinata tilted her head. “I’m afraid, though, that they gave us too much time already. I’ve asked to back out of the engagement.”

Sakura’s face fell, while Sasuke’s eyebrows rose.

“Why?” asked the Uchiha.

“Because he planned to do it himself,” Hinata said. “So I thought, why not do it first? This whole thing was my family’s decision. Now, I’m free to make my own.”

Sakura perked up. “So it’s not because Naruto annoyed you?”

“Ah, no…” Hinata looked at the floor. “That would not be the case.”

Sakura squealed. She leaned her whole torso over the table in order to capture Hinata’s hand, squeezing her fingers. “You like him, don’t you! You’re doing this so that he can pick you himself. That’s so romantic!”

Hinata blushed bright red. “I don’t know. I think I’m just doing as I please…”

“I was wrong about you,” Sasuke said, making Hinata flinch slightly. “I thought you were a calm one. Turns out, you’re just a quiet one with the same kind of crazy as Naruto.”

“Thank you?” Hinata said.

Sasuke just grunted.

“We’ll totally help!” Sakura said. “I’m sick of Naruto running around causing messes. It’s about time he settled down a bit. But I don’t understand. If you wanted to get closer with Naruto, shouldn’t you have asked him for help about this spar?”

“I plan to work on seals with him,” Hinata said. “But he stopped taking missions while he was still a Gennin. I don’t really think he’s the right person to ask for advice against someone like Neji.”

Sakura’s eyebrows furrowed. “You don’t know?”

“We’ll help,” Sasuke said before Hinata could ask what she didn’t know. “How long do you have?”

“Two weeks,” Hinata said. 

“Hm.” Sasuke’s dark eyes looked her over, roving all over her face and arms. “Hm,” he said again. “I could do something with that.”

“And I,” Sakura said, draggin the syllable, “will get you on Naruto’s radar so fast, you won’t believe it. You have no idea how much I know about his tastes after all this time.”

Not knowing what else to do after an offer like that, Hinata bent forward, bowing over the table.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Aw, we’re doing it as a favor!” Sakura said. “It would be great to see the two of you as a real couple!”

“I just want Neji Hyuuga to have a bad day,” Sasuke admitted, causing his girlfriend to glare at him.

“Sasuke!”

“What?” he said. “I told her that her cousin was annoying.”

O-O-O

Hinata didn’t go to the training grounds often. Just for the occasional, friendly spar. Still, she was certain that she never received attention like this on any of those times.

Shinobi kept half an eye on them as she, Sakura, and Sasuke passed. They weren't really paying attention to Hinata, but still, it felt like it.

“Is it always this way for you?” Hinata asked.

“They know I’m the Uchiha heir,” Sasuke said. “Plus, I’m very strong. Shinobi care about that kind of thing.”

She was getting a bit better at reading him the more time they spent together. At first, his voice seemed monotone at most times, but there were actually subtle variations. Right now, he was being unabashedly smug.

Hinata pointed at his back, looking questioningly at Sakura. Sakura smiled and nodded. Yes, she seemed to say, he is being arrogant right now. He does this sometimes.

“It’s not a sparring match, is it?” Sasuke said suddenly. The smug edge to his voice was gone.

“It is,” Hinata said. “Just one that my father is hoping I’ll back out of.”

“Is the engagement riding on it?” Sakura asked, cutting straight to the heart of things yet again.

“Father thinks it is,” Hinata said. “If we aren’t the ones to call it off, Naruto’s family will, though. I told him that it won’t last no matter what. He seems to think I’m exaggerating. I’m not sure he can fathom others having different priorities than his own.”

“Maybe that’s a clan leader trait,” Sasuke muttered.

They had reached a secluded clearing deep into the woods, sheltered from foreign eyes. Despite their curiosity toward Sasuke, no shinobi attempted to follow and watch them. It was understood that if a ninja wanted an audience while honing their techniques, they would ask for one. This was twice as true for those among the higher ranks.

Because of this, Hinata assumed they would be alone now, only Sasuke to look over his shoulder.

“Hinata,” someone said.

She and Sakura turned to find Hyuuga Neji there, standing with his hands hanging at his sides.

“Neji,” Hinata greeted. “Can I help you?”

He must have followed her. How had he found her? Perhaps he staked out the training grounds. That sounded like a lot of effort, but for a mature Byakugan like the one Neji possessed, it would actually be quite easy.

“Strange company you keep,” he asked, his pale eyes sliding over Sasuke.

“Watch where you’re looking,” Sasuke said.

“Who I spend my time with isn’t your concern,” Hinata said. “What do you want, Neji?”

Neji approached Hinata as if she was alone, walking forward without hesitation until he was right in front of her.

“Back out of the duel, Cousin.”

“You said that you would not help me when the time came.”

“I’m not helping you,” Neji said calmly. “I’m giving you advice. Because on the day, I will not go easy. I can be much worse than Hanabi.”

“Do you think that’s threatening?” Sasuke asked.

Hinata furrowed her brow as she looked at him. He was behaving strangely, speaking in a voice she had never heard before. It reminded her of Naruto’s Sasuke impression… only in reverse.

“This has nothing to do with you, Uchiha,” Neji said, giving Sasuke the slightest of glances out of the corner of his eye.

“You’re standing in front of me, making me see your face and hear your voice,” Sasuke said. “You’re a Hyuuga. You couldn’t intimidate anything bigger than an academy student.”

That got Neji’s attention. He turned away from Hinata, so that he was standing directly in front of Sasuke.

“Keep my clan’s name out of your mouth,” he said.

“Is there a reason I should?” Sasuke asked. “Everyone knows the Hyuuga are a joke now.”

“Do I look like a joke to you?” Neji asked.

“The set-up and the punchline,” Sasuke said.

“Wait—” said Hinata.

“Perhaps you would like to put that to the test.”

“Please.” Sasuke grinned. “As if a Hyuuga would ever do more than talk.”

Neji activated his Byakugan. Sasuke’s eyes spun and turned red. Hinata wanted to stop them, but she was wise enough to realize that the time had passed. If these two set their minds on something, there was very little she could do about it.

The closest thing to a formal start was Neji’s first strike, two fingers aimed directly at Sasuke’s chest. Sasuke slapped it aside, his pupils darting around rapidly. He jumped back, but Neji followed him just as fast.

Sasuke was left defending desperately, barely parrying Neji’s attacks. Hinata’s cousin was faster. Sasuke couldn’t get away. Neji struck as he moved, his fingers aiming at any part of Sasuke they could reach.

Hinata activated her Byakugan to keep up. She watched a Tenketsu point in Sasuke’s arm get sealed, followed by another on his hip. Wincing, Sasuke unleashed a kick that forced Neji back, buying himself a brief moment.

With one hand, Sasuke sped through seals. His cheeks expanded, followed by an enormous gout of flame that seared Hinata’s skin from dozens of feet away.

Neji simply stood in its path. As soon as the flames approached him, a light blue dome appeared over him.

“Kaiten…” Hinata muttered.

Neji’s ultimate accomplishment. Kaiten was the Hyuuga’s greatest defense. The user imbued chakra into their palms and rotated, fending off any technique, turning the Hyuuga invincible at range, forcing opponents to come close. It was a technique so great, it was only taught to the main house. Yet Neji watched, and just by doing that, replicated it himself. Genius— there was no other word for it.

When the flames cleared, Neji was no longer visible. He streaked forward, bursting from the smoke directly in Sasuke’s face. Sasuke’ tried to land the first blow, but Neji struck his arm, disabling it. What followed was a chain of blows, each to a different part of Sasuke’s body, his red eyes widening with pain.

“Enough!” Hinata said.

She started forward, even if she had no idea what she was going to do. This was her mess. She had to fix it somehow.

Yet Sakura stopped her, holding her arm in front of Hinata.

“What are you doing?” Hinata demanded.

But Sakura wasn’t looking at her. She was staring at Sasuke with a strange look on her face.

With a last blow to the stomach, Neji stepped back. Sasuke fell first onto his knees, then all the way onto the ground, while Neji turned back to Hinata.

“Do you see now?” he asked. “You stand no chance. Give up.”

It took all the effort Hinata could muster to pull her eyes away from Sasuke. It felt like he’d gotten hurt for her, and that feeling was somehow even worse than hurting herself. Still…

“No,” she said.

“Why?” Neji asked. “Why do you go so far?”

“Because even if you beat me… Even if you beat me easily… That isn’t the point. The point is that I stood up and tried.”

“What a waste of time.” Neji looked away. He walked back the direction he arrived in, his face expressionless. “I’ll see you in two weeks, Hinata.”

The moment he left, Hinata rushed to Sasuke. He’d been lying flat in the dirt. Yet before she reached him, he was already standing up. Sasuke hissed, rolling his shoulder as he rubbed the skin above one of his closed Tenketsu.

“No wonder the Hyuuga talk so much,” he said, “if this is all they can do.”

“What?” Hinata said. “But you just…”

Rather than answer, Sasuke rushed her.

He covered the remaining distance in a blur. His Sharingan was still active, Hinata noticed, but that wasn’t what had her attention. His hands kept lashing out, two fingers extended each time, raining blows down on invisible enemies. He finished the move right in front of her, his fingers poking her stomach in the exact spot Neji hit him to finish the spar.

“The Gentle Fist,” Hinata gasped.

The Tomoes in Sasuke’s eyes spun. “Who needs a hundred years of history, when you can take the finished product in a few minutes?”

He definitely sounded smug now.

“Two weeks.” Sasuke prodded Hinata’s stomach again in the same spot. “You’ll report here everyday. I will fight you as Hyuuga Neji, over and over, until you can react to every one of his moves. I won’t accept any less.”

“And in the meantime…” Sakura appeared at Hinata’s side, tugging on her arm. “You still have those lessons of yours with Naruto, right?”

Hinata nodded slowly.

The pinkette beamed.

“It’s time for a little makeover,” she said.