Sway

It was amazing how quickly a situation could dissolve. Being shinobi, both Neji and his partner, Naruto should have become far more accustomed to the sudden twists of fate than they were. There was however, no mistaking the crawling woolen feel of danger that crept up from the gut. There could be nothing done to calm the instantaneous surges of adrenaline and chakra. It was hard enough to remain upright, and face your opponent.

Somehow, as these occurrences were oft to, they were caught completely off guard. Cursing himself for letting the village’s infectious environment weaken him, Neji frantically ran through a list in his mind. With enough chakra behind it, he could crack the poling free with a single thrust of his hand. Wrenching the swing free was a possibility as well. Neither would make effective weapons against shinobi of caliber. But they would be just enough for fending off initial blows.

There were no adequate stores of water nearby, so that ruled out water based jutsu. Not that he knew any. Although, he was sure Naruto was aware of a few. And if not, they were at least granted an edge by its absence.

Given a good start, they could lead a chase to their home, where they had a small store of kunai and a single windmill shuriken. If they even got that far, that was.

It was a bit hard to comprehend, after the lazy weeks lulled by peaceful surroundings. How a single village outing could lead to a confrontation that had a greater probability of death than Neji was comfortable with. As it was wont, their simple, boring, routine C ranked mission, had suddenly bypassed all levels of undertaking. Thrusting them quite unsightly within an ANBU class situation. This was quite assuredly S-rank material. And Neji was not confident that either of them would make it out alive.

They were honor bound however, as shinobi to attempt it. If they died in the process, so be it. The complication came in the Godaime’s orders. He was to protect Naruto with his life. Naruto could not be allowed to die. Nor be mortally wounded. They couldn’t risk it, so far from home. With no med-nin around, and no miracle wielding Hokage. Given the distance and time between the pair and Konoha, any injury that bordered on fatal would inevitably be so.

They both knew the basics. How to bandage. How to remove obstructions. How to resuscitate. Clamping off unforgiving arteries, reconnecting severed tendons, and stabilizing traumatized organs was not covered in shinobi first aid.

If they were to fight, Neji had no doubt at least one of them would end up with a hole blown through their chest. With any luck, it wouldn’t be Naruto.

Reddened eyes scanned the area, and Neji had to forcibly shove his chakra down, as it pooled in anticipation. All living things had chakra systems. As a Hyuuga, Neji was well aware of this. And more importantly, of how easily chakra systems could be manipulated.

The average person’s chakra system barely registered, even with his byakugan. After death, there was no residual damage to the unused system, and an average villager’s body simply broke down this network first. The reason shinobi were so careful in taking proper care in the destruction of the bodies of their own, was in fact the chakra system. In shinobi, unlike any other living thing, the chakra system was trained. Chakra surged through the connective canals like blood through the veins. After they died, most shinobi’s chakra systems remained active for several days. Occasionally, stronger shinobi were not pronounced dead until their chakra system stilled.

Chakra was a dangerous natural resource, that if untamed, could lead to more death and destruction than a series of misplaced natural disasters.

He felt outward. Naruto, in front of him seemed to have greater control of his chakra than the brunette had decided to allow, given his musings. Which while wonderful for their situation, only raised more questions in Neji’s mind.

He’d seen the stores within the blond on more than one occasion. It was whispered among the young shinobi of their generation that Naruto may be blessed with chakra reserves so advanced, they were near limitless. Those that had been on missions with him could well attest to both the supportive and argumentative sides of the debate.

On the one hand, Naruto never seemed to exhaust himself. There was always enough chakra left within his body somewhere for the last ditch effort at a jutsu, which invariably tipped the seemingly lost battle in their favor. On the other, when he got too emotional over occurrences, whatever they may be, chakra poured free of him in copious waves. The virtually tensile wisps wrapping about him and lashing out in patterns of disarray. It was in these moments, Naruto was at his strongest, and weakest at once.

For the moment, the blond was managing to appear as normal as any. Boundless chakra folded and tucked away somewhere in the region of his abdomen. Tightly suppressed and stored by a wall of negative emotion. Surprised the blond even registered negative feelings, Neji almost faltered.

It was true. He was struggling.

It was not due to the fact that he had no training, or even poor execution. As a Hyuuga, Neji had been self-taught in the art of chakra manipulation. He could do great things with his. Including erasing it entirely from the gaze of even a trained eye. While he could summon it with lightening quick efficiency, and effectively manipulate every chakra pore in his body. While he could negate another’s ability to access their chakra, and use his own as a barrier. He simply had not mastered the art of masking his chakra to a par below shinobi. Much to his dismay, in their current situation, Neji was aware that he was the one lacking.

Yet, as he tried to focus on bringing his chakra levels below his comfort zone, he could vaguely feel Naruto doing it for him. It wasn’t so much a feeling of the other’s chakra between them. But a calming from somewhere low in his torso, that spiraled, like an internal siphon.

His chakra shrunk back, leaving him feeling slightly off balance.

Thankfully, the scene went unnoticed by keen, Sharingan tinted eyes.

Now that they were properly masked, the pair waited patiently to be attacked. However, it was quite frustrating, for he Uchiha seemed unconcerned on a whole. Assured there was no one nearby who could overtake him, he strolled into the park, looking over each villager with a sharp, steady gaze.

As his eyes moved to them, each had to remind themselves to meet his eyes. It was suicide to do, but if they’d avoided the directness of his stare, they’d have given themselves away.

He paused however, looking Naruto over, with an imperceptible squint to the corner of his eyes.

Neji felt Naruto tense, as the Uchiha closed the distance between them. With no warning, Naruto was grabbed by the neck and hoisted to his feet. Neji forced himself not to react as a shinobi, but as a threatened husband. Tensing, with an aborted step in their direction.

For his part, Naruto avoided his gut reaction in the throwing of a hard right. His hands instead, reaching up in a muted quickness and clasping feebly about the strong forearm. It was a moment before Neji realized the trembling of Naruto’s shoulders was very real. And it was only through their time together that he recognized it as Naruto fighting himself.

To everyone else, Naruto was a quite terrified young woman. Neji however, knew the blonde to be enraged beyond all cognitive doubt. The injustice of feigning weakness as a ploy eating away at him inside. If they were not careful, Naruto would reveal himself, all too late to stop what would likely be a quick death.

Before Neji could intercede however, Naruto went rigid. The brunette cursed violently within his mind. Now the blond was trapped. Kami-sama only knew what he’d live through in the next few seconds.

It was the longest 5 seconds of Neji’s entire life.

The Uchiha gave a controlled blink, and Naruto suddenly shuddered, gasping and twisting against his hold.

“Did you find a new plaything, Itachi?” asked the Uchiha’s companion. He settled his weight; his long sword balanced over one shoulder almost as an afterthought.

Naruto was released, and would have fallen, had Neji not grabbed him about the waist, and drew him back across the swing. The blond hung limply, although his chest felt near to bursting. Heart charging his ribcage, lungs straining for oxygen.

Itachi looked down at him, gaze slightly unfocussed, which Neji found quite odd. He reached out, gripping Naruto by the chin and forcing his head back. Dazed blue eyes slid sluggishly sideways, but his chin was jerked back. After another attempt to avoid his gaze was thwarted, Naruto met the impressive sharingan pair.

“Your name,” said Itachi.

“H-Haya-shi…Na-na-ko…”

An odd twist tugged at the corner of the Uchiha’s mouth. He looked up then, and Neji found his own eyes captured. ‘Shit!’ he thought, unable to wrench his gaze away. When he was younger, and Uchiha Sasuke was still an active Konoha ninja, he’d wondered what it would be like to pit his byakugan against the other’s sharingan.

He was not prepared to do so now. He was unable. Somehow, in some way, Naruto had pulled his mission’s miracle out and shoved all his will behind it. Trapped in Tsukuyomi, he had seemingly managed to fool the powerful shinobi across from them anyway.

Neji didn’t want to think about how, or even if he had succeeded in doing so. But he could only assume he had, as the Uchiha had released him, and not killed him right there.

He was not so certain he could, however.

Thankfully, the matter was settled without his input. As the Uchiha merely stared.

“Is this your husband, Nanako-san?”

Neji’s body straightened in challenge on it’s own.

Naruto nodded sluggishly, causing the piercing gaze to lower marginally, as the Uchiha processed his reply.

It was a tense silence that settled about them. Naruto slowly recovering, letting Neji know with a tightening grip, and strengthening efforts to right himself. The air around them crackled with ignoble intent. It took all of the Hyuuga’s strength to keep himself from responding.

“There is something I must first take care of, Nanako-san,” Itachi said, voice uncharacteristically tinged with traces of consideration. “I will return when the obstruction has been dealt with.”

Naruto tensed, as the Uchiha reached down to lay an open palm against the inward slope of his abdomen. “Take care of this before I return, or I will be forced to do it myself.”

“What?” sputtered the blond, almost forgetting to pitch his voice.

Itachi didn’t respond. Instead, he turned around and walked in the direction of his leering partner.

“And here I though we’d be looking longer,” he stated, shifting his stance casually. “Are you certain that’s the one? There are a few villages left between here and there, you know.”

Itachi looked up at him, causing the grin upon Kisame’s face to dim.

The Uchiha walked past him. “Come Kisame, my foolish little brother won’t wait for long.”

Neji’s grip tightened about Naruto in an almost suffocating hold, as the blond practically lunged to his feet at the mention of the younger Uchiha.

“Are you sure you just want to leave her here?” asked Kisame, gesturing over his shoulder with his sword, in their direction.

“She is perfectly safe here.”

Kisame shrugged. “It’s your bloodline.”

Naruto almost choked on his own tongue, pulling away and dropping to the ground. His fists curled in the gravel beneath him. The only outward sign that he’d reached the precarious limit of his patience.

The air slowly thinned, as the pair walked away. While it was easier to breathe without them around – and they had been exceedingly lucky this time – Neji had the urge to follow them. He knew Naruto would probably jump to his feet, dispel his jutsu and charge off right then, should he mention it even in a vague offhanded remark, so he wisely kept silent.

The villagers approached them cautiously. Their shuffling reminding the pair they were not alone.

“Hayashi…san…?”

Neji reached down, grabbing Naruto high on the arm and hauling him to his feet. The blond fell into him, legs still unsteady in the after effects of the jutsu. “I’m taking Nanako home,” he said, arm sliding behind Naruto’s collapsing knees. He picked him up, cradling him close.

He wanted to look him over with his byakugan, just to be sure.

The villagers said nothing; gathering close and watching them leave. The weight of their silence almost as off-putting as the horrible, twisting sensation in Neji’s gut.

Had he really just looked Uchiha Itachi in the eyes and lived?


~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Because they couldn’t trust putting up a genjutsu with the Uchiha and his partner still in the area, Neji was forced to use the entirety of their meager supplies in setting one elaborate trap. A few careful moments of searching with his byakugan informed him they wouldn’t be disturbed for some time.

Knowing it was a comfort for the blond, he retrieved a cup of instant ramen from Naruto’s hidden stash in the back cabinet under the sink and set the water to boil. Naruto did not move from the bedroom, where Neji had left him.

Even as the familiar scent of ramen permeated the air, Neji – looking through three walls and a cramped tree – found he didn’t move an inch.

Pouring the water into the ramen cup, he stirred the noodles, and returned to the bedroom. Setting the cup upon the bedside table, he sat down, gently pulling the blond closer. Starting at his head, he slowly trailed each chakra channel down the length of his body.

Thankfully, Naruto showed no sign of trauma. His channels were clear of traces of stress, showing no signs of strain. They pulsed a bit sluggishly, but otherwise flowed normally. As he got to Naruto’s abdomen however, the center of his chakra system, he found it was dangerously low. From below however, was a flare of bright chakra, and Neji followed it down to see a small circular ball of glowing chakra that pulsed evenly.

His brow furrowed darkly.

Naruto must have felt it – he certainly wasn’t looking at him – because he sighed heavily. “Sakura told me once, that when we’re in the womb, before our chakra system develops, it just sort of sits there, like a glowing little ball.”

Neji looked up at him, still a little lost.

“It’s not any different than my rasengan,” he added, off handedly. As Neji watched, the ball expanded, and shrunk to almost the size of a marble, before exploding back into the prearranged shape. Completely amazed that Naruto’s chakra prowess had once again exceeded his expectations, Neji quietly refrained from asking anything further. Though, Kami-sama knew he wanted to.

“Then, you made him think you were-”

Naruto laughed – the sound a bit lacking in mirth. “Yeah…Serves him right.”

“But…” He couldn’t help himself. “How?”

The blond was silent for a moment, before he shrugged. “Got lucky.”

“Naruto.”

“Really Neji, I just got lucky.” He rolled unto his side. Legs curling up beneath him, he wrapped his arms about himself as if suddenly cold.

Neji was at a loss. Frustratingly, not for the first time in the past several hours. He could tell Naruto wanted to be left alone. He respected the blond’s desire to be alone. However, they were still in danger. At least until the retreating pair moved beyond their border. It was his mission to protect Naruto, and he felt no small amount of humiliation given the quick turn of events.

He’d failed.

In the end, Naruto had protected himself. Perhaps, even at the risk of some of his vivacious, effervescent personality. Though his body was fine, as far as Neji could tell, his byakugan – unlike the sharingan – could not look into his mind. He couldn’t assess damages he couldn’t see.

“What did he make you see?” he asked, after a few still moments.

Naruto shivered. “Nothing.”

Neji bit down, to avoid yelling back that obviously something had happened. He was getting angry. He needed to leave. But leaving went against his shinobi code. Besides, leaving equated abandoning Naruto. If Neji was anything, it was loyal.

Tucking his legs close, he kept silent vigil, byakugan helping him calm his nerves, as minute after minute, there was no forthcoming attack.

“…don’t get it…” mumbled Naruto. “What’s the big hurry?”

He exhaled, pained.

“Sasuke…”

Neji looked up. Through the roof the sky awaited. A white bird flew gracefully overhead. Neji told himself the burning in his eyes was stress. The ache in his chest, the strain of suppressing his chakra.

Naruto gave a hitched inhale, muffling a sob.

As his vision blurred, Neji decided he was tired.