literature

Love Under Fire part 3

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Chapter 3


Naruto and Hinata walked down the street across from Ichikaru's Ramen, both stuffed with the delicious soup and noodles they supplied.

Naruto laughed and rubbed his midsection, “Now, that brings back memories! I haven't been this full since Ebisu, that closet pervert treated me out to Ramen!” he said chuckling.



Hinata nodded at him, also massaging her stomach. She'd never eaten so much, but it was so good, and it was even better eating it with Naruto.

“Naruto...,” she thought as she gazed at him dreamily. She sighed and looked away. Hinata knew that she'd never get up the courage to tell him, and from the looks of it, he wasn't perceptive enough to notice her feelings.

Then she had an idea of who to ask for help. “Um, Naruto? I've got to be somewhere, but if you can, I'd like to see you again this afternoon? At the Hokage's Faces?” Hinata's sentences came out slowly and cautiously, trying not to stutter.



“Uh?” Naruto said, a puzzled expression on his face. “Um... sure, I guess...,” he replied, putting his hands behind his neck. “Is there something wrong, Hinata?”

Naruto couldn't help but be curious. Hinata had always been weird and withdrawn, and that didn't seem to change much in the years that had past. Sure she was taller, almost to his shoulder, and Ino and Sakura would probably be jealous of her long hair. One more thing that hadn't changed, was that he couldn't look her in the eye without her blushing and turning away, or the constant alternative, her fainting.



“N-no, Naruto... I just-- just left the stove on at the residence and forgot about it, so I've gotta hurry. Um... bye, Naruto!” she said anxiously. Her skills of lying were as bad as always, but maybe her quick excuse would fool Naruto.

“Naruto...” she thought, running off in the direction of the Hyuuga Clan's home.



Naruto waved as she ran off. “No wonder she was in such a hurry,” he thought to himself, “I leave mine on and forget about it all the time-- Aw crap! Did I leave MINE on again? Crap!”

Naruto went home at full speed to try and prevent an accidental fire. And to prevent the embarrassment of having to explain the source of said fire. Again.



Hinata ran though the open doors of the Hyuuga Residence, and found the person she was looking for, in the spot she knew he'd be.

Neji Hyuuga of the lower family branch was sparring with her Father, Hiashi Hyuuga. They used the “Gentle Palm” technique, but for sparring, chakra wasn't used to the extent of a normal battle, just enough to send a jolt of pain  through your body to let you know you've been hit.

Hinata waited a few minutes for them to finish, amazed at Neji's ability to keep up with her father, one of the strongest in the Hyuuga Clan. The fight was intense and powerful, their movements quick and agile, their attacks strong and not one without meaning as they probed for the other's weak spot.

Then in an instant, it was over. Hinata strained her neck over the corner, trying to discern the winner, but the match ended  like it always did.

“Good, Neji. Let's stop here for today,” Hiashi always said.

And Neji always replied, “Yes, sir.”

With a bow, Hiashi walked to his room and Neji sat down, contemplating the match and trying to see where he had improved and where he needed improving. But today, Hinata had to break that cycle.

She ran over to her cousin and stood a few feet in front of him. Before she could say anything, Neji held his hand up and looked her in the eye.

“What is it, Hinata?” he said in an almost gentle voice. “You wish to talk, otherwise you'd still be in the corner. If you wish to talk,” he said, standing, “you must beat me.”

Hinata took a step back in surprise, but nodded and assumed her defensive stance. She closed her eyes as she molded her chakra around them, as Neji was doing the same.

At the same time, their eyes opened and blood vessels became visible on their faces.

“Byakugan!” they both said as the two Hyuugas activated their bloodline limit.

Neji spread his feet and put his arms out in his traditional stance to strike. “So come, then.”

Hinata gathered the required chakra in her palms and analyzed Neji. He was poised to strike, like every match, but somehow he was able to surprise her and win the match everytime. Then she saw her weakness. She was over analyzing. So, this time she would mix it up.

She did a leg sweep to knock Neji off his feet, but he saw the attack a mile away. He somersaulted into the air, and attacked Hinata from the sky.

Hinata quickly did a backhand spring to barely avoid Neji's crushing palm attack. She regained her footage and charged, using her left arm to block his attacks, she tensed the muscles in her right for a blow.

Neji saw the attack coming, and moved to compensate. As Hinata expected. When he had focused on blocking her right arm, he forgot about her left arm, already close to his body.

Hinata took the opening, and slammed her left hand into Neji's shoulder. All motion stopped as he looked at Hinata in disbelief. Hinata's forehead had broken a sweat, but Neji hadn't even flinched. Then he smiled.

“Guess I lost. Very good, Hinata. You may not be as strong as me, but you took me by surprise. An excellent strategy, but do not get too reliant on it.” He bowed, then walked over to the bench and motioned for her to sit next to him.

She smiled, savoring the compliment, then took a seat next to her cousin, who looked deep in thought. “That technique, the element of surprise, did you also learn that from that Uzumaki kid? He did the same thing, back in the Chuunin matches. Looking over his body, I thought I won the fight. But, it was a Shadow Clone, and when it was dispelled, I saw the hole it had been hiding. Then, the real Naruto's fist shot out of the ground I was standing on, and knocked me out.”

Hinata put her right forefinger to her lips and smiled. That was her Naruto. “Well, it was more learning from example than actually learning from him. But, yes, he taught me in a lot of ways.”

Neji closed his eyes and smiled. “So, what gives you the courage to spar, much less beat me? That's never happened before.”

Hinata blushed and sighed. “T-the truth is... I've got a crush on someone, and I want to tell him how I feel, but I can't. It's not like I haven't tried, but the words won't come out of my mouth, like they're glued to my tongue. So, I wanted to ask you for advice. I couldn't ask Father, he'd go into a rage, me getting into a relationship against his will.”

Neji nodded and opened his eyes. “Yes, Lord Hiashi would be most upset. Normally, I'd be obliged to inform him, but... I see this as a chance for you to improve yourself, come out of your shell. So...” he said looking Hinata square in the eye, “Who's the boy?”

Hinata swallowed. This would be the first time she'd told anyone, and nervousness started to close her lips. She shook her head, banishing the sensation from silencing her. “His name i-is, Uzumaki Naruto,” she said, exhaling. There. She'd confessed.

Neji nearly fell off of the bench in surprise. “Him?! You must be joking!” he said, regaining his balance. After a moment of thought, it all made sense to him. “Well, that explains a lot. I thought you were going to say Kiba, or  Shino, maybe even Shikimaru, but Him?!”

Hinata nodded, her face beet red. She knew he'd be surprised, but not THAT surprised. “It was love at first sight, for my part, when I first saw him in the Training Academy. Then, as the years passed, my feelings began to grow and strengthen, to the point where I was stalking him, just to be near. And before his fight with you, I talked to him at the training poles, and he said he liked people like me.”

Neji closed his eyes, thinking. “Well, telling Lord Hiashi wouldn't accomplish anything if you feel that deeply about him. So,” he said as he pulled out two slips of paper from his pocket. “Take these. They're tickets to the traveling carnival tonight. Ask him to go with you and tell him there. Shouldn't be too hard, if you were able to tell me.”

Hinata took the tickets and smiled. “This may be my chance!” She thought to herself. “Um, Neji... if you had these, why didn't you ask Ten-Ten to go with you? I mean, you shouldn't lose a day with someone you cherish just for my sake.”

Neji shook his head. “Truth be told, I don't like Ten-Ten. She's a good teammate, but that's as far as my feelings go. I also think she likes Rock Lee better than me. And, besides,” he said, pulling out another pair of tickets, “I'm going to ask someone else out.”

Hinata tilted her head, curious. “Who? If not Ten-Ten, then who? I told you the only secret I've kept in my entire life, now it's your turn,” she said, unable to control herself.

Neji looked away, thought a moment, then focused his attention on Hinata. Blushing, he said, “Ino.”
Sorry for the wait, but I've got some nasty virus, so, I'm working on this story as well as puking out my ears. Enjoy, please!

Part four: [link]
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greaper3000's avatar
Don't you remember in the Chunin exam arc Neji shot Ino down cold