The Way Into Mist Village (Naruto)

39: Farewell to Mist Village

[OP: "The Valley Reprise"]

Shine and Wally were enjoying the party a lot, mostly because everyone else seemed so happy--except for Sasuke, but no one was paying him any mind at all, not even Sakura. She was too busy getting plied by the Mist medics for any final advice. 

Neji surprised them by walking up, looking like he had something serious on his mind.

But more so when he told them what it was.

"Wait, back up," Wally said. "You're saying you want to stay here?"

"I know," Neji said. "I would be quitting the mission very early on. And it is not that I don't want to see your success or to help you, but, Shine-sensei, I remember in one of your letters you told me that our calling is the place where the world's hunger and our desire meet."

"Not quite the wording, but yes, Frederick Buechner's definition of vocation is that," Shine confirmed. "It's what I was told."

"The fact is," Neji said, "you don't really need me that much. You have so many people...and Hanabi will join too, if you let her. She's just as good as I am at this kind of thing, maybe better. She's far more social. I can't exactly say I'm very good at teaching. I only ever taught Hinata...but I've been with you longer than almost anyone else. Someone should help Mist Village... The island needs help too. And...Leaf really needs to have some kind of ambassador here of some sort. Or we'll never make headway, just like with Sand Village and Temari."

"You're making some very good points," Shine had to admit, now that the first surprise was past.

"But...just like that?" Wally was baffled. "You didn't say anything about this till now?"

"I didn't think of it till now. I just felt like I couldn't go back to Leaf. I'm not going to belong there," Neji said seriously. "I think you know that as well as I do."

They didn't deny it.

"I don't know if Kakashi-sama will accept it," Neji admitted. "But it would benefit us all. It seems like the right thing to do."

Shine and Wally exchanged a glance.

"Okay," Shine said.

"Yeah, it's all good." Wally gave him a thumbs up. "If that's what you think you should do, then do it."

"Really?" Neji thought they would be harder to convince.

"Neji, who are we to tell anyone what kind of place they should go to?" Shine said lightly.

"Yeah, be a little stupid of us to say you can't do it," Wally said. "As long as you thought it through. But sometimes you can't think too much either, honestly. You have to go with your gut sometimes. Like with her." He hugged Shine's shoulders.

"I overthink." Shine gestured widely. "And I don't think that's always a good thing. You're making sense to me. I wouldn't stop you. In fact, I'm proud of you."

Neji blinked.

"This is new," Shine said. "But it fits you. And really, I think they were hoping you'd stay. They really like you. The islanders think you're a hero, and Mist Village wouldn't say no to a Hyuga being on their side. That Ao guy had Byakugan anyway; I'm sure they' d like to replace him. I'll put it to Mei if you want."

"It might be better coming from you than me," Neji admitted. "It's not something I would be able to request at my rank."

"But Gaara has to approve it too," Wally said. "Right? Isn't that how it works?"

"It would disrespect him if Neji did it without his approval," Shine said. "But I think he'll approve it."

Gaara was applied to directly.