The Man Who Lived

Chapter 6: Sakura Season

Tenten's P.O.V

His breath tickled my neck and I wondered if he could hear my heart beating in my chest. I placed a hand on his cheek.

Slowly turning my face toward his, I met the glimmer of his unique eyes that soon became my new favorite color. His nose lightly brushed against mine as we began moving closer until...

Both of us immediately rose to our feet and got into our team position.

There was a sudden rustle in the leaves up ahead in the depth of the forest. Our backs were turned on one another and he had awakened his Byakugaan to look ahead.

I scanned the scene back and forth with both of my kunai in hand. 

Neji breathed a sigh of relief and I turned to him. His cheeks were crimson as he bluntly announced, "It's just Shikamaru."

Sure enough Shikamaru began walking toward us in the distance with an arm stretched behind his head, "Well, well, well..." he laughed.

I raised a brow at him and then to Neji who had taken to looking away from either of us.

Boys.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed Neji's hand confidently, "What's up Shikamaru?"

His eyes widened as he struggled for words, "Eh - ".

I decided to take the teasing even further by draping Neji's arm around my shoulder and wrapping both of my arms around his waist. Neji was in utter shock. His entire body was limp and his arm barely dangled over me. I wondered if there is something about in the Hyuuga genes that gave them the ability to turn so red so quickly.

"Well Shikamaru, if it's nothing important," I shrugged while twirling my kunai with my free hand, "I think Neji and I would prefer to be alone for a while."

Shikamaru's cheeks turned pink as he froze in place, "I'll leave you to it!" he announced before turning on his heels and sprinting away.

I burst into laughter as I let go of Neji not realizing how right I was about his out of body experience. He fell over as soon as I wasn't supporting him.

"Neji!" I shouted before his body collapsed onto mine.

Neji was very tall and very strong. I was shorter than even the rest of the girls and though I trained really hard, it still hadn't prepared me to sustain the weight of an incredible ninja.

AHHHHHHHHHHH!

A shriek echoed across the forest. Neji's hair began to spill from my hair ties and I huffed to peek over.

"Neji! You have no idea how to treat a lady!"

Sakura and Ino rushed over.

Sakura's brute strength made Neji's body weight seem like a bag of feathers. 

"Thank you Saku-"

"What was he doing to you?!" Ino shouted gripping both of my shoulders.

Sakura was holding Neji by the neck of his shirt with one hand and prepared her right hand in a balled up fist aimed at his face.

I tried my best to hold in my laughter, "It's fine, I swear. We didn't do anything and he didn't try anything!"

Once again, as Sakura let go, Neji's body slumped to the ground.

"Anyway... the five Kage are still here. Temari is staying in town, for obvious reasons," Ino giggled, "And Kankuro and Choji are trying to spend the entire weekend seeing who can eat the fastest at different place."

"Gaara needs someone to guide him back to the Sand Village. I have patients at the hospital and Ino is busy at the shop, so we recommended you go."

The request came almost as a shock to me. I had been yearning for an opportunity to branch out on my missions and was more than happy to take this on.

"You can count on me!"