Chapter 17: The Wary Neji
Chiyo and Ebizo, the two great elders of Sunagakure, had long since retired from politics, but they remained the "anchors" in the hearts of Suna's people.
Legends of how Chiyo's puppet jutsu turned the tide of war and how Ebizo's back-room strategies secured Suna's interests were still passed down among the villagers.
Their influence had long surpassed their titles; they were symbols of Sunagakure's heritage.
When Rasa saw Chiyo and Ebizo, his tense body visibly stiffened. "Lady Chiyo, Lord Ebizo. This is an internal affair of Sunagakure, I..."
"Suna's affairs have never been yours alone," Chiyo cut him off. "Setting shinobi against villagers? Pitting a Kazekage against his own son? Is this what you call internal affairs?"
Her gaze swept over the two sides in the square, finally landing on Rasa. "Sunagakure cannot afford this kind of internal friction."
Ebizo also spoke slowly, "Fourth Kazekage, we have all seen your hard work for the village. But hard work does not mean you can be stubborn. Stop this."
The two elders' words were like buckets of cold water dumped on the fire of Rasa's anger.
Rasa wanted to explode, but he was powerless.
"Hmph." In the end, Rasa could only let out a cold snort, a silent admission of defeat.
The farce in Sunagakure broke up on a sour note.
While Sunagakure was still in turmoil, the morning's training in Konoha had just ended.
Under the shade of the training ground's trees, the twelve genin gathered in small groups to rest.
Naruto was sprawled out on the grass, his stomach letting out an audible growl.
"I'm starving! Why hasn't Kakashi-sensei brought food!" he wailed, rubbing his belly. He suddenly sat bolt upright. "Hey, Sasuke! You bring anything to eat?"
Sasuke leaned against a tree, his eyes closed, not even bothering to open them. "Idiot."
"What did you say?!" Naruto was about to jump up, but two onigiri were suddenly pressed into his hand.
"Th-This..." He was about to ask when he saw Hinata shyly pulling her hand back.
Her voice was so quiet it was almost a hum. "I... I brought extra. Since you're... you're hungry, Naruto-kun, you can have it."
Kiba wandered over, chewing on some jerky, Akamaru wagging his tail happily from atop Kiba's head. "Hinata, you're totally playing favorites! How come you didn't make any for us?"
"I'm... I'm sorry!" Hinata blushed and looked down. "I... I'll prepare more tomorrow..."
This just made Kiba feel awkward. He quickly waved his hands. "Hey, hey, no, don't! I was just kidding!"
Akamaru, as if sensing Kiba's embarrassment, hopped down from his head, rubbed against Hinata's leg, and barked, as if apologizing for Kiba.
"It's... It's okay... If no one minds, I can make extra tomorrow, for everyone."
"Really?" Chouji immediately scooted closer, the hand bringing a chip to his mouth pausing in mid-air. "Can you add extra meat to the onigiri?"
"I... I'll try..." Hinata nodded, her cheeks flushing again.
Ino saw her chance and suddenly lunged at Chouji. "Chouji! Gimme some chips!"
Chouji yelped, rolling away as he clutched the bag. "No! This is my last bag!"
Shikamaru sighed at the chaotic scene and turned to Shino, who was sitting quietly in the corner. "You're nice and quiet."
Shino pushed up his sunglasses, one of his parasitic insects crawling onto his sleeve. "They are adapting to new group dynamics. Like insects redefining their territory."
"What a drag..." Shikamaru ruffled his hair, but his gaze caught a movement at the edge of the training ground. Neji was walking alone, deeper into the woods, and Lee had disappeared from his spot.
In the woods, Neji stood by a stream, his fists clenched.
"Neji, I knew I'd find you here," Lee's voice came from behind.
Neji didn't turn around, just stared at the water. "What do you want."
"You seemed off. I came to check on you." Lee gently placed a hand on Neji's shoulder. "Are you not used to the new squad?"
Neji shrugged Lee's hand off. "I never thought the day would come when you would be counseling others."
Lee's hand froze in mid-air, and he scratched his head. "I am not counseling you! I just... I cannot just watch when a friend is troubled!"
"Back when we trained, I always lost to you. I was always so depressed. You were the one who told me, 'If you lose, you should reflect, not hide and feel sorry for yourself.' Now you're the one who's off. I can't just pretend I don't see it, can I?"
"I am not like you. You train simply to get stronger. I... I have a reason I must be strong."
"A reason you must be strong..." Lee repeated softly. "I know."
Neji's head snapped to the side, his voice laced with a cold disbelief. "You know? What do you know?"
"The burden I carry is something you could never imagine."
"For this goal, I have trained day and night, just to make myself strong enough."
"And all my effort was dismissed by the Main Family with a casual, 'Neji is a genius, on par with the Hyuga of old,' as if my strength was just a given."
"But... today, coming to this squad, I realized I was wrong." Neji suddenly ripped off his headband, the cursed seal on his forehead fully exposed.
"Those genin who just graduated... many of them are not weaker than me. Some of them have killing intent stronger than shinobi who have been on missions for years. And... even..."
His voice stopped. An image of his cousin, Hinata, flashed in his mind.
That cousin, who once didn't even dare to look him in the eye, could now easily counter the Gentle Fist he had spent years perfecting.
Even more terrifying was the look in her eyes—it wasn't timidity. It was something he couldn't understand... Pity?
And then, there was his uncle, Hiashi Hyuga.
Since yesterday, the head of the Main Family, who had always treated him with cold indifference, had been acting strangely, even patting his shoulder and acting concerned.
When that hand touched him, Neji had to fight the urge to recoil.
Hiashi's eyes held a warmth he had never seen, his mouth fixed in a forced smile, as if he were trying to imitate a "benevolent elder."
It wasn't until he saw the class roster that it all made sense.
Konoha Special Tactical Squad: Hyuga Neji, Hyuga Hinata...
The ink on the list was barely dry, but Neji felt his blood run cold.
Of course. The Main Family's precious heiress was in the same squad as him.
Hiashi's strange behavior finally had an explanation.
They were trying to buy him off. To make him a willing stepping stone for Hinata.
"It means... even me being in this squad... I'm just a clown being manipulated!" he roared.