The math building spat Naruto out into a late afternoon that hit his eyes like a slap. The sky stretched too blue, the grass too green—that weird hyper-reality that happens when your brain's been marinating in fluorescent light for three hours straight. The quad lay mostly deserted except for two Beta girls playing frisbee near the fountain. And there, propped against the massive sycamore where the path forked toward the rec center, stood Kiba—hands jammed deep in his pockets, practically vibrating with impatience as he bounced on his heels.
Kiba spotted him and let loose the kind of whoop that instantly drew the attention of everyone in a hundred-foot radius. "Yo, Naru! Over here, man!" He grinned, teeth big and white, then clapped a hand to his mouth, dropping his voice to an exaggerated stage whisper. "Secret agent stuff, remember?"
Naruto rolled his eyes and cut across the grass. His bag banged against his hip with each step, textbooks inside shifting like bricks. Up close, Kiba radiated energy—hair sticking up as if he'd styled it with a leaf blower, eyes sharp and wild, like he'd already snorted three espressos before lunch.
"Big news," Kiba said, "but also, you look like hell. You eat today?" He dug in his bag, produced a packet of peanut crackers, and thrust it at Naruto without waiting for an answer. "Carbs. You'll need them."
Naruto took the crackers, mostly to get Kiba to shut up. "What's so urgent?" He tore open the packet, barely tasting the first bite.
Kiba's voice dropped, conspiratorial. "Remember that list you gave me? Shukaku, Matatabi, Chomei, all those names?" He checked over his shoulder, then angled closer. "I found Shukaku's brother."
Naruto blinked. "His brother?"
"Yeah. Name's Gaara. Red hair, weird tattoo on his forehead." Kiba held up a finger, savoring the pause. "But get this: every Saturday, like clockwork, he goes to that bar over by the old viaduct."
Naruto absorbed this, cracker halfway to his mouth. "Why do you know where the guy goes?"
"Research," Kiba said, dead serious. "Also, my cousin works there. But that's not the point. We should go Saturday night. He might know something about Kurama. Maybe even what happened to the others."
Naruto considered this. The idea of following some rando Beta into a dive bar at midnight sounded like an excellent way to get stabbed or, at the very least, flagged by campus security. Then again, it was the only actual lead they'd had in weeks.
"Okay," he said, chewing slowly. "Saturday. We talk to him."
Kiba grinned, then glanced up over Naruto's shoulder and froze, his posture shifting from chaos to sudden, practiced cool. Naruto turned and spotted the reason: Hinata and Neji, walking side by side along the quad's edge, the late sun haloing them in gold.
Hinata wore a lavender sweater two sizes too big, sleeves tugged down to her knuckles. She kept her head ducked, but when she saw Kiba, she smiled, eyes crinkling at the corners. The silver registry bracelet on her wrist caught the light with every nervous fidget.
Neji, by contrast, looked like he'd been cut from the air with a straightedge. Crisp shirt, tie perfect, every step precisely spaced. If Hinata was the moon—soft, barely there—Neji was the blade of a guillotine: elegant, silent, impossible to ignore.
Kiba's hand shot up in a dorky half-wave, then dropped when he realized what he'd done. "Hey, Hinata," he said, and for once his voice was careful, almost shy.
Hinata tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, eyes down. "Um. Hi, Kiba." She hesitated, fingers twisting the hem of her oversized sweater. "Did you—um—get my message? About the public speaking assignment?"
Kiba's face lit up. "Yeah! Got it during bio." He rocked forward, almost bouncing on his toes. "I'd love to work with you on this. Seriously."
Hinata nodded, then bit her lip. "If you'd rather partner with someone else, I—I understand."
Kiba's eyes widened. "Are you kidding? I'd love to!" He cleared his throat, voice dropping to a conspiratorial level. "And trust me, you don't want to get stuck with someone like this guy." He jerked a thumb at Naruto. "He tried to make a PowerPoint last week and somehow crashed the entire library's computer system." Naruto's head snapped toward Kiba, peanut cracker frozen halfway to his mouth, wondering exactly when he'd volunteered to be the cautionary tale in Kiba's flirting routine.
Hinata's cheeks went pink, but she managed a small, brave smile. Neji, who had remained quiet, tilted his head, his gaze flicking from Naruto to Kiba, then settling on Hinata. "Are you walking home?" he asked, the question directed at his cousin, but his eyes lingered on Naruto.
Hinata shook her head. "No. I have to meet Professor Kurenai about my essay. She wanted to see me after four."
"Fine," Neji said, then to Naruto: "You have plans for the weekend?"
Naruto felt himself bristle. "Not really," he lied. He didn't like the way Neji phrased things—like an interrogation, or worse, like a warning.
Kiba seized the moment. "Actually, we do! Going to check out that bar by the viaduct. Supposed to have live music. You two should come. Safety in numbers, right?"
Neji's lips pressed thin, but Hinata's face brightened, just a little. "Oh. That might be nice," she said, then shot a sidelong glance at Neji, as if to gauge his reaction.
Neji shrugged. "Sure. If you want to."
Kiba clapped Naruto on the back. "It's settled, then. Saturday, eight o'clock. We'll meet at my place and head over together. Sound good?"
Sasuke's voice materialized behind him. "What's happening Saturday?"
Naruto's heart slammed against his ribs as he whirled around. Over his shoulder, he caught the way Neji's shoulders squared, jaw tightening almost imperceptibly at the Alpha's arrival.
Kiba, missing the electric current that had just shot through the air, grinned wide. "Bar this weekend. My cousin tends at this bar by the viaduct—said he'd hook us up."
Naruto shot him a glare that could've melted steel. Was he seriously going to invite the entire college next? The dining hall staff? Maybe a few professors? Kiba's words hung in the air like a thrown ball, and for a moment, nobody moved.
Across the grass, the two Beta girls stopped mid-frisbee, one of them turning to watch the group as if sensing some invisible pheromone ripple. Naruto fought the urge to duck, even as his skin prickled with the awareness of so many eyes.
"A bar," Sasuke said, not quite a question. The word floated, cool and thin, but every syllable landed with surgical intent. His shoulder pressed against Naruto's, and he shifted his stance so he was now physically between Naruto and Neji.
Kiba plowed ahead, oblivious to the electric current in the air. "Yeah, this place called Shushu-ya. It's off-campus." He flashed his teeth at Sasuke. "You coming or what?" The invitation hung between them like a dare.
Neji's expression flickered, just a little—a tightening around the eyes, a micro-lift of one eyebrow. Sasuke turned to face him, and for a full three seconds, neither Alpha said a thing. The air shimmered, all four of them bracing for whatever came next.
Neji broke the standoff first, tilting his chin upward. His eyes revealed nothing. "Another person might be too much for this outing," he said, each syllable measured and cool. "Especially if certain individuals can't... control themselves." His gaze slid from Naruto to Sasuke and back, the warning in his voice hanging between them like a drawn blade.
Sasuke's mouth tightened. "My control has never been questioned," he replied, voice like a blade wrapped in silk. He turned to Naruto, dismissing everyone else from existence with that single motion. "This is what you want?"
Naruto felt the question settle deep in his gut, a hard, knotted thing. "Yeah," he managed, voice a little thin. "It's just one night."
The silence that followed was the kind that leaves your skin humming. Sasuke's hand hovered at his side, then—so quick Naruto almost missed it—his fingers brushed against Naruto's wrist. Not a grab, not even a grip, just a single, electric touch, like a grounding wire finding a live circuit.
Neji's eyes flickered to where their wrists had touched, then deliberately softened his expression as he turned to Naruto. "I'm glad you're coming," he said, voice warm honey over gravel. His fingers reached out, briefly adjusting the collar of Naruto's jacket with unexpected gentleness. "We'll make sure you enjoy yourself." The emphasis on "we" hung in the air like a challenge.
Sasuke's jaw locked, a muscle jumping beneath the skin. "Naruto knows who to count on," he replied, voice controlled but vibrating with something dangerous beneath the surface. Neji's lips curved upward at one corner, eyes half-lidded with satisfaction as he watched Sasuke's composure crack exactly as he'd calculated.
Kiba bounced on his toes, completely oblivious to the electric current running between the two Alphas. "This is going to be awesome!" His grin stretched wide across his face as he clapped his hands together. "We're all going to have such a great time. I can't wait for you guys to try their signature cocktails!" He looked at Naruto expectantly, eyes bright with genuine excitement.
"Yeah," Naruto managed, though at this point he wasn't sure if they were planning a night out or scheduling a battlefield.
The two Alpha energies circled each other, invisible but titanic. Naruto felt like a rock in the riverbed, unmoved but aware of the currents that could sweep him away at any time.
Eventually Neji nodded, the motion slow and deliberate. "Saturday, then," he said, his voice pitched low enough that only Naruto could hear. "I look forward to spending time with you." Something flickered behind his eyes—challenge, interest, or both. "Hinata. We should go." He turned on his heel, but not before giving Naruto a final, inscrutable glance.
Hinata tugged at the cuffs of her lavender sweater, then reached into her bag, tearing a corner from her notebook. Her handwriting was small and neat as she scribbled something down. "My number," she whispered, pressing the paper into his palm. "Anytime. Day or night. If you ever need... anything." Her eyes, usually downcast, lifted to meet Sasuke's for one clear, steady moment before she turned away, hurrying after Neji's retreating form.
Naruto closed his fingers around the paper, warmth spreading through his chest. "Thanks," he said, though she was already too far to hear him.
Sasuke didn't move. He stood close enough that their arms almost touched, watching the Hyuga cousins disappear over the rise. His jaw was set, but his breathing was steady.
Sasuke's voice dropped to a low murmur, his lips barely moving. "Were you planning to tell me about this little outing?" His eyes stayed fixed on the horizon where the Hyugas had disappeared, but the muscle in his jaw twitched once.
Naruto swallowed, feeling the weight of the unasked questions hanging between them. "I only just found out about it myself," he said, the half-truth sticking in his throat.
Sasuke's fingers flexed, the bones of his hand visible under skin, but he didn't argue. He just nodded once, the barest movement.
Kiba nudged Naruto with his elbow, his face practically glowing. "Can you believe Hinata's actually coming with us this weekend?" he whispered, eyes darting in the direction she'd disappeared, a dopey smile spreading across his face that made his canines peek out from beneath his upper lip.
Naruto's lips curled into a knowing smirk as he caught Kiba's puppy-dog eyes following Hinata's retreating form. "Next time you want to use me as your wingman," he muttered, elbowing Kiba in the ribs, "a little warning would be nice."
Kiba's ears went red, caught. He rubbed the back of his neck and quickly changed subjects. "So, uh, Uchiha—you really coming this weekend? Like, for real?" His eyes darted between Naruto and Sasuke, suddenly uncertain.
Sasuke's eyes flashed, then returned to dead calm. "Someone has to keep you idiots out of jail."
Kiba barked a laugh. "That's what I like to hear. Bring that Uchiha energy, man."
Sasuke ignored him, but when he and Naruto began walking, he fell into step, always just half a pace ahead or behind, like a shadow with its own agenda.