Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Always Up Front	By : calenloke Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Neji Views: 3280 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Stories I write is just for fun. No profit is made from this.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
Recap from previous Chapter:
He perished the thought as he moved away from the railing and assessed them
again. They all seemed to be more focused then most children their age when
they graduated from the academy. They were comfortable with each other as
friends and comrades. Teamwork seems to be in order.
/Hell will freeze over before I use Kakashi's method. Cruel way to
traumatize them, totally not needed in this team./
"Since you are all familiar with each other, I'll make this short.
Tomorrow, we'll start with looking at your individual weakness and strengths.
At six am, I expect all of you at area 15 waiting for me. That's all for
today."
Naruto turned and jumped over the railing. As he descended three stories
down, he disappeared in gust of smoke.
After his departure all three genin turned and glanced at each other. Kitame
could not hold in her curiosity, "Okay, who was that? Has either of you
ever heard of Uzumaki Naruto?"
�..
Note: I welcome constructive advice, but do not flame me. If you do not like
my story�then you do not have to read it. The problems with my grammatical
errors and spellings are due to the fact that English is my second language. So
excuse that�you really don't have to read if it insults you.
Chapter 4: Works like a charm
It was around noon when Naruto walked back through the village heading for a
local buffet place that he could treat his team to some much needed food.
Naruto stretched his muscles as he lazily grinned at passersby. He paid no mind
to his genin team following slowly behind him. He had to keep a grin from
appearing on his face when he recalled the intense training course he put them
through. They were good students, fairly confident in their ninja skills, but
they lacked strength and endurance in the long run. Exceptional teamwork, there
was no doubt of that issue when they relied on each other to pass the course,
but their stamina and hesitations are going to be one of the things he's going
to work on with them.
Catching sight of the restaurant, he gestured to the kids to precede him in.
The place was slightly packed for the lunch rush, but the woman behind the
counter smiled as she gestured to Naruto to follow her.
"Well, I guess we follow."
They did not question their sensei.
The woman led them to an open booth and welcomed them with an amused smile.
Naruto bowed in thanks.
"Thank you Chi-chi, are you going to honor us with on of your great
recipes?"
The woman laughed and blushed at the compliment. "Naruto-kun. How you
do go on? I knew that you were going to run these poor dears ragged so I
prepared special dishes just for your team."
Naruto groaned when he saw the intrigued faces of his team at the mention of
special treatment. "Chi-chi, don't spoil them. I can't always afford to
take them to a place this good. I'm guessing from their training, these guys
need more than your husband consumes."
Chi-chi took her time to examine each of Naruto's students and had to smile
at their dirty and exhausted appearance.
"Choji would be proud to find such people who enjoy my cooking as much
as he does."
Naruto pointedly watched as each of his students voiced their gratitude to
the owner of the establishment before she laughed and walked away to ready
their food.
All three genin slid into the other side while Naruto took the other for
himself. No one said anything as they kept their eyes trained on the tabletop.
Naruto cocked an eyebrow at them in curiosity.
"You all have been quiet today." It wasn't a question, but they
all raised their head to see his blue eyes piercing theirs.
Tai could not take the tension any longer. As a nervous habit he started
softly tapping his fingers on the table. He cleared his parched throat.
"Why did you make us do laps around the village and those other physical
training exercises? I thought you were suppose to access our competence."
Naruto nodded his agreement. His eyes grew dark and serious as he frowned at
his team. "That was my analyses. The original test is about teamwork. But
there was no need to test that when you already show great skills fighting
together. The purpose of our introduction yesterday was for me to understand
how you all functioned. If the answers you gave me yesterday were not
satisfactory, the examination today would have been different. I was surprised
by the maturity and confidence you all had in each other. I'm actually really
relieved and glad that you all passed rather well."
Naruto narrowed his eyes at them when he saw their beaming faces. He shook
his head slightly at them in reprimand. "That does not mean it has to go
to your head. An arrogant ninja is a dead ninja." His voice was low but
they heard the coldness clearly. They all shrunk back in embarrassment and
disappointment.
Naruto turned his eyes from them and watched the other occupants of the
establishment eating their own meals. He knew he was being too harsh with them.
They were only twelve years old, but he didn't want them to weaken in a moment
when they are most needed to be strong. Of course, he could slacken the
dramatics.
He turned back only to see his students staring at his profile. He grinned
at them; his eyes twinkled with mischief at their shocked expressions. It was
nice to know that he could still surprise some people.
"You can take pride in your accomplishments, just don't brag about
them. Trust me. I know how embarrassing your defeat can be because of your
arrogance, personal experience."
He waved their questioned glances away and cheered when Chi-chi appeared
with their meals. He wasn't about to indulge them with his past; his mistakes
and painful revelations stay in the past where they belong.
�.
Hyuga Tai tried to maintain his focus as he uselessly tried to dispel all
the background noises. In the back of his head he knew that his great idea of
mediating back at the Hyuga compound was a mistake. But he wanted to disappear
somewhere that he would not run into his sensei. Naruto-sensei had proven
earlier that they still lack a great deal of experience and knowledge. He
tricked them multiple times in their course exercises to beat their egos into
submission.
Nevertheless, Tai could not help the feeling that there was something more
to their sensei that they could not comprehend. Naruto-sensei wore many faces,
he was sure of that at least. But it was hard to define which was the real
person. And even if he and his teammates found out, would it make a difference?
Even more mysterious was the nagging feeling he had that Naruto-sensei was
someone he should be familiar with.
He felt more than heard the heavy pressure in the space around him. He
recognized the ripple as a chakra signature, and one he knew well. He opened
his silver eyes to see Hyuga Neji entering the courtyard from the main gate. It
was late evening and from the tired look upon the older Hyuga's face, it was a
taxing day. Tai watched, as Neji paid no heed to anyone as he disappeared into
his section of the houses.
Tai knew this routine by now. He waited patiently for a half hour before
Neji's silhouette appeared next to him in the twilight. The younger Hyuga stood
slowly and inclined his head in greeting.
Neji had exchanged his Anbu gear for his normal garb of white shatsu and
dark slacks. He did not return the greeting as he turned and wordlessly made
his way to the dojo. Tai silently followed.
�
Their training was slow but painful to the younger Hyuga; Neji continued to
quietly reprimand him for his lack of focus. Tai could not help but feel
defensive. He was still hurting from this morning and here his cousin was
trying to beat him into the floor. He pushed himself of the floor and slowly
made to sit properly on the dojo mats in the corner.
"Neji-niisan, can I please have a moment?" It bruised his ego to
say it, but he knew of the consequences. Naruto-sensei had reminder them to try
and relax, to mediate to ease their soreness. They had a mission tomorrow and
injures reflected on their team as a whole
Neji frowned at the pale face of the young boy. The boy's ragged breath was
loud and harsh in the quiet room. Neji was disappointed in the boy's
performance and could not bite back the remark.
"It seems that I have overestimated you Tai. You are not ready to spar
with me. Your performance is lacking. If this is becoming a genin is like, then
the academy is become faulty. A rookie of the year no less."
Tai stiffened at the cold voice. He was humiliated enough for one day, he
could not hold back his anger and jumped hurriedly to his feet. Advancing on
Neji, he scowled in defiance.
"Don't you dare taunt me! I made it here on my own merit. I will not
stand by while you debase me! Neither you nor Naruto-sensei is going to speak
of me so when I prove my worth."
Tai's ranting was momentarily put on hold when he noticed the surprised look
upon Neji's face. He had never seen his cousin so visibly shocked that he was
speechless. As quickly as the emotion surfaced it was gone again. Neji really
accessed the damaged on the boy and nodded. Tai was bruised and tired. Their
genin sensei must have pushed them extra hard to result in Tai's quick defeat.
Ironically their sensei had to be Naruto.
Neji pushed the thoughts away and focused on the confused boy. "Our
session is done. You have a mission in the morning?"
Tai only nodded his head in confirmation. Neji watched in hidden amusement
as Tai tried to keep from asking anything of the older Hyuga. He turned from
the boy and exited the dojo. Before he closed it behind him, Neji spoke over
his shoulder at the still Hyuga that remained in the center of the dojo.
"You have made your point."
"�"
"I suggest you retire to bed, Tai."
After the door closed, Tai slowly sunk to his knees in exhaustion. It had
taken everything in him to keep from collapsing in front of his cousin. But the
shock of Neji's carefully worded apology gave him the strength to keep
standing.
"What the hell just happened?"
�
Neji moved over the rooftops of the village quickly. He did not know of his
destination, but he kept moving. A few moments later, he was not surprised to
find himself in front of the ramen stand.
He kept his face free of his anxiety as he moved towards the stools behind
the clothed flaps. He clearly recognized Naruto's voice talking cheerfully to
someone. He curiously examined their feet. From the back, Neji could conclude
that Naruto's companion was male.
Not waiting any longer, Neji pushed aside the flap and entered. He gritted
his teeth when he recognized Uchiha Sasuke. He did not have time to scoff at
the Sharigan user, before both men turned and looked at him.
Naruto grinned up at him from his seat. He motioned with his free hand for
Neji to come join them. Ignoring Sasuke's curious gaze, he nodded his thanks as
he sat on Naruto's other side. Succeeding on flanking Naruto between them.
"Nice to see you Neji. I was telling Sasuke here about my team. They
are wild bunch, but rather good. They past with flying colors�of course, I
didn't tell them that. Their ego would be as big as Sasuke's."
Sasuke turned from analyzing Neji to glare at the blonde. He smirked when
Naruto almost pitched forward into his ramen when he slapped the back of the
blonde's head.
"At least they wouldn't be a dead last like you."
Naruto exchanged glares with Sasuke while Neji watched on.
Neji ordered some tea as he watched them discreetly. The feelings boiling inside
him at the moment were anything but calm. If he had to put a name on it, the
term would be jealousy. He tightened his hand around the cup as Naruto and
Sasuke easy long-time banter continued. They were so focused on each other
neither seemed to remember he was sitting there.
He wanted to jump between them. He wanted to grab Naruto and run. So many
scenarios kept forming in his head; all very childish but tempting. He knew
that before he acknowledged his feelings, he was still disturbed by the easy friendship
between Naruto and Sasuke. Sometimes their interactions plagued him as more
than their best friend persona implied.
He did not want Sasuke near Naruto. With Uchiha's terrible disposition, he
usually brought out the worse in the blonde. But it was not his decision. If
anything, Naruto hated when people tried to control his life.
He could never get close to Naruto to understand him more, if Sasuke was
always there. It wasn't a secret that they barely tolerated each other. If
Sasuke knew what went on in Neji's head he would try everything to keep Naruto
away from the Hyuga. Nonetheless, Neji was a Hyuga and he was not going to let
Uchiha's arrogant ass stand in his way. Naruto was his.
Neji frowned at the thought. He disturbingly sounded like Sasuke. It was
official, he was obsessed; but unlike Sasuke, he will not destroy what little
he had. Instead, he will open up to Naruto, making him see.
"It's getting late. And I have to get my students a mission tomorrow.
I'll talk to you later teme."
Neji looked up in time to see Naruto side step the light blow from Sasuke.
He chuckled as turned to leave. He winked at Neji when he caught the Hyuga's
eye.
"Later Neji."
Neji watched him walk away. He tried to hide his disappointment when he
realized that his musing had cost him a moment to talk to Naruto. It was hard
enough to keep the blood from rushing to his face when Naruto winked playfully
at him. He heard the grunt and turned to level Uchiha with a glare.
Both men sized each other up, before Sasuke finally broke the silence.
"Lost your way tonight Hyuga? Never saw you here before, thinking about a
change?"
The clear taunt in the stoic voice grated against Neji's nerves. But his
anger was not apparent on his face as he turned back to his tea and ignored the
other man. He was silently amused when he saw the other man growl at him before
he stood up and left. Ignoring the Uchiha seemed to increase the man's
frustration. That strategy will come in handy one day.
Realizing again that two days straight, he was left at the stand alone; he
stood and paid for his tea before he left as well.
�
Moving across the rooftops towards the Hyuga compound, Neji silently cursed
the failed attempt to get closer to Naruto. Adding to his lack of verbal skills
when around Naruto, Neji was starting to feel disheartened. He scowled in anger
at his inconsistent emotions.
He had to control himself a little, he wanted to understand Naruto; but if
Neji was too forward with these feelings, Naruto might bolt. And that is not
part of the plan.
He was concentrating so hard on how to approach Naruto that he almost ran
right into the object of his contemplation.
"Woah Neji! Where's the fire?"
Neji came to a halt mere inches from stepping on an inclined Naruto,
outlined by the bright moonlight; he could visibly see the blonde sitting on
the rooftop. His figure was relaxed and peaceful; he was staring at nothing as
his rested his right-arm on his raised right knee and propped his other arm on
the leg that he stretched out in front of him. For a moment, Neji thought that
Naruto was an illusion brought on by his own fantasies.
Without looking at him Naruto patted the space next to him for Neji to sit.
For once Neji was glad for the darkness that hid his face from view as he sat
close to Naruto. He could feel his face grow hot, but he clearly dismissed it
as the reaction to the added body warmth of another on a cool night.
Both men sat in silence. Naruto looking over the village and Neji studying
Naruto's profile; his golden hair appeared white in the light. His tanned skin
looked like soft cream. Naruto looked like an angel. Neji refused to
acknowledge the sappy thoughts that reminded him too much of corny love poems.
They weren't children and Naruto was oblivious to his attraction.
Neji needed to say something before impulse took over and he leaned over to
lick at Naruto's inviting neck.
"You took off in a hurry."
Naruto was startled at the voice. He turned and regarded Neji's closed
expression. He could have sworn he saw something reflect in those pale eyes. He
shrugged.
He grinned cheekily when he saw Neji's frown. "I wasn't hungry."
"�"
"Do you seriously expect me to believe that you would turn down
ramen?"
Naruto chuckled at the cold disbelief he heard in Neji's voice. It was easy
to ruffle the Hyuga's feathers, at least on his part. Deciding to change the
subject, Naruto latched onto something he thought Neji would be interested in.
"Hey. I have a Hyuga on my team."
If Neji noticed the change in topic he did not appear to question it. He
nodded in affirmation. "Hyuga Tai is my cousin. He told me that you were
he sensei." /Indirectly./
"He is a smart kid, like the rest of you arrogant Hyugas. But has none
of your bite. And I meant that as a compliment�to him." His grin widened
when he saw Neji narrow his eyes at him. "It's a joke Neji. I told you to
lighten up. Do you want to be a stiff all your life?" Naruto wagged his
eyebrows Neji and sniggered when Neji sniffed in distain at him.
Deciding to ignore the teasing Neji countered. "The team meets your
expectations then."
Naruto stilled for a moment as he studied his hands. He shook his head after
a moment. "No, we still have a lot of work to do."
Neji flicked an annoying lock of hair that kept getting loose from the tie
he made to keep his long hair in place. He was so intend on fixing it, he
missed Naruto's amused scrutiny.
"Then why did you say otherwise to Uchiha?"
Naruto had to laugh, "What is it with you guys? Uchiha! Hyuga! Someone
would think you guys couldn't stand each other." He bit his lip to keep
his laughter from bursting from his chest again. He did smirk in delight as
Neji gritted his teeth and growled in annoyance; the infamous stoic face of
Hyuga Neji crumbled.
Neji glared angrily at the blonde. As much as the mere smile on that face
gave him pleasure, he was not in the mood for Naruto's mocking right now.
"Damn it Naruto! Don't play with me. I am not one of your
students." Neji was sure that his outburst had surprised Naruto, judging
from his slack jawed appearance. He was a bit bewildered himself.
Naruto was quick to recover as he cocked head to study Neji closely. The
laughter was gone; the burning blue eyes were free of amusement. His lips
weren't smiling any more, but pulled into a tight line. The relaxed state
Naruto adopted before was also nonexistent. He folded his legs in front of him
with his hands clenching his knees tightly.
"Nothing escapes your eyes, does it Neji?" The hard voice shocked
Neji. He had never heard Naruto so cold before. Even when he fought, Naruto
always displayed an abundance of emotions that he shared with everyone. This
was a part of Naruto that he never thought existed.
Neji did not answer the question, hoping that Naruto would continue instead
of hiding behind that cheerful act again.
The silence continued. Naruto's mood seemed to darken with every minute. His
eyes did not leave Neji's face. They burned him. Neji could do nothing but
stare right into the blue abyss. Naruto's eyes were void of any emotion; it was
just a dark blue sphere of color.
Naruto blinked and Neji watched in fascination as Naruto turned his eyes
from him. Hiding them. "Sasuke heard about my resignation from the Anbu
force."
Neji was startled to hear Naruto's quiet voice. Not loud or cold, it was
painful to hear. From Naruto's side profile, Neji could see Naruto close his
eyes and inhale softly.
Neji continued to stare at Naruto's face, trying to read everything. His
pale lashes brushed his skin as his eyes moved under his eyelids.
"He was being persistent about knowing the reason why I left. So, I
distracted him with my accomplishments in uniting a genin team together so fast
and so easily."
Naruto snorted, "And like predictable Sasuke, he had to put me in my
place. What better way to manipulate a situation in my favor than to parade in
front of Sasuke's jealous ego." Naruto opened his eyes and grinned
mirthlessly at Neji. The pale-eyed man refused to shift in discomfort under the
blank stare.
"Always worked like a charm."
Neji was silently surprised at Naruto's perception. He shook of his shock
and applauded that brilliance. He shouldn't underestimate anyone, especially
Naruto. That was proven years ago, but habits die-hard for Neji. Seeing the
clear dismissal on this subject on Naruto's face, Neji smirked in triumphed.
"Not on me. You're taunts didn't deter me from what I wanted."
They stared at each other for a few moments, before Naruto grinned and
acknowledge Neji's point.
"I humbly modify my statement. Always worked on Sasuke.
Satisfied?"
For some reason, Neji could not keep the smirk from forming into a content
smile on his face. He was simpering like some love struck fan girl. But Neji
couldn't help it. "Quite." He shook his head to push those feelings
away for now. He sobered quickly. He did not have to voice his thoughts when
Naruto grinned sadly, before looking away.
"I know what you're going to ask. I quit Anbu, because�.I was starting
not to feel anything. The assassinations, the missions were too violent�.and
yet. I didn't feel anything. No remorse, no pain, no nightmares�..Nothing. I
was turning into a monster, no emotions, and sometimes�."
Naruto stared at his hands in horror. "Sometimes�I feel a thrill as a
take one life after another. A sick and searing thrill of conquering�Do you
understand now?"
Neji nodded. Neither had to speak on such a thing. Both understood and
shared the pain. But Neji understood that the pain that Naruto felt was ten
times worse. All because of a certain demon that lived within the blonde; which
Neji was sure that Naruto had no clue that he knew about.
/Another conversation for another day./
"So�Tai told me that he would someday beat the crap out of you."
Naruto's dark mood was gone. He grinned as he bumped shoulders with Neji.
Neji sent him an icy glare to try and diffuse the warm and trembling feeling
that raked his body at the brush of their skin. As always, Naruto's simple
merry nature brightened anything it touches. Even Neji's heart. Which at the
moment was pounding so hard against his rib cage that Neji was afraid that
Naruto could actually hear it.
He kept his hands in his own lap, clenching them into fist to prevent them
from grabbing Naruto. Those smiling lips continued to tease, beckoning him to
lean forward and�
Neji grunted as he turned away. "Did he really say that? Or again, is
it you're failed attempt to unbalance me?" He did not hear the reply
because of the blood thundering in his ears. This was not the time to advance
upon Naruto when he is vulnerable. The opponents should be equal in the battle.
Neji mentally scolded himself in disgust. Getting to know Naruto is not a
strategic move he was making. So he should stop with the battle metaphors.
Neji stiffened when he felt a brush against his cheek. He turned just in
time to see Naruto move that same lock of hair back over his shoulder. Their
eyes met and Naruto chuckled warmly, "It keeps escaping. Turn around. I'll
fix it."
Neji continued to stare at Naruto. The blonde laughed out loud, "Relax
Neji, I won't do anything to your precious hair. Trust me." The last thing
Neji saw before he turn to present his back was Naruto's smirk and twinkling
eyes.
He felt his hair leave the confines of the hair tie. The mass of raven hair
flowed freely down his back before two warm hands moved to finger comb through
it. Neji closed his eyes and tried to imagine what Naruto was doing. His gentle
touches were driving Neji insane.
He stifled a groan of pleasure at the motions; he was close to just turning
and kissing those lips and running his hands through sun-gold locks. He
wouldn't stop there. His mind could see what his eyes could not. Seemingly
miles of naked golden skin stretched out before him. Bruised red lips begging
to be ravished again. Beautiful blue eyes darkened by lust; dilated, silently
asking for more. Soft tanned skin; hardened, lean muscle that contracted as he
ran his pale hands over them. Long, smooth athletic legs trembling from-
"Neji! You can turn around now. I'm finished."
Neji opened his eyes to see not Naruto laid out naked before him, but the
quiet nightlife of Konoha's rooftops. But even if the image left, it left a
problem behind. He cursed his body's urges at a time like this. His body
throbbed as he shifted his position to relieve the pressure in his pants. /Do I
not have control over my own body anymore/
He turned his head to meet Naruto's amused stare. "What's up with
you?"
Neji turned his mind inward and concentrated on keeping his dignity intact.
He sighed in relief when after awhile his aroused state diminished.
"hnn"
Naruto shrugged before standing. He watched Neji do the same. He offered the
silent Hyuga a smile, "I have to get some sleep. I really have a big day
ahead of me�.. Well�it's been an odd encounter. But it was�nice. Thanks
Neji�..for listening. You're a great�."
Neji raised his eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. He was trying not to
stare at Naruto's smiling mouth. With his attention else where, he was complete
taken of guard when Naruto leaned forwards and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.
Before he could react Naruto moved away and chuckled at his stunned
expression. "Didn't expect that huh? Worked like a charm didn't
Neji?"
His laughter washed over Neji as Naruto waved goodbye before vanishing in a
cloud of smoke.
Neji stood there for a while with a hand to his burning cheek. He could
still feel the pressure of Naruto's lips. It was quick, but he remembered the
softness and fullness of those lips.
Neji smiled in wonder. It might have been innocent on Naruto's part, (for
everyone knew of the blonde's constant and innocent tactile affection), but
Neji wasn't going to keep it that way for long. Naruto subconsciously gave Neji
the opening he needed. Next time, Naruto will be the one caught off guard.
Neji will enjoy the outcome�.and he'll make sure Naruto enjoyed it too.
Neji smirked. /That's a promise Naruto./
- 3
- 4
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