Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Author Notes: Some people requested that I continue 'Observation'. This could be seen as a sequel of sorts. I don't write a lot of fanfiction, and did this to get the idea out of my head. If you read it and like it, then I'm glad. If you read it and hate it, then I'm sorry to have wasted your time.

This story contains Sasuke/Hinata, Naruto/Sakura, Shikamaru/Ino and Rock Lee/Tenten pairings. I know that some of these pairings are very far-fetched, but for some reason, they appeal to me. Since I write for my own amusement, I will use whatever pairings I wish. If you have a serious problem with any of these pairings, please do not read this fic. I don't want you to waste your time.

This story is slightly AU. I am not very familiar with Naruto as of yet, and so some parts of this story may be inaccurate. I apologize for this, but I don't think I will change it for continuity's sake.

Thank you for reading.

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Neji Hyuuga: Matchmaker

Chapter 1: The Problem

Hyuuga Neji prided himself on seeing things other people never noticed. He could tell a lot about people by the way the acted, how they moved, where their eyes went when talking to people. With his extraordinary vision, and his extreme intelligence, there wasn't much that he didn't miss.

When he was younger, he used his talents with the sole purpose of becoming the best ninja in the Hyuuga household. He wanted to prove that a ninja from the Branch house could outdo one from the Main House. He proved that quite effectively when he beat Hinata in the preliminaries when they were young. Looking back on his actions now, he regretted them. Anger had made him reckless and unforgiving, and he saw in Hinata everything that he hated in his life. Now, however, time and understanding had enabled him to let go of his hatred for Hinata. It helped that Hinata was determined that when she became Head of the Main House, she would change things. He was hesitant to believe she could do it, but she had become stronger over the years. Her father had accepted her back home, and soon after, subtle changes occurred in the Hyuuga house. Tension between Branch and Main members, though still present, eased somewhat under Hinata's kindness. Her sister, Hanabi, once as single minded as he had been in her determination to prove herself, had softened - somewhat. Though keeping up an appearance of coldness towards her sister in public, Neji knew that Hanabi was fond of Hinata. They both were.

So when Hiashi announced at breakfast one morning that there would be a formal celebration for Hinata's eighteenth birthday, Neji caught his youngest cousin's eyes across the table, and saw reflected in them the concern in his own. Birthdays were never 'formally celebrated' in the Hyuuga household. Usually, birthdays were acknowledged only by a few simple gifts, given to the person by immediate family, and a slightly more elaborate dinner. That was all. A formal celebration with invitations sent out to neighbouring villages was unheard of.

After breakfast, Neji headed outside. He saw Hanabi sitting on a stone bench in the shade, watching her older sister tend to the herbs on the other side of the garden. Neji sat beside her, and they remained silent for a few minutes.

"The council wants to marry Hinata off," Hanabi spoke suddenly. Neji remained still, watching his cousin take her herbs into the kitchen, where she would make her healing poultices. He waited until she was in the house before replying.

"How do you know this?" he asked.

"I eavesdropped on the council meeting," Hanabi said calmly. Neji shot her a look, and she grinned at him.

"Come on, Neji, you would've done it too if you hadn't been on that mission," she said cheekily. He refrained from replying to that, and looked back at the garden.

"The council doesn't want Hinata to be heir; they think she's too soft. They prefer you. Do you think this is their way of getting rid of her?" he asked. Hanabi snorted derisively.

"Of course. The invitations have been sent out to neighbouring villages already. If they marry Hinata off to someone outside of Konoha, it will take away any influence she has."

"She's only eighteen; a marriage won't take place until she's a least twenty. That's two years in which we can work." Neji said reasonably.

"Don't be stupid, Neji," Hanabi said scornfully, ignoring his glare, "if someone makes an offer for Hinata - and someone will, she's the firstborn daughter of the Hyuuga clan - then the council, if they approve, will force her to leave Konoha to stay with her betrothed's family."

"Can't your father do something?" he asked.

"The most Father can do is throw his support behind one of the suitors. You know that the council has been given more power the past few years in order to appease the Branch members."

"It isn't the Branch members that want to ship Hinata off to some rich bastard in a far away village." Neji retorted heatedly to the subtle barb. Hanabi just grinned at being able to get under his skin.

"Look, here's what I figure. Hinata should get married. If she marries the right guy, she'll be able to be a medic nin, like she wants, and when I'm head, I'll make her my right hand man. Or woman, I suppose. You'll be my left hand man, and together, we'll have enough power to hold more sway over the council. We can still change the Hyuuga for the better. I won't let Hinata down," she said softly.

"That's all very well and good, but who would she marry? He would have to be a man from Konoha and one from a prestigious clan..." Neji's voice trailed off as he thought suddenly of a possible candidate.

"You have someone already in mind, don't you cousin?" Hanabi asked, looking at him excitedly, "Who is it?"

"It would be difficult…"

"Well, the hardest part will be to convince him to offer himself to marry Hinata, I would imagine," Hanabi said, studying her cousin. He shook his head.

"No, the hardest part will be to convince the council and your father of his honour and loyalty. Convincing him to marry Hinata will be relatively easy, I believe."

Hanabi stared at him. Who could her cousin possible have in mind? And what did he mean, convince the council of the suitor's loyalty? She ran through a list of possible candidates. There were her sister's team mates, but she knew there was no reason to question their loyalty. In fact, there weren't really any ninja whose loyalty she would question except...

"You've got to be kidding. And you think the hardest part is to convince the council? He hates girls. I think he might even be gay. Hey Neji, where are you going?" Hanabi called after her cousin as he stood up. He didn't reply, and Hanabi sighed, knowing her cousin well enough to recognize that he was planning something in detail.

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