Okay, so I absolutely adore Neji and most (actually all) of my favorite Naruto pairings deal with Sakura; so I thought, why not try a NejiSaku fic. So go on and read and let me know what you think, 'kay? 'Kay! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wish I owned Neji but that's another story for another day…XD
The blazing, red-orange evening sun was slowly dropping below the horizon as four, dejected souls returned to the Leaf Village. Today had held the promise of being an energetic, violent packed mission on which Sakura and her comrades, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Kiba, were to free a small nearby town that had been usurped by six bandits.
Lady Tsunade hadn't intended on sending a full squad out just for them, but the villager who had escaped and come to her for help warned her that the men who had taken over their humble village weren't ordinary bandits; they were ninja of high caliber.
When they got there, they found the villager hadn't completely lied. The men were ninja, but not those of high ability. In fact, the men possessed no more skills than an Academy Student would. Naruto had used his Shadow Clone Jutsu to take them out in less than half a minute.
Now, as they returned to the village, all four were greatly unhappy; Naruto and Kiba because they were looking for a fight, and Sakura and Shikamaru upset because they had just wasted their time.
"I'll go fill out the mission report. You're all dismissed." Shikamaru headed lazily for the Hokage's office after they walked through the village gates.
"Hey, I'm goin to Ichiraku's, you guys wanna come?" Naruto asked as he back peddled a few feet behind Shikamaru.
"Yeah I guess. It's not like I worked up an appetite or anything though…" Kiba griped as he followed Naruto.
"Sakura?" Naruto called, still moving.
"No, that's alright. You two go ahead." Sakura shook her head as she waved the distancing guys on.
"You want us to walk you home?" Naruto offered.
"No thanks, I'm gonna head out and do some training," Sakura jerked her head backwards as she back peddled for the village gates.
"Hey that's a good idea! We should come with you!" Naruto smiled as he began walking forwards for Sakura, pulling Kiba with him.
"Actually!--" Sakura interrupted, holding her hands out quickly in front of her as if they were a shield. "I'm just gonna do some medical stuff, you know? Work on my jutsu. Find herbs. Stuff like that. Usually I do stuff like that alone, you know? Hey, but tomorrow, I'll definitely look you up on that offer!"
"Cool, we don't want to bother you or anything. Later!" Kiba called as he waved goodbye, pulling Naruto with him. Sakura was grateful that Kiba understood her message in saying that she wanted to be alone. Although he didn't know the reason why, he still was accepting and even pulled Naruto away as well.
"Alright Sakura, see ya tomorrow!" Naruto waved as he and Kiba rushed off. The two ran past Shikamaru, purposely bumping him on the way. Shikamaru muttered something Sakura couldn't hear and kept on.
Waiting until they were pretty far away, Sakura lifted her leg and whirled around on her foot with a sigh. Then she took off into the forest with no intention whatsoever to train. Her true goal was to set her eyes on the wonderful sight she'd passed over on her return home.
Running through the tree tops, Sakura scanned the ground below in search of her target. All of a sudden, a strong gust of wind blew from somewhere below her off into the distance. She grabbed the tree branch she stood on to steady herself.
Sakura grinned. "Found ya!"
Stealthily climbing through the treetops, Sakura edged her way closer as a couple more of the gusts hit, getting stronger each time.
Finally, she arrived to the spot where the wind was originating from. Below her in one of the forest clearings stood a tall, handsome man with long brown hair pulled loosely back. His pale skin, stretched tightly around his long, slender muscles, and was gleaming with sweat. He was shirtless and his chiseled torso heaved lightly from exertion.
There was still a good distance between them, but Sakura knew instantly who it was. Neji Hyuuga. It wasn't so much because Sakura recognized him from seeing him around the village, but because she'd secretly been watching him, day after day. Fascinated. She inhaled sharply as she stared down at him.
'When had Neji gotten so hot?' She wondered in ogling amazement at his ripped body.
Neji had always been popular among the women, but Sakura never thought much of him. Yes he was handsome; with the attractively pale skin of his strong, structured, face smooth and blemish free. His clear, off white eyes were mesmerizing, wise and always seemingly deep in thought. Outwardly, everything about him, though striking, seemed cold and hard, but inside, Sakura was certain that even Neji had a warm side.
The gust of wind came again; Neji was practicing his Rotation Jutsu. As time passed, Neji had, of course, gotten stronger and consequently so had his jutsu. As he executed Rotation with such power and perfection, it caused a strong gust of wind as an aftershock.
Sakura continued watching with her mouth slightly open in admiration as Neji's masculinely lithe body gracefully and dangerously danced around the small clearing. Chakra burst in short successions from his long, supple hands. His moves were limber and elegant and they seemed like an exquisite dance; not like the deadly, dangerous jutsu that it was.
Flawlessly, Neji continued on with his jutsu as Sakura ogled in silence. He was fantastic! His body twisted and bent this way and that as he attacked the wooden targets, then another gust of wind hit and nearly blasted Sakura away. She took refuge behind the tree she was hiding in until the attack died down.
When it did, Sakura peeked from around the tree bark and saw Neji; his body squatted down low above the ground as his arms extended lengthwise. His shoulders rose and fell slightly as he quietly panted in and out.
Sakura's eyes drifted across Neji's body when a thought entered her head; a thought that hadn't occurred to her not once sense now. Neji was training. Therefore he was most likely using his Byakugan. With the Byakugan, Neji would be able to see Sakura watching him. Her eyes widened and she took off quietly towards the village; hoping Neji hadn't noticed her.
Back at the clearing, Neji slowly stood erect. He closed his eyes then took a deep breath. Then he slowly turned and looked to the exact spot from which Sakura had just run from.
"Tchh." Neji scoffed. She had been watching him again; a ritual she was getting much too accustomed to. It frustrated Neji to no end- having someone basically watching his every movements- but he never said anything. He just hoped that maybe one day Sakura would get some sense and stop stalking him.
Neji only sighed as he realized, at the rate things were going now, that may never happen for awhile. The curious, bright green eyes of the pink haired kunoichi filled Neji's mind and he scoffed in annoyance. If she didn't stop spying on him, he might have to use her as a target for training practice next time. Neji watched as Sakura's figure hastily retreated, then he readied himself and continued on with his training as if nothing had happened.
So that's all for Chapter 1! I hoped it was to your liking. I know it was short, but I've got the second chapter ready if you all like it so far. Please review and let me know what you think; Constructive criticism good, Flames bad. That's all for now!
See ya soon! xoxoxoxoxo