Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Hyuuga Neji grit his teeth, frustrated at his current predicament.

To say he was stuck between a rock and a hard place was probably taking it too literally.

He was currently hiding behind a rock, a boulder to be exact. The last place he'd thought to be in today and probably the closest thing he has to a hard place as of the moment, the receiving end of Haruno Sakura's fists.

As usual, training had turned into a sparring match once Gai had seen Hatake Kakashi, blabbering about all his senseless ideas about youth. Neji had noticed that despite the other nin's refusal to acknowledge Gai's challenges, he didn't mind participating in them. He honestly didn't really care but this time the two jounin had decided that their students would do the competing for them (without their consent, by the way).

They paired them and proceeded to watch them fight.

At first, he had expected to be paired up with the Uchiha survivor because of the long-standing rivalry their clans had as well as the slight antagonism the Uchiha had for him before, but for some reason he got stuck with his pink-haired teammate.

But now, Gai and Kakashi were in a rut.

They were tied. Naruto had been defeated by Rock Lee very soundly after the moron decided to use Taijutsu in their battle knowing full well how Lee could practically give anyone a beating in that certain field, while they watched the last Uchiha very nearly kill Tenten. After their match Sakura began treating her like it was the most normal thing and world and then, sent her to the hospital with Lee.

Of course, neither Neji didn't seem too happy with that particular development, while their sensei kept doting on the bun-haired kunoichi as she was being treated in the middle of the field.

They weren't used to having injuries during spars, it would be pretty stupid to be injured in a fight that did not involve a mission; however, Team Kakashi seemed to take it all in stride as if it was a normal occurrence. What he found strange was their reaction to the occurence.

"What's wrong?" He vaguely recalled Naruto asking them as both he and Lee waited for Tenten to gain consciousness after the match, throwing glares at Uchiha Sasuke every once in a while.

"My teammate happens to have three broken ribs and a fractured leg thanks to him." Neji growled out loud. If they weren't given any missions this week because of this incident, he would have the Uchiha's head, traitor or not.

How his teammates survived their sessions everyday was a wonder to everyone.

He rolled his eyes, of course.

The Godaime's apprentice.

"Shannaro!" He heard a shout before it happened.

The rock that he used as a shield cracked and then exploded, injuring him with small shards of stone in the process.

Neji jumped out of the way of a well-placed punch and jumped into the middle of the field. He at least needed to avoid the rocky places for their fight because that would only put the odds in her favor.

That technique was troublesome.

Apparently, the Hokage's apprentice decided to try her new skills today. It only took her one try to show them how effective it was in subduing an opponent after it nearly tore off Neji's leg, and she didn't even hit him directly.

It was something that she had developed from one of Tsunade's jutsu. She would punch the ground with her fist, but instead of keeping the chakra limited to her appendages she would insert some of it into the ground and cause an explosion a few meters away.

Neji smiled dryly. His leg was already bleeding again, despite the make-shift repair he had done on it. He wasn't cut out for medical ninjutsu, so it seemed.

That technique, he realized, could probably kill without much trouble. The only problem with it was that it involved a hell of a lot of skill in chakra control, and its limited range and subtlety. There's also the fact that it was rather exhausting to use it over and over again.

He may have an injury but the pink-haired chuunin had less stamina.

He shook his head as a way to dispel such thoughts. He was getting too distracted.

"Now," He started as he let his chakra seep into his eyes, "Where was she?"

The veins around his eyes bulged and then he saw it.

CRACK!

"Oh my God, Neji!"

He felt something cool seep through his system.

What had happened? He couldn't remember.

"I win." Kakashi said cheerfully, "Pay up."

"Kakashi-sensei!" A voice whined.

He heard his former teacher groan in defeat and then some coins being handed over.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry." He heard the same voice repeat worriedly.

"It was his fault." He heard a different and familiar, but aggravating voice say close by.

He inwardly growled.

"Sasuke-kun." She whined again.

The memories seemed to go through him the same way that the chakra went around in his system, soothing all his aches and bruises. He slowly felt the pain in his leg slowly fade away, as the wound itself began to close from the healing hands of Haruno Sakura.

And then, it hit him. Pretty much like that tree.

A tree.

She threw a fricken' tree.

A tree that was more than ten times her size, which snapped in two as it painfully hit his head and knocked him out.

He cannot lift a tree.

He cannot throw a tree.

Apparently, he couldn't even see a tree if it hit him in the head.

He wanted to kick himself.

He had been careless! It wasn't a serious fight, yes, but if that had been a mission he would have been killed, or worse, it would have gotten his teammates killed.

But instead of being sad at their funeral people would say, 'Oh that's the team that got killed by a tree and a girl with pink hair.'

This time he groaned out loud.

"Hyuuga-san, I'm sorry."

She really did sound extremely apologetic. In his mind he wondered if it was about the tree or if it was because she had effectively trampled on his pride as a ninja. But this was Sakura, the most sincere and honest (impractically so) person he's known, so it had been most probably about the tree.

So he opened his eyes, and the sight that welcomed him was of a pink-haired girl who was looking at him with the greenest eyes his ever seen.

Strange, he never noticed her eyes before.

"He's awake, now let go of him." An impatient voice snapped from behind her.

He looked over his shoulder to find a very annoyed Uchiha staring at the two of them. He glanced to the boy's right and saw Naruto looking as though Christmas had come early.

"Neji," He started, "You should have seen what happened." Naruto snickered and then paused, "Wait... you didn't!" And then he guffawed, peals of laughter echoing throughout the forest.

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura hissed at her friend, and then reverted back to the brunette in her care, "Are you all right, Hyuuga-san?"

"You threw a tree at me." He said, every word laced with disbelief.

"I'm sorry! I didn't think it would actually hit!" She said defensively, "If there's anything I can do to make up for it, I'll gladly-"

"Go out with me."

"Su—What?" Sakura.

"WHAT?" Naruto.

"No." Sasuke.

He saw Hatake Kakashi walk up to him and inspect him thoroughly, "Probably delusional."

"Ne, Sakura?"

Sigh, "What is it, Ino?"

"Teach me how to throw a tree at someone."

"Ino!"

A/N: Darn, I miss this pairing. This pairing needs more stories guys, pretty pleeeeaaaasee.