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Chapter 20

20

"Are you done yet?" Neji asked, gear already slung over one shoulder.

Tenten looked up at him and shook her head. "Just a few more, okay? Unlike you, I happen to use a lot of stuff during training." The kunoichi went back to sealing her numerous kunai and shuriken back to their respective scrolls.

Neji smirked in amusement. He leaned against the trunk of their favorite tree, watching his teammate gather her weapons. They had finished another spar and was finishing up for the day. Since both Lee and Gai-sensei were away on a mission, that left the two remaining members of Team Gai to train on their own. The pair didn't mind.

"Alright!" Tenten exclaimed. "I'm all set!" She grinned as she carried her summoning scroll on her back. Neji stepped out and joined her as they walked back to the village proper.

"You haven't told me how your last mission went," Tenten said as they walked, the warm afternoon sun beating on them.

Neji frowned a little. "It was..." he paused, wondering how to describe his latest encounter. "...draining."

"Oh, I knew it." Tenten replied.

Neji noticed her smug smile and the Hyuuga's frown deepened into suspicion. "You did?"

"Hmm. I could tell." Tenten looked at him, a mischievous glint in her brown eyes. "You suck at training today. A bit slow for the genius Hyuuga." Then she chuckled.

Neji glared at the kunoichi but Tenten only rolled her eyes and gave him a light nudge with her elbow. Neji merely shook his head. Deep down, he heaved a sigh of relief. He actually thought that Tenten knew something.

It was only natural for Neji to assume such things since Tenten has been with him for the longest time that she can read him as she could to a book. He and the kunoichi had been friends for more than 6 years now ('it has been that long?' he thought) that sometimes they don't need words to express each other. That was why he was a tad worried that she had got wind of his recent activities.

"So, is it really the reason you were slow today, eh Neji?" Tenten asked again. "I'm actually close to thinking that maybe you have dulled a bit," she added with a chuckle.

"I'm merely not in my optimal condition," Neji replied, a little gruffly. He refuses to believe that he had "dulled". He's still a genius as far as he knows. And as what he said, he's not just primed at their training today.

"Oh...okay. That explains why my blades almost brushed you earlier. Your kaiten's range was a couple of centimeter's shorter than usual."

The Hyuuga prodigy frowned at this. He was certain his skills have not "dulled"--as the kunoichi put it--and that he's simply quite tired today. He was unable to sleep fitfully the night prior and had gone out to meditate to clear his mind yet again. It has been going on for days now.

Missions helped him forget about her temporarily, as his training with Hinata too. But when he's alone, especially at night...

They reached the corner where Tenten would turn left to her apartment while Neji would go the other way to the compound. And usually, the kunoichi would invite him for a snack or something.

Neji raised a fine brow, noticing the change in their routine. He turned to Tenten. "Aren't you gonna go for dumplings?" he asked.

Tenten was surprised. "Oh. Err, not today."

Neji remained silent. Tenten shrugged. "The girls are all free today and we're planning a get-together...sort of a girl's night out. Didn't Hinata tell you?" She grinned and winked.