A Different Life

Chapter 13: Let The Tug Of War Begin

Jealousy because people are willing to go to such lengths, even put their life in the line, for Sakura. She wondered if anyone would ever do that for her. Also because of Neji again. She doesn't know when or how, her feelings for him just surfaced like a giant swordfish immerging out of the waters. She remembered suddenly feeling guilty when she noticed the crystal clear pain in Neji's face whenever Sakura was mentioned or how he would look at her before. She also knows Neji visited Sakura's grave regularly and would silently talk to it. Apparently, his cousin also did as well only Hinata visited more than Neji, even brought flowers. 

TenTen sighed. This was so unlike her. Where had her tomboyish self go? Oh, right. It flew out the open the moment she fell for the Hyuuga.

"What are my youthful teammates still doing here in an unyouthful manner?" A youthful voice resounded. "Lee?" TenTen turned her head to see Lee warming up a few feet away from Neji. "Let's go then." Neji said as he swiftly turned to walk away. "Where to?" TenTen asked as she landed on the ground. "To the youthful Naruto Uzumaki's residence ofcourse! Are we not going to do and listen to such a rash action Naruto is thinking? Oh, such a proof of youth. Doing such rash things." Lee mused. "It is expected of the number one knucklehead in Konoha after all. Another sign of being youthful." Lee added.

"It is, Sakura after all." Neji softly said, implying that Naruto always has something unplanned that would eventually lead to the road of youthful success, no matter how dumb or stupid it may be as long as it concerns his precious friends, what more if it is Sakura?

He was responded by silence and Neji seemed to have sensed the sudden 180 degree turn in the atmosphere. TenTen had her head lowered and the emotion in her eyes covered by her dark shadows caused by her bangs. "Why such a face, TenTen?" Lee asked, going near his teammate. 

"Are you two really... going?" she murmured softly, but her voice held pain.

 "Tennie-chan, what's wrong?" Lee asked worriedly, going closer to the said girl. She raised her head as an angry face showed. "Are we really going to risk our lives for Sakura? We all know this is a very risky mission even though Tsunade-same didn't mention it!" 

"She didn't have to. We instinctively already know. Every mission is dangerous TenTen. You should know that as a shinobi. We are never trully safe, even inside the gates of Konoha we dearly protect." Neji calmly said. 

"Exactly! We dearly protect. But what if this mission is our last, huh? What if we die and hell breaks lose on Konoha when another war starts? We're gonna be wasting our lives on one girl!" TenTen furiously said, emphasizing on her last two words.

The moment TenTen said that, she immediately regretted it. When she thought of it before, it didn't hurt this much but when she said it out loud, she felt like her heart was pierced and only then did she realize what she had done. The look on Neji's face didn't even have to tell her. 

Neji looked at her with a mix of confusion, anger and then disappointment. The latter hurt the most. Neji had never been disappointed in her. She looked down and felt utterly ashamed for her. She prayed Lee would intervene but in her peripheral vision, Lee wasn't looking any youthful and just looked away. He was also very much affected by her words, and when Neji's voice came back, she felt a tear in her heart.

"I thought you were better than that." He said and vanishing shortly after saying that.

TenTen stood there frozen. More realization hit her frozen state of mind at that. She was more selfish than she already thought. So terribly selfish.

"TenTen, what happened to teammates? The one which Naruto keeps on preaching, even when he's broken? The one where we all saw how he pushed himself for his 'teammates'? I'm sure we were all witnesses to it..." Lee weakly said. All his youth draining from what TenTen said.