When Sasuke Met Naruto (SasuNaru)

- Chapter 51 -

December 23rd – it was the last day of school before Christmas break, and Kiba had been delaying on his little confrontation with Neji, hoping the situation would resolve itself. Over the past week he had tried conversing with Hinata in private, only to wind up with his head shoved into a locker or, yes, receiving another swift kick to the groin. It was obvious Naruto was right – Neji would only allow Kiba to see Hinata if the dog-boy could prove his worth.

That, of course, meant putting Naruto's plan into action.

And, so, Kiba found himself in a familiar position – standing naked in the locker room, towel in hand, he walked towards the showers. He had been watching Neji for a few minutes, waiting for the Hyuuga to enter the shower area. That was the extent of Naruto's plan – confront Neji while they were both the most vulnerable. The combination of sweat and steam would make Kiba a slippery target, and the wet floor might interfere with Neji's usual fighting style, relying greatly on smooth, swift motions and footwork.

At least, that was the theory. It wasn't like Kiba had great experience fighting while wet and naked. The only other time had been, oddly enough, a month ago with Neji, when he first met Hinata, and that was a very one-sided affair. He had gone over it in his head, however, and he had discussed possible tactics with Shikamaru. That was the one advantage the Inuzuka had – preparedness – and he intended to use it.

With the hot water pouring all around him, Kiba entered the showers, trying his best to look confident as he sauntered over to Neji. That had been one key piece of advice Shikamaru had given him: show confidence. If Kiba looked weak, he'd only give Neji a mental advantage. If he looked cocky, though, there was a chance Kiba could actually beat him. After all, Neji was likely to be thrown off, having to fight another naked guy.

This could be Naruto's dumbest idea yet... but it's just stupid enough to work.

"Hey! Hyuuga!" Kiba barked, standing behind Neji with his hands on his hips. "What do you say you and I have a little chat, huh?"

Glancing over his shoulder irritably, Neji looked surprisingly frightening with his long, brown hair sticking to his face. "Forget it. I'm not going to let you near Hinata."

"Sorry you feel that way," the Inuzuka continued, pounding his fist into his open palm. He grinned wickedly, tilting his head to the side. "Because I'm gonna keep coming after her, whether you like it or not."

"You're a glutton for punishment, aren't you?" Neji muttered as he began to work shampoo into his flowing locks. "You'll wind up in a coma if you keep this up."

Suddenly, Kiba slammed his hand against the wall just beside Neji's head. His face contorted into a snarl as the Hyuuga looked up at him in mild surprise. "Is that a threat, Hyuuga?"

Neji paused and turned around to face the Inuzuka. "What do you think?"

"I think I've had just about enough of you standing between the two of us. Do you have something against me personally? Or are you just afraid your cousin might fall for me?" Kiba asked, flashing a cocky smile.

For the first time, Neji's cool demeanor cracked. His hand curled into a fist. "Hinata's out of your league. Just leave her alone, Inuzuka."

That's it. I just need to get him to swing first – that way I can call it self-defense. No one has to get expelled over this...

"Out of her league? And why's that? Because I'm not a preppy rich boy like you? Or maybe you're just afraid that I am right for her. She obviously likes me, and it's just tearing you apart, isn't it? You're afraid that she'll be happy, and you couldn't possibly let that happen, could you, you miserable fatalist son of a b–"