The Strength of the Weak {A Naruto Fanfiction}

The Strength of the Weak - Chapter 18

"Of course he did, that fool..." he mutters. I glimpse over at him, only to find him staring at me. Tilting my head in confusion, he sighs and places a hand on his head irritatedly.

"Where is your other teammate?" I inquire when Neji doesn't say anything. He glances at the entrance, where another team files in, catching the attention of most people in the room.

"Tenten? She's at the bathroom," he concedes. I nod my head and sigh, tired of waiting for my team. Moments later, Team 10 walks through the doors, making quite a scene. Ino, having spotted me, points at me while whispering to Choji.

"You know her?" Neji asks, referring to Ino who was still watching me carefully. I sigh and tear my gaze away from her, looking back at Neji instead.

"Yes. As you know, I'm a part of one of the three rookie squads. That is the second of the rookie squads," I inform. Neji flashes his eyes towards the trio, who had gone to a corner and were now whispering to themselves, Ino stealing glances at us from across the room.

The doors open once again, revealing Team 8. Kiba barges in first, followed by Shino, then Hinata. At the sight of Hinata, Neji scowls and glares hatefully. When Hinata catches sight of this, she squeaks and looks to her feet almost shamefully, twiddling her fingers nervously.

I raise an eyebrow at Neji, his antics surprising me. Weren't they related?

"You seem to dislike Hinata," I start, gauging his reaction. Neji scoffs and whips his head away, the scowl still apparent on his face.

"She is from the Main Branch, and I'm from the Side Branch. Need I say more? You're an Uchiha, you should understand clan disputes," he divulges. I blink in response, not expecting such an answer. If my clan's main and side branches had problems with each other, I wasn't aware of them.

"That may be true, but you are still family. Main Branch, Side Branch... all in all it makes no difference, at least to me. However, I understand if the Hyuga are different," I respond, shrugging. Neji stares at me, causing me to once again sigh at him.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" I question, giving him a pointed look. He shakes his head and directs his attention back to the crowd.

"I can't figure you out."

"That makes two of us."

Neji twitches at this statement, seemingly annoyed. I quirk my lips into a small smile, nudging his side a little.

"Perhaps you'll figure me out during these exams," I tease playfully. Neji cracks a smirk, glancing back down at me.

"Perhaps."

"Yo, Neji! Are you ready for the exams?!" Lee exclaims, walking over to Neji and I animatedly. Tenten follows behind him, a challenging smirk on her face as she gazes at all of the teams watching them enter.

"Tone it down, Lee. You don't want to become a target," Neji scolds, going back to his old, hardened persona. I drop my smile as well while all of the teams watch us, not trying to become a target as well.

"I wouldn't worry about that... when my team walks in they're sure to-"

"ALRIGHT! I'm going to beat every one of you, dattebayo!"

Sighing, I push myself off of the wall, glancing back at Neji's team almost pleadingly.

"Like I was saying, my team is sure to make themselves an even bigger target," I grumble. Peering behind me, I notice all of the other rookies gathering together, although my team was looking around for me.

"I better get going, knowing those three we will be attacked before the exams even start..." I sigh, offering Neji, Lee, and Tenten a small wave. Jogging over to the rest of the rookies, I take my place beside Sasuke as a Leaf Ninja walks up to us.

"Hey, I understand you guys are rookies, but you should really tone it down a bit, and not make a spectacle of yourself. See all of these guys looking at you?" he says, gesturing towards all of the ninja watching us carefully. I sigh and lower my head, irritation creeping up my spine. Did my team have to be so... eccentric?

"Hey, who're you?" Naruto questions suspiciously. The boy fiddles with his glasses, an eery look in his eyes.

"I'm Kabuto Yakushi," he responds mysteriously. I narrow my eyes at him, crossing my arms over my chest. Kabuto's gaze lands on Sasuke and I, lingering for longer than I was comfortable with, although Sasuke seemed to not notice.

"You see those Rain ninja over there? Very touchy. Everyone is, with tensions so high in this exam, so keep it down. I'd know... this is my seventh time taking this," Kabuto reveals shamefully. Naruto perks up, smirking with confidence.

"So you're like an expert in this stuff? Awesome, we can get real insider tips!" Naruto exclaims. I shake my head at his statement, watching Kabuto carefully.

"He's never passed before... that means the exams must be difficult," I muse. Kabuto nods at my remark, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Since you guys are rookies... I'll help you out a little. I have these ninja info cards that reveal information once I give it my chakra. Give me a description or name of someone, and I'll probably be able to get their cards for you," Kabuto offers, pulling out a stack of cards.

"Subaku no Gaara... and Rock Lee, while you're at it," Sasuke demands without hesitation. I raise an eyebrow at him, surprised he was interested in Rock Lee's card. Usually, he is so confident he doesn't care about the ones he beats. Unless...

"Rock Lee beat you in your battle, didn't he?"

"Shut up."

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