Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Breaking Point ❯ Bitter Seals ( Chapter 5 )

Breaking Point

 

Gomen! Final exams and all of that lovely school related stuff is finally done. Until school was over my computer was taken away from me, so this is the first chance that I've had to finish up this chapter. Hope you guys like it. There's a few more chapters like this one, they're meant to explain the background with the guys/girls. Let me know what you all think.

 

Disclaimer: The only thing I own is this story, not the actual characters.

 

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Naruto sat in his hospital bed sulking at the injustice of having to stay in the hospital until `baa-san let him out. Pulling idly at a loose string on the blanket covering him, his head snapped up when he become aware of someone coming into his room. His eyes narrowed briefly before he forced his face to relax into a blinding smile.

 

“Neji—“

 

Throwing himself to the ground he winced as his sore body made impact. Rolling to an upright position he held a kunai in one hand as his eyes looked at the shuriken that was buried in his bed. Turning his gaze back towards the door, he forced himself to stand as he quickly hid his kunai. Leaning on the bed, he grasped the shuriken to pull it out, but stopped at the quiet voice that spoke.

 

“How much have you been hiding from everyone Naruto?”

 

Fiercely stomping on the maelstrom of emotions within, he forced himself to pull out the shuriken. Turning around, he forced another idiotic look onto his face as he grinned at Neji.

 

“Huh? Whaddya mean?”

 

Watching the pale-eyed shinobi, he turned away to hide his trembling hands, as he moved to get back into bed.

 

“An injured shinobi should not have been able to dodge that shuriken. Or more to the point, you should not have been able to dodge it…especially in your weakened state. Need I go on, Naruto?”

 

Naruto's thoughts ran in a confusing jumble, as he gingerly heaved his body back onto the bed. Clenching his fists tightly against the wave of pain that washed over him, he stiffened. Cracking open his eyes, he was shocked to see that Neji was pulling the blanket back over him. Following him with his eyes, he swallowed a groan when he saw the Hyuuga seat himself in the room. Sitting down meant that he was getting comfortable. Getting comfortable was in no way a good thing for Naruto.

 

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Neji POV

 

Looking up as he heard a sharp intake of breath, he frowned at the sight that met his eyes. Moving quickly to the blonde's side, he straightened and pulled the blanket over him before sitting. From his chair he frowned once more as he took note of the dark circles underneath the brilliant blue eyes. Cursing himself for not waiting for answers, he steeled his nerve and began to question Naruto again.

 

“Naruto, you dodged that shuriken. The way that you moved wasn't just luck. It was purely instinctual. You dodged and then landed in a position that would be easy to defend in. That isn't a normal reaction from somebody with below average shinobi skills.”

 

Halting momentarily, he gathered his thoughts and nerve once more before he continued on quietly.

 

“Your shinobi skills aren't the only thing that you've kept hidden, is it Naruto?” Hearing the rapid breathing of the small blonde, he sighed softly before he went on. “Your abnormal chakra, the seal on your stomach, your birth date, and the simple fact that you aren't dead…” Raising his pale eyes to meet the shocked blue ones before him, he finished his speech.

 

“Yondaime didn't kill the Kyuubi, did he?”

 

Holding his gaze, Neji held his breath as the tension in the room began to mount. Standing up, he began to pace around the small room as he spoke once more.

 

“One of the things that they teach us as shinobi's is to `Look underneath the underneath'. It never occurred to us that we should apply that to our fellow shinobi as well. Your mask is well constructed Naruto. However, what I would like to know, is why you felt the need to hide things like that.” Hearing a bitter laugh from Naruto, he stopped pacing, and turned to face him, before his mind went completely haywire.

 

“You might want to close your mouth, Hyuuga-san.”

 

Hearing Naruto's slightly mocking tone, he snapped his mouth closed. Composing his face again, Neji tried to calm the frenzy inside of him. He seemed so different, when he wasn't squinting his eyes; acting like an idiot or forcing his voice to a …higher… pitch…

 

“Is the real me truly that disturbing, Hyuuga-san?”

 

Groaning in exasperation as he realized that he had been speaking out loud, Neji mentally berated him self.

-`I need to get a grip. That's the second time that I've acted like a complete fool. You would think that I was a child, with the way that I'm acting.'-

Carefully wiping the emotion from his face, Neji forced himself to repeat his last question. “Why did you hide all of this from us?” Keeping his eyes on the blonde, he was satisfied to hear the smooth voice respond to him softly.

 

“What reason did I have to trust any of you, Hyuuga-san? The entire time that we were at the Academy, you never noticed me. It was as though I was beneath your notice, beneath you. Perhaps I should have enlightened everyone in between the `dead-last' jibes? Don't you realize that the truth would have only made my existence worse?”

 

Closing his eyes briefly, Neji moved towards the door. Stopping in front of the door, he spoke softly.

 

“I may not have noticed in the Academy, but I do now. I regret that I ever accused you of not understanding my situation. As ridiculous as this may sound coming from me, I apologize. If you ever feel that you want to discuss this again, I'm sure that you can find me.”

 

Leaving the room, Neji closed the door behind him quietly and leaned against it.

-`I did what I came here to do. He helped me when I needed it, I hope that I can help him in the same way.'-

 

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Clutching the blankets between his hands tightly, Naruto tried to calm down. A small whimper escaped his lips when another wave of pain passed through him. Relaxing when the pain lessened, his eyes widened, as his mind processed what Neji had said. Rolling onto his side, he hugged his pillow tightly as hot tears made their way down his face.

 

-`Maybe I should try…'-

 

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I'm not sure that I like the way this chapter turned out. Of course, I reserve the right to go back and change it if I need to.