The air was fresh outside, calming Neji’s rattled nerves. After returning from another mission trying to keep his most annoying substitute team mate from sure death, he had to walk in the woods away from everyone just to get his head back onto his shoulders. Naruto had that effect on him; he had to disconnect himself from his emotions so he didn’t kill the explosive brat.
Shaking his head, he forced the thought of the last miserable mistake the other boy had made in his over-zealousness that he had to clean up before returning home. He closed his eyes, letting his hands out in front of him to guide his feet. The strain from constantly watching out for his team mates began to melt away, a deep sigh reverberated from his chest to the woods. A smile began to play on his lips, one of his rare smiles of contentment with the world that never truly came to fruition since his father died. With his eyes relaxed and shut he found that his other senses picked up little things he wouldn’t notice, such as a kitten mewling in the distance. Neji opened his eyes, forcing his chakra to activate his worn out byakugan, and scanned around the woods for the source. Looking up, he spotted the kitten up high in a tree, holding precariously onto a thin branch for dear life.
“Hold on little one, I’m coming!” Neji relaxed his eyes again, feeling worn out, but determined to help the poor little creature. Kittens were his soft spot. He gathered the chakra to his feet, walking up the tree to the awaiting kitten. “I know what this feels like, when I was a kid I climbed to far up into a tree too. My father had to go up and get me down.” He softened as he gathered up the shivering bundle to his chest, slowly making his way back down, jumping the last four feet before his energy gave out. The kitten licked his face, and Neji gave it a scratch behind the ears and a small grin. “Where’s your mommy huh?”
“Daddy, actually. Thank you for helping my kitten, can I have her back now?” A strange man stood off to the side, causing Neji to start and whip his body around to face him. The kitten yowled in protest of the quick motion.
“Sorry neko-kun didn’t mean to scare you…” Neji muttered. The kitten looked up at him acceptingly, and then waved a paw at the other man. Neji looked up at him; he had short sandy blond hair and bandages wrapped around his face. He wore a robe, tied about his waist. Neji guessed him to be a farmer that was in a bad accident, probably living on the outside fringes of Konoha. Neji looked down at the little kitten, stepping towards the man holding her out.
“My apologies, but I don’t recognize you from around here. Are you visiting?” Neji handed the kitten over, the man gathering it up to his chest before the kitten climbed up to his shoulder. The man could be smiling, Neji couldn’t really tell from the bandages.
“Yes, I am visiting, Neji kun.” The man was chuckling now; the kitten seemed to be snickering with him. Neji’s brow knit together, this didn’t seem right. Neji began to walk around the man, in the direction of Konoha, but the man sidestepped in front of him, blocking the direct route. Neji guessed that it would take him at least half an hour to make it back home to alert the hokage that a strange man was in the area.
“How do you know my name?” Neji asked, rethinking it and decided it would be wiser to try to figure this guy out before he jumped to conclusions. Not that he could really run away, looking down at the man’s feet, the man was wearing shinobi sandals. He didn’t have the chakra to run at full speed right then. Neji felt a slight fear clutch his chest, the man was full out laughing at him now, his voice changing to a frightening pitch.
“Because I chose you, Neji kun. You’re the only one strong enough to survive, I hope…” Neji’s breath caught in his chest, his mouth beginning to drop.
“Orochimaru… No way, how did you?...” Neji backed away, the man beginning to make hand seals. The kitten hissed, stretching its back, fur turning to scales. The small canines elongated, legs sinking into her body. Neji didn’t want to see this; he couldn’t handle this at all. He turned and ran, thinking of a way around to get to the hokage or the nearest ANBU members to warn them. Orochimaru’s cackling followed him into the woods, as he desperately tried to force more chakra out of his worn out body. There was none left to be had.
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