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Neji leaned lazily over the railing, posture relaxed but senses razor-sharp.
His eyes drifted over the arena, but his chakra perception was sweeping everything, the unrest hidden just beneath the surface.
"Hey, Tenten," he said softly, "Could you go call Hinata over for ? I need to speak with her."
Tenten raised a brow, curious. "Sure."
She followed his gaze across the stands and spotted Hinata seated with Kiba and Akamaru, then started heading over.
---
Arena Below
The next match was supposed to be Sasuke vs Gaara.
But neither combatant had entered the ring.
At first, the crowd was buzzing with anticipation. The long-awaited Uchiha prodigy versus the Sand Village monster? People were practically vibrating.
Neji, of course, already knew the truth.
Sasuke's not coming yet. This match is stalling by design.
Sure enough, murmurings turned to complaints.
"Where's the next match?!"
"Is this part of the show?"
Just as tension began to mount, the officials stepped in:
"Due to one participant's failure to arrive on ti, this match is postponed. The tournant will continue with the next scheduled match."
"Next up: Shino Abura vs Kankuro. Fighters, please enter the arena."
---
Offstage
The sudden schedule shift left several Genin annoyed, especially one specific genius with a terminal case of laziness.
Shikamaru groaned. 'Wasn't this supposed to be the last match? I had ti to nap!'
Kankuro, anwhile, cursed under his breath.
His match didn't matter yet. Not before the operation began.
He glanced at the puppet on his back: Crow. Inside it, hidden weapons and poisons sat ready.
But he wasn't ready to reveal his hand.
"Tch. I forfeit."
He exchanged a glance with Temari, then stepped back.
Shikamaru blinked.
"Wait, what?"
> Kankuro forfeits.
A second later—
Temari stepped into the ring with a dramatic gust of wind, riding her massive fan. She landed gracefully.
Crowd: OOOHH!
Even the proctor chuckled. "Looks like soone's eager to fight. Hey, whose turn is it next?! Get down here!"
Shikamaru paled.
"...You've got to be kidding ."
He went from "last match" to "suddenly second." Unacceptable.
Grumbling, he watched Temari strike a pose down below.
"She's way too into this. Ugh. Whatever. I should just forfeit."
Up in the stands, Neji smiled.
'Sorry, Shikamaru. That's not happening.'
He flicked a finger.
Thunk.
Shikamaru yelped as sothing struck his back, then suddenly tipped forward.
"AAHHH—!"
He tumbled clean over the railing.
SLAM.
Lying face-down in the arena dust, Shikamaru groaned. 'I swear... that was Neji!'
Temari crossed her arms. "Hey. Are you alive down there?"
No answer.
He was muttering under his breath.
"Figures. They all ca to see Sasuke... We're just filler."
"And that flick? That was definitely Neji. That smug bastard..."
He lay motionless, trapped in existential dread.
Why ? Why now? Why bother?
From the stands, Neji watched with amusent.
You'll be fine. Bring us back a foreign bride, would you? I'll double whatever grief she gives you and call it karma for what you owe Tenten.
---
anwhile – Hinata's Corner
"Hinata, Neji wants to talk to you," Tenten said, arriving at her side.
"Neji-niisan...?" Hinata blinked in surprise.
Why didn't he co himself?
She didn't say it out loud, just nodded politely, and rose.
"Seems urgent," Tenten added.
Kiba looked over from watching the arena. "Go ahead, we've got this."
"Arf!" Akamaru barked in support.
Hinata smiled shyly, then followed Tenten toward Neji.
anwhile, across the stands, a masked ANBU operative shifted.
He watched Hinata move, then slowly disappeared into the crowd.
Neji felt it.
His chakra senses picked up every disguised movent.
They're already making moves. Picking off the strongest first... typical Orochimaru.
---
With Neji
Hinata arrived, slightly flushed.
"Neji-niisan, did you... need sothing?"
"No," he replied bluntly.
"...No?"
Both Hinata and Tenten tilted their heads, confused.
"You're staying close to from now on. You both are," Neji said.
Tenten narrowed her eyes. "Sothing's wrong, isn't it?"
Hinata nodded, her soft gaze questioning.
Neji looked away. "Nothing confird yet. Just a feeling."
"But I don't like leaving you exposed. So stay close."
"Understood," Tenten replied.
Hinata nodded as well. "I'll stay with you."
---
In the Arena
As Temari and Shikamaru squared off, chaos had already begun in the shadows.
Neji's senses detected scattered points of chakra suppression, ANBU, Jonin, Chunin, slowly collapsing across the stadium, unconscious or worse.
It's starting.
---
Down Below
Shikamaru, still lying prone, finally made his move.
'If I don't do sothing, I'm dead.'
He ford the necessary seals and began shadow manipulation. No ground pit this ti, Naruto hadn't created a trap for him to exploit.
This is going to cost brain cells...
The mont his shadow linked with Temari's, he sighed.
That woman is such a pain.
Whoever marries her one day... I pity the poor fool.
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