Spear & Shield

Spear & Shield
Chapter 54

Hyuuga Neji had been to enough Hyuuga council meetings to know when he stumbled into a heated debate. The hush that fell over the group was heavy and awkward. He cataloged the group, recognizing some faces, all the while trying to assess exactly why they were hiding in a tree. 

He knew the three jounin to the right-- Shiranui Ganma, Hatake Kakashi, and Ebisu-sensei-- and he knew well enough to show them respect; lest he upset his uncle's delicate ties to Godaime's inner-circle. The group to the left had a few familiar faces he recognized as Yasu-sempai's relatives. And given their collective resemblance, he pieced that these were, in fact, her brothers.

Goro was the only one to react to their sudden presence, recognizing the three genin instantly and taking a few cautious steps closer to the tree trunk.The others remained still and silent, the guilt of being caught clear on their faces.

As if to add to the awkward silence, the trunk of the tree groaned under the added weight of the three genin.

"Why are you yelling?" Tenten asked again, sitting cross-legged on the adjacent branch the newcomers had claimed. 

"...We're not yelling," Ebisu-sensei explained reluctantly, sounding very much like the Academy teacher he was, "We're comparing observations. And it's rude to interrupt."

Neji glanced over to his teammates on the branch beside him, seeing annoyance and doubt in their eyes as well. The cacophony nonsense they walked into sure sounded like yelling. 

"Alright," Neji humored them with all the amusement of a stale piece of bread, "So why are you loudly 'comparing observations?'"

The teenager, perhaps only a few years older than Team Gai, sighed heavily. "It's a family matter," he said through gritted teeth, embarrassment staining his features.

'If Goro is the youngest, and Ichiro is the oldest, then he must be Shiro,' Neji surmised, guessing by the varying ages of the brothers. He could identify the last two of the strangers as Ushi's by their features, but couldn't tell which one was Saburo and which one was Jiro. But that hardly answered the question of what they were doing with three of Konoha's elite jounin. 

He cleared his throat before addressing them, hoping to come off as respectful, but fully knowing he wouldn't be able to help his sardonic tone, "And you're hiding in a tree because…?"

"Personal reasons."

"Wait…" Megumi, the cook from the teahouse, glanced over her shoulder back into the clearing. The specks in the distance were all still there, though now much more spread out. "How are they…?"

"Shadow clones," her husband whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

Genma frowned, "They won't notice you missing, will they?"

"We're working on an evasion and counter-attack routine," Lee explained, eyes still coated with suspicion. "We're meant to be hidden.”

"We took the opportunity to investigate while they're dealing with our clones and traps," Tenten added.

"Good," one of the older Ushi's huffed, "I would hate to have our cover blown after all this time."

"Cover?" Lee furrowed his brows, "How long have you been here exactly?"

The tree creaked again as the group fell silent once more. Judging by their collectively uncomfortable expression, it must have been quite a while. 

"How'd you know we were here, anyway?" Ichiro deflected.

"The tree was shaking--"

"--You were being really loud--"

"--I have the Byakugan."

"I guess we had that coming," the long-haired Ushi mumbled under his breath.

The tree creaked again.

“So why are you following us?” Tenten implored, cocking her head to the side.

“Like we said. Personal reasons.”

Their explanations had been vague so far, and they weren't providing the answers Neji had been hoping for. So he tried a new strategy, "I believe the Konoha Shinobi handbook states that internal surveillance without prior notification is only permitted in formal investigations. I'm assuming you're following that code of conduct." It was total bullshit, sure, but they wouldn't argue with it. In fact, Neji considered himself a hypocrite for even pointing it out. Shinobi spied on one another all the time. Hell, he had been in their very spot only a few weeks ago. Still, the handbook said what it said and it's not like anyone of rank could argue without committing some sort of perjury. But they wanted to make this a formal debate, and Neji was more than qualified to comply.

Poor Megumi gasped, "Are we breaking the law?!" she hissed to her husband. "You didn't tell me this was illegal! I only wanted to be nosey!"

"No! No, we're not doing anything illegal… right?" Ichiro looked to Shiranui Genma.

But Shinraui Genma was not the type of person one should look to in a crisis. The jounin merely shrugged, wiggling his hand back and forth as if to say, "Kinda."

"Actually," Shiro now stepped forward to rebuttal, making the tree branch groan again. "According to the Shinobi Clans of Konoha guidelines, a Shinobi family may conduct their own internal investigations, so long as it pertains to Clan matters and is headed by the highest-ranking Shinobi Clan member." The teen cringed as he pointed to the stockier of the older Ushis, "Which happens to be Saburo."

Saved by a technicality. Neji's temple began to throb, "Well, given that your investigation includes the three of us, we have a right to know which charges we've been accused of."

"Neji's right, we have a right to know!" Tenten added quickly with Lee nodding at her side. 

The three groups shared looks of suspicion and mistrust. It seems the only agreement they could come to was that they disagreed. 

Neji knew well enough to wait. Him and his team stood strong, staring down the mix of adults with scrutiny and expectation. They would break soon enough.

A moment of tense silence accompanied by the groan of wood beneath their feet passed over the group.

"...Consider it an informal investigation," Ebisu clarified while still dodging the question.

"Of what exactly?" Neji pressed with a raised brow, shoulders squared defensively.

The jounin met his defensiveness with a defensiveness of their own, though several of the Ushi brothers just groaned in exasperation. 

"We're trying to gather evidence to prove a point about Yasu and Gai-san," Shiro huffed, absolutely fed up with it all. "It was Jiro's stupid idea. We didn't plan for it to go this far, then these three showed up and now you're here." The rest of the group nodded in various levels of agreement with Shiro's succinct synopsis. “It's not espionage, it's just a family thing.”

“So what sort of point are you attempting to prove?” Lee asked, brow furrowed.

“...We're deciding whether or not we, as Yasu's family, approve of the relationship,” Saburo finally admitted aloud, clearly fed up with having to explain himself. “We’ve been following them to see if Gai-san is a bad influence on Yasu.”

“Or vise-versa,” Genma added quickly.

“Hence the stalking,” Jiro mumbled, only just now having the audacity to sound sheepish. “...and the yelling.”

The three genin shared a look, speaking in a silent language only they could understand.

“So you’ve been following them all day?” Tenten clarified.

“Since breakfast, yeah.”

“And what conclusions have you come to?" Lee asked curiously, face firm and impassive.

“Still undecided,” Saburo shrugged before adding, “Well, at least some of us are.”

Tenten’s brows furrowed, “What exactly are you looking for?”

“We’re… observing their relationship. To find out the true nature of it and whether or not we approve.”

“And if we don't approve…” Jiro added, “We end the relationship.”

A hush fell over the tree, and even the birds seemed to pause at that moment. The three genin stared down the motley crue of weirdos in front of them.

"What?!" Tenten's shriek was undoubtedly heard across the entire forest. 

The group of twelve tree-dwellers froze, all eyes snapping to the two figures in the distance. Thankfully, Yasu and Gai were still preoccupied with the Shadow Clones, strangely oblivious to the chaos happening in the tree. 

Goro sighed in relief, giving his siblings the all clear to continue.

But it was Megumi who stepped forward first, "To be clear, Saburo-kun does not speak for all of us. I did not climb up this tree to end their relationship, nor do I believe it should be ended by outside influence."

Neji didn't really care who was taking what side. He was more abashed by the idea that several high-ranking jounin were wasting their time over his sensei's stupid love life. (And yet he also found himself insulted by the mere idea of someone interfering in Gai and Yasu's relationship.)

"Ridiculous," Neji addressed Saburo, scoffing dismissively. "And completely asinine. What could you have possibly observed to lead to that conclusion?"

No one had time to argue as Tenten butted in, "They have no evidence," she stated with all the confidence that only a fourteen-year-old girl could possess. "Because we've been following Yasu-sempai and Gai-sensei for months. If there was a reason for them not to be together, we wouldn't have allowed it in the first place."

Not the point that Neji had been trying to make, but valid nonetheless. 

"Yosh!" Lee agreed eagerly. "Their Hearts Burn with the Passion of a Thousand Suns!"

"What Lee is trying to say," Tenten translated, "Is that we think they make a good match. They've been nothing but caring and supportive. They shouldn't need to gain your 'approval.'"

Megumi, who seemed to be the only adult listening earnestly, nodded assuredly. "I agree with the kids!" To make her point, she carefully ambled over to join the genins on their branch, causing it to tilt and lean. Once situated, she stared pointedly at her husband, who sighed defeatedly before joining her.

Neji ignored how the branch bowed beneath their collective weight and turned back to the others, "No arguments?" he scoffed with a condescending smirk, "Clearly you're not convinced. Why else would you be here? Do yourself a favor and stop wasting your time."

“You're just a couple of kids, you wouldn't know any better! He's clearly taking advantage of our sister!" Saburo retorted, glaring at Ichiro. "We're her family. If we need to intervene, we have ways to--"

"Hold on!" Ebisu jumped back in. "I'm hardly convinced that Gai's the one at fault. How do we know it's not the other way around?"

Tenten snorted, “As if we didn't already look into that.”

“What do you mean?”

"What we've been trying to tell you is that we've already conducted an ‘informal investigation’ of our own, back when they first met. Lee was in the hospital at the time," Tenten continued, "Our team had been divided, and Gai-sensei had taken it pretty hard."

Jiro scoffed, "Well, that’s our point. You're making it sound like he was just using her as a distraction."

"She was his support," Lee objected with fire in his eyes. "During a time when our bonds were strained, she was there for him.” His eyes shot to the three jounin, staring them down with fire. “Where were you?”

No one dared open their mouths after the brutal statement. The entire party was shocked at the pure surety with which Lee spoke. 

The Ushi’s turned to the three jounins, waiting for a response, unsure how to respond themselves. The jounin were smart enough not to speak.

"I don't think you should have any say at all in what they do! How can you call yourselves his friends? Lee's right. Yasu-nee actually showed up. Where were you?" She glared in the direction of Ebisu and Genma.

"The Village was recovering from the worst attack we've had since the Kyuubi--" just the mention of the Nine-Tailed demon made several of the tree-dwellers flinch. "We couldn't just drop everything and--"

"Yasu-nee did," Lee butted in with no hesitation. "She was the one rebuilding the Village. She still made time."

No one dared open their mouths after the brutal statement.

A soft breeze had the wooden branches beneath their feet groaning again. A few twigs and leaves were carried away, fluttering to the ground without notice.

"And you," Tenten was on a roll as her glare snapped back to the band of brothers, "Yasu-nee’s told us enough about you all to know you’re intruding again.”

“Again?” Saburo blanched, “What do you mean ‘again?’"

"We don't intrude," Jiro added.

"Aren't you the one squatting at her apartment?" Megumi asked with an incredulous chuckle.

“No, Jiro's right," a sentence Ichiro never thought he would say. "We don't intrude… We’re just very involved in one another’s lives.”

"At least we mean well," Shiro added, albeit a bit sheepishly, but neither of the other parties looked particularly convinced.

“I can vouch for them,” Megumi shrugged. “When Ichrio and I first began dating, they pestered me for weeks. It seems obtrusive, but they have good intentions. They're just here because they care about Yasu.”

“I don’t see it,” Tenten narrowed her eyes at the crew of Ushis, “What about when she was working on the monument? Were any of you there for her then? During the celebration ceremony?”

That pesky awkward silence was back. Five pairs of brown eyes shared a nervous look. 

The tree groaned in protest.

“It was a really big day for the teahouse--”

“I was on a mission--”

“I was out of the village--”

“The ceremony was boring, anyway…”

“Oh, just shut up!” a vein throbbed on Tenten’s forehead. How can grownups be so stupid? The collective hypocrisy was really getting on her nerves. Were all families this dysfunctional? Between the Ushi's and the Hyuuga clan… well. Honestly, she was kind of glad she was an orphan. 

"Look, we're gonna talk to her!" Saburo argued, "We just wanted to be sure first!"

“You're clutching at straws,” Neji argued, “And, by the looks of it, planning an ambush.”

"It's not like that," Ichiro sighed, "Approaching Yasu requires…" He paused to think, "Tact. Every time we've brought it up in the past, she's gotten defensive and avoids the topic. It's pretty typical of her to hide things like this from us. You can't blame us for being worried."

The three genin were gearing up to continue the argument when the youngest Ushi stepped forward. 

"We don't want her to get hurt, that's all…" Goro all but cried with a frustrated pout, mirroring the genin and taking a seat at the trunk of the tree, looking just as exhausted as they were beginning to feel.

The ten-year-old's simple plea changed the atmosphere. A sense of understanding and camaraderie settled between the tree-dwellers. 

Tenten's brows tented in a tired sort of empathy. She made a plea of her own, “So listen to us. If you actually care about them, you'll leave them be.”

But the Ushi's were as stubborn as their namesake, “We can't just back down now. If we don't intervene soon--"

“You misunderstand,” Lee gently shook his head, slowly raising a hand towards them. None of their arguments or placating had dulled the flames behind his eyes. “Listen to us or cease your investigation. Either way, we won't be backing down.”

The already tense atmosphere skyrocketed. Jiro was starting to sweat, “Are we gonna fight? Like actually fight?”

“This is not how I pictured my day going,” Ichiro mumbled under his breath.

“Fighting won't accomplish anything,” Saburo huffed. But it wasn't a bluff. It was a threat. “You can act tough all you want, but at the end of the day, we're the ones holding all the cards.”

“We still have a secret weapon,” Jiro added, “One word from us and Yasu will never speak to him again.”

Ebisu huffed a laugh, not so much to agree with Saburo, but rather to belittle the genins, “Face it. You're out-matched. Take your empty threats and juvenile opinions elsewhere.”

"And we don't need a genin's input on our sister's social life," Saburo spoke strongly, "We're her family. At the end of the day, if we don't like him, he's out."

"You seem so certain. Even if it came to that, how could you stop them from seeing one another?" Neji challenged with a raised brow.

Megumi nodded in agreement, “Yeah! What do you mean we have a ‘secret weapon?’”

Ichiro sighed, sparing a glance at his long-suffering wife. "We can't guarantee it but we do have a way."

"We’re gonna tell our Mom," Shiro butted in, "She's been trying to marry Yasu off for a long time. If there’s anyone who can interfere, it’s her.”

Neji's face scrunched with confusion. Their mother was powerful enough to defeat Maito Gai? What a ridiculous notion. But next to him, Megumi let out a horrified gasp, "You wouldn't!" she cried, eyes wide. Neji's confusion doubled at the genuine fear in the woman's voice. 

Saburo nodded with finality, standing alongside Ebisu with squared shoulders, “We will if we have to.”

At least one of his teammate's took the threat seriously. “Don’t you dare!” Tenten hissed back with fire in her eyes.

Twigs and branches began to rain down beneath them as the group began to shift. Some took defensive stances, others were ready to run before their cover was blown. 

Neji had once again allowed his teammates to drag him into a petty feud, but his pride wouldn't let him back down from this one. 

He shifted one foot forward, dropping his weight down to his back foot. It was a stance he had taken countless times before, he hardly noticed the movement at all.

What he did notice, however, was the entire trunk of the tree suddenly splintering in half.