Neji's POV (Edge of Sand Camp - Land of Iron)
The Hyuga sat stoically in a small grouping of trees outside the Sand Camp. The cold bit at his skin, but laser focus allowed him to ignore it. He was here to find someone.
Neji scanned the sand camp from the edges of its territory, looking for him. While the fair would undoubtedly be fun, he always preferred to handle business first, then pleasure. And with the current matchups and potential future ones, the company certainly needed addressing.
If he was tracking any regular person, they would almost surely be at the fair, but Neji's target was anything but ordinary. N Neji suspected Gaara would be near his camp, likely somewhere he was unlikely to be bothered. His Byakugan allowed him to search the camp from a distance. Though it did not allow him great detail, it allowed a rough search for Gaara. He had been looking for a little while and had yet to spot him. He prepared to give up his search and head to the fair. Though with a flinch, Neji saw his search was now over.
Gaara was standing a short distance away from him. Smiling coldly at his back. Neji had not even seen him approach…
"You seem to be searching for something human. Is there something you need?" Gaara said with a taunting smile. "It could be quite the incident… you coming here, especially if it is with ill intent. That wouldn't be the case…" He disappeared and reappeared closer. Mere inches away from Neji. "is it human?"
Neji did not flinch as he turned to face Gaara; instead, his Byakugan glowed in the moonlight as he leaked killing intent at the redhead. "I do not have that as my current goal, no. Though that can be changed, depending on our conversation."
"Shocker." Gaara joked. "The weak human came to talk. Interesting, if nothing else, and what prayer to tell would we be discussing?"
Neji felt his rage grow but held it back. "The upcoming match you have with my cousin and a potential future match with my teammate. I came to warn you that if you harm either, I'll-"
"Kill me, I would guess; you humans are quite unique. So weak compared to others and yet so quick to violence. I suppose that is why I am so violent myself, a sliver of humanity, I suppose. However, I find myself wondering. What will you truly do? If I kill Hinata Hyuga like the weak insect she is, can you truly do anything? What if I kill my own brother, Naruto Uzumaki, as well? Then you will kill me? How? I just have to ask a human. You could not even beat Sasuke Uchiha, and I am much more than some human with a chip on their shoulder. I am similar to you humans but have been made greater. I am a monster created by humanity. A being they unknowingly created to subvert them. You, on the other hand, are a failure. Fitting for yet another "genius."" Gaara lectured as he turned his back to Neji.
As he finished his words, Neji could no longer hold his rage. Soundlessly, he fired an air palm at the redhead. A wall of sand formed and absorbed the attack with absurd speed, making Neji freeze at the sound and casual counter. The sand parted as a smiling Gaara marched through.
"Naruto claims that humanity is not weak; he fights for others heedless of himself and is determined to win over you… humans. Yet here you are, living evidence of the flaws of his ideals! Another human lauded as great yet weak!" Gaara ranted. "Word is you lost to Naruto Uzumaki, blameless; how could you best one of mine as a mere human? Then Sasuke Uchiha is pathetic but expected for someone like yourself. At least he was able to beat a lesser jinchuriki. Suppose you have something of a measuring stick. Leave the real threats to your monster of a teammate, aye?"
Neji spun in place, activating a massive kaizen that Gaara blocked with his own swirling orb of sand. The force of which pushed Gaara back and wiped out the trees that had hidden Neji. His mind swirled as Gaara's poisoned words echoed throughout it. He had lost a lot recently, Naruto, the criminal, now even Sasuke. What sort of genius was he?
"I may not be the strongest," Neji admitted with a scowl. "But I represent the Hyuga, the genius of the great clan. I will protect my own."
Gaara didn't even seem bothered by Neji's second attack. "The "geniuses," that damn word again. You humans leave your prodigies and geniuses, yet you are a sorrier lot than even my own kin. Manipulated and used till their final day, they are never remembered for their successes but for their one failure. Poor human, you are a remarkable shinobi, but only in your own world. A big fish in a small pond, as they say. Well, welcome to the ocean. Am I the shark from the deep, and I will do as I please…" Gaara stated as he started to walk away. "Will you?"
Neji was frozen by his words and the full killing intent of Gaara settling upon him. Could he truly stop this monster?
"Run along now, genius. Soon enough, I'll see if that was an idle threat." Gaara said, then vanished.
Neji sat silent and still for several moments before screaming in fury and slamming his palm into a tree. The pure force cracked the bark, and the chakra tore the tree in half. Yet Neji knew one thing for sure.
He wasn't strong enough. Yet.
Shikamaru's POV (Iron Fair - Land of Iron)
Shikamaru knew he wasn't like most men. Hell, certainly nothing like most shinobi. Shikamaru supposed he was similar to his father and other clan members, but even they seemed different. Shikamaru cared little for most things, not because he disliked them, but because he was simply a simple man. He didn't need an exciting life, endless riches, or to be recognized. Shikamaru was more than happy to live a boring and eventful life. Like his father and clan, Shikamaru wanted to do even less.
But he knew it wasn't in the cards for him, even from a young age. Born as the heir of the Nara clan, Shikamaru would never skirt by living an ordinary life. No Shikamaru had been destined to be raised to be a shinobi, a notoriously complex and challenging career. Not to mention likely to have you die a terrible death. In other words, the opposite of Shikamaru Nara, worse yet for the young Shikamaru, was the fact he was talented at it. It had guaranteed he would never escape his fate.
But Shikamaru had made peace with such; he would eventually lead his clan and have a career as a shinobi. But he had been determined to make it as easy as possible. All of these things had fallen apart when he met Naruto Uzumaki.
Much younger than he was now, he had seen a lonely Naruto. Most would've brushed it off and moved on with their day. Shikamaru had certainly debated doing such, but he, as much as he wanted to be, was not expected. Even as a young child, Shikamaru knew the ramifications of allowing Naruto to be isolated. His intelligence did not allow him to be ignorant as such. So Shikamaru had added the young boy to his group of friends. It had been trouble ever since…
Choji was another friend of Shikamaru's, and if he was being frank, he was much easier to maintain than the rambunctious Naruto. The guy was incredibly kind and caring, insecure about himself, and just liked relaxing—all things Shikamaru liked and understood. Naruto was… different.
Loud, confrontational, impulsive, hard-working, determined. All traits that could be applied to Naruto were already disadvantageous by themselves. Some he found simply annoying, the others conflicted with his relaxed nature. Those traits made Naruto a great guy and a future boon for the Leaf, but they also marked a guy who was the opposite of him. Yet oddly enough, Shikamaru had learned to appreciate these values and even wished to support him. Emotions were such a damn drag.
Worse yet, realizing just how difficult the road for Naruto was ahead, Shikamaru found himself trying reasonably hard at this shinobi gig. So much for his easy life...
Said emotions were the reason for the torture he was being subjected to… the cruel and meaningless bottle toss…
"What the hell Tenten? How are you doing this? I can't get one to land!" Naruto complained.
"It's a skill thing." Tenten shrugged.
"Suggesting you lack such," Sai added helpfully.
"I know what she means, you dick!" Naruto snapped. "Hey, vendor! Is this rigged or something? I can literally ricochet kunai off each other in mid-air, yet I can't get a damn ring to land on a bottle!"
The old man with a flowing beard snickered at this while stroking his beard. "It is a difficult skill to master." He commented as Tenten and Sai continued to land at will.
"Sorry Dickless," Sai apologized sincerely. "I suppose you won't be able to get the stuffed tanuki."
"You've won like five times already; just get it for me, your dick!" Naruto replied.
"No, Tenten informed me that dick is an insult and also warned me that being rude is morally wrong." Sai lectured the blonde.
"Calling me dickless is rude!"
"It's a nickname I am displaying friendly teasing," Sai explained.
"Fine, then your nickname is Dick." Naruto declared, tossing a ring and missing.
"Thank you," Sai said earnestly.
"Well, Dick, good work on making a new friend." Tenten joked, ignoring Naruto's pointed denial of such. "And Dickless, I'll win you the tanuki."
"Stop calling me that." Naruto pleaded as Sai missed the point, seeming pleased to be given a nickname.
"Naruto, firstly, aims for the edges, fewer things to block you. Then, flick your wrist quickly and release it when it's straight. The spin keeps it straight. Secondly, you promised to not do this, Sai." Shikamaru said. Sai nodded his head, his version of an apology. "You too, Tenten." Said the woman, rubbing her head guiltily at such. Lastly, the three of you are a headache." Shikamaru listed with a sigh. Sai seemed to frown as he remembered the promise and nodded his head. He turned to face his friends only to see Naruto and Tenten (now joined by a stuffed tanuki and panda of all things.) running off to another stand that advertised BBQ. "God damn, I need a drink." Shikamaru complained. "Won't even let me smoke here."
"Smoking is bad for you, Shikamaru," Sai replied. Shikamaru gave him a blank stare as he strolled to keep up with his teammates. He supposed he should've known the three of them would be excited. Due to their past, neither Sai nor Tenten had been to a fair, and Naruto had never been with friends. This led to the ecstatic Naruto and Tenten leading the group to the various stalls. It was annoying… but Shikamaru had to admit seeing Naruto and Tenten having so much fun was nice. Sai as well, but it was difficult to tell with the man. And Shikamaru struggled to get him to act somewhat normal. Still, while he may not enjoy it, it was nice to see his closest friends happy. He supposed it wasn't all bad.
In fact, Shikamaru could readily admit the fair was stunning in appearance. It was a field that had been cleared of snow and debris, and various wooden stalls had been installed. Some held fair games, others food, and some offered knick-knacks for sale. Iron sheets seemed to shine in the moonlight for each stall. Installed on the roof, the light reflected and offered soft illumination for the fair. This was further augmented by lights between each stall that bathed it in various colors. The snow reflected all this light, making the entire fair glow. Even the cynical Nara had to admit it was a sight to behold.
Shikamaru could convince them to laze about at a bar and truly enjoy the night. Such dreams were shattered as an impatient Naruto and Tenten dragged him to another stall; luckily, this one was a sit-down restaurant.
"So this is fair; I can see why Danzo never let us go to these things," Tenten stated in between sips of a glass of water. "I can't think of the last time I had so much fun."
"I can't believe fairs can be this fun with friends! Even if one of them is Shikamaru!" Naruto joked. Both Tenten and him share a laugh at Shikamaru.
"I rather like Shikamaru," Sai said with a frown. Apparently not getting the joke.
"Joke, Sai, it is a joke," Tenten said with a roll of her eyes. Shikamaru didn't bother to add anything. Instead, he ordered a bottle of sake and a glass. "Sheesh, must you drink every time we go out?"
"It's legal, we're shinobi. Besides, you said I needed to cut loose tonight." Shikamaru replied easily. In truth, he never really got all that drunk. He would sip at an even pace as others got drunk around him. And he really did intend to use it to cut loose. Tenten rolled her eyes again but ordered a bottle of sake and three glasses. Once such was given, she filled a glass for them. While Shikamaru waited patiently.
"Shikamaru," She said with a smile. "Naruto, Sai. We celebrate tonight because of progress, because of opportunity, because I need to forget Naruto kicked my ass." Tenten said. Shikamaru rolled his eyes, while the Root had certainly complicated the woman. It hadn't managed to fully get rid of her spunk. Secretly, Shikamaru enjoyed it.
"Cheers," Shikamaru replied with a smile while raising a glass.
"Cheers?" Sai asked, confused. He mimicked Shikamaru but clearly didn't understand.
"Cheers!" Naruto cheered as he slammed the glass. Shikamaru, Tenten, and bewildered Sai followed him. "Let's have some fun tonight!" Naruto roared. Tenten laughed at his decree and thought Shikamaru had told him to be quiet. If he was being honest.
He loved his friends…
And a nice drink…