Chapter 4: It's Late, I Worry
Might Guy was stunned. He quickly checked on Neji. The boy's breath was weak, but he would be okay. He looked at Takahashi, a hint of blame in his eyes for going so hard. But the shock was stronger than anything else, leaving him speechless.
For a moment, Guy's vision blurred. The figure standing where Takahashi had been seemed to shift, overlapping with the ghost of a legend—the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze. He shook his head hard, clearing the thought. That great ninja was long gone. He didn't believe in ghosts or reincarnation.
Beside him, Lee and Tenten were still frozen in shock. Lee's eyes held a special kind of hurt. He had thought they were the same—hard workers with no special talent. To find out Takahashi had been holding back this whole time… it meant Lee had fallen even further behind than he thought. It seemed the real genius wasn't Sasuke or Neji, but the friend who had hidden his power all along.
Guy let out a heavy sigh. "Lee, Tenten. Take Neji to the infirmary. Get him treated quickly; we can't let this delay our mission. Takahashi," he said, turning, "you should go home and rest. I'll notify you if anything comes up."
The look Neji gave Takahashi as he was helped away was pure poison. If looks could kill, Takahashi would have been dead a hundred times over.
Seeing no reason to stay, Takahashi decided to go home. He was waiting for his frog to return, after all. A new thought struck him: if he wasn't home, would the frog be able to find him? Worried, he headed straight back.
On the other side, Might Guy stood in the Hokage's office. The Third Hokage, Sarutobi, took a long pull from his pipe, the smoke curling in the air.
"So," Sarutobi finally said, "you're telling me this Takahashi boy not only has strength surpassing a Hyuga prodigy, but also speed that rivals Minato?"
"Yes, Lord Third," Guy affirmed.
Sarutobi sighed. "Guy, it seems your intense training has finally addled your brain. How can you have such a foolish delusion? Hinata Neji is a genius not seen in his clan for years. For Takahashi to surpass him is one thing, but to say his raw speed is comparable to Minato's Flying Thunder God? That's pure nonsense. The Flying Thunder God was a masterpiece of sealing jutsu. Are you saying this boy can move faster than lightning with just his body? If that were true, why would anyone bother learning ninjutsu? We'd all just practice taijutsu! Is there anything else? If not, I have real work to do."
And just like that, Might Guy was ushered out. He felt deeply frustrated. Why would no one believe him?
The truth was, Guy had begged the Third Hokage to let him join the Anbu many times before, always being rejected. His reason was always that his rival, Kakashi, was in the Anbu. After a while, the Third Hokage started to see Guy as a bit… unreliable. He took the man's passionate words with a grain of salt.
Especially a story as wild as this one.
Back at his desk, sorting through mission reports, Sarutobi snorted. "Has Guy been single for so long he's started hallucinating? Perhaps I should introduce him to a nice kunoichi. Who knows what he'll imagine next."
If Guy had heard that, he might have genuinely coughed up blood in despair.
Guy went to the hospital, where Lee and Tenten were waiting outside Neji's room.
"How is he? Are the injuries severe?" Guy asked.
Tenten was the first to answer. "It's not life-threatening, but it's not light either. Several ribs were shattered. Takahashi really didn't hold back."
Lee, however, saw it differently. "It was Neji who provoked him first! Why is no one talking about that?"
Seeing an argument about to start, Guy felt a headache coming on. How was this team supposed to function?
"Enough, both of you," he said, rubbing his temples. "The important thing is, will Neji recover before the mission?"
"It should be possible," Tenten conceded. "But he'll be weak. It shouldn't affect a travel mission, though."
"That's good," Guy said, relieved.
A soft green light glowed from under the door of the treatment room—a medical-nin was healing Neji's wounds. The three of them watched the flickering light and couldn't help but remember Takahashi's terrifying kick.
Lee and Tenten both wondered privately: if they had been in Neji's place, what would their fate have been?
The answer made a cold sweat break out on their skins. Their fate would likely have been much worse. Neji, at least, knew the Gentle Fist and some ways to redirect force. If they had taken that kick head-on, they'd probably still be unconscious.
While this was happening, Takahashi was back in his room, preparing a simple meal of instant ramen. A knock came at his door.
When he opened it, he found Hinata standing there. Without a word, she walked straight past him into his room.
A little confused, Takahashi closed the door and looked at her. "What... what's wrong?"
Hinata just stared at him silently, making him feel increasingly guilty.
"Alright," he finally said, breaking under her gaze. "I know. I shouldn't have hit him so hard today. I shouldn't have sent Neji to the hospital."
Hinata spoke then, her voice quiet. "Is that all?"
Takahashi was taken aback. "Is that all? What else?"
"Don't fight others like that in the future," she said, her voice firming slightly. "What if you get hurt?"
Hearing that, a wave of warmth spread through Takahashi's chest. In this entire village, Lady Hinata was probably the only one who would worry about him like this.
"Okay," he said softly. "I promise. I won't fight so fiercely with anyone else. I won't make you worry about me again."
A bright blush instantly spread across Hinata's cheeks. "H-how annoying! Who's worried about you?! I'm ignoring you!"
With that, she turned on her heel and hurried out the door, moving so fast he didn't even have a chance to ask her to stay.
He watched her go, the night air cool. "It's so late," he murmured to the empty doorway. "I really don't like the idea of you walking home alone."
######
Add it to your Library.