IC Contact - Soul Campaign

[heavenly_earth]

You've reached Hyuuga Neji. As I'm currently unavailable, please select from the options on-screen.

[Three options appear on the mirror]

[EMERGENCY]
[For emergencies, a tap on this button will patch through a direct line that overrides the voice mail and utilizes a unique ringtone that will be heard and picked up asap no matter where he is or what he's doing, so long as the mirror is in proper range of communication]

[Watch Information]
[Watch-related inquiries are re-routed through this button to the information and application page. General Watch questions can be fielded here]

[Voicemail]
[The standard option connects to a personal voicemail meant for general messages]

Please leave your name and I'll return any inquiries as soon as I have time enough to do so. Thank you.

[beep]

Comments

[heavenly_earth]

[Neji smiles to himself, wonders again why Naruto thinks that being hailed as a genius is easy. He's pretty sure that much of his own talent stems from defiance. Of being told there's a wall he can't climb over and childishly deciding that it's exactly what he'll do. And over time, as he aged, those walls grew taller and instead of people telling him he can't do something, they expect him to excel, and it's a similar pressure. He'd show everyone, or bring that wall down where it stands.

Because he's not afraid of what's behind it, hasn't given thought as to whether or not it's protecting him, and that's the recklessness that drives him when the chips are down, what made him leap in front of Hinata in his final moments.

What is death after all, but another obstacle to overcome? It carries him over to the thought of Shibusen's war ending]

We'll all go home when the war's over, Naruto. You can't control whether or not he'll retain those memories when that happens.

[jutsu]

[ there really isn't any certainty, as far as shibusen is concerned.

naruto wonders what it will mean for him, for any of them, and instead of being afraid- of closing his eyes, covering his ears- he digs in his heels. they'll make their own destinies.

the smile that finds his mouth might not feel like a victory, but it feels like peace. ]

Oi, Neji. I already told you, I'm opening up the first ramen stand in Death City.

[ because sakura-chan had already asked him-
that doesn't mean you can't go back, though. that you can't be with everyone again.
but- but i won't be with everyone again.
because what neji isn't saying is that not everyone can go back. that even if they do, they won't be together. there isn't a choice he can make where he'll be able to be with all of the people he loves. he knows that. but neji can't go home. and there isn't a single nin among them that would leave a friend behind. ]

[heavenly_earth]

[Neji's amusement is a tiny breath of air, lacking feeling. Because he knows he won't be able to go home with everyone. And that might be okay if the memory of Lee sobbing brokenly in his arms didn't plague him. He's already hurt him too many times and Lee wants to protect him, but he can't. Not from this.

Leave it to Naruto to have faith, saying it like Shibusen can't just kick him- any of them -home if he opens a restaurant in the city. But it isn't fair and he's almost willing to let Naruto fight on his behalf- until he realizes he doesn't have to.

His eyes snap open, fingers moving up to toy with the short ends of his hair. There's nothing there anymore, and he smiles. He's never really fought for himself before, but there's no one to stop him, to put him down for daring to rise against a higher power.

Shibusen isn't Hyuuga, and they won't send him to his death- send Auron, Mello, or anyone else- to their deaths just because they say so. Maybe Auron told him to accept it, and perhaps that's the wisest thing to do, but he's free now and is only under Shibusen's command because that's what he's chosen for himself, here.

No, he will fight- for himself, for others in his same position and the sadness that would spread over their departures by those that grew to care for them]

Thank you, Naruto. [For being willing to fight for him, to stay with him, for reminding him he's strong]

I'll be one of your first customers.

[heavenly_earth]

[But back on topic, before Naruto reads too far into all that]

A team is a family, Naruto. I know you know that.. better than either Sakura or Sasuke do. Lee, Tenten, and I are the same. Gai-sensei, too. Our strength lies an intrinsic understanding of one another that we've come to over the years.

[He's very carefully avoiding past tense]

But with you, Sakura, and Sasuke, I always feel like there's contention in some areas between you- unresolved issues. It's holding you back from your true potential as both a family and partners.

[Sakura's fixation on Sasuke, Naruto's lingering feelings for Sakura, and all the pain he knows Sasuke's attempting to bury in those abyssal eyes]

So in order to be better friends, to deepen resonance and reach an understanding with Sasuke and even Sakura, I strongly feel those will need to be worked out between you. A soul wavelength attack after all, is the complete harmonization between a Meister and Weapon's soul.

But there's no need to worry, Naruto. It might be difficult and take time, but once you get to that point, even Sasuke won't remain untouched.

For now however, I still believe speaking with him about your concerns would be the best initial step to take.

[jutsu]

[ it really is something else. to hear those words come from someone else. he's not sure when it happened, not exactly. in the academy, when the teams had first been assigned, naruto would never have predicted that these people- would become so precious. something he doesn't have the words to describe. but maybe that was the nature of the bond itself.

down the hall, he can hear movement. sakura coming in the door, speaking quietly with sasuke about her day. there are three pairs of shoes in the foyer and there are dirty dishes in the sink. there is the sound of life, all around him. a space that he can share with others, for the very first time.

naruto's eyes close, and neji's words of encouragement find a willing foothold in his chest. because naruto thinks- he thinks that when you're alone, all you think about is dying. but when there are two of you, three- all you think about is surviving. ]

Thank you, Neji.