Hardened Heart |Sequel to The Strength of the Weak|

|10|

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Naruto smirked to himself every time Satomi would send a glance behind her at the door, vaguely listening to the ramblings of Rock Lee. The girl was clearly nervous, every attempt made to catch her attention by the others was dismissed by a quick hum or a smile.

"So, Satomi-chan, how were your travels with the great yonnin Ryouichi?!" Guy announces, a fire burning in his eyes as Satomi purses her lips and turns back to him with a steely gaze.

"My training was fruitful, thank you for asking."

Naruto chuckles at her short response, nudging her side with his elbow as her eye twitches. Lee and Guy were giving Satomi fiery glares, their fists quivering in anticipation for any details she was willing to divulge about the training that propelled her to incredible heights.

"Sorry we're late, Tenten insisted that she take extra time to pack her weapons pouch with the new kunai she bought back in the Bird Country."

The sudden voice causes Satomi to freeze in place, the blood draining from her face as Lee and Guy smile at the figures behind her. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, her jaw clenching as she feels Naruto turn around in his seat with what she could only imagine is a bright grin on his face.

"Hey, you never know when we will visit the Bird Country again! Is it pretty far away, not to mention out of touch with our village. Way to throw me under the bus, Neji," Tenten grumbles under her breath.

"Neji! Tenten! How are you doing?" Naruto cuts the duo off, leaping to his feet and chuckling under his breath at the incredulous looks they were sending his way.

"Naruto? What are you doing here?" Tenten asks, tilting her head in confusion. Neji's eyes dart to the unmoving girl sitting across from his exuberant teammate and sensei, theories and questions already whirling through his mind.

"Bushy Brow here invited us to your celebratory dinner earlier, so of course we accepted," Naruto mentions casually, scratching the back of his head. Tenten shares a glance with Neji, the two shinobi communicating without words the question they both wanted the answer to.

"Us? Who's the other guest?" Neji says carefully, his eyes trained longingly on the back of the unrevealed girl's head. A sigh catches everyone's attention, the girl slowly standing to her two feet with an impenetrable poker face.

Everyone stared at the girl as she clasped her hands together shyly, unable to look at Neji and Tenten. Neji's jaw was dropped, his eyes glued to the girl he hadn't seen in years. Tenten and Naruto share a mischievous look, a smirk crawling across Tenten's face as she claps her hand against Neji's back, pushing him forwards until he was standing in front of Satomi.

"Satomi? You're back?" Neji asks lowly, his voice cracking as he says her name. Satomi nods as she stares at the ground, unable to lift her head unless she wanted everybody to see her flaming cheeks.

"It's been a while, Neji," she murmurs, taking a step back so that she was next to Naruto once again. A look of hurt flashes across Neji's face before he controls his expression, solemn acceptance flooding through his veins. Naruto casts Satomi a surprised glance, an eyebrow raised at the strange behavior she was exhibiting.

"How about you two take a seat and order some tea, I have to ask Satomi a question real quick," Naruto cuts through the awkward silence, taking Satomi's arm and dragging her away. Once they are a safe distance away from Guy's team, Naruto stops them and turns Satomi to face him.

"What was that about? I know you still like him, I thought you would be excited to see him?" Naruto questions, his hands on Satomi's shoulders comfortingly. Satomi doesn't move for a few moments, before she finally raises her head to look Naruto in the eyes.