Neji's POV (Leaf Training Ground - Hidden Leaf Village)
Neji had never been used to being defeated. He had quickly grown powerful in his training in the clan. To the point that even the prominent house people tended to avoid him. Sure, the Jounin ranking and higher could more than likely match him, but that was merely a matter of time. He could see how he would eventually close the gap. It had undoubtedly been humbling when Naruto defeated him, but he had seen ways to avoid it in the future. It had only been Kakashi who had ever been beyond him. Kakashi and now Eagle.
Losing to Eagle hurt his pride in ways he couldn't quite describe. The man was a self-admitted, banished Hyuga. Yet his level of mastery of Hyuga was damn near comparable to Hiashi. Worse yet, the man seemed to use it as a mere tool in his arsenal. He would frequently use his tanto and water jutsu with his Gentle Fist.
While effective, the Hyuga clan would never allow one of their prominent members to fight in such a way. The Gentle Fist had been an art mastered over the years. Powerful enough to make the Hyuga feared. Fighting in a different way was seen as a direct insult to the Hyuga legacy. That being said, Eagle had seemingly perfected the Gentle Fist in the process.
Often in brutal fights, Neji had lamented the small number of faults of the Gentle Fist. It was a style limited by range; they trained their speed and developed the air palm to combat this weakness. But they were mere bandages on a much deeper wound. It also struggled against Kenjutsu, a weakness a novice swordsman Naruto had been able to take advantage of. Undoubtedly, it would be an even more difficult struggle the next time they fought. Finally, if their enemy could survive the chakra attacks of the Gentle Fist, it limited their power. Eagle suffered none of these flaws.
He would use a tanto and Gentle Fist at once. Making it nearly impossible for Neji to engage without suffering a blow of some sort. Whenever Neji sought distance, he would bombard him with Water Jutsu until Neji was forced to draw a close.
After Eagle had defeated him quickly, he had Neji practice his earth Nature. Neji wanted to rebel against this training but needed to be stronger. Much stronger. As such, he adapted the training as required.
Now he lay collapsed in the training field. The beautiful field with a small creek cutting through it had craters throughout. Even trees seemed to have been smashed down. Neji lay in the center of the destruction, Eagle a short distance away, standing casually sipping from a bottle as if he had not spent the last two hours thrashing him.
"Well done, Hyuga," Eagle said simply. The Anbu was a man of few words. Neji originally had not minded, him himself being similar. He supposed it was Naruto and Ino's fault, but he had slowly grown annoyed with the long silence. He had grown used to the babble of his teammates and did not like the stoic silence they often worked in…
Neji had recently tried to break that himself. Unfortunately, it seemed he wasn't a social genius. Instead, he carried on bluntly. It worked for Naruto; surely he could do the same.
"Why do you say Hyuga with such venom?" Neji asked plainly.
Eagle stared back at him silently. Neji started to understand why Kakashi wore a mask besides his aloof nature. Matching a stare with a person whose face was concealed was unnerving. Even with his Byakugan, he struggled to make out expressions from the man. Neji was sure he had pushed too far, and Eagle may have been upset before the man sighed heavily. Seemingly bothered by the question but not annoyed with Neji deeply.
"I feel my banishment was undeserved. Our clan is much too closed off."
"Why were you banished?" Neji asked.
Another stretch of silence. Neji could tell this time he definitely crossed the line. Eagle's body language screamed defensively. But Neji merely stared on. He felt the man's story would be enlightening.
"I chose to save the wrong life," Eagle answered simply. I will see you tomorrow. I will find you, " the Anbu answered before suddenly fading away.
Neji sat in silence, debating the man's words. He had saved the wrong life?
A sudden shout knocked him out of his pondering.
"Neji-baka! Kakashi-sensei said you'd be here!" Naruto's voice cut into the field. "I wanna play~"
Neji debated hiding himself but knew Naruto was not so easily deterred. "I'm over here; it is good to hear from you, Naruto. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Naruto being here was unexpected but not necessarily unwelcome. The blonde was indeed in need of support after recent events. Neji would offer it in any way he could. Then, he would defeat the Uzumaki in the Chunin Exams. Balance.
"Stop being so formal, you big dork!" Naruto taunted. Making Neji frown even as it amused him. Naruto was an expert on complicated things. "I wanna hang out! Relax a bit! Enjoy our youth! I also have some serious intel on the man who leaked my identity."
"We have exactly one month to prepare for the most important days of our lives," Neji replied with a raised brow. "Not to mention, a large portion of the village may react negatively to your presence."
"The perfect reasons we need to cut back and relax." Naruto decided with a foxy smile. "Surely you can see how a mental recess would be useful."
"I suppose."
"Annnnnnd, it's at my place, so no villagers…" Naruto added while wiggling his brows playfully.
"A sleepover then? Seems rather childish."
"My mom got that rice wine you like…" Naruto stacked his final chip. His smile was downright devious now.
A team gathering wouldn't be the worst idea. Neji decided with a nod.
"I knew you'd see my way, buddy," Naruto smirked as he and Neji gathered their final teammate.