Chapter 331: Morning Steel and Winter Breath
The world was still in the early, blue-tinted hours of morning, when the frost hadn't yet surrendered to the sun and the snow lay untouched except for the faintest indentations of passing wind. Breath misted in the air like lazy ghosts, curling upward before fading.
And Tenten wanted to be anywhere but here.
She was wrapped in layers — thick fur-lined coat over a wool tunic, scarf wound up high over her neck, gloves snug, and boots insulated against the deep, stubborn cold of winter. Her cheeks stung with the crisp air, her nose prickled, and her ears ached under the woolen muffs.
In front of her, Lee and Neji might as well have been training in midsummer.
Lee wore her sleeveless green jumpsuit, bandages wrapping her forearms, calves, and knuckles, the orange leg warmers flaring with every exaggerated movement. Steam curled faintly from her shoulders as her body heat fought the chill. Her dark hair, now past her shoulders because Malik liked it long, was tied back high and tight. Her breath came fast, little white clouds puffing out with every sharp exhale as she moved.
Neji, in contrast, wore her traditional cream-colored training top and loose trousers — sleeves pushed up to her elbows, the soft linen doing little against the cold. Her long dark hair was tied low, swinging like a pendulum with each turn. Snowflakes occasionally clung to the strands before shaking loose.
Neither woman shivered. Neither even looked cold.
Tenten, standing there like a bundled spectator, hated them just a little for it.
The fight itself was a clash of two entirely different styles — Lee's explosive speed and relentless forward momentum versus Neji's poised, precise defense that could turn to offense in an instant.
Lee lunged first, the snow crunching hard beneath her foot before she launched herself forward. "Come on, Neji! Don't hold back just because it's morning!"
Neji sidestepped the straight punch with the smallest turn of her body, her pale eyes locked on Lee's centerline. "I never hold back," she replied calmly, her voice carrying that infuriating Hyūga composure. She pivoted on her heel, palm thrusting forward — Lee twisted away, the strike just grazing her shoulder.
Tenten sighed, her gloved hands tightening around the thermos of tea she'd brought. "It's too early for this," she muttered under her breath. "Sun's not even fully up yet, and they're acting like it's the finals of the Chūnin Exams."
Lee darted back in with a spinning kick, the air whistling from the force. "The day waits for no one, Tenten!" she called between blows, as though reading her teammate's mind. "Youth does not rise with the sun — it makes the sun rise!"
Tenten groaned into her scarf. "You've been spending too much time with Guy-sensei again."
The spar picked up pace — Lee's fists and feet becoming a blur, Neji weaving between them with calm precision. Each time Lee pressed in, Neji's Byakugan flickered with subtle adjustments, her hands redirecting, parrying, countering with pinpoint strikes aimed for joints and nerve points.
"You're too eager," Neji said coolly, blocking another kick with her forearm and flowing into a counterstrike.
"And you're too stiff!" Lee shot back, grinning wildly as she narrowly ducked a palm strike aimed at her temple. "You need to loosen up and let your spirit burn!"
"You'd burn yourself out before the match ended," Neji countered, catching Lee's wrist and spinning her into the snow — Lee rolled out of it in one smooth motion, laughing the whole time.
Tenten rubbed at her temples. If she weren't here, they'd keep going until one of them collapsed or broke something. That was why she was stuck out here in the cold in the first place — to keep them from "training themselves into the hospital again," as she'd promised Malik.
A gust of wind swept through, lifting a flurry of snow into the air. It caught in Neji's hair and clung to Lee's bandages. Tenten took a slow sip of tea, eyes narrowing.
They were both wearing summer-weight training clothes in the middle of winter.
Idiots.
Strong, brilliant, highly skilled idiots who, despite their genius in battle, apparently had no sense when it came to personal warmth.
And they were Malik's fiancées. Her fiancées, too, if you felt spicy about it. Which meant, unfortunately, she was stuck loving them and babysitting them.
Lee lunged again, Neji sidestepped — the motion so sharp that the snow under her foot cracked. Lee's next strike landed, palm to shoulder, and Neji's expression sharpened in rare surprise. The counter came fast — a palm strike toward Lee's chest — but Lee caught it, their forearms locking.
They both grinned at each other, that unspoken don't you dare give up glimmer passing between them.
Tenten just shook her head. "One of these days," she muttered, "you two are going to kill each other and expect me to drag you home in pieces."