Author's Note:
This is my first attempt at fanfiction. It's mostly an endeavour to improve my characterisation and my writing in general, so any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated :] updates are likely to be irregular, so I'll apologise in advance.
At the time of this story, all three members of Team Gai are 18, and have the same ranks as at present: Neji is a Jounin, while Tenten and Lee are Chuunins.
We stood in Tsunade's office, waiting for the mission briefing we'd been summoned for. She was at her desk, hunched over a scroll and silhouetted by the sunrise visible through the window behind her. Dawn was breaking over Konoha, and the sky was streaked with orange and pink.
I glanced surreptitiously at my watch. 5:09, it read. 9 minutes ago, I'd arrived with the rest of my team at our training grounds to find Izumo waiting for us. He'd announced that we'd been assigned a mission which would take place in a few hours, and that we were to hurry to Tsunade's office to receive our orders.
We'd gone straight there. Lee arrived first; to him, everything was a race, a test of speed or strength or intellect. He might be a Chuunin now, but he'd lost none of the enthusiasm and determination that had possessed him as a student of the academy.
'The flames of youth', his sensei called it, and was proud of him for it. For me and Neji, Gai-sensei was an eccentric uncle, full of joy and passion and ridiculous poses. To Lee, he was a father figure and a mentor, although Lee had mastered Strong Fist so completely that they were now on equal footing.
Neji was the quiet, serious one of the team. The genius of the Hyuuga clan, he was the only one of the Konoha 11 to have reached Jounin status. Formerly arrogant and haughty, he' become kinder and more open since finding out the truth about his father's death.
It was he who spoke first. "You summoned us, Hokage-sama?"
"Yes." She looked up from her paperwork. There were bags under her eyes, but her gaze was as sharp as ever. "I'm afraid you won't be working together. There are two missions: one for you two," her gaze fell on me and Neji, "and one for you." She indicated Gai-sensei and Lee.
Splitting up a standard team was unusual, but in this case it didn't surprise me. While it was the most effective formation, we lacked the numbers to send out four-man teams for every mission when fewer shinobi would do. Most Konoha ninja were needed to work on the reconstruction of the village after our latest battle with the Akatsuki, and the numbers of active shinobi had diminished.
"Gai and Lee, you will escort the Daimyo to the Land of Wind and back. He is likely to be targeted more than usual during his journeys, but I have no doubt you'll protect him."
"Thank you, Tsunade-sama!" Lee cried. His face glowed with pride at having been entrusted with such an important mission.
"We'll do our best!" Gai-sensei exclaimed, giving her a thumbs-up.
"Your meeting point is the Konoha gate, three hours from now. Pack yourself at least three, erm, changes of clothes," she eyed the green spandex suits, "because you'll be there for a few days while the negotiations take place."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" they chorused.
She turned to me and Neji. "Now, as for you two. This will be Tenten's mission mainly, so Neji, you'll act as backup."
My eyes widened in surprise. My mission? Did it have something to do with weaponry?
"It's not something you've done before, Tenten," she continued. "It's a seduction mission. I'd normally give it to Anko or Ino, someone more experienced, but we're short-staffed and all the other kunoichi are on missions."
Cold panic crept into my stomach at the word 'seduction'. This kind of mission was something I was completely unsuited for. Every kunoichi had been trained by Anko to carry out a successful seduction, but though I'd listened and tried to do everything Anko showed us, for me it had seemed like a joke. Of all the kunoichi in the Leaf village, I was probably the worst possible choice. I belonged with combat and with my weapons; missions like those belonged to girls like Sakura and Ino, who went shopping and nightclubbing and wore makeup and had boyfriends and generally did things other than train. Seduction came easily to them, since they practiced it probably every night they went clubbing. I wasn't a girly-girl like that. I was a weapons mistress, and I worked hard to be one.
Besides that, I also had no experience whatsoever. I knew the basics, like Start talking to them, and Sound interested in everything they say, and Try to make as much casual contact with them as possible, but I hadn't had a chance to practice them. New techniques had to be learnt through practice, and the thought of having to do this for the first time on a mission, when getting it right really mattered, worsened my anxiety.
"Tsunade-sama," I began, ignoring the twist of guilt in my gut, "I don't think I'm a suitable choice for this mission. My lack of… um, experience, in this area, might endanger the mission."
I felt my face start to flush. Talking to the Hokage about my lack of experience was embarrassing enough, let alone in front of my teammates and sensei.
"I'm sorry, Tenten." She sighed. "But it's a kunoichi's job to be prepared for any mission, and no-one else is available. If it helps, it's a straightforward mission – you might not even have to touch him. The more he drinks, the quicker he'll spill."
"You can do it, Tenten!" shouted Lee, his eyes wide and voice full of conviction.
Gai-sensei laid a hand on my shoulder, his face unusually solemn. "Tenten, we believe in you. You have blossomed into a beautiful flower, and if you complete this mission, you will become stronger for it." He abandoned his serious expression and struck a pose, teeth gleaming. "Let your flames of youth explode, Tenten!" he cried.
I sighed at their unwavering enthusiasm. I couldn't let my teammates down, and if this was an important mission for the Leaf village, then I would grit my teeth and get it over with. "Okay," I said, amid Gai and Lee's cheering. "I'll do it."
"Excellent," Tsunade said, smiling. "However, I must ask Gai and Lee to leave the room before I give you your mission briefing, as the information involved is classified."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama," Lee replied.
"Good luck with your mission," I said, trying to keep the jealousy out of my voice. I would have given anything to join them.
"Not to fear, Tenten, the daimyo is safe in our hands!" he exclaimed. "And for every ninja I don't beat, I will run 500 laps around the village!"
"Come on, Lee! Don't be so slow!" Gai-sensei cried, already outside Tsunade's office. "We must pack quickly, so that we can leave as early as possible! There's no time to waste!"
"YES, GAI-SENSEI," Lee bawled, and was gone in less than a second.
"Those idiots," I said, smiling fondly despite myself. "They're going to have to wait until the daimyo gets there whether they're early or not."
"Now, your mission," Tsunade began. "We've had a tipoff that Kumokagure is planning to infiltrate Konoha to steal our most powerful weapons and shinobi."
Beside me, Neji tensed. "Isn't Kumokagure allied with us?" I asked, frowning.
"They've shown disregard for our alliance in the past, and the Raikage is keen to gather techniques and weaponry so that the Lightning Country can gain an advantage over the other nations."
I realised why this news had put Neji on edge: the ninjas who had tried to kidnap Hinata had been sent by the Raikage to find the key to the Byakugan. When their attempt had failed, they'd demanded the body of Neji's uncle, but his father had volunteered to be sacrificed in order to save the Hyuuga kekkei genkai.
Tsunade continued. "This mission relies on extreme discretion. If your investigation is discovered, the Land of Lightning may use it as an excuse to violate the alliance, even if they had not been planning an invasion. You must infiltrate the village, determine whether the tipoff is accurate, and return without triggering any suspicions."
"It won't be easy," Neji said, his brows furrowed. "The Raikage's building is known to have unsurpassable defences, and the Head Ninja of the village are formidable opponents."
"You're right," replied Tsunade, "but there is a weak spot. Our informant claims that there is one Head Ninja who may be persuaded to boast about his work by some sake and a pretty girl." She held up one of her empty sake bottles and then pointed at Tenten as she spoke.
"His name is Daiki Hakamichi, and he's their tactician." She passed a photo to Neji, and he examined it before giving it to me. It showed a youngish man, probably in his mid-twenties, with shoulder-length brown hair and a grim expression. "He has a brilliant mind for battles and he's a skilled fighter himself, but he lacks discipline, and that's our way in."
"You'll need this as a precaution," she added, and handed me a clear plastic packet containing a white pill. "It's a weak memory repressant which dissolves in liquid. Slip it into his sake and it'll blur his memory of the night – he'll forget your face and anything he told you, but not what happened."
"Thank you, Tsunade-sama," I said, examining the pill warily. It seemed that there was hardly any margin for error – if I was too heavy-handed, the drug might not be strong enough to erase his memory of me.
"One last thing: you'll have to pick up a dress and shoes from Ino in the next hour. She heard about the mission and offered to lend you some clubbing clothes."
I barely managed to hold in a groan. I'd seen what Ino considered "clubbing clothes" and I was not looking forward to seeing what she had planned for me.
"Leave as soon as possible," Tsunade finished.
"We understand," said Neji.
