Woot, this is my second Ten x Neji fic! Whee! And I'm sooo effing hyper right now; had TOO many sugar cookies. And eggnog. Gotta luurve the eggnog!

PARINGS: Ten-ten x Neji

SUMMARY: She stood between him and death. To protect him, she'd walk a dark, bloody path. Eh, I guess a less dramatic way to put it is; Ten-ten becomes an S-class missing nin to save Neji. Hinata kicks some butt, too.

WARNINGS: bloodshed. Violence. Ten-ten's a bad ass. (woot, so is Hinata)

NOTES: Eh, yeah, Neji's blind in this. Like, literally blind; he can't see.

DISCLAIMER: Stands for the entire story. Me no own Naruto, and me make no money off of this.

Oh, and for those of you who don't know, kunoichi female ninja

Shinobi ninja (c'mon, if you're a naru fan you've SOO gotta know this by now -.- )

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KILLER KUNOICHI

By: Neko Oni

Prologue: Changes

She stood, looking at herself in the mirror. Tonight was the night, now was the time. There would be no turning back. And if she failed, Neji would die. Then all the preparation, training, sacrifice, blood, sweat, and tears, would be for naught.

She shook her head; she couldn't let herself think like that. She had to have nerves of steel; she couldn't back out now. Neji's life depended upon her. Frowning, she gazed at her reflection. How far she'd come from the girl she'd once been. No one would recognize her now. But that was all part of the plan. If she succeeded, if she saved Neji, she could never go back to the way things used to be.

The two buns were gone, brown hair shorn short. It stuck up in ragged spikes from the choppy job she'd done with her kunai. Long hair would get in the way; even pulled back, it was a danger. A tie could be cut or broken, then her hair would fall, getting in her face, blinding her. It was a small risk, but the smallest things often meant the difference between life and death, success or failure. And she wouldn't risk it; this was too important.

Her dark, chocolaty brown eyes with glints of gold were hard. The warmth and care-free feelings had long been gone. That part of her died when Neji had been sentenced to death. Her lips, too, were pressed hard, her smile and laughter long gone.

Ten-ten had changed. Staring at herself, she almost didn't recognize the strong, young kunoichi she'd become. The smiling girl with buns who'd idolized Tsunade-sama was gone. In her place stood a grim creature, desperate to save the one she loved. The one for whom she as putting everything on the line.

She'd become strong; one of the strongest ninja in Konohoa. Not just one of the strongest females, but one of the best ninja. Period. She was dangerous, a force to be reckoned with. She had to be; it was the only way, she was the only one, who could save Neji.

She'd always been good with weapons, and trained hard. She had her goals, and worked hard for them. She hadn't been a bad shinobi, but neither was the at the top. No, never had that desperate drive fueled the training of the elite, driving them to obsession. Sasuke, his desire for power to kill his older brother. Lee, to prove that you didn't need a special blood line to be an excellent ninja. Neji, his desire to be strong so no one can hurt him, to prove he was worth something even if he wasn't of the main branch. Naruto, his desire for recognition from those who shunned him.

But on the day Neji lost his sight, all that changed. Good ceased to be good enough, and training to her limit wasn't enough either. To save Neji, she had to become better; the best. She had to push herself beyond her limit. Training wasn't intense; it was insane. So while the Hyuuga prodigy lay bloody, beaten, and blind in a coma, Ten-ten trained. Many said she'd snapped and that was how she dealt with her grief. Only two knew the truth; herself and Hinata, heir to the clan she was going to slaughter. The clan that was going to kill Neji because he was blind, therefore defective.

TBC…

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Eh, reviews are always appreciated. Oh, and Merry Christmas to all! Woot! C'mon, 'tis the holiday season; review and I'll give you a sugar cookie! Ooh, wait, even better!

&shoves Neji, dressed in a cute Christmas kimono, forward& EEE! Review and get a kiss from Neji under the mistletoe!