Neji was on his way out for his long mission. It was going to be especially long because not even Lee or Naruto would be there for comedic relief. It was just a simple delivery mission with a letter from the Hokage to Cloud. Normally he would have refused such a long mission, especially since he had just gotten back from an assassination mission (those are always a bitch) and was tired as hell. Of course, he couldn't refuse, especially since Tsunade had almost directly threatened his life (or sanity, same thing).
Flashback (Yay! I love flashbacks! The screen gets all wavy.)
"You see Neji, I told the Cloud leader one of our shinobi would die before they refused this mission."
"So?"
"It would be a shame if you were to refuse, and I never lie." Shizune had to stifle her laughter.
End Flashback (Darn! The wavy screen is gone.)
So now he was stuck with this lackluster (did I say long?) mission. It wasn't that it was hard, it was just so. Damn. Long! Two months to be exact. Neji was on his way out the gate thinking that if only he had taken a bit longer, he wouldn't be stuck with this mission. It took him a while before he realized the mission had been ranked A. He reviewed a mental map and realized he would either have to pass through Sound or next to it. Either way it wasn't good considering Orochihamaru would have spies in neighboring countries. He could always take a boat from the east of Fire Country and sail around, but he gets so seasick he would rather take on oto-nin. He irritably blew a strand of hair out of his face and muttered, "Well this sucks."
In the end he decided to pass next to Otokagure. It's not like passing through it or getting seasick was an option. He was still wondering why this stupid, stupid mission would take TWO GOD DAMN MONTHS! Normally it would only take two days, not months. He wasn't usually this dramatic, but he was so cranky. He had already reached the next country and decided to stay at a motel overnight. His first thought was, 'Yay, sleep!' After a boiling hot shower he slipped into bed in nothing but sweatpants. Little did he know there was someone watching him.
"Hm… he looks good without a shirt." And the figure disappeared.
Neji let out a long yawn and stretched. He quickly got dressed and left the motel. He figured Tsunade had just given two months extra time since he had to go by Otokagure and wanted to finish this mission as soon as possible. While he wouldn't admit it, he felt like something odd would happen on this mission. While he had been proved wrong about fate, his slight sense of foresight had yet to be wrong. After nearly five hours of mulling (not sulking) over this, he realized he was almost at the Kage's building. He passed a few guards, even though he was sure there were more in the shadows, and reached a checking point.
"Go on sir." Neji kept walking before he finally reached the office. He walked in bowed, and dropped the letter in front of them anxious to leave and get this over with.
"Ah, Neji Hyuuga is it?"
"Yes sir."
"I will explain the mission details to you then."
"Huh?"
"After you delivered this letter you were to commence your new mission." He handed Neji an envelope.
'I should have known extra time is too nice for Tsunade.' He opened the envelope and read the contents. Neji's left eye twitched.
-Somewhere in Konoha near the Hokage-
"NANI?!"
"Tsunade-sama, was that Neji?"
"Nah, it couldn't be. He's too quiet for that."
-Back with Neji-
It had indeed been Neji and he was now red in the face. Everyone in the Kage building thought at the exact same time 'I knew he wouldn't like it. Bob owes me five bucks.' The figure that had been watching Neji before chuckled.
"He looks cute when he's angry." Neji thought he heard someone and looked around. Finding no one he shrugged and walked away.
The mission contents were:
Neji Hyuuga:
We have received information that Sasuke is no longer working for Orochihamaru. We would like for you to track him down and bring him back. He was last in the Village Hidden in Stone. We leave the rest to you.
The Hokage,
TsunadeP.S.- We would greatly appreciate it if you could bring him back ALIVE. Do NOT kill him.
When Neji read the last part he was a tad (understatement of the year) disappointed. It was greatly known Neji Hyuuga despised Sasuke Uchiha. That was all there was to it. It was irrefutable. At least it was before this evil authoress decided she would change that. Neji would have gone to drown his sorrows in ice cream (O.O) but decided to go and get this over with. 'He'd BETTER be in Boulder. I REFUSE to chase him around.' It would take him three more days to get to Boulder. He was so gonna' hate this.
Review onegai, bitte, porfavor, leasepay, s'il vous plait (those are all the languages I can say please in.)