Starless

NejiXTenten. The instructions were clear. Eliminate any witness. It was starless that night.

Naruto is by Masashi Kishimoto.

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Chapter Two: The Assassin

The whole room, up to the littlest detail, defined royalty. It was overwhelming as opposed to their minimalist manor though both exude fine art. He had been waiting for nearly an hour when a man, probably in his late twenties, dressed in shades of purple walked in, along with two older men. He lowered his head after glancing and memorizing their faces. From the man's garb, he could tell that he was the one who requested the mission.

"Introduce yourself." One of the older men said.

"Hyuuga Neji."

"How old are you?" The one that the Hokage referred to as Takeda-sama, the daimyo in purples asked after a few exchange of whispers with the other two.

"I'm eighteen."

They started their discussion again. The two older men were particularly dubious of him. He felt it with their glances. He didn't really mind. He was a Jounin of three years and an ANBU special member of over a year. Without being overconfident, he was aware of his capabilities. But if they were making such a fuss over a seemingly huge task, they should have requested for a team instead of an individual. They could have done her a favor.

"Although we recognize your last name, aren't you too young for this?"

"I am fully capable."

"I must assume that. I clearly told Tsunade that I want only the best for this mission."

It was rare that a mission was accepted even before knowing what the task is. Actually, it could be the first time that it happened. But this nobility is someone that the Hokage could not refuse- a daimyo of the highest rank from the Land of Fire. The mission that he requested was described vaguely as an S rank mission and that he wanted to commission an elite shinobi for it. Probably based on experience, he categorized it as an assassination.

"You realize that the success of this mission will benefit the whole Land of Fire, including Konoha, and definitely yourself?"

"I've been informed."

Up until that time, he didn't know what good it would bring to the Land of Fire but he knew that every successful mission brings repute to Konoha. And as for himself, the Hokage promised his immediate promotion, which had been long overdue, as an ANBU squad leader once the daimyo is satisfied. It was enough motivation for him to go, despite his girlfriend's aversion for the said task. If she was a little less understanding, they would have broken up after their first day.

He remembered how happy Tenten was when he became a Jounin and then ANBU. She was always on his side. And she was always the one who gave in. He was aware of it though he didn't mean to be so selfish. He knew he should be doing something about it. He wondered what would be nice to give her when he gets back. But he shook the thought off his head before a smile could creep up his face which, given the circumstance, would be weird. It was not the time to space out and think about her.

"Good. I will now explain the mission…" The daimyo began.

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Three men were a couple of meters south, eight were scattered around the north and east area, five were in hiding, and one was standing right beside the man that he only knew as Takeda-sama's chief adviser. Of all the guards he had with him, none of them seemed to be particularly dangerous. Those five's stealth skills were horrible to begin with. The guy beside the chief adviser should be able to give him some challenge though he appeared to be all about brawn what with his intimidating physique.

They began moving, just as he was informed. The chief adviser was under the suspicion of working in cahoots with officials from other countries. They weren't contented with doing illegal business and they want the daimyo ousted. That night, he would be meeting up with a messenger, at least according to the story he heard. The daimyo, along with his two most loyal subordinates, showed him the evidences they gathered. And based on it, the simple conclusion was that the suspicions were true.

He suggested that the chief adviser be stripped of his position for treason but apparently, he had already established his own faction that going through the legal process wouldn't be as easy. Furthermore, the connections he had with the other countries will make things difficult and complicated. This left the daimyo with no other choice but order his assassination. The politics was boring and dirty. To him, it was just another mission. He secured his mask and started trailing.

A fleet of senbon cut through the chilly air. Neji darted through the woods to catch the falling body- he would like to avoid any noise. He looked up as soon as he secured the body on the ground. Two other bodies were on the branches, in no danger of falling off. The senbon was not a weapon meant for killing. But hitting the vital points would cause sudden, quiet death. It suited his personality and it had become one of his favorite methods. His Byakugan and Tenten's aim training helped a lot.

He quickened his pace to catch up with the target. The old chief adviser couldn't have chosen a more secretive meeting place. He moved from tree to tree, keeping an eye on each member of the old man's entourage, stopping when he noticed something strange.

"Trap?" He asked himself.

Wires made invisible by the dark were attached to explosive tags in such a way that it would trigger explosions upon contact. It was like an insurance against possible enemy attack. He smirked behind his feline mask, satisfied at his analysis.

He saw another two, a few meters in front. They were considerably slow, probably thinking that the wires and explosive tags will give them the leeway. He noticed that some of them, including his target, have gained distance. He increased his speed, turning around when he was ahead of the two, stopping them with a single Jyuuken hit each aimed directly at their hearts. One of the bodies slammed against a tree. The other one was blown away by the concentrated chakra, the body merged with the dark.

"Stop it right there."

He paused, his lips curved to a faint smile. The voice was coming from behind him. Seven other men were cloaked in darkness. Of course, it was just as he expected because there were only five men who went ahead.

"Reveal yourself."

"You're in no position to give me orders." He said.

"Idiot." One of the hidden men commented.

"You are the idiot. You're all within the reach of my Hakke."

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Two men fell one after the other, much to the surprise of the rest- there was no blood, no weapons, there was nothing but lifeless bodies- because it was impossible for the normal eye to see the excessive damage inflicted to their inner organs. The third could only freeze when he felt the presence behind him. But he tried to struggle when he felt cold metal against his throat, causing the kunai to go further than what was needed to simply finish him. He dropped on the floor, quivering, scattering red liquid.

"D-don't hurt me!" The old man said, waving his arms in front of him as if to make an illusionary shield. "What do you want? I'll give you anything you want!"

Neji dropped the kunai as he looked at the two remaining living persons, not counting himself. He got them cornered relatively fast. The old official hired slackers, what a cheapskate. The guard beside the adviser, in a cowardly act, ran out of the scene without giving a fight- abandoning his duty. It was such a shame since he was almost sure that he was the only guard who could at least put up a fight. He heard it somewhere- you can teach techniques, but you can't teach bravery.

"W-wait! Don't leave me! Don't leave me here!" The old man called.

He dashed toward the man on the run, taking him down on the ground at the same time that he pulled out his ninjatou- not giving him the chance to scream. After confirming death, he quickly stood up and started toward the shock stricken official.

The chief adviser gasped when he saw him emerge with the bloodied weapon. He tried to run but before he could make a move, Neji seized him by the arm twisting it behind him and slamming him, face first, against a tree trunk. The ninjatou's blade gashed this neck. It was no shock that his hired guards were easily toppled. His assailant was a top caliber assassin. And a merciful one at that- because he suddenly fell on the ground, not knowing what hit him.

He swung the weapon in one quick movement, spattering crimson across the bed of grass. He deactivated his Byakugan, getting ready to leave when he heard a crackle- as if someone stepped on brittle autumn leaves. He turned around. There was a witness.

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I'm kind of busy these days so it took me a while to update- sorry about that.

But a new chapter will be posted every week and that's a promise.

Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Special thanks to I.heart.Hatake.Kakashi for pointing out something so obvious. Hopefully, this is a somewhat better version- or is it worse? I will work harder next time XD