The Morning After
Chapter 4: The Arrivals
It had already hit noon when the four ninjas unraveled the scroll and scanned it. After Team Gai had examined the details of the mission provided from the scroll, they had established 3 primary conditions for achieving a successful infiltration.
1. Carrying any ninja weapons on them would be prohibited in order to avoid suspicion.
Obviously, the infamous weapons mistress had a major issue with this. Unlike her other three peers who specialized in physical combat, her weapons were the main source of her fighting technique. Without them, she'd basically be defenseless. She quietly cursed under her breath and mentally contemplated how she would work her way around it.
2. Their wardrobe must be altered to imitate ordinary villagers to avoid attracting attention.
Needless to say, the only ones who had a problem with this concept were the two bobbed haired men who always wore their trademark spandex suits proudly. Disgruntledly, they understood it had to be done.
3. They would all enter the village individually at different time frames as strangers to one another. However, the two green lovers were an exception since they looked similar enough to pose as a loving father and son in search of a peaceful village to reside in; they would arrive at the village first. Neji, who would proceed shortly after, would act as a young traveler, claiming to pass through the village for a short amount of time. Tenten would pose as a lovely young woman, looking for steady work from a quiet town. She would enter Sugi Village a week after them to complete the randomized intervals of the newcomers.
The usually unbothered Hyuga never had any problems with mission procedures, but actually cringed when learning of the required separation as he glanced over at his "beautiful, tomboyish brunette" of a teammate who seemed to be transfixed on her own thoughts (most likely the first condition).
He calmed himself down by reassuring himself that his competent woman was capable of taking care of herself; she was a strong and intelligent kunoichi.
Yet, in the back of his mind, he knew that that wasn't what he was worried about.
"Yosh!" The determined Gai-sensei rolled up the scroll and tucked it into his holster. "Lee and I will depart immediately after adjusting our wardrobe and weapon supply. Neji, I expect to see you in the evening." He diverted his attention from each of his pupil's faces as he spoke to them. "And Tenten, I'll see you sometime next week!"
The proud sensei forced his pupils to engage in what he considered a "youthful" tradition where they would pile their hands together and fiercely pump them up and down while chanting.
"TEAMWORK!"
"OHH!"
"TEAMWORK!"
"OHH!"
"TEAMWORK!"
"OHH!"
"LET'S GO!"
"HAI, SENSEI!"
Of course, it was only Gai-sensei and Lee who wholehearted participated in this.
Pale, white eyes thoroughly scanned his unfamiliar surroundings, while remembering to remain inconspicuous.
Instead of his traditional robes, Neji's clothing consisted of a white, short-sleeved shirt along with basic black pants. His hair was tied a few inches above the ends in a loose ponytail like how he used to wear it in his earlier years and bandages were cleanly wrapped around his forehead to hide his damned curse mark.
He had reached Sugi village approximately six hours subsequent to his two lively comrades and had already checked into a decently priced inn.
So far, Sugi village had a strong resemblance to Konoha through their designs and architecture. He had expected it to, since both of the villages are located in close proximity. The only difference was that Sugi village was significantly more colonized than Konoha, easily triple the amount despite having the same dimensions. The bustling aspect of the village was a great advantage to the four impostors from Konoha, making it easier for them to camouflage themselves.
At the moment, his instructions were to focus on settling himself into the village and getting accustomed to the environment as well as its residents. He presumed that was exactly what his sensei and fellow teammate were doing at the moment: exploring the stores and scaring citizens with their overly friendly nature. After a couple days have passed, the first three who had already infiltrated the village were supposed to gather information on their perpetrator while they wait for their last teammate to arrive before making any close contact with their target.
Attempting to rationalize his contemplations, he told himself that because of the nonexistent diversity and seemingly useless commoners, it would be a complete waste of time to acquaint himself with them as well as "sightsee" the village.
Ordinarily, Neji wasn't one to question orders from higher ups, but his subjective desires to protect his newlywed were starting to kick in; he felt the strong urge to accomplish their given assignment as quickly as possible.
Ideally, he'd want to capture their target within a week from today.
He had recalled how the scroll had provided little information on Kai: that he was a powerful jonin who was confided in by their village's hokage, that his ideal woman who he was still in search for was a pretty brunette tomboy, and that he had an addictive love to alcohol. The resolute Hyuga peered over at the darkened sky and nonexistent sunlight, observing the time to be no later than 8; the perfect time to begin commencing adult mischief.
He knew exactly where to find his liquor loving man.
Within half an hour, the prodigy had already located the perpetrator at the crowded pub. The unaccompanied, handsome Hyuga sat at the noisy bar, taking leisure sips from his drink while keeping his body position away from his target.
Kai, the tall russet haired man sporting a blue lined mesh T-shirt along with loose black pants, was sitting at one of the corner table with three other men and gulping down what seemed to be his fourth beer.
Neji took note of his target's three companions as a precaution to having to prospectively face them in battle considering his abduction doesn't go unobtrusively.
The man sitting next to Kai was of incredible size and had a stern look on his face, while the two men sitting opposite them were of average height and full with smiles and laughter. Out the four men, Neji examined Kai and the giant seemed to be the strongest of the bunch, judging from their chakra build and physique.
"Are you alone?" A soft voice purred.
Neji glanced over to whoever was addressing the question to him. In front of him was a thin, black haired woman with a devious smile on her face.
"I am." He answered truthfully and brought his attention back to the front of the bar, taking another sip of his drink. He sensed her body shifting closer to him and an intrusive hand resting itself on his knee.
"You're very handsome, you know." She whispered teasingly in his ear.
The engaged man felt very frustrated by this disturbance, but realized that angering her could result in her making a scene, something he couldn't afford to do right now. Disgruntledly, he decided to go along with it and not banish her immediately while still keeping his full attention on Kai.
"Thank you."
"You don't talk much, do you?"
"Not really."
She grinned and leaned in closer. "Good, that's how I like my men."
Unaffected by the obvious desperation flirting with him, he noticed the four men paying for their drinks, indicating that they were about to leave soon. It would seem too suspicious if Neji departed from the pub at the same exact as them and be headed in the same direction, unless he had company with him. A desperately needy woman was perfect for a time like this. Unlike his usual self, he turned his attention over to the woman and presented her with a desirable proposal.
"Would you like to come to my place tonight?"
I'm quite proud of myself for finishing this chapter; I feel as if I'm updating pretty quickly but correct me if I'm wrong! :) Like I always say, please please PLEASE REVIEW ! If I don't get enough reviews on the story, I won't feel as motivated to continue on with the story because I'll believe that the only one reading it is me...lol.
Once again, PLEASE TELL ME YOUR OPINION ON MY MAYBE CHANGING THE FANFIC TO RATED M!
Thank you for the love and support. You guys are the best! ^_^ V