Long time no write! The muses struck me the other day so I though I'd hammer out this next chapter. Much thanks to all who added this as a favorite, put it on a watch list or wrote a review. Poorly/not edited, but there you go.


Neji stared at Tenten with cold eyes before abruptly grabbing her by her uninjured arm and pulling her into a tight hug. "The best operatives think, before they act," he whispered into her ear. "You and Hinata could have been killed."

Tenten couldn't suppress the shudder that ran through her body at the truth in his words.

"I couldn't not stand up for myself," she whispered back. "I'm sorry."

Neji released her from his firm grasp, but kept an arm firmly around her waist, effectively pinning her to his side.

"Round them up," Neji directed to Lee and Choiji. "Sasuke, call Hatake. The Organization will have to take over this incident."

Taking a moment to look around her surroundings, Tenten noted that Naruto had put his jacket around Hinata and had a protective arm around her shoulder. It appeared that the girl was quietly crying into his shoulder.

Ino stood defiantly with her arms crossed over her chest. The lecture Shikamaru was giving her could be heard half way across the club.

"Fine!" The blonde haired girl finally exclaimed. "It wasn't the best planned operation, but we did get results. You know have four Sound members in your possession!"

"You're lucky Tenten is handy with a gun, you all could have been seriously injured!"

Ino let out a strangled noise, but seemed to relax as her not-boyfriend pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Hatake's on his way with Azuma." Sasuke stated as he snapped his phone shut. "I suggest we get these four ready to go for them before they arrive."

Having stayed quite while The Leaf worked things through, Temari cleared her throat.

"My brother will not be pleased about this," she said simply. "Although I suppose I am partly to blame for going along with this scheme. But then if I'm partly to blame, so are you. You can't keep these girls in a locked cage, Hyuga."

The word cage seemed to strike an electric cord in Neji, he let out a deep sigh. "I know."

"My brother will be in contact, until then," with a curt nod she made her way up the stairs in the back toward the VIP room.

"The Sands is neutral ground. The three siblings work very hard to keep it that way. We're friends, but they won't hesitate to get in our way if our problems threaten them." Neji explained to Tenten.

She looked at him questioningly. The information had been voluntary. "Thanks," she muttered.

"Give me your guns."

"But!"

"Hatake will need them for his investigation."

"You called the police?"

"Not quite," a man with white hair stated jovially from the front entrance.

Tenten pointed, loaded gun that she had been removing to give to Neji leveled at Hatake's head. "You said you run my apartment complex! Who are you really?"

Hatake, Kakashi looked momentarily surprised, before chuckling as he rubbed the back of his head.

"You were the ones hired to make her profile!" Shikamaru exclaimed. "I should have know, I even said it looked like The Organizations work. Stupid."

Tenten recalled that after the incident at the Crooked Kunai she had been worried that someone had been following her. "Have you been having me followed?" Tenten asked, lowering her gun.

"No," Kakashi said with a frown.

"But you will start," Neji interjected, forcing all eyes in the room back on him. "Akatsuki knows she's here, there was a breach somewhere."

"That's serious," a man with a facial hair and a cigarette stated from behind Kakashi.

"Asuma!" Ino shrieked. "Tell Shikamaru that I didn't act rashly!"

Asuma gave a pointed look to her outfit, "I will not. However I'm sure your father will be interested to know what his baby daughter has been up too." Shikamaru smirked, before seeming to take in for the first time what Ino was wearing. Hastily he took off his jacket and wrapped it around his shoulders, whispering something that made her blush.

"You're not wearing too much yourself," Neji told Tenten quietly, in a disapproving tone.

Tenten arched an eyebrow as if to say, 'and what are you going to do about it?'

"You can take things from here?" Neji asked Kakashi and Asuma.

"Hai, hai," Kakashi replied, "We'll clean up your girlfriends mess."

Tenten glared. Neji smirked.


Once back at the manor Sakura, Ino and Tenten headed back up to Hinata's room. Hinata had stayed glued to Naruto since the incident.

"And let's not do that again!" Tenten stated, breaking the silence.

Sakura giggled while Ino looked decidedly put out.

"Oh come on Ino, the information was good. But I think we all got caught up in the heat of the moment." Sakura smirked. "Next time we act it will be planned out to precision!" She slammed her fist into her palm.

Ino fell into a recliner, "I think I really pissed off Shika this time."

"You just scarred him," Tenten replied. "And you took his car," she added, thoughtful.

"The women speak truth," Sakura stated, throwing herself onto the loveseat. "And what about Neji? A little protective of a certain someone, don't you think?"

"Naruto seemed to have Hinata taken…oh," Tenten started, only to realize that Sakura was talking about her. "Ha ha."

"Enough talk about boys!" Ino declared. Her two friends looked at her strangely. "We need some girl time. Showers, pajamas, ice cream…and then we can talk about boys!"

Twenty minutes later found the trio sitting in the middle of Hinata's floor amidst a nest of blankets around a gallon of chocolate ice cream.

"Do you think Neji will let Hinata stay with Naruto tonight?" Tenten asked.

Ino and Sakura pondered the question.

"I think so," Sakura replied. "Naruto can be very protective. I doubt he would let Neji tell him no, if that's what Hinata wanted."

"What about you Tenten? You've had several guns shot at you today, but you don't seem shaken up." Ino asked.

"I like guns," Tenten replied with a shrug, "I know how to use them, they're not as scary when you know exactly how long it will take you to fire off ten rounds. If you know that your shot is just as likely to miss by a mile as hit your target things get dicey."

"Well, it's safe to say Neji's taken a liking to you at least," Sakura added. "I think that whole gun thing turns him on."

Ino giggled. "I saw the way he was holding you earlier." She paused to mimic Neji, posing with Tenten as a pillow.

Tenten stuck out her tongue. "He worries about everyone in this little gang."

"That's why him and Sasuke always look like they're about to break out in passionate embrace," Ino replied, sarcasm evident.

This time Tenten threw a pillow at her.


When Tenten woke up the next morning Sakura and Ino had already left Hinata's room. Looking at the clock she wasn't surprised, it was ten thirty in the morning. Throwing on a pair of black lululamon yoga pants and a white v-neck t-shirt, Tenten slipped on a pair of Uggs before heading down to the 'action center'. Walking through the door she was surprised to find the room curiously quite after the events of the night before.

"Sakura and Ino went grocery shopping; Kiba, Shikamaru and Lee went with them. Hinata is with Naruto and I sent Choiji and Sasuke home," Neji supplied, placing a cup of warm coffee into her hands. "Everyone is meeting back here around four to talk about last night."

"Thanks for the coffee," Tenten replied quietly. This was the first time her and Neji had been alone in a non-confrontational setting.

"I want to apologize," Neji inclined his head. "I should not keep you four locked out of our doings. You are a capable women; you deserve the chance to fight for yourself."

"Thank you," Tenten replied, genuine. "That means a lot."

"Kakashi also called to apologize for upsetting you last night." Tenten got the distinct impression that the older man had been pressured into the apology.

Tenten smiled, "you really care, don't you?"

Neji looked embarrassed. "There are breakfast foods in the refrigerator if you want something. If there's anything else I can-"

Neji stopped mid sentence as Tenten pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm sorry we acted rashly last night, I didn't mean to put Hinata in danger."

"I wasn't just worried about her," Neji replied gruffly into her shoulder.

"I know," Tenten stated before cautiously pressing her lips to his.

Neji responded slowly, deepening the kiss as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her body closer to his.

Breaking the kiss Neji pulled her closer, "And I will find out who has been following you, that's unexceptable."

Tenten peck him on the check before snuggling into his shoulder "So what kind of food do you have in that fridge?"

After a quick breakfast of Ego waffles with blueberries Tenten expressed her desire to get some target practice in.

"I can take you the shooting range if you like," Neji stated.

Tenten was up and out the door before she sheepishly remembered that she didn't know where she was going. Pulsing up and down on the balls of her feet Neji couldn't help but smile, her joy was contagious.

"Let's stop by Hinata's room so you can pick up you stuff, it'd probably be safer for everyone if you stored your ammunition and weapons in a lock box in at the shooting range anyway."

"But I like my Arms Locker," Tenten mock wined, half serious. The old cardboard box she had lovingly written Arms Locker across was a piece of home, but the box was starting to wear.

"I'm sure Shikamaru will thank you for locking up your guns the next time he and Ino get into a fight," Neji commented. Tenten snickered.

"There's a reason I didn't let her have a gun."

"Yes, you did do a remarkable job of matching strengths to weapons," Neji paused, not seeming to want to say his next words. "We could really use your skills."

Tenten grinned, prancing into Hinata's room to grab her weapons stock.

The two spent two hours on the shooting range. Tenten was happy to note that Neji had a fine shooting form and they spent most of their time competing with each other for the best shot. Neji was good, but in the world of projectiles Tenten was queen.

A smirk came to Neji's face, "You Win, but how about your hand-to-hand skills?"

"Not too shabby," Tenten replied, putting the safety back on her Glock.

"Next time we do this then we can have a sparring match."

The door to the practice room came open with a bang, startled, Tenten swung the Glock to the door, switching off the safety.

"Lee! You startled me! Don't you know better than to barge into a room where loaded weapons are being handled?"

Lee looked sheepish, "It's almost one. Ino and Sakura are back and want to take you…somewhere most un-youthful!"

"Er, define 'un-youthful' please," Tenten replied while Neji frowned.

"A tattoo parlor, Tenten-chan, please don't go! Your youth can still be saved!"

"Lee," Neji stated calmly, "I asked them to take her there."

"What!" Lee and Tenten sputtered together.


Indeed, Neji had asked Sakura and Ino to take Tenten to a tattoo parlor.

"It means he's accepted you into the group!" Ino gushed as Sakura screeched the silver Mercedes they were driving to a halt.

A gaudy, neon pink sign proudly declaring the name "Root by Sai" met Tenten's eyes as she opened the car door and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

"You'll like Sai," Ino informed her, "he's very, forward."

"Which is why we love him," Sakura added, holding open the door for her friends.

"Darlings!" A pale man with black hair and a set smile first gave Ino and then Sakura a hug and a kiss on the check. Tenten was oddly reminded of Sasuke, 'if Sasuke liked others' she thought to herself.

"And who's this lovely girl you've brought me on Neji-chan's orders?"

"This is Tenten!" Ino stated happily.

"Tenten," Sai studied her, taking in the Glock she had chosen to wear openly today. She also had knife sheaths on her ankles and wire wrapped into her hair. "You and Neji-chan aren't fucking are you?"

Tenten didn't think she'd ever blushed so hard in her life "n-no."

Sakura and Ino broke into giggles.

"Not yet then anyway," Sai added in a happy tone. "You'll be perfect for him, I can tell just by looking at you. Well come on then dear, lets get you all set up."

Tenten regained her composer, "what exactly is it I'm getting?"

Sakura pulled the hair away from her right ear, pulling her ear forward. Nestled behind her ear below the hair line a small leaf symbol made up of a swirling line stood out against her pale skin.

"It's our symbol," Ino added, pulling her hair aside as well.

The process was relatively painless, if a little disheartening. The buzzing of the needle so close to her ear was unnerving to say the least.

"And you're sure you don't want anything else, perhaps a surprise for Neji when he gets that lovely blouse off?" Sai teased, putting away the tools of his trade. Finished, he pun Tenten's char around and handed her a small mirror.

"Perfect," Tenten stated, the tiny new leaf stared back at her ink still fresh.


Untill next time my readers!