Wow, guys. The last chapter got three reviews, and blasted this story past the 500 view mark. You people are the greatest.
Also, updaaaaate!
Tenten spent the greater part of the morning nursing her bruised stomach. Gai had offered to carry her, but Tenten was too proud for that. She wouldn't allow herself to be weak.
So, she hopped along from branch to branch, doing her best to keep up with her teammates, who were going slower to accommodate her; though they would never admit to doing so.
Gai had apologized… too much. Between his tearful declarations that he would never do anything so unyouthful again, Tenten and Neji had gleaned enough information; Gai saw something where Tenten should have been, and thought the worst.
Apparently, it had been some kind of animal-man creature.
Freaky.
It seemed to have had two legs, Gai said, and a human figure up to its shoulders. The legs were short, hooved, and had the thick thighs of a pig.
Its torso was human-like, but the shoulders were hunched forward to support its entirely pig-like head.
Freaky.
Neji had confessed that he had 'fought' with a similar creature the previous night, and Gai nodded thoughtfully.
"I thought that the scarring was a result of your rotation jutsu." He indicated to where Neji had used the attack.
"Yes. The curious thing was that the creature, which was part wolf, walked into my jutsu. I later discovered that it was simply genjutsu."
"A genjutsu that cloaked Tenten's chakra signature? I should have sensed her youthful presence, even if I only saw pig-san."
Tenten had given her teacher an odd look. Pig-san?
Tenten sighed; exasperated with the memory of what had been a long morning. Oh well, she reconciled. Gai-sensei had only meant well, trying to protect her, and at least the stir fry had been good.
Well… it was okay.
She padded across mossy branches, following behind Neji. They had agreed that the team should stay more compact.
The brunette had to concentrate to keep her mind on the mission.
Tenten was angry. Some animal thing tried to impersonate her, and it had to choose a pig!? She wasn't pig-like, was she?
Lee wouldn't have thought so. Tenten allowed her mind to drift slightly, memories of Lee's over-zealous and sometimes misplaced compliments wafting through her mind.
He would complement her on her outfit; the same one she had worn just a week before. He would complement her on her work ethic, even when she was ready to give up. Something about his words, which would have been ironic had they passed through less honest lips, was refreshing.
Lee's lips.
Swoon.
Tenten shook herself. She shouldn't be thinking about Lee like that, especially while on a mission, and definitely with some kind of threat hidden out there in the forest.
But she did.
The group neared the tiny village around noon. A cliff overlooked the village, which itself was perched on another cliff.
These twin cliffs towered over a picturesque little valley, complete with a lazily trickling river, and the stout trees that the Fire Country was famous for.
The village looked small; a fraction of the size of Konoha and truly only a collection of small wooden buildings. It was a shame; with such a beautiful location, that nobody seemed to know about this place.
Gai decided that it might be best if they scouted the village out a little, but- in his usual youthful fashion, volunteered himself as the spy. An individual, he had stated, was less obvious than a group of ninja.
A little sneaking around was necessary where this kind of mission was concerned. With Sound Ninja around, one could never be too sure which requests were genuine, and which were simply bait for an ambush.
Neji and Tenten were fairly glad to be able to take a break; it was hard to keep up with their sensei's stamina (Gai would refer to it as the full power of youth) sometimes.
Before he left, Gai had said that it might be a few hours before he returned, and he expected them to train if he was gone longer than it took the two Genin to set up camp.
Tenten blanched slightly at the mention of training, and the look wasn't lost on either teammate.
Neji watched as Tenten discreetly put pressure on her stomach, testing to see if it had bruised without making a show of it. She was never one to flaunt injuries, and tried her best to hide them. When she was hurt during a mission, sometimes it would be a week before anybody knew. She simply refused to be a drag on the team.
"Tenten. You're hurt. Let me see."
Neji was by no means a medical ninja, but he knew better than to try to push yourself too hard when injured.
Tenten refused: "Yeah, you'd like to see my stomach, you pervert."
Neji didn't flinch; he knew that Tenten respected him more than that, because he knew how much he respected her. She was trying to protect her dignity by embarrassing him, but it wouldn't work.
"I'm not asking."
She begrudgingly lifted the hem of her shirt, slowly. Neji gazed forward, stoic as always, as the fabric rose above her toned, sinewy stomach.
She exposed her tummy, right up to just beneath her ribcage. It was… rather sexy, with limber looking muscles under soft, pale skin. Neji didn't comment, his eyes were fixed on her bruise.
A large patch of her stomach was turning a disgusting shade of purple, bordered by a puss-like yellow… Gai had a hell of a punch. Tenten, with closed eyes, asked how bad it looked.
Neji gulped, and told her that it wasn't too bad. Tenten opened her eyes, and Neji could tell by her expression that she saw the worry in his.
She glanced down and gasped slightly, but then chuckled good-naturedly.
"I've always been proud of my stomach, and this is no cause to lose face. All this proves is that I'm a worthy ninja!" She smiled.
Neji nodded, with a faint smile of his own. The girl could take a hit.
Tenten wondered aloud whether Lee would say anything about it, and that made Neji scowl ever so slightly. He felt… heavy, all the sudden.
So this, he mused, was what it felt like to have a rival.
Maito Gai didn't exactly look like the kind of tourist that might stop by the tiny village. He was beginning to get weird looks.
Of course, most might have said that it was Gai who looked weird. He stuck out like a sore, ultra-youthful thumb, wearing a floral print shirt that was unbuttoned to reveal spandex. He was also wearing khaki shorts above his green suit, but had taken off the legwarmers to accommodate sandals (without socks, thank god).
The outfit was topped off with a wide brimmed safari hat, and sunglasses.
He was getting looks, alright.
Unfortunately, Gai had chosen to change only once he was closer to the town, and missed out on Neji and Tenten's critical advice. Gai's protégé and endless stream of confidence had stayed back in Konoha, so the taijutsu Jounin had to wing it, and use his own fashion sense here.
Gai shrugged it off. He had a mission, which would be accomplished one way or another. He wouldn't allow himself to suffer under the emotional weight that came with failing a mission. Gai was confident that he could beat down whatever threat there was, regardless of any outside circumstances.
Gai stepped into a small restaurant, and pulled up a stool. The smell of meat sizzling on a grill somewhere in the back made his stomach growl.
A young lady pulled up to the service counter, and asked for Gai's order. He didn't take much; an oversized meal could be telling.
He tucked into his meal slowly, savouring each bite and resisting the urge to wolf down the food. Taijutsu burnt a significant amount of calories, and Gai had a heck of a metabolism. Of course, he couldn't let this show among strangers.
He had been in town for only a few minutes, but hadn't seen anything that would indicate that these villagers were living in fear.
Gai took a glance around the little restaurant. People were chatting, eating…
Nothing about this village seemed out of order at all. Gai finished his meal, paid, and left to wander the narrow streets.
The afternoon came and went. A few villagers were bored enough to say hello, and fewer still wanted to pursue conversation with this strangely dressed foreigner.
Gai didn't mind. He just wanted to watch people.
As the afternoon ticked by, a sort of restlessness washed over the villagers. They were expecting something.
Evening came, and people began to retreat into their houses. There was no hotel to be found in this village, and Gai was ready to retreat back to his students, when a passing comment stopped him in his tracks.
"Jus' about time for the fackin' animals to show up, ainnit?"
Gai's eyes snapped to the young man who'd said it. Did the beasts only appear at a certain time? The teen had an honest look in his eyes; just about everyone here did.
The taijutsu master made his decision then and there. He would lead his team of Genin to liberate this village, and lead them out in safety if it was an elaborate trap.
He would return at dusk with his students.
Hahaha. Anyone want to draw Gai in his spy outfit?
A little bit of NejixTen fluff in this chapter? Well, that's interesting.
The poll is leaning pretty strongly towards TentenxLee at the moment, but that may be because we haven't gotten many votes. Vote vote vote!
[kokabiel- Thanks! I'm doing my best to build up the characters as much as possible, while keeping them in character. TentenxLee looks pretty plausible at this point, depending on how things develop back in Konoha.
Anyway, thanks for the review!]
[Raistlin99- We're voting, alright! I've posted the poll on my profile.
I love Ino as a character, actually, and I think that she compliments Lee more than people give her credit for. It iiiis a bit of a crack pairing, but that's totally okay.
Lovin' the cheerleader comparison. Totes. But if we're looking to reward Lee for being awesome, why not just let him end up with everybody (LeexHarem)?
Things to consider... ;D
Thanks for reviewing!]
[MrLucyLu- Wow, what a set of ideas. If your ideas were a woman, she'd be a perfect 10, and would definitely end up in love with Rock Lee. I absolutely love it.
But I agree, it's about time Konoha's ladies saw past Lee's... uniqueness. :P
Thanks for the review, it was really inspiring and gave me goosebumps.]
Until next time, guiz.
