Sorry for the wait. I sort of had other things to do; a drabble contest, among other things (which explains the length of this chapter. I'm sorry it's so short!). Anyway—onto the story!
Disclaimer: I am simply a humble author, trying to finish a fanfiction story. I don't own Naruto.
Chapter Nine: ConvergenceTenten, Gai, and Tetsu were about to walk down the lavish steps of the mansion when they heard a loud scream. Tenten turned, her eyes widening.
"That was Neji!" she cried. "I'm sure of it! Come on. We've got to get inside!"
The balding man wore an expression of horror, shock, and rage, and tried to slam the door on them, but Gai put out one of his feet, and stopped the door from closing. "Let us in," Tenten's sensei demanded.
The balding man just nodded, realizing that there was no way he'd be able to fight Gai.
Tetsu followed as Tenten and Gai raced into the mansion.
x-x-x
Neji slumped to the floor, his eyes closing. Lee glared at Yasuo.
"Now the little green man wants a fight!" said Yasuo with much glee. "I'll give it to you." Grinning, he started to make hand signs, but Lee didn't give him a chance; he leapt at the taller man, kicking at his abdomen.
Yasuo got out of the way, but his hands stopped moving, Lee noted with satisfaction. Now, if he could only keep him occupied until help came…
He grit his teeth, and started to unwrap the bandages around his forearms.
x-x-x
Gai was fastest as the trio raced through the halls of the mansion, trying doors to no avail—they led to bedrooms, or fine living rooms; none of them seemed like a place where prisoners would be kept.
"In here!" said Tetsu finally, pointing to a door that led to a dank corridor.
Gai and Tenten followed her as she ran down the hall. Then, after a few moments, she stopped, clearly listening for something.
"There's a fight down there!" she exclaimed, and ran with renewed vigor towards the sounds of battle.
Up ahead, a tall silhouette was visible—and a smaller one, as well, jumping lightning-fast around the taller figure.
Lee! Tenten realized. So Neji's nearby too!
Gai rushed ahead, crashing into the taller man; the impact was enough to send Gai's foe into the wall. He crumpled to the floor, and Lee stopped halfway through his attack, looking at Gai.
"Gai-sensei?" he said, his eyes widening.
"It is me, my youthful student!" said Gai, embracing Lee. "Where is Neji?"
Lee pointed left. "In there," he said, gesturing towards the cell.
"You're hurt!" said Tenten as she came up to Lee.
"It's not anything much," said Lee, rewrapping his arms with bandages. "Neji is worse off."
"What happened?" asked Tetsu, arriving last. "Who's hurt?"
"Our teammate," Tenten answered.
Gai came out of the cell; Neji was leaning on him heavily, but conscious. The wound that Yasuo had inflicted was bleeding sluggishly, drops of blood spattering on the floor every now and then.
"Let's take care of him before we leave," said Tenten, looking towards the man out cold on the floor.
They tied him up and Gai slung his comatose body over one shoulder. "We can turn him in to the Konoha authorities," he said. "Unless…Neji, did he say that he was ordered by the Hidden Village of the Clouds to kidnap you?"
"No," said Neji hoarsely. "Just that he…wanted the secret…of the…Byakugan."
Gai nodded. "We'll bring him to the Cloud Village Council of Elders, then," he said. "Let's go."
x-x-x
Once Yasuo was taken care of, Tetsu insisted that Lee and Neji receive medical attention. She brought them to her house, where she patched up their wounds. They stayed there for the rest of the day and the night; in the morning, they got their things, thanked Tetsu for all she'd done, and headed to the Council of Elders to see what had become of Yasuo.
They found out upon arriving that he was no longer considered a ninja, and that he would be banished from the Cloud Village for committing his crime. The leader of the village insisted that he had not been after the secret of the Byakugan, and that no one in the future would try and achieve the secret.
After that visit, Team Gai thanked Tetsu once more and then walked to the gate, out of the village, and towards Konoha. They were going home.
The End
Author's Notes: So. I started to write this, and figured, Okay, maybe there'll be a few chapters after this, to tie it all up. But I started writing this, and got halfway through when I realized that there wasn't too much to tie up. So it's finished. I hope you all enjoyed the journey!
Now, if you see anything that I didn't tie up, anything that's OOC or non-canon, please tell me. I'll fix it as soon as possible.
