A/N: I am down on my knees begging for forgiveness: "Forgive me!" Now that that is out of the way, allow me to explain. See, med school lives up to its name; no matter where you do it from, which climate or whatever planet, one thing will stand: it WILL – I repeat will – suck the life out of you and cripple your fanfiction writing powers.
That said; this chapter felt a little rushed to me but am still trying to get my game back on…it might take me a while. Kisses go out to…for supporting me even when I hadn't updated for a while. Sooo, yeah! You guessed it; my long author's note is over. On to the chapter!
Disclaimer: I've been stuck in med school for 4 months and the Naruto manga has still been coming out…I'm guessing that proves I don't own it…
MU BYONNA
Chapter 12
…even in new strengths.
Tenten was not a morning person; that much was certain. Her victories against Neji while sparring usually happened in the morning when she would attack him viciously for having said one thing or the other which hadn't appealed to her. As a result, the Hyuuga had learned to keep his mouth shut – though no one could really notice the difference since he was serially silent – until about 8.00 am; three hours later. So the fact that the weapons' mistress had woken from a non-restful sleep to find herself gagged, bound and locked in a dark room was not doing anything for her mood.
She stared at the small line of light that came from underneath what she guessed was a door as memories of what had happened hours back flooded her mind.
Crap!
How could she lose her cool like that? She was a ninja for goodness' sake; a kunoichi! Her emotions had never gotten the best of her but now…it was a sign of weakness not to be able to control one's emotions and she had exhibited that flaw spectacularly.
Tenten squeezed her eyes shut as the image of her running towards her attacker while letting loose an almost animalistic-scream of fury flashed into her mind. She cringed as she wondered what Neji must have thought when he saw that; for he had seen it…somehow she just knew.
No matter; this was not the time to ponder such things!
Behaving like the efficient kunoichi she was, the weapons' mistress quickly and effectively suppressed all her musings and emotions and tried to figure a way out of her situation. Countless – and undoubtedly humiliating – losses against random opponents had taught her to never give up and to always think outside the box.
To look underneath the underneath.
Tenten had trained in various tactical exercises and honed her senses to such a degree that few really could out-think her; she had had enough of being the weakest on her team. But of-course, she had nothing on Shikamaru; then again, no one did.
Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her body, trying to get a feel of what had been taken and what had not. Of-course her giant scroll was gone – it had better not be damaged else there'd be hell to pay; poor Lee still bore scars from the time he had inadvertently crushed it with Leaf Hurricane – and most of her hidden weapons were gone as well.
Regardless, she still had other means of obtaining weapons; she was their mistress after all and he had been careless this time.
She would have to get free though, before acquiring whatever weapons she needed and there was a way to achieve this but…it was a particularly painful way…
Nevertheless, she had no choice.
Tenten flexed her hands behind her to test the ties that bound her hands but stopped abruptly at the sudden jolt that shot through them, ultimately leaving her slightly weaker. Ah, so he had used chakra-draining rope…she would just have to be extra careful then.
Setting her feet firmly on the ground, the weapons' mistress rose up slowly and extended her bound arms straight downwards behind her. She then got into an awkward squat with her torso angled backwards and lifted her right leg slightly. Here came the painful part…
Crack!
"Hnnn!"
She tried to suppress the urge to cry out at the sharp pain radiating through her shoulder as best as she could and chose to concentrate on the task at hand. No matter how many times it happened, she could just never get used to dislocating her shoulder. The pain got worse and she quickly passed each leg through the loop of her arms so that her hands were now in-front and not behind before she leaned against a wall, panting heavily and starting to sweat. And that was the easy part…
Standing up straight, Tenten slowly lifted her hands to her mouth, bit her thumb – though the mild pain barely registered compared to the now excruciating one in her shoulder – and raised the bloodied thumb to her hair-ties with shaking hands. The pain rose to a new crescendo and she had to swallow several groans lest anyone heard her. Adding to this the constant chakra drainage her body was experiencing as the ropes inevitably got stretched – in spite of her efforts not to tug at them – the weapons' mistress was just barely holding onto consciousness.
"S-summoning jutsu," she whispered shakily, but it was enough.
With a small poof, a kunai was in her hands and she worked quickly to cut the ropes, ignoring the weakness that ran through her body as she stretched them in the process. As soon as her hands were free, she quickly used her left hand to reposition her right shoulder.
With a dull 'click' and another round of sharp pains, her right arm was functioning again and she flexed it to relieve the stiffness in it. Of-course a medical ninja would have to look at it later…she might have torn a few ligaments in the whole process.
Of all the weapon scrolls she possessed, the ones that served as her hair-ties were her favorite. They were small enough to look like simple ribbons and so no one would expect them to be anything more. Yes, she had to use just a bit more chakra to keep them in place – anyone who thought her buns stayed that neat all the time without chakra use was just crazy – but it was worth it. Her hair had grown slightly longer since it was hacked off during her capture and so it fit comfortably in her most desired hairstyle.
Smirking in satisfaction, she moved toward the door to examine it. Hmm, it was metallic…well, nothing a little acid couldn't handle. Summoning one of her more deadly poisoned blades, Tenten cut through the automatic locks of the door. There was no sizzling, smoking or any other theatrics, the acidic composition of the poison just melted the locks and the door was able to swing open on its hinges.
Her captors really had been careless this time. It seemed almost too easy…perhaps it was trap…?
She hadn't been able to even attempt an escape the first time, what with the chains that bound her to a wall whenever they had not been violating her and the drugs circulating in her body, not to mention the injuries they had dealt her. This time though, it seemed far too simple…like they were baiting her or something…
No matter, she was going to complete her escape- trap or no – and then she was going to make those bastards wish they had never been born.
But first things first…she was gonna look for her scroll and make the idiot who had taken it from her pay.
XXXXXX
"Hurry it along, we don't have much time."
Though spoken in a whisper, the phrase echoed along the walls, producing an unsettling atmosphere with the reverberation.
"Yes, Makoto-san," the burly man replied with a frown as he carried the petite body of the unconscious Hyuuga heiress to the large table.
Haijime Makoto had been informed of the four Konoha ninja not far from their base and he wanted to get this over and done with as soon as possible. It was likely that in rushing the proceedings, they were bound to make mistakes but he didn't care after all, finally, finally his plans were coming to fruition.
He had been eagerly waiting for this moment, trying not to think about it too much lest he jinx his chances at regaining the respect he'd lost. Yes, he was superstitious; there was nothing wrong with that.
The unconscious princess had no idea how much change her eyes would bring to Kumogakure. Learning the secrets of the byakugan was no small feat and there were thousands out there who were after them. Kumo would gain many allies and monetary profits by just simply selling each mystery of the kekke genkai one by one, and then they could make their own modified byakugan.
Makoto had brought instruments and chemicals needed not only for extracting the heiress' eyes but for also attaining some of the eggs in her ovaries. The scientists from the Lightening village had been researching into human genetic modification and he was sure they would love to get their hands on some of the coveted Hyuuga genes. He would make them beg first of course, but it would all be worth it in the end.
The four ninja he had been working with could then have her if they wanted. Pathetic filth; barely able to contain their animalistic instincts. He suppressed the urge to spit in disgust. He didn't care what they did to her, as long as they left her dead.
"Let's begin," he informed his four allies, barely able to hide the greedy glint in his eye.
Makoto approached the table, taking in the form of the sleeping Hyuuga and reached to wipe the hair from her forehead making sure that accursed clan seal had not yet been placed on her. The forehead was clean; that was good. He smirked in satisfaction as he got his extraction set ready.
It was at that though moment that everything went black and before he could even fathom what had just happened he felt himself experiencing the sensation of falling. His own body had barely registered the small jabs on his chest as it slipped into its own kind of darkness and oblivion.
XXXXXX
"How long will the genjustu last?"
"Not long. It's very simple and is meant just to startle them so we can move into place; besides, I'm pretty sure they will dispel it almost immediately," Sakura replied.
As she soared along with Sai on his giant eagle beast summons, she couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation in view of the oncoming fight. She looked down at the enemy's cabin and marveled at how small it looked from 30,000 feet in the air. Her thoughts were cut short however by Sai again.
"Shouldn't Uchiha Sasuke have set the genjutsu instead; the sharingan has more illusionary powers."
Sakura stirred at the man's underestimation of her own power. It wasn't that she'd wanted to cast a weak genjutsu; Shikamaru had said it would be best if she did so as to conserve her chakra for any healing that might be required. Also, no matter how good she was at the illusionary arts, there seemed to be someone better among their opponents and he would be able to dispel her genjutsu easily.
"It does, but I'm not sure about its capabilities to create a large-scale illusion around an area. I think it's mainly a visual based ability; you have to look into his eyes to be caught in his genjutsu," Sakura said in response to Sai's inquiry.
She got no reaction however and hoped that had satisfied him, though she wasn't sure about the theory herself. The summons began to descend and she was soon able to make out the forms of Sasuke-kun and Shikamaru waiting for them to land.
"What next?" she asked Shikamaru, trying to forget the split second when her eyes had locked with Sasuke-kun's and the intensity she'd found in his gaze.
"We're going in after them as well," Shikamaru replied.
Sakura got off the bird as Sai re-called it and pondered on Shikamaru's plan. He had divided the team into 3 units, each with different skills to counter different attacks, though each team had someone who was not easily affected by genjustu. It was a smart move but she had not been surprised at all; this was Shikamaru they were talking about after-all, he was a strategic genius.
"Shouldn't someone stay behind just in case things don't go as planned?" Sai inquired.
"Yes, Sakura will stay."
The medical ninja turned to look at Sasuke-kun in unveiled surprise at his statement.
"Wh-what?"
"You're the medical ninja in the team; we need you to remain unharmed as a precaution," Sasuke replied slowly, deliberately; as if talking to a child.
Sakura was still dumbfounded and continued to stare at him, utterly speechless. The burning intensity she had seen in his eyes earlier had completely vanished, only to be replaced by dispassionate boredom.
Slowly by slowly, she was brought out of her stupor by the rising indignant and angry ball in her chest as his words finally hit her.
"No," she said simply and his eyes narrowed just a fraction at that but she stood her ground. She was not some weakling to be protected all the time by him; besides they were her friends too!
"Sakura has a point," Shikamaru stated, ending the staring contest the two had started. "If any of us get hurt in there, it would be easier for her to get to us if she was in the building than if she were out here."
"I'll be fine," she seemingly said to no one in particular but Sasuke grunted anyway. Satisfied, she turned to Shikamaru and asked; "so who will be staying out here?"
"I will, it would be easier for me to co-ordinate your movements from outside," he replied.
"Ah, so you've assigned yourself less work this time as well?"
The Nara turned to look at Sai in annoyance and Sakura suppressed a smile when he muttered 'troublesome.' Some things never changed.
Sasuke spared her one last look before signaling for them to leave; she hoped this time, things would be ok.
XXXXXX
"Why does everyone go after the person they want except for me?" Kiba asked, trying to keep the pout out of his voice.
He'd wanted to go after Hinata, but Shikamaru had assigned him and Neji to look for Tenten. He'd done his best to argue but he'd seen the logic in the end; where Neji's eyes failed him, Kiba could use his nose and vice-versa. Yes, he had accepted the team-up in the end, but he still had complaining rights and he was going to use them as much as he could.
"No offense Neji; I mean, your chick is hot and all bu-"
"That's quite enough."
Kiba turned to look at the Hyuuga whose face was as impassive as ever, except for the vessel pulsating at his temple. He gave a large grin; barely 2 minutes into their new strategy and he had already pissed off the stoic man.
This was going to be fun!
"Aw, come-on, don't be such a stick in the mud; all I said was Tenten is smoking ho-"
Akamaru chose that moment to interrupt him with a low growl.
Suddenly all business, he looked down at his canine partner and whispered; "What is it boy?"
Before he got a reply, a cry of 'kaiten!' cut across the corridor and he looked up just in time to see 2 large silver dogs hit and bounce off the blue shield surrounding Neji.
Ah yes, this was going to be fun indeed.
Neji, however, chose that moment to interrupt Kiba's thoughts.
"Kiba; use Tenten's scent to find her. I'll handle this."
Needless to say, the Inuzuka was not pleased but he understood the logic. Neji would not be able find Tenten alone no matter how much he tried owing to the fact that the cabin's walls seemed to be reinforced with bright pulsating chakra that hurt his eyes every time he turned on his byakugan. Nodding in comprehension, Kiba took off down another corridor.
"Don't worry though; I'll take good care of your girlfriend!"
What? So he couldn't help that last jab; it was no crime.
XXXXXX
Hinata ran down the corridor trying to regulate her breathing so the gasps did not reverberate off the walls. Saying her day had been weird would be a major understatement. She hadn't known what her captors wanted with her and she wasn't stupid enough to stick around long enough to find out.
It had been their mistake when one of them came to get her from the closed room she'd been kept in thinking that perhaps she was still knocked out with their drugs. Tired of the constant darkness, she'd just closed her eyes and dozed off only to wake when she was being carried to God knew where.
She'd been sharp enough to know not to open her eyes though, and had concentrated on taking slow deep breaths to keep up the appearance of slumber. A few murmurs were heard here and there and a distinct command to hurry up was voiced.
Hinata had soon felt the cold smoothness of a table beneath her form and almost flinched when she felt warm rough hands brush across her forehead. It had been a struggle not to open her eyes and take the whole situation in but she'd reminded herself that patience was a key ninja tool.
Patience, patience, patience. It was a mantra she'd chanted in her head hoping her chance for escape would arrive; but as time went by, her hope and resilience begun to fade.
Sure enough, when she heard a soft gasp of surprise echo in the room, she'd opened her eyes only to find the room pitch black. For a while, the Hyuuga heiress had wondered whether she was still in her cell but found it not so when she activated her byakugan and saw through the weak illusion that had been cast around the room.
The men in the room had been startled by the genjutsu however and she'd acted fast, closing the vital chakra points of the one standing close to the table first. She'd moved fast and hit the second one from behind but her luck, it seemed, had ended there as the illusion faded and light flooded the room once more.
The last man standing in the room had not been much as she'd found out he was mostly a genjutsu user and even he seemed to know he'd lost as soon as she'd faced him since the byakugan was almost impervious to illusions. The battle had ended in 2 minutes though Hinata had to admit, the man did put up a good fight.
But as she ran down the corridor, trying to find a way out, her body was failing her. The constant use of her byakugan in a room whose walls were pulsating with blindingly white chakra coupled with the low chakra reserves she was dealing with had given her an intense migraine and since her adrenaline high had worn off, the pain had intensified.
Closing her eyes for a moment, she winced in pain and slowed her pace a fraction. She completely stopped and ducked behind a corner though when she heard loud, fast footsteps and a few mumbles echo across the corridor in front of her.
Not giving her enemies a chance to re-capture her, she stayed silent and waited for an opportune moment. The footsteps came closer and closer and if she timed it just right, she could strike her opponent before he saw her. Wait, wait, now!
Using the wall as her shield, Hinata struck out blindly with a chakra loaded palm only to meet a hard resistance. A gurgle sounded however and she felt, more than saw her opponent fall down flat.
"Hinata?" a deep voice asked
Wait, what?
"Shino-kun!" she gasped when she stepped out from behind the wall. Her face blanched however when she saw who it was she'd just knocked out.
"Naruto-kun?"
Shino looked from Naruto to Hinata and for the first time in ages, whether from amusement, shock or relief she'd never know, he let a quiet chuckle escape his mouth.
XXXXXX
A/N: I know, I know my fighting scenes kinda suck but hey, am not much of an action fan either. For all those out there who are waiting for some Nejiten moments, I've got you covered. You're just gonna have to wait for the next chapter which won't be long; trust me! Am gonna make good use of my winter break.
On a side note, I've been seriously ill for about a week and have only just recently recovered. Reviews might make me feel better though *hint* *hint* just putting it out there you know… (^_^)
