Why me?
Tenten scanned the area with her keen eyes. 'Neji's eyes are much better than all ours combined. Even with Sasuke's Sharingan here, it's not as good as the Byakugan…' She muttered to herself. It felt so awkward to be with Naruto and Sasuke. Though they had grown as genin together, without Sakura made her feel more distant from them. Naruto noticed her tense state and asked questions.
"So Tenten? What are you going to do when you get to Konoha again?" Naruto gave another seriously cheeky grin. Tenten shrugged her shoulders, but her mind screamed with answers, 'Why the heck do you ask such a stupid question?! I'm only going to go back to Konoha once I know Neji is in healthier condition. I do not want to go back to that place without any other reason.'
Sasuke felt a presence over them. Darting his eyes to the left, he could see a faint figure quickly keeping in pace with them. 'Who could that be?' The humor had left Sasuke, and he was in no mood for surprises. Catching Naruto's attention, Sasuke quietly threw a few shuriken at the direction and found no weapons being flung back. Sasuke glanced some more at the area. 'Why do I still feel like were being followed and-" He suddenly lost control of his body and stood swaying slowly on a low tree branch.
"Uchiha Sasuke, what a pleasant surprise; though it's a little sad because you're now under arrest as a S-ranked criminal from Konoha. And after all these years..your cute face has barely even changed."
Naruto shivered at the voice of the other annoying kunoichi from Konoha. Tenten appeared confused. 'Why does Sasuke stop just because of someone's voice?'
Sasuke closed his eyes and grinned casually at the voice, "It has been awhile...Nara and Yamanaka." A few branches above, Shikamaru held Sasuke in his Shadow Imitation Technique while Ino Yamanaka stood proudly watching Sasuke being captured in their simple trap. Both had ANBU uniforms as well, but both their masks were missing from their face.
Naruto yelled angrily at his two friend, "Shikamaru! Ino! What are you donig?! Sasuke is here helping us!"
Ino changed her view to Naruto and saw Tenten, "TENTEN?" She quickly jumped from branch to branch to find her friend, Tenten standing next to Naruto. "We all thought you had died Tenten..." Ino looked down at the bark and sighed.
Shikamaru diverted his attention for a quick second to see the lost kunoichi. Sasuke smiled for it was enough to escape his trap. He simply stretched out his arms slowly making Shikamaru tense while holding Sasuke down. "INO!" Shikamaru could barely hold his Shadow Imitation Technique any longer.
"I'm sorry Shikamaru!" Ino placed her hands like a box on top of her chest and muttered a few words. 'This new jutsu of just taking control of one's body is much better than switching bodies with them.'
'Shit! What's happening?' Sasuke was trapped in a new ninjutsu Ino had created, 'What is this?' He could feel his mind submerging into darkness, where he watched helplessly as his body was under Ino's control. 'I feel so weak losing against such a mediocre ninja, but why can't I fight back.' Sasuke turned his body towards Shikamaru and stood obediently behind him.
Shikamaru shivered, 'Even under Ino's control, he still creeped him out.' He sighed and stood up, wiping his sweaty hands on his pants. "Naruto, can you tell me how you ran into both Sasuke AND Tenten?" He was cut off by Tenten, who observed Ino and Shikamaru intently.
"Ino Yamanaka and Shikamaru Nara. Ino specialized in Mind Transfer Jutsu and Shikamaru in Imitation Shadow Jutsu. Do you remember who I am?" She pointed to herself waiting for a response.
"Of course we do Tenten!" Ino ran up and hugged the slightly shocked Tenten. "You were the best weapons fighter in all of Konoha. Everyone said you had so much potential, till you...disappeared."
Ino exchanged glances with Shikamaru. Shikamaru nodded and Ino continued, "When you disappeared, the fire country wasn't exactly the same. It was very painful to find a ninja of our own to disappear all of a sudden..." He didn't want to mention about Neji in the story. "Then three years later, you ended up right at the doorstep of Konoha...yet a different person. So Neji, Naruto and Sakura were ordered to help you...but it's been more than four months since Konoha last heard from Neji, Naruto and Sakura. So Miss Lady Hokage decided to send all the new ANBU recruits in search of you guys, as well as the traitorous Sasuke Uchiha."
Ino grinned and let go of Tenten to hug Naruto, "Kiba, Hinata are scouting nearby as well..we can all hang out together and spend time like we did in the old days...just as soon as Neji and Sakura come."
Tenten felt her eyes water some more, and Naruto interrupted Ino before she could continue, "Ino...Neji got hurt and Sakura is nursing him back to health right now. We currently don't have time for any reunions because we were going back to Konoha because...the A...Ak..A.." Naruto kept chocking on the final word.
"The Akatsuki are coming to get us." Tenten muttered quietly.
Shikamaru and Ino's eyes enlarged quite a bit. "Were not sure if Neji is alright or if Sakura can heal him in time before they come. And it's all my fault!" Tenten slumped to her knees and began to weep piteously into her hands. "I shouldn't have tried to kill myself! I shouldn't have! Then Neji wouldn't have stopped me, by hurting himself..."
"It's not your fault." Ino had no idea what Tenten was murmuring to herself, but she couldn't stand sadness around herself. She placed a hand on Tenten's back attempting to reassure her long lost friend.
Tenten glared and shifted her body away, "SHUT UP! It IS my fault that he might die! Why do you always say, 'It's going to be okay...' when it's NOT?" Tenten sobbed more as her anger had overcome her own emotions. She slowly got up, still facing the ground, and walked against the tree, "I'm sorry...I should have never even remembered any of this. If it wasn't for Neji...then I wouldn't even know my own name right now." She grabbed a kunai from underneath her clothing and smiled sadly at the deja vu.
"No Tenten! Please!" Naruto cried out and tried to reach her.
"STAY AWAY!" Tenten yelled and pressed the kunai against her neck. A small pool of blood began to drip down her neck, "I have no interference this time and I won't regret this..." The kunai point went deeper into her skin. 'I'm sorry Neji...but I won't be living even if you survive my stupidity. I don't want you to suffer anymore...' The weapon engorged deeper into her body. With the increase of pain, her hands trembled while holding the kunai. 'I'm going to die right here and now.'
"Good bye..."
-THUD-
Tenten could still feel her body; still breathing; still active. 'Why am I still alive?' I should be dead by now.' Tenten felt the heat of another person and slowly touched her neck. The wound was deep, but the weapon had failed to reach her vitals. Slowly opening one eye, she found the kunai thrown off tot the side in the undergrowth. Despite her savior being unknown, she asked, "Why the hell did you save me? I do not deserve to live...people do not deserve second chances in life." The person brought her face close to their own.
"You deserve to live, because I cannot without you..." Tenten looked up to find Neji Hyuuga breathing unevenly.
"Is that you Nej-" Tenten became knocked unconscious from the lack of blood.
"That was a cruel trick to play Naruto." Shikamaru stood up crossing his arms. Even with his amazing skills of creating the exact replica of another person, it was mean to use a lover that may or may not have been deceased.
The fake Neji Hyuuga stood and grinned, "Who said I was Naruto?" A sudden mound of clouds formed around him as he changed back to his regular self. Shikamaru and Ino (especially her) looked dumbfounded.
"How...how..." Ino pointed her finger at the figure as the clouds subsided.
"I have my ways." He said picking up Tenten's body tenderly. "You know we don't have Sakura and Neji with us, correct?"
"Yeah...and you now know the status of the country...Sasuke." Shikamaru grimaced at the S-ranked ninja. "Is there anything you are planning to do about this?"
Sasuke signaled Naruto (who was silent next to Ino for ten straight mintues) to help him take away any more weapons from Tenten; that she could be hiding, "I really don't have anything planned, but you heard Tenten...the Akatsuki are coming. We don't know who they're after but they're coming."
Shikamaru closed his eyes and pondered deeply about the situation they were in, "Sasuke, though a former comrade, still cannot be trusted completely since he is a servant of Orochimaru. Though, it does not make connections to how Neji, Sakura and Naruto ran into him in the first place...Plus, where is the man Tenten was first with?' He sighed, 'This simple mission is more than I had asked for...' Shikamaru waved his hand to Naruto and Sasuke. "Follow us to the camp and please explain us the entire situation you are in."
Naruto and Sasuke glanced at each other in surprise and nodded in agreement, 'The more comrades, the better to keep the Akatsuki away...that's all that matters.'
Shikamaru strode ahead with Ino, who locked arms with him, "Do you know exactly what they mean when the Akatsuki are coming for 'someone'?" she silently asked him in his ear.
"No...but for now all we can do is trust that Uchiha and see what's happened to Neji and Sakura...Hinata will not be happy what she hears about Neji at all." Shikamaru groaned and put his head on Ino's shoulder. "Today is becoming such a drag."
A/N: Chapter 12 is FINALLY DONE. I'm sorry to those who have given me reviews on this. This is actually a small chapter to kind of like rising action to my later chapters…..It really has been too log since my last post on this fan fiction. Please forgive me once again. So Sasuke, Tenten and Naruto run into Shikamaru and Ino! Old acquaintances or just obedient ANBU members? Please read and review. If I don't have many reviews for this, I may stop this fan fiction completely ;;; I also need a beta reader for my stories so PLEASE message me if you can
