The old man had clearly been dead less than a day, as his corpse was still locked in the rigid grip of rigor mortis and relatively few insects had moved in to feed. Those that had come, mainly flies, were concentrated in a shifting black mass just under Jun's collarbone, where sticky maroon blood congealed around the protruding hilt of a tanto. The tanto's blade was wholly embedded in Jun's flesh, at an angle that would have brought its tip down against his scapula. He'd been run through and bled out in moments.

That much Neji could determine visually, from a distance. He'd found the body himself, coming to meet Tenten, and immediately gone back to the village to summon help. Now an investigation team assembled by the Hokage worked the scene – Sakura, wearing gloves and a gauze mask, examined the corpse, while Kiba and his white dog Akamaru moved outward in a widening spiral, sniffing everything.

"The presence of a medic-nin is probably unnecessary," said Neji to the man beside him. "It's obvious what killed him."

Shino, the third investigator, did not respond. Though it was a hot and humid summer evening he wore his customary hooded jacket, together with a pair of sunglasses that completely obscured his eyes. To an observer he would have looked utterly inactive, but Neji knew better, having seen a stream of insects emanate from his sleeves just minutes before.

"The real question," Neji continued, "is who."

Shino shifted slightly, turning his head to peer sideways out of his hood. "Are you looking for revenge?" he asked blandly.

Neji's eyebrows shot up. The thought had never occurred to him – he wasn't exactly sorry Jun was dead. "Of course not. This man and I were not close. He betrayed Lady Hyuuga and somehow got himself killed, and that sounds like justice to me." Neji didn't add his other thought, that with Jun dead Hanabi would be left isolated and easier to control.

Cold-bloodedness was a common Hyuuga trait.

Shino again gave no reply and returned his attention to Kiba, now crouching low and listening intently to a series of low staccato growls from Akamaru. Abruptly Kiba stood and turned, raising a hand to beckon them closer.

Giving Jun's corpse a wide berth, Neji and Shino moved swiftly over the sandy ground. Soon Neji could see what had attracted the dog-nin's attention: a pair of oblong depressions, parallel to one another and gently pointed.

"Footprints," he said.

Kiba ran a hand through his scruffy brown hair. "Yeah, anyone can see that. But Akamaru's picked up something else, the scent of the person who left 'em."

"Who is it?" asked Shino.

"Akamaru doesn't know."

Neji felt a spurt of irritation. "Then why," he asked coldly, "did you call us over here? Was it just to tell us you've found nothing?"

When he spoke like that most people were cowed. Kiba wasn't – he looked Neji squarely in the face, so that the triangular maroon markings on both his cheeks were visible, and said, "Of course not." It came out almost as a snarl. "Akamaru remembers the scent of everyone he's ever met, so the fact he doesn't know this one is important. Besides, he can tell that the person is from your clan."

"A Hyuuga?"

"That's right. Akamaru says it's a girl who smells a lot like Hinata."

"Hanabi-sama, then." It seemed obvious now; Hanabi and Jun had been in league, so she'd have been involved in whatever transpired here.

Above his glasses, Shino's eyebrows knit. "Neji-san, weren't the dead man and Hanabi allies?"

"I think so, since I know Jun opposed Hinata-sama's leadership and they disappeared at the same time."

"Then it wouldn't make any sense for her to kill him, would it?"

Put so starkly, it was a shocking thought. But Hanabi was the product of a truly twisted lineage and in a state of desperation, so Neji couldn't dismiss it out of hand. Right now, for her, it was possible.

"Hold on," said Kiba. "All I said was that a Hyuuga – probably Hanabi – stood here. I didn't say she did the killing."

Neji was struck by the assuredness in the dog-nin's voice. "I can't be certain she didn't. Can you?"

Kiba shrugged. "Yeah. Remember that Akamaru and I started sniffing back at the body. We smelled everything – the old man and the knife sticking out of his chest. A third person's scent was all over the handle, and concentrated pretty heavily on the ground too. And Akamaru and I both recognized this one."

"Who?"

"Your teammate, Tenten."

Neji whirled, activated his Byakugan, and focused on Jun's corpse. There wasn't anything to see, just a moldering body, but he looked specifically at the shaft of metal invading the old man's chest, the blade that had ended his life. It was broad and flat, perhaps a foot long, with a looped metal handle. He wasn't sure exactly what he was looking for, other than some sure indication that the weapon was Tenten's, but of course there was nothing. The tanto was thoroughly generic, something any chuunin might carry.

"Well?" Kiba demanded. "See anything?"

Neji deactivated the Byakugan and turned around again. "No. I see nothing to confirm what you're telling me. But I did ask Tenten to meet me here today. I assumed that she heard about the trouble here and went somewhere else to wait." It was the only reason he'd been able to come up with to explain why she hadn't turned up, and was exactly the sort of level-headed thing she might do.

It seemed, though, that her absence had a more sinister explanation.

"Apparently she did come to meet you, after all," said Shino thoughtfully. "And encountered Hanabi and Jun. But did she attack them, or did they attack her?"

Neji's mouth went dry as he remembered Tenten's reaction to the activation of his curse mark, her outrage at seeing him weak and in pain. She was normally sensible, but she had a temper and had yet to let go of her grudge against the Main House. It was all too easy to believe that she would have attacked first and asked questions later. Was she in hiding, then, having fled after committing a terrible crime?

If she was it was his fault, not hers, for involving her in a situation where she had no power, and for sending her here to wait. If there was punishment to be dispensed he would take as much of it as he could; he would not allow her to suffer for his mistakes.

Then he thought back to a scene not far from here, to a time when she had sighed with disappointment and said "You still can't bring yourself to depend on me …" She wanted him to trust her, to rely on her to do the right thing for them both.

He did.

She was like her jutsu – sharp, swift, and most of all accurate. She might have borne a grudge, might have made threats and even thrown a kunai at Hanabi, but she would never have taken it this far. She was too disciplined for that.

"No," he said aloud, in response to Shino and his own unspoken doubts. "No, she would never kill without a reason. He must have tried to harm her."

"How can you know that?" Kiba demanded irritably. "The evidence doesn't tell us either way."

"I know Tenten," replied Neji simply.

"She had a reason," said a voice from behind them, and then Sakura was there, arranging the contents of a sample case and peeling off her gloves. Her mask was pulled down around her neck.

"You found something?" asked Shino.

"Yes. Nothing about the cause of death, of course, because that's clearly the tanto. But underneath the body there was a little pile of these." She retrieved a tiny plastic bag from within the case and held it up for them all to see. It appeared nearly empty, except for a fine grey powder at the bottom.

"Metal shavings." Neji felt a pang. "She must have been sharpening the tanto. She does that when she's waiting."

Shino was unimpressed. "That only confirms that she was here, which we already know. Have you found anything else important, Sakura? Something to explain your statement?"

She seemed to hesitate briefly, then pulled out a wrinkled sheet of paper. There was a little blood on it, up near the corner, dried out to a blackish color. "This was tucked into his robes. I didn't bag it up, even though I probably should have. Like you said, we already pretty much know who was here, and it's clear this was meant to be read by a certain person." Then she extended her arm toward Neji, handing it to him.

He took it and looked down to see neat lines written in an elegant, aristocratic hand. The genteel writing was at odds with the brutal message:

"Neji-nii san,

You and Hinata-nee san have taken everything from me,

so now I have taken something equally important from

you. Tenten and I are still in the village, so I am certain

you will be able to find us. I want Hinata-nee san to

come speak with me alone by sunset tomorrow, or I will

kill your teammate. I do not want to do it, but please

believe that I will. I want to speak to my sister so we can

arrange a way of giving me back what is rightfully mine.

--Hanabi"

He read it once, quickly, then again more slowly. He felt shock, panic, and rage in quick succession, and clamped down hard on them all, so that a slightly creased brow was the only outward sign of his distress.

"What is it? What's it say?" asked Kiba.

Neji made sure to keep his voice very even and controlled. "Apparently Hanabi-sama has kidnapped Tenten and is holding her until Lady Hyuuga comes to negotiate."

For a moment Kiba looked confused, then his expression cleared. "Oh, you mean Hinata." Of course he could not have been used to hearing his teammate referred to by her new title. "So Tenten killed Jun when he and Hanabi came to kidnap her?"

"It seems so." Probably they thought she'd be a pushover, easy prey, and she'd proved them wrong.

"Where's the meeting supposed to happen?"

"I don't know. She only says that she's somewhere in the village, and I'm supposed to find her."

"That shouldn't be too hard," said Shino. "Kiba can track her scent from here."

"Yeah, that's no problem." Kiba reached down to pat Akamaru's head. "You heard him. Let's go, boy!" Akamaru put his nose down and began snuffling off to the southwest.

Before he could follow his hound Neji caught Kiba's arm. "Don't engage her, Kiba. Just find out her location. Anything more puts Tenten at risk."

Kiba nodded once. "Got it."

"Meet us in the Hokage's office," said Shino. "Lady Tsunade will be the one to decide on a response, and she'll need whatever information we can give her."

Kiba signaled his comprehension with a wave and then sprinted after Akamaru, taking deep breaths through his nose to pick up the scent. Neji watched him leave, finding it unexpectedly hard not to follow.

* * *

She had suffered losses, but she didn't mean to give up.

The older girl, laid out in an untidy pile in the corner of the room, murmured and turned over in her sleep. Hanabi eyed her cautiously, wondering if she might be waking. That technique Jun had used should leave her unconscious for the rest of the day, but Tenten had already proved stronger than expected. Hanabi had never seen anyone move as fast as she had, whirling in place to impale Jun.

It should be all right, though, even once Tenten regained consciousness. Hanabi had removed all her weapons, both those on her pack and those on her body, and tied her up securely. The hostage would pose no risk to her; all further threats would come from outside, where the thick forest sheltered deadly beasts and creeping assassins indiscriminately. Hanabi had her Byakugan engaged and was using it to keep a watch on her surroundings, alert to any sign of an attack. It could come at any moment and she had to be ready.

Briefly Hanabi wished she had set the deadline for sometime sooner than sunset tomorrow. It was going to be a long, lonely night, during which she would not be able to let her guard down long enough to sleep. Jun should have been here, of course, to share the burden, but because of Tenten he wasn't and Hanabi was alone.

She felt her isolation with the keenness of a sharpened knife.

She and Jun hadn't been exactly close – he was too chilly, too guarded for that. But he'd filled a void after Hiashi's death, and also before that when her father's belief in her mysteriously began to wane. Unlike Hinata she'd never had to function as her own sole source of confidence; she wasn't really sure she knew how. She would learn, though, because anything Hinata could do, she could do too.

Of course Hinata had supporters now, a whole crowd of people behind her. There were the elders and most of the Branch House, and above all Neji. According to Jun, Neji was the ultimate cause of her pain, the catalyst that finally changed Hiashi's mind. Once Hanabi had admired him for his excellence, but now when she thought of his preference for her sister and his utter lack of regard for her, she felt only rage.

Soon Neji and everyone else would have to acknowledge her ruthlessness. She was more daring and capable of action than her sister. Hinata just talked, and sought harmony, and was weak. Hinata probably wouldn't have carried on after seeing her only ally cut down in an instant.

And that brought her back to thinking about Jun's death, the way his blood had gushed out in a crimson torrent. There had been no last words or dying declarations, only a surprised old man and a sticky red pool. Hanabi was a ninja and had seen death before, but not often and not like this. She'd known Jun, and watched the life drain from his eyes, and been helpless to stop it.

Even then, in spite of the tears that stung at her eyes and the sudden panic that twisted in her gut, she'd forced herself to plant her note with shaking hands, heft Tenten onto her shoulders, and make for this hideout. And she sat here keeping watch, even though she was exhausted and hungry and had someone else's blood on her clothes.

She had been sorely tested and proved her strength and determination. She had suffered, yes, but she didn't mean to give up.

* * *

The Hokage's office was crowded, and everyone had an opinion.

"If we send ANBU in –"

"—has to sleep sometime—"

"—hard-hitting assault by two taijutsu specialists—"

"SHUT UP!" roared Lady Tsunade, pounding a fist down on her desk. A tea mug and several stacks of paperwork bounced onto the floor. "All of you shut up! I can't think when you all talk at once!"

The room's occupants fell silent and looked at her in alarm. At the Hokage's side, shrinking back from her master's outburst, was Sakura, and opposite her stood Kiba, Shino, and Akamaru. What remained of Team Gai was grouped in the center of the room, beside Hinata and a menacing Hyuuga bodyguard. Finally, Shikamaru slouched behind everyone else near the door, clearly ambivalent about his participation in this evening meeting.

"From now on," said Tsunade dangerously, "we all speak one at a time. Understood?"

There were nods all around.

"Good. First, since some of us still haven't heard your information yet, I want you to tell us where you've tracked Hanabi's scent to, Kiba."

Kiba shrugged. "She's in the Forest of Death. She's holed up in that building at the center, where we all took the chuunin exams."

"You're certain of that?"

"Yeah. Akamaru and I didn't get too close, because we could smell some kind of trap, but she's definitely there with Tenten."

Tsunade sighed. "Ordinarily I'd say that the location would give us an advantage, since we could surround the building unobserved, but in this case that doesn't apply. Hanabi's Byakugan will allow her to see attackers who try to hide in the trees."

"That's why it's unwise to try any conventional rescue mission," said Neji. Beside him Gai, who'd been arguing for an immediate attack by his team, looked appalled. "Hanabi-sama will detect any assault long before it reaches her, giving her enough time to harm Tenten or change location. There's no safe way to approach her."

"But Neji-kun," said Lee, "Tenten is our teammate! She is our responsibility! Surely you are not suggesting that we do nothing?"

"Of course I'm not. But we also shouldn't do anything that could get her killed."

Tsunade fixed him with a sharp gaze. "You really think your cousin's that desperate, then? She's only a teenager, after all, and her record until now has been very good. I have a hard time thinking she's capable of killing in cold blood."

Before Neji could answer, Hinata, who had been silent until now, spoke. "She's capable," she said quietly. "I know her better than anyone here. She was trained by our father to do anything necessary to accomplish the mission, and to see other people as a means to that end. She's also confused and in pain. I think she really will hurt Tenten-san if we push her."

Hinata had obviously been awake for too many hours. Her pearly bloodshot eyes were vivid in her drawn face and she swayed on her feet. But her back was held rigidly straight and her hands were balled into fists, evidence of the iron will keeping her upright.

Everyone turned to look at her, and Kiba scowled. "You look terrible, Hinata. You should go home and rest – we'll take care of your sister for you."

She shook her head firmly, her long hair swaying. "No, Kiba, this is my responsibility. Tenten-san has become a victim of my clan's internal struggle, and as the clan head it's up to me to make it right. And in the note Hanabi asked for me – I'm the only one who can go to her."

The Hokage regarded Hinata measuringly. She'd watched her grow from a timid, discarded genin into quietly confident chuunin, and now into the leader of Konoha's most important clan. It had to give Tsunade a feeling of vertigo, and age.

"You're right of course, Lady Hyuuga," she said finally. "This matter is as much your responsibility as mine. So you agree with Neji that it's too risky to send a squad to take Tenten back by force?"

"I do. I think we should do exactly as the note requests. I should go to Hanabi and negotiate for Tenten-san's release. If that fails … I-I will engage Hanabi in combat."

Neji made eye contact with Hinata's bodyguard, a Branch House chuunin, and saw that they were thinking the same thing: Hinata must not go alone into what was surely a trap. But it would be a tricky thing to say so without undermining her newly-minted authority.

Neji turned to face her and chose his words carefully. "Lady Hyuuga, please allow me to go in your place. Tenten is my teammate, and I would like the be the one to rescue her."

Lee and Gai both made noises of protest at that, until quieted by a threatening gesture from Lady Tsunade. Hinata looked down at the floor, then back up again. "Nii-san, thank you for the offer. But the note asked for me, and if we send someone else Tenten-san will be in danger. And of everyone here, I think I have the best chance of convincing Hanabi to come home. I'll make some kind of offer to her if I have to." She took a deep breath. "You're worried that I won't be able to bring myself to hurt Hanabi, even if it's the only way out of this. It's true my sister's important to me, but so are you, and … I know what Tenten-san means to you. I will do whatever I must save her life. That is a promise, nii-san."

Kiba's expression changed to disbelief, while Shino nodded gravely. Lady Tsunade merely looked grim. Into the expectant silence and around a lump in his throat Neji said, "It's not your determination I'm worried about, Lady Hyuuga, but your safety. Hanabi-sama has had hours, maybe longer, to plan this, and will surely be ready for your arrival. If this is a trap she's set for you, then it would be foolish to send you into it. Keeping her off balance is to our advantage."

"But Neji-san," said Sakura, "you said yourself that an attack would put Tenten-san at risk. How is sending you in Hinata's place any different?"

"Good question," said the Hokage.

Neji frowned. "This situation has Jun's fingerprints all over it. Think about it – why, of all the people they could have kidnapped, did they choose Tenten? Why not another Hyuuga, someone Lady Hyuuga would have to be concerned for?"

"It may just have been a matter of convenience," Sakura pointed out. "And if their goal was to force Hinata's hand, it worked, didn't it?"

"It worked because Lady Hyuuga doesn't reserve her concern only for members of her own clan. But then anyone would have done, and they chose the person who I … whose absence would be sure to annoy me." In his eagerness to make his argument he'd nearly forgotten himself; Tsunade's eyebrows had hitched up her forehead. Referring to his feelings for Tenten was not going to get him what he wanted. "This was a strike at me as much as at Lady Hyuuga. It was meant to put our interests in conflict. If Lady Hyuuga obeys the note she exposes herself to whatever plan they've made, but if she doesn't her willingness to abandon Tenten drives a wedge between us. Either way they stand to gain." Explaining the plan's treachery, the way it was meant to cause him personal suffering at every turn, filled him with fresh anger.

"That's awfully sophisticated thinking for a fourteen-year-old," said Tsunade. "And even if you're right, it still doesn't mean Hanabi will be willing to speak with you."

"That's why I say this situation was clearly arranged by Jun. He's been the one pulling the strings, taking advantage of Hanabi-sama's desire to lead her clan. The fact that he tried to split me from Hinata-sama is a clear indication that he thought I was manipulating her." He paused. "That is untrue, of course, but what's important is what Jun believed, and what he may have told Hanabi-sama. She's alone now, probably frightened, and might waver enough to deviate from their original plan and talk to me, especially if she thinks I have special influence over Lady Hyuuga."

The Hokage sat back. "Shikamaru!" she called. "Have you been listening? What do you think about all this?"

Shikamaru was making a close examination of the ceiling tiles. "Makes sense to me," he replied with a shrug. "Everything fits. But there's still no guarantee Hanabi'll agree to talk to Neji. She might react violently if she sees him coming."

Neji had given some thought to that eventuality. "Hanabi-sama and I will be able to see one another from a great distance. If she's unwilling to speak to me, I'll be able to tell long before I approach the building. You could send a backup squad to move in in that case."

Tsunade folded her arms. "Well?" she asked Shikamaru.

He finally looked down from the ceiling. "As a general principle it's best not to let the enemy choose all the circumstances of an engagement. But the risk to Hinata if she goes and the risk to Tenten if she doesn't are about equal. It all depends on variables I can't evaluate, like Hanabi's state of mind."

Tsunade nodded. "That being the case, I'll leave the decision up to the person here who knows Hanabi best, and who's most directly responsible for her." The Hokage's eyes shifted and hardened. "The choice is yours, Lady Hyuuga."

It wasn't only about the mission, Neji knew; by consulting with Hinata the Hokage was publicly recognizing her leadership. It was good to know his cousin had such a powerful ally.

Hinata cleared her throat. "Nii-san, if you go, what are your plans? Do you mean to … kill my sister?"

"Not unless it's absolutely necessary. First I'll try to do what you suggested – talk to her. And even if we fight, you know I'm capable of disabling her without taking her life. That's what I'll do, if I possibly can."

Kiba made a rude noise. "Sorry Neji, but I don't think compassion's exactly your strong suit. We've all seen what you do to family when they make you angry. You can probably beat Hanabi, but your chances of persuading her are pretty small."

Neji's gaze flicked over to the dog-nin, who met his icy glare steadily. It seemed Kiba had never quite forgiven him for his teenaged crimes. He bit back the first angry retort that occurred to him and instead said, "Things change, Kiba. For the past several months I have been training in compassion with Hinata-sama, and I learn quickly."

That shut him up. It was satisfying to see the stunned look on the dog-nin's face.

Hinata took a deep breath, and immediately Neji forgot Kiba and turned back to her. "I cannot help but feel responsible for this situation," she began, "and I don't want anyone else to take risks on my behalf." Neji's heart sank. "But … there's no denying that Neji-nii san will have the better chance of performing a rescue successfully. Tenten-san is an innocent and her safety must come first. So I'll let nii-san go in my place."

"Lady Hyuuga," said Neji, "I promise I'll—"

She held up a hand to stop him. "Neji-nii san will go in first," she continued, "and we will move slowly and watch Hanabi's reaction. If it seems she will not allow him to proceed, then I will go instead. And … if the Hokage agrees, it might help to have a backup squad, just in case."

Lady Tsunage nodded briskly. "Sounds like a good idea," she said. "It's good to be prepared for every contingency."

"Lee and I volunteer!" said Gai immediately. "We want to do everything we can to help Tenten!"

"I'm coming," said Kiba flatly. "In case that little brat tries anything."

"I also volunteer," said Shino, the first words he'd spoken for the entire meeting.

"Me too," said Sakura.

"Not me," said Shikamaru. Everyone looked at him. "What?" he asked defensively. "There's already more than enough of you to pull this off. Any more team members would be a real pain."

"It's set then," said Tsunade. "Neji will try to negotiate with or incapacitate Hanabi, and Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Gai, Lee, and Sakura will go as backup. You'll go in the morning – the deadline's not until sunset tomorrow, so that gives everyone time to rest. All of you should go home now and get some sleep."

This last comment was clearly meant for Hinata, who seemed likely to collapse at any moment. Neji was feeling pretty exhausted himself, having experienced joy, shock, grief, rage, and fear all in a single day. Nevertheless he fully expected to be kept awake through the night by anxiety and eagerness.

As it turned out, though, he managed to find a few hours' sleep right before dawn. It was a fitful sleep, troubled by dreams in which he kept trying to reach out toward Tenten and succeeded only in pushing her farther away.

A/N: There's only one more chapter, and perhaps an epilogue, left to go. Thanks again to everyone who's been reviewing -- your support and commentary have been a big help!