AUTHOR'S HEARTFELT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: I would just like to give my million thanks to Blitz Magnus and Aikuchi Shikaku, who, helped me make this fanfiction possible. Thank you so much! I wish I could repay you for your kindness someday.

AUTHOR'S SPECIAL HOLIDAY TREAT! Greetings of good tidings, everyone! And since today is Christmas, I am giving all of you a treat! My Christmas present to you is… 3 Chapters of Homebound up! That's right! Three! As in, T-H-R-E-E! So, I hope y'all enjoy these 3 Chapters! Happy holidays, everyone!

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(Chapter 25 – Strategies)

Tenten was now released from the hospital and so was Neji.

"I've been wondering…" Tenten said as they walked, getting out of the hospital, "Where do you think Lee and Sakura are right now? Is there a possibility that they are alive?"

"Let's not think negative, Tenten." Neji replied, "We'll continue our search."

"Before we continue, I just want to make things certain first." Tenten told her husband and then walked over to a map store.

"Good morning, Ma'am!" the shopkeeper greeted, "May I help you?"

"Yes, do you have a detailed map of this town?" Tenten asked.

Neji tailed behind Tenten, wondering what she's up to. Knowing that she's a woman who wants to aim her targets, he just keeps his trap shut. She must have a good idea.

"Here you go, Ma'am. Is this what you're looking for?" the polite shopkeeper said, handing her a handy detailed map of the town.

"Yes, this is it. How much is it?" Tenten continued as she looked the map.

"Ah, that will be 98 Ryous." He said.

Tenten reached in her pocket and got a 100-Ryou bill and handed it to the man, "Keep the change."

"Why thank you, Ma'am. Please come back again!" the shopkeeper bade as the couple exited the store.

"Where next, boss?" Neji teased.

Tenten smiled at him and said, "I would want to have enough time to think over. Would it be okay if we stayed at an inn? After all, we haven't had any rests and bookings yet!"

Neji nodded and told her, "Mind if you share your ideas with me later?"

"Of course I'll need your help!" she folded the map and smiled as she hugged his left arm and leaned her head on his… uh… upper arm. He's too tall you know?

Neji had a smile tugging at his lips and walked with his wife into an inn. They booked on the receiving desk of the inn and Neji got the keys to their room.

Once he opened the door, he gently pushed his wife into the room as a sign of 'Ladies first' and then closed the door behind him.

The room had one king-sized bed and it was large enough for the two of them. Tenten placed her luggage beside the bed and got a notebook and a pencil out from her bag and propped them down on the bed with the map.

She removed her sandals and sat on the bed with her legs crossed and opened the notebook, and then she began to write things down.

"First, Lee and Sakura disembarked the ferry and went to the bus terminal for foreigners who are going to enter the Mist." Tenten said out aloud.

When she wrote that down, she also drew a line on the map, from the pier outside the Mist and to the bus terminal near the pier.

Knowing what she's up to, Neji removed his sandals and sat across his wife with his legs crossed as well.

"And then the bus entered the gates of the Mist." Tenten said as she wrote that down and drew a line from the bus terminal and into the gates of the Mist on the map.

"This is the site where the chaos happened." Neji gently grabbed the pencil from his wife and drew a spot on the map, on the road past the gates of the Mist.

"Yes. And look Neji, around half a mile away from the road, there's a small group of houses here in the forest." Tenten took the pencil from her husband and drew a question mark on the group of houses shown on the map on the forest left of the road where the tragedy happened. The group of houses was at the center of the forest.

"There's a possibility that people from that group witnessed what had happened." Neji stood up and wore his sandals, "Stay here, I'll go ask if they did see what happened."

Just when he was about to leave, Tenten hurriedly stood up and wore her sandals as well and grabbed his wrist, "Wait, Neji!"

Her husband turned to her and asked, "What?"

"Do you still have that nin card Sakura gave before she left Konoha?" Tenten asked.

Neji walked over to his luggage and opened a side pocket on his bag. He found the blank nin card and gave it to his wife.

She took it and concentrated chakra on the card and it showed the details about Haruno Kashime.

"What about her?" Neji asked as he went beside her and took a look at the nin card.

"I'll go question her about it." Tenten answered, "I do not doubt the fact that she may answer our question."

"Great. But don't you want to go to the hospital first?" Neji smiled.

"Neji, I'm feeling better!" she shrugged, "There's no need for me to go back to the hospital!"

"I did not say that you need some more confinement, silly." He chuckled, "If they survived, they would be taken there, right?"

"You're so damn wise!" she stood on her heels and gave him a peck on his cheek.

With that, she opened the door and went out. Neji just stood there, slightly blushing with a hand on his cheek… and he smiled.

"Neji! Let's go!" he heard Tenten's voice from the ajar door.

He then went out of the room and locked the door.

TBC…

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AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'm sorry this chappie was short! Not to worry, because there are more on the next chapters! I PROMISE:D