Haha so fun fact guys, I've had like 6+ chapters typed out on my phone for about a year, I've just never gotten to editing them and uploading. But now I'm on a roll so you'll get a lot of updates. Who knows when I'll update again after that... *nervous chuckle*
"Quick, you three, run to the exit as fast as you can. I'll take the rear and deal with anyone that chases us."
"But Sensei,-" Mie began.
"Just go!" Tenten shouted before Mie could finish her sentence.
Frightened by the jonin's new tone, Kugi, Jin, and Mie took off running towards the exit of the building. Tenten stayed behind looking around the area for any enemies and started to follow her students once the area was clear. As the three genin were running, Kugi looked over to his teammates and spoke.
"Thank you for getting me out of there, you two. I can't imagine what would have happened if you all showed up even a minute later."
Jin scuffed at Kugi. "Well, I was the one who found you, so you're welcome for that. And I gotta say, getting dragged into your family messes is not what I planned on doing when I became a shinobi."
Kugi turned and gave Jin a disgusted look but before he could say anything, Mie beat him to it.
"Jin, it's not Kugi's fault that all of this is happening. You can't blame him. All you can do is help him and protect him the best you can."
Jin sighed and gave Kugi a sympathetic look, quietly apologizing to him. Kugi gave a small nod in response. Soon after, the three shinobi reached the exit to the building and stopped and turned around to check on their sensei. Tenten was across the room when they stopped and she quickly caught up to them, speaking once she got close enough for her team to hear.
"We need to keep running, all the way back to the village. Don't stop for anything."
When Tenten finished, Wanatake, the village leader, and many guards entered the room. Wanatake pointed at Tenten and shouted.
"There she is. She must have the plans with her."
Tenten turned to look at her students in worry.
"Get out of here. Keep running. Don't stop until you've reported to the Hokage."
"But what about you, Sensei?" Jin asked.
"I'll take care of myself. Just go!"
Without a second thought, the three genin turned and ran out of the building, in the direction of the Leaf village. Once they were out of sight, Tenten turned around and prepared to attack the enemies in front of her.
"I'm not sure what you guys are trying to accomplish with Kugi, but I will never let any of you touch him."
As Tenten continued to attack the Salt Village shinobi, the leader stood casually at the back of the room and spoke to her.
"He is of no use to us anymore, but we do need those plans you stole."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Tenten replied.
"Don't lie to me," the leader boomed. "I've had enough of you Leaf shinobi ruining everything. First, you take my plans, then the boy isn't a half-blood like the whole world was told."
"Half-blood?" Tenten question the leader.
"Hyuga blood is designed to attack and kill a person if it is entered into a non-Hyuga's bloodstream. But, with the help of some stolen Hyuga research, we can reverse those effects if the donor doesn't have Hyuga genes from both parents."
Tenten's eyes went wide in realization, though she continued to fight.
"That's why Kugi was specifically requested for the mission," Tenten said quietly to herself.
"Precisely," the leader replied, overhearing Tenten speak.
Tenten growled and her rage increased. She pulled a large scroll out from her backpack and unleashed the array of weapons sealed inside of it. Weapons of all different types went flying in all directions at top speeds, landing directly in the hearts of the ninja attacking her. She took a moment to ensure all her enemies were dead before she took off running to catch up with her students. As she ran away, she heard the village leader shout.
"We will destroy the Hyugas and all other elitist clans, remember that."
XXX
"We need to go back and check on Tenten-sensei."
"No, Jin," Mie shouted. "She told us to run and report to the Hokage as soon as possible. We have to follow our orders."
"Sensei can't expect us to take a two-day journey without stopping," Jin replied.
"Yes, she does. This is what shinobi are trained to do if they need to. Jonin can travel up to two weeks without sleeping. We can easily do two days to help Sensei and Kugi."
At this moment, Jin looked over at the unusually silent Kugi.
"Come on man. Where're your quick snaps at me?"
Kugi simply gave Jin a glace and remained silent concentrating on jumping from tree to tree.
Jin gave Kugi a concerned look.
"Seriously, I'm a little worried about you. Your sassy comebacks remind me that you're focused, so I know you're mind is somewhere else right now."
When Kugi still gave no reply, Mie spoke.
"Kugi…"
"I'm not a half-blood," Kugi said quietly.
"A what?" Mie asked.
"A half-blood. That's the term Wanatake used. My DNA is from two Hyuga parents, not just one."
"What does that mean?" Jin questioned.
"My mother was a Hyuga."
Mie and Jin turned to look at Kugi and they both gave him a shocked look.
"You must be joking, Kugi," Mie said. "There's no way that could be true."
Kugi shook his head. "I saw it for myself. They tested the DNA in my blood."
"Kugi, I…" Mie started. "I have no clue what to say."
Jin shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense. Your mother was a common woman with no family name. That's why she fled the Leaf. The entire Hyuga Council had to vote to even let you be born or not. That's what you told us."
"I know," Kugi snapped with frustration. "None of this makes any sense. The clan has so many secrets. There is so much about myself I don't know because the truth is kept from me. And now Sensei is getting attacked right now because of those secrets."
"I'm what now?" the genin heard behind them.
The three ninjas turned their heads to see their teacher behind them, quickly catching up to where they are.
Mie instantly smiled and shouted out to Tenten.
"Sensei! You caught up. I'm so happy to see you."
Once Tenten caught up to her team, she gave everyone a quick smile before it disappeared and was replaced with a stern look.
"I'm glad to see you guys too, but we need to keep going. We're still a day away from the village."
The three students gave their teacher a quick nod as the team continued their trip to the Leaf.
XXX
*knock, knock, knock*
"Come in," Naruto said loudly to the person on the other side of his office door.
The door opened and Tenten walked into the room followed by her genin squad. They all lined up in front of Naruto's desk, Tenten standing at attention and the younger ninja panting from just finishing their long run.
Naruto looked at Tenten with confusion. "Tenten, you don't need to report after escort missions, only paperwork is necessary."
"I know, Sir," Tenten spoke. "But we are here because we were compromised on our mission."
Naruto's expression quickly turned to one of worry.
"What? Compromised? How? Are you all okay?"
"We're all a little shaken up, but fine, nonetheless. The man we escorted stole secret research from within the Leaf Village and used that to make plans for a biological weapon. Once we got to the Salt Village, we discovered their intentions to take over the Great Nations, beginning with the Leaf. My team was put into a situation that is classified as higher than C Rank. Kugi was even captured and tortured."
Naruto took a moment to process the information before he let out a long sigh.
"That's awful. I am so sorry that you had to endure that Tenten. And Kugi, Jin, Mie, I am also truly sorry to you three too."
"Please don't apologize, Sir," Tenten said. "You had no clue this would happen. Myself and my students were trained well enough to escape the situation without any lasting harm."
"I am truly glad to hear that. I will have a team follow up on the issue. I would like for you to be on the team, Tenten if you are feeling up to it."
"Yes, Sir," Tenten said with a nod.
"Great," Naruto said before he looked at Tenten's students. "As for you three, take all the time you need to rest. I'll search for another jonin or chunin that can be a temporary leader for missions until Tenten returns."
"But Sir, we need to go with Sensei to help her," Jin shouted at Naruto. Mie elbowed him to get him to quiet down.
"Jin, you can't demand things from the Hokage."
"No, no," Naruto said holding up a hand. "It's quite alright. Back when I was your age and still to this day, I wanted to protect my sensei, Lord Kakashi, with all my power. I didn't realize until I was older and had my kids that I realized, it wasn't my job to protect Kakashi back then. It was his job to protect me, and it always will be until the end. Tenten trained and gave up so much to be a genin squad leader and she promised to protect all three of you. So, by having you three stay here and let her go on an A-rank mission, I'm helping her protect you guys. And in the future, pay it forward by protecting your kids, biological or students. I'm sure that's the greatest gift you guys could give Tenten."
That's correct, Sir," Tenten said smiling at her students.
"Great, and to do that, you all have to survive to become older. Until then, go home and rest," Naruto said with a smile. The three genin reluctantly bowed and said "Yes, Sir" in response. Naruto leaned back in his chair with a smile and looked at Tenten.
"You too, Tenten. You'll have some time to rest before the new team sets out."
"Sir," Tenten started, glancing at her students. "There's some 'Caged Bird Protocol' information from the mission I need to talk to you about."
Naruto rested his head in his hands and covered his face ominously.
"I understand," he said before he removed his hands and shouted across his office.
"Shikamaru!"
Shikamaru quickly appeared outside the office door.
"What do you need, Boss?"
"Please see to it that Jin, Mie, and Kugi make it home. I need to talk to Tenten privately.
"Of course, Sir," Shikamaru said, moving away from the door so the genin could herd themselves out. Once the door was shut and the kids were far enough away so she could not be heard, Tenten spoke to Naruto.
"Kugi needs to get the curse mark as soon as possible."
XXX
Shikamaru, Jin, Mie, and Kugi walked slowly through the streets of Konoha, quietly staring blankly at the space in front of them. Shikamaru had the same bored look on his face that he always does, but the three children had a slight look of fear and worry in their eyes. While Shikamaru was always one to prefer silence, he sympathized with the genin and once felt the exact worry they are feeling now.
"There's no need to worry about Tenten, you guys. She is one of the strongest shinobi that I have ever met. I know that she can take care of any threat in her way."
"That still doesn't change the fact that I've been lied to my entire life," Kugi mumbled in response.
Mie began trying to ease Kugi's frustration. "Kugi, it'll be fine once-"
"None of this is fine," Kugi shouted. "My entire family is lying to me and keeping secrets from me. My whole life I was told that my mother fled the village in disgrace for giving birth to a Hyuga half-blood only to find out that I'm not a half-blood at all. So, who is my mother and why did she leave? Not to mention this curse mark everyone kept talking about at the Salt Village. I have no clue what it is, but I know that if the Hyuga Clan is trying so hard to keep it a secret, it can't be good."
When Kugi finished his ranting, he stopped walking in his tracks. He directed chakra into his hand and punched the ground hard, growling in the process.
"I hate the goddamned Hyuga Clan!"
Kugi stood in place, panting hard, still holding a fist in his right hand. Mie and Jin stood in front of Kugi, staring at him with wide eyes. Kugi's teammates have never seen him lose his cool like that and were worried about what Kugi was capable of if he continued to unleash his anger.
Shikamaru slowly walked up to Kugi, his hands still in his pockets and the expression on his face remaining unchanged. Once he got right in front of Kugi, Shikamaru kneeled on one knee and spoke to Kugi at face level.
"Look, I know that all of this sucks and that you feel powerless like you have no control. It's a bitch, I know. But you must remember that you're not the first person to have to deal with this stuff. Neji, your father, dealt with so much shit from the Hyuga Clan. At first, he tried to take care of everything all by himself. It tore him apart and there was no one in this world that he trusted. Then Naruto knocked some sense into him, literally and figuratively, and he started to trust the people around him. He trusted Hinata, trusted Hiashi, trusted Tenten, trusted Lee and Gai, trustd all of us. He didn't uncover all the secrets the clan was keeping from him, but he was able to live easy and the secrets didn't eat him up from the inside. You need to do the same and trust the people around you, starting with your two teammates standing behind me."
Shikamaru turned his head and looked back at Mie and Jin and gave them a small smile.
"And you two need to do your best to keep this kid in line. Be there for him, all the time and I know he'll do the same for you too."
Jin and Mie nodded their heads sharply and looked at Kugi with determination and pride. Kugi let out a sigh and looked from his teammates back to Shikamaru.
"Thank you, Sir," Kugi said.
Shikamaru let out a chuckle and placed his hands back in his pockets. He leaned back so he could see all three genin in his peripheral vision.
"I know we're almost to the Hyuga Compound and I'm supposed to drop you all off at home, but I have a better idea. Mirai is at my house so I can watch her while Kurenai is out. How about we all go and hang out with Mirai and Shikadai. How's that sound to you guys?"
The three genin nodded with excitement, even Kugi. After their first C rank mission turned out to be nothing like they expected, they all needed some time to relax and be surrounded by friends."
XXX
"Sir…"
Wanatake began to speak to the Salt Village leader before the leader turned around and yelled at him.
"Unless you have that Hyuga boy, I don't want to hear anything from you."
"But, Sir, we don't need the boy for our experiments," Wanatake replied.
"Forget it. There are no Hyuga half-bloods. We need to find that boy and use our human subjects."
"Sir,-"
"I know all our subjects might become suicide bombs, but it's our only choice. We're running out of time. That boy may have more than one Hyuga parent, his DNA is not 100% Hyuga. It may be close enough to work."
"Sir, the woman is who we need."
The leader returned Wanatake a strange look. "What do you mean?"
"The woman, the boy's teacher. Something about her didn't seem right to me so I tested her blood that was left on my weapon and she's who we need. She's a half-blood."
As the leader processed this information, his angry look turned into one of evil happiness.
"Bring her to me."