A/N: I LOVE MY LOYAL READERS! ::glomps them all:: You guys are my motivation to write. It's kinda odd but I have this insatiable need to please people and make people happy... just a weird aspect of my personality.

Disclaimer: Is this really all that necessary?

File #2- Inter Spem et Metum (Between Hope and Fear)

Chapter 3- The Players Assemble

Neji entered the office and bowed politely to the two lady Kages. After the appropriate amount of time, he stood back up straight. Kouji was beside him, his black hair that faded to light brown towards the end rather wet still. Aoba had come in as well, at Tsunade's request.

Tsunade and Arashi stood. Tsunade spoke first since she was easily 30 years Arashi's senior and a sennin as well. Besides, this was her territory and Arashi bowed to her authority out of respect for her.

"Hyuuga Neji and Tsukioka Kouji," Tsunade began," You two, along with six others, have been chosen to go on a special retrieval mission. I will brief you further once Aoba returns with the other 6. I do hate to repeat myself."

Arashi held a scroll out to Aoba who stepped forward to accept it.

"With all due speed," Arashi said.

Aoba bowed and left.

"For the time being, you two may have seat either in here or in the hall," Tsunade said," When the team is assembled, I will elaborate."

Neji and Kouji both took seats out in the hall to wait. Neither spoke to another and Neji assumed his previous pose with his hands clasped, thumbs touching his lips and his elbows on his knees. Kouji was slouched against the wall, chewing his toothpick nervously. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled from the storm outside, adding light to the generally dark hallway. Both men were tense but didn't show it.

Soon, two figures appeared in the hallway, both wearing animal masks. One was taller than the other and wore a mask that was black and in the shape of a woman's face. The lips her blood red, the eyes black holes, and the Pleiades constellation in glass shards on the forehead. There were scarlet teardrops that flowed down the mask's cheeks and the eyes looked like they were outlined in blood. The mask was rather macabre in Neji's opinion. The figure beside the other was smaller, probably a few inches shorter than himself. Their mask was pitch black, unlike the others and seemed to take on a cat-like appearance with white streaks on the cheeks for whiskers. The eyes were narrow like a cat's and outlined in white. On the forehead, there was an odd stylized sun. Neji was about to remark when the two swept past and into the office. They didn't come out.

About 20 minutes later, two familiar faces emerged into the hallway wearing rain coats similar to Neji's. Both pushed their hoods off and Neji was mildly surprised to see the 16 year old faces of Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino. Both were yawning and looked as though they had just woken up only moments earlier. Both were chuunin level ninja who had qualified for the Jounin exams that were to be held two months from then. Shikamaru would have been a Jounin by now but he was too lazy to take the test. Ino had been nagging him into the ground to try out for th exam and he gave in, if only to shut her up. Since Sasuke had left, Ino shifted her focus to Shikamaru. The Chuunin exams 3 years ago had gotten her to appreciate Shikamaru's finer qualities besides his laziness. The two were sort of seeing each other but not really. It was heard to describe their relationship, honestly. They approached Neji and gave him a friendly nod. They went into the Kages' office and after a few minutes, Shikamaru came out and plopped down beside Neji.

"Special retrieval mission, eh?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah," Neji said.

Ino came out, still yawning. There wasn't much bench space left so she just plopped down in Shikamaru's lap. In the past few years, she had gotten a little taller but not by much. Shikamaru was 5'9, easily, and Ino was about 5'2. She lay against Shikamaru's chest and he curled his arms around her protectively. Within minutes, she was asleep again. Neji stood and leaned on the wall opposite the bench between two windows. Shikamaru shifted Ino so she wasn't so cramped. Kouji wordlessly glowed a dull blue and sunk down through the floor, much to the shock of all, leaving his toothpick on the floor in his wake.

"Goddammit..." Kouji spat.

A hand reached up through the floor and felt around until it found the toothpick. The hand grabbed the toothpick and slid back down through the floor.

If Shikamaru was asleep before, he was awake now. It wasn't everyday that someone just slid into the floor with no word or fanfare. Neji was looking visibly stunned and unsure of how to react. Appearantly, it was his first time seeing a human slide into the floor as well.

"Umm... Nara? The FUCK was that?" Neji asked.

"What makes you think I know?" Shikamaru retorted.

"You're supposed to be a genius," Neji replied.

"Tsukioka ghosting techniques, native to Kumogakure," a voice said behind them.

Lavender eyes and brown eyes turned towards the Kages' office door. The tall person with the constellation on her mask on their face pushed her hood back and slid her mask off. Her skin was a warm cocoa color and her hair was an odd platinum white with purple undertones and tied in a messy bun, speared with two silver chopsticks. Most striking were her eyes- they were a lovely grey with silvery shards glinting in the lightning flashes, much like the Raikage's eyes. Both young men figured that there was a relation between the two. Her expression was a bit smug but more or less amused.

"Excuse me?" Neji asked.

"Tsukioka ghosting techniques," the woman repeated," Kouji is a member of the Tsukioka clan as well as his twin sister Hakuya and his twin brother Shayou. They are the only survivors of their clan that we know of. The Tsukiokas specialize in "ghosting" techniques. They can pass their bodies through solid objects or let solid objects pass through them. It's really quite handy in combat but rather annoying to fight unless you have the right skills."

As if on cue, Kouji reappeared, sliding up through the floor as if he had jumped. He landed easily on the floor, a pillow in hand. He strolled up to Shikamaru and handed him the pillow. The genius stared at it untrustingly.

"C'mon now, you act as if I was offering you a scorpion," he said.

Shikamaru reluctantly took it and lifted Ino's head gently, tucking it under the girl's head and letting her settle onto it. Neji had crossed his arms and looked over at the woman.

"I didn't catch your name," Neji said.

"I never threw it out there," she said simply, and went back into the office.

20 minutes later, a tired looking girl came into the hallway wearing a rain slicker as well and yawning. In the available light, Shikamaru and Neji could barely see her elongated canines and her slightly clawed hands. Her eyes were a beautiful blue with slitted pupils and had her clan markings, twin lines of black that spiked from the outer corners of her eyes. From what they could tell, her hair was as black as Neji's, up in a high ponytail, and her skin had a light tan. She looked a bit predatory but then again, it seemed like most of the ninja from Kumo looked like that.

The girl swept past them and entered the office. After a few minutes, she waved those in the hallway back into the office. Neji leaned up off the wall and Shikamaru laid a hand on Ino's cheek and whispered to her.

"Ino-chan... time to wake up... mission time," he whispered.

Ino stirred and opened her pale blue eyes. She hugged the pillow and got up, yawning. Shikamaru stood and eased a hand under her elbow, helping her to her feet. Ino got to her feet, the pillow under her arm. Shikamaru slipped an arm around her waist and led her into the office while she blinked the sleep from her eyes. Neji followed the couple in and Kouji brought up the rear.

In the office, Aoba was busying himself making coffee for those who had just woken up. Even the Kages looked like they needed a cup or 10, especially since they had been drinking the night before. Arashi still looked visibly smashed, for all intents and purposes. She wasn't used to drinking so much whereas it was a daily thing for Tsunade. Aoba passed out warm cups of coffee to everyone who wanted one.

"Just one more," Arashi said, sipping her coffee.

"Hatake Kakashi is always late for everything," Tsunade responded," so he could walk in here at any-"

"Present!" Kakashi said, striding into the office.

The Jounin was dressed in his usual outfit but a black rain coat covered most of it. His usual spiky hair was weighed down with water, water that was currently soiling the carpet along with mud from his boots. 'The janitor is going to have a field day with that,' everyone thought as they turned to look at him. Kakashi met the eyes of the tall, white-haired woman. She gave him a nod and he returned it.

"Well now that we are here, we can begin the briefing. First, introductions," Tsunade said.

They went from right to left, starting with the still sleepy Ino who was leaning on Shikamaru and holding a cup of coffee. She blinked and gave a lazy wave with her free hand.

"I'm Yamanaka Ino, Chuunin, 16 years old, mind-soul jutsu specialist" she said.

"Nara Shikamaru, Chuunin, 16, shadow jutsu specialist" Shikamaru said, brevity being his specialty besides shadow manipulation.

"Hyuuga Neji, Chuunin, 17 years old, Byakugan user," Neji said.

"Hatake Kakashi, Jounin, my age is irrelevent, and I am the Mirror Ninja that is the stuff of legends!"

"Save it," Tsunade said. Kakashi blushed slightly.

"Tsukioka Kouji, Jounin, 19 years old, pain in the ass," Kouji said. A look from Arashi and he smirked," and Tsukioka ghosting techniques user."

Next was the person with the white sun on their black mask. This person pushed their hood back and lifted their mask, revealing pretty blue-green eyes, warm tan skin, and black hair that faded to light brown, like Kouji's, and tied in a loose ponytail at the base of her neck. She was smiling and what a smile it was! Neji inwardly remarked at how pretty she was.

"Tsukioka Hakuya, Cloud ANBU, 19 years old, Tsukioka ghosting techniques master," she said.

'Pretty and skilled,' Neji remarked mentally. Next was the blue-eyed girl they saw in the hall who was on her 4th cup of coffee. She gave a yawn before speaking.

"Kurochi Tsume, Chuunin, 16, chakra specialist," she said.

Finally, the tall, stoic woman spoke. The Leaf Chuunin were very curious about her.

"Saetayoru Subaru, Cloud ANBU Captain, 30, Hakyougan master, medical nin, and kinjutsu specialist," she said in a flat voice.

A silence enveloped the room as the two Kages arranged themselves.

"This is a retrieval mission," Tsunade said," your objective is to recover Yuuhi Kurenai, Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Tamasaki Leiko. We have word that they are in Rain Country, in the capital city of Amefuri. Our undercover agents there spotted the Chuunin on the illegal fight circuits but Yuuhi Kurenai has yet to be located."

There was general unrest among various members of the group. Everyone had someone precious to them mentioned on the list or someone dear to them. Subaru and the Tsukioka twins scowled when Leiko's name was mentioned. Leiko had been Subaru's charge for awhile and the older woman was very protective of her, like she was to her two children, Kamui and Tsuyu. Neji had heard who was missing already so there was no change. Ino was worried for Hinata. Shikamaru for Shino, probably the only guy who could even challenge him at Shougi or Go. Tsume bared her fangs slightly at the mention of Kiba. Kakashi tensed when he heard that Kurenai hadn't been located.

"Alright, all of you will be going undercover," Arashi said," Subaru and Kakashi will be your sponsors so you two need to dress sharp and look the part of enterprising individuals. You can work seperately or together, whatever you choose. Kakashi, I recommend that you cover up that eye and scar somehow."

Kakashi nodded and exchanged glances with Subaru, as if to size her up. Subaru appeared to do the same.

"That being said," Tsunade continued," Those from the Cloud and those from the Leaf will be divided into teams. Naturally, the Cloud will be under Subaru's command and the Leaf will be under Kakashi's command. You may exchange people as well. Arashi-sama has told me that some of these fights are 2 on 2 so we each have selected people that can work together and tag-team in a fight. In this case, the Tsukiokas for the Cloud and Ino-chan and Shikamaru-kun for the Leaf. You all are welcome to wear what you want."

More looks were exchanged.

"Time to come out of retirement, brother dear," Hakuya said, smirking at Kouji.

"Oh shut up," he retorted, chewing on his toothpick.

The Clouds chuckled warmly at Kouji's embarassment.

"It's almost 8 AM now. You all will be leaving in 12 hours. Meet at the north gate in 12 hours. Be ready to go at a moments notice if we get the paperwork done faster though. By then, Tsunade and I will have written the scrolls necessary for your safe departure into Rain Country," Arashi said," Once you get to Rain Country, we will give you directions on how to reach our agents there."

"Akira-kun?" Hakuya asked hopefully.

"Hai, Akira-kun and Shimoda-san," Arashi replied.

"Any questions?" Tsunade asked.

Neji, Shikamaru, and Tsume raised their hands at once. The nin looked at each other.

"Ladies first," Shikamaru said," That means you, Neji."

"Die shitting, Nara," Neji returned, smoothly.

A stern look from the adults in the room stopped Shikamaru from retorting. Tsume spoke up.

"What sort of fights are these?"

"I will not lie," Arashi said," Some fights are fights to the death once you reach the upper levels. Just starting out though, that fights are either knock-out or unable to continue. Sometimes, if a valuable fighter is on the verge of dying, their sponsor will pay a sum and fast to get them to stop the fight but it is rather rare. Shikamaru?"

"How long is this mission supposed to be?"

"About a month or so. Subaru and Kakashi will be in control of that. Neji?"

"If we are in a fight to the death, will we be held liable if we do kill our opponent? Do we even have permission to take a life?"

An odd silence fell over the room. Subaru trained her silvery eyes on the Hyuuga in silent admiration. 'He has the potential to make a great ANBU,' she thought,' it's a shame he was not born in Kumo. I would have loved to teach him.' The Kages exchanged glances.

"Yes," they said in unison.

"If you are required to take a life, take it," Tsunade said.

"Do what is necessary to preserve your own lives," Arashi said, her voice hard," If there aren't anymore burning questions, you all are dismissed."

There were none.

A/N: Finally... 3rd chappie done! Leave reviews and please enjoy!