A/n: Here's the next chapter...its a little longer than the first three...hehe. But other than that, I hope you enjoy!

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Chapter 4: Motives

The afternoon sun was bright. So bright, in fact, that it woke Tenten from her day-long slumber. As her eyes fluttered open to see the bleak, sterile hospital room, she caught a glimpse of a pretty bouquet of all sorts of flowers with get well cards strewn near the vase the bouquet was in. "How long was I out...?" she thought.

Suddenly, while Tenten was looking around the room for any clue as to the answer to her question, the door opened and Neji walked in with two bowls of ramen, one in each hand. As he saw her awake, a brief and barely noticeable look of relief came to his usually impassive face. Behind him, a nurse walked in and seemed surprised to see Tenten up. "My god, you were right...!" she murmured to Neji. He responded with only a simple nod.

"How are you feeling?" the nurse said a little louder than necessary.

"Okay, I guess," Tenten replied, "Um...how long...have I been asleep?"

"Since yesterday morning," Neji replied, the usual, stoic face present again.

"Oh..." Suddenly, the past day's events came flooding back to her: the window, sense of unreal danger, and then the boy...Who was he? Did she know him from some strange, forgotten rivalry from some untouched corner of her memory? He certainly seemed to know her...at least, he was expecting something more of her. "He said I wasn't as strong as they said I was...Wait, who's 'they'? Should I know who he's talking about? No, I don't even know who he is, so how can I know who he talks with...Wait, why didn't I sense his chakra before he attacked? And why was it so overwhelming when I did feel it? Who, or maybe what, was that guy?" Tenten grabbed her head in a frustrated, desperate attempt to stop the questions that seemed to take over her mind. She wasn't even breathing as her brain continued bombarding her with unanswered questions.

"Tenten, are you okay?" Neji's uncharacteristic words brought the questions to a halt. Tenten looked up to see an obviously concerned nurse and a rather worried looking Neji. Well, this was a change, seeing Neji at least slightly concerned. He never did this during training.

"Oh, I guess I kinda scared you there, huh? Well, I'm fine I promise...I just...need some time to think. Could you leave us for a moment?" Tenten asked the nurse. She nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

Neji handed Tenten the extra bowl of ramen he was holding. "Do you remember what happened?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Yeah," Tenten nodded, "I couldn't sleep, so I just got up. It was about 5 a.m. My window latch was open and I didn't remember opening it, so I assumed the worst." Neji nodded for her to continue. "I picked up my kunai and check the whole apartment but couldn't sense anyone. The bathroom was the only place left, so I checked for chakra readings first - there were none - and then entered. There was no one in the bathroom, so I dropped my guard and turned to the mirror..." She paused. "I shouldn't have though; he was right there behind me in a flash and then his chakra level..." Her voice ground to a halt as her nerves recalled that overwhelming sense of foreboding that came with his energy level.

"Calm down, Tenten," said Neji calmly, after taking a chair by her bedside, "and just try to remember everything about this man that you possibly can."

"Okay...he - he had a loose neck cover over a sort of loose-fitting, long shirt," she began, "I think it was a very light blue...but my eyesight may have been affected by the blow I took. Wait! There was this insignia - maybe a clan symbol or something? I don't know, but it was like a small dot with a circle around it, and then another circle around that."

"What about his face? Did you get a good look at him in the mirror?" Neji asked, his brows furrowed slightly.

"I didn't really see his face, his chakra was too overwhelming for my brain to process, I think... It was like he had numbed my senses with it. I couldn't think, but I remember that he had light brown hair - it was almost blonde, and it kind of swept over his eye...can't remember which one, though..." Tenten made a slight grunt in frustration at not being able to see the most important part of the ninja: his face. She looked down at the untouched ramen in her lap, her medium length brown hair just inches from the surface of the noodle soup. Her hair had been down when she was attacked.

"Well, that's a pretty good start, I think, at least for the level of power this guy seems to be at," said Neji, trying desperately to cheer up his teammate without losing his stoic face.

Tenten looked up, tears threatening to spill. Before they could, however, the door to the room opened and Tsunade walked in. "Sorry to interrupt, but I heard you were awake. I think we had better talk in my office. Are you well enough to walk yet?"

Tenten nodded, and pulled the sheet off her legs. She stumbled over the edge of her bed and stood shakily on her legs.

"Help her, Neji," said Tsunade, after seeing the evident struggle the young Jounin was trying hard not to show. Neji nodded and together, the three of them made their way to the Hokage's office.

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After the three talked about the strange attacker, getting the same result as Neji had just moments ago, Tsunade motioned for Shizune. "Get me Arachi. I didn't send him on any missions and he should still be in the village somewhere." Shizune nodded and left. "Arachi," Tsunade explained, "was on a mission with four other Jounins. On their way back, they saw someone like the boy you described kill an A-rank criminal like he was still in the academy. This boy also slaughtered the other four Jounins Arachi was with including the leader in much the same way. Then, he sent Arachi back with the criminal's body, for us to verify."

"And?" questioned Tenten.

Tsunade sighed. "It was a match. That boy killed the criminal and the Jounins."

Tenten kept in her gasp of shock. She had been up against an A-rank criminal just a day ago...and lived? Well, maybe he wasn't aiming to kill her...was he taking pity on her? She clenched her fists. She didn't need pity! If he had wanted to kill her, why didn't he?

The door opened and a Jounin, maybe twenty years of age, stepped in, while Shizune stayed out and guarded the door. "Hokage-sama, you wanted to see me," he announced quietly.

"Yes, have a seat. I would like you to recall the boy who killed your team members," she replied bluntly. Arachi visibly shuddered.

"The o-only strange quality about the b-boy was that none of us could sense him. I thought he - he might have been a corpse being controlled, but e-even then, the corpse would give off some form of an...aura about it. This boy...didn't. We - we - couldn't predict his movements, and that combined - w-with his speed and agility got all four of them k-killed," Arachi looked ready to break down right in front of the threesome. His face was contorted into a look of utter despair and pain, like the sun would never shine again.

"Thank you, Arachi. I'm sorry that you had to recall that, but it is necessary here. You may leave," said Tsunade somberly, her face showing mild shock even after hearing the story over again.

"If I may, Hokage-sama, could I ask a question?" Arachi had stopped stuttering. Tsunade nodded. "These two aren't planning to go up against him, are they? Don't send them. He's too strong, and you will just end up losing two valuable ninjas. Please, don't do it. It won't help anyone. Believe me. I have felt his power, and it's not something to send two rookies into. They'll only end up killing themselves." Arachi looked pleadingly at Tsunade.

"We will see, Arachi," Tsunade noted dryly. He bowed and left the room.

"I think I should rest some more," said Tenten, her cheeks slightly flushed with fever, still trying to process what she had been told about her attacker.

Tsunade agreed, "Shizune, take Tenten back to her room." Shizune entered and helped Tenten back out. Neji was left with the Hokage. "Is there anything else you need, Neji?" she asked.

"What rank criminal is he going to be?"

"Why does it matter?" Tsunade queried.

"I...want to catch him," Neji replied, somewhat surprised at his own candidness in the situation. Tsunade raised an eyebrow, clasping her hands near her mouth in thought. "Well, well, so he's not heartless, huh? Hm...this is interesting. Can he handle this though? Arachi said this boy was powerful...but that look in Neji's eyes, or rather, on his face...I wonder..."

"Well," she finally said, putting her hands down, "I guess there's no stopping you, is there?" She didn't wait for a reply. "He's an A-rank criminal. That's final. Now out! There is work to be done!" And with a hurried bow and mumbled thanks, Neji exited the Hokage's office.

Alone with her thoughts now, Tsunade began to doubt her judgment. "I hope I won't regret this...but, hey, this is Neji we're talking about. I mean, he can handle anything. I'm sure that he and Tenten will find this guy, and Neji at least will beat something into that boy's head for messing with his teammate." Her audible chuckle was far from what she was feeling. "Why on earth did this boy pick Tenten, of all people? I mean, if he was looking for strength, he would have gone for me, right? So, why her? What is there between the two...?"

Tsunade's worries were interrupted by a haggled Shizune with arms filled with paperwork. She walked as best she could up to the desk and dropped the papers on the desk, and then, with a quick bow, left again. "Damn paperwork..." Tsunade grumbled.

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A/n: whew that was long...Anyway, hope you liked it! The next two chapters should be out in about a day or two, depending on...if I decide to put them on. But the entire story should be up by next Friday, which is the...25th. So...until the next time I upload...!

Annie