Harbinger

by tigerowl

Naruto's friendship with his teammates Gaara and Haku is put to the test as they prepare to deal with the threat of the Akatsuki. The secrets Jiraiya has kept come to a head, and Naruto must shoulder the responsibility of protecting much more than the Leaf Village. Continuation of Forlorn. AU NaruHina, GaaSaku, NejiTen, ObiRin, OCs *Taoism, Self-Indulgent World Building, longfic

6. Two Steps Back

Chapter Soundtrack: "Ninjari Bang Bang" by REMOTE GIRL

Chapter 6- Two Steps Back

Lee had wrapped up the religious morning spar with Gai-sensei before they reported to the Hokage's office. Lee smiled widely when he saw that Tenten was already there chatting with Tsunade.

"I first met your mother by accident, I remember." Tsunade recalled, "Chinatsu was undercover as a singer at the bar I had stopped in. Incidentally...I kind of blew her cover. She was a very forgiving woman, Tenten."

"You'd be surprised." She muttered, and then turned to see half of her team was present. Lee and Gai animatedly wished her good morning, and Tsunade interrupted the sunny greeting.

"I would now like to begin this briefing." The Hokage announced, "Neji will be the leader of this team since," She glanced to Gai, "I need you elsewhere, if you don't mind terribly." Gai was fine with it, predictably, so she continued, "I had hoped that boy would have the courtesy to show up on time..."

"Indeed...the prodigy of our team is running a bit late today." Gai observed, "Though he certainly can't be as agonizing as Kakashi, isn't that right, Tsunade-sama?"

She nodded, reciting a proverb, "Too swift arrives as tardy too slow."

No less than four seconds later Neji darted into the office, visibly aware of how he had delayed things. His expression was apologetic, and before Tsunade could open her mouth to utter another word, another voice echoed from the hallway, "Wait, Neji-sama!"

They glanced back to the door, where Fujita entered, slightly wind-blown from chasing the Hyuga heir. "I beg your pardon." Neji said, his cousin standing beside him, "Hiashi-sama asked to speak to us before we departed."

"Very well, then." Tsunade dismissed the matter, "I must commend you, Neji, for leading Team 10 so well on your previous mission. I expect that you will do at least as well for this task."

Neji assured the Hokage he would do his best. Tenten jumped slightly after seeing Fujita appear. The sight of the boy quickly reminded her of his older brother...and what had transpired. Lee noticed her uneasiness, "Are you alright, Tenten?"

"Er, yeah. I just got...a static shock."

"Really?" He raised his thick eyebrows, "You hardly moved enough to generate a spark."

Curse him and his intellect, she thought. She raised her chin a bit, saying, "Well I'm sorry that I can't predict the movements of subatomic particles, Lee. I'll let you figure it out." She had not meant to snap at him, but her natural reaction was to be defensive when the kiss kept playing over and over again in her head. She felt totally helpless, wishing that her focus would return to the matters at hand.

Lee didn't mind her mood and muffled a chuckle at her retort. Afterwards they went back to paying attention to Tsunade's description of the mission.

"Nitobe Sawako is currently deployed to the Lightning Country, so he has requested that Fujita take missions with another team for now." Tsunade added, in regards to the novice genin, "You will be going to a place called Katabami that has recently been overrun by the Kurosuki family."

Fujita's shoulders straightened a bit. It was one of the first serious missions he had ever been appointed to.

Tsunade went on, "Essentially it is not really a family you're dealing with, but a gang under the leadership of Kurosuki Raiga. He has overthrown the local government there and has taken control of the town." She rested her chin on her hands, eyeing the genin team critically, "Three men managed to escape and reach Leaf. They will guide you to Katabami, where you will dislodge the gang so the town is made safe again."

"When shall we leave?" Neji asked.

"Pack what supplies you'll need and then go immediately." Tsunade ordered, "The border of the River Country isn't far, but you should get there as soon as possible."

Neji accepted the terms and bowed respectfully. Tenten and Fujita did the same before following after him. Lee was about to make his exit as well, but when Gai had something to add he could not help but stay to listen. "I heard that Raiga was once part of the Seven Shinobi Swordsman of the Mist." Gai scratched his chin in thought, "It's odd that he would stray so far from his own country...go with caution, Lee."

Lee took the advice to heart, "Of course, Gai-sensei!" He hurried out into the hall to catch up to his team. Tsunade then had the chance to brief Gai on his mission.

---

After preparing themselves, the team met at the village gate. There with them were the three fugitives who had fully recovered from their perilous flight. Neji went over the details of the mission again one last time before they set out, "We will undertake the mission to escort Rokusuke-san and his companions, head to the Katabami gold mine, and chase out the Kurosuki family."

Lee added on to their agenda, "There's a restaurant near the gold mine that I know well. Let's make that one of our bases."

Tenten gave him a sidelong look, "A restaurant you know, Lee?"

"It's something you can look forward to during our journey," Lee told her, "I think you'll like it!"

Fujita seemed to perk up at the mentioning of a place where they could enjoy themselves. With the stress of having to eliminate a group of hoodlums terrorizing a village, it would be a relief to have a place to fall back to. Overall, Fujita seemed to respond most sedulously to Lee. He was, after all, the most enthusiastic about the mission. Neji and Tenten's thoughts seemed to be elsewhere.

They set out shortly after with Rokusuke and his friends. The journey to the River Country was predicted to be quick: a straight shot from Leaf. It was also coming into the rainy season in that region, so they were warned of possible flooding and storms that could cause a problem.

They passed through a forested area before coming to a mountain pass. On the way up the hill, Lee was speaking to Neji about borrowing a book, and Fujita thought it would be nice to have a chat with his tutor in weaponry. He strayed to the back of the group, where Tenten was watching the rear of the procession.

"Hello, Tenten-san." The boy greeted, "I have to admit, I was so excited to hear that I was placed with your team for this mission. Even Neji-sama was pleased that I could go!"

"Of course he is." She agreed, a small smile appearing on her face, "We're all happy to have you with us, Fujita-kun."

Fujita remembered something he had meant to say, "Oh! And my aniki says that he wants to apologize to you about yesterday." He looked curious, "Did you and Hikune-niisan have a disagreement or something?"

Tenten was flustered by the statement. She promptly got a hold of herself, giving him a reassuring look, "Don't sweat it. Everything is fine between us, okay kiddo?"

Fujita relaxed, but when Tenten retreated to her own thoughts her anxiety did not fade. It was hard for her to wrap her head around how her first kiss had been with an older boy, a jounin, no less. It was highly unusual, Tenten thought, that Hikune had interest in her at all, 'I mean, I'm not exactly the town beauty.' Yet when facing it objectively, she could understand that Hikune had seen something in her worth valuing. He had even told her about it, and she still had been ignoring most of what he had been saying until he had actually done something to show her.

Though she could not in any way reciprocate how he felt, she was not upset by his actions. 'It was nice.' She at least had to credit him that, 'Just goes to show that affection doesn't have to be so complicated. I like it better when it's simple.' Tenten glanced ahead to Neji at the front of the group, and then frowned to herself. 'But I haven't simplified things. I've hardly told him about anything that's going on.' She noted, aggravated with herself, 'That's the problem right there. Everything I don't say keeps compounding.'

Her fists balled at her sides. A new resolution to fix her situation with the Hyuga prodigy welled up in her gut. This time she would do better, work harder, and not let any slip ups (like Hikune) happen again. She was willing to pass Fujita's brother off as a hiccup in her journey, so long as it kept her focused.

At the top of the mountain they took a break for lunch. Neji shared a canteen with Tenten, while Lee finished eating and paced around restlessly. A helpless boulder on the side of the path looked to be asking for a beating, so Lee accepted the invitation and proceeded to pummel the stone into gravel. Fujita watched in awe, having never witnessed such bare-knuckle strength up close, "Can I ever become that strong with only my fists?"

Tenten noticed his marveling expression, and looked over to him from where she sat. "Fujita, just keep in mind you have Jyukken, which is better suited for you than Gouken. Lee may look impressive to you now, but he'll be nursing swollen hands later." She smiled thoughtfully, "It's just not meant for everyone."

The young Hyuga sighed resignedly, "I understand...it's just...my aniki is skilled with both Jyukken and Gouken. Could I not master both as he has?"

"Your brother has much more experience than you do." Neji reminded him, "You will find your own way as you grow."

Tenten looked to her teammate briefly, a bit surprised by his compassion. Indeed he was only looking after a cousin, but she wondered if he was only reciting something that he would've liked to have been told when he was younger. Neji hardly ever did receive words of encouragement from his elders. Tenten looked back to Fujita, seeing he was seriously considering what Neji had said.

While the ninja relaxed, Rokusuke was hurrying through his meal, not wanting to waste any time. One of his friends leaned in, telling him quietly, "Settle down, Rokusuke. These ninja will liberate our village, but you have to calm down."

Rokusuke stood up, watching with a disapproving expression as Lee instructed Fujita in basic kata of the Iron Fist. To him, he saw no sense in training when they were needed to help save the people of his village. His friends observed and laughed as the young Hyuga was knocked to his backside with one spirited punch from his instructor.

"How much longer do you plan on resting here?" Rokusuke demanded impatiently, "If we hurry we might be able to save Kanpachi from his grave!"

"Give it up." His friend said sadly, "How many days has it been since then? I know it's painful, but by now it's too late..."

Tenten's cheerful expression wilted after hearing the exchange between friends. Neji watched her chin tilt downward, and was not pleased to see that she was already disheartened. He stood up, pulling his bag over his shoulder. "We'll go now, then." He suggested, looking at her, "If you want to."

She raised her eyebrows, surprised, "Sure. I'm ready to go anyway...but I don't know how much of a difference we can make."

Neji called to Lee and Fujita, who quickly joined the rest of the group. They set out after Rokusuke and his companions, following behind as they descended the slopes and entered the River Country.

While they walked, Lee felt himself nodding off. "It sure brings back memories...this sleepiness." He muttered, "The restaurant is near."

"Sleepiness, Lee-kun?" Fujita asked curiously, "Are you feeling well?"

"I will be fine. I ran down this road sleeping for three days straight." Lee told him.

The young Hyuga was baffled, "Oh...how did you manage such a thing, I wonder?"

"It is the truth. It was a miracle of youth with Gai-sensei, and my body still remembers it. To think about it just makes me sleepy." Lee explained, his eyes half lidded, "That is right, there is a sweet smell of curry out here..."

"Curry?" Fujita sniffed the air, "Hm. Now that you mention it..."

"We are here!" Lee cried excitedly, "Ahead! Just there! It is the Curry of Life Restaurant!"

He and the young Hyuga looked far down the road, and past a grove of trees, a fairly dilapidated shop sat innocently beside the road. An old woman was outside of the establishment, tossing out an old pail of water. Lee quickly stole past the front of the party, pelting up the road giddily, "Baa-chan! Sancho!"

She turned around slowly, smiling at the sight of him, "Is that Lee? Lee!"

"Long time no see!" He laughed, scooping up the tiny woman, "I am so glad to see that you are doing well!"

The rest of the procession followed shortly after and Rokusuke looked particularly antsy. "That mountain over there is the Katabami gold mine." One of his friends pointed across the valley.

Neji's gaze crossed to the mine, and Tenten watched him as he considered the best course of action from there out. He turned back to her, catching her staring, "Need something?"

"Oh!" She hopped back a step, distracted, "Er, nothing, Neji! Just wondering how we'll get there..."

He was quiet for a moment and then looked to Fujita, "Fujita-kun, bring Rokusuke and the others to Lee. We'll be just a moment."

The young boy nodded, "Of course, Neji-sama." He did as he was asked and guided their escorts after Lee into the restaurant. Tenten could not imagine why Neji had dismissed the rest of the group, and felt an uneasy lump form in her throat. They waited wordlessly until Fujita and the others had gone into the building, and then Neji's hand closed tightly around her wrist.

"This way." He said, tugging her along roughly off the road, "He is still watching us."

She didn't understand, "Who?"

"Fujita is using his Byakugan because he is worried." Neji told her, "But he's only being nosy. Keep up."

Tenten followed him a good distance past the treeline, and once they were completely surrounded by bramble and oak he stopped and released her. Neji gave her a pointed look, and then said, "You have not been yourself since we left the village. Are you ready to tell me what has unsettled you?"

"I...uh." She took a breath, "Well, no, Neji. I can't tell you anything because there isn't anything wrong with me."

"I know you." He said, "Tell me."

Her shoulders fell, "Why does it suddenly matter? You...you know about me when I'm...I'm professional...but my problems are hardly something you'd understand."

"So you're admitting there's an issue."

"If you knew half of what was going on you'd probably punch me, I swear!" She shouted, turning her back to him, "I got myself into this...situation, so let me get myself out."

There was a quiet that she did not like. She knew, of course, she was causing him more stress than he needed. Telling him there was a problem and that he, as her friend, was helpless in fixing it. 'But he is.' She thought, 'Unless he wants to beat the crap out of Hikune, which is not happening, I guess I have to work this out. The fact that Fujita is here also throws a damned monkey-wrench into things...'

Neji was appropriately insulted by her lack of faith. Accusing him of not understanding anything was completely stupid. He figured she was only shutting him out because he would understand, and that there would be consequences. But what could she have done? Killed Hiashi? Certainly nothing would ever draw his aggression to her, he thought. He liked her enough by then to put up with her shit. When she refused to say anything he could not help but be human, however, and get pissed off.

"We are on a mission now." He reminded her and then ground out, "How...how can I trust that you are in the right state for this? I don't even know what I'm dealing with."

She turned back around, looking as if she regretted what she had said. If she had been any braver she probably would have tackled him right there, taking Hikune's approach to things and made out with him. Of course that would be rude and clue him in to thinking that he was the problem. Saving impulsive wishes for home would be prudent, she figured.

"Don't be mad." She said simply.

It worked, and he relaxed somehow. He picked up on the unspoken fact that she was composed and handling it. That and she did not want the leader of their team having a fit before they had accomplished anything. Still, Neji felt slightly affronted that she was withholding information. He figured it must have been for the best. "Is there anything I can do?" He asked finally. If she wouldn't explain then maybe she could request a direct solution.

"Yeah," She nodded, "Trust me. I promise I'll get a grip."

He agreed, somewhat thrown from his guard. He had a brief memory of their time at the inn, and wondered why it had suddenly come back to him then. Maybe he was wishing for the same peace now as they had shared that dismal day. He couldn't afford any more of a delay, so Neji lead the way out of the woods and back out to the road.

Tenten was glad she had dodged another potential bullet. If Neji had found out about Hikune at such an inconvenient time, she really could not fathom how he would react. Doubtless it would be in a manner unhelpful to their cause in Katabami. She gave him a grateful smile while they walked and he seemed satisfied with it.

---

When they entered the Curry of Life shop lunacy again resumed.

Inside Lee was already seated at a table with Fujita and the others. It appeared the old woman had gone to the back to prepare food, given the table was set and ready for guests. Neji and Tenten joined them, catching part of Lee's recollection. "Old Lady Sancho's curry saved my life." He said, stirring a spoon in a glass of water, "Back when I had just become a genin, and Gai-sensei was giving me special training, we took part in a sort of marathon all through these hills."

Tenten shuddered, "I remember that. You invited me to come along, didn't you?"

"I did." Lee nodded, "You said that you were busy though, if I recall."

She glanced to her left where Neji sat. In actuality she had not been doing anything other than training with Neji, and she felt that it was not very fair of her to have not shared her time equally. The present day was no exception to her guilt. She was no fan of marathons either. Neji said nothing on the matter, and she was glad he did not have to remind Lee why he had been neglected.

Sancho overheard the exchange and laughed, "I remember how you and your teacher would run side by side, not letting wind or rain stop you!" She tossed in a few spices to the pot she was mixing, "You ran by our shop three times without fail, and we even caught you asleep, still going strong!"

Lee scratched his head, "It is such a blur..."

"Oh yes, and you gave us quite a scare, Karashi and I." Sancho added, "On the third day you finally dropped from exhaustion. My son was so impressed with your strength he happily made a special curry that was quick to rejuvenate you."

"Yes! That is right!" Lee cried, "It was as if the fire of the sun had leaked into my mouth and reawakened my soul!"

"Doubtless it was painful." Neji observed.

Sancho passed out a plate of curry to each guest at the table, looking proud of her work. It did not look terribly appetizing, what with a strange tar-like consistency and a smell that wreaked of hot sauce and other maniacal herbs. Fujita looked from his plate to Lee, and then back to his plate.

"Baa-chan made the Curry of Life especially for us, so let us dig in!" Lee proclaimed, "Itadakimasu!" He then spooned up some of the boiling mixture from his plate. Fujita, not seeing any kind of reluctance from Lee, figured he ought to try something outside the normal diet of the Hyuga. After he had also taken a bite, Tenten hazarded one as well, followed lastly by Neji.

Lee's face turned pinkish, but he was enthralled by the flavor, and continued to shovel the stuff into his mouth at an unsafe rate. His teammates radiated a hellish scarlet in the same manner before screaming in shock. Rokusuke and his companions, who had also experimented with the stuff, were hollering in anguish. Sancho seemed unfazed by the pained reactions.

"It...it's...good." Fujita gasped, his white eyes filling with tears, "I...l-like...it..."

Lee looked over to Sancho, his plate nearly empty, "By the way, I have not seen Karashi-kun yet."

"Karashi was inspired by your hard work and became an energetic, bright boy." Sancho told him, "Perhaps too energetic...he left for the city. It's really my fault for telling him to get stronger..." She looked away sadly, "I'll become a man and join the Kurosuki family, is what he said."

Lee slammed his plate down onto the table, highly troubled by the news. Sancho noted his quivering shoulders, and quickly said, "But I'm not blaming you, Lee. Please don't worry about it!"

Tenten managed to drink from her glass of water, and added, "It's too late for that, I'm sorry to say."

"It is my responsibility." Lee said angrily, and then raised his hand, "Neji! Please add the retrieval of Karashi-kun to our mission! We must turn him away from the path of evil!"

Neji was still reeling from the curry, and his Byakugan had unintentionally activated after ingesting the concoction. Tenten offered assistance by raising his water glass up, and he immediately seized her hand to tip the cup back. His grip was uncomfortably tight, and by the time she had managed to pry her hand free Neji had already gulped down all of the water. He relaxed, and Tenten sat back, frowning in thought, 'Again? He's very...grabby today. It's painful.' She blamed it on stress.

The team leader looked back to Lee, "Very well. There's no reason to exclude him if he is already in Katabami." Sancho folded her hands in thanks and Neji continued, "We'll make this restaurant our base. First, we will investigate in the village and search for leads. From there, we'll come up with a plan and make our move."

"Yes." Lee agreed, looking dutiful.

Neji glanced over to the table where Rokusuke and his companions sat, "You three stay here. It would be dangerous if any of you were to be seen by the Kurosuki family." Rokusuke stared down at his plate, not saying a word. His friends also looked unsure of what their friend's hurry was.

Tenten blinked in surprise to see Fujita had finished all of his curry. He smiled at her, his face still bright red, "Are you going to finish that, Tenten-san?"

"Um...I feel I'm incapable of doing that, so feel free, tough-guy." She answered, pushing her plate towards him, and cringing when he took another bite of the spicy abomination.

By nightfall the Leaf genin had taken refuge upstairs in a room Sancho had offered. All were considering rest, but before they could even settle down, one of Rokusuke's friends rushed into the room. "We've got trouble!" He hollered, "Rokusuke...Rokusuke is gone!"

The other came up from behind his companion, "He must've left for the city all by himself!"

Tenten entered the room, having overheard the news, "He's crazy! If they find him they'll–"

"We have to go after him!" Fujita cut her off, not wanting to be reminded of the danger, "Neji-sama, if we go now there still may be a chance..."

His cousin looked at him for a long moment. He closed his eyes, sighing, "Let's hurry."

Feeling they could catch up to Rokusuke faster without supplies, they left without provisions. They had not wanted to trouble Sancho, and left the shop in silence before following the main road. They moved swiftly, Neji and Fujita at the front of the formation, both watchful with their respective Byakugan. As the path snaked around a cliff side, a brief flash of lightning arced from one cloud to another.

Rokusuke had gotten a far start ahead of them, and he was nowhere in sight. In fact, he had already reached a graveyard on the outskirts of the city, where he dug frantically at one grave. He scratched through the soil, rubbing his hands raw, "Please be alive...I'll get you out of there."

"Hey."

Rokusuke looked up, startled by the voice. A tall figure in a hooded cloak was a short distance away, and he spoke again, "What are you doing there?" Rokusuke flinched, considering going back to his pervious task, but when he flicked his eyes to the side he realized he was surrounded by a number of hooded men: agents of the Kurosuki family. His shriek was cut short.

---

A few hours later the sun rose. The Leaf ninja descended the steep slopes in the early morning light, before taking cover behind a rock formation. Katabami was below, nestled beside a riverbed and towering cliffs, and Fujita was unnerved by the stillness of the village.

"The terror coming from this place chills my blood." He said softly, "I wish aniki were here..."

"What?" Tenten laughed awkwardly, "Why would your big brother need to come on a mission like this? We can handle it!"

"Quiet down, Tenten." Neji admonished lowly, "Before we can begin searching for the Kurosuki family we need to locate Rokusuke and Karashi. They should be near."

Lee spoke up from the back of the group, "We also need to keep in mind what Gai-sensei said. If the leader of the Kurosuki family was one of the Seven Shinobi Swords then we must go with caution."

"You can't always rely on what Gai-sensei says." Tenten pointed out.

"What are you talking about, Tenten?" Lee rounded on her, hissing, "You, my dearest friend, should know that our mentor has never lead us astray!"

"But he has lead us in circles." She smiled, "On occasion."

Lee shook indignantly and Tenten ended her goading, seeing how seriously he was taking the joke. Neji turned to face them, displeased with the example they were setting for Fujita. "The both of you need to find a way to silence yourselves." He warned, "Before I find it for you. We need to begin our investigation now."

He moved stealthily down the rockface, and his teammates followed quietly. Fujita had rather liked the banter between Lee and Tenten, and he did not understand why Neji felt so threatened by it. They had closed in on the village, and stopped just on top of a small cliff wall. It overlooked the back of an enormous palace, situated at the mouth of the gold mine.

"Is that it there? The mine?" Fujita asked faintly, and Tenten nodded to him in confirmation.

Already in the waking hours of the morning people were entering and leaving the mine. Those who went in with empty carts left with a cumbersome haul. The genin observed as an elderly man exited the mine, carrying a basket on his shoulders that was much too heavy for him. He eventually caved, his knees buckling, and his burden hit the ground when he did, scattering stones everywhere.

Two cloaked guards noticed his blunder and left their post in front of a shed. "What are you doing?" One of them growled, "Hurry up and get to your feet!"

"If you keep slowing down work we'll call the boss." The other added, "Then we can plan your funeral!"

"I'm sorry!" The old man prostrated in front of them, barely having the strength to do so. Even after they demanded he get up, he was simply not able to. Their threats persisted, getting more savage by the second. The man was quickly frozen with fear.

"That is unforgivable! How they're treating him!" Fujita hissed furiously.

"Calm down, Fujita." Neji warned, "Your brother wouldn't want you to lose your head here."

"But if we don't do something they might kill him!" He retorted desperately.

"Leave this to me, Fujita-kun!" Lee offered and bounded down the hill with a grin.

"Lee! Brash much?" Tenten called after him.

Four guards had by then responded to the old man's trip and had encircled him. "Go on. Hurry and pick those up." A newcomer demanded, watching delightedly as the old man scrambled to replace the rocks that had fallen from the basket. His laughter faded when Lee's fist rammed into his gut, and he bent double before stumbling to the ground in anguish.

The others balked in surprise, giving Lee the opportunity to pummel them. They fell prey to swift, well-aimed jabs, one tumbling down after the other without putting up a fight. Lee backed off when he had succeeded, and waved up to his lofty comrades.

"What skill!" Fujita chirped in awe.

Neji was less thrilled than his cousin, and lead the way down to Lee's impromptu battle ground. Lee wanted to make certain the victim was unharmed, "Are you alright, sir?"

The old man was terrified of them, "What have you done?"

Fujita offered him water but the geezer knocked the canteen away frantically. "What's wrong?" The young boy asked.

"Please! Hit me! Kick me!" The old man cried, "Knock me unconscious like those guys!"

"Why on earth would we do that?" Tenten asked, folding her arms, "Are you on some unsafe medication, sir?"

"If you're not going to do it then I'll do it myself!" He decided aloud, attempting to punch himself in the face.

Lee quickly grabbed his arms, halting him, "What are you doing? There is no reason to act that way!"

"This is awful. If they find out I'm the only one who's okay, I don't know what they'll do to me!" The old man lamented pitifully. He jumped in fright when a gong was struck suddenly, that rang out from the front of the palace. The sound had all of the shinobi on alert.

"Were we spotted?" Tenten wondered.

"No...it's the funeral gong." The old man said sadly.

"Funeral?" Neji repeated.

He explained further, "It's for those who have betrayed the Kurosuki Family's boss, Raiga. He has a funeral for them while they're still alive."

"Buried alive?" Tenten and Fujita cried in unison.

"Well, you see..." The old man sighed, "He's quite fond of it. When Raiga holds a funeral he cries bitterly."

"That is unusual enough to cause concern." Neji said darkly, "And that gong does not seem to be an announcement for your funeral. Whose is it?"

"I heard Rokusuke got caught. It's probably his." The old man speculated.

Shock rippled through the group, and, deciding not to waste any more time, they rushed on to find their employer.

A procession of hooded men carried a white coffin into the graveyard. A grave had already been dug and they ceremoniously lowered the casket down into the pit, awaiting their leader's command. The coffin shuddered and jumped as Rokusuke struggled in a panic inside of it.

Raiga stood on top of a nearby hill, talking to himself, "It makes me happy. It brings back memories of when I first met him."

"Really?" A small voice echoed, "That's nice."

"Yeah." Tears slid down the nukenin's face, "When we first arrived, he asked us to manage this mine. He was happy to be freed from the tyranny of those former rulers. He smiled cheerfully...he was a good person." He rubbed at his eyes, "Funerals are wonderful. They touch my heart."

"Will I also have this kind of grand funeral with people lined up?" His companion asked again.

"Don't be ridiculous! I won't give you a funeral, because you won't die until I die, understand?" Raiga snapped, "I don't have to give you a funeral to remember the good times. You have always been good, Ranmaru."

"Raiga..." Ranmaru whispered, "They're coming…and they will show themselves soon."

Raiga smirked, "Good. I'm eager to see what kind of people they got help from..."

---

From the far side of the graveyard the Leaf ninja kept watch over the bandits with Rokusuke's coffin. Neji scanned the area with his Byakugan, seeing their employer was indeed in the casket, "He seems to be alright. He's still alive." He took a head count of their enemies, "If we can defeat those guys around him we can save him."

"We'll have to be quick." Tenten said lowly, drawing out a few smoke pellets, "Are you ready, Fujita-kun?"

"I am!" He confirmed. The kunoichi threw the bombs out to the congregation. They scattered after they had detonated and prepared for an enemy attack. The Leaf ninja charged fearlessly, Tenten filing off to the right, and Lee to the left. Fujita stayed near his cousin to take on those in the immediate area of Rokusuke.

Tenten summoned a three-chamber staff, and wheeled it around expertly as she approached. The two bandits who had closed in fell almost as quickly as they had attacked, both getting savage blows to the face. The combined Jyukken of both Neji and Fujita overwhelmed their opponents, while Lee knocked another rogue back in Tenten's direction.

"Got him!" She cried, smashing the staff into the side of his neck. He crumpled, and Lee went after the last cloaked foe on his feet. It was bizarre how he was running pell-mell through the cemetery, but Lee did not think much of it once he had caught up.

Lee lunged, but pulled his punch at the last second. Even though he had not been hit, the straggler in the cowl fell backwards and his hood slid down. Lee recognized the youth to be none other than Karashi. The man cowered on the ground, and the rest of the Leaf genin gathered around to observe

"This is Karashi-san." Lee introduced awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, "Though I did not think we would find you here..."

Tenten raised her eyebrows, "You mean...this is Old Lady Sancho's-?"

"Son?" Fujita finished.

Karashi folded his arms and stared at the muddied ground, too stubborn to submit to them. Lee tried to speak to him anyway, "Karashi, is it true what Baa-chan said? That you joined the Kurosuki Family of your own free will?"

"So what?" He grumbled, "Raiga-sama is amazing! He threw the Akudaikan family out of the Katabami gold mine and freed the villagers!"

"Every day Sancho-san is dependably making curry in your absence, worrying about you." Fujita told him, "Is that fair at all to someone who loves you?"

Tenten glanced to the younger boy and for a moment he looked too much like his brother. His eyes were focused and honest and a shiver coursed through her. When Neji gave her a questioning look she quickly composed herself, not willing to get him suspicious again.

"Leave this to me." Lee said, stepping in front of Fujita, "Karashi-san, you saved me with the Curry of Life, remember? You are able to make such wonderful curry, but you are in a gang in which the boss mocks life. Why?"

"Fuh! No one will praise me for making curry." Karashi growled, "I was born to this world as a man, and I must build up my strength to take my place on this earth; to be important! It's better than staying at a restaurant where barely any customers go."

Tenten exchanged a glance with Lee and asked, "Would you care to revise his theory?"

Lee's fist cracked against Karashi's cheek, sending him back several feet and back down to the mud. Fujita could not help but flinch at the unexpected contact.

"That curry that you're making light of saved my life, Karashi-san. You can save more lives if you only put your heart and soul into it!" Lee told him, raising his fist, "Even for a person like me, nothing is unreachable when I set my mind to it! I also believe...that you were a stronger person before all of this."

Karashi watched him with uncertain eyes, unsure of what to believe. "Promise me that you will cut your ties with the Kurosuki Family?" Lee said, watching him steadily, "Promise?"

There was a long moment of silence before Karashi shifted, and then bowed to Lee. "Understood." He agreed quietly, "I'm sorry. I'm...sorry."

Tenten smiled, resting her hands on her hips, "Hm. That's settled!"

"Hey!"

They rounded about, hearing a muffled voice resonating from behind them. "Is anyone there? Get me out of here!"

"Rokusuke!" Neji recalled, dashing back to the coffin. While they had been reprimanding Karashi, they had left their client to suffer longer in the casket. He and Fujita quickly pried off the lid and released the trapped man. He sat up immediately, gasping for air.

"Thanks...you guys..." Rokusuke said between heavy breaths.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Fujita smiled, "It's good that you're unharmed."

"No, I'm the one who's sorry." He said miserably, "When I thought I could save my friend I couldn't just stand by and wait. Still, there was nothing I could do..."

Fujita understood his heartache, and helped him out of the dismal container. Lee kept a watchful eye on Karashi and Tenten looked to Neji, seeing his gaze was locked on a high cliff wall.

"What's wrong, Neji?" She asked, "Did we miss something?"

In the distance he could barely make out the outline of a spectator. He was startled fantastically when a pair of blood red eyes seemed to snap up in front of him. He jumped back in shock before realizing it was an illusion. The phantom he had seen, Neji was certain, was not on their side, "What is this? A piercing feeling..."

"Neji-sama?" Fujita came to stand beside him, also sensing something.

"We are being watched." Neji told them, "I think...it's Raiga."

"Whoa." Tenten muttered, "Where is he, can you see?"

"At the top of that hill." Neji observed the formation ahead, "We should hurry." Abruptly he broke away from the group, racing in the direction of their last foe. They tore after him, having difficulty keeping up.

"Karashi-san, I am leaving Rokusuke in your care for now." Lee told him, and after receiving an affirmative nod he followed the remainder of his team.

Silence hung eerily in the valley. They scaled the slopes but found nothing at the top.

"Where did he go?" Lee wondered aloud. They waited for a moment, and only then did it dawn on them that visibility was diminishing. Mist rolled in, creating a haze so thick their surroundings blurred and then vanished.

"This fog was created by a jutsu." Neji caught on, "This technique is used most commonly by Mist ninja...our foe, in this case."

"Gai-sensei was right..." Tenten marveled, and then grinned, "He was right."

"Neji-sama...I..." Fujita was suddenly anxious, "I can't see anything...my Byakugan is...I don't understand."

"What's wrong?" Neji realized it was a futile question, and figured it would be better to try it himself. His Kekkei Genkai activated, but was immediately confounded. Images melded together, and all movement of chakra was missing. He could see nothing save for the people next to him.

"Impossible..." His voice was incredulous, "There shouldn't be any technique that can block the Byakugan..."

His friends stayed silent, already aware that if their leader was impaired, they all were.

---

"How are they, Ranmaru?"

"They're amazing." He answered quietly, "Two of them are able to see chakra systems of people. It is probably the power of a bloodline limit."

Raiga tensed, "So they can see us?"

"Don't worry. My power is stronger than theirs." Ranmaru was calm, "So what should we do?"

"Everyone in the Katabami gold mine is depending on me." Raiga answered confidently, "I have to protect the peace of this village."

"Are you going to give them a funeral?"

"No. There's no point in giving them a funeral when I have no memories of them. I'll just dispose of them. Watch!" He raised two swords from beneath his cloak, "Ninpo: Thunder Fangs!"

Lightning ripped up from the blades, soaring to clouds overhead, and the action was not missed by any of the Leaf ninja. They watched the immense expulsion of lightning chakra arc upward from a nearby cliff.

"Thunder..." Raiga bellowed, "Roll!"

A huge bolt of lightning screamed downward with fatal precision, striking the group of genin below. The cliff side was torn apart by the energy current, and a cloud of dust was all that remained afterwards. He raised his chin proudly, "How was that, Ranmaru?"

"You're amazing, Raiga!"

Raiga laughed gleefully at how simple the task had been. It had actually been a very long time since he had ever needed to use such force, excluding his encounter with the Akatsuki. Ranmaru's illness had taken a perilous dip, and after medicine had been offered from the nukenin Zetsu, he had risked a mission in order to obtain it. Since then, he and Ranmaru had settled comfortably in Katabami, holding funerals and living richly.

The stillness was sickeningly quiet and Ranmaru spoke up abruptly, "Wait...the four of them are still alive."

"Impossible. I hit them directly with my Thunder Fang!" Raiga retorted, but then agreed, "Yet if you say they are alive then there is no doubt about it..."

"One of them is troublesome..." Ranmaru added softly.

---

'The enemy was close, but I saw nothing.' Neji thought to himself, hidden beside his teammates in a thicket of bushes, 'Strange. Even though this is the Hidden Mist Technique my Byakugan should have been able to see through it.'

His throat moved perceptibly as he swallowed. He relaxed as best he could before using his Byakugan again. 'This time...I can see them.' Neji's eyes focused on two forms dead ahead, some twenty meters. They were tall with functioning chakra circulatory systems, and he quickly noticed others stationed about the place.

He informed his team what they were up against, "There. Two at 52 degrees, southwest. Three at 12 degrees, southeast. One at 8 degrees, southeast. Another at 24 degrees, northwest..."

They shot out of their cover together, each peeling off towards a separate enemy. Fujita's speed was surprising, and he reached his target with senbon already clenched in his knuckles. He attacked swiftly, and watched as the throwing spines bounced back off of a boulder. 'What is this?' Fujita stopped, using his Byakugan, and could still see a circulatory system, 'My eyes are...lying. My Byakugan is lying!' He deactivated his Kekkei Genkai, at a loss over what to do.

At the same time his teammates were also discovering that the foes they were ambushing were not there at all. Neji tested his blood limit twice, grudgingly acknowledging how the illusion solely existed for his Byakugan. He was more helpless using it than he was viewing the environment regularly, 'There are chakra flows through virtual images? What is the cause of this?'

Lee called down to his teammates from where he hung upside down from a branch protruding from the cliff. He too had discovered that their enemies had disappeared, and was awaiting direction on what to do next. 'But Neji was the one who ordered us to attack how we did...' He observed, 'If he was mistaken...is he still reliable?'

---

"One is on the cliff. One is under the cliff. One is on the right, and the other on the left." Ranmaru reported, viewing the struggling Leaf ninja below.

"I can't give them a funeral...but I'll make sure nothing is left." Raiga smirked, raising his swords again, "Lightning Banquet!" He jammed the blades into the dirt, letting a ruthless current spike out and over the side of the cliff. The electricity rampaged for the nearest foes, striking Lee first on the way down, and the others on the way as it streaked ahead. Cries of shocked pain followed.

Raiga lifted his swords again and hopped down the slope, eager to see the result of his attack. The genin were splayed out on the ground near each other, unmoving and silent.

"Roasted corpses..." He shivered at the thought, "We are strong, you and I." He paused and then amended, "No...it's just you. You are the strong one, Ranmaru. It's only when I'm with you I can be this powerful."

"Wait, they're not dead yet." His partner warned, "They are only unconscious."

"Persistent bastards." Raiga hissed impatiently, "Fine. If I can't burn them, I'll smash them!" Lee was the nearest, and the lightning blades ripped downward for the heedless genin. The swords did not connect, however, after Lee had swept Raiga's legs out from under him and planted a solid kick to the nukenin's back.

He stumbled back, anchoring himself with his swords, and a soft sound of terror came from Ranmaru. Raiga glanced over his shoulder, panicked, "Are you alright? Ranmaru!"

His companion did not answer, and by then Lee was already on his feet. His face was an expression of blissful sleep, and he attacked with such ferocity Raiga was immediately forced back. He defended by crossing his blades, astonished by the Leaf ninja's rapid recovery. "Hang in there, Ranmaru!" He called, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Ranmaru answered dutifully, "Raiga...this person is still unconscious!"

He looked back to Lee, who had him cornered against the cliff side. He stood motionless, awaiting the opponent's move. Raiga cautiously moved his blade forward towards him, watching in amusement as Lee batted it away, his eyes still closed. "Amazing." Raiga muttered.

"He's fighting purely with reflexes." Ranmaru announced.

"That's a nice face. It's engraving itself into my heart...perhaps a funeral is in order." Raiga decided, "I'm sure that if I give him a funeral I can cry again!"

Lee charged, knocking Raiga sideways, but the nukenin gained leverage with his blades and tossed him off to the left. Lee stayed on his feet, unaffected by the counter, and Raiga cursed loudly, "What's with this kid?"

"His moves are hard to predict, but for your sake I will do my best!" Ranmaru said resolutely. When Lee raced forward again Ranmaru foresaw the motions, warning his friend when to dodge and when to counter. It was difficult with such a quick, limber opponent, and Raiga's lesser speed made it an even greater challenge. He leapt clean over Lee, arcing down with his blade, which was caught between the boy's feet.

"Take this!" Raiga howled, plunging his second sword down, which was clamped securely in Lee's hands. Deadlocked, the nukenin struggled to get his weapons back, unable to imagine how an enemy could fight back while not awake.

Farther off, Lee's teammates began to stir. Fujita lay belly-down in the dirt, his gi matted uncomfortably with sweat and mud. His tired eyes adjusted, locking on to Lee as he battled with Raiga. 'Eh? He's asleep! How on earth-?' He tried to raise himself up to stand and collapsed back down again, "Gah!"

On the opposite side of the hill Tenten rolled over, her head still foggy. Her limbs felt as if they had been horribly fried. Lightning jutsu were no picnic, and she hoped she would be cautious enough to avoid them in the future. Neji was by then staggering to his feet, watching Lee unconsciously fight off their opponent.

"Raiga! Back up now!"

Neji was confused by the shout, "What was that voice just now?"

Lee swung his legs in a vaulting motion and Raiga backed away to evade, but the reverse kick connected with the back of his cloak, tearing it. A bundle fell to the ground with a shriek, and Raiga rounded about, throwing his hood back in terror, "Ranmaru!"

The discarded bag fell close to Neji, where he regarded it as Tenten joined up with him. "What is that?" She asked, completely perplexed. They bent down to get a closer look, wondering what value it held to Raiga.

Raiga fought back fiercely, desperate to reach his friend, but Lee was still too much of a roadblock. He swiped the boy aside with a vicious swordstrike, and moved ahead to retrieve Ranmaru.

Lee tumbled to the ground, and finally woke, "Huh? It felt like I was fighting in my dream..." He face-planted soon after, finding his energy was inexplicably sapped.

Raiga floundered around in the thick mist, unable to spot the tiny form he had lost. "Ranmaru?" He called softly, sweeping his gaze left and right through the fog. When he discerned he could not see a thing he rounded on Lee again, furious, "You bastard!"

He leapt, brandishing his blades, and was kicked away in mid-air. He righted himself as he fell, and Lee looked up to see Fujita standing over him, waiting in a Jyukken stance.

"Fujita-kun..." He rasped, knowing Neji would have his head if his relative was injured while he could have done something to prevent it.

"You twerp!" He snarled, "You don't know when to die, do you?"

"This is my first mission that has ever taken a turn like this." Fujita said evenly, activating his Byakugan, "As Sawako-sensei said, feel no fear when protecting your comrades! I do not fear you."

"Then prepare to die!" Raiga generated a ball of lighting with his swords, and flung it towards the young genin.

---

Tenten examined the bundle curiously, "What do you suppose is in this bag, Neji?"

"Byakugan!"

The question was all that was required to prompt the activation of his over-used bloodline gift. Neji inspected the bag, fairly certain that the small chakra circulatory system he could see inside was real. "Inside there is..." He paused, watching as the system vanished in response. It was then he made note of the tiny red particles that had been released into the air, "Could this be it? This dust is hiding his tenketsu...and creating false tenketsu?"

He glimpsed the red eyes that he had seen earlier, finally understanding that Raiga had been stripped of his advantage. He called out to Fujita, who was preoccupied with dancing around blasts of lightning. "Fujita! You and Lee combine forces and finish him!"

"What? But," He ducked beneath a sword-swipe, "We could not get near him earlier!"

"You can now." Neji answered, "His eyes are over here."

Without further hesitation Lee had also gained his feet, and charged ahead with Fujita. Raiga countered with jolts of lightning, but the Leaf genin were wary and quick to avoid the shocks. When they had gotten too close, Raiga let loose a burst of chakra and fled up the vertical face of the cliff. Fujita and Lee followed, encouraged by his retreat.

Raiga formed hand seals on his way up, "Ninpo: Rock Slide!" Slabs of stone cracked off from the top of the cliff, cascading down in a wash of dirt and rock. Raiga evaded the fall, and Fujita was confident they could as well, "Slow down, Lee-kun! Just enough to avoid the stones!" Lee took the advice, and found the time to leap from boulder to boulder, just like his smaller companion, and reached the top just after Raiga.

A sweep of lightning greeted them, and Lee tumbled aside to avoid it. Fujita leapt higher, vectoring down with several throwing spines. The needles stuck the nukenin in the shoulder and forearms, and his movements became sluggish and pained.

"Fujita-kun, lend me some time, if you can!" Lee asked, readying to open his gates.

Fujita darted ahead like a sparrow, too fast and agile for Raiga to land a hit. Lee watched as senbon plunged into Raiga from all directions, disorienting and angering the nukenin. Fujita saw his opening, and although he was aware Lee was preparing to finish Raiga, he believed that he could do it himself.

He ended his shinjutsu assault and took an offensive stance. He had only ever used the technique once with his brother, and not very well at that. This time he intended to succeed, "Hakke Rokujuyon Sho!" He struck with two palms successfully, and began the transition for the reckless speed necessary for the multiplying assault.

Neji and Tenten had left their finding to help their friends, and after reaching the summit, observed Fujita's risky move. Tenten jumped in surprise, having never heard Neji's voice reach such a level of alarm. "Stop now!" He warned, "That technique is too dangerous!"

Fujita heard his cousin's command, and he blundered as he feared he would. His strike was just a centimeter off, but one chakra hole had been left open. Still mobile, Raiga managed to hastily counter against the young Hyuga, "Lightning Ball!" An orb of electricity ripped loose from the nukenin's swords, colliding with the struggling Leaf genin.

There was the briefest of moments in which Neji realized the attack would not have failed if he hadn't interfered. He froze up, watching as Tenten shot past him just in time to catch the stunned boy as he hurtled backwards. She could feel the heat radiating from Fujita, which was worryingly evident on his skin and burnt clothing. Tenten set him down gently, grateful that he was still breathing, but uncertain of what injury he might have sustained.

Raiga turned around just in time to get a fist in the face charged by three chakra gates. Lee sent the unsuspecting nukenin streaking across the plateau, and met him at the far side with untraceable speed. He initiated the attack he had used in the Waterfall Village, confident it was far more developed and bolstered than before, "Fledgling Peacock!"

The sheer volume of punches and the friction it generated sparked actual fire. Raiga let out a short cry before sailing out and over the edge of the cliff down to the valley floor, plummeting with meteor-like speed. Recoil was evident when his foe hit the ground far below, and parts of the rock wall crumbled away feebly. Lee stilled himself, willing his gates closed, and glanced over to where Fujita laid incapacitated with his teammates.

He ran over to Tenten, where the boy was held protectively in her arms, "No...Fujita...will he be alright, Tenten?"

"I'm willing to view this as a glass half full, but..." She cringed, "He feels to me like he's cooked. That lightning is horrific..." Tenten looked to Neji beside her, frowning, "Give the water bottle. Now."

He handed it to her without question, and she tipped some of the water into her palm before distributing the drops to his face and neck. After a few tense minutes of trying to cool him down, Fujita stirred, unimaginably dizzy and disoriented. Even the tips of his hair were singed, making him look as if he had tangoed with a fuse box.

"Tenten-san?" He asked weakly.

"Yeah, that's me." She smiled at him, "Can you try to sit up, Fujita?" He did. Remarkably, he had far more strength than she had expected him to. He had even lifted the canteen and taken a generous drink from it all on his own.

After they were sure he was lucid again, Neji apologized to him. "Forgive me for interrupting the way I did." He said quietly, "But you are too young to attempt a technique like that in the field."

"But I just turned eleven last week–!"

"Don't use it again." Neji deadpanned. He had graduated early, granted, but he refused to see Fujita try his hand at techniques beyond his physical range. Hikune had helped save his life once, and Fujita at least deserved the same consideration, Neji believed. Tenten seemed to calm down after that, and suggested they move on.

"By the way, Lee," She added, "Nice finishing blow. It kind of reminds me of that time Gai-sensei-"

"You think so?" He chirped excitedly, hugging her, "Thank you, Tenten! I have worked so hard on that technique, and it is an honor to be compared to our beloved teacher!"

"Um. You're welcome." She patted his back and he finally released her.

"With their leader gone, there is no telling what the Kurosuki Family will do now." Neji told them, helping Fujita to his feet, "But...there may be someone who knows enough to give us an idea."

With that said they returned to the bottom of the hill, and the bag sat there helplessly where it had been left. They gathered around it, giving it a critical examination. "So this is Raiga's eyes?" Fujita asked curiously.

"It's a person." Neji told him, kneeling down and unzipping the bundle. They observed, quite astounded, that inside was a young boy who appeared completely unaffected by their presence. He was pale, with violet hair and cinnamon red eyes that were blank, trained on the dreary sky overhead.

Lee also knelt down and asked, "It was you who I was fighting in my dream, was it not?"

"Not just me." He answered, "Raiga and I are one."

"You two are one?" He parroted, a bit puzzled.

"Always...since then..." He trailed off, losing eye contact again.

All Ranmaru could focus on was the truth. He had not joined Raiga out of friendship or charity. The brute had stormed into his town one night in a pack of Mist Black Ops, ransacking everyone who was suspected of being a spy against their village. Raiga had found him in the scrap of a shed he lived in, though one could barely call it living, since his illness and strange power had isolated him from the rest of the community.

Ranmaru could see that their spirits were tortured in the same way. Existing, but never understanding what life's purpose was or its value. He was fine with being killed. Raiga, conversely, found a piece of him that had been missing for many agonizing years. He took the boy away from the village, aborting his mission, and had lived with Ranmaru by his side ever since. Ranmaru's extraordinary gift made Raiga a force to be reckoned with, and Ranmaru was mobile for the first time in his life. They were only free when they were together.

"We found a reason to live, finally," Ranmaru explained to them, "By helping one another."

They stared at him, having never heard a story as equally farfetched.

"I wouldn't have had a reason to live if Raiga had never found me. Now...there is no reason for me to live anymore." Ranmaru said softly.

Fujita's face was wracked with immense heartbreak, "Don't say such a thing!"

Ranmaru wasn't listening, "Why are you hesitating? Now that I've lost my arms and legs I can't resist anymore. Fulfill your mission and finish me."

Fujita had heard enough, turning away. He refused to cry in front of his teammates, and choked back the tears that were threatening to fall. There was no way for him to help a person who so desperately wanted to be destroyed. It was against everything he had been taught, and he was unspeakably horrified by what Ranmaru had been reduced to.

"Our mission is to drive the Kurosuki Family out of this village." Neji reminded his teammates, "If Raiga isn't around he won't be a threat to the village. All that's left is to secure the village from the rest of the gang."

"But what about him?" Tenten asked, gesturing uncertainly to Ranmaru.

He did not answer at first.

A short while later they had scaled the top of the valley wall, where a small shack was stationed for storing supplies. They had taken Ranmaru there and bound him against a support beam inside the shed. The boy kneeled with his eyes shut, completely wilted.

"Is it really necessary to tie him up?" Lee asked guiltily.

Neji shook his head, "That isn't the reason for this."

Tenten stared at Ranmaru, worry eating away at her stomach, "At this rate, he might die...he's a sick kid and he hasn't been treated properly in who knows how long..."

"We'll come back to help you later." Fujita promised the boy, before shutting the doors and setting a tag as Neji had instructed.

"Even a chakra seal?" Lee asked pointedly.

"It can't be helped, since he is still our enemy. He could have other techniques we have not seen." Neji told him, "This is a precautionary measure."

They left after that, though all were aware of the fact that Ranmaru was certainly unable to use any jutsu or pose a threat. Someone so incredibly weak was only strong in the wrong hands. It was pitiful just to look at his miserable face. Neji knew that he was currently harmless, and had only locked him up to keep him out of the way. He had not mentioned the truth because he sensed the sympathy his teammates had towards the boy. Appearing insensitive was one of his specialties, though it was never truly Neji's intention.

The Leaf ninja trekked back down the slopes towards Katabami. The sky was just as gloomy as it had been during their fight with Raiga, and a chilled breeze swept through the hills. Tenten carried Fujita on her back, after seeing his ability to walk had not fully returned. The boy felt so helpless with his emotions and state of injury, and did his best to appear steadfast. All were silent as they followed Neji.

Out of bored curiosity Fujita used his Byakugan briefly to scout ahead. Now without Ranmaru's interference he could see their surroundings clearly. He was surprised to see the Kurosuki Family, in its entirety, minus one leader, was lurking farther ahead. "We should stop here, Neji-sama." He advised his cousin, "The gang is hiding in wait on that cliff, 23 degrees northeast. They probably want to catch us off guard."

Neji used his Kekkei Genkai, scanning the area Fujita had reviewed, and agreed with him. "This is the final phase of our mission." Neji thought aloud, "Dislodging the unsuspecting followers."

They circled the long way around the cliff side, out of sight. Though it took a bit longer to come in range of the waiting gang, their ambush was incredibly successful. Lee waited with Fujita, since they were still recovering from the exertion of their previous battle, getting a front row seat as their teammates attacked. Neji and Tenten worked with fearsome precision, raking through the men left and right, landing finishing hits with little effort. After a short while, they were stunned and disarmed, and Tenten took the liberty of keeping the majority of the looted weaponry.

The group continued on, growing exhausted, but glad they had fulfilled their requirements. Once back in town, an angry mob was gathering around Karashi. A man in a blue tunic seized Karashi by the collar of his shirt, "You had better be prepared, Karashi! It's about time we exacted justice..."

He shoved him back roughly, and an older man added, "You enjoyed every moment of bullying us. Don't expect us to forgive you easily."

"I'm sorry, I had no choice!" Karashi pleaded, "If I didn't follow their orders the Kurosuki Family would have killed me."

A blacksmith raised his mallet, "How about I open that head of yours with this hammer instead of the Kurosuki Family?"

The people were in agreement with the idea, and closed in around the hoodlum with various instruments of pain-inflicting. Lee had managed to step between Karashi and the approaching crowd. "Step aside, Lee-san." One asked, but he refused to move.

Instead he got to his knees, lowering his head, "Please hit me until you are satisfied."

"Are you crazy, kid?"

"Karashi was once a decent, respectable person. I am to blame for him joining a crime family." Lee explained, "It is because of me that he came to believe that power is everything." Karashi nodded feebly with the explanation and Lee continued, "Karashi is still immature, but he has the talent to make life-saving curry. Please give him the chance to apologize and change by making curry."

"If Karashi follows the wrong path again," Lee added, raising his fist towards the boy's face, "I will punish him myself!"

Rokusuke spoke up at length, "Everyone, how about we let Lee-san and Old Lady Sancho deal with him? He's not worth our energy at this point."

A muttering followed in which the people deliberated. A positive response seemed to follow, and Karashi heaved a sigh just before Lee swept him by his head to the ground to prostate before the people he had terrorized. They both thanked the villagers for their compassion, though Lee with a bit more enthusiasm. Lee's teammates were a bit doubtful of Karashi's sincerity, but as long as he was in custody their mission requirements had all been met.

"So that's it then?" Fujita wondered.

"Not quite yet." Neji answered, leading the way back out of the village.

It was no surprise when they returned to the shed that Ranmaru was still there. The seal on the door was untouched, and inside the small boy sat joylessly just where he had been left. "Are you alright?" Neji asked him.

"I'm fine, but what does it matter?" Ranmaru said softly, "I can't live on my own."

Tenten stared at him, deeply stricken by what he had said. Those were the exact words she had once told herself after her parents had been killed. On her own she had believed that she didn't matter, but thankfully the Hokage assigned her to a Genin team before she had any radical thoughts. Her teammates became her focus, and she was able to forget about how incredibly alone she was. Ranmaru's plight was a bit different, though.

"People don't always have a choice about surviving on their own." Tenten told the boy, "That's part of growing up, so stop acting so helpless!"

"But, Tenten-san..." Fujita said quietly, "It's very difficult, especially for people like him."

Ranmaru stared at the floor, "I was born in a weak body. The world inside that tiny hut was all I knew." His ruby eyes were filled with painful memories, "I have no memory of my parents, and I just got by on the scraps the villagers brought for me. But I had one power that no one else did..."

He smiled sadly to himself, "People found out about my ability and began to fear it. With time, none of the villagers would come by anymore...all I could do was wait for my death." Ranmaru's voice raised slightly, "That's when Raiga picked me up. I was saved."

"I see." Lee said quietly, "That is a harsh past."

Neji agreed with him wordlessly, and Ranmaru then added, "Raiga showed me the world that I had never seen. If we had never met I would have died."

"Raiga probably became one of the Seven Ninja Swords members by using your powers." Neji observed, slightly detached from the story. He was still trying to piece events together chronologically.

Tenten's expression had softened, "You two helped each other survive...but he used your gift for his own benefit. Didn't that bother you at all?"

"No. I have no sense of right or wrong, so it doesn't really matter to me." Ranmaru answered honestly.

"People fell by his blade because of you." Fujita pointed out, suddenly unsympathetic, "Do you believe you're truly alive by living like that? You need to live your own way." The boy looked as if he had been struck by an idea, "You should try the Curry of Life to get some energy, and then we can show you a better way to survive."

"Yes!" Lee conquered, "That will help you for sure!"

"Wouldn't that actually be harmful?" Tenten wondered, remembering how the curry had proven to be devastating upon ingestion.

Neji was also skeptical, "Fujita-kun...you could barely stand to eat that curry. Maybe you shouldn't promote it to someone more fragile than yourself."

"It took some getting used to." Fujita admitted, "But after eating a few servings I started feeling more energetic, I swear."

"That is the curry that saved my life!" Lee said matter-of-factly.

With Neji's permission, Fujita cut Ranmaru loose from his bonds and pulled the small child onto his back. "Until you find the strength to walk on your own, I'll be your body." Fujita offered smilingly.

They left the shack and stopped briefly at the cliff ledge. They peered down; at the distant bottom of the ravine Raiga's arms were visible protruding from a rock pile, a sword held fast in each hand. From such a distance it was difficult, but Neji managed to scan their defeated enemy with his Byakugan, and could not detect any trace of life.

"Can you see, Ranmaru?" Fujita asked. The boy peeked above his shoulders, staring down at the valley floor. His red eyes glowed briefly, and there, with a faint glimmer, he could see the most minute motion of chakra in Raiga. He smiled to himself, making sure not to tip-off the Leaf shinobi in any way.

They collected Karashi and Rokusuke before heading back on the mountain trail to their base. Outside of the shop, both of Rokusuke's friends were overjoyed to see they had returned unharmed. They ran into the restaurant, calling for Sancho's attention. She couldn't have gotten a word in edgewise after the team of ninja entered shortly after, with newcomers joining them.

Rokusuke immediately reunited with his friends, and Karashi timidly approached his mother, still filled with guilt. He fell to his knees, choking back a sob, "I'm sorry, Mom! Please...forgive me..."

Lee also spoke on his behalf, "He said he will dedicate himself to preparing to take over the Curry of Life Restaurant. Please forgive him."

Sancho turned to face her son, slamming a plate of sinister looking curry down on the counter. "First, you eat." She demanded simply. Karashi looked a bit put-out by the dish.

"That looks delicious!" Fujita cried, his stomach feeling supremely empty after so many battles, "If you're not going to eat that, Karashi, I will!" Ranmaru still rested silently on his back.

Sancho smiled at the young Hyuga, "Not to worry, I have all of yours prepared." She noted Ranmaru as well, "Oh my. That boy looks so pale!"

Fujita smiled sweetly, "Would it be alright if he eats with us, Baa-chan?"

Sancho nodded, and while they still had her attention, Neji thought to ask, "Please make mine especially mild, ma'am." Tenten seconded the notion. Sancho was happy to oblige, and turned back to her work in the kitchen.

Lee was surprised when Karashi abruptly thanked his mother for the food, and took a seat at the counter. One bite of the curry had painted Karashi's face a blistering scarlet, and Sancho glanced over to him with a smirk, "That's your punishment. It's 300 times stronger than usual, so eat up!" Karashi bent over the curry, eating solemnly as tears streamed steadily down his cheeks. He still could not see his mother crying quietly to herself in the kitchen.

By nightfall everyone had eaten well, primarily because no one, with the exception of Lee, had ordered the spicy curry the restaurant served. Fujita sat beside Ranmaru at the table, and noticed the small boy had not even touched his food. "Aren't you hungry, Ranmaru?" Fujita asked him, "It's alright, Baa-chan made it mild for you."

Ranmaru shook his head weakly in response. It was then Fujita wondered how long it had been since the child had last eaten. His movements were sluggish, and though sick people tended to have less energy, Ranmaru looked especially feeble. "Should I ask Sancho-san to make something else for you?" He offered at length.

"No, I don't need it." Ranmaru shook his head again, "I'm not hungry."

Fujita looked at him for a long moment, and then gave up on coaxing him to eat. He knew that the last thing Ranmaru wanted was something to help himself survive. He also knew that food would eventually be forced at him, with as many people as necessary to hold him down. 'But no one can last that way; being forced against their wishes.' Fujita thought gloomily, 'Ranmaru...where is your will to live?'

---

The following morning Rokusuke and his companions left early to return to Katabami, but not before thanking the Leaf ninja for the help and generosity. After Neji and Tenten had seen them off, they found Lee exacting his punishment for Karashi, which only happened to be simple training regiments that Karashi could not possibly keep up with.

They found Fujita with them, cutting beams to fix up the walls of the shop that looked worse for the wear. Overhead, black clouds hung threateningly, promising a thunderstorm. Sancho was pleased with their offer to repair her restaurant before the storm hit. Crumbling siding and a leaky roof were not problems either she or her son were able to fix. "Where is that son of mine anyway?" Sancho pondered aloud.

Neji glanced over to the kunoichi of the team, "Tenten, I'm concerned about Karashi and Ranmaru being by themselves at the restaurant. We're fine here. Could you go and keep an eye on them?"

She complied with the team leader's wishes dutifully. Back at the curry restaurant, Tenten found the dimmed lights suspicious. "Where is everyone?" She surveyed the room for a moment, "Karashi? Ranmaru?" There was no reply. Of course they were gone, she thought, 'Hoodlum is as hoodlum does.'

Neji would definitely be displeased with their joint disappearances, she noted sourly. After having promised him she would get a hold of herself, Tenten was not about to panic and rally the team for help. Fetching the two would be easier to do on her own. 'They couldn't have gotten very far...' She left the shop without warning her teammates first.

---

"Hey, is the boss really still alive?" Karashi asked, carrying Ranmaru down the mountain on his back.

"At the time, that Neji person couldn't sense it, but I could." The small boy answered. He remained silent for the remainder of the journey down into the ravine. Once on the valley floor, Karashi quailed at the sight of Raiga's arms raised up out of a pile of stones. The twin blades shone threateningly in the weak daylight.

Ranmaru peeked over Karashi's shoulder, eyes glowing red, and could see the faintest trace of chakra lingering in his friend. "Raiga..." He said softly, before prying himself out of Karashi's grip. He tumbled to the ground pathetically, his legs locked from illness, and proceeded to drag himself to the rock pile. Karashi watched him anxiously.

"You were everything to me. I was only waiting to die when you told me I still had the opportunity to live." His feeble limbs hoisted him up where he was able to cling to Raiga's lifeless arms, "To me, being with you meant I was alive!"

The boy choked back a sob, drawing on what little chakra he had to offer, "I won't have a funeral for you either. Even if I have to trade my life I won't let you die." Ranmaru waited there, feeling the faint leeching of chakra take effect. He was so small and inexperienced, he knew, and the green glow of energy wasn't certain to revive his friend. He was overwhelmed by the exertion after a few minutes, and eventually crumpled over.

Karashi, startled, hurried over to the unconscious boy, "Ranmaru!" He shook his shoulders gently, "What happened to you? Ranmaru!" He picked him up, and balked in shock when the heap of stones began to tremble. Karashi tumbled backwards, not understanding how Raiga's once motionless arms had begun to struggle.

Tenten glimpsed over the edge of the cliff, observing how both Karashi and Ranmaru were flat on their backs down below. "What the-?" Lightning struck, and she leapt backwards in surprise. The bolt touched down, vaporizing the rock pile, and she could feel the tightest of knots in her gut form when Raiga had gotten to his feet, alive after all.

Karashi slowly edged away from the revitalized ninja, knowing to pick himself and run could prove fatal. Raiga stared down at Ranmaru's limp form, waiting for some reaction. The boy did not budge from his spot on the ground, and panic quickly set in, "R-Ranmaru? This isn't funny, you know, playing dead! Wake up now, Ranmaru!"

He knelt down beside him, giving him a gentle nudge, but to no avail. Raiga glared back in Karashi's direction, sending a ripple of fear up the man's spine, "What...did you do to Ranmaru?"

"N-No! H-He only..." Karashi stuttered stupidly, then got a grip, "He was gripping your hands and then you came back to life! After that, he..."

Raiga glanced down, still able to see the faint glow of chakra that had awakened him. He held the boy's hands tightly, hoping to return some of the donated chakra, but it had no effect. Raiga stared at his face for a moment, heartbroken by such paleness, such sacrifice, "Ranmaru..."

A long moment passed before Raiga carefully let the boy down, and stared back towards Karashi. He squealed in terror when the nukenin raised his blades, but was astounded when a storm of knives shot down from the top of the cliff. Raiga deflected the hail of kunai, and it was then Karashi could see Tenten racing down from the hilltop.

She had summoned a battle chain and cast it downward, letting the coils loop around the stationary nukenin. Tenten circled around him, binding Raiga with metal, and after thoroughly ensnaring him let loose another volley of flying blades. To her disappointment, he managed to counter, letting another bolt of lightning deflect the incoming projectiles. Raiga reeled back, snapping the chain, and then released a more concentrated blast of electricity.

Tenten let out a small cry when she was struck; her back slamming against the broad side of a boulder. She sat, shaking in pain, trying to think of a better attack strategy.

Raiga smirked, shrugging off the remaining links of the chain, "Are you that brat's comrade? Could you be that stupid?" He raised his blades up, fangs poised for a killing strike, but Tenten already had a new weapon in her hands. His swords raked down, sinking into the used summon scroll, and she rolled away to safety.

Raiga rounded about clumsily, his countenance an impatient snarl. Tenten was on her feet, a Bo-staff held reverently in her hands, 'Though it's made of wood it won't do any good blocking that lightning...I have to hit him hard and fast!' She wheeled the staff around skillfully, and after he took a step forward, slammed down on Raiga's foot.

He yowled in unexpected pain, and Tenten seized the opening, jabbing his throat and abdomen in rapid succession. Raiga lolled backwards, unable to counter, and Tenten landed hit after vicious hit. She would have preferred to have used a metal weapon against him, but the effectiveness would not be worth the risk in an electrically charged environment.

Tenten paused, and in the split second her guard was down Raiga lunged, "I see an opening!" His sword arced forward and jammed. His eye's widened as Tenten reversed the staff's momentum, flipping the blade up and sending it streaking from its master's hand across the clearing. The sword stuck in the rock wall just above Karashi, who shrunk away in fear from the close call.

Tenten charged again, hoping to rid him of his second sword, but when the blade stuck in the wood he was prepared. He did not lose his grip as he had earlier, "This pole is annoying!" Point blank, Raiga discharged a massive lightning bolt, ripping through the Bo-staff and plowing into the kunoichi.

Tenten made a soft noise before hitting the ground. Karashi looked on fearfully when she did not get up again. Raiga turned back to the sulking man, approaching slowly, and retrieved the sword that was stuck in the rock above his head. "Because I'm crazy," Raiga said, lifting Karashi up by his shirt collar, "I can't understand why things ended up like this. Whose fault is this?" He was referring to Ranmaru, "Yours?"

"N-No! It was probably those guys from Konoha!" Karashi shrieked, thrashing when his feet began to hover over the ground.

Understanding flickered across Raiga's face, "That's right. If they hadn't shown up, Ranmaru and I would both be fine." His fist tightened around Karashi's throat, "So, where the hell are they? You know, don't you? If you don't tell me I'll kill you!"

"Sure..." Karashi wheezed, "I know..."

Raiga dropped him, and Karashi cowered away from him on the ground. He stared up at the nukenin uncertainly, wondering what he intended to do without Ranmaru.

"Bring them here." Raiga hissed furiously, "Hurry up and do it!"

"Yes, Boss!" Karashi chirped, hobbling to his feet and running back up the slope as if an invisible whip were at his heels.

Raiga looked back to where Ranmaru laid unmoving, "Wait, Ranmaru. I'll have gathered their bodies for your funeral."

---

Tenten stirred, finding that she was supremely uncomfortable wherever she had landed. It was nice how the jagged stones had cushioned her fall, and the smell of singed wood was also pleasant. She hobbled to her feet, exhausted, not surprised Raiga was nowhere to be seen. 'But where is Karashi? Did he make it?' She wondered, 'And what about...?'

The moment she spotted Ranmaru she immediately went to him, troubled by his state, 'This child...did he really give his life in order to save Raiga?' She would have thought it noble if not for how twisted it was, that someone so young had already devoted themselves completely to another person. Tenten balked when the boy gave a small move, and she bent down to examine him, "You're not dead! Oh! Hang in there, okay, Ranmaru?"

She quickly set a list of priorities. Tenten scooped the boy up, knowing she would need to find a safe place to help him recover. The restaurant was simply too far away, 'I might lose him by then...' She hazarded the perilous climb back up the valley wall, remembering the shack they had locked the boy in earlier. The sky had gone black, and thunder roared out over the mountain range as if conjured by Raiga.

It was a tiring trek back up the slopes, but Tenten managed to reach the storage shed with the ailing boy on her back. 'Do you know why I'm going to take care of you?' She thought, feeling a new attachment for the poor child, 'Because just as you were so willing to give your life for someone that you love, I know I would do the same.'

---

Fujita looked up when a drop of water pelted his face. He stopped working on a side panel of the restaurant, and looked upward, "It's started raining..."

"But we have mostly finished up." Lee observed, walking past his teammate, "That is enough for now, Fujita-kun."

He and the young Hyuga joined Neji, where Sancho was thanking him at the front of the shop, "I am so happy that you were kind enough to do all this for me! Thank you, boys, all of you!"

"Bad news, Mom! Bad news!"

They looked down the road, seeing a frantic looking Karashi running towards them. He grabbed his mother about the shoulders, and Sancho's contentment vanished, "Oh my, what's wrong, Karashi?"

"It's Tenten-san..."

Lee's eyes were wide, "What happened to her?"

"She fell from a cliff!" Karashi cried, "It scared me half to death! We took Ranmaru to see the remains of his master and a bolt of lightning from those clouds struck down!" He shook his mother's shoulders, "It startled her...and it was such a long fall! I'm not sure if...if..."

"Oh heavens!" Sancho paled at the news, "Then you've got to help that girl right away!"

"We have to!" Fujita agreed, with Lee loudly voicing his sentiment as well. They looked to Neji, who seemed to be in need of more convincing. Fujita thought it strange, because he seemed to care about Tenten most of all, 'I thought he would be quickest to lead this campaign...'

Karashi looked at Neji for a long moment, sensing his doubt, so he added, "Uh...I'll go get some medical supplies. I'll catch up with you all in a bit."

"Very well." Neji said at length, before setting out down the road with Lee and Fujita in toe. After heading back towards the ravine, they took a shortcut through a patch of forest. Working on the shop had been no distraction from the fact that Karashi and the others had been missing, and with the subsequent information of Tenten's accident as well, Neji could only suspect that Karashi had been lying through his teeth.

'The question remains, though...what happened to her.' Neji thought, wishing he knew why Tenten had gone off without them.

"I do hope she's alright..." Fujita said quietly, his eyes downcast as they passed the tree line and raced along the cliff's edge.

"Do you really think Tenten would be harmed that easily?" Neji pointed out, glancing over to Lee, "Don't we know her well enough...to be sure something like lightning would never stop her?"

"Yes." Lee agreed, then sighed, "Perhaps Karashi has not had enough training...I am sorry."

Fujita was caught off guard, "Then...what's going on?"

"This is most likely a trap." Neji figured, "Or he may be being threatened by someone.

"The Kurosuki Family is defeated." Lee reminded his friend.

"But still..." The Hyuga prodigy was loathe to admit it, "My eyes may not be completely trustworthy."

---

After Tenten had taken shelter in the supply shed, rain began to cascade down on the valley. Lightning illuminated the dim shack, and the kunoichi vigilantly observed Ranmaru, troubled by his weakened state. She did her best to bring his fever down and keep him warm, but she could do little else. It was then she wished she had some more formal training in medical treatment.

Ranmaru's violet hair was fanned around him while he dozed. A sheet of sweat had lined his pale skin. He stirred suddenly, muttering to the girl next to him, "Where's...Raiga?"

"He's revived. That's the reason why you're so weak." Tenten told him softly.

"It's okay." He assured her, rolling to his side beneath the blanket, "I will die soon..."

"Don't talk like that! You hear me?" She snapped vehemently, "Think about the people that you and Raiga killed against their will...you expect me to let you do whatever you want? Die when you like? Kill when you like!"

Ranmaru flinched away from her furious voice, some part of him understanding what she meant. How could he see himself entitled to such luxuries? He and Raiga had taken the right to live away from so many others; nothing more than wily thieves. Tenten wanted him to take responsibility for such crimes, but Ranmaru was afraid that if he accepted it, he would be consumed by such darkness. 'Even if that time in my life was wrong...Raiga and I were together. It was our time.'

Ranmaru didn't answer, and instead fell prey to a hacking fit. While Tenten made sure his coughing wasn't too rough, she noted that staying much longer would be dangerous, 'The storm is getting worse...we can't stay here. At least he's awake now.'

She pulled back the blanket, scooping the small boy up in her arms, "It's time for us to go. We need to get back to Baa-chan's restaurant, and I don't want to hear one complaint out of you."

---

"He is alive!" Lee warned, half shocked himself, as he and his teammates entered a clearing Raiga had been waiting in. Fujita steadied a kunai in his hand as he charged, and Neji quickly called a warning to Lee.

Lee knocked the knife out of the younger Hyuga's hand, startling him, and watched as lightning struck down on the plummeting kunai. Fujita landed beside him, not understanding, "What's going on?"

"The lightning he used before was created solely by his chakra," Neji explained, catching up to them, "Now he is using real lightning. We need to keep in mind how it behaves in nature, as well as in battle."

Raiga stood watching them, his eyes narrowed with hatred. His blades were pulsing with stored electricity, and the storm clouds looming overhead served as his secondary weapon. Lightning arced down, channeling through his swords before Raiga let loose several more strikes with a cry.

Neji called for his teammates to get down, and Lee and Fujita dropped immediately as instructed. The lightning struck nearby but could not accurately hit a target that was stationed so low. Neji observed with his Byakugan, noticing a pattern in which the beams struck and flowed, 'If we can get through that electric field and bring this fight to close combat he will be overwhelmed without help from Ranmaru.'

"Fujita! Come with me." Neji darted ahead when the field had cleared temporarily. The younger boy followed closely, diverging as lightning lashed out at them.

As they ran headlong into the chaotic lightning thicket, Fujita remembered something about his brother. "Neji-sama! A rotation will protect against lightning energy to an extent," He warned the team leader, "I cannot use that technique, but I have seen Hikune-niisan perform the Kaiten to defend himself from jutsu similar to this. You can-" He fell sideways, a bolt of lightning just barely missing him.

Neji continued on, acknowledging what he had been told, 'He is correct. His brother is skilled with Raiton techniques, Hiashi-sama said. He would know at least one thing from training with a sibling so skilled.' Lightning had struck just ahead of him, short of half a meter, and a follow-up strike was close behind it, he could sense. With no time to think about how effective it would be, Neji threw himself into a rotation, awaiting the next thunderbolt.

Lightning hit as he had anticipated, and Neji was glad that his recklessness had not cost him the day. The energy was immense but was conducted outward, into the ground with the rapid spiraling motion. Pain he was accustomed to only amounted to a prickling heat, with the slight sensation of nausea. When the flash passed he stopped, gathered his wits, and kept moving. He could see that Lee was following behind them up the hill, also dodging the sky-sent assaults.

Unfortunately, the new defense measure was also a burden. Every time Neji deflected a lightning blast he was slowed down, only to be caught in another shortly afterwards. He was not gaining ground fast enough, Fujita could see.

'Aniki has taught me well...better than even Father.' He thought, rolling away from a thunder-made crater, 'I have chakra the same as his, he told me! I can do this!' Fujita hurled senbon at Raiga, a number of them bouncing off of his upraised swords. The needles stuck vertically in the ground around the nukenin's feet, 'There!'

More throwing spines stabbed into the ground, and after Fujita was satisfied with the metallic ring around Raiga, he leapt to avoid an incoming thunderbolt. 'I can see it clear enough...' He thought, if only a little, the lightning brushed over the needles in the ground with a quiver. It was an attraction that Fujita was ready to exploit. Chakra focused, heart pounding, the young boy streaked out into the open. Neji called for him to stop.

Raiga swung his swords for the smaller Hyuga, "Stupid brat! I'll fry you!"

Lightning ripped ahead, and then shuddered out. Raiga blinked, confounded, and then looked down to watch the electricity channel frantically into the miniature lightning rods surrounding him. What was left over continued ahead towards Fujita, a pitiful thread of energy that he easily avoided.

Neji raced ahead, quick to spot the opening, 'He's wearing down Raiga's attacks, letting the ground absorb them!' Fujita and his cousin descended upon the rattled nukenin. Neji, from behind, prepared a finishing assault, "Well done, Fujita!" A massive bolt of lightning roared down from the clouds even without Raiga's beckoning, striking the unsuspecting Hyuga heir.

Neji fell back, scorched, and before Fujita could react, a second bolt funneled down for him. He also stumbled, in horrific agony, realizing his mistake, 'The needles...they caught Raiga's attacks, but also...made a target for the real lightning.' He hit the ground hard, eyes shut tight from the searing pain.

Raiga laughed at the pathetic team effort, "You helped me counter against you, stupid, white-eyed dolt! You are limited by the extent of your chakra, but my power is boundless!"

"Is that something you say to someone who gave everything they had to fight against you?" Lee spat, having finally caught up from his evasive maneuvers.

"You again?" Raiga smirked in Lee's direction, "I'm not going to give you a funeral this time!"

Lee moved cautiously, not wanting to provoke an attack as he removed the leg weights from his calves. Raiga wasn't all that impressed by the craters that the discarded weights made when dropped. He watched Lee steadily, eager to eliminate the last of the Leaf ninja.

---

Tenten had draped a piece of burlap over Ranmaru's head to shield him from the pouring rain. She trudged towards the restaurant, squinting to make out the figures up ahead, 'What the-? Is that Karashi? How did he...'

"What are you doing, boy?" Sancho cried, trying to pry her son's hand from her wrist. Karashi was dragging her away from a shop in a panic, desperate to escape before Raiga's next appearance.

"Mom stop being so difficult and come with me!" He snapped, hauling her to her feet when she sat down stubbornly, "There's no time!"

Sancho bit back with shouts of protest, before seeing the kunoichi approach, "Oh! Tenten-chan! Thank goodness!"

Thankfully Tenten did not have to say much to gain cooperation. Sancho invited them inside the shop, demanding the truth since Tenten had confirmed she most certainly had not fallen from a cliff. Karashi reluctantly, but accurately, explained the ordeal to his mother, leaving her appropriately infuriated...once again.

"My stupid son!" Sancho pounded the boy over the head with a ladle, "Stupid! Stupid!"

"It couldn't be helped." He whimpered, "The Boss is revived and we'll be killed if we stay here!"

"Run, then, if you want." Tenten said from across the room.

Karashi and his mother looked to the kunoichi, who was busy laboring over Ranmaru. She had removed the boy's sodden clothes and dried him off, desperate to try and warm him up again. "I won't run." She told them quietly, "I won't give up. I'll save him."

Sancho walked over to her silently, observing the ailing boy. Ranmaru coughed violently before his blood eyes opened, he looked up at Tenten uncertainly, unable to speak anymore.

"Let's feed this boy the Curry of Life." Sancho decided, remembering how Lee had been saved, "It really does work wonders that even I don't understand." Tenten thanked her with a small smile, and Sancho promptly went to the kitchen to prepare the dish.

Karashi shook his head fearfully, "That's it! I don't care what happens to you two!" He ran upstairs, unaware of how Tenten was thoroughly ignoring him. He stared out his bedroom window, out to where the storm clouds were thickest, only able to imagine what was going on out in the valley. Still, even when he was terrified of what could happen, he could still envision Lee running that blasted marathon unconscious. 'The nerve of some people! Making you admire them and believe you can be like them!' He thought acidly.

Lightning struck, and Karashi's eyebrows knitted into a frown, 'But...I don't have to be just like him to be respectable. Why did I go out of my way for an adventure when I was already on one? The thrills were different...but not always in the good way.' He sniffed the air, catching a whiff of curry that his mother completed. Curiosity made him venture back down the stairs.

Sancho had handed a plate of curry to Tenten, and when she presented it to Ranmaru, he still refused to eat. Karashi could immediately tell that his mother had not gotten the recipe quite right in her rush, just from the smell of it.

"The mix of spices if wrong." He informed his mother, testing it himself. Sancho was shocked to find him in the kitchen, tossing this and that into the pot.

"You remember how to make the Curry of Life?" She asked, bewildered, "Karashi?"

He finished swiftly, returning with a new plate for Tenten. His expression was of earnest humility, "Here. This is the true curry of life." She took it from him with an analytical look, before leaning down to Ranmaru again, attempting to spoon-feed him.

"Please eat this." She said tiredly, aggravated that he still turned food down. "What? You can't even eat unless you're with Raiga?" Tenten asked snippishly.

"Why save me?" He asked faintly.

"Do I need a reason to help people?" Tenten said pointedly, "Karashi and Sancho worked so hard to make this for you, to help you. Do you feel nothing after watching them toil that way?"

Ranmaru opened his eyes a margin, staring at the wall.

"If you don't feel anything, then you are the lowest kind of human." She knew she was blatantly opinionated, but she wanted to get through to him, "We, as human beings, live by supporting each other. If someone's in trouble it's only natural to lend a helping hand, am I right?"

Ranmaru rolled over from beneath his quilt, looking from Tenten to Karashi. Karashi smiled awkwardly, "Anyway, just take a bite. Try it."

Ranmaru looked back to Tenten, finally appearing compliant. Tenten offered him a small bite of curry, which he timidly nipped at. She was quite astounded by how he sat up, willing, if not eager, for more. Tenten handed him the plate, watching in fascination as Ranmaru ate fitfully and, strangely enough, voluntarily. 'It looks like we got through to him,' Tenten thought, 'Or he could just be starving. How long has he been surviving on an empty stomach?'

Ranmaru finished, his plate bare, and Tenten took it from him. "Was it any good?" She asked, then added, "That's what it feels like to be alive."

His ruby eyes reflected genuine surprise. He stared down at his lap, small tears sliding off of his nose. "If that's so..." Ranmaru said softly, "I want Raiga to try this curry too."

Tenten sighed to herself and then smiled widely, 'He's himself finally!' She stood up, ready to rejoin her teammates, "Let's go."

---

Back on the mountainside, Lee fought desperately against the nukenin. Neji and Fujita were still out cold, and Lee was grateful Raiga was no longer paying them any mind. He sped past Raiga with blinding speed, plowing into him with a knee-kick, following with a volley of punches. Raiga reversed his hold on his swords, and lured a thunderbolt down from the clouds. It arced down, striking Lee point-blank range.

To Raiga's eternal surprise, Lee weathered the attack, coming out of it only singed. "This kid..." The nukenin muttered, "What's up with him?" He looked to Lee, his impatience becoming intrigue, "Why do you fight this hard?"

"So I can become strong enough that Gai-sensei can look at me with pride." Lee panted, smiling to himself at the thought, "That is my Nindo."

"Really? You live for a man named Gai, do you?" Raiga snickered, "In that case, have Gai conduct your funeral! I'm sure he'd cry for you while thinking of your efforts!" The nukenin summoned down two monstrous bolts of lightning from the sky and struck himself. Newly energized, he attacked again with greater force, "Ninpo: Lightning Dragon Tornado!"

A whirlwind of debris and electricity soared for Lee with a static scream. Exhausted and unable to counter, he braced himself for the impact, futilely. The thunderous dragon-attack barreled him over, crushing him against the ground, while electrocuting him at the same time. Lee tumbled head over feet with a grunt, rolling bonelessly down the slope.

---

"Please hurry, Tenten!" Ranmaru chirped, hanging on tightly to her shoulders as she ran.

"I have no problem with that." She agreed, turning back to Karashi and his mother, "We're going ahead, alright?" The kunoichi gained speed, racing along the path ahead. It was only after she had passed by a smoldering form stuck in a rock crevice did she turn around and stop.

Tenten stared at Lee (the aforementioned smoldering object,) who was unconscious and so devastatingly pathetic that she had to act on behalf of her secondhand embarrassment. She set Ranmaru down carefully (he stood on frail but functioning legs, at last) and kneeled down to Lee. She seized him by the collar of his jumpsuit, shaking him disapprovingly, "Hey! Lee! Get a hold of yourself! We're on a mission here!"

Karashi and Sancho rounded the bend shortly after, coming to stop beside Tenten and her incapacitated teammate. Karashi fell to his rump, exhausted from running and hauling a giant pot of curry on his back, "I...can't run anymore..."

Tenten held up Lee's burnt face for Sancho to see, "Oh! Baa-chan! Please could you help Lee with that curry of yours? He's out completely!"

"Oh gracious!" Sancho unlidded the pot hurriedly and began to spoon out curry onto plates of rice, "Judging from this poor boy, the others can't be doing much better. Karashi! Help me with the curry!"

"Tired..." He moaned.

"I'll help, Baa-chan." Ranmaru said softly, aiding her in the distribution of food. A plate was entrusted to both Tenten and Karashi, and Ranmaru had taken one for himself, "I want to give this to Raiga..."

Tenten gave him a doubtful look, "Ranmaru...he...he probably won't-"

"Don't wait for me! I'll be fine!" The violet haired boy teetered down the path without them, and though Tenten was tempted to stop him, she stayed with Lee. 'Raiga definitely won't hurt him. If anything, Ranmaru is better off on his own at this point...' She thought, 'He'll be alright.'

"Fujita might need this." Tenten decided, glancing over to Karashi, "Could you find Neji and give that to him, Karashi? We shouldn't take chances."

He nodded feebly, "Sure...I'll...I'll help him out." He lifted the plate he had been given and set off down a more rugged path that circumvented Raiga safely, while Tenten crossed the cliff closer to where the battle had raged.

Sancho, on her own, regarded Lee for a long moment, "Poor thing..." She ladled some of the raw curry into the boy's mouth, waiting for a reaction, and feared perhaps he might not respond to aid so late. Of course she wasn't all that shocked when he leapt to his feet a moment later, enthralled by the presence of his favorite food. Sancho could hardly believe her eyes once Lee had bent over the pot, eating with the ladle he had plucked from the restaurant owner's hand.

After a minute of gorging himself, Lee turned back to Sancho, his face a bit pinkish. He smiled somewhat mischievously as he bowed gratefully to her, managing to smash the crown of his head on the ground. 'How flexible that boy is.' Sancho observed. His state was irregular, however, and more than just a little disconcerting.

"The world is spinning." Lee said groggily, "S-pin-nningg."

"Oh dear. You are feeling better aren't you?" She asked hopefully. He nodded in confirmation, his movements emulating the elasticity of loose rubber. Such behavior made Sancho think back to try and pinpoint what could have off-balanced him.

She quickly remembered how she had been urging Karashi to hurry with his preparations of the curry of life. After asking him to set the pot in a carrier, he had accidentally bumped into a shelf, knocking a wine bottle into the mixture. Curry splashed up as a result of the displacement, landing in his eyes, scalding him, and causing him to drop the pot on his foot. Agonized further, he hopped backwards, clutching his foot, crying, smashing his head near another shelf, and if he then had the wherewithal, would've side-stepped the pan that crashed down. Of course it landed on his head.

"That wine bottle did it." Sancho noted, "But there appears to be no problem with the curry's effect. The alcohol...might cause some delirium for these children. Dear, dear..."

Lee started laughing hysterically, unable to control the reflex, and ran backwards up the hill. Sancho sat by the pot, at a loss of how to proceed. Lightning streaked through the sky overhead.

---

Tenten had found Fujita on the far side of the clearing, laying at an odd angle beside a boulder. She rushed to him, gently nudging his shoulders, "Fujita? Not again..." Tenten gave him a taste of the Curry of Life, and ducked back when he sat up suddenly. The breath of fire had her a little worried too, but at least he was awake.

"Oh...Tenten-san." He took a sharp breath, "You're alright? I thought...well, Karashi said you fell from a cliff."

"How original." Tenten commented, setting the plate down, "We've got to get going now. Still have some fight left in you?"

"Um. Not really, no."

"Yeah, me neither." She sighed again, "Could you spot Neji for me? I know Karashi's looking for him but I just want to check."

Fujita nodded weakly before activating his blood limit. He strained for a few moments, scanning their surroundings, and then relaxed. "I think he's still unconscious. He's southeast of here, just a bit farther ahead." He frowned inwardly, "But what about Raiga?"

"We'll deal with him in a bit, just lay low for now." Tenten instructed before slinking off behind a rock formation. Hopefully the nukenin wouldn't notice how his opponents were up and about again, she thought. It would be highly inconvenient to fight at such a time. As Fujita had predicted, Neji was still out even with Karashi tending to him. She stopped beside the two, wondering what the delay was.

"He won't wake up?" Tenten observed.

Karashi sighed heavily, "Not yet he won't. Is Neji-san always this finicky?"

"Now that I think about it," She smirked to herself, "I'll have to say yes. Don't tell him I said that, though." Tenten lifted the plate from the ground and shoveled some of the curry into her teammate's mouth, "Buck up already, Neji!"

Karashi's warning came too late. Tenten observed as the Hyuga heir stirred for a moment, extremely discomforted, and clawing at his throat before passing out yet again. Tenten raised her eyebrows, "I...don't think I've ever seen his face so red before..."

"For some reason he has no tolerance for this curry." Karashi pointed out, guiltily remembering how he had added wine into the mixture, "Er...does he have any resistance to alcohol at all?"

"Oh, I doubt it. Hyuga tend to be digestively frail by nature." Tenten pulled Neji into a sitting position, gently slapping his face to wake him. She glanced over to Karashi, "Alcohol? What is in that curry?"

"Nothing helpful, I guess." Karashi groaned.

---

Raiga prowled expectantly across the plateau, keeping watch for any sight of Lee. During his brief vigil he spotted a figure up ahead sulking near a boulder, momentarily illuminated by lightning. Raiga kept his swords at his belt, not eager to fight a weakened opponent, "You're still moving? I'll have to finish you!"

"Raiga."

The nukenin immediately recognized the voice. Certainly not Lee, and when he edged nearer, he could not help but grin to see Ranmaru alive and on his feet. "You're...alive." He said quietly, watching the small boy hobble closer. Raiga closed the gap in a few strides, easily lifting him up, "You're well again, Ranmaru, somehow...but you're still so small. I swear this time I'll protect you properly!"

The violet haired boy was smiling, feeling some of the old thrill of being so high up off the ground. Before another word was said, however, Ranmaru did what was most prudent of the time and spooned some of the curry of life into his friend's mouth, "Please eat this, Raiga."

The nukenin blanched for a moment, not at all in the mood to eat. He swallowed anyway, somewhat bewildered by the flavor, "Feh...what on earth is that garbage?"

"Good! You like it!" Ranmaru smiled, presenting him with another spoonful, "This is just my way of guarding our friendship. Is it...is it alright?"

Raiga chewed, visibly puzzled, trying to discern what about the food was so strangely satisfying. Could use a bit more spice, he thought. There was still an edge to it that not only filled his stomach, but also heated his chest on the way down and sharpened his senses, if only a fraction. Something was different.

"It's alright." Raiga agreed, compliant when Ranmaru continued to feed him, almost panicked. He wasn't hungry at all, but Raiga still noted how the entire plate was clear after a minute. He didn't know whether to blame it on Ranmaru's rush or his own neglected appetite. Raiga set the boy down on the ground, taking a seat next to him.

"Things feel strange." Raiga informed his companion, glancing over to him, "Hm. Have I always towered above you this way?"

"Like you said, I'm very small." Ranmaru was smiling so widely he feared his skin would tear, "Maybe I'll grow to be as tall as you one day, Raiga!"

"Fuh! I don't think so!" He was laughing.

Ranmaru was startled. Had Raiga ever laughed from sheer joy before? Not outside of a funeral, no. Part of him was still unable to believe the curry had worked, and another part of him was so immensely grateful that it he had gotten through to the person who was his friend and not a killer. The small boy hugged Raiga's arm, pressing his face against the bandages wrapped around it.

"I'm happy." Ranmaru said softly.

Raiga patted his head affectionately, "Good. I'll do anything to keep you that way, Ranmaru. You deserve anything you ask for."

"Do I?" Ranmaru looked up at his friend, "Raiga...I...I have a request."

"Anything you want!" Raiga reminded him, "Tell me."

"I...I don't want to live in Katabami anymore...it's so dark here." Ranmaru chose his words carefully, "Let's go somewhere far away, on an adventure. There are meaningful sights for us beyond funerals and storm clouds! Can we find them?"

Raiga was silent for a while, and Ranmaru stared at his knees. He had known it was a long shot. Known that changing who Raiga was at a moment's notice wouldn't change what had happened in the past. 'But I didn't change him. Now he knows what it feels like to be alive...I only...' He closed his eyes sadly, 'I only meant to wake the good part of him up. The part that had been sleeping...like me.'

"Is that what you wish?" Raiga asked at length.

Ranmaru stared at him, nodding, "Yes, it is!"

"This place was kind of boring anyway..." Raiga decided, getting to his feet, and was then suddenly sent hurtling across the clearing. Ranmaru squeaked in terror, not expecting Lee, who had landed a surprise kick in on his friend when Raiga's back had been turned.

The nukenin caught himself, skidding out over the muddy plateau before drawing his swords. "Get away from him, bastard!" Raiga warned Lee, his voice venomous.

Lee, drunk as a skunk, glanced down to Ranmaru. His cheeks were colored, and he had to forcibly un-cross his eyes to get a look at the boy. "O-oh! Ranmaru-chan...I...buh...did not see you there!" Lee greeted amicably, "Sorry...I must get away...you...from..."

"Um...alright." Ranmaru said uncertainly. When Lee began his shaky approach towards Raiga he added, "Oh wait, Lee! Please don't fight him! You don't have to!"

Lee misinterpreted what Ranmaru had said and swiftly charged, "Here I come! Hic!" He was impeccably fast but not very alert. As he dashed he tripped over a stone and fell on his face, but his legs kept moving, obediently dragging him closer to his target. He somersaulted, his feet beneath his head again, where they belonged, and flew onward.

Raiga let loose a jolt of lightning from his blades, furious when he missed the goofball. Lee was able to bend his body at incredible angles, turning this way and that to avoid the lightning. Raiga attacked with strike after strike, hacking into the ground, missing Lee by inches. The drunken Leaf ninja reached him, knocking his foe back with another solid kick.

Raiga regained his balance quickly, and connected his twin swords at the hilt, spinning them ritually above his head, "Ninpo: Lightning Strike Armor!" Chakra-induced electricity crackled off of him and then intensified, spreading like a sheet across his entire body. "I've had enough of you!" Raiga howled, racing ahead, just in time to meet Lee who plowed into him in a manner similar to that of a charging bull.

The impact was devastating, and both combatants tumbled back a great distance, stunned by the other's assault. The dull hum of thunder reverberated through the air. Raiga pulled himself up out of a small crater, and observed Lee across the clearing flat on his back, 'That hurt...if I hadn't been protected by my armor then it would've been my funeral.' He struggled back to his feet and gathered his discarded weapons.

He stalked over to Lee, still irritated, even when the boy showed no signs of continuing the fight. Raiga pointed one of his swords at the dozing shinobi, poised to fry him. A small hand carefully lowered the blade down, "Raiga..."

He glanced over to Ranmaru, glad that he had not been injured, "This person is troublesome, Ranmaru, I'll get rid of him for you."

"That's not what I want!" Ranmaru's eyes were pleading, "I would be happier if we left now."

"But this guy-!" He looked to Lee, utterly pathetic; snoring like a baby, and realized that killing him would be more embarrassing than anything else, "Well...never mind." Raiga replaced his swords at his hip before lifting Ranmaru up again, and seating the small boy on his shoulder. The other Leaf ninja had not even crossed his mind. There was something newly calming in the breeze.

"Let's go somewhere where we can avoid these pointless battles." Ranmaru recommended, referring to their current rumble with the Leaf shinobi. Raiga was able to let go of it surprisingly fast, but only because Ranmaru was so insistent about it.

Raiga carefully picked his way down the opposite slope, balancing his friend on his shoulder, "Where should we go, Ranmaru?"

The boys eyes glowed red for a moment. His blood limit allowed him to scout ahead and analyze the surrounding landscape, "Up there...the river cuts through this valley...I want to see where it empties out into the ocean at the end."

"That is our way, then." He agreed, descending the cliff, and following a secondary path that ran parallel with the river.

Ranmaru briefly scanned the cliff behind them, where he could see the Leaf genin gathering together. 'I have never had a friend before Raiga. You Leaf ninja...were all so kind to me...people who I can call my friends should we ever meet again...but perhaps we best not.' He smiled to himself, 'You have shown me what it really is to live. Raiga has been protecting me for so long, the least I could do was show him the truth. I will try not to be a burden for him anymore...now...I can live for me.'

---

The thunderstorm had already begun to clear up by the time Neji and Tenten had joined with Lee and Fujita. Lee was still sobering up, terribly drowsy, and needed Fujita to support him with one arm. "Ranmaru! Where is he?" Fujita pressed, looking at his cousin beseechingly.

Tenten had not seen the boy since he had run off, and Lee's muttering was indistinguishable, even though they gathered that he had met up with Ranmaru at one point. Neji used his Byakugan wearily, and it took him a moment before he could locate their lost companion. "This might not be good." He murmured.

"Wha happen'd?" Lee croaked, rubbing at his nose.

"Ranmaru is already outside of the city. Raiga is with him." Neji reported, slightly unnerved, "For us, this marks the end of our mission, with Katabami liberated, but..." He couldn't deny that he did care what happened to the boy, "Ranmaru will have to work hard to survive alongside such a brute."

There was no point in going after them. Everyone was thoroughly exhausted, in one way or another, and Ranmaru most likely had gone with Raiga willingly. "I think he'll be alright. I mean, he has lived with Raiga for a long time already...he'll be able to manage a bit more easily now, I'd imagine." Tenten commented, smiling.

Neji agreed, and the assignment officially closed itself. They returned to the Curry of Life Shop along with Karashi and Sancho, feet dragging and half dead. It was heavenly to collapse onto the beds that had been prepared for them, and the Leaf genin were all sound asleep in a matter of moments. Karashi and his mother were grateful to have some peaceful time to themselves to spruce up the restaurant.

---

Tenten woke in the middle of the night, sticky and uncomfortable. The room itself carried a foul ambience from their singed clothing and hair, 'Our collective stench is a reminder of our endeavor...but man! How did we fall asleep earlier?' Tenten thought that it may have been pure exhaustion that overrode olfactory discomfort. Then again, all of her teammates were male. Naturally, unpleasant smells affected them on a lesser scale. Again, she cursed her gender.

She dragged herself out of bed, snatched up her bag (or what she hoped was her bag,) and shuffled silently down the hall to the bathroom. The door was traditional rice paper, and appeared to be in need of repair. Tenten was genuinely surprised by the spaciousness of the bath, and immediately felt tension ebb from her muscles. 'What...a...day.'

She dropped her bag, noting the only light in the room flooded from a lantern suspended from a hook on the wall. Though dim, it was sufficient enough, and she turned on the hot water, hoping Sancho wouldn't mind if she cleaned the day(s) accumulated filth from her body. Tenten stripped down, tossing her battle-savaged clothes on top of her travel bag. A soft voice came from outside the door, "Tenten-chan?"

"Er, yeah, that'd be me." She answered, a bit guardedly.

It was Sancho, "Oh, I thought I heard a noise. You washing up dear? Go right ahead! Can I get you anything?"

"N-No! Don't worry about me! You just get some rest, Baa-chan."

"Ah, well, goodnight then, dear." Footsteps faded, and Tenten relaxed after the restaurant owner had gone back to bed.

After the encounter she had thought to acquire some modesty, and wrapped a rather unhelpful towel around her waist that she had commandeered from a cabinet. It was not much more than a hand towel, to her disgruntlement, but since everyone else was asleep she assumed she wouldn't have any more visitors unless they needed to urinate. Her torso was bare as she scrubbed herself down with a cloth, anxious to feel clean again.

Her thoughts wandered to Ranmaru, 'Hm. I wonder how he's doing? I know he's fine...but I can't help but feel we parted too soon. Will we ever meet again...on a...more friendly basis?' Doubtful. She sighed. What a day indeed. Tenten hoped against hope Ranmaru would grow up to be a person, perhaps a shinobi, who did not follow in Raiga's destructive footsteps. 'Knowing him, though, I'm sure he'll be a sweetheart.' She smiled to herself.

Tenten sighed again, profoundly grateful their mission had been a success...even at the expense of their comfort. She noticed the lantern light flicker for a moment against the wall. The kunoichi regarded the short gust for a second before realizing it was caused by movement. The door had opened. She turned around slowly, not wanting to alarm the poor slob who needed to relieve himself, 'Please not now...'

Neji's facial expression was not very discernable in the dim light, but it was clear he had not in any fashion anticipated such an occurrence. He stood, utterly stilted and mute, wondering if he was in fact awake. Tenten sighed again, not willing to overreact like she had planned to.

She was sitting on the side of the bathtub, and since her lower half was pretty much covered, she shifted her focus to her barer parts. She was sure he didn't mean to stare. Tenten gave up on trying to shield her chest with the washcloth, and resorted to the humiliating reaction of crossed arms. If there was anything that reminded her how unbearably female she was, it was that instance. She found it very unfair.

Since he seemed to be trapped somewhere between shock and realization, Tenten figured loosening up the silence would snap her friend back to his senses.

"I guess next time I can advise you to knock." It was not her best conversation starter, "But what the hell, it's late at night so I blame myself. I smelled so terrible I woke myself up, but I guess you and the others can live with yourselves for a little while longer?"

Neji seemed to gain some lucidity, "Um...yeah."

"Need to pee?" She knew it was blunt but it wasn't as if he was handling the situation any better.

"I...ye-"

"Fine, hurry up, I won't watch." She turned her back to him again, scrubbing her arms a bit more fiercely. Embarrassment was settling in, 'Oh hell...why now? W-hy?' Neji had not moved an inch from the doorway. He was one of the most frustrating people she knew, Tenten had to admit. "Neji." She repeated, "Hurry it up."

"I–" He stopped, realizing the futility of words. He wondered how it was possible she could be so permissive in an awkward moment. Maybe she was beyond the point of caring, he noted. She'd been through worse, without a doubt.

He went about his business and Tenten was impressed by how thoroughly she ignored his existence for thirty seconds. Shortly afterwards, however, he didn't seem to get the hint to leave. Perhaps it was because she hadn't reminded him to. He was finished, sure, but still distracted. Her form by lantern-light was oddly captivating, despite the unflattering towels she had draped over herself hurriedly.

Truthfully, though he had walked into the situation completely unaware, it was not her nudity that surprised him. Neji, in fact, could not take the human form all too seriously when his Byakugan was more than just insightful. He had glimpsed Tenten, along with several hundred (men and women alike,) others in his lifetime, with and without his bloodline limit. Neji's real wonder was about her smooth reaction. There was something curiously relaxed about her modest behavior, as well as her lack of screaming and tantrum-throwing.

Because of such trusting and tolerant conduct, Neji could not help but feel encouraged to stay. They had barely gotten the chance to just talk in several days, and the current location seemed to be placid enough. Even though his intentions were harmless, it was still completely inappropriate. He remembered that after a moment.

"Neji, you're stressing me out here." Tenten muttered with slight irritation, "Got something to say?"

He was quiet, taking the time to think. She was getting the impression that he really was trying to annoy her. "I'm sorry for my intrusion." Neji told her, and it didn't sound like an apology so much as an excuse. He went to leave, but she did catch him murmuring her name afterwards in such a peculiar tone her spine went rigid. The door closed and the lamp flickered.

Tenten continued to wash herself with only half a mind. Part of her was still waiting on Neji, irrationally expecting him to return and say what had really been on his mind. She shook her head, getting a grip, 'Oh yeah, I'm sure he had something very profound that needed articulating while I'm naked.' Then again, it didn't sound all that preposterous to her. They were growing up, she noted, and she couldn't deny any sort of recognition from Neji would elate her. It was kind of a confidence booster until she reexamined the circumstances.

'That's a whole different kind of attraction that I doubt he's capable of.' She sneered, and it broke her heart a little, 'Besides, I need to get out of here before the next encounter.' For instance, Lee dropping by a short while later would not be a welcome visit. Tenten finished scrubbing and then rinsed herself, draining the water and toweling off afterwards. Combating the new anxiety she felt would be a challenge. She dressed in a spare outfit she had brought with her before slinking back down the hall.

'He's probably asleep already. I'm overreacting.' She did that a lot, she noticed. Tenten entered the room quietly, setting her bag down, and settled on her bed. Fujita and Lee were nearby, snoring peacefully, and Neji was resting on the far side of the room. She let her eyes stray over in his direction, inquisitively, and found he was awake after all. His gaze was trained aimlessly at the ceiling. 'Great...he's restless now.' She wondered how she put up with him.

Tenten relaxed, settling her chin on her pillow and waiting for sleep to take over again. To her, the silence in the room was dreadful. She was still waiting for Neji to say something. She could sense there were thoughts that needed sharing. The silence persisted. She sighed, turning her head slightly to the left where she glanced back at him again. His white stare locked with her's, surprising her, and Tenten felt her pulse throb in her neck. 'Why am I so jumpy? It's just Neji...he's naturally this...weird.'

Rather than surrendering the staring contest she gazed right back, not expecting to achieve anything from it. It was quiet for a long time, and Tenten slowly began to understand that he was looking at her because he had seen her. 'There's not much else to see...' She estimated, but he apparently thought so. She was beginning to appreciate that look of his; the look of clinical discovery.

Tenten was not precisely aware of when the smirk appeared on his face. She was a bit miffed that he found something amusing about their dead-end interaction. She didn't return the smile, finally fed up, and rolled over to face the wall. Sleep was beckoning. Neji did speak after that, "Goodnight, Tenten."

"If you say so..."

---

Next: Chapter 7- Distance