The boys are back in town

Underneath the Underneath
Chapter Three

"Alright, Nara," Neji found Shikamaru sitting at the same table at the same inn where they'd met before the Lady Tomoe ruse was launched. "Are you ready to explain to me yet?"

"What specifically?" Shikamaru sipped at his tea.

Neji raised an eyebrow.

"Perhaps start with how two weeks ago, Tenten said she was just going to Sora-ku for a few days, and the next thing I know, she has actually gone back to the Land of Iron and I am to follow immediately?"

"Oh," took another sip. "That."

Neji narrowed his eyes in impatience while Shikamaru finished his tea and motioned for Neji to sit. He fisted his hands on his knees to keep himself from snatching away the teapot and serving them both in a more efficient manner.

Shikamaru slid Neji a glass of tea, and took his back, leaning back in his chair.

Neji pretended his eye wasn't twitching.

"Tenten was requested at the citadel," Shikamaru said simply. "Since she is still a person of interest to several undesirable persons, we decided she should travel as an anonymous member of Temari's security team. We will arrive at the citadel today, and in two days we will travel to Takayuki's village.

"To Takayuki's?" Neji raised his eyebrows. "Have we found more information about Tatsuo?"

"Some," Shikamaru allowed. "We are still picking apart his illegitimate operations from Takayuki's legitimate ones. Part of the problem is that the impostor made some very sound business decisions that appear as though they were made appropriately and for the right reasons. However, he used legitimate sources to reach out for illegal operations, so everything has to be analyzed."

"It seems Takayuki was most fortunate in his draw of impostors."

"It does seem that way, yes."

Neji considered him.

"Do you believe Takayuki to have been more involved than he let on?"

"I am unsure," Shikamaru hesitated. "If he had these negotiations in place before he disappeared, then it is possible that Tatsuo was just clever enough to turn them to his advantage." Shikamaru leaned back in his seat, and stroked his chin. "Then there is the matter of the memory suppression tactics used in the mines."

"What about them?"

"We know the 'what.' We know that the miners were made to believe that in the wake of the war the only safe place for them and their families was in the mines. That suggestion in place, they made no attempts to leave. They were well fed and cared for, but had no idea how long they were in the mines."

"Some of those villages had been destroyed over a year before," Neji grimaced.

"And yet, they were all certain they'd just arrived perhaps a month ago at the most. Takayuki has remunerated them, by the way. He paid them for all of the time they were in his mines and working."

"And what about him?" Neji crossed his arms. "What does he remember?

"Takayuki is still sorting through what memories are real, but the current theory is that Tatsuo knew he would need Takayuki as a resource to grow his empire. Takayuki has vague memories of meetings, where they must have lifted the memory suppression long enough for his input or to have him meet with certain people. They began to meet with others that had never met Takayuki. In these meetings, Tatsuo would go by Takayuki, and they introduced Takayuki as Tatsuo. We believe they were keeping him alive to eventually take the fall for all of the crimes and under the name of Tatsuo. Freed from his real identity, Tatsuo would be free to take over as Takayuki."

"That sounds unnecessarily complicated," Neji snorted. "Why not just replace him and be done with it?"

"Because," Shikamaru looked over the shogi board. "Our opponent likes to play the long game."

"Or they are mentally unstable."

"I believe your own accounts of Tatsuo show that he hadn't the strongest grip on reality." Shikamaru reached for his tea, "But that doesn't make him a less dangerous opponent."

"And what about the real Takayuki?" Neji folded his arms. "Are we certain he had no part in any of this?"

"No. That is why I had Sakura conduct Takayuki's physical. His condition was consistent with one who had been deprived and held captive. There were traces of the mind-altering substances in his body tissue and bloodstream. That takes time. Even if he was part of the original scheme – knowingly or otherwise - he'd been incapacitated for well over half a year."

"And therefore most likely not involved in the destruction of the villages."

Shikamaru nodded once.

"If this is all a plot, the ingenious part is this: we have to let it play out, and play out successfully. If Takayuki's holdings remain productive, it provides for the victims, and affords us the best chance at flushing out any accomplices and even getting to Tatsuyo himself."

"I don't like it," Neji frowned. "Far too convenient for Takayuki."

"But if Tatsuo intended to usurp his identity, then that is to be expected."

"I suppose," Neji allowed. "But his other goal was securing an alliance with Lady Tomoe, and restoring the onna-bugeisha. How will that factor in once it is known that Tomoe isn't a real person?"

"Ah," Shikamaru warmed his cup. "That is a good question."

Neji reached for the tea.

"Am I going to like the answer?"

"Don't know," Shikamaru shrugged. "Let you know once I figure out what it is."

Neji toasted him silently, hoping that for once Tenten could be left out of the trouble.

Tenten's stay at the Citadel was much quicker than she imagined. Barely an hour after arriving as a nameless face in Temari's entourage, she and the Suna kunoichi reported to General Mifune's office. It was there they learned that although they had hoped to wait for Lady Takeko to begin the next leg of their journey, she was unavoidably delayed, and they would be proceeding to Takayuki's village before the end of the week.

They journeyed on horseback, just as they had the first time she'd traveled in the guise of Lady Tomoe. Her last journey had been specifically designed to gain attention and involved more stops at a leisurely pace. This time, they moved quickly, and she was just another rider in the party, yet she felt more visible – more exposed – than before.

Tenten reminded herself for the umpteenth time that they were meeting with the real Takayuki this time, and not the man that had tried to kidnap her. She struggled with reassigning the man she had met as Takayuki to the identity of Tatsuo, and the man rescued from the mines as Takayuki. She kept her thoughts focused on the mission, but the moment the grounds were in sight, the uneasiness in her chest became much more difficult to ignore.

"You don't have to do this."

Tenten turned in the saddle to face Temari, who rode alongside her, eyes to where the General rode at the head of their entourage, her voice lowered.

"Just say the word, and I will let the General know that we prefer to meet with Takayuki at the hotel, or only at the Citadel with fifty of our closest friends pointing weapons at his vital organs."

Tenten laughed in spite of herself.

"As fun of a visual as that is," she looked at her friend. "It's not necessary. I can do this."

"Things to remember," Temari continued. "One: General Mifune headed the task force that combed this place top to bottom. The new tech team has revised the security system, and Takayuki willingly handed over all records, footage, and access to his new system. There isn't anywhere you can go in there," she motioned to the estate. "That we can't find you."

"Creepy, yet reassuring," Tenten muttered.

"Two: You and I are a pair. Where you go, I go, per the General and Lady Takeko. We have your old rooms at the inn, except it will be me in the next room rather than Neji."

"At least until Shikamaru arrives," Tenten grinned.

"Two-and-a-half: shut up," she rolled her eyes, but did not correct her. "Three: make sure you keep either your earrings or your bracelet on you at all times. Those are our backups to find you if anything goes wrong…"

"Or if I need to pretend to be kidnapped so that we can track down Tatsuo," Tenten finished for her. "And we agreed we aren't going to mention that plan to Neji until the last minute if we can help it, right?"

"Neji is Shikamaru's department," Temari snorted. "I've got enough to worry about."

"I'm glad I'm your department," Tenten grinned crookedly. "It makes this easier. Thanks."

Temari didn't reply, nor did she need to. The women had a strange but fast friendship, that relied more on action than words, and Temari's actions reassured Tenten. There was a brief moment of blinding panic when someone led the horses away, and they stood at the entrance to the estate, but Temari stepped in closer, and remained steady. Tenten gave her a slight nod and regulated her breathing, falling into step beside Temari to where their host was waiting to greet them.

If the estate reminded her of the old Takayuki/Tatsuo, then the man now standing in his place did nothing to evoke that memory.

The real Takayuki was taller than Tatsuo had been. He was still recovering from his time in the mines, but even in his arguably fragile state, he exuded an air of stability and strength. He was quieter and less full of himself than Tatsuo had been; while clearly proud of his work and his people, he did not boast the way the impostor had. He was gracious and accommodating, with the air of one that was unafraid of hard work.

Tenten decided to relegate the memory of his predecessor to a mental file labeled "to be remembered but not dwelt upon" and to give Takayuki a chance.

The first visit had gone well, and Tenten had retired assuring Temari she was fine. They had plenty to do with or without Takayuki, and the General was happy to bear the burden of maintaining contact while Temari and Tenten worked from the hotel or spoke with the villagers.

Three days after their arrival, General Mifune told her that Takayuki had asked to speak with them both, privately.

"Why," Temari asked, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. "What reason could he have to separate Tenten from us?"

"I will be with her," Mifune assured her. "And as to the reason – it is more about renewing the ties to the samurai and onna-bugeisha than anything. Lady Takeko would want Tenten to go in her place."

"Hn," Temari grunted. "Fine. But I am coming and will be nearby."

The General's mouth twitched. "Troublesome," (and she blushed) " but I'd expect no less, Lady Temari."

She made some dismissive have-it-your-way gesture and let the matter drop.

The meeting itself was not terribly long, and after only about fifteen minutes, Takayuki stood and asked them both to follow him. They went down the hall to a closed door, and Takayuki hesitated.

"I have been waiting to show you this, My Lady," he murmured, his hand on the door handle. "I spoke with Lady Takeko first, of course but I wanted you to be the first to see the finished product."

Tenten glanced back at the General.

"Perhaps we should wait for her?"

"I don't think I could wait another day if I tried," Takayuki chuckled, his grin something boyish. "It was all I could do to contain myself when Lady Takeko's first approved my idea for the Gallery."

"Lady Takeko?" Tenten blinked in surprise. "What does she have to do with this?"

General Mifune gave a hum of understanding. "It is complete?"

Takayuki nodded once. The General looked to Tenten one more time before giving Takayuki the go-ahead.

"As you know," he cleared his throat. "Tatsuo was fixated on the reestablishment of the samurai and onna-bugeisha – and I believe that is partly why he chose to usurp my identity."

Tenten's frown was small. "I thought that he wasn't descended from Samurai."

"He isn't," Takayuki's lips twisted into something wry. "But I am." He held her gaze as he opened the door. "After you, My Lady."

Her breath caught in her chest until he looked into the room, allowing her to recover while her gaze followed his, and her eyes widened as she walked through the door.

She'd grown up with a Hyūga for a teammate and spent time at the Kazekage palace; she'd seen royal and family galleries before…but she had never seen anything quite like this.

The room was homey in a formal sort of way, with a writing desk at one end, and a fireplace nearby – but the cases of armor and hundreds of pictures were astounding. She quickly recognized samurai armor – but she also saw the set that could be the twin to the one Takeko had given her to wear as Lady Tomoe.

"That belonged to your namesake," he nodded to the armor.

"My assumed namesake," she corrected with a half-laugh.

"I wouldn't be so sure, Tenten," he said quietly. "I've heard about you, you know – how you can make steel dance – how any weapon you touch bends to your will. How you handled the Boshen and great tools in the war. How you quickly became Lady Takeko's sharpest pupil. How you have no known family ties to Konoha. How you grew up without family."

"You seem to have heard a lot about me," she mused, looking him over.

"Yes, well," he rubbed the back of his neck. "Hard not to when you are in the care of a Konoha doctor while staying at the Citadel for several weeks," he nodded to Mifune.

"True," he agreed reluctantly. "But you should know, that any conversation about your real identity was done in confidence and only with a chosen few.

"I'm sure," Tenten was quick to assure him.

"The truth is," Takayuki met her eyes. "I've been hearing about you my whole life. I just didn't know it. Look." She followed his gaze to the wall over her shoulder, and stepped closer to it when he urged her to do so.

"This," he pointed to one picture, "is Lady Hangaku," he admired the portrait. "Our local folklore is full of stories about her appearing as delicate as a honeysuckle bloom, but more skilled and fearless than any man wielding a sword."

"Folklore?"

"Yes - her family hailed from this area. My grandmother was a young girl when Lady Hangaku returned to these lands; an old woman by then, but still strong and well respected. She had one daughter that traced her mother's path away from her homelands to learn her craft. This," he took a picture off of the wall to hand to Tenten, "is her."

Tenten held the photo, her thumb brushing the glass of the portrait. It was an old photograph – Tenten guessed the woman to be in her twenties, but the photograph couldn't be a day less than fifty years or so old.

And if Tenten took a photo today in the same hair style, and using one of those aging filters or camera tricks Kankuro was always messing with, they could be twins.

"My mother said that Lady Hangaku's daughter and granddaughter lived her for a while when the granddaughter was young. We have her photograph as well," he handed Tenten a photograph from inside his robes. The granddaughter was younger than she was now, but she'd know the kind smile and snapping eyes anywhere.

It was her mother.

"She played with my mother as children and later sent her a few letters." He said quietly "Her last letter said she'd married a shinobi, but their world was unstable. She'd discussed bringing her daughter back to the Land of Iron to keep her safe, but she never got the chance. My mother tried to find out what happened to her child, but she'd had no luck. No one had…. Until now."

And although in her bones she knew it to be true she had to ask "Me?"

"Yes, Tenten," he said quietly. "Named for your grandmother Tian, daughter of Lady Hangaku – you are the last daughter of the Nakano clan. You are the last that can inherit their legacy, and as such," he motioned to the relics and pictures. "These are yours as well."

Tenten blinked around at the room – seeing the room now not as a collection of mementos, but as pieces of history worn by people whose blood ran with hers and called steel to dance. Prior to that moment, Tenten had seen perhaps five photographs of her life before she turned eight years old, and only one of them had survived to hang in her apartment. Now, there were many faces looking back to her, all of whom could claim a space on her wall.

It was stunning and strange and overwhelming and amazing all at once.

Perhaps Takayuki understood her feelings, as his next words to her rode little more than a breath.

"On behalf of our village and the Land of Iron, Welcome home, Lady Tian."