A/N: Back again with Chapter 4! Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

'Tenten'- Demons, Inner selves etc.

'Tenten'- Thoughts

Chapter 4: The Mission

Tenten sighed, 'This is going to be hard to explain'

'We'll see. They were going to find out eventually. Better now than later.' Cai zhi shrugged.

"Well...umm…you see…I-"

"NEJI! TENTEN! MY YOUTHFUL STUDENTS!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON SUCH A YOUTHFUL DAY!!!??" Gai interrupted with a good guy pose and a ping.

'Where's that other green fellow? The one that looks like Gai-sensei's double?'

Cai zhi wondered.

As you may already know: Speak of Konoha's green beasts and they shall appear.

"GAI-SENSEI YOU ARE SO YOUTHFUL" Lee shouted.

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

They hugged and that sunset background appeared causing Neji and Tenten to sweatdrop.

'I've never been so thankful for their umm…youthful man-hugs' She thought.

'What was she going to say? I'll ask her again later.' Neji decided.

"Today my youthful students, we have a new mission so we will go to the Hokage Tower" Gai stated.

"Hai," the three said in unison, heading towards the building.

When they got there, they found a drunken Tsunade asleep at her desk. So Lee and Gai tried to wake her up while Tenten sweatdropped and Neji gave their Hokage a death glare. Amazingly, that seemed to do the trick as Tsunade shot straight up alarmed.

"Huh!? Where's the fir- oh it's just you guys." Tsunade cleared her throat sobering up immediately, "You must be wondering about your mission yes? Well, you are to go to the Hidden Sand Village to represent Konoha at a festival there. Many important officials will be present so try not to mess up too badly. This is a formal occasion so dress appropriately which means no spandex Lee, Gai." Glaring at Konoha's green beasts, who looked shocked at this. Neji and Tenten shuddered at the traumatizing memory, which included many blinded guests and speeches about youth.

'Man-kind is not ready for that again' Inner Neji whimpered from the little corner in Neji's mind, 'you really should consider redecorating this place, it's so dull and boring' he mentioned, looking around the room located in his head.

'Hn'

'sigh'

'Looks like we're going back home'

'Yeah… we can visit your foster parents while we're there.'

Tenten sighed mentally to herself. It was so long ago…

Flashback:

A five year-old Tenten was playing happily in the backyard of her family. She has lived with the old couple for as long as she could remember. Hearing a crash from inside the small house they shared, she went to investigate. So closing the door quietly behind her, Tenten tiptoed into the living room, only to scream in horror. There lay her beloved grandmother, lying face up in a pool of her own blood, eyes wide with shock and a kunai lodged in her throat. Tears steaming down her chocolate brown eyes, she tried to wake up her grandmother, calling her name and shaking her gently, but she would not wake. Another thud came from upstairs, rushing towards the source, she found her grandfather barely clinging to his life and a tall man with a mask on, his headband showed the symbol of the Sand Village.

"Go," her grandfather's dying voice ordered "to The Hidden Leaf Village… You-"he coughed, blood pouring out of his mouth, "will be safe there…" His voice died out altogether along with the remaining life in him.

Looking up to her grandfather then to the ninja, she turned and ran for the door, but was not quick enough. In a millisecond, the man was blocking the door. That is all she remembered before everything went black.

A little later, she woke up in the spot she was standing in; the man's body lay still just like her family. Knowing what was in the other room, she went to her own bed and cried her heart out until she got up and grabbed a large bag. Packing up her most precious belongings, food, clothing, remaining money and whatever else she could scavenge that may come in handy from the house. Finally, before leaving, she took the locket her grandmother always wore and her grandfather's special kunai, along with a picture of the three of them at the fair a year ago. Taking one last look around the silent house, a single tear slid down her cheek as she turned around and headed out of the gates in the dead of night, making sure she was hidden from the guards.

A week later, Tenten, tired, bloody and hungry, finally reached the gates of Konoha. A chuunin was at the gate when he noticed the helpless child limping towards the gate before collapsing at the entrance.

"Hey kid, are you okay? Kid? Kid!" the man rushed towards Tenten, checking her pulse and rushing her to the hospital.

At about noon, the Tenten awoke, seeing nothing but white everywhere and voices coming from behind the door. 'Am I alive? Where am I

"Found her unconscious at the gates covered in blood. Probably an orphan, poor girl," the two people entered the room. The man from the gate and a man with a worn face and the robes similar to the Kazekage's.

"Why hello there little girl, I am the Hokage, leader of this village. What is your name?" the old man asked kindly.

"Ten...ten" she replied.

"Tenten?" That's a pretty name, now do you know what happened to you before you came here?"

Tears fell from her eyes as she explained the ninja, the blood and her grandfather's last words to her. Finishing, the tears eventually subsided and the Hokage remained silent for a long period of time. Looking up he said, "Tenten, you are welcome to stay in our village. We are going to set you up with a foster family until you are at least thirteen years old, then you can move out on your own. You will also enrol into the ninja academy if you want to."

Tenten nodded, if what happened to her happened again, she wanted to be ready. And the rest is history.

End Flashback

"Hey Tenten, are you okay? You don't look so good." Neji asked with a hint of concern in his voice. They were on their way out of the tower to get ready for the mission the next day.

"Yeah…I'm okay." Tenten answered regaining her usual happy self.

"If you say so,"

'Neji is being very talkative today' she thought.

'That's because he's worried about you, that's very sweet of him.' Cai zhi replied.

'Why would he be though?' she asked slightly hurt.

'Because you're his friend right? That and he LOVES you' the demon erupted in a fit of giggles, making Tenten mentally sweatdrop.

'How do you know if he does anyways?'

'Let's just call it Demon's Intuition'

'Sure' sarcasm leaking in her thoughts.

'I hope Tenten's okay,' Neji worried.

'Is THE Hyuga Neji showing concern towards another human being!?'

'Shut up'

'You're no fun'

'Hn'

'Anyways, this festival in the Sand Village is an awesome time to go on a date with her!' Inner Neji cheered.

'What!?'

'And we can say it's for the mission so she won't find out! But that would be kinda harsh don't you think?'

'Wait a min-'

'Maybe if we're lucky she'll ask us first or we can try to convince her to…' Neji's Inner rambled on and on until he snapped.

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Neji roared.

Tenten looked at him as if he were crazy; anybody passing by did the same. "Uh...Neji? Nobody was talking, are you sure you're okay?"

"Umm… I said that out loud?" he asked. Tenten sweatdropped from his newfound stupidity.

"Yeah…"

"Oops. Ehehehe…" Neji started to laugh nervously.

"Wow, it must be the end of the world as we know it. I mean, THE Hyuga Neji laughing? What are the chances of that?" she wondered, shocked beyond belief, "Neji, go home and rest up for the mission, you are definitely not yourself today."

"But-"

"Don't make me drag you home myself," she threatened. That seemed to snap Neji out of it as he got out of there as physically possible.

'Nice one idiot' Inner Neji piped in.

'You just called yourself an idiot'

'Whatever man, keep saying that'

A/N: Well there ya go. Thanks to reviewers:

Mizu-Kaze Hana

nejitenfan

PandaGirl1010

Review if you don't mind.