A/N: You guys, I am so sorry. It's not like me to go back on promises, but life always throws unexpected curveballs. My updating wont be as horridly late anymore, seeing as my little 'problem' has evaporated. Thanks for sticking with this story! You have no idea how much this means to me, really.
You Might Wanna Read This!--I'm listening to a song by the name of 'Shissou'.
Any idea which widely known anime has this as their opening?? If you answer correctly in a review, I'll include you in the final chapter of this, or The Midnight Pastry. Gook Luck!!
Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, the title of the show would have been changed to 'The Adventures of Sasuke'. Last time I checked, the name was still 'Naruto', so what does that tell you? Me no owneh. Nor do I own Monopoly. Or Death Note. (but I wish I did, God how I wish I did)
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Okay. Operation 'Sneak' didn't go as well as Tenten could have hoped, but this time, there won't be an avenging emo spoiling her plot. Just thinking about Sasuke made her blood boil. She was so. Ridiculously. Close. Right now she could be enjoying a mission complete! But what's done was done. Tenten shouldn't focus on the past.
She went through the make-shift plan again in her head and analyzed every place it could possibly go wrong.
To put it frankly…there were a lot.
But hey? What's a mission without a fun bit of risk?
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Second 'S' - 'Sleep'.
Time - 12:15 am.
Location - The Hyuuga Compound.
Time Remaining: 8 hours.
The name of the game was to get in, steal, get out. She didn't want to be in the house any longer than she had to.
Tenten jumped the fence and tightened the grip on her kunai, hoping she wasn't going to need it. It's not that she planned on hurting anyone, but since she was the weapon mistress, she felt obligated to bring something along. It would be silly to go on a mission, no matter how trivial, with out a form of protection. Ninja rule numbah one.
It took a while for Tenten to find an entry, but with her brute strength and perseverance, she managed to pry an old attic window open. She jumped through, landing on a dusted wooden floor and shadows.
Inner Tenten: You lucked out, kid. Accessing the Hyuuga house is no easy feat.
Outer Tenten: Yeah, I know! It's about time I got a little fortune on my side! Now which way is out…I can barley see in this place.
Inner Tenten: Aren't you supposed to be the ninja?
Outer Tenten: I'm a Kunoichi. Not a Hyuuga. How the hell am I supposed to see in the dark? Help me find a match or something.
Inner Tenten: I'm an Inner Sub-Conscious Mind. Not a flashlight. You find it your own damn self.
Outer Tenten: …Chill. Did Neji lend you the pole sticking up his ass or something?
Inner Tenten: No. But that bastard did Jyuuken you in the head today. I feel it the most since I reside in your brain. Headaches make me irritable.
Outer Tenten: Aw. I'm sorry.
Inner Tenten: You lie. I know your true thought at all times. Hell, I am your thoughts. I'm apart of you, I see as you see, taste as you taste, feel as you feel. Remember that child, every time you try to tell me falsehoods.
Outer Tenten: Okay, okay. Got me there. But how's this: I'll take an aspirin as soon as I'm done here, but only if you help me!
Inner Tenten: …Fine...
I see a little light coming from under a crack…I think the door is on your left.
…you're other left…
Jesus.
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She'd wandered the mansion for 45 minutes but, Neji's room was nowhere to be found. Her patience was wearing thin, and every second that passed by seemed like an eternity, so she headed to the kitchen, the nearest resting spot. Tenten quietly opened the refrigerator.
…Salad.
…Fruit.
…Eggs.
…Cheese.
…Low-fat yogurt.
…More fruit.
She sighed. Darn Hyuugas. Not a fatty food in sight. But that's okay, she could make due. She grabbed a big bowl from a cabinet and mixed the food for a healthy midnight snack. Her special fruit/yogurt/egg and cheese salad was complete. She took at bite.
Outer Tenten: Yum!...but it needs…salt…
Inner Tenten: If you take another bite of that slime, Ill ensure that you die in withering pain. Step away from the bowl.
…That means now.
Outer Tenten: Oh right! You 'taste as I taste'. HAHA. Tough tacos, you're gonna have to deal. I'm hungry!
Inner Tenten: -takes out pen- Outer Tenten. Hit by truck. 9:45 am. Inner Tenten remains unharmed.
Outer Tenten: What the heck! You know Voodoo?
Inner Tenten: -hides Death Note under frontal lobe- …Nothing you should worry about dear.Anyways, let's keep moving. We don't have all night you know. The longer you stay, the more your suppressed chakra signature will become apparent.
…Right.
Feeling rejuvenated, she headed down a different stairwell, hoping for the best.
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She ended up in a more friendly-looking part of the house. Tenten heard muffled voices from a door. She pressed her ear to it, trying to decipher if it sounded like Neji. However, the first voice was a woman's.
"The clan symbol contest ended tonight..."
"Excellent. Let me see what it looks like."
"…You promise to keep an open mind?"
"I'm head of the house; of course I'll keep an open mind dear…"
"Okay…here…" Tenten heard papers rustle.
"What the----!"
"You said you'd have an open mind!!"
"That was before I saw…this…insanity!"
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH IT??!!"
"IT'S A FLAMINGO THAT'S WHAT!!!!"
"STOP YELLING AT ME IN CAPITAL LETTERS!!"
"...I'm sorry; I don't know why I'm snapping at you, it's not your fault. But why? What possessed our clan to vote on a flamingo?
"Is a flamingo not honorable?"
"Of course it isn't! It just sits there. Hyuuga's do not just sit. Nor are we pink. Are you sure the Haruno clan didn't do this as a joke or something? Those pink scoundrels…"
"No, I was at the meeting myself. Personally, I voted on the jellyfish, but we were outnumbered…"
"JELLYFISH??!!!"
"WHAT DID I JUST SAY ABOUT YELLING IN ALL CAPS???!!!"
Somehow...Tenten didn't think that was Neji's room…
She traveled down the hall and saw light escape from under the crack of a door. Being the stealthy ninja she was, she carefully listened in:
It was a girl's voice.
My name is Hinata,
Chakra flows at my touch.
One hit to your heart,
And that'll be enough.
Don't like my Byagukan,
You prolly' just a hater.
I come tighter than your wedding dress,
20 years later!
I'm hotter than a bakery,
Iced out like hockey.
One day real soon,
Imma' be an Uzumaki!
My clan spit fiyah…..
Tenten laughed at her Hyuuga friend.
…Yeeeah. It was safe to assume that wasn't Neji's room.
But boy did she have a good story to tell Naruto tomorrow.
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…The last door was on the right. She didn't even need to press up against it; the person's voice was loud enough for the whole compound to hear.
"YOSH! Gai-sensei! I've have just passed GO! I now must receive my 200 Monopoly dollars!!!"
"You are right! Here! May you spend it wisely! Neji! It is now your turn! May the luck be with you in your quest to get out of Jail!!" There was an audible sigh.
Damn!
How could she have forgotten! Her team was having that stupid male bonding thing tonight!
"Neji! You've rolled double two's! You're free!!!" Another sigh escaped his lips
"Right…well I think it's time we called it a night. We've been playing Monopoly for 6 hours. It's umm… youthful, to get a full nights rest." said Neji. Lee and Gai struck their 'good guy' poses.
"How right you are Neji-kun! You live up to your prodigy name! Let us rest, so we will remain youthful for tomorrow!" Tenten heard them put the game away and slip into their sleeping bags. The light turned off.
Now all she had to do was wait until they fell asleep.
Ten minutes passed….
Twenty minutes…
Thirty…
And then she heard it. The unmistakable sound of snoring.
Awesome. Tenten tried the handle. To her horror, it was locked.
Outer Tenten: Damn! I should have known Neji would be cautious, even in his own house! What now?
Inner Tenten: You could always knock. Just ask to see the Valentine and go home.
Outer Tenten: No thanks Miss Sarcastic, I'll pass. What's option two?
Inner Tenten: Well…what would you do on a mission?
Outer Tenten: Right… Okay if I was on a mission and our team came across a locked door, what would we do? We'd pick the lock!
She pulled out her one kunai and fit it in the keyhole. She heard the satisfying click after only two tries.
First the window and now this? Man, Hyuuga's weren't big on the whole security thing.
But if Tenten had the Byagukan…she probably wouldn't be either.
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She opened the door with caution. Just like the attic, Neji's room was pitch black dark. Tenten treaded gingerly, trying to find his binder. Her feet came in contact with something.
A bookbag.
She put one hand on the bag to balance her self while the other hand came into contact with another item.
A bowling ball?
Wait a minute…Neji bowls? The ball stirred.
"Yosh? Is it morning time already!!?" Tenten's heart stopped. She felt the ball a bit more and realized it was a head. Lee's head. "What's going on!"
"Who's there?!" Gai called.
"AHHHHHH! INTRUDER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" roared Lee.
Tenten heard someone slide out of their sleeping bag, probably to turn on the lights. She slipped into Neji's closet right before Gai flicked it on. Neji's voice could be heard though the door.
"What's going on? Go back to sleep…"
"Neji-san! I believe you have a breach in your room! A trespasser no doubt! I believe he is still in here! The door has not opened and neither has your window! He is merely hiding!"
"What are you talking about? No one's in here but---" A faint crash from the closet cut him off. Tenten tripped over the Monopoly game.
"Nevermind. Lee, go look in my closet."
Tenten's heart froze in her throat. Gotta think of a plan… Hiding? No, that wouldn't work, the closet wasn't big enough…Fighting? No…Lee would take her down in an instant, plus he would recognize her… The footsteps got closer and Lee opened the door.
Tenten stood still, eyes unblinking and not a breath left her chest. Maybe Lee might think she was a mannequin! He was a gullible guy after all… He looked her up and down twice.
"There is no one in here." Lee reported. "But the statue of Tenten you've created is very nice." She mentally sighed in relief and resisted the urge to laugh. Neji frowned.
"Statue? What kind of loser would make a shrine of their teammate?"
"Sakura would…" said Tenten accidently. Lee's eyes widened.
"OH MY GOD, NEJI IT TALKS!!"
Tenten groaned at herself as the genius appeared in the doorway, his frown deepening.
Shrines, statues or whatever the hell it was, none of them had chakra signatures. This was no object. It was the real thing. He groaned. Why was a peaceful night so out of the question?
"Tenten, stop pretending." She started to blink and breathe again.
"Hola Neji-kun!"
"…"
"What's wrong?"
"Why are you in my closet?"
"Oh nothing…just playing spy again, you know me…"
He sighed.
"Tenten."
"Yes Neji?"
"Get out of my closet. Get out of my room. Get out of my house. And go home." She pouted.
"Neji! Don't talk to Tenten that way! Maybe she was just jealous she couldn't come to our male bonding session!" exclaimed Gai. Tenten repressed a snort.
--
Hiashi couldn't sleep. Carefully, he slipped out of bed, trying not to disturb his wife and went to the kitchen.
On the counter was a bowl, full of…salad?
"What the heck---who puts yogurt in salad?" But with his curiosity peaked, he took a fork and tried it anyways.
Not bad! But it needed…salt.
--
Mission: Infiltrating Neji Hyuuga.
Second 'S' – Sleep.
Failure.
One more chance left.
A/N: Review!! And remember my little challenge!!! TMP coming out next week!