'Sup.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, b/c if I did, Sasuke would be MINE!!!
Chapter Eleven
As the midday sun reached its peak in the sky, Neji and his team finally reached the site where Hinata was being held. They stopped all movements about 50 meters away and Neji quickly scanned the area with his byakugan.
His eyes told him that around 20 or so shinobi were stationed here, about 10 of which were simply hired guards. He figured the rest were close associates of the enemy, and likely to be threats.
"We're outnumbered", he stated flatly, turning to Shikamaru and Ino. His teammates stared back at him.
They were currently standing on the highest branches of a tree, well concealed behind the leaves to avoid all enemies. Shikamaru sat down along one of the longer branches and folded his hands in front of him with the tips of his fingers pressed against each other, palms facing up.
"What are you doing?" Neji raised an eyebrow.
"Shhh! He's thinking", Ino replied. She recognized to all-too-familiar sign that her genius teammate was now deep in thought. Although, usually, whenever he sat like this, it was right before he kicked Asuma in the butt at Shogi.
Now, however, Shikamaru was coming up with a plan to safely retrieve a fellow Konoha shinobi.
While he waited for Shikamaru to say something, Neji turned around again and looked for Hinata. He spotted her in a room and carefully traced the lines of her chakra system, noticing the poison that was intertwined with her organs.
Judging from the speed and amount of chakra that still flowed through her, he estimated that she had a little over two days to live.
"Do you know exactly where Hinata is?" Shikamaru asked quietly, breaking the silence. Neji nodded.
"Hinata-sama is being held in a small cabin-like room at the center of the shinobi. There are guards on all sides".
"Do any of them seem like some sort of leader?"
Neji checked again, allowing his byakugan to linger over the features of each shinobi, carefully studying their weaknesses.
"Yes. There's only one female in the group, and according to Kiba, one of the kidnappers 'smelled' like a female".
"So the rest are under her command", Ino nodded.
"That's right", Shikamaru agreed, "All we have to do is get her under our control. Then, it'll be easy after that".
"And how are we supposed to do that?" Ino asked.
Shikamaru looked at her, smiled, and Neji caught his meaning immediately.
"Shintenshin no jutsu (A/N: that mind transfer thingy… you know?)", he explained.
Ino looked at both of them like they were crazy because, although she'd used that jutsu countless time in the past, it would be completely different this time.
"You want me to do it while she's just there?" she asked, "What if I miss?"
"She's right", Shikamaru nodded, "I'll just have to make sure the target isn't in motion".
"But if there are any shadows, they'll be spotted", Neji said thoughtfully.
"We have to wait", Shikamaru stated firmly, "We have to wait until it's the afternoon and the shadows are long. Then, my shadow will stay hidden".
"And after that? What do I do after?" Ino asked.
"She must have some sort of power over them", Shikamaru murmured, "but Ino can only stay in there for so long. When she gets out, they'll all know".
"We have to get Hianta out of there fast", Neji explain, telling his teammates about the poison.
"I've got it!" Shikamaru's eyes lit up, "When the sun is in the right place, I'll capture the female with my Kagemane no Jutsu. Ino takes her over, creates an opening, and Neji, you'll retrieve Hinata and take her back to Konoha first, while Ino and I take care of the rest".
"That's not possible", Neji countered, "You two will be outnumbered 10 to 1".
"But that's not all", Shikamaru replied, "While you take Hinata back, set traps. All we have to do is lead them into the traps".
"Wait… but… if Neji sets the traps, won't we run into them as well?" Ino asked.
"Not if we know exactly where he's set them", Shikamaru answered. Neji smiled. He had to admit Shikamaru was one smart kid, and, although he'd always thought he'd be better off working alone, he was glad the lazy genius was on his team this time.
The finished discussing the minute details of the plan, then sat back and waited, as there was nothing else they could do. At one point, hunger began tugging at their stomachs, but food was out of the question, since its scent could easily be caught by the enemy.
"We'll just have to endure it", Shikamaru said quietly, rubbing his empty stomach. Beside him, Ino sat with a slight frown, tugging at a loose strand of hair.
Neji sat opposite his two teammates on the tree, staring up at the sky and silently calculating the position of the sun. He roughly estimated that they'd have to wait for another twenty minutes or so before the shadows became long enough for them to work with.
"Are you sure we didn't leave anything out?" Shikamaru asked.
Neji shook his head, by checked one last time to make sure. "It doesn't look too difficult", he murmured, "Hinata-sama isn't restrained as heavily as I'd expected. She's just bait. I'm who they want".
His mind flew back to the earlier encounter with Kanaye and enemy's words replayed in his head.
"My brother always liked to play games, but I never thought he'd lose at any of them…My brother, Kidomaru, is going to be avenged!"
"They only took her so I would come after her", he said, mostly to himself. This whole mission was his own fault, "Maybe I should stay and fight".
"No, you can't blame yourself", Ino replied.
"C'mon, it's about time", Shikamaru stood up and folded his arms behind his head, looking up at the sky one more time. Ino nodded and stood up beside him, her gaze traveling from her teammate to the sky as well.
The three shinobi each took a deep breath, looked at each other, and moved into position.
Tenten awoke that morning to a beautiful sunlight-filled room. She rolled onto her side and glanced at the tatami mat across the room, where a once asleep Sakura had been.
Now, the blankets were strewn across the bed, with a corner dangling close to the floor. What time was it?
Tenten sat up in her own bed and yawned, stretching out her arms before stepping onto the cool, wooden floor. She walked over to Sakura's bed and placed a hand on the pillow. It was cool, which meant Sakura had been up for a while now.
"I hope I didn't miss anything important", Tenten muttered as she quickly threw on her clothes.
As she reached out to grab the door handle, the door flew open, almost smacking her in the face. A freshly showered Sakura, hair dripping wet and clad in a fuzzy bathrobe, hurried into the room, apologizing at the same time.
"Oh! Tenten, did I hit you? I'm so sorry! I just- it's just- Lee-"
"Lee? Did something happen?" Tenten's eyes grew wide at the mention of her teammate's name.
"No, no. Nothing like that!" Sakura waved a hand carelessly in front of her, "He's prowling around outside and I forgot to bring clothes with me when I went to shower".
This remark was met with silence, followed by a burst of laughter from Tenten, who obviously found the younger girl's comments hilarious.
"I'm serious!" Sakura frowned, clutching the robe tighter to herself.
Tenten smiled lightly, then patted the girl on her shoulder, "Here, you get dressed and I'll go deal with Lee".
Sakura nodded thankfully then waited as Tenten stepped out of the room before double locking the door.
Shikamaru and Ino crept quietly among the bushes surrounding the enemy's camp, surveying the area and looking for possible openings. They spotted Leiko emerging from her tent and walking towards the small cabin at the center of the camp and Shikamaru knew immediately that Hinata was being held inside.
He motioned for Ino to get ready, then waited in his spot as Leiko reemerged from the cabin a few moments later, her facial expression markedly angrier. Had Hinata, the quite and shy Hinata, managed to piss her kidnapper off?
That was a funny thought.
As Leiko stepped closer to the shadowed area, Shikamaru focused his chakra and aimed his shadow at her feet, capturing her in an instant. He made sure to face forward, so that the captured shinobi couldn't see his face.
"Go!" he hissed. Ino nodded and aimed for the enemy's head. She didn't miss.
As Ino's body fell limply against him, Shikamaru let go of his jutsu and gathered the girl in his arms. He hated the lifeless feeling that was present at the moment, but it was necessary.
Shikamaru retreated behind the bushes and watched as Ino, now settled comfortably in Leiko's mind, walked around a little to test out her new body. Hurry up, hurry up. Shikamaru thought silently.
He looked at the opposite side of the camp and caught Neji's presence behind a cluster of trees, ready to strike as soon as there was an opening. He then watched as several guards were sent to do various tasks, leaving a weak spot in the defense for Neji to rush in.
When the time came, Neji slipped out from behind the trees and hurried to the cabin, finding it extremely easy to break in. The stupid door wasn't even locked.
He found his cousin sitting up on the iron bed, working furiously as she tried to free her legs from the bounds on the bed. She looked up at the sound of the door opening and life seemed to flow back into her eyes.
"Neji-nii-san!" she sounded shocked.
Neji didn't reply, but instead, quickly freed her from the bed and slung her over his shoulder, making his exit as quickly as he entered.
Once he stepped outside the cabin, he was surrounded by a group of shinobi, including the female. Without hesitation, he jumped back and made his way into the forest, knowing that the shinobi would be on his tail soon enough.
As he ran away from the cabin, Shikamaru and Ino emerged from the bushes, both in their own bodies.
"She fought the whole time", Ino explained breathlessly, "I couldn't last very long! I'm sorry!"
"No, it's fine. We got her back", Neji motioned to the girl slumped against his back.
"Neji, go back to Konoha! Go!" Shikamaru gave their team leader a small push and Neji took off.
"Nii-chan? What's going on?" Hinata's already quite voice was barely audible, and the way the poison drained her energy was apparent..
Neji didn't reply at first, and contemplated on whether he should tell everything to the girl now or later.
"I'll explain in a bit", he finally said.
As he jumped from branch to branch, he could sense Hinata's consciousness slowly slipping away. The poison was still hurting her organs, and he sped up even more.
When he reached a certain distance from the cabin, Neji quickly paused to set a few traps with explosive notes, then continued on. His headache had returned, and he gritted his teeth, angry that his uncle was punishing him even in a time like this.
Well, he supposed he couldn't really call it "punishing", but either way, it was really dumb to put him in pain while he was on his mission. Hinata's weight was beginning to slow him down, and he knew he needed a break soon, or he would soon lose efficiency.
Tenten walked cautiously through the hallways of the huge mansion, carefully searching for clues that could tell her where Lee was.
She walked by a restroom that still had slightly fogged mirrors, telling her this had been the one Sakura was using. That meant Lee had to be nearby, since it was unlikely that Sakura would wander far from the restroom without her clothes.
"Lee?" Tenten called out. No reply.
She shrugged and decided to keep walking, until she found herself in the kitchen, or, rather, one of the kitchens of the house.
Lee was in there, sitting on a chair at the far side of the room, hungrily gobbling down… stuff… that was on his plate.
"Tenten! Come and join me in consuming this delicious food!" he greeted.
"Most people would just say 'good morning'", Tenten muttered under her breath. Nevertheless, she joined her teammate at the table and sat across from him, watching him eat. She seemed to have suddenly lost her appetite and simply sat there, waiting and praying for Sakura to show up soon.
"Do you not wish to enjoy some of this delicious food as well?" Lee offered. Tenten smiled and shook her head, mumbling something about not being hungry in the mornings.
They continued to sit in silence, and with nothing better to do, Tenten found her mind drifting to Neji.
He seemed to be plaguing her thoughts a lot lately, and she didn't really know why. Well, sure, they were teammates, and she cared a lot for him, but she'd never felt so worried about him before.
Was he back from his mission yet? Was it successful? Was he in Konoha waiting for her?
Uh, hold up, "waiting for you"? That's ridiculous, a voice teased. Tenten almost looked up to see where the voice had come from, but realized it was inside her head and she shrunk back into her seat, pulling her arms tightly against her so that she was as stiff as the chair she was currently sitting in.
"Tenten! Why are you so silent? Is something troubling you?" Lee had nothing more than good intentions, but Tenten was not in the mood to be questioned, so she simply shook her head and looked to the door, still wishing Sakura would show up soon.
And, she did. The pink-haired kunoichi, now freshly dressed in her clothes, stepped through the doorway and smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Good morning!" It was a simple, polite gesture, but it was enough for Lee to sit straighter up in his chair and return the greeting with twice as much enthusiasm.
"Come join us", Tenten smiled. She had, for the moment, forced herself out of her thoughts in order to put on the happy face to keep both Sakura and Lee from worrying about her. But, it wasn't too easy.
As her two teammates talked amongst themselves, Tenten's mind slowly slipped back into her own little world and she tried hard to drag it back to the present, but hopelessly failed.
She didn't hear Sakura ask her what she wanted to do that day and she didn't hear Lee repeatedly call out her name, and only did both of them stand fully in front of her and scream "TENTEN!" in her face, did she come back again.
"Are you not listening?" Lee asked, looking at her with a somewhat worried expression. Tenten grinned.
"No, I'm fine"
Her reply didn't even make sense with the question Lee had just asked, but her teammates brushed it off as something minor and they spent the rest of the morning in that room, talking about random things while stuffing some food in their mouths in between.
It was one of the few moments when Tenten felt truly relaxed, and she allowed the chattering of her two teammates to take her mind off of other things, especially Neji. She would see him soon enough and there was no use in worrying about it right now.
Neji shifted the weight of his cousin from one shoulder to the other and continued through the forest, marking out a tree in the distance that would serve as the resting point. Despite the girl he was carrying, he managed to land smoothly on a branch and set her down gently.
Surprisingly, Hinata was still conscious, and as she felt herself being placed on a hard, wooden surface, she opened her eyes and took in her surroundings.
She saw the forest around her and noticed that the small cabin which she had been in was no longer in sight.
"You're still poisoned, so don't move", Neji ordered. Hinata nodded and looked at her cousin, who had his forehead pressed against the two palms of his hands.
"Does it hurt?" she asked quietly. Neji made no reply, but his meaning was clear.
"I don't understand", Hinata continued. Even as the eldest daughter of the head branch, she had very limited knowledge about the Hyuuga family's curse seal.
She understood that it caused pain, and she knew it had to be caused by a member of the head family and that there were certain hand seals involved, but that was about all she knew. Oh, and something about brain cells.
"It's your father", Neji murmured, "I'm sure you haven't been taught the hand seals yet, so it must be your father".
"Why?"
"He wants you back. He sent me on this mission and he wants you back. This is just a warning to hurry up", Neji sighed.
"I'm sorry", Hinata mumbled. She knew she couldn't really understand how her cousin felt, only that it was probably worse than anything she had ever had to endure.
"We're going", Neji said abruptly, "there's limited time".
As he took off once again, carrying Hinata on his back, he took out a few explosive tags and tossed them onto certain parts of the surrounding trees, hoping that his continuous headache wasn't affecting his aim.
Shikamaru, Ino. I'm counting on you guys, he thought silently.
As Leiko rushed off towards the same direction Neji had left in, followed by a group of shinobi, Shikamaru and Ino stepped out, taking a defensive stance against their enemies.
Leiko looked at Shikamaru and narrowed her eyes. She'd heard him call the other shinobi "Neji", and now knew that her target was moving away towards safety as she stood there.
"Move, dammit!" she growled. She wanted to, but she didn't charge forward blindly. She had to figure this out before just jumping in.
Shikamaru smiled, glanced at Ino and caught her eye, nodded, then jumped up. Both Shinobi from Konoha leapt into their respective places on the branches, then retreated, leading their enemies towards the traps that Neji had set.
"You're sure this is going to work?" Ino asked. As she felt the incredible speed of the shinobi chasing after them, a flaw in their plan suddenly dawned on her.
"Heh, you noticed too?" Shikamaru smirked. It was too late now to do anything. Neither of them had remembered to pay attention to the difference in speed between the two teams and it wasn't until now that they realized there was just one itsy-bitsy problem.
Leiko and her team could easily catch up with them.
"No, no, that doesn't matter", Shikamaru said finally. He continued to move from branch to branch, while remembering to keep an eye on both the team chasing after them as well as his teammate, who was now quite a bit ahead of him.
The first set of explosives should be coming up soon, he thought. He could only hope that Ino was able to remember clearly which areas to avoid.
As he safely passed the first set of explosives, Shikamaru could only silently cheer themselves on as several explosions sounded behind him, hindering a couple of the shinobi who were on their tails.
Of course, as expected, Leiko and most of the team managed to avoid the trap and continued on, emerging out of the cloud of dust and debris with triumphant looks on their faces.
Obviously, they weren't going to give up so easily.
"Next one's coming up", Shikamaru hissed as he sped past Ino. She narrowed her eyes and nodded.
The next set of explosives failed, yet again, to hinder Leiko, although it took out a considerable amount of her team.
Shikamaru grunted in frustration and sped up even more, urging Ino to move faster as well.
"How much time do we have left?" Ino asked between huffs of breath.
Shikamaru turned his head slightly to look behind him and guessed that if one of the next two explosives didn't take Leiko out, they would have to turn around and fight.
The pair passed the next set of explosives and waited for their enemies to run into the trap, but the "boom" that they expected to hear never arrived.
"They've figured out our traps", Ino muttered.
Shikamaru had to agree that the enemy was fast, but of course, he'd counted on something like this to happen. "Don't worry", he said to Ino, "They may be smart, but we're smarter".
As he completed his sentence, the last explosion, or rather, explosions, went off, setting the forest around them ablaze.
"What was that?!" Ino was caught completely caught off guard, for the last explosion wasn't just a single explosive note, or even two or three, but instead, was an entire defensive line of explosives that Neji had set, leaving enough space for his two comrades to pass by safely.
"That was our trump card", Shikamaru smirked.
They had planned it early on, since it was obvious a few explosives wouldn't hinder their current enemies.
"I see", Ino said thoughtfully as she worked things out in her head, "You guys knew the enemy would easily be able to guess where the explosives were, so you set up a pattern that would cause them to take a certain path. And then, you set the massive explosives right in their way!"
Smart girl, Shikamaru thought as he looked as his teammate.
They covered the last bit of distance between them and Konoha, and when they finally landed outside the large walls, Shikamaru and Ino gave each other a look and burst out laughing.
All the worry and tension flooded out of them as they ran through the gates, nodding to the two jounins standing guard before making their way up to Tsunade's office, their spirits considerably lighter than before.
Before pushing open the door that would lead to their Hokage, Ino suddenly stopped and asked softly, "Do you think they're really all gone?"
Shikamaru's eyes drifted to her, then down to the floor and he replied just as quietly, "Most likely not".
"But-"
"They'll be heavily injured and wouldn't risk going after us. Besides, we have ANBU patrolling the area. They aren't just there to wear those funny masks, you know", Shikamaru's tone had lightened and there was just a hint of a smile on his face as he opened the door to see Tsunade.
Instead of the wry smile of their Hokage and the sweet grin of her assistant, Shikamaru and Ino found themselves staring at the back of Hyuuga Hiashi, who was speaking urgently with the Hokage.
The only thing the two younger shinobi heard before quickly closing the door again was, "I must see both Hinata and Neji immediately. It is of the utmost importance".
So, the mission has finally ended. I have to admit, I was getting a bit sick of it. But, what's Hiashi up to?