Finals this week!! (and I'm still updating, when I should be studying).
Chapter 17
Gai-sensei decided that the best way to cover the entire village was to split up. Neji and Tenten were assigned to roam the eastern portion of the village, talk to people, mingle, and hopefully, find out information about the assassinations. Gai and Lee would take the western half.
As shinobi, they were used to waking up extremely early, but it was decided that they would leave around nine in the morning, because if they left any earlier, there would be no one on the streets to talk to. That gave Tenten two extra hours to pace back and forth in her room in the inn, with nothing to do. Neji sat silently on the couch, unmoving, watching her intently as she walked back and forth, anxiously twisting the girly clothes she'd worn yesterday in her hands.
The fluorescent pink blouse looked more like a crumpled sock with frills all around the edges as it lay limply in Tenten's hands, her fingers crushing the fabric. She'd smushed it so that it was about the size of her palm, but she knew that had she been wearing it, it wouldn't have been much bigger. Her rather tight, also pink, pants were in her other hand, squeezed into a small bundle as well, so that it looked like a wash cloth with several strings hanging from it. What the strings were for, Tenten didn't want to know.
The other part of her outfit lay on the bed. Ridiculously pink, of course. It was a tiny skirt that was supposed to fit snuggly outside of the pants, fringed with extra lace at the ends and decorated generously with miniature bows and ribbons, in different shades of pink and occasionally red or white. Tenten glared at the clothes that she was trying to rip apart, looked up at Neji, then went back to glaring at the clothes.
"Why do people have to wake up so late?!" she grumbled impatiently, her fingers tightening on the pink outfit.
"You could go back to sleep", Neji told her smoothly.
"No. I already tried that".
"I know", he smirked. The girl had been up all night and had fallen asleep early in the morning, waking up only four hours later. Something was bothering her.
"There's nothing to do in here! I could be training!" she huffed.
Training? Neji perked up, suddenly realizing what was bothering his teammate. "This is about the Chunnin exams", it wasn't a question.
"I don't know, is it?" Tenten wasn't so sure.
"You're still upset over what happened almost a year ago, Tenten. There's no reason to be. You've trained… we've trained, and you've improved", his slightly muted voice was soothing, coaxing her to calm down.
"Not enough", she replied.
"You're being too hard on yourself". It was strange to hear Neji say those words, especially since Tenten had been around the whole time when he was extremely hard on himself, struggling with his curse seal.
"You're one to talk", she retorted bitterly.
"I've learned".
"You're already a jounin, Neji, a jounin!" Tenten stressed, "of course you'd say there's no need to worry!"
"This isn't about me", he replied quietly. Apparently, her comment had affected him.
"I just wish this time could be used for training. There's so much more I need to learn".
"There's always more to learn- you can't learn everything, Tenten".
"I can try".
Neji scoffed at her stubbornness and looked away. He used to think he was the stubborn one, the one who just wasn't able to accept his family history. But now, when compared to Tenten's character, he seemed to be a lot less stubborn.
"You can take this opportunity to train… to learn, at least", he corrected himself.
Tenten looked up at him, eyes hopeful. The smile of her face was widening into a grin and Neji gave himself a mental pat-on-the-back. He'd managed to cheer her up.
They fell silent, staring at the clock hanging from the wall. One more hour to go…
At precisely nine, Gai and Lee left their room, dressed in matching civilian clothes and each carrying a traveler's pack. They strode down the hall, walking with an enthusiastic gait. At the end of the hall, the two looked at each other, nodded, then continued down the stairs, their enthusiasm doubled, if that were possible.
When they reached the door of their teammates, Lee stepped forward and knocked, striking his knuckles twice on the wooden door. Neji opened it a moment later, his eye's meeting Lee's. They understood.
"Let's go", Neji turned to Tenten, who was sitting idly on the bed, twirling a kunai around her fingers.
"Finally", she huffed, slipping off the bed. As Neji waited for her to cross the room, he watched Gai and Lee disappear down the stairs, already on their way.
"Wait, put that away", Neji stopped Tenten with an outstretched arm and motioned towards the kunai still in her hands, "you can't be seen carrying that around".
"I can't take this?" Tenten glanced wistfully at the weapon in her hands, but Neji chuckled, a quiet, amused chuckle.
"I said you can't be seen carrying that around", he repeated himself.
Tenten grinned when she understood the underlying meaning of his words and slipped the kunai into a pocket. Of course, she wouldn't be seen with it around.
The door was locked, the key safely tucked into the pocket of Neji's robes, and they set off, exiting the inn through the main doors, looking very much like two friends who were traveling.
Neji led the way, heading for the direction where the sun was the brightest- the east. As they passed by several vendors, Tenten stopped to chat with them, giving each townsperson a dazzling smile. She vaguely introduced herself, remembering to use the same alias for each person she met. Beside her, Neji did the same.
They eventually wandered to a more lonely part of the village, near the lake that they'd crossed the day before. Tenten spotted a large bridge that seemed to serve as a dock and she dragged Neji with her, claiming that there had to be good sources there. After all, it was well known that merchants were most aware of the recent events.
"Look", Neji murmured softly, in an amused voice, as he pointed to the top of the bridge.
Tenten squinted as she looked up, the sun hitting her eyes. "The Great Naruto Bridge", she read aloud, "heh, that's funny".
"I heard this was Team Seven's first mission outside the village", Neji recalled.
"Wow, successful on their first try, huh?" Tenten mused.
They reached the end of the dock, where boats traveled back and forth, and merchants and workers loaded and unloaded supplies.
Tenten found the first person she could see and greeted her enthusiastically, explaining that she and Neji were curious travelers. The old woman replied in a hushed tone, "Travelers? It's best not to be traveling here at this time, dear".
"What do you mean?" Tenten questioned innocently.
"Well, it's dangerous, you know, especially for children like you. There's killings going around and rumors say they're targeting the rich, but I don't believe that. I say they're killing anyone they can get their filthy hands on".
"Really?" Tenten was genuinely interested now, leaning closer as the old woman continued.
"They got my son", she replied, "and he sure wasn't rich".
"I'm sorry", Tenten murmured quietly, a trace of remorse in her voice.
"So be careful, dear. Best to return home".
"Is there anything else you know about these murderers?" Tenten tried her luck.
"Well, this is just another rumor, but it's said that they can be found at the westernmost end of this village, on the outskirts of town, somewhere in the forest. But those are all rumors".
"Thank you", Tenten nodded sincerely and bid the woman goodbye before hurrying after Neji. He watched her walk quickly towards him, already knowing that she'd discovered something.
"Just a rumor", Tenten related the old woman's words to Neji, "but she said that they might be somewhere in the forest on the western end of this village".
"I see", Neji replied thoughtfully, "We'll report this back to Gai-sensei later today, but let's keep talking to these people".
Tenten nodded in agreement.
Lacking greatly in both poise and self-awareness, Gai and Lee marched down the streets of the Hidden Village of the Mist, grinning to each other and to the people around them. They paused at various shops and chatted with the workers there, but found little valuable information. Most of the time, they were just laughed at.
When Gai finally declared that it was futile for them to try anymore, Lee suggested they take a break. They had neared the forest at the edge of the village and both shinobi were quite tired. It'd been a couple of hours since they'd eaten anything and Gai decided to buy some takeout to treat both him and his pupil.
With fresh cartons of food, Gai and Lee approached the forest and decided some time away from the town would be nice. They found a spot under the base of a large tree, near a clearing, and sat, devouring the food in front of them hungrily.
"I hope Neji and Tenten have had more luck than us", Lee announced as he gulped down some soup.
"I believe they have. I have faith in my pupils", Gai replied proudly.
"Gai-sensei! I am also your pupil, yet I have failed to find any information today! I am sorry!" Lee apologized, bowing his head.
"That is fine, Lee, you tried very hard today!"
"No, Gai-sensei, I must find information! If I do not find information today, I shall not sleep tonight!"
"No, Lee, you will have another chance tomorrow! Do not give up!"
"Thank you, Gai-sensei!"
"Oh, Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!'
"Lee!"
"Gai-sen- hey, do you hear that noise?" Lee's voice suddenly died into a hush as he whipped his head around suspiciously.
"There is someone approaching us", Gai replied in a whisper.
They shrunk into the shadows of the tree and watched cautiously as several men approached, unaware of the two hidden shinobi. They were roaring with laughter, heavily drunk, stumbling against each other as they made their way deeper into the forest. Gai and Lee gave each other an incredulous look, then followed.
They were led to a small hut that was well hidden among the trees. Two shinobi guarded the surrounding area, and Gai was sure that there were more guards hidden. He motioned for Lee to follow his lead and stumbled out into the clearing where the guards could see them. Gai walked with a drunken gait, acting his civilian part out perfectly. Lee did the same and stumbled after his sensei, taking awkward steps.
The guards eyed them suspiciously as they neared the hut, then hurried forward. "What are you two doing here?!" they demanded, drawing out weapons. Gai looked at the one who spoke with a lazy eye and gave him a lopsided grin.
"I'm visiting grandma", he slurred, acting as drunk as he could. Lee bobbed his head up and down in agreement, also trying to act drunk.
"They're just drunkards, useless", one guard hissed to the other.
"Well, you're grandma's that way", the second guard decided to humor them and pointed to a dense part of the forest. Gai could tell that they were trying to lead him away, and he quickly began sorting through ideas in his head.
But, Lee got there first. "No! Grandma's in there!" he argued in a drunken voice, raising a finger to point sloppily at the hut. The guards exchanged looks. Their orders were to keep all civilians away, but not to hurt any of them.
"No, no, she moved", the guard replied.
"No, she didn't move yet", Gai joined in on the game and tried to push his way past the guards, but was careful not to use too much strength.
"She's not here!"
Gai could tell the guards were becoming annoyed and decided it was time for a new approach. "Well then", he continued in a slurred voice, "could you take us to where she is?"
The guards exchanged looks again and one of them stepped forward, grabbing Gai and Lee each by the arm and dragging them away from the hut. Along the way, Lee flopped to the floor, facedown, and laid there.
"What's wrong with him?" the guard let go of Gai and bent down to examine the younger of the two strangers. Taking this opportunity, Gai landed a rough kick to the guard's head, knocking him out in one smooth move.
Lee quickly jumped up and they sped back to the hut, attacking the other guard and knocking him out without a sound. They slipped, unnoticed, into the hut where the drunken men from before had disappeared into and Lee had to bite back a gasp as they took in the insides of the place.
It was much larger than it looked from outside. The middle of the room contained a small trapdoor and Gai instinctively knew it led underground. Judging from the number of men and guards, he expected the underground portion of the room to be quite large and knew that there was no way he and Lee could go in there alone.
"Lee", he spoke quietly to his student, "We need to head back. It's nearing nighttime and we need to meet up with Neji and Tenten".
"But, Gai-sensei, we have found the secret hideout of the enemies!" Lee protested in a whisper.
"No, we cannot be sure. And, there are too many of them right now and I am sure the two shinobi we knocked out are not the only ones guarding this place. We have to go".
They slipped out as quietly as they had entered and sped back to town, quickly rearranging their features into calm, peaceful ones as they neared the center of the village, where there inn was located. Without drawing attention to themselves, Gai and Lee hurried to Neji and Tenten's room and knocked urgently on the door, pushing their way inside once it opened.
"What happened?" Tenten asked curiously, approaching her teammate and sensei.
"We may have found a lead", Gai said seriously. He proceeded to explain what he and Lee had found and noticed that when they mentioned the forest on the western end of town, both Neji and Tenten's eyes suddenly lit up, as if they understood something.
"We heard a rumor that there was some suspicious activity going on in the area", Neji answered Gai's questioning look, "but your story just confirmed it".
"We still cannot rush in without thinking it through", Gai stated, looking quite thoughtful.
"Part of our mission was to discover the motivations behind these assassinations", Lee reminded them.
"So, does that mean we're supposed to spy on them or something?" Tenten raised an eyebrow. This wasn't anything like the shinobi work she was used to having to do.
"Something like that", Neji shrugged in reply as Gai continued to explain what their next step was. They were to split into two groups again the next morning and travel to the same destination, though at different times to avoid suspicion.
Lee and Gai would stay on one side of the hut and attempt to gather information from the actual place, while Neji and Tenten were to follow anyone who came out. Their plan was discussed and finalized, and, with nothing better to do, a good night's rest was decided on.
Her back was pressed tightly against a tree, the wooden bark imprinting itself into her skin. She breathed as quietly as she could, while trying to balance herself on the thin branch below her. A small bead of perspiration rolled down her forehead and she resisted the urge to wipe it away. If she lifted her hand to do so, she would fall.
One fist was clenched tightly around a branch beside her, the only thing that supported her balance at this moment. The other was wrapped around the wrist of her teammate and served as the only source of balance for him, who was on the branch beside her.
Together, they were pretty much cramped into the leafiest portion of a tree, hoping to conceal themselves as they watched the two men who had emerged from the door of the hut travel down the dirt path and towards town.
The weather seemed to be working against them today. The wind was strong, but it blew in the wrong direction, so that if the men had been correctly trained, they would have caught the scent of the two shinobi hidden in the trees. The air was also rather damp, a characteristic of the climate in the Mist Village. This made the ground muddier than they were used to, making it harder to run. They would have to rely on the trees as their way of traveling. But, as bad luck would have it, the trees in this area of the forest had very few leaves and it was difficult to conceal anyone among them.
Still, despite the circumstances, both Neji and Tenten were determined to succeed in their mission. With watchful eyes, they followed the two men down the lone path in the forest, keeping a safe distance. When the buildings of the village came into sight, Neji halted and motioned for Tenten to do the same. Normally, it would have been easier to follow these men once they were in the village, since the area would be more crowded, but it was too early and most of the village was still asleep.
"We have to be extra careful", Neji whispered, leaping off the trees and landing soundlessly on his feet. Tenten did the same behind him and nodded, her eyes looking ahead, at the men in front of them. They eventually made their way into town Tenten grimaced as they saw the two men walk into a building that was labeled as a bar.
"Great", she muttered.
"We have to follow them", Neji replied.
"But don't you think it'll be a bit obvious?" Tenten pointed out.
"We don't know", he answered seriously.
Tenten huffed to herself, then followed her teammate and entered the door, stepping into a dark room lit dimly with a few candles in the corner. It was rather easy for her to see everything, even in the dark setting, because her eyes were trained to do so, but Neji, without his byakugan, could only see as well as a normal person.
Thus, he was able to quickly catch her mistake as Tenten moved all too flawlessly about the room. "You're not supposed to be able to see so well", he hissed, dragging her back a little.
"What?" she was confused at first, wondering what he was talking about. Was she following them too closely?
"Observe the way they move, Tenten. These men obviously pride themselves in being the elite of the elite in this village. They aren't aware of the skills of a shinobi, so if you show that you're able to see better than they are in this dim light, they'll be suspicious".
"Right", she muttered, slowing her steps.
"C'mon, this way", Neji urged her toward a dark corner of the bar and they sat, inconspicuously, hidden against the black walls. It was early morning, a rather strange time for people to be in the bar, but to the two shinobi's surprise, there were actually quite a few people in there.
"This is a strange town", Tenten commented under her breath. Neji nodded in reply, but kept his eyes focused on the two men they had been following. He watched as they approached the bartender and began speaking in low tones.
Despite the relative noisiness of the surrounding area and the soft voices the men used, Neji and Tenten could clearly hear every word they spoke. They were shinobi, after all.
"I don't understand what they're talking about", Tenten murmured after listening for a while, "there's no desert in this area- it's surrounded by water".
"They must have an operating base somewhere else", Neji replied, "This could be bigger than we thought".
"Maybe we should report back to Gai-sensei. Do you think he'd want to listen to this?"
"There's not enough time. They look like they're leaving", Neji stood up in one swift movement and Tenten hurried after him. They slipped out of the bar behind the men and continued to follow them. By now, the village had woken up and the streets were littered with people, making it much easier to hide themselves.
They approached an old, stone building in a remote area of the village and Neji quickly dragged Tenten behind a tree as one of the two men turned and looked around suspiciously.
"What's wrong?" the other man had a gruff voice. He, too, turned to look around.
"Just thought I heard something", the first man shrugged, then continued walking. His partner did the same.
"Sorry", Tenten managed to squeak as Neji let go of her and they continued to trail the two men.
Neji just shrugged nonchalantly and motioned for her to hurry up. They crept towards the entrance of this building and held their breath as one of the two men pushed open the door. When the two men had entered, Neji and Tenten quickly slipped in as the door was about to close.
The slid into a corner, then turned to see what was in the building. Neither was ready for the sight that met them.
wooo cliffy! haha. anyways, I would very much like to thank reviewers- whitephoenix13, Takky-san, Aireonna, Dark-Compassion, SmallButPowerful, ChristinaAngel- It's not exactly ShikaIno or ShikaTema; it's just sort of following the ambiguous pairings that exist in the actual Naruto manga, Kratos Wilder, Trelunas- I described Tenten's outfit just for you- but she isn't wearing it in this chapter; she's just trying to tear it apart. XD