SasuTen 8.
A/N- Sorry that I was MIA for so long. I was just taking some AP Tests and finishing up this school year. I'd like to say that I won't be gone much this summer but that is honestly not the case. But I bring you this update now, please enjoy!
Note- I had a bit of a time crunch getting this chapter to you guys, it was either get it out now with possible mistakes or make you guys wait a few more weeks, so I chose te first option. I hope you can stand any errors in the writing because I could not edit. I am very sorry.
Disclaimer- Naruto is not mine.
Chapter Eight.
Tenten POV
Tenten perched in in the leaves of a tree. Her gray eyes were surveying the valley before her. Itaro, the ninja slayer had made his base within the valley. Tsunade wasn't able to tell Tenten where exactly, so Tenten would have to walk through it like a lamb for the slaughter.
She would have to be prepared.
Tenten smirked. How ironic, that she could die by the hands of someone so similar. After all, she was an assassin. That had been her fate ever since she had decided on weapons to be her focus.
Tenten could not decide on whether she wanted to die or to live. If she died she would meet Neji, but if she lived then she would get to see Sasuke again. Her heart was torn. What did she want?
Tenten's mind turned to a memory. It was from earlier in the day when she had been leaving for this mission. She had seen Hanabi Hyuuga, Neji's cousin.
Tenten hadn't really known Hanabi in the past, but she had seen her a few times. And each time she had seen her giggling with Konohamaru or with other kids. Hanabi had been more outgoing than her older sister and cousin by far.
But when Tenten had seen her earlier she had seen a grief-stricken child. Her white eyes seemed almost gray with sorrow. This had been very strange to see. Tenten had almost tried to comfort the child, which would have been a bad idea considering that Hanabi hated physical contact.
Tenten's back straightened. She knew what she wanted. She wanted to return to that child, and she wanted to return to Sasuke Uchiha. She wanted to finish this mission and she wanted to retain her life.
Sasuke's face passed through Tenten's mind. Her gray eyes softened a fraction. She missed him. It was decided; she enjoyed the company of the Uchiha. She wanted to see him again. If only to make him eat spicy Chinese food again. If only to hold him in bed again.
Tenten stood up and jumped down from the tree. Her hair was still in a loose ponytail at the base of her neck.
Her clothing was also more minimalistic. Since she had two swords strapped to her back and two more at her waist. Kunai were hidden on her person, and senbon were artfully hidden in her black tresses. Shuriken were hidden in her clothes, and a fuuma shuriken was strapped to her back underneath the swords. She would be unable to take weapons from her usual seals, so she had a thin scroll at the base of her back.
Tenten landed at the base of the tree. She would have to travel as if she wasn't suspecting an attack. This would be difficult because she knew that Itaro waited.
Tenten took a moment to survey the valley. She would need to know about the geography so that she could be the victor.
Tenten had been walking for twenty minutes when a voice came from above her in the trees.
"Who goes there?" A voice asked.
Tenten could only assume that it was Itaro. Because other than him this valley was uninhabited.
"I am just a humble wanderer." Tenten said. "I have to pass through these lands so that I can meet my colleagues in the next country."
The man jumped from the tree and landed a ways in front of Tenten. "I'm afraid that you cannot pass." He said. "I cannot let anyone that has been trained in the shinobi arts live."
"And why is that?" Tenten asked. Maybe she could find out some important information as to why he was doing the killings.
"My entire clan was killed before my eyes by ANBU black ops. I have no idea why or even from what village the ANBU came from. So I have decided to avenge them by killing every single shinobi that I come across." Itaro said.
Tenten tensed. This man was not so different than Sasuke, if Itachi had taken one wrong step this could be Sasuke challenging Tenten to a duel for her life. Tenten silently thanked the Uchiha genius and she vowed to visit his memorial when she returned to Konoha.
If I return to Konoha.
Tenten shook her head as she gathered her thoughts. Pessimism had never really been her thing. It had always been Neji's forte.
"I'm sorry for your loss. But killing every shinobi that you come across is not going to bring them back." Tenten said. "Revenge is not the answer; it can lead to horrible revelations." Tenten thought once more of Sasuke and Itachi. Sasuke had only wanted revenge for the loss of his clan, but that had only led to guilt over the fat that he had killed Itachi.
"What would you know of loss?" The man asked. "You seem fairly happy yourself."
"I have lost the most important person in my life. The one I loved most was killed by a maniac." Tenten answered. "So you can't say that I don't know about loss."
Itaro smirked evilly at Tenten. "You don't look like a grief stricken woman. You don't know what true pain is. Or what true revenge is like. You'll never know. Because you're going to die here."
"I won't. Because I'm not going to die by your hands. There are people that I want to return home to, and you are in my way. So prepare for your own death." Tenten said. With each word spoken the emotion drained from her voice.
Itaro's smirk widened. "Well then. It appears that we will have to battle this out. I formally challenge you, Lonely Wanderer."
Sasuke POV
"Tell me about the criminal that she was sent to kill." Sasuke said from the window in Tsunade's office.
Tsunade turned from the paper work that she was doing. Her amber eyes regarded the Uchiha warily. "I cannot disclose information on an S-rank mission to anyone. Even if you were a member of Tenten's family I could not tell you."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Could you tell me if I were Neji Hyuuga?" He asked.
Tsunade frowned. "You'd be dead. But if you were alive I would tell you the details of the mission."
Sasuke leaned forward. "Then tell me. I have taken over Tenten's training in Neji's stead. I deserve to know her whereabouts."
"You snuck into my office and are demanding that I reveal important secrets about Tenten's mission. You deserve serving on gate duty with Kotestu and Izumo." Tsunade said. "But I do admire your concern. It's been years since I've seen you so worked up."
Sasuke waited for her to reveal the information that he wanted to hear.
"I sent her on an S-rank mission to eliminate a maniac in the forests of northern Snow country. Normally I wouldn't bother with this, but he is steadily killing any shinobi that passes through the area. So it would be beneficial for the leaf to assassinate this man so that our shinobi can pass freely through the lands." Tsunade said. "I sent Tenten specifically because her abilities lie mainly in the use of weapons and not ninjutsu or a bloodline-limit."
"Why would that be important?" Sasuke asked.
"Because this man has the peculiar ability to nullify chakra use and bloodline-limit abilities. If I were to send for example, Ino Yamanaka she would be butchered instantly. Tenten was the only ninja in the village that came to mind when I received the reports on this killer."
Sasuke's brow furrowed. "Her teammate Rock Lee also doesn't use chakra or ninjutsu. In fact, he doesn't use it at all whereas Tenten uses at least some chakra in her fighting style. Why not send them both?" Sasuke asked.
"Rock Lee was the ideal choice, but he is in Suna dealing with important obligations right now." Tsunade answered vaguely.
"Iruka just told me that there are no important missions in Suna at the moment." Sasuke said menacingly. "So the only thing I can assume is that Rock Lee is on a personal visit to see the Kazekage. Am I correct?"
Tsunade's eyes widened slightly. "Yes." She said. "Lee is visiting Gaara for personal reasons. But he is officially there under orders from the Kazekage. Gaara has been ordering Lee to visit him periodically ever since Neji passed."
Sasuke looked furious. "How dare you send Tenten on a suicide mission when she has perfectly fine back-up that just so happens to be visiting a rival leader for personal reasons!" Sasuke spat. "Didn't you say only a few months ago that Tenten wasn't suited for an S-rank mission?! How could you even stand sending her on this dangerous mission?"
"I did what I thought was best for the village." Tsunade spat right back. "And you are not allowed to sneak in here and yell at me about my decisions, after all you defected from this village years ago and it was my good judgment of you that has allowed you to stay here at all!"
A/N- Thank you for reading! I hope that you liked this chapter. Next chapter will have the fight scene between Itaro and Tenten (God help me, because I suck at fight scenes.)
Please review and have a wonderful day! Enjoy the summer!