Betrayal or Trust

ch. 9

Lee and his team sucessfully made it into the Rain country when they had recieved Sasuke's transmission. Lee cheered. Neji and Tenten quickly jumped Lee. Unfornately the town's people looked over at all the sudden comotion.

"Sorry, please return to your business."

Tenten said nervously as Neji kept his hand over Lee's mouth. As soon as every one turned away Lee found both his teammates glaring at him.

"Lee in case you have forgotten, were undercover. We don't need to draw any attention to ourselves."

Neji chided drawing his teammates into the near by ally. The team looked over at the town's tallest hill, there stood Seye's mansion, the Lord's mansion.

"Tenten I think you should go check us in to a hotel. After that we'll all walk around the village gathering what information we can on this Seye guy."

Tenten and Lee nodded. Neji casually placed his hands in his pockets and headed down the busy streets. Thoughts went through where would be the best place to pick up information. Just as Neji was passing mansion guards walked into a sake hut. He followed. Neji picked a place rather close to the back room the guards had his appeared behind. Activating his 'evil eye' the clear image of the guards in the next room formed. Neji smiled. He found just what he wanted.

Tenten found the second closest hotel to the mansion and was happy to hear that rooms were a available.

"Hello there Miss. Are you interested in getting a room."

An elderly woman at the front table asked.

"Yes, I just need one large room please."

Tenten pulled out her wallet as the old woman opened up the registration book.

"I'm afraid are only extra large room is our honeymoon sweet."

Tenten winced nervously, but Neji had given her orders and they didn't have enough money to get two normal rooms.

"That's fine."

The old woman smiled.

"I'm sure you and your company will find it comfortable."

Tenten smiled rubbing the back of her head.

"Yeah, we will. Thank you."

Tenten accepted the key. Before she left Tenten asked where the best spot for elderly women to be around, Tenten claimed she was looking for someone. When really elderly women were always ful of information and gossip.

"Oh I know. I go there all the time. The flower shop at the end of the main road, its right by the Lord's mansion."

Teneten thanked her the words 'perfect' crossing her mind.

Lee was awkwardly walking around the village, there was two things he wasn't use to. One, that he wasn't running across roof tops and showing of his youth like strenght. The other, was the fact he was being stalked by little girls. Since he departed from his teammates three little girls have been following him. Giggling and smiling. each time he turned around they would stare, not even try to hide from him. Finally the giggling was too much.

"Why are you three following me?"

He asked directly feeling exhausted. The three browned headed girls laughed.

"Because mister, you're really cute."

They laughed, while Lee fell on his back.

"Ex...excuse me?"

He studdered. The continued laughing.

"You remind us of our puppy, and garden snake, and my hairy catapillar."

Each one of them said. Lee fell over again. The one time females call him cute it's because he reminds them of there pets.

"Please leave me be, I have an assignment to be doing and do not need any distractions."

Lee said in a polite voice, the girls gathered tears in their eyes.

"You sound just like mama. She says that too because she's always working in the mansion. She's the Lord's main maid and is always busy."

They cried, Lee froze in his tracks.

"Wait, your mother works in the manor?"

They nodded. Lee smile stretched across his face and wrapped his arms around the girls shoulder.

"Forgive me, I should have listen to you all from the beginning for we all have youth and it's power running through out veins. How about you tell me all about you life in the manor over curry."

The girls looked between each other and smiled. Each one grabbed one of Lee's arm and dragged him away.

Tenten was happy to that she picked up on some useful information about the deceased lord. She and Neji met outside the hotel.

"Tenten did you find out anything?"

Tenten nodded.

"Yeah all lot of useful things. You?"

Neji too nodded.

"We should go inside."

Neji slide the door open for Tenten, unfornately the lady who rented the room was still at the desk.

"Oh miss I was wandering when you would return, it's nearly dark-"

The elderly lady froze, her eyes completly focused on Neji, scanning him from head to toe.

"Why miss, no wonder you accepted the honeymoon sweet, he's a handsome one."

Neji tensed unsure what the lady meant, while Tenten was turning bright red.

"No, no it's not like that...yes were together but not..uh..like that...um..."

Her words were falling apart and the old woman's eyes glittered with amusement.

"No need to be embrassed darling, I was young once. I know how you feel. Don't worry the nervous are always there the first time."

The old woman winked as Tenten grabbed Neji and started dragging him away but not soon enough to hear the old woman's last comment.

"Try not to make too much racket...for the sake of the other guests, please."

She was snickering as they hurried away. Tenten Nearly threw Neji in the room right as Lee jumped through the window. She quickly slammed the door and locked it.

"Is something wrong Tenten?"

Lee asked noticing Tenten's flushed face. Tenten whacked him on his head.

"NO! EVRYTHING IS FINE!"

Neji turned away until his own slight pink cheeks cooled. He cleared his throat.

"Let's do a report."

The prepared their room and then gather together.

"Tenten you go first."

Neji said, Tenten agreed,

"Well what I gathered was mostly about the late lord. The older generartion was quite fond of him. They said he was a just man and a good leader. They were heartbroken when they heard of his death. Not to mention their furious about the murder and want to hunt down whose responsible. Unfornately word has gotten around that the murderer belongs the the leaf village. Other than that not to much more."

Lee was next.

"My sources are more about the new lord, Seye. Ever since he had become the Lord everyone has become frighten, Mr. Seye is known for his temper. The main maid of the house says he has been over aggressive since he was about eight or so. Even before he was lord he would travel around to many different countries. Here's the important part, he was hunting for carriers of the tailed beasts."

Neji and Tenten tensed. So there was a connection with Seye and the tailed beasts, and Naruto was caught in the middle.

"The information I obtained was just formation and times of guard change at the manor tonight, so that is our next stop. We'll rest for a few hours and then make our move and go deep into out Mr. Hiasha's life."

Right before Neji and Tenten got up Lee mumbled something.

"Neji, I also found something else. It was more of a rumor people believe but I think it can explain what happen at the fight...but if this proves to be true it could mean deadly consquences for Naruto."

The whole room went slient, Lee clutched his fists tighter.

"The rumor is that Seye has a jutus that can paralyz and hold a jinchuuriki. The thing is if it isn't done right then the beast can be released. I believe Seye while on his journeys found put about Naruto and while Naruto was fighting he proably announced his name. Seye must have recongized it and tried the jutus."

"Lee how is that bad. If that is true then Naruto would be inoccent and Seye would be to blame."

Lee shook his head.

"I'm afraid it is not that simple. You see this jutus if performed correctly, kills the carrier. Since Naruto is still alive Seye must not have done it right, this jutus also cause unimagineable pain. If Naruto was being tortured through this jutus he could have let the beast loose to make it stop throught revenge. He took the chance to let the beast go no matter the consquences, which were the deaths of the Rain shinobi and Lord. Which would make Naruto responisble because he was never to let even the tinyest part of the nine tails loose."

"I still don't understand Lee."

Tenten said, Neji agreed.

"Since Naruto for that moment released to nine-tail fox he took on the responsible of what it would do. And it killed the shinobi and Lord."

Lee's voice was full of regrete, like the very words he was saying was a deep thread of betrayal.

"If this was true why didn't he kill Seye?"

"It takes a while for the jutus to allow movement to the beast, when Seye noticed the jutus had failed he must have ran, knowing what would have been unleashed. The point is Naruto wasn't killed and could have been able to stop the assult but if his anger was so passinate with the fox's chakra then..."

Another moment of silent passed, each one trying to understand what was being told. Neji put the final piece of the puzzle together.

"Then Naruto for that moment, became the fox and murdered those people. Which would make him gulity, which would make him...dead."

Tenten touched her lip in shock and fear, Lee dropped his head to the earth. While Neji reached for the radio, hopefully the rookies would get this the first time because he knew he wouldn't be able to say it twice.

"Naruto has always over come his curse, now he is becoming the curse."

There goal was to prove Naruto's inoccence but how can you prove a false statement. Naruto was resonsible. Even if Seye had started the reaction, naruto didn't stop his anger, he killed. He had blood on his hands, justice had to be met. The question running through their minds was the same. How were they suppose to tell their friend, the most loyal ninja in all of the Leaf village, he needs to be punished for his crimes?

"Let's head to the mansion, we'll still look around. No matter how helpless."

Neji ordered and headed for the window.

A/N

PlZ review!!!! Tell me what you think, it's getting compliacated.

Next Chapter:

Gaara shows up at the leaf, Sasuke's team talks to the little girl they found, and Neji's team find out whether Seye's jutus is fact or fiction.