Disclaimer: Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

A/N: I've got 2 things to say (completely unrelated to the story, sorry)… one… NOOOO!!!... (just read 424… *sniff*)… and two… DAMN! (in regards to Prop 8 passing)… that is all… enjoy the story…
WARNING: Flashbacks

THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!

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EXPLANATIONS
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"Please come in." The woman at the door gestured for the six leaf ninja to enter the small cabin.

Neji took the lead; wanting to get this part over with as quickly as possible. Were it up to him, they would not be wasting such time. Something inside him told Neji he needed to hurry; he needed to get to Tenten soon. Neji was certain that every moment they wasted, would place Tenten further and further in danger.

He would never forgive himself if anything happened to her.

"May we get this over with?" Neji asked, as the group was motioned in to sit in the small living room; not the least bit interested in etiquette at the moment.

He wasn't sure who the dark-haired woman was, or how she was involved in Tenten's kidnapping, but Oushi had stated that she would be the key to finding Tenten. For that reason alone, Neji was willing to spare a few minutes; but his patience was not liable to last much longer than that.

"Ah yes." The woman nodded, before taking a seat across from the group. "So where should I begin?"

"Perhaps," Ryoku, whom Neji had noticed to be intently watching the woman since their entry into the cabin, spoke up. "You can explain to me how it is that you are still alive after all these years, Tereya-san."

"…" The woman smirked at the large ANBU's request. "You were never one for formalities, were you Ryoku-san?"

"Hn." The older man grunted; his eyes coldly fixed on the woman before him.

"You really don't seem surprised to see me." Tereya observed of her old friend.

"I do not possess the luxury of being surprised at the moment." Ryoku replied.

"No." Tereya nodded understandingly. "I don't suppose you do."

A still silence fell upon the group; neither awkward, not peaceful. Simply silent. After a few moments of this, Tereya, again, spoke. "I do apologize for what my brother has done."

"So it was him?" Ryoku stood from his seat, no doubt ready to take action as soon as they had a direction to go in. "Tell us where to find him." The older ANBU demanded of the woman.

"I am afraid that I can not do that." Tereya replied.

"Can not or will not?" Neji interrupted. The conversation had begun to take a negative turn, as far as the Hyuga was concerned. If this was the sister of the man who took his wife, Neji wasn't sure why they should trust her; wouldn't she have an allegiance to that man? Especially considering she was unwilling to take them to him.

"I understand your pain." The violet eyed woman addressed Neji. "But I assure you, it is not that I am unwilling to help you find your wife, but rather that I cannot."

Neji stared curiously at the woman. How did she know about Tenten? How did she know he was her husband? What was going on?

"Why can't you?" Oushi questioned from besides Neji; bringing the Hyuga out of his confused thoughts. "You have always been able to find him in the past."

"That is true." Tereya admitted. "But that was long time ago… many things have changed." Her voice took on a mournful tone.

"What could possibly have changed to sever your connection to you twin?" Ryoku asked; unaware of the woman's anguished expression, as she tilted her head down to her lap. "You were able to know that we were coming." He pointed out.

"There is something you should know." Tereya began, turning her head back up to face the group.

"Hn." Ryoku retook his seat between Neji and Oushi; indicating for the woman to continue.

"Tekinai is no longer Tekinai."

.:..:..:..:..:.:..:..:..FLASHBACK..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:.

"Don't wander off too far Tekinai-kun." The three six-year-old genin's sensei told the white-haired boy.

"Okay." Tekinai nodded, before walking off into the trees to relieve himself.

They were already in Fire country; having just finished their mission in wind country. Really, there was little need to worry about any attacks from enemy ninja, since they were well within a day's trip to Konoha. Tekinai knew his sensei was merely trying to prevent him from getting lost in the woods.

"ah." The boy breathed a sigh of relief; he had been holding it for far too long.

After finishing what he'd wandered into the bushes to do, Tekinai began walking toward the river his sister had found for them, in order to wash his hands in the river.

"Raiden boy." An unfamiliar voice startled the young shinobi.

"Whose there?" Tekinai turned to face a man with jet black hair and red eyes staring down at him. "Who are you?" He asked the intimidating man.

"My name?" The man slowly approached the rapid river, as his red eyes stared unwaveringly at the young boy. "It's not important."

"What do you want?" The six-year-old tried to hide his fear behind an air of confidence; but it was evident he was terrified of the older man. There was just something about him that seemed wrong; something that Tekinai knew was not quite human.

"Don't worry." The man stopped a few feet ahead of the boy. "I only want you to do something for me. One leaf ninja to another."

"You're from Konoha?' Tekinai disbelievingly asked. He was certain he had never seen the man before in his life, though he did look somewhat similar to a clan in the village that Tekinai had heard of.

"That's right." The man nodded. "In fact, we share a common history."

"What do you mean?" The boy curious looked up at the old man; trying to piece together who he might be.

"Well," The man began approaching Tekinai again. "Both of our clans are equally important to the history of Konoha."

"…" The boy furrowed his brow; unable to understand what the red-eyed man was trying to say.

Tekinai knew of the history of his clan; they were one of five clans, along with Ryoku's clan, that had helped found the Village Hidden in the Leaves; but this man didn't look anything like their two clans. There were three other clans as well, but aside from the white-eyed Hyuga clan, Tekinai didn't know any particular traits of the other two clans to know which one this man might belong to; perhaps the Uchiha, who were rumored to have distinct eyes as well, though Tekinai had never been witness to their Kekkei Genkai to know for certain.

"It doesn't matter." The man replied as he stared deeply into the Raiden boy's eyes; so intently that Tekinai almost wondered if the man was trying to look into his brain, using those swirling red eyes to peer into his subconscious mind.

"What do you want?" Tekinai asked.

"I want you to help me destroy Konoha." The man replied, before a sudden dizziness overtook the young Raiden.

.:..:..:..:..:..:..:..END FLASHBACK.:..:..:..:..:..:..:..

"Are you saying he's been under a genjutsu all this time?" Sakura asked the older woman.

"Not exactly." Tereya replied; having just finished explaining what had begun the change in her brother, from a sweet and innocent child, to the revenge-seeking sociopath he had become. "It is more than a genjutsu. It was as if he were cursed." She paused to collect her thoughts, as the others waited patiently for her explanation to continue. "It was after that mission that we returned to find our clan had vanished without a trace, and no one knew why. Tekinai's change went unnoticed, because everyone assumed it was his reaction to our family's disappearance."

"But that wasn't it?" Neji inquired; very interested in knowing as much as possible about the man who had taken his wife.

"No." Tereya shook her head. "He became withdrawn, as the curse slowly began consuming him. He changed, but because of the timing, no one considered it to be unusual." She paused. "He did fight it though… but… but it eventually became too much and resisting it began tearing away at his sanity."

Learning of Tekinai instability, made Neji even more determined to leave at once. They had to find Tenten, and it had to be soon.

"There is one thing I don't understand." Naruto, who had remained silent for most of the conversation, stood up and walked to the older woman. "Why did you fake your death?"

"I didn't."

.:..:..:..:..:.:..:..:..FLASHBACK..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:.

"umh." The dark-haired kunoichi moaned as she opened her eyes. Above her, a pale yellow ceiling blinded her violet eyes momentarily. It stung deeply, almost as if she hadn't opened her eyes in days, and they found the light too foreign to adjust quickly enough.

"So you're finally awake." An elderly woman's voice greeted the kunoichi.

"huh?" Tereya turned her head to the side, to face the owner of the voice. Her blue-black hair clinging stiffly to the side of her face as she tried looking at the older woman standing next to her bedside. "Who are you?" She asked in a coarse voice that didn't seem to have been used in much time either.

"I, sweetie," The woman gestured toward herself with one hand on her chest. "Am the woman who pulled you out of that river a few weeks ago."

"Weeks?" Tereya tired sitting up, but was immediately halted by the shooting pain in her body.

"A month to be precise." The old woman replied, before checking to see if any of the girl's wounds had opened up when she attempted to sit. "You were severely injured, and burned, but you've started healing rather nicely." She commented, before she began unwrapping the girl's wounds, in order to apply fresh bandages. "But you're far from healed yet. It'll be at least six months before you can get up and walk around again." She informed the girl.

"Six months?" Tereya repeated disbelievingly. What would happen in six months? More importantly, what had happened in the last month? Would anyone even know to look for her? Or did they already think she was dead?

.:..:..:..:..:..:..:..END FLASHBACK.:..:..:..:..:..:..:..

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TBC
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A/N: In case you haven't all noticed, this story is coming to it's end… only problem is, I can't quite figure out how the fight scene should be… as in who does what… it does happen when there are so many characters involved (which is why most of them are were sent off to different countries… lol)… any suggestions/ideas/things you want to see… please let me know and I'll see if I can include them into my overall plot. Thanks XD