Thank you to everyone who reviewed this story. Your encouraging words really do mean a great deal. ^_^ I hope to not disappoint you. The story really takes off after this chapter. Forgive me for the wall of text. ^_^" The size got a little out of hand. Due to the fact that I've planned the chapters out, I might have to make others smaller and others larger, depending on the content.
Author's Note: Something I thought necessary to specify: this story takes place in Naruto Shippuuden, after Naruto's return.
Disclaimer: I do not own the universe of Naruto. This is a non-profit fanfiction.
Chapter Two – Youthful Departure
"Team Gai, your mission this time is an A-Class mission." The Fifth Hokage announced, sitting behind her paperwork-laden desk, her hands clasped before her eyes, elbows on the wooden surface. Behind her, the early morning light filtered through the curved windows through which all three shinobi could see the sprawl of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Shizune, the Godaime's faithful assistant and medic-nin, stood behind her boss, an irritated look on her face as she carried stacks of still unfinished paperwork Tsunade had doubtlessly neglected.
Before her stood the three members of Team Gai – their sensei and namesake absent as he was on a mission with Hatake Kakashi in the Land of Tea. Three pairs of eyes – lavender, black and amber, met the Hokage's stern gaze as she weighed up the shinobi in front of her. Meeting their determination and calm, she continued.
"We have information that a platoon of Stone-nin has been hiding in Waterfall Country, between Fire and Wind. It is quite possible that they might be preparing to threaten either Wind or Fire country or aid Akatsuki. Your mission is to find this outpost and assess the situation. If the platoon is within your league, you have permission to take it out. If not, send for back-up. Do not get carried away and get yourselves killed. Are we clear?" All three nodded. "Hyuuga Neji, as Jounin, you will be the captain of the three-man cell." Neji nodded, the arrangement by now a familiar one. Team Gai had taken several missions without their teacher and, as both Tenten and Lee were still Chuunin, he outranked them. Tsunade looked over all three ninja again, her gaze skeptical. "Do not take your mission lightly."
"No, Hokage-sama." They replied solemnly. Their expressions conveyed mixed feelings about the mission, feelings the Fifth Hokage expected of each and one of them; Neji's expression was blank, but the serious look in his eyes betrayed his concern and determination to complete the mission and keep his teammates safe. Tenten was more openly concerned, her set eyes declaring that she would overcome this obstacle. Lee, on the other hand, seemed excited and very determined. Tsunade was certain this was a chance for 'the power of youth' to shine. Gai, you trained them well…she thought as she closed her eyes and nodded.
"Very well. You are to leave within the hour. We will be waiting for word from you."
"Yes, Lady Hokage." They said again and bowed, taking the mission scroll and leaving her office. Once outside, Neji let his shoulders relax, his fist tightening around the scroll he carried. Neither of his teammates noticed.
"Yosh! This is a perfect opportunity to make Gai-sensei proud of us and show him the power of our youth!" Lee declared enthusiastically. Tenten just sighed, but smiled at her teammate fondly.
"Yes, Lee" she said, halfway agreeing with him. The determined spark in her eyes made Neji roll his eyes slightly.
Always up to the challenge…he thought. Normally, his reaction would have been the same as hers; confident, eager determination. This mission wasn't sitting well with him, though. He wasn't sure whether it was the fact that, in truth, they weren't sure of what they were going up against or the fact that he might have to call for back-up. If his teammates could hear his thoughts, he was sure they'd claim the latter. After all, he, Neji Hyuuga, couldn't be afraid of the unknown. The darkness didn't frighten those who could see far.
"Alright you two. Be at the gates in forty minutes." He told his two teammates, the three separating at entrance to the Hokage building. Neji headed to the Hyuuga compound, leaping from rooftop to rooftop to avoid the morning crowds. That was really how most ninja travelled in the village; the space above the streets was both larger, clearer and with less traffic for those who could navigate it.
Within eight minutes, he'd reached the front doors to the compound. Etiquette and safety bade that every Hyuuga enter from the gates and not scale the walls, as most could do. Protecting the Byuakugan over generations had led the secretive clan to establish strict protection measures, one of which was that the only way to enter the compound was through the gates. The Branch house sentries stationed at the gates recognized him immediately and, after a quick scan by one of the sensory ninja, he was allowed through and into the housing areas.
The Hyuuga compound was a large estate on the eastern outskirts of Konoha, flanked by the village on one side and the forest on the other. Upon entering the gates, one would have to navigate the paved streets to reach the Main House. It was stationed in the middle of the compound, both the formal and festivity halls, the Head's office rooms and, at the back of the house, the Main Family's personal quarters. Around this large mansion, smaller establishments stood, whether they were kitchens, bath houses or Branch Family residences. The Hyuuga compound was really like a small village in itself, even with it's own fountains here and there and several training grounds. To a visitor, the layout might seem confusing, but it was simple, really; the farther one was from the Main Family, the farther they lived. As Neji was directly related to them, he was supposed to live right next to the Main House.
He didn't; he lived withthem.
Neji didn't think of these details as he walked briskly towards his room, packing his things in the traditional cloth sack he'd started to carry around. Apparently, it had been his father's and he liked to think he had a part of Hizashi with him when he was out on missions. He had to hurry and meet up with his teammates. God forbid he was late to their meet-up; Tenten would never let him live it down. The thought brought a small smile to his lips as he shouldered the pack and closed the shouji behind him. As he hurried down the silent corridors, he nearly ran into his cousin as he turned a corner. Sharp reflexes were what saved both from an embarrassing collision.
"Sorry, Neji." Hinata said, her previous bad habit of stammering long gone. She met his eyes, pearl meeting pearl.
"No, forgive me." He replied, stepping past her. "Excuse me, I have to leave for a mission."
"Oh?" she asked, turning to watch as he walked off. "Good luck, Neji." He only raised a hand in recognition as he turned another corner, hurrying through the main house and out onto the streets of Konoha again. There, he could ascend to the rooftops again without fear of losing his dignity. Within minutes, he was at the gate.
As predicted, he was first there. He hadn't asked the other two to be there for another fifteen minutes. He didn't worry, though; within five, both of his squad members were with him. As a well-oiled machine, team Gai was used to arriving early and finishing sooner beyond rational people would dare to even try. That was what made them strong. The three didn't even have to speak as they set off; all they gave each other was a nod and a quick smile before shooting off through the treetops. They habitually fell into their usual formation: Tenten up front, Lee in the middle and Neji guarding the rear.
Their target area was one and a half days to the west. With that knowledge, they'd decided to carry on until the borders and spend the night there, continuing on into enemy territory the next day. Throughout the day, they pushed forwards, stopping twice for a quick rest and a bite to eat. An hour past sundown, Neji blew a low whistle; guarding the rear meant he couldn't give a hand signal to stop his teammates. In the darkness, it was likely they wouldn't have seen it anyway. His two teammates froze on their respective branches, only a few paces away from him.
"We've gone far enough for today." He told them quietly, eyes scanning the landscape around them. The veins around his eyes had activated upon leaving the village, his Byakugan scanning for potential enemies. Once more, he scanned the area around them, but found no chakra signatures other than theirs.
"'Bout time." Tenten sighed, bending her knees slightly and rubbing her thighs. Neji had pushed them all day at quite the brisk pace, even for a ninja.
"Tenten! You mustn't tire! Use your youthful energy!" lee proclaimed, he himself standing straight and tireless. As was to be expected of the Green Beast of Konoha.
Neji smiled slightly at his teammates as they started bickering, Tenten protesting once more that they couldn't have the same stamina as him. His eyes scanned the land around them, looking for a more sheltered place to set up camp.
"Lee, Tenten." He said, getting their attention. "Lets go." With that, he leaped off to their right, leading them through the trees to a small stream. The banks were rocky and provided sufficient cover for the night. "We'll set up camp here." He told them, shrugging off his pack. Tenten also set down her large scrolls. Lee set off to gather firewood after a nod from Neji that it was safe to. The Hyuuga sat down to meditate as Tenten set up traps around their camp. It was their usual routine.
"Your eyes OK?" Tenten asked him softly as she returned some ten minutes later. He didn't move from his meditating position, just opened his eyes to look at her.
"A little sore." He admitted at length. There was no point in lying to her; their routine was created to work around this. In truth, the Byakugan didn't take up large amounts of chakra, but long periods of use rendered his eyes sore and irritable, something that actually detracted from his sight. That was the main reason why he always had middle watch; it gave him enough time to recover from the day's use and, afterwards, from the night watch, so that he'd be ready for the day's work.
"OK." She replied, twirling a kunai around her fingers. She knew without being told that she had first watch. Neji smiled at her and she returned the smile, neither looking up as their third teammate returned, carrying enough wood to last them through the night.
"Yosh! Mission complete! And if it doesn't last us through the night, I'll run the rest of the way to our target on my hands!" he proclaimed, but sat himself down. They all knew to conserve their energy as much as possible.
The three ate during light conversation, then Neji packed his bowl away and unrolled his sleeping sack. It was a silent signal to both of his teammates that it was bedtime, and to shut the hell up and let him get some sleep. Both obeyed. Lee did the same as him and settled down to sleep, while Tenten chakra-climbed into a tree that overlooked their camp and settled down for her watch. Two hours later, she woke Neji, who in turn woke Lee three hours later. Their green-clad teammate woke them just after sunrise, having just revitalized the fire that had burnt low during the night. Both members of Team Gai were weary, but woke quickly and packed their belongings. They had time for a quick breakfast before departing, letting neji lead them back to their path and onwards.
As they had expected, it took them until early afternoon to reach their target area. Now, Neji led them with far greater caution. The squad kept to the higher branches, using thick foliage and shadows as much as they could to conceal themselves from passing gazes. Neji extended his Byakugan range as far as he could, straining his eyes to check for anyone heading their way. They could ill afford to be ambushed by the ninja they'd been sent to kill.
Another low whistle from Neji had them stop on the perimeter of the area they suspected the hideout to be. Lee and Tenten froze in place and turned to look at him, approaching him so that he wouldn't have to raise his voice.
"We'll rest here for a moment and catch our breath." He told them, really wanting to deactivate his Byakugan. His eyes were burning and stinging from its intense, extended use. "We may be here for a few days, so we'll scout the area around our target location for a suitable cubby-hole and settle. If we're to scout out their hideout tonight, I need to rest my eyes."
Tenten nodded and Lee gave him a Nice Guy pose. They looked around, standing ready as Neji strained his vision even further, searching the valleys, streams and gulleys for a good hiding place. The forest around them was lush in greenery, riddled with plenty of water rivulets and streams; Waterfall country was aptly named, after all. Finding such a location only ten minutes from where they now stood, he led his teammates through the trees, only allowing pause enough for them to refill their water canteens and drink their fill before he led them through a fissure in a rock. It was a tight squeeze, especially for his tall build and Lee's muscle, but they managed to slip into the small cave- if the hollow in the rockface could even be called that. The opening crack was so narrow and half-submerged in water, shielding them sufficienty from outside scrutiny.
Once inside, Neji gave their surroundings one last pass before deactivating his doujutsu and immediately pressing his palms against his thistle-colored eyes, snarling in pain. Lee patted his arm as he took his pack for him, stowing it in the corner. Tenten simply took out a roll of bandages from her medic-kit and soaked it in water, handing him it. Gratefully, the Hyuuga pressed it against his eyes.
"We'll take care of setting up camp." She told him, setting about laying out their sleeping sacks. Lee broke out some energy bars, handing them out. The three sat down in a circle, munching quietly, each wrapped in their own thoughts. After a few minutes' silence, Tenten sighed and scrunched the wrapper of her food up. "How long do you want us here, Neji?" she asked her childhood sparring partner, gazing at him, at the white hand that was still clutching the cold bandages to his eyes. She took care to keep her voice low, for fear of it echoing and alerting foes to their whereabouts.
"We should leave within the next twenty minutes." He told her. "I want to scan the area and find our targets before nightfall. It'll be impossible then, even for me. We'll form a battle plan accordingly, and either inform Konoha or prepare for a raid." He answered, lowering the soothing rag from his face. It had helped, and now he had more important things to focus on, like the mission.
"A youthful plan!" Lee proclaimed, the portrait of excitement and determination. Tenten just smiled and clasped Neji's wrist, bringing the cloth towards his face. He blinked at her, then sighed and allowed it to relieve him further.
"We need you at your best." Was all she said.
A quarter of an hour later, the three shinobi squeezed out of their hideout once more, heading for a different point of their target's perimeter. Neji kept an eye out for anyone in their surrounding area approaching, but it was quiet. Somehow, the tranquility and solitude only raised their disquiet. As they reached the perimeter, they dropped to the ground, concealing themselves in some bushes.
"Be still." Neji whispered quietly, knowing his order was quite unnecessary; they knew him through and through as he knew them. Focusing on the task at hand, Neji faced ahead and concentrated his sight on the acres in front of him, his gaze passing through and over every rock, every stream and every bush. It didn't take him long to find the first scout; a chakra system on top of a tree some four hundred meters to their west. Within a few hundred meters of the first, he found several more. "I'm getting close." He told his teammates, not bothering to explain fully yet. Within twenty minutes, he'd found it.
The Stone-nins' hideout was mostly underground, as was to be expected. The entrance was a small cave located behind a small waterfall. So far, Neji had been able to find three guards guarding the entrance and another four scouts around the area. The hideout itself had four floors, with what he must have counted as another twelve shinobi residing within.
Deactivating his Byakugan, he motioned for his teammates to follow him back to their camp. Seeing the veins around his eyes retract calmed them slightly, but neither let their guard down; that was how one died in the shinobi world. Still, they were impatient for their teammate to share what his eyes had seen with them.
Neji waited until they were safe in their camp again before explaining. Still, he pressed the cool bandages against his eyes once more, hoping to relieve his strained, pearlescent orbs before the ordeal that was to come. When his teammates learnt of what he had seen, their reaction was mixed. Neji didn't even have to lower the bandages; he'd anticipated the way they'd both deal with the news beforehand.
On the one hand, Lee flashed them a blinding smile, fists clenching in anticipation. "Yosh!" he exclaimed. "This will be a perfect chance to prove the power of youth victorious!"
"Lee, quiet down!" On the other hand, Tenten, Neji was sure, would be far more skeptical. He was proven right. "So, in total there are nineteen shinobi. Fifteen if we manage to bypass the scouts, but we'll still have to deal with them. Those odds are suicidal, Neji! You can't honestly be considering to take them on, right?"
Neji sighed at her words. "Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have even entertained the thought." He replied to both of them at the same time. "But in our current situation, I believe we might have a chance. Help from Konoha won't arrive for another two days at least, and as it is, our teams are stretched thin. With my sight and your aim, we can take the scouts out from a safe distance without engaging. That would leave fifteen. Of those, the three are isolated within the cave. If we lure them out, we'll have the advantage."
"And the other twelve? We'll be outnumbered four to one!"
"I know!" he snapped, making her frown more deeply. "But help from Konoha is too far away for us to be able to wait for it. Our food supplies can barely last us two days, never mind it if we have to engage in combat beforehand. Rather than be ambushed, I'd rather ambush them myself." He sighed. "Besides, our current camp site is vulnerable to them. Their Earth ninjutsu could wreak havoc on us here."
"Neji has a point, Tenten." Lee said seriously. The kunoichi glanced from one to the other, sighing. "Ask for help from Konoha, anyway. We may need it."
"And what if we don't?"
"At least write and tell them our decision." She pressed.
"That, I will." Neji replied pacifyingly and patted her hand, then took out a messenger scroll and began to write. The rest of the day passed quickly, taken up by rest, planning and plotting. Neji summoned a hawk to send the message off, watching it until it reached the perimeter of his vision safely, then set about organizing their nightly expedition.
"If this doesn't work, so help me, Neji." Tenten said as they headed out that dusk, fully rested and with a mission. He led his teammates towards the nearest scout. They'd have only one chance at silencing him, and they had to be quick.
"He's looking away from you." Neji said in a whisper so low it was like the wind. Tenten nodded and held the senbon in her hand steady, taking aim. She could barely see him through the thich foliage she was hidden in. Even from this distance, she was confident she could hit him. "Remember, right in the spine."
"I know Neji, I know." She whispered back, letting loose with her deadly missile. It hissed through the air and straight into the enemy shinobi's brain stem, killing him instantly. Neji only hoped that the thud of his body on the ground wouldn't attract the other scouts. Lee shot forth in the now clean area, dragging the body into the shade of a hyacinth bush.
Together, the three moved on to the next scout, repeating the process. In this way, they managed to take out all four scouts. Only one scout noticed the needle heading for his head and managed to avoid it. He called out once, but Lee was on him. With one Shadow of the Dancing Leaf, he was out for the count. Tenten made sure he stayed quiet by slitting his throat. She detested killing in cold blood like this, but leaving him alive held far too many dangers.
between keeping her conscience clean and protecting the two males with her, she chose the second without hesitation.
We move." Neji whispered as soon as the man in front of them had no more breath in him. "These were low-level shinobi to have not detected an assault. Let us hope that the guards inside are just as easy to deal with." He told his teammates, leading them through the trees for the next 500 meters that separated them from the entrance to the underground hideout.
As they came into view of the small waterfall, the Leaf-nin paused. The plan had been to try and draw them out of the cave, where they had the advantage. Properly concealed, Tenten took out a kunai with three explosive tags attacked and hurled it back the way they had came. Five seconds later, it exploded loudly. They held their breath, waiting to see if their foes would rise to the bait.
They didn't.
Apparently, these shinobi were better trained than the scouts had been. They didn't abandon their positions to chase after what might be an assault or an attempt to distract them. They knew that, if an enemy were in the vicinity, they would come to them. Leaving their advantage could cost them dearly.
neji cursed at the situation they were in. They could easily throw another exploding kunai into the cavern, but they would be risking collapse and it was their only way of entry. None of the three had Earth chakra with which to open up another passageway. The only way would be to explode one open, and that would leave them vulnerable. "Come on!" he called, rising from his crouch and sprinting to close with their opponents. He saw one start to form seals and called a warning to his teammates, the three scattering as a boulder shot out of the water in front of the waterfall and crashed where they would have been had they not moved.
Lee was the first through the sheet of water, his Dynamic Entry surprising his opponents, who had to use their hands to defend themselves. Neji and Tenten followed right behind Lee, each engaging a different opponent to allow their teammate to pass from defense to offense. For all three, it was a difficult fight. The ninja in front of them were at least Chuunin and good at avoiding blows. Tenten was holding her foe off with a katana, jaw clenched as she battled with him. He was using kunai to defend himself and strike; he was a competent knife-fighter, she found. Lee was having more luck than her. He'd originally managed to wound his opponent with his Dynamic Entry, thus the ninja could only use one of his hands to defend himself. He couldn't cast seals, and was quickly taken out. Once his opponent fell, Lee turned to help Tenten with her battle.
Neji was doing similarly. His opponent was skilled and seemed to know to avoid even the barest of contact with the Hyuuga. He managed to cast one jutsu that sent Neji flying backwards, a sharpened rock blade piercing his shoulder. Confident of victory, the ninja took out his kunai and got ready to end Neji's life. What he hadn't expected was for the Hyuuga to pull his good arm back and yell "Air Palm!" The wall of chakra that hit him sent him flying backwards, right into Tenten's katana's welcoming embrace of death.
"Are you OK?" Tenten asked him as he unpinned himself, crushing the rock with a Juuken strike. She had a nasty cut on her cheek that was dripping blood onto her white shirt. He couldn't clearly see any other injuries, though there was blood on her shirt. Lee, on the other hand, had a large bruise coming up on his cheek.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied, shaking his shoulder. The wound was clean and small, but still quite painful. At least the stone hadn't gone through the joint. He only had to tie a bandage around it to stop the blood flow as a temporary solution; they'd tend to their wounds later, when they had the luxury of sitting around.
With two fingers, neji led them through the cave to the back wall, where there was a large hole in the cave floor. "They heard the commotion." He breathed softly. "They're in wait for us. Four in the first room, another four waiting to ambush us in the next. The lower floors have been emptied; they're all waiting for us up ahead."
"This'll be easier than expected! Our foes even came to meet us!" Lee said happily, though both his teammates knew it was faked to mask his seriousness.
"Let me go first, Neji." Tenten whispered, sealing her katana and exchanging it for a kusarigama. Her friend and comrade nodded, letting her walk in front of him., As the three dropped down to the floor below, Tenten struck like a wildcat with her beloved weapon. These ninjas weren't so weak, however, and leaped out of harm's way. The kunoichi was now at a disadvantage as her teammates connected with their foes; she was a long-range fighter and being constricted in the small room wasn't helping.
"Earth Style, Stalactite jutsu!" she heard someone yell. Neji and Lee, who had been fighting hand=-to-hand with three opponents, leaped out of the way as three razor-sharp stalactites crashed into the spot they'd just been in.
"Konoha Whirlwind!" Lee cried. Neji ducked as his teammate flew over his head, knocking one opponent into the wall behind them. A death missile ended his life, courtesy of Tenten. The female had problems of her own, however, as the ninja in front of her sent up a smokescreen. She shielded her mouth and nose, trying in vain to see through the smoke.
"Kaiten!" she heard a familiar voice and a dome of blue chakra encircled her. She could feel Neji's long hair whipping her face as he spun rapidly right in front of her, shielding her from something she couldn't see. The circular spin dissipated the smokescreen, revealing two opponents left; apparently one had been caught in Neji's jutsu.
"Hyaaaa!" came a battle cry from Lee as he slammed into one of the two. Neji rushed to aid his teammate, managing to take him out with a fatally gentle tap to the back. The blood that spurted out of his opponent's mouth belied the depth of the injury. Tenten took out the remaining one with her senbon, but didn't manage to escape from his jutsu; a rock cocoon encased her up to her waist, making her unable to move. Lee rushed to her aid, smashing the rock with his foot, but hurting her in the process. As Lee helped her up, Neji focused on his teammates, distracted for a second.
That was all it took.
The ninja from the next room stormed in, taking them by surprise for a moment. Neji cried out in pain and stumbled, several kunai embedded in his back. Almost amused, he thought of his fight with Kidoumaru and he had almost died.
Not this time!
Just as his teammates called out, Neji spun on the sole of his foot and grabbed two shinobi, starting the Kaiten with them in his grasp. The resulting carnage made Tenten almost want to heave as the shinobi were torn limb-to-limb by the rotating chakra, blood and gore splashing all around the Hyuuga. The other ninja gaped in horror, frozen in fear. Tenten needed no other message to take him out with her kodachi, immobilizing him with the chair and slashing his throat open.
"Five to go…" Neji said, straightening. He looked pale, but other than that gave no indication that he was bleeding out. He swayed for a moment, then regained his focus.
"Neji," Tenten began in protest, limping towards him. She could hardly walk from the enemy's jutsu. Only Lee seemed mostly unaffected. He had bruises, but his injuries stopped at that.
"They've gathered in the floor below. I don't think they know I can see them. Two are gathered in the first room, the others in the second. They've buried themselves in the walls."
"Can't we blow them up? Tenten suggested in a whisper. "We have to take the place down anyway."
"Not before examining what they were up to first." He disagreed. "besides, buried in the rock, they might just survive. Good to go, Lee?"
"Yosh, my youthful rival!" came the eager response from where Lee was jogging on the spot.
"Then we go." With those words, the team fell down to the room below which, just like the other two above, was a small, metal room with desks and some bunk beds. As they entered, the ninja concealed in the walls shot out, showering them with small, razor-sharp rock and stone fragments. Neji managed to shield himself and Tenten, but Lee was turned into a pincushion, those particles not deflected by Neji's Kaiten slicing and embedding themselves into his arms legs and torso.
"Lee!" Tenten cried, enraged, charging one of the shinobi responsible, kodachi raised. Neji engaged the other, striking with extreme speed out of pure anger and almost blew the man's chest out. Tenten's attack was just as viscious; her foe managed to dodge her attacks quite effectively, even managing to get a punch or kick in. Despite her best efforts, Tenten couldn't graze her. That was, of course, until barreled into him, driving his knee into the woman's neck. An audible crack was heard as her neck snapped and she collapsed.
This time, there was no room for thought, no time to communicate. The three Leaf-nin rushed into the next room, leaving a trail of blood in ther wake, some of it theirs, some of it not. Neji's eyes sought out the shinobi concealed in the floor and, with his indication, Lee slammed his foot into the ground much like Sakura used her fist. Surprised that they'd been found so easily, the shinobi were thrown roughly upwards, meeting the graceful arc of death Tenten threw their way.
It was over.
Around them, bodies lay bleeding on the floor, some even still merged with the ground. The squad stood panting and shaking, blood trickling down their every limb. Neji checked once more for any foes, but found the place empty. He collapsed to his knees, Byakugan deactivating. Beside him, Lee was panting and picking the fragments of rock out of his body, wincing despite his training.
"We check this place, destroy it and leave." Neji snarled almost, both in fatigue and irritation. He, like his teammates, had spent a very great amount of their chakra in defeating their enemies and was near spent. Wordlessly, the others nodded and followed him into the lower floors. The three were nearly sick at the sight of what the Stone-nin had been preparing: it looked like vials and vials of a yellow-green gas. 'Chlorine gas' Tenten provided, explaining the basis of such warfare. One sniff of this gas could kill a human being.
"Will it be alright if we blow it up?" Lee asked her and she nodded.
"It should. The ammonia in the ground all around us should combine nicely with it and form exploding substances." She sighed. "In the end, they helped us destroy this place.
Neji only nodded, picking up what seemed like a thick record book, stuffing it into his pack. "Then set up your explosives and lets go." He told her. The kunoichi nodded and set the explosive tags, following her companions upstairs. They checked the other floors, but it appeared only the last floor had anything pertaining to the enemy nins' mission. The rest was beds and work areas. Tenten placed explosives in these areas as well.
Once outside and at a safe enough distance, the kunoichi activated them all with her chakra. The resulting explosion was so huge that even they, far away even though they were, were sent flying backwards off their feet, blinded temporarily by the very bright light. In took them over five minutes to recover, especially considering their injuries. It took them all theyr had to drag themselves up and return to their camp. Neji was glad that they had to wade into the water to reach their base; it would wash away the blood and break their track.
Once inside, the three collapsed onto the ground, resting like that for a moment. Tenten was the first one to groan and drag herself over to her pack, taking out her med-kit. First, she patched up Neji, who was bleeding out in more places than either of them. Despite the Hyuuga's suppressed grunts, she cleaned the wounds and stitched them up, cutting the thread with her teeth. They would have to be seen by a medic-nin later. She did the same for Lee, helping him remove the remaining stone fragments and sealing his wounds. She couldn't take car eof herself, however, by now far too weary. Neji did it for her, having recovered enough in the few minutes' rest to see to her own wounds, primarily the nasty cut on her cheek and the slash across the back she'd acquired sometime during the infiltration. He cursed himself for not noticing, berating himself endlessly. But soon, even he was far to weary to even think.
It was all the three could do to munch on some energy bars and crawl into their sleeping sacks, falling quickly asleep. Morning had almost come, but they needed the rest to recover. They didn't think of a watch; none of them could have taken it, anyway.
Despite their exhaustion, they only got three hours' sleep. Neji rose with a groan, waking the other two. "Come on, we have to return.." he said, his voice hoarse. The others were in no better shape. After a quick, silent breakfast, they packed their things and squeezed through that small opening for the very last time. Despite the pain their injuries was giving them, all three were eager to return home, to heal their injuries and go home.Or to the hospital, more likely. They just wanted to leave this mission behind them.
Their pace was slow as they ran through the treetops, aiming for Konoha. None spoke, conserving the little energy they had managed to recover during the small hours of dawn. By early afternoon, they had managed to reach the borders with Fire Country, despite their slower pace. They'd only been late by an hour or so.
None of them had their guard up. Not even Neji had his Byakugan activated, both because he was far too tired to do so and because they didn't expect pursuit. Pursuit should be dead.
Apparently not.
The Leaf-nin realized it too late as the tree in front of them exploded, sending them flying to the ground.
Author's Note:I hope that was as fun to read as it was to write it. ^_^ Reviews are very much welcome. XD
Look forward to the next chapter, Unexpected Circumstances!