Chapter 4

The palace had many levels to it. The layout was rather impressive to the assassin as they descended stone stairs into a torch lit hallway. It was not a dungeon, Neji concluded. Rather, it was an armory and training corridor for what looked to be various levels of the king's army. Sparring halls, weapon, and armor storage… it was very well put together. There were some Uchiha guards walking about holding bundles of steel and leather as they nodded at their relative who escorted the Hyuga down the halls. Neji has not heard of this part of the palace, however he would not be surprised if his uncle was well acquainted with these halls, given their family history with the royal family. It would make sense as to why this little inside scoop was kept hush.

"Although we have our own training grounds," Itachi started, referring to his family, "we have full access to the palace amenities…and you do as well."

Neji hummed as they walked past archways that peeked at various rooms for different disciplines of fighting. He noted the various targets, punching bags, hay-dummies... the king seemed to take good care of his militia in their basic needs.

"Access on my own accord?" Neji hummed as they stopped before a room with a large wooden door.

Itachi nodded. "You may run into the other competitors as well, and some of the nobles who are in training as well."

Neji cocked an eyebrow. The army did consist of nobles, that was not that intrigued him; it was that the king allowed for them to use his private grounds for such a practice. That means the nobles would be crawling around the palace as they pleased. Surely, the king was aware of the inevitable snooping a possible back stabbing? Or was this the king's way of keeping a close eye on them by granting them access to his palace in such a way? The assassin blinked as Itachi knocked twice before opening the door. A warm push of air caressed his cheek as they entered. The pair was met with a very muscular scarred back of a man with a bowl cut hair style. Beyond him were two figures doing what seemed to be drills. Around the room were trainees on the side watching with eyes wide in wonder. Neji's eyes were fixated on the man's back; his physique was outstanding, he thought. All those scares were deemed impressive for his skin was definitely kissed by stories of battles. Itachi walked over to him first and saluted the man, his fist over his mouth and a slight head tilt. He then spoke softly to him which caused the man to cross his arms over his chest and turn his head towards the assassin.

"Well-well," He fully faced the Hyuga. "If it isn't the notorious Neji Hyuga."

The Hyuga pursed his lips together. This man's eyebrows were quite the statement on his face. Itachi cleared his throat, causing Neji to eye him.

"This is Master Might Gai. He handles the training of the nobles as well as some of our own trainees in the Uchiha compound. He is also a General of the King's army."

Master Gai let out a hearty laugh. His voice boomed thought Neji's ears. "You flatter me, Itachi. Your father is decorated as well. Don't spill all the glory on me!"

Neji hummed. He has never interacted with the army's inner circle; he wondered if his Master has…or is this Master Gai character has been to the keep like Lady Tsunade. He does not recall ever seeing him, though. Perhaps his father knew of him. The sound of clashing of wooden sticks echoed through the hall. Itachi had been watching the pair in the center of the floor for a while, Neji noticed.

"What we have here is my finest work! Anyone who steps foot into my training chambers leaves better than they were yesterday; guaranteed!" Master Gai gestured to the sparring floor.

All eyes were on the two young figures in the center. The trainees were hushed as they followed every swing, every dodge…every punch. Neji noted the young man who looked as if he was a clone of General Gai. His stance was solid, and he held weights upon his ankles and wrists. The Hyuga noted the matching set of eyebrows and the bowl cut. His son perhaps? Neji mused. He had to be. His movements were not thrown, rather controlled and calculated. The weights were a bit of a surprised to the Hyuga, as the resistance was a bit much on their joints, and yet he watched as the boy dodged and moved swiftly. Gai let out a grin as he watched his two pupils dance around the floor. The boy looked to be about his age, Neji watched as the sweat pooled from his face. The assassin glanced at his sparring partner that was holding a wooden staff. His eyes got wide, and he now understood why the trainees were so gob-smacked at the scene before them. There was that same girl who he had met a few hours ago; who wore that expensive dress and emitted such a radiance of magic was standing before him in a pink tunic and fighting pants. Her hair was practically falling out of their buns, her bangs pressed against her forehead drenched with sweat. He could not believe his eyes as the princess twirled her staff so effortlessly as she got into a defensive stance. Itachi smirked, noticing him gawk.

"You see, Neji Hyuga," he leaned against the door frame. "Our princess is not quite like other royals you may have encountered before. She is quite well rounded as you can see."

"She defends." Neji stated noting her stance as she blocked and dodge the incoming attacks form the bowl cut teen.

"Oh-ho…she fights," Gai retorted. "I've made sure that she can defend herself with the basics…just in case. We don't want another mishap."

The Huyga hummed as his eyes followed her foot work. She was quick, but a bit clumsy with her footing. It was enough to maybe get her out of a typical confrontation, however she was just taught the basics, as Gai just told him. Princesses were not usually on the front lines, although considering Tenten's family history, he figured it would not be out of the ordinary for the ruling queen to be head of the army; the one leading the charge into battle if needed. The king usually stood besides his captains and generals, the risk of losing the queen was too high in some situations.

"She has ways to go, but the progress she has made with you, General, is quite impressive." Itachi hummed. "A little less than a year and she's already a pro with that staff."

"Of course! She has a natural affinity to weaponry. I will do everything in my power to assure she develops it to the highest potential!" Gai clapped his hands together. "Alright, that's all for today!"

The princess relaxed her stance and flicked around the staff as she grinned at, he boy she was sparring with. He offered an identical smile before bowing and making is way over to the other trainees, who started whispering to each other. He brought her over a canteen of water and looked over at the new spectators.

"Tenten, we have visitors." He mused gesturing over to Itachi.

Tenten swallowed before wiping her brow. "It's that assassin."

"The Neji Hyuga? I thought it was merely rumor that the prince went to fetch him from the prison."

"Lee, you know how Shin is. His crown was crooked that day." She replied as she looked at them. "What are you two doing here?"

"I should ask you the same question." Neji looked at her curiously.

"I am very sure your eyes work well, assassin." The princess matched his gaze. "Or are your eyes useless without your magic?"

Neji did not blink. He felt the room still at her words, eyes watching the assassin as the reply was yet to be pushed into the air.

"My eyes work well enough to see your sloppy foot work." He said cooly.

Tenten sucked her teeth, her eyebrow raised. The trainees held their breath. Neji remained calm as he did not drop their matching gaze.

"Now-now, play nice you two." Gai shook his head. "Princess, your feelings have been altered. Do you wish for me to show him his place?'

Neji shot upright and he side glanced at the General. A blatant threat, or perhaps a promise? The assassin was unsure of the Generals capabilities, though it was quite possible that this beast of a man could potentially snap him in half in his current state…maybe even at his strongest if he was able to get his hands on the Hyuga. If he was training his son this way-with those weights- whose to say the General was not training himself in a similar fashion, which mean he was fast on his feet and powerful with his blows. Tenten's gaze had softened slightly, in consideration. The room was still silent, awaiting her word. Neji assumed if she gave him the affirmative, he would be jumped by the General, and made an example of to the trainees. But, the Hyuga was already calculating the steps towards the door where Itachi was standing.

"Princess," the Uchiha spoke after a moment. "I do believe his comments can be used as constructive, though the execution of such comments were rather pointed. Perhaps the General can overlook this exchange as well."

Gai raised a fist slightly, in gesture towards to the Hyuga. He was undoubtably loyal to the princess and Neji kept still, not even a blink. Can such banter really set her off? Was she that sensitive that she was the type to punish those who even looked at her wrong? The assassin was unsure; the same carefree girl from her mansion was standing before him, looking over at him with stone in those brown eyes. She lifted her chin slightly at him noting his face and posture. She looked over his whole body before matching his gaze again. A small smirk came to her face as if she knew he was not in his top shape, and would should be crushed by the Master.

Neji's ear twitched. Itachi slowly walked over to her and bowed his head slightly. He offered a small smile and gently took the staff from her hands. "Now, why don't we escort you to get cleaned up?"

Tenten's eyes shifted to Itachi, who had seemed to had paused, waiting for the reaction. He had attempted to make the decision for her. The air around them had escalated in temperature from her silence. After a moment, she sucked her teeth and shrugged. "I'll be taking my leave."

The trainees all bowed as she exited the room. The warmth had decreased as she walked past them and out the door, not glancing back at them. A trainee stepped forward and informed the Hyuga that he needed to watch how he spoke to their princess because they would not hesitate to take the down. At this Neji let out a dark chuckle which made the trainee stiffen.

"Will you now?" The Hyuga fully faced the trainee, his ivory eyes absent of a lively glare.

The Hyuga did not blink as the he took a step towards the trainee, his unblinking stare never faltering as the trainee began to shrink where he stood, the shadow if the assassin grew beyond where he stood. The room was quiet as the scene played out. The King's General did not make any moves to intervene, rather he was curious how far this will go.

"You would challenge me by approaching me so freely? Perhaps, I should take you up on that threat and crack your neck where you stand. If you fear the princess' judgment, you should also fear my ability to erase your very existence where you stand. No one will blink in time to see your body be drained of life." Neji leaned over causing the trainee to take a step back. "My reputation is no myth."

The trainee gritted his teeth, his eyes wide and his finger trembling. Neji was about to taunt him some more until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Itachi had let out a sigh and pulled the Hyuga back to a standing position. The trainee swallowed hard as the Uchiha glared at him and reminded him of his low rank; although his bravery was noted, he was in no place to be throwing around threats he could not live up to…especially to an assassin. The room buzzed at the word; assassin.

"Hyuga, let us take our leave. There is more I wish to show you."

Neji rolled his shoulder back, brushing off Itachi's touch and side glanced at the General before leaving the room, his hair trailing behind him.

"Babysitting the lambs now, Itachi?" Gai chuchkled.

Itachi gave a small half smile and shrugged. Keeping the peace was pretty much babysitting, he thought. Nodding to Gai in farewell, he turned on his heel and followed the Hyuga out of the room. The bowl cut haired teen who was running drills with the princess approached the General.

"Father, who was that? The princess tells me he is the Hyuga Neji, but I thought he was in prison." he asked gesturing towards the door. "And why is he walking about so freely?"

"He is Hyuga Neji, the Golden Guild's top assassin. He was capturing a while ago after there was a bounty placed on himself and his father, who was also working for the Keep Master." Gai explained to the room. "He was chosen to participate in the contract for protecting the Princess."

The trainees buzzed at the announcement. The bowl cut haired boy furrowed his bushy brows and adjusted his wrist weights. A dangerous assassin such as he can be deemed a powerful threat…or perhaps a valuable ally. His eyes were tires and held many memories of death and betrayal. They seemed blank due to their darkened glare, but the teen noted the subtle gentle playfulness as he eyed the princess. Perhaps he was not filled with darkness as the stories had stated. The trainees continued to mumble to each other as the boy stood next to his father. It was as if his father was reading his mind because when a firm calloused hand clasped on his shoulder, his eyes raised to a bright smile. Yes, he thought. That will do. The General gave his son a thumbs up as he gave him a non-verbal cheer to go forth in the attempt to befriend the assassin. His smile soon faded back to a serious frown. The prince's crown seemed too heavy for his head if he was serious about sponsoring this assassin.

The princess walked down the halls of the palace. A few of her ladies trailed behind her, waiting to be of service of any kind to her. She had bathed in a warm bath of mint and roses; the scent was fresh and filled the hall as she walked by. Her dress was a deep red with gold embroidery, her golden jewelry sparked as the rays of the sun hit her skin from the large windows, the rubies gleaming. Her veil was attached to her hair by golden pins and swayed as she walked. Nobles along the halls stopped and bowed as she walked past, their conversations becoming hushed as she approached. Tenten moved swiftly as she made her way to her mother's court. She was unaware of the heat she was letting off as she was deep in thought. That obnoxious, arrogant, infuriating…the princess huffed to herself which caused the surrounding people to jump slightly. The princess' ladies kept at a close distance, unsure how to ask her what was wrong without causing attention to be stirred amongst the crowds. However, I was Tenten who stopped suddenly and turned to them.

"Why is it that he is so frustrating? I was doing my best."

The pink haired lady cocked an eyebrow, her emerald eyes glazed. "Who are you talking about, you majesty?"

"Sakura, she must be talking about that new competitor. He's apparently related to Hinata," the blonde lady gestured over to the other girl in their group.

"He's my first cousin, actually." Hinata replied softly. "Am just as surprised to see him here as you all are, to be honest."

Tenten looked at her. Hinata Hyuga was assigned as her lady a few years ago in an attempt to redeem any little honor the Hyuga family had left with the royal family. The two have shown to have mingled well, and have formed a friendship despite her father's suspicions. The queen had encouraged the roll to be given to the young Hyuga girl, as she felt no ill-will towards her for the mistakes of her relatives.

"Tell me more about him, Hinata. I must understand why he is such a brick head."

Hinata chuckled at the princess. Her cousin was the genius of the family. His magic was powerful and his wit was cunning. The assassin was once seen as the most respected member of the lot of them next her father, who was head of the Hyuga name (and still is). Her cousin and her father never really got along, even before Neji had left the family with his own father to join the golden guild. Her uncle's affiliation was a secret one for a long time; Hinata was unsure as to why he joined the guild and brought Neji with him. But she could say that her cousin was always distant and a bit snarky. He saw life as a pre-written story where he had no control over the ending. Tenten hummed at that comment. He seemed to have such as sad way of looking at life, perhaps that is why he became an assassin; he saw an ending for himself he did not think would be changed no matter what he did.

"You know," Hinata hummed. "Neji does have a sweet side to him. I've seen it, and experienced it when we were younger. But I guess being in the shadow of the God of Death has changed that in him…"

Something in Tenten's core shifted. It was an energy shift that surged through her at the mention of the god of death. The Golden Goddess held many stories with this god, some happy and some rather terrible. They were complete opposites in nature. If she recalled correctly, the Golden Goddess worked very closely with him. It's unclear if the Death God had taken to a mortal vessel like she had; like how Tenten was blessed with her heavenly gifts, but she was surprised to hear that he was considered a "shadow" of the god.

"Surely, you don't mean he is a vessel for him?" Tenten asked.

Ino hummed. "Now that I think about it, he one of the most infamous assassins with a high reputation. I think that is what the Death God favors?"

Sakura ran a hand through her pink hair. "That is a good point. Assassins are the ones handing the should off to the God of Death, aren't they? That is their job, after all."

The huddle of teens glanced at each other. Tenten felt something in her shift again as she tried to connect the dots. Death has no children, but everlasting shadows. The princess' ears began to ring at the warm voice that passed through them. She tugged at a golden earring that was dangling with a ruby at the base. Neji was a native to the Golden Kingdom and he barely mentions anything about acknowledging the Golden Goddess or the Death God for that matter. It was odd to her. Of course, there are skeptics of if the Gods eve exist, but the royals were proof enough…well, she was anyway.

"That doesn't excuse him from being a dick." Tenten murmured after a while.

Hinata chuckled. "Give it time, your majesty. My cousin is a complicated soul. Besides, he's more entertaining than the other competitors anyway."

The princess sighed, but nodded. "We'll see how this plays out…"