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Entry tags:	fic, naruto, neji/tenten

[FIC] An Honourable Deception 1 - Naruto - Neji/Tenten
So last week some time I woke up and thought to myself, "You know what I love? Nejiten."

And then I proceeded to churn out an entire chapter and a (rather vague) plot idea, in that order because that's just how I work. The following day I wrote another chapter, and since then I've been dry. Zip, zada, zilch.

In an effort to put some juice into my shrivelled up old husk of a muse, I thought I might as well post it here since it's not really ready for the ol' ff.net treatment. (I'll probably start doing that with a few of my never-graduated-past-chapter-one babies, maybe if I get some feedback it'll prompt me to go further with stuff).

I wanted to call this "The Hyuuga Deception" but then I wondered why it sounded so right and I checked back through Nejiten fics I'd enjoyed, and there's one called "The Hyuuga Persuasion". Given as this is an old, old plot device that's been done to death and then done more with the rotted carcass, I kinda went the safe way and renamed it.

But damn, I really liked that name. :(

Title: An Honourable Deception
Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: Nejiten
Type: Multi-chaptered fic (I think), chapter 1
Summary: Tenten finally gets a mission that will test her skills as a ninja! The only problem is, it's going to test her patience as well. In a far off country where everyone's an enemy, how's she going to cope pretending to be married...to Neji?

If you have a better summary...please give it to me. ;_;



Chapter one
Tenten gets a mission


Tenten had come to the conclusion early in her training that there were three unspoken requirements of a ninja. She had watched others grow and strove to improve herself at the same time, all the while adhering to these principles. It allowed her to categorise every aspect of her chosen path, and if there was something Tenten liked, it was understanding exactly how something worked. Understanding was the key to improvement. She understood that a keen blade pierced the air far more cleanly than a dull one did. She understood that a thrown projectile needed to be loosed at a thirty-six degree curve to the desired course. She understood...

Well, suffice to say she understood a lot about weapons.

Moving back to the three principles, however. The first area, she determined, was power. Every ninja had a reserve of chakra to draw upon and manipulate for jutsus. Different shinobi had varying levels and control of their chakra - or power - but more power did not necessarily indicate a superior nin. It was possible to be a superb ninja with a small amount of power just as it was possible to be an apparent failure of a ninja with an unlimited chakra supply.

The second area was skill. This encompassed the techniques a ninja had learnt as well as their level of mastery over them. Someone performing a high-level jutsu badly was less likely to succeed over another shinobi using a less challenging jutsu perfectly. Skill was linked to but not always influenced by power, whereas power required skill to channel it effectively. Never had she seen this more clearly proven than at the first chuunin exam, in the match between the two Hyuuga. While there had been only a slight diffference in power, Neji's victory was assured through his superior understanding and application of the clan's techniques. It had been a terrible fight and a wonderful one, because it had been the second-to-last time he'd shown such enthusiasm. The battle with Hinata had readied him and the following loss to Naruto had changed him. Skill was the area that seemed to improve a ninja, because it was the simplest way to improve oneself. Learning brought wisdom and wisdom brought change.

The final area was one she hadn't quite been able to put her finger on, but had eventually settled upon categorising as deception. The role of a ninja was to utilise stealth and carry out missions, working to complete tasks as quickly and efficiently as possible. Deception was required on missions and in battle; when engaged in combat a shinobi could fight bare-handed, but they could also use tools around and on them to settle any combat with ease. A ninja was to 'do their best' and 'leave no trace'; to do so required avoiding detection. At the same time it was imperative to maintain a strict code of conduct, and to work with honour insofar as situations permitted. In the beginning, she'd thought an honourable deception was a load of poppycock, an impossible dream. But she'd learned over the years that to honourably deceive was to be cruel to be kind, and not only was she capable of doing it, she was pretty good at it, as well.

In fact, if she applied the precepts to herself, stealth was by far her best arena. Her power reserve was average, at best. She had none of the chakra reserve Neji used, nor the raw, personal power Lee was capable of. She used her medium supply as best she could and linked it in with her skills area, working towards pinpoint accuracy as a method of compensation. She studied weaponry with almost fervour and kept her tools in top condition, sharpening old ones while designing new ones, aiming towards innovative means of taking enemies by surprise. Perhaps, she was able to admit, her skills area was actually above average.

It was still not her best.

Deception was her forte. It was easily her strongest suit. She had been blessed with unremarkable features: plain, straight hair and nondescript brown eyes. She tried to look upon this as something else to add to her arsenal, another thing she could use to her advantage in her quest to become the best kunoichi she could be. She blended. A roving eye would look past and through her; she disappeared in a crowd. For some, this would be an annoyance, but Tenten determined it should be a wonderful thing. In this, she was naturally gifted. And it was finally time to put it to use.

----

She was mopping the kitchen floor when the messenger came, working the raghead over the floorboards with a distracted, faraway look. She was daydreaming, imagining the Hokage showering her with compliments after yet another mission well done. Congratulations, Tenten fantasy-Tsunade said, bowing her head in the face of Tenten's brilliance. I had to entrust that dangerous mission to the best kunoichi in Leaf, and you exceeded my wildest expectations again. At this point in the dream Tenten was forced to pull the Hokage upright, blushing at the sight of the mighty Tsunade, bowing to her! "Not at all, Hokage-sama," she mumbled into the bucket, dragging it around a table leg before rising to dip the mop back inside. "My pleasure; anything for you."

"Well, that makes things easier," came a cheerful voice from behind her. Startled awake, she leapt over the table, managing to pull a knife from the butchers block before spinning and landing, facing the way she'd come. Her feet scrabbled for purchase on the wet surface and she slid a little, marring the effect of her (she felt) awesome jump. She readied the knife for throwing before taking a good look at who had dared disturb her cleaning.

Her mouth gaped in what was probably an unattractive manner but she had no more room for embarrassment. She'd been caught talking - out loud - to a fantasy-Tsunade, and the one who'd chanced upon her was one of the Hokage's personal assistants, no less.

What awful luck.

It was the one with the scruffy forelock - Izumo, if she remembered correctly. He was in charge of some sort of administrative duties and rarely left the village. She'd often thought it might be nice, working directly with the Hokage like that, but the sacrifice was a great one and she didn't consider it an option for her own career at this time. But then again, she was still pretty much just an untried chuunin. Neji was a jounin already, and Lee had surpassed all expectations by becoming a chuunin with relative ease. She lived in the shadows of her remarkable teammates and needed to establish herself on her own before even entertaining ideas of possible employment.

And she could start by making such a wonderful impression on Izumo that he would feel obliged to race back to Tsunade and tell stories of her excellence. Yes, that would do nicely. She cleared her throat.

"Hello," she said.

He throat closed again and nothing further came to mind. That was it? He'd never tell fantastic stories of just a 'hello'. Stories, definitely, stories of of how she was slack-faced and drooling, talking to her bucket, and how she brandished a knife at him like he was a common burglar. Her heart sunk. She was expecting stories to stem from this meeting, but at the current rate they were not going to be good ones.

Despite her inability to provide neither elegant nor witty conversation, the man's smile hadn't slipped. He glanced politely around the kitchen and indicated behind him, most likely, Tenten assumed, to the front door. "I hope you don't mind," he said, his tone apologetic, "but I let myself in." He didn't wait for an answer (which, she thought, was probably wise, at the moment) and continued. "Are you Tenten?"

She rather thought he'd actually attended both her chuunin exams and was fairly certain he'd been around the day she'd graduated the academy, as well. His brow was furrowed a little in query and she repressed a sigh at being forgotten. Again. Her complete ordinariness had its uses, she was certain...she just hadn't discovered many of them yet. And one day, she was sure, she'd become accustomed to the slight. One day.

Mustering a smile, she nodded. "That's me. And you're Izumo, right?"

He looked surprised that she remembered him. "Yes, have we..? No, of course not. Anyway, let me take a look at you."

The knife slipped a little in her suddenly boneless grip. He wanted to- No. She definitely hadn't heard him correctly. There was no way a representative of the Hokage would let himself into her home, accost her in the kitchen and then...

She trailed off her own thought as he stepped back and ran his eyes down the length of her body and back up again, seeming to pay a lot of attention to her face and her hair. Every so often he nodded a little, as if pleased with what he saw.

This...this was very strange. Was this some sort of test from Tsunade? Was she supposed to endure it, or fight back? What was she supposed to be feeling? Pride? Indignation? Some sort of unease?

After a moment he met her gaze again and gave her two thumbs up. "All right, depending on your acting skills, I'd say we pretty much have a winner. Your colouring is just about spot on...a yukata would probably work...how long is your hair, by the way?"

"My hair?" she repeated faintly, finding the question random and disturbing and therefore completely suited to the rest of the visit thus far.

He nodded. "Yes, is it long?"

"Um," she replied, trying to think back clearly to the last time she'd worn it unbound, "I think so. Maybe...waist-length?"

He clapped his hands together. "Excellent. I don't think we could have found a better match, actually." He glanced down to where she was still holding the knife and she followed his gaze, flushing when she found it in her hand. She slipped it back into the butchers block and hoped he wouldn't tell a soul. On second thought, she didn't need stories. Really.

"Are you free to accompany me to the Hokage's office?" he asked. "I've been requested to take you to Tsunade-sama so she can determine your suitability for a mission she's planned."

Tenten was suddenly glad she wasn't holding the knife any more. She was fairly certain she would have dropped it in the overwhelming shudder of delight that rippled down her body from her ears to her toes. Tsunade...wanted...to see...her!

She swallowed. "O-Of course." She pushed the mop and bucket over against the oven and hoped she'd remember not to trip over it if she got home too late. Her sandals were by the door and time was of the essence, so her comfortable at-home clothes would suffice for a mission interview. She was certain Tsunade would pride punctuality and passion over presentation, and she didn't really care about appearances anyway. No one cared what she dressed in, least of all herself.

Except...this was Tsunade...

Izumo had moved to the side, allowing her to leave first, so she cleared her throat and glanced at the floor to make her request. "Um, is it okay if I change first?"

He said nothing for a long moment, so she braved a look up, finding him inspecting her clothing with a considering look. At length, he nodded. "That's probably a good idea."

He didn't elaborate further, so she took leave to her room, and as she pulled on fresh clothes she couldn't help but wonder what was so bad with her patched shorts and old cleaning top. Sure, they weren't particularly stylish, but they weren't hideous, either.

She raced into the bathroom and splashed water on her face, wetting her hands and smoothing her palms down over her hair. It was a futile gesture; errant strands still stuck out in all directions, but at least she could truthfully say she'd done her best before going to meet Tsunade. She had no idea what the Hokage wanted from her, and she was suddenly anxious to find out.

With one last baleful look at her frazzled reflection, she ran back out into the kitchen and skidded again on the still-damp floor.

"Ready?" Izumo asked, pushing off from where he'd been leaning on the wall.

"Ready," she replied, moving down the hallway to grab her sandals and slip them on. She opened the door and let Izumo through, then shut it behind her and leapt up on to the roof. "Lead the way."

Izumo gave her another grin and then they were flying towards the Hokage Tower, the wind skimming across her heated face as she wondered what could possibly be in store for her there.

----

Possible scenarios played out in Tenten's mind the entire time they spent travelling, and while it wasn't far from her apartment to the town centre, she still managed to conjure up any number of reasons for the summons. Tenten, fantasy-Tsunade said in one of them, laying a warm hand on her arm, I need to groom a successor, someone with superior chakra manipulation and maturity as well. (Her mind completely omitted the fact that Tsunade already had an apprentice, and she just didn't like reality intruding on a dream). In another the Hokage explained a mission fraught with danger that only a weapons master could hope to do. I know you can pull it off, fantasy-Tsunade said confidently, the faintest hint of worry visible on her strong face. I believe in you, Tenten. I believe in -

"We're here!" Izumo's cheery voice intruded on her thoughts once more and she returned to the present, noting with some surprise that his unnecessary declaration was actually correct. She'd barely registered the trip across town, too caught up in her dreams of being noticed by her idol. One day she would be as great a ninja as Tsunade, and she had a feeling today was going to help her on her way.

"Ah," she replied intelligently, wiping carefully at her mouth. She did have a tendency to get carried away by her thoughts, and it simply wouldn't do to be ushered in to Tsunade's presence frothing at the mouth. Satisfied there was no telltale saliva on the edges of her lips, she brushed off her clothing and followed Izumo inside.

The workers all smiled and nodded at him as they passed, and Tenten felt oddly proud to be accompanying a personal assistant to the Hokage. She felt rather important, now that she'd had time to process it all. Tsunade could have sent anyone to get her - and usually, it was Gai - but she'd dispatched one of her personal assistants to bring her to the Tower. It was really quite a coup. She couldn't wait to tell the boys. Neji probably wouldn't care one way or the other, but she just knew that Lee would be impressed.

She schooled her features into an indifferent sort of calm, resisting the urge to grin like a fool. It was finally happening! Now was her time to shine!

They made it up the winding staircase and Izumo stopped outside the door. "Knock, then let yourself in," he instructed, and though she'd been there before, she nodded carefully anyway. Apparently he wouldn't be going inside so now his strange questions about hair and clothes seemed all the more creepy. "I have to make sure that everything's ready, and if Tsunade-sama gives you the okay, I'll take you through the mission tools."

Her mouth watered further at the magic word. So, it was a job for a weapons master after all. "Got it," she replied, unable to stop her grin from coming through. Izumo looked startled for a moment, then recovered, returning her smile anew.

He bowed slightly. "See you later!" Then with a puff, he was gone, and she was all alone in front of the door.

She took a deep breath. You'll be fine, she told herself. Just be cool. Yes, she's your idol, but she's human as well. Don't make too big a deal of this.

Aw man, she wasn't kidding anyone.

Squaring her shoulders, she rapped on the door. The "come in" was immediate, and so she turned the handle with shaking fingers, and let herself inside.

The office was bigger than she remembered, all glass and sunlight with the desk where it had always been and Tsunade as usual in the chair behind. The only things that seemed out of place in the stately office were herself (of course) and, oddly enough...Hyuuga Hiashi. Neji's uncle.

Oh, crap. They both turned to look at her as she made her way in, and she tried to ignore the fact that they were probably the two most influential figures in the entire village. Tsunade was the Hokage, of course, and Hiashi was the head of the most powerful clan in town. They were both excellent ninjas, and they both scared her a great deal. She felt like a cornered animal and wondered if she resembled one, slinking into the room as she did.

Too late now.

She kept walking until she was a few paces away from the desk, then bowed, first to Tsunade and then to Hiashi. "Tsunade-sama," she said, her voice squeaking. "Hyuuga-san."

They acknowledged her greeting with simultaneous nods and then Tsunade indicated a chair beside Hiashi. "Tenten. Please take a seat."

She flopped gratefully into the chair and expelled a breath as quietly as she could. The other two continued to look at her and she turned bright red, feeling awkward. "You, uh...requested my presence?"

Tsunade nodded, leaning forward until her expansive bosom rested on the desk. Tenten tried not to stare, and hoped wildly that one day she too could have breasts like that.

"Yes. I am told that you are Hyuuga Neji's friend?"

Her heart sank again. Tsunade had forgotten her. She'd been issued missions in this very room on many different occasions, had been part of any number of operations that had been integral in the continued peace of the Fire country. She'd worked hard as a ninja and given it everything she had, and yet her idol, the woman she strove to be like...Tsunade had forgotten her too.

The disappointment was a hard lump in her throat and it made it hard to breathe. "Yes, Tsunade-sama," she replied tonelessly, cursing for the first time her unremarkable face. "We were on the same team."

Tsunade blinked. "Yes, I'm fully aware of that. You formed four years ago and have been under the tutelage of Maito Gai ever since. That was never in doubt. The question was if you are friends with Neji outside of 'work'; if he would consider you a close acquaintance, not merely a teammate."

She gaped. Tsunade hadn't forgotten her? "Um," she replied, trying to regain her bearings, "I suppose so. He doesn't socialise much, so yes, I guess we are friends." The word was a bit alien on her tongue, used as it was with Neji, but if she were being honest, she did consider both him and Lee to be her closest friends. Neji had always been a strange one, so who knew what went through his head.

Hiashi was looking at her and she was suddenly very thankful she hadn't come in her cleaning clothes. "Yes," he said quietly, voice even in tone. "He spends more time with you and his other teammate - former teammate - than anyone else."

It didn't appear to be a question so Tenten said nothing, shifting in her seat for a lack of anything else to do.

"Right," said Tsunade. She sat back up and pushed a paper across the desk. "Read this, please."

Tenten took it and resisted the urge to stuff it into her pocket as a keepsake from Tsunade. She glanced down and was surprised.

It was an invitation to something, printed on smooth, rich vellum, the font all curves and angles and fancy swirls. She narrowed her eyes and read it aloud.

"Kazuhito Inori and Myouga Tomo are pleased to announce their wedding on the fourteenth of July." She paused. She'd never heard of these people before, and mid-July...that was just over a fortnight away. "It is the greatest wish of both our families that a representative from the Hyuuga clan attend this joyous occasion, which will act as a peace offering for the grievous sins committed near fifteen years ago by and against both countries." Her brow crinkled at this part - it made no sense to her - but she soldiered on. "We await your delegate with much anticipation and nobly offer a room at our homestead for the duration of your stay. We hope to see you there, Kazuhito and Myouga families, Cloud country."

Wait a minute... "Cloud country?" Something wasn't right here. "Aren't we...not on friendly terms?"

Tsunade sighed. "That's one way of putting it. We're not the best of friends, no. And they did act out against the Hyuuga a number of years ago, which makes this all the more suspicious. For one, it's been a long time, and for another, what makes them think we'd trust them after that?"

Tenten was still confused about the whole acting against the Hyuuga thing, but she pretended she wasn't and asked the second most important question. "So...what does this have to do with me?"

Hiashi wasn't facing her this time, but she was almost positive he was looking at her anyway. "Reading between the lines of this missive, I assume they won't be satisfied with a lesser-Hyuuga, so to speak. They want one of the most powerful clan members, which would be myself, Hanabi, Hinata...or Neji." He paused as if waiting for her to convey that she understood where he was going, but she was still stumped. He continued after a moment. "I cannot leave; my duties as clan head cannot be ignored. Hanabi, the heir, is still far too young, and Hinata cannot be risked on this mission either. The only option that may appease these people is to send Neji and we are loathe to let him do it on his own."

She was pretty certain that they'd loathed Neji at one point, but said nothing on that particular point. "Yes," she said instead, "I can see what you're saying." But it still didn't explain what they wanted with her.

"I understand you are skilled in deception," Tsunade broke in, her eyes crinkling up at the corners in obvious amusement. "How would you like to be a Hyuuga for a couple of weeks?"

Whatever Tenten had been expecting, it most certainly wasn't that. "Excuse me?" she squeaked, wondering what on earth Tsunade could mean.

"It's quite simple. We have at our disposal an ANBU unit dedicated to disguise. They've managed to come up with a thin, flexible plastic that can cover the surface of the eye, and thus imitate the rather unique trademark of the Hyuuga clan. They're perfectly safe and you'll be able to see normally through them...if, of course, you are willing to take on the mission."

Tenten's mouth was dry. "Which is what, exactly?"

The amused look was replaced by an almost evil one and she suddenly felt very glad she'd never been on the opposite side to the Hokage. "We want you to attend the celebration posing as a Hyuuga. We want you to go to the Cloud country...in the guise of Neji's wife."

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So...yeah. It's lighthearted and (I'm hoping) humourous, but if you feel anyone's OOC or stuff is awkward or there's not enough detail, let me know. The awesome glance_inward has already looked it over for me (♥) but all feedback is good feedback. Or something.

The best thing about Tenten is there's not really enough characterisation in canon to make her OOC in fanon...right?

*snickers*