Konoha shinobi gathered around the eastern gate, as the Nine-Tails had been sighted. It was an understatement to say that most of the people there were fearful of what could happen. There were no set strategies to defend the village from a tailed-beast, even if there had been an attack nineteen years prior. Many of the onlooking shinobi took note that the fox was smaller than it had been the time before.
Shikamaru watched the fox from the top of the gate with Ino and Shino next to him.
"Where's Sakura?" Shino whispered. "She should have reached Kurama long before Naruto did."
"You're right. I can't imagine Kurama waiting a month for Naruto to return," Neji pointed out as he and Tenten joined the three of them.
"Let's just see what he's here for... This past month has been such a bother..." Shikamaru grumbled as he lit a cigarette.
"Wow, you're smoking now of all times?" Ino asked with false humor. Tenten gave her blonde friend a worried glance, knowing just how worried she was for both Sai and Sakura. The group looked down as Kiba ran through the gate below them.
"Finally, he's back!" the Inuzuka yelled as he came to a stop. "Hurry up and get back inside Naruto!"
The group was taken aback by his demand, and Ino snapped at him.
"What the hell, Kiba!?"
The shinobi on the ground looked up.
"It's just better for everyone to know he can't damage anything!"
"K-Kiba, I'm not sure it's the best idea to..." Hinata muttered.
"I'm ignoring him," Tenten sighed as she dropped down to the ground before making her way toward the large fox. Kurama gave a growl but became silent when the woman bowed. "Kurama, have you seen Sakura?"
The fox only stared at her for a few moments until he lunged at her. She let out a startled scream as she was picked up by one of his tails before being thrown at a tree. Her back connected with the bark and she fell to the ground, letting out another yell just before her face hit the dirt.
"Tenten!" Neji yelled, running to her side.
"I-I'm fine," she groaned, pushing up off the dirt and brushing herself off. "I think I just startled him. Don't attack!"
She didn't feel any hostility from him. Granted, he just threw her into a tree, but she was sure he could have sent her flying through a dozen or so if he really wanted to.
"What business do you have here!?" Tsunade asked, touching down not too far from him. Kurama held out his fist above the ground before dropping something. Everyone was shocked to see Naruto. "What did you do!?"
His tails began to move, showing he was uncomfortable being where he was.
"He was being annoying," he rumbled. "Now for the second matter."
He threw forward a smaller object.
"Neji, what did he just throw?" Tenten asked, as she was unable to see.
"It's Sakura's forehead protector..." he muttered, already having activated his byakugan to get a glance himself. Tenten looked at her best friend in surprise.
"What? You mean..."
"She's gone rogue. There's a slash through it."
Her face turned from surprise to serious as she looked back over to the confrontation.
"Good," she spat. "What's going on now?"
"Tsunade is just questioning him, he's not responding." Both of them felt an injection of adrenalin as Tsunade shot forward, but the moment she hit him he dispersed into a cloud of smoke. The Hokage let out a yell of frustration and broke a tree in half before moving to Naruto. Neji gave a small laugh, causing his friend to raise a brow. "Naruto is just sleeping, apparently."
Tenten looked past him as Ino, Shikamaru, and Shino approached.
"Tenten! You okay?" Ino asked, checking her for any damage. After clarifying that she was fine, she stood.
"Why don't we all head to my house for a bit?" the brunette asked, placing her hands on her hips as she gave a smile
"I was doing something with my dad, so maybe—" Shikamaru started, only to be cut off.
"Why don't we all head to my house for a bit?" she repeated, a bead of sweat collecting on the man's cheek.
╌❀✿╌╌💮╌╌✿❀╌
Ino and Tenten discussed something as they entered the front garden of an old home of a unique design. It was similar when compared to the clan compounds, but it had much more flare. The pillars were carved and painted a bright red, and the roofing was a vivid green.
"This is where you live?" Shikamaru asked.
"Well this is weird, I pass this house every day," Neji said.
"Not surprising," Shino added.
"You guys have really never been over here?" Ino asked, confusion clear on her features.
"To be fair, I thought this place was abandoned," Neji pointed out. "Not many people can say they've seen someone come from this house."
"Well, that's because I'm the only one who lives here," Tenten shrugged. "I never knew my parents, but they left me this house and a caretaker. Hashi died a few years ago though, so it's just me."
After the group had entered, Tenten locked the large wooden doors behind them and they made their way down a hall before entering another small garden. The two girls and Neji took their seats on the grass while Shino and Shikamaru decided on the stairs leading down from the deck.
"So, what did you want us to come over for?" Ino asked. Tenten turned to Neji and tapped the corner of her eye. He raised a brow but complied, activating his byakugan. After a few moments, he deactivated his eyes and shook his head. Tenten gave a nod and reached down to the pouch that was strapped to her thigh.
"Okay, so when Kurama picked me up I think he put something in my pouch," she said as she opened it, beginning to search around. "And even if nothing's in here I think we should still discuss what's going on and what to do."
"Wait, he put something in your kunai pouch?" Shikamaru asked, sitting up a bit as he became intrigued.
"It felt like he did, anyway. Ah! He did! Look!" she exclaimed, pulling out a scroll that was about the size of her thumb. It was white with a small red seal. "Maybe it's from Sakura?"
"That was quite a show to put on just to put that in your pouch," Shino put forward.
"Well he had to throw me or else it wouldn't look like we were enemies," Tenten shrugged. Shikamaru gave a sigh.
"I guess that might be something that could happen, but I still don't understand the entire situation. Why would he bring Naruto back to the village? We can assume that he's with Sakura since he brought her headband, but does this mean that Naruto found them?"
"It's possible that he just happened upon them," Shino offered as he played with a beetle.
"Do you think Naruto had an idea of where she went at all?" Neji asked. Shino looked up at him.
"He isn't as close with her as he used to be, so I don't think he still has a good sense of how she thinks. But it's possible they could have both headed to a place that they trusted, even if it was for different reasons."
"But how would she get him to leave?" Ino asked, resulting in a shrug from Shino.
"I'm gonna open this; see if it's a note," Tenten muttered as the rest continued to debate. She undid the seal on the scroll and unrolled it, only to let out a yelp as a puff of smoke appeared.
"Lady Katsuyu!?" Ino asked, surprised at seeing the ex-summon of the Hokage had been what the scroll held. She picked the slug up and greeted it. "It's been so long! What were you doing in that scroll?"
"I've come to deliver messages from Lady Sakura," Katsuyu spoke in her whispering voice. "I have one for each of you, and another for Ino."
Small scrolls began to faze out from her body before falling onto the grass. Each had a name written on it and the group distributed them to the correct person before opening them. Tenten's eyes softened as she read through hers. The now rogue kunoichi had wished her well before telling her that she would be welcomed at any time.
Sakura and Tenten had the same struggles within the village for quite some time and had ended up coming together to attempt to overcome Konoha's blinded view of them. But try as they might, it never came to fruition. There were too many obstacles. Truth be told, they had actually gone to the foreign affairs office to try to move to another hidden village. Sakura had even tried for a third time a week before she left, Tenten remembered. But they were turned down each time, for poor excuses or the office just not having enough time for the paperwork.
Tenten looked down at her knees and she became lost in thought. She actually could leave and have someone with her... She wouldn't be alone...
"Mine talked about Kurama coming back at the end of the week," Shino whispered. Tenten came back to where she was.
"She must have said that in all of ours," Shikamaru muttered. Tenten's had mentioned Kurama as well, of course, but she didn't even think about it. A week was too long. "She's aware of what each of us has been going through... I wouldn't be surprised if at least three of us left..."
His mind drifted off before he came back. "So Ino, what was the second one?"
"Ah, I don't know..." She picked it up and opened it, reading through a bit of it before her eyes teared up. "Sai...?"
"Sai is with her?" Neji asked, giving a relieved sigh as Ino nodded in confirmation.
"Well, apparently he's okay," Tenten teased after she read the note over the blonde's shoulder, poking her arm. Ino quickly covered her cheeks with the small scroll. "Com'on! You know you have to tell him now! We thought he was dead!"
Ino placed her hand on the other woman's face and shoved her away, Tenten only laughing.
"I... I have a confession to make...." the blonde muttered, refusing to make eye contact with any of the group. "We've been going out for a while now...."
Tenten paused.
"Wait, really?" Shikamaru asked in surprise.
"Since when!?" the brunette demanded, suddenly hugging the other woman though she was still being pushed away with a hand on her face.
"W-well we've been going on dates since last year's New Year festival...."
"Why have you not informed me!?" Tenten cried.
"It was pretty obvious if you saw them at the right times," Shino threw in. Ino's face grew a darker shade of pink.
"Ah! Now that you mention it..." Tenten pulled away and held her chin in thought. "I have seen them walking around together a lot."
She placed her hand on her face. "I must be slow..."
"It's fine, Tenten," Ino consoled.
"Does it say anything else about the situation?" Shikamaru asked. Ino looked back down at the scroll and scanned her eyes over it again, but shook her head.
"No... Not really, he just says he wants to ask me something if I end up going to meet with him..."