You carefully lever yourself up off from the roof you had been laying on, stretching slightly to remove the stiffness from your limbs as you carefully move through the shadows. Keeping to them just long enough to slip out of sight of anyone watching from the direction of the castle before you take off in a run. In the distance you can hear the sound of fighting, steel ringing out as it clashes against steel. Looks like the spy couldn't get away. Frantically you try and come up with a plan, you need to do
something. But you're under no illusions, in a fight with at least one jonin level opponent you're...not going to be able to do much. Besides die that is, you could probably manage that, a vicious little voice inside your head whispers.
But you shake it off, a part of you yells to run away, to find someone you can trust and just tell them what you saw. But you decide you can't do that. You need to at least try to save the spy, he was close...he probably heard their conversation. He knows what's going on, and all you have are your guesses. Plus you're just some genin...and you can't just leave him to die! So as you come to a stop in the shadow of a vent a plan begins to form in your mind. One of your scrolls appears in your hand, and with a wince you tear off a piece of the reinforced paper. It tears cleanly in your hand, and you are careful to avoid any of the seals themselves, but still it hurts to destroy a thing you've worked so hard on.
With a small pop a brush appears in your hand, just one of the many items you've chosen to keep contained in the scrolls. It's far too convenient to just use to hold weapons after all. Your strokes are quick and sloppy, far more than you are used to, but here in the shadow of the moon...pressed for time you don't have the inclination to hold yourself to your usual standards. The message is finished in seconds, using one of the simplest cyphers you know. Just a basic academy one. It won't hold up to any scrutiny whatsoever, but hopefully you won't need it to. You attach the piece of paper to a kunai, and then with a flick of your wrist it lands down in the street with a soft thunk. One of the restaurants here is owned by former Chunin, and a message containing everything you've seen up to this point has currently embedded itself in the back door to his establishment. The only evidence a hazy trail of golden mist, already fading away into the night air.
With that accomplished, and your back up plan secure, you straighten. You're still cloaked in the darkness of the roof, but now you just need to figure out what to do. Trying to straight on is suicide. Then you hear the faint reverberation of an explosion in the distance, the tell-tale mark of an explosive tag detonating. Those two really aren't making any serious efforts to hide their presence. Though, you suppose if you were the spy you'd be doing everything in your power to attract...
attention...
wait.
Your mind seizes on that thought, and you chew on your bottom lip, thinking of and then discarding several plans in quick succession. You really wish you had taken on more leadership in Team Gai, you were always more of an implementation type of gal. But...no time to dwell on that now. What you need to do is attract attention, lots of it, and as quickly as possible. Briefly you thinking of whipping out the bevy of explosive tags you have tucked away in one of your scrolls, a few of those in key places and you'd have every guard in the village running here. Then you shake your head, no that's a dumb idea...bombing your own village would only make them suspicious of you...besides all of the other, more
obvious drawbacks to doing so.
But then you see it, tucked away in a half-hidden recess on the roof, a bucket containing...
are those fireworks?! Why?! Who-...You squash that line of questioning, not important right now. What is important is you've got your distraction, and what a distraction it will be, silently you offer a prayer to whichever amazing person left these here. You guess someone up there really is smiling down upon you tonight. Wordlessly, a small puff of smoke bears one of your babies, delicately you hold it in your hand. The carefully etched lines covering the entire surface of the carefully prepared paper tag. You can feel your eyes shining as you take a second to savor the moment, and the feel of the tag in your hand. It's really been too long, Gai would understand, you think. This is for the good of the village. With a thought you activate the seal, putting just enough chakra into it to give you plenty of time to get clear before the fun begins. No sense drawing anyone right back to you, that would be...bad...very bad.
You nestle the faintly sputtering paper into the pot filled with fireworks, mentally beginning the countdown as you scamper away. As you slink through the shadows you hear shouting in the distance, and as carefully as you can, you creep onward. Then you hear it, the faint whisper of wind that gradually builds to a wail as the air is packed closer together whilst still moving faster and faster. You shudder slightly at the memory of the way the blades of wind played over your skin, just barely kept back from slicing you to ribbons. You silently curse wind jutsu users under your breath. Then a single scream cuts through the night air, and you freeze as it is suddenly silenced in a wet gurgle you can only barely make out. A thump sounds from somewhere nearby.
It takes a few seconds for you continue moving, warily you glance around. With every beat of your heart you half expect to look down and feel a blade through it, but you creep onward. Ahead of you you can hear a voice, saying...something that you can't make out. Your heart hammers in your chest as you peek an eye around the corner, only to see the white haired genin in front of you, his back to you. The spy is splayed out in front of him, blood covering him and the ground around him, but you see is chest is twitching. The sand jounin is nowhere to be seen.
The white haired Genin, Kabuto, is speaking to the spy, his voice dripping with condescension. "So, your jutsu failed, and with it you failed your village. I wonder how that feels hm? Everything you've done up to now, worthless. Your report will never reach the Hokage." Even though his back is to you, you can practically hear the mocking smile in his voice as he lectures the dying(?) man. "But still, you fought well, perhaps you can still be of some use to me." You keep your body as still as you can as the man reaches for a scroll on his hip, holding in your breath as the mental clock ticks down.
Three...
two...
one
There is a small thud in the distance and almost immediately the night air is filled with the cracking pop of fireworks cooking off. A piercing shriek screams out to the heavens as a bright red ball of fire streaks upwards, before exploding in a matrix of light. From your vantage point you see Kabuto's head snap in the direction of the fireworks just before you throw yourself out of sight. You're not in his line of view, but no sense in risking it. You can just barely make out his voice over the noise.
"Oh, well isn't that troublesome. Did you set that?...or
perhaps we have...another
uninvited guest?" Your blood freezes in your veins as you press yourself deeper into the shadows. You don't think he sees you, but...but...
Then you hear shouts, and the barking of dogs. The village guard, the village guard has arrived, but you don't dare move or make a sound. Even if they're near, they're not
here. "Hmm...even worse. Looks like I won't have use for you after all, but no matter. They won't find what they can't smell."
You stay there, frozen in the shadows as you hear the soft rustles of someone moving. You think he's gone as you hear the the bark of dogs nearing, the last remnants of the fireworks fading away. Mustering your courage you peak one eye out from behind cover, only to find...nothing. The spy is still laying in his pool of blood, but neither of the two who killed him are anywhere to be seen. Maybe he left? The guard patrols were close, and even if he did something to the corpse they could still smell him. Then something catches your eye, the spies chest twitches, rising and falling shallowly.
He's alive?!
Everything in you screams to run, to escape, to deliver the message but...you can't just leave him there. Maybe he can tell you something, and even more, you refuse to just leave him there to bleed out. So you drop down, your feet landing daintily on the edge of the roof he is resting on. As you creeping closer, you get a better look at his injuries and...it's not pretty. His limbs are a mess of bleeding lacerations, but what's worse is his chest. It's been torn open, the blood bubbling up, dark red blood. Arterial blood. What's worse are the bubbles foaming up through the blood everything time his chest rises slightly.
Unfortunately, you have enough medical knowledge to know there's nothing you can do. He's going to bleed out, probably in the next thirty seconds. He's already dead, his brain just hasn't caught up with the rest of his body yet. As you approach, his eyes swivel to meet yours, though they are hazy and unfocused. You also manage to finally recognize him. The preliminary exam proctor. You never did manage to catch his name. He opens his mouth to say something, but nothing comes out except blood and a choked gurgling sound. You shake your head, looks like even though he wants to tell you something he can't. And he's fading fast.
Then his fingers twitch, and as you glance at them he drags them down, leaving a line of blood across the wooden roof before going still. The blood pools at the end, it looks kinda...like a music note. You blink, glancing at him, but his eyes have already gone dull, gazing sightlessly up into the night sky. Oh.
Oh.
You can still hear the sound of barking and shouts down in the streets nearby, the guards taking the opportunity to search the area. You glance down at the body, you should probably go tell them it's up her-a faint rustle sounds behind you and you freeze. Every muscle in your body goes rigid as you spin around, a knife in your hand.
You find yourself face to face with a mask of white, two black dots staring back at you...unblinking. A hand grabs your arm, and pain lances through it. You drop the knife as you stumble backwards, the grip on your arm releasing as you you force yourself not to scream. Your eyes widen as you take in the picture in front, a figure stands in a grey unassuming cloak. They're taller than you, much taller. And on it's face is a white mask of an animal. There are two more rustles and two more of the masked figures appear beside the first.
"ANBU?!" you hiss. You can already feel the color draining from your face as you are confronted with three members of Konoha's elite secret police. "I-I didn't-t-" stammer.
"We know." The one in front cuts you off, his voice sounds deep behind the mask, "You need to come with us."
You can't stop yourself from shaking like a leaf as you look between the three of them. You really don't think you have a choice, but you set your shoulders, with all the courage you can muster. "I need to see the Hokage."
The mask tilts to the side, "Where do you think we're taking you?"
Your stomach feels like it's going to crawl up your throat, "The Hokage?" The mask nods slightly, and with that the three grab you. There is a tearing sensation and you find yourself standing on a nearby rooftop. The two non-speaking masked ANBU standing to both sides of you. Like jailors, penning you in. But you force yourself to remain calm, these are allies right? You can trust them...
And true to form, the trip to the Hokage's compound passes without incident. And you find yourself tied to a cold metal chair, a bright light shining in your face. A man stands on the other end of the table, but with the bright light in your face you can't make out his face. You think that's the point. You tell him the story of what you saw that night, everything that happened. Then you tell it again, and again. Then you tell it to another man who comes in, and again, and so on. Honestly you'd probably be getting annoyed if you weren't completely terrified out of your mind. Do they believe you? They have to believe you...you don't know what you'd do if they didn't believe you.
After what feels like hours, the ANBU from before appears in the room. Seemingly stepping from the shadows. "You are to stay here for the night. Afterwards you are free to leave." You try to stammer something out, but he cuts you off again. "You are to tell absolutely no one what you saw tonight, you are to keep your schedule as if tonight had never happened. Is this absolutely clear?"
You gulp, "Yes. I..." Then a thought strikes you, "What about Gai-Sensei, I mean-"
"Your teacher will be informed. The Hokage is greatful for your services tonight. He wished for me to express sadness that he could not speak to you personally." You slump down. Exhaustion from the day catching up with. you don't know what time it is, besides "very late". But you can certainly feel it.
The ANBU turns to leave, but then glances at you, "Oh, and he wished you good luck in the exams, but then he said he doubts you need it. You've basically passed already." Wait what?
"What?" You say, but the ANBU is already gone. A moment later two more arrive, and you find yourself in one of the secure guestrooms in the Hokage's compound. And then the fatigue from this night hit's you like a tidal wave, and you pass out in one of the beds. Your mind blank from the days exertions.
Due to her experience tonight, Tenten gained experience (+4XP). What does she gain from that? All XP not spent will be banked for later use. She currently has 1 XP banked.
[ ] Finish Awareness Excellency (-2 XP).
[ ] If so, what does she use the newly-free training time for?
[ ] Stealth Excellency (-5 XP)
[ ] +1 Stealth (-4 XP)
[ ] Do nothing, just bank the XP for a dramatically opportune time.
[ ] Write-in (Must be applicable to what she did tonight)
Tenten gained Intimacy: Gaara - Fear & Hatred "I don't know what he is, but he's not human. He's a...monster, he tried to kill Lee. Something like that...shouldn't exist. It should never exist."
Well, that took a long time. Sorry about the lack of an update yesterday. I got distracted, and well...this update turned out to be much longer than expected. Still not entirely happy with how I wrote the ending but it's late and I want to get it out.
Next update is Tenten visiting Temari. Which will be awkward. For many, many reasons. Oh yeah, and that sound of glass breaking? That was canon crying in a corner.
Feel free to speculate about how this will effect things moving forward. 
