Kiba pushed open the door to the room, looking down the hallway but didn't see Ayame or the weird women she had been with anywhere. This was where he started to get slightly worried, he knew that Ayame knew not to go off with strange ninja, he saw the way she flinched whenever a stranger came near her. So why had she decided to go with this grass village ninja, did she know the strange women? Kiba hoped that Ayame didn't know her, the red-head knowing a creepy, crazy looking person made Kiba gulp, scared to find out what Ayame would make the said person do to him.

Kiba started to follow Ayame's scent down the hallway before he decided to give in to every part of his body screaming at him to go back before it was too late. Akamaru whimpered on top of his head, a small yip coming a few seconds later. Kiba nodded his head in understanding, Ayame's scent wasn't just the normal scent, it smelled strongly of fear and this caused Kiba to rush even more without thinking about what he was doing anymore. He had been planning to go get Kurenari-sensei, but his ego got the best of him and he rushed off towards where he smelt Ayame's fear laced smell going.

He knew that he most likely looked insane as he was sniffing around the streets, but he wasn't looking as he ran right into the back of someone. He glanced up to see a man in a green spandex suit, a bowl cut and a smile that stretched as far as his eyes. He glanced around the man, noticing a smaller version of the man, a hyuga with an irritated expression and a girl with two buns atop of her head.

"Sorry! I'm in a hurry, so I wasn't watching where I was going." As much as it was against Kiba's nature to speak like this, he wasn't about to speak lowly to a sensei, he had respect for some people, although he badly wanted to make fun of the guys appearance. Yet, he knew not to judge on appearances seeing as some of the strongest shinobi had the ugliest appearances.

"Ah! The youthful act of youth! Where are you heading? We can lead you there in the quickest way possible!"

Kira couldn't help but blanch at the man until he heard an exasperated sigh come from the female.

"Gai-sensei! You know you promised us to food, we can't afford to slack off!"

Gai gasped, a little too over-dramatic for Kiba's taste, and turned toward the girl, a shocked expression on his face. "Tenten! There is always time to train your youthful mind!"

As Gai and the boy who looked exactly like him dragged Kiba away, the hyuga boy and Tenten followed behind closely while muttering under her breath. ". . .But i'm starving."

"Now! My fellow youthful shinobi, where are you heading that we may accompany you too?" Gai flashed Kiba a smile, a light seeming to twinkle in his bleach white teeth.

"I was following my teammates smell." Kiba realized a second too late how wrong that sounded, a light pink tinted his cheeks, himself now looking down at the ground while Gai and the boy, who he learned was named Lee, kept dragging him throughout the streets. His shoes where starting to collect dirt all across them and the spots underneath his feet where irritating him.

"Ah, youth! The smell of it is throughout the air, youth is everywhere!" Kiba once again blanched, he was getting tired of hearing him talk about youth all the time. His irritation grew when he started talking about Kiba loving Ayame, and although the pink blush on his cheeks said otherwise, Kiba snapped at the man.

"There is no youth between us! I followed her because I'm pretty sure she's in trouble!"

Gai stopped then, making Kiba and Lee jerk back, his face was scrunched together and he gave the Hyuga a look, one at which he just nodded and made a hand sign, the veins in his popping out.

"How are you sure?" Gai asked Kiba, bending down to the boys height for just this moment.

"I saw her leave the first testing area with a strange women. I thought it was weird and then was when I noticed that she smelled. . . she was overly terrified." Kira tried explaining it the best he could and Akamaru just barked, telling him he had done his best and that people without a keen sense of smell wouldn't understand.

Gai nodded, once again looking at the Hyuga, "Well, Neji?"

Neji nodded, deactivating his byakugan, his attention back on Gai. "There is a girl with a women and it seems that the women is trying to kill her."

Gai frowned even more and didn't even wait for his team and Kiba, but they all knew what to do. Lee, Tenten, and Kiba all ran after Gai while Neji ran to the Hokage tower to tell the situation. Kiba knew he didn't care that much for Ayame, but he wasn't about to let his sensei's reason to live, die. He wasn't going to be held responsible for the death of his teammate.

No matter how much Kiba resented Ayame, a teammate was a teammate and you had to save the ones who were your comrades.

As the trio caught up to Gai, they saw the man already fighting the strange women and he was surely starting to break a sweat. Wasn't this women supposed to only be a genin? Kiba and Lee ran over to Gai to assist in the fight, while Tenten ran over to the unconscious girl slumped over by the tree.

Tenten tried to look for any injuries, before she realized she wasn't that good at this stuff and just took some gauze out, wrapping up anything that looked bad. She nodded in satisfaction at her own work and glanced around, trying to find an escape route for her and the girl. She was tired and hungry, but she would rather die from that then let this girl die at the hands of a psychopath.

"TENTEN!"

The girl turned at the sound of her name, her eyes coming to focus on the edge of a katana swinging down at her head. Tenten's breath got stuck in her throat and she knew that would be sliced in half if she just sat there. She moved quickly, but obviously not quick enough as the katana sliced her leg, leaving a huge gash there. Tenten tried to put distance in between her and the women, the girl in her arms heavier then what she looked like.

Tenten's vision was beginning to blur and she was struggling not to put any weight on her injured leg. The women eyed Tenten and the girl in her arms before a creepy smile went across her face, a long tongue licked the women's lips and then she leapt away into the trees.

Tenten looked at Gai, barely able to make him out. Gai looked at the ground, noticing the ground was already drenched in the red color of Tenten's blood from the gash.

Just then, Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma ran into the training grounds. They took in the scene but noticed how Kiba and Lee eyed the forest carefully, as if they were worried the strange women would come back.

"Gai-sensei. . ." Tenten mumbled before her eyes closed fully, she and Ayame falling to the ground. The two girls however did not meet the ground, instead Kurenai caught Ayame while Gai caught Tenten. Gai looked at Kurenai, as if asking her what was wrong with his student.

"She's lost a lot of blood, plus the blade was most likely poisoned." Karen said after she studied the gash in Tenten's leg and the way her breathing was becoming labored. "We need to get her to the hospital immediately."

Gai nodded as he and Kurenai set off towards the hospital, Kiba and Lee set off after them.

Kakashi and Asuma approached the woods with careful steps, unsure if the women they comrades had been fighting not even moments before would leap out at them and attack without any mercy.

Gai rushed into the hospital, Kurenai coming in not even a second later. The two girls were instantly rushed off to the infirmary, Tenten's condition gravely worsening. Kurenai glanced at Gai, her face scrunched up at the thought. "Aren't you going to notify her family?"

Gai smirked, his cheerful personality once again back, "Oh, Tenten would be glad that I didn't. However, she must learn that with the power of youth, comes more youth, thus she must learn her lesson!"

Kurenai didn't bother asking for an explanation and obviously Gai wasn't planning on giving one, seeing as he rushed out of the hospital, leaving Kurenai alone to sit with her thoughts. She wasn't Ayame's real parent, yet, it said on her record that she was her legal guardian. It seemed to give Kurenai some reassurance, the fact that she finally got to have someone to care for.

Kurenai glanced up when the doors open once again, Lee and Kiba walking through, or at least, they tried too. They were having difficulty with all of the stuffed animals and flowers that were stacked as high as the ceiling.

Kurenai chuckled at the two, making them turn in her direction, "Kurenai-Sensei!"

The three of them sat like that for at least an hour before Gai came back with two people, whom Kurenai guessed where Tenten's parents before she noticed the male only looked about eighteen while the women was much older. She frowned, trying to decide on if she should say that her father and mother were out of the picture or not.

As Gai came back over towards Kurenai with the two, she sat up straighter before she stood, holding her hand out to them. The women smiled at Kurenai warmly, crinkles coming at the sides of her eyes. However, when Kurenai tried to take her hand away, the women wouldn't let go. Instead she put her other hand on top of Kurenai's, her smile faltering.

"I am very sorry about your daughter being involved in a mess like this. Tenten is strong, and I am sure your daughter is as well."

Kurenai nodded, keeping the tears in her eyes but she most certainly wanted to cry right there. She was happy that someone thought of Ayame as her daughter, it gave her a sense of satisfaction.

Kuenai went to go shake the hand of the boy but instead noticed him at the front desk, not even introducing himself to her. She frowned, but smiled again when the women lead Kurenai and Gai over to the chairs, the smile she wore never leaving her aging face.

"Ah, how I'd love to be young again. No more aching backs and wrinkles." The women laughed as if she was the most funniest person on the planet before turning to the group, however the amused expression stayed. "I am Keiko, Tenten's grandmother. That brat over there is Haruchi, Tenten's older brother."

"I'm Kurenai, the boy with the dog is Kiba and surely you must know Lee." Kurenai explained, her own smile on her face because of the old women. It was as if it was contagious, and Kurenai was sure it was.

"Yes, I remember you boy! Have you been protecting my Tenten like you promised?" Keiko gave Lee a look, one that Kurenai didn't see but Lee just nodded. Kurenai took note that his skin color had paled instantly and he had started sweating a lot.

A nurse walked out with a smile, looking at the large assortment of gifts and the family waiting for the news on the two girls. "Kurenai-San and Keiko-sama?"

Both women turned towards the nurse who smiled at them warmly, "Tenten and Ayame are ready to be seen. However, we're only keeping it family related at the moment." The nurse eyed Kiba, Lee, and Gai. All who only smiled sheepishly before nodding.

"We understand."

Kiba huffed before he stood up, "I didn't want to come anyways."

Kurenai, Keiko and Haruchi all followed the nurse to a room and pushed open the door and letting all three of them inside. Kurenai instantly ran to Ayame's bed, taking the small girl's hand in hers. She felt Ayame flinch from the contact but she didn't care, she had to make sure that she was still there and not some sort of genjutsu.

Kurenai watched with teary eyes as Haruchi ran to Tenten's bedside and hugged her, with Tenten only chuckling in response. "Don't ever do that again, baka!"

No one noticed it, but Ayame smiled at the sight, a real smile instead of the one she had been giving people for the longest time.