Heeeey aaaaaall! Sorry for my updating, or rather, lack thereof. I recently got highspeed, 'cause I go to college now, and since then I've spent no time here on . is more of a "I'm stuck with dial-up what am I gonna doooo" sort of thing, like when I'm home on the weekends. But I did take a peek around the other day, and drifted back over to VerbotenByacolate's page, whose stuff I haven't kept up with AT ALL (I'msosorryomg). And there I read an interesting little fanfic she's started called The Ingenious Novice, and I implore you all to read that one before you start off on mine. It's NejiTen, so it's already better than mine here, for starters. As well, mine here is sort of... a spin off of hers. Watching a spinoff before reading the original is like being a pairing fangirl but not knowing who the characters are. Tccch. So go read hers, then come back here! I COMMAND IT! -cackles madly-

Kishimoto is the badass man that owns all these pwnsome people you'll find in the content below. Buhleive me, if I owned them, it'd be like Basilisk and everyone would have been dead in beautifuly gory ways by episode 24. (...which episode is that one in Naruto, anyways? Hmmm...)

And, of course, the idea/plot of this fic belongs to VerbotenByacolate. Because she's Bya-chan. and she's amazing.

Another Ingenious Novice
Inspired by VerbotenByacolate's "The Ingenious Novice"

"Hyuuga Hinata... you're early," the fifth hokage said with the faintest trace of irritation in her voice. Before the chuunin could say anything, however, Shizune shot Tsunade a glare. The sannin sighed in resignation, getting down to business. "We've got a mission for you, and a rather important one at that..." Tsunade began ruffling through the stack of files on her desk, in an almost nervous manner. Something seemed off; it was as though Godaime Hokage was avoiding telling her something. Hinata realized this was probably a mission that she wasn't going to enjoy.

"Tsunade-sama, what... what is it?" she asked with uncertainty.

The hokage paused. For a fleeting moment, she shared a quick glance with Shizune. Silence ensued, but only for a moment. "Dammit Shizune, do we have to put her on this mission alone?"

"A... alone? Can't Kiba-kun, Akamaru and Shino-kun come with me?" the black-haired girl asked with uncertainty. She shifted her weight from foot to foot a little nervously.

Tsunade twitched, but Shizune ignored Hinata. "We must, Tsunade-sama. Sakura-san's already away on a mission, Team Ten just left, and Tenten-san's already got her hands full with Neji-san. And heaven forbid we make Naruto-kun or Sai-kun do this one!" ...That's right, Tenten had arrived at the Hyuuga complex this morning. Hinata remembered greeting her in passing as the older kunoichi stalked off to find Hiashi-sama. Hinata's curiosity about the mission grew. She was partly curious as to why no one answered her question about her team helping her, but she figured she would find out soon enough.

Tsunade's eye twitched again, and she sighed. "Alright, alright. Hinata-san, I'll say this as quickly and as painlessly as possible."

The hokage closed her eyes, putting on her infamous business face. She propped her elbows onto her desk, hiding her mouth behind her folded hands. Hinata tugged nervously at the hem of her lilac-coloured jacket. Tsunade began her rundown of the mission. "This past Monday, there was a slight mix-up at the hospital. One of the new interns made a mix up, and instead of administering some flu-shots, a certain number of patients received Alpha-Lipoic acid."

Hinata listened intently, unsure of where this was going. Her clasped hands fidgeted with eachother as her brow furrowed slightly.

Tsunade's brown eyes slipped open, regarding the kunoichi coolly. "Don't worry, it's not anything too serious. It's just a testosterone stimulant – " Hinata blushed, " – and the effects are all potentially harmless. It's a new product, and since the labels on it and the flu shot are so similar looking it was an easy mistake. ...not to say I didn't ream the bastard out, though..." she trailed off, muttering darkly. She, obviously, was in a terrible mood.

Hinata waited patiently for a few moments, but it seemed that Tsunade was a little too deeply involved in being a miserable person to notice. So, Hinata took the initiative to find out about her mission. "So... ano... what is it you want me to d-do, Hokage-sama?" she had stuttered; darn it. She had tried hard to stay calm. But if her mission had anything to do with some faceless testosterone-driven men, she wasn't going to feel comfortable about this at all. And that was why she had stuttered.

Tsunade sighed again, sitting back in her large desk chair, resting her hands on the edge of her desk. "Among the group that accidentally received the Alpha-Lipoic acid was a shinobi of a certain degree of importance. Hyuuga Hinata, it is your mission to keep constant watch on him. You will be keeping an eye on his actions and checking for potential side-effects... generally, just make sure he doesn't get too carried away with anything, alright? Oh, and he can't find out about the mix-up, so no matter what happens, do not tell him about the acid."

"W-what kind of s-side-effects?" ...she really wasn't liking the sound of this mission. Her stomach was all twisted just thinking about it; having to actually do this mission would probably be the death of the poor girl. She somehow managed to remain standing tall and rigid, despite the fact she just wanted to slump over and hide away from the world right now. The slightest hue of pink graced her face.

Tsunade smirked. Well, as bad as she felt about dumping this next part on poor li'l Hinata, the sadistic side of her wanted to see what kind of reaction she'd get. "Oh, you know, the usual high-testosterone things. Morning erections and the likes..." She smirked.

Hinata bit the inside of her lip, fighting back a whimper. Her face turned beet red. Shizune glared at Tsunade, and took over before the hokage could torture the girl any more.

"Don't worry Hinata-san, the effects likely won't take full effect for a day or two, and even then, your mission is just until it's out of his body. And besides, he's a trained shinobi, so he might be able to fight some of the... ano... effects..." – she really meant to say "urges" – "...It shouldn't be too long, right Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade snorted. "Don't lie to the girl, Shizune. It was a powerful dosage. Even he is going to have trouble controlling himself. But I have faith in you, Hinata-san, you're a tough girl. You can fend for yourself, I'm sure."

Hinata felt really, really sick right now. Her face was way too warm and her poor insides were writhing in agony. Why, o why, did Tsunade have to be so bland about it? She groaned slightly, biting the inside of her lip harder. She released when the pain was just a bit too much. The sooner she got this mission done the sooner it would all be behind her – she would not decline a mission, not when her father was expecting her to be a failure – so she stammered out the one last thing she needed to know.

"W-who is it? Who's... who's the shinobi?"

Neither answered for what felt like forever. (In reality, it was probably only a few seconds.)

Her face becoming grim and serious again, the blonde sannin finally took the initiative. Hinata's fast-beating heart nearly stopped.

"Aburame Shino."

Review, bitches! O

PS if you haven't yet go read Bya-chan's fic of a similar title. THIS WAS INSPIRED BY HEEEERS. Which is way better than miiiine. Liek, eberz.

But yes, review because I'll be lazy and you won't get any moar chapturs if I dun get feedback. authors eat reviews for breakfast, and wihtout reviews, we have no nutrition to write! FEED ME! (I don't even care if it's a "you suck!"... I mean, at least you read it. ...right?)