He had been standing in the same spot for nearly an hour.
The morning breeze carried the mingled scent of earth and dew, along with a faint trace of cooking smoke-someone on the western side of the village had gotten up this early to make breakfast. Thin smoke drifted from a chimney, scattered by the wind and stirred into the mist. All of Konoha looked as though it had been submerged in a vast vat of pale gray water, blurred and indistinct, with nothing clearly visible.
Neji opened his eyes.
He activated his Byakugan for three seconds, then deactivated it. He was examining the flow of chakra around the village's perimeter. Over the past few days, the chakra field surrounding the village had changed. It wasn't a major change, but a tiny one, almost negligible, like a river's water level slowly dropping just a little. Without a ruler, you would never notice. But Neji could measure it. He didn't need a ruler. His Byakugan was his ruler.
Someone was approaching the training ground. The footsteps were light but quick. Not running, but walking at a rapid pace, heels barely touching the ground, each tap of the toes sending the person darting a good distance forward.
Neji didn't turn around.
"Neji."
"Yeah."
"Lee's missing."
It was Tenten. She wore a gray jacket, its zipper not quite pulled to the top, revealing a white turtleneck underneath. Her hair was a little messy, not because she hadn't brushed it, but because she'd been running. She clutched a note in her hand. The paper was badly crumpled, as though it had been soaked with sweat and then dried.
Neji turned to look at her.
"When?"
"I don't know. I went to his room twenty minutes ago. His bed was empty. His blanket was folded,