Hello! This is my first story here on FF, and I hope you enjoy! But, if not, then by all means, tell me why! I'm here for feedback and constructive criticism :) This chapter is a preview of what is to come, just some background information so you know where things stand. The next chapter WOULD have been up sooner, but after two hours of typing, MicrosoftWord decided my story was crap, and crashed. It even deleted all the auto saves! Grrrrr…

This will undoubtedly be the shortest of all my chapters, so don't worry about the length!

Disclaimer: I was not clever enough to have conceived the Ninja World that is Naruto. True story.

Tenten never considered herself a lucky person. Orphaned at a young age, average grades at the academy, skill level of a kick ass, but relatively unnoticed ninja. She could perform the necessary ninjutstus, and performed exceptionally in close-range taijutsu. Especially with a kunai in her grip. It was no secret that she shared a special bond with sharpened steel. A shinobi was first and foremost a weapon, so in Tenten's eyes it made complete sense to equip a weapon with multiple lesser, or even greater, weapons. That's how a powerful machine works, just a complex system of tiny machines working together.

Everyone around her, it seemed, got lucky. Neji and Hinata were bred to be elite ninjas with their prestigious bloodline limit, Naruto and Sakura received exclusive training from two of the three legendary sannin, and Ino, Kiba, Shino, Chogi and Shikamaru all came from clans that possessed bloodline traits and secrets. They knew what they had to do to be extraordinary shinobi, and had decades of experience handed to them, being taught by the people they would soon surpass. Even Lee, for Kami's sake! With only his will and fists, he was destined to be Gai Sensei's youthful prodigy.

But who did Tenten look up to? For a long while, it was Tsunade. The woman was legendary, after all. Tenten believed Tsunade was a testament to the shinobi world that kunoichi can rise up and above in a testosterone fueled lifestyle. She later realized, when she heard of Sakura's training, that it was a rather foolish choice for her role model. Just what could Tsunade ever teach her? Medical ninjutsu was her strong suit, and Tenten knew she did not have the necessary chakra control for it. Come to think of it, had she ever seen Tsunade-sama wield a weapon? No, very foolish indeed.

As far as she knew, there was no one around to teach her. Being Konoha's only weapon's mistress meant everything she knew had come from her own observations, her own skill, and her own drive to be better. Never did she think of it as a thorn in her side. If anything, it made her more determined to prove to people how strong one can be on their own, because it sure as hell wasn't easy.

Sure, she loved Gai Sensei for – nearly – everything he's done. "Stronger than I was yesterday" was a pretty effective mantra for her. He had taught her many things she was sure no other sensei could teach, but Lee was his focus. Neji was a key component to her success, though. His hand-to-hand combat skill and defensive maneuvers proved to compliment her own fighting style. Often she would use him for experiments, and he wouldn't mind. It was always new, and a little exciting. Neji would give her critiques, and might even grace her with a compliment. Neji was more of a teacher than her own sensei, but he was just a loyal teammate, and she admired him greatly for that.

That still didn't make her lucky. She considered the lucky ones to have parents and teachers to guide them on their paths to greatness. Tenten didn't have a set path, and had no clue what the end of that path looked like, or what it would mean. She was walking the road far less traveled by. Not that she minded, because she was stronger for it, having played the cards she was dealt, and playing a damn good game at that! But every now and again the uncertainty of her potential would present itself.

Tenten was not graced with the luck of a true teacher. At least not yet.