Authors Note:
This is my first story in a while so please be kind, and don't be too harsh. Neji and Tenten are one of my all-time favorite couples of Naruto, and if people enjoy this story I will definitely continue as soon as I can. Please leave your opinions how you like this story so far, thank you!
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Chapter 1: Starting Anew
Tenten let her brown eyes close for a second, trying to adjust her breathing. Her body was shaking with adrenaline, and she tried her best to attempt to stay calm. Her arms were on fire, from blocking the many blows thrown at her. She could feel the sweat pouring down her back, and was sure she was soaked. She laughed softly, opening her eyes once again, being met with those blank lilac eyes that belonged to the Hyuga clan. She laughed softly, exhaustion even more apparent now.
She wiped her forehead and nodded "Alright Hinata, that's enough for today. You've really improved with your hand to hand combat, you're a really fast study".
Tenten had been flattered when the blue haired kunoichi had sought her out to help her with some hand to hand combat, even though Tenten didn't think she really needed it. People often saw Hinata as the weaker Hyuga, but she didn't think so. Hinata definitely had power behind her blows, and she had a graceful, yet lethal way of moving in battle. The only thing her friend lacked was confidence, but she was sure it would build up over time. Especially with a certain blonde ninja, who was currently off training.
Despite the fact that Hinata hadn't even exchanged a thousand words with the blonde ninja, Tenten could tell her friend was eagerly anticipating his return. Tenten wondered if Naruto would notice the way Hinata had grown taller, and filled out more. Hinata had always been beautiful, but her changes were apparent. Especially to the male population, who practically threw themselves at her like dogs.
Tenten never really had problems when it came to being pestered by the male population, she always felt like she was 'one of the guys'. She had always been easily able to relate to her male counterparts easily, especially due to the fact that she loved weaponry. She had decided at an early age that was going to train hard in order to meet the male standards of the art of being a ninja.
There were of course no written guidelines in the differences between the skills of male and female ninjas, but it was obviously apparent that a lot of male ninjas had the upper hand. Tenten had been beyond ecstatic when Lady Tsunade became the new Hokage, and hoped she would one day match up to her strength eventually. She had always admired the legendary Sannin and had praised her for her skills, and lethality. When Tenten was younger she had vowed to follow in her footsteps, and also become a medical-nin. However Tenten quickly realized that she had neither the chakra control, nor the skills to do so.
Instead Tenten had swayed from her original path, and perfected her weaponry and fuinjutsu skills. It had become more than a skill or job though, to the point where Tenten made it her mission to collect every single ninja weapon she could. It had become so bad that she even opened a ninja tool shop which she ran in her free time. Tenten watched as Hinata relaxed a bit at Tenten's words, and also sent her a soft smile.
"Thank you so much Tenten, I really like our training together. I do feel like of bad though, I feel like I'm taking you away from your team", she laughed a bit nervously, and Tenten shook her head immediately.
A few strands of her bangs fell into her face, and Tenten moved them behind her ear. She had recently changed her hair a bit from her usual style. It was still in buns, but they were now braided. Her hair also came together in the back of her in a braid, which stopped at her shoulders. Tenten had been a bit hesitant to change her hair style at first, but she quickly received compliments from many of her coworkers, and this made her feel more at ease.
She had also exchanged her usual clothes for a white sleeveless, high-collared qipao dress with red trimmings, and a pink flame pattern on the left, tied with a maroon obi. She also wore a pair of black fishnet stockings, and black high-heeled boots which stopped just below her knees. She wore a pair of black scrolls around her wrist like bangles, and had two green and light grey scrolls strapped on her lower back, her forehead protector now around her neck.
Tenten had decided she needed a more grown up image, in order to match her skills. She wasn't a girly girl by any means, but she did enjoy looking more feminine. It also gave her an advantage in fighting, because her looks would surprise her opponents. She knew it was easy for people to perceive a more feminine looking female as weak, and Tenten definitely enjoyed proving them wrong.
"No not at all, I train enough with those idiots. It's nice to be around a female once in a while, I'm tired of being around guys all the time" she laughed.
In all honesty, she really didn't mind. She enjoyed the company of her Team, and always thought amongst the ninja of Konoha, they were definitely some of the strongest. She groaned and stretched her tan arms above her head, groaning as she heard cracking. Her muscles were sore and she could feel her neck and back tensing up. "I need a hot bath" she murmured, attempting to rub out a kink in her neck. Her brown eyes traveled over to Hinata again, who nodded agreeing. "That sounds like a good idea, I'm going to go head home to do that as well.
"U-Um I was wondering if..." Tenten raised an eyebrow as she watched the Hyuga struggle for the right words.
Hinata was always so reserved and hesitant to share her feelings, whereas Tenten had always said whatever crossed her mind. She cared little about making people uncomfortable, and cared even less for offending people. Tenten didn't really let anything bother her, and she always made an effort to respect people's opinions and beliefs. Of course she slipped up like anyone else, and sometimes judged people wrongfully. There were only a few people who were ever able to get under her skin, and sometimes her team mates belonged to that category.
"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with Ino, Sakura, and me later. We were planning on doing some shopping and grabbing dinner. I know it's not really you're thing or anything…but I'd just figure I'd invited you".
Tenten let out a soft sigh, biting her bottom lip. Her brown eyes moved over to scan a few trees which were moving slightly in the breeze. Her thoughts drifted from a moment. She realized it was a bit chilly, and had almost forgotten what time of the year it was. It was already October, the year had come to an end so fast. Tenten had been so distracted with training that she hadn't even kept track of the months. Time had passed so rapidly, and it quickly dawned on Tenten that she was getting older. Sure she wasn't even past twenty yet, but she definitely wasn't the youngest person either anymore. Training definitely took its toll on her, making her feel even older than she was. She then turned her attention back to Hinata, who was patiently waiting for an answer.
"That sounds good, I'd be happy to hang out with you and the girls", she shrugged. "I'm almost around guys so much it's going to be nice to take a break, and just have a girl's night" she laughed.
She gasped as Hinata's pale arms snaked around her neck, her face pressing against Tenten's shoulder. She squeaked softly with happiness, and Tenten couldn't help but laugh at her friend's excitement. Tenten closed her arms around the hyuga, and rested her chin on her friends shoulder.
"I can't wait Tenten. I've been really hesitant about asking you to come out with us, but I always have so much fun training with you. I figured we could have just as much fun relaxing together, the other girls were super excited when I brought up the idea of asking you to come with us too!" Tenten laughed once more and moved back, as her friend began to back away as well. Tenten smiled softly "I'm glad that the others are excited as well". "I'm going to go take a shower and change, we're going to meet up around 1700. Is that fine?" she asked softly, and Tenten nodded.
Tenten was a little astonished that was the most she heard Hinata say in a row. Hinata smiled softly and began walking off, turning back to wave and exclaim a "see ya", which Tenten reciprocated, a little less enthusiastically. Tenten wiped her forehead and sighed, picking up her kunai. She stored it away in her pouch, and began making her way to her apartment. She walked slowly, taking in the bustling scene in the usually serene town. For some reason everyone had decided to come out today, and the streets were busy with families and couples.
Tenten let her brown eyes wander, taking in the different people. She felt a soft pang in her chest, a bit jealous. Sure, Tenten didn't need a relationship. It would be nice to be able to have someone to be romantic with. She had Lee, who she easily was able to talk to. The two were like best friends, and even though she wished he was more mature sometimes…she appreciated him. There weren't many people Tenten held close, and he was definitely one of them. Then there was Neji…she let out an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes. Damn Neji….he confused her sometimes. He was so cold, and wordless most of the time. He was almost as quiet as his cousin, and yet…when he did say something, it was always in confidence. He was so intelligent, even if Tenten hated to admit it. If she ever said it out loud, she knew it would go straight to his far too large ego. He already knew that she respected him though, it was easy enough to see. He had great skill as a ninja, and had always had no trouble when it came to training…or studying. Sometimes Tenten wished she had his drive. Sure, she was driven.
She definitely had stamina, but she got easily bored. She hated repeating the same bothersome set of movements, or actions. He however would work endlessly, until he perfected whatever he was trying to work on. Tenten kicked the ground in front of her with a soft groan, her mood dropping slightly at the thought of Neji. She wasn't stupid of course, she had eyes. He was gorgeous no doubt, and she wasn't the only female who had noticed. Similar to Hinata's situation, women threw themselves at Neji as well. How could they not? There was something sexy about his mysterious, and cold nature.
She knew females were probably dying to break past his icy armor, and just discover what he was like underneath. Tenten, and Lee knew better than anyone of course. As much as Nejij tried to be cold, he cracked sometimes. He showed a softer, kinder side of him. He showed just how much her cared about his team, and has spent endless hours training with them. He showed concern when one of them was wounded in battle, and wouldn't often ask them how they were doing during stressful situations. Tenten truly appreciated that side of him, and she enjoyed when he let his walls down…even if just for a little.
She had realized that she had a crush on the taller, older Hyuga when she was still younger. During one of their missions she had been wounded, and Neji tended to her for several minutes. He bandaged her wounds and had carried her all the way back to Konoha, all due to her stubbornness in battle. She had refused to give up and had come close to death, but she did take out the enemy. Tenten hardly ever thought her feelings over, and she sure as hell didn't talk about it. She was too prideful to ever admit the way she felt about him, and she tried her best to act normal around him.
Considering she had realized her crush years ago, she obviously was doing a good job. Neji really didn't act much different toward her, even after she had changed her outfit…even after she had filled out more, she was still just a little sister to the older Hyuga. Sometimes it hurt her, but she would accept it. She would take anything she could get, their friendship was far too important to her. She couldn't destroy what was built up over years of trust, training, and rigorous missions. She finally arrived at her apartment and made her way up the metal stairs, reaching into her pouch to grab her key.
Her door unlocked with a soft 'click' and she entered. She took off her shoes at the door, and put on her slippers. She made her way to the bathroom immediately, and turned on the water. She would follow through with her earlier wishes, and take a bath. She winced as she began to peel off her dress, and let it fall off her shoulders. She began to undo her bindings and let them join her dirty clothes as well, and began to move her sore muscle. She caught sight of herself in the mirror, and glanced at her naked reflection. She definitely wasn't as well-endowed in her chest area as Hinata, but she wasn't small either.
She definitely had nice size boobs, she turned sideways a bit to take a look at her flat stomach. She traced the lines of her abs and grinned softly, she definitely took pride in how fit she was. She turned more sideways and looked at her legs, they were strong. She grinned softly as she caught sight of her butt, where she was definitely well endowed. She had always taking pride in her strong legs that were littered with bruises.
She took a look at her back, which was covered with lean muscle. She winced at the sight of an especially big bruised between her shoulder blades. Tenten began to unwind her muscles starting with her hands and moved all the way down to her feet. She began unwinding them slowly, trying her best to ignore the sharp pains moving up her body. She really needed a vacation, she thought softly. She mused over the idea for a second, what if she did take a few days off? She wouldn't even know what to do with herself, she'd probably just end up staying at home and cleaning her weapons.
She turned off the water and dipped a foot in slowly, sighing at the warm water beginning to relax her muscle. She laid down into the tub and let her head rest against the edge of the tub, closing her brown eyes. She couldn't wait to feel her soft bed under hear, sleep was practically calling her name. She groaned loudly, opening her eyes. She did agree to hang out with the other kunoichi, and right now she was regretting it. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad though, she did rarely ever go out for fun.