Disclaimer: "Naruto" is property of Masashi Kishimoto, Studio Pierrot, Viz Media, etc.
In Full Bloom
"Training?"
"Yes!"
Although Lee was not the conniving sort, Tenten had suspected something was up when he invited her out for dango. She had barely bitten into one of the glutinous spheres when he told her he wished to help her train.
She gave him a weary look as she chewed, and swallowed when she found the right words. "I think Guy-sensei's regimens are enough for me. Besides, I also work with Neji sometimes."
"Ah!" Lee raised a knowing index finger. "But it seems to me that those sessions with Neji are more beneficial to him than to you. I have heard you say that he has been able to block all your attacks. That must mean that these days your moves are no longer effective."
Tenten twitched at the way Lee posed her situation with Neji. "Hey…"
"You need more passion, Tenten! Passion to work hard and get stronger! Oh, but there also needs to be some healthy competition! I think it would be best if you picked a rival to motivate you – the way Guy-sensei has Kakashi-sensei."
One of the last things Tenten wanted was to be more like Guy-sensei, but Lee wouldn't back down unless she gave him a name. With a sigh, she answered, "Well… I've always wanted a rematch with Temari."
Lee's eyes lit up. He could understand why Tenten would choose the Sand girl. Her match with Temari during the chuunin exams had not favoured her, to say the least. "Ohh! Temari, ehh…"
"But…" Tenten cut in, "there is someone else I'd like to have a match with." She paused for a moment, and then said, "Haruno Sakura."
"Sakura!?" Lee shouted, nearly reeling from surprise. "Why would you want to fight Sakura?"
She merely answered, "I have my reasons," and pulled off the last dango on her skewer.
Lee sat staring at her, wondering what could have brought Tenten to consider battling precious Sakura. He couldn't recall a time when Tenten might have been offended by her. Perhaps it happened when he wasn't around. For his teammate to want Sakura as a rival though…
"Okay, then!" Lee stood and pumped his arms. "Temari would be a good choice, but seeing as how Sakura lives in the village, she will be your opponent!"
Tenten frowned. "What? I'm not seriously going to have her as a rival. I only told you her name so you'd stop pestering me about it."
"But it is perfect! We will start your training right away!"
"I don't want to." Tenten refused to discuss the matter any further, instead turning her attention back to the dish of dango beside her.
Disappointed by her lack of enthusiasm, Lee's shoulders sagged as he watched her eat. He needed to say something that would convince her to train… "You know, Tenten, I have noticed lately during missions you often require Neji or me to assist you. While you do not drag us down in any way, perhaps you could benefit from more strength and endurance training."
Whenever Lee and Guy got worked up over missions or something as trivial as a simple journey home, Tenten and Neji would usually ignore them. This, on the other hand, was a totally different matter. She scowled and retorted, "What are you saying, Lee? You think I'm weak?"
The boy hadn't planned on Tenten getting so upset, and he raised his hands in defense. "N-No, of course not! I am merely pointing out some shortfalls that you could –"
"Shortfalls, are they?" She picked up a few clean skewers and malevolently held them between her fingers like throwing needles.
"Tenten, please! There's no need to overre– Ack!" Lee bent backward to avoid the skewers being whipped in his direction.
"Come on, Lee! You're the one who wanted to train, right?"
"Yes, but – wait! Those still have dango on them!"
"Then it's a good thing you're paying!"
Lee bolted up before she had a chance to release another onslaught upon him. When Tenten swung, the dango flew off the skewers, missing the intended target. They did, however, strike someone else.
The sweet dango rolled off the Special Jounin's clothes to hit the dirt, and she looked at them as though she were seeing a group of murdered baby chicks.
"Anko-sensei!" Tenten was utterly embarrassed that her temper caused her to tarnish a jounin. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for those to hit you!"
Anko's gaze shot up from the poor treats to Tenten, and the young girl found herself face to face with the severest glare she'd ever witnessed. "How dare you waste perfectly good dango!"
Tenten took a step back when Anko stormed toward her, and arched back when the jounin swung a fist across.
"Hold still, dango-head!"
"Dango-head??" Tenten didn't have time to contemplate this nickname as Anko came at her, intent on landing a blow of some sort. While Tenten managed to dodge, Anko's movements grew increasingly brutal, and soon the genin turned on her heel to run. Of course, Anko wasn't one to let her prey escape her.
'This is ridiculous!' Tenten thought as she ran. 'I can't believe I'm being chased by a jounin just because I –'
"Tenten, look out!" she heard Lee warn from a distance; but it wasn't until she looked up that she saw the wooden plank.
- - -
A dull pain splayed across her head and face as she regained consciousness. She didn't open her eyes, but heard the voices around her – two awfully loud voices.
"So it's your fault this happened to our darling Tenten!"
"Haah? There were some other factors if you would recall."
"But if you weren't chasing her she wouldn't have injured herself!"
Tenten groaned at the noise, now recalling how she ended up in this condition. Her vision was slightly blurred as she lifted her eyelids, but soon focused on two look-a-like males who were leaning on either side of her bed.
"Tenten!" they both cried, causing her to wince.
A medic walked into the room and scolded, "You two, please keep it down or I'll have to ask you to leave!"
Lee and his sensei humbly apologized and moved aside so the medic could check Tenten's status. "How are you feeling?" she asked.
"I'm okay," replied Tenten, though still a bit dazed.
"Do you remember what happened?"
"Sort of…"
"It's because of her, right, Tenten?" Guy pointed beside him at Anko, who grimaced at the accusation.
Rather than snap back at him, Anko calmed herself and looked at Tenten to address her. "I'm sorry about before. I shouldn't have gotten so riled up and… you know."
"Tried to hit her," supplied Lee.
Through clenched teeth Anko grated out, "Yes, thank you…"
"I'm sorry too. It was immature of me to throw food like that."
Anko nodded and stepped back to leave. "Okay, see you around then. Don't go slamming into anything else," she teased, which lead to Guy unnecessarily coming to Tenten's defense, and Anko shutting the door behind her to drown out his voice.
The medic had begun preparing a cold compress for Tenten while hse explained her condition. "Alright, Tenten. You have a slight bump on the head as a result of the collision but your forehead protector took the brunt of the blow. Still, I'm going to ask that you stay overnight for observation."
Tenten sighed but expressed her understanding of the situation. Lee wished for her to get well soon so they could begin her youthful training, and Tenten didn't even bother rolling her eyes. Guy left her with his own overemotional well-wishes before the medic scooted him out.
Their departure left the room strangely quiet, so her thoughts took over and played clearly in her head. She couldn't have imagined that when she woke this morning she would be spending the night in the hospital; all because Lee had slighted her skills… Tenten turned to where her headband laid on the medical cart.
Even before enrolling in the Ninja Academy, Tenten wanted to be a kunoichi. She remembered the pride she felt when she graduated and received her forehead protector. Soon the students were placed in their respective teams, and it came as a surprise when she found herself grouped with the year's number one rookie and the student who could use neither ninjutsu nor genjutsu. Their assigned squad leader turned out to be quite the character as well.
During their first meeting as a team, Guy-sensei had asked them what their goals were since becoming genin. Tenten had been the first to answer – the first to answer… but over time the least zealous. Neji was already the number one rookie, a genius, member of the Hyuga clan and formerly driven by his animosity toward the main branch. Lee was determined to become a splendid shinobi using only taijutsu, and spurred on by Guy's words. As for Tenten, what did she have? A penchant for weaponry… the desire to become a great kunoichi like Tsunade… what did she need to do to achieve that? Despite herself, she felt Guy-sensei's words ring in her heart:
Passion… and healthy competition…
- - -
Preparing for her morning lessons was the easy part. All she had to do was place the proper seal on the parchment and retrieve the animal she would be practicing on. The actual sessions were when her skillful control of chakra was put to the test. It had only been a few months, but Sakura was finally getting the hang of performing simple healing.
She was in a particularly good mood this morning as just recently she had become senpai to Ino, something which the other girl displayed clear irritation toward. Humming to herself, Sakura placed a sheet of parchment on the table, intending to get a bout of practice in before Tsunade and Ino's arrival.
"Sakura!"
The girl turned at the sound of her name being called from the entrance. If she was startled by the sudden call, she was even more so by the person she found framed in the doorway. "… Tenten?"
The kunoichi of Team Guy was stoic. Deftly lifting an arm and pointing at her, she declared, "Haruno Sakura – starting today you are my rival!"
A/N: The point with Sakura is because I read in a character profile book translation that she's one of Tenten's desired opponents. Even if that's not true, I believe it's an interesting idea.
I think I depicted Tenten as less passionate and maybe more impatient than she actually is, but oh well...