[Blindsided]: (verb) to catch (someone) unprepared; attack from an unexpected position. She was seeking an escape, and he, redemption. Neither of them expected to need one another. [GaaTen, minor ShikaTema]
Chapter 1.
Note: It's really been a while since I've ever written anything… I was bent with all these thoughts and needed to find a way to make my ideas come to life. So now, I'm trying to get back into writing, and the first step is to come back to this site to let my thoughts run free. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: Naruto is solely the property of Masashi Kishimoto. I did make up the names of Tenten's students.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
Here she was standing in the Hokage's office, a room that she once thought was extremely big, all of a sudden just… shrunk right before her very eyes.
Loud, boisterous voices intervened, commenting on the "joyfulness of youth", and she couldn't help but consciously twinge. In the back corner, she could hear someone sighing and muttering what a drag this whole thing was. Out of the periphery of her eye she could see a shadow of a person looking down on her. 'Why of all times do I have to be seeing him, even though he's clearly not here.' She blinked twice in an attempt of getting the image out of her line of vision.
"Yes, I'm sure," she responded in the most confident voice she could muster.
"Tenten, you have been mandated to Sunagakure, effective immediately. Your responsibilities will include being liaison to Suna and Konoha, to continue to foster the relation between our two villages, as well as to help with the reestablishment of Suna's ninja academy," the Rokudaime Hokage spoke in a clear voice. "You will be leaving with Temari, Kankuro and the Kazekage to Suna tomorrow morning. Is there any objection?"
Before anyone could interject, she quickly shook her head, bowed and left the room.
She didn't know why she wanted to do this.
Was it because she craved for something new? Since the end of the war, it seemed as though there were less missions to go on, less weapons to create and sell… Less of all the things that gave her a reason to live.
Could it be that her friends were all in relationships? Naruto and Hinata had gotten married in recent months, and an increasing amount of her friends were all dating or engaged. She could hardly walk down a street without seeing happy couples walking hand-in-hand.
Maybe it was due to the guilt she felt seeing her former sensei in a wheelchair. How could it be that in such times of turmoil, her former teacher and teammate would always be beacons of optimism. Many hours were spent watching Gai-sensei go through hours of physical therapy and training sessions with Lee.
Lee. How could she leave him in times like this? The poor guy had been through so much, as each of his motivators had either moved on, emotionally and physically. Sakura was content with Sasuke in whatever 'relationship' they had, and Gai-sensei spent his days confined to his wheelchair. She felt selfish requesting for such a drastic life change, as she would be leaving behind the man she considered her younger brother.
And then there was him. The reason that she felt that she was always falling. The man who gave her a reason to keep training harder, to keep improving as both a shinobi and person. She couldn't bear to say his name. No matter how many times she would ignore the raging thoughts about him in her mind, she would wake up in the middle of the night screaming and crying.
Why, of all people, did it have to be him?
"Yo, Gaara, why did you accept this request?" Kankuro lifted a scroll up, showing a moving request to relocate from Konoha to Suna.
"Hn."
"It's… Tenten? That girl that is always tagging along with the bowl cut guy? She's the one who is going to help Temari out?"
"Yeah."
"I didn't think she was that great of a kunoichi. I mean, people are going to be talking and comparing her to Temari, which I mean…"
"If you have nothing else better to say, then don't bother speaking at all," Gaara responded in a clipped tone. "We are in Konoha, and while we are here, we must respect the village and the people living in it."
"Wow little bro, you sound like such a Kazekage right now… good thing that you got the job over me and Temari. I'm genuinely impressed!" Kankuro was multitasking between reading the scroll and tweaking one of his puppets. "Look, I didn't mean to be super straightforward like that, but I mean, being the ambassador between Suna and Konoha is a big responsibility. When I think of Tenten, I think of when Temari whupped her ass so hard in the Chuunin exams, and how she was always clinging onto fuzzy eyebrows and that guy with no eyes…"
"You mean Rock Lee and Hyuuga Neji," Gaara offhandedly mentioned, not looking up from his paperwork. "What's your point? We need someone for the job, and she's willing to work for it. I don't see an issue." His voice began to raise in volume, signaling for Kankuro to either talk about something different or to shut up completely.
Kankuro sighed and leaned back on his chair. "Well, I look forward to see what she can do. With Temari transitioning to Konoha to settle in with Shikamaru, Tenten is going to have big shoes to fill."
Tenten looked at her sparse apartment. It was completely empty, save for some pieces of furniture and some odd knick-knacks of less sentimental value. All of her important and treasured possessions were in her backpack, tucked away or sealed in scrolls.
She took a look at herself in the mirror that was affixed to the wall. She still had her signature twin buns, accompanied by intricate braids. Her style of dress remained relatively the same as well, wearing a Chinese-styled top with pants. She could never understand how her fellow kunoichi could wear skirts and fight effortlessly in battle; if anything, she would be more worried about the enemy seeing up her skirt than engaging in combat.
Even though she dressed the same, everything felt different. Her face had become more sallow, muscle mass was diminishing and she could see more skin and bone. Whatever youthfulness she had was gone- she was nothing more than a shadow of her former self.
If she hadn't been looking at the damned mirror. It was because she found herself staring at the mirror and not recognizing her reflection that was the catalyst that made her request to relocate. All because of her goddamn vanity and ego.
Before she knew it, the mirror had shattered into pieces due to an unsuspecting kunai being thrown from her hand.
"Dammit," she cursed, inwardly panicking while quickly cleaning up the pieces. Suddenly, she heard a gentle knock and a door slowly opening. "Tenten, are you here?" a voice slowly spoke, "I wanted to see you off before you go onto your next glorious endeavor!"
He turned to Tenten's bedroom and saw her, knelt down and picking up pieces of mirror glass with her hands. There were small cuts beginning to form on her hand, and she looked up at him listlessly.
"Oh, Tenten…" Lee left the room, looking for a broom and dustpan. Once he came back into the room, he quickly cleaned up the rest of the pieces on the floor and threw out the remnants of the mirror on the wall. Meanwhile, Tenten was performing a simple healing jutsu on herself. While she would normally let it just heal naturally, she didn't want Lee to worry even more so than he was now. Watching the subtle glow of green as she was healing her hands reminded her of her former self when she desired to become Tsunade and be the strongest medic-nin in her generation. And all she could do was heal a few shallow surface cuts.
How things change.
Once they had finished cleaning up and Tenten had done a last minute sweep of the apartment, Lee looked at her and extended his hand.
"Shall we visit our friend before your departure?"
Early in the morning, the Sand Siblings were walking around the village one last time before their departure back to their home. The sun had risen, the bright oranges and reds casting a glow upon the village as the Land of Fire.
"So Temari, are you ready to call this your new home?" Kankuro asked, lightly elbowing his older sister. "You ready to settle down with shadow-boy and spend the rest of your life playing Shogi and looking at clouds all day?"
"Shut up already, Kankuro! You're so annoying!" Temari snapped back, while blushing at the thought that she would be spending the rest of her life with Shikamaru. There was a lot that needed to be done before the engagement could be official, with Temari being an important figure in Suna and Shikamaru rising in ranks within Konoha and the Nara clan. But the thought of settling down had her looking forward to the future.
While the two older siblings were playfully arguing, Gaara fixated on two people running across the street holding hands- a man donning bright green spandex and a young woman with a large backpack and scroll on her back and flowers in her hand. From afar, he could hear the young woman complain about running and holding hands, but was unable to shake off the man's enthusiasm in reaching their destination.
"OH GREAT ONE, TODAY WE ARE HERE TO SAY GOODBYE TO OUR BELOVED TENTEN WHO IS LEAVING FOR HER NEXT BIG JOURNEY TO THE LAND OF WIND!"
"OI, LEE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"Oh, Tenten, I'm simultaneously telling the heavens and Neji to watch over you as you are about to embark on an adventure by yourself!"
Another voice cleared their throat and began shouting with a similar intensity, "YES, LEE, THAT IS IT ! WE MUST SHOUT TO THE HEAVENS TO MAKE SURE THE SPIRITS CAN HEAR US AND CAN GUIDE TENTEN!"
"Ahhhh Gai-sensei… Lee… It's too early in the morning for this…" Tenten rubbed the back of her head, mentally preparing for the headache that would soon emerge.
With the war, there were many casualties- some whose bodies were found and brought back home, and others that would be remain scattered on the battlegrounds. All those who had lost their lives in the great wars had an individual plaque in remembrance for their sacrifice and loyalty to their nation.
While Hinata and Naruto had ensured Neji's body be brought to Konoha, Tenten never had any closure in regards to Neji's passing. Out of all the people that fought alongside with her, she hadn't expected Neji to lose his life. She never got a chance to say goodbye.
Gai-sensei looked at Tenten and could see the tears starting to threatening to fall from her eyes. "Lee," he spoke in a hushed tone, "perhaps this time we should leave our lovely Tenten alone to speak to beloved Neji." He began to head out, looked back at Tenten and mentioned that he and Lee would be waiting by the entrance whenever she was ready. Lee gripped her shoulder and went to follow their former teacher.
Tenten looked at the plaque and laid down the flowers she had bought in front of it. "Neji… There are so many things I want to say to you… but you're not here to reprimand me, and it's not the same anymore." She sniffed and cleared her throat.
"Neji, I… I'm relocating to Sunagakure. Temari and Shikamaru are going to get engaged and married, so I decided to move to see how I can help… no, that's not it." She mentally berated herself for lying, and took a deep breath before continuing her thought. "I'm moving because I need a change in my life- everyone around me is settling down and here I am still itching for another mission… no, that's not quite it either." She closed her eyes and tried to think of a way to reword her jumbled thoughts.
"Neji, I am moving to Sunagakure," She attempted to speak more confidently. "I need a change in my life. I'm sure you've seen it- Hinata and Naruto are happily married, Ino and Sai are together, so are Shikamaru and Temari… Heck, even Choji and Karui are dating! It's not that I'm jealous of them, I know what you would say to that… I don't have the time to be jealous and should dedicate my efforts to improving my craft. But… I don't feel like I'm on the same page as everyone else. Everyone else is looking forward to times of peace and relaxation, and I'm still reliving moments of the war in my mind over and over again… it's on an infinite loop that I can't shake off."
She took a deep breath and knelt down in front of the plaque. "So I decided to move. I know that Lee and Gai-sensei will take good care of you because I won't be able to visit as often. I'm sure that wherever you are, you are happy. Perhaps this is my fate- I'll learn more and find my own purpose. I'll be back to visit when I can!" Her fingertips grazed over the engraving on the plaque. "I miss you, Neji."
Tenten stood up and quickly pivoted. She resisted the urge to look back as she left the cemetery.
Not an hour later, three shinobi from the Land of Wind came walking by to the cemetery to pay their respects to those in the Allied Shinobi Forces who gave their lives to the war. One in particular had noticed a simple bouquet of flowers lying on top of one of the headstones.
Similar to the one that he had seen a certain kunoichi clutching previously.
At last, it was time to finally say goodbye.
Tenten looked at all those in front of the Konoha entrance gates. At the front was Kakashi Hatake, the sixth Hokage, donning his kage robes and quietly speaking to Gaara. Behind Kakashi was Lee and Guy, tears streaming down their eyes.
She could see Sakura, Ino and Hinata gathered together, waving and well-wishing. Then there was Naruto who was jumping and shouting in typical Naruto fashion. She tried to laugh but couldn't muster the effort.
Shikamaru and Temari were whispering to one another, until he looked in Tenten's general direction, broke off his embrace with Temari and went over to Tenten, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "So it looks like you're really leaving, eh?" He hugged her, whispering, "take care of yourself. Temari can really pack a punch when you're not looking." Over the years, they had become good friends, as they were in charge of planning Chuunin exams, training genin and devising fighting strategies. While Tenten was nowhere as good as the 200 IQ genius, he was always open to her opinion, especially when it came to long-range fighting and weaponry, as well as the opportunity to play a decent game of Shogi.
"I'll miss you too, Shikamaru," Tenten whispered back. "I'll be back to visit when I can. Take care of them for me, please?" It went without saying that she was entrusting Shikamaru with Lee, Gai and Neji, the three most important people in her life.
Shikamaru nodded. "Of course. It'll be troublesome, but I'll do it."
Tenten was the first to leave the hug and walked over to the girls. She could see tears streaming from Sakura's, Ino's and Hinata's eyes. "Ne, I won't be gone for too long. I'll be back to visit from time to time, and we can always catch up!" Tenten tried her best to genuinely smile, even though her body was resisting.
All of a sudden, she could feel herself being forced into a group hug consisting of Ino, Sakura and Hinata, followed by Lee who just couldn't resist. To her, all of this formality was just prolonging her leaving.
As she turned to leave, she could feel tiny hands grabbing the hem of her pants. "Tenten-sensei… you won't be gone for too long will you?" She looked down to see her three students, Jun, Yukio and Shizko. She was training students at the academy and had created a team. Yukio was hugging her while trying not to cry, whereas Shizko had tears overflowing. Jun was a few steps behind his two teammates observing and trying to resist joining the hug.
"I…" Tenten didn't know where to start. She had realized that while this move was good for her, but she wouldn't have students to train in Konoha, and there no daily trainings with Lee and Gai. Her friends would be a three day journey away. Again, she couldn't help reflecting on her selfishness, that she could just easily leave everyone behind without any consequences.
"I want to introduce you to your new teacher!" Tenten looked to her students. "See that guy right there? That is the one and only Rock Lee…" hesitating for a moment before finishing her thought, "Konoha's Beautiful Green Wild Beast!" She tried to avoid cringing saying the nickname while everyone around her tried to stifle laughter, with Lee and Gai getting overly excited. "Lee will be taking over for me and will be overseeing your training. He was my former teammate back in the day, and I can guarantee you that you three will thrive!" She petted each of their heads and whispered for them to go to Lee.
She remained focused on her thoughts until a voice resounded, "It would be most advised to make the most of the daylight." Tenten looked up to see the Kazekage standing in front of her, with his arms crossed. 'Looks like that's my cue to head out,' she thought.
"Hai… of course." Tenten stood up and dusted off any dirt on her pants. "You are right, we should go." She waved to her friends one last time before following Temari, Gaara and Kankuro.
'Goodbye everyone.'
For three days they traveled, going from forest to forest, village to village, before they had reached their destination.
During those three days, Tenten had not said a single word to any of the siblings. At one point, Kankuro had tried to tease her and make practical jokes, but she hadn't laughed or retaliated. Temari was hinting about a possible rematch, but judging from the look on the brunette's face, she wasn't willing to fight.
Gaara looked back to where Tenten was. Throughout the journey, she remained three steps behind the siblings, and always seemed to be constantly on edge. Even after all these years and missions together, she couldn't be comfortable with them? He wouldn't blame her if she thought that she would have been attacked by any of them during their travels. After all, the three of them had such a menacing reputation, especially himself.
As they walked across Suna to the Kazekage building, Tenten couldn't help but notice the stares that the people on the streets were giving her. Did she really look that different? Would she never be able to belong in any surrounding she was in?
She continued walking until she bumped into someone's back. 'Dammit, first day here and I'm already acting clumsy, bumping into the Kazekage of all people! Tenten, get your shit together! Are you honestly that incompetent to look forwards when walking?'
"Um… gomen."
Gaara pivoted and looked her straight in the face. Those were the first words that she had spoken throughout this entire trip, and the second phrase that was addressed to him in the course of three days. Both Temari's and Kankuro's eyes widened at the exchange, if it could be even called that. Gaara and Tenten just looked at each other in silence, each trying to read the other person.
Until he broke the silence.
"Welcome to Suna, Tenten."
And that's it for the first chapter! Hopefully it was a sufficient intro giving some context as to what will be happening to our lovely Tenten in upcoming chapters…
Writing about pairings such as these give me a challenge. Regardless of its popularity and whether it's canon or not, it's always fun to dabble and think about what kind of scenarios these characters will find themselves in!
Heads up: it's been awhile since I've read the chapters/watched episodes, so some of my details are foggy. I'll try and keep this as close to the main storyline as possible, perhaps minor AU at most...
Please review! I would love to hear people's thoughts!