"How come that you do everything to get a kunai set but you can't even throw them properly." Itachi hissed annoyed. They've been at it for three hours and she still cannot hit the target. Or the tree. Her kunais flew in the bushes or sometimes don't even make it far enough.
"Excuse me but I never said that I have experience!"
"You don't need experience to throw something." He murmured and walked up to her.
He used one of his kunais to stand next to her and showed her the movement she is supposed to do. "Don't cramp. Stay at ease and don't use your wrist too much."
Carefully she tried the movements out a few times and then tried again with her kunai but again no luck.
Itachi stood behind her and smiled a bit. "Alright. May I correct your pose?"
"Sure." she agreed unworried. Itachi turned her hips a bit to the left, pushed her feet in the right direction and grabbed her right wrist. "You do it like this.", he whispered in her ear and performed the movement with her together. Tenten blushed a little bit but was otherwise surprised to see that she had hit the target for the first time.
"Wow! I did it."
Itachi smiled amused at her excitement. "It's no bullseye." Tentens happiness disappeared as fast as a snap with her fingers.
In fact, it wasn't the middle but it wasn't the outer regions either. Maybe Itachi thought of her as nuisance. A harsh feeling started to scratch in her empty stomach. Tenten had asked Itachi to teach her because he seemed nice and calm… and not disgusted by her being an orphan. But maybe she had been wrong about him. Maybe he had pity with her because she had no clan and no genkai unlike him.
Itachi watched her reaction and saw an upcoming devastation in her eyes. "Tenten." He kneeled in front of her and smiled kindly. "It's no bullseye but for a six-year-old it was very good."
The smile on her face almost exploded and her happy shriek could've destroyed his eardrums.
"Alright. Alright!" He tried to calm her laughing. "How about we try that again a few times? Let's leave the shuriken for now."
"Yes, Itachi-Sensei!"
"Shuriken. Left."
"Yes."
"Kunai. Middle."
"Yes."
"Shuriken. Middle."
"Yes!"
"Shuriken. Right."
"Yes."
Itachi watched how Tenten followed his orders without asking. He wasn't surprised. They've been training for a month now and her improvements were fast. They didn't meet often enough since Itachi had missions, his own training and Sasuke to play with at home but Tenten didn't mind. As a matter of fact, Itachi never talked about his family just like Tenten won't talk about the orphanage. She just came to train and to talk about everyday stuff.
"Your accuracy is getting better but it still looks like you're hitting by chance."
Her kunai and shuriken all hit the target but it seemed random. Especially the shuriken were still a difficulty for her. Panting she nodded and went to gather her few weapons. She knew that throwing accurate and not missing a target was one of the most important things as a shinobi. Many shinobis lacked in the that department.
"We'll do it again." He commanded and stood out of her throwing range.
They were using three of Itachis targets and placed them to Tentens front, left and right. Tenten knew she had underestimated target practice but with Itachis help she really wanted to bet good at it.
While Itachi fired his commands at her he watched the sweat on her face and her spasming muscles in her arms. Her fingers seemed to be hurting from her tight grip and her knees were trembling. She was still a little girl with many dreams and full of ambition but she wasn't the little girl he met a month ago. She already was stronger.
Unlike him Tenten was no child who has seen war and violence. Her generation wasn't free from pain however they didn't know what they dodged. Itachi envied her and her peaceful memories. He knew that her nightmares weren't tainted with war, blood and rape.
Tenten lay on the ground in the forest. It was the clearing in which Itachi and her trained six hours three times a week. He told her days ago that he wouldn't teach her any ninjutsus or genjutsus. Tenten had been hurt after hearing this but she had swallowed the pain and smiled. She acted like it was fine and tried to stay aloof. Still she knew that he had a great clan and he probably wasn't allowed to teach a commoner chakra involved jutsus.
The young girl knew that Itachi Uchiha was the prodigy of the Uchiha clan and the genius of Konoha. No one had been as skilled as him at his age. The youngest Chuunin in the history of shinobi and Tenten knew becoming a Jounin could happen any day.
They have been training for a few months now. Tentens accuracy was now at 89% and he wasn't satisfied with it. Her shuriken accuracy was lower but Tenten hated shuriken so she didn't really care about them, unlike him.
Training with Itachi was her greatest secret ever. Nobody knew about this and if she was honest nobody cared. In the orphanage the adults were too busy to look after every child, Tenten knew it and relieved the adults with her absence.
Since the days are getting colder she didn't train as much as she would like to. In the beginning she trained every day and practiced her grip for her two weapons before she went to bed. But the last days have gotten grey and cold so Tenten lost a good chunk of motivation. Maybe she should go to the library and read about princess Tsunade to remind herself why she was doing this.
Rustling bushes got her attention she jumped from the floor and hold the kunai in front of her. Itachi had told her how to hit someone from distance. Distance was important because she was still small and lacked in strength. Tense she stood in the middle of the clearing ready to throw her weapons at whoever was about to get here.
It couldn't be Itachi because he was still on his mission. He told her he would be gone for a week.
Licking her lips anxiety started to spread from her stomach. What if it was an animal? Or a big ugly man? Itachi had told her to be careful near big man.
A tiny hand appeared between the bushes and a small boy tumbled into the clearing. He was younger than Tenten maybe a year or two and he wore clothes with the same fan as Itachi did. The boy looked at her kunai and then at her face with wide innocent eyes.
"Who…"
"Sasuke, you shouldn't run away in a forest."
Now Itachi appeared and the small boy started to run to him. "Nii-san!"
Tenten blinked confused. Itachi had a brother. Maybe they should talk more.
"Itachi-Sensei…"
The young Chuunin looked up and smiled at Tenten. "I knew you would be here. I finished my mission earlier. This is my little brother Sasuke. Sasuke say hello to Tenten"
The girl looked at the mentioned little brother with curious eyes. Deep in her thoughts she let the kunai disappear with a twirling movement around her index finger and smiled politely. "Hello! My name is Tenten!"
"Congratulations Tenten!"
Itachi smiled at the young girl and shook her hand. "I knew you would get into the academy without any problems."
"Thanks to you, Itachi-Sensei!" It was spring and the new year in the academy had begun. Tentens class was full of many different children. Some children she knew from the playground and other were completely new to her. Like that Hyuuga boy. Intense eyes like his are not easy to forget. He was so uptight and quiet, Tenten hated that he was cute.
"I am so excited to show them how good I am at target practice. My accuracy is almost 100%!"
Smiling Itachi listened to her gushing about her new class and her teacher. The girls seem to be a little difficult to befriend with but Tenten seemed to get along with the boys better anyway. All the theory in class was boring to her and Itachi saved that information to get her a few books for school.
"And my new home is so big! And it's all mine!"
She loved her new apartment and spent her first allowance on candy and junk food. Itachi had smiled worriedly but didn't had the heart to lecture her about it. She seemed so happy and careless about everything.
"It is only a matter of time before I'll be like the great princess Tsunade."
Itachi smirked at that since it wasn't the first time he heard about that. Tsunade here and Tsunade there. Everyone knew about princess Tsunade and many girls worship her but Tenten was the first he ever met to actively see her as a role model. He really hoped that Tenten could master healing jutsus just as well.
"I am so happy, Itachi-Sensei." Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes were shiny. She spread her arms and spun in a circle.
Itachi really hadn't seen her this happy since she managed four bullseyes in a row. She had been so happy and proud that he tried to send her home in fear she couldn't concentrate anymore. But the happier Tenten was the better her accuracy and the sadder she was… Fortunately that only happened on her birthday. Itachi didn't know what had bugged her on that day but he didn't ask just like she didn't ask why he was so moody sometimes.
"Alright let us train before I give you your present."
"Present?!" His eardrums hadn't been the same since he met her.
"Yes present. Give me twenty bullseyes and you will get another!"
Tenten laughed happily and winked at him. "You'll regret that Sensei!"
Jumping and throwing. Running and throwing.
If it was a kunai or a shuriken.
It the target was above her or below her or on her level.
She never actually missed. Itachi had to step up the training sessions. Now as a part of ANBU his time was short but Tenten didn't mind unlike Sasuke. Sometimes Itachi wanted to quit ANBU and become a Jounin. Maybe he could become Tentens Sensei for real.
"Already five bullseyes in!" she yelled grinning.
Itachi smiled at her form while watching her growing talent. Maybe he could stay and save everyone.
He was kind of surprised to see her. He didn't bet on it because his mission had been longer than expected. Finding Akatsuki hadn't been easy but he did find them and Orochimaru with them. His life was mess right now. It was hard and difficult to keep up the appearances but his father didn't notice any change. Shisui and Sasuke were a different matter…
Sighing he watched her train and observed her accuracy. She was up to 99% her shuriken accuracy was still lower but not worse than 95%. He was so proud of her he wished he could show everyone how good his pupil got in less than a year. But as far as Konoha was concerned he should've killed his entire family months ago.
"Look who managed to see me." Sassiness. Something new. Must be from her new friends in the academy. Still he couldn't be offended in any way, he should've told her that he would be gone for an extended period. His ANBU position made many things and planning impossible now.
"You came very far in your training, Tenten."
The young girl walked up to him and looked him in his dark eyes. His first instinct was to look away in order to protect her. "Tenten I had to…"
"What is wrong with you?" she asked not accusingly however she seemed to be quite worried and unnerved. "Did something happen?"
He blinked surprise and shook his head slowly. "Why?" he wondered.
Feeling the lie had her heart clenching in rapid movements. Her stomach felt empty and her head got a good ache. Suppressing all these emotions, she pressed her lips together and turned her back to him. "Your eyes don't shine." She said calmly and got two kunais in each of her index fingers in a twirling motion out of her pouch.
Itachi watched her doing twirling movements with kunais like she is killing time. His eyes don't shine? All these dark and evil things he must do and keep as a secret are showing. Out of all the signs it had to be his eyes.
Sighing he watched her and called out to her in a calm voice. "I really hope you actually trained in my absence and not just practiced your twirl."
Tenten looked at him over her shoulders and smiled cunningly. "But it looks so cool!"
Yes, he didn't show up for long time and now that he is back his eyes are dull. Tenten is worried and feels it deep in her heart that she is losing her Sensei.
"Where have you been?!"
"On a mission."
"You lie! My teacher at the academy told us that Chuunins don't go on missions which take longer than two weeks!"
"But I did."
"Liar! Liar! Lying Liar!"
"Tenten."
"If you don't want me as your student why don't you just say so?!"
Silence.
Her puffed cheeks were red and her eyes simmered in anger.
Itachi was tired. Shisuis death had hit him hard. Death didn't stop after the war or better the war hadn't end back then – not for the Uchihas. In Konoha war was still going strong. People were dying and more was to come.
"Tenten. Show me your accuracy."
"It is 100 freaking percent."
"Show me."
Training with Tenten always reminded him that the younger generations were full of hope and joy and ambition. The adults and the Hokage should protect them all but they shove the work on him.
Tenten was fuming and stomped her foot in anger.
A smile crept on Itachis face, she still did that. Some things don't change as easily. Even after being absent for two months. He could understand that she was angry but she would never understand his situation.
"Come on Tenten. I show you a new move if you show me 100%"
Seeing her after a year training was a small happiness in his darkness.
It had been four months since Itachi had shown her that new move. It was that crazy kunai trick in which one hit eight targets at the same time and one of them in a blind spot. Tenten knew in an instant she would be crazy to learn this. But Itachi didn't showed up three weeks in a row.
Chuunin her ass. Whatever that fool was up to if he came back she would hit him with eight kunais right there where the sun doesn't shine.
Tenten saw Sasuke in the academy sometimes but she did not dare to talk to him since her target practice was a secret.
"Damn Itachi-Sensei…" she murmured and gathered her kunais from the clearing.
A good year had passed however Itachi never forgot about Tenten. In a rare minute for himself he had wandered the woods deep in his thoughts. He had spent some quality time with Sasuke and helped him with his Shuriken practice. That was how he remembered that he hadn't seen Tenten in over a year. She had been always there somewhere in his thoughts. Just wondering how she was managing.
Itachi had felt remorseful and regretted ever taking her under his wings. She was just another person he had to disappoint. His thoughts took a sharp turn after he saw her.
Tenten was up in the air doing the exact same movements as him to hit all eight targets – even the one in her blind spot. Her landing wasn't as gracefully as his since she fell on her back but she still did well.
Pride filled Itachi and a small smile appeared on his face. Maybe he should see her more often again. The last months had been a nightmare and Itachi would be a fool to deny that he wasn't afraid what will happen in the future.
A kunai and shuriken flew in a good speed toward him. His head dodged the weapons but his hair wasn't as lucky as a few strands fell to the ground. His eyes turned to Tenten who glared at him furiously and weirdly happily too.
"I hate you so much!" she screamed and ran towards him. But only to give him the tightest hug she could give after practice.
Itachi smiled and patted her head. "We should start with moving targets." He suggested.
"We should have started ages ago!" Her grip got even firmer. She tried not to cry tears of joy because the fear in her stomach was so much stronger. His eyes were empty. Tenten was sure that this was the last time.
"You've become a great Genin, Tenten."
"Am not a Genin yet. Two more years." She mumbled into his shirt.
Smiling Itachi kept on patting her head. "I know."
A week before her Genin exam she trained without pushing herself too much. It reminded her of her first practice alone. All the kunais flew all over the clearing but never hit the target. Itachi had the patience to teach her… everything.
Somehow, she missed him. Tenten knew that he was still in Konoha, she heard Sasuke bragging about him once. But he never showed up to train her. Tenten had been right the last time they saw each other that's why she hated him too.
Sighing she threw a shuriken and kunai at once, it was no use to be hung up about this.
Bullseye.
Suddenly her attention lay elsewhere. She felt like somebody was watching her, her eyes stared into one direction. A look around the clearing told her that no one was there and the weird spot where she felt someone watching her was dark. This clearing was usually found by small animals. No shinobi had been here… ever.
So where was this weird feeling coming from? What was there in the woods? Did someone follow her?
Her shrewd gaze went over the clearing and she watched intensely into the woods again. Darkness stared right back.
"You are losing your mind girl…", she mumbled to herself a bit insecure.
Maybe it was time to leave the clearing behind.
Tenten gathered her weapons and was about to leave the clearing. A small scratching feeling in her chest let her hesitate. Another look around the clearing confirmed that she was in fact still alone. That one direction into the woods still told her nothing.
"Let's do this.", she hissed and started to train for real. Tenten did everything she learned in the last six years and performed for herself. She threw kunai after kunai. Shuriken after shuriken.
Showing 100% accuracy and never missing anything. Not even the leaves which are shaking with the wind. She got them all. And Tenten performed it for herself.
Only for herself because she was alone in the clearing. She didn't imagine that somebody was watching her.
Waking up from a distressing dream made her remember his last words to her. Confused and worried she got out from the bed and went to her window. It was night and the moon shined brightly. She became a Genin just a few days ago. The Hokage had told her that he hadn't seen an academy student that skilled with weapons. Even her teacher agreed and promised her a successful team.
"You had a great teacher, Tenten.", commented the Third with a kind smile. Tenten watched him carefully and nodded slowly. "Thank you."
He probably knew. Maybe Itachi told him maybe not. Tenten didn't care. The night was quiet and calm but whatever woke her up fatigue brought her back to her bed.
She was too deep in her sleep to hear her window slid open and a scroll laid upon her window sill. Within the scrool was a book for taijutsu including kunai and shuriken.
.
.
.
Even a few weeks later Tenten still went through the book. Teary eyed and not believing the news and rumors of Konoha.
Thank you! This story was inspired by A Hundred Percent by Sandataba
