Chapter 3.
Time for the next chapter! Please enjoy!
Disclaimer: Naruto is solely the property of Masashi Kishimoto.
As days passed, she gradually realized how beautiful Suna was whenever she was on her morning runs. She changed her route everyday, which allowed her to learn more about the different side streets and shops. The best time for her to run was early enough before she could see people wandering around on the streets, and the desert heat would begin to set in. It was one of the few liberating moments she had to herself.
Running gave her a chance to realign herself. She spent each day with one of the siblings or with the council, leaving her without time to attempt her normal routine she had at home. 'How long has it been since I've really trained with my weapons?' she thought, as she continued running. Typically at the end of each day, she would allocate time to tend to her weaponry, to create seals for her scrolls and do target practice. But now, she was constantly studying, going over important documents and networking with new people.
She slowed down her pace and sighed. At the corner of her eye she saw some purple flowers growing out of the side of the road. She thought back to the times she would be sitting in the Yamanaka family flower shop catching up with her friends. Even as she began to appreciate her new surroundings, the feelings of yearning and guilt remained.
As Tenten got ready, she packed a few of her scrolls with her. She assumed that the students and staff would want to have her demonstrate her capability and knowledge, so she wanted to be prepared.
Before she departed her apartment, she couldn't help it but glance at her reflection in her mirror. It was right there in front of her, and she had to look. That damned mirror always enticing her.
The women in Suna were prudent when it came to style of dress compared to those in Konoha. With her wardrobe consisting of mostly Chinese-styled clothing, she couldn't help but feel ostentatiously dressed when walking down the street. But to dress any other way would be breaking out of character- she had a reputation to maintain for the public, and an ego to keep healthy for herself. Instead of her qipao, obi, fishnets and boots, she opted for her baggy pants and collared blouse. It was something that wasn't too revealing, comfortable to train in, and formal enough. To her disdain, the clothes felt even looser than before.
The butterflies in her stomach began to start fluttering. What if the students didn't like her? Or the staff? Or what if parents were uncomfortable with an outsider teaching their children?
But then she remembered Gaara. His piercing gaze. The absoluteness in his tone of voice. His ability to command.
She took a deep breath to stop her wandering thoughts. 'Focus at the task at hand,' she thought, mentally berating herself, 'don't lose sight of your goal.'
As Tenten stood outside of the Suna Shinobi Academy, she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Here she was, going to teach students in this new village while leaving the students she currently had. How were her own students? Did she even have a right to ask? Her heart twinged as she remembered that they technically were not her students anymore.
She entered through the front door where she saw Baki hiding in the shadows.
"Good morning, Baki-san." As she spoke, Baki appeared out in the light.
"Good morning, Tenten-san. Are you ready for your first day teaching?" He looked at her, fully armed as if entering battle. Yet her hands still shook.
"I am ready. I remember the layout of the school because of the tour the other day, but I wanted to arrive early to set up," Tenten responded, thinking about the scrolls in her pocket.
She made a sharp turn and headed down the hallway. Baki was following a few steps behind.
He already gave her a thorough tour the other day, so he was not here to escort her. If not that, then he was here to supervise, to see whether she would make a fatal mistake on her first day. He could either help her or break her.
Tenten began her first day in the academy observing classes being taught. It brought back memories when she was an aspiring genin, and her dream to emulate her role model Tsunade.
Tenten spent the first half of the day observing students in class. She noticed the classes in Suna were stricter, where outspoken students were automatically punished for their actions. In the academy, shinobi of all levels had to take academic classes, and took paper exams before reaching jounin level.
Once the afternoon sun hit, it was her turn. She would be giving a weapons demonstration to the students. She had heard what other teachers in the past had done when teaching weaponry, but she personally felt that it wasn't enough. Teaching this type of class was more than just having students distinguish the different kinds of weapons and knowing their advantages and disadvantages, but to also learn how to properly wield it.
They were standing in a training ground. The grounds itself was very large, shaped like an amphitheatre which allowed anyone to sit and observe. Luckily for Tenten, the academy in Suna had a smaller student population compared to Konoha, and Tenten felt more relieved that her class wouldn't be too big.
As she scanned the crowd out, she saw students of varying ages. There were some who were extremely young and those who could be Tenten's age. She understood why Gaara was adamant about instilling consistency in the curriculum. In the back she saw Baki skulking in a corner.
She cleared her throat and mentally prepared herself. "Good afternoon, everyone! My name is Tenten, and I will be your instructor on weaponry." Looking around, the students looked disinterested, with the exception of the younger students who wanted to play with sharp metal objects.
"I am here to show you all about the different types of weapons shinobi use and how to wield them. Most shinobi use weapons that hail from their region, which when used in battle against foreign shinobi, gives them the upper advantage. I will be teaching you how to use your knowledge of weapons and engage it in active strategy when battling an opponent."
Silence was met throughout the crowd. Tenten resisted the urge to groan. Why did everything have to be more difficult in Suna compared to Konoha?
Nonetheless, she continued. "On this table, you'll see a wide variety of weapons, some of which you are very familiar with, and others that you may not have seen before. I have encountered each of these while on missions, and I have researched extensively on each one, learning how to forge it by my own hand." She watched several students slowly walk up to the table to look, with a large majority still standing far away from her.
"You might be thinking why I am teaching such a class," she stumbled to find words, realizing she should have done a proper introduction at the beginning of her speech rather than now, "I am a jounin from Konohagakure, and my speciality is in weapons and fūinjutsu." She started unraveling her scrolls to show the students the seals. As the scrolls opened, she could see more of the students get excited, with some audible oohs and ahhs.
She decided how was the time to show the students her techniques. "Once you become good at using weapons and making seals, you can use techniques like this!" She placed two scrolls vertically on the ground, and started to quickly form seals with her hands. "Soshoryuu… Rising Twin Dragons!"
Two dragons made out of smoke rose in the air and Tenten jumped high up, assuming position to throw her weapons. Prior to the demonstration, she had set up targets and training dummies on the training ground to show her aim. As she was throwing her weapons, the students were amazed at how easily she was able to demolish the dummies.
Once she had thrown all the weapons that were sealed on the scrolls and began her descent back to the ground, she made chakra strings from her fingers to pick up some of the weapons. She then threw them to the targets, which landed on the bullseye of each target.
Tenten smiled, impressed with her handiwork. Looking at the students, all the children were running up to her and asking when they could start learning how to do all of her moves.
The older students, on the other hand, were less than impressed.
"You're a jounin and that's all you do?" One student spoke up.
Tenten's head looked to see who was speaking. It was one of the older students. "Jounin from our village are able to do more than just throw a few kunai around. Since when did Konoha get so lax in accepting anyone to be in the upper ranks?" Several others around him was laughing.
She frowned. 'Don't let them get to you. You knew this was going to happen. You can't let them provoke you. Act calm.' Tenten stood ground and waited for the laughter to subside. "Are you done?"
The man jumped down from his seat. "Let's fight… Sensei. My puppet against your metal."
At the sound of his threat, she instantly gulped, unsure of what to do. While she would not normally turn down the offer to spar, she did not want to give the students the impression of being impulsive at the sound of a threat. The entire time, she was looking at Baki, watching for any change in facial expression. To her dissatisfaction, the older man remained calm and astute.
"So, are you going to fight me or what? I thought you're supposed to be some big hotshot that has come from another village to help us. Clearly you can't, so just go back home to where you belong. We don't need you here." the student dismissively said.
From the rest of the students, she could hear whispers all around. It reminded her of when she was in Konoha walking down the streets and she could hear the old women gossiping about her. Her chest began to tighten and her heart rate began to rise just standing in front of the students.
Another girl shouted, "I've heard about you- you're the girl that Sabaku no Temari defeated. I heard the battle was no more than three minutes. My older sister told me about it. How can you even show your face in this village? Have you no shame?"
She knew it. Someone would call her out on her humiliating defeat during her first time taking the chuunin exams. Even with an extra year of preparation, she was still unable to make it past the preliminaries.
The jeering began to increase in volume and participation. She could hear people telling her to go home and that she was not wanted in Suna. That she was worth nothing without the rest of the Konoha shinobi to help her.
Suddenly the ground began to shake.
"Enough!"
Silence spread throughout the training grounds, students becoming increasingly afraid of the ground shaking and rising.
That voice. It had to be him, coming to her rescue yet once again.
It was Gaara.
His green eyes stared at the students. "Have you not been trained properly? When someone is trying to teach you, you instantly reject it because they aren't from the same nation?"
He paused before speaking again. "How do you expect to represent and defend our village if you are all acting uncivilized? Your actions in the past ten minutes have destroyed the peace we have dedicated years to build."
Tenten's eyes widened. He had been here all this time? "Gaara-sama," she interjected, "it's okay. Thank you for your help, but it'll be fine."
"It is not fine." He turned to her. "This is far from fine. I apologize on behalf of everyone here for their actions and slander." He bowed.
At the sight of the Kazekage bowing, all the students bowed to Tenten in respect.
"Ah… Gaara-sama, please rise," she faltered, not being able to find the words she wanted to say. She bowed to Gaara in response, hoping her action would suffice in lieu of words.
Gaara rose from his position and looked at Tenten before turning to look at the students. "Being a shinobi is more than just power and skill. It is also about determination, grace, humility and diplomacy. Each of you is to represent Suna when you embark on missions and work with other villages. You do not dwell on your losses, but work harder towards your future goal to improve. You all will do well learning from Tenten."
After a final look at the students, he walked out of the training grounds, Baki following him not too far behind.
Tenten inwardly groaned. The council was testing her, and she had failed miserably.
The lecture she expected did not come.
She full-heartedly anticipated a scolding from either Gaara or one of the council members about her behavior and failure to maintain her class.
But it never happened. Two days passed and she had hardly come into contact with anyone with the exception of students and staff at the academy.
After the debacle with Gaara's interference, she felt that she had instantly gained respect with everyone within the school. It was as if because Gaara had asserted his dominance, it was assumed she was under his protection. If Tenten was harmed in any way, they would have to deal with Gaara.
At the thought of that, Tenten smirked. While she had wanted to be fully independent without another's aid, it seemed very much like when Neji would come to her defense during battles. She would protect his blind spot from afar, and he would cover her whenever she was caught off-guard or when long-range attacks would prove fruitless.
Neji. Everything went back to him.
Shinobi were not supposed to have feelings. Everything was to be repressed so that one could protect your village and all its civilians. In essence, the shinobi way mandated a person to give up their life and dedicate it to the Kage and the village.
But somewhere in her heart, there were repressed feelings that she never had a chance to express. Whether they were words or actions, she could not tell, but they were weighing down on both her heart and mind. So many things she had wanted to say to him after the war when they emerged victorious and alive, but that opportunity slipped away before her eyes.
At the time when she found out the news of Neji's passing, she refused to openly cry. She forced herself to refrain from superfluous sentiment in public areas as it would only distract her from the situation at hand. After the war, once she reached her home in Konoha, she had sobbed by herself in the comfort of her own room.
She would not actively admit it, but she felt a slight sense of disdain for Naruto and Hinata. They were both capable shinobi, and yet it was Neji who sacrificed his life for them. Life was truly cruel.
Tenten coughed and put her hand to her chest. Her throat felt itchy and she actively gulped for fresh air. Is this what it felt like to experience remorse- to actively repress the tears that have been trying to come out?
She walked out of the academy and looked to the sky. It was mid afternoon, and there was hardly anyone on the streets, sand blowing around in the air. After debating what do to pass the time, she decided to train. Temari was en route to Konoha to deliver paperwork and to discuss wedding details, resulting in Tenten being free for a few days until the blonde came back.
After stretching and doing a jog around the training ground, she was finally ready to train.
Training, she felt, was the only time she could feel genuinely herself.
After doing target practice and using up the weapons concealed in her scrolls, she decided that now was the time to try her newest weapon: the Bashōsen.
Although she could not use it for battle at this point in her shinobi career due to it depleting her chakra at an exponential rate, she had hoped that with time she would develop a tolerance in wielding it. While the fan had the ability to attack using five different elements, Tenten had been able to master two: coil of wind and coil of fire.
In order to properly use it, she found that she needed to find a way to envision the individual element. For wind, she referenced the time she was utterly defeated by Temari and her wind tunnel. The harshness of the air that left deep cuts all over her body.
When she thought of fire, she imagined of her Bakuryūgeki, the exploding dragon strike where she unsealed her flaming dragon. She thought of the heat against her skin, the initial feelings of joy at the success of the sealing, and most importantly, the impact that the dragon had when used against her enemies.
But unfortunately for water, lightning and earth, she was having a harder time than she expected. Switching from one element to another was even more difficult. While others had advised her never to use it, she would discreetly use it in training sessions when people weren't watching. It was a fun challenge for her, and it successfully got her mind away from other thoughts.
Soon enough, she noticed the air feeling thicker and thicker, the sand suddenly flying around her. She looked around to see if there was anyone watching, but she couldn't detect anyone else's chakra except her own.
'There's a sandstorm, that's why no one was outside earlier this afternoon. I'm such an idiot!'
As the sand continued whipping around the training grounds and around her face, Tenten found it increasingly more difficult to view her surroundings. Gales of wind came in, blowing more sand in her direction, hitting her face.
She quickly attempted to run as fast as she could, but found herself unable to move.
Looking to her right, she could smell a light aroma, but could not pinpoint what it was. The last time she ever felt something similar was when she was caught in the middle of a genjutsu when on a mission.
Reaching for her pocket, she grabbed a kunai and slit the palm of her hand, hoping that the pain would allow her to refocus her attention to locating a place for shelter until the storm passed. Despite feeling the pain, she was still not able to move. Instead, the pain exponentially increased and spread throughout her body.
She found herself incapable of moving her hand, the first kunai dropped as she let go, and she attempted to slowly reach for another in her holster. This time she stabbed her thigh, drastically attempting to have her mind and body recenter its attention.
It did not help. She looked down at her bleeding thigh and realized she could not feel any pain. Instead of the intense wave of pain her body went through the first instance, her body now felt as though it was completely numb. It became clear to her that the combination of the sandstorm, her depleted chakra and whatever was inflicting this pain was deadly.
Would this be the way she left? She had always imagined her death being in the middle of battle, sacrificing her life for her teammates, or for the sake of her village. Instead, she would die while in the middle of training. Only absolute amateurs would do such a thing. Perhaps those students were right, she was not fit to be a jounin.
She fell to the ground.
In the Kazekage tower, a door slowly creaked open.
Without looking up, he sighed at the man entering the room. "What took you so long?"
"Yo! Yeesh, sorry I'm late, these damned allergies are killing me. Needed to pick up some meds from the hospital to alleviate these symptoms."
The man remained looking at his work, scribbling down a few notes. "Hn. You're still two hours late to our meeting. Just because you happen to be my brother doesn't mean that you can casually walk in here late."
"Well you can't get angry at me for that. Took me awhile to get here with the sandstorm too. Only makes the allergies even worse with the wind blowing around all those flowers."
He looked up, genuinely confused. "Sandstorm?"
"Look outside, there's a massive sandstorm happening right now. Have you not left the office all day?"
The man got out of his office chair, opened the office curtains and saw the storm. The sound of wind hitting the windows resounded through the office, with sand obscuring the view of the whole village. He grimaced at the sight, dreading the aftermath of the storm and assessing the amount of damage that may occur.
"It's pretty bad. No one in their right mind would be outside. Unless they had no idea about the storm happening today and of the flowers."
A moment passed in silence. "Hey, you wouldn't think that…"
Brown stared at green. And he was gone.
And that's it! Been really busy recently with family visiting and work picking up, so I haven't really dedicated time to sitting down in front of my laptop and writing. Trying to keep up with the goal of publishing weekly! What I ideally try to do is not submit a chapter until I've begun writing the next.
I know that this was such a cliffhanger- can't help it, I love ambiguous endings like this from time to time. I wanted the last part to be as such. And then hopefully the next chapter or so will be able to answer all of your questions!
Let me know what you all think. Much thanks for the love! Tune into the next chapter!