Yusss, next chapter's here! 8D Enjoy~! ^_^
"TenTen, stay here," Shizune told her daughter as she followed Iruka out of the enclosed yard in front of the house to see what news the city officials were bringing.
Before Tsunade followed them, she coughed to grab TenTen's attention and pointed towards a low roof TenTen could climb to watch what happened. TenTen went straight towards it and tugged herself up onto the roof.
Ebisu rode into the area followed by two other men on horseback. A curious crowd gathered around to listen.
"Citizens!" Ebisu began. "I bring a message from the Hokage! The Huns have invaded Konoha!"
At this statement, several in the crowd gasped and began mumbling to each other in worried tones. A mother motioned for her young son to go back indoors as though she feared the army would arrive immediately now that the message had arrived.
"Lord Hokage orders that one man from every family must serve in the army!" Ebisu continued. He pulled out a scroll and began reading aloud family names.
"The Umino family!"
When he finally got to TenTen's family, she had to stifle a sense of panic. Iruka was the only man in the family, and he was still not fully recovered from when he last fought for Konoha – and that was assuming he ever would be. Not only was a scar visible across his nose, but his leg had never worked as well as it had before, hence the cane he used.
"No," she whispered.
Iruka handed his cane to Shizune, who looked about as horrified as TenTen felt, and was trying to hide it. He walked up to Ebisu, limping but still appearing to be strong and determined.
"I am ready to serve Lord Hokage," Iruka said, reaching up to accept the scroll one of the men held out to him.
"Father, you can't go!" TenTen cried, rushing to stand between Iruka and the offending scroll.
"Tenten," Iruka chided.
TenTen ignored him and pleaded to the man in front of her on horseback. "Please, sir, my father has already served—"
"Silence!" Ebisu interrupted, moving his own horse in front of TenTen to effectively cut her off. He gave her an icy stare before turning his attention to Iruka.
"You would do well to teach your daughter to hold her tongue when a man is present," he said coldly. He reached over and took the scroll from the other man, then held it out once more to Iruka.
"TenTen, you dishonor me," Iruka said quietly, looking away from her. He accepted the scroll.
That stung, especially not being so long after her humiliating audience with Ino. She tried to protest, but Tsunade came up and quietly tugged TenTen off to the sidelines with the other women.
"Report tomorrow to the Dai Nihon Camp," Ebisu ordered.
"Yes, sir," Iruka acknowledged. He turned to walk back to his home, and the crowd parted to clear a path for him. Shizune offered him his cane back as he neared her, but he walked right on past, as though accepting that he had any weakness would make it worse.
Later that day, TenTen walked along the hallway in her home where the bedrooms were located. Her father's bedroom door was open, and something caused TenTen to pause and watch Iruka.
He opened a closet to reveal his armor. As TenTen hid herself mostly from view but continued watching, he unsheathed a sword and began to move it gracefully, a result of his training years before.
Suddenly, the sword clattered to the floor and Iruka gasped as his leg gave out. It was all TenTen could do to remain hidden and not make a sound.
Iruka pushed himself back into a standing position by leaning heavily against the wall. He pulled out the scroll Ebisu had given him, breathing hard. How on earth would he be able to fight this war?
Biting her lip to push down her overwhelming fear of what could happen to her father in this war, TenTen crept slowly back the way she had come.
TenTen poured tea into her family's cups at dinnertime, then into her own, doing remarkably well compared to her mistake in front of Ino.
Iruka was silent as he sipped his tea. Shizune said nothing as she sipped her tea. Tsunade was also quiet as she sipped her tea. Thunder rumbled outside.
TenTen looked from one to the other before banging her own cup down onto the table.
"You shouldn't have to go!" she said, standing.
"TenTen," Shizune warned.
"There are plenty of young men who can fight for Konoha!" TenTen continued, ignoring her mother's warning.
"It's an honor to be able to protect my country and family," Iruka said, calmly staring at TenTen.
"So you'll die for 'honor'?" TenTen asked, angry.
"I will die doing what's right!" Iruka told her firmly, standing to tower above her. When TenTen would have talked back again, he swiftly cut her off with a cold, "I know my place! It's time you learned yours."
As Iruka sat back down to his dinner, TenTen ran out of not only the room, but the house. In the rain, crying, she made her way to a large stone dragon statue and sat beneath the protection it offered, from both the rain and the emotional pain and turmoil she felt.
TenTen wasn't sure how much time had passed, but soon she saw a light come on in her parents' room. She watched as Iruka and Shizune talked, then Shizune walked away with her head down. Iruka blew out the candle and all went dark in the house. The outside still lit up with the occasional lightning.
TenTen let her thoughts drift sadly. She was a miserable failure who would bring her family nothing but dishonor if she continued this way. Her father would die in the upcoming war. Her mother and grandmother would be heartbroken over both.
What if she joined the army?
TenTen wanted to discard the idea immediately, but didn't. She would surely get caught and killed. That would also bring dishonor on the family, but at least if she took Iruka's place in the war, he would live.
She would do it. TenTen would dress up like a man and join the army in her father's place.
Her wet feet left behind footprints in the family temple as TenTen walked into it. She knelt down to pray, asking the Ancestors to be with her, then immediately left. Hinata, curious as to what TenTen was doing, followed her.
She crept silently into her parents' bedroom. The scroll Iruka was to take with him to the army the next day was lying on the table next to the bed. TenTen picked it up and replaced it with the comb Shizune had used to help decorate her hair when she was with Ino. With one last, long look at her sleeping parents, she fled the room.
In the room with Iruka's sword and armor, TenTen unsheathed the sword and grabbed her hair. Squeezing her eyes closed, refusing to watch, TenTen sliced through her long, brown hair, leaving clumps of it on the floor. The rest she pinned up in, not her usual two, but one bun in the style men used. Minutes later, TenTen finished putting on her father's armor.
In the stables, Shino reared, alarmed at the strange figure entering. TenTen rushed to him and calmed him, her voice quietly reassuring him that she was someone he knew. Hinata watched from the ground near the stable doors as TenTen led Shino out into the stormy night.
She gave a last glance towards her home, almost regretting her decision. Almost.
She mounted Shino, broke open the gates leading from her home, and galloped off.
Tsunade woke up with a gasp, having a terrible feeling. A glance into TenTen's room confirmed what she felt the Ancestors had told her.
"TenTen is gone!" she said, entering Shizune and Iruka's room, a lantern lighting her way.
"Wha...?" Iruka moaned, sitting up straight but half asleep. Then his eyes rested on the comb TenTen had left.
"It can't be," he muttered, picking it up, hoping this was not what it seemed.
He limped to the closet with his armor and sword, leaning heavily on his cane. He pushed the doors open to reveal that it was empty.
Iruka ran outside and into the rain, heading towards the open gates, swinging back and forth on their hinges in the rain. He tripped halfway and fell into the mud
"TenTen!" he called, blaming himself for her disappearance.
Shizune knelt beside him, worry shown all over her face. "You have got to go after her! She could be killed!"
It pained him more than he could say, but Iruka had no choice but to tell her, "If I reveal her, she will be."
Watching from just outside the house, Tsunade sighed. "Ancestors, hear us, please," she prayed quietly. "Watch over our TenTen."
And 'tis now time for YOU (*pokes you* ;3) to review, cuz reviews are just awesome that way. Don't make me threaten to sic Ino on you again!