Chapter Six: Kairos
"What do you mean they're dead? They're dead and I missed it?" Jiraya stuttered.
The room shared an uncomfortable silence; the machine that had been attached to his pulse waved up and down with great haste.
"No. You did go through that. It seems we're dealing with amnesia." Tsunade finally broke the silence, which seemed to calm the tension in the room and elevate some of feelings of helplessness.
Even at this moment, Neji let out a small sigh.
"It's something that has been documented before. It's new, but it has happened. How far back do you remember?" Tsunade asked as she took her notes.
"I… remember giving my farewell's to the Royal Family. They were on their way to Konohagakure… I went back to my usual routine…" He raised a heavy hand against his forehead. "And then…" He paused and let out a grunt of frustration as he struggled to remember with what lay beyond that. "I was in my office and then I remember hearing a scream but…"
"Do you remember your name?" Tsunade cut in.
"Of course I do. It's Jiraya Otsuka…"
"Who exactly are you?"
"I-I was the son of an author, Hochu Otsuka and my mother Toru. We traveled a lot. We charted new lands, explored cultures and civilizations…" He paused, figuring that it would be enough to satisfy her but she continued her doctoral and cold gaze.
He sighed and continued, "But the adventurous life was starting to wear my mother down and eventually she caught a heavy illness. She didn't make it and dad was never the same after that. He decided to settle down in Konoha and because he was a successful, we lived in a decent home.
"Despite that luxury, I never was the type to settle and my desires sparked my mischievous side. By the gods, I don't know how but that mischievous side caught the attention of Hiruzen Sarutobi – the military leader then, who became interested in disciplining me. He traveled frequently which was the main reason why I agreed to the mentorship so quickly but little did I know that it would take everything out of me. Perhaps dad also didn't see the severity of the mentorship either when it was proposed or perhaps he figured that I needed it.
"Either way, he decided that it would be all right as long as I stuck to Hiruzen. After all, he was one of the strongest. From our many travels, I met you." His eyes locked on Tsunade. "and Ori…" This time at the mention of a distant friend, he looked away with a disheartened frown that failed to smile despite him trying. "We grew up, learned a lot which allowed us to graduate from our mentorship with Hiruzen. I continued my path as RIC, you became the palace doctor, Ori claimed his inheritance in Kirigakure.
"It was a quiet good life. Even if it was only for a short moment until the war of Tale's End came along... However, this was no surprise. Even before we knew that it would come. There were so many rumours and tensions rising with political and royal leaders- assassinations and such." There was a heavy sigh that followed after that.
"Needless to say, after years of heartache and deaths, the war eventually ended. I disciplined Naruto, left RIC and was promoted to be the Konoha Ambassador for Kumogakure." He gave one final weary smile towards Tsunade who seemed shamed as she looked away.
Neji could sense that some details that involved the two were clearly left out because it wouldn't have benefited the situation. She cleared her throat before she continued to ask him another question.
"And what happened after you woke up from your coma?"
"I told you that you were gorgeous, you cried and fell on my chest which I can attest that your honkers are still nice and firm." He winked at the flustered yet aggravated Tsunade who raised a shaky closed fist.
Neji nearly slipped upon hearing the words from Lord Jiraya's mouth. The rumours of the old man being a pervert suddenly didn't seem like a stretch. Before then, he was so sure that someone as honoured as Jiraya surely wouldn't be a pervert yet here was a blatant and unashamed act of disrespect.
Sai was unmoved and had his usual eerie yet smiling face while Kakashi offered Tsunade a sympathetic look. Clearly, he was unfazed which suggested that Kakashi had already encountered this side of Jiraya.
"I swear to the gods Jiraya, if you weren't so already messed up in the head and if you weren't such an important asset right now, I would love to beat you back into a coma."
"I had to take my chances." Jiraya snickered.
"Well, at least you're still you…" Tsunade let out a sigh as she dropped her fist. "It seems like we're dealing with retrograde amnesia: you've lost a portion of your memory due to trauma. Mostly likely caused by a head blow or some sort of physical damage to your head. Top that off with physiological damage and your brain decided to forget in order to protect your sanity."
"Che, out of all the things. My brain couldn't handle the sight of a massacre and erased all that. I must have gotten weaker throughout the years."
"Don't say that about yourself." Tsunade cut in. "It's not something anyone should have to go through."
From the corner of Neji's eyes, it looked like she was holding back a flood gate of mixed emotions: sadness, mourning, anxiety and such – emotions that Jiraya didn't want to see scattered on her face so he aimlessly stared at the ceiling. Clearly, he was still disappointed in himself.
"So when will he remember?" Sai asked after a moment of silence.
Tsunade sighed and shook her head before she responded.
"It could be a few days, weeks, months, years even and sometimes never."
"Well we can't take our chances. Every passing day, we're giving time for the enemy to plot." Sai's eyebrows deepened in concern.
It was moments like this when he came off incredibly insensitive but even then, Neji appreciated that Sai was the bold one to point out what was necessary in order to complete the job. Everyone paused as they all tried to think of some way to help with Jiraya's condition.
"Couldn't we wait a few more?" Tsunade asked. "This past month in wait has been time consuming so shouldn't waiting a little bit more be no harm? What about your spies?"
"I've managed to gather something small." Sai started, unsure if the information he had was even worth the mention. "From my sources, a small group of servants had been chosen specifically to attend some gatherings away from home with the younger masters. These young masters don't just choose anyone but prefer to select the ones that they truly trust either based on past history or some sort of pledge."
"Hm," Kakashi mumbled. "That is odd. Maybe a hunting trip maybe?"
"In some occasions but lately it's been frequent and they don't bring back much kills. Especially if they're gone for more than a few days."
"That is suspicious but we don't know the details in between. Perhaps they enjoyed their gain in a cottage somewhere." Neji suggested. Although this piece of information was indeed small, it gave them something to cling onto.
"Perhaps." Sai said. "But I do not want to force my birds out. It could get messy and lead back to me… and that would only start some sort of revolt after they find out that the spy is tied to Konoha."
"Of course." Kakashi whispered. "I prefer that my countrymen don't start doubting each other. That kind of division could destroy us."
"I would have tailed them myself if I didn't have to keep watch of Jiraya." There was a 'tsk' from the man mentioned. "However, seeing that he is alright, I can go now."
"Because your only source so happened to be useless?" Jiraya mumbled. He referred to himself with great distaste and continued to glare at the wall. "There must be something that can be done." He suddenly turned a sharp eye to Neji. "Is there some sort of chakra binding technique that can dig into my mind?" Neji was taken aback and tried to go through his past knowledge of such things. Seeing that he could not pose an answer, Jiraya shifted to Kakashi. "What about you Uchiha's? I know that your men are capable of infiltrating the mind."
"Mind tricks, yes." Kakashi said. "And maybe we can go into past memories but even then, only the Uchiha clan pocessed the ability to wield the sharingan. My single eye alone couldn't possibly bear that." Jiraya cursed under his breath when suddenly, Neji remembered something. The expression on his face made that evident and everyone looked his way, eager to hear what he had to say.
"I remembered that Elder Yulie said something about the Well of Memories!" He lightly patted his closed fist on his open palm. "He called it Yoku Omoideno but it appears to be locked away in the Eastern Forest." Everyone's faces deflated once they heard his final words.
"How would we even get in?" Tsunade asked softly.
"Why don't we just ask?" Neji suggested. A chorus of faces all turned into the same expression: disbelief.
1
"And that is why we were hoping that you would allow us to go into the Eastern Forest." Neji finally finished and his eyes carefully watched his Elder's expressions.
"Okay."
"Okay?" Neji mimicked in disbelief. He had expected some sort of battle – a toss and an exchange of words before he would get an approval.
"Well, I'd have to inform my wife ahead of time but I see no reason as to why not. I'll have my two boys escort Jiraya."
"Shall I accompany them too?" There was a long pause before Neji quickly added. "I have been given the sole duty to watch over his life after all."
"Perhaps… if you so desire although it will be futile. I will say this now, you will not be allowed into the Eastern Forest. Although Jiraya will be welcomed inside, he will by no means enter the village but will be led straight for Yoku Omoideno." Neji tried not to appear disheartened as an image of a disappearing Tenten appeared and left his mind.
"As long as Jiraya enters and gets his memories, I shall endure whatever it takes whether I will be waiting for weeks."
Elder Yulie's face continued to remain emotionless.
"When do you plan on assembling for your leave?"
"As soon as possible."
"Then let us contact my sons and I shall inform my brother-in-law of our plans."
Neji bowed after this.
"Thank you." Not long after, the very next day in the early dawn of the morning. A small party gathered to say goodbye to the boys that were assigned to leave with the weary Jiraya. King Kakashi had offered them the fastest and brightest horses to travel on, Tsunade packed a satchel of medicines and food while John Angustie's pigeon were already on it's way towards his hometown.
Sai, on the other hand, had left at midnight to prepare for his own trailing mission and had bade his farewell once he received news that their plan was in motion.
With Alexander in lead, Isaiah in the hind, Neji was in the middle with Jiraya knocked out behind him. At first, the old man had been stubborn by insisting that he could ride on his own until he took a few steps from his bed. He was far too weak to do anything on his own and was reluctantly forced to ride with Neji. In the end, it worked for the better since Alexander insisted that a smaller group would be faster and less suspicious.
Yet Neji knew that the minor details didn't matter if Jiraya couldn't even remember his memories after going to Yoku Omoideno. So for once, Neji found himself praying to the gods that everything would work out despite never believing them before.
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Tenten could not fathom that they had made it to the volcano within 3 days. There were moments when she wanted to give up but thoughts of the endless possibilities eventually fuelled her enough to continue on. Not only that, Esther's small taps gave her a burst of energy – she was fairly certain that she was doing some sort of chakra exchange.
Now here they were at the entrance to the mountain – it was thin and hidden amongst thick branches of vines and shrubs but the moss covered rock sculpture signalled to the females that they were indeed at the entrance.
"Are you ready?" Lady Esther offered Tenten a smile - a smile that broke through despite how obviously tired she was and Tenten couldn't help but respond likewise. With Lady Esther in the lead, they moved aside the vines and squeezed through the hole. Tenten followed.
Once she entered, she was caught in a wave of shock as the noise from outside: the rustling leaves, whistling calls of various animals such as birds and mammals all seemed to stop. Rather than the peaceful ambience of the wild that she grew accustomed to hearing from the past week and more was drowned in the piercing silence.
The darkness that engulfed both women did not permit them to see each other, let alone their own hands if they were to place them right in front of their faces. In this moment of walking blindly forward, the lack of sight extended her hearing and she was frightened to say something in fear that the silence would swallow up her words and render it useless. The silence she faced from the outside seemed to amplify the sounds she could hear within her body: her shallow breathes, her quickening heartbeat, the ringing of her mind and the subtle beads of sweat that were starting to form from her forehead. Every rustle of her clothing were painfully loud in this space of deafening succession.
"E-Esther?" She called out and was slightly relieved to know that the atmosphere around her didn't swallow her voice.
"I'm here." That simple response was enough to reassure her to keep going. It was weird. Despite the two not going into detailed accounts of their life stories (thus not really knowing much about each other) – they had formed an unspeakable bond that was filled with undying trust.
From a distance, as they continued to ascend, Tenten's ear itched for the low murmuring sound of the cave's atmosphere. Noises that soothed her head as she was able to orient herself in the new space she was soon to approach. Light was breaking forth, spilling into the cracks of the wall that silhouetted around Lady Esther.
Not long, the two were out into a wider area with more than half taken by still waters. On the ceiling was the large hole that opened up into the sky allowing the faint sounds of the outside to the pour into this sacred place. Tenten was indeed amazed but admittedly, she found that it was lack lustre – the bathing caves in Havilah were far more magical.
"Now let us rest." Esther smiled, throwing her satchel down on the ground with a plop. She lay down and without a heartbeat, was already asleep. Tenten followed quietly, learning from the past few weeks that in everything Esther did, there was always a purpose. So she decided it would be wise to do exactly that.
When she lay down she realized that the ground was oddly malleable and cradled her every bump much like powdered sea sand. This was such a pleasant amenity in a time and place like this. Not only was the ground reminiscent of a bed, it was warm; and with the air around them being equally warmed yet slightly chilly enough, Tenten found herself asleep in no time.
1
A few gentle pats on her arm were drawing Tenten out of her deep sleep but she refused to let go of the soothing dreams of home: back in Konoha surrounded by friends and loved ones where she was away from the nightmares of massacres here. But the pats grew more persistent and harsher as they moved into shaking her awake. She could see the images in her head disappear and they were doomed to be forgotten once she was fully awake except for the small lingering feelings that clung to her.
She opened her eyes with a scowl and turned her head to face her mentor and before she could grasp the situation, she looked beyond Lady Esther's face towards the sky that shined beautifully with all it's stars. In the center of the opening, she could see that the crescent moon was directly in the center. Then she sat up and examined the area, whose atmosphere completely changed from the last time she had seen it.
The ground that she had slept on was glowing much like the starry skies – certain beads of the sand emitted a warm bright blue colour. The waters responded gladly as it reflected the ground, the walls and stars, hiding within its depth a galaxy of dancing light. From the glowing ground, the wall's stones reflected in pleasing colours that complimented the scene.
Tenten immediately withdrew her statement from earlier when she had believed that this place was lack lustre.
Once she finished admiring the scene, she was surprised to see that Lady Esther was naked and bare. She watched as the older woman walked deeper into the pond and as she had done so, a mirage of memories flashed before her eyes on the walls. Noises and voices from each corresponding memory echoed against the stones and filled her ears.
She wanted to swear from shock and amazement but something deep within her knew that a sacred place such as this should not be tainted by words such as those. In fact, she felt guilty for even thinking about it.
When Lady Esther's lower torso was covered; she turned around and motioned Tenten to enter as well. "Do not bring anything apart from yourself within these waters. Even the tiniest things such as earrings can disrupt the energy from these ancient waters."
Tenten was careful to follow these instructions, glad that she wasn't the type of girl to wear extravagant and complicated jewellery in the first place. Once she was naked, she placed a hesitant foot inside the water, expecting it to be cold but rather, it was a pleasant temperature that invited her to continue on further. She did and looked up onto the walls, fascinated as the place projected her past memories into the air.
"Do you feel like some are missing?" Lady Esther asked, also looking at the walls before staring at Tenten. She wanted to say yes but found that her voice chocked up in her throat and instead, nodded slowly, feeling ashamed and embarrassed.
She never liked to admit that the life she knew before felt awfully empty. All she could remember was her mother and father who worked for a powerful lord whom they served for the majority of their life until they were shipped off to Konohagakure? During which, her parents died, she survived and eventually became a maidservant of some noble families related to the Uchiha's before being transferred to Hinata.
The details hazed in her mind and she had no record of anything else. The sequence made sense but somehow, deep within the recesses of her soul, she felt empty as if someone had stolen a large part of her.
"Well then, shall we find the missing parts of you?"
It was such a simple question yet oddly stirring for Tenten as her eyes watered and all she could do was nod.
"Turn around." Lady Esther commanded gently once they were both facing each other. When she did, Lady Esther's hand fell on Tenten's shoulder to guide her into the water, encouraging her to float on her back while her entire body except her face would be submerged.
Tenten battled the need for sleep.
The rhythmic sounds of underwater were lulling her and the warmth soothingly rocked her into sleep. Although she had a wonderful nap earlier, perhaps she hadn't realized how tired she really was. From her open eyes she could see her memories plastered on the wall – memories unknown to her.
"Don't fight it." Lady Esther whispered. "Let yourself go."
It was an odd request but Tenten did.
She slowly let go and closed her eyes. Despite her act of surrender, she felt aware and could feel herself sink deeper and deeper within.
When she opened her eyes she could see her physical body lying down and Lady Esther in the same position as they were when she had her eyes opened. However, they were growing smaller the deeper she fell and although this should scare her, she allowed it. No longer could she hear the sounds of the caves but now all she could hear was the echoes of water currents around her. The light from above was starting to disappear but before it did, she stopped sinking.
She then found the energy to kick herself up so she was standing and looked at the emptiness around her.
"Meditate." She heard Lady Esther's familiar voice echo around her.
Confused and unaware, Tenten remained in the same spot before deciding to sit down. With one heavy breath, her eyes remained open while she concentrated on trying to control and center her seemingly intoxicated mind. Her mind was heavy and thick, which was incredibly difficult to penetrate until a blinding light shoots from the darkness.
Reflexively, her arms rose to shield her face from the burning sensation until the voice in the air said: "Allow yourself to be immersed and continue concentrating."
Oddly enough, she complied and lowered her arms, surrendering to the force that began to wildly spread around and inside her.
At first she heard a soft and gentle cooing that carried a sense of peace each time the unnamed babe continued to fondly call out. Tenten opened her eyes and could see a woman cradling her child, reflecting the same smile from her own babe except for the unstoppable tears that trailed down her face.
A few beads of tears rained onto the baby's forehead and instead of being bothered by it, it's eyes widened and let out another fit of giggles, completely unaware of the mother's distress.
"I love you Tenten, I love you so much. Don't you know?" Her mother whispered and pulled the child to her chest. She then lay on the rickety bed in the small yet cozy cottage.
Her eyes widened upon the realization of her name being called out. Although there should be a wave of emotions running through her, she could feel that there was a wall in her heart that stored all her feelings and would continue to do so until she finished.
When exactly?
She wasn't sure but deep within her, once the end would come, she knew that she would be ruined.
In the meantime, she watched patiently as her mother sung foreign lullabies to baby Tenten. She found herself engrossed and extremely observant of her mother in the smallest capacity: the contour of her nose followed by her concave philtrum that swept back up at the jutting of her pink rose lips. The way her sharp and defined jaw suited the length of her caramel hair that cascaded over her shoulders.
All she wanted to do was remember every detail of her mother; afraid that the very person she had forgotten already would be forgotten once again. She engraved her deep within her heart, hoping to remember this moment when she woke up from whatever she was going through.
Despite all her attempts and a certain knowing that she would remember, there was still a small nibbling fear inside of her that faced the chance that she wouldn't remember.
Soon enough, baby Tenten fell asleep and the new mother laid the sleeping babe gently against her chest while caressing the small back of her child. The Tenten who watcjed closed her eyes as well, who also was able to feel the warm of her mother's body against her cheek and the gentle soothing pats.
"Mama." Tenten whispered.
A small part of her just wanted to get it out of her system while a small hope wanted her mother to hear the reflection of love behind that simple call.
Time passed, all the time in world it seemed and yet she wasn't tired of watching the stillness of it all. Rather, she was slightly disappointed for it to be disrupted by the loud opening of the door as a rugged and tall man welcomed his wife with a kiss who had now been weaving together a blanket.
"Papa." Tenten said in slight surprise and lifted her head from her palm.
Her eyes remained curious as she watched the man. It was then she realized how young her parents looked. Clearly she felt she resembled her father far more than her mother. His figure was big and his dark chestnut hair and deep chocolate brown eyes was a reflection of Tenten. She giggled at that, seeing the way he stumbled in placing his gain down on the table, washed his hand of any blood, changed his sweaty tunic and fumbled upon carrying his tiny babe.
"I'm home." He grinned, lifting Tenten's head against his shoulder to kiss her. Instinctively, Tenten ran a hand against her forehead as she felt the thick brushes of his beard tickle her.
From a distance, her mother had laid her half finished blanket onto her lap to admire the scene of her loved ones. She was smiling but Tenten continued to wonder why she had cried before. Oddly, she was at peace despite these questions looming, and a deep sense in her knew that all she had to do was wait to receive the answers. By knowing that the answer was soon to come, her mind readied itself as she anticipated the change of scene.
Within moments, the world moved quickly – night became day and day became night. The figures of her parents weaved in and out of the house in blurred streaks while the once tiny Tenten grew.
Tenten waited and watched until time slowed down and when it had, her parents were arguing. She frowned and stood from the stool to examine them closer as they raised their voices in sharp whispers as to not alarm their toddler who was swinging her legs from her own bed – watching silently yet closely.
The older Tenten leaned in to hear their words, quick words and sentence that carried a lot of context she felt she was missing but certainly she knew that there was a war taking place at this moment.
Fragile and hazy memories filled Tenten as she knew that somehow all the countries who were fighting against each other was sparked by the assassinations and miscommunication by certain families of royalty. There was the obvious driving forces that led the war against each other: Konoha and Kumo; they had always been two kingdoms that carried enmity throughout generations.
"We're not leaving you." Her mother persisted.
"But it's safer if you both go back to Havilah – your family is there and they aren't being affected by this war."
"I was shunned remember? After I married you? Don't you remember?" She was shaking at this point. "Don't you remember that we'd never leave each other? How could you even suggest I go back to them?" Her eyes were glossed with thick layers of tears and were stinging red from holding them back.
"Of course I remember." His voice became so gentle as his eyes reflected his heart that was stirred with compassion. "I just wouldn't know what I would do if I lost you and our daughter. It's just safer for the two of you…" He leaned towards her and lifted her chin gently with his cupped fingers.
Although it was a struggle for him to smile, he did so earnestly at the comforting thoughts of safety for his family.
"W-where would you go?" Her mother asked as equally soft as she allowed the tears to flow from her eyes and melt into his arms. Her father let out a deep sigh as he cradled his cheek on top of his wife's head and his big arms wrapped protectively around her, caressing her back.
"I... wouldn't know." He confessed, allowing his own eyes to become teary as well. "But I know for certain that I will find you."
The scene disintegrated before her very eyes in bright light as the scene transformed into a picture of thick trees and a thin road. Her mother and toddler self was riding on their horse with many essentials tied to its back. Her father was right beside the horse, leading it down the path.
There was this solemn silence between the parents but little Tenten who was oblivious to the issues around her was loudly expressing her joy with her stuffed toy. Her rough play with the small tiger caused it to fumble from her hands but her father easily caught it and handed it back to his daughter with a sweet smile.
"Thanks papa." Tenten squealed as she hugged her toy and guided it above her head. She titled back and fell against her mother. She looked up and both mother and daughter shared a smile before Tenten went back to playing.
The tension in the atmosphere was so tangible and real that the adult Tenten who watched the scene could not help but feel a portion of the anxiety that they had felt. This left a lingering impression on her, as she was appalled by how dense the young girl was.
Throughout the silent trip, they eventually encountered a small band of soldiers who led chained prisoners down the path.
"Be careful citizens." The general said. "There's been some reports that a few enemy spies have gotten through and are raiding innocent ones in order to force the hand of the Lord's. Where are you headed?"
Tenten's father and mother shared a quick glance between each other before her father responded.
"We were hoping to find shelter alongside the Eastern Forest. We hear that it has been unaffected from the war."
There was a scoff from the soldiers.
"The people of the Eastern forest hold no true alliance to Kumogakure. Your hope is futile; they are not your salvation. Rather, why don't you consider joining the army? It seems you are fit enough to serve, why have you not reported to your Lord?" The general's eyes wandered off to the bow and arrow strapped to her father back as well as the hatchet tucked within his belt.
"I have no Lord, I am a simple man who has made a satisfying living from hunting and being with my family."
"Fine, off with you then. May the gods be kind to you on the roads. There is an Inn occupied by our house just a day's journey if you find the need for the rest." Each party bade the other farewell as they both continued down their opposite paths. And for the most part, it seemed that the gods were truly watching their journey until the worst happened.
In the mid afternoon as they finally saw the inn from afar, they were ambushed by men – although Tenten was fairly certain that they weren't from Konohagakure. Their facial features were more reminiscent of Kumogakuran men and their clothing did not bare the sigil of the other country.
"Stand aside, there is no gain from us. Only a woman and child." Her father seemed to know this, otherwise, if it had been the enemy country – he wouldn't have been able to negotiate so boldly.
"The countries gone to shit" her mother flinched and instinctively covered Tenten's ears. "and you see, your wife and your child could fetch us some fine coin." The group of men stepped closer, forcing Tenten's father to stand between them and his family as his hand reached for his hatchet.
In total, she counted twelve men.
"Stop, why must you do this to your own countrymen?"
"Although we once believed in loyalty and honour, we see no reason to uphold them. Where was the country when our own land got pillaged and where were the soldiers while our wife and children got raped and slaughtered? We pledged our oaths to our lords and in return for our service, we received nothing but lose."
"Then why do you live if all that you love has died? Wouldn't it better to die yourself?" Her father had fully grasped his weapon while her mother had reached for a dagger strapped by her thigh. The other man who seemed to be their main spokesman broke into laughter before shrugging.
"We decided that whatever remaining life we do have, we would avenge our families."
"By hurting and slaughtering your own countrymen? Wouldn't it be wiser to let your anger be felt by the Konohagakurans?" The leader of the bandit's face snarled into deep disgust. All his rage was released with a cry as he ran towards Tenten's father and swung at him.
Her father's first concern was kicking the man away from the horse in order to not startle the animal in case it would fall on his wife and child but even then, the horse was starting to panic as his nostrils flared in discomfort and his hind legs began to dig at the ground.
Once the leader stumbled back, her father counter swung at him and said loudly, "Leave me! Head for the inn!"
"I'm not leaving you!" Her mother retaliated, grabbing the reigns in order to control her horse that anxiously galloped in spot as he tried to disperse the men surrounding them. Luckily, their horse managed to knock out a few who were foolishly behind the horse but the overwhelming amount subdued the animal.
In a last attempt to escape, the horse raised his front legs and shook his rider's off of him before galloping down the road. As they fell, her mother wrapped her arms around Tenten and took the impact of the heavy fall. Her head slammed hard against the dirt road and she lay unconscious.
Her father was outraged and was helplessly attacking each men that came for him while trying to get close to his family. This time, it seemed little Tenten finally seemed to understand the gravity of the situation and all she could do was remain still from shock. But when a strong hand that was not her father's grabbed her tiny arm, she began to wail as she screamed for her father.
"Papa!" Her heard cries gave her father a shot of energy despite his fatigue as he desperately continued to fight. But when she saw him kneel on the ground – stabbed in the back, little Tenten let out one giant scream that drew the bandit's attention. Everyone froze or at least not willingly as they all found their weapons unable to move from its spot.
Each weapon within vicinity began to tremble – even the arrows from her father's quiver floated into the air and all the sharp ends of the weapons turned and pointed at the attackers. There were a few scared screams once they seemed to realize what was happening.
Some fled, some stumbled back but all that they had done to avert the incoming disaster was futile.
Each weapon had been locked on the opposition and within a few seconds, the weapons were released, catapulting from their spots and impaled them - leaving no one alive. In the brutality of it all as the weapons continuously stabbed the bodies until there were no more screams or breathing from them, little Tenten remained in the center – crying.
The older Tenten who was present the entire time, knelt down and sat beside her younger self. Waiting with her until someone came. Eventually, off from the distance, she could see noble riders hasten their speed once they saw the onslaught. A very handsome man in lead jumped down from his horse and quickly swept Tenten who was still crying.
"Papa, papa." she chanted as she pointed to her father who had been on the ground with a thin pool of blood around him.
"Check for a pulse and make sure the lady is alright."
It was then that Tenten finally realized that the man who had carried her was Kakashi – except he had no mask and his eye was not covered. It was hard to distinguish at first but here he was.
She also recognized that his armour was far different from the men around him – a custom set reserved for those who were directly under the Royal Raitons. Seeing him, she instantly recognized the young boy who had followed them. He was still on the horse but it was clear that it was Prince Itachi, only a young teen.
Kakashi went back to consoling the little girl in his arms and checked her for signs of any hurt. "It's a good thing we saw your horse from far away." Kakashi told her softly as he pointed at the mentioned horse tailing near the back with one man looking after it.
The little girl continued to cry softly, tired yet still distraught. Clearly she did not understand what was going on and who these new men were or how important they were, but it seemed she was smart enough to understand that they were men who would help.
"The lady is alive although most likely suffering a concussion and the man's pulse is faint. We've taken the initiative to patch him up. As for the others, they're all dead." One soldier reported.
"All dead? Hmm, let us take this family back to the Inn and hopefully try to figure out what had happened." Kakashi nodded and settled Tenten to ride with him. Before he jumped on his horse, he looked over at the Prince who was still in shock over what had happened. "My prince?" Itachi blinked a few times before slowly turning his head towards Kakashi.
"Weren't these our own men who had attacked each other?" His voice was small and rough, thus marking the transitions of his puberty.
It was obvious that it was the first time he had witnessed this and it did not settle well with him. Kakashi sighed and jumped on his horse and turned it to move closer to Prince Itachi.
"I've seen dead men who had fought against each other but our own people turning ravage?" He asked it so quietly, knowing that he did not want to display a weak image of himself towards his men.
"War makes lines murky, your grace." Kakashi answers softly. "These men were clearly hungry and desperate. Therefore, when you reign, bare these things into mind and choose what kind of king you would want to be – one who seeks a life of peace or the other who desires war."
Tenten could see that Prince Itachi was in deep thought over these things, clearly he had engraved these words in his heart yet still, her distant dream of Itachi burning down the ship of his own family lingered in her mind as they rode back to the inn.
1
Little Tenten refused to leave her father and mother's side, as they were both in bed. Obviously her father was in far worst condition but she felt glad that he was at least breathing and as each hour passed, his breathing grew stronger and with each flinch from his eyebrows or fingertips, a new hope surged within Tenten. While the little one focused on staying awake for the sake of her parents, the Tenten from the present wandered around the room.
Earlier, she had tried leaving the room but from then on out the world faded off into the deep whites of the unknown. So she paced back and forth, even going so far as to lean against the bottom of the creaky floorboards to eavesdrop on a few conversations.
However, the multiple conversations from below made it difficult to distinguish which one was important. They all shared a common topic: family or war efforts.
Reluctantly, Tenten continued pacing until she heard the heavy footsteps that pressed against the squeaking floorboards outside her room and she made her way outside. Like always, there was nothing but a faded world and small quick flashes of the figures talking but standing there made their voices louder.
"I understand now, why I must insist on marrying Hisana." This voice clearly belonged to young Itachi.
"Why is that?" Kakashi asked, although knowing the answer, his voice was curious and open to hearing the rambles of the young boy. "Is it because she's the prettiest? The one closest to your age?"
"They're a wealthy family. They're essential for the war."
"Perhaps." Kakashi answered. "But there's also the Rinkah, they have men trained and dedicated to war. What makes Hisana different?"
"Well," Itachi continued. "Tying our families together would do well for the stability of our country. Especially since there are many who are loyal to the Yagami Household and they bare much more land than the other candidates."
"Correct." There was a pause. "But how are you to rule better than your own father if all you can see is how far he sees?"
Tenten was taken aback and although she could not see Prince Itachi's face, she could imagine that they shared the same expression of slight surprise yet deep thought. The footsteps continued this time, sounding more distant.
She walked back inside and waited alongside with little Tenten who had wrapped a wet cloth over her mother's head. As she diligently wiped her mother's face and continued on towards her father, her mother stirred and her eyes fluttered to an open.
Little Tenten did not notice until the shuffles of her mother's movement were loud enough. Tenten glanced up and immediately ran back to her mother's side as she jumped her for a hug.
"Mama!"
"Tenten?" She whispered back, clasping one hand on her child's cheek. "You're alright?" The child nodded, fighting back the tears she thought were long gone. "That's good."
"Mama?" Tenten asked in a whisper as she tried to fend of the tears from falling down.
"Yes sweetheart?"
"Is daddy going to survive?" Her mother glanced at her husband.
"It sure looks that way."
Her mother smiled softly before stroking her husband's cheek. The two remained silent as they appreciated the sound of his steady breathing before little Tenten blurted out:
"Am I bad person? Did I do something bad to those men? The soldiers said they were dead – dead means they never wake up. It means they never get to see their families again." She was sniffling at this point, failing the fight of her emotions as she sobbed and her voice broke.
"No, my love. Shush now." Her mother spoke even more gently, trying to wipe her daughters tears away and pulled in whatever energy she had to wrap her arms around her daughter.
"Am I broken?" Tenten continued on in despair.
"No love, not at all." Her mother persisted as she stroked the back of her Tenten's head – the little girl's hair that was usually tied up into two buns had been flowing back for the past few days. "You're gifted is all." She whispered into her child's ear. "Cheer up love. Without you, I think your father and I wouldn't even be here and besides, those men no longer had a family to return to. That is why they were desperate and did terrible things to people like us. We mustn't allow them to spread their misery."
She leaned back, cradling her daughter's cheeks with both hands.
"Understand? You are a good girl." Tenten sniffled but nodded nonetheless before accepting her mother's kiss. "You're so good, you must be tired from waiting. Come child and sleep." She insisted, moving closer her husband to leave space for her daughter to crawl into.
She had and once she was settled and tucked in, her mother turned onto her side to inspect her husband who was still unconscious. The tired mother prompted herself up with her arm and let out a sigh once she was certain he was all right. Certain that he was, she leaned her head against his as she snuck in a soft kiss.
Seeing that everything had now settled in the way everything ought to be, older Tenten sat on the windowsill as she allowed time to pass quickly as it had done so before.
The very next day, Kakashi had accompanied Prince Itachi to bid the family farewell but had left a note with his seal imprinted on it. Her mother had placed it carefully on the bedside since it was addressed for her husband. It was obvious that her mother was just as curious as Tenten but she had remained respectful to her husband's property.
As the days had gone by and when her mother had regained her strength, she alongside with Tenten would help clean the inn as payment for their stay.
Tenten wasn't certain how long it was but surly it was less than a week until her father finally opened his eyes.
Time had slowed down once he had.
It was dark and small Tenten was drifting into slumber while her mother was awake, repairing a few sheets. However her husband interrupted her concentration as he called out his wife's name with a dry and tired voice. She immediately stood up, falling by his side and grasped his hand while weeping silently.
Once he was certain she was by his side, he cleared his throat and said "Tenten is like your people." At first her mother was perplexed and seeing this, he tried to go on. "Tenten… s-she killed all those men. I-I saw it with my own eyes…" He licked his dry lips, trying to continue on before taking another deep breath. "The weapons rattled and flew up into the air before striking our attackers." His words were slow and laboured which gave his wife the much needed time to accept the words of her loved one.
"I had seen it as well… when she began to cry I awakened for only a little while. I think the horror of it caused me to faint and I thought that what I had seen was perhaps an illusion but now that I know that you had seen it too, I can no longer deny this." She sighed, looking at her daughter. It was so clear, reflected in her eyes, she could not fathom how her little girl could do something like that. "However, I am very curious as to why… I was never as gifted in chakra control as my parents."
"Perhaps… the genes skipped you and traveled down to our daughter." His eyes glazed over to the ceiling so he wouldn't have to crane his head all the way to his side.
"What if the people find out? What if they want to use our daughter as a living weapon?" Her mind instantly thought of the worst as she recalled the tales she's heard as a child. "That is why we stay away from the outsiders. We could never risk being found out. People were known to take our kind and force them into experiments." Her eyes immediately stared at her husband before she looked back at her sleeping child. "We can't let that happen." She sobbed into her husband's chest in which he affectionately caressed her back.
"We won't let it happen." Unwillingly, the scene began to fade out much to Tenten's dismay.
With great frustration, she looked around as the scene helplessly shape shifted into the outskirts of the Eastern Forest. There was so much more to hear, knowing that her parents were most likely to discuss the letter and their plans on what to do with Tenten.
Now, she stood by her parents; they both looked into the forest. It was dark out with nothing but the stars to light the way. It was wise of them to meet in the night. It drew less attention.
As each minute came by, there were loud groans of wood twisting and eventually the opened trees formed a clearing to reveal a small group consisting of men – one in his young adolescent and the others were older who no doubt were the ones to shift the trees.
There was a tangible tension between the two opposing sides before Tenten's mother looked up at her husband and reassured him with a nod. Their eyes both reflected an intensity of love for each other and their faces both shared a type of sadness before Tenten's mother, with little Tenten held by her mother's hand, waddled awkwardly as she looked back at her father and horse.
Her last memory was the haunting sorrowful look of her father that stitched into Tenten's heart as they walked to join the other group. That was the last thing she remembered before the trees groaned once more and closed around them, leaving her father behind.
1
The journey inside the forest was a stumble through the pitch black and thick path of curving roots and bushes. The only source of light was from the single torch that came from the older boy in lead.
"It's been a while aki." He said, grabbing the attention of Tenten's mother. Tenten's eyes widened as she realized he addressed her with thecognate of 'older sister' in their native tongue. "Your daughter looks like you… she's beautiful."
There was a playful scoff from her mother in response as she looked down at her daughter who no doubt had no idea what they were discussing. "I hear that she looks more like my husband." A sudden tension fell on them at the mention of the taboo man but her brother quickly swept up the mood with a simple response: "Either way, she's still beautiful."
The rest of the travel towards Havilah was long and quiet. No one spoke any longer except when signalling each other of the possible pitfalls in the forest. When they finally arrived, they had given her mother an older hut that was farthest from the center of the village.
"Does mother and father still not want to talk to me?" She asked her younger brother softly just before he was about to leave the home.
He lingered by the door; his hurt and concerned expression masked by the darkness of the night.
"They still love you… we all do but you knew the consequences when you decided to marry a foreigner. It's by miracle that you're even given this opportunity to enter again."
A pause.
"Whom shall I thank?" She whispered softly as she lay her sleeping child down on the bed beside her.
Another pause lingered.
"Princess Esther?" He said, uncertain of the answer.
"The last time I was here, she was exiled for marrying a foreigner, even more so for getting involved with someone of power within the Kohonagakure clan."
"You're right and she had gone off to find him once again, this time, her brothers have joined her. Their actions have stirred the thoughts of the elders and the chief. That is why, they are willing to welcome the exiles back but inviting foreigners in whether they are given the right from marriage is still a tricky subject."
"Ah, I understand." There was a long pause as both siblings wanted to speak freely to reacquaint themselves over what they had missed in each other's lives.
They clearly missed each other, that was obvious enough but none knew whether it was appropriate or right. Little Tenten eventually opened her eyes and looked at her mother then the man by the door.
Her tossing broke the silence and she continued on by asking, "Where's papa?"
"We shall see him soon enough." Her mother responded, caressing her cheek.
Tenten lazily gazed at her mother before shifting her attention to the man who was still by the door.
"Are you my family?" Her innocent question sparked a slight sense of surprise and sadness on the man as he hesitated.
"Yes little one." He responded, giving them one final smile before walking off.
"Mama?" Tenten asked, surprised. "Why are you crying?"
"Shh," She cooed gently, tucking Tenten in. "Don't worry about that. Get some rest."
1
When morning came, Tenten and her mother prepared to enter into the bathing caves. It was as beautiful as older Tenten last remembered and rather than joining the giant pool of water, her mother found comfort in going deeper to find a smaller and private area.
Older Tenten felt conflicted in the moment as her younger self's feelings flooded into her while it meshed with her understanding.
It was clear that her past self enjoyed the soothing warm waters, splashing it forcefully while indulging in it's bright colours that reflected from the glowing gems around them. At the same time, it felt isolating. Tenten felt the weight of being an outsider.
Their walk from the hut to the bathing caverns made that obvious. People avoided them, turning their head away to not look. Even in small ways when the people saw them both while they were indulged in their conversation, would pause and their smiles would instantly sour into frowns.
Although the older Tenten was not present with her mother during her walk of shame, she felt like she was suffering with her. And she applauded her mother for being able to walk through with her head held high and without a waver of weakness in her face to show despite how hurt she actually was.
This entire process was isolating and she wondered how long they were to remain here.
It was odd that the village she first believed to be friendly was actually quite the opposite in another time.
It was odd to think that her mentor suffered the same fate by marrying someone like Elder Yulie and although she did not know her full story, she did know that she had to raise Alexander in the Eastern Forest alone.
Perhaps the isolation was unbearable for Lady Esther and it forced her to leave and find Elder Yulie.
Perhaps it was from her leave that her brothers finally decided to listen to their heart and act on their great love for their sister rather than adhere to the ancient rules of their people to support her.
Yet knowing this, there were still lingering questions as to how this all occurred in the first place.
Tenten sighed, running a hand through the water – it did not react to her touch but she found comfort in doing so. She waited patiently for the time to pass and soon there was the communal breakfast. Everyone gathered in the center of the village, sharing their gains from the other day to make glad conversations with their fellow people except it was obvious that this did not apply to Tenten and her mother.
They were off on the side and sparingly received small-unwanted portions from the others. It was a good thing that her young self was not picky and ate gladly.
Soon, her mother's younger brother joined to give them a larger share.
"Eat." He insisted. "You will need your energy and a sound mind when you lay your petition to the chief and elders." She was shy to do so but had taken his plate. Silently, they both watched everyone else enjoy the company of one another. "I remember when we were both children and we wondered what it would be like to be all grown up and give back to the village. It's weird living that right now."
His conversation was random in the midst of their silence, but they both came to appreciate the exchange.
"I remembered trying to offer up some herbs as a child because I wanted to help out." Her mother smiled, recalling a memory.
It was so foreign to Tenten as she was discovering portions of her mother she wouldn't otherwise know or remember.
"Mother was all too kind to decline my help and placed them away. Obviously I didn't know she didn't use them but you did. You were so convinced that she simply forgot and snuck it into the breakfast soup." They were both starting to smile as they anticipated the ending. "Everyone that day had really bad diarrhea – excuse my language."
They both burst into laughter.
"It was a good thing they served the antidote soup just a few minutes later, otherwise, the entire village would have stunk."
Soon their laughter died down and the only thing that remained was this unexpected stinging as reality hit them. The reality that these intangible moments were nothing more than memories of a different time far less attainable now and that new happy memories could not be built up.
"What about your children?" Her mother asked softly. "Have they ever gotten into any trouble?"
"The older one in some occasion. He's just a little younger than Tenten and the youngest one is still sucking on his mother's breast. Too small to walk." He smiled softly. "How about your little one?" He glanced at Tenten who looked back up at him with big eyes.
She smiled at him and he had received it back.
Both missed the shadow of sorrow on the woman between them.
"She's a lovely girl. Quiet and observant at first but once she's familiar with something; she's a spark of life." Her words full of affection were evident by her smile.
She reached a soft hand on Tenten's head.
"There was one time this little one refused to read until she was certain how each letter sounded and looked. When she was finally confident, she wouldn't stop reading! Everywhere I went, she would tail behind me with a letter or book and constantly be reading that out loud."
"Hey, you're talking about me!" Tenten quipped, followed by a giant smile and giggle. Her mother simply responded by kissing her cheeks. After a moment of silence, her uncle begins to shift in his spot and cleared throat, which caught the attention of his sister.
She glanced at him with a raised brow.
"We have decided to arrange a meeting concerning your requests." There was another short silence as Tenten's mother glanced at an older woman from afar who had quickly looked away once they made eye contact.
"Is it alright if I leave Tenten under your care?"
"Of course." He was so sad despite his smile; clearly his thoughts were tangled elsewhere. "We can leave her with my wife and that way, you can formally meet her too."
Just as her uncle had said, her mother had met his wife.
They both greeted each other with a slight curtsy – the wife being the first to do so. Their conversation was light and delicate, surface level and nothing beyond that before Tenten was handed over to the woman who also had a young babe in her arms. Little Tenten clung onto her aunt-in-law with eager hands as she was led towards a pen of wild beasts.
Instantly, the Tenten from the present knew what would happen as curious Tenten ran towards the tiger she was drawn to and with a gentle hand reached for his nuzzle.
The tiger did not flinch but only stared his golden eyes towards the young lass to acknowledge her before laying his heavy head back onto his crossed arms. Despite there being other beasts of the wild, Tenten never left the tiger and even joined him in a nap.
The past world began to disintegrate and like always, Tenten anticipated the next scene until it did not come.
She stood in the vast white, waiting for it to change and was uncertain as to what to do until a small object from above caught her attention. It was hard to distinguish at first but as it fell, she recognized it to be a beaded necklace creating riffs in the white space and eventually broke through the emptiness by introducing a new area.
They were in a throne room, albeit far less extravagant than the gold, marble and silver decorations of the Konohagakuran throne room, nevertheless, it was still one. The intricate designs and woodwork of the oaks, cedar and alder patterned a room of awe from its tall ceilings. Along the hallway were small steps that led to a magnificent sculptured chair that was crowned by antlers.
A large man of long black hair and a greying beard preoccupied the chair.
His eyes were cold and distant, chilling and harsh as he looked down the hallway. Behind the throne was a semi-circle table where men of different ages, though mostly old, sat behind to listen and form opinions with the king. One of the men was none other than Tenten's uncle.
Soon a man from all the way down the hall announced in a loud voice the appearance of Tenten's mother. As expected, both double doors opened as her mother walked down the hallway with wavered confidence, which was quite the opposite of how she was amongst the citizens. When she was within vicinity of the court hearing, she knelt before the leaders.
"State your request." The king's voice was expectedly low and slightly raspy and Tenten could not help but shiver at the intimidation of his call.
"I have a great favour to ask of you, if it pleases the king and the elders." Her voice was gentle and surprisingly calm.
"Go on."
"I would like a request for my daughter's chakra to be sealed." There was a slight gasp as the elders behind the king began to chatter amongst them.
However, one man was silent, never taking his eyes from the girl and only pressed his eyebrows closer together. He watched patiently, waiting for what his majesty might say.
Likewise, her uncle remained expressionless.
"You are willing to deny your daughter's birthright? For her gifts to be suppressed in order to live amongst the deserters?" The king's words were harsh and cold yet his face did not display his emotions as openly. He didn't stop there, his nose scrunched in slight disgust as he continued; "You have already been titled as one yourself when you married an outsider and it is by my mercy, that you are here amongst us despite your exile.
"Yet your request is insulting. You yourself have not been blessed with the god's gift and now that your daughter has been, you continue to seek extremes to sever whatever ties you have to your kin? If that is the means, and once your daughter is sealed that makes both of you deserters – exiled and to be killed once you step on our land; land that you are no longer connected to. What can stop me from killing the both of you for trespassing?"
The murmurs stopped.
The younger men openly displayed concern – no doubt some of them were so young that they most likely grew up with Tenten's mother. Her uncle had tensed from his king's words and she could see that he had his knuckles clenched tightly together. The older ones remained unmoved as they waited patiently, wondering what their king would do.
"You are a just king with great mercy and grace. You have led our-" She paused and corrected herself, "these people through victory and peace." Her mother wavered as she inhaled. "I understand you are honour bound to follow through with the laws our forefathers have made, laws that prospered us for good and kept the chakra bloodline healthy.
"However, I also understand that you are a king with great love – love for your family but also love for your people. Surly, because of this, you can understand why I must request such a thing. A lowly outcast I am, tis true but the love I bare for my family reaches beyond my status here and because of my love for them… I am willing to take great lengths in keeping us together even if that means my death."
Tenten was amazed by her eloquence just like many of the elders except for the one who was silent all along. He simply smirked, displaying a sense of pride almost.
She continued: "As you know, despite the Foresters not associating with the outsiders, they are not ignorant of the situation that surrounds them – of the wars, the trials and the hardships that they-" she paused and corrected herself, "that we are facing. Therefore it is clear that people are desperate, would I even suggest that they are desperate enough to use any means to win?
"My daughter has displayed a great amount of gift by being able to control weapons within her vicinity and went so far as to mutilating our attackers. The gods truly have gifted her but I fear, much like our history states, people who carry these gifts become abused and used – manipulated to serve one's selfish gains. I beg thee, that in this time of war, let Tenten be a plain girl much like I so that our family can continue to be together."
There was a long thoughtful silence from the king and amongst the elders as well – some who had been whispering to each other all seemed to agree to her explanation.
"Why not raise her here?" the voice of the distinguished old elder who had been silent up until that point had finally spoken loudly. Everyone raised their head to look at him. "If you stay here with her, you can return to your husbands side once the war is finished. That way, she can still cultivate what she had learned and continue to protect you when she had mastered everything."
Tenten's mother opened her mouth to protest but he continued on, cutting her off.
"However, if you wish to remain by your husbands side. Why not leave your daughter here and come back for her once she has bloomed. By then the war should be over and your daughter does not need to deny her birthright. Besides, rather than living as an exile, it will give you a well excuse to visit her. It's a guarantee that she is safe here."
"I beg your pardon." Tenten's mother said. "But I state again that I refuse to separate from my family."
"And you have done that in the past and are doing so as we speak. What makes this any different?" His voice was cold cut and even from where Tenten stood amongst the elders, she could see her mother flinch.
"I-I…" She hesitated. It was the first time Tenten had witnessed such hesitation from her mother. "I fight for the family that I have now." Her answer came out meekly and quietly, so much so that it sounded as if she did not believe in herself.
"What will you do once your daughter is sealed? What good will come of you and your family?" There was slight disgust from the elder's voice.
"Father. Please." It was Tenten's uncle that cut the man and she was instantly taken aback once she pieced two and two together.
"Answer me." The old man persisted, ignoring his son and demanding a response from his daughter.
"We would leave this place and make a name for ourselves elsewhere." Her answer was cold and ignited by anger. "My husband was offered a position to work directly under one of the Lords." Her face might have expressed her annoyance but she had kept her face downwards towards the ground.
There was silence, seemingly long but eventually the king moved in his throne before bellowing out a laugh. It felt foreign in an atmosphere so tense but it was needed and welcomed.
"I shall grant you the wishes of your heart. However, beware. She will always be drawn towards her gift, towards the very thing that she had been born into. The things that follow soon after are unpredictable – essentially, territory that has not been explored yet. I shall ask you once more, would you take that risk?"
"I do."
A seemingly long pause came about the room as the king observed the knelt woman in front of him. He waited for her to retaliate, for a slight moment of hesitant take back and when it did not come, he waved his hand. "
I shall grant your request." He declared and the elders seemed to let go of the breaths that they held from the long awaited answer.
What would come of this family? It seemed that even they could not be entirely certain.
Tenten on the other hand, was soon to find out.
The scene did not change from the throne room but the time of day had. It was now night and from the windows above, she could see that the stars were far brighter and gracious in their light to reign down some illumination for the people below.
A loud creak from the hinge and wood broke the silence of the night and once the shadowed figures entered inside, a burst of flames broke out onto every candle.
From where she stood, she was able to make out the shapes of the people approaching the open room: her younger self, her mother, her uncle, her grandfather, the king, his queen and two old stewardesses.
From the colourful group, it was the queen that stood out the most. Aside from her fancy jewellery that clearly stated her position amongst her people, it was her thick and heavy robes that suggested she was a holy woman of some sorts. Likewise, the two old woman who tailed her sides carried around rods that sprayed the sound of chiming bells with every step they took as they purposely hit the end against the floor in a chilling beat.
Even now, the distinct beats of the footsteps and bells brought back an instinctive fear within Tenten's core. A sense of doom washed over her, as if she would be anticipating her death soon. The closer the group got to the stage, the louder and quicker the stewardesses stomped their staff.
In response, Tenten's own breathing would become short and quick, as she struggled to breath in this increasingly anxious atmosphere.
Everyone aside from the women sat down in the seats of the Elder's crescent table. The queen pulled aside her hood, revealing her face that bore a strong resemblance to Lady Esther except it was covered with intricate markings and again, more jewellery.
"Let us begin." The queen's voice broke out the patterned drumming's of her stewardess and instead, they stood still awaiting further instructions. "Formation."
In unison, as if they were performing a dance, the stewardesses did what was commanded of them and stepped diagonally away from the queen to form a triangle around Tenten and her mother.
The queen patiently waited until everyone was in position and when they had, she took a deep breath before slipping the heavy robes off of her body. Although she wore harem pants, her top was nearly bare except for the cloth that was wrapped around her breasts. Her skin was further marked with more patterns.
On cue, Tenten's mother knelt onto the ground as she lay Tenten down and began to remove her shirt. The half naked child curiously sat on the ground, confused and more tired than she was anxious.
"I shall give you one last chance to back out, is this truly what you wish?"
There was a slight hesitate as the woman she addressed the question to had her mouth twitch before replying with a seemingly confident "yes".
"Then we shall proceed and no matter how horrendous her cries are, you must bare it till the end. Otherwise, the outcome will prove to be worst than what is already expected." Her words sent a chill down everyone's spine, even the usually stoic king showed an expression of slight discomfort.
The queen began to move into an elegant dance as her stewardess's raised their thin and boney hands into the air, summoning balls of fire, water, earth, metal, air and wood respectively distributed within their hands while they shouted out unfathomable words that rattled into the air.
The older Tenten watched helplessly as little Tenten sat in the midst of it all, oblivious and exceedingly curious as to what was happening around her. Soon, the queen stopped her dance as she knelt down and grabbed Tenten's arm, forcing her small back to face the older woman. The little girl didn't fight but it was clear in her eyes that she was frightened and she hoped to look into her mother's eyes for any sense of comfort – to know that she was safe.
Yet her mother's eyes did not reflect this, anxiety was written all over her face as one hand held onto Tenten while her other covered her mouth.
"Mommy?" The words fell out of Tenten's mouth, both young and old, as they were now afraid to discover what would happen next.
The chanting's become obnoxiously loud and one by one the woman would throw each ball of element at the queen to catch with her raised hand. When she so happened to catch one, her hand immediately fell and forced her way into Tenten's back causing a hurtle of screams to come from Tenten of the past and the future.
She could feel the pain gnawing on her back, scraping and forcing itself into her. The second element she had forced in, little Tenten became limp but her eyes were open and awake.
Likewise, Tenten from the future found herself thrown onto the ground as she felt the impact smack heavily against her.
Her mother' body shook and trembled as tears streamed over her hands that clung tightly across her lips to stop her from screaming or reaching for her child.
The third time it happened, the future Tenten screamed in pain, finding herself crying out for her mother and shedding tears enough for the little Tenten of her past. When the fourth, fifth and final one hit, Tenten from the future knocked out, feeling completely numb and shattered yet her brain was oddly awake.
"Was this it?"
She hoped it was.
But it wasn't.
The queen's nails dug into the back of child and with all force began to pull. This awakened little Tenten to loud screams, for that was all she could do to give some small relief to the enormous amount of pain being done to her.
She could no longer control herself as her mouth slurred with saliva dripping onto the floor, mangled with tears that fell from her bloodshot eyes. It was embarrassing to watch now that she was covered in a pool of her own urine.
Older Tenten was disorientated; unsure of what exactly it was that the queen was pulling out but the wild winds that spun around them was enough to suggest that it was powerful.
Soon, the elements that were stabbed into her from earlier finally broke out from her skin; all six orbs and another one of unimaginable light joined them. When it was out and when the queen stopped pulling, Tenten also stopped and limply hung over the queen's arms that had been supporting her. With one final chant from the queen herself, she twisted the orbs and seared it into the back of Tenten to reveal the intricate seal.
The rest were hazy as the vision blurred and older Tenten passed out. The last thing she could remember was her mother running up to her and everyone standing up to see if the little girl was still breathing.
123
Tenten woke up, although she was expecting to see the bright white nothing that would soon pool into another memory, she was staring at the familiar open hole of the volcano that welcomed the sun into the otherwise dark cave. She was suddenly aware of the water around her and Lady Esther was no longer there.
A sudden rush hit Tenten, the wall that prevented her emotions from infiltrating during her memory walk had collapsed as she splashed up in helpless wails and laughter's of all the emotions she had experienced.
She found it difficult to breath despite taking deep breaths in the open air – real fresh air. As her lungs gasped greedily for more, she rushed towards the shore and rested her upper body on its sandy mud before looking up to see that Lady Esther was sitting there. Her back was faced to Tenten and she cuddled within her robe.
"That can't be all!" Tenten spitted out, still gasping and recovering. She was hyperventilating, finding it hard to breath. Esther turned around, touched Tenten's cheek to calm her down before responding.
"You're right." Lady Esther's voice was so small, so much so that if it wasn't for her words echoing in the cave, Tenten was certain she wouldn't have heard it. "A lot more happens but for now, we're just taking a break."
"A break?!" Tenten shouted in bitter anger. "A break? You need a break? I just – you're people put me through that. If it's anyone who needs a break, it should be me!"
"You're right." Her voice was even smaller. "And I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to feel some of that… again. I wasn't strong enough… I wasn't strong enough to block out all the pain." Tenten paused from her words, looked at the sand that had clung onto her arm before looking back at her mentor.
"Block out?" Now it was Tenten's turn for her voice to trail off as she tried to piece together what she had meant.
"I was the bridge between your past and future self…" was all Lady Esther could say and it was all she needed to say for Tenten to understand.
"I-." Tenten paused, gritting her teeth. "I'm sorry, you're right. We should take a break." She pulled herself out of the water, grabbing a robe to wrap around her as she stormed off.
No longer was her anger directed towards Lady Esther but she was uncertain as to whom to direct it towards – her village people?
The queen? The king? Her uncle? Her grandfather?
Her mother?
With another cluttered and frustrated scream, she squeezed herself through the ruins and final emerged outside, fuming and shouting out a multitude of curse words towards the open air of the forest. Her words echoed from the top of the volcano and as she fumbled about, kicking the dirt around her, she felt the presence of a giant bird swoop behind her.
She quickly spun on her heel and lifted both fists, ready to attack until she realized that it was Qweche.
The blood pigeon cocked his head to the side, judging her naked and confused self.
She lowered her fist.
"What's that? You got mail?" She was still rolled up in all her emotions; she didn't realize she was still shouting.
Qweche continued to watch her for a few more seconds before lifting one of his legs up to show that a scroll was bound up around it.
"For Lady Esther?" She asked and it cawed appropriately in affirmation. "Can I read it?" She played with the wax seal before glancing over at the bird that looked as if he had just shrugged.
Whether that was a 'go-ahead for her, at this point, she didn't care and went on ahead to do exactly that. She broke the seal and unrolled the letter, her eyes skimmed through its continents and her eyes widened with every passing word. When she finished, she ran back inside shouting out for Lady Esther.
When she was inside, she paused from her unruly shouts as she interrupted Lady Esther from her crying. She suddenly felt like the villain and she was cautious as she entered, watching and both looking away as her mentor quickly wiped her tears from her eyes.
"Y-yes dear?" Lady Esther asked, quickly brushing her hands across her eyes.
"Qweche came and had a delivery for you." One hand instinctively came and rubbed the back of her head while her other hand reached out with the scroll in the palm.
"Thank you." Lady Esther said, taking it from her and reading it. "Ah, it looks like my sons are coming back with an old friend. It's quite unfortunate he lost a portion of his memory but at least he is alive… Hmm, it looks like break time is over. We'll need to have your brain in order before we begin with his."
"Are you sure you can handle it? Isn't there someone else who can replace you when performing Jiraya's memories?"
Worried.
That was what she felt for her mentor.
"I am the only one so far who has mastered this art aside from my mother. What must be done must be done." She passed Tenten with a smile, hoping that that would be enough to reassure her at least. "Now then, shall we get back into the water?" She stood, flipped the robe off of her to reveal a brightly red and seared back. Tenten grimaced at the sight of her torn back, knowing that it will eventually heal completely and leave her back flawless unlike Tenten's faint scars. "Come along child, we must hurry." Lady Esther's words snapped her out of her thoughts and before she knew it, she hurried into the water and prepared herself for the next segment.
123
Neji had been cooped up in the small abandoned cottage since their arrival to Havilah. Both Alexander and Isaiah persisted that he stay there until one of them, or perhaps a carrier comes and sends him away.
He had to admit, he was anxious to get out and do something – to receive answers or perhaps to see a fellow comrades face. But here he was, stuck again, forced to wait in a foreign place in another helpless situation.
123
Tenten's life flashed quickly before her, filling in gaps of what she had forgotten. Indeed, after her powers were sealed, she had forgotten any memories tied to Havilah and lived a particularly safe and comfortable life as a maid for Lord Hamasaki.
Her father was able to get away as being a personal butler (referred by Kakashi) – learning in etiquette but also able to protect the man who ruled the sea. There, Tenten grew up with her best friend Janine. One particular memory stood out when she had encountered the Royal Family of Kumogakure!
She had squealed and fantasized with Janine with what it would be like to be married to a Prince. Obviously, Prince Itachi was already promised to someone, that they knew but it was the possibility of Prince Sasuke that interested them.
He was around their age, single and handsome.
They were probably 9 when they visited, well beyond the time of war ending and had begun preparing for their lunch arrival.
That night, as the royal family stayed, was also the same night that everything chanced. She was a silly girl and had decided to sneak out and go to an abandoned tower to get a better view of Prince Sasuke in his room.
Her 9-year-old brain seemed to make sense of it, something she could later brag to Janine about. But that night, things did not go according to plan. Instead, she had witnessed Lord Yohan Hamasaki's son, Hideki, playing around with a servant… but not just with any servant, rather, he was fooling around with the stable boy.
Obviously her not so quiet little mouth let out a loud gasp, thus interrupting the two and forcing Hideki to chase her down the tower and threaten her.
Future Tenten watched in complete shock as Hideki pulled little Tenten against the grainy stones, grasping her by the hair and whispering vile insults in her ear. All alongside, old rusty weapons and molded armour that have now become forgotten decor began to rattle violently around them.
All this stopped once he had let go of her.
Still even, she came down and told her parents who listened and agreed that she ought to keep it to herself. However, the next day, there was a hearing quickly after the absence of the royal family, concerning their leave and how there service is no longer required now that the war was done.
Lord Yohan Hamasaki's son stood by his father with a smug expression, only to rile up Tenten and force her to shout "But I didn't tell anyone that he was with the stable boy!" A loud gasp rung through the room and what soon followed was the after waves of awkward and tensed silence.
"She's lying father!" Hideki quickly jumped and shouted in his whiny voice.
"Enough Hideki. Enough." Lord Hamasaki said with a great sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose and shifted his attention towards the small family gathered before his great seat. "You have served me well and loyally. The gift that I shall impart on you hopefully reflects my deepest gratitude. I understand how sudden this is but I believe you will do splendidly with the new House you shall serve. I desire that this does not end badly but rather, end on a peaceful note…
"Now concerning other matters, I request that you keep silent over my son's odd desires. I beg of you. He hasn't been the same after his mother's death on top of the war that had struck our country."
"F-fath-" But Lord Hamasaki quickly raised his hand to shut him up.
"Speak when you are spoken to, answer when you are asked a question but when the Lord of the house speaks. No one shall dare interrupt. Must these lessons be re-drilled in your head?"
His son bit his lips; his eyes darted towards the ground before shifting quickly to all the servants around him who he knew had broken into soft gossip. "
As with the rest of you," Lord Hamasaki sat up in his seat. "I trust my people but if anything were to be spread outside this hearing room, consequences shall be met. Understood?"
There was a great murmur of scattered acceptances before the hearing was closed. Next thing she knew, she was packing up and crying bitter tears as she hugged Janine and waved goodbye to the rest of the serving team as her parents and her both walked up the plank into a boat.
"It will be alright Tenten. We have survived things far worst than these." Her mother smiled at her, patting her head.
"We'll just miss the comforts of free food, warm interiors and the abundance of friendly familiar faces." Tenten added, with a dreary frown. All little Tenten could do was pout, still upset before asking, "was it my fault?" Her parents both looked at each other and let out a laugh.
"No little one." Her father responded. "The Royal Family was quite impressed with the way we served and wanted us to work for them instead. How was Lord Hamasaki supposed to say no to the King and Queen? He could not. It was simply a coincidence that you walked in on that indecency."
When he finished his explanation, Tenten nearly burst out in wide grin.
"The Royal Family?!" Her eyes were bright and big, her frown immediately wiped from her face as she found herself skipping with each step. "Wait till I write letters to Janine! And good! I thought it was all my fault!"
"Well, you did kind of tell everyone when we were at the hearing." Her mother reminded her.
"But everyone already had a feeling Hideki was… unnatural. Every potential woman that came by, he held practically no interest but always kept his attention towards Yuki." Her father shrugged, leading both of them towards the cabins of the ship. "Come now, we have a lot to talk about with the expectations of the royal family."
But of course, just as Tenten remembered it, they never made it.
A powerful storm came up, sweeping their boat aside. Just as she had remembered as well, her father heroically bested the storm as he could in order to save anyone but alas, his efforts failed him when the emergency boat also succumbed under the torturous waves thus forcing the few castaways onto nearby land.
Tenten had managed to make it out with two other men. One had died shortly after landing, his lungs filled with water while the other had tried to pick up a trail in the wilderness with Tenten tagging along.
He was a quiet man, didn't really speak much. His name was Jouano, broad and thick shouldered who seemed stoic throughout the entire time. All she could do was trail along sobbing and even when she was tired of crying, she would continue to let out dry sobs and later faced a cold wall of nothingness.
She lost all motivation to live, truly had and she didn't mind dying.
Her entire world seemed motionless, only moved by the small string in her that forced her to continue to live on… perhaps that small string that pulled her to stay alive was for Jouano's sake.
After all, if she died, she felt that her death would drive Jouano to give up as well.
In the short few weeks, she could tell that they had gotten fairly close although they said nothing much to each other. He would always offer his servings up first, make sure she was warm during cold nights and always would glance behind him during their travel to make sure that she was strictly behind him.
Whenever she got tired, he would pause and sit down, offer her a drink before continuing on their journey – wherever that was. It was a massive land, she didn't really doubt his ability to find a place but it was almost as if it were some unspoken understanding between them, that they were both doomed.
Until the faithful night they were ambushed during their sleep. They had woken up by the nudging and pointing of sharp objects. They soon realized that they were encountered by a group of people wearing clothes completely sown out of leaves, beads and rags. They were a people who almost wore nothing and spoke a language far too ancient for the both of them to understand.
Until a ringing in the air as the shattered sounds of broken glass hit future Tenten's ear as she realized that the words once foreign to little Tenten was now in the clear for future Tenten to understand.
"Who are these people?" One man asked anxiously, no doubt in his 30's.
"They must be one of the city dwellers." Another responded. "Their skin is so pasty."
It was funny that they thought that considering that both Tenten and Jouano were considered dark amongst the noble families who were far more pale and pasty in comparison. Even Janine and the other servants were far paler than Tenten and since Jouana worked in hard labour, he was probably the tannest man she'd seen – far more than her late father (until this point obviously).
"What should we do with them?"
"Kill them, they're on our land and have abandoned the ancient ways." The man who had suggested this pointed his spear closer to Jouano, causing Tenten to jolt in semi panic.
The sight of her friend in danger triggered an immediate response that caused the weapons in their hands to shake, however, the tremors stopped immediately once an old man stepped forward.
"Perhaps they haven't nearly abandoned the good and ancient ways." The old man spoke up. "I sense the little girl is gifted but I also sense that something is blocking it. As is custom, we keep our people safe. Take them back to the village, let us host a welcoming for these tired travelers." Every so gracefully as he finished his sentence, he began to walk back into the dense forests and at the absence of his presence, the men pulled their weapons aside and followed him.
Tenten and Jouano who had no idea what the exchange was, glanced at each other in confusion. All Jouano really knew was they were no longer threatened and preferred to keep it that way.
He quickly grabbed whatever they had left and tried to retreat towards the opposite direction but Tenten had grasped him by his shirt and motioned that they ought to follow them. It proved them well when he had decided to listen to Tenten and follow the people that had threatened them a while ago.
They were given a feast, a dance of celebration as the people freely offered whatever food they had made to the two. It was the first time that Tenten had seen Jouano so happy as he laughed amongst the people he understood so little of. But perhaps it was the fermented drinks that got into his head. So much so, that he found himself flirting with one particular female who had managed to charm her way into his heart after a little dance, thus leaving Tenten's side and forcing her to sit alone.
After some silent eating, the young parents noticed and began to coax her to play with their children who had gone around kicking balls and objects, some even spinning them magically into the air and made an effort to involve her by throwing it towards her way. Perhaps they had expected her to catch it without moving her body. Instead, her arm rose, catching it the last second just a few inches from hitting her face and as everyone marvelled, she knew and felt that something was odd. She hadn't felt the impact of the ball when it landed in her palm and it held no weight for her until she had a full grasp on it.
Someone had stopped it for her before she even thought of reaching up and grabbing it.
"Perhaps not now." The same old man who had been the one to stop his people from killing them earlier had entered the scene as he spoke his language for his people. "Surly she needs time before she can warm up so easily." And with a boney long hand, he reached and grabbed the ball, throwing it in a perfect straight line towards the kids without so much as a flick of the wrist.
"How are you?" He asked, shifting his language into something Tenten could kind of understand in his thick broken accent.
She just smiled softly, not knowing how she could even respond considering everything that happened. "N-Not so good." She continued to smile, despite her obviously feeling horrid.
Flashbacks of her parent's last expression struck her head: her father who had looked down on them from the ship above as their smaller boat descended. There was a glimmer of hope in the midst of his sadness behind that smile of his.
On the other hand it was her mother's expression that haunted her the most. They were drifting apart in the heavy winds, there was this desperation as her mother tried to fight against the heavy storm to reach her but was soon swept away.
The last thing she could mouth before she was pulled under was the very words any loving mother would want to say to her child: "I love you."
A comforting caress on her back pulled her from her thoughts and was soon met with a blurred vision covered from her salty blobs of tears that she had been holding back since her tears dried out. The old man didn't say much but continued to pat her back before delving into a soft lullaby that only allowed her to wail and cry out.
At first her cries had disrupted the celebration and although this would seem like a bad thing, turned into a beautiful moment as everyone joined in the singing of the lullaby thus propelling little Tenten to finally let her heart out.
Soon, future Tenten who had been watching was pulled from the memory and was brought to watch a sequence of her 6 months with the people there. She had learned so many things: hunting, farming, cultivating, cultural rituals and rites and yes, some of their language but most of all, she had rediscovered what chakra was (except of course, she hadn't realized she was reencountering it but rather learning it as a whole).
All this exposure brought her painfully close to her roots but they had gone with ear-splitting headaches that forced the chief to be more adamant about finding the release but was soon faced with the fact that indeed, he could not.
Seeing the pain that Tenten often encountered forced him to make the tough to decision for her to leave. She was at first resistant – these were now her people, she felt like she was home but when the pain had caused her to black out and to go as far as convulse, she agreed that she should leave and find this seal release.
The people of the forest then led her to the place where she had washed up on shore – the beach where she had grown to appreciate as something life giving rather than life taking. There, they hunted and now here they were going to make a trade with the people of the ocean who spoke no language familiar to either Tenten nor the people of the forest.
Often the people of the forest would exchange food for metals and weapons.
Although nobody understood each other in means of verbal communication, it was clear that throughout the years of interaction, they had found a way to be able to exchange meanings through their actions and expressions.
And that was what they had done, throughout their years of mutual exchange, they had built a relationship of trust and now the chief had placed a great trust on them when he had handed Tenten over – emphasizing that she was indeed part of them. "
What do they want us to do with her?" One asked the main communicator to which he simply raised a hand to brush aside that question.
"We'll talk about it later." Tenten had managed to understand now that the illusion of her memory allowed her.
"Do you think they want more metals?"
"Not sure, maybe we can offer a little more." The main communicator offered up a sum of metal that he deemed was reasonable for the young girl – she looked like a mess with her eyes swollen from a night full of sobbing and goodbyes. But once the chief had seen what they had offered, he refused the extra metals and made gestures that Tenten was one with them.
That she shouldn't be treated as a slave to be traded.
The man who had offered them the metals simply shrugged, taking back the goods and signalling his men to grab the bundles of food while he ushered Tenten to follow him.
The young lady gave her last goodbyes to the people she had considered family (Juano included) before she followed the boat people reluctantly up the ramp. She stayed by the railing of the boat, watching the crowd of her people grow smaller as they as she sailed farther and farther away – both parties staying until they could no longer see each other.
1
Tenten grew up with the people on the boat, only to recognize that they were pirates – the ones who stole and pillaged other boats. Despite how evil them would appear, they would often come back to their island where they had families and freedom.
By then, Tenten had grown cold to the warm callings of others – persistent on her goal to find the release of her seal. That way, when she was finally free, she would be able to get back to her real family, the people of the forest. She preferred to stay on the boat during the long weeks they would dock and from there, would use that time to train more strictly with the weapons she was exposed to.
It was also no surprise to her crew that she was gifted and talented beyond any experience. Practically any weapon she would touch, she would immediately know how to wield and use with a skill equivalent to that of a master.
She soon realized however, that when she relied mostly on her instinct rather than her honed skills, her headaches would come back and it was worst during the battle. There was nearly one time she had died if it wasn't for the captain stepping in – which was very rare for her.
The captain was a strong woman, who spoke when needed to but stayed silent for the counsel and opinions of her people. She weighed all words equally and was immensely skilled, especially in the wielding of the rapier and newly invented pistol. Both women who had lost family and feared intimacy with others naturally gravitated and grew a bond.
Tenten and her sparred often, speaking little in the process but cared deeply for each other. When her captain was being disrespected, Tenten jumped in defence for her whether through word or threat and likewise, her captain did what she could to gather information on her seal.
1
Within a few months, they had received their answer.
It was an incredibly hot summers day and while everyone else was enjoying the company of their family inside their nestled homes (no doubt enjoying cold sweet treats) Tenten was still inside the ship. Her back was against the shady part of the ship as her eyes appreciated the very blue sky.
Her thoughts were elsewhere but nonetheless the weather was appreciated. Like always, she was waiting for their next departure until a crewmate had gone up and called out to her.
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts and calculations that she didn't even realize that he had been calling out to her until his bruised and tanned face blocked her view of that very blue sky.
"There's someone here to see you." He had said before snatching the rag hanging from his collar to wipe the sweat from his brow.
"Who?" She asked curiously, knowing well that no one would want to speak to her – no family nor any friends (and if so, she was fairly certain they believed she was dead). Her crewmate simply shrugged and looked back out at the port.
"She claimed to know something about that seal thing of yours." In truth, the Tenten of the time didn't understand his sentences but she had managed to piece together what he meant according to the words she did know.
From what she had gathered, she immediately jumped up and jogged to the side that looked out to the port where she saw a cloaked figure waiting patiently on the sunlit stone below. She was forced to squint her eyes from the brightness of it all and the first thought that crossed her mind was how weird it was for someone to be wearing something so dark and heavy on a day like this.
While she took her time observing, Tenten from the future hurried her pace to search the face of the mysterious visitor.
She indeed was keen on hiding her face; in fact her face was veiled with a thin layer of see-through cloth. Tenten was perplexed as she instinctively tilted her head to catch a better view of the outline of the woman's face. Despite not entirely knowing, she felt comfortable around this clocked figure.
It didn't take long for the Tenten of the past to finally approach and welcome her with the known language of the town.
"Greetings Tenten." The woman responded in a language that they were both comfortable with. "It's a pleasure to see you."
Both Tenten's – from the past and future were taken aback, both for different reasons but for very good reasons. One was surprised and suddenly cautious of her known identity while the other recognized the owner of the voice… Lady Esther herself.
Meanwhile, her crewmate lingered, unsure if he should leave her behind with them but once Tenten had waved a hand reassuring him to go on, he went on, looking back with slight concern.
"Who are you?" Tenten asked, glad that she was finally able to speak with someone who understood her. Yet part of her was also very cautious as one hand casually rested on her dagger.
"Someone who knew your mother fairly well when we were children." Lady Esther said. "And someone who knows the issues of your seal."
Once she had said that, a thick grey cloud that carried with it an icy cold temperature fell beneath her feet and pushed out a strong burst of energy that caused her cloak to flap open. No wonder she was able to stay so cool through the weather and it also proved to Tenten that indeed Lady Esther knew what she had talked about.
"So you'll release it for me?"
"Not quite. You see… it was my mother who had placed it on you. She seals, she releases."
"Ah, and in exchange for what?" The 11 year old crossed her arms in distaste as she leaned her head back to look up at her visitor. "What do you get out of all this?"
"Nothing much. I don't get anything from this but I know the generation ahead of us will. Besides, our people stick together through thick and thin and you are part of us." There was a long exchange of stares as the young Tenten continued to eye her up and down before shrugging.
"Alright then. Let me just pack up and say goodbye to the people here."
"I shall wait in that boat over there." She pointed at a small yet sturdy cruiser with large sails for quick travel.
The goodbyes didn't last long, as a matter of fact; Tenten had managed to catch Esther as she was walking up the ramp of her ship.
"Alright, I'm ready. Let's go." She said, beating Lady Esther up the ramp and then spun on her heel to face her. "Hey. What's your name?"
"Ah. It's Esther."
Tenten smiled widely. "It's nice to meet you Esther."
"It's nice to meet you too."
1
Throughout their travels, Tenten was taught the history of her mother and the drama that happened when her mother decided to break tradition by exiting the sacred grounds of her people and marrying someone from outside the village. Not only that, her mother had made it even worst by marrying someone who had no gifting in the chakra.
Essentially, she had gone against the very foundations of their ancestors, which meant her exile was far more merciful than the usual outcome, which was death.
Lady Esther was actually the first to defile their ancient ways except it had its differences. One, she didn't willingly leave but rather had done so to save her brother John who had wandered too close to the edge of the forest and was inevitably outnumbered.
On her rescue mission Lady Esther soon joined a small group of people who so happened to be transporting the Konohagakuran Queen to Kumogakure for a visit with other royal friends. From her information gathering, she had learned that it was actually Kumogakure who had stolen her brother to do research on him for the sake of advancing their kingdom above the surrounding countries.
Before she had left, she had promised her father that she would not deal with the matters of outside (particularly anything political) but falling in love felt inevitable with Yulie. He who also had been fighting against his feelings because he too had despised that she was no Hyuuga blood nor was she even from Konoha but rather from Kumo.
Either way, the two had eloped. Lady Esther had successfully rescued her brother and went back home, protesting Yulie to join her because she knew that he had much to do with his country and instead, she would leave hers to join him.
However, she was forbidden from leaving after her father had heard all the horrid things that had happened to John and it wasn't until later that her pregnancy was discovered. She was exiled in a remote part of the forest, often being visited by her siblings.
Despite her restraints, this did not stop her from pursing her husband when the war began. Escorted by her brothers Luke and John, they joined together to reunite her with her husband while her people refused to help the Kumogakuran's for what they had done. This was when Tenten's mother had re quested for the seal – knowing well the story of John and was frightened that the exact thing would happen to her child once they discovered her secrets as well.
Hearing all of this, Tenten from the past had gone to appreciate her mother more while the one from the future forgave her mother for the choices she had made.
And so, after all these traveling's, it was no surprise why Tenten felt so close to Lady Esther despite feeling they've only known each other for a short time.
But now her curiosity grew: why did she forget all of this if they had met before?
Why had the chakra still been sealed from her?
The scene disintegrated before her as it unravelled to the busy streets of The Citadel, near the castle of the Uchiha's. The two had decided that they ought to stay at an inn for the night – although, Tenten was far more restless than Lady Esther now that they were closer to the forest than anything. And Tenten made it her goal that night to make sure that Lady Esther knew exactly how keen she was on waking up early and leaving immediately as the conversation dragged onto the dinner table.
However, what she was not expecting was a visit. While the two ladies playfully bantered over their destination (well, perhaps only Tenten), a man in a tall cloak approached them and sat beside them. Tenten, whose manners clearly did not indicate proper etiquette for a lady was baffled by his approach and even scoffed at how he hadn't even asked to be sat down.
"Hey, buddy. We're having a talk here." Tenten called him out and looked at Lady Esther with unbelief.
There was a warm laughter from him as he responded with an apology. "Let me introduce myself, perhaps you've heard about me."
He lifted his hoodie up for a moment to reveal his face and alas, there was a reason why he should seem smug. It was none other than Jiraya except that older Tenten knew that and this younger Tenten had no idea who he was.
"No, I haven't. You're quite rude – not even introducing your name and expect us to know already." The young girl bickered.
"It's alright Tenten, I shall introduce you two." Lady Esther finally interceded when she realized that they might be drawing too much attention – even thought they had asked for a booth in the corner. "This is Jiraya, an ambassador from Konohagakure."
"Sounds fancy." Tenten crossed her eyebrows, clearly unimpressed. "I still don't see the need for this meeting."
"Well, the thing is Tenten." Lady Esther responded slowly. "It's true I've made my promises to bring you to the Eastern Forests… but those are plans I intend on fulfilling later." Her words came out dry, detached from emotion as Tenten eyes widened to reveal the hurt of betrayal.
The redness of her skin washed away from her face only to reveal a sickly paleness on her otherwise tanned skin.
"W-what do you mean?" Her lips quivered, unsure of what to say and how to feel.
"I'm sorry." Lady Esther said before raising her hood over her head before she leaned against the table, reached for Tenten and flicked her finger on the young girl's forehead.
In a matter of seconds, Tenten's eyes rolled to the back of her head before she sat up once more and was conscious. There was sweat streaming from her face as her hand held onto her forehead – it felt like she woke up from a long and horrible dream.
"W-who are you? What am I doing here? Wait, my parents-" She paused, clutching onto her head that spiked with pain, memories from all over were being repressed.
"I'm so sorry Tenten… You must be really tired, we traveled a long way from home." The familiar woman had now become a stranger and all she could offer was a small sympathetic smile.
"What?" Tenten asked, still unclear of what was happening and where she was. "Where are my parents?"
The question still lingered in her mind as she tried to settle the most important things first. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like the answer but demanded a response.
"Oh Tenten…" Lady Esther said, reaching out a hand for Tenten but the young girl flinched and recoiled from her touch. This unpleasant reaction caused Esther to pull her hand away as she looked down at the table.
"Your family was traveling from House Hamasaki to The Citadel but was caught in a storm. You were one of the only few survivors and was later discovered on the outskirts of the shore. From then on, you've been passed down from household to household as a servant but now that we've found you, you can finally pick up from where you had left off." Lady Esther responded calmly, as if she had been practicing this very speech for a long time. "I will leave you into the hands of Lord Jiraya, he works closely with the Royal Family. He has the documents and the paperwork necessary to get you through. It was a pleasure having you serve under my house." Lady Esther said, standing up with a weary smile – no doubt fighting against the feelings of guilt for abandoning her.
Little Tenten stayed seated, staring at her lap, not understanding fully but surrendered to the words she heard. There were memories of the events mentioned but she knew that something was off.
However she found herself too tired to fight.
She felt hopeless – like a pawn to be handed off and traded.
"You're taking me to the Uchiha's?" She asked softly and Jiraya only nodded. Tenten raised her head once more at the door, wishing that she had left with the lady who had told her all these things but when Lord Jiraya stood, her eyes refocused on him.
"You're going to love it in the castle!" Jiraya grinned, laying a heavy hand on Tenten. "Did you ever want to be a princess?"
"No…" Tenten responded with a smile. Her shining bright eyes reflected a spark of curiosity that pierced the old man's heart and propelled him to ask:
"Then what would you like to be?" He asked as he led her through the streets. Little Tenten thought for a seemingly long time before shrugging.
"I suppose I don't know… I suppose I can be anything I want to be." She offered up a smile, so innocent and so sweet that all Jiraya could do was pat her head as he responded with a bright smile.
"I suppose you can be!"
1
The in-between was exactly how she remembered it, she served within different functions of the castle until they had found the one best suited for her and their needs. Life had gone on, a year or so.
Her blurry past had become nothing but a faint memory tainted with fiction.
Re-watching the parts she had remembered wasn't entirely revolutionary but it did make her smile and laugh at all the friends she had made – another new family that she was adopted into. However, what she hadn't remembered was the nervousness she felt when the head butler had asked for a private meeting with her.
All her friends glanced at her with curiosity, knowing that they ought not to speak what's on their minds until he had passed. Rather that they should continue cleaning another pointlessly large room that would most likely be unattended for the rest of the day.
Certainly, Tenten should have remembered something like this and her mind, knowing that this was another covered memory, caused time to slow.
Tenten from the future stood beside the Tenten of the past in the small yet adequate room of deep mahogany wood, the room known as the head butler's office. She was a nervous wreck, unsure of how to expel this uncontrollable energy that made her stomach churn and her palms sweaty.
Instead, she stood as straight as she could, kept her hands behind her back as she waiting patiently for the man to speak. Prior to this, her friends had reassured her that it was probably something relating to her recent birthday, she who had just blossomed into her teenager years – 13 or perhaps she would receive a proper acknowledgement for her hard work, perseverance and sustained positive energy.
And all that was apparent as her boss stated these things as he laid her single piece of paper down against his heavy wooden desk. He smoothened out her only piece of document before smiling at her.
"Congratulations Tenten, you're being elevated to be the personal maidservant of the Former Queen, the King's mother." Although this should be honourable news and a chance closer to freedom, she held back her frown.
All the thoughts of leaving her friends behind loomed over her. Everyone knew that the previous queen kept to herself in one of the summerhouses within the confines of the palace ground and what stretched between her house and the castle was a long and arduous garden.
She would be isolated too. "
Tenten?" The butler had called out, snapping her out of her thoughts as she glanced up at him. "Did you hear me alright?" She straightened up and responded kindly.
"Apologises sir, I was just thinking how this would all go exactly."
"Oh, well. I suppose you don't need to worry about that. It's exactly what you would do now, clean around the house but this time, you'd personally assist her in anything she'd need from dressing her, bathing her, preparing her meals, setting up any appointments she may have. I'm sure she'll be merciful during your learning phase, since after all, she did ask for you specifically." He grinned, catching the young girl off guard.
The butler let out a small laugh underneath his breath, certain now that Tenten hadn't really been listening since he had mentioned the last sentence previously.
"Yes." He reassured. "I had insisted and even recommended others who have been in service for far longer but she said that your young energy is exactly what she needs around her. As quoted from her majesty: 'Her charming energy is quite attractive.'"
"I-I heard stories of her past…" Tenten stuttered, recalling tales of how petty, greedy and persistent the queen was into having her way. Especially when it had anything to do with her children.
"Ah, those stories you recall are unfortunately true but from what I've observed, old age has tamed her. She never did like her daughter-in-law until the birth of her grandchildren, it looks like they managed to soften her up too."
"I see." Tenten responded slowly, the only thing she could truly say from the bottom of her heart. Neither was there a smile on her face but rather a solemn flat expression, no doubt trying to shield how upset she was.
"Hey Tenten…" He called out, so casual and so informal that she looked up with surprise.
"Yes sir?"
"Your parents…" he started off, taking the circular lenses from his face. "I'm terribly sorry for what had happened. I had received a copy of their file and they were supposed to be transferred under my division until I deemed them ready to work for the queen directly. It seemed the king was the impressed and wanted you to serve his mother."
Her eyes widened.
"Cheer up Tenten. This is a great honour... An honour that you will carry out." He said. "You'll be assigned to her tonight. Go pack your things and by the end of supper, you shall be with the queen and escort her back home." She bowed, turned towards the door and held a nervous hand on the doorknob.
But even from where she stood, she could hear the scampers and giggles from across, knowing that her friends were eagerly eavesdropping. When she walked out, the culprits all huddled together.
"Well? What happened?" One asked while the rest of her friends had their eyes wide from anticipation.
"I'm to serve previous queen personally." She tried to say with a smile and perhaps it had been easier to smile knowing that her parents were meant to be serving the queen originally. But even then, she could also see the falter on her friends' faces before one of them smacked Tenten's back.
"Congratulations!" She said, hugging her. "That's a wonderful position."
"Yes…" Tenten whispered. "Wonderful." The word lingered in her mouth and it only left a dissatisfying taste on her tongue.
1
Her experience was not bad at all. As a matter of fact, her new co-workers were kind and gentle people – much older but very pleasant to work with. They were like uncles and aunts that cared affectionately for her and would always tell her how things ought to be done with great patience.
After all, they worked for the queen the longest and knew exactly how everything should operate. In fact, they always tossed this phrase around every time they asked her to do a little extra: "A happy queen, means a happy house."
And as the months passed by, the queen would treat Tenten much like her own blood, spoiling her with gifts and even going so far as to have her stroll through the gardens in one of her old dresses. As wonderful as that sounded, the reasons behind this treatment began to unravel as the queen began calling her another name rather than her own. From the pieces she had gathered, Sachi was a dead person, most likely the queen's late daughter who had died as a child.
The servants within the house were embarrassed with the queen's actions and felt troubled for Tenten as the little girl burdened on the dripping raw emotions of the queen that was now resurfacing after all these suppressed years.
Their palace doctor had diagnosed this to be some sort of dementia and he had suspected much before when the queen was only showing signs but he hadn't realized it to get worst over the time. It was still an unknown topic and because of this, everyone decided that it would be better for Tenten to be retransferred back into her old division.
However, the queen would fuss as her weeping turned into wailing. Her words were verminous as she accused the people around her that they were out for revenge and that they wanted to take her daughter away.
She refused to eat, refused to leave her bed until Tenten came back. This tore the king's heart and he personally asked her to remain by his mother's side to shed some comfort until her inevitable death.
And that was all anyone could do as they helplessly watched the disease ravish the queen's mind. Her memory disintegrated quickly like sand trailing through the thin glass tube before spilling onto the surface – collecting and piling up memories that would no longer be remembered. It was only a matter of time before the queen would forget the basic necessities of knowing how to relieve oneself, to eat, to speak and eventually she would forget to breath.
Because of this her family had tried their best to accompany her before she'd turn into an unmovable shell that was once carried life. Often when the royal family visited, it was common knowledge for the servants to dismiss themselves, more often for young females- to avoid 'accidents'.
Particularly, for the sake of causing no complications concerning the throne especially when unexpected heirs claim to be so and so's bastard. Hence this rule was still followed despite the queen ignoring the visit of her actual family, as she demanded for her hallucinated version of Sachi.
They scurried the boys off and wished the royal couple a farewell as Tenten was escorted right back inside – so quickly that she failed to see the hurt and confusion on the crowning prince and his younger brother's faces as the only children glanced at each other.
"I'm here." Tenten said, clutching for the queen's hands to calm her down. She could tell that it had gotten worst.
Before, the queen would just patiently wait for the guests to leave but to act up and demand for her presence had just been recent. Her time for death was coming soon. It would be no surprise.
"I was- I was worried that they'd take you again." The queen explained, shaking and catching breath. "I know they don't love you like I love you. I know your father never loved you like I do." Her rambles were quick paced and scattered but Tenten waited patiently, waiting like always for them to pass. "He always gave everything to Fugaku. Once he got a son, once he got what he wanted. That's all he wanted. That's all he cared about but he doesn't know. Doesn't know. Doesn't know doesn't know know."
The queen pulled her head back and laughed. A sense of dread fell on the young Tenten, it was clear on her face that she had a desire to leave but with a gulp and a deep breathe, she pulled through. Thankful for her younger self's perseverance, the Tenten eagerly waited for what the queen would say.
"He doesn't know I took this." The old woman let go of Tenten's hand as she rummaged under her pillows and pulled out a small intricate silver box. With her shaking hands she fumbled to open it and once the clasp loosened, she pulled it open clumsily and it was a good thing that the jade sphere stayed snug inside it's cushion.
"He has another one anyways, he has lots, he always wants more. He took this from that village boy, the one rumoured to be from the forests." The thought caused a spark of light to shine in the queen's eyes. "I don't know why he was so obsessed with this one, he has more. I knew he would give it to Fugaku but no I can't let that. He already has lots and lots of presents. You need one too! This belongs to you! It was given to you! I only took it back, I didn't steal!" She cried out in desperation and she pushed the silver box in Tenten's hands so that she could raise her own hands to rub the tears that fell from her glassy eyes that trailed down her papery skin.
The little girl was in awe. She had no idea what contexts the queen was pulling. Obviously she knew the forests she was talking about but for her, she just concluded it as a fabrication of the queen's mind. Everyone knew that the people of the forests never left the forest.
However, while all that was happening in young Tenten's mind, the older one's eyes widened as she realized that it must have belonged to John. Her mind awakened into life as her thoughts tried to piece together what was happening until the young Tenten pinched the gem between her two fingers and upon her touch, it began to glow. Everyone froze.
"I knew it was meant for you!" The queen gasped, covering her mouth with her hands before rocking back and forth. "You can't let anyone know! Promise me, promise me! They might kill me like they killed you." Her sobs started, her rocking increasing. "Don't tell anyone, please, please, please…"
Her cries grew into faint whispers as Tenten quickly pocketed what she had just received when the other's entered the room due to concern. They hadn't heard the content of the conversation clearly nor would they have understood anything but they shushed Tenten out while they catered to the queen.
Which was fine, she needed time to recollect her thoughts.
She walked off, in a quick and steady pace until she was certain she was alone in her quarters. When she was, she sat down, opened the silver box to examine the jewel that's glossy surface made smooth waves across its body from the reflected light that poured from her window.
For a long time it was like that, she would tend to the queen as often as she could before examining the jewel she had hidden in between her mattresses. She still hadn't decided whether she should give it back to the king or not but a small part of her nudged that it had belonged to her.
After all, like the queen said, he had many other jewels.
What made this one more valuable than the others?
Just because it glowed at her touch, she was fairly certain he had others like it.
Although the queen was known to be unbearable at times, Tenten was thankful that the queen managed to gain some sanity before her last breath.
She no longer asked for Tenten nor would she react to her face. Instead, whenever her actual family visited, did she yearn for a hug, a kiss perhaps and words to be poured into her ears although she wouldn't understand them.
It gave people hope, hope that she would get better, that perhaps the day after she would no longer be bedridden but up on her feet once more after a seemingly long time. However, that was not the case as her breathing became hard and no longer did she have the strength to fight for her life.
She died a few days after.
It was a solemn time as the queen's attendants swept through the house once more before packing their bags. They had been given a choice to either stay inside the castle to help serve or to live the rest of their lives off the castle. Surprisingly, the majority of them stayed except for Senju who had decided to become a blacksmith with his uncle.
Now they were gathered in front of the empty home waiting for chariots to come by to help their move, whether that was in or out of the castle.
Tenten also was ready to hand in her reassignment until Kakashi spoke with her. She really had only seen him occasionally around the castle since he was really close to the royal family and because he was such an important figure she was surprised that he had addressed her.
At this point in his life, he had grown to wear a mask and a cover over his left eye. War had been cruel on his face but everyone was thankful that he was still alive and that the only thing he had lost was an eye. Rumours said that a long gash had run across his left eye that ran down to his chin thus the reason for the mask.
"Have you decided what you wanted to do?" He asked her, with a faint smile whispering behind his mask. Tenten looked down at the ground before shrugging. She could go back to the castle and be reunited with her friends but the door to freedom was also a possibility.
Although she wasn't certain what she would do.
After all, being a young female hardly gave her any positions of work. "Well, if you'd be willing. The king had requested that you be transferred to Konohagakure."
Her eyes widened but she kept her head bowed as her folded hands behind her back began to fiddle with the tie around her waist.
"I know it's a new country but you would be incredibly essential for our new found peace treaty ties. You see, he had gifted you to become Princess Hinata's personal maidservant. She's around your age; I believe she's just a year younger. She's a very sweet girl and would be much easier to deal with after the queen. So will you accept this role?"
Although he had asked, Tenten knew she had no real choice.
At first she shrugged, lingering in the silence of the uncertainty before she glanced up to face his slight disappointment before she succumbed and nodded. Even for the short while, she enjoyed the small illusion of power she held in her decision.
"Thank you." He said, kneeling down on her level to raise a hand on her shoulder. By this time, the others had already gone into the chariots – at first, unsure whether to leave her alone but decided that they'd see her in the castle later anyways. "Now I know this might seem a little odd but since you're going to the other country, I just have to make some precautions."
She watched him, curious as to what exactly these precautions were and ever so gracefully; Kakashi lifted his eye patch to reveal an entirely red eye with black holes drilled in them. Chills ran through her spine as she kept her attention on it and was taken aback as the dots began to swirl. Enticed and terrified all at once, she could feel her mind shift but she was uncertain as to exactly what was being moved. When he had finished, Kakashi covered his eye once more and gave a delicate smile to Tenten.
"Who did you serve?" He asked her and she was taken aback at his sudden question, a simple yet important question.
"A noblewoman, a relative to the Uchiha." She stated blankly with certainty.
"Any particular relative?"
"Just an important relative." She assured him, her mind pulled a blank to the queen's relationship to the royal family. "A great aunt." She settled for.
"Anything in particular she asked you? Told you that alarmed you?"
Her long pause worried Kakashi for a moment before she shook her head. "She died quite peacefully. Her words never made much sense, she thought I was her dead daughter and that's all I can honestly remembered."
"Good. I mean, not so good concerning her failing memory but it was good that you were faithful to serving her." He smiled, patted her head and turned around when he realized the chariot had finally come back around to pick them up to escort them to the castle. "You don't have much to pack right?"
"Not really." She was embarrassed to say so as her hand reached down for her satchel.
"And everything you have is there?"
"Yes." She nodded.
"Good, I'll take you to Jiraya and you two will head onto the boat for Konoha at once." Although she never saw Jiraya since he introduced her to the royal family, she was glad to hear a familiar name. Her smile made that evident.
"Will I be able to say goodbye to my friends?" She asked shyly, fiddling with the hem of her dress before he smiled back at her.
"Of course but we'll have to make it quick. We wouldn't want you missing the boat."
"Okay!" She said, her feet now skipping towards the chariot that took them back to the castle.
1
She glanced at the fading image of Kumogakure with a big grin before slipping the silver box out of her pockets. She fiddled with the fine details, tracing each line that loopedm with her finger before she lifted the cover and marvelled at the jewel inside. She dared not to touch it, knowing that once it would glow, it would catch the attention of people.
"Long way from home hmm?" The voice that caught her attention forced her to fumble with the box as she quickly closed it. Jiraya settled beside her before relaxing his arms over the railway.
"Yes…" She agreed softly but in all honesty, she hadn't felt she'd found her home in a long time. As she said that, she gripped the silver box in her hand tightly before leading it back into her pockets.
"What was that?" He asked casually, never keeping his eyes off the sea.
"Uh." Was the only word that escaped her mouth. Her eyes drifted towards the floorboards beneath her as her palms began to cultivate sweat.
She was determined to keep it a secret in all honesty. It was the probably the only thing of value that she had received and all she had in her procession to remember her time under the royal family.
"Just a small thing one of the ladies gave me as a present." She added a shrug in hopes that he would stop prying.
"Oh, what's inside?"
"Just a jade."
"Oh, I had an impression those don't glow." That was when he finally turned his head to look at her and he could see her slight jump as her shoulders raised in surprise. At this point, the little girl began fiddling with the hem of her shirt. She was caught red-handed and all she could do was to keep avoiding his stare.
"Ah, the noblewoman gifted it to me."
"Was it hers?"
Tenten shrugged. "I don't know." She paused. "It was her husbands, she told me that he had a lot of it... so she gave me one."
"Did she tell you where her husband got it from?"
A long pause, before her eyes finally glanced at Jiraya.
Suddenly she was surprised to see that he wasn't mad but rather, his eyes were soft and his smile indicated that he was willing to listen and that nothing bad would happen to her. From this, a deep breath left her and she relaxed within his presence.
"I-I." There was a sigh. "She did say that it was from someone of the forest…" As each word passed, her tone faltered as her uncertainty increased. "But we know that they never leave the forests anyways, it's not important." She pouted.
"Well actually…" Jiraya started off, glancing once more at the sea before looking back at the little girl who had grown over the years. "It's a complicated story but that really was an ancestry inheritance meant for someone important in the forest."
Tenten frowned; clearly she didn't like what she was hearing. She knew where this was going to lead and its conclusion was something she didn't like: she would have to give it back to its original owner. Seeing that she wouldn't be the one to continue the conversation, Jiraya took the reigns as he began to explain.
"You see, before the great war between our two countries, there was a fairly good relationship between us. Even then the people of the forests kept to themselves but as the tensions rose due to sea and land disputes; marital ties not going well for certain allies, a silent cold war was starting to ensue.
"The Kumogakuran King had heard rumours of that the Forester's practised magic – abilities beyond human understanding and capability. He had been keeping posts around the edge of the forests, hoping to interact with them. Obviously in one incident, one had been wandering too close with a group of other people. Seeing that they were being surrounded, forced the oldest in the group to attack the men while the others escaped.
"Needless to say, the king had taken him and had stolen from him what you possess right now. Without that jewel back, he's denied of his birthrights."
"How would you get it to him?" Tenten asked after some careful listening.
"I'm friends with one of the Elders who so happened to be married to someone of the forest and… I guess you can say I'm friends with his wife as well." He whispered the last part with a shrug. "I'd deliver it to them so they could get it back to its proper owner."
Tenten fiddled with her shirt before reaching in for the silver box. For a long time she continued to play with the box in her hand, before taping her nails over them. With one last gaze, she reluctantly gave the box over. "Thank you." He said, wrapping his fingers securely over the item he had just received. "Hey kiddo, I might as well educate you on my home country." He grinned, placing his other hand on her shoulder.
Tenten's face remained disappointed but she didn't deny his offer. Instead, she pursed her lips, shrugged before lazily nodding. "Sure." Her mind still lingered on the silver box that she possessed for only a few weeks before her mind naturally forgot it after the years.
123
Her eyes fluttered to an open as the comforting blackness engulfed her and the rhythms of the underwater currents tickled her ear. Tenten kicked herself off the ground as she swam up to reconnect with the surface and get back to reality.
When she broke through the water, a rush of memories and adrenaline surged through her body. She was awake, alive, breathing and now ready. All the collections of her memories now came together as it reformed her identity and who she was.
"Now that you remember all the important parts." Esther says, already making her way towards the shore. "I can work towards unsealing you."
"I thought the person who seals unseals."
"Which is very true." Esther says, dispelling the water beads absorbed by her hair or stuck on her skin before clothing herself. "That jewel you got…" Her words drifted as she sifted in her bag to look for what she had mentioned except there were now two others along with the one from Tenten's memory. "As you can already tell, these aren't just any jewel but inside them encase incredible power. There are six like it across the world, each one holding onto the six different types of chakra elements."
She spread them across her hands, all glowing at her touch while Tenten rushed on shore but fell on her knees after realizing how weak she felt. However because of how small the shore was, she was close enough to see them. Lady Esther situated the spheres in the sand before raising her other to command the water off of Tenten much like how she had done to herself earlier.
"Well, I'm sure you've heard of the ancient tales of the past. How mankind once possessed great power that was gifted to us by the gods. Power that we now call chakra." While Esther continued, Tenten quickly grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself as she edged towards Lady Esther while she enthusiastically explained.
"But mankind had tapped too dangerously towards godlike power and from those practises, entire cities could be destroyed. You see, our people congregated from the belief that chakra should be sealed and after the many wars that rose, leaders eventually acknowledged the necessity of our beliefs. So each one gathered to seal the chakra of the entire world… Because of the great power necessary to seal chakra, sacrifices were needed as people poured their entire energy into the ritual.
"Out of that, 6 gems came and those who had survived from the ritual stayed in the forest, vouching to keep the gems safe. A period of rest covered over mankind as people were forced to learn how to coup without chakra. Everything was going well, mankind prospered and the population rose. Technology, architecture, art and culture sprung up once more until greed seeped into us again. This caused the kings to act on their beliefs that they needed weapons.
"The people of the forest had initially been involved with the trials of the outside because we were once known as The Guardians, as The Peacekeepers… Our people practised chakra only to preserve the gift of the gods and to use it to avoid wars. However, leaders took advantage of our kindness and 3 out of those 6 gems were stolen from us throughout generation.
"When we were down to half, our ancestors made the decision that it would be better for us not to be involved any longer no matter how bad it would get. Otherwise, if the 6 gems were in the possession of someone cruel, who knows what kind of catastrophe would occur from them unsealing everything?"
"But what about RIC? They know how to use chakra…"
"Well yes… As I mentioned before, our people weren't always secluded and it was inevitable that people would study us, whether they were done with good ethics or not… these things were eventually passed from generation to generation."
"Then…" Tenten paused. "Wouldn't it better if mine remained sealed if that is what our people wanted?"
Lady Esther shook her head.
"It's your birthright Tenten. It belongs to you… I can't quite say that about your other teammates but I can surly say that you deserve it." She smiled and placed one hand over Tenten's shoulder. "Now, with these three, we can unlock half of the seals seared onto you while my mother can handle the rest. Otherwise without these gems, it would have been too taxing on my mother and I'm afraid that her life would have been the cost."
"Wait." Tenten said. "How did you- How were you certain that the queen would give it to me?"
"Ha." Lady Esther said although there was no indication on her face that she was actually laughing. "When my brother was captured by the king, he had managed to befriend the king's daughter who was awfully frail even then. So naturally the little girl was locked in the castle but her big mind quenched for adventure and so she knew every nook and cranny of that place.
"Because of this, she had found John. She was only a little girl but I think John trusted her to keep it safe, however, it seemed that her father found it and took it from her. The queen who had witnessed this most likely stole it back from her husband after their daughter died. It must have been a small memento of her daughter and perhaps she didn't really know the true significance of the gem but she kept it with her anyways.
"We heard that the queen was suffering some type of memory failure. Jiraya and I had come up with a plan to get you to work for her in some way. Since he was close to the family, he would often try to suggest that someone young should work for the queen. She took his words in consideration and apparently she chose you with Jiraya not needing to say much. It was all a matter of time before she would mistake you as her daughter and sometimes Jiraya would drop Sachi's name around you whenever the queen was nearby to enforce her delusion." Tenten frowned, she didn't like what she was hearing but perhaps it did work for the best.
"When she had given it to me, she mentioned that her husband had another one." Tenten said. "So maybe one of the missing gems are under his possession."
"Yes, we confirmed that and one is also under the Hyuuga family. The third one, we're uncertain."
"Hm."
"Well, let's get unsealing, shall we? Then I can train you in chakra while we wait for Jiraya and my sons. Together we can head back to the village to get the rest unsealed." As Lady Esther said this, Tenten's eyes locked onto the gems. Although she should be excited, she had to admit that she was incredibly scared.
"Will it hurt?" She asked softly. There was a long pause as Lady Esther looked at her with sympathy.
"It won't." Lady Esther said as she placed a hand on her disciple's shoulder. Tenten looked up to see her sincere face. "I promise."
Tenten's eyes shined with those simple words, knowing that she could trust her. "Then let's do it."
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SEMI-EDITED VERSION: just spaced paragraphs half-heartedly. No real fixes. Sorry for the run on sentences everywhere!
Here's one more chapter before school starts. So… I started a tumblr posting any artwork tied to my stories. : ) You can see the website link on my profile! and here it is too:
See ya guys! This one is a long chapter haha.
