Tenten wakes up in a white room. She tries to get up from what she assumes is a bed, but it is not long before a sharp pain shoots through her body. She falls back down on the soft mattress, her body limp. Looking around disoriented, she meets the eyes of two familiar faces.
"Neji? Lee?" she says looking at her green clad and white eyed teammates.
"You're finally awake." says Neji coolly.
"Tenten! The beautiful flower of our team! I am so glad you're alive!" exclaims Lee robustly, tears falling down his face.
"Tsunade-sama said she would be all right Lee." says Neji rolling his eyes.
"Yes, but I was still very worried!" replies Lee.
Tenten looks around the hospital room and says, "Where is he? Deidara?"
Neji narrows his eyes at her and says, "Tsunade-sama took him, but that's not important. Tenten, are you completely insane? How could you have done something so stupid?"
Tenten turns to him, an inquiring look on her face.
"What do you mean?" she asks.
Neji sighs angrily, "I'm talking about-"
"Save your breath, Neji," a low feminine voice interrupts, "I think I should handle this."
The three ninja in the room turn to the door to see their Hokage standing in it. Hands on her hips, she approaches Tenten.
"I'd like to speak to her alone, if you don't mind." she says without looking at Neji or Lee.
The slightest bit of annoyance is visible on Neji's face, but he just nods and leaves. Lee looks sympathetically at Tenten, and follows his teammate out of the room. Once they have left, Tsunade glares at Tenten sternly. Tenten looks away in reproach.
"Look at me, Tenten." says Tsunade firmly. Tenten obeys.
Tsunade sighs as she meets Tenten's brown eyes, and walks over to the window. Gazing out, she begins to speak.
"Leaving the village without permission, confronting members of an elite criminal organization without certified back-up, fighting an S-class criminal on your own, Tenten, what were you thinking?"
Tenten looks down at the white of the hospital sheets.
She says in a very small voice, "There was no time...I couldn't-I thought I could handle it."
Tsundade turns back around, staring at her through narrowed eyes.
"You thought you could handle it? You thought you could handle it? You were completely reckless in your actions and could have been killed!" Tsunade yells at her.
Tenten simply nods.
"And now, now that you're in the state that you're in, I have only one thing to say to you, Tenten!"
Tenten looks at Tsunade, bracing herself for the worst.
"Y-yes Tsunade-sama?"
Tsunade sighs, "Thank you."