A/N: Still writing, friends!
Underneath it All
***You're really lucky, underneath it all...***
The days began to blur together for Neji. Mifune had warned them both that the training period would be intense, and he had not exaggerated in the slightest. Every morning, both he and Tenten were up early and reporting to one of the many training areas before breakfast. Meals were often brought to them there, or eaten in their quarters. They never ventured to the mess area, and saw only the few people assigned to them by the General.
Not for the first time, Neji mused that had they not had the training of Might Gai, they would have had difficulty adapting to such a strenuous and structured regimen.
As it was, though, they were not only negotiating it well, they were thriving. Tenten was absorbing the techniques as quickly as Mifune could teach them. Neji preferred hand-to-hand combat over weaponry, but he was an observant and intelligent opponent. Several of the fighting styles Mifune was introducing were vaguely similar to the Gentle Fist stances and flow of movement, and Neji was an excellent resource in helping Tenten acquire these techniques more quickly.
The tanto and naginata were not her usual brand of weaponry, but she had mastered them well enough to please the General.
"We shall move on," he announced, and one of the few men he had assigned to these secret training sessions cleared the weapons.
The five minute break gave her and Neji a moment to check for injuries, drink some water, and prepare for the next round. Neji instinctively scanned the area with his Byakugan, pausing when he noticed the chakra signatures.
"Who is in the observation area?"
Mifune directed his men to put two long, black cases on the shallow tables against the wall.
"I have three people assigned to observe from above," he said, unlocking the cases. "It will be helpful as we move on to this next technique."
Neji's Byakugan receded, and he said nothing more on the subject. Tenten came forward to examine the new additions.
"The stories paint the onna-bugeisha as masters of weaponry," Mifune said as he worked with the finicky latches on the box. "They relied heavily on the naginata and tanto. However, many people in the Land of Iron tend to remember and repeat the stories of the onna-bugeisha wielding the Iron Fans."
He stepped back and allowed Tenten to peer into the box. There was an assortment of fans – some bamboo, others iron – and in a variety of patterns.
"Why is that?" Tenten asked.
He indicated that Tenten could handle the weapons, and she stepped forward eagerly.
"The clan of warrior women that settled here and eventually married into the Samurai clans had their own style of tessenjutsu," Mifune said, reaching for the bamboo fan nearest to him.
"Their katas and style were far more fluid and dynamic than our techniques," he continued. "Almost like a dance with intricate patterns with the fan open or closed to deflect or slice the opponent. While we do have kata utilizing the opened fan, we most often used it while closed to disarm or strike an opponent at close range."
"I can see why," Tenten said, weighing the closed iron fan in her hand. "This would be a good bludgeoning instrument."
"I will first teach you how the Samurai used the tessen," he watched as she flicked open the fan and tested its weight, "but it will be more important that you master the more western style."
"We will start with these," Mifune indicated the bamboo fans. "To give you an idea of how to move with the fans and the basic techniques. Unfortunately, due to our limited time, we shall have to move to the iron fans sooner rather than later."
She flicked the fan open then closed before flipping it around to catch it and open it again.
"Guess you could flip them while open," she murmured, flicking the fan into the air and then snatching it.
A slow grin slid over Mifune's features. "Perhaps we can start with the iron fan after all."
They worked for hours on the basics of how to open, close, flip, slice, and move with the fans. Mifune handed her the bamboo fans before demonstrating two Western styles.
The first appealed to Neji. It was meditative, and moved with slow, continuous purpose and control. Mifune urged him to learn as well so that Tenten would have a practicing partner.
The second style more than appealed to Tenten. Where the samurai style was quick but utilitarian, and the first Western style was graceful and slow, this style was dynamic and moved much more quickly.
"This is way more fun," she grinned, sinking into her stance before moving quickly to the next. She leapt into the air, and kicked before hitting her next pose, and flicking the fan out dangerously.
"You do it well," Mifune nodded. "Of the three styles, I believe this is the one Takayuki will most want to see."
"It is the most visually engaging of the three," Okisuke said, watching as Tenten made her way through the kata. "It would be wise to spend time perfecting this particular technique."
"Not a problem," Tenten smiled before tossing the fan up and catching it. "This is worth the work."
It must have been, because they spent hours working the techniques non-stop.
Mifune was an exacting but excellent teacher, and the next two weeks worth of training were executed with military precision. Neji noted the three ever-present chakra signatures in the observation area didn't match any of the samurai they had met so far. It piqued his curiosity, but not his suspicions, so he remained silent on the subject.
Tenten had just finished decapitating a training dummy when Mifune ended the day's training.
"That is enough for today," Mifune decreed motioning Urakaku forward. The man pulled two scrolls from his wide sleeves and handed them to the general.
"From your village," Mifune explained, handing them each a scroll. "We reconvene tomorrow at 07:00. Depending on how the morning session goes, we will most likely move on to the next round of your training."
"What will the morning session be?" Tenten asked. Mifune often started the mornings with a random skill review. Yesterday it had been on balance. Several days ago it had been shurikenjutsu. (That session had ended in fifteen minutes.)
"Archery and horsemanship," Mifune crossed his arms. "Particularly your marksmanship while on horseback as that is another skill that will be expected, and you will likely travel by horse."
A slow grin crept across her lips. "Sounds like fun."
Mifune gave a little smirk of a laugh. Neji suspected the General was beginning to appreciate Tenten's personality as well as her skill.
He gave an authoritative nod.
"Well done today. Dismissed."
The two shinobi bowed, and gathered their belongings.
They were well into the twists and turns of the citadel that lead to their quarters when Tenten side-eyed Neji, mischief tugging at the corners of her mouth. He waited until they were in the privacy of their own wing, and no other chakra signatures were anywhere to be sensed.
"What is it?" he asked on what might have been a sigh.
"Just wondering about the quality of my guard," she said offhandedly. "What kind of bodyguard attends his charge henged in armor rather than just wearing the armor?"
Neji gave a light snort.
"That armor might work for the samurai, but it is of no help to a shinobi. If I didn't have my Byakugan, I wouldn't even be able to see out of the ridiculous contraption."
He opened the door to their quarters, and nodded for her to enter first. As soon as the door was closed and locked behind them, he released his disguise. "Besides," he continued, removing his shoes, "It is hardly conducive to the Gentle Fist style. Were someone stupid enough to attack the two of us, I would rather be able to defend ourselves in the style to which we are accustomed."
"Admit it," she put her shoes by the door. "It is heavy, it chafes, and you hate it. End of story."
"Hn," he said dismissively, striding into their common area. Her laugh was light and warm behind him.
"You hate it when I'm right," she teased, stretching her arms above her head and then rotating her shoulders experimentally. "I'm going to take one of those supplements Sakura gave me," she said with a slight wince. "I don't want to try to stay on a horse while sore."
"Is it possible you overdid it?" he asked dryly.
"You know how we work on Team Gai," she shrugged. "Dynamic Entry or stay home!"
Neji just managed not to groan and she laughed.
"I asked Urakaku to have dinner sent up for us," she said, crossing to the sink and refilling her water. "I'm guessing it won't be too long before it is here. I'm going to get cleaned up. Don't forget, they collect the laundry tonight."
"I had forgotten," Neji admitted.
"Of course you did," Tenten muttered. "Then again, before our bet, I didn't pay nearly as much attention to anything laundry related."
"It's good for you," Neji offered smugly. "Think of it as specialized training."
Tenten settled for narrowing her eyes before she disappeared into her room, muttering under her breath.
Neji suppressed his smile before returning to his own room. He considered the canvas bag provided to him specifically for laundry.
"No sense in wasting a trip," he muttered to himself before adding his current garments to the bag and taking a fast shower to dispel the remaining aches of the day.
In moments he had changed into his sleepwear and had placed the bag by the door to their suite. He eyed the scrolls Mifune had given them. They were on a side table, left to be considered over dinner. While he was curious as to the nature of their contents, he resolved to wait for Tenten before reading anything.
He heard the knock at the door and inwardly cursed at himself.
He had forgotten about the person bringing dinner.
He quickly henged to appear in his earlier outfit and answered the door. The man on the other side entered and placed a tray on the table.
"I shall collect the laundry when I return for the empty tray," he said in a low voice. With a respectful nod, he left as unobtrusively as he had come.
The door had no sooner clicked shut when Tenten slid open her door, laundry bag in hand.
She placed it by the door and frowned as she saw Neji still in his training gear.
"You didn't have to wait," she clucked. "Go on and change. I'll wait to eat."
Neji quirked an elegant eyebrow before releasing his henge.
"Well, that's a relief," she grinned impishly. "I'm really hungry. I'm not sure I would've made it."
They lost no time tucking into their dinner, deciding to peruse their scrolls once they had finished. As it turned out, they both had a substantial appetite, and it wasn't long before Neji was sipping his green tea while Tenten set hers to the side to cool and retrieved the scrolls.
They each unsealed their own scroll, finding them to have several sealed items apiece.
Shikamaru's brief note explained that several of their friends – mostly Lee and Gai – had wanted to send along their hellos, and asked Shikamaru to accommodate them.
"Guess the Hokage couldn't say no to his Eternal Rival," Tenten chuckled, scanning the notes from Lee and Gai. There were small batches of supplies and gifts from various friends, all of which had been rounded up by Lee.
There was a note from Gai:
Neji,
My Eternal Rival cannot say for certain where you are in your mission, but he promised me this would get to you and Tenten. I hope you are both enjoying your full bloom of youth, and-
Tenten was giggling.
Neji looked up from his message, an eyebrow arched in question.
"It's Lee," she said with a smile. "I'm just reading about this new training he has started, and he outlined it for us in case we wanted to give it a go. He says that he is certain we are learning new techniques and he is training so as to be a worthy adversary when we return."
"He was a worthy adversary before we left," Neji said dismissively.
Tenten's eyes widened, and her smile warmed.
"Hyūga Neji… did you just compliment Rock Lee?" she asked with well-feigned incredulity
Neji sat a little straighter and a little stiffer. "Why shouldn't I?" He asked coolly. "He is our teammate after all."
"And he would dearly love to hear that kind of praise from you," Tenten smiled gently. "He'd never believe me if I told him."
"Hn," Neji half scoffed; sipping his green tea.
Tenten happily returned to reading her scroll, and Neji decided to wait to return to Gai-sensei's rather long message after reading through a few others. They sat in companionable silence, Neji absently holding his cup in place as Tenten refilled it.
A knock came at the door, and Neji looked up sharply. His Byakugan revealed that the samurai from earlier had returned for the dishes and laundry.
"Henge or hide," he said to Tenten as he rose to his feet.
"Why bother?" she shrugged. "This is more modest than anything I sleep in at home, and half of what I usually train in. And even if this person didn't know who we really are, which, I am certain he does, it isn't as if it is unseemly for "Lady Tomoe" to be awake and in the common area in the company of her bodyguard."
Neji suppressed a sigh. "It is unseemly," he explained with a forced patience. In a moment he had henged back to his previous appearance, and looked at her pointedly.
"Have it your way," she muttered, and stalked off to her room.
Neji admitted the man who put the bags of laundry and dinner tray onto a large cart before bidding them a good night.
Tenten slid the door open a fraction. Neji didn't even look up from the scroll he was reading
"Is it safe?" she whispered dramatically.
"No," he said flatly. "Hide under the bed until I tell you to come out."
"Very funny, Hyūga," Tenten pushed back the door and sauntered back in the room.
She cleared away her scroll, and began shuffling her cards, earning a smothered sigh from Neji.
"Hush," she said with a smile. "Or I'll tell your fortune."
"How can you believe in all of that nonsense," he scoffed lightly, returning to his reading.
"Says the man who used to have some serious hang-ups about the inevitability of fate," she muttered, laying the cards out on the table.
He gave a soft grunt as a rebuttal, and she ignored him. The sound of cards being turned over and studied occasionally punctuated the silence between them. Neji glanced up to see her looking thoughtfully at a card in her hand, before returning it to the deck. Abruptly, she gathered them all together and stacked them neatly before returning them to a hinged metal case.
"Done already?" he asked dryly.
"Was just curious," she said idly.
"Making sure you aren't going to fall off of your horse tomorrow?" he asked, eyes back on his reading.
"I don't need the cards to tell me that," she stood and stretched. "And as I recall, the only one who fell off of a horse last time was you."
"It was charging for a low branch, and I jumped," he retorted.
"And then fell out of the tree?" she asked eyebrow raised.
"No," he grumbled, and ended the conversation.
"So many secrets, Neji," she tsked. She checked the clock and gathered up her cards and scroll. "I'd better get some sleep. Don't stay up all night reading," she warned. "You're just as likely to have to ride as I am... and twice as likely to fall off."
Neji glowered at her.
"Just looking out for my teammate," she said sweetly, but with an impish twist to her smile.
"Good night, Tenten," he said pointedly.
"Good night, Neji," she laughed. He watched her cross to her room pausing to look back and offer "Sweet dreams," before sliding the door shut.
It took him two sets of falling-off-of-my-horse nightmares before he settled into a deep sleep. He wasn't quite sure what his last dreams had been about, but they had been pleasant. He was at a loss, however, to explain waking to a curious disappointment of empty arms that he was oddly sure had been warm and full in sleep.
The last arrow sank into the target, piercing its predecessor.
"That will do," Mifune said with no inflection, but a pleased tilt to his expression.
Tenten rode back over to the horse's handler, and dismounted. She took a moment to speak gently to the giant, murmuring her thanks to him.
Her last round of training had been completed while wearing armor, and Neji moved to help her remove it.
"Well done," he said quietly, taking her helmet.
"Thanks," she grinned. "You, too."
His smirk was small, and they finished working in silence.
Mifune strode over to them purposefully.
"We shall reconvene in two hours," he said without preamble. "Report to our usual training area, ready to go through your tessenjutsu. I'd suggest a light lunch," he offered. With that, he left.
"That doesn't sound good," Tenten said, foreboding snaking up her spine.
They were fifteen minutes early, both smelling decidedly less like horse.
Mifune entered the arena, flanked by several samurai neither of them recognized, and one figure in training gear.
One female figure in training gear.
Tenten stood a little straighter, curiosity piqued.
Neji immediately recognized the three chakra signatures from the observation area.
"Tenten, is it?" the older woman approached her.
"Yes," she inclined her head respectfully.
"I have been watching you," the woman's intelligent gaze swept over her. "You have learned our techniques quickly."
"Thank you," Tenten accepted the praise graciously, but there was a happy flush on her cheeks.
"As the General told you, the tradition of the onna-bugeisha has faded over time. There are very few of us left. It has been quite some time, though, since I took on a student."
Tenten's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "A student?"
The woman inclined her head - midnight black streaked with gray.
"The General contacted me at the onset of this mission. I allowed him to teach what he has shown you so far, but now it is time that I take over your training."
"That is an honor, Lady...?"
"Takeko is sufficient," she replied. "I will help you complete your training," the older woman said firmly. "But I warn you," she held Tenten's gaze in a fierce stare, "do not let my years fool you. I am not an easy taskmaster, nor a forgiving opponent."
"Hai, Takeko-sensei," Tenten bowed.
The woman's beautiful but stern features slid into an emotionless mask. "Then we are at an understanding. I have never had a student able to stay upright at the end of their first session. Let's see if you will be the exception."
Hours of grueling spars and training later, Tenten was exhausted, battered, and aching, but she was standing.
"Not bad for the first day," Takeko said coolly. "Return tomorrow, 07:00 hours. I'd suggest skipping breakfast."
With that, the woman exited the training area.
The second the door closed behind her, Tenten collapsed forward. It took her mind a moment to work out that she hadn't hit the ground. She had fallen onto Neji's back.
"Let's get you back to the room," he said quietly.
"Thanks, Neji," she murmured as she wound leaden arms around his neck.
She couldn't see his small, fond smile, but the ring of pride in his voice was unmistakable. "You're welcome, Tenten."
I actually do quite a bit of research for my stories, so I want to point out some facts vs. fabrications.
* The onna-bugeisha were the wives of the samurai class, and were expected to be able to defend the home. They were trained to fight.
* Their weapon of choice was the naginata - a long pole ending in a blade that could be used to easily unseat a horseman.
* They also used tantojutsu (a tanto is a small, short sword) and archery.
* The Lady Tomoe and others of legend were said to be excellent archers and riders, as well as exceptionally skilled swordswomen.
* While the samurai did use the iron fans, the association of the onna-bugeisha with tessenjutsu is relative to this story only; I have not found any indication that they used these weapons/techniques.
* Also, the idea that the onna-bugeisha evolved from a 'western' (Chinese) clan that then intermarried with the Samurai is also a complete fabrication.
* The two "western" fighting styles using the fans are Tai Chi and Kung Fu.
* The Samurai methods truly were more utilitarian, and often treated the Iron Fan as a bludgeon for disarming an opponent. I'll put a few videos up on my tumblr page for reference, if you are interested in seeing more.
As always, thank you for reading, friends!
-Giada