Tenten crossed her arms, glaring up, irritated once again. "What do you mean, you're leaving me?!" She narrowed her eyes, blowing her lengthening bangs out of her eyes. She really needed to cut them, but they were almost so long that she could tuck them behind her ear. She mostly pushed them to the side now, where the tip curled against her cheek, right below her eye. She liked the style - but hair falling in her face was a quick way to get distracted and killed in battle. And she hadn't been wearing her hitai-ate - it had been destroyed by Deidara. She still kept Neji's close, though, checking on it constantly to make sure she hadn't lost it, or it hadn't fallen from her bag. She would wear it again - after all, every Konoha shinobi needed the Leaf symbol somewhere on their person - but she needed to pretend for a little like it hadn't happened, like he was alive.
"I told you, someone here owes me. Big time. And I'm gonna call in this favor for you. The great Jiraiya! Helping out a poor, ungrateful street urchin like yourself!" His demeanor was that of someone who obviously wanted grovelling, his arms wide and expectant.
Tenten did not grovel.
"Where are you and Naruto even going?" she whined petulantly. She did not want to be left behind. She had signed on to be with her brother, to watch over him. And now she was being handed over like a pimped-out piece of beef? She called bullshit on Jiraiya's attitude. If this was her brother's mentor, she was going to have to talk to Tsunade about his methods when she returned home.
"We're heading to the smaller islands out over that lake. Like training grounds. We'll be back every night. Mizukage-sama has set up a room that a man of my age and position requires. And this man has taken time out of his extremely busy schedule to train you. Show him a little gratitude, why don't you? Since it's not like you can give me any."
"So while Naruto trains and you slobber over the 'hot' Mizukage, I get stuck with some old pervert geezer like you?"
"Hey!" he glared, turning a little as Naruto jogged over from his bathroom break in the middle of the rocky scenery.
"Wait. You're right, I'm sorry - I take it back," she said sarcastically. "Both me and Mizukage-sama are stuck with old pervert geezers."
"What about Ero-Sannin?" Naruto asked, looking down at her. It still disconcerted her that she was shorter than he now, even if it was by barely an inch. She was used to looking down at him, having him reach her armpit, her chin, her ears.
"He's leaving me! Bailing!"
"He doesn't have much to teach you." Naruto pointed out reasonably. "And we'll be staying together! Me and you! Every night!" He did not dare mention the nightmares she'd had over the past few nights. Nightmares involving sand and demons and puppets and Hyuugas.
She did have to admit, she wouldn't mind that. It was better than nothing. Ever since Naruto had begun his shinobi career, he'd asked her to back off as a sister figure, rather than babysit his every mood. He'd probably asked Jiraiya to arrange this. And she understood it. She really did. But when he was farther away, it was easier to accept his proximity to Jiraiya than when she was nearby. Every instinct she had screamed to get him away from that man. He was trouble. Why she felt that so intensely, she did not know. But there was an odd sense of foreboding around him, and it had grown stronger with her new dojutsu.
"I'll see you tonight, nee-chan! I'll even get dinner!"
And they left, using the shunshin and disappearing - just like that. Leaving her to wait for another mentor, whom she was sure was the same as Jiraiya - another gropey old man with a tendency for the dramatic.
She missed Neji.
She missed Lee.
She never thought she would see the day that she'd realize it, but she really missed Gai-sensei.
x
"So... you're the Uzumaki brat." He kicked her out of her haphazard meditation, Ryuusei starting awake. The little dragon had been frantic with worry after reading Tenten's memories of the past few weeks, and hadn't even bothered to berate her for her extended absence, fretting herself into a daze. She had wrapped herself around Tenten's buns, smaller than usual, and rested, seeking the reassuring warmth of Tenten's body and the comfort of her aura.
Tenten scowled at the moniker. "Who the hell are you?" She realized, belatedly, that nobody had told her the name of her new sensei.
"I'm gonna ignore that damn belligerence of yours because I'm here as a favor to Jiraiya-sama. A big one."
"What can you do for me?" Tenten glared at the man. He looked intimidating, but appearances could be deceiving. Ino had taught her that. Ryuusei mentally rebuked her for her insolence, reminding her that the chain of command existed for a reason. Easy for you to say - you're Nagareboshi-sama's eyes and ears, Tenten replied, but acknowledged the reminder humbly.
"My name's Ao. I'm in charge of the hunter-nin. And I'm a damn good shinobi. But I'm not here to prove myself to you, kid. It's the other way around."
Tenten scrambled up and crossed her arms. "Well... Ao-san... Why am I here?"
"You know, a couple years back, I was down in Hi no Kuni for a mission..." he began conversationally, and she wondered whether he was answering her question or just derailing. "Ran into a squad that attacked me - a genin team. I didn't wanna hurt the kids, but their sensei couldn't be allowed to live - he was a threat to me and my mission. Nothing personal. They were a spunky crew," he reflected. "Especially one of them - an Uchiha boy. Later, I found out he'd made quite a name for himself - you might recognize it - Shunshin no Shisui?"
"The entire Uchiha clan was massacred." Her eyes were cold and narrowed, showing her disinterest. Though she did not underestimate him. That would be dangerous with enemy-nin. And she couldn't tell if he was an enemy. He ignored Ryuusei completely, but the little dragon did not seem to mind.
"Figures. You kids are so lazy. Ignoring your history books in favor of a couple of kunai. Anyway," he ignored her input. "Little brat nailed me - I was half dead. But I managed to take down the sensei, and take an eye back to replace the one he nearly blinded."
She watched him flip up the eye patch.
"Luckily for me, he was a Hyuuga."
Lo and behold, was the Byakugan. She blanched immediately, knees hitting the moist soil. Ryuusei twirled around her, trying to comfort her out of her dramatic reaction. Her stomach felt sick. Really, it wasn't that shocking. But the idea of another dead Hyuuga hit her hard, and she bit back tears at the reminder of Neji, with immediate embarrassment at her reaction. Looking down, she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, sucking in a deep breath to compose herself.
Shamed, she looked up, meeting his eye and patch staring down at her ominously.
"Get up."
She was glad he did not give her pity or comfort. She really would've cried then. He did not lend her a hand. She stood on her own.
"Your chakra highways are torn to hell."
He did not ask for her story. He only observed the now.
"So what?"
"Your Byakugan is in a similar state."
His tone was uncaring, and she liked it.
The field they stood in was cold, and muggy, but it made a nice change from Suna's too-hot climate. Neji would've liked it here, she realized. He couldn't feel it though. He never would. Because of her. He had never even gotten to return home.
"What do you know about the Byakugan that a Hyuuga can't teach me?"
He scowled. "Don't be a smartass. I'm here because Jiraiya-sama begged me. I don't train chuunin kids. I don't have to do shit. Be respectful."
She bowed, trying to insert as much sarcasm into the gesture as she could. "My apologies, Ao-san. Please, pray tell, what could you, such a learned leader of the Kirigakure hunter-nin faction, teach me of the great Hyuuga's legendary dojutsu?"
It wasn't that she disliked him. It wasn't his fault for her bad attitude, really. She did, on some level, feel guilty. But if he couldn't handle it, he wasn't a worthy teacher anyway. Tenten was a master marksman, and he was her current target, since Jiraiya and Naruto were training with the Mizukage.
When they'd been ushered into her office, Tenten had been quite happily stunned and surprised.
x
Terumi Mei, the current Mizukage, had put down the paperwork she'd been examining and stood.
"Jiraiya-sama, I take it?" she asked politely, smiling seductively and bowing a little, revealing cleavage that rivaled Tsunade's.
Jaw hitting the floor, Jiraiya gaped at her like a fish, trying to find coherent words. Before he could force them out, and thus embarrass the hell out of all of them, Naruto interjected. "Sure is! And I'm his apprentice, Uzumaki Naruto! I'm gonna be the next Hokage, dattebayo, so I'm here for training! Even the political kind!"
The Mizukage nodded graciously, smiling. "Welcome to Kirigakure, Naruto. I hope you will enjoy your time here. The Hokage sent me a letter detailing everything - including your sister."
"Uzumaki Tenten." Tenten bowed low, admiring the calculating gleam in the older woman's eye. Gorgeous - and knew it. Tsunade had probably warned her about Jiraiya - female Kage to female Kage. Tenten was enthralled by the very idea. Two intelligent, capable women in power? She practically had hearts in her eyes. "This is my summons, Ryuusei."
She didn't know much about Kiri's governmental system or history, but she assumed Mei-sama would be the first female Kage in Mizu no Kuni. It was amazing to Tenten that two women would be elected within such a short time. It was about time, she thought, starry-eyed at the beautiful, deadly woman before her.
x
A smart smack to the back of her head startled her out of her thoughts. "Apologies, sensei!" she grabbed her head. Ryuusei puffed up a little in protest.
"That's what I like to hear. We'll be starting with simple meditation. I want you to come into tune with your entire body. Do you know any medical ninjutsu?"
"I have general knowledge, but most of it is basic, and my practical application is terrible."
"How did you acquire the Byakugan? It's obviously an inferior copy. Was it man-made in a lab?"
She sighed. This was not a fun story to explain. "My best friend - my comrade - died in battle. I was frantic, I suppose. So I decided I wanted a piece of him, and I managed to bypass his juinjutsu and used a chakra-patterning technique I learned from the Hokage's apprentice to copy the chakra pathways." It was practically a rote recitation at this point. "I took a few of his cells and copied them into my own eyes. However, because my medical ninjutsu is crap and because I copied the patterns of his chakra highway but couldn't alter the biological makeup of my eye, it's forcing out the color cones in my eyes. I'll probably go color blind without Hyuuga attention."
It was a small price to pay. She did feel closer to Neji. She'd dreamt of him every night for over a week. Most replays of old memories - the time Lee had forced him to eat a pepper and he'd nearly jyuukened the poor genin for his efforts. Neji had always hated hot foods.
The times they'd spent sitting in the brothel while she was injured.
Training with Gai and Lee - their first training with Gai ever, and how loud and strange and intimidating he'd been, in a bluff, blustery manner.
Ao hmm'ed under his breath. "Well. Do as I said. Do not break concentration. I will rouse you when it is time to speak."
She obeyed, and hours later, he was as good as his word and summoned her from the trance she'd been in - one she could only have entered after spending so much time with Hyuuga Neji.
"How do you feel?"
"Tired."
"Don't be a smartass." He snapped. "What parts of your body were you drawn to?"
"I felt... my arms, mostly. My fingers. I felt the chakra pulsing through me before I even felt my blood rushing."
"And?"
"It... felt off. Chakra pathways are supposed to move the same way as your blood, right? It felt... clogged? Sort of? Everywhere though." She concentrated on the sensation she'd felt. "As though every few centimeters there was... a blockage. And my chakra pathways have limiters in them, I know. I think they affect the flow of my chakra. No, they definitely do. It's like... the thumping of your heart, everywhere, all at once. Tingling. But it also felt... wrong."
"So the first thing you must do is solve it."
She scowled at that. She expected a 'we'. But she also liked it. Independence. Someone who was going to let her test her own waters, for once. An adviser instead of a babysitter.
"Find a solution."
With that, he left her to find her way back to the little hut she and Naruto were to stay in. Trudging back, she let her mind wander. How could she get rid of the limiters?
"Hey, nee-chan! It's late! Don't you want some dinner? It's ramen, Kiri style! It has too much menma and not enough naruto but the noodles are pretty good! I saved some for ya! Are you hungry?"
Naruto kept chattering about his day, and she immediately felt the tension melt from her shoulders as he yabbered about his training with Jiraiya, who was, of course, staying at an 'inn'.
Listening to him felt right. Finally, he was eager for her help, for her advice, for her assistance. She was at the right distance from his training so that he was ready to share. And he had grown enough to recognize that perhaps she wouldn't always be around to share with. He felt the death of the Hyuuga genius almost as acutely as she did - because never before had he really had to recognize the fleetingness of youth, and of life, in such a thoroughly personal way.
He'd seen enemies die, she knew. He'd been in the Forest of Death. He'd lost the Uchiha. But this was different. This was a friend - a brother of sorts. Tenten's close connection to Neji made Naruto feel the Hyuuga's death all the more pressingly. It was not an adult, or an enemy, or a faraway figure. He had been there one moment, vital and untouchable. And then he had been gone.
He curled into her thin arms after she ate and changed, placing her seal on the underside of the hut's roof, Naruto still talking, yapping like a puppy until he finally fell asleep halfway through a sentence about tweaking the Rasengan.
And Tenten did not sleep. She sat, waiting for the sun to rise, pulsing chakra into the little, uncovered mark at the center of her forehead, refusing to give into the nightmares.
x
Every day followed the same routine. She would wake up early (or not sleep at all), make breakfast, rouse the deadweight that was Naruto, and they'd prepare for their days.
She would meditate for hours under Ao's careless supervision, and he'd give her vague words of wisdom before disappearing. She'd then return home, to Naruto, who usually would have some sort of edible, lukewarm food waiting, and he'd happily fill the silence, asking her questions and talking about techniques and inanities. It was fairly similar to the old days, back in Konoha, when she'd come home from painting a fence or weeding a garden and walk him home from the Academy.
It was perhaps the slowest-moving, most productive training she'd ever had. Now she understood Neji's meditation - she felt as though she were getting to know herself and her body better and better every day. She'd begun experimenting with the limiters - she'd noted the way they'd reacted violently to Shukaku's energy and her hyakugou chakra being so concentrated and funneled through her channels.
At night, she used the Byakugan to concentrate on a single point in her big toe - a particularly large tenketsu resided there, and she released the Yin seal, focusing it into her toe, pressuring it until -
"Shit!" she flew upwards, grabbing at her foot. An enormous pain blossomed up her entire foot, as if she'd pinched a nerve. "Fuck! Ouch! Kami!"
Naruto moved up groggily, a kunai already in hand. "Tenten!" he grunted. "What is it?!"
"I stubbed my toe." She lied.
After all the effort she'd gone through in finding out the truth about Naruto's heritage, she didn't know why the lie came so easily to her lips. Perhaps it was her trying to protect him. Perhaps she was ashamed of what had happened. Perhaps she was just too damn tired to talk about it.
Tsunade had explained that putting too much chakra into the seal each day could result in insomnia. Which is why Katsuyu-sama's psychic assistance was so helpful. Now though, with the Byakugan, she'd found it much easier to focus the desired amount of chakra each day - she could see it move through her body. Unfortunately, not in her reflections, though, so she couldn't see her face or back. Hinata had once mentioned that she could use the Byakugan just as well on reflective surfaces - most children tended to play in mirrors when they first were able to use the dojutsu.
Now though, as the pain slowly subsided, she rubbed it absentmindedly, waiting for Naruto to fall back into a deep sleep. She eyed the toe, before activating the Byakugan.
"Holy cow." She murmured.
The intense focus of energy had, for lack of a better word, popped the limiter. It was obviously made of chakra, too, or it'd never hold. The blackness faded and dissipated into the flow of her system. It felt warm and a little alien... but it did not actually feel bad. It didn't hurt.
It was similar to medic-chakra - comforting.
Was this the chakra of Naruto's mother? His father? The previous jinchuuriki of Konoha and the Yondaime Hokage? Both? Did it belong to the kyuubi?
No - a bijuu would probably form a more tacky adjustment. This was fine, and hard. It snapped and cracked, hard. It did not melt or mush or flow away. It had to break off first. It had been deliberate.
She moved her hands to Naruto's rough, spiky hair and scratched softly with her nails, playing with the thick locks. His hair had lightened as he'd grown older - the strawberry blond had faded to a golden wheat.
He murmured in his sleep, and she settled down, stopping the flow to the White Strength Seal, hoping for some sleep.
x
"My toe is absolutely swollen with chakra!" She fretted at Ao, who watched her as indifferently as ever. And she'd thought Raidou was bored by her! He gave it a whole new meaning. This grumpy man did not like her, did not want to be there, and obviously felt he had far better things to do. She'd spent a week with him already - only three more until the trio would move back to Konoha.
"Figure it out." Was all he said, before preparing an attack stance.
He was brutal. Ao had been raised under the regime of the Bloody Mist, and took no care not to hurt her in a spar. Every time he attacked her, she had to defend herself, lest he kill her.
And she was taking other hints from him too. She assumed the pierced ears he wore was similar to the Hyuuga juinjutsu - a seal that would erase the eye. Although she'd noted that he'd tweaked it since she'd explained how she'd bypassed the seal. The lettering was different, and more intricate. She wondered if it would be easier just to make it a paper bomb, to blow his entire head off at his death or if his eye was taken. Though perhaps he wasn't as ready to sacrifice himself as she perceived.
Genma's spitting technique was more chakra than actual mouth-motion. And with that, she pierced her own ears, up and down the cartilage, with tiny, slender metal senbons wrapped in her own specialty paper bombs. It stung, and her ears throbbed for days after, but Ao noted it, and she could tell he was flattered. She didn't tell him that she had thought more of Asuma-sensei as she'd pierced them.
"Wow, what's with the sudden jewelry?" Naruto had asked, bouncing on his heels, examining her reddened lobes.
"It isn't jewelry," she'd explained, biting back a hiss of pain as she'd stabbed through the tragus in the center of her ear. "They're paper bombs. I practiced with the lobe - I can force them out, not as quickly as spitting a senbon, but with decent force. And even if I can't force them out, I can take them out and throw them or plant them. The point is that they're senbons - hard to notice until you're hit with one."
His blue eyes gazed down at her, impressed. "Let me get some!" he commanded cheerfully, showing her the tender skin of his ears and neck. "We can match, dattebayo!"
x
"Tenten?" Naruto asked hesitantly. It was nearly morning, and she was startled that he was even awake. Perhaps the slight throb from his ears had kept him awake, or woken him.
"Yes?" she asked him, rolling over in her cot to face the direction his voice was coming in.
"Were you in love with Neji?"
The question was completely unexpected and she had zero response for a moment. She had no idea what to say. Or even how to process his question.
"I'm... sorry?" She asked him, feeling more awake than she had in days. "Where's that question coming from?"
She wondered, vaguely, if Hinata's shy efforts had gotten to him. The girl had spent some time around him, trying to inject herself with bravery in order to gain his attention.
"I think I'm in love with somebody. But it's complicated."
She frowned. "Why would it be complicated, Naruto-kun?"
"I... someone else loves this person, too. And I don't want to hurt my friend. So I don't know what to do. Or even how to think about this. I don't know." His voice sounded more dejected than she'd heard it in months. She thought he coughed back a sob.
"Do you want to tell me who it is?"
"...I don't wanna say it. But Sakura loves this person too."
Tenten was taken aback.
"Uchiha Sasuke?"she prodded incredulously. The bastard who'd run off, and nearly killed Naruto? The brat who'd been on his team and had, to her knowledge, treated him completely like shit?
"...Hai, nee-chan. Yes. I mean - yeah. Sasuke-teme. And... well..." his voice trailed off, but Tenten knew better than to nag. "And... I didn't want to talk about when I tried to follow him."
"Do you want to now?" She asked him kindly.
"I... you know... Sakura-chan... she asked him to stay. Or to take her with him. And he didn't do either. And she loves him, and I promised I'd bring him back to her. But I couldn't. Not just because he was too strong..." His voice was low, husky, as if he'd been crying, or was about to. "When he left... I was still conscious. Just a little bit. And he kissed me. Like a real kiss. Not just like that time in the Academy when I accidentally got pushed into him. That definitely didn't count. But this did. Tenten, I don't know what to do!" He rolled over with an audible thump. "I told Sakura-chan... well... I didn't tell her. But I asked her if I could get released from the promise I made her, about the teme." His voice was laced with bitterness at the name. "I told her that I wouldn't break the promise... but if she could release me... I would do anything else for her."
"Did she release the promise?" Tenten asked, her heart going out to the boy.
"Yeah... and she said she didn't want to ask why. And that she didn't want Sasuke-teme back after all. Because he'd hurt everyone too much. Even me."
Sakura hadn't discussed this with Tenten at all, and the older girl understood why. This was team business. This was between Sakura and Naruto.
"Kakashi-sensei tried too... to convince him to stay, before. And it didn't work. He left all of us, nee-chan! Everyone in the village! We tried so hard for him, and it wasn't enough. And maybe he wants more... but we can't give it to him. Sakura said that he's an S-rank nuke-nin now, because of Orochimaru. And that we should kill him on sight. And I'm ready to do that, believe it!" Naruto's hoarse voice was despairing, hurting, and Tentne felt herself choke up at his declaration.
Because Naruto loved him, he was ready to kill him. For the sake of the village he loved more.
x
She noted that the when she'd popped her first tenketsu chain, she had used an excess of power. With the Byakugan, she tried to calculate how much she needed - a little extra was better than not enough. Not enough was a waste entirely. Two percent too much was better than not quite reaching full 100 and wasting all of that entirely. So slowly, she cut down the pressure on her other big toe, measuring it, going as low as she dared before forcing it through the tenketsu with another painful pop.
It felt like breaking her foot. But as the limiter released, she felt extra chakra flow into her system, and the loosening felt like taking off tight shoes and wandering barefoot after hours of dancing or training. But only in that tiny spot, under the skin and too minuscule for the naked eye to see.
Gathering enough chakra for that had taken another week.
x
"Use the Byakugan to refine your other techniques. The Byakugan is more than it seems. It is not just the ability to see chakra, but to utilize it on an entirely different level. The Sharingan is said to be the most powerful dojutsu, but I would advise you not to underestimate your own abilities, or if you are battling someone with the Byakugan, do not underestimate theirs. The Hyuuga clan is one of Konoha's most powerful."
Ao lectured her now that he saw her intelligence, her ability to think through problems. As she learned to channel her chakra through her big toe, feeling it out, she felt herself move more quickly, more gracefully with the extra boost. It was now a weak spot, too, though. She could not allow herself to lose too much through the opening, or to leave a trail.
It seemed that he had a hugely extensive knowledge of the human body - from chakra to the nervous system. He also had zero compunctions in quite literally smacking sense into her. The one part of dealing with Tenten that he seemed to enjoy was beating her up - and she tolerated it, because if she were to be honest, he'd taught her more than anyone else, excluding Genma.
Even Gai's tutelage dimmed in comparison to what she'd done with Ao. Though it was Gai who had taught her to not rely so much on chakra. Advice that she often ignored, or took for granted, but never, ever misunderstood the importance of.
"Your body is your first and most important tool. What does it matter what attachments and upgrades you get if the base is rusted over?" He'd boomed. "Remember! Your youthful bodies are meant to be trained!"
And it was that advice that kept her alive through Ao's vicious attacks. They came at all times.
Tenten was expected to evade him while holding on to her meditative state of mind. Dropping it meant another smack. He was quite liberal with hitting her around. It was infuriating, but she soon learned there was nothing she could do about it. Dropping her chakra use, she relied more on muscle memory, the way Gai and Lee had, staying focused on the backs of her eyes. This was truly fighting with a blindfold, on a far more intense level than Gai's training. She was able to perceive his hits before they came, using the Byakugan, feeling his chakra move the air particles around her. She was expected to dodge and then fall right back into proper position. She was closer to Lee and Neji's styles than she'd ever been before, and it was after they'd both died. It took all four weeks of training for her to realize it, but she looked back at her process, and she realized she'd never been more in tune with the philosophies she'd never before understood.
She was definitely at least an average kunoichi now, she thought to herself in satisfaction. She was no longer below average or dismal. Although she wasn't proud enough - pride was a kunoichi killer - to think she was anything special, she was definitely ranking average in skills. Her ability to see through genjutsus that Naruto had practiced casting on her had grown. It was still a far cry from actually casting them, but it was much better than she'd ever been before. Her taijutsu was as strong as ever - perhaps even better now that she knew how to avoid styles like the Gentle Fist and could defend herself blindly. Her ninjutsu was hardly better than it had been before, but her fuinjutsu was growing to be as perfect as the imperfect art could be.
Likely the reason that it suited Tenten so much was because it was not an exact science. It was more like an art - drawing the symbols, sounding them out. When she'd first heard of it, it sounded like magic to her. Writing spells and completing sorcery - she felt like a powerful witch, capable of cursing and hexing her opponents.
Of course, fuinjutsu was not quite like that. But she'd been good at it - her handwriting was neat and clear, and it didn't require much chakra to seal or unseal, and thus she found she was quite suited for the art. And that's how she saw it - she soon was working on homemade anything - senbons, paper bombs, even poisons!
Shizune's attempt to teach her the principles of poisons had been... not quite as successful as Tenten's other endeavors. However, it had also been far more successful than her weak attempts at medical ninjutsu. It was the rote memorization that Tenten had difficulty with, though she had managed to create a few of her own signatures ones, weak paralysis potions infused with chakra. She'd placed them on her senbons, and, with Sakura's assistance, created multiple antidotes and anti-poisons to bring - just in case.
Ao never outright fought her, despite his obvious speed and agility - two traits she shared. It was not like when Gai had first begun their training - once, he'd attacked in the middle of the night, while she was fast asleep after trying to help Naruto with target practice - something she'd been good at even before she discovered her affinity for weapons. Of course, when she'd simply begun screaming and Naruto had barged in, throwing shoes and dirty laundry at the enemy, Gai had to calm them both down, apologizing profusely. He hadn't tried it again.
Saying goodbye to Ao at the end of their month together was not difficult. He'd made it clear that he disliked her and found her a waste of his valuable time, but he'd mentioned that the Mizukage had assigned him a mission of relaxation, and training her was clearly a vacation. But he did tell her that she'd shown more progress than he expected. She thought she heard him murmur "...especially for a woman..." at the end of his sentence, but she figured any response, verbal or physical, would be taken as a challenge, and she didn't doubt he would jump at the chance to actually pound her into a jelly.
"Actually, Ao-sensei," she said sweetly, before he left. "I have a question about Kirigakure's Seven Swordsmen. What can you tell me about them?"
He raised a brow. "There are seven of them."
She crossed her arms. "What do you know about Momochi Zabuza?"
"He's dead - 'cause of that knucklehead you call family, I know. Buried in Nami no Kuni, far as I know. They're all nuke-nin, missing ninja, and as far as I'm concerned, handling that shit is a job for my hunters, not for upstart little girls with broken Byakugans."
With that, he left. Tenten frowned. So much for closure and sappy farewells. It seemed he really hadn't warmed up to her at all. But as the smoke from his shunshin cleared, she realized he'd left behind a pair of senbon with slips of paper attached to them, and a little note stuck in the base.
These are seals for the Byakugan in case of death. Some secrets are best kept.
Even a man who had stolen another village's dojutsu recognized the need to keep it sacred. Tenten wondered what he really thought of her taking it. She hadn't really needed it - her eyes had not been damaged. Though, really, she hadn't actually stolen the Hyuuga dojutsu. She supposed she just sort of wanted him to accept her. Even when she'd likely never meet him again. Was it a pathological need for approval? Or was it - kami-forbid - respect for the grumpy geezer who, under ordinary circumstances, wouldn't give her the time of day?
She placed them in her hair, crisscrossing in her buns, with the chakra-infused paper dangling down. They seemed to avoid skin contact - they did not flutter in her face or in front of her eyes no matter how she moved. It was fascinating. That, combined with her new, tiny, only-visible-in-the-right-light ear piercings triggered a new feeling again. Something she hadn't tried to feel in a long time.
A little butterfly - no, a little bird - of pleasure began to wave through her stomach. She felt pretty. She felt better than she had at the third exam. What had Neji said to her? The word rushed to her lips, and Ryuusei nuzzled the warmth of her cheeks as she flushed with a contentment that was so rare.
Beautiful, Neji had called her. Uzumaki Tenten, after all this time, hardened and sweaty and in dirty, torn training clothes, felt pretty. It was a long time coming.