A/N: My apologies for the late posting and shorter than normal chapter. I had to split it up this way in order to retain the flow of the story. Thank you for all that read and review. You are the reason I keep going!
Kakashi was amazed and a little bit jealous while he watched Tenten sleep peacefully. He enjoyed watching her while she slept cradled in his arms. He was grateful that she would be well rested since the next two days would press her limits physically, mentally, and emotionally. She had no idea how tough the test would be on her. And she didn't even know how much the outcome would affect their future together. He tried to push those thoughts from his mind and focus on this moment. But the thought of not being with her caused an intense pain in his chest that he never experienced before. Kakashi glanced at the clock, knowing he needed to head to the Hokage Tower to meet the daiymo. His hatred for that man made it difficult to remain cordial so Kakashi would be defiant in the only way he knew how; by being extremely late and wasting his time. This could be the last time that he would hold her like this and he wanted to savor every moment. Before tearing himself away from her still frame, he pressed his lips against her temple and lingered just for a moment.
"I love you. I believe in you." he said softly into her ear. It was enough to make her stir, but not enough to wake her. Kakashi dressed quickly and quietly before he took one last longing look at her face. If he could just walk away from being hokage, none of this would matter. With a sad smile hidden beneath his face mask, Kakashi walked away for what could be the last time.
Tenten should have been a nervous wreck. But she had such a peaceful, dreamless sleep that she woke up with a newfound confidence she did not have the night before. After her shower and a quick breakfast, she set out for Training Grounds Delta; the training field furthest from the village and only accessible during special events. It would be another hour before the sun would rise but Tenten wanted to be one of the first to arrive. She stopped at his memorial stone for a brief moment.
"You always believed that it was important to be early so I'll keep this short. Today's the day. I should be scared, but I'm not. I guess whatever happens, happens. I'll do my best. Wish me luck."
Quite a few people had the same idea. Although she arrived an hour before registration, by the time Tenten reached the gates to the field, there were already 30 other shinobi. Most she recognized from the weapons shop and around town, but none of them would be considered as her friends. As she meandered her way through the crowd, she felt lonely and longed for that extra bit of support and confidence boost. When she was younger, she always envisioned going through this process with Lee and Neji. Having to go through it alone made her vulnerable. She decided to find a quiet corner and meditate to pass the time.
Her curiosity kept getting the best of her and she found it difficult to meditate. Instead, she watched the people funnel in one by one. For those that she didn't know, she liked to guess what their strengths were, if they were good at ninjutsu or taijutsu, if this was their first time taking the test, how old they were. All sorts of things just to keep herself busy. One person caught her eye. The way he was sitting, she couldn't see his face, but from his side profile she thought she looked familiar. If she didn't know any better she thought the guy could be a slightly taller version of Neji. The way he sat while meditating, his hair, and his clothing all gave off the typical Hyuga vibe. But Tenten was fairly certain that the clan would not let just any Hyuga become Anbu. Tenten's focus on him did not falter and she waited patiently for any chance to see the man's face.
"Everyone please make your way to the tables for instructions."
The mass of Anbu hopefuls made their way to the tables as instructed. She lost sight of the mysterious man to make her way to the front of the line.
"Name?"
"Tenten."
"Full Name." The masked shinobi didn't bother to look up from his stack of papers.
"Oh sorry. Mokuhyō Tenten." She crossed her arms, and mumbled "You could have asked a little nicer."
Either he didn't hear her or he didn't care. Never making any eye contact, he handed Tenten a badge with a number and a generic white mask then waived her off. "You're number 44. Wear the badge so it is visible at all times. Follow the line that way for your physical."
Realizing it wasn't worth the effort to argue about politeness, Tenten followed instructions and stood in the line for the physical. When it was her turn she entered the medical booth and was greeted by a young nurse who immediately shoved a thermometer in her mouth, a blood pressure cuff on her right arm, and shined a light in her ears all while giving Tenten instructions like a programmed robot.
"Confirming you are number 44. This is a preliminary physical to ensure you are well enough to proceed with the exam. Results will be kept in your private file and will only be shared with medical professionals should an emergency arise. All of your vitals seem normal. Please step on the scale so I may measure your weight."
Tenten imagined doing this repeatedly over 100 times could get monotonous but at least the nurse wasn't rude like the guy at registration.
"Weight 106 lbs. Now I need your height. 5 feet, 4 inches. Everything has been entered into the database. Please proceed to the building to the right. Further instructions will be provided once all have completed the physical."
"Thank you. Have a good day." Tenten smiled before exiting the booth, hoping it would rub off a little on the nurse. But by the time Tenten finished her sentence, the nurse already started her speech with the next person.
The inside of the building was set up similar to the classrooms in the academy. When Tenten walked in, she was handed a packet but instructed not to open it until advised. She found a seat in the middle of the room so she could watch the others funnel in. There were a wide variety of people taking the exam. A good mix of active shinobi, some Konoha police force, and even a few civilians arrived. One person caught Tenten's eye the moment he walked through the door. She tried not to stare, but she found it difficult to shift her gaze elsewhere.
With Hinata and Hanabi being more involved in clan affairs, she expected more changes in the future for the Hyuga clan. What Tenten did not expect to see was a branch member participating in the Anbu exams. As he got closer, Tenten averted her eyes to avoid direct eye contact. He selected the seat two chairs down from Tenten, but he didn't acknowledge her existence. She studied him further, not really sure what she was looking for. From the corner of her eye she could tell he had all of the standard Hyuga features; long, straight, jet black hair, light eyes, and pale but flawless skin. If it wasn't for his jawline and that he was a few inches taller, he could have been Neji's twin. Tenten felt uneasy with him so close to her. It was like a ghost watching her every move. She tried her best to distract herself by people watching while waiting for the test to begin.
The room filled quickly and soon Iruka stood at the front of the room to hush the crowd so they could begin.
"All of you have completed Test 1, the physical, and will now begin Test 2. You each should have a packet with your assigned number in the upper right corner. When I instruct you to do so, you will open the packet and answer as many questions as possible within the two hour time limit. If you finish before the time is up, you have the option to exit the room and wait for further instruction. You cannot ask me any questions. You cannot receive assistance from anyone in the room. Your time starts now."
Tenten opened the booklet and stared at the first and only question. In the center of the page was a single question.
"Why are you here?"
"Here? Here where? Here taking the test? Here metaphysically? Am I supposed to provide some sort of philosophical answer? What kind of test is this?" Tenten frantically looked around the room. Most had the same panicked expression whereas others just did a better job of hiding it. She glanced at the Hyuga she subconsciously named "anti-Neji" to find him writing diligently. It didn't surprise her that he had no problems with the test.
"Okay Tenten. Calm down and think about this. There's a reason they asked this question and you have two hours to figure it out." She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. All she could do was stare at the paper. Everytime she started to write, she would stop herself and rethink her answer. When Iruka called for everyone to turn in their packets, Tenten had four sentences on her paper. Feeling drained and defeated, she handed her packet to Iruka and sat back in her original seat.
"Now that I have all of the packets, everyone will need to proceed back to the open fields where the registration tables and medical tents were. You'll be called up one at a time in numerical order for the next phase of testing. Good luck!"
Still a bit shaken by the written test, Tenten searched for a secluded corner near a large tree. She needed to regain her composure before she was called in for the next test. She overheard some of the others talking about the techniques they would use for the specialized skills test. Tenten didn't have a plan for this, but she felt beyond comfortable doing anything with weapons and decided that going with the flow would be best.
She sat with her back against the tree, pulled the kunai from her ankle pouch, and proceeded to throw it at the tree across from her. She used the chakra strings she attached to the hilt to bring the kunai back and then repeated the toss. She decided to try on the white mask they gave her at registration. Tenten figured the mask would be used at some point, so she figured now was a good time to test her vision and accuracy while wearing the mask. After several test throws, she noticed the mask slightly restricted her peripheral vision. It was simple enough to account for with a slight shift in the angle of her head in relation to the target. After a few practice throws, she didn't even notice the mask.
In the distance beyond the targeted tree, she noticed the same Hyuga staring in her direction. She tried not to think anything of it until he started to move towards her. Her stomach churned with nerves as the distance between them diminished. She hoped that he wasn't coming to talk to her, but there he was, a foot away still staring at her movements as if he was studying her.
"I wasn't sure when I saw you in the classroom but now I know for certain."
His voice was smooth and calming but he still made her tense. Tenten responded with a puzzled expression but never she removed her eyes from the invisible target on the tree. "Wasn't sure about what?"
"You're Tenten right? The hair was the first clue. The number of kunai you have stashed in your outfit was the second, and then watching you throw sealed it for me."
Tenten stayed silent; not exactly sure how to respond. Clearly this guy knew quite a bit about her, possibly from Hinata, and he was very observant. Still, she wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing.
Sensing her unease, the slightly older Hyuga laughed to try and lighten the mood. "Neji would talk about you a lot. In fact, in your genin days you're the only one of his teammates he would mention. I'm Hyuga Hisoka. Nice to finally meet you, Tenten."
He seemed genuine although Tenten didn't buy it that Neji talked openly about her especially when they were genin.
"I also wanted to thank you for what you did. If it wasn't for you, Lady Hinata, and Lady Hanabi, I wouldn't have this opportunity because of the seal."
She wasn't expecting this. Tenten stopped throwing her kunai, removed her mask, and stood up to face Hisoka.
"No need to thank me Hisoka. I was just doing what Neji would have done." She smiled as she extended her right hand to shake his. Before she could say anything further, her number was called to begin the next test.
"Good luck, Tenten. I hope we can continue our conversation when this is all over." Hisoka bowed as she grabbed her bag and ran towards Shizune.
Shizune guided Tenten to a secluded section of the field enclosed by an invisible barrier that Tenten approximated covered a 100 yard radius. She looked in all directions but there appeared to be no else around. Still, she could feel Kakashi's presence almost as if he was reaching out to her purposefully.
"Number 44, you have 3 minutes from the time I pass the clearing of trees over there to execute your specialty. I'll be here to escort you once time has expired. Any questions?"
"Um. Just one. Specialty? What does that mean?"
A little annoyed with having to elaborate, Shizune responded while walking away. "It's whatever you want to showcase a skill only you have. Or something that will make you stand out."
Three minutes wasn't a long time, so Tenten had to think on her feet. She didn't practice or prepare a special jutsu for this; she didn't even know she had to. So she decided to improvise with combining some of her old techniques with others she's picked up over the years. Before she began, she pulled the white mask down over her face. If they wanted to see her skill level, then she would do it with the mask to prove it would not hinder her during missions.
She grabbed two scrolls from her backpack; one small with red trim and the other slightly larger with black trim. She tossed the red trim scroll high in the air, allowing it to unravel into an arc while she quickly performed the hand seals. With chakra infused feet, she lept towards the scroll, pushing her right palm directly into its center. Sixty wooden puppets emerged from the cloud of smoke. She attached chakra strings to each puppet and scattered them throughout the dome barrier. The puppets landed in various heights and distances; several were hidden behind trees, rocks, or bushes.
From her perch on a large boulder, she detached the chakra strings from the puppets, causing them to move on their own in random patterns. Several puppets drew kunai that were aimed directly at Tenten. Before they could release the weapons, she already activated the next scroll which released a barrage of kunai. The weapons went in seemingly random directions, but upon a closure look, each released kunai successfully intercepted the ones thrown by the puppets. The puppets reloaded in preparation for a second assault but Tenten was ready. She pressed her palm into another portion of the black scroll to release 22 shuriken. This time, she threw them herself, landing a critical hit on every puppet she targeted. With one last press of the scroll she pulled one final weapon; the bashosen. She first used it as a shield to block the weapons hurled towards her. Then with one final command, she swung the bashosen towards the remaining puppets, releasing a shock wave of air pressure that critically damaged not only the puppets but everything else in its path.
After a quick glance around to verify every puppet was down. It took her 1 minute and 54 seconds. Satisfied with her work, Tenten spent the remainder of the time collecting the broken puppets and scattered weapons and replacing them in her scrolls.
A/N #2: The last name I chose for Tenten means target. Also, I've been watching Hunter x Hunter a lot lately so there's two nods to the anime in this chapter. Did you notice?
