Tenten woke up the next morning and stretched out her arms as she sat in her bed, taking in the morning sun. After a few moments, she tossed her bed covers aside and placed her feet on the ground, and got ready for her morning. She grabbed some clothes from her closet and she walked out of her room and into her bathroom for a quick shower. When she was finished with her shower and was dressed in clean clothes, she made her way to the guest room so she could check on Kugi.
Tenten expected Kugi to be up and ready to start the day once she opened the door, but instead she found a young boy sprawled out on the bed, lacking all "Hyuga elegance" as he slept. Tenten chuckled to herself. There's a trait that he got from his mother. Neji's internal clock was always on point and he always woke up at the crack of dawn, whether he was at home or on a mission. Tenten, on the other hand, would never be able to wake up and get out of bed if it wasn't for the help of three different alarm clocks in her room. On missions, it was always Lee's job to wake her up. She even snored for a long time before she was recommended to see a medic about it. Nobody would want to lure an enemy to their location, especially while asleep.
Tenten walked over to the bed and reached out a hand to rustle Kugi awake. Kugi groaned in response and swatted Tenten's hand away. She pulled her hand back and looked at him in shock before she narrowed her eyes in deviation. She untucked the bed sheet that Kugi was laying on and gave it a yank. She pulled Kugi along with the sheet and he landed on the floor with a loud thud.
"Ow," Kugi moaned, holding his hand to his head. He opened his eyes and looked up at Tenten with a scowl.
"It doesn't hurt me this much when Aunt Hanabi wakes me up," the boy muttered.
Tenten grinned. "Alright then. Just get up and you can complain about it while you're getting ready."
Kugi groaned and stood up, quickly replacing the sheets on the bed. After that, Tenten showed Kugi the washroom and gave him some linens, and allowed him to get washed up. As he took his shower, Tenten went to the kitchen to make some breakfast. After a few minutes, Kugi appeared in the kitchen, his body freshly washed but still wearing the same clothes from the previous day.
Kugi sat on an empty chair at the kitchen table and Tenten placed a plate of food in front of him before she sat down next to him with a plate of her own. Between bites, Tenten spoke to Kugi.
"Now make sure you pack at least two extra sets of clothes. An enemy can smell BO from a mile away."
Kugi's only response was a nod as he continued to eat. Tenten continued to speak.
"And it's a 4-day journey so you want to pack at least 6 days worth of rations. I can seal away some food and water, but it doesn't taste that great so it's for emergencies only."
Kugi nodded once again.
"I can take care of a tent and a mess kit but you need to bring your sleeping bag and some sort of fire starter in case you get separated from me."
Kugi nodded once more, frustration growing on his face.
"And don't forget-" Tenten started before Kugi cut her off.
"Sensei, I know what to pack. Aunt Hinata already went over this with me. If there's anyone you need to remind about what to pack, it's Jin."
Tenten gave Kugi a slight glare before she replied. "Well Jin isn't my son, now is he?"
Kugi stared at Tenten with wide and confused eyes.
"What?" he asked.
Tenten's eyes also widened when she realized what she just said.
"No, um, my teammate's son, yeah, that's what I meant. So that makes you my son too because Neji and I were like brother and sister."
Kugi turned his head slightly in confusion.
"Wouldn't that make me your nephew, not your son?"
Tenten pondered. "Well, um, no, because the relationship between teammates is even stronger than that of siblings, in my opinion."
"So, that means Metal is also your 'son'?" Kugi asked, putting air quotes around the word son.
"I guess. I never really thought of that before, actually," Tenten said, placing her hand on her chin.
"So you only think of me as a son, not Metal?"
"No, it's not that. I just don't see Metal as much as I see you."
Kugi quickly interjected. "Wait, so does that mean when Mie and Jin have kids, I'll be their 'father'?" he asked, also putting air quotes around the word father.
"Okay, okay," Tenten said waving her hands. "I think we're both a little too in over our heads with this conversation." Kugi nodded in agreement.
"Look," Tenten began. "I care about all three of you, but because you're my late teammate's son, you hold a special place in my heart. I just want to do all I possibly can to keep you safe," Tenten said, smiling at Kugi.
Kugi smiled back, a small blush on his cheeks as Tenten ruffled his hair.
"Now finish your food. We don't want to be late to the training grounds."
XXX
Jin and Mie were casually standing in the middle of the training grounds when Tenten and Kugi approached them.
"Finally. Took you guys long enough," Jin said with an eye roll.
"Jin!" Mie said before lightly hitting him. "Be respectful."
"But come on, Mie," Jin replied. "We expect stuff like this from Sensei, but Kugi? Has the world flipped upside down?"
"Maybe if that happened, you'd be a good shinobi," Kugi mumbled under his breath.
"What did you just say?" Jin shouted at Kugi. As the two boys were glaring at each other, Tenten stepped between them.
"Okay guys, cool it down. Kugi stayed the night at my place and we both got distracted."
"Wait," Jin shouted once again. "Kugi got to stay at Sensei's place? No fair. I want to have a sleepover with Sensei."
Tenten shuddered at Jin's choice of words before she spoke. "We can discuss this another time. For now, let's focus on our training."
Immediately, the three genins stood up straight and gave Tenten their full attention.
"Alright then, in light of the mission we have later today, we're going to do ambush training. Anything can happen outside of the village, so you all need to be prepared. This isn't saving cats anymore. All sorts of evil people are outside the Leaf borders and there won't be any other Leaf shinobi around to help you out. For today, I will hide then you three will be jumped and attacked unexpectedly. Your job is to not let your guard down and react accordingly. Got it?"
"Got it!" the three genins replied in unison. Next, Tenten disappeared and her students each took out kunai and stood at the ready. Over half an hour passed without any movement. Suddenly, Jin groaned out loud.
"Ugh, this is crazy. How long does she plan on making us stand here?"
"The attack probably won't come while we're in a defensive stance," Kugi said.
"I think you're right," Mie agreed. "On the mission, we're going to be walking and we also don't want our weapons out because we might scare our client. We need to act casually and then Sensei will attack."
"I don't think that's a good idea, guys," Jin said. "Better safe than sorry."
"What an idiot," Kugi mumbled.
"Want to say that a little louder?" Jin shouted at Kugi.
Kugi sneered at Jin. "Even if I did, you're probably too dumb to understand."
Jin was getting very frustrated. "Just once, could you please just keep your mouth shut and keep your comments to yourself?"
Mie anxiously looked at Jin and Kugi. "Guys, stop fighting. We're in the middle of training."
Kugi opened his mouth to reply but he was cut off when a flash of green crossed the genin's sight. Almost immediately, Kugi stood in front of Mie and blocked the attack that was aimed at her. As the enemy's attention was on Kugi, Jin charged and tried to attack the unknown fighter. Jin's foot was a mere inch from the enemy's face before he disappeared quickly, causing Jin to kick Kugi in his follow-through. Kugi was knocked back to the edge of the training ground from the strength of Jin's kick. Once Kugi came to, he shouted at Jin.
"What the hell was that? You could have killed me."
Tenten appeared from her hiding spot in the bushes and helped Kugi up. The two walked over to Jin and Mie.
"Who even was that?" Mie asked. "Are we really under attack?" Mie looked around the training ground while clutching a kunai.
"No," Tenten said, shaking her head as Lee appeared beside her.
"What the heck. You said you were going to attack us, Sensei," Jin said confused.
"I said that I was going to hide and that you were going to be attacked," Tenten began. "I never said I would be attacking you. You guys are familiar with my fighting, so it wouldn't be like a true ambush. I asked Lee to come to help out to give you guys a true taste of what could happen outside the village."
"I guess we blew that exercise," Mie said with a sigh, looking down at the ground.
"Not exactly," Tenten said with a smile. "There were some good things and some not-so-good things. Mie, your perception and reaction aren't the best. Kugi and Jin aren't always going to protect you so you need to be able to fend for yourself. But it was smart of you to stay alert even when it seemed like the threat was gone."
Tenten turned her attention to Jin. "And Jin, your reaction time was great. You were very close to hitting Lee, but you need to have some self-control or you'll end up sending another teammate flying."
Jin also looked at the ground in embarrassment before he noticed Kugi glaring at him. Jin glared back, pointing a finger at Kugi, and spoke.
"Yeah, but what about him? I wouldn't have kicked him if he hadn't riled me up by calling me names."
"You idiot. I had to rile you up," Kugi said.
"What?" Jin replied in confusion.
"I noticed someone in the bushes when Sensei and I first got to the training ground. You're extremely powerful when you're angry so I knew I had to get you angry before the person attacked us. I noticed Lee leave his hiding place and I knew he was coming after Mie. Enemies usually always go for the team medic first. I knew if you were worked up, I could protect Mie knowing that you could be a reliable backup."
Jin looked at Kugi with slight awe in his eyes. He was impressed that Kugi was already so attuned to the team. Kugi wore an expressionless face until Tenten spoke up.
"I'm glad you realized that Kugi, but there are plenty of other ways to get Jin's energy up. Plenty much nicer ways."
At Tenten's comment, Jin's expression perked up and he smirked at Kugi.
"Ha! Eat that Hyuga. You have no reason to be an asshole to me."
Ignoring Jin's comment, Kugi turned to Tenten in angry confusion.
"Oh really? And what is another way can you think of?"
"How about, 'Jin, there's an enemy,' or 'Jin, Mie's in danger,'" Tenten said in a condescending tone.
Kugi only scuffed and rolled his eyes at Tenten. This response angered Tenten.
"Listen, kid," she started, pointing at Kugi. "I'm your Sensei. You do not treat me that way, or your teammates for that matter. If you continue to act as the lone wolf with an attitude, I can easily discuss with the Hokage and get you replaced with someone who values teamwork over pride and image."
The three genins stared at Tenten with wide eyes. They have never experienced Tenten this stern and angry before. To say they were scared was an understatement. After an uncomfortable amount of time passed, Kugi bowed his head slightly and spoke.
"I am very sorry, Sensei. It won't happen again."
Tenten's expression remained unchanged as she continued to glare at Kugi. Understanding Tenten's silent demand, Kugi turned to Jin to also apologize to him.
"I'm sorry for teasing you, Jin."
Jin, resisting the urge to make a wisecrack joke back at Kugi, replied.
"Thank you. Apology accepted."
Like a flip of a switch, Tenten's mood instantly changed back to a happier one.
"Wonderful. That's going to be it for today. Head home and take care of some last-minute tasks before we leave. We'll meet at the village entrance in two hours."
The three genins nodded and they each took off to their respective residences. Lee appeared from the bushes again and stood next to Tenten. As he watched her students leave, he spoke to her.
"Do you not think that you were a little harsh on Kugi?"
Tenten turned to look at Lee with a sigh.
"I don't know. Maybe. I'm in such a weird position. Every time I talk to him I need to choose if I'm speaking as his mother, his teacher, or the tramp that tainted the Hyuga Clan."
Lee placed a hand on Tenten's shoulder. "As far as Kugi knows, you are his teacher, and you should exclusively treat him as such."
"I know I should, but it's just so hard sometimes. I look at him and all I see is Neji. Then I don't know whether to be happy, sad, or uncontrollably angry."
Lee had no response to give to Tenten so he opted to give her a sad smile.
"Y'know, I called him my son today," Tenten said, breaking the silence.
Lee's eyes got wide in shock. "What?"
"I played it off easily," She quickly responded. "But I already slipped up and we've only been a team for 4 months. Imagine how many slip-ups I'll have during the next couple of years we have together?"
Lee gave Tenten an encouraging smile. "Tenten, you have always been the level-headed person. You always think things through and you always have a plan. That is one of the many reasons that Hiashi specifically chose you to be Kugi's teacher."
Tenten gave no response to Lee. He began to worry that his words meant nothing to her before she gave him a soft smile.
"Are you telling me nice things that aren't true because you still have a crush on me?"
Tenten's comment caused Lee to become flustered. He stuttered and looked around awkwardly, trying to find the right words to say.
"No! I am not lying. I do not even like you anymore. Well, I still like you, but like a sister, not a lover. But I meant those things regardless, and believe me."
Tenten cut Lee off by holding up her hand and letting out a laugh.
"Lee, I'm just joking. I do believe you and thank you for your kind words."
Lee gave Tenten his signature thumbs up and smile. "Anything about my teammate and best friend."
Tenten let out a light chuckle and gave Lee a quick hug before she walked towards the exit of the training grounds. She turned around and spoke to Lee as she walked.
"Thanks again. I have to go get ready for the mission now."
The two teammates each exchanged a quick wave to the other before Tenten took off, out of the training ground.