Disclaimer/Author's note:
I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in the series of Naruto on which all of this is based. I do not know Kishimoto, so I have not asked him personally if I could do this or not. If anybody out there actually does know him, feel free to give me his phone number. Otherwise, what else can you expect me to do besides put in this darn disclaimer?
Recap
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"Neji, you did well today. The young have the duty to surpass the old. It is my wish that one day you will defeat me. Now, as for your female team mate I see that she has quite a bit of courage in her. And as she has said…she has not precisely violated the rule. I have decided that she can stay."
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At this, Tenten seemed to be giving a peace sign in the background.
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"However, you and Hinata are to make sure she does not wander to places she does not belong. You are dismissed. I have a meeting with the elders I must attend." After saying this,
he left.
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The three young ninjas stood silently in the center of the courtyard.
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Tenten's POV
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So there I was, standing in the center of the Hyuuga manor courtyard waiting for Neji to say something. I hadn't seen him in a while, and with Gai-sensei training Lee I suppose this
was what he had been up to…perfecting his proficiency in the style of his own clan. I didn't have a clan, so I had no such luxury of someone to train with me. I had to practice on the
trees and the animals in the forest. Some such as the rabbits provided good sources of food. Otherwise it was just pointless destruction of wild life…but of course it wasn't entirely
pointless after all. I had invented a new move that I could call my own. How many ninja, even shinobi could boost of such an accomplishment? I only wished that someone would
acknowledge my effort and achievement. Gai-sensei or even Lee would have been a better source of encouragement, but for some reason I came here. I guess because for me, the
acknowledgment of a prodigy would have been worth more. Or maybe it was because I was too impatient to wait for the other two members of the team to come back from their
daily morning ritual…but nevertheless, there I was. But I was about to be sorely disappointed.
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"Tenten," I waited expectantly. "I do not want to train with you today. Please…just go home."
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So it was all for nothing. There I was expecting some kind of congratulations. I had managed to catch someone off guard, a Hyuuga and the head of the clan at that. Even he seemed
to be somewhat impressed by my effort, and yet here was Neji…as calm and callous as ever, denying me even my humble request for a spar. But I understood…after all that fight
with his uncle was intense.
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"It's cause you're tired right? It's ok. We won't train then. But I don't want to go home just yet. This place is far too interesting. What was that move your uncle did back there? It
was really amazing."
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"I don't know how you managed to do it but...by some luck you did manage to catch Hiashi-sama off guard. I suppose I should thank you. Otherwise I might never have been able to
see the Kaiten up close." At this, he paused. He had an intense look of concentration on his face…as if he was trying extra hard to remember something. After a long silent moment of
this, his face turned angry.
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"It's no use. I still can't duplicate it… Tenten, you should go home now. Have Hinata-sama to show you to the door. You shouldn't dawdle around here too much. This isn't
somewhere you want to stay for long."
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At this point my disappointment turned to anger. It was luck. Mere luck that I somehow managed to catch a great Hyuuga off guard. It had nothing to do with my skill. It had nothing
to do with my timing. It was all just pure luck. That was how he saw it. And then after telling me that, he dared to ask me to just leave. Just leave, after coming all the way here, getting
my head banged against the door, all I got was a compliment on my exceptional luck! He didn't ask me where I learned that attack, didn't ask me how I was doing, he didn't even ask
me if I wanted some tea like Hinata... I felt almost hurt. Although I suppose I shouldn't have. This was Neji after all...he wasn't much of a people's person. However...Hiashi-sama had
already given me permission to remain. He was the head of the house, not the grumpiest member of Team Gai. I wasn't about to just listen to him. And I was definitely not going to
leave."
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"Why should I leave? Just because you say I should? What gives you the right to just order me out like some common servant? Your uncle said I could stay. Who are you to decide
that I can't?" I guess I must have looked pretty angry, because Hinata who was standing beside me squeezed my arm lightly.
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"Tenten-san. I-It's okay. P-please don't be angry with N-Neji nii-san. He's j-just, upset. I-I'll give you a t-tour…just f-follow me."
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"Hinata-sama. You shouldn't let her wander around. You don't know how she is. She's a no good busybody who often puts her nose into places where she doesn't belong. She has a
tendency to get into trouble. Her nature forces her to be far too curious. Her sense of self-preservation are far worse than that of the average kunoichi. You should be able to tell that
by her actions so far."
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If I hadn't been mad before, that statement would have made me boil! As it was, I was beyond pissed. No longer was this just about me not getting my way, he was outright insulting
me!
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"Teme-yarou! Damn you Neji! I trained hard before this day, just so I could master this move so I could train against you. If it hadn't been for that crazy chakara spiny thing your
uncle did I would have even gotten him with it…whom you could barely even touch. It seems, you can't even do that defensive manuever, and you dare mock me to my face? And
as if I wasn't even here! I'd say your sense of self-preservation are far worse than my own!"
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"That...was mere luck. I… And my statement was not meant to be insulting…it was simply the truth. However, you can take it like that if you wish. Just leave this place and don't
come back. You'll be happier for it." At this, he turned around. I was not going to take this. Even if I had to place a kunai in his back, I would be getting some respect. I wasn't going
to let him just wave me away like an insignificant spec. Because of those thoughts, I re-rolled my scrolls from which my weapons had been re-sealed into earlier. I swore I'd show him
luck. I was about to do my attack again, when Neji spoke.
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"Oh…and by the way. That "chakara spiny thing" my uncle did earlier. That was a move of the Main House called the Kaiten. It's name means to return the heavens, and it is not just
any defensive maneuver. It is the Hyuuga clan's ultimate defense. Branch house members aren't allowed to be taught it. However that doesn't mean I will simply fall to your attack."
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There was a difference in the attack styles? At the time, I did not know this. I hardly knew much about the Hyuugas. I knew only what I had read from various sources, and research I
had done into this clan before I even came here. However, though I knew about the separation of the family into the two Houses…Main and Branch. I only knew that this difference
distinguished between those who could become important future leaders in the clan and those who would always remain mere soldiers in the line of battle. Before that day I had always
assumed that this was the main source of his inner anger. And I thought that I understood to some degree. However...
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I asked this of Neji, and I told him what I knew…and he laughed morbidly.
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"You think that's all there is to it? I only wished such were true." At this he paused, and soon seemed to have decided upon a course of action. "I suppose I should show you
something. You are most likely bound to see it eventually anyways. And you will ask, and plague me with your incessant questions. You always do." At this, his hands went to his
forehead protector, and he removed it. He turned around, and that was when I first saw it. A distinguishing mark in a peculiar pattern, standing out on his brow…it didn't look that ugly
to me, but I suppose for him it was hideous. Of course it made me curious, and he was right, I would ask questions. As I did then, I asked him what it was.
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"This mark is on the forehead of every Branch member in this compound. From the day we are born, our destiny is decided…and on the fourth year every child that does not belong
to the Main House is branded like cattle and has to suffer tremendous pain. That is not all. With this," and he gestured towards his forehead while looking at the timid Hyuuga girl
besides me, "Even she could kill me with just a thought."
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At this, I felt shocked. I looked to my right. Hinata had a pained expression on her face, and I could see that she wanted to say something, so I gave her a bit of encouragement in the
form of a nudge. What was this all about?
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"I…I…but I… Neji nii-san, I c-can't do it. Th-th-the seal…I c-can't remember it."
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At this, both Neji and I gave her a curious look.
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"t-t-tousan, he t-t-t-tried, t-to, t-teach me, but. I…I c-can't remember it at all."
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Neji doesn't look like he believed her…but never the less I gave her the benefit of a doubt. She didn't look like she could hurt a fly, much less kill a person. She was so unlike Neji. I
remembered wondering how distantly they were related. I hadn't known at the time that they were practically brother and sister.
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At her words, Neji seemed to ponder this statement. "Nevertheless…you will learn it. It is required in order for you to become heir. And I don't resent you for this... it was decided
by fate, not you."
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"That's right. It's not her fault. So would you quit blaming her for everything? Besides…just because you can't be taught the ability…doesn't mean that you can't learn it yourself,
right? I'm sure there must be some way to"
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"What do you think I've been trying to do? Why did you think I've struggled this hard all these years in the academy? My goal...ever since that day my father died has been to learn all
of the moves and abilities of the Main House. My goal…is to prove that this system is worthless! That all their efforts are for nothing! I can become more than they could ever be,
despite this. And my father's death was also..." At this, he seemed to stop himself. I believe that at that point, he had spoken more about this to me than to anyone else outside of the
clan. In truth, I had ever even heard him speak this much. So for that to have happened...to me, was another small miracle. Before my eyes, the look upon his face was one that I
cannot erase from my mind even to this day. It was a look of anguish, and helplessness. I didn't know what to do. I think Hinata too, was staring at him in sorrow. I cannot say how
she felt, because I am not her, and I will never be.
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Even though I was still kind of mad at him. That he considered me a bad kunoichi had made me angry and sad at the same time. However at that moment what I wanted to do more
than anything...was to help him. I didn't know why. Maybe it was because he was right. I was a busybody. That was a part of my personality. I'm incredibly curious by nature, always
asking a million questions, and researching into the questions that I couldn't find the answers to immediately myself. But I also believe, that I have a kind heart. This is what the people
at the orphanage had told me when I was younger, and it was something I have always believed of myself. Was it true? I don't know. But at that moment, I decided that I was going to
help him... unfortunately to my chagrin, it was going to be in a way that proved him right. I am a busybody kunoichi with nothing better to do with my time and no sense of caution for
any respectable ninja worth a damn. I always hated it when he was right about these kinds of things...sometimes I still do. But if it wasn't for this aspect of my personality, I would
have never risked my life to do what I was about to do next.
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"Neji…I don't really know you that well. Even after the year we've spent as team mates, I still somehow feel as if we're strangers. But because we're strangers, you don't have the
right to order me around. I don't care about your past…even though I think I can understand you better now. However…I will help you. Don't think that just because I'm a girl I'm
useless. You were right earlier…I don't have enough caution for a ninja. But you shouldn't worry about me...not that you ever do. I'm going to help you by being exactly what you
accused me of Neji. And there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop me... Or at least not when I have my protector Hinata around." At this, I clamped one arm around the girl next
to me who was looking like she was about to choke.
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"Tenten…just what are you planning to do?"
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At this, I grinned mischievously. "Now that, is a secret."
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Second Author's Note: (Do people get annoyed at me or even read these for that matter?)
I know...it's incredibly horrible, I'm such a terrible writer. Heh. Well you can bash me all you want! Flames welcome! Heh. Well anywayz...
If anybody knows where that last quote came from and went "That's!" Then I don't even need a second disclaimer. If you go, "I think I remember that from somewhere, can't remember where." Or, have no clue. Then search Slayers and Xellos on Google and you'll find out everything. Great series, I own all three seasons on DVD. Okay now, ja ne.
