Chapter Two: No Such Thing as Bad Publicity

Tenten was painting a fence.

When she'd started out on her journey to be a ninja, this isn't what she had in mind. Then again, it was a relief compared to being chased by wolves. As her brush moved up and down, people passed her by without even noticing her. As she worked further and further along with it, no one gave her a second glance.

It was a little annoying, but she reminded herself she didn't need that kind of attention.

"Have you heard about the Inuzuka wolves?" asked a merchant in a nearby cafe.

"What about them?" asked another.

"Someone attacked some of their packs in the caves and gave them all a lot of bruises," said the first. "All that howling last night was their handiwork."

Tenten tried to listen and keep at her work and was finding it difficult.

"No kidding?" asked the second one.

"I heard that girl over there was forced to run for it," said the first. "Now she's working odd jobs."

"That's terrible," said the second.

Tenten was slowing down here. She had to stay focused on painting, or she'd get things done at a much slower rate.

"Well, what about the forest fire? No way could it have started normally after all that rain," said the second after a moment.

"You think it was a ninja?" asked the first.

"Maybe," said the second. "I hear that the Leaf is sending several whole squads of ANBU out to investigate, and troops are on standby. Meanwhile, the Uchiha are having to pick up the slack as enforcers."

"Well, they've been in charge of law enforcement since the Leaf was founded, so that's to be expected," said the first. "Still, I was in the Leaf a little while ago, before the fire, and, well, things were odd."

"Odd how?" asked the second.

"Supposedly, there was a sort of tenseness on the street," said the first. "There are always ninja on guard, but this time there were more of them. And they kept looking at us like we might be an intruder. I get the feeling they know something or think they know something.

"And everybody is jumping at shadows because they think whatever it is might strike."

Tenten realized she was slowing down and sped up, painting up then down with as much care as possible. Doing this was really giving her arms a workout, and the crouching she had to do to get the low spots worked her legs. It was pretty good exercise.

"Well, what do you think it was?" asked the second.

"Well, I remember there was an Uchiha and a member of the ANBU," said the first. "Both were walking past my stall on some business, right. And they turn the corner and bang into eachother.

"Both of them draw out knives on reflex the second they see who the other is. It takes a moment before they realize they are allies. Something is going on out there; mark my words. And I think it might be an internal thing."

"Yeah, just keep talking," muttered Tenten, tuning out the distractions. "I'm going to make my pay, and then... then I'll have what I need to head to the Leaf."

On Tenten worked, ignoring any further conversations. As she did, she found her rate of work increased a lot. Several times she heard interesting tidbits in the back. But she ignored them and refused to think about them. Focus and work, and she'd get to her goal.

Don't let irrelevant things distract you.

And in the end, Tenten succeeded in painting the entire fence. Done. The best part was that this stuff was paint that had been infused with chakra. It was designed to harden right after being applied. It must have been very expensive.

"Well, this is some good work so far, young lady," said Old Man Yannis.

Tenten beamed at the praise. Finally, some respect. "Thank you."

It had taken a lot of work, but she'd finally done it. Now she could make her pay and-

"Now you can put on the second coat of paint," said Yannis, bringing out another bucket. He was a very old man with spectacles and wasn't even looking directly at her.

Tenten sighed. She had to complete the job she'd been given before she could do anything. "...Yes, sir."

She took the paint, cleaned her brush, and prepared to go in again. However, her mind was just not in it. Forcing herself to focus, she opened the paint buckets. And she had half a mind to just rush through it. Yannis' eyes couldn't have been that good, and he wouldn't notice. She could just do the bare minimum, and she'd never come back here again.

No one would care or know.

But Tenten would know. Every time she thought of this place, she'd remember she did a half-assed job on it. "Okay, Tenten, you're not going to do a shoddy job on this, and you're not gonna steal. Not even if you can get away with it. You'll do your job, get your payment and go on to the Leaf Village."

And she set to work with renewed vigor.

As Tenten painted the next layer, she did so with determination. She was very careful not to leave any blank spots or thin areas.

"Okay, done, finally," said Tenten.

"Excellent work, Tenten," said Yannis. "It was really kind of you to help out like this."

"Oh, it's no problem at all," said Tenten. "After all, I needed this job as much as you needed it done."

Yannis gave her the money. "Here's your payment."

Tenten took the payment and saw that it was what she had bargained for. No bonus or anything, which she was a little annoyed about. But then Tenten reminded herself that Yannis did not owe her anything more than what he'd offered. "Thanks.

"Now I just need to go buy what I need."

And Tenten went shopping with her newly gained funds. While moving about, she was careful to buy the best stuff she could at a good price. This town seemed to cater to traveling merchants, and they had a pretty good selection. Still, haggling was difficult, to say the least.

But, at last, Tenten had purchased everything she'd need in equipment. She'd cut it pretty close and spent all her money. "Okay, flint, tinder, knife. I can pick up some stones to defend myself with if it comes to it. Now I just need some food..." Tenten halted. "Nothing left.

"I'm going to have to do another odd job, I guess. But where can I find one on such short notice?" It was midday above. Why had she spent extra on the knife? She could have saved a bit and bought some supplies above. Now she'd never get out of here today unless she found a job.

Sitting down, Tenten looked around at the people. There were a number of people who looked pretty wealthy. She was sure that she could steal something from one of them real quick and-

No!

Tenten was no thief. She'd be better off begging if she wanted something for free. Actually, begging sounded like a pretty good idea. She was fairly young, so she was sure someone would give her money for food. She'd just have to stash-

No way!

Tenten was not going to be a parasite. She was going to pull her own weight and make her own keep. She could find a job on short notice; she just needed to figure out a problem that needed solving. Looking around, she saw a person cleaning the street in front of their store. They were doing a pretty good job of it, but a lot of stores were pretty dirty.

They ought to get someone to clean in front of them. Merchants seemed to prefer going into stores that were cleaner looking. They didn't remark on it or anything, but it seemed like a subconscious sort of thing.

"That's it!" said Tenten, standing up.

Looking around, she found a store that had a really dirty street in front of it. Then she entered into it and saw a man sitting in front of the counter with a miserable expression on her face. She smiled and walked in. "Excuse me, sir, I'm Tenten, and I'm trying to make a business as a street cleaner. For a reasonable fee, I can clean outside of your store."

"I'm not sure I really need it," said the man, looking at a mirror with drab eyes.

"Oh, but it'll help you with customers," said Tenten. "Think about it, a customer is walking down the lane, and then look at the stores. Then they see your store, completely sparkling clean on the outside. It'll give them a good first impression, and good first impressions are everything."

"How much do you want?" asked the man, looking miserable.

Tenten asked as much as she calculated she'd need for food. The man seemed surprised and shrugged despondently. He looked like the sort of person who'd given up on his dreams.

"Alright, I'll give it a try," said the man. "Get to work."

"Great, can I borrow a mop and bucket?" asked Tenten. "I haven't been able to purchase one of my own."

The man stood up, walked over to the closet, opened it, and tossed both to Tenten, who caught them. She smiled and ran immediately to the water pipe, filling it. Then she set to work cleaning in front of the store. "Alright, time to get to work, Tenten," she muttered to herself. "We'll do more than clean the street. We'll clean the street so well it shines. Nobody is going to be able to say we aren't the best street cleaner ever, and that's before we become a ninja!"

People were glancing at her incredulously, but it was only brief. As soon as they decided she'd never amount to anything, they walked off. Tenten felt anger at that, but she could use that anger. She focused on burning away the dirt on the stones like she was clearing away the dirt on her soul. She liked to imagine that she was making herself stronger on a spiritual level.

Working constantly, she saw the light above her fading. It was the afternoon now, but she wasn't going to give up. Soon enough, she'd worked away all of the worst spots of muck and dirt. Looking at the street, Tenten nodded and poured the water into the gutter. Then she went into the street.

"Alright! All done!" said Tenten. "Would you like to inspect the results, sir?"

"...Sure," said the man, standing up and moving out to look at the street.

There was some change in his face, a bit of change of impression. He seemed impressed, but he was just as miserable. What had happened to this guy to make him this miserable?

"If you like my results so far, I'd happily clean the floor of your shop as a bonus," said Tenten.

The man nodded. "...Go ahead."

Tenten did just that, working her way through the wood. She also did some dusting and under his supervision, organized things. She had the feeling that something awful had happened to the guy and wondered what had happened. A glance over at a table, however, showed a picture frame.

In it, he was much younger and standing with a beautiful woman. Had he lost his wife recently or something? Whatever the reason, he seemed a little better.

At last, Tenten finished, and the man came up to her, seeming to have some life in her. He offered her the exact amount she'd bargained for. Tenten felt a bit of resentment for that but crushed it down.

"Here's your payment," said the man, after Tenten had taken it.

"Thank you, sir," said Tenten. "I uh... I hope things get better for you."

"Thank you," said the man.

Tenten left the store and walked out into the midsts of town. As she got out into the street, she looked at it. It was much cleaner than before, and the man within had just a little bit more life in him. And she had the money she needed.

Buying her supplies, Tenten headed out of the gates with high expectations.

"Now that I'm properly equipped, my legend can properly-" began Tenten.

An hour later.

"I HATE RAIN!" shouted Tenten, desperate trying to keep her chakra network pumping. And, of course, the one thing she'd forgotten was a cloak. "Why couldn't it start raining while I was in town! At least then, there was some cover!"

Finding a tree that gave her a bit of shelter, Tenten got under it, finding the remains of a firepit. Trying to light it, she found the flint and tinder wasn't working with all the rain. Every time she got a spark out, it was quenched.

"Honestly, this is the worst," said Tenten. "Change my luck, damn it! I don't care how!"

"Woof," said something.

"Um..." Tenten looked up. "Tenten halted as a very familiar wolf walked out of the woods. Then another.

"Woof," said one of the wolves.

"Um... that's okay," said Tenten, "it doesn't have to change immediately, I mean..."

Even more, wolves came out of the trees. "Woof."

Tenten hurled the flint and banged a wolf on the head before leaping into the branches. As soon as she was up there, she dived over the wolves and sprinted into the forest, screaming.

"Why is it that no matter where I go, I get chased by wolves!" shouted Tenten, trying to escape the things. "Come on, give a cave or something! One without any wolves in it!"

And, as fate would have it, a cave appeared.

However, as she went through the mouth, he halted and found there weren't any wolves inside it. There were, however, a huge mother bear with her cubs.

"Um... well... I guess it's not technically wolves, but..." began Tenten. "BEAR!"

The bears roared, and Tenten surged out and up a tree as quickly as she could. The wolves whimpered and fled as the bear began to climb the tree after her. Tenten realized she had to do something fast or die. Looking around, she saw what looked like a beehive hanging from the tree where the bear was climbing.

Drawing out her knife, she hurled it to cut through the top, sending it falling down onto the bear. It fell backward, landing with a crash as hornets surged out to begin stinging. Tenten took this opportunity to slide down the tree and keep running.

However, it wasn't long before she saw wolves running alongside her, trying to herd her. Picking one of her pinecones, she hurled one at one of the wolves, knocking it on the side and causing it to fall back. A few more stones drove them off, but she could hear the howls and growls of the things throughout the woods.

Like they were specifically hunting her.

Running for her life, Tenten raced through the trees and abruptly came into what appeared to be a bee farm. Huge numbers of manmade insect farms were resting in rows. There was also a guardhouse where she presumed a beekeeper would have been. But where was he?

Wherever he was, she heard the wolves coming and races through the beehives. Taking a chance, Tenten raced between the hives, trying not to disturb any of them. Fortunately, the insects did not seem interested in her at all. Glancing back, she saw the wolves were hesitant to enter. But already, some were circling around.

They didn't want to disturb the insects, but they'd cut her off as she left.

Tenten thought on her feet and had an idea. Taking out two pinecones, she prayed this would work. Getting a feel for them, she hurled one spinning and then another faster. The first came out to just outside the bee hives before the second hit it. Both went spinning away and bashed into the hives on either side, near the wolves.

Tenten ran.

As she did, all of the hives erupted into violence at once. A vast crowd of insects surged out toward the wolves, which whimpered and fled. Fortunately, the insects near Tenten were slower to respond. By the time they got mad, she was already beyond the borders and sprinting for dear life.

"Hah! Ricochet at it's best! Take that Itachi Uchiha!" said Tenten, sliding to a halt to watch what happened. Huge crowds of insects were rising upward in waves, and one of them landed by her.

"Um... that's a lot of insects," said Tenten.

Then Tenten noticed a cloud of them coming toward her.

"AHHHHH!"

All semblance of a plan left Tenten. She fled through the forest, leaping over logs while trying to escape the clouds. And then she ran into a fast-flowing river. Hearing the buzzing of the insects behind her ears, Tenten leaped into the water. She was hoping they would not follow.

Landing with a splash, she found it cold and was pulled downriver rapidly.

This gave Tenten an idea, and she began to swim with the current. Master Panda had trained her to swim in the lake nearby his home. He'd said it would be useful for running errands, and she ended up moving very swiftly.

Too swiftly, because soon she rounded a corner and saw herself heading toward a waterfall. And in front of the waterfall were rapids with rocks. Tenten realized she'd be dashed against the rocks if she wasn't careful. Turning, she tried swimming against the current to slow her progress, but it wasn't working.

"No, no, no, no, no!" said Tenten.

And then she was pulled out of the water by the scruff of her shirt. She found herself hanging there, looking at the oddest man she'd ever seen. He had very thick eyebrows and a black bowl-cut. His outfit was a pure green jumpsuit, and he was very tall and thin.

"Um... hi?" asked Tenten.

"Well, don't you seem like a youthful young girl?" asked the man. "What's your name?" His voice was boisterous and friendly, which is not the reaction Tenten would expect.

"Oh, um, I'm Tenten," said Tenten.

"Tenten, that's a good name," said the man. "Me, I'm Might Guy. I'm out here on the river training."

"River training?" asked Tenten.

"Yes," said Might Guy. "I walk on the rapids of the water to help with my chakra control. When you've got a limited resource, you've gotta make the most of it. What brings you out here?"

Tenten decided not to mention the insects. "I'm heading for the Leaf?"

"Oh really, why is that?" asked Might Guy.

"Well, my dream has been to become a great ninja," said Tenten. "And I sort of set out, but it's just been one problem after another. Just to get me the equipment, I had to do all kinds of odd jobs, and now I've lost most of it. Nobody supports my efforts. And every step I take, something goes wrong, and I've had to work really hard to get anywhere."

"Perfect, your journey is off to a great start," said Might Guy.

Tenten felt a bit offended at that. "What do you mean? I've been chased by wolves and bears, nearly eaten by insects and nearly drowned."

"But none of those things happened, did they?" asked Might Guy. "And now that you've experienced it, even if you go home now, you'll have a story or two to tell. You're already stronger for what you've done.

"If you think you've got what it takes to be a ninja then you can just tell the Hokage what you've done here. And if you feel like you've had enough and want to go back home, you'll know your own metal.

"It's not the end goal that matters; it's the work you put in to get there."

Tenten... actually felt a bit inspired by that. It was the first piece of positive reinforcement she'd had since she got her. "Wow, um, thanks, mister. Could you stop hanging me over the waterfalls now?"

"Certainly. I'd hate to interrupt your swimming training," said Might Guy.

Tenten blinked. "Wait, it's not training-"

And then Might Guy dropped her off of the waterfall and into the water with a splash. She plunged into the water and floundered to the top.

"Why did you do that?!" said Tenten.

"Sorry not to put you back into the rapids," said Might Guy. "I don't think you're up to the task of that yet. But A for enthusiasm!"

"I HATE MY LIFE!" screamed Tenten as she was carried downriver.

One miserable experience, Tenten managed to get herself onto the shore, crawling up. For a moment, she just lay there, gasping for air. But she knew she had to keep moving, or the cold could get to her. So Tenten pulled herself up and scrambled forward into the woods. She headed in the direction of what she hoped was the path.

"Okay, at least I got out of the river..." said Tenten.

Walking blearily through the trees, she slammed directly into someone who fell forward. However, whoever it was caught himself, turned and took a stance. Tenten looked at him through bleary eyes.

It was a boy about her age. He had long, brown hair and was wearing shorts and a white outfit. On his forehead was a blue bandanna over her head. His eyes were completely blank.

"What was the meaning of that attack?" asked the boy.

"I didn't attack you; I just bumped into you," said Tenten.

The boy halted and gazed around. "I should have been able to see that.

"No matter, who are you and what are you doing here?"

"I... well, I got washed downriver while running from wolves," said Tenten. "Then I ended up here. Hey, are there any rabbits I could hunt out here? I'm pretty hungry."

"This domain is a hunting ground of the Hyuga; all the animals within are our property," said the boy. "It would have been a criminal offense to kill them."

"Oh, so uh... do you also own the wolves?" asked Tenten.

"No, the wolf packs are under the dominion of the Inuzuki Clan," said the boy. "They are presented in an all-out manhunt for a spy."

"Spy? What spy?" asked Tenten.

"Some time ago, someone sent the wolves of the Inuzuki into a frenzy, injuring several of them," said the boy. "They then set fire to a significant range of forest. It drew off a significant portion of the ANBU black ops. On my way out this morning, I had heard that they had caused further injury to the Inuzuki packs. They provoked the Abarame swarms against them."

"Shouldn't there have been a guard on the Abarame swarms?" asked Tenten.

"Apparently, he had been distracted when he sensed some of their wild insects under attack. He went to investigate and found they were fighting with a bear. He assumed the bear had attacked them, so he did not hurry back.

"The Leaf Village believes we are facing a team of expert ninja and have put out an alert.

"Ninja are still trying to restore order."

Tenten blinked. That was... not the kind of attention she'd been hoping for. "Oh... oh, I see.

"Well, I um, I'm sure whoever it was had a very good reason for it."

"It was you, wasn't it?" asked the boy.

"What?" said Tenten, going stiff and trying to look casual. "No, it wasn't. I just... um... well, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"I find that believable," said the boy. "You do not seem the competent sort."

"What do you mean by that?!" said the boy.

"You may make what judgments you wish on the subject," said Neji. "I will lead you to the Leaf Village if only to prevent you from razing the forest to the ground."

Tenten blinked. "Oh, really. Thanks!"

"Follow me," said the boy.

And he led her through the forest. Tenten had the feeling there was something more to this. "So uh, what's your name anyway?"

"Neji Hyuga," said the boy.

"Oh really," said Tenten. "So um, why are you so sure that there isn't a team of elite ninja out there?"

"One should never attribute to malice what you can to stupidity," said Neji. "There hasn't been a real war in my lifetime. And none of the other great nations have good reason to pick a fight with us at the moment. The ideal time would have been six years ago, during the Hyuga affair.

"If a betrayal was planned, they would have done something far more damaging. And they stand little to gain by injuring a few wolves. It seems far more likely that the guards were careless. And under their watch, you caused the chaos through sheer ineptitude. Certainly, no one would take you seriously to look at you."

"Why you-" Tenten paused. "How many wolves have you outrun?"

"It was a compliment," said Neji. "If anyone should be insulted, it is the teams sent out to get you. They had already made assumptions as to what manner of enemy they were facing. So they missed the culprit completely."

Tenten paused. "Well, what were you doing out here anyway?""

"Watching birds," said Neji.

Tenten blinked. "Huh, I didn't see any birds."

"There were eight of them before you barged in," said Neji. "You merely were not looking for them."

Tenten shifted. "So uh, why so far out to look at birds?"

"I am practicing my Byakugan if you must know," said Neji.

Tenten remembered what she'd read about that. "Right um, that's the legendary eye which sees through walls."

"It sees through everything," said Neji, turning to face her.

"...You're not looking at me, are you?" asked Tenten.

"Of course not," scoffed Neji. "I have not yet fully mastered the technique. When harnessed, the Byakugan gives one the power to see in three hundred and sixty degrees. However, doing so requires immense focus and concentration.

"I was practicing out here, far from distractions while I had an off day from the academy. My goal is to be able to accurately perceive everything around me at all times."

"Do you do this often?" asked Tenten.

"Yes," said Neji.

"Oh good," Tenten said as they came to a path. "You know, I'm planning the join the ninja academy too as soon as I get there. So we'll probably be classmates."

"I find that highly unlikely," said Neji. "You are here some years late for training, so even if you made it, you'd be starting late. And even if you could graduate your classes early, the simple fact is that there is a substantial fee upfront."

"Well, fine, I'll work on the side and make the money I need to pay the fee," said Tenten with a shrug.

"There is also the fact that I will be reporting your escapes directly to the Hokage when we arrive," said Neji.

"What? You're ratting on me!" said Tenten.

"At what point during this conversation did we become comrades?" asked Neji. "I have a duty to explain what I have learned to him. In all honesty, it is probably your only hope of getting your foot in the door."

"What do you mean?" asked Tenten, surprised.

"If you, an outsider, asked the Hokage to give you a position in the academy a year late, you'd never make it," said Neji. "On the other hand, if you describe all you accomplished getting here, it may be enough to warrant training. If only to cover up the humiliation you've dealt the Leaf.

"Of course, he may also fine you for damages done to clan property."

"Fine, I'll pay the fine and work some part-time job. I did it before; I can do it again," said Tenten.

"If you are willing to take the risk, then, by all means, take it," said Neji as they walk. "It doesn't matter to me either way." He paused. "However, if you wish to avoid punishment, I would be willing to let you walk back to wherever it was you came from.

"You might as well-"

"I did not escape ravenous packs of wolves, bears, and poisonous insects to back out now," said Tenten. "I'm at least going to see the Leaf Village before I show up there."

"Then that is your choice," said Neji. "Follow me."

Okay, so there were going to be a few problems down the road. But Tenten was sure she could iron them out. Even if she ended up in prison as a result.