Chapter Five: Graduation Day
Tenten leaped in triumph as she finished counting. "Alright! I finally made it!
"After three months of hard work, I have finally amassed the money I need to pay off my debt to the Inuzuka Clan. Now I just need to get it there." Picking up the box, she struggled to pick it up. Nearly swaying several times. "Geeze, uh... this is really heavy."
Moving the box across the room was hard. Even if there wasn't any furniture other than one chair, one table, and one bed.
Moving it across the village was far harder.
Tenten lugged the case she'd bought to hold the money through the streets. Now and then, she had to put it down and pant for breath. People gave her weird looks now and then, but she ignored them. Tenten wasn't going to get stopped here, not for anything.
On she went, wishing Lee and Neji weren't sparring a ways away.
Eventually, Tenten got to the Hokage office and saw the stairs. With a long sigh, Tenten began to pull herself up little by little. By the time she got to the office, Tenten was soaked in sweat and sighed. Anko was standing as a guard to one side.
"Excuse me?" asked Tenten.
Anko looked up. "Yeah, what do you want, kid?"
"I kind of need to talk to the Hokage," said Tenten, breathing hard. "I have his money, the amount I owe the Inuzuka Clan?"
"Already?" said Anko. "Alright, but this better not be a prank."
"Don't worry, I'm responsible," said Tenten, standing up street. "I'd never waste my sensei's time, let alone the Hokage's.
"Well, not knowingly anyway."
"Let me see," said Anko, taking the box, setting it on the desk, and opening it. She then began counting through it. "Huh, this is what you owe them. How did you get all this?
"You didn't steal it, did you?"
"No, no, I've just been doing a lot of part-time jobs, living on the margins and training nonstop at the academy," said Tenten. "It's all one hundred percent legit, I promise you." Why would they think she'd stolen it?
"Fine, I'll take it to him," said Anko with a sigh. "But if you did steal this, we will find out."
What, so everyone just assumed Tenten must have stolen it? She'd earned this fair and square. As Anko began to make her way out with the money, Tenten blinked. "Um, shouldn't I go in with you?"
"To see the Hokage?" asked Anko. "Sorry, kid, maybe graduates from the academy, then we'll talk."
Tenten sat down in the waiting room and sighed despondently. "Well, I guess they can't afford to give anyone special treatment."
But it was still there.
Tenten had done things no one else in her class had done, with none of the advantages. But nobody seemed to be giving her any respect. At that moment, the door opened, and Naruto Uzumaki was shoved out into the hall by Anko.
"Out, now!" said Anko.
"What, but the Hokage said I could stay in his office and do my studying-" began Naruto.
"Great, whatever, I'm not the Hokage, and I've got a report to make," said Anko. "You can come back in here when I'm done." And she shut the door.
"But-" Naruto sighed. "That crazy lady gives me the creeps.
"She's pretty hot, though. Oh, Tenten, you're here."
"Yes, that's me," said Tenten, feeling all the more irritated. Why did Naruto rank being able to study inside the Hokage's office?
"What are you doing all the way out here?" asked Naruto.
"I'm paying off the fee for being allowed to go to the academy. What are you doing here?" asked Tenten.
"Oh um, I was kind of bored, so I figured I'd go see how the Old Man was doing," said Naruto, hands in his pockets.
"Oh, really," said Tenten. "Why does he have time for you?"
"I dunno," said Naruto with a shrug, walking out. "Mostly, he just lets me hang out in his office. I don't really need much of a reason."
"Ah, which clan are you from?" asked Tenten, curious.
Naruto paused and looked at her in what might have been shocking and confused. "Me? You want to know about me?"
"I asked, didn't I?" asked Tenten, annoyed now.
"Oh, I guess I'm from a family called Uzumaki," said Naruto. "But I'm an orphan; the Old Man gives me a stipend."
"Oh, I see," said Tenten, clenching one fist in sudden fury, and then releasing it. "I am an orphan as well."
"Well anyway, I think I'm going to go paint some walls red or something. That'll be fun," said Naruto, going to the door. "Um... do you want to come with me?"
"No," said Tenten. "No, I do not."
Naruto nodded. "Right, yeah, I kind of figured you'd say that.
"Well, see you in class, I guess."
And he walked out, smiling widely. Had he not seen Tenten's barely contained fury? Tenten stood up and brought back afoot, ready to kick the trash can. However, she took a few deep breaths. "No, no, don't destroy property, just calm yourself and wait."
So Tenten waited, waited, and wondered just why Naruto warranted all this when he was an orphan. Was it because he was born in the Leaf? Or had his parents been someone important? But if his parents were someone important, why would everyone hate him? Wouldn't he have important relatives or been adopted by a clan?
Either way, Anko came back into the room. She had the box with her, and it was empty. "Okay, good news, the money is received, and the Hokage wants you to get the rest to him as soon as possible."
Tenten stood up and blinked. "What? That's it?"
"That's it," said Anko, tossing the chest to her. "Now, get out of the office."
Tenten nodded and left, feeling more than a little bitter. They were acting as if getting all that money had been easy. "I was hoping someone would at least be a little impressed. I wasn't even going to have to pay up for years. Ah well, maybe they'll save the praise for when I get the money to pay off the Abarame Clan.
"Well, either way, a month or two of work should do that. For now, I need to get dressed and head to the academy. I don't want to be late for my exams."
And off Tenten went, taking the case with her to the academy. She managed to cross the village quickly and slid to a halt soon. She wished she could have gotten dressed up, but she'd been using the same two outfits this whole time. They were getting really worn out, actually.
Iruka-sensei was waiting at the door. "Hmm, Tenten, you're right on time.
"I have to admit, I was a bit surprised you decided to take these exams so quickly."
"Well, I want to get back to the grade I ought to be in. So um, am I alone?" asked Tenten.
"Yes, but we've got one other person we're waiting for," said Iruka-sensei, voice annoyed.
"Oh really, who is it, Sasuke?" asked Tenten.
"Actually, Sasuke has been specifically forbidden from entering the exam early. His mother wants him to learn everything he can at this grade," said Iruka-sensei. "You see, his older brother Itachi entered the military at a very young age. And he has... questionable stability.
"It's Naruto who is taking the exam."
"Naruto?!" said Tenten incredulously. "But he hardly puts any work in at all."
"In fairness, he's gotten far better grades recently," said Iruka-sensei. "He means well, he just... well, he has some issues."
Tenten was not impressed. "Yeah, I've got issues too, but I actually showed up on time."
"Give him a bit longer," said Iruka-sensei. "This is important to him."
And so Tenten and Iruka-sensei waited, until, about ten minutes later, Naruto ran into place. He looked like he had been painting something. Which meant more work for Tenten. "Alright, Iruka-sensei! I'm here!"
"Finally," said Iruka-sensei. "Naruto, you really should try to be on time for these things, you know. We've had to wait for you."
"Sorry, I uh... overslept," said Naruto.
"It's two o'clock in the afternoon!" said Tenten.
"Well, sorry if I'm not too big on a bunch of math work before I graduate early," said Naruto.
"Settle down, you two," said Iruka-sensei. "Let's get to the test."
And off they went into a room with judges. They were tested in their taijutsu stances. Naruto seemed to have gotten very good at taijutsu; his stance was... well, it was almost flawless. Or Tenten hadn't noticed anything.
Had he learned that quickly?
"Tenten, can you demonstrate to me the movements for a clone jutsu," said Iruka-sensei.
"Yes, sensei," said Tenten, quickly demonstrating it.
Iruka-sensei nodded. "Perfect, you've been practicing. Naruto, you try."
Naruto gave it a try, and Tenten noticed he was way better than he had been when she'd started. Many of the movements he made were far better. Had he been asking for help from other instructors? But how had he gotten so much better so quickly?
"Your technique is sloppy, Naruto," said Iruka-sensei. "Have you ever been practicing with those books I gave you?"
"I've been trying, sensei," said Naruto.
"Well, you've improved," said Iruka-sensei. "But you've got more work to do. Do it again."
"Why are we even practicing the movements when we haven't even learned jutsu?" asked Naruto.
Iruka-sensei sighed. "Naruto, there are two components to any jutsu. One of them is preparation, and the other is the jutsu itself. You have to get the hand signs and exercises down pat. You need a strong foundation of movement and focus before you can even think about using chakra.
"Try again.
"Again.
"Better.
"Good work Naruto. Now, why don't we move on."
"Thank you, Iruka-sensei," said Naruto.
"Alright, that concludes the physical part of the test," said Iruka-sensei. "Now I have this written work I need you to do."
"Great, I hate this kind of thing," muttered Naruto as they moved to two desks.
"Quit complaining, will you?" asked Tenten. "Why are you even here if you don't want to do the work?"
"Well, I have to get to the next grade, don't I?" asked Naruto. "So I've got to do this test."
This was too much. Tenten had been working nonstop to get ahead, and he'd matched her when he started trying. "Here's an idea. Maybe you should try learning because you want to learn. Instead, you're dismissing Iruka-sensei's work as a boring formality!
"It's disrespectful to him and to the school!"
Naruto flinched. "Oh um... right, sorry, I'll uh... focus on the work." He bowed to Iruka-sensei. "Sorry, sensei."
"It's fine," said Iruka-sensei. "Now, let's get to work."
Tenten did get to work and obsessively tried to stay awake while filling out work. She'd been obsessively studying in the library whenever she got a spare moment. And so she found she often had the answer. But it was incredibly dull.
The only consolation was that Naruto was nearly as miserable as she was. Even if he was actually trying.
"...Ugh, I hate doing this. Just bear with it, Tenten," That was what she thought. "Keep working at it, and you'll do it. You've been working nonstop to ace this test; you're way ahead of all the others. You can do it."
And on the test went. Tenten answered every single question she could, while Naruto answered very few. He kept on getting hung up on one weird problem after another, and he kept glancing over at her. Not that Tenten provided him with any help.
She was not going to help him cheat. If he didn't know the answers now, he should have studied before. And, eventually, Iruka-sensei took their work to his desk. There they waited while he looked through each one.
Finally, Iruka-sensei sighed. "Alright, I have your results."
Iruka-sensei took a moment to clear his throat. Tenten and Naruto waited for the critical moment. This was it; if Tenten didn't make it now, she'd end up having to spend an entire year in this class. Nobody would take her seriously, and she'd have to put up with Naruto and the others.
"Tenten, given your outstanding work. I am pleased to say that you'll be moving ahead a grade," said Iruka-sensei. "I've never seen a student throw themselves so hard into their studies like you.
"You've done in months what some students don't succeed at in a year.
"You should be proud to be moving up."
Tenten leaped into the air and cheered. "Thank you so much, sensei. I wouldn't have made it without you."
Iruka nodded and turned to Naruto a bit too quickly for Tenten's liking. "Naruto... you need to stay back for the rest of the school year."
"What? But why?" asked Naruto.
"You're written work is disorganized and badly put together," said Iruka-sensei. "Writing reports is actually an important part of being a ninja. They are an integral part of scouting missions. At the same time, your technique for many of the jutsu hand signs is sloppy, and your form is in need of correction.
"I will say that you are doing far better than you were before. Your grades the last time you attempted this were well below average. But you need to put more effort in if you want to get ahead."
Naruto looked like he was on the verge of tears, the absolute moron. "I... but Iruka-sensei, I worked hard to get here already!"
Iruka-sensei sighed. "You've got certain disadvantages, Naruto. Without anyone to train with at home, it's more difficult for you to work at things. However, you also have a lot of things you could improve despite that.
"Keep working at it, though, and I think you'll make it through the year with flying colors."
Naruto nodded. "...Right, thank you, Iruka-sensei."
Oh, so the pep talk got reserved for the failure who didn't put any work in—no time to congratulate the successful underdog. Tenten scoffed to herself. "Disadvantages, yeah, right. He's the most privileged person in the village."
Iruka-sensei then turned to her. "Now, Tenten, you made a request of me a week ago. I finally got the results back, and we can discuss it back there."
"Yes, Iruka-sensei," said Tenten, cheering up a bit. Oh, finally, some good news. This was sure to be some good news about her destiny. Tenten walked with Iruka-sensei to a back room while Naruto walked out.
"So what do the tests say, Iruka-sensei? I'm a Senju, aren't I?" asked Tenten. Maybe she was a distant cousin of Tsunade, or even a granddaughter or-
"As far as I can tell, you're completely healthy, in shape, ordinary young girl," said Iruka-sensei.
Tenten paused, feeling her dreams crack a little. "You mean ordinary, as in the sense that my bloodline doesn't define who I am?"
"No, I mean ordinary in the sense of ordinary," said Iruka-sensei. "You don't have a bloodline; there was no trace of any special traits to your chakra network or kekki genki."
"But I aced this work in three months!" said Tenten. "You said yourself I'm well above average."
"That was more a result of your drive than any inherent superiority," said Iruka-sensei. "Which is something to be proud of. Also, since you are older, you have a bit of an edge over the other kids."
"I heard that Hyuga can control their chakra networks," said Tenten, feeling even worse. "Maybe I'm holding myself back."
"No," said Iruka-sensei. "Chakra doesn't work like that."
"Well, um, are you sure I don't have some Inuzuka?" asked Tenten. "I mean, maybe that's why all those wolves were trying to eat me. And all of them have brown hair."
"Sorry to disappoint you," said Iruka-sensei.
"So I don't have anything!" said Tenten, now somewhat angry.
Iruka-sensei sighed. "Look, bloodlines are overrated Tenten. Not every Uchiha becomes Madara, not every Senju becomes Hashirama. Plenty of ordinary ninja are stronger than members of the Uchiha Clan."
"Yes, but every Madara and Hashirama has some kind of bloodline!" said Tenten. "You have to have some sort of overpowered ability, or you're completely doomed."
Iruka-sensei sighed. "My sensei was Orochimaru, Tenten. Believe me when I tell you, power is overrated."
Tenten saw what he was saying now and kicked herself for not seeing it earlier. "Oh, I get it. You're saying that if I become like Madara or Hashirama despite not having a bloodline, I'll be even cooler."
Iruka-sensei put his face in his hands. "...no, I'm saying that you shouldn't bank everything on achieving greatness. Not everyone can achieve greatness, and a lot of the people who don't like it one bit."
"Well, I want to be great," said Tenten. "What am I going to do if I give up? Go run a weapons shop?" Knowing her luck, world peace would break out. Still, there was something else. "So um... about the spiritual scan?"
"Oh, that," said Iruka-sensei. "Well, we did all the tests. We are 100% certain you are not the reincarnation of some great hero. Or the reincarnation of anyone, as far as we can tell. There are indications that your identity is younger than your chakra network.
"That sometimes happens when a person has foreign chakra poured into them at birth. Certain medical procedures alter a baby's chakra as a side effect.
"But that could be a misreading or fluke, and since you said you were in the woods, it probably was. And it doesn't have any effect we can see. It's all pseudo-science anyway, so I wouldn't put too much faith in it. I don't even believe in reincarnation.
"But if you do buy into this kind of test, you aren't one. They say you're on your first life."
Tenten felt depressed now. "Seriously?
"I thought I'd get something from that. How am I supposed to achieve my destiny if I don't have one?"
Iruka-sensei paused. "...Well, you could also view this as an opportunity."
"Opportunity?" asked Tenten.
"Well, if you had Yamanaka blood, you'd have to train in Yamanaka techniques. Otherwise, you wouldn't make effective use of your natural talents," said Iruka-sensei. "If you were a Hyuga, you'd have to accept the Caged Bird Seal. If you were an Inuzuka, you'd have to focus on beast techniques to be effective.
"You aren't any of those things. You're normal.
"That means you can focus on whatever strategy or build you like. All without fear of not using your natural abilities."
Except Tenten's natural levels of chakra had tested as low. Her reserves were below average, so even in that, she was limited. "Oh, right, right, thank you."
"Now, you'd better get some rest," said Iruka-sensei. "You'll be moving up to the next level soon, so you'll have to work even harder than before. Some of the subjects in this grade are a bit more advanced."
Tenten nodded and tried to stay upbeat. "I won't let you down, Iruka-sensei."
"I'm sure you won't," said Iruka-sensei.
Tenten made her way out of the school, feeling disappointed and bitter. Yes, she'd gotten into her proper grade category. But that was catching up to where she ought to have been all along. And now it was obvious that there was nothing special about her.
Maybe it was an opportunity.
But having a reality-warping eye power seemed like a much bigger one. Especially if you weren't in debt and living in a one-room apartment with no furniture. Even so, Tenten tried to stay optimistic. As she walked, she saw Naruto sitting outside on a swingset, looking bitter. Their eyes met, and Tenten despised him.
Why?
Why did Tenten hate him so much at this moment?
It was anger he didn't deserve, so she choked it back and made her way over. "Naruto, you should probably head home. You don't want to hang out here all night, do you?"
"...No, I guess not," said Naruto. "I'm glad you're making it to the next grade."
"Me too," said Tenten without feeling it.
And Naruto left.
Tenten hated him, and she did not know why. It disturbed her, and she made a mental note to not let that hatred influence her actions. Why had he tried to graduate to the next grade early anyway? And why did she hate him?
It was not as though Naruto had ever done anything to her personally. Yet she found her blood boiled at his memory.
It didn't matter.
Tenten was sure she'd never hear from him again. But she hoped things would get better for him in the meantime.