Chapter Six: Next Grade
Tenten entered her new classroom, feeling just a bit self-conscious.
This turned out to be the right attitude to have if some of the students' looks were any indication. "Hey, isn't that girl the one who keeps cleaning places up and painting fences? What is she doing here?"
"I hear she's so poor that she has to pay the entrance fee ahead of time," said another.
Tenten felt anger at that but choked down her pride and took her place. As she did, she told herself there was no point in flaring up. They'd only get what they wanted then. "Yep, more scoffers and hypocrites. I'll bet none of them have ever done an honest day's work in their life.
"Don't say that to them; it'll just make you enemies and won't fix anything."
That's what she thought to herself as she sat down next to a familiar face. Neji Hyuga was scanning over a scroll containing hand signs. Did he remember her? "Hey, um, Neji?"
"Tenten, is it?" asked Neji.
Tenten felt a sense of relief at that. Three months had been pretty hectic, and she hadn't had any friends during that time. Well, she'd had employers she liked but no friends. "Oh, you remember me, nice."
"I see you advanced a grade early," said Neji, shuffling paper.
"Why do you always speak in that formal tone?" asked Tenten.
"Most Hyuga do," said Neji. "Lord Hiashi does not look kindly on-"
And then a boy in a white training gi came forward, wearing his hair in a bowl cut. He was slim, with thick eyebrows on tan skin. "Welcome to the class, Tenten! I am Rock Lee, and I am extremely pleased to make your acquaintance! I hope that we shall become splendid ninja together!"
"Oh, nice to meet you," said Tenten, a bit weirded out. "So, are you two friends or-"
"No," said Neji quickly.
"Neji is a formal individual and highly respectful, if blunt," said Rock Lee. "I regret to say that we have not yet become friends."
"Stop embarrassing us, Lee," said Neji.
And then Iruka-sensei arrived because he seemed to run multiple classes at once. Tenten could only assume this was the result of extreme talent with a clone jutsu. "Alright, class, everyone here has learned the hand signs for doing jutsu. Today we are going to focus on learning to wield chakra. If you follow me, I'd like all of you to begin a test."
Tenten was surprised at this, expecting a written test. However, instead, Tenten was lead to a jogging track alongside the others. As she arrived, she looked at it. "What are we doing in the jogging track."
"You'll see," said Rock Lee. "I've already done this training field."
"Alright, everyone, I want all of you to begin running," said Iruka-sensei. "Keep doing so until you're told to stop. If you stop before ordered, it will detract from your score."
"What's all this about?" asked Tenten as they started.
"It's a technique for getting people to connect with their chakra reserves," said Neji. "One often taps into them in high-stress situations. Once you get in contact with your chakra reserves, however, it becomes easier to access them."
"Well, what if someone had a really massive amount of chakra or something?" asked Tenten.
"There was a clan called the Uzumaki's. They were documented to have immense chakra reserves," mused Neji. "I believe they had a great deal of difficulty performing ordinary jutsu because of it. They couldn't access their chakra reserves as easily."
"Wait, wait, wait, Uzumaki?" asked Tenten, blinking. "As in, Naruto Uzumaki?"
"Yes," said Neji. "That is the name of one of the school's pranksters. What of it?"
"No relation, right?" asked Tenten.
"I do not know," said Neji. "I am not interested in failures."
"Well, I mean, uh... I sort of noticed Naruto has enough of a stipend to eat ramen regularly," said Tenten. "And well, um, he is constantly hanging out in the Hokage's office, and nobody stops him."
"Why do you care?" asked Neji flatly.
Tenten wondered why it was that she cared. Naruto seemed to be a sore spot for her, even though she'd left him behind. "I don't get to eat out at restaurants, okay.
"It's just... weird that a hated orphan gets free room and board while having the same name as a clan with huge amounts of chakra."
"It may bear further investigation," said Neji. "Perhaps you should find a list of former students in this academy. If any of them share the name of Uzumaki, it could lead you to the truth.
"For now, our focus must be on the task at hand."
And run they did.
Other students often ran very quickly, but Tenten took time to pace herself. She didn't bother racing ahead because she had nothing to prove to them. It was her score that mattered, after all. Neji seemed to have a similar idea, but Lee was even farther behind them.
Now and then, the other kids would throw mocking commentary his way, but he just pressed on.
"Lee is lagging behind..." said Tenten.
"He usually does," said Neji. "Lee has very, very low chakra reserves. Perhaps nonexistent.
He is never going to pass."
"Yeah, but he's got to be able to run faster, isn't he?" asked Tenten.
"Oh, he can, I merely suggested he pace himself," said Neji.
"Aw, poor Lee can't even keep up at all," said a boy. "Gonna cry?" And he raced on by.
"Idiots," muttered Neji. "They'll exhaust themselves racing ahead. Then they'll burn out. I pass them every time."
"What makes you say that?" asked Tenten.
"I've observed their behavior," said Neji. "Many of those who enter this academy joined because they wanted to be ninja. Not because they understood what the job entailed or what would be required.
"They are destined for failure."
"That's a little harsh," said Tenten, though admittedly, it seemed like it could be accurate.
"So are you, of course," said Neji.
Tenten took offense to that. "Says you! I'm going to be a great ninja like Lady Tsunade!"
"Get used to disappointment," said Neji flatly.
"Been there, done that," said Tenten. She'd seen nothing but disappointment so far. "Well, what about you, Mr. I'm-the-only-Hyuga in public school? What's your destiny?"
"That is no concern of yours," said Neji. "As for why I am here, I am hereby choice. I made a conscious choice to join the academy and go through the normal avenues of training. My options in the Hyuga Clan were... limited."
"Lee, stop running, for now, I'd say you've run enough," said Iruka-sensei. "You as well."
"Why do they get to stop?" whined a student.
"Just keep at it," said Iruka-sensei. "No sense in arguing with a decision you can't change."
On they went, and Neji wouldn't say anything more about the Hyuga Clan. Tenten didn't press him at all since it wasn't really her business. Eventually, after everyone else had long since had to abandon the race, they were called up.
"Tenten, Neji, you're up," said Iruka-sensei.
Now all of them stood before Iruka-sensei and noticed he'd set up a number of scrolls. "Alright, you're probably wondering what the point of that was.
"It was, in a way, a warmup. In order to use a jutsu, you need to summon the life energy, the chakra that exists in all living things. By running until you were all starting to get winded, you've caused the chakra inside you to stop flowing.
"When you are fully trained, you should be able to call on chakra at will.
"For now, however, I want you to close your eyes. Clear your mind by that meditation technique we learned earlier."
"Um... I wasn't here for that," said Tenten.
"Then close your eyes, take deep breaths, Tenten, and remain motionless," said Iruka-sensei. "Do it until your breathing is controlled and you aren't panting anymore."
"Right..." said Tenten, doing as she was told. She breathed in, then out, and tried to access her chakra. Little by little, she found she'd awakened herself a bit and opened her eyes to find herself centered.
"Good," said Iruka-sensei. "Now, I want all of you to follow my lead and follow me performing these jutsu motions in order. Do it until I tell you to stop."
"Yes, sensei," They said.
Tenten did as she was told and found it was a lot more difficult than she expected. Lee seemed to be performing the movements well, though. But it was Neji who was performing the best. Neji's hands were moving in an absolute blur, performing the jutsu combinations. His expression seemed bored.
"Practicing these is actually pretty difficult," said Tenten.
"Get used to it," said Neji. "We do this a great deal."
"Lee, you're not performing the jutsu motions properly," said Iruka-sensei. "Adjust your motions like this.
"Tenten, you're doing it too quickly and are losing focus; slow down and do it properly or not at all."
"Yes, Iruka-sensei," said Tenten. She'd been trying to match pace with Neji, which was probably a mistake.
"So uh, this Uzumaki Clan, how much chakra did they have on average?" whispered Tenten.
"Massive amounts of it, and their chakra had a unique quality," mused Neji. "Though it could account for the whiskers as well."
Tenten blinked. "Wait, whiskers?
"Huh, now that you mention it, Naruto did have whiskers."
"You're telling me you did not notice?" asked Neji.
"I judge people based on what I see them do, okay," said Tenten. "How do you even know what Naruto looks like. You were never in the same room as-"
"Three hundred and sixty degrees, x-ray vision," said Neji. "I keep an eye out so I can avoid his pranks. I once got splashed with paint and was punished by the Elders because of it."
"Oh right," said Tenten. "Anyway, Naruto has got to have loads of chakra. Painting one building is really hard work, but painting three of them? In less than an hour? That's gotta take a lot of energy.
"What I don't get is why he is such an outcast?"
"I do not know or care," said Neji. "I doubt he'll pass the academy exams."
"Cut the chatter you two and focus," said Iruka-sensei.
"Yes, Iruka-sensei," said Tenten.
And so began her schooldays.
Some of Tenten's classes were more of the same, with more elaborate movements. Lee turned out to actually be pretty good at taijutsu, and Tenten tried to keep up. Neji though was an absolute master. His every movement was fluid and performed with grace and power she couldn't come close to.
It was clear Neji was the Sasuke of his class.
Yet Neji did not seem to have attracted a harem of squeeing girls. His focus was intense and powerful, and he hardly responded when spoken to. Sasuke was focused and a bit of a showoff, but Neji...
It was almost as if he were some sort of god. Untouchable and impersonal. Only Lee seemed to want to approach him.
Either way, no one spoke directly to Neji.
And later, during lunch, Lee approached her with a book. "Tenten, I found a book of notable Leaf Shinobi in order to help with your investigation. It is here."
Tenten hadn't been aware Lee had known about it. Taking the book, she flipped through it. "Oh, thanks, Lee. Let me see.
"Okay, Uzumaki Clan...
"Huh. It says here that the Uzumaki Clan were the leaders of a powerful ninja village that was Konoha's ally. They were scattered during the wars, and one of them, Mito, ended up marrying Hashirama.
"Um... then there was Kushina Uzumaki who married the Fourth Hokage. She was also the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-tailed Fox. Apparently, she was an accomplished ninja but eventually married Minato Namikaze. She had a son with him. However, while she was giving birth, the nine-tails escaped, killing her.
"Come to think of it, anyone who was alive before the Nine-tails attacked ought to know. How is it possible that nobody has figured this out before now?"
"It is probably because nobody asked," said Neji. "In the aftermath of the Nine-tails assault, the entire village had to be rebuilt. The Hokage was dead, many records were destroyed. And many people were never found and only declared dead after years of searching.
"It is likely that any children Minato had were assumed dead. And people had survival to concern themselves with."
"This does not seem proof enough," noted Rock Lee. "Perhaps Naruto is merely a child that Minato chooses to fuse the Nine-tailed Fox into for lack of a better option."
"Nine-tailed Fox?" asked Neji, blinking. "Lee, what are you talking about?"
Rock Lee looked at him in surprise. "Naruto Uzumaki has limitless chakra. He has whiskers, and it outcast by the village for reasons no one will say. The Nine-tails had whiskers, nearly limitless chakra, was nearly destroyed the village.
"It all seems to fit with him being the Nine-tailed Fox."
"There's no proof of that, Lee," said Tenten. "We're talking about whether Naruto is the son of the Fourth Hokage."
"Lee's points are surprisingly well made," mused Neji. "On their own, they do not provide evidence. But combined with the other elements we have discovered, they make sense. Especially when you consider that the Nine-tailed Fox has not reappeared. So it seems certain that it was sealed. People with enough chakra to contain a tailed beast are rare. And the only child the Fourth Hokage likely had on hand was his son, who was of a bloodline that specialized in it.
"That, and there was very little time to make any kind of plan. So the Hokage's son being used for that purpose seems likely. If he did not have a child on hand, it would make more sense to simply kill the fox.
"Jinchuuriki are a valuable asset. But it would have been outweighed by the time it took to find another child."
"It could be something else," noted Tenten.
"Tenten, when developing a theory, the simplest solution is usually the right one," said Neji. "The more assumptions you must make for a theory to be viable, the less believable it is.
"Examine what we know.
"We know that Naruto Uzumaki has the name of a notable Clan, a member of which married the Fourth Hokage. We know that he has a good relationship with the current Hokage. And we also know that he is receiving an extensive stipend. This despite being universally reviled.
"If he were ordinary, none of this would have happened.
"If he were the son of Minato Namikaze, a great hero, he would not be reviled.
"If he were the Nine-tailed Fox with no notable connections, he would not receive such leniency."
"How has no one figured this out before now?" asked Tenten.
"I expect no one cared," said Neji.
"Ahem," said a voice.
They looked up to see Iruka-sensei looming over them.
"Iruka-sensei?" asked Tenten.
"If you're done piecing together state secrets, we do have a class about to happen," said Iruka-sensei.
"Sorry," said Tenten. "I didn't mean to be late."
"I'm surprised," said Iruka-sensei. "It's not like you to be late, Neji."
"I apologize, Iruka-sensei," said Neji.
Off they went to class, and it was genjutsu this time. Iruka-sensei passed out the textbook. "Turn to genjutsu basics, you three."
"Yes, sensei!" They said in unison.
Tenten read the opening line. "Genjutsu is the art of inferring with another creature's chakra network. By inserting your own chakra into a person, you may influence what they see, feel, hear and smell. A good genjutsu is one that a person never notices taking effect.
"In general, a genjutsu is easier to use if a person wants to believe what they see. Or if they are specifically looking for the subject of the illusion. More sophisticated genjutsu requires a more sophisticated understanding of manipulation. Conversely, defending against genjutsu is a matter of awareness.
"The less you believe in what you are seeing, the easier it will be to break. A ninja with control of their emotions will find defending against genjutsu easier. Above all, however, breaking genjutsu requires an iron will.
"It has been theorized that some people can become immune to genjutsu. However, no individual has been found to have achieved this immunity. No individual on record has ever gained total control of their own psyche.
"-quote by Itachi Uchiha."
That was the start of a lot of theoretical studies that Tenten did her best to comprehend. Even so, it was dry and very boring work. It was difficult to not get sidetracked imagining great victories. But, eventually, Tenten finished work and made her way out of the school. Walking to a sparring arena outside class, she saw Lee practicing his stances. "Ugh, classes are way tougher now. And I still have to do all my odd jobs at the same time.
"Being a ninja is tough, and I haven't even fully graduated yet."
Lee halted and looked up. "Tenten, would you care to spar?"
Tenten blinked. "Hmm, right now?"
"Yes, why not?" asked Lee. "What better way to see how we compare and need to improve."
Tenten put down her back and went to face him. "Alright, but nothing too rough."
"Excellent," said Lee. "Soon, I shall prove myself to be a master of the Will of Fire."
"Master of the Will of Fire?" asked Tenten, taking a stance.
"Yes," said Lee.
Tenten found the idea a little offensive, though she didn't see why. "Hang on, Lee, the ideal of the Will of Fire is that the entire village is one great family unit. And all of them look out for one another. You can't be a master of the Will of Fire. The ideal of the Will of Fire is that it serves others."
"Hmm, yes, perhaps a poor choice of words on my part," said Lee. "Let us spar!"
And so they began their spar.
Tenten found that Lee was fast on his feet. She had difficulty defending against his onslaught. Moving around, she parried his thrusts before ducking low and bringing around a kick. Yet Lee spun over it and landed on his hands. Surging forward, Tenten unleashed a flurry of punches that he parried with his legs.
Then he spun away to descend below her. As he did, however, Tenten brought around an elbow and knocked him backward. Lee fell backward but bent way back to catch himself on the ground before spinning his lower body over his head. He was landing in a crouch.
He and Tenten took a stance and halted. "Um, well, you certainly seem to have put a lot of work into your training."
"You do not need to spare my feelings, Tenten," said Rock Lee. "I realize I am not a very gifted student. However, with the power of hard work, I intend to one day become a splendid ninja."
"Well, I guess it's great to have dreams," said Tenten. "Hey, do you ever challenge Neji like this?"
"I have challenged Neji once every single day for the last year," said Rock Lee.
Tenten blinked. "...Any wins?"
"Not a one," said Lee. "But I have learned with each defeat, and it has inspired me to become stronger."
"Ah, right, yeah, that sounds uh... inspiring," said Tenten, finding him weird. Really weird. "So, I have to go."
"I understand. Do not let me detain you," said Rock Lee.
Tenten got her bags and walked back home. "That guy is weird.
"Nice.
"But weird."
And then Tenten began her usual rounds, borrowing a mop and cleaning wherever she could. Over time she'd expanded her business. Gradually she was doing work for several different customers. Still, she couldn't expand any further without help.
By the time Tenten finished, she was tired and dead on her feet. And then she saw Ichiraku Ramen, where Naruto was eating. Tenten's mouth watered at the idea of eating ramen. She thought about telling him what she'd learned. But, no, that wasn't any of her business anyway, and she didn't have the money.
Still, her stomach was growling. "...I could use some food.
"No, no, I don't eat out. I cook my own food. For now, I'll shoot some targets. That'll cheer me up and get some practice in."
And so Tenten walked to the target range where she practiced shots. Fortunately, the Leaf Village provided free kunai for training. So long as you put them back when you were done.
And then she saw him.
More importantly, she saw his movements. Tenten had thought of Neji's movements as godlike, but it was like a child compared to these. He stood tall and clad in black garb, and hurled five kunai, stuck close together. As they flew, he caught them with a kunai of his own, and each one-shot off a distant way.
Every single one of them got a perfect bullseye. His technique was perfect, and Tenten saw his face. His eyes were the red of an Uchiha, and his face was like a mask. He was... handsome, very handsome, and Tenten felt herself going flush at the sight of him. It was a similar irrational feeling to what she'd felt when she'd seen Sasuke now and then, but...
"...Um, are you Itachi Uchiha?" asked Tenten.
He halted and looked to her as if he'd only just noticed her. "Yes.
"Have we met?"
"Oh, no, not at all," said Tenten. "I just uh... well, I sort of heard a lot of stories about your skills at hurling kunai. It was sort of the inspiration for my own techniques."
"I see," said Itachi.
Tenten found herself shifting beneath his gaze. "I uh, I'm actually here to practice."
Itachi nodded. "You should do that."
Tenten nodded and got her set of practice kunai out. Raising one, she hurled it, then hurled another. She slipped, though, and only bounced the second kunai into a target. Risking a glance up, she saw Itachi had done one better. "Hey, um... could you tell me if I'm doing anything wrong."
"No," said Itachi.
"No, I'm not doing anything wrong or no..." Tenten gulped. "No, you just don't care."
"No," said Itachi with a slight smile.
"Big brother Itachi!" called a voice.
Tenten turned and saw Sasuke Uchiha rushing into the room toward Itachi. She felt a surge of irritation that he turned fully to face Sasuke when he'd barely glanced at her. But Tenten told herself she was being irrational. It wasn't like she had any entitlement to special treatment.
"Sasuke, what are you doing out here?" asked Itachi.
"I came to watch you practice," said Sasuke. "You haven't been around the Uchiha compound at all lately."
"I see," said Itachi. "I'm glad to hear it. You may learn a thing or two.
"Still, I'm surprised you showed this kind of interest."
"Well, one of the kids from my class graduated early," said Sasuke, as if Tenten wasn't even in the room. "Mom and Dad won't let me do it, though. I want to be like you."
Itachi paused as Tenten started shooting targets while pretending not to listen. "...You're probably better off waiting a bit before graduating, Sasuke. When I fought in the Third Shinobi World War, I was your age. I had to grow up very quickly, learn techniques and abilities. Father pressed me to put aside my personal feelings to fight for the honor of the Uchiha clan.
"I had to become the perfect weapon.
"But once I became the perfect weapon, there was very little left of Itachi Uchiha."
"You're always saying weird things like that, brother," said Sasuke.
Itachi laughed. "Yes, I suppose I am. Here, let me show you something."
Tenten looked up and saw Itachi do the same move he'd done earlier, but with ten kunai. Every one of them was a bullseye. Sasuke stared in awe. "How did you do that?!"
"It's a difficult maneuver," said Itachi. "You have to throw the kunai close together. Then you have to strike them in just the right way to scatter them.
"It's all about cause and effect, Sasuke. This is why written material is important.
"Once you understand the fundamental principles of a thing, you are that thing's master. You try." Sasuke tried it, and Tenten was pleased to see him fail to hit the ten shurikens. She probably should not have been, but she had trained very hard to get as good as she was. If Sasuke could just replicate the technique, it wouldn't be fair.
"Aw, I missed," said Sasuke.
"Keep trying, and you'll get it eventually," said Itachi. "Or if you don't, you'll learn something from the failure. Learn from every mistake and never make it twice. Then you cannot help but be victorious in a thousand battles.
"Here, try like this."
More demonstrations.
Tenten observed Itachi throw them and tried to mimic the movement. Hurling the kunai, she caught them from behind. However, their shots sprayed wildly and went wide.
"Come on, notice me," thought Tenten to herself. "Notice me!"
"Out of kunai, I'll have to gather them again," said Itachi. "We should probably head back, Sasuke. I've got to talk to Father about a mission he has me working on."
"What kind of mission? Is it from the Hokage?" asked Sasuke as they walked.
"No, it's an internal matter for the Uchiha Clan," said Itachi, and as he walked past Tenten, he stretched visibly. "I can't talk about it right now. Maybe later, when it's over."
And he was gone.
And Tenten was alone, ordinary as usual. "Oh, why do all my idols never notice me?
"Fine! I'll show them all! I'll complete that technique he finished up and do it when he's there! Then we'll see who gets the attention!" Her stomach growled. "But uh... first I'd better get something to eat."
Tenten got back home and began to cook dinner. Why was it that she felt the way she did about the Uchiha? She'd never had a conversation with Sasuke, but there had been that impulse there. And Itachi, she'd always idolized him, but never like that until she saw him.
"Cooking for one is always the worst. I almost miss Master Panda," said Tenten.
She didn't have the energy to make anything fancy. But as she was cooking the rice, she noticed something on the sofa. It was her old Fuijutsu Scroll. And on it was a note
Dear Tenten,
Please find enclosed the Fuijutsu Scroll you usually use. I thought you might need it.
Sincerely,
Master Panda.
Tenten smiled happily. "Wow, that's actually really nice of him. Maybe he's actually coming to accept my decision.
"Hang on, it says something else here."
P.S:
It should help with packing your bags after your inevitable failure.
"Choke on your bamboo, you old bastard!" roared Tenten.
Why did absolutely nobody believe in her?!
Still, at least she had a Fuijutsu Scroll she could use. Now she just needed some ink.