Hi, I'm back! I know this is later than a month, but I really didn't have time. I had a vague idea of this chapter before, but I didn't really reinforce it until I sat down and got over my writer's block...
It was afternoon in Konoha. Toshi, the weapon shop owner, was dealing with business – it was near the beginning of the school year for most Genin. They would flock to his shop to get new kunai or whatever else they wanted. Not saying that he didn't get business the rest of the year – this was a ninja village after all, so customers were frequent.
His shop was nice quiet place, with a red and white banner with his name on the outside, and a nice wooden themed inside. He liked his shop, and it was usually very pleasant to be in. But not when his daughter, Tenten, was acting up.
Tenten touched her head to the counter and groaned. "Dad. Dad. Dad." She said, poking him every time she called for him. Her dad didn't respond. "Daddy." Her dad simply said nothing and shined the kunai in his hand, taking care to not hurt himself with the edges. "DADDY!"
"Tenten, you're not going to get a kunai."
"Please?"
Her dad sighed. "No. Why don't you go play with your own instead?"
"But Daaad, those are toys! I want the real ones!" She whined. Ever since Tenten had joined the academy a few weeks ago at the age of 4, she had been clamoring to get the "real weapons of a real ninja". Toshi tried stressing the importance of "make do with what you have" on Tenten, but it wasn't really working considering she lived in the biggest weapon shop in Konoha with her dad as the owner.
"The real ones are the ones that can hurt you Tenten."
"But real ninjas use real Kunai." A light sparked in her eye and she pumped a fist in the air. "Like the Ninja Tsunade!" She was prepared to go on her huge rant on how awesome the woman of the Sannin was when her Dad cut her off.
"Do you know when Tsunade got a Kunai, Tenten?" Toshi had no idea when. He hoped his daughter didn't either.
Tenten looked at him bewildered. "No?"
"She got a real kunai when she started using one in the academy." Her dad frowned and looked at her. "Why do you want a Kunai anyway?"
Tenten huffed. "Well, everyone says since my dad owns a weapon shop, I should have a real Kunai. And my classmate Neji has a Kunai. And - and I want a Kunai too!"
Neji? Toshi had heard a lot about the kid in the past few weeks, and the fact that he had a kunai at the age of five didn't surprise him. His family must have been way in their heads to give him a Kunai when he was four years old, as Tenten had told him.
Toshi sighed and looked at Tenten, who was currently trying to convince him with puppy dog eyes. He narrowed her eyes at her before sighing again.
"Fine." Toshi said setting the fully shined kunai back in its display. "I'll give you a Kunai." Tenten's eyes lit up. "But only if you promise to take care of it very very well."
Tenten scrambled onto the wooden counter. "I will, I will!"
"And you can't use it on the streets."
"Ok, ok!"
Toshi laughed. "Stay here for a second." He opened the back door of the shop and went to the last shelf. Crouching under, he reached for the boxed set of new kunai that he was planning to give Tenten when she first started her ninja training at the Academy. He ruffled through and found a smaller one that Tenten could use for right now.
He exited the back and closed the door behind. Tenten tried to grab whatever was in his hands. "I wanna see, I wanna see!"
Toshi opened the tissue wrapped around the kunai and held it out to Tenten. "Be careful. And don't ask me for another Kunai. If you lose this one, it'll be your last."
Tenten grabbed it out of his hands, ignoring him as she jumped around the room. "All right! I'm gonna show everyone at school tomorrow and they'll be so amazed and then they'll want a kunai -" She blabbered on and on.
Her dad just watched her dance around the shop, only turning when the door chimed.
Tenten had jumped out of bed that morning, hastily packed her lunch in her bag (her dad was a great cook), and had chugged down a large glass of milk before running off to school.
She had sat down in her seat proudly when her friend Choko came over.
"Why are you so happy?" Choko questioned, sliding into the seat beside her.
Tenten's eyes brightened. "I got a Kunai!"
Choko gasped like the world had ended.
"Lemme see!"
Tenten nodded and brought the beauty out. It was actually just a simple kunai, but to students at the academy, it could've been treasure.
"Kami!" Choko said out loud. Tenten shushed her, and Choko quieted down. "My brother has the same one!" she whispered furiously. "But yours looks newer."
"It is new. My dad just gave it to me."
Choko frowned. "But I thought your dad wouldn't give you a kunai!" Tenten shrugged and opened her mouth before a few more classmates popped up over her shoulders.
"You got a Kunai?!" The one with extremely shiny hair asked. Tenten nodded proudly.
"Can I hold it?"
That attracted enough attention so that practically the whole class was at Tenten's seat, goggling at her kunai. Most of them dreamed to be ninja, after hearing great stories of them from over all nations.
Tenten proudly chattered away and answered questions about all types of weapons, kunai, and shuriken for her classmates, all things she had learned from her father.
"Excuse me. That's my seat." A voice said. Tenten looked over at the stone faced Neji Hyuga, who was speaking directly to Choko.
"Uh- uh, sorry." Choko quickly got up, tripping over her feet. Neji just looked away and sat in his assigned seat next to Tenten.
"Why are you all here?" Neji asked, his white soulless eyes staring at the crowd around Tenten's seat in annoyance.
Tenten huffed. "I got a new kunai!"
Neji stared at her before glancing at her kunai. "So what?" He said, closing his eyes and looking away. "I've got a kunai too. And it's way better than yours."
The stunned silence that followed was broken by loads of whispers. "Neji has a kunai better than Tenten's!"
"Dude, I've seen Neji's Kunai. It's Epic."
"Neji's from the Hyuga's! His kunai must be better than Tenten's!"
"Are you dumb? Tenten's dad is a weapon maker! She probably has it better than Neji."
"But Neji's a Hyuga."
"Yeah! Neji is stronger."
"Neji's cooler!" His fangirls cried.
Tenten fell silent at the whispers and looked into her lap, her eyes brimming with tears.
Neji glanced at her, and looked away not that guiltily.
Then rage sparked in Tenten.
"Oi Neji!" Neji looked at her, irritated.
"Who are you to decide if your Kunai is better than mine?!" She roared in anger, standing up. Neji winced from the sound. "My Kunai is way better than yours! It's newer, and better. AND MY DAD GAVE IT TO ME, AND HE'S GOT LOADS OF KUNAI! HE KNOWS EVERYTHING!"
Neji fell silent before narrowing his eyes at her. "Well, if you like the Kunai so much, why don't you marry it?"
"NEJI!" Tenten had roared when the class erupted into laughter.
The teacher had barged in the next second and had told the whole class to sit their butts down and shut up.
Needless to say, that day had not started off well for Tenten at all.
It was lunchtime and Tenten had gone outside with her lunch box in hand and a glum expression on her face. She sat underneath the tree with the swing and opened her box. A message was inside the box. Don't hurt anyone with the Kunai. -Love, Dad.
Tenten just sighed. She had really wanted to throw the Kunai today. At Neji. And tell him to marry it, not her. But that would technically be violating the agreement with her dad if she accidentally hurt someone.
She sighed and ate her lunch next to the other girls in the class.
She had finished her lunch along with the rest of the girls when they had gotten up to go play tag with the rest of the boys. Choko tapped her shoulder. "Tenten, you wanna play?"
"Not really."
Choko shrugged. "There's nothing you can do against Neji, Tenten." Tenten grunted. "Fine. Just come when you feel like it."
Choko walked away, leaving Tenten to ponder her life choices.
She drew up her knees to her chest, resting her arms on top. "Stupid Neji…" She grumbled.
"You shouldn't feel so bad Tenten." A voice said next to her. Tenten looked up to see the super shiny haired kid from before sitting next to her.
"What are you doing here?" Tenten questioned.
"I felt bad for you." The kid said.
"Hey! Don't feel bad for me."
He stuck his tongue out. "Then don't feel bad for yourself."
Tenten just looked away and grumbled.
"You know, it's ok to not be a genius like Neji."
"Says you. You probably have no idea what it feels to be looked down upon so much by him." Actually, Neji looked down on everyone. But she was pretty sure Neji looked down at her the most. He probably hated her guts.
Ugh, Neji. Neji Neji Neji, she mocked in her head. Neji thought his clans' weapons were way better than her dad's weapons were. He probably thought his clan was better than everyone.
The shiny haired kid stayed quiet before speaking up. "Maybe I do."
Tenten looked at him. "Seriously? How?"
He smiled at her. "You know how everyone has chakra coils, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, ever since I was born, my chakra coils have been too underdeveloped. I can't even hold enough chakra to do a single Jutsu."
Tenten gaped. She had no idea what to think. "I'm so sorry!"
"Don't be, Tenten! Because even so I want to be a ninja! I'm going to be the best ninja there is, better than Neji!" He proclaimed. "I'm going to work hard to become a ninja, because where there is a will there is a way. That's my Ninja Way!
He opened one eye and looked at her. "And that is also why Neji's my Eternal rival."
Tenten looked at him in surprise.
"Neji's a genius of talent. He's a prodigy. But I will be a prodigy of hard work. That is why I respect Neji so much, and why I won't give up." The shiny haired kid smiled and looked at her. "So you shouldn't give up either. Just because he's better now doesn't mean he will never be our equal in the future, right?"
Tenten grinned at him. "Yeah! You're right!" Her mood had been lifted with his super long speech. "One day we'll knock him down from his high horse! Then he'll learn to respect others!"
The shiny haired kid high-fived her and they smiled.
"So, what's your name?" Tenten asked.
"Lee. Rock Lee."
Tenten grinned.