Thank you to all who have reviewed, favorited this story, or put it in storyy alert! You guys motivate me :)
(sorry for the late update, life has been hectic...please read A/N at end of this chapter)
this chapter has an unexpected ending... :P
Disclaimer: and still nothing is mine, just borrowing.
"Graduation, Teams and Missions"
Graduation day from the Academy was a big deal in Konoha. Students would arrive to school at 8 in the morning with their parents and the whole day was dedicated to celebrating the student's passing Ninja Academy. First, breakfast was served and a lengthy speech was given by the principle. Teachers would then announce each of their student's in alphabetical order to come up and receive a diploma. The ceremony ended by noon which was followed by families congratulating each other outside the Academy building. It was a nice tradition that everyone got really involved in, and Tenten was no different.
As her principle spoke of the year's success, she became to feel nervous. Her mother, Chiaki, sat to Tenten's right. Her hazel eyes were tiered from last night's shift yet still they glimmered with pride for her daughter; Chiaki held her daughters hand and squeezed it every so often. Tenten felt a pang of nostalgia wash over her suddenly. She knew why, but she tried to ignore it. Besides today was a day of fun and celebration. Even that couldn't stop her from wishing that her father were there, sitting to her left holding her other hand and smiling with pride. But that was just wishful thinking; he would never come back.
Everyone else in her class had both parents sitting with them Tenten noticed as she glanced around the room. Her eyes fell on Neji's back. Tenten figured she should at least be happy she was sitting with one of her parents, unlike Neji who sat next to his uncle both. Both had their arms crossed and were looking straight ahead not having shared one word to each other since they walked into the room.
Chiaki followed her daughter's worried gaze and smiled when her eyes fell on Neji Hyuuga. She squeezed Tenten's hand one more time making Tenten blush. It had been an entire year since the roof incident and it was not a day she liked to remember, although she often found herself thinking about it during class, before going to sleep at night, and whenever she saw his face. It wasn't her fault! The guy had stolen her first kiss! And first kisses are almost never unforgettable. If she could take it back, she would. At any rate, no one had seen them kissing so she didn't have to suffer the wrath of gossiping girls her last year at the Academy. Although, she did wonder why Neji hadn't bothered to tell anyone, she had told Hinata and her mom. They were the closest people to her and she knew they wouldn't tell anybody else.
Iruka Sensei finally stood up in front of the audience and began to read names from a scroll. Tenten's heart pounded. She hoped she wouldn't trip or be clumsily on her way there.
"Tenten!" Iruka Sensei read out loud. Tenten stood up and walked toward the stage in her not-so-comfortable white dress. Iruka Sensei gave Tenten her diploma as the crowd cheered. She could hear Lee cheering louder than anyone else, which made her smile wider. Tenten walked off stage returning to her place. She didn't trip.
At the end of the list, Iruka Sensei cleared his throat to say one last thing: "Remember, tomorrow each of you will report back to your homerooms to get slit up into your three-man squad. Good luck!" Everyone was dismissed.
The next day every graduated student from the Academy showed up in their homeroom classes. No body dared be late on this important day of their lives. It determined who they would be working with form now on, even though they had been trained throughout their school career to have good teamwork skills, it was still a hard task.
Tenten was seated in her usual spot next to Lee, her hands shaking with anticipation, ready to hear which team she was on. Lee wasn't any better, his legs bounced up and down with enthusiasm but this time Tenten didn't mind his eagerness; it was feeding her excitement. As usual, Neji sat straight and still in front of them. If he didn't breathe you might as well think he was a statue. Finally, as Iruka Sensei entered the classroom, all excited voices died down. In his hand was a single piece of paper that determined everyone's future.
"As of today you are all ninjas. To get here you had to face difficult trails and hardships; but that's nothing. What comes next will be far more difficult. For now, you are only genin. As you know, all the genin are grouped into three-man squads led by jounin, an elite ninja." The class broke out into small whispers. Iruka kept going, ignoring them. "We made sure that each squad had a balance of strength and ability, so missions could have a higher succession rate. The assigned jounin will also meet the skills necessary to complement the team's strength. So here are the squads."
Once again silence fell over the room as the teams were read out loud.
"Team 17: Takoyaki Koharu Takoyaki, Nill Shou, and Ogawa Yumi. Your team will meet in room 209." Iruka Sensei went down the list pausing in between to let the kids look and give brief smiles at each other before continuing.
"Team 16: Sora , Biska Miharu, and Nakashima Asuka. Meet at the front gates."
Tenten kept expecting her name to be announced each time a new group was mentioned, but it didn't come as soon as she'd hoped for. Lee sat impatiently besides her as well mumbling under his breath: "Come on, come on!"
"Team 3: Hyuuga Neji, Lee, and Tenten. You will all meet during lunch at the balcony on the second floor that overlooks the forest."
Lee jumped up with joy, shooting his fisted hand up into the air. He made a small victory dance before turning to Tenten. "Tenten! We are on the same team! This is great! I can't—um, Tenten are you feeling okay?"
Tenten felt her stomach drop. Not only had she put up with Neji during her Academy years but now she had to deal with him on missions as well? Suddenly, all her excitement faded and she began to feel nauseous. She couldn't believe her bad luck! She didn't mind having Lee, although he was annoying at times, but having Neji as well would be such a drain.
"Tenten?" Lee asked one more time. His face inches from hers studying her reaction.
"Oh!" Tenten snapped back into reality, backing away from Lee. "Yea, this is great Lee. I can't wait either…"
She heard a soft "Hn" from Neji as he crossed his arms in front of him.
Team 3 met at the balcony during lunch as they were told. Neji was already there when Tenten and Lee arrived. He was sitting on the curved bench with his arm casually on the top rail of the bench. Lee sat on the opposite side making Tenten sit in between the two. Neji made no attempt at removing his arm that was almost around her, his fingertips brunching slightly against her shoulder. There was no way he could not notice; besides, he was a Hyuuga and they always noticed everything. But Neji didn't seem to mind.
"I wonder, what kind of jonin will we get?" Lee asked, breaking the silence, not taking note of how uncomfortable Tenten felt. "I heard this year they are particularly tough! And what kind of new jutsus will he teach us?"
"You can't do jutsus." Neji said coldly and bluntly.
Lee blushed. "Yea, well maybe he'll be so awesome he can teach me anything!" Lee said lamely.
"I can't believe I got stuck with such a pathetic team." Neji whispered under his breath, but still loud enough for Tenten to hear. Her skin boiled at his rude comment and having insulted her friend. She was about to yell at him when suddenly a man appeared before them.
"Hiya there!" a tall skinny man with green overalls stood in front of them. His bowl cut dark hair had even more luster than Neji's and his had huge bushy eyebrows. In short words, he was odd.
He can't possibly be our jounin, Tenten thought to herself as her mouth hung wide open.
"I am the Mighty Guy and I will be your jounin leader until you too become jonins!" he pointed at himself while smiling widely. His teeth so white they were practically blinding.
Oh God! He is our jounin! What a freak, Tenten wailed inside her head. How could things get any worse for her on this team?
"So cool!" Lee gasped out as he stared at Guy Sensei with fascination.
"You've got to be kidding me," Neji and Tenten said in unison looking at Lee with bewilderment in their eyes. They grimaced at each other for having said the same thing, but despite that Tenten cracked a smile. He lifted one side of his lips in response.
"Alight youngsters! Now that we're together lets introduce ourselves!" Guy Sensei smiled his striking smile. "Say your name and then tell me what your goal as a ninja is."
Lee raised his hand first. "My name is Lee, Guy Sensei! My goal is to become stronger! I want to show I can be a great ninja as well; even if I do not have ninjutsu or genjutsu. I will prove it to the whole world!"
"Ah! That's the spirit of youth, Lee! Well spoken! I will work hard as well to make sure you prove yourself!"
Neji scoffed beside Tenten. "That's impossible," he said. "You have to use ninjutsu and genjustus if you ever want to be a worthy ninja."
Guy Sensei frowned slightly. "Well I don't have to ask you who you are. Those eyes are undoubtedly from the Hyuuga clan."
"My name is Neji," Neji corrected him. "My goal is to become part of the Anbu."
"That's an incredible goal! You must work hard to be part of the Anbu, you know! But I have no doubt in your youthful power Neji!" Guy Sensei said smiling at his fullest again. He turned to look at Tenten. "And who might you be?"
"Oh, I'm Tenten…just Tenten," she smiled awkwardly. "And, I, well, I think I want to be a specialized ninja. I think I want to specialize in something like medicine or strength."
"That's a fine goal, young Tenten!" he said encouragingly. "One more thing: in order to keep our team bonds stronger, we will no longer be known as Team 3, but as Team Guy!"
"Woah, really? That's so cool!" Lee jumped with glee. Tenten gave him a look and determined he actually meant it.
"Alright youthful team! This will be our team cheer." Guy Sensei placed a hand straight out in front of him; soon, as if a signal had been sent to Lee's brain telepathically, Lee placed his hand on top of Guy Sensei's. Now Tenten understood. She gave them a bizarre look before giving in and placing her hand on top of Lee's as she let out a sigh. They all turned to look at Neji. He raised a single eyebrow up making his overconfident appearance even more arrogant. Tenten gave him a 'just do it' look hoping that he would read her mind. Neji glanced at her and decided it was best to give in; his hand came down softly on top of hers. "Team Guy, may the power of youth be with us always! Haya!"
Tenten and Neji found themselves exchanging equally irritated looks. She smiled; maybe with Neji on her team, these two freaks wouldn't drive her crazy with their over excessive enthusiasm. At least to some extent.
"Our first C class mission! I'm so excited!" Lee exclaimed throwing his backpack over his right shoulder as four ninja stood in front of the Konoha city gates one cloudy morning. Seven months had passed since Team Guy was announced and it was impressive how far they had come. Of course, Tenten had to admit it was partly because of Guy Sensei's pushy attitude when it came to training, but over their time together Tenten realized there was something more. Their powers and abilities complimented each other's perfectly and it led them to do better on missions. They hadn't failed any of their D class missions so far, so they were given for the first time a C class mission to challenge them.
But even their complimentary abilities weren't enough to describe how much they had grown over the short seven months. They had grown not just in power, but in bonds too. Tenten practically lived with these men, taking on long missions with them and spending all of her training with them. She thought she knew what teamwork meant in the Academy, but she really didn't have a clue until now. Things were different; you did almost everything with the team.
"Our job is to guide Librarian Saito from the small Land of Tea to our own library here in Konoha," Guy Sensei began. "The catch is that there seems to be some rogue ninja after him because he is in possession of a book containing various secret art techniques from our village. Of course these rogue ninja aren't much of a threat but this could turn into a B class mission if they do manage to get their hands on the book, in which case I might have o call for reinforcements from chounin. But of course that won't happen, right Team Guy? We will beat them to a pulp before they lay a finger on Mr. Saito!"
"Right!" Lee agreed. He was the only to respond Guy Sensei.
"This mission might take from three to five days depending on our efficiency. But I say we can do it in two days, if not less!"
"I accept your challenge Guy Sensei!" Lee shouted.
"Let's get going then," Neji said, which, Tenten had learned over time, was his own way of saying he was eager to complete the mission too, though his expression gave nothing away.
"Now that's the spirit Neji!" Guy said, patting him on the back. "Try to keep up now!" And with that he was gone with a flash. Lee followed fight away. Neji motioned for Tenten to go first, after all Neji was assigned to be at the back because of his Byakugan.
They always ran like this when on a mission. Guy Sensei was at the head leading them, Lee following closely behind, then Tenten, and finally Neji at the end who could overlook everyone and see any danger approaching. If Tenten had learned something while with her team, it had to be speed. Although she naturally possessed fast reflexes she was never a fast runner. Her training with her team and running on missions had made her developed that skill over time. Now Tenten jumped from one tree to the other with ease. With their speed, Team Guy arrived at the Land of Tea a little bit past noon. Ninja running was a fast way to travel but the old librarian would slow them down considerably, so maybe they wouldn't meet their goal.
They found the old man sitting on a bench by a book store reading a book. He had long white hair and thick reading glasses. He looked up at the four ninja as they approached.
"Hello," he said. "I supposed you are the Leaf ninja taking me to Konoha?"
"Indeed we are!" Guy Sensei exclaimed giving him a flashy smile. "If there is anything you need please let us know. But for now let's get going. You see, my pupils and I have a set time we want to accomplish for this mission."
Tenten smiled at the old man apologetically saying, "It would be for the best to get you in Konoha as soon as possible, where it is safe." The old man nodded picked up his heavy looking traveling bag and put his book away. Lee offered to carry his bag.
"Don't worry, I may look old but this body still has energy in it!" said the Mr. Saito, and they took off, leaving the Land of Tea behind them as they returned to the forest that would lead them to Konoha. Mr. Saito the librarian walked between Lee and Tenten, the safest spot in their formation. Tenten began observing the old man. His walk was sturdy and it had purpose, his back though a bit bent from old age, looked strong, and when the wind blew once Tenten caught sight of a scar on his neck. He was right; though he was old he looked capable of taking care of himself. Tenten didn't doubt he could run a mile without a sweat. He hadn't complained once during their walk home or asked for a break even though he carried that heavy bag, no doubt filled with books.
Realization filled Tenten as she studied the man more and more. "You're a retired ninja," she said out loud before thinking. Everyone turned to stare at her.
Mr. Saito laughed. "What makes you say that?"
"That scar on your neck looks like it's from a kunai knife; I have plenty of experience with those. And why else would the Leaf entrust you with such an important book if you didn't value it yourself? Sure you're a librarian so you care about books in general, but this one must mean more to you because you understand the importance of our countries' hidden jutsus. So you must have been a ninja one time during your life. "
He laughed even louder at that. "I'm glad someone as young as you could catch something like that. Impressive observation skills little girl, what's your name?"
"Tenten," she said blushing a bit with his compliment.
"Is that so?" he said looking back at her, his expression thoughtful. "You're a fine ninja Tenten."
When dusk settled into the sky, Guy Sensei decided it would be best to stop there and sleep for the night. They put out their sleeping bags and set a camp fire to sit around. It was this part of missions that Tenten enjoyed the most, sitting down to take a break, eating dinner with her teammates, and sharing stories with each other. She remembered how much she had hated her team in the beginning but now she understood them so much better. Except for Lee and Guy's weirdness, she had gotten used to everything about her team, and she liked it. Old man Saito sat next to Tenten reading his book as the four ninja conversed. He looked up every so often to make a comment before returning to his think book again.
"What book are you reading?" Tenten asked him in attempt to make him join the conversation.
"Not a book for kids, such as yourself," he smiled slyly. Neji summoned his Byakugan silently and looked at the books cover. His face paled and quickly his eyes went back to normal.
"What was it?" Lee asked urgently. But Neji refused to talk.
"It doesn't matter," Guy said. "Time for bed, we leave early tomorrow morning. Tenten, take first watch." She nodded as the put out the fire as the rest retrieved into their sleeping bags. The peculiar sounds of the forest were all that Tenten was left with and man did she hate it. It wasn't the dark she was scared of, but the things going on in the dark that she couldn't see. It was at times like this she wished he had the Byakugan like Neji. Then something soft and worm touched her upper arm. Tenten jumped ready to attack a kunai in her hand.
"Relax, little girl, it's just me," Mr. Saito said in a calm voice. Tenten could see his dark eyes and outline of his face in the moonlight.
"Oh, what's wrong? You should be sleeping," Tenten answered.
"There's been something on my mind since I asked you for your name, would you mind telling me if you know a man named Hideo?"
Upon hearing her dad's name, Tenten's back straightened. "Yes, I do. In fact he was my father."
"Was?" Tenten nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that, little girl. You see about thirteen years ago, I met your father in the Land of Tea. He was a single man then but he met a lovely lady name Chiaki. I believed they got married soon after, you must be their daughter?"
"Small world, isn't it?" Tenten said bitterly.
"Yes, your father was a splendid man. I had the honor of working with him on my last year as a shinobi, and you see I was that year he said he his wife were expecting a child whom they would name Tenten."
Tears filled Tenten's eyes but she refused to let herself cry, even in the darkness, Mr. Saito would hear her.
"I wanted to give you this book too. It was your father's favorite, don't ask me why, but I think it would be fitting that as his daughter you keep it, especially since he is no longer with you."
"Thank you!" Tenten said gratefully taking the book blindly out of his hands and holding it tightly in hers.
"You're welcome, now I'm off to sleep," Mr. Saito said returning to his slumber. Once she made sure everyone was asleep she took her small flashlight out of her bag. She had yet another valuable piece that had been part of her father's life. Tenten flashed the light on the cover of the book. Under the Covers it read. Tenten frowned at the confusing title. What could it possibly be about?
She flipped to the first chapter, and her heart fell. It wasn't much of a novel more than a picture book, and it had very explicit pictures at that. The title of the chapter was "Pleasure: the Beginning" and it had a naked man and woman holding each other tightly. Startled, Tenten turned to the next chapter, "Sex and Consequences" showing a picture of parents holding a baby lovingly. Then she turned to a random chapter called "Positions." With this Tenten blood rushed with adrenaline, she almost felt like she was in a battle herself. It showed pictures of different kinds of sex positions.
What kind of book is this? She thought. Surely this isn't my father's favorite book? It can't be…how…perverted! But then she remembered how Mr. Saito had mentioned how her dad met her mom in the Land of Tea. Naturally, he would want to learn more if he was attacked to a woman right? But this book, it was too much. Then Tenten remembered something else they told her and her classmates their last year at the Academy. Ninja needed to know about this kind of "missions." Hey had been so vague at the Academy though, promising they would teach them more when they reached the appropriate age. So maybe this book was just part of research?
Tenten looked closer at the pictures. These weren't pictures of real people like the first two but the drawings were real enough. She looked at the first picture; it was called "The Missionary Technique." She looked at the next picture, "The Edge of Heaven" and noticed each picture had a short description of and tips on when to use that position. "The Speed Bump" was next followed by "Standing Up" and "Woman on Top" then "Face-to-Face Love."
Tenten had never blushed so much in her life. This was unbelievable. Tenten felt someone tap her shoulder, making her jump and the person tapping her stiffened as well. She looked behind her to see Neji standing there, his opaque white eyes wide. She stared at him; he stared at the book in her hands. Moments seemed to become hours as neither of them moved. Tenten couldn't remember a time more embarrassing than the one she was in right now. Why did Neji, out of all people, have to see her looking at this book?
"It's my shift," Neji finally managed to say meeting Tenten's petrified eyes.
Woa, I know I would want to die if that ever happened to me! Poor Tenten.
okay, i want to make two things clear: (1) this IS an M rated story so there will be material inappropriate for people under 17 in later chapters. Just keep in mind that for now Neji and Tenten are only 12 years old. (i can't have little kids doing naughty things! Nasty!) so please be patient and wait for the story to progress. (2) also my stories aren't exactly in consecutive order, meaning my story jumps around from one age to the next but still in each chapter they will be getting older and older. (hope that wasn't too confusing..)
anyway, thanks for reading. Please don't forget to Review! :)
-Cyan