Chapter 3: Purpose
"Take those off."
Tenten blinks and her hand strays protectively over her borrowed ankle weights. While they are one of the lighter versions Lee used to wear, they are still enough of a hindrance for Neji to have noticed after just a few moments of sparring. She is certain that they are helping her become stronger, faster, though, and she tells him as much. He snorts. It is the sound he uses for affirmation, negation, self-confidence and derision. She decides that this one belongs to the latter category.
"Strength? What is strength?"
"The ability to hit harder," she answers, confused at his basic question, "Or to move faster. To be able to defeat more powerful opponents."
He snorts again. The first variation, this time.
"And you believe weighing yourself down will make you stronger?"
Tenten is at a momentary loss for words. It worked for Lee, didn't it? Unconsciously, vexation and defensiveness make their way into her demeanor. Neji sees it in her eyes. Of course he does; his are too sharp and hers are too open. He sighs. Always snorts and sighs with that one. She is so enraptured in her own internal monologue that she nearly jumps when he speaks suddenly.
"Lee is stronger, or so you say, when he is not wearing the weights. Strength is a synergy of your mind and body and when you forcibly change yourself, you become weaker overall. Do you understand?"
She thinks she does, and reluctantly removes her encumbering irons. Tenten recalls that she has never seen Neji use such training methods to reach his level. Perhaps it is the meditation, she decides, which reinforces his mind. She asks him to teach her to meditate, suddenly realizing that this is perhaps the longest they've ever conversed since she's known him.
"Meditation does not suit you. Where the Gentle Fist is based in circles and serenity, the Shape Will Fist is founded in lines and passion. Such power without a purpose is as useless as a weapon without a wielder."
Purpose.
She fidgets with the two buns of hair on her head, trying to process all the new information. Fighting had always been a physical art to her, embodied in the blood, muscle and bone of each warrior. To consolidate that with something as soft and abstract as thought would be completely contrary to common sense. And yet she has not forgotten the way the philosophy of hardness from softness had proven effective for her.
Tenten is aware of how long the silence has stretched and decides that she will consider Neji's advice later.
"Arriving!"
"Later" becomes much later with the self-trumpeted entrance of Anko Mitarashi. The older ninja beams a smile at the two of them and gives a small half-salute. Tenten knows that the only reason the easygoing woman would be out here in the training grounds, especially at this hour, would be to inform them of a new mission from the Lady Hokage.
"Evenin' kiddos! We have a mission briefing, so let's get a move on!"
Strange. Neji is ranked high enough to lead them on most missions. Even when more experience had been needed, it had never been in the form of Anko. Tenten clears such thoughts from her head. The mission briefing would make clear all such details, anyway.
【[_|[__§__]|_]】
"We've interrogated the prisoner you brought in, and investigated the base as well. It seems as though it was an outpost for Orochimaru."
Orochimaru. The rogue ninja is still very much at large for the population of Konoha, having killed their previous leader no more than three years ago during his failed siege and countless others prior to leaving the village. Tenten's eyes flicks over to study Anko's expression surreptitiously. She is calm; the Lady Hokage must have informed her of the objectives ahead of time.
While her knowledge of the exact details is murky, Tenten knows that Anko was Orochimaru's student. He had betrayed her along with the rest of Konoha, and the enmity between them is rumored to still run deep. Any mission involving Orochimaru would certainly pique her interest and merit her involvement.
"As it turns out, he was a messenger for a larger base. We've extracted the location of that base from him, which may in turn provide more leads. Your mission will be to investigate and bring back anything we may be able to use. Anko will be team leader. You leave first thing tomorrow morning. Dismissed."
Tenten feels her blood run wild at the prospect of such a potentially dangerous and exciting mission. She is eager to redeem herself and apply her newfound skills. This time, she will not fail.
【[_|[__§__]|_]】
As soon as the door closes, Neji turns to their new leader.
"You have a past with Orochimaru," he states coolly, "I need to know you won't endanger my team with reckless acts."
"Watch your mouth, kid," Anko bristles. Tenten imagines her jagged purple ponytail rising like the hackles of a cornered wild animal as she snaps, "I'm team leader here, not you."
Tenten is torn between intervention and fascination as she watches the titanic clash of Neji's glacial immovability and Anko's heated glare. Neji had never been one to question orders; his efficiency and loyalty to Konoha makes him one of the village's most valued. Still, he had always looked out for the safety of his team before anything else.
"A team leader is responsible for the team first and foremost," Neji says in clipped tones. The implication in his statement hangs in the air, unspoken, and becomes more powerful as a result. It is not lost on Anko, but neither does she respond immediately to his silent accusation.
Tenten sees Anko's fingers clench and her own goes for a throwing star instinctively. She thumbs the cold metal behind her back, ready to let fly at a moment's notice. The tension is thick enough to slice with the keen edge of her weapon. Her fears are assuaged, though, when Anko relaxes, her mahogany eyes brightening with good humor.
"Kids these days," she exhales with a small chuckle, "I won't let any of you get in harm's way. That's a promise. If at any time you think I've gone off the deep end, I give you full permission to take over."
Neji's expression is as unreadable as it always is. He seems satisfied enough, though, and nods his approval. Tenten trusts his judgment above almost anything else. There were precious few things that were capable of escaping his opalescent gaze, after all. Quietly, she excuses herself and leaps gracefully through an open window and into the balmy air of the summer night, eating up the distance between the Lady Hokage's office and her home with flying bounds. It has been a long day with another long day to come, and she is eager to find herself in the soothing softness of her own bed.
【[_|[__§__]|_]】
Purpose.
The thought, the idea, the concept, seems unwilling to vacate her mind and allow her the slumber she desires. What kind of purpose is she to look for? The reason she wants to become stronger? The reason she fights? The reason she exists? Or is it a combination of the three?
Tenten finds herself analyzing Neji's purposes, looking for clues as to what he meant. She had always assumed that he was strong simply because he was strong. But perhaps there is more to it. Perhaps he is strong because he fights for Konoha. Or did he fight for the pride of his clan? Her reflections linger over the cursed seal he bears, which enslaves him to an unconquerable fate. Do the forced edicts of the Main Family supplant his natural purpose and instill in him the unnatural willpower he possesses?
Then again, he had said that the principle of the Gentle Fist was serenity. Certainly, if there was any power to be derived from aloofness, his legendarily unflappable calm would milk every last drop of it. But despite what the rumors might say, Tenten knows he isn't as uncaring as he appears. He has saved her life more times than she cares to count, putting himself unhesitatingly and unyieldingly between her body and danger. He has done the same for Lee, as well. And didn't he go willingly on that ill-fated mission to retrieve the boy Orochimaru had drawn out of the village?
She turns her pillow over to enjoy its cold underside. If only Neji were not so cryptic when open and airtight when closed, she could learn so much more from him. Her path is not the same as his, though. His is the Gentle Fist and hers is the Shape Will Fist. She decides to forge her own path to strength, albeit with pointers here and there from him.
Tenten resolves to find her purpose.
Her conclusion and new goal brings her a good deal of comfort, and Tenten soon finds herself sound asleep.
Feedback is welcome.