Chapter 3: Stranger
Tenten cartwheeled backwards and saw the gigantic sword stabbed right where she once stood. In a split second, before her feet could even touch the ground, the man was already behind her. She felt the sword's handle collide with the back of her neck, throwing her onto the floor harshly. Groaning, she felt her whole body starting to ache. She cursed herself again for the injuries she brought upon herself.
Mustering up all the courage and energy she had left, Tenten pushed herself off the ground to stand, only to be forced shamefully back on the floor by a heavy stomp. The man let out an irritated sigh as he positioned his sword dangerously close to Tenten's neck. "Weak. Too weak." He whispered, more to himself than to her.
Tenten struggled to get up to no avail. Her body was suffering from excruciating pain. She narrowed her eyes and strained her neck but she still couldn't get a clear view of her attacker's face. "Who the hell are you and why are you doing this?!"
A strong blow on the back of her neck was all Tenten got as a reply. Everything went black.
Turning Tenten's body around, the stranger began to chant in a strange language. Placing two fingers on her forehead, he began to form a seals with his other hand. A bright blue glow erupted from where his fingers touched Tenten's forehead. Memories of a young brown-haired girl began flooding his mind. Missions. Teammates. Graduation. Training. School. Living alone. Orphanage. Then finally, he found was he was looking for. After what seemed like endless hours, the stranger ended the jutsu.
"We've finally found you, your majesty."
Tenten stirred slowly in her sleep.
"Hey! Hey! She's coming around!"
"Really?"
Tenten scrunched her eye brows at the sound of voices. Where was she? She groaned. Her body felt like lead. Suddenly recalling the silhouette of the stranger, she immediately bolted up and assumed a defensive stance.
"Woah! Woah! Calm down!"
Tenten blinked at Ino's surprised face. Her hands were up in front of her to signal submission. Glancing at her surroundings, Tenten was surprised to find herself in the hospital yet again. The setting sun's rays filled the room in bright red orange light. She glanced around the room and saw worried expressions from Sakura, Ino and Hinata.
A dream?
"Honestly! We see you looking half-dead yesterday and then today we see you half-dead literally! What the hell were you doing out in the training grounds anyway? If you want to train, at least wait until you get better! Are you all like that in your team? Training addicts? One day you're gonna kill yourself!" Ino scolded.
Tenten winced at the sound of her voice. She could practically break every single glass in the whole building.
"Would you just shut it Ino-PIG!" Sakura yelled in an equally irritating voice.
"Who're you calling Ino-pig, GIANT FOREHEAD!" Ino yelled back.
Hinata tried her best to stop them from arguing to no avail. Not wanting to speak, Tenten threw a kunai in between the faces of the two kunoichi, who were only inches apart. Sakura and Ino froze in shock.
"Y-You! What if you hit us!?"
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"Didn't you even think of the consequence of your action?!"
"I can't believe you did that!"
Tenten was getting sick of those two and she still hasn't gotten Ino back for slapping her. Tenten let out a sigh as she massaged her temples before giving them an intimidating glance. "If you two won't stop whining, I'll throw two more. This time, I won't miss."
Sakura and Ino stayed silent. A serious Tenten was a scary Tenten. Sakura and Ino exchanged a glance. Looks like the weapons mistress was back indeed. The three watched Tenten as she was deep in thought. "Something wrong?" Ino asked.
"When you found me..." Tenten paused as she glanced at Ino. "Were there five kunais embedded on the floor?"
"What? Oh, I don't know. We weren't the ones who found you."
"Oh, who did?"
"N-Neji-nisan found you." Hinata replied, with a hint of apprehension.
"R-Really?" Tenten replied in shock.
Sakura, Ino and Hinata watched in awe as different emotions crossed the weapons mistress' face. She looked like she was putting on a one-woman show.
"Uh… Tenten?" Sakura called her attention but to no avail.
"Tenten? Hello? " Ino added but she still hadn't noticed them.
"T-Tenten-sempai, h-have you heard the news a-about L-Lee-sempai?"
Tenten's head snapped back to reality upon hearing Lee's name. "What? Lee? How is he?!"
"Oh so she's still sane." Ino added sarcastically, which earned her a nudge from Sakura.
"He woke up last night."
"That's…" Tenten's mouth fell open and before she knew it she was crying uninhibitedly. "Thank God. Thank you so much."
All three girls tried to hold back their own tears as they each did their best to comfort Tenten.
"C-Can I see him?" Tenten asked as she wiped the tears off her eyes embarrassed.
"Well, he's asleep now so I doubt going there would be eventful." Sakura replied. "Besides you are on strict bed confinement orders! You can see him when you get better and be able to at least walk on you own."
"But I can already-"
"Stop!" Ino and Sakura yelled in unison as they restrained the attempt of the weapons mistress to stand. "Tsunade-sama said that you are to stay in bed for at least a day before you are allowed to walk!" Sakura lectured.
"But seriously I can-"
"Don't make me call Tsunade-sama here." Sakura warned.
Tenten mentally cursed Sakura but relaxed nonetheless. She would get back at her for this. And Ino as well. That slap really stung.
"You should rest up, okay? Sleep! The sooner you get better, the sooner you can see Lee." Ino added as she pulled the covers back over Tenten's form.
"I-I agree, Tenten-sempai." Hinata nodded.
"Well, we'll be leaving then." Sakura stated with a wave.
"We brought those fruits for you so you better eat them ok?" Ino winked. "Oh and the flowers too!"
Tenten raised an eyebrow. "You want me to eat them too?"
"No silly!" Ino laughed. "I want you to appreciate them! Chrysanthemums are such a beauty!"
Tenten nodded as they muttered their goodbyes, sighing at the new found peace in her room at the absence of her visitors. Staring blankly at the ceiling for what seemed like hours, Tenten let out an annoyed growl. She couldn't sleep at all. There were so many things clouding her thoughts.
Why did complicated things happen in clusters? Was one day of peace too much to ask? Why was there always something ruining her day? She released an exasperated sigh.
At least Lee finally woke up. Tenten allowed herself to smile. She felt a small portion of her guilt disappear. Lee was fine. He was alive! The thought of him being fine brought back fond memories she had with Team Gai.
(Flashback)
"Now is the time where I will triumph my eternal rival!" Lee yelled from outside of Neji's tent.
"What the? Lee? What do you think you're doing?" Tenten yelled from inside her tent. "It's half pass midnight!"
"Tenten! Do you wish to fight me instead?" Lee challenged.
"What are you-" Before Tenten could finish her sentence, Lee was already charging towards her. "Lee!" Tenten yelled as she blocked his kick. She took some of her weapons out to defend herself only to realize her opponent was asleep. "What the hell-"
"What's happening out here?" A voice called out. It seems they woke Neji up from his slumber.
Tenten cartwheeled towards Neji."Lee's lost it! He's training in his sleep!"
"HA! You finally have the courage to face me my eternal rival!" Lee yelled much to Neji's annoyance. The Hyuga prodigy felt his eye twitch.
"Eternal rival?" Neji looked at Tenten who just gave him a shrug. "Since it seems like he just wants a piece of you, I'm going back to bed."
Before Tenten made it back to her tent, Lee was already unconscious on the floor.
(End of Flashback)
Tenten chuckled to herself. Lee couldn't move the next morning and he didn't even know why. She smiled at the memory as she glanced at the white Chrysanthemums. Ino was right. They were pretty. They had such a delicate flawless white hue. Like milk but brilliant like pearls. Like-
Tenten frowned. Like the Byakugan. Why think of Neji at a time like this? He was always a mood killer. He was always there ready to throw an insult at any form of weakness he saw.
'Tenten what are you doing!?'
'Not good enough.'
'Try to put more effort in it!'
'You have to do better than that.'
You reap what you sow.
Tenten clutched the blanket closer to her body as she tried to rid her thoughts of the stoic Hyuga prodigy. His words still stung and she felt her eyes water at the memory of his back to her as he spouted cruel words. They hurt worse than the pain behind her neck.
Tenten groaned as she brought a hand to the nape of her neck. She still wasn't sure if that stranger was real or a fabric of her subconscious. There was no way of knowing except asking the person who found her. But that would mean talking to Neji and he wasn't exactly the type who liked conversation.
A cool breeze invaded the hospital room. Tenten shut her eyes and held her blanket closer to her body. When the breeze stopped, four intimidating auras radiated within the room. Tenten bolted up to assumed a defensive stance upon seeing the man with the gigantic sword.
"So it wasn't a dream." She whispered to herself.
Not long after, Tenten realized she couldn't move. The air pressure on her body was suffocating enough to restrain her movements. She couldn't even speak, let alone scream.
"You don't need to speak. Just listen to what we have to say." A woman spoke. Her voice was calm, soothing, even somewhat motherly despite the threatening aura of their visit. Observing the four silhouettes, Tenten noted there were two females and two males.
"Come to the Valley of the End on the night of the next full moon if you want answers. Make sure you are alone. But be warned. If you wish to learn the truth, you should have with you a strong resolve to leave this village and all who are precious to you, in order to accomplish what you are truly destined for." Another woman's voice said. It sounded slightly hoarse but powerful and demanding.
"You are the last heir to the throne of our clan. This is your destiny." This time it was a man who spoke. His voice seemed somewhat carefree and childlike, but held with it a lethal ruthlessness. "I will release my hold on you since I'm sure you're breathing is compromised. In exchange, you will not scream, attack or even move from where you stand. If even show the slightest sign of resistance, I'll make it so you won't be able to breathe at all."
Tenten swallowed. These guys weren't joking around at all.
Feeling the tension around her dissipate, Tenten began gasping for air. She glanced up at the four silhouettes, still hard up in breathing.
Another man spoke. Tenten could tell it was the man with the giant sword. She knew his voice all too well. "I apologize for the brusque meeting earlier. I needed to test your level of skill. Frankly, I was very disappointed."
"Clan. Abilities." Tenten stated incredulously as she scoffed. Her breathing pattern was slowly normalizing. "I'm part of a clan?"
It was the man with the childlike voice who answered this time. Tenten didn't know what it was about his voice, but it gave her the image of a twelve-year old boy who killed whilst smiling. "Our clan has no name but we are commonly known as Avatars. You, my lady, are the last remaining heiress. Our blood limit commands elements. Nature responds to our calls. We utilize nature as a weapon without the need for silly hand seals or chakra manipulation."
Tenten's blinked slowly. "Controlling elements without hand seals and chakra?" She stated monotonously, raising an eyebrow as if waiting for one of them to tell her it was all a big joke.
As if sensing her incredulity, the stranger with the sword continued. "When our abilities were discovered, people have tried to formulate ways to imitate our power. They have succeeded although not thoroughly. Those imitations gave rise to what is more commonly known today as 'ninjutsu'."
"We understand it seems difficulty to digest." The woman's soothing voice came. "Naturally, you too have the power to control all the elements. But for now, that power is lying dormant within you."
"If you ever wish to learn the truth of our clan and your power," Came the rich baritone voice of the man with the sword. "You have to come to the Valley of the End on the night of the next full moon. There all questions will be answered. All that you wish to know will be taught. In exchange, however, you can no longer reside in Konoha."
"Why is leaving Konoha a requirement?" Tenten asked with annoyance.
"We can't afford to let anyone know that there are still remnants of our clan." It was the rough woman's voice who answered this time. "People fear us. And by natural order, what is feared is destroyed. Fear is a powerful thing. It can unite people. Even the most powerful will fall against the entire human race."
"How can you be so sure that I'm the one? Your so called heiress?" Tenten narrowed her eyes. "What if this is all just one big mistake?"
The woman laughed. It had a haughty ring to its tone. "You're the one. Your sparring partner earlier confirmed it."
Tenten glanced at the man with the sword. "And how exactly did you confirm that?"
"Your memories." Came the man's answer. "You were found in front of the gates of Konoha in a basket wearing clothes embroidered with distinct dragons – the symbol of our clan."
Tenten scoffed. "A lot of people wear clothing embroidered with dragons. Most of my outfits have them and most of those I bought at random stores." Tenten let out a tired sigh. "Look, I don't know about you people but everything you've been saying up until now? Sound like a load of crap."
"We didn't expect you would believe them so easily." Came the cheerful but mocking tone of seemingly smiling man.
"After all, how am I supposed to believe in people who won't even show me their faces?" Tenten added, trying her best to make sense of the silhouettes that lay hidden in the shadows.
"If we wanted you dead, we wouldn't be having this conversation now." Came the serious tone of the man with the sword.
"We're not here to harm you. We're here to help you. You've been away from your true home for 13 long years." Came the woman's calm voice. "You have every right to learn the truth about your origin and your clan."
"Believe what you choose to believe." Spoke the stranger with the sword once again. "Decide for yourself."
Tenten felt a chill down her spine at the sudden change of temperature in the room. The wind seemed to caress her skin unnervingly, leaving strange prickling sensations wherever it touched. "And of course, it goes without saying, you can't tell anyone about this, okay?" It was the creepy cheerful man who spoke. His tone was so saccharine that it made Tenten's skin crawl further.
A strong gust of wind blew in from the window. Tenten assumed a defensive stance trying desperately to keep her eyes open. "Wait!" When the gust turned into a gentle breeze, she was alone once again. She might have eluded herself by assuming it was a dream, but the sharply cut chrysanthemums that lay pitifully on the floor told her otherwise.