When he suggested walking through Konoha—or the Hidden Leaf Village, if you prefer—to get a better idea of the layout of the village, Kankuro didn't think he'd fall for a girl like her.
Literally.
Kankuro had been walking through the village all on his own, minding his own business, when she ran full force at him, like she wasn't watching where she was going. Instincts taking over, Kankuro wrapped his arms around her as they both fell down, him taking the impact of the fall.
The girl scrambled off him quickly, her cheeks flushed from the circumstances. "S-sorry!" she apologized, offering her hand to help. "I'm running late and my friend hates to be kept waiting. He has an important match tomorrow."
Although he was a bit skeptical, Kankuro cautiously accepted the help, raising back up to his feet. Within a few seconds, the girl stepped closer to him, covering his cheeks with her hands. Kankuro flinched away, silently wishing he had chose to wear his face painting. "What are you doing?"
"I know you from somewhere. . ." The girl trailed off for a moment. When she figured it out, the girl's eyes lit up in recognition. "The Chunin Exams! You're that puppet user from Suna. Your name is Kankuro, right?"
"I'm surprised you remembered me," Kankuro commented. "I tried not to stand out."
"My sensei is horrible at remembering the names of outsiders, so I try to remember to make up for it." The girl smiled to seem more friendly. "I thought your match against that Leaf genin was impressive, especially when you used your puppet as a substitution. I didn't think you could use it that way. Would you mind showing me how it works?"
Kankuro snarled his nose. "Maybe, if I knew who—" He stopped himself as he realized why she looked familiar too. "The preliminary round. You fought against my sister and lost. It was a . . . close match."
The girl scoffed, but there was no animosity in it. "I was doomed from the start," she admitted quite easily. "Your sister won because I went first instead of waiting to see what she can do with her fan. I can't wait to have a rematch against her." She held out her hand in an expected handshake as she introduced herself. "I'm Tenten."
Kankuro waited, assuming she wasn't finished. When she said nothing, he prompted, "Tenten . . . what?"
"Just 'Tenten'," Tenten clarified with a careless shrug. "I am clanless. I was an orphan even before the Nine-Tails attacked the village. The only thing I know about my family is what Lord Third told me."
Shaking her hand firmly, Kankuro greeted, "Sabaku no Kankuro, or Kankuro of the Desert. My parentage . . . isn't important. I'm sorry that my sister was so ruthless with you. I told her she went too far."
"She was just showing everyone not to underestimate her, so I can't be mad at her," Tenten claimed. "I'm impressed that she beat me so easily. I didn't have the weapon to beat her, so it was as fair as it could be. I'll be ready next time."
"You've got determination, Tenten," Kankuro praised. "And you're beautiful too. I haven't met anyone like you before."
With her smile growing a bit, Tenten informed, "I want to master every weapon in the ninja world, including the ones outside my village. After I help my friend with his training, will you show me how you do your puppetry jutsu?"
Pondering on it for a moment, Kankuro declared, "I will show you how to do puppets and any weapon in Suna. For every weapon I show you, you have to go on a date with me."
With only a few seconds of deliberation, her smile green even wider as Tenten decided, "I'll see you after my friend's training then!"
