Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 59
"Targets"

"Yes, thank you for that. I appreciate that you called me after you realised what had happened. There should be no issues if you take your time fixing the problem, since there are going to be children and other young people in that space constantly."

I lie back in bed and twirl the phone cord around my finger. Still not back to work yet, but there have been some things happening with Magnolia House that I thought would be best taken care of personally. A small mixup with some material for the interior of the orphanage was discovered recently, but we're sorting that before any extensive work has been completed. It might push things back about two or three weeks, but that much is not an issue at this point. Time could be saved in other areas.

"Take as long as you need to get those things right, and there won't be any changes to our arrangement if you're worried about that. Yes. That's fine," I assure them. "The home office should be able to work with the information that you've given them. Did you need suggestions on next steps, or can you proceed from where you are now? Alright. Give the office another call and inquire about what you should do next to remedy things. The budget is still quite flexible at this point, so you should be fine as long as you don't go overboard. Right, I understand. Again, thank you for your call, it's much appreciated. Sometimes things happen that are out of our control, and there is no shame in admitting to that. Alright, please take care for now. You'll be informed of any changes through the usual channels. Thank you. Goodbye."

I hang up and set the phone back in its place.

"Always on the go. Tempting to get back into that sort of pace…but maybe I should take the opportunity to slow down again. When exactly did I get so damn anxious anyways," I mutter while lying back in bed. "Feels like sometimes I don't consider tomorrow at all, and that shouldn't be my personality."

I think about myself as Hokage, with plates and bowls stacked onto her desk, loose paper and cups of coffee occupying the empty spaces. A few senbon holding up my hair, all kinds of work in front of me as I struggle to keep myself awake.

It makes me shudder just imagining it. I can't become that kind of woman. I refuse to.

"I do a good enough job indulging myself, but…I wonder if I need more than that. Midori-nee did say that when I got a bit older, she would show me how to make use of those medicinal herbs she and Luna-nee like so much. Is that the secret? Could be. Hm."

Not exactly sure when Fio will be back, and Hina is probably busy. Those are the two I wanted to see most right now. Ino is doing her own thing with her boys…then again, I don't know if there's anyone I want to bother in the first place. I might be in the mood for some snacks and manga later. Right now, I should do something a little more physical.

"Hitting some targets sounds like it will do the trick."

As is natural in shinobi villages, there are at least a dozen or so weapons ranges for anyone from the amateur to the elite to try their hand at hitting stationary targets with weapons. Most are public and staffed by a few members of the military, a few meanwhile have the same culture and atmosphere of social clubs, requiring memberships and payments for upkeep of said memberships. Members of these clubs are viewed as eccentrics for obvious reasons.

I choose to mingle with the so-called common folk, which include civilians. There are many insights that can be found over a few hours of watching the people around you, and indeed my own skill in handling shinobi tools improved from my observation of my elders and superiors. It might not be the same these days, but there's nothing wrong with having another look. That, and I could be a good example to look to, as those before me were.

The traditional way of doing these things is to practice alone within village spaces, with handcrafted or generic targets, or none at all outside of the imagination. A recent push, within the last decade or so, created more standardized public facilities in order to provide proper instruction for youth, and adequate supervision. The facilities also attracted civilian folk, by far the bulk of the village, for various reasons. The two biggest ones being self-defence and hobby work. Both are welcomed and encouraged, especially since, again, there is plenty of supervision available including the inevitable first aid for accidents.

"Here we are."

I check in and find a designated space for myself, which for this place is a long pathway that has a tree near the end of it and a metal wall directly behind that. The area is open so that people can see each other and walk back and forth behind the throwing lines, and every so often there is a pause so that any stray or discarded weapons can be retrieved from the field. Some shinobi grumble about the required precautions, which include guards, gloves, and eye protection, but they're usually scolded by the staff, who are correct to do such. There's nothing stopping them from throwing their own weapons in some private place. After putting on my protective equipment and making sure that everything is secure, I grab a shuriken from the provided pouch and ready it to throw. Simple motions for today will do.

"Maybe low speed…and higher revolution this time."

I start from a low position and send the shuriken towards its wooden target with an upward flick of my wrist. The speed is where I want it, and the rotations are high. This allows the weapon to move with ease through the air. It hits the round target squarely in the very middle and sticks there.

"Only makes sense that you would have such a pretty release. And so casually, too."

I turn my head to see someone waving at me. Those cute hair buns of hers are hard to miss…

"Pleasant morning to you, Tenten. I must admit, I'm a bit surprised to see you around here," I say to her. I push my goggles down to my neck and give her a hug.

"I was going to say that to you. Thought you would usually be practising alone and everything."

"It's usually the case, or with my comrades somewhere else. But I come to places like these because of the convenience. Today I was just feeling restless, and didn't want to do anything too intensive."

She nods. "I know what you mean, that's why I come out here. Just a more relaxed vibe and everything. So is this where you usually come?"

"I visit different places around the village."

"Ah, I see. That's probably why we didn't cross paths earlier. I'm usually here and the other place close by. I actually gave thought to joining one of those fancier clubs, but someone who was in them said that they weren't all that serious about the whole thing. Mostly just standing around and showing off." She waves a hand in front of her face. "Not for me at all. I like to be active and then chill out when everything is done."

"I don't think that would interest me, either. It sounds entirely too snobby and boring. Same reason that I don't have anything to do with the women's groups."

"Oh, wow. That explains a lot, then…" She nods and gestures towards the pathway. "You mind if we share? It'd be nice to chat a bit, and I really want to see more of that perfect form of yours, hehe."

"I don't mind at all. A chat would be nice."

"Awesome."

We pull on our goggles and make sure there's room enough for us both to throw. Once everything is settled, we get back to our casual throwing. I know a fair bit about how skilled Tenten is when it comes to shinobi tool use. She's incredibly accurate and knows each tool in her kit inside and out. How to toss them in each situation, their applications, care and maintenance, and so on. Her only peer might be Suketsune's older brother Okichi, who is a savant in this subject. I meant to meet him the last time, but he was apparently extremely busy with some project or other. I wonder what it could be. Hm. Probably something extravagant, which makes me even more curious to see it in person.

She has a smooth, effortless way of throwing her shuriken, as if it were something that she was born doing. Clearly she has talent, but one can always tell where pure ability ends and elevated skill starts.

"You talk about my form, but you make these things look effortless on your part," I say to her.

"Thanks. I've been working on this for a while now. I didn't think I had anything I could do when I started out, but it turned out that I had a gift for throwing things around accurately. After that I ended up leaning into the whole deal, and Guy-sensei helped a whole lot with my confidence."

"Despite appearances, he is an excellent teacher."

"Appearances?" she asks.

"One might assume that someone with such a horrific fashion sense would also have diminished educational abilities, but it is the opposite in this case. As for the rest of him, the haircut and eyebrows are…bold choices, let's say. But endearing after a while."

I hear her chuckle a bit at that. "You know what? I can't say you're wrong about any of that. Awful choice in outfits, but a great teacher and leader. I love him a lot, as weird as he can get."

"How are things with your boyfriend?"

"Oh, they're fine…we're together, but not like…together like that. You know?"

"Mm. I understand what you mean."

"Yeah. Neji is doing okay, keeping up with his training, stuff like that. Gives me a lot of encouragement when I need it and when I think I don't, but I really do. I admired him for a long time, just didn't think I would catch his attention at all. So at first it was a bit overwhelming. Then I got a surprise when Hinata started helping me out. More than that, giving me a sense of…protection, I would say. That's it. I felt a bit safer around her, and it helped with the relationship and everything."

"She really is wonderful, isn't she?"

"She is. Don't know what I would do without her. Heh, the list of great kunoichi in this village keeps getting longer by the day. Aside from you and Hinata, there's Erika, and Ino, and Sakura is making big waves. What I've seen of Hanabi tells me that she's going to be great, too."

"Do you feel bad about it?" I ask as I pause my throwing. The attendant ahead takes a few moments to stare at all of the shuriken that have landed dead center, before replacing the wooden boards and scooping up all of the weapons on the floor below. There's a brief chime signalling that the lanes are clear again, and we resume.

"Nah, nothing like that. Healthy competition is good. Though I dunno if we could call it a competition at this point. Maybe a tournament for second place." She looks over to me, and I give her a wink.

"I always appreciate a bit of praise."

"So I've heard. Lady Tsunade was my biggest inspiration growing up. I totally wanted to be a great kunoichi like she was. Knowing that she has a few interesting habits hasn't changed that one bit. But I knew pretty early on that I probably wasn't going to be a medic like she was. A few parts lack of confidence in my dexterity, and a few more parts lack of confidence in my ability to hold down my lunch over an operating table."

"That's more than understandable. Those things are not for the faint of heart…even Tsunade had trouble with certain aspects for a while."

"She had a whole thing where she talked about it, it was a conference about a year ago. Back when you were out training. Hemophobia, it was."

"Oh, she spoke about that publicly?"

"Yeah. She said that it would be better for everyone if she was honest about her struggles…all it did was make her more amazing in my eyes. Back in the day, I ended up realizing my limits once I made it onto a team with Neji and Lee. It was really different…I couldn't keep up with Lee who could have two hours of sleep and still bounce off the walls, or get the details down like Neji, who puts about the same effort into his training as Lee does, in a different way. I wasn't like them at all, or so I thought."

"Mm-hm. That's usually how it goes at first. Boys have an infectious sort of energy to them, and it always gets to you eventually."

"That's true." Tenten fixes her grip a bit and tries to copy my throwing motion from earlier. "Huh. That's an interesting type of flight."

"A little different. I wanted to see if I could add more break without completely compromising the movement speed."

"Right up against the edge, yeah. That's neat." She throws another shuriken and nods before going back to what she was doing before. "Hm, so yeah. Next to those two, I felt pretty ordinary. Maybe a little bit inadequate at times."

"It's fair to feel that way when you're around people so talented."

"Yeah. That's what Guy-sensei kept telling me. He really helped me out, listened when I needed him to, and…I didn't feel left out at all. Even if I couldn't do all the things that they could. Because of that, I could figure out who I was and go to work on all of things that I was good at. So now we're all a little obsessive over our crafts in our own ways," she says with a laugh. "I make sure to put my work in and head home when everything's done. Nothing extra unless I really think I need it."

"And you've clearly seen results from that," I say.

"I think I'm pretty decent these days, yeah. I'm not special like some other people, but I know that I'm special enough. I can be a great kunoichi like Lady Tsunade if I just keep working hard, and take care of myself. It might sound lacking in ambition, but…I dunno. I think it works for me."

"I think something like that is just fine. More than fine, in fact." I stop to give Tenten my attention. "The world needs people like you."

"That's really flattering to hear," she says as she looks back at me.

"I'm glad you think so…but it's a little more than that. It's something that I have been thinking about, and truly believe in. You and I both understand what it means to want to be great, to reach towards a summit, whether or not you get there in a good time. And for some who call themselves elites, it might be hard to understand those who live comparatively ordinary lives. But those people are needed, not just for their utility, but for the strength they provide to the rest of us, and the support they provide to the world."

"You mean to say…it's something like, ordinary people being the backbone of society?"

"A little deeper than that. Everyone has their place in this world, and a proper pace at which they move. Allowing people to realize their potential in their own ways, like you did, will help others grow properly. Some people are ordinary, and some are special, and a few more are more special than that, and so on. In these changing times, what happens all too often is that talents like yours end up buried, because your worth is always measured by how close you come to the myths and legends of this world. It's unfair, and without proper support, it makes otherwise talented people give up and fade away. Just because you're not as special as someone else doesn't make you useless. More than that, those who are blessed with a talent, no matter how small, should be able to nurture it properly."

"I see. So…letting ordinary people be ordinary, I guess. And then giving everyone with their own special talents a chance to shine in their own ways, if they want to. And then all of the superstars like you doing your own thing. Am I right?"

"Even further than that. I want those of us who have gained our wings to help other people gain theirs, and to learn how to live life from those without," I say. "Those who work hard to gain new levels of skill have a lot to teach us, especially those who make their way through the world with their ability alone at first."

"Wow. Okay, so it's even more than I thought. You want to create…a world where everyone can help everyone, even if they're not equals in every way," Tenten says with realization.

"Yes. That's what I wanted to get across."

She pauses in thought for a few moments before facing the target and tossing a shuriken at it. It lands dead center as always, finding space in the crowded eye along with every other shuriken that we've thrown recently.

"I've never really heard something like that before," she says. "I never even thought about it that much. A place where everyone has the chance to become more than they could think at first."

"There should be room for everyone, and people like you most of all."

"People like me? That's way too much coming from you," she says with a smile. "I mean, I know I'm pretty good at what I do…"

"The discipline to know your limitations, and the confidence to find your way forward. It's the kind of thing we need in a brave new world, and I don't think we would get too far without it. It takes an unrivaled brilliance to create a new path through history, but no single great man or woman can create a better world on their own. It will take all of us, with all of the strength that we can offer. And that will start with giving everyone the chance to realize their potential, in their own time. That is what I truly believe."

"Hehe. Neji likes to describe you at times as profound, and it sounded like a pretty impressive way of talking about you."

"And have you changed your mind about that?" I ask.

"Yep. I would say it's definitely not impressive enough. On top of that…you've really made me feel great about how far I've come since I first picked up one of these shuriken. So thanks, Lili. I appreciate it, and that you could share those lofty dreams of yours with me."

"You're quite welcome, Tenten. I'm very glad I came out today," I say with a smile. "After this, I should show you a nice little shop that serves some delightful fried chicken and noodles. It's close by."

"Nice. I was thinking about grabbing something to eat. I humbly accept your invitation, Miss Kobayashi."

"Wonderful." The chime sounds again, and we wait as the attendants clear the targets and area of thrown weapons. "While we're here, I want you to show me that interesting redirection technique I got a glimpse of the other day."

"Oh, you saw that one. Hehehe…that was a neat trick I've been working on for a while. Degree of difficulty is a bit high, but the reward is more than worth it. Here. You want to start with a slightly loose grip, side arm so that you can go for it on the run easily enough. Now what ups the difficulty is the kind of touch you need, and the fact that we're gonna be using senbon."

"Ooh. Always a classic for the trickier techniques," I say.

"Oh yeah. You want to get real feathery for this. The timing is the first thing, and it's not what you're used to, exactly…"