Naruto the Fairy Tale (BOOK ONE)

Chapter Twenty Five - You're The Wolf?!

Tenten was shoved out of the way and landed on the wet  snow covered ground as the wolf lunged, Genma quickly ducked but its claw tore along his shoulder. He let out a shout of pain, Tenten scrambled to her feet "we can't fight in the damn dark!" She found Genma's arm and helped him up quickly taking him out of the cave.

She heard a ferocious growl coming her way, Tenten gasped and dived onto the snowy ground, she looked up seeing the wolf land in front of her. The wolf bore its teeth at her, every single razor sharp tooth being shown. Its claws digging into the snow and its black fur beginning to be sprinkled by the snow.

Tenten jumped to her feet laying Genma aside, she swung her axe then grinned seeing its missing ear "bet you miss it. I've got it hung up on my wall!" Tenten roared, she ran towards the wolf and it swung its leg up shoving her back with such force she hit the cave wall with some rubble crumbling around her.

The wolf charged towards her until an arrow went into it's leg, it let out a whimper. Genma glared kneeling in the snow his crossbow raised. The wolf changed direction towards Genma, but Tenten saw all the red blood dripping down his arm- it was like a stream. There was no way he could move away.

Tenten screamed "run!" But still she ran towards the wolf, she pulled her arms back with the axe and intercepted, the wolf however dodged her swing, the irony was she nicked its other ear. Her swings were getting to slow and too wide, she was leaning on her axe aimlessly. The wolf glared its yellow eyes narrowing- it prowled towards Tenten.

Tenten slowly walked backwards as it moved forwards. She held her axe up but the wolf still leaped, it tackled Tenten down and she landed on the snow her red cloak splaying out. The wolf loomed over her growling, she could feel its cool breath against her face. Its nose moving up as it sniffed her, its head moving closer to hers.

"Ha!" Tenten swung her axe again and this time she managed to scratch its belly, leaving a gash on the wolf. The wolf stumbled backwards and Tenten scrambled away standing to her feet. "I'm not done yet!" She ran towards the wolf again and it charged, another attack, the wolf jumped its teeth baring out then its large mouth opened. Tenten gasped as its mouth latched onto her axe, Tenten yanked trying to get it back but wolf dug its teeth in then threw the axe away with its mouth.

"Damn." Tenten whispered.

The wolf ran towards her kicking snow back with its paws, it lunged but Tenten leaped away, the wolf was fast. It dived out and its mouth latched onto her ankle, Tenten screamed as its teeth dug into her ankle.

Another arrow was fired by Genma and it went into the wolfs side, but it still didn't let go of Tenten, it dragged her away along the snow. Tenten tried to grab onto something but there was only snow, nothing stable, her fingers simply made lines in the snow.

"Tenten!"

That wasn't Genma.

That was Neji.

She tried to pull her ankle away but only made it worse causing pain to beat around her ankle, she heard footsteps towards the wolf. Then her eye caught silver, the wolfs teeth pulled out of her ankle and she turned seeing Neji holding his sword at the wolf.

Now there was no time for questions, she limped towards her axe picking it up then quickly limped back. Gods she hurt, her body was pulsing in pain. Neji was tackled down by the wolf, Tenten roared a battle cry then swung her axe while it was distracted by Neji. She hit her axe right into its back, the wolf cried in pain and whimpered, it reeled to the side then landed in the snow.

Tenten put her hand out to Neji "what the hell are you doing here?" There was blood circulating around her foot dripping from her ankle.

"I was coming for you." Neji replied, he took her hand and she pulled him up.

They both turned looking at the wolf, it's eyes darkened down then its black fur began to leave its body "what's happening?" Tenten whispered. It's form began to change, the fur leaving and there was skin and clothes instead.

Then instead of a wolf on the ground there was her Grandmother, covered in blood and bruises. "Grandmother!" Tenten exclaimed.

Neji let out a breath revealing a cloud of air, he knew it.

Tenten crouched down to her Grandmother, she was breathing slowly and her eyelids closing over, "you're the wolf?!"

"I'm sorry." Her Grandmother got out, then she breathed out- but not back in, her eyes closed over and then her body went limp. Tenten shook her head sniffing, she put her hands on her Grandmothers shoulders shaking her, she had to wake up.

"She was the wolf..." Genma appeared next to Neji holding his injured shoulder.

"Grandmother!" Tenten cried burrowing her head onto her chest, the smell of her Grandmother's cooking from her floral dress entering her nose. She wouldn't accept this, there was no way she was a ferocious beast like the wolf!

Neji and Genma stood silently by Tenten as she cried over her Grandmother's body.

But Tenten should have expected this, her Grandmother wore earmuffs all the time, she was always out at the 'stall' apparently, and she changed into herself after the wolf. She was always the wolf, but she just didn't want her dead.

She straightened up then stood leaning onto her left foot more, they protected the village at least. Tenten wiped her eyes and said "let's go." She no longer felt any pain for her Grandmother, her Grandmother had killed so many villagers here. But she would get answers to all this, about how her Grandmother hid this, about who knew, about what her apology meant.

Genma nodded giving a final glance at her Grandmother "I'll deal with this."

"Thanks." Tenten nodded in gratitude.

Neji took Tenten's wrist and put it around over his shoulders to help her walk, "are you alright?" He looked questioningly at Tenten. He thought after her seeing her Grandmother brutally killed she would be more distraught than this.

Tenten nodded, "yes... Yes I am. The wolf is dead." He nodded slowly then put his arm around her waist then helped her away to go back towards the village. 

They walked back to the village in silence, ignoring the stares they got from Tenten, they reached her cabin and she opened the door silently getting put down on a chair. Tenten asked "why are you here anyway?" The pain was numb, she felt completely numb all over.

"I came to take you to see the lanterns tonight, but it seems-"

"No. I'll go."

Neji frowned raising his eyebrows "after everything that just happened?"

"I need to just... move on with my life."

"I feel like grieving should take longer than five minutes."

Tenten smiled "it would if I didn't find out she was the wolf."

Neji nodded, after that he put her leg up and bandaged her ankle up in a nice silence, he decided not to say any words. Just to leave her to her thoughts while he wrapped the bandages around her ankle slowly.

After that Tenten said-

"How about we get that scratch on your sword fixed?"

-

Nejitennnnnn. I hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter, Neji the hero saving a damsel in distress! But of course with Tenten kicking ass too. I hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter as much as I did with the fights and the Nejiten! 

I will have the next chapter up next week (thankfully when my prelims are over) and it will be called Chapter Twenty Six - Best Friends. This is one of my favourite chapters, I think it shows that the friendships are strong too and it isn't just about the ships. Comment what you think it will be about and on your thoughts of todays chapter, if you liked it give me a vote! Thanks!

(I have a written art prelim tomorrow that makes me actually want to cry I hate prelims!! Hopefully my Friday will be good since I'm going to a friends).

27/01/2016

~Rebecca