Ten Out of Ten- Tenten AU

3.

"What do you want, brat?" He asked callously.

"Your voice is different," Tenten said, eyes widening in amazement, "how did you make it super deep like before?"

Sasori looked at the girl before he rolled his eyes. "What concern is it of yours?"

Tenten shrugged, "I was just wondering."

Sasori turned to face the child, his eyes gazing upon her form. "What is your name?"

"Tenten."

"Your uncle is Kakuzu?"

"Hai."

Sasori looked upon the child. She was short but he could see the muscles that stood out in her arms underneath her clothing. He saw Jūzō training her from time to time.

Sasori was not the one to be interested in children. He found them annoying and impractical. But he could clearly see the child before him wasn't so stupid and naive as much as she acted like it. He could see a sliver of determination behind that small frame.

"Are you interested in puppets, Tenten?" He asked.

Tenten frowned, "You mean like dolls?"

Sasori's eye twitched but he could clearly see the mischievousness in her eyes behind the innocent facade.

"I'm more interested in weapons, Sasori-San," Tenten chirped.

"Weapons?"

"Yeah—" Tenten's eyes glittered in a way that only a weapons master would, "Jūzō-San is going to teach me kenjutsu tomorrow."

So the girl seemed to have an affinity for weapons. More likely, she would become a taijutsu expert. Taijutsu was the most fundamental of the three—a skill that was required for every shinobi.

"Are you any good at ninjutsu?" Sasori's eyes were devoid of any amusement.

Tenten's face fell slightly. "Not that good," she admitted.

Sasori's mind was already running with an idea. After all, she would eventually become part of the Akatsuki. "Come with me," he said tersely.

Tenten followed at his heels, as Sasori led her to his own workshop. Tenten's eyes widened when she saw the various puppets and the tools. "Woah—"her mouth dropped, "Do you make all of these?"

Sasori was unsure of how he felt. Perhaps he felt a bit flattered if that was the word.

"Don't touch anything," he warned as Tenten nodded after withdrawing her hand from a bottle of poison.

Sasori disappeared into the adjoining room before emerging with an armload of scrolls. "Tenten, do you know anything about fuinjutsu?"

Tenten frowned, "Fuin...jutsu?"

"The art of sealing," Sasori said simply as he dropped the scrolls and unrolled one. There was an intricate pattern on it, shaped like a circle.

"Summoning no jutsu!" He placed his hand on the center of the scroll and with a puff of smoke, several puppets appeared.

Tenten looked with amazement.

"How did you do that, Sasori-San?"

"Fuinjutsu can be used for many things, but mostly, you can store objects inside scrolls so that you can carry out objects for long distances and summon them when you require them," Sasori explained, "in my case, I use them to summon my puppets. Since you have a talent with weapons, perhaps you can carry them in your scrolls."

"How can I start?" Tenten asked eagerly.

"Fuinjutsu requires precision," Sasori said, "you can't make a mistake with the jutsu formula and you need sufficient chakra control."

Tenten sagged a bit at the chakra control, but she dutifully dropped down beside Sasori and listened to his teaching.

A new routine followed. After training with Jūzō, Tenten would retire to Sasori's workshop, where she would learn more about Fuinjutsu each and every day. Sasori was quite literally an emotionless block of wood, but even despite himself, he found a strange companionship with the little girl. She wasn't that annoying for a child and she knew respect well enough. Sasori would never have admitted it but he did find that the workshop became less lonely, less empty, with the little brat around.

  Tenten sealed her first weapons inside her scroll. Needless to say, she was thrilled.

  Kenjutsu with Jūzō was turning out surprisingly well. The girl learned the stances well, her brain speeding ahead of her mentor to each move.

  Taijutsu was fundamental. Tenten would become the master of the fundamentals.

  Tenten started going on missions with Jūzō. The Akatsuki were sent on all manners of missions and they never refused a commission. Jūzō and her were sent on a mission to capture two missing nin. Tenten had yet to earn the Akatsuki cloak but she looked fairly imposing with her scrolls at her hips and her tantō sheathed.

  The tantō had been extremely well crafted by the blacksmith who had given it to her for half the price. Tenten loved the feel of it in her hands and the way it raced through the air with little hindrance. Tenten moved with a certain feline grace, her eyes alert and her feet not making the slightest noise. They boxed the missing nin between them and a mountainside.

  Jūzō took out his executioner's blade, his eyes gleaming as Tenten moved a few paces from him to provide support for him. "Cover my back, kid," Jūzō said as he lunged at the both of them, his blade cleaving between them. The first missing nin wove several hand signs as he blew a gigantic fireball that seared towards them.

  "Earth Style! Mud wall!" Tenten slammed her hands in the ground as the barrier appeared between them, blocking out the flames.

  Jūzō lunged, using the wall to get the higher ground before his sword slashed through the first missing nin, who was cut cleanly in two. Blood spurted through the air as Tenten felt it spatter her face despite her being quite a distance away. The smell of iron cloyed her nostrils but she refused to lower her guard as the second one lunged at her, probably underestimating her.

  Tenten dodged his kunai swipe, crouching into a ball before she swung her tantō upwards, stabbing it straight into his throat. Blood, this time, blinding her in its bright scarlet. The man sputtered, clutching his throat before Tenten slashed it sideways, his head flying off as he collapsed to the ground. He was dead before he reached the ground.

  Tenten stayed still for a moment, looking into the man's dead eyes.

  Killing was supposed to be wrong.

  But Tenten didn't feel any regret.

  She looked down at her blade, stained red. Red swam in her vision.

  "Nice work, kid," Jūzō whistled, "you nailed him good."

   She was praised for killing.

  "I just polished this," Tenten muttered as she looked down at her tantō before Jūzō laughed and ruffled her hair.

  "We still need to dump them in the Collection Office," The Akatsuki member said, looking down at the bodies, "I can carry both of them. Do you want to carry the head?" He gestured towards the missing nin she just killed, teeth bared in a slight twisted smile.

  Tenten grabbed the head as Jūzō took the two bodies.

  As soon as they got the money for the bodies, Tenten took her share and placing a portion in it for saving as taught by her grandfather, she used the rest of it to buy herself a bow and a quiver of arrows.

  She didn't want to rinse off the red every single night from a blade.

*******

  Thanks for reading :D

Remember to vote and comment 🤓