"Grandmother, I want to be a shinobi just like mother and father," a small girl with two hair buns said hopefully, as her grandmother shook her head.
"There is nothing glorious about being a shinobi, Tenten," her grandmother replied, "your mother and father died on a mission, do you want to end up like them? The only reward for a shinobi is death; I don't want you to lead that kind of life."
The girl pouted as she fiddled with her pencil as she did her homework. The problems were too easy for her and she finished in under ten minutes before stretching boredly. Takigakure, the Hidden Village. She wanted desperately to be a kunoichi, a kunoichi renowned around the world for her strength and intelligence.
She closed her eyes as she lay on the floor while her grandmother was washing the dishes. She didn't want to be a normal civilian; she craved the adrenaline rush of a mission and the feeling of power coursing through her veins. Her grandmother disapproved but she always felt like it was a dream that was part of her.
Her friend, Ren, was already a genin and going out on missions while she was left in normal school with the other normal kids. He laughed at her dream, saying that she, much less, a girl couldn't become a legendary shinobi. Kunoichi were just for pretty show, he said, which made her squeeze her hands into tiny fists. He just laughed at her and then left on his mission.
She wanted to prove him wrong. That a woman was just as strong as a man.
Tenten rolled over, looking at the moths that were attracted to the lanterns. She saw the stars glittering down at her. "Please," she squeezed her eyes shut, "please let me become a kunoichi...."
Tenten went to sleep, fueled by dreams and hopes for the future.
That night, in her room, she heard something. No, she felt something.
It was as if she could taste the presence on her tongue as she rolled over and saw the light in her grandmother's room. Tenten felt unease creep up her arms and legs as she dug into her closet and took out the kunai she stole from Ren.
She didn't allow her footsteps to make any sound as she crept along the wall and heard a rough voice in the air.
"This is not a wise decision, Mari—" a low voice sounded, sending chills underneath her skin.
Tenten didn't hear her grandmother's reply as she summoned her courage and kicked open the door before holding the kunai in the position she saw Ren hold it in. She saw a very tall stranger robed in a black cloak with blood red clouds. Her grandmother gave her a look of shock as the stranger turned, his green eyes narrowed and a mask covering the half of his face. Tenten couldn't stop the shaking of her arms, but she used her left hand to steady the right. "Get away from my grandmother—" she quivered as the stranger walked towards her. She couldn't help but stumble backwards before the stranger stooped to her height.
Tenten shivered as the stranger looked down at her hand holding the kunai. "I thought you said she wasn't trained," he rumbled in his low voice.
"She isn't," her grandmother replied, "she must have picked it up from one of the genin. She always sneaks away to the Academy to see how they train—"
Tenten forced herself not to flinch as she looked straight at the stranger's eyes. They were cold, almost empty. "Who...Who are you?" She asked bravely.
"She has her mother's eyes," her grandmother whispered, "don't you remember when she was born? Don't you see our child in her eyes?"
Our child?
Tenten stalled. Did that mean....
"I haven't visited Takigakure since my exile," the stranger said, regarding her, "I wouldn't know anything about it."
"You're...you're my grandfather?" Tenten connected the dots weakly. But how? Why did he look young? He didn't look old or feeble at the least. She always wondered who he was, but was it really him?
The stranger didn't reply and stood up, facing her grandmother. "Your grandmother probably didn't tell you—" he murmured, "you know how old she is, she is near the end of her time. And she seems to think that an orphanage is no place for you and went to all the trouble to seek me out."
"Grand...grandma?" Tenten stuttered as she looked towards one she would call her parent, "you, you're going to die?"
"Everyone dies, Tenten," her grandmother replied, beckoning her forwards and squeezing her hands, her eyes feeble, "some cheat death—" she saw her direct a look towards the stranger, "I don't want you to grow up without any support—I saw the orphanage and it is no place for a bright child like yourself. You said you wanted to be a kunoichi right? Your grandfather can teach you—"
"I don't want to leave you," Tenten said, feeling tears blur her vision as she held her grandmother's hand, "I—"
"Mari, the Black Ops will be onto me," He rumbled, "I'm doing this as a one time favor, but I will leave now with or without the child—"
"Her name is Tenten," her grandmother shot back, her eyes suddenly fierce, "you will take care of her. Ever since your escapade, the village has been less than lenient with us. Tenten can't grow up with all of the prejudice that you have created, not like her mother did. You own up for your actions, understood?"
The stranger scoffed, but he didn't deny anything.
"Go—" her grandmother patted her on the back before she slipped something into Tenten's palm, "Go now—"
Tenten felt her throat rose as she blinked back tears but not before the stranger pulled her into his arms and took off, as the house quickly because a speck behind her. Tenten was too shocked to process as she squeezed her eyes shut before opening them to see the object that her grandmother gave to her.
A thin golden chain strung with a charm in the shape of a moon. Tenten felt her eyes water again but she forced herself not to cry, not in front of the stranger....her grandfather.
Once they were a sufficient distance away from Takigakure, he set her down and they continued on foot for the rest of the way. Tenten never walked this far and her feet throbbed but she didn't say anything. She didn't want to show weakness. It was only when her legs collapsed from underneath her did her grandfather take her up again and they arrived at a place sealed with a boulder. Her grandfather made a series of hand signs as it opened and he rumbled in that deep voice of his, "Behave yourself."
Tenten swallowed as she followed at his footsteps. It was a huge cavern linked together by tunnels and what looked like a bare living room. She hid behind the large form of her grandfather as she looked at a frightening thing with a metal spiked tail. It gave her shivers as it looked at her while she tried to move on bravely.
The man who sat beside him was even more frightening. He looked like a snake with pale features and dark hair with those narrowed pupil yellow eyes. His tongue flickered as he looked in intrigue at her, but it wasn't a nice hearted curiosity. "Who is the little one, Kakuzu?" He asked, as Tenten looked up when she heard her grandfather's name.
"None of your business," Kakuzu replied tersely as he led her towards an office to the right.
He knocked heavily three times before an authoritative voice rang, "Come in."
Tenten hung back at the doorway but Kakuzu gave an annoyed grunt as he pushed her forwards as she saw an orange haired man with many piercings and scary purple eyes. The man looked at her coldly before turning towards Kakuzu, "What is the meaning of this?"
"She's my granddaughter," Kakuzu said with little interest, "her grandmother wanted her to stay with me."
Pein folded his hands as he looked at the little girl. She was afraid, he could tell that much and her chakra didn't seem so special. "If she grows up here," he said, "she will have to be trained and sent on missions. She will need to earn her keep."
"Training isn't an issue and I will regulate the financing," Kakuzu replies as Pein nodded.
"Very well, she can take the empty room," he allowed as he turned back to his paperwork as the blue haired woman beside him walked towards Kakuzu.
"You are slated for a mission with Asahi—" the woman murmured, her voice softer than the man's but filled with a serene air, "I will make sure she gets settled in if you don't mind."
"Do whatever you please," Kakuzu grunted as he took off in the other direction with a tall man with a scarred face who looked at her for a second before taking off with her grandfather.
Tenten fiddled with her hands as the blue haired woman approached her. "Come," she ordered as Tenten followed her, trotting obediently as she was led to a plain room with a bed and a desk and nothing much else. "It used to be Kakuzu's old partner's," Konan said, "but with the vacancy, I'm sure you can use it."
"What happens to him?" Tenten asked timidly.
Konan didn't hesitate. "An accident," she said simply before she continued, "did your grandfather tell you about this place?"
Tenten shook her head.
"This is the Akatsuki," Konan said, "the man you just met is Pein, our leader. Show him the proper respect. We operate like a Hidden Village, we take missions and we get paid for them. The other people you have seen are Sasori and Orochimaru—they are also partners and members of the Akatsuki. I advise staying away from them if you can." Konan looked down at the girl perceptively. "You're from Takigakure," she said, "have you trained before?"
Tenten shook her head. "My grandmother didn't want me to," she said meekly.
"Here, it will be different," Konan replied, "you will train to the brink of physical and mental exhaustion so that you can become a shinobi worth in the Bingo Book. You must not be a hindrance to the Akatsuki and we will show no mercy to slackers. Understood?"
Tenten nodded.
"Well, I will leave you to getting settled—" the woman turned before Tenten blurted.
"What is your name?"
"Konan," the woman said before she looked at those soft brown eyes, "What is yours?"
"Tenten."
Konan nodded, "It's a beautiful name." She turned and exited from the room, closing the door behind her as Tenten slumped on her bed.
She missed her grandmother already. Teeth looked at the beautiful necklace, wanting to put it around her neck to see if it would remind her of her grandmother, to have a piece of her wherever she went. Then she remembered.
She was going to be a kunoichi. That meant that jewelry was....
Tenten gingerly placed the necklace in the drawer, patting it down before shutting it. A necklace was a good way for the opponent to throttle her if necessary. She couldn't rely on any ties. If she wanted to make her grandmother happy, she needed to forget about her as soon as possible.
Tenten lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling more alone than ever.
She still wanted to prove that she could be something, that she could be the best kunoichi in the world, but some of that glory that she imagined was already fading quickly.
"I will be worth something," Tenten whispered as slowly, her eyes began to close and she drifted off into a deep slumber.
******
I honestly love Tenten in the series and I wish she could have been developed more, so here you go.
A reimagining with Kakuzu being her grandfather and being in the Akatsuki. Yeah, I'm obviously high key obsessed with them.
XD Hope you enjoyed reading and please let me know what you think :D