Thud. Thud. Thud.
The noise echoed around the clearing as the kunais lodged themselves into the targets. Trees were covered in weapons, kunais, senbons, shurikens and what not. Up and down the tree bark. Weapons and splinters were littered on the forest floor. More variety was found on the floor. Tantos, katanas and so on.
A brown haired girl, dressed in a red and pink blouse and green pants stood in the middle of all the debris. She was panting. She was bent over, hands on knees, head bent. Her brown hair that was usually tied neatly on the top of her head was coming loose, strands strewn about her face. Her body was covered in perspiration, her clothes damp and sticking to her body because of it. The strands that had come loose were stuck to her face. The hot midday sun shone down on her back and exposed neck mercilessly, but she didn't care.
She slowly straightened and looked around at the mess she had made. It shouldn't bother her. Hell, she always made a mess like this when she trained. She had trashed places more badly than this. She should start cleaning it up. "I better hurry if I want to get back in time for lunch with Lee." She went to gather the tantos and the katanas.
She gathered all the tantos first and set them on one side. She placed all the tantos side by side.. She placed all the weapons in a separate pile, taking care not to pile them over each other. That was not how a weapons mistress took care of her weapons. She made sure that they were sharp, oiled and the broken ones thrown away. Even if a small crack was found, then the weapon was deemed useless. Tenten took good care of her weapons. She gave a wobbly smile at that. She could take care of those, but what about herself? Could she do that?
She walked over to the trees to pull out the smaller weapons lodged into the trees. As she reached out for the first one, her hand stopped in midair.
She stared at the bulls-eye that was placed on the biggest tree. It was big and untouched. Not even one of her weapons had touched it. Her eyes went wide and a small cry escaped her throat.
No, that couldn't be. She must be hallucinating. The heat must have gone to her head. Tenten rubbed her eyes and looked again.
No. It was still there. Untouched.
Tenten's head swam and her body sagged against the tree. The rough bark of the tree, the splinters pressed into her skin. She didn't feel them.
How...how could it be? She was Tenten, known as "ten out of ten." She never missed. Even from a considerable distance she never missed her target. She was the Weapon Mistress of Konoha. Even Gai claimed that Tenten had never known to miss. She looked at the bulls-eye again. It filled her vision, as if taunting her, as if saying "You're slipping."
She thought she was dealing with it. She had always dealt with it. She had always managed to pull through. But now...
They called her illegitimate, though the terms used were vulgar. They never spoke out loud, but those accusing stares and suggestive whispers said it all. They called her "gender-confused." A girl trying hard to act like a boy. True, Tenten dressed like a boy but it was practical and Tenten felt comfortable this way. It was more easier to access her scrolls if the hem wasn't in the way. While running and jumping there was no fear of getting her clothes torn and snagged on a stray branch. Sometimes they called her a slut. Her clothes again. Some said they were molded to her body. She flaunted her assets to the men and boys. She didn't cover herself like most girls did. She didn't wear sleeves or bandages.
