After the Fourth Shinobi War was over, Tenten could finally mourn the loss of her lover and teammate, Neji. When a strange woman approaches her one day, she tells her that she wishes that the world was different. Little did she know, that wish would...
Tenten sat on a tree branch, staring at the setting sun, lost in thought. The trees swayed gently in the breeze, a few leaves delicately floating towards the ground. "Why?" She whispered, a sharp pain stabbing at her heart. "Why did it have to be you? Neji, why did you leave me..." Tears pooled in her eyes and slipped down her face as she said those words. Finally, I can cry now, she thought. The war was over. Tenten was free to drown in her pain and sorrow. She began to sob as memories of him flashed through her head and her heart throbbed in pain.
"Child, why are you crying?" A voice warbled. Tenten wiped her eyes with the back of her hand so she could see clearly. An elderly woman stood at the base of the tree, her wrinkled face looking up at Tenten. She wore a black cloak and held a cane in her right hand.
"Just remembering stuff," Tenten replied, shrugging it off. She didn't feel like telling a complete stranger about her life.
"Sometimes it takes sadness to know happiness, noise to appreciate silence, and absence to value presence," The woman replied, giving her a genuine smile.
"I don't know what that means," Tenten stated bluntly, her voice emotionless.
"You will figure it out," She responded. "Tell me child, what does your heart desire?"
"I wish we lived in another world," Tenten mumbled, "A world where the Fourth Shinobi War didn't happen."
"Is that really what you wish for?" The elderly woman asked, her eyes peering at Tenten.
She nodded. "If the world was different, someone I lost might be alive still. Plus, the people close to me wouldn't have gone through all the pain that they did."
"Every world has pain," The woman told her. "I can make your wish happen, but I warn you, pushing all your pain down in your soul won't help. One day, it's going to push its way to the surface and demand you face it. However, never lose hope, even in the darkest of moments."
"How can you make my wish happen?" Tenten asked, eyeing her suspiciously as she hopped down from the tree branch and stood in front of the woman.
"I have my ways," She replied, reaching into the pocket of her cloak and pulling out a black string necklace with a pendant attached to it. The pendant was Konoha's symbol. "Take this."
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Tenten held out her hand and watched as the elderly woman dropped the necklace into her palm. She took a few seconds to admire the silver hidden leaf symbol before she clasped the necklace around her neck. "What now?" Tenten asked, her heart lurching with hope.
"Now, just remember the words I told you. Memories will be wiped from everyone, but they will gradually return someday. The necklace I gave you is your last piece of memory, or should I say, the first piece of memory," The woman replied. With that, Tenten's head clouded and the world turned black.
