In a small isolated forest clearing in the outskirts of Konohagakure was a veritable menagerie of cardboard cutouts, wooden poles, spring-activated contraptions, and other various devices that would likely cause the casual observer to become quite disoriented. As it so happened, this cacophony of bewildering Goldbergian mechanisms was, in fact, a training course; a training course that, at present, had been permeated with nearly every variety of weapon one might imagine. This was case because it was Tenten's training course and she had just completed her rounds for the day.
Tenten stood panting in the silent clearing that once had been abuzz with the whirs and snaps and clangs of the devices and the thuds and cracks of her weapons striking them. Altogether, her performance had been pretty much perfect. She had hit every target, dodged every obstacle, and finished it in record time. And while one would normally consider this a proud accomplishment, this was the tenth time this month that Tenten had done exactly that. Ten times that she had done a perfect run. And thus it left her feeling...unfulfilled.
What's more, she couldn't stop thinking about the Chunin Exams. Specifically the tournament in which she had fought so hard and yet had been beaten so easily by that girl from Sunagakure; Temari. Since then, Tenten had been determined to get stronger and ensure she passed the Chunin Exams the next time. But, aside from that, she also wanted to surpass Temari (or, at least, be on equal standing with her). True, Temari was a few years older than her, but the distance between them still felt so great that Tenten believed she had to close the gap however she could. And with her training coming to a standstill, that goal seemed to be more and more out of her reach.
"Well done, Tenten!" a loud, but familiar voice cried.
Tenten looked up and saw that it was, of course, her teacher and mentor Might Guy.
"...Guy Sensei..." Tenten said between breaths. "...Were you...watching...the whole time?"
"Of course!" Guy replied. "I always keep tabs on my students!"
Might Guy was a live one to be sure. Tenten wasn't always fond of his boisterous and frivolous demeanor, but he was a wise and compassionate teacher to be sure, and thus Tenten still had the utmost respect for him.
"And I must say, you did a splendid job!" Guy continued.
"...Yeah...I guess," Tenten said somewhat dismally.
Guy cocked his eyebrow, noticing the tone in her voice. "Hmm, you don't sound so sure," he said.
"Well, it's just...I feel like I've reached my limit," Tenten said. "I've already proven that I can master this training course, so what do I do next? I need to move to the next level somehow."
Guy understood Tenten's frustration all too well. Even at his age, Guy was always looking for ways to improve himself even when it felt as if he had exhausted every known avenue. And he had an inkling of Tenten's unspoken rivalry with the Sand ninja, which was something he could relate to all too much. Of course, he couldn't just give her an answer, but there was nothing wrong a little helpful suggestion.
"Well, only you can really answer that, Tenten," said Guy. "You wish to be a weapons expert, right? Well, there will always be new environments for you to test your skills, but if you want to grow as a shinobi..." He picked up a nearby scythe and twirled it in his hand. "...Perhaps you need to broaden your resources."
Tenten started to catch Guy's drift. Perhaps a new weapon or two was just what she needed. With a new weapon at her disposal, she could use it to handle challenges she couldn't before and then implement it with her other weapons in any number of ways. Of course, Tenten thought she had already learned about and mastered every weapon Konoha had to offer, she supposed there was always more out there.
"In the mean time," Guy said, catching Tenten's attention. "The Hokage has a mission for you."
---
Having been summoned by Tsunade, Tenten stood alongside Sakura, Ino, and Hinata. They were all gathered before the Hokage to receive their mission briefing.
“There has been a report of a rogue ninja that may prove to be a threat to a neighboring village,” Tsunade explained. “Apparently, the ninja has stolen an ancient artifact of some great power. Your mission is to capture the ninja alive if possible, and return the stolen artifact.”
“Yes, Tsunade-sama,” Tenten and the others replied in unison.
“As for the team leader,” Tsuande said. “Since this is an A-rank mission, and due to potential danger involved, I have contacted the Sand Village and recruited Temari to act as team leader."
Tenten's heart sunk at the mention of that name. She had already spent the better of the day agonizing over her inferiority towards Temari and now she was going to be her team leader. It was as if the universe itself was cruelly pointing out that she still far behind the Sand ninja.
"Is that all understood?” Tsunade asked
“Yes, Tsunade-sama,” Tenten and the others replied again.
“Good,” Tsunade said. “You will meet with Temari outside the village in one hour. After that, you’ll straight for the Village Hidden Amongst the-”
---
“FOOD?!” Ino cried. “What kind of a name is that for a village?”
“Now, Ino,” Tenten said. “Tsunade said they’re a very respected village. Some of the world’s best cuisine has come from them.”
Ino sighed. “Yeah, I guess,” she said. “So how much longer till we get there?”
“It shouldn’t be too much longer now,” Temari said. “Hinata?”
Hinata nodded and activated her Byakugan. Though the village was impossible to see to normal eyes, Hinata could see it clear as day and, as Temari had said, they weren’t too far from it.
“We’re coming up on it soon,” Hinata said. “It shouldn’t be more than another 10 or 15 minutes.”
The group had been traveling for close to three hours and, understandably, they were all getting a little anxious. Tenten, for her part, was still feeling quite inadequate. Logically, she knew she had to let it go. The Chunin Exams were in the past and Temari was an ally now and was just as committed to the success of the mission as they were. Thus, she tried to keep her attention on the mission at hand and just focus on doing the best that she could. But still, it was hard to get rid of that lingering resentment.
