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Part 1 of Inkstains AU
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i did my waiting... twelve years of it, Timeless Fanfictions
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2020-11-13
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2023-09-04
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Chasing Sunlight

Chapter 5: Lee and Tenten

Summary:

It's Lee and Tenten's turn for some good words, wherein Naruto gets a great show and some new idols for his trouble!

Notes:

I am halfway or so through writing chapter 14 of Surface Breaker (and it's 7k+...haha...ha...whoops), but this chapter wouldn't leave me alone, and since I've been exhausted anyway, I figured it made sense to use what little brainpower I have left today to get this out and hopefully (read: hopefully, not sure) finish at least writing ch 14 over the next two days between work! lol. We shall see!

Note on Lee's ankle weights here: I'm pretty darn sure that Lee never used weights before training under Gai-sensei, but given this is an AU and I can do what I want, lol, there's no saying he didn't wear baby ankle weights (which, to be clear, are still damn strong) in the Academy and then Gai builds on it later! lol.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

WHOOSH!

CLANG!

PFFH!

Lee and Tenten are breathing hard, facing away from each other on the training field. Tenten's many kunai and shuriken are in the dirt, Lee having easily stopped them all with his taijutsu.

Turning to face each other, Tenten squeals, pressing all her fingers together as she looks at Lee excitedly. "I could barely stop you that time, Lee! You're getting faster and faster all the time! You're amazing!"

Lee can't help but blush at the praise, rubbing the back of his neck. "T-thank you very much, Tenten! Knowing we will be put on three-man teams when we graduate, I have been training harder than ever since this year started! I do not want to be left behind due to my lack of standard ninja skill!"

Tenten softens sympathetically. He has to know she and Neji would never leave him behind…but just in case! Crossing her arms comfortably over her chest, she shakes her head, a determined grin on her face. "We're not moving on without you, Lee. It's you on our team or no one at all." Which, of course, is against the rules, so…!

Lee puts it together in a flash, and she's not the least bit surprised to see tears well in his eyes. "T-Tenten…!" He sniffs and, after wiping at his eyes, swallows and nods, resolve filling him as well. "Thank you so much! I feel the exact same way about you and Neji!"

She laughs, melting a little more. "Don't worry, we know!" Of course they do. How could they not? "All for one, and one for all, right?"

Lee nods. "Now and forever!"

A high-five. "Yeah, all right!"

That taken care of, Lee brightens and balls excited fists at half-mast in getting to return her favor now. "You have gotten much faster as well, Tenten, and you can summon even more weapons at one time than you could before!" He chuckles and smirks a bit, pride in this team and his best friends in the world and even himself fluttering in. It's a good feeling. "I would like to see those bullies say anything about our skill now!"

Off to the side behind a tree, Naruto, having come by to pick up a stray shuriken during his own training on the next field over, can't help but agree. He hasn't been able to look away since he first saw them. They're amazing!

Tenten giggles as well. "Yeah, really!"

"Be careful what you wish for, pigtails!"

They turn to find a good ten or twelve kids, most of them their former bullies. Lee and Tenten glare, unconsciously adjusting their positions so they're on equal footing. Lee sighs. "For the record, I was being sarcastic," he clarifies in a bored, unimpressed sort of voice, and Tenten can't help but snort. She thinks he might be spending too much time with Neji.

Naruto smothers his own laughter with his hand while also looking around for Neji. He's gotta be around here somewhere! Where's that ponytail (his (affectionate!) nickname for Neji) when his friends need him?!

Tenten sets her hands on her hips. "Well? What do you want? If you just came to pick on us, we're trying to train, so could you maybe, you know…?" She makes a shooing motion with her hand.

Lee nods. "Tenten is right." He raises pacifying hands, and his voice is gentle when he speaks. It's way more than they deserve, in Tenten's opinion, but Lee is nothing if not honorable. "The training we are engaging in is too dangerous for your skill level, so you should leave before you get hurt."

"Ooh, you hear that, guys? The King of the Losers thinks he can take us! His little Weapons Master Poser of a girlfriend, too!"

Lee and Tenten gasp at that (Naruto, too), earning a heated glower and growl from the latter, but she's surprised when Lee takes a half-step forward. "Hold it right there! You can say whatever you like about me, but I will not allow you to speak so grossly about my friend!"

Tenten sets a hand on his shoulder. "Whoa, Lee, easy! It's not that big a deal, really. They're just a bunch of snot-nosed brats."

"That may be so, but I will not stand for anyone speaking ill of the people most important to me!"

Tenten's eyes widen and grip slackens in her shock. Her voice falls. "Your…'most important'…?"

Lee nods, never taking his eyes off their aggressors. "You and Neji were the first to truly accept me, Tenten, lack of skill in ninjutsu and genjutsu and all. You encouraged my taijutsu skills, saw them as an asset instead of a limitation, saw me as an equal instead of someone lesser. And for that, I have always felt I owe you everything." Closing his eyes a moment, he hums, satisfied. "Forgive me if this is too forward to say, but," a few kids stagger back at the intensity of his glare alone, "if it came down to it on the field of battle, if it meant protecting you and Neji, I would gladly give my life!"

Tenten gasps, her grip on Lee tightening again, but for a totally different reason this time. "Lee…"

Naruto is similarly shocked. Wow… He's never seen Bushy Brow (his (affectionate!) nickname for Lee) fired up like this before… And loving his friends that much, being willing to put his life on the line for them like that? He's so cool! (What he wouldn't give for someone to even like him a quarter as much!)

The bully who spoke up first just barks a laugh, nose in the air. "As if you could beat anyone with your lack of talent!" He points at Lee like he's the most offending thing he's ever seen (Naruto winces; he knows what that's like). "Since you can't even use ninjutsu, you're not even a real ninja! They should kick you out of the Academy!"

Lee and Tenten gasp again, and this time, Tenten is the one to take a full step forward, snarling and pushing up invisible sleeves. These kids are about to find out (again, for some) that she's not as nice or merciful as Lee! "Okay, that is it!"

A familiar chuckle gives her pause.

She turns to her friend, confused and concerned. "Lee?" She's even more worried to see his head bowed, and yet…he's smiling? "What in the world are you laughing at? They just insulted you!"

Lifting his head, he raises pacifying hands. He has the grace to look at least a little sheepish, even as another laugh escapes him. "I am sorry, Tenten. It is just that, in a way, is this not what we wanted?" Eyeing their bullies again, he gets into his signature taijutsu stance, a sign of respect far more than these little punks deserve. The smirk that curls his lips is righteously fierce and sends Tenten's heart racing. "A chance to prove our aggressors wrong once and for all?"

Smirking at the bullies herself now, she curls strong, invigorated fists at half-mast. "Oh, yeah!" An idea striking her, she glances over at Lee as she backs up to provide support, smirk growing, even glinting in the sunset-light. "You know what? Take 'em off, Lee!"

Naruto blinks, he and the other kids not sure what she's talking about, but Lee just lets his lips follow hers, a confident huff of a laugh escaping. He can't help it. (Maybe he has been spending too much time with Neji.) "With pleasure!"

Naruto holds his breath and leans forward without even realizing it, rooted to the spot. He just knows this is gonna be one of the coolest things he's ever seen!

BOOM!

And lo and behold, it is.

Lee is everywhere and nowhere at once, so fast Naruto almost can't keep up. He catches the bullies completely off guard, so much that even the older ones, the ones in their classes, the ones that Neji and Tenten have already fought off at least once each before, can't hope to touch him. Still, despite his personal grudges, he does his best to be semi-gentle. Behind him, Tenten is sure to show them they should have listened to Lee when they had the chance, blasting them with a barrage of shuriken and kunai, more than enough to teach them a lesson they won't forget any time soon.

Ultimately, the skirmish lasts all of three minutes before every single one of the bullies is running away screaming and crying with minor cuts and bruises, Naruto having to shield his face from the fierce wind that whips through. It takes mere moments for the nuisances to clear out completely. Soon enough, the field belongs to Lee and Tenten once again.

Lee touches down on one knee, one arm out in another of his signature poses, and he lets out a slow, cleansing breath. "I have to admit," he turns to Tenten with a grin, long hair blowing in the wind, "that felt good!"

Tenten laughs delightedly. "You bet it did!" She punches the air. "We were awesome!"

Naruto can't help but agree. Stars fill bright blue eyes. That was the coolest thing he's ever seen, hands down! He wishes he could talk to them, tell them that, praise them until he's blue in the face! He doesn't even know if he'll be able to go back to his own training after that! He almost wants to stay here and watch them as long as he can!

Leaving her scrolls and weapons for now, Tenten comes to kneel beside Lee. Pressing her hands together, she bows her head. "I'm really sorry about your braid, Lee!" The hair tie keeping Lee's braid intact had snapped about halfway through their little brawl, accidentally half-cut by one of Tenten's weapons and weakened further by his speed, so his long black hair has billowed out more than halfway down his back, wavy from always being tied up. "It was a total accident, I swear!"

Lee just laughs. "It is all right, Tenten! I always have extra ties with me," it's habit now, after all the years of bullies pulling his hair, "so no harm done! I would say it was more chance than anything!"

Raising her head, she sighs with relief. "Thanks, Lee!" In the next moment, she lights up, eyes shining. "Seriously, though, your hair's beautiful! You should really have it down more often!" He blushes, pleasantly surprised, and Naruto absolutely agrees with her. He's always liked Lee's braid, but seeing his hair down? He looks like an ancient warrior or something! He thinks it makes him look even cooler! Lee is about to thank her when she gasps excitedly. "Oh, I know! Will you let me do your hair?" She presses her hands together again, this time to beg. "Please, please, please?"

He blinks at her, shocked that anyone would want to fix his hair that much, but ends up flushing further and scratching his cheek. "I do not think it is possible for anyone to say no to that…" Turning his back to her, he hands off, "All right, Tenten! Do as you will!"

She punches the air. "Yes, all right! Thanks, Lee!"

Tenten is incredibly gentle, and Lee finds he likes the feeling of her fingers in his hair. Secretly, she just likes being close to him, and she's realizing she really likes doing his hair, too. It's so soft and pretty, and his warmth is comforting. It always has been to her. She pretends not to notice that he gets a tiny bit redder every time her fingers brush his skin, glad his back is turned so he can't see she's the same way.

Her attention leaves all that when Lee suddenly snorts and laughs happily. "You know, it is too bad Neji was not here to see us kick those jerks into the dirt! He would be very proud!"

"You bet he would!" Tenten glances over her shoulder toward the Hyuuga compound. "I really hope Hinata's feeling better. Neji seemed pretty worried when I stopped by to walk to school with him this morning. He didn't want to leave her for anything. Hopefully having him there helped her a little, at least…"

Oh… Naruto gets it now. So that's why Neji didn't show up to help Lee and Tenten. It also explains why Hinata was absent from class today. He figured she must be sick or something because she never misses class if she can help it. She's always doing her best to get stronger. Poor Hinata… She's really lucky to have a cousin like Neji around… (Naruto would give anything to have someone there while he's sick… He hates being so alone…)

Lee hums, brows drawn together in a worried downturn. "Yes, I do, too. I hope her fever is not due to the stress of all those rumors about the Hyuuga's eyes. According to Neji, the other kids have been coming at her pretty hard with all of it…"

Tenten purses her lips into a thin line. "Those ignorant jerks..." Holding her breath for a few moments as she lays two thick pieces over each other, she lets it out to calm herself. "I wish we could do something to cheer her up…"

Thinking for a moment, Lee suddenly brightens and slams a fist on his palm. "Hey, I know! What if we brought her some flowers? I am sure Ino would be happy to help us find the perfect lotuses to bring her!"

"Oh, lotuses are her favorite! That's a great idea, Lee!" Tenten leans forward to nuzzle their cheeks together for a moment. "You're so thoughtful!"

Lee's cheeks color something fierce, and he averts his eyes in his embarrassment, hoping she won't notice. "Y-you give me too much credit, Tenten…"

"Nope!" she chirps, tying off his finished braid. "I give you exactly what you deserve!" Giving it one more tug just to make sure it's secure, but not too tight, she scoots to the side and announces, "Okay, all done! How's it feel?"

Reaching back, he feels the expertly-done braid with practiced fingers and smiles. "It is perfect! Thank you very much!" He bows his head for good measure, but then pauses as his fingers slide down to the end. "Huh? What is…?" Glancing down, his eyes widen, and he looks back up at her, showing her what's between his fingers. "But Tenten, this is one of your ribbons!"

She nods. "Yeah, I know!"

Lee blinks. "But…you love your ribbons! I told you I have plenty of hair ties of my own, so you do not need to lend me yours, really! I would not want to risk damaging or misplacing it."

Tenten snorts and softens, shaking her head. He really doesn't get it, does he? "I didn't give it to you because I didn't have any other options, Lee. I gave it to you because I love you more."

A small, touched, disbelieving sound leaves him as his cheeks turn dark red, and his gaze momentarily falls to the precious ribbon again before coming back. "And you are…sure this is all right?"

Tenten nods as firmly as she can, pointing to the sky. "As sure as the sun's shining! Besides," she chuckles conspiratorially, "it can be part of the awesome story we tell Neji tomorrow!"

Lee laughs as well, not missing that she figures he'll be wearing it. Of course he will! He'll never wear anything else ever again! "That is true!"

Snap!

The two turn at the sound of a twig breaking just in time to see Naruto freeze and turn tail to bolt in the other direction. He wanted to watch them train a little more (and he'd give just about anything for a friendship like that), but he supposes it's just as well. It'll be dark soon anyway (and he's not the biggest fan of the dark…).

Tenten and Lee watch him go, then give each other befuddled looks. "Was that…Naruto Uzumaki?" Lee asks.

Tenten tilts her head. "It must have been." She shrugs. "Who else do we know who wears that much orange?"

Lee chuckles. "Fair point."

The next morning, Neji and Tenten are in their usual spot in front of the Academy, waiting for Lee, of all things. It's not like him to run late – hell, he's always the first one here – so they're a little concerned.

"Neji! Tenten!"

They turn to see him sprinting full-tilt toward them (there's a dust cloud in his wake, for goodness' sake) with a beam set to split his face. Well, at least they know for sure he's not hurt or sick or anything.

"Please forgive my tardiness!" He leans on his knees to catch his breath for a moment before he straightens, eyes shining and fists balled at half-mast. "But something wonderful has happened! Look!"

Pulling up his right pant leg and taking off the ankle weight, he shows them the brand new Lightning on the inside of his calf.

Neji's eyes widen, and Tenten gasps. "Whoa! You got a new word?! When? Do you know who?"

Lee nods, shrugs, and shakes his head in succession, laughing with delight. "I do not know who it was, but I just found it this morning! I do not know if it was there last night since it was dark by the time I got home, but I am sure it is brand new! It was not there when I got ready for school yesterday or when I changed for gym!"

That reminding her, Tenten starts. "Hey, you know what? I think I might've gotten one, too!" Pushing up her jacket sleeve (winter's definitely coming early this year), she explains, "I was so excited to tell Neji about our victory yesterday that I almost missed it!"

Showing them the inside of her left wrist, the words So cool grace her skin.

She lights up like the sun in reading it for the first time, and Lee laughs happily, taking her hand in both of his. "Oh, this is incredible, Tenten! We both got new words at the exact same time! What are the odds of that, I wonder?"

Neji is smiling softly at both of them, heart warm. They deserve this happiness! "I'm so happy for you!" Then, smirking with a tilt of his head, he can't help but ask, intrigued since Tenten's words before, "Now, what's this I hear about some kind of 'victory'?"

Lee and Tenten immediately launch into their tale in exquisite detail, and by the time they're done, they've used up nearly half of their before-school training time. But for once, Neji doesn't mind. This is more important. His friends' accomplishments will always be more important.

Neji's eyes are wide, and his mouth is agape. "You beat all of them all on your own? That quickly?" They beam and nod, and he doesn't waste any time hugging them both tightly. "I'm so proud of you! See? I told you you'd be able to hold your own if there was ever a next time!" As they separate, he winks Lee's way. "And Tenten's ribbon really does suit you, Lee."

Something in his voice and expression tells Lee he's talking about more than the pretty hair accessory, but he strategically feigns ignorance. Though it doesn't save him from blushing. "T-thank you, Neji!"

A touch of guilt seeps into the Hyuuga's expression. "I just wish I'd been there to help…"

They instantly shake their heads. "No way, Neji! Hinata needed you at home!" Tenten insists.

Lee nods. "Tenten is right! Besides," he rubs the back of his head, "I think it was better for us like this, in a way. We showed them who is boss all by ourselves," he flashes a thumbs up with a grin and a wink, "and no one will ever be able to take that away from us!"

Neji can't help but laugh. "That's true…" Sighing, the guilty tension leaves him, and he smiles at them. "Perhaps you're right. Thanks, guys."

Of course, now that he knows about yesterday's events, his mind goes back to his friends' new words, whirring a mile a minute. "Odds, indeed…" he mumbles. He wonders…if there's any possible way… Looking back up at them, he asks, "Lee, Tenten," they turn at his serious tone, "this might be a long shot, but…by any chance, was Naruto there at all yesterday?"

They blink and slowly tilt their heads. Well, that's…out of the blue. "You are asking about Naruto Uzumaki, correct?" Lee asks to clarify, and Neji nods. He hums as he thinks back, Tenten, too.

After a moment, they both gasp and trade a glance before coming back to Neji. "He was there!" Tenten confirms. "We saw him right at the end, when he stepped on a stick and then ran off when we spotted him."

Lee nods, but he's frowning thoughtfully. "He looked nervous, though, maybe even scared, like he thought we would be angry with him or something…" A thought crossing his mind, he crosses his arms over his chest and looks up at the sky. "Although, since he was obviously not with the bullies, I have to wonder what he was doing there… Watching us train, perhaps?"

While Lee and Tenten discuss, Neji focuses on the bigger picture. So…Naruto (at least, most likely) got to his friends, too. That means…of the Konoha 10, only Kiba, Shino, and Shikamaru are left…and he's sure their words are coming… He's already decided that this definitely falls into the conspiracy category (a new one he had to make up)…

Seeing a flash of yellow out of the corner of his eye, he turns to see Naruto yawning widely as he slips onto the Academy grounds. For someone normally so loud and bright, it seems he can be a ghost when he wants to be. He's unusually early, Neji can't help but notice, and he also doesn't miss the dark bags under his eyes and how pale he looks, the healing bruises and cuts on his skin. He climbs the tree where the old, mostly-abandoned swing sits like it's second nature and curls up on the wide, high branch under cover of leaves. A dumbfounded Neji watches him fall asleep right there, just like that.

And yet, just before he closed his eyes, Neji could swear he looked Lee and Tenten's way, a tiny flash of a smile lighting his face…

His best friends' ecstatic voices replaying in his head, Neji clenches a fist.

He's telling Shikamaru as soon as he gets here. They are going to get to the bottom of this if it kills them!

Notes:

I dropped a good number of Lee/Tenten hints in this chapter because I find that ship super sweet, lol, and again, I do what I want, haha (I also blame the sleep deprivation), so I hope you enjoyed them, but if not, feel free to ignore and read as best friendship! You do you! ;D

This was the longest chapter yet at over 5k! Woo!

Thanks so much for reading!