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Chapter no.57 A Goodbye Without Closure
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By the ti the sun sank below the horizon, Naruto lay sprawled out on the grass. Every muscle in his body scread in protest, and his hands felt raw enough to peel like overripe fruit.
"I'm dead. This is what death feels like."
Tenten strode over, her silhouette outlined by the fading light. Without a word, she tossed a small bottle onto his chest.
Naruto sat up with a pained hiss, glaring at the offending object. "What's this?" he asked suspiciously, uncapping it. One sniff had him recoiling like she'd thrown poison gas at him. "What the hell is this?!"
"Onion pineapple juice."
"That's illegal. That has to be illegal."
Tenten rolled her eyes. "Stop being dramatic. It's good for recovery. Pineapple helps with inflammation, and onion's packed with nutrients."
"Yeah, nutrients that'll kill ." Naruto shoved the bottle back at her like it might explode. "This isn't recovery—it's a war cri."
"Don't be such a baby, Uzumaki." Tenten leaned back on her hands. "You want to get stronger or not? I drink this all the ti. Look at —perfect condition."
Naruto squinted at her, skepticism all over his face. "Yeah, but you're also insane. That stuff's probably why."
Tenten smirked, her tone teasing as she tipped the bottle back and took a long sip without flinching. "Crazy enough to out-train you, maggot," she said, emphasizing the last word with a smirk. "Now drink it, or tomorrow you're doing another hundred swings—and I won't be nice about it."
Naruto groaned, pinching his nose as he took the tiniest sip. The second it touched his tongue, he gagged violently and practically threw the bottle back at her. "Nope! Nope! I'd rather die sore. You win."
Tenten shrugged, taking another sip like it was a glass of water. "Suit yourself. More for ."
Naruto flopped back onto the grass with an exaggerated groan. "You're evil, you know that? Like, pure evil."
"Better to be evil and strong than nice and weak," Tenten shot back. "But I guess you wouldn't know, seeing as you're still weak and nice."
"Wow," Naruto said. "Who knew you were so an? Here I thought you were the pretty kunoichi who throws knives, but no—you're a total sadist."
"Pretty kunoichi, huh? Was that a complint, Uzumaki?"
"Don't make it weird!"
"You're the one who said it," Tenten teased, tossing a pebble at him.
Naruto dodged it with a half-hearted glare, then turned to watch the last streaks of sunlight fading into twilight. For a mont, the two sat in companionable silence.
"Today was a good day."
"Yeah. A good day to learn I suck and I'm a maggot."
Tenten laughed. "I didn't an it like that, you idiot. I was just trying to motivate you—get you fired up, you know? Push you to prove wrong."
"Well, it worked," Naruto admitted, rolling his shoulder with a wince. "We got through the basics, and I think I can figure the rest out on my own. I an, I kinda have to, right? No one here really knows how to use a Zweihander properly."
Tenten nodded. "Exactly. We can teach you the basics, but the rest is on you. You've got to make it your own."
"One week!"
Tenten blinked. "What?"
"I'll figure out my own style in one week."
Tenten snorted, trying—and failing—not to laugh. "Oh, sure. One week. You're going to master a fighting style in seven days. That's totally realistic." Her tone was laced with sarcasm, the kind people use when they're trying not to outright call soone delusional.
"You'll see. I've got a trick up my sleeve."
"Oh, this I've got to hear," Tenten said, leaning forward.
Naruto explained his shadow clone training thod with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for ran. When he finished, Tenten stared at him, her jaw slack.
"That's such a bullshit jutsu."
Naruto laughed, already feeling his energy return. "Hey, don't hate the player, hate the jutsu. But think about it—if I use it right, I'll have my style in no ti."
"Right," Tenten said. "And when you do, you can co back, and we'll spar. Swordsman to swordswoman."
"Deal." Naruto grinned. "But when I win, you've got to admit I'm better."
"When you win?" Tenten scoffed. "Keep dreaming, maggot. You're not ready to beat yet."
"I'm serious!" Naruto said. "And when I do win, maybe I'll even teach you sothing. Swordsman to swordswoman."
"Sure, Uzumaki," Tenten said. "Swing by the blacksmith shop near the eastern edge of the forest when you're ready. I'll be waiting."
Naruto nodded, filing the address away. Then, with a sly grin, he added, "Oh, and don't worry—I'll bring an armor set for you. You're into armor, right? I've got a place I can get so."
"You're bringing armor?!"
"I an, you can't go around calling yourself a badass swordswoman without so aweso armor, right?"
Tenten rolled her eyes, though a faint blush dusted her cheeks.
The sunset bathed the training ground in warm hues, casting long shadows over the grass. The boy turned to glance at the horizon, the fading sunlight catching in his blue eyes before he looked back at her and smiled.
It was a simple smile—boyish and confident—but it caught her off guard. For a fleeting mont, she thought—no, realized—he was more handso than Neji.
Her cheeks flared red at the thought. Tenten's crush on Neji had always been a shallow one. Sure, he was striking, with that long hair and stoic face, but every conversation with him was either a bitter rant about destiny or so jab at the Hyuga clan. There was nothing fun, nothing warm. If he hadn't been handso, she doubted she would've bothered with him at all.
But Naruto? Naruto was different. He wasn't just handso; he was hardworking, vibrant, full of energy and warmth. And he respected weapons.
For a split second, she thought his boyish grin suited him far too well. He wasn't like Neji—stoic and distant—but maybe that was the point. Naruto wasn't what she expected... and maybe that's why the teasing had felt fun. Real. She crushed the thought before it could linger.
Her thoughts spiraled as her face grew redder, and she clenched her fists in frustration. Get it together, Tenten!
Naruto laughed at sothing, breaking her internal crisis. The sound of his laugh—carefree and natural—sent her heart fluttering in a way she didn't know how to control.
Desperate to change the topic—and distract herself from her own thoughts—she blurted out, "You know, I wish I could do the Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Naruto humd.
"Maybe I could've had a chance as a dical ninja," she added quietly, almost as if speaking to herself.
"I could teach you it."
Tenten blinked, caught off guard. "What?"
"I could teach you the Shadow Clone Jutsu," he said casually, already considering how using Estus flasks to recover chakra could make it possible. Why not?
Could she really? No—that dream was buried for a reason.
"Forget it," Tenten said quickly, waving him off. "It's nothing, just a passing thought."
"Co on," Naruto pressed. "You could be more than just a weapons specialist."
Tenten froze.
Just a weapon specialist?
The words hit harder than she expected. The phrase dug up old mories and emotions she thought she'd buried long ago.
Her dream of becoming a dical ninja... the dream she'd abandoned.
It all ca flooding back—the image of Tsunade, her role model, strong and compassionate, the greatest healer in the world. As a young girl, Tenten had idolized her, not for her strength or status, but for her ability to save lives. Tsunade had embodied everything Tenten had wanted to be: a healer, soone who could nd wounds instead of inflicting them, soone who brought hope instead of fear.
But reality had crushed that dream. Her chakra control hadn't been good enough, and no amount of effort seed to fix it. She had tried and failed, over and over, until the truth beca undeniable.
She wasn't talented enough.
So, she'd buried the dream. She'd turned to weapons instead—sharp, deadly, and reliable. She convinced herself that she loved them. And, to be fair, she did. But no matter how much she loved her weapons, they'd always been a second choice, a bitter consolation prize for a dream she couldn't reach.
The timing hadn't helped. It was around the sa ti she'd lost her mother, and the grief had made the rejection cut even deeper. She had thrown herself into training, determined to beco the best weapons specialist in Konoha, not because it was her passion, but because she couldn't stand to feel like a failure.
No one knew about this. Not her sensei, not her teammates, not even her adoptive father. And now here was Naruto, oblivious as always, casually digging up sothing she'd worked so hard to bury.
"I think we're done here."
"Oi! Oi! Oi!" Naruto protested, scrambling to his feet. "What's that supposed to an? What do you an we're done?"
Tenten turned away, dusting off her training gear. She gave him one last look, her expression unreadable. "Hey, Naruto..."
"Yeah?"
"Where do you get off saying sothing like that?" she muttered. Tenten shook her head, more at herself than at him. "Forget it. Goodbye."
How does he do it? How does he say sothing so simple yet so painfully true?
"Hey! Tenten! Tenten!" Naruto called as she walked away, scratching the back of his head in frustration. "Where are you going?"
She didn't answer, leaving him standing there with a baffled expression.
Naruto sighed, slinging his Zweihander back over his shoulder. He hadn't even gotten to explain how she could beco a dical ninja on top of being a weapons specialist. Whatever. He'd figure out how to help her later. For now, he needed to focus on his own training.
"Guess I'm off to Lordran," he muttered to himself. "She'll see. I'll master this, and we'll spar again. Swordsman to swordswoman."
With that, he turned toward the horizon, ready to continue his journey.
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[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are aweso. Now, if you're interested in supporting on P@treon, let just say that over there, I post these massive 5k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P@treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 27, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.
To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comnt! Honestly, your comnts make my day, and they let know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!
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