The next afternoon, Tenten, wearing her usual training clothes, walked alone down the streets of Konoha.
The villagers she passed noticed her unusual expression, and though curious, no one approached to disturb her.
After all, Konoha wasn't large, and everyone was quite familiar with the girl who always went on missions with Neji and Lee.
Tenten took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and walked straight towards the courtyard where she once lived.
Before long, she arrived at the familiar courtyard.
The vines on the courtyard wall swayed gently in the wind, with a few pink flowers interspersed among the leaves. Morning dew still clung to the petals, sparkling in the sun, presenting the same elegant scene as before, as if she had never left.
Tenten stood at the courtyard gate for a moment, suppressing the complex emotions in her heart, and gently pushed open the wooden gate.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Neji sitting on a stone bench, organizing his ninja tools. Each tool was polished to a shine and neatly arranged. He looked down slightly, his expression focused.
Lee, on the other hand, was doing basic taijutsu training in the open space beside him. Sweat ran down his cheeks, soaking his green training uniform, yet his eyes remained resolute, and every punch and kick was full of power.
Hearing the sound of the gate opening, both stopped their movements and turned to look.
"Tenten? Why are you back?"
Neji spoke first, his voice tinged with surprise.
His gaze fell on her, and he keenly noticed the complexity in her expression, his brows furrowing slightly. His hands, holding the ninja tools, paused.
Lee immediately stopped his moves and hurried over. "Tenten! You're finally back. We've been looking for you for ages and couldn't find any trace of you. We were so worried. Where have you been all this time? Are you hurt?"
As he spoke, he reached out to pat her shoulder, but fearing he might startle her, he stopped his hand mid-air, his eyes filled with anxious inquiry.
Tenten walked up to the two of them, her gaze sweeping over the familiar faces of her companions.
Seeing Neji's serious expression and Lee's concerned eyes, her heart ached, and her eyes welled up slightly. She took a deep breath, steadied herself, and looked at them with determination and undisguised reluctance.
"Neji, Lee, I'm sorry for making you worry all this time. I came today to say goodbye to you."
Neji asked in confusion, "Tenten, have you encountered some difficulty?"
Tenten paused, as if having made a huge decision. "I've decided to marry Shun-sama. From now on, I won't be able to go on missions with you or fight alongside you anymore."
After saying that, she felt all the strength drain from her body.
"What?!"
Neji and Lee exclaimed in unison, their faces filled with disbelief.
Neji's pupils constricted in shock, while Lee simply froze in place.
In truth, both of them admired Shun from the bottom of their hearts. After all, in the Ninja World, he was an existence revered by countless ninjas.
Neji regarded Shun as his goal, hoping to one day reach his level of greatness.
But putting aside admiration, they were well aware of Shun's philandering nature. He already had seventeen consorts, yet he still often flirted with other women. This was an open secret throughout the Ninja World.
Neji suppressed the urgency and worry in his heart and abruptly stood up, causing the stone bench to wobble slightly.
He took a step forward, grabbing Tenten's shoulders, with a clear intent to dissuade her. "Tenten, have you thought this through? We all greatly admire Shun-sama, but he's notoriously lecherous, and he's never lacked women around him. If you follow him, you might suffer grievances. He has seventeen consorts, how can you be sure he'll be sincere with you?"
In his heart, Tenten had always been a younger sister who needed to be looked after. He couldn't bear to see her leap into such an unknown future, and he certainly didn't want her to get hurt.
Lee also chimed in, his tone full of urgency. "That's right. We all know Shun-sama is powerful and we admire him from the bottom of our hearts, but he already has seventeen consorts and still doesn't restrain himself. The rumors about him have never stopped. If you suffer, what… what will we do?"
He couldn't help but clench his fists, the veins on his arms bulging. Yet, out of respect for Shun, he dared not use overly harsh words, only bottling up his worry, his eyes turning red.
In his heart, Tenten was his most important companion. He had always silently protected her and never imagined she would marry such a person.
Tenten looked at their anxious, dissuading expressions, her heart filled with gratitude, and her eyes welled up slightly. She knew they genuinely cared for her, and she was well aware that everything they said was true. She had also heard many of the rumors about Shun's philandering ways.
But she couldn't forget Shun's gentleness when he showed her the ocean, his focus when he fulfilled all her wishes, and even more, his cherished regard and protection for her.
She gently pulled away from Neji's hand, looking at them with firm eyes. "Thank you for worrying about me. I know you admire him, and I'm aware of his past and those rumors. But I've made up my mind. I'm going to marry Shun-sama. He treats me very well, respects me greatly, and cherishes me. I believe he will be good to me."
As the two were about to persuade her further, a vibrant voice suddenly sounded from the courtyard entrance.
"Neji! Lee! Tenten! You're all here! This is great! Youth should be this lively!"
The voice was loud and powerful, carrying Guy's unique enthusiasm, instantly breaking the solemn atmosphere in the courtyard.
Everyone turned to look, only to see Guy wearing his signature green jumpsuit.
He walked in with an imposing stride, every step full of power, a hearty smile on his face, exuding an aura of youth.
He had just finished his taijutsu training and was passing by when he saw the three figures in the courtyard from afar. Recognizing them as his students, he specifically came over to check on their recent training.
He reached the courtyard entrance and started shouting before even entering, completely oblivious to the unusual atmosphere inside.
As he entered the courtyard, he immediately sensed that something was off with the atmosphere.
Neji's brows were tightly furrowed, Lee's eyes were red, and Tenten's expression was resolute yet tinged with reluctance.
He paused for a moment, then cheerfully spoke, "What's going on? Hit a bottleneck in training? Or had a disagreement?"
After only a few pleasantries, he noticed the anomaly in Neji's tense expression. Upon further inquiry, he learned that Tenten was getting married.
Guy immediately broke into a hearty laugh and patted Tenten heavily on the shoulder, with such force that Tenten stumbled.
"Tenten, congratulations! It's wonderful to find your own destination! Youth should be about daring to love and hate! No matter who the person is, as long as you're happy, it's okay!"
Neji stepped forward, blocking Guy. "Guy-sensei, please try to persuade Tenten. You don't know, the person Tenten is going to marry is Shun-sama. He's notoriously lecherous, already has seventeen consorts, and constantly flirts with other women. The rumors about him have never stopped. We're worried Tenten will suffer, but no matter how we try to persuade her, she won't listen."
As he spoke, his eyes were full of helplessness, even a hint of pain.
He both admired Shun and worried about Tenten, his heart deeply conflicted.
Lee quickly added, his tone anxious. "That's right, Guy-sensei. Although Shun-sama is powerful, and we greatly admire him, he's too unfaithful in relationships. Tenten is so kind and innocent, we can't just watch her jump into a fire pit. We've all been trying to persuade Tenten, but she's already made up her mind. Please, talk some sense into her."
Hearing this, Guy's smile didn't disappear, but rather softened slightly as he thoughtfully stroked his chin.
Having traveled the Ninja World for many years, he had naturally heard the rumors about Shun, knowing him to be unrestrained and surrounded by many women. But he also knew that rumors were often one-sided.
He had once met Shun at a Ninja World conference. At that time, facing provocations from other villages, Shun remained calm in the face of danger, single-handedly intimidating the entire audience. That composure and sense of responsibility were something few could possess.
Moreover, he had heard that although Shun was not entirely faithful to his consorts, he had never mistreated them.
A moment later, he looked at his two anxious students and patted them heavily on the shoulders.
"Neji, Lee, you only see Shun-sama's philandering, but you don't see his reliability. Although he's a womanizer, in the Ninja World, few can match him in terms of strength and responsibility. If it weren't for him back then, Konoha might not have escaped that crisis."
"You can't judge a person by only one aspect, you must feel the whole picture with your heart. Tenten is a child with her own opinions. Since she has made a decision, she must have her reasons, and she must have felt his sincerity. As her teacher and companions, we should believe in her choice and support her decision, rather than just obstructing her. Youth is about daring to love, and even if you get hurt, it's part of growth."
Hearing Guy's words, Tenten's eyes instantly lit up, her resolve grew even stronger, and her cheeks were tinged with a blush of joy.
These past few days, although she was firm in her choice, she had also been restless due to outside rumors and inner anxiety, even doubting if she was too impulsive.
Now, receiving Guy's approval and understanding, her inner turmoil instantly dissipated by more than half, leaving only anticipation and longing for the future.
She bowed deeply to Guy. "Thank you, Guy-sensei, I will definitely be happy."
***
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