A few nights later.
Tenten stood blankly at the entrance of a casino.
The cold night wind blew past, but her heart felt colder than the breeze.
The waiter's words echoed in her mind.
"Come back to a place like this when you're older! Besides, Lady Tsunade is legendary for her huge...!"
The staff member's words were like a knife, ruthlessly piercing the young girl's heart.
"Huge... huge..."
She walked aimlessly down the street, her spirit suffering a massive blow.
"Tenten?" A familiar voice brought her back to reality.
She turned around to see a familiar green figure.
"Senior Musashi~" Tenten's voice trembled with grievance.
Musashi Ryomiya hurriedly approached. "What's wrong, Tenten? Who bullied you?"
"It's not that... exactly," Tenten wiped her moist eyes with her sleeve.
Over this period, Team Guy had become very familiar with Musashi Ryomiya. Since Musashi's age was closer to theirs than Might Guy's, Tenten didn't hide her thoughts.
"Senior Musashi, do you think I can become a legendary kunoichi like Lady Tsunade?"
"Well..." Musashi was a bit stumped.
Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin.
With her tyrannical strength and broad... heart, no other female ninja in the entire ninja world could compare.
Tenten's hope of becoming a kunoichi like her was truly slim.
But seeing her look like a wounded little animal, he couldn't bear to tell her the harsh truth.
After thinking for a moment, he said:
"Tenten, a ninja's talent isn't limited to combat ability. Perhaps there are other directions you can try."
"You're still young. The future holds many possibilities."
Tenten looked at him, her eyes turning red again.
She stammered, "So, Senior Musashi, it's impossible for me to become a legendary kunoichi like Tsunade, isn't it?"
Musashi scratched his head.
If things developed normally, Tenten's strength would improve somewhat in the later stages.
But let alone comparing her to cheat-level characters like Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha...
She couldn't even compare to Neji or Lee.
Aside from being cute, lively, obedient, and full of good luck, her talents as a ninja weren't abundant.
Hiruzen Sarutobi placed her in Might Guy's Team 3 to utilize the Taijutsu specialties of the group.
It was somewhat experimental.
There wasn't really an expectation that Tenten and Lee would become top-tier ninjas.
"Senior Musashi, why aren't you saying anything?" Tenten pressed.
Facing her gaze, full of longing and sadness, Musashi blurted out:
"Actually, it's not impossible."
"Really?!" A strong light burst from Tenten's eyes, the kind of hope one finds suddenly in a moment of helplessness.
"Senior Musashi, please, help me!"
Musashi began to feel troubled again.
But who could refuse a lucky girl with double buns?
He thought for a moment and said, "We still have to start with your Space-Time talent."
"Space-Time Ninjutsu?"
"Yes, Space-Time Ninjutsu," Musashi nodded.
"Your talent for Space-Time Ninjutsu is significantly stronger than the average ninja."
"Although it doesn't compare to a Kekkei Genkai, it's still a rare talent. If you can maximize this talent, becoming a top-tier ninja isn't impossible."
Tenten: "Senior, please be more specific."
"Alright." Musashi led Tenten to an outdoor bench and sat down.
He began to analyze it for her.
"Ninjas have three main cultivation directions: Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu."
"Let's start with Genjutsu. This is a technique that requires extremely high spiritual power and talent."
"In the village, the Kurama clan, the Yuhi clan, and the past Uchiha clan were all leaders in the field of Genjutsu."
"Without sufficient talent and heritage, it's very difficult to achieve anything in this area. So, Tenten, this path doesn't suit you."
Tenten: "Oh, oh, and then?"
"Second is Taijutsu."
"Your Taijutsu was favored by the higher-ups, which is why the Hokage made Big Bro Guy your Jonin leader."
"However, having talent in this area doesn't mean you will definitely achieve success in it."
"You should also feel it when comparing yourself to Neji and Lee. As a girl, it's very difficult for you to catch up to them in Taijutsu."
"The Hyuga family's Byakugan and Lee's tolerance for pain are not things ordinary people can possess."
"So, Tenten, although you have talent in weapon usage and Taijutsu, it's not enough to fulfill your dream of becoming a legendary kunoichi like Lady Tsunade."
With two areas consecutively denied by Musashi, Tenten's mood dropped again.
However, Musashi saying "it's not impossible" meant there was important content to follow.
"Senior Musashi, if there's no hope for Taijutsu and Genjutsu, then it has to be Ninjutsu, right?"
"Correct," Musashi said.
"Generally speaking, putting aside things like Kekkei Genkai, there are two main aspects for a ninja to increase the power of their Ninjutsu."
"The first and most important aspect is the quality and quantity of chakra refinement."
"Only with high-quality, powerful chakra is there a possibility of becoming a powerful ninja."
"In the village, apart from figures like Big Bro Guy, every Jonin possesses high-quality and powerful chakra."
"And they often master multiple powerful ninjutsu."
"So, Tenten, a hurdle you can't bypass to become a top-tier ninja is a healthy body and high-quality chakra."
"After that comes the choice of Ninjutsu."
"Find the talent you excel in, get guidance from capable ninjas, persevere, and keep at it."
"Your strength will become greater and greater."
Tenten excitedly grabbed Musashi's sleeve. "Senior Musashi, Space-Time Ninjutsu is my way out, right?"
Musashi said, "This is just my personal guess."
"Tenten, let me see your summoning scroll."
Tenten took out her commonly used scroll from her bosom and handed it to Musashi.
Musashi unrolled it and examined it.
"Tenten, where did you get this scroll?"
"It's a family heirloom," Tenten said. "There should be more than one of these summoning scrolls at home. Dad said it's a treasure passed down through the family for generations."
Musashi returned the scroll to Tenten and said:
"Hmm, whether it's the material or the inscribed formula, it's a rare and good item."
"The most common form of Space-Time Ninjutsu is the Summoning Jutsu."
"The basic ones are like your Ninja Tool Summoning—small volume, low chakra consumption."
"More advanced is the Ninja Beast Contract Summoning. Many powerful ninjas in the village also master this kind of ninjutsu."
"Going higher, the village should have even more high-end Space-Time Ninjutsu, but it's very hard to obtain them."
"What suits you now is the second type, Ninja Beast Summoning."
Hearing this, Tenten was slightly disappointed.
"But Senior Musashi, I rejected Guy Sensei's ninja tortoise earlier."
"It doesn't matter," Musashi comforted. "Big Bro Guy's ninja tortoise wasn't very suitable for you anyway. Rejecting it is fine. You can look slowly in the future. When your chakra becomes stronger, you can capture powerful ninja beasts to contract with."
"Your treasure scroll is very good; it can serve as a contract summoning scroll for ninja beasts."
Tenten was puzzled. "Can a ninja contract with many ninja beasts?"
Musashi laughed. "It depends on the situation. For example, Big Bro Guy's ninja tortoise, Senior Kakashi's ninja dogs, and the Sannin's summons generally have their own clans, so it's harder to contract with multiple species. But if they are wild summoned beasts, and your own strength is strong enough, it's not a problem."
Tenten started getting a headache again. "Senior Musashi, I'm so weak, how can I capture a summoning ninja beast?"
"Haha." Musashi was amused by her dejected look and reached out to rub the top of her head. He laughed, "At that time, it won't rely on you, but on your elders and teachers."