Finally, the fifth tree gave way.
Its massive trunk slowly tilted before crashing into the next one. The impact caused another tree, already weakened by the kunai, to split apart as well.
For several seconds, the forest filled with cracking sounds as a succession of trees fell, sending leaves, branches, and a cloud of dust into the air.
Then came silence.
Absolute silence.
Tenten remained motionless.
A leaf slowly drifted down in front of her face.
But she didn't react.
Kaito observed the result.
"I think I used too much force".
Tenten turned her head toward him very slowly.
"Too much?".
Kaito pointed toward the forest.
"A little".
"YOU CASUALLY THREW A KUNAI!".
Tenten walked toward the devastated area without waiting for an answer.
Kaito followed her.
The first target had practically disappeared. Only parts of the support remained, along with several fragments of wood scattered across the grass.
Farther ahead, the first tree had an irregular hole running completely through it.
Tenten touched the edge.
Then she looked at the next one.
And the next.
"That wasn't just physical strength".
"Correct".
"A normal kunai would've lost speed after the first impact".
"Probably".
"And even if you'd thrown it with enough force to pierce a tree, the weapon should've deformed".
"That too".
Tenten turned around.
"Then explain what you did".
Kaito continued walking until he found the kunai.
It was embedded deep inside a rock after passing through the trees.
Tenten stared at it.
Kaito grabbed the handle and pulled. The rock cracked and the kunai came free.
The black coating slowly began to disappear until ordinary steel was revealed once again.
Kaito offered it to her.
Tenten immediately took it and inspected the tip, then the edge. Then both sides.
Her expression became even more incredulous.
"It's not damaged".
"That's what the coating does".
Tenten looked up.
"What coating?".
"Busoshoku Haki. It's my ability".
She slowly repeated the name.
"Busoshoku... Haki".
"A way of turning willpower into armor". Kaito explained.
Tenten looked at the weapon again.
"That means absolutely nothing to me".
Kaito laughed.
"I had exactly the same problem trying to explain it to someone else".
"Who?".
Kaito took the kunai back.
"A very stubborn Hyūga".
Tenten looked at him curiously, but something more important quickly captured her attention.
"Can you do it with any weapon?".
"Yes".
"Katanas?".
"Yes".
"Shuriken?".
"Yes".
"Senbon?".
"Yes".
"A chain?".
Kaito thought for a moment.
"Should be able to".
Tenten's eyes began to shine.
Kaito immediately recognized that expression.
He had made a mistake.
"And a kusarigama?".
"Probably".
"A bō?".
"Yes".
"A naginata?".
"Girl".
"What?".
"Breathe".
Kaito started laughing.
She stopped then and blushed with embarrassment.
"You come to a training ground, destroy five trees with a damn kunai, and then tell me you can do the same thing with practically any weapon. What did you expect?".
"A more restrained reaction".
"Then you picked the wrong person".
Kaito had to give her that.
Tenten remained silent for a few seconds before extending her hand.
"Can you give it to me for a moment?".
Kaito handed her the weapon.
She immediately assumed a throwing stance. The movement was excellent. Kaito knew it before she even released the weapon.
Tenten threw it.
The kunai flew through the air and embedded itself exactly in the center of another target.
Perfect. But completely normal.
Tenten observed the result. Then she looked at her hand.
Then at Kaito.
"Can you teach me?". She said with complete shamelessness.
Kaito blinked.
Kaito raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?".
"You just showed a weapons specialist a way to make her weapons hit with terrifying force. How do you expect me to react?".
Tenten pointed toward the devastation.
Kaito studied her for a few seconds. There was excitement in her eyes. But not just excitement.
Genuine interest.
The same kind of fascination he had seen in Hinata when she first understood that there was a force completely independent of chakra.
Kaito sighed.
"I can do it, but I want something in return".
Tenten immediately perked up.
"As long as it's nothing weird, I can do anything". She said.
Kaito stared at her, speechless.
"You agreed awfully quickly. Do you even know me?".
Tenten brought a hand to her chin.
"I've seen you around the village a few times. I know you're not a bad person".
Kaito was once again left speechless by her terrible argument.
It was like telling a murderer on the loose, "You sell candy for a living. You're a good person".
Kaito covered his face with one hand.
'Well, at least I won't be bored'. He said to himself.
"All right, we'll do this. First of all, let me introduce myself. I'm Kaito Shirogane. Owner of a bookstore. Also the younger brother of Jōnin Kurenai, Team Eight's teacher".
Tenten nodded. She knew her through her sensei.
"I'm Tenten, a member of Team Nine". She introduced herself as well.
"Now let's get to what I need".
Tenten paid attention.
"I need someone to take care of my apartment".
Upon hearing this, Tenten was left speechless.
"You mean clean your apartment?". She asked.
Kaito explained.
"You see, my sister is getting married soon, and when she does, she'll stop taking care of my apartment. I'm the kind of person who avoids household chores at all costs and lives however he wants, so I need someone to handle them".
Tenten couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"You mean cooking and things like that?".
Kaito nodded.
"But you look like you're over twenty-five". She said.
"Twenty-six exactly". Kaito corrected her.
"That's worse!". Tenten couldn't help saying.
Then she brought a hand to her forehead.
Kaito's eyes curved into crescents.
"That's the deal on the table".
Tenten seemed hesitant. Not because of him, but because she'd never imagined herself doing this kind of housework for a man.
But remembering the enormous destruction he'd caused by casually throwing a kunai. She ultimately accepted.
"All right, I accept".
Kaito smiled.
"You won't regret it. I can see you're still doubting your decision, so we'll start with the concept first, so you can be completely sure".
Tenten nodded.
"Okay. The first thing I want you to do is forget the concept of chakra".
Kaito already had a rough idea of how to teach thanks to Hinata.
Tenten frowned.
"What do you mean?".
"Stop trying to imagine how to put chakra into the weapon".
She opened her mouth and closed it again.
Kaito picked up three shuriken from the ground and began walking back toward the center of the field.
"Come on. I want to see how you really fight".
Tenten followed him.
"With weapons?".
"With everything you've got".
An excited smile immediately appeared on the kunoichi's face.
Kaito took position about twenty meters away from her and completely closed his eyes.
"I'll show you what Haki is in all its glory so you'll be completely convinced about your decision".
Tenten felt a thrill and began pulling out her storage scrolls.
"I'm counting on it".