Though Tenten is frequently regarded as a novelty character among the original generation of Naruto shinobi, her strength is criminally underrated. A master of virtually every known ninja weapon, her potential is only limited through the time she has had to prove herself.
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By understanding the skills and tools at her disposal, we can better appreciate the depths of the kunoichi's power and the limits behind it. Further, we determine how well ninja weapons actually fare against the powerful (and more prevalent) jutsu seen and practiced in almost every encounter throughout the duration of the series.
10 Could Beat: Yashamaru
Yashamaru was the ward to Gaara and a servant to his father. After the Kazekage had feared his son's potential through the jinchuriki in his body, he arranged for his assassination. This forced him to turn on the boy he was obliged to protect.
Unfortunately for him, he does not possess any outstanding abilities by which to distinguish himself, with his only notable feat being the explosive vest that he carried with him. Given Tenten's mobility (able to avoid the devastating attacks of Kisame), she should be able to escape before he detonates.
9 Would Lose To: Hinata
A member of the Hyuga clan, Hinata is capable of deflecting any of the projectiles Tenten launches at her. This would force the ninja tool master to engage in a direct melee battle in order to find some success, but given her adversary's Byakugan and knowledge to her chakra points, she has a severe disadvantage.
Moreover, Hinata can infuse her fists with copious amounts of chakra. This would prove potent enough to sunder any weapon that Tenten could hope to defend herself with in the unlikely event that she had the reflexes to parry the woman's attacks.
8 Could Beat: Haku
The servant of Zabuza, Haku was able to dart between mirrors and harry his foes with a barrage of needles. However, not only does he have a severe experience disadvantage (as Tenten honed her skills after his canon death), his arsenal is vastly less impressive.
Considering that Tenten can deflect his needles by spinning her chain before ensnaring him with its coils, he would not be able to effectively damage her before being exposed. Since he is not particularly lethal outside of his favored guerrilla tactics, the shinobi's defeat would ensue shortly after.
7 Would Lose To: Kankuro
Kankuro and Tenten are similarly matched. Both rely on ninja tools in order to defeat the opposition, with Tenten directly wielding them and the Sand shinobi fighting through puppet proxies.
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Though Tenten may be able to disperse Kankuro's poison gas through her gigantic fan, she has no experience in fighting his puppets. With all of the hidden blades concealed with them, only a single scratch would be necessary for him to defeat her. Any projectiles she attempts to retaliate with would be blocked by the Salamander, a doll so durable that not even Sasori could destroy it without attacking the joints.
6 Could Beat: Baki
The mentor of the Sand siblings, Baki's wind blade was as thick as steel and as elusive as air. It made him an excellent melee fighter and would give him an edge if he confronted Tenten at close range.
However, he has a depressing absence of projectiles, and considering that the kunoichi can unleash an entire lake from her scroll, she should not have profound difficulty keeping him at bay. From there, Tenten can smother him with a barrage of kunai that he could not hope to block with a single weapon alone.
5 Would Lose To: Jugo
Jugo's impervious skin would allow him to shrug off Tenten's attacks, with her blades bouncing harmlessly from his unyielding body. Even Konohamaru striking him through the head with a knife did little to slow him down, demonstrating his ferocity and endurance.
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Though her fan may be useful in warding him off, it could not completely staunch his powerful locomotives. He would capitalize on her low durability (demonstrated through her fight against Temari), breaking her spine with a single twist of his hands.
4 Could Beat: Kurenai
Kurenai was one of the foremost experts on genjutsu in Konoha. It earned her the credentials to teach her own students, demonstrating her proficiency in the craft.
However, Tenten was one of the few shinobi to see through Madara's Infinite Tsukuyomi, evincing a natural resistance against genjutsu. Since the spell she saw through was considerably more potent than anything Kurenai could cast (proven through her battle against Itachi), it follows that Tenten should be able to power through the teacher's spell and defeat her with dozens of weapons. Since her opponent is unremarkable in taijutsu or ninjutsu, she would not stand a chance.
3 Would Lose To: Konan
Konan was a powerful member of the Akatsuki whose potential was unfortunately unexplored due to the limited attention she received (much like Tenten herself). However, the feats she has displayed are so profoundly remarkable that her Konoha foe would not stand a chance.
Not only can she disperse her body into paper and fly (providing durability and mobility advantages, respectively), she can detonate her paper bombs for roughly ten consecutive minutes in an ocean of fire. This displays a caliber that Tenten has never come close to matching and would not possibly survive.
2 Could Beat: Kidomaru
Kidomaru was a lieutenant of the Sound Four and one of Orochimaru's most devoted servants. He could unleash dozens of spiders through a summoning jutsu and fire bolts of resin that were just as hard as steel.
However, his skills hinge on the condition that his opponent cannot reach him or retaliate with their own projectiles, demonstrated through his fight against Neji. Since Tenten can unleash hundreds of kunai knives with paper bombs in seconds, he could not hope to dodge them all, nor would his armor be sturdy enough to resist the combined assault.
1 Would Lose To: Kiba
Alongside Akamaru, Kiba's "Fang Over Fang" provides a natural counter to Tenten's abilities. It is too fast to be ensnared by her chains and too powerful for her fan to halt its advance. Further, any attempted melee the kunoichi could launch would be suicidal, given the velocity at which the hound ninja can travel.
Since his spinning would deflect her kunai knives, she could not even rely on her most dependable weapons. Consequently, Tenten has nothing by which to defeat Kiba and would suffer a humiliating defeat as a result of his versatility.
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