Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Tenten the Busybody ❯ Mysterious Tides ( Chapter 5 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: TheSilverMirror 
All because of luck... or perhaps fate.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure | Type: Songfic | Uploaded On: 09.16.2006 | Updated On: 09.16.2006 | Pages: 9 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 310 | Status: Completed
All because of luck... or perhaps fate.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure | Type: Songfic | Uploaded On: 09.16.2006 | Updated On: 09.16.2006 | Pages: 9 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 310 | Status: Completed
Discaimer:
Me? Own a famous manga series that's popular around the world? Pft, I wish. Ain't ever gonna happen. As it is, I'm happy enough for the people that have reviewed my fic so far. Give you all candy if I ever met'cha. I know I'm not that great of a writter, but my half-baked ideas are a dime a dozen. So if it's not too much trouble, could you review and help improve the writting of this poor pathetic soul? Onegaishimasu? I'd be eternally grateful. In addition it actually makes me motivated enough to update. Sometimes I'm about as lazy as Shikamaru when it comes to these kinds of things.
----------------------------------------
Changing Fate
-----
And thus the first part of the secret plan is revealed. The two girls
quickly slipped out of the room, tensing slightly at the entrance where the
guarding seal was placed. But alas, for Tenten’s strangely blessed self, the
seal did not activate at all. Both of them ran back to the central courtyard
giggling like crazy. If any of the other Main House members had been there
to witness it at the time, they would have been suspicious. Oh well, what
they don’t know can’t hurt them. And thus the first part of Tenten’s plan
has been revealed. The only question now is…what’s next?
-----
At this time, Neji was watching silently through the walls. Part of the
reason why his Byakugan is as powerful as it is, was because of the practice
he’s had using it in the past. Even prior to his father's death, he would
often peak through the walls and look in on the habitual actions of members
of the Main House. He had often stared and wondered what was so different
about them. They looked the same as himself... the same eyes, the same flow
of movement, the same dark hair, sometimes tied in the back, other times let
loose to flow behind them in the breeze. But he only watched in curiosity,
trying in vain to find some key feature that separated these members of his
family from the rest. The only difference he could find was the artificial
seal that he now bore on his own forehead. He tried to comprehend, and he
struggled to understand. But all this stopped the day his father died. And
once again he could not find a reason why. His looks of curiosity turned
into looks of resentment. His eyes that once glowed with wonder now burned
with contempt and hatred. And then one day, he saw for the first time a
Branch member killed before his very eyes. In an instant, the once dignified
Hyuuga was reduced to a pathetic fool crying out in pain on the ground. He
remembered that his father had suffered this same pain once by his uncle’s
hand... Except for this unfortunate person the pain did not end, it
continued till the man could scream no more. And this lasted for no longer
than a few minutes, but those few minutes would remain in Neji’s mind for
the rest of his life. The screams tortured his dreams for days afterwards,
and his own forehead itched with a phantom pain. It was only coincidence
that he later overheard a conversation between two of his cousins talking in
a hallway corridor…the reason why the Branch member was killed… Not only had
he snuck into the Main Section without permission, but he had attempted to
steal one of the forbidden scrolls detailing the moves only a Main House
member was allowed to learn. The punishment for such a crime if caught… was
immediate execution.
-----
This was why from the moment he saw Hinata and Tenten step past the gate he
was incredibly tense. The current situation was bringing back memories… of
tortured screams that echoed through his head. Long before the two girls
reached their intended destination he had already activated his Byakugan. He
didn’t know what he could do if the situation went wrong and this caused a
sense of helplessness to well up inside of him. In his mind, Hinata was a
member of the Main House and thus was safe… but Tenten …he did not want to
think what would happen to her.
-----
Upon seeing the two girls enter a dark room, which he suspected to be the
place where the forbidden scrolls were held, he remained alert and watched
for any sign of movement in the surrounding area. Even his Byakugan could
not penetrate the darkness within the room. Or perhaps some kind of seal was
there to prevent it from being viewed. As it was, he could only wait while
Tenten performed her copying jutsu beyond the scope of his eyes. He saw
shadows moving within the room, but could not tell what actions were taking
place. He could however, tell, when they were about to come out. While the
two girls were cringing from the possibility of the seal activating, Neji
also held his breathe. Fortunately for all of them, nothing happened.
-----
Their luck held until they reached just before the center of the courtyard.
They were almost at the gate when suddenly a stone from seemingly nowhere
hit Tenten on the head. This alerted Hinata as well when Tenten shouted:
-----
“Ow!”
-----
It was then that Hinata decided to look behind her a little farther with her
Byakugan and saw her father and the elders coming up behind them! Neither
one of them had noticed at all because they were too relived that they had
not been caught. The situation however was about to get a bit trickier…
-----
With her outfit and bunned head, Tenten was immediately recognized as
someone not from their clan. Hiashi had failed to mention her to the elders
because he had regarded her as relatively unimportant. As such, in a
suspicious tone, one of the elders called out for the two to stop which they
immediately did.
-----
“This is not good,” muttered Tenten. And if even Tenten was nervous you
could imagine how hard it was for Hinata to even remain standing.
-----
Despite their nervousness though, both knew that it would probably be best
to remain calm and pretend that nothing out of the ordinary had just
occurred. Tenten put on an innocent face. Hinata didn't bother. It wasn't
even because she was too nervous to try, but rather she knew something
Tenten did not...
-----
Tenten's POV
-----
How the heck was I supposed to know 'that expression' wouldn't work? I
thought all adults were supposed to be suseptible to the 'puppy face'. Or
maybe it's just because by the time a girl passes the age of 12... it
doesn't work anymore. Or more likely... this was just the Hyuuga. I really
should have known better. If they weren't suseptible to adorable as a bunny
rabbit Hinata... what made me think they were going to be suseptible to the
likes of me? It was probably more out of habit than anything else, for if
I had known about the Hyuugas as much as I know about them now... I would
have realized that, to the Hyuugas, rabbits are nothing more than a decent
meal.
-----
When I saw the poker expressions on their face, I knew immediately, no
childhood tactic was going to work against 'them'. I could only hope that
Hiashi would not ask that question, and that if he asked Hinata would not
respond with complete and utter honesty. I wasn't going to be so lucky this
time. The first words out of Hiashi's mouth and I felt that I was doomed. No
other question could have been worse than...
-----
"Where have you two been?"
-----
Honest to god, she could have said anything. Anywhere at all. But this was
Hinata, and this was then. Her father was the person who she feared the most
out of all people, and she simply could not lie. Not that Hiashi wouldn't
have been able to tell immediately if she was telling the truth or not. So I
suppose it was almost a good thing, and even better was that she simply
couldn't say everything. Her nervousness made her stutter and all that
managed to come out was "T-t-t..th-the l-librr-rar... in th-the ea- the
east..." That was really all that was needed however, before a tremendous
amount of gasping and muttering erupted among the elder Hyuugas standing
there.
-----
Whispers of, "...the library in the east corner is forbidden to..." and
"...she took her there?" Those who were not whispering were looking at me
with those dreadfully scarry eyes full of suspicion and threat. I felt like
banging my head against something. After she said in such a nervous way, who
wouldn't be suspicious? I remember thinking that Neji would KILL me if he
realized what was happening... that is, if I wasn't going to be killed right
there on the spot. My innocent and carefree expression was becoming harder
and harder to maintain. However... it still stayed intact. Just as I was
about to completely despair, I heard among the hushed whispers one of the
Hyuugas saying something along the lines of "She's just a useless girl, what
could she possibly do." Maybe my luck still held somewhat after all. While,
in most situations this would have caused me to be very, very angry. At the
time, I was actually quite grateful. Once they started thinking along those
lines, I knew that all I had to do was foster the impression. The Hyuugas
have a tendency to underestimate people that appear to be weaker. This was
what eventually would allow me to escape unscathed. Their doubt was what led
them to actually check the library to see if anything was taken.
-----
And of course nothing was. I didn't actually take the scrolls. The method I
used only made a copy of it, and what I had taken out of the room was not
the original itself. They wouldn't find anything missing, and indeed they
did not. Not a single scroll was out of place for Hinata had put the scrolls
that we looked at precisely where they had been before. I thought they would
be satisfied... but they weren't. Not that I knew this at the time, but by
simply entering a library that was restricted to Hyuuga Main House members
only, I had committed some sort of crime. Naturally I felt they were being
completely unfair.
-----
"Um, excuse me... eh, gomenasai? I really didn't know that the library was forbidden.
Hinata-sama never told me. But please, don't blame her, I was only curious and
wanted to have a quick look. I couldn't see anything in there anyways, it
was way too dark and Hinata-sama told me that I wasn't allowed to check
anything out. I was kind of disappointed but oh well. I didn't take any
scrolls, honest. You can even search me if you want..."
-----
As much as I wasn't looking forward to the prospect of all these old men
using their bloodline to see through my clothes, I kind of figured it was
better than having them kill me. I cringed as I waited for one of them to
activate their Byakugan to search me. But thankfully none of them did as
some time after my statement Hiashi raised his hand and started rubbing the
bridge of his nose in annoyance.
-----
"Of course you didn't take anything. A seal on the doorway prevents any of
the scrolls inside from being taken out. In addition to that the design of
the room prevents anyone without a Byakugan from seeing anything they are
not supposed to see. However... you really were not supposed to enter the
library at all. I apologize if my daughter failed to tell you this. As of
right now... I shall take you to see the Eldest. In these situations, it is
he who will have to decide your fate. As for the rest of you, you are free
to leave."
-----
"You," Looking in my direction, he said, "Come with me."
-----
Hesitantly, all the other Hyuugas gradually left. I was taken down the long
corridor back in the direction from which we came. Except this time we made
a left at one of the junctions. This place was really very big. If I did not
have anybody leading me no doubt I would become lost within an hour.
I thought that I would be brought to some kind of elaborate hall like I had
heard about, maybe some kind of large throne-room as big as an entire
courtyard. However, this I found not to be the case. I was brought through
the front western courtyard towards a large building, but just before the
the entrance to an extremely large and empty hall, I was taken a sudden
sharp turn left. After a brief walk down the corridor and through the
western courtyard we arrived at a small pagoda-like hut. It didn't look so
fancy at all, and if I had not known any better I would have thought it was
some kind of large garden shed. I briefly considered the idea that maybe
Hiashi was going to lock me in some kind of shed until he finished talking
to whoever this 'Eldest' person was. But upon reaching the front door of the
'garden shed' Hiashi himself went up and gave a bow. At that point, I did
consider the Hyuugas a little crazy... but not crazy enough to bow to a mere
storage shed.
-----
"Come in."
-----
The door opened slowly, almost as if by itself. No one from the outside had
pushed it as far as I could tell. Only Hiashi walked into the room, I was
told to stay behind the entrance to the small dark room inside. I saw him
kneel in front of what appeared at first to be empty shadows. But as I
squinted my eyes just a bit, I could barely make out a shock of grayish
white hair on top of what appeared to be some sort of elevated ledge. The
figure was sitting in a position that I had seen Neji in many times before,
usually during intense meditation.
-----
"Explain your purpose here."
-----
Slowly and carefully the story of everything that occurred (that Hiashi knew,
of course) was told. After that a long pause ensued. Just when I was about to open
my mouth and say something to my own defense, I was addressed by the Eldest.
-----
"Tenten...ka?"
-----
This stunned me... for the reason that Hiashi had never once stated my name
within his account of my appearance within the Hyuuuga compound.
How the heck did he know my name? Nevertheless, despite my
shock, I replied as clearly as I could.
-----
"Sou... sou desu ka."
-----
"I have heard Hiashi's account and have considered the situation thoroughly.
Now, I want you to give your own account of your purpose for coming here.
But before that, step into this room."
-----
Before this point, I could not detect any sign of movement from
the Eldest within the shadows. However, upon making his
last request of me, he turned around in place. He did it without
any movement from any part of his body, sitting in the same position.
It was only then that I realized that the old man was actually suspended
in midair! With merely a barely detectable flare of chakara he now
faced the entrance of the door. His features were plain, and his face
contained wrinkles which showed his age. He also had various spots
on his face as old people generally do. And he had his eyes closed,
with might have been a bit strange for most, but I knew that he could
see me because he was a Hyuuga. Then he opened his eyes. I
stared and as if some unknown force was forcing me I
could not look away. I slowly entered the room and kneeled
alongside Hiashi-sama who at the time was gestured by the Eldest to rise.
I watched as he went and stood to the left of the doorway
blocking it halfway. It was almost as if he was guarding in case
I wished to leave without permission. As if I would.
The Eldest addressed me, and as he did so I turned around.
"Look at me closely. In front of these white eyes, you cannot lie. So do
not, or it will count against you. Ultimately your answer will decide wether
you will leave here alive."
-----
Maybe I should have been afraid. But for some reason I wasn't. Inside I felt
at peace because no matter what I did my heart was true and my intentions
were pure. There seemed nothing wrong in my mind with helping a friend. And
in the face of a law that was unfair, shouldn't it be changed?"
-----
"All I wanted to do when I came here was to train with Neji-san. I had
recently come up with a new attack and wanted to try it out. And to be
completely honest, I was also a little curious about this clan. I really
haven't met any Hyuugas other than Neji... and I wanted to know if all of
you were like him. I had always thought he was rather stuck up and a jerk.
But after today I think I've realized why he acts the way he does, and I
think it's because he hides a lot of pain inside. For a family whose name
means facing the sun, you folks sure have a lot of secrets. To get any of
you to even make small talk is like trying to pry open a clam. My only
intention was to satisfy my curiosity. And if in doing so I manage to help
Neji become less tense everytime we train, then even better. But if you're
really so paranoid..."
-----
After thinking for a while, I suddenly got a strange quirk in my noggin and
a gleam in my eyes. I think the Eldest noticed, because he seemed to
straighten even more and all of the sudden narrowed his eyes.
-----
"If you're really so paranoid, why don't you search me? I'm sure with
that Byakugan eye of yours that can see through walls you can tell if I'm hiding
anything on me. But before you do so, here's my weapons scrolls. You're free
to check those for anything suspicious. When you're done doing all of that
will you be satisfied?"
-----
He looked at me with what seems to be a curious expression for a moment.
Then he closed his eyes.
-----
I crossed my arms. I really didn't want to be searched in such a wierdly
perverted manner, but what the heck. The more I thought about it the more
the idea of any Hyuuga being a pervert made me want to laugh. Being as
stuffy as they were, I'd be surprised if they even reacted to grown women,
much less little 13 year old me.
-----
Nothing happened. This to me was odd. I remember every time Neji activated
his Byakugan he had to do a seal of some sort and veins along his temples
popped up. But... well... none of that happened. Instead all I noticed was a
gentle flow of chakara around me. It was strange, I felt as if I was being
prodded or something, but couldn't figure out what it was. After a brief
moment, the Eldest opened his eyes again and looked at me. He seemed less
tense before, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out why.
-----
"Hiashi. You are free to leave. This girl is harmless to our clan."
-----
"Arigatou, Eldest. Do you wish me to escort her back to the entrance?"
-----
"That's alright. In fact, it's getting late. In truth we should not have
been so rude; after all, you said Hinata invited her in did you not?
Therefore she is a visitor here. It wouldn't do for the Hyuuga clan to be
known for being rude to guests, now would it?"
-----
"No sir." Hiashi turned to me then, "You are welcome to stay here for dinner
if you wish. The dinning area is in the building directly outside of the
Main compound entrance. Be sure to arrive on time, dinner starts at 6."
After saying this he gave a curt bow to the Eldest, and then left. I
wondered how I was going to get to said dinning area. I hardly knew how to
get around, and no doubt I would get lost before I managed to find the
location of the dining area. But the worse of it seemed to have blown over
at least.
-----
"Sou ka. Hiashi said that you are Neji's team mate. This appears to be true.
-----
Now tell me again... what do you think of him?"
-----
"Umm, as I said before. I think he's a bit of a jerk. But now after all of
this I think I'm starting to get why he's such a jerk. And actually, I'm
really sort of used to it by now. Even his glares don't scare me as much as
they used to."
-----
"Ah, I see... But what I had meant was... what is your relationship with
him?"
-----
At this question, I was slightly shocked. What did this old man mean? Was he
teasing me? The way he said relationship... that wasn't suggestive was it? I
almost blushed. But I answered honestly as I could.
-----
"Well... that... I don't really know. I think recently we've started to
become friends. But I can't be so sure... it's hard to tell with guys like
him."
-----
"And yet you go to such lengths... Ah but never mind that. In truth, I myself
sometimes wonder if our ancestors weren't mistaken in creating this system
of Main and Branch. Ever since Hizashi's death... there have been, events
happening within the clan that you are not entitled to know. Suffice to say
you must make sure that none of the Main House members other than myself
know of your actions or it could spell disaster for you and Neji. Of
course... by now you probably know this already."
-----
"How...? And it’s not that I'm not grateful… demo... Why?"
-----
"Because, I too wish to see where fate leads this… In truth the likelihood of
Neji learning the techniques from those scrolls alone without guidance
from a Main House member is a one in a million chance at best. So,
even if you gave him the information on those scrolls it is unlikely that
he'll actually learn to do those moves on his own. Unless... he really is…
There is a favor which I would like to ask of you. But considering that
your relationship with Neji is not as deep as I had thought,
you have every right to refuse.
-----
If possible, I wish for you to act as a messenger between Neji and I.
Tell him when you see him again, that I support his efforts and will help him
ut as much as I can. Because if what I suspect is true, then within a generation
a change will come about within the Hyuuga clan, the likes of which has not been
since quite a few hundred years.
Me? Own a famous manga series that's popular around the world? Pft, I wish. Ain't ever gonna happen. As it is, I'm happy enough for the people that have reviewed my fic so far. Give you all candy if I ever met'cha. I know I'm not that great of a writter, but my half-baked ideas are a dime a dozen. So if it's not too much trouble, could you review and help improve the writting of this poor pathetic soul? Onegaishimasu? I'd be eternally grateful. In addition it actually makes me motivated enough to update. Sometimes I'm about as lazy as Shikamaru when it comes to these kinds of things.
----------------------------------------
Changing Fate
-----
And thus the first part of the secret plan is revealed. The two girls
quickly slipped out of the room, tensing slightly at the entrance where the
guarding seal was placed. But alas, for Tenten’s strangely blessed self, the
seal did not activate at all. Both of them ran back to the central courtyard
giggling like crazy. If any of the other Main House members had been there
to witness it at the time, they would have been suspicious. Oh well, what
they don’t know can’t hurt them. And thus the first part of Tenten’s plan
has been revealed. The only question now is…what’s next?
-----
At this time, Neji was watching silently through the walls. Part of the
reason why his Byakugan is as powerful as it is, was because of the practice
he’s had using it in the past. Even prior to his father's death, he would
often peak through the walls and look in on the habitual actions of members
of the Main House. He had often stared and wondered what was so different
about them. They looked the same as himself... the same eyes, the same flow
of movement, the same dark hair, sometimes tied in the back, other times let
loose to flow behind them in the breeze. But he only watched in curiosity,
trying in vain to find some key feature that separated these members of his
family from the rest. The only difference he could find was the artificial
seal that he now bore on his own forehead. He tried to comprehend, and he
struggled to understand. But all this stopped the day his father died. And
once again he could not find a reason why. His looks of curiosity turned
into looks of resentment. His eyes that once glowed with wonder now burned
with contempt and hatred. And then one day, he saw for the first time a
Branch member killed before his very eyes. In an instant, the once dignified
Hyuuga was reduced to a pathetic fool crying out in pain on the ground. He
remembered that his father had suffered this same pain once by his uncle’s
hand... Except for this unfortunate person the pain did not end, it
continued till the man could scream no more. And this lasted for no longer
than a few minutes, but those few minutes would remain in Neji’s mind for
the rest of his life. The screams tortured his dreams for days afterwards,
and his own forehead itched with a phantom pain. It was only coincidence
that he later overheard a conversation between two of his cousins talking in
a hallway corridor…the reason why the Branch member was killed… Not only had
he snuck into the Main Section without permission, but he had attempted to
steal one of the forbidden scrolls detailing the moves only a Main House
member was allowed to learn. The punishment for such a crime if caught… was
immediate execution.
-----
This was why from the moment he saw Hinata and Tenten step past the gate he
was incredibly tense. The current situation was bringing back memories… of
tortured screams that echoed through his head. Long before the two girls
reached their intended destination he had already activated his Byakugan. He
didn’t know what he could do if the situation went wrong and this caused a
sense of helplessness to well up inside of him. In his mind, Hinata was a
member of the Main House and thus was safe… but Tenten …he did not want to
think what would happen to her.
-----
Upon seeing the two girls enter a dark room, which he suspected to be the
place where the forbidden scrolls were held, he remained alert and watched
for any sign of movement in the surrounding area. Even his Byakugan could
not penetrate the darkness within the room. Or perhaps some kind of seal was
there to prevent it from being viewed. As it was, he could only wait while
Tenten performed her copying jutsu beyond the scope of his eyes. He saw
shadows moving within the room, but could not tell what actions were taking
place. He could however, tell, when they were about to come out. While the
two girls were cringing from the possibility of the seal activating, Neji
also held his breathe. Fortunately for all of them, nothing happened.
-----
Their luck held until they reached just before the center of the courtyard.
They were almost at the gate when suddenly a stone from seemingly nowhere
hit Tenten on the head. This alerted Hinata as well when Tenten shouted:
-----
“Ow!”
-----
It was then that Hinata decided to look behind her a little farther with her
Byakugan and saw her father and the elders coming up behind them! Neither
one of them had noticed at all because they were too relived that they had
not been caught. The situation however was about to get a bit trickier…
-----
With her outfit and bunned head, Tenten was immediately recognized as
someone not from their clan. Hiashi had failed to mention her to the elders
because he had regarded her as relatively unimportant. As such, in a
suspicious tone, one of the elders called out for the two to stop which they
immediately did.
-----
“This is not good,” muttered Tenten. And if even Tenten was nervous you
could imagine how hard it was for Hinata to even remain standing.
-----
Despite their nervousness though, both knew that it would probably be best
to remain calm and pretend that nothing out of the ordinary had just
occurred. Tenten put on an innocent face. Hinata didn't bother. It wasn't
even because she was too nervous to try, but rather she knew something
Tenten did not...
-----
Tenten's POV
-----
How the heck was I supposed to know 'that expression' wouldn't work? I
thought all adults were supposed to be suseptible to the 'puppy face'. Or
maybe it's just because by the time a girl passes the age of 12... it
doesn't work anymore. Or more likely... this was just the Hyuuga. I really
should have known better. If they weren't suseptible to adorable as a bunny
rabbit Hinata... what made me think they were going to be suseptible to the
likes of me? It was probably more out of habit than anything else, for if
I had known about the Hyuugas as much as I know about them now... I would
have realized that, to the Hyuugas, rabbits are nothing more than a decent
meal.
-----
When I saw the poker expressions on their face, I knew immediately, no
childhood tactic was going to work against 'them'. I could only hope that
Hiashi would not ask that question, and that if he asked Hinata would not
respond with complete and utter honesty. I wasn't going to be so lucky this
time. The first words out of Hiashi's mouth and I felt that I was doomed. No
other question could have been worse than...
-----
"Where have you two been?"
-----
Honest to god, she could have said anything. Anywhere at all. But this was
Hinata, and this was then. Her father was the person who she feared the most
out of all people, and she simply could not lie. Not that Hiashi wouldn't
have been able to tell immediately if she was telling the truth or not. So I
suppose it was almost a good thing, and even better was that she simply
couldn't say everything. Her nervousness made her stutter and all that
managed to come out was "T-t-t..th-the l-librr-rar... in th-the ea- the
east..." That was really all that was needed however, before a tremendous
amount of gasping and muttering erupted among the elder Hyuugas standing
there.
-----
Whispers of, "...the library in the east corner is forbidden to..." and
"...she took her there?" Those who were not whispering were looking at me
with those dreadfully scarry eyes full of suspicion and threat. I felt like
banging my head against something. After she said in such a nervous way, who
wouldn't be suspicious? I remember thinking that Neji would KILL me if he
realized what was happening... that is, if I wasn't going to be killed right
there on the spot. My innocent and carefree expression was becoming harder
and harder to maintain. However... it still stayed intact. Just as I was
about to completely despair, I heard among the hushed whispers one of the
Hyuugas saying something along the lines of "She's just a useless girl, what
could she possibly do." Maybe my luck still held somewhat after all. While,
in most situations this would have caused me to be very, very angry. At the
time, I was actually quite grateful. Once they started thinking along those
lines, I knew that all I had to do was foster the impression. The Hyuugas
have a tendency to underestimate people that appear to be weaker. This was
what eventually would allow me to escape unscathed. Their doubt was what led
them to actually check the library to see if anything was taken.
-----
And of course nothing was. I didn't actually take the scrolls. The method I
used only made a copy of it, and what I had taken out of the room was not
the original itself. They wouldn't find anything missing, and indeed they
did not. Not a single scroll was out of place for Hinata had put the scrolls
that we looked at precisely where they had been before. I thought they would
be satisfied... but they weren't. Not that I knew this at the time, but by
simply entering a library that was restricted to Hyuuga Main House members
only, I had committed some sort of crime. Naturally I felt they were being
completely unfair.
-----
"Um, excuse me... eh, gomenasai? I really didn't know that the library was forbidden.
Hinata-sama never told me. But please, don't blame her, I was only curious and
wanted to have a quick look. I couldn't see anything in there anyways, it
was way too dark and Hinata-sama told me that I wasn't allowed to check
anything out. I was kind of disappointed but oh well. I didn't take any
scrolls, honest. You can even search me if you want..."
-----
As much as I wasn't looking forward to the prospect of all these old men
using their bloodline to see through my clothes, I kind of figured it was
better than having them kill me. I cringed as I waited for one of them to
activate their Byakugan to search me. But thankfully none of them did as
some time after my statement Hiashi raised his hand and started rubbing the
bridge of his nose in annoyance.
-----
"Of course you didn't take anything. A seal on the doorway prevents any of
the scrolls inside from being taken out. In addition to that the design of
the room prevents anyone without a Byakugan from seeing anything they are
not supposed to see. However... you really were not supposed to enter the
library at all. I apologize if my daughter failed to tell you this. As of
right now... I shall take you to see the Eldest. In these situations, it is
he who will have to decide your fate. As for the rest of you, you are free
to leave."
-----
"You," Looking in my direction, he said, "Come with me."
-----
Hesitantly, all the other Hyuugas gradually left. I was taken down the long
corridor back in the direction from which we came. Except this time we made
a left at one of the junctions. This place was really very big. If I did not
have anybody leading me no doubt I would become lost within an hour.
I thought that I would be brought to some kind of elaborate hall like I had
heard about, maybe some kind of large throne-room as big as an entire
courtyard. However, this I found not to be the case. I was brought through
the front western courtyard towards a large building, but just before the
the entrance to an extremely large and empty hall, I was taken a sudden
sharp turn left. After a brief walk down the corridor and through the
western courtyard we arrived at a small pagoda-like hut. It didn't look so
fancy at all, and if I had not known any better I would have thought it was
some kind of large garden shed. I briefly considered the idea that maybe
Hiashi was going to lock me in some kind of shed until he finished talking
to whoever this 'Eldest' person was. But upon reaching the front door of the
'garden shed' Hiashi himself went up and gave a bow. At that point, I did
consider the Hyuugas a little crazy... but not crazy enough to bow to a mere
storage shed.
-----
"Come in."
-----
The door opened slowly, almost as if by itself. No one from the outside had
pushed it as far as I could tell. Only Hiashi walked into the room, I was
told to stay behind the entrance to the small dark room inside. I saw him
kneel in front of what appeared at first to be empty shadows. But as I
squinted my eyes just a bit, I could barely make out a shock of grayish
white hair on top of what appeared to be some sort of elevated ledge. The
figure was sitting in a position that I had seen Neji in many times before,
usually during intense meditation.
-----
"Explain your purpose here."
-----
Slowly and carefully the story of everything that occurred (that Hiashi knew,
of course) was told. After that a long pause ensued. Just when I was about to open
my mouth and say something to my own defense, I was addressed by the Eldest.
-----
"Tenten...ka?"
-----
This stunned me... for the reason that Hiashi had never once stated my name
within his account of my appearance within the Hyuuuga compound.
How the heck did he know my name? Nevertheless, despite my
shock, I replied as clearly as I could.
-----
"Sou... sou desu ka."
-----
"I have heard Hiashi's account and have considered the situation thoroughly.
Now, I want you to give your own account of your purpose for coming here.
But before that, step into this room."
-----
Before this point, I could not detect any sign of movement from
the Eldest within the shadows. However, upon making his
last request of me, he turned around in place. He did it without
any movement from any part of his body, sitting in the same position.
It was only then that I realized that the old man was actually suspended
in midair! With merely a barely detectable flare of chakara he now
faced the entrance of the door. His features were plain, and his face
contained wrinkles which showed his age. He also had various spots
on his face as old people generally do. And he had his eyes closed,
with might have been a bit strange for most, but I knew that he could
see me because he was a Hyuuga. Then he opened his eyes. I
stared and as if some unknown force was forcing me I
could not look away. I slowly entered the room and kneeled
alongside Hiashi-sama who at the time was gestured by the Eldest to rise.
I watched as he went and stood to the left of the doorway
blocking it halfway. It was almost as if he was guarding in case
I wished to leave without permission. As if I would.
The Eldest addressed me, and as he did so I turned around.
"Look at me closely. In front of these white eyes, you cannot lie. So do
not, or it will count against you. Ultimately your answer will decide wether
you will leave here alive."
-----
Maybe I should have been afraid. But for some reason I wasn't. Inside I felt
at peace because no matter what I did my heart was true and my intentions
were pure. There seemed nothing wrong in my mind with helping a friend. And
in the face of a law that was unfair, shouldn't it be changed?"
-----
"All I wanted to do when I came here was to train with Neji-san. I had
recently come up with a new attack and wanted to try it out. And to be
completely honest, I was also a little curious about this clan. I really
haven't met any Hyuugas other than Neji... and I wanted to know if all of
you were like him. I had always thought he was rather stuck up and a jerk.
But after today I think I've realized why he acts the way he does, and I
think it's because he hides a lot of pain inside. For a family whose name
means facing the sun, you folks sure have a lot of secrets. To get any of
you to even make small talk is like trying to pry open a clam. My only
intention was to satisfy my curiosity. And if in doing so I manage to help
Neji become less tense everytime we train, then even better. But if you're
really so paranoid..."
-----
After thinking for a while, I suddenly got a strange quirk in my noggin and
a gleam in my eyes. I think the Eldest noticed, because he seemed to
straighten even more and all of the sudden narrowed his eyes.
-----
"If you're really so paranoid, why don't you search me? I'm sure with
that Byakugan eye of yours that can see through walls you can tell if I'm hiding
anything on me. But before you do so, here's my weapons scrolls. You're free
to check those for anything suspicious. When you're done doing all of that
will you be satisfied?"
-----
He looked at me with what seems to be a curious expression for a moment.
Then he closed his eyes.
-----
I crossed my arms. I really didn't want to be searched in such a wierdly
perverted manner, but what the heck. The more I thought about it the more
the idea of any Hyuuga being a pervert made me want to laugh. Being as
stuffy as they were, I'd be surprised if they even reacted to grown women,
much less little 13 year old me.
-----
Nothing happened. This to me was odd. I remember every time Neji activated
his Byakugan he had to do a seal of some sort and veins along his temples
popped up. But... well... none of that happened. Instead all I noticed was a
gentle flow of chakara around me. It was strange, I felt as if I was being
prodded or something, but couldn't figure out what it was. After a brief
moment, the Eldest opened his eyes again and looked at me. He seemed less
tense before, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out why.
-----
"Hiashi. You are free to leave. This girl is harmless to our clan."
-----
"Arigatou, Eldest. Do you wish me to escort her back to the entrance?"
-----
"That's alright. In fact, it's getting late. In truth we should not have
been so rude; after all, you said Hinata invited her in did you not?
Therefore she is a visitor here. It wouldn't do for the Hyuuga clan to be
known for being rude to guests, now would it?"
-----
"No sir." Hiashi turned to me then, "You are welcome to stay here for dinner
if you wish. The dinning area is in the building directly outside of the
Main compound entrance. Be sure to arrive on time, dinner starts at 6."
After saying this he gave a curt bow to the Eldest, and then left. I
wondered how I was going to get to said dinning area. I hardly knew how to
get around, and no doubt I would get lost before I managed to find the
location of the dining area. But the worse of it seemed to have blown over
at least.
-----
"Sou ka. Hiashi said that you are Neji's team mate. This appears to be true.
-----
Now tell me again... what do you think of him?"
-----
"Umm, as I said before. I think he's a bit of a jerk. But now after all of
this I think I'm starting to get why he's such a jerk. And actually, I'm
really sort of used to it by now. Even his glares don't scare me as much as
they used to."
-----
"Ah, I see... But what I had meant was... what is your relationship with
him?"
-----
At this question, I was slightly shocked. What did this old man mean? Was he
teasing me? The way he said relationship... that wasn't suggestive was it? I
almost blushed. But I answered honestly as I could.
-----
"Well... that... I don't really know. I think recently we've started to
become friends. But I can't be so sure... it's hard to tell with guys like
him."
-----
"And yet you go to such lengths... Ah but never mind that. In truth, I myself
sometimes wonder if our ancestors weren't mistaken in creating this system
of Main and Branch. Ever since Hizashi's death... there have been, events
happening within the clan that you are not entitled to know. Suffice to say
you must make sure that none of the Main House members other than myself
know of your actions or it could spell disaster for you and Neji. Of
course... by now you probably know this already."
-----
"How...? And it’s not that I'm not grateful… demo... Why?"
-----
"Because, I too wish to see where fate leads this… In truth the likelihood of
Neji learning the techniques from those scrolls alone without guidance
from a Main House member is a one in a million chance at best. So,
even if you gave him the information on those scrolls it is unlikely that
he'll actually learn to do those moves on his own. Unless... he really is…
There is a favor which I would like to ask of you. But considering that
your relationship with Neji is not as deep as I had thought,
you have every right to refuse.
-----
If possible, I wish for you to act as a messenger between Neji and I.
Tell him when you see him again, that I support his efforts and will help him
ut as much as I can. Because if what I suspect is true, then within a generation
a change will come about within the Hyuuga clan, the likes of which has not been
since quite a few hundred years.