Chapter Text
"Thanks, Neji... For telling me... You only motivated me even further to start helping you, any way I can..."
And with that, Naruto left, with Neji calling after him, almost as if he could sense that something was up with him:
"Naruto, wait--"
???: "Neji? There you are, I have been looking all over for you!"
She didn't even notice the shift in Naruto's mood, as she was more preoccupied with approaching Neji, as she wanted to tell him something important.
"C'mon, Neji, you gotta come and see this! My visor is nearing its completion state! Neji...?"
The latter, still being mildly sunken in thought over how Naruto had just looked at him before leaving, having an innate feeling that, maybe, he probably shouldn't have spilled the beans about his clan like that, knowing how impulsive he can be, made him initially ignore Tenten's words, without meaning any offence. And either way, the Hyuga prodigy wasn't exactly known for social skills, with him also bearing the quirk of digging too deep into negative thoughts, fearing that, now that Naruto knows everything, from this point on, things might dicey. He thought to himself, lowering his gaze in anxiety, his lavender irises vibrating, fearing that the worst is yet to come, once someone that is involved in all this, slips up.
"...Was that really the right decision to tell him? I mean, Naruto is Naruto. He is never going to take any form of disrespect committed towards those he holds dear, sitting down. Once his mind is made up, you can't stop him. I just hope that... ...nothing bad is going to happen... ...but I have been wrong before."
And to lighten the mood, he was comically tugged out of trance by Tenten, snapping her fingers from her right hand, right in front of his face, asking, with Neji realizing that she was pouting at him this whole time, her cheeks puffing in a pretty cute way:
"Helloooooo. Earth to Neji. Are you off in a daze again?"
Neji awkwardly scratched the back of his head, as well, seeing Tenten behaving this way was awfully adorable to him, even when she is annoyed with him. Something about it just made his heart beat faster, and his cheeks garner more heat.
"Oh, Tenten...! Heh... Sorry about that, I seriously didn't mean any offence, I was just dwelling on something. Like always."
But then, she began smiling at him, which only made his flushed reaction even more intense. That damned derpy smile of hers, he thought. How does she do this?
"Ah, nevermind that! Listen, you gotta come with me! I just got done prepping the new visor into its prototype state, you have to see this, c'mon!"
And before he could guess, what came next, her patience waning, he felt himself getting tugged forward by the wrist by his teammate, which caused him to chuckle out loud, which was pure music to Tenten's ears, as she enjoyed to see Neji, who is usually the brooding loner, enjoying her presence.
"Haha! OK, OK! Sheesh, I am coming!"
Later, they both arrived at a humble, small workshop hut, located just outside the gates of Konoha. The wooden hut itself bore a very uncanny resemblance to Tenten's head, her eyes being the windows, the roof tiles trying to represent her hair, with the two hair buns representing small satellites, twirling around their own axis, to give the illusion of them looking like her hair buns. To give the place a well-needed chimney, because she was also a blacksmith that enjoys sharpening and repairing blades of all types, she had settled on building one, right on top of her head, in-between the satellites. And to make the entrance to her personal "kingdom" less off-putting, Tenten had settled on making, not her mouth the door, but moreover, her chin. And her nose was meant to filter out all the gathered water from the fallen rain, in the course of the months passed. With the ears being the built-in AC for when the interior gets too warm for her liking.
All this had become possible, thanks to the funds she had saved up on every mission she was a part of. And now, this was her domain. Where her dreams can finally become reality.
But Neji had to comically point out, looking mildly uncomfortable over all these designs choices of her workshop:
"Tenten, uh... Please don't take this personally, but... Even with the smart design choices, I cannot lie... I still cannot, for the life of me, grow used to knowing, THIS is meant to represent how your head looks. In the form of a hut. I think, if we were to perform the custom of Halloween around here, you may end up being a worthy contestant, if you give this hut a creepy makeover. I would put my bets on you winning this one. Easily."
But Tenten, the derpy girl that she truly was, misunderstood this as a compliment, although, deep down she knows, Neji was being serious, but she decides to play it off by saying, remaining in a peppy mood:
"Aww, you're making me blush over here, Neji! Yup, I am pretty proud of this. I get to sleep and hang out around here, all to my heart's content, just like how you would build a treehouse in the backyard. Now, invite yourself in, Hyuga boy. I got some magic tricks to show you."
"Well... Impress me."
And with that, Tenten pressed a certain button combination on a keypad near the gates, causing the doors to open up, revealing what her safe haven looked like on the inside. A big wooden table in the center, a corner for her blacksmith work, with gloves and protective gear scattered throughout, paired with a big oven and a big tub full of cold water to put the hot metal in, a whole bunch of working tools hung up by nails in one corner, a blowtorch, closed buckets full of paints in one corner, gloves on the table, and one corner having a ladder, that leads to her sleeping quarters. Where she can take a well-deserved afternoon nap, study, or play video games in peace. All this was built by her, with her own hands.
And to make Neji's visit an occasion, she had even set up multiple, differently colored pairs of crocs near the entrance, for her visitors to wear, just to make, whoever visits her, feel at home here. Off with the Tabi shoes, and letting the exhausted, worn feet just sink into the comfort of the crocs. To her, these things scream homely comfort. And Neji was willing to indulge in that for once...
...and he had to admit, the moment his feet settled into the softness of the loafers, he exhaled deeply, realizing now that this wasn't just an empty sales pitch. He really felt cozy, right about now.
"Oh my god, that feels good... You really weren't exaggerating. I feel like I am floating on clouds. I didn't even realize I needed this, after hours of practicing the Rotation, no less."
"Make yourself at home... And now... Here is my feature presentation. Observe."
She grabbed something that was right on the table. An object that could have gotten initially mistaken for a monocle. But once she turned it on, letting it come to life, and positioned it over her right eye, Neji immediately understood what that was.
"The Byakugan Visor."
Neji felt pretty impressed by that. She had actually managed to craft something out of his given blood sample. Turning it into "glasses" to, if he were to assume, replicate the main attributes of the Byakugan.
He had faith in Tenten's craftsmanship, which is why, he willfully volunteered to give her his Hyuga DNA, knowing she will bring her magic to life here, but to see this unionized project of theirs "finalized", even with it remaining a prototype for now, was truly a sight to behold for him.
"It actually worked, hm? And all that, with a single drop of blood from me. You really are a master craftsman in the making, aren't you?"
Tenten, not exactly being used to open appraisal like this, let alone from Neji, whom she mostly remembers being too prideful to express such things, comically made her blush and wobble like a dork, stating:
"Aww, c'mon, Neji! C'mon! You jerk! I really don't need it! I don't! It hits differently when it's you praising me! You're making me blush over here!"
Before pulling herself together, immediately, as she needed to test, if this thing actually works. Imitating Neji's pose, whenever he activates the Byakugan in matches, she calls out:
"Byakugan!"
And then, the visor truly comes to life. An electric humming sound escaped from the small piece of machinery over her right eye, and once she started looking around...
...she began smirking. It works. She can actually see right through all these solid objects in her surroundings. But the real test to see, if this baby got what it takes to be taken straight to the field-testing, she focuses the visor on Neji, wanting to see if she can see his chakra flow...
...and indeed, she saw it. All chakra pressure points were revealed to her. And that caused her to squeal and jump around like a dork, realizing, these countless hours of wiring and re-tooling, actually paid off.
"Neji! I can see your chakra points! I did it!"
He curled an eyebrow, growing a little curious himself, but all the same, seeing her being this happy, actually made his day. Every time. He gets up from the workbench, wanting to see what all the fuss is about.
"Really? Can I test it? I know, I may not need this, but if you want someone else to use it, I will have to become part of the testing process. If you don't mind."
"Sure, here you go."
Immediately, she takes it off, and brushes Neji's hair aside to reveal his ear, to position it properly over his right eye, with the "strap" going behind his ear, for solid positioning, so that it doesn't fall off, while fighting. That gesture caused the Hyuga to get flustered again, as that hand gesture of hers, touching his hair no less ever so carefully, made his heart thump against his ribcage. And only Tenten ever managed to get that sort of reaction out of him.
Before clearing his voice and getting back to the task at hand, immediately. And he realized, Tenten really wasn't kidding. She had just managed to make the Byakugan work externally, in the form of glasses, or more precisely, as a monocle, for now. He looked around himself. And it was just like using the real deal, in fact, it felt pretty strange and foreign to him to not have to activate his own Byakugan to get this thing to run. He was getting a tiny bit of a headache after a few minutes, needing to take it off, and return it to her. Rubbing his temple, all the while, to get that headache sorted out.
But he remains blown away, either way, and he tells her, a smile grin forming on his lips:
"Nice job, Tenten. You actually got it to work. With the help of my blood sample. That is a feat, that deserves a little bit more recognition. Which reminds me... ...Is Lady Tsunade aware of what you are doing here?"
That made Tenten nod vigorously, as she pointed to the signed certificate, hanging on one of the walls. With Tsunade's own signature.
"Yup, she sure does. Hey, a girl gotta find some way to impress her idol, right? In case you don't know it yet, but after witnessing Lady Tsunade's healing prowess, I was even more motivated to get this whole venture started. And this baby here..."
Showing the Byakugan visor to him, looking pretty serious about this.
"...Might just be MY ticket to get her definitive recognition."
However, even though he wanted to feel happy for her, something very obvious held him back...
...is the Hyuga clan aware of this, too? Because that is one portion from the fine print, that truly worries him. Even if they did agree to it, however Tsunade managed to pull that one off, considering how protective the Hyuga elders were in regards to their own Kekkei Genkai...
...this truly makes him start to fear for Tenten's life. If they find out about this, not only will she be in big trouble, but all the other Side Branch members might as well get their lives put at risk.
And not wanting to be careless, and leaving her in the dark, he needs to come clean with her. He is really impressed with this, but he cannot pretend that this doesn't bear even the tiniest ounce of genuine endangerment to her life, and that of his Side Branch family. He slowly wants to ease her into this topic, by taking on a more gentle tone of voice, while folding his arms, and looking genuinely concerned.
"...Tenten. I know the timing of this might be all off, but... As a member of the Side Branch, it is of pure obligation to me, to warn you about the risks that lie within your research. I am not telling you to stop, or anything... Honestly, pissing off my uncle and the older guard is filling me with a level of glee, you wouldn't find anywhere else. But I cannot, for your sake, and that of my family, hide this particular fine print from you: The Hyuga body is very protective of the Byakugan. So much so, that, even if it's legally binding, they will stop at nothing to "keep the bloodline pure and untampered with". That includes research being conducted on the eye itself, running the risk of them losing the so-called "purity" of it... ...Whatever that means."
That actually caused to snap Tenten out of her cheerful prancing, as she just caught on to what Neji was implying. And immediately, that filled her with a level of anxiety that could potentially make someone puke on the spot, but she remained calm, to the best of her ability, even with her heart rate picking up in sheer, unfiltered panic, unable to hide this from Neji.
"...Am I committing a crime, without even realizing it, then...? Is that what you're telling me?"
But Neji firmly puts both hands on her shoulders to calm her down, telling her, with a serious, yet also grim expression on his face:
"No, Tenten. You're not. They may treat it as such, but I don't. The only reason why they view it as a form of "breach" into the secrets of the clan, is purely birthed from the current circumstances that me, and the other Side Branch members live in. Do NOT be scared. You have full clearance from Tsunade, and me, to continue your research, as planned by you. In fact, what if I were to tell you, that, even at the worst of it, the other Side Branch members would, in all actuality, wholeheartedly welcome your course of action... ...Even if their lives would be put at stake here?"
That made the weapon's master stare in pure astonishment. But she really didn't like the implications of it. They are "fine" with one outsider girl putting their lives in danger, because... curiosity killed the cat? And either way, she now grew curious. She is more than aware of how closed-off and reserved Neji can be, unwilling to share vital information about his private life, but since they were already amongst themselves, with no one else around to eavesdrop, and because he had made it more than clear, ever since they had begun growing closer over time, that he loosened up, majorly, after his loss to Naruto...
...why not dig a little deeper? However, she hated being pushy about it, so she decided to tread more carefully through that potential, emotional minefield for him.
"But... Pray tell... What is so special about the Byakugan, that it needs this level of..."
Her eyes fall on his metal-guarded forehead, obviously alluding towards the Caged Bird Seal. And Neji immediately knew what she was focusing on.
"..."protection", to begin with? What is so sacred about it? Is there something I am missing?"
This caused the Side Branch prodigy to look more resigned, as he knew, sooner or later, she would start asking questions of this personal depth for him. And he knew, there is no sense in keeping it hidden from her, she is already informed on the curse mark, in general, as such, might as well.
"Alright... But I need you to listen very carefully, and it's best preferred, if you are not going around, using a loudspeaker to spill the beans about this, OK? The Hyuga elders already got their eyes on me for being "too rebellious" for my own good, there is no telling to which lengths they will be willing to go, to assert their "dominance", or rather, "carefully-constructed politically driven murder". Are we in the clear?"
Tenten then presses a button that locks the gate behind them, closes all the windows, obscures them with covers, and allows sound buffers to fill in the walls to make it all sound-proof. And that caused Neji, despite the weird precision of it, to exhale in a genuinely relieved way, telling her:
"I swear, Tenten, you could potentially have a knack for kidnapping people, and locking them up in your "basement" for whatever morbid experiments you might be planning, but, for now... I am going to treat it as an oversight, as that isn't important right now."
"You're welcome, too, Neji."
"Anyways..."
His expression shifted to something genuinely serious and profound. They both began taking a seat next to one another, on huge, fluffy beanbags that she so thoughtfully provided for him to rest against. And Tenten made a relaxed posture, signalizing to him, she was ready for whatever bombshell he was about to drop on her. Taking a deep breath, he began speaking.
"Honestly... It hadn't always been this way... There was a time where the Hyuga clan wasn't only renowned, feared, but more importantly... Respected. In all the lands, even beyond the borders of the Land of Fire. A clan, with a prestige, that far succeeded even that of the Senju clan, and the Uchiha clan. Two of the founding father clans of this very same village."
FLASHBACK
We see images flashing by, of the Hyuga clan insignia, as a flag, being raised high, right between the flags representing the Senju and the Uchiha clan. And we see three figures, standing tall, side-by-side, like three titans, preparing for conflicts that are yet to arise in the future.
Hashirama Senju.
Madara Uchiha.
And the founding father of the Hyuga clan...
Seimei Hyuga.
But what made that leader stand out, as opposed to the other two in the frame, was the fact that the leader was a "she". A woman, so beautiful, so stunning and so fearsome, she was referred to as the "White Peony".
Neji: "Among the many clan leaders from the days of old, who had come together to become the founding fathers of the Leaf village, was one woman, that even the likes of Madara would kneel in fear and respect for her. Someone, who, even the most devoted of lovers like Hashirama, would have nearly made the guiltless choice of cheating on Mito Uzumaki, just to be with her, and be in her good graces... Her name? ...Seimei Hyuga."
Tenten: "...Your clan's founder was female?"
Neji: "Indeed. In fact, not only was she the woman to introduce, define and perfect the arts behind the Gentle Fist, she was also said to be so undeniably beautiful that, the legends say, every last strand of her long, immaculate, brunette hair, was shared as a gift among the other Hyuga members, both as a gift for longevity and prosperity. Specifically for the off-spring of the families, hoping that her beauty would carry over to the rest of her clan. She never settled for mediocrity, she always demanded only the best. As a matter of fact, the moment, whenever she stepped into a room, without fail, all eyes ended up being on her. Radiating an aura that would make the other clan founders kneel, purely on automation, without her even needing to ask."
But then, we shift focus to the war periods, the first, the second and the third. We see images flashing by of Hyuga clan members participating in all three major shinobi wars. And the scenery was gruesome, especially the first war, which was most devastating to the Hyuga. So many of their clan members were lost in the first one, and this is where it all ended up coming together. Which was to shape the remainder of history, for the clan...
...the premature passing of Seimei Hyuga.
And that is when everything took a dark turn. Neji was quick to signalize to Tenten, over how his tone shifted from whimsicalness, to that of cold, unforgiving resignation.
Neji: "But, like every positive thing in life, even the prettiest of flowers will wither away. And that is exactly what happened to Seimei. She fell victim to an assassination attempt, aimed at her life, but the worst part... ...the murderer, who took her life, was someone from the Uchiha clan. Not even someone from the higher ups, it was a lowly contract killer, sent by someone in Madara's family, which had remained a secret to this very day, on who might have ordered the assassination. Naturally, Madara was the easiest target, and once Tobirama came into the picture, the festering hatred and bias towards the Uchiha clan, truly began manifesting, with Seimei's passing, having only added more fuel to the fire."
That fact made him think about Sasuke. He knew for way longer, before even Team 7, and the Sasuke Retrieval Mission, why the young Uchiha couldn't bear to stay any longer in the village. His clan had been the subject of hatred and ill intent, for quite some time, now. Considering how no one from the village, safe for him, Shikamaru and Kiba, along with Team 7, truly saw him, what was the point of staying? Especially when someone from your own clan threatens to kill every last remnant of the people you grew to love and care about. You naturally become desperate, after a while.
And here is the disturbing part: According to rumors, the assassination attempt, aimed at Seimei’s life, had been planned to prevent the birth of something, but what it exactly was, no one knew. At least…
…the Side Branch remains in the dark about all this. Apparently, Seimei was protecting something with her life, before passing. Not only had she been a frontline fighter in the war, leading her clan into battle, it would seem that, for one moment, her pale lavender eyes began having an otherworldly glow that was affecting her blood-given dojutsu. And the Uchiha were feeling threatened over something, but again, no one knows what it exactly was that they were fearing with them.
Ironically, here came the twist to this story...
...the moment Seimei passed on, the Hyuga council, as a desperate measure to keep the clan alive and prosperous, considering most of their best fighters were lost to the first great ninja war, made the profoundly morbid, but necessary counter-measure...
...inbreeding. And we see how, in desperate need to keep the Hyuga clan from being wiped out completely, two familial branches were formed. The Main Branch and the Side Branch. And that decision came from none other than Hiashi and Hizashi's father... Nisshō Hyuga.
And the morbid part about all this, which is what truly served to make Neji’s blood boil: This decision wasn’t accidental, or the end result of poor planning, it was all deliberate. They knew exactly what they were doing, because, by knowingly interbreeding amongst distant family members, it would cause one half of the family to be calculated, to a tee, to be always weaker than the Main Branch member, whose blood remained untampered with, as the relatives they would marry and have children with, would be completely disconnected from the other, closer half of the family. Throwing this entire power dynamic between familial branches, completely off-balance, causing one Byakugan pair to be always weaker by default, than the Byakugan of the Main Branch, meaning, they all grew morally and emotionally dependent on them. And should they talk back, the repercussions were severe.
Neji: "And if you ever wondered, how the Side and Main Branch was even founded... That ended up being the brainchild of my, Hinata and Hanabi's grandfather, the current leader of the Hyuga council, Nisshō Hyuga."
Just saying his name aloud, caused Neji, in the present day, to tightly form his hands into fists so tight, they both nearly went pale from lack of blood flow. And Tenten was quick to pick up on that, as she could tell: Neji is bearing so much repressed hatred for the Hyuga elder. And with barely contained fury, lingering in his wording, he continued by saying:
Neji: "My clan was so deeply disillusioned by the loss of Seimei, and many of its best soldiers that the Hyuga went from one of the proudest, and most prominent clans in the Leaf, to one of the most reclusive, and self-serving ones... And with the Senju clan wiped from historical records, and with the Uchiha clan completely wiped off the map, the Hyuga elders, in their sheer, unapologetic narcissism, began claiming that now, they deserve to call themselves, "the strongest clan in the Leaf village"... All the while, they were running a monopoly, within the village's borders, on how to run a legal slave trading system. Every time someone gets born into the Side Branch, because one Hyuga was born, through the unfortunate circumstance of inbreeding, they would not only live to serve the Main Branch unconditionally, no... They would also..."
And we see a horrifying imagery of a ritual being performed in which the Caged Bird Seal was burned onto the forehead of one of the Side Branch members. Forced to live in servitude of the Main Branch family. Unconditionally...
...and then, we witness one Side Branch member murdering their grandfather, who was from the Main Branch, unwilling to take any more humiliation from them...
...with the Caged Bird Seal going off, causing the Side Branch member to collapse, being practically lobotomized for life. Unable to continue fighting, forced to become a servant of the council members.
END OF FLASHBACK
Back in the present day, Neji takes off his headband to show the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead, his gaze darkening majorly.
"...get burn-marked with the same seal that you see here on my forehead. Should I ever have that one fleeting moment of losing control over my emotions and actions... ...I might as well put down that headband for good. For the remainder of my lifespan."
The implications of his words, not wanting to elaborate, as it even terrified him to think about, truly gave Tenten's goosebumps. Essentially, she began putting all the pieces together in her mind, and she had come to sad realization:
"So... Neji... You are an... in-bred child?"
Hearing her saying that out loud...
...caused Neji's shoulder to shiver, not in fury, but unrelenting grief and sorrow, as all his rage, that he used to fester for the Main Branch family, even Hinata and Hanabi, was purely given life, through that damned curse mark on his head, paired with the selfish, cruel decisions of a family, that had grown so divided and preoccupied with self-preservation, instead of living in the present, clinging to hopes that supposedly "died" with their clan founder...
...and with the decades passing by, this political hierarchy within his family continues to box him back into a corner, reminding him that, even with all his best attributes, all he was, was just a number. Hesitantly, he responded, barely able to keep his emotions in-check:
"Y-Yes... Honestly... I-I am sorry for dumping all this exposition on you, Tenten, I... I just... I didn't even realize how much I had desired for... someone to hear this from me... Everyone calls me a genius. A prodigy. A beacon of hope for the future of the clan... But the truth is... ...I just... ...I just..."
Soon, his emotions got the better of him, and he began instinctively leaning his face against Tenten's shoulder, unfiltered, raw sobs escaping from his lips, realizing only now, that...
...he felt trapped, just like his beloved cousin. He shakily told her:
"W-Why else do you think, I... I want Hinata... To leave...? She is too good for the clan... Let alone her father and his father before him... She HAS to leave Tenten... I cannot bear to even think about... What they might be doing to her... When she fails to meet their impossible demands..."
Without even hesitating, her eyes growing watery as well, she gently wrapped her arms around the Hyuga, allowing him to rest on her, telling him:
"Don't worry, Neji... I have faith in Hinata... No matter what these old fools shall decide to fling at her... We mustn't lose faith in her, that would be the same as admitting defeat... And by the way..."
Her voice growing so soft, it could be the equivalent to a butterfly, landing on someone's nose tip, she tells him, as she lets him relieve all those years of pent-up anger and frustration directed at his family, on her shoulder:
"...Don't be afraid to let me know, when you're feeling upset... I will be more than happy to support you, any way I can, Neji... No need to act tough around me... You have been doing this for far too long..."
"..."
Wordlessly, he wraps his arms around her back in return, with the weapon master letting him know he has been craving this kind of comfort for years, but was always too ashamed to listen to his own needs...
TO BE CONTINUED…