Akeboshi here! I hope you enjoy this as much as you have enjoyed the rest of my stories!
Her footsteps echoed down the hallways as she rushed out of her home. The five year old was late, very late. Well, not very late… She was just your typical little panicking shy girl after all so she was worried about being late. Her glowing silver eyes scanned over everything she passed by as she ran. She waved at her father as she slipped out the front door. She ran down the pathway leading to the gates of the compound, only skidding to a halt upon seeing the clan leader and his wife. "Hiashi-sama, Hinori-sama." She greeted and the two of them offered the little girl small smiles.
"Ivara, be careful today." Hinori said and Ivara smiled and nodded to the violet haired woman.
You thought this was another one focused solely around Hinata, huh? Nope, this story is about her cousin.
Her name was Ivara Hyuuga, eldest daughter of Hizashi Hyuuga. She had the typical dark brown hair that the Hyuuga had. Her eyes were more silver than white, and this was in the manner of saying they appeared metallic instead of the usual flat grey. The curse mark adorned her forehead, but she didn't mind, her bangs covered it up for the most part. She didn't care that she was part of the branch family, that didn't matter to her in the slightest.
She was a shinobi; she wasn't going to be labeled because of her family's petty views.
The small building at the end of the road came into view and she smiled brightly. She slowed her run and reached for the door to open it, only for her to run right into someone. "S-sorry." She stammered as she stood and helped the other person up. She looked the girl in the eyes and they blinked in confusion. "Whoa… you look just like me." the other girl said and Ivara blushed and fumbled with her fingers. "E-except our eyes…" she said softly and the other girl grinned. "My name is Izumi, what's yours?" the darker eyed girl asked and Ivara opened her mouth to speak but she clamped her mouth shut once more.
"I-Ivara…" she managed and Izumi grinned at her. "Bow of the hunter?" she asked and Ivara nodded. "It's pretty." Izumi said and Ivara stared at her in awe. "Would you wanna be my friend? You're joining the academy aren't you?" she asked and Ivara nodded softly. "I w-would like that…" Ivara whispered and Izumi grinned and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the building. "Mitarashi-sensei!" Izumi called and the dark haired man turned to face her. "I found Ivara-chan!" she said and the black haired man smiled lightly, running a hand through his somewhat short spikey hair.
"Ivara Hyuuga, right?" he asked and Ivara fumbled over her words in her panic. Izumi giggled and nodded at him. "Yeah, she's Ivara Hyuuga." Izumi said and he rocked his head to the side in an iffy manner. "Jinn-san." Another voice called out and Ivara hid behind Izumi as the older man walked into the academy building. "Ah! Fugaku-san!" Jinn Mitarashi greeted and the older man smiled slightly. "This is Itachi. I brought him down because I thought I would take a look at the group, seeing as these kids are starting younger than the others." Fugaku said and Jinn nodded in understanding. "Itachi-kun!" Izumi chirped happily and the boy looked her way and smiled lightly.
"Izumi, I heard you were coming today." He said softly and Izumi grinned. "This is going to be so much fun!" Izumi chirped happily. "Oh! This is Ivara!" Izumi said forcing the other girl from behind her. Itachi watched the girl in confusion, his gaze shifting from Izumi to Ivara. "You look alike…" he said and his gaze lingered on Ivara, who was struggling to breathe. Her face was turning red because of the attention she was getting. "Oh no… Ivara." Jinn began and reached for the young girl, only for her eyes to roll up and she hit the floor. "Izumi, what happened?" Jinn asked and Izumi blushed.
"I was just introducing her to Itachi-kun…" she whispered and Jinn sighed. "Her father warned me this may happen…" Jinn sighed and rubbed his brow. "Is she going to be alright?" Itachi asked and Jinn nodded. "Yeah, she will be just fine once she wakes. She's just shy is all." Jinn laughed and Fugaku chuckled. "When you go to choose teams put her with an Inuzuka, she'll get over the shyness after a while." He said and Jinn chuckled. "Well, I suppose that may be true, seeing as we have the pleasure of having Hana Inuzuka here with us this year." Jinn said and Fugaku looked over where Tsume sat with her feet propped up on Jinn's desk, Hana sitting with her legs hanging off the desk.
Ivara sat up and looked around, her cheeks still tinted pink. Izumi and Itachi were crouched in front of her and she blushed deeper. "We can move further away if it's personal space issues you have…" Itachi offered and she slowly looked up at him. "U-um… no it's o-ok…" she whispered and he offered her a hand. She took it and he helped her up. "Oh, Ivara. Here. Take this back to your father and have him go through everything and make sure this is ok. You're all younger than the last few groups of academy graduates and I want to make sure all of your families know the risks and are alright with them." Jinn said and Ivara bit her lip and took the packet.
"You all won't start until next year, but I want to make sure all the paperwork is in order now. You will be able to come here during the week and train, seeing as I want you all as prepared as possible for when you actually do start. However, we will not be going in depth in anything just yet, it will be chakra control training and kunai/ shuriken training until next year when you all officially start." Jinn said and all the young potential students chattered amongst themselves excitedly. Ivara looked down at the packet in her hands and sighed.
"Hey… Ivara." Izumi called and she looked over at the other girl. "What is that on your forehead?" Izumi asked and Ivara almost dropped the envelope in her grasp. "Izumi!" Fugaku's scolding tone cut through the silence and Izumi looked over at her clan leader in fear. "F-Fugaku-sama?" Izumi stammered, fear in her dark eyes as she looked up at him. Itachi's eyes were glued to Ivara now. "It's not polite to ask about things like that." Fugaku said with a frown. "Forgive me, Ivara." Izumi said, her tone saddened and Ivara frowned.
"It's alright…" Ivara began, but Fugaku cut her off. "It's not, forgive me for being harsh, Ivara, but that isn't something you randomly ask about…" Fugaku said and Ivara offered a small smile. "I promise, it's ok." She said and she slowly pulled her bangs away to tuck them behind her ear and show off the marking on her forehead. It was slightly different in color than most of the curse marks he had seen. It was a lighter shade of green than they usually were, it was so light of a green that it looked blue. "I'm not ashamed of my c-curse mark. I'm not ashamed that I am of b-branch family…" she said softly and Fugaku stared at her in confusion.
"T-this mark does not define me. It does not d-define how strong I could be, and it does not define w-who I am or who I w-will be…" she whispered and Fugaku placed his hand on her head and crouched before her. "Good. All the Hyuuga I know are ashamed and angry. They hate that mark and everything it represents." He said and ruffled her hair softly. He looked up at Jinn, who held a smirk. "She's going to be a good one. Teach her well." He said and Jinn nodded. "I'm s-sorry you got in trouble Izumi…" Ivara whispered and Izumi shook her head. "I shouldn't have asked. I didn't know what it meant." Izumi said and Ivara opened her arms to the other girl, who hugged her in apology.
"I think it is very pretty though." Izumi said as she stepped away from her new friend. "T-thank you…" Ivara whispered and Izumi laughed, causing Ivara to look up at her. "We should come up here every day so we can get really good at being shinobi." Izumi suggested and Ivara nodded at her rapidly. "O-of course! That way we can get s-strong together!" Ivara said grinning at her new friend. "What about you Itachi, you wanna join us?" she asked and he offered a small smile. "Of course." He said and the girls beamed at each other. "Ivara." A woman's voice called and Ivara looked up and saw Hinori Hyuuga standing in the doorway.
Ivara's eyes went wide and she bowed swiftly. "Auntie Hinori." She greeted and the woman brushed the hair out of Ivara's face. "Come dear, your father was beginning to worry." She said and Ivara looked up at her in horror. "I'm so sorry I took so long." She stammered in terror and both Itachi and Izumi looked at her in confusion. "Ivara?" Izumi called and Hinori looked over at the two Uchiha children standing there. "You made friends." Hinori said softly, a small smile adorning her lips."Uncle isn't upset is he?" Ivara asked and Hinori shook her head. "Hiashi isn't upset, I just wanted to come see if you were alright, as I said your father was worrying again." Hinori said with a small smile.
"Daddy worries a lot doesn't he?" Ivara asked softly as she turned to Izumi and Itachi. "This is my Auntie Hinori." She introduced softly then turned to her aunt. "Auntie, these are my new friends…" she said and took a quick breath. "I-Itachi, and Izumi-chan… they're Uchiha." Ivara said softly and the woman smiled at the other two children. "Pleasure to meet you." Hinori greeted and the two Uchiha children bowed in greeting. "We must go, but I look forward to seeing all of you around." Hinori said and Jinn smiled as he waved at her. Ivara ran ahead of Hinori, but remained within the elegant woman's field of vision, although that wasn't an issue either way, seeing as she had Byakugan.
"Jinn sent me a note by Pidgeon saying you fainted today… What happened, dear?" she asked and Ivara looked up at her aunt in shame. "I try so hard not to…" she said and Hinori smiled. "I know, dear. I know." Hinori said and Ivara looked up at her. "Would you believe me if I told you that I used to faint as well?" Hinori asked and Ivara shook her head rapidly. "N-no way. Not you auntie, you're so strong I don't believe that." Ivara said and Hinori laughed. "Ah, dear, but I did. I was such a panic stricken teen that I'd send my mind into overdrive. I fainted more often than not. I think it's a thing for some of the Hyuuga women." Hinori giggled as Ivara trotted backwards in front of her, her eyes holding a keen interest.
"Why do you t-think that?" Ivara asked softly and Hinori smiled brightly. "I think that we panic when we feel some type of way. You'll understand when you're older, but for now I'm going to tell you that your uncle was the cause of most of my fainting spells." Hinori said and Ivara tilted her head to the side. She didn't quite understand. "Uncle made you faint?" she asked and Hinori nodded. "Yes, your uncle was the reason for my fainting spells. So what made you faint today?" Hinori asked and Ivara shook her head.
"I… I don't know… I thought I was doing ok, but t-then Izumi-chan introduced me to Itachi-san and I don't know what h-happened." Ivara whispered in embarrassment and Hinori bit her lip to attempt to hold back her smile, but the mirth in her eyes was unable to be hidden. "Ivara!" Hizashi called and the little girl ran right to her father and latched onto his leg. He laughed and pulled her from his leg and hugged her tightly. "You worry too much, daddy." She giggled and Hizashi sighed. "I worry just enough, thank you." He chuckled and adjusted her so that she was on his hip.
"You're getting so big." He sighed and she giggled. "How was your day?" he asked and she grinned at him. "She made friends already Hizashi apparently you had nothing to worry about." Hinori said and Ivara grinned at her father. "They are Uchiha none-the-less." Hinori added and her father gave her an impressed look. "Is this true?" he asked and Ivara nodded rapidly. "Izumi-chan and Itachi-san." She chirped and her father nodded. "Good for you, so are you going to practice with me and your uncle today or are you going to take a nap?" Hizashi asked and Ivara thought about it for a moment then smiled.
"I wanna do gentle fist with you and uncle." She said and he nodded. "Alrighty then, my little Kunoichi, lets head on over to uncle Hiashi's then." Hizashi said and set her down. Ivara pulled her hair into a low ponytail as she trailed behind her father. They arrived at the main branch's dojo and Hizashi averted his eyes away from all the main branch members. They didn't care for him, which angered Ivara. She watched as her father held his head and shoulders low, but she did the opposite. She turned her nose up at the main branch members and set her shoulders to a position of confidence she knew she didn't have. They wouldn't say a word to her because she was a child, and the first born out of the two brothers.
The adults wouldn't say anything to her, but the older main branch kids were sneering at her. They would be the ones to do something, Ivara knew this; but she didn't like the fact her father was treated so badly. They entered the dojo and Hiashi was already inside, sending rapid hits to the training dummy across the room. "Hizashi, Ivara." He greeted and Ivara rushed over to him and tried to hug his leg like she always did, but someone appeared before her uncle and sent her flying backwards at the floor. She picked herself up off the floor and looked at the person who had hit her. He didn't look but to be about twelve, but he was bigger than she was. "Forgive me Ivara. I didn't know he would be here." Her father said and the distaste in her father's voice confused her.
She looked up at the boy and his bored white eyes looked everywhere but at her. "F-fight me." she stammered, catching her uncle and her father off guard. "I don't take children seriously." He sighed and Hiashi frowned at the boy. "I want you to f-fight me." she said once more and the boy rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to waste my time fighting a five year old from Branch house." He said offhandedly and Hizashi placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Ivara, don't mind him. It will be ok…" Hizashi said and Hiashi frowned. "Fight the girl, Dozu. Humor her." Hiashi said and Hizashi stared at his twin in shock. "Brother." Hizashi began but Ivara fell into the gentle fist stance.
"You don't even have Byakugan, you're just going to lose and it is going to be all your fault; so don't go crying to your mommy after I win." He said and she puffed out her cheeks in anger. "Brother, promise me you will stop this if it begins to get out of hand." Hizashi pleaded and Hiashi nodded. "I promise brother, you brought her here to train, did you not?" Hiashi asked and Ivara looked up at her father from the corner of her eyes. He could see the fear in her eyes, but he could also see her determination. "Yes… she came here to train."
"How better to teach her than to allow her to actually fight someone instead of practicing stances all day?" Hiashi asked and Ivara glanced back at her father as he stepped away. Her shaky eyes flicked back to the boy in front of her who dropped down into a more refined version of her stance. Ivara took a shaky breath then rushed at him. He dodged her hits effortlessly, but then leaned into a rotation, which sent her flying across the dojo. Hizashi wanted nothing more than to run over to her, but she stumbled back to her feet with tears in her eyes. "Practicing stances is much different than actually fighting, brat. Did you think it would be easy?" Dozu asked as he continued to kick her around.
She hit the floor and rolled back a few times. She was getting rag dolled by this older kid and there was nothing she could do about it…
Hizashi made a move to interfere, but Hiashi stopped him by holding his arm out in front of his brother. Hizashi looked at his twin with anger in his eyes, but once he saw the sadness in Hiashi's eyes he looked over to Ivara once more, who was struggling to get to her feet once more. "I won't call it off unless she says she quits or I think she can't continue." Hiashi said and Hizashi fisted his hands and watched his daughter continue to struggle. It was taking all of his willpower not to run over to her. She forced herself back to her feet and wiped the blood from her busted lip off on her sleeve.
"Why do you continue to try when you know you'll always lose?" Dozu sighed as he lunged at her once more, but he missed this time. He blinked and activated his Byakugan to see where she had gone. She was standing behind him struggling to keep standing. She dropped into her stance and rushed at him once more. He slapped away all of her hits then slipped down and swept her off her feet with a swift kick. He stepped back and waited for her to stand again. She struggled to shove herself off the floor, but eventually she managed it. She closed her eyes and was breathing hard. She rushed at him once more, but she didn't drop into the gentle fist stance like she had every other time before.
Dozu dropped into a lax stance and reared one hand back behind him. He waited for her to get close and then he lunged for her, instead of connecting with her his hand connected with the wooden floor, the force of the gentle fist hit sending splinters up from the floor. He spun towards her only to see her cheeks puff up. He furrowed his brow and tried to hit her once more, but she released the chakra that had built up in her cheeks, sending a ball of fire straight at him. It hit him and he yelped in pain, only to then begin kicking the smaller girl in his anger. Hiashi lunged at the boy faster than Hizashi had and sent the boy into the wall with a swift empty palm hit.
Hizashi crouched beside his daughter, who had her arms wrapped securely around her head and her knees pulled into her chest. "Are you alright, Ivara?" her father asked as he lifted her from her curled up position. He expected her to be crying, but she just smiled brightly at him. "Where did you learn that from?" Hiashi asked as he crouched beside her as well. "Forgive me, Ivara, I didn't know he would resort to such measures." Hiashi added and she smiled. "I'm ok. I promise." She said as she smiled at her uncle. "Did I do good?" she asked and he offered a small smile.
"I'm impressed, aren't you brother?" Hiashi asked and Hizashi nodded. "I am very impressed. I had no idea you had been training on your chakra control so in depth, I also didn't know you were messing with the elements." Her father said and she grinned. "I'm not strong yet… but I want to become very strong just to I can make you and uncle very proud." She said and Hiashi smiled. "Well, when that day comes that you are very strong, I want you to teach my children. They need a great cousin to show them what it means to be strong." Hiashi said and Hizashi smiled at his twin. "I would love that!" Ivara chirped and Hiashi chuckled.
"Now, let's go get you to a medic before your mother throws a fit because you got hurt like this. Come back tomorrow and we can all do some control training. How about that, Ivara?" Hiashi asked and she stared up at her uncle in excitement and awe. "R-really? You mean it?" she asked and he nodded. "As long as your father will drop by as well." Hiashi said and Ivara stared at her father with big pleading silver eyes. Her lower lip trembled and her father sighed. "Before you do the pout, yes. We can come back tomorrow." Hizashi said and Hiashi laughed as he ruffled Ivara's hair softly.
Hiashi picked Ivara up and set her on his shoulders as they made their way to the medic's office down the street from the compound. "Wow. It's so pretty from up here." She whispered and Hizashi smiled at his daughter. "Uncle, daddy, it must be nice being tall. Do you like being tall?" she asked and leaned forwards to look her uncle in the eyes. He chuckled and nodded. "Yes, I enjoy being tall. I can see everything and then I can hold you up here so you can see it all better." Hiashi said and Ivara giggled. "It is nice being tall, Ivara; but once you get tall you have to do adult things. Adult things aren't fun." Hizashi sighed and Ivara gave the thought a disgusted grimace. "I don't wanna grow up yet…" she whined, causing her father and uncle to laugh.
"The good things about being a tall grown up far outweigh the bad though, dear." Hinori said as she caught up with her husband and brother in law. "Auntie Hinori!" Ivara chirped delightfully and Hinori smiled as she linked her arm with her husband's. "What kind of good things, auntie Hinori?" Ivara asked and Hinori smiled. "Well, for one. You meet a wonderful man to stay by your side forever." Hinori said and Ivara thought about it for a moment. "Like you and uncle, and daddy and momma?" she asked and Hinori nodded. "You are all happy together… I want to be happy like you all." Ivara said and her father smiled.
"And you will when you get older." He said and Ivara beamed at her father. "When I get married can I have a wedding like auntie and uncle did? I want you to walk with me like grandpa walked with auntie." Ivara chirped happily and Hizashi laughed. "Of course dear, but under one condition." He said and she blinked at him, her face holding a look of such pure childlike confusion that it made him smile more. "What's that daddy?" she asked and Hinori giggled from behind her hand, while Hiashi tried to hold back he laugh. "I want you to promise me that you won't get married until you're twenty something, alright?"
"Alright daddy. How far is that? Is that when I turn ten?" she asked and he laughed and shook his head. "No, sweetie. That's in about fifteen years. When you turn ten you'll have ten more years." He chuckled and she tried counting it out on her fingers, but gave up as soon as she had raised all of them and then counted a second set of five by putting down the fingers on one hand. "That's a long time daddy. I promise I will find my favorite guy first." Ivara said and Hizashi's amusement faded ever so slightly as he listened to his young daughter. Hinori saw this change of demeanor and watched her brother in law with a worried glance.
"Daddy what's wrong?" she asked and he shook his head. "It's nothing, dear." He sighed then looked up at her. "I'm just surprised you're thinking about replacing me this early on…" he said feigning a hurt tone and Ivara's eyes went wide. "Daddy no!" she squealed and tears formed in her eyes. "You will always be my favorite daddy!" she said and he quirked a brow at her. "I'm your only daddy." He said and she grinned at him. "That's because you're my favorite. Like Uncle Hiashi is my favorite uncle and auntie is my favorite auntie. And momma is my favorite momma. It's because I only have one of you, that's why you're my favorite." She chirped and they all laughed lightly.
Hiashi knocked on the door to the small offset part of the hospital, Ivara humming contentedly from above him. The woman opened the door and let them into the building. "Hello, Ivara. I can tell it is you I'm going to look at today, so how are you?" Harumi the medic asked with a small smile. "I'm a dragon Harumi!" she whispered and Harumi looked at her in awe. "A dragon?" she asked in disbelief as she grabbed Ivara's arms ever so gently and began looking up and down her arms. "I don't see scales, so how are you a dragon?" she asked and Ivara sucked in a deep breath, but before her father or uncle could stop her she released the air and it made a small stream of fire come from between her lips in a little poof of flame. "See! I'm a dragon!" she giggled and Harumi laughed lightly.
"Congratulations Hizashi-sama, you have birthed a fearsome dragon." Harumi said and she lost some of her smile as her hand brushed over Ivara's ribs and she jumped away from her. "What happened, Ivara?" she asked and Ivara pulled up her shirt to show the medic her bruise. "I was fighting with Dozu… he said mean things and so I showed him that he couldn't be mean to me. I blew fire at him and he began stomping on me…" Ivara said as Harumi frowned. "I'm sorry he is mean to you dearie…" Harumi said as she rubbed some salve on her side. "I made two friends today!" Ivara chirped softly as the green glow washed over Harumi's hands. Ivara placed her hands against Harumi's and the green chakra spread over her hands.
"Whoa…" she whispered in awe as her hurt fingers began to stop hurting. The green chakra faded away and Ivara watched as Harumi placed her hands on her injured side. The pain began to fade and Ivara yawned loudly. "Who are your new friends dear?" Harumi asked and Ivara smiled softly. "Itachi and Izumi Uchiha. Izumi said my m-mark was pretty…" Ivara said softly and Harumi smiled. "That was nice of her." Harumi said as she stepped away from Ivara. "And Ivara, your mark is beautiful, don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise." Harumi said and waved as Hiashi plucked her off the table and handed her to Hizashi.
"Do you think my mark is beautiful too, auntie?" Ivara asked with a small yawn and Hinori smiled. "Of course." Ivara looked over to her uncle and saw the sadness in his eyes. "Don't be sad uncle Hiashi… It's ok. I like my mark." She said as she yawned once more, which made Hiashi look at his niece. "It is lovely, Ivara." He said softly and she smiled at him. "It makes me sad because it hurt you to put it there." he said and she smiled. "I know… but it just means I can't be the clan leader…" Ivara said with a really big yawn. "I don't want to be the clan leader… even if I were strong enough I wouldn't want to be. I want to explore the world, but you can't do that as clan leader; can you uncle?" she asked and he shook his head.
"No you can't, but you know what you could do for me Ivara?" Hiashi asked and Ivara looked over at him in curiosity. "You can travel the world for me, and bring me back things from all over." Hiashi said and Ivara beamed at him. "Ok!" she chirped happily and he chuckled. Hinori smiled at her niece and ruffled her hair. "When we get home I want to go sit with momma in the garden, daddy." Ivara said and Hizashi nodded. "Of course."
:-:-:
Ivara woke up and rushed to pull her shoes on. For the past three weeks she had been going to the academy and training with her chakra control and throwing knives. She took off out of the house and hurried straight down the street towards the little road that broke off towards the academy. She turned the corner, but a group of kids landed in front of her. She looked up to see that the one in front was none other than Dozu. Her fingers began to tremble and her heart began to race. "What happened, Branch family brat?" Dozu asked with a smirk.
"Not so brave now are you?" Dozu asked and she took a step backwards. "Of course not, daddy and uncle aren't here to save you are they?" he sneered and his friends laughed as he shoved her to the ground. "Let's see how well you like fire, you little shit." He said and she struggled to get him away from her. She managed to slip from his grasp when he reached for his lighter. She took off running into the woods nearby and they followed. "I have Byakugan, or did you forget? You little idiot." He sneered as he activated it and chased her down, his friends close behind.
:-:-:
Izumi frowned as she looked around. "Ivara? Is that you?" she called out, hearing soft footsteps nearby. Itachi dropped from the top of a tree and she frowned at him. "Ivara didn't show today?" he asked and Izumi frowned and shook her head. "How long have you been here waiting for her?" he asked and she looked up at the sky. "It's about five right?" she asked and he nodded. "I've been here since eight this morning… I trained for a while without her, but I just feel like something isn't right, Itachi-kun…" she said and he frowned. "Did you stop by her house and see if she was there? She may not have been able to make it today." Itachi said and Izumi blushed and scratched her cheek.
"I didn't check…" she said and her head and shoulders dropped in embarrassment. "Well, if you'd like we can go see." He offered and she jumped up and looked at him. "You would really go with me?" she asked and he nodded. She grinned and grabbed his hand. "Alright! Lets go make sure Ivara-chan is ok." She said and he smiled softly and followed her. "Izumi."he began and she looked at him with a smile as she continued to walk.
"The Hyuuga compound is that way." He said and pointed the opposite direction, which made her stop mid step. Her head dropped once more and she turned around and smiled. "I know that. I was just testing you." She said, trying to cover for her mistake in direction. He chuckled softly and shook his head. He followed her to the gates of the compound, but that was about where she lost her confidence. She hid behind him and urged him forwards. One of the guards opened the gate and stepped out. "Can I help you two?" he asked and Itachi nodded. "We are looking for Ivara, have you seen her?" he asked and the guard furrowed his brows. "Ivara left out to train with her friend Izumi this morning, she's not back yet but I can take a message for her if you'd like me to." The guard said with a small smile, but Itachi did not reciprocate this smile.
"This is Izumi… she hasn't seen Ivara all day, sir…" Itachi said and Izumi stepped out from behind Itachi the slightest bit. A brown haired boy slipped into the gates past the guard and the guard sighed. "Go meet up with your father, Dozu. He's been looking for you all day." The guard said and the brown haired boy stopped walking. He looked Itachi and Izumi up and down then rolled his eyes and walked off. Itachi's brow furrowed. He didn't like this guy. There wasn't a single part of that guy that he had seen that he liked. Not one molecule of him was likable. "Izumi Uchiha right?" the guard asked, snapping Itachi out of his glaring contest with the back of the spiky brown haired Hyuuga.
"Yes sir…" Izumi said softly and the guard frowned. "Hey, Yato… I need you to go get Hiashi and Hizashi for me." the guard said and the darker haired male stood from his place in the small guard keeper's box within the gates. Itachi could tell he wasn't a Hyuuga, and if he was he wasn't full Hyuuga. He had blue eyes that glowed like those of the Uzumaki woman married to the fourth Hokage. He nodded and made his way towards the compound. "You two come in here, alright?" the guard asked and Izumi clung to Itachi's back. "What is your name sir?" Itachi asked politely and the man offered a concerned smile to him.
"My name is Issun." He said and Itachi nodded. "Thank your for your assistance, sir." Itachi said politely. "How old are you two?" Issun asked and Itachi looked up at the man once he tore his eyes away from the four approaching adults. "All of us are five…" he said and Issun nodded. "You met Ivara at the academy, right?" he asked and the two children before him nodded. "Issun, you sent for us?" Hiashi asked and the black haired male nodded as Yato sat back down. "I think we have an issue." He said and the clan head furrowed his brow and glanced to the two children before him. Before Hiashi could say anything to the two children, Hinori stepped from around him.
"Izumi, Itachi…" she began and they looked up at her. "What's wrong?" she asked and Itachi looked over his shoulder at Izumi who was still cowering from the intense gaze the Hyuuga leader had planted on them. "Have you seen Ivara-chan?" Izumi managed and Hinori's eyes widened the slightest bit. "She went to train with you this morning." Hinori said and Hizashi stepped around his twin and crouched in front of the two children. "Did she not show up to the training grounds this morning?" he asked and Izumi shook her head, hiding behind Itachi a bit more.
Hizashi stood and made his way back to the branch house. He didn't seem to be in any sort of a hurry, but when he returned, he was no longer in the formal Hyuuga attire. His wife, Kitai, following close behind him. "What is happening, Hiashi, Hizashi?" she asked and her husband grasped her hand gently. "I need you to go in and rest. I'm going to go find Ivara…" he said and KItai stared at him in fear. "Hizashi. Where is she?" she asked frantically. "I don't know, dear. But I will find her and bring her home, alright?"
"Hinori, will you sit with Kitai while we go search the village for Ivara?" Hiashi asked and Hinori nodded. "Come, Kitai, you need to stay calm and not just for Ivara." Hinori said and Kitai took a deep breath and nodded. The women made their way to the branch house and Hiashi turned to the children. "Would you two do me a favor?" Hiashi asked and Itachi nodded. "Yes sir…" Hiashi forced a small smile at the Uchiha child. "Will you promise to keep this under wraps until we figure out what has happened to Ivara?" he asked and Izumi looked at him in confusion.
"Yes sir, we will." Itachi said and Hiashi ruffled his hair softly. "Thank you." Hiashi said and stood. He made his way to his home and changed as well. He and his twin wore jonin vests and the typical jonin attire. "Sir…" Itachi called and Hiashi turned to look at him. "May I help search for her?" he asked and Hiashi furrowed his brows. "I'm afraid I can't allow that. I'm sorry." He said and Izumi opened her mouth to say something but Hiashi spoke first. "I would, but your parents wouldn't like the face that you're searching the woods with the Hyuuga without permission. I think that you should stay within the village at your training grounds in case she comes back." Hiashi said and Itachi frowned, but nodded.
"I understand sir." He said and Izumi looked at him in confusion. "Come Izumi-chan… we have to wait for Ivara-chan." He said and she nodded, grabbed his hand, and followed him out of the Hyuuga compound. "I have to shake that young man's father's hand. That is the most polite five year old I have ever met." Issun said and Hiashi nodded. "I agree with you on that. However, I believe his father is Fugaku. That boy has his mother's eyes. I will shake his hand once we find Ivara." Hiashi said and Hizashi nodded. "Which way do we look first, brother?" Hiashi asked and Hizashi frowned.
"We search the inner areas of the village first, but I would much rather have someone also searching the outer sectors as well." Hizashi said and Hiashi nodded. "Issun. Yato. Call in your replacements from the village gates, you two are coming with us. We need your eyes." Hiashi said and Issun nodded. "Hizashi and I will search the outer sectors as soon as you two get your replacements in. When they arrive send message via clone. Until then… until then we will be searching within the village." Hiashi said and the two nodded.
:-:-:-:
Ivara looked up at the sky and her lip trembled. She had never gone this far. Never. Her daddy had never let her go this far outside the inner rim of the village. She looked around her and she wanted to cry. It was getting dark. She heard the group of boys behind her still so she took off running once more. She ran until she didn't think she could hear them running behind her anymore. She stopped and rested against a tree. She was tired. She was dirty, tired, and scared. She stifled a sob in her sleeve when she heard the five thunks against the tree a short ways away.
She rolled to her feet and took off running once more. She slipped around a tree and tripped over something. She struggled to shove herself to her hands and knees. She wiped her eyes and leaned back to sit on her feet as she rubbed her eyes. Tears fell from her eyes and she bit her lip. She didn't want this. She didn't want to run from them anymore… she was tired… so tired. She turned to look at what she had tripped over, only for a scream to get caught in her throat. "Hi." That was all he said.
Her face scrunched up and she began to cry once more. "Hey, hey, hey! Don't cry." He said and she sniffled her sobs away. "What's wrong?" he asked as he crossed his legs in front of him. His eyes scanned over her and he frowned. "How old are you?" he asked and she sniffled. "F-five…" she stammered and he tilted his head to the side slightly. "What are you doing out here all by yourself?" he asked and she sniffled once more. "They chased m-me."
"Who?" he asked and she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands. "Dozu and his s-stupid friends." She sniffled and he frowned. "You want me to hide you?" he asked and she blinked up at him. "They can see me a-anywhere you would h-hide me…" she sobbed softly and he frowned. "Are they going to hurt you?" he asked and she nodded as the tears began to fall once more. "What's your name?" he asked and she sniffled out an 'Ivara'. "Come over here and I can help you get rid of them." He said and she rubbed her eyes. "Daddy says not to go anywhere with strangers… he says not to talk to strangers either…" she mumbled softly and he chuckled.
"Well, a bit late for the no talking to strangers thing, huh?" he asked and she stepped back a bit. "I'm not going to hurt you I promise…" he said and she watched him carefully. "You promise?" she asked and he nodded. "You just have to do three things for me, alright?" he asked and she watched him with cautious eyes. "W-what three things?" she asked and he smiled, although she couldn't see it. "Alright. First, you need to come over here. He said and she took a slow step forwards. "A little closer. I can't help you if you stay that far away." He said and she frowned. "How old are you?" she asked softly and he blinked.
"Fourteen." He said and she frowned. "Dozu is twelve I think… h-he's mad at me because I caught him on fire…" she stammered and he chuckled. "Good job, did it look like this?" he asked, pulling the mask away from his mouth. He inhaled, then released a stream of fire into the air. Her eyes lit up like the moon and he smiled at her crookedly. "Cool huh?" he asked and she nodded. "Show me yours?" he asked and she took a deep breath, only to cough out a small fireball the size of a soccer ball. She blushed and fiddled with her fingers. "It was bigger yesterday…" she whispered and he laughed. "That one is much better than the tiny puff of fire I coughed out when I was your age. Mine wasn't even the size of your hand." He said and she giggled.
"Yours was so c-cool though…" she said and he pulled the mask back over his mouth. "I can make them bigger than that." He said and she stepped closer and sat beside him. "Will you show me sometime?" she asked and he nodded. "Sure." He said and she smiled. Her heart began to race as she heard the group edging closer. "P-please help m-me." she stammered in her panic and he ruffled her hair. "If I help you, you have to promise me two things." He said and she looked up at him and nodded. "One, if I need help I will ask you for help, alright?" he asked and she nodded rapidly in her panic.
"Two, you can't tell anyone you saw me here." He said and she nodded as she heard their footsteps edging even closer. "I p-promise I won't tell anyone." She said and he nodded. "And three…" he began and she began to shake. "Look me in the eyes, miss Ivara." He said and she looked him in the eye. "Take a deep breath and calm down. I'm going to help you." He said and she nodded. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She felt wind on her and then she hit the ground. She blinked and looked around her. It was dark, where was she?
Where did he take her?
:-:-:
He sighed and sat back against the tree. What an interesting day this was turning out to be. He had seen the little girl around the village before. She had been with her mother and father when he had roamed the village though… his brow quirked and he shook his head. What did he even want from the little girl? She was five… she was no use to him at the moment. He supposed she would become of use to him in the future. Not that she would remember either way. He planned to wipe her memory once this ordeal was settled.
Five sets of feet hit the ground nearby and a group of boys circled the tree. "Hey, have you seen a little girl run past here?" the one in front asked and he looked up at the boys, a smirk crossing his lips, although the boys couldn't see it. "Oh, you mean Ivara?" he asked and the boy nodded rapidly. "Yeah, that's her. Her father sent us to find her because she's been missing all day." He said and he quirked a brow. The little liar amused him greatly. "You're Dozu, right?" he asked and the spiky haired guy nodded.
"Look me in the eyes and tell me you aren't the one trying to hurt her." He said and Dozu crouched and looked him in the eye. "I'm no-" he began but he froze the moment his eyes made contact. Dozu was trapped now. His gaze broke from Dozu's eyes to cross over each of the other boys' eyes. "Hey Dozu…" he called and the brunette looked him in the eye. "You were going to set her on fire, right?" he asked and the boy nodded as if in a trance. "New target kid. Have fun." He said and tossed Dozu the lighter.
Dozu turned on his friends and flicked the lighter.
He continued to stroll down the pathway in the woods until the screams of the boys stopped. He was moving further from the village so Ivara wouldn't have to see that before the flames were put out. He continued down the path and smirked when the scream of terror signaled that Dozu snapped out of his trance. He sat beneath a much larger tree where the roots rose up out of the ground and created a sort of a cave of roots. He leaned back and scooted back into the root cave. In a breeze of air Ivara landed in his lap. "Are you alright?" he asked and she nodded as she looked around.
"Y-yeah… I'm ok…" she whispered as she looked around her. "Good." He said simply and she looked at him. "Why d-do you wear that mask?" she asked softly and he pulled the mask away from his face once more. She watched him with childlike curiosity. "What happened to your eye?" she asked and he swallowed the lump in his throat. "I was in an incident…" he said and she stared at the empty socket in wonder. "You're the first to not get disgusted by it." he said and reached to move the mask back over his face, but she pushed it away once more.
"You look like someone I know…" she said softly and he tilted his head and watched her with curious eyes. "Do you like this friend of yours?" he asked and she nodded. "He's really cool and I just… I just…" she began softly but sighed. "You just what?" he asked and she frowned. "He's so smart… I could never compare. He can walk up trees already, isn't that cool?' she asked and he nodded. "Does he know you like him?" he asked and she shook her head. "I'm t-to scared to talk to him like Izumi does…" she said softly and he offered a small smile. "Don't worry, I know how you feel. I had a friend I really liked, but I never got to tell her because I was scared." He said and she watched him carefully.
"What happened to her?" she asked and he frowned. "She passed away recently…" he said and Ivara frowned and hugged him lightly. "I'm sorry you lost her…" she said and he watched her as she pulled away from the gentle hug. "You should tell your friend that you like him, that way if anything ever happens… you'll never regret it like I do." He said and she tilted her head to look back at him. "You think so?" she asked and he nodded. "I'll tell him then… just not yet." She said softly and he ruffled her hair.
"You're a Hyuuga right?" he asked and she nodded. "You can see in the dark?" he asked and she shook her head. "I don't have my Byakugan yet." She said softly, rubbing her arm in embarrassment. "Well that's ok, I didn't awaken my abilities until I was about eleven or twelve." He said and she frowned. "I want to make daddy proud and waken my Byakugan but I don't know how." She whispered and he nodded. "Follow me out of the tree then, I might be able to help." He said and she crawled out from the cave of roots after him. He sat cross legged on the ground and motioned for her to sit in front of him the same way.
"Alright, so what I'm going to have you do is concentrate your chakra, alright?" he asked and she nodded. "You Hyuuga have abnormally great chakra control from a young age, so I need you to follow my instructions very carefully." He said and she nodded. "Usually when someone can't awaken their Doujutsu, it's because there's a block behind their eyes." He said and she listened intently. "Alright, so… close your eyes and picture all of your chakra rushing towards your eyes." He instructed and she fisted her hands and concentrated fully on that.
"Once you can picture the chakra moving through your eyes in your mind, try and make it actually move there." he said and she took a deep breath. He watched her carefully and smiled softly. He leaned forwards and placed his fingers right beside her eyes but not too far back on her temples. "Focus the buildup of chakra right here and hold it." he instructed and she did as he told her. He felt the veins pulsating beneath his fingers and he resisted the small smirk tugging at his lips. A grin broke out over her lips as the veins hardened under his fingertips.
"Can you see me?" he asked and she made a move to open her eyes but he clicked his tongue and told her no. "Keep them closed and tell me what you see." He said and she did as she was told. He could see her eyes moving under her eyelids as she looked around. A frown touched her lips as she reached towards him. Her fingertips brushed over the left side of his chest. "Your heart beats fast…" she whispered and he watched her fingers as they trailed up to his mask. Her fingers dug their way under his mask to his temple and she puffed out her cheeks as she tried to do something.
He furrowed his brows but once the pain hit he hissed and clutched his mask. "I'm sorry…" she whispered frantically, but after about thirty seconds the pain subsided. He removed his hand from his mask and he looked her in the eye… her Byakugan shimmered like silver. He blinked and looked around. Everything was so much clearer than it had been before. "Thank you." He said and she opened her eyes, but she slipped backwards and hit the ground softly. "Forgive me. I cannot allow you to fully remember me." he whispered as he stood. He took one last glance at her and sighed. "You will help me later." He said and vanished with the wind.
:-:-:-:
Ivara sat up and blinked. It was dark. She stood and looked around her. She blinked and focused her chakra. She couldn't remember who told her to do this, but it worked. Her enhanced vision outlined all the trees and animals of the night. She could see everything. She could see the chakra of the animals, the trees, and even the chakra residue within the Earth's surface. She smiled brightly. She did it! She awakened her Byakugan.
Her lips trembled. She may have awakened her Byakugan, but she was still lost. "S-stupid Dozu…" she whispered as the tears streaked down her cheeks. "Momma… Daddy…" she sobbed as she settled into the cave of roots beneath the tree. She rubbed at her eyes and sobbed into her knees. She'd been out here all day… she wanted to go home. She kept an eye out with her Byakugan, but she stayed within the tree. She heard footsteps, four sets of footsteps. Her breath hitched in her throat and she dug deeper into the tree roots as she searched for the people with her Byakugan.
"Ivara!" her father's voice echoed around her and she began crying once more. He sounded scared. "D-Daddy!" she sobbed as she crawled out from under the tree roots. She ran to where she saw the blue lights. She figured that the blue lights were what her father called tenketsu. She tripped and hit the ground hard. She struggled to her feet and searched for the blue lights once more. She scanned all around her, but she couldn't see the ones she had seen before.
A chill fell down her spine and she slowly turned to face behind her.
Her eyes drifted up to the tree and her lips trembled as she stared at the person in the tree in fear. In a flash of light they were in front of her. "Please don't scream. Are you Ivara?" he asked and she stared at him, the tremble in her lip slowed as she looked at him. He had a kind face and pretty blue eyes. "I'm I-Ivara…" she whispered and he sighed. "Good, I was so worried we had more missing five year olds." He said and held out a hand to her. "My name is Minato. I'm a friend of your father's…" he said and she extended her hand to him. "Where's my daddy?" she asked and he smiled. "I can take you to him if you would like…" he offered and she looked around.
"Will you walk with me to my daddy?" she asked and he nodded. "Sure. Can you spot him with those eyes of yours?" he asked and she scanned the area once more. "I think I see my daddy." She said and he smiled at her. "Well, lead the way little miss." He said and she smiled at him slightly. She began walking towards what she thought was her father's chakra, seeing as there were others around him and all of them had the chakra focused heavily in their eyes. They took to the trees and when they dropped down they blinked in confusion.
"Mikoto, Fugaku, Itachi, and Izumi." Minato greeted and Ivara looked at them with a blush on her cheeks. "I thought my daddy was here…" she whispered and Fugaku chuckled. "You awakened the Byakugan I see." He said and she nodded. Itachi and Izumi looked at her eyes in awe. "Ivara! You too?!" Izumi asked and blinked, her eyes going from black to red and then back. Ivara smiled at her friend brightly. "How'd you a-awaken yours Izumi-chan?" Ivara asked and Izumi frowned. "I was scared…" she whispered and Minato set Ivara down. "I was so scared because I couldn't find you." She whispered and Ivara hugged her tightly.
"I'm sorry I scared you Izumi-chan…" she whispered and stepped back. "Why were you out here Ivara?" Fugaku asked and Ivara fumbled with her fingers. "Dozu and his friends chased me out here… they were going to light me on fire because when uncle said for Dozu to fight me I blew fire on him. He was talking bad about me and my family so I told him to fight me…" she whispered softly and Fugaku frowned. "How many of them were there other than Dozu?" Minato asked and Ivara looked up at him.
"Four." She said and Minato exchanged looks with Mikoto and Fugaku. Their lips were all pursed and they had the same look in each of their eyes. "Ivara…" Itachi called and she blinked and looked over at him. "Itachi-san?" she began but he hugged her tightly. She bit her lip and her face when bright red. "I'm glad you're ok, Ivara-chan." He whispered and she stammered out an incoherent reply. He stepped back from her and she stumbled to walk. He tossed her arm over his shoulder and he tried to hold her up, but she turned and looked him in the eye and her eyes rolled up and she took him to the ground with her.
Itachi sat up and stared at the unconscious girl. Izumi looked at Ivara in confusion then she looked over at Itachi. "Uh… Itachi-kun… why does she always faint when you get that close to her?" Izumi asked and Mikoto giggled as she patted her son on the head. "Don't worry Itachi dear… it's not you… it's her and being in close proximity of boys I think." Mikoto said as Minato lifted Ivara off the ground. "Alright, let's get out of here. I think we have spent enough time in the woods today, don't you think?" He asked and the group nodded.
They made their way out of the woods and the first person they came in contact with was Hizashi. He was sitting on the ground with his face buried in his hands which were laying on his knees. "Daddy?" Ivara called and Hizashi didn't stir. Minato put the groggy girl on the ground and she walked over to her dad. She reached up and patted him on the top of the head, only stopping her gentle pats and smoothing of his hair to place a kiss on the top of his head. She crouched and patted him on the knees. "Daddy…" she whispered and he slowly lifted his head to look at her.
"I'm sorry daddy…" she said and used her sleeves to wipe at his tears. "I'm sorry I made you cry…" she said softly, not wanting anyone to hear her. Her daddy was strong, her daddy never cried… but… Her daddy was crying and it was her fault. "I didn't mean to make you sad daddy…" she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him the best she could. He crossed his legs and pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. "You didn't make me sad, dear. I was worried…" he whispered and she sobbed lightly. "I'm sorry daddy…" she whispered and he hugged her tighter.
"It's not your fault dear. I promise. Daddy was just so scared that something was going to happen to you…" he whispered and she pulled away from him to wipe away his tears. "Daddy look…" she whispered and closed her eyes. "Look what I did." She said as she opened her eyes, only for the veins around her eyes to bulge and pulsate. "Did I do good daddy?" she asked and he nodded. "You did very good. Is that how you stayed away from whatever happened out there?" he asked and she tilted her head to the side.
"What happened?" she asked and he frowned. "Ivara why were you out there?" he asked and she frowned. "Dozu and his friends chased me out there… they were going to light me on fire…" she said and Hizashi frowned, his brows furrowed in anger. "Who hurt Dozu's friends?" Hizashi asked and Ivara shook her head. "I don't know daddy… I don't know… are they ok?" she asked and Hizashi frowned, his eyes softening slightly.
"No Ivara, they are not." He said and she frowned. "They won't be coming back, will they?" she asked and her father shook his head. "I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt daddy… I just didn't want them to set me on fire…" she whispered and he frowned. "I know Ivara, I know." He said as he stood, lifting his daughter with him. "I'm going to go talk to my brother… thank you all for your help." Hizashi said and Fugaku and Mikoto nodded. "Don't worry about it Hizashi… we would have helped had you asked us or not. Itachi and Izumi were worried about their friend…" Mikoto said and Fugaku nodded.
"Goodnight you all…" Ivara yawned and they smiled at her. "Goodnight, Ivara-chan." Itachi and Izumi called and she waved at them with a small smile. "Daddy…" Ivara whispered and her father looked at her. "Hm?" "Will you or momma walk me to the training grounds from now on? I don't want to get lost again…" she whispered and Hizashi nodded. "Of course, my little Ivara." He said and she smiled. "Thank you daddy." She said with a yawn. "Daddy… I have another question…" she whispered and he looked over his shoulder at her once more.
"Hm?"
"How did you tell mommy that you liked her?" she asked and he blinked in confusion. "Well… I didn't tell her that I liked her until we were nineteen." He said and Ivara blinked at him slowly. "But how did you tell her?" she asked and he raised a brow. "I bought her that tri color Dango… she really liked that Dango." He said and Ivara listened quietly. "I asked her if she wanted to go somewhere to eat and we got Dango… I think she could tell I liked her because I was panicky and stumbled over my words…" he chuckled and Ivara smiled.
"Thank you daddy…" she said and he looked at her oddly. "You aren't planning on telling a boy you like them, are you?" he asked and she blinked at him slowly once more. He could tell she was tired. "Yes, daddy… I plan on telling him that I like him…" she said but her sentence was cut off by another yawn. "I thought we agreed that no boys until you're about twenty." He said and she smiled sleepily at him.
"Don't worry… I don't plan on telling him until we are older. I want to be happy like you and momma… and if being happy like you and momma means waiting until I'm a lot older then I can handle it…" she managed even though her cheek was pressed against his shoulder and she was drifting off while talking. "I love you, my little Ivara…" he said and she snuggled into his shoulder more.
Alright! I hope you enjoy this! I'm hoping to make this one really, really, really, really long. I watched a video on youtube about Itachi and Izumi and I was dying inside. So I hope you very much enjoy this even though it is nothing like my other stories. I love you all, I have been writing from eight at night until six thirty in the morning on this. That means editing and whatnot too.
The name Kitai means hope, while as explained early in the chapter Ivara means bow of the hunter. It actually has two meanings, one is bow of the hunter and the other is something of the god tree or something like that, but I felt the bow of the hunter meaning holds more substance. Seeing as a bow is a weapon a hunter uses and a shinobi is a weapon of the village. I don't mean for her to be a literal weapon to the village or a hunter, but instead I mean she's something the hunter/ village can't go without.
How can you hunt with no bow, and how can you protect without an army? Simple as that… the meaning felt so much more surreal and meaningful in my mind but writing it down makes it seem like a name you would give someone who has no choice to be a weapon used by another… anyways, don't think of it like that right there cause I'm jabbering again.