Dancing: The Story of Us

by GirlCrushonAli

The shortest distance between two points may be a line, but Tenten and Neji can never walk a straight path. The story of Tenten and Neji from childhood to old age as told in six parts. R&R, please

1. Prologue and Youth

Please review this one more than my others . . . as this is my favorite thing that I have written that isn't just pure humor! I tried more than usual . I cannot actually finish until I know the ending of the manga, as I want to prevent the story from being too AU.

Xxxxx

Dancing:

The slowest way to cross a path.

Prologue:

The first time that I can remember him, I was probably four years old and dancing in the rain. I loved the rain and couldn't decide what such a pretty boy was doing hiding from it under a canopy in the market. I probably didn't think that he was 'pretty,' but I do remember thinking that he looked wrong in the rain-almost like a lost little puppy trying to avoid drowning in the strange water falling from the sky.

He was staring at me and most definitely thought that I was crazy. He had a concerned look on his face, as if scared that I might be hurt due to my little rain dance. I smiled at him while twirling about, but I wasn't sure if he could see it through the rain and through my spins. I was always good at seeing in motion throughout my life.

The little white-eyed boy takes a step forward and I try to slow down to offer him my hand, but I end up collapsing to the ground. That concerned look is back in his face, and I wonder if he's the one that needs help.

He's coming out of the canopy and when the first raindrops hit him, his white robe turns a dull grey. It's not perfect anymore.

I smile from the ground and try not to laugh at myself or him. My hair is a mess and lying about in dark waves. It probably blends with the mud around me. Konoha's streets aren't perfectly clean, but they're perfect for little girls who want soft ground to fall on.

He doesn't smile in return, but he offers his hand. I happily accept and he pulls me to my feet with a fluidity that you'd never expect from someone also still little more than a toddler.

"You looked silly. Why were you doing that?" He has an innocence like mine, but not quite the same. He has a destiny and even my four-year-old self can sense it.

"It was fun!" I shout as I throw my arms up with abandon. "You should do it too! You're already wet!"

He arches an eyebrow (what four-year-old can do that) and I'm relegated to the party of "insanity" instantly. My little self doesn't recognize this of course, so I try to grab his hands. He lets me, at first without any reluctance, but tries to pull away as soon as I start twirling again. "Who are you?" he whispers with an absolute confusion. I let his hands drop if only so that I can continue. He whispers something that I can't understand except for the "tien-tien" at the end. It's Chinese and "tien-tien" is heaven. I wonder if he thinks that is my name.

He's back under the canopy, watching me, and I'm spinning in the rain. I can see him, but he can't really see me. And he thinks that I'm crazy, but he can't help but be fascinated. This one moment defines our entire lives together.

I didn't have a clue that he also thought that I was beautiful- that the mud on my hair and face made me look exotic-and I wouldn't learn for years that he thought I was a figment of his childhood imagination. It was four years until he next saw me, and even then he wasn't sure if I were real. He'd be a lot less innocent, and a lot more angry.

The poor boy never had a chance at escaping. I could always see him.

Part 1: Youth

The first time that I saw Neji smile was three weeks after our first meeting. I was running along the roofs of Konoha when I noticed a familiar little head of black hair. He was walking with a man that looked exactly like him, only maybe four feet taller.

I watched as the father went into a shop and left the boy outside. I crouched down on the roof of the shop across the street, hoping that he didn't look up. Neji was just standing there, almost perfectly still, as if being alone on the near deserted street were the most casual thing imaginable. He was obviously bored, any four year old would be, but he just stood there. I was bored just watching him.

I was about to lose interest when Neji's father returned with some boxes and gave one to Neji. Neji was obviously excited, but didn't tear into the box. He looked at his father, as if begging for permission, but of course this regal little boy didn't beg.

The father nodded once and Neji daintily opened it up. I was curious about what would excite my friend so much and tried to wait nicely too.

I couldn't see inside from my vantage point, and Neji seemed disinclined to show me what he had received from his father. He closed the box back up, and when he looked at his father, he was smiling. I felt shocked that the little boy smiled. I shouldn't have been (he wasn't that dour man yet), but something was wrong with the scene.

I followed them both back to the Hyugga compound, leaping across alleyways when I had to. The streets were oddly quiet today, so it wasn't difficult to find them.

I was four years old with barely developing chakra. Neji's father, who probably would have laughed at being followed by such an urchin, didn't seem to notice me. Maybe he did, and maybe he didn't, but Neji had no idea.

I hung my feet off the last house before the compound and watched them enter through the gate. I couldn't just walk in there. I'd have to wait to find out what was inside the box.

I continued to stare at the gate even after it was closed and they had long since disappeared. I had no idea what was in the box, but I was determined to find out.

I shimmied down the side of the house and walked along the streets back to the place where I'd first seen Neji. I was four years old, and not a genius, so I had no idea what the store was selling. I walked inside without any regard for the sign that warned, "Children should be accompanied by adults."

The store walls were lines with ninja gear. I wasn't stupid, just not a genius, so I knew what some of the stuff was. They had lots of things, from the green vests that chunin wore all the way to the big spinning things that ninja practiced with. I was a child and of course drawn to the wall with the big shiny weapons.

There was a big man behind the counter, not very tall, but really round. He had dark balding hair and wore an apron. I guessed all this because all I could see was his back. He was busy doing something behind the counter and oblivious to my presence; the man was obviously not a ninja, only sold supplies to them.

I ignored the man and stared at the 'toys.' I knew that they really weren't for play, but everything on the wall looked like fun to me. The first weapon that I ever held was a kunai and I instantly knew that I needed it. It felt right in my hand and I didn't want to put it down. I looked at the man, whose back was still turned to me, and walked out of the shop with my new toy. It was just one, and I figured that the man would never miss it.

I was right, as it was just an average kunai. It felt like so much more to me, though. It was my future that I held in my small hand, even if I had idea.

I didn't run from the shop (it wasn't my first stolen good and wouldn't be my last), but instead walked out past the center of the shopping district, right out to where I knew that ninjas liked to work. It was a training ground, and I'd seen ninjas going here before. They didn't like the kids to watch, but we snuck out there anyway. Kids were always curious. Adult places were even more exciting when they were forbidden.

I knew what ninjas did with kunai; there were broken ones scattering the ground around one of the targets, and I knew that I had to try. It was too big for my hand and I was too far from the target, so my first throw with my first weapon didn't even make it half way to the target. It didn't even lodge itself properly into the ground, but instead fell flat. All in all, it was extremely pathetic and I was very happy that no one saw my failure. I was especially happy that Neji wasn't there to see it.

I tried again, this time from a much more reasonable distance, and still utterly failed. I tried all afternoon and didn't once make my kunai lodge itself in the log. I managed to hit it a few times, but the pointy part never seemed to want to go where I wanted. My first day I failed, but that night I got better. I managed to stick the dummy—once, but it was still impressive for a kid.

I sucked and was annoyed that I couldn't make the kunai go like I wanted, but I didn't really care. I found something incredibly fun to do with my time. This was why Neji was excited, I was sure. Neji had been given a bunch of toys like this, and he was probably playing with them right now. The thought made me jealous, but more determined to get better. If he got a bunch of them, then I was going to get really good with my one. I was a kid, so this was how I thought. That night an exhausted four-year-old slept in the trees just outside of Training Ground 4.

I didn't see Neji again for a whole year, probably because I spent every hour that I could throwing my kunai at the wooden stump. I got better too, especially when I watched the ninja who frequented Training Ground 4 more closely. I learned to hold it properly and how to throw. I wasn't inept anymore, but I certainly wasn't as good as they were. I didn't care though, because I was confident that I was better than Neji, my rival who didn't know that he was in a competition.

I stumbled across Neji and his father outside of the same ninja store. Neji had gone inside with his father this time and was carrying two boxes. I was insanely jealous as Neji was getting two boxes of things and all I had was one kunai and a bunch of broken ones that I'd taken off the ground. I again followed him back and noticed that he wasn't so happy this time while walking home with the boxes. He seemed immune, as if new presents didn't matter to him.

I snuck back to the store and stole my first shuriken along with two more kunai. That was a lot riskier, but the worker wasn't even at the front desk when I went inside.

At five I mastered the kunai. By six the shuriken was no problem.

In December of my sixth year I saw Neji again. He looked miserable. He had a funny scarf wrapped around his head and was not talking to his father that accompanied him. He was taking three boxes from the ninja store, but I didn't feel as angry this time. I was six and a master with my two weapons. I was sure that he couldn't match me, even if he had lots of things inside those three boxes. I still snuck inside and stole a handful of senbon, though. They were small and I didn't really think that they were as cool as my other toys, but Neji had three boxes and I wanted three things too.

By seven the senbon were second only to my kunai. The shuriken was bigger and difficult for my small hands to throw. I was good, better than most ninja, even with my tiny hands.

At eight I saw Neji again outside of the Ninja Supply House. I could read the name now. This time he was alone and looked angry. He wasn't just unhappy, but looked like he wanted to hurt the world. He carried three boxes from the store and didn't even look at anyone as he walked home.

As he walked into the compound, rain started to fall. He stopped for a moment to look up at the sky. He still had that unhappy look, but it softened as he closed his eyes let the drops strike him. After he went inside I decided that I needed a dance in the rain. I'd been busy with my practice, but I'd seen what happened when you practiced too hard—you became miserable and sad. Poor Neji.

I spun in circles before the Hyuuga gate, hoping that my little friend didn't go crazy with sadness. I hoped that he learned to dance in the rain. I hoped that he smiled again. I mostly hoped that I could one day make him smile.

I stayed in the rain until I started to shiver and had to find cover. I wasn't bothered by the cold of the rain. I'd seen Neji Hyuuga's angry eyes and nothing compared to that bitter iciness.

Most kids start the academy at eight years old. Neji did, I followed him there that September. Me, I didn't have a family to enroll me and no one had noticed that I had any chakra ability. The ninja that typically picked up on that sort of thing probably weren't watching the street kids of Konoha. I didn't have a Hokage watching out for me, and I didn't have any idea if I came from a ninja family. I don't know what would have happened to a civilian who was a danger to the populace. Maybe they would've eventually made me leave the village when I got older and eventually caused havoc. Maybe they just would've chased me around like they did Naruto. I wasn't a genius and wouldn't have caused any serious injuries without knowing any jutsu. Anyway, it was pure luck that I was detected at all.

I knew the day that the academy started, so the night before I slept right outside of the Hyuuga compound, not on the ground, but up on the roof of the last house before the city limits ended, where the Hyuuga residence started.

Neji left the house at exactly six-thirty. I followed him, wondering why he was leaving his house so early since class started at eight. He arrived at the school by seven and by seven-ten was sitting in his seat. The white-haired teacher was still organizing his notes for the day and only registered the early student with a nod. Neji deigned to return it, but only just enough to not be rude. He had that same angry look that he wore the last time that I'd seen him.

I watched him from one of the classroom windows, hanging upside down by my feet. I wasn't sticking to the building with chakra, but it was helping to support my weight, even if I didn't know it.

At eight, my chakra was much stronger than at four. A passing teacher sensed an extremely low level signature and went to investigate, figuring that a student was on the roof, or someone was concealing his chakra.

Iruka-sensei was extremely lucky that it was only Tenten, as he was extremely ill prepared when I flung myself back onto the roof. He stared at me, gaping as if he'd never seen a child before in his life.

"What are you doing here?" he asked when he finally managed to pull himself together.

"Nothing," I defended in the ever-useful student to teacher response.

"Why aren't you in class young . . . person?" He was taking in my appearance, the muddy look was definitely in today, and probably couldn't figure out if I were a male or female. Long hair on boys wasn't terrible uncommon. Just look at the object of my attention if you need an example.

"Umm . . . I'm not a student here."

Iruka stared at me again, as if waiting for me to disappear. He had the look of someone who had just discovered a serious issue and wished that he hadn't. All of that was true, but he didn't need to make it so obvious.

"So, then why are you here?"

I shrugged. "I dunno."

"That's not an answer young . . . lady." He guessed right. He had a pained look on his face as he said it, though. He was hoping that I didn't cry about having someone call me the wrong gender.

"I just wanted to see it."

"See what?" Iruka was getting testy. He probably had to get back to class himself, even if he was one of the competent people that had actually finished his lesson plan for the day.

"The school."

"Well, why didn't your parents take you here? Are they against their daughter being a ninja? You'll have to see the Hokage if that's the case."

I wasn't sure how to respond to him. I didn't have parents and I was fairly certain that he'd make me see the Hokage if I said that too.

"I'm confused. I don't know what's going on."

Iruka looked confused too. "You're here to see about coming to school?" It wasn't really a good question, but he said it nonetheless.

"Not really. I'm just a normal kid." He was definitely annoyed now.

"Who said?"

"Said what?"

"That you were a normal kid?"

"Me." I think that he could tell that I wasn't trying to be a wise-ass, but really didn't know what he was talking about. He didn't yell at me, so maybe he felt bad for me.

"Who else, though?"

"No one."

"What about your parents?"

"Ummm . . . "

"Did they say that you couldn't come to school here?"

"No."

"Then why aren't you enrolled?"

"This is a ninja school." I said it slowly as if this nice man were confused about something obvious to me.

"And you don't belong here?" he said this last bit with resignation, knowing that he had another problem to deal with on his first day.

"Because I'm not a ninja-kid."

He shook his head and mumbled "Great, just great. Apparently they missed you, huh?" He actually spoke now, "OK, then let's take you to the office. We'll have to find your parents." He started walking and I just followed behind him. I wasn't in trouble, but I had confused this poor guy.

He brought me down the stairs to a main office where he told me to "Sit and stay put." And then left

I was a kid, and sitting still wasn't really a part of my life. Instead of doing anything naughty, I started playing with my kunai. I tossed it at the ceiling, figuring that a few little holes wouldn't matter. I didn't toss it hard, so each time my kunai came back to me. I'd gotten through to ninety-six when I heard the door open again and someone yell, "What is he doing with that kunai? New students can't have weapons until after they've been examined!"

Apparently I'd done something wrong, as when I turned around there was a red-faced man along with that nice guy with the funny little ponytail and scar.

The angry man looked at Iruka as if accusing him of something. "You let him keep weapons on his person?"

Iruka shook his head, "I had no idea that she had anything on her." He stressed the she as if trying to prevent the red-man from making a huge mistake.

"Great." He grabbed the kunai from my hand before I could even protest. He looked at me again, "Anything else that you need to hand over?"

I was still confused and shook my head. Need to hand over what?

"I'm going to search you anyway," and he made a move to touch me. Now, living on the street doesn't mean that you don't like being touched, it just means that you're unfamiliar with it. Touching other kids is one thing, but having a full-grown man try to touch you in a tap search is just strange.

I screamed and ran to Iruka, who looked on in amusement. The red-faced man went even redder and mumbled something about "skittish girls."

Iruka turned me around and asked, "Did you take any more weapons with you today into the school?"

I nodded.

Iruke tried not to laugh, "Can I have them, please?"

I pulled out two more kunai, some senbon, and a shuriken, trying not to look too annoyed at having to give them up.

"These are mine," I said pronouncing each word carefully. I didn't want my stuff taken away. I didn't have more.

"I know. We'll give them back later," Iruka said in his best placating tone.

I tried my best to look stern to both Iruka and the red-man, "You will give them back today. They're mine."

The red-man wanted to protest, but Iruka answered before he could, "When you go home today, we can return your things."

I nodded, accepting the terms. These were two ninja. I couldn't fight them, but I might've been able to outrun them if I got to the town fast enough.

The red-faced man handed Iruka the kunai and took a seat.

"You'd better stick around, Iruka. This is gonna be difficult." The red faced man did not want to deal with me. His disgust with me and the situation was obvious.

"Yeah, I can tell." Iruka took a seat. "Don't you love first days?" he asked trying to lighten the situation.

The red-man, and obvious hard ass, didn't answer.

"So, Iruka here tells me that your parents haven't forbidden you to come, yet you're here anyway, without an invitation."

"Umm . . . yeah." I wasn't sure what he said, but I looked at Iruka who nodded his head in confirmation.

"So we missed you when we were registering kids, huh?"

Iruka nodded again, so I said, "Yes."

"Sometimes that happens. We don't always get everyone. We'll talk to your parents about it later."

I was very confused, but Iruka just nodded his head again, so I did too.

He took out a form, "We can't have you in class without their permission or the Hokage's, so you can't come to class today. You'll have to bring this to them and join with us tomorrow." He handed me the form.

"Join where? I don't understand."

The red-faced man looked at Iruka, ignoring me.

"You're going to be able to come to class and have the opportunity to be a ninja like the rest of the students," Iruka patiently explained, taking over for the red-man.

"Cool. Why can't I go today?" I was excited, thrilled to have the opportunity to spend time wth Neji and other kids.

"I just told you . . . " The red-man mumbled. Iruka ignored him.

"We need your parents to give their permission in order for you to go to class here." Iruka really did have the patience of a teacher. He was born for that job.

"That's gonna be hard," I told Iruka without offering any further explanation. They were being foolish.

"Why?" Both of them asked me. The red-faced man was suspicious and Iruka looked mildly concerned.

"I don't know where my parents are."

The red-faced man looked relieved, "That's fine. We'll get your guardian's permission."

"What's that?" These men kept saying things that made no sense.

Iruka answered again, "The one who takes care of you."

"Who takes care of me?" I asked confused and annoyed. I took care of myself. That they implied that someone else could was a bit upsetting for a kid.

"Your guardian!" the red-faced man yelled, causing me to instinctly recoil. I would have run out of the door if Iruka had not been so gentle with me.

Iruka was the one who more calmly explained, "Isn't there someone who buys you clothes? Someone who you stay with?"

"Who buys me clothes? Who do I stay with? Is there someone I'm supposed to stay with?" I looked between them, extremely confused. If someone were supposed to be buying me things, then I wanted those things. A safe place to stay sounded great too.

Iruka looked like he understood, but the red-faced man was as confused as me.

"One minute, please. Just wait a moment," Iruka said holding up a finger. Iruka grabbed the red-faced man and dragged him outside the room before shutting the door. I could hear their voices mumbling for a minute before they came back in, both looking stressed, but no longer confused.

"Ok, little girl," the red-man began, "you're going to go to see the Hokage and then you can come here, OK?"

I nodded, answering with a simple, "Yes." I wanted to come here. I wanted to be a ninja like Neji.

"Iruka," the man barked, "You take her."

Iruka nodded, seeming as though his attitude actually improved further with whatever they figured out.

Iruka held out his hand. I wasn't sure what he wanted, but figured it would be nice to follow him anyway. His hand dropped quickly. "What's your name?" he began.

I followed him out the door and into the hallway without answering. I wasn't sure what to say. They'd called me whatever they felt like, 'girl,' 'boy,' and lots of not so nice things.

I knew that people had names. I wasn't stupid, I just didn't know what mine was supposed to be.

"How do people know their names?"

Iruka didn't break his stride, "Usually their parents call them by their name, or someone close to them. Do you remember your parents or someone close you to you ever calling you something?"

"Sure, lots of people call me 'girl' or 'boy.' "

"What about friends, did your friends ever call you anything?" Poor guy was grasping at straws here, but he knew that they'd need to call me something. I'd never really had friends. People didn't particularly like their kids spending too much time with some strange, dirty creature, especially one that liked pointy things.

I was trying to please the nice man, so I thought of Neji. I'd spent more time around him than anyone else in four years. I knew him, even if he didn't know me.

"Tien-Tien. A boy called me that once."

"Tenten?" Iruka looks skeptical. "Nothing else?"

"I know that I must have parents, sensei. I'm not stupid, but I just don't know who they were." I use the past tense, hoping that they were long gone and that they didn't just abandon me. "I've been alone as long as I can remember."

"We'll fix that. It'll be fine now." He seemed determined.

"I was fine before," I said defensively. I might not have been clean, but I took care of myself. I survived very happily, enjoying the things that I had.

"It'll be better now," Iruka said as if promising.

I tried not to be skeptical, really tried, but having a nice man promise anything is still strange.

We walked in silence the rest of the way to the Hokage tower. Two men greeted Iruka by name and he smiled in return. He obviously had no trouble with friends.

We waited outside for only about ten minutes before I was ushered in to meet a man that I'd only heard whispered about on the streets. He didn't seem that impressive to me.

He had a nice office, but it was old, just like him. He had a funny hat on, but it didn't hide his face. He had a huge nose and I had to try not to stare at it. I tried to look at his eyes, but they were really old, and they made me feel sad.

"So, Iruka, who's this?"

Iruka sat closer to the Hokage. I took the farther seat, hoping that he wouldn't stare at me too much. His robe was really white and I was really brown; it could easily be soiled by my presence.

"This is . . . well, we're not sure. We were sort of hoping that you might know. She's been on the streets it seems. She doesn't know who here parents were and . . ." Iruka seemed embarrassed now, as he stared at me then at the Hokage. He whispered, "She's not sure what her name is."

The Hokage smiled at me and I felt a bit less inclined to stare at his nose. He was ugly, but looked better when he smiled.

"So, what do you know about yourself little girl?" I wasn't sure what he wanted to know, but I figured that I could tell him.

"I like to eat, sleep, and I really like to throw kunai and senbon and shuriken are pretty cool too. And I like to run. And I like spinning . . . in the rain . . . "I trailed off at the end because they were both staring at me and Iruka had his head in his hand.

"That's nice," the old man said trying not to give away his awkwardness. "What about where you sleep?"

"Wherever I want," I answered as if the man were stupid. He was supposed to be important, but he wanted to know where I slept, something incredibly obvious.

"Never in an orphanage?" he asked trying to dig into my past.

"What's that?" I questioned the unfamiliar word.

"A place for kids like yourself without parents."

"No, I sleep where ever I want. I really like trees, especially if they're where I throw my kunai."

"Oh my word," the Hokage said leaning back in his chair with obvious shock on his face, "I guessed we missed this one, huh?"

"How'd she learn to speak? Even act appropriately?" Iruka was staring at me again.

"I can speak well!" I said trying to defend myself. I even tried to use proper grammar, but he was insulting me! "And I behave almost always!" I couldn't claim to always act well, as I had stolen all of my good weapons and sometimes lied to people.

"Yes, yes you do," Iruka agreed and I was quite smug. Verification of my individual successes was always welcome.

The Hokage was staring me down, so I looked out the window. He made me uncomfortable and I had no desire to have a staring contest with him. He was old, weird, and condescending.

"I don't think that there's any jutsus on her, she just seems to be a kid that no one realized was completely alone. We're lucky that we haven't had trouble with her before. I don't think that she's native to this village. She looks different from the indigenous populace." The Hokage was characterizing me to Iruka, but I wasn't interested.

I was pretending not to listen now. I didn't like it when people discussed me like I couldn't hear.

"Maybe she'll be all right if we properly socialize her now," Iruka was saying. Iruka paused for a moment before mentioning someone else. "There's the other . . . person that we know who has been living on his own for years. He's been all right. She should be too." Iruka didn't sound too fond of this guy.

"He's a unique case . . . no one really wants him in their home. This little girl should be fine." I didn't know who they were talking about, but the poor kid had it rough.

"She won't like being controlled, especially since she is so defensive and has always been on her own. That's pretty obvious. Just set her up in the same way that you have him. She'll be fine. No one's going to try to hurt her." Had they tried to hurt him? Who was this poor kid? I wanted to question the men, but figured that remaining silent was the only thing that was keeping the men from asking me to leave.

"That might be best," the Hokage agreed. Good, I didn't want to deal with people. I liked my life.

The Hokage looked at me again. "So what are we calling you?" he asked with a pretty nice smile. He was trying to make me feel comfortable.

"Tenten," Iruka answered for me.

"Just Tenten?" the Hokage asked with obvious skepticism.

"Apparently," Iruka said with a shrug.

"Hello, Tenten." The Hokage offered with a slight nod of his head, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You too, Hokage." I tried to smile as best I could, while returning a bow.

"We can get one of the female instructors to check in on her," Iruka offered as he stood up. He saw the introductions as a dismissal.

"That sounds good," the Hokage agreed. "I'll try to have something set by the end of the day. In the meantime, don't you both have classes to attend?"

Iruka walked me back to the school, not offering his hand this time, but trying his best to be friendly and informative.

"You're what we call an orphan, Tenten. You don't have a family. We usually have special places for kids like you where people take care of them," Iruka was in lecture mode and I was an open mind. I was also inordinately quiet and polite as compared to his usual students.

"I didn't get that," I stated matter of factly.

"No, you didn't and that was an oversight on the part of Konoha." I didn't quite know what he said, but it wasn't my fault. That was good.

"So it's gonna be different now?"

"Yes, we'll look for a place for you and the Hokage will arrange for a monthly allowance." I hadn't understood the last word he said.

"I don't have money," I said trying to convey that I was fine on the street if I could attend the academy.

"We know. It's going to be from Konoha."

"Why?" I was confused to why money would be given to me. People sometimes gave me things, but rarely regular money.

"It'll go from the money that should have been relegated to you when you were born. You should also have been in a regular school until now. Everything should have been taken care of by the state." I followed what he said as best I could, but the whole concept was very foreign to me.

"So, then how am I paying for where I stay?" I tried to ask pragmatically. I could happily live on the street if he gave me money. That money would be better spent on food and weapons.

"You probably won't have to."

"Probably?" I had early on learned to question anything that was not an absolute, and even absolutes were untrustworthy from many people. Ninja were usually better, though.

"After funds that should have gone to you when you were alone run out, then the money will be given to you as a loan."

"So I have to pay it back." The idea of owing anything to anyone was very unappealing to a child with nothing.

"Probably," Iruka agreed.

"That's not good. I'll just do like I do now." I was fine on the street, and there I owed no one anything.

"No, you won't." Iruka refuted without even breaking his stride. He didn't sound angry, but rather stated his premise so that there was no room for argument.

"You can't tell me that." I didn't care if he thought that he was right; I figured that I had just as much experience in the world as he did.

"Yes, I can. I'm you're teacher." That didn't seem like an argument to me, but I wasn't really sure, so I couldn't disagree.

"I don't want to owe the school money."

"You won't owe the school, and you'll work off the costs if you become a ninja."

"What if I don't become a ninja?" The possibility of becoming a ninja had only just been created by Iruka, but I didn't want that future taken from me.

"Then you'll probably be forgotten and won't owe anyone anything. They'll put you in a regular school and you'll be put in with other kids like you."

"In the orphanage?"

"Yes."

"That's not good. I'll be a ninja, then."

"You'll have to work hard."

"That's easy. I'm already a master at the kunai and senbon. I'm gonna be great with the shuriken soon!" I promised rather arrogantly.

"That's good, but there's more to being a ninja than fighting with weapons."

"Really?"

"Yes . . . " and then Iruka went off on a lecture that was of very littler interest to a distractable child. I did listen, but didn't absorb much of what he said. I was mainly concerned with the fact that I had to be an awesome ninja so that I didn't have to live with a bunch of other kids without parents and go to normal school where there was no Neji.

"So, Iruka-sensei," I said disrupting his rant, "If I become like Tsunade-sama and strong in not just fighting, but also smart and powerful, then I get to be a ninja." I had been listening well enough to get the gist of what he meant.

"That's pretty close to how it all works, yes." He seemed surprised that I'd managed to sum up his rant in only a few words.

"Good. Then I'm going to be just like Tsunade-sama."

"That's a good goal." Iruka seemed pleased with whatever I had managed to glean from his little tirade.

We made it to Neji's classroom and I was excited that Neji and I would be together. Iruka didn't need to register the reason I was practically jumping up and down.

"You're going to have to work hard, Tenten. Nothing is going to happen overnight."

"Yes, sensei."

"And you'll need to make sure to behave as best you can all the time. I'll make allowances at first since I know that you've been alone a lot, but you're going to need to behave like the other students."

"OK, got it!" I agreed without caring what he was saying. I just wanted to get inside with the other students.

"Good, now just calm down, I can see how anxious you are." If only he knew what I really wanted.

We stepped into a classroom full of students all sitting not so quietly, with one white-haired guy teaching them all something that I didn't understand.

"I'm back, Miroku, I'll take it from here." Iruka was taking over the class.

"This will be your head instructor," the Miroku-guy was saying, "be sure to behave for him even better than you have for me."

I ignored their conversation and looked around the room. Most of the students were staring at the teacher, but one was staring right at me. It was of course Neji, and he looked shocked to see me. It was almost as if he were seeing a ghost. He hadn't shown anything but anger for two years, and here he was looking at me in shock. I couldn't help it, so I laughed.

The instructors stopped talking to stare at me and Iruka seemed to right himself.

"Sorry, Tenten. Everyone, this is your classmate, Tenten. She's joining us a little late today because we had some paperwork to take care of. Tenten, just sit wherever you want. I'm sure that we'll be changing things around when the year gets going and I figure out who can sit near whom anyway."

Neji was still staring at me and I thought about trying to sit near him. It would be funny to see him look like that all day, but I wanted to be able to concentrate.

I chose to sit near a really ugly kid with hair as long as mine on the other side of the classroom. No one was sitting near him, and I figured that less people would notice the dirt in my hair. Rain wasn't the only way that I bathed, but I knew that I was dirtier than anyone else here. This weird kid made me seem less odd.

Neji followed me with his eyes to my seat, but left me alone once I sat down.

He only looked at me again when Iruka called roll and said my name last, adding it to the list. Roll was also when I learned that my Hyuuga was called Neji. He wasn't just a boy anymore; he had a name, and it wasn't bad, even if it weren't as great as mine. I failed to think that he'd actually come up with my name first. He didn't need to know that. He probably didn't even remember me.

I did my best to pay attention that first day, but I was just like everyone else in the class: only a kid who didn't really want to listen to a lecture. Neji was the only one who seemed immune to our age. He actually answered Iruka's questions—all of them—and didn't even seem proud. He was above us and he knew it. I think that Iruka figured it out pretty quickly because after that he stopped asking questions. We all would wait for Neji to answer and that wasn't productive to a learning environment.

After our quick break, during which time I sat in the class watching Neji also sit and do nothing, we got to do practical stuff. This was when I got excited. I'd be able to show Neji just how great I was.

We went out to the practice area and Iruka displayed for everyone my three favorite weapons. Apparently they were the most commonly used, and he'd start everyone with kunai. He had all of the kids line up to practice. I was at the end among the 'T's' and Neji was at the front with the 'H's.'

I was so excited that I was literally jumping up and down. When Neji's turn came, he didn't even seem to care. He stepped up and took the kunai from Iruka and lobbed it at the target. His form wasn't good at all and his aim was off. It was a suitable strike, but not for someone I knew must have been practicing for four years. What was he doing?

Iruka didn't comment, but nodded. Neji had been by far the best so far, but Iruka didn't seem to care. He didn't seem surprised either. He wrote something down and finally spoke.

"That's suitable, Neji. You can be excused. You'll be able to pass the exam if you can do that again in four years."

Neji nodded and said "Hn." It was the moment that I'd been waiting for, but he just said "Hn." What the heck? He didn't even have to throw kunai? The situation was too anticlimactic for my child's heart.

Neji just walked back to the classroom after that. No one else seemed to care about what the 'genius kid' was doing, and continued with the training.

They finally reached the 'T's,' but my heart wasn't in the training any more. Neji didn't care, so why should I? I threw the kunai, and it hit the target perfectly. It even lodged inside and was dead center, but I knew that I could do better. I had been planning to split the target just to prove that I could, but with Neji's ambivalence, I didn't even care.

The other kids seemed suitably impressed, but Neji wasn't even there to see my triumph. I was better than him, and he didn't know. Worse, he probably didn't even care.

"That really was impressive Tenten. Can you do it again, please?" Iruka asked with with shock that I didn't register due to my distracted state.

I tossed another three without even looking. I knew where they'd go and I didn't need to see. With three quick successive 'thunks,' I'd done better on my first practical than anyone had in their final exam in years. Not since the prodigal Uchia had anyone seen what I could do.

The rest of the class clapped and Iruka was actually impressed. His praise fell on deaf ears. I nodded when appropriate, but slunk back to the end of the line, hoping that no one would ask me about my talent. I didn't want to talk about it.

Iruka didn't offer to excuse me from practicals with kunai, and I was grateful. I would've followed Neji and tried to find out what he'd actually been doing for four years. There was no way that those boxes had contained kunai. His talent wasn't anywhere near what I had assumed it to be.

The rest of class was a blur, and I didn't even bother to pay attention until I watched Neji leave at the end of the day. He walked home alone, directly toward the Hyuuga compound. While everyone else dwelled about, talking about the first day, he slank back home, avoiding everyone.

He really didn't care. My rivalry didn't actually exist. I wasn't sure what to do now.

"So, Tenten, you ready to go home?" a voice asked from behind me. Someone has snuck up on me as I watched Neji. It was Iruka and he wasn't actually asking.

I nodded.

"What's gotten in to you? Shouldn't you be thrilled? You did amazingly well on your first ever practical. You were great." Iruka was used to kids getting excited and talking about their accomplishments, but I was flat. From what he'd seen of my behavior, he assumed that I would be extremely emotional.

"Yeah," I said not really caring.

"You should be thrilled. This will bring you closer to being a ninja. Closer to matching Lady Tsunad-eee." He dragged out he last bit, almost as if baiting a dog or a little kid.

"Yeah," I answered blandly. Being like Lady Tsunade seemed insignificant compared to discovering my rival's lack of skill.

"I guess that you don't want your weapons, then?" Iruka tried as a final attempt to bring me back to myself. That snapped me out of my slump.

"Yeah, I do! Where are they?" I practically demanded, anxious for my few possessions to be returned.

Iruka took out my meager collection and handed me a perfect pouch along with them.

"This is for their proper storage. I'm not going to ask how you got these, since they typically come with a case, so just be grateful."

I didn't need him to tell me twice. I had them away before he even finished and was tossing the kunai while we walked. I'd missed my things.

"You're lucky that they're letting you keep those. You're not supposed to have your own to carry about until second year. Most of the ninja family kids of course do, but rules are in place for a reason. They don't want you hurting anyone or yourself."

"Four years. I've been doing this for four years," I reminded him without breaking the rhythmic catching.

"Yeah, that's what made them listen. You're . . . a special case." I didn't respond. We'd gone over this enough by now and I had weapons to interest me rather than him.

He walked me to a fairly clean building and brought me to the third floor. There wasn't anyone else here, but he didn't comment, so I didn't either.

"There'll be a female teacher by to check up on you probably once a week." He saw that I was about to protest and continued, "But this is mostly for the peace of mind of everyone else. It's obvious that you can care for yourself." He handed me a key. "Just don't cook until you're older. Stick with the fridge and the microwave. We don't want you burning down your new home."

He moved to extend his hand but seemed to think better of it. He just flicked his wrist in a gesture resembling a wave and left. I was alone and quite happy about it.

Life was suddenly really easy. Monday through Friday I woke up and got ready to go to class. I had to bathe every day now, but it wasn't too bad. I got to eat breakfast thanks to the allowance that they gave me, and at school they gave me food. I usually didn't bother with dinner but instead went out to practice. I used the money to buy more weapons and didn't tell Iruka-sensei. I couldn't get them from the shop, so I bought a used set of kunai and senbon off a random peddler. The shurikens came later then I managed to convince a guy to pretend to be my dad and buy it for me. I even managed to get a few exploding tags to play with, but those were more difficult and I was afraid that Iruka would freak if he found out. I kept those only long enough to get the basics before I tried to figure out something else to toss.

Class was easy. There wasn't anything really hard yet, and I didn't even need to work. We all goofed off in class and only Neji acted like a prune. He never showed up for the weapons practicals and never knew about my skills. He probably wouldn't have cared even if he did know.

I was the best in our class, except for Neji, of course. No one else even seemed to notice how well I did, since Neji was just so far ahead. Nothing any of us did could compare to him. He was like the stars and the rest of us were still trying to get to the moon. Poor Lee couldn't even make it past the ground.

I got along well with everyone, but I never really made friends. These people were all too different, most of them from ninja families or civilian families, and I wasn't sure where I fit in. Everyone seemed to like me since I wasn't arrogant about my skills, so I had a great time. Life was good.

Jutsu practicals came the second half of the school year, and I had to work harder than most of the kids. I didn't have the typical control of a girl because I had more chakra than them. I had less than a boy though, so I was screwed in both ways. Iruka commented that it made me unique and I told him that it made me annoyed.

Neji was of course a genius at these too, so he got another 'excused.' This time I paid extra attention.

"OK, Neji that was good. You'll be able to pass with that. Are you sure that you don't want to join the rest of your class?" Iruka was trying to be friendly.

"No," Neji answered rather simply.

Iruka nodded and continued on.

Apparently Neji wanted to be excused from weapons and jutsus, but I had no idea why. When my turn came to perform the substitution, I performed better than most.

"That was good, Tenten," Iruka praised.

"Thanks, but why don't I get excused like Neji?" I tried to sound innocent and stupid. It sometimes worked with Iruka. He still sort of pitied me.

"I'll talk to you about it later, Tenten," he hurried me away probably hoping that I wouldn't cause a scene and get the other kids who'd done well riled up too.

As soon as class ended I was at Iruka's desk.

"So, why is Neji excused and I'm not? He gets excused from every weapon's practice and every time that we learn a new jutsu just walks out as soon as he does it once."

"Neji is a Hyuuga, Tenten. Do you know what that means?" He wasn't trying to sound condescending, but it came out that way. He was perhaps a bit exasperated from having to explain near everything rather basic to me.

"Yeah, he gets to live in that big compound and gets to have really weird eyes, wear white robes and have long hair. Well, not all of the boys have long hair, but they all wear funky clothes and have weird eyes."

"The Hyuuga are more than that, Tenten. They're a clan. They have a special jutsu that only they can do."

"So they're selfish. Is what you're saying?" Being a Hyuuga sounded like just being arrogant to me. Neji certainly seemed that was to me and everyone else in the class.

"No, they are the only ones who can do it. It's in their blood, or well rather, their eyes." I'd seen Neji's weird white eyes, they were the same as the man that he was with when he was young, but that did not make him special.

"What's this to do with ninja training?" I asked with a bit of annoyance. I was not jealous of Neji, but frustrated that he was receiving special treatment when he was supposed to be competing with me.

"They don't feel as though they need weapons or regular jutsu training beyond absolute basics. Neji actually does more than most Hyuugas and performs better than almost all of them in near everything. He doesn't need to do even as much as he does."

"I don't get it."

"Neji's clan doesn't require him to even come to the academy to work for them. The Hokage requires that all ninja in the Leaf come here. The clan wants to stay here, so they make the concession to go to school here. In return, the Hokage doesn't force them to do more than what is absolutely necessary." Nothing about what he said made much sense to my child's sense of pride and equality. Politics were unknown to me.

"Neji's just getting a free ride!" I argued at the unfairness. "They all are!"

"No, I promise that they work hard at their jutsu. Neji's probably constantly training. He's learning everything on his own from the academy too, just so that he has more time for his family's jutsu."

My curiosity hadn't been placated, but I sensed that Iruka did not like all of my questions. I was still obsessed with Neji, and figured that asking too many questions might tip Iruka off, so I tried to turn the conversation away from Neji.

"It's still not fair, sensei. He has an entire family supporting him!" I knew that teachers pitied me for my lack of relations, Iruka especially. I used his sympathy against him.

"Maybe he does. We can't know that for sure, but life's not going to be fair, Tenten. Especially to you. You're going to have to learn that fast. You'll have to compensate." Iruka's absolute confidence in his words proved his personal experience.

The conversation was becoming too personal, so I decided to break it off.

"Thanks for the advice, sensei. I'll try to keep that in mind." I made a move toward the door.

"Of course, Tenten. And don't get discouraged. You're doing extremely well. You're second in everything in class and you're the best at all the practical work." Iruka tried to cheer me on, seeing my personal success as a sign of the ability of orphans and lesser people alike.

I nodded not really caring. I had a lot more new information about Neji that I needed to find a way to investigate.

I thanked Iruka and went back to my place, wondering how I could spy on Neji. I needed a way to see exactly what he was doing.

I skipped practice that day to sit on the roof outside of the Hyuuga compound. I hadn't been there in a while and suddenly realized that I'd grown. A lot. I was getting too big for sitting on buildings. People were going to notice me.

I watched several people go in and out through the gates, but no Neji. He would have been home from class long ago, so I knew that I was wasting my time. I figured that they had training grounds in the compound, and Neji would never need to leave. He probably had anything that he could ever want; yet he was so unhappy. No, he wasn't just unhappy, he was angry.

I stayed there when the first stars appeared and after when you could watch ninja leap across the rooftops on silent missions. I knew that I should go home before anyone noticed me, but I waited anyway.

Only in the dead of night did I finally see something worth my wait: Neji returned. He was alone and looked different with his hair in disarray and his clothes no longer perfectly in order. He would have balked at being seen like this. Perfect Neji was a mess, but no one else was here to see it. He didn't even wait for the guards and just snuck inside his home.

He was doing something, probably training on his own, and it was a secret. No one knew except me. I was determined to follow him and discover him, no matter what it took.

"Tenten. Tenten. Tenten!"

"Hai!" I said shooting my head up from my desk. I'd fallen asleep after last night's adventures and my teacher had obviously noticed.

"You know better," he chastised with affection and obvious shock at my behavior.

"Yes, sensei. Sorry. It won't happen again," the easy promise slipping from my mouth.

Iruka nodded his head and went back to teaching. I really should have been paying attention, but I was just too tired to care. Last night's excursion was too much for my young self. I didn't know how Neji managed to come home so late every night and function in class. He was inhuman.

I didn't fall asleep again, but didn't really pay attention either. I stared at my obsession. Neji was paying attention, or at least appearing to do so. He wasn't jittery or tired like the other students. He was regal in our class of commoners. He didn't look like he belonged and everyone knew it. There were empty seats to the right and to the left of him. He didn't have friends and seemed content. Well, Neji was never happy exactly, but he didn't seem particularly bothered by the lack of companionship. Others had tried to be friendly in the beginning, I'd watched, but he had essentially rejected them. Everyone left him alone now.

His back was rigid, as were his shoulders and arms. He only shifted in his seat once for the five times the rest of us felt the urge. He seemed old sitting there. He didn't take notes, but I figured that a genius didn't need to write down anything to remember it. He probably was brilliant enough to never forget a single fact that Iruka told the class.

I suddenly realized how strange it must look to have me staring at Neji and tried to focus on something else so that I could watch him without being too obvious. Iruka-sensei wouldn't have appreciated my little obsession.

Class finally ended and I was out of my seat before even Neji. I actually beat him outside just so that I could seem less suspicious. I was following him today and he didn't need to know.

He walked quickly, but not fast enough to make people think that he was running from something. He was just in a hurry. He headed toward the compound, but kept going right on past it. He went into the training grounds and even past those. He ended up inside of a clearing just at the edge of the forest. It was splintered with pieces of wood and broken trees. Someone had made it and had been using it for a while.

Neji first tossed his things to the ground and sat in the shade under a tree. I climbed up into a particularly tall one and sat watching him. He was meditating. An eight-year-old, well probably close to nine now, was meditating under a tree. Kids our age just didn't do that. We didn't have the concentration or the drive, yet here Neji sat, in complete silence, without moving for almost an hour. He was crazy, but it fascinated me.

His eyes opened as soon as he mumbled something. He was instantly awake from whatever state he'd put himself in and there was something wrong with his eyes. I climbed down a bit as silently as I could to get a closer look. I almost fell off the branch when I saw what was wrong. The veins around his eyes were popping out of his head. I knew that he had a blood-limit, but this was just freaky looking. I was sort of frightened, but my interest in what Neji was doing to do kept me there.

He started sparing with no one at first, then started attacking the trees. Neji looking like he was pissed off at a tree. I didn't think that he'd get anywhere against that foe, but eventually the tree fell. I couldn't believe it.He'd felled a tree with just his hands!

All of this was a bit much for my kid self, and I wanted to run away. I didn't, only because I was scared of him right then. He'd killed a tree with his hands and was barely taller than me! I didn't know what he would do if he saw me climb down after watching him.

I ended up watching him all afternoon and into the night. He didn't destroy any more trees, but he did return to meditate, causing him to be too close to my tree for my comfort, and he did more of those crazy fighting moves. He did attack a few more trees after each meditation session, but he didn't kill any more. Thankfully he didn't see me either.

When he finally left I waited twenty minutes just to be sure that he really was gone. I did not want him coming back and seeing me here. I didn't want him seeing me at all. He was crazy and scary and always angry. This could not be a good combination.

I ran home and only left my bed when I thought that I'd be the last one to arrive at class. I didn't want to be anywhere near Neji and wanted as many people as possible between us when I arrived.

It was a normal day for everyone else in class, and I had no trouble staying awake. My heart was pounding too rapidly for sleep. When practical time came, I was thrilled. Neji left, and my heart finally returned to a semi-normal rhythm. My concentration was off, but Iruka-sensei didn't comment. He was probably busy with the other students, figuring that I was good enough to no longer need guidance.

I thought about sneaking away and going home early, but I figured that Iruka or (far more unlikely but infinitely worse) Neji might notice my absence. I just snuck home as soon as class was done. I waited until everyone had left and followed the last kid out the door. I wanted to be sure that my crazy interest was far, far away.

Two weeks passed and my interest in Neji had waned, but not really disappeared. A four-year obsession doesn't disappear overnight, no matter how much we want it to.

I'd calmed down enough by the second week that I decided to investigate what I could about his freaky-eye-thing. I'd look into his family. There had to be information on them somewhere.

I went to the school library first and didn't find much. There was a book with information on three types of eye blood-limits, but it wasn't hugely specific. I did learn that Neji would eventually be able to see 360 degrees around. I wasn't that impressed. It definitely didn't include up and down because I was pretty sure that he hadn't seen me just a few feet away up in a tree.

I also learned that Neji's scary attacks were part of Juken, a special type of Taijutsu that only Hyuugas with the Byakugan could use.

With a little bit of knowledge he wasn't so scary, even if he did look nuts when he was doing that freaky-eye-thing.

I decided that I'd have to get used to Neji, as I was going to watch him again. I was still curious about everything and especially about anything that made him better than me.

I spent the rest of the year watching Neji every Friday afternoon until night, when he would finally go home. He didn't do anything else that was as scary as the tree felling, but he still fascinated me, just not as much. I figured that I already found out about Neji as much as I could.

The rest of the time was my own. Neji wasn't the only one who still needed to practice.

My ninth year passed just like my eighth year, with just a couple new weapons thrown in from a shady street peddler. I was taller, cleaner, and smarter, except for my wild hair.

My hair had always been a part of me. It was a muddy brown, nothing special, but it was mine. I spent eight years owning nothing except my hair. I knew that it was beautiful, even if not everyone could see that. I'd been offered money for it twice when I was still on the street. It was long and perfect and would make great wigs. I refused, only because I was scared of the old women wielding shears. I also loved spinning and watching my fair flair about. It wasn't always clean and fresh, but it was always thick and luxurious.

My tenth year our new sensei commented that I should probably cut my hair. He was an old guy and I wondered if he retired and just taught at the academy to give kids like me a hard time.

"You're gonna wanna cut that, missy. No way it won't get in the way when you're throwing stuff down the line. It's too long for simple tie up. It'll come undone and you'll get someone using it against ya."

"I can handle it," I said trying not to yell at him. No one had ever dared to say anything about it before.

"I won't stop them girls or even the boys from yanking it when you're doing your taijutsu spars."

"I'll win, so it won't be a problem." I stared at the rest of the students as if daring them to try anything. I'd punched a kid out once for trying to pull my hair. This instructor hadn't been around them, but he should've known better.

"Someone bigger and meaner than you will yank it right off. You'll regret it. I'm telling you." He had that condescending tone that more knowledgable and experienced adults love to use. It never worked, so I wasn't sure why he was saying anything. I was annoyed though, and I didn't respect him as much as I respected Iruka, so I figured that I'd be a smart ass.

"You ever seen anyone have their hair ripped off?" I said with extreme skepticism.

He stopped for a moment, surprised by my logic. "Well no, but I'm sure that it's happened."

"I'll handle it," I promised emphatically.

I gave him a scathing look and ignored him for the rest of the year unless he had something really important to say.

My eleventh year we had a female sensei who politely mentioned that although my hair was lovely, it might get damaged during training.

"Tenten?"

"Yes, sensei?" I asked politely. I had far more respect for her.

"Don't you worry about your hair getting destroyed in practice?" she sounded sincere in her care, but I wasn't interested.

"No." I had this conversation before and wasn't looking forward to another rant.

"I'm thinking that it might get cut something awful if another student throws an erratic kunai. You'd never do that, but one of them could." She gestured to the other students. She was appealing to my arrogance, pride, and vanity, a perfect case of manipulation from a kunoichi that I would only appreciate years later.

I thought about her words for a moment and realized that she was right. The others didn't have as good of aim as me. Any one of them could destroy my years of growth with just a single throw. I tried not to think about the danger that I'd placed my hair in for years.

She was a very smart woman. She didn't question my adequacy or ability, but instead questioned the other students. It was a brilliant move, and perfectly timed. Only a week later a kid did almost take off my ear. He would've sliced through my thick hair like a knife through butter. It was Lee, and I would've hated him forever if he had managed to destroy my locks.

The next day I came to class with two perfectly formed (incredibly tight) buns on top of my head. No one commented, as no one recognized me. When roll was called and I raised my hand, our sensei gave me a nod of approval. I noticed Neji's scowl darken from his little empty corner of the room and tried not to laugh. Someone didn't approve. Everyone else instantly forgot that I ever wore my hair differently. Not four months later Lee asked what I looked like with my hair down.

My hair became my secret. No one would ever see it down again. No one would ever use it against me.

My twelfth year I illegally procured some hair pieces from a seller in the market.

"I want something strong. Something that can be used as a weapon," I told him in hushed tones in the back of his little stall.

The man stared at me. He did that up and down head motion that only guys seemed to be able to perfect.

"Aren't you a little young?" he asked sounding as though he had little actual interest in my age and was more interested in my reasoning.

"I'm older than I look. We can become full ninjas at twelve anyway." I gave him a counter observation, but not a true argument in favor of the sale.

"I'm not from this village, so I don't really care, but these things I'm gonna sell to you, they're really dangerous. Can you handle a weapon like this?" He had that crooked look that all peddler inevitable seem to have, and was probably only concerned with seeing if he could convince me to part with more of my heard earned coins.

"I started kunai at four. I mastered kunai and senbon by eight. Whatever you've got, it won't be problem," I promised as I crossed my arms and stood to my full height. He looked skeptical, so I turned around, showing him my back, and tossed a kunai straight through his hat, sticking it to the wall. I said nothing when I turned around, figuring that my stoic little face enhanced the effect. He did look somewhat humbled and mildly impressed as he stared after his hat, but not particularly inclined to sell them anyway.

"They're not just sharp, missy. They're deadly. One swipe and you could kill yourself. An accident with a kunai is nothing compared to these." He rummaged through the back, pulling out a pouch that he didn't open. He sat on the ground, waiting for me to sit across at the small slab that served as a table.

"I haven't cut myself with my own kunai. Ever. I've never not been careful." I reasoned that if I could manage to never hurt myself with something since age four, then my seriousness would be obviousl

"These belonged to a top lady. She wasn't a ninja, but she was someone important. The one who sold them to me said that she was the daimyo's wife. One of the wives, anyway." He opened the pouch and poured four perfect pins onto the table.

They were beautiful, so most definitely not my style. They were pink too, and I wasn't a fan of pink. Blue worked best for me. Or anything dark. Dark was easier to hide dirt on. They looked like ornaments, certainly not like weapons, just as they must have been intended. These pieces would force me to change my style. I couldn't just put them in and keep my boy clothes. Everyone would notice.

"Good, they'll do then," I said reaching for the first. It was light, and well balanced, almost like a senbon. It would be easy to learn to throw.

I extended my hand for the bag. He seemed reluctant to give it to me. I reached across the table and snatched it before he could think twice. I was a ninja, and he was only a civilian.

I placed the three on the table in the bag and held the final one before me. "They're as lethal as you say, for sure? How do you know?'' I asked with obvious skepticism. The pins were beautiful, but I could hardly imagine that they were deadly.

The man looked away, most definitely reluctant to answer this time. "Nothing that I'm proud of," he said trailing off. He hadn't liked testing his new merchandise.

"You didn't kill anyone, did you?" I asked pulling away from him completely horrified. I didn't want to deal with the police force due to this merchant's actions.

"No, just a dog. It wasn't any person, but it was still a gruesome sight. The dog . . . it didn't die nicely. Make sure not to use these on anyone that you want to die quietly," he politely warned after regaining his composure. He was obviously upset, something that was suprising from a peddler. These men were meant to be touch and emotionless.

I gave him the money and took the bag. "That won't be a problem. They're just a last resort." I was promising myself more than the man. No one was touching my hair. I would never allow it.

Three weeks later we graduated the academy. I knew who my teammates would be. No one needed to tell me; the two best would be with the dead last. When the announcement was made, Neji scoffed, not caring, and Lee jumped up and down. Apparently he thought of me as a friend; he was always a sweet kid.

We met Gai-sensei on the roof that day. He was perfectly on time and had a ridiculous smile.

"Yosh, my youthful students! I am so pleased to meet you all! Now you must tell me about yourselves! Likes, dislikes, and dreams!" The crazy man had stars in his eyes as he told us this. His enthusiasm infected Lee, but Neji and I were thankfully immune to an extent. I still gushed about my love for Lady Tsunade, just not to the extreme that Gai took the exercise.

Lee wanted to become a great ninja with only taijutsu. Neji scoffed at him and I wanted to pelt the prodigy with my shoe. Lee was a nice guy, and even if his dream was realistic, there was no reason to be openly cruel.

Neji was the one that I really wanted to hear. I still was watching him and trying to figure him out.

"I like training alone. I do not like those who do not accept their fates. My goal is to avenge my father."

Gai didn't look too pleased with his answer, but I'd learned more about Neji in those few seconds than in the years that I'd been watching him. He wanted to change the Hyuuga . . . even if I were not sure how exactly. And he was an arrogant bastard.

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This is the longest story that I have ever written! And the only one that I've almost finished and then put up on fanfiction! I cannot actually finish until I know the ending of the manga, as I want to prevent the story from being too AU. So please review, if only so that I feel like it's worth the effort to post the rest of the story.