Impure

AN: Ok, I forgot to put this in the prologue, but I won't forget it from now on.

DISCLAIMER: As much as I would like too, I do NOT own Naruto.

Chapter One: Growing Up

…

"NEJI-OJISAN!"

Neji winced at the volume of the four year old running towards him. He stopped his Taijutsu training just in time to catch the bundle that flew into him. He hadn't been hugging her for more than a few seconds before he felt her warm tears through his shirt.

"Masumi-chan, why are you crying?" He asked gently.

"They won't lemme play with them!"

"Who won't?"

Masumi looked up at her uncle with wide, tear-filled eyes. Her unruly dark blond hair was pulled into two messy pigtails and her tanned face was red from crying. That was about as far as her physical resemblance to Naruto went. Her cute little nose and soft round features were all acquired from Hinata. Had one not known what Hinata looked like, they wouldn't have suspected her for a Hyuga at all- say for the eyes.

Two wide white eyes stared back into Neji's own. The only difference being where Hinata had a slight lavender tint to her Byakugan eyes, Masumi's had a blue hue to them. Most of the time they looked plain white, but when the light caught them the right way, he could see the blue.

"The other kids! They keep calling me Hyuga Kuzu!" (note: I don't know if that is in the right context, but when I looked it up, kuzu meant trash.)

Neji paused at that. He didn't quite know how to react. He knew the moment he went to the Hyuga Elders that his little cousin would be treated like trash for not being full Hyuga. He still had no idea how he was supposed to raise a little girl. Had it not been for Tenten, he wouldn't have made it as far as he did.

How on earth are you supposed to teach a little girl to grow up to be a good person when everyone in her "family" treats her like she is dirt to be walked on? Hn, he snorted internally, it's almost exactly like how Naruto grew up.

And there-in lied his inspiration.

Kneeling before the little girl, Neji wiped away her tears with his sleeve and smiled at her.

"Don't cry, Masumi-chan. They might think that now, but one day you will be a very kind and loving person. You will be strong and they will all feel bad for how they treated you when you were all kids. The first step to proving you are strong is not letting them see you cry."

"Neji-ojisan?" Masumi wiped away her tears and smiled at Neji.

"Yes?"

"What is the second step?" Neji grinned at the little girl and ruffled the hair on her head.

"The second step is always being nice to everyone, no matter how mean they are to you. And, always keep your promises."

"HAI!" Masumi stood up straight and saluted her uncle. "I will take both of these steps and one day I will be the strongest kunoichi- no- the strongest SHINOBI to ever come from the Hyuga clan!"

That was the last day anyone ever saw Masumi Hyuga cry.

…

Masumi sat down in her seat at the Ninja Academy and waited for Iruka-sensei to arrive. She was early as always, and, therefore, bored out of her mind. Her messy blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but she still had to blow some stubbornly annoying bangs away from her face. She looked up when Inuzuka Kazuki walked into the room followed by his dog Ryo.

The Inuzuka duo had always been loud pranksters. Though, Masumi had to admit, after seeing Inuzuka Kiba, she understood where they got it from. She had always thought it ironic that his name fit him so well, while hers was the exact opposite. His parents had named him Kazuki, the first of a new generation.

It was an appropriate name. Though all of the Rookie 9 had eventually become some of the most powerful shinobi in the Hidden Leaf Village, the group would always be known as the Rookie 9- being the first group where every rookie genin made it to the preliminary rounds of the Chuunin Exams. It was something they learned about in school.

Kazuki was the first child born to a member of the Rookie 9. Only a few others of the groups had children, but they were around the ages of three and four.

Masumi's name, on the other hand, meant true purity. The irony in that? Her entire family saw her as the impurity of the Hyuga Clan.

The noise of her other classmates brought Masumi out of her musings. A loud thump next to her announced Tanaka Izumi's presence.

"Masumi-chan, why do you look so tired today."

"Sumimasen, Izumi-chan. I'm just very tired today. I was up all night doing homework after I trained all day with Neji-ojisan. I didn't mean to worry you."

"Masumi-chan, why do you always push yourself so hard? Do you just like being one of the top kunoichi in the class?"

"Iie, I train hard to prove to my clan that I will be the strongest Hyuga ever, even if I am not full Hyuga."

"Hmph, you will never be the greatest Hyuga. For starters, there is no way you could ever be better than Neji-sama. And he is only branch Hyuga, like you. Then there is the previous heir, Hinata-sama. She was one of the greatest to come from the clan. Last but not least, you will never beat me, Hyuga Kuzu. I will be the greatest shinobi to come from the Hyuga clan."

Masumi turned in her seat to look at Hyuga Masashi when he spoke. She couldn't help but wince slightly when he called her by the nickname the kids of the Hyuga clan had given her. Though, the movement was so small, no one noticed. She plastered a smile on her face and gave Masashi one of the most pleasant looks she could muster.

"I am sure that you will make a very formidable foe one day, Masashi-san." Masumi turned back around when she heard a clatter outside the classroom, but not before noticing the stumped look on Masashi's face. When she was little, she had promised that she would always be nice to everyone, no matter how mean they were. Even though it was in her nature to be nice anyways, she kept that promise. Though, a small part of her couldn't help but feel satisfaction when the rotten kids were stumped by her kindness.

"DAMMIT! KAZUKI!" The class grew silent at the sound of Iruka-sensei's voice. The only one making any noise was Kasuki. Masumi shook her head at the sight of him rolling on the floor laughing hysterically. He had pulled another prank.

…

The patter of feet on the ground alerted the ANBU guards at the Hokage tower that Masumi Hyuga had just been promoted to a genin of Konoha. Neji had told Masumi that morning that he was going to be in a meeting with the Hokage when she was to get out of school. From the sound of how fast she was running, she was excited.

"NEJI-OJISAN!"

Masumi burst through the doors of the Hokage office and flew into Neji before anyone could stop her. The fifth sat with her chin resting on her knuckles looking quite amused.

"I did it! I did it! I'm a genin now!"

Neji smiled down at Masumi who was grinning wildly at him. Tsunade felt a small pang in her heart. The grin made her look even more like Naruto's child. As much as she loved Masumi, it only reminded her of how much she missed the annoying blond. It had been twelve years since he had even been in the village.

She knew the Akatsuki were almost no threat anymore, but that didn't change the fact that he would not return until they were all dead. She needed him to return soon. There were only two people she would recommend as Hokage- Uzumaki Naruto and Sarutobi Konohamaru. As much as she knew Konohamaru would love the job, Naruto was her top choice. Being as old as she was, she needed to step down from the position very soon.

"… and then Kazuki walked out with Ryo and he was grinning like crazy with his hitai-ate around his forehead!"

Tsunade made the return trip to reality so she could listen to Masumi ramble on and on about the exam she had taken earlier that day. Her own hitai-ate was placed around her neck, much in the same fashion that her mother had worn it.

AN: hmm, I really don't know how well this chapter came out. I probably would have posted it at the same time as the prologue if I hadn't been pulled away from my computer.. sob anyhoosers, please review and tell me if you like it or what you think I need to change. Criticism very much welcome!