Chapter Fifteen: True Colors

Tenten was in a bad mood for the next few days.

The memory of being snubbed while a guest, like they were part of the scenery, had annoyed her. Now she wanted vengeance, but the Uchiha hadn't really done anything wrong technically. And anyway, that was very impractical, so she decided to focus on her other plan.

And that was why she met Neji en route to training one day. She was pretty sure Itachi meant for them to 'get serious' soon enough. So it was now or never to initiate her plan. Well, it could be done later, but she had the feeling she'd be going on real missions.

"Neji, can I talk to you about something?" said Tenten, watching him train.

He was spinning on the water, energy flowing around him and managing to stay on the water a little longer. However, eventually, the water became more and more disrupted, and he nearly sank in. Even so, he caught himself on the surface and pulled himself up. "What is it?"

"Well, I was thinking about your, uh... family," said Tenten. How do you say something like this? "And how you're sort of a slave and-"

"Please spare me the sympathies," said Neji. "They will do me no good. Unless you have some sort of plan to fix the situation, it is better to deal with what is."

"Do you think I could buy you?" asked Tenten.

"What?!" said Neji suddenly.

"Well, I mean, you are the legal property of your family, right?" asked Tenten. "That's why they can torture and kill you without it being illegal. So logically, if I bought you, I could just free you, and then they could never hurt you again.

Neji walked off the water. "...I almost want you to try.

"The look on Hiashi's face might well be worth the punishment I'd get for it. To answer your question, Tenten, that plan would never work. I don't think anyone in history has ever had the guts to offer to buy a member of the Hyuga Clan."

"Never?" asked Tenten, surprised. "I mean, Clans do that kind of thing all the time in noble families. I mean, you hand in a dowry and get a bride, so um..."

"Well, until the Leaf Village was founded, there were no laws to govern the matter at all," said Neji. "Only traditions. Even so, Hiashi would find the very suggestion of purchasing a member of his family offensive."

"But he treats you like an animal, Neji," said Tenten. "He tortures you for not obeying his instructions. And sics you on Hinata like an attack dog.

"Actually, if you were a dog, I think the Inuzuki would assassinate him for abuse."

"Yes, but telling him that he treats people he considers family like animals is likely to upset him," said Neji. "The fact that it is true, and he knows it, will only injure his pride all the more. Even if it doesn't, he'd never sell me."

"Well, why not?" asked Tenten. "I mean, you've been deliberately hiding your full power from him. As far as he knows, you're some mediocre loser he wants to act as Hinata's jobber."

"That is true," said Neji. "Hinata is actually very skilled for her age, certainly well above average. However, since Hiashi thinks I am a failure, he thinks Hinata is an even worse failure. So he has thrown her from her sight and brought in her inferior sister as his heir.

"Hanabi is not better than Hinata at all. She was far more aggressive, and Hinata was extremely reluctant to fight her. And they still fought to a draw despite this. And so I have ensured that the weakest possible candidate is now the heir to the Hyuga Clan. And better still, Hinata is far more popular than Hanabi.

"This will stoke tension. I couldn't have planned this any better myself."

"Okay, no way did you plan all of this," said Tenten. "And can we get back on track here? Hiashi thinks you're worthless, so why would he care about selling you?"

"It is not my abilities, but my Byakugan that is the problem," said Neji. "The Main Clan justifies the Caged Bird Seal as a means to protect the Byakugan. It's a sacred duty, and it must not go beyond the family.

"So if he sold me, he'd also sell my Byakugan.

"Although he might agree to do so if he got to remove my eyes first."

"You don't think he'd do that, do you!" asked Tenten. It seemed ghoulish, even for the Hyuga.

"I think it is the only way that he'd be willing to part with my body," said Neji. "Even if he was, he'd never make a deal with you. A mere street rat to his eyes."

Tenten turned the problem over in her mind. "Well, I might just have a plan that could make this work. And if this works out, the Main Branch will completely destroy itself. And we won't have to do anything at all."

"Oh really," said Itachi. "And what is your plan?"

Tenten shuddered and turned to him. "Itachi-sensei?"

"Yes, what is it?" asked Itachi.

Well, um, I have a... favor to ask of you," said Tenten.

And that was how, a few days later, Tenten made her way to the Hyuga Clan District. She saw a young girl, Hanabi right, training extensively against a tree. Looking at her, Tenten decided an introduction might help. So she smiled and moved forward. "Excuse me?"

"Who are you?" asked Hanabi.

"Hi, I'm Tenten," said Tenten, in her best clothes. "I'm here to meet with Lord Hiashi on behalf of Itachi Uchiha. I came here before."

Hanabi halted. "...You watched big brother Neji train with Hinata."

"Yes, yes, I did," said Tenten. "Sorry for running out in the ceremony, I hadn't seen anything like that before. So, you're training then?"

"Yes," said Hanabi. "I am the heir to the Hyuga Clan. It is my duty to be strong because I defeated Hinata."

"You defeated Hinata?" asked Tenten, who'd heard about all this, of course. But she let the awe into her voice.

"Yes," said Hanabi, and her voice had some concern. "Father had us fight one on one, and Hinata was good. But I was able to defeat her. Then Father sent Hinata away with a jonin named Kurenai."

"Why would Lord Hiashi do that?" asked Tenten.

"Hinata is five years older than me," said Hanabi. "She was defeated by me despite that, so I was stronger."

"So what happens when someone becomes stronger than you?" asked Tenten.

"What?" said Hanabi, apparently having not considered that.

It was a weak point there. Tenten could use that. "Well, I was just wondering what will happen if Hinata gets stronger than you? What if she comes back and beats you?"

"Well, I... I've been training really hard," said Hanabi. "Hinata is good, but she won't be able to surpass me."

"But what if she does?" asked Tenten.

Hanabi shifted uneasily. "Well... I guess Father might make her the heir if she was way stronger than me. But that won't happen; I have to be strong for the Hyuga."

So Hanabi was dedicated to duty. She genuinely bought into the Main Clan rhetoric or at least thought she did. Her being heir was only natural because she was stronger. So, ask the inconvenient question. "Do you think he'll send you away like Hinata?"

"What?" said Hanabi uneasily. "No, of course not."

"Why not?" asked Tenten.

Hanabi lost control of her expression for a moment. "Why are you asking these questions?"

"I'm curious about your answers," said Tenten.

"Well, stop," said Hanabi hotly. "What does Itachi Uchiha want with Father anyway?"

"I can't talk about that. Who should I give my proof to?" asked Tenten.

"Me," said Hanabi.

Tenten nodded, drew out the crest of the Uchiha, and offered it to her. Hanabi looked over it. "Hmm, this is the Uchiha Clan crest.

"Alright, I'll take it to Father. But you'd better not waste his time."

And so Hanabi led Tenten away and brought her to a room to wait. Tenten meditated there, and Hanabi rushed off. A little while later, Tenten was called to a room where Hiashi was waiting in meditation. He looked very controlled and noble, for a slaver and murderer of his own kind. Tenten pretended to believe the outward appearances.

Hanabi was behind her, looking uneasy.

"Tenten is it?" asked Hiashi. "I'm told that Itachi Uchiha has asked you to negotiate with me on his behalf."

"Yeah, that sums it up," said Tenten.

"And why did Itachi Uchiha not feel the need to meet me in person?" asked Hiashi.

Tenten looked down. "I'm sorry about this, but the truth is that he can't be seen publically discussing this with you directly. If people saw him coming to the Hyuga Manor, it would cause Itachi problems. You've probably heard that Sarutobi is considering him for the position of Hokage."

"I see," said Hiashi. "Well, then I will speak with you. Hanabi, continue your training."

"But I'm the heir, shouldn't I..." began Hanabi.

"Continue your training," said Hiashi.

Hanabi shut the door.

"Now, what exactly is it Itachi wishes of me?" asked Hiashi coldly.

"A business proposition to disguise a different kind of arrangement," said Tenten. "One of my teammates is your nephew, Neji Hyuga."

"Yes," said Hiashi, raising an eyebrow. "What of him?"

"Itachi Uchiha is hoping to have him on his ANBU one day," said Tenten.

Hiashi halted. "...I see. Might I inquire as to why?"

"Neji is very good with his Byakugan. And his abilities have proven really useful on all of our missions," said Tenten. "In time, Itachi-sensei believes he could become a great ninja."

"He is mistaken," said Hiashi. "I have judged him to be average at best. And I have observed his training from the beginning. He lacks discipline and control of his emotions."

"I get where you're coming from," said Tenten. "But Neji did go through a great deal of training during our mission. And Itachi-sensei wants to continue working closely with him."

"And what is the problem, then?" asked Hiashi.

"The problem is that Neji is a member of the Branch Clan," said Tenten. "If he were to become part of the ANBU, the Caged Bird Seal on his head would be a liability. Also, his status as living to serve the Main Family would create a conflict of interest."

"Is Itachi Uchiha requesting that I free a member of my family?" asked Hiashi, an edge in his tone.

"No," said Tenten. "Of course not.

"We don't want Neji Hyuga to leave the Hyuga Clan at all. Our problem is simply one of legal ownership. If someone sees that Neji Hyuga is the legal property of the Hyuga Clan, it will look like a conflict of interest.

"The Uchiha Clan are already in an unstable political position as it is."

"Then what are you proposing?" asked Hiashi.

"We would like to purchase the technical ownership of Neji Hyuga. To avoid any misunderstandings down the road," said Tenten. "Itachi-sensei wants to shape him as he sees fit."

Hiashi paused. "I see.

"And what of the Byakugan?"

"Upon his death, Neji Hyuga's Byakugan will go to the Hyuga Clan, of course," said Tenten. "It will be in the use of the Uchiha only so long as he is alive."

"And any children he might have..." mused Hiashi.

"They will be as any other member of the Branch Clan," said Tenten. She winced as she thought of it.

Hiashi nodded. "Very well then.

"Perhaps we should discuss price."

Tenten had been given parameters, and the price ended up being very high. For a mediocre Hyuga warrior with a Byakugan. However, if Neji's full value had been known, it would have been far, far, higher. Hiashi could see through walls and in every direction, but he was blind to the value of people.

And Tenten was going to use that to destroy him.

As she walked out, the price having been agreed upon, she heard Hanabi following her. Tenten pretended not to notice and waited until she had gotten out a fair distance from the Hyuga Manor. Then she halted and looked up. "Aren't you supposed to be training?"

Hanabi came out. "How could you do that?!"

"Do what?" asked Tenten.

"Just... just buy a member of my family like that!" said Hanabi. "Who are you to treat big brother Neji like he's property."

"He kind of is," said Tenten. "I mean, Hiashi was willing to sell him, wasn't he?"

"No he's not, he... he's a member of our family," said Hanabi. "The laws don't change that."

Okay, that was it.

Tenten was willing to bite her tongue while Hiashi subjected his own family to slavery. She was willing to pretend like it was okay.

But she was not going to stand here and acknowledge a familial bond between master and slave. Either someone was your property, or someone was a person with rights.

They could not be both.

"Oh really?" asked Tenten, feeling oddly calm. "So can Neji leave the clan if he wants to?"

"No, but-" began Hanabi.

"Can Neji decide not to fight Hinata if he wants to?" asked Tenten.

"No, but that doesn't-"

"Can Neji go to live somewhere else without your Father's approval?" asked Tenten, her voice rising.

"No..." Hanabi faltered.

"If your Father were to kill Neji for no reason at all, would anyone be able to press charges?" asked Tenten. "Would anyone ever dare it wrong?!"

"...no, but he'd never do anything like that," said Hanabi.

"Then why does your clan torture him then?!" snarled Tenten.

"We... we don't..." began Hanabi.

"Yes, you do," said Tenten. "I saw that match between Neji and Hinata as clearly as you did. They hurt him when he wasn't aggressive enough. Then they hurt him when he was too aggressive. They were trying to get him to beat Hinata to a pulp so she'd get angry and hurt him."

"That's not true! The Elder he... he's just trying to make Hinata strong!" said Hanabi.

"Is that why she was practically exiled from your clan for not wanting to beat up her little sister?" asked Tenten. "I didn't see her anywhere around here lately?"

"I... I was stronger," said Hanabi. "I was willing to fight harder so I won."

"Oh really," said Tenten. "Well, let me ask you this. If Hinata came back tomorrow and beat you to a pulp, what do you think would happen next?"

"I..." Hanabi halted. "She... she'd never... she'd never do that."

"Does that make her a bad person?" asked Tenten.

"...No, of course not. My sister is gentle," said Hanabi.

"Then why has she been disowned and thrown out like a used rag?!" said Tenten. "Where do you get off justifying torturing her and Neji? They are your family, and you treat them like animals! Worse than animals, because people at least people pet their dogs!

"Just who the hell do you people think you are?!"

Hanabi went dead silent. "...We're the Main Branch. Our purpose is to protect the Byakugan, and only the strongest can lead us."

"Oh yeah?" asked Tenten. "And what happens when a member of the Branch Family is stronger than you? Is Hiashi gonna put a brand on his own head and promote them?"

"I... well I..." Hanabi halted. "The Branch system isn't perfect, but it's necessary to protect the Byakugan. Without it, other clans, other villages could get it. The Main Clan has to keep control of the Branch Clan; it's our duty.

"And my duty is to be the heir because I was the strongest."

"Oh really?" asked Tenten, feeling like they were going in circles. "So if tomorrow, Hiashi found a stronger potential heir, you would have no objections? Not even if he ordered you to be branded?"

"I..." Hanabi halted. "I'd try to grow stronger so I could prove myself worthy of being the heir."

"What if Hiashi doesn't give you the time?" asked Tenten. "What if you grow stronger and still lose? Are you going to accept getting branded for life and being treated like Neji and the others? Being sold off like chattel? It could happen to you as well as Neji, you know?"

"It won't happen!" said Hanabi.

"What if it does?" asked Tenten.

"It can't, Father would never... do... that..." Hanabi trailed off and knew she'd defeated herself. She knew full well that Hiashi would do what he had done to Neji to her in a heartbeat. All it would take was a brand on her head and a lower level of skill.

"You wanted to know why I'm buying Neji," said Tenten. "It's because I care. And because I care, I'm purchasing him as chattel to get him away from his 'family'. And seeing as Lord Hiashi was perfectly fine with the arrangement, I don't see why you care.

"Unless, maybe, you think maybe the clan can be wrong?"

Hanabi choked visibly, and tears came from her eyes. But Tenten wasn't feeling any sympathy. "...You should never have come here."

"I should never have had to come here?" asked Tenten. "I'm here because of what you've done. If Neji was treated like a member of your family, my visit would have been a glorified sleepover.

"The way I see it, you have two options.

"You can admit that the Branch Family are your slaves, kept in line through terror, and do something about it.

"Or you can stay in denial and prepare to sleep with a kunai under your pillow."

"They..." Hanabi halted. "They aren't slaves..."

"You keep saying that over and over again," said Tenten. "Why should I believe it?"

Hanabi ran off, sobbing uncontrollably as she ran away. No doubt, Hiashi would regard it as a display of weakness. Tenten halted. "Truth hurts, I guess."

Tenten wondered if Hanabi's broken spirit would hurt her plans. Probably not; at worst, Hiashi would chide her for weakness. Then he'd imagine that Tenten was just acting according to Itachi's plans or something.

Whatever. It was not her problem.

Only it turned out Naruto had been watching her, and Tenten saw him looking on. He moved forward toward her, looking oddly angry. "Why would you do that, Tenten?"

"Hmm?" asked Tenten, not in the mood.

"Make her cry?" asked Naruto. "You didn't have to be so vicious with her?"

"She made herself cry," said Tenten. "If she'd paid attention, she'd have figured out all this stuff herself. And it's better if she hears it from me now than if she learns it when someone tries to assassinate her later.

"I'm certainly not going to let her find out at my expense."

"Well, I'm going after her," said Naruto. "She needs someone to talk to right now."

"Do whatever you want," said Tenten. "I've no business with someone I hate after getting what I want from them."

"I guess you did," said Naruto, walking past her. Then he paused. "You know what's weird. Everyone in the village always has kind of hated me, but not me. None of them really know me at all. But they hate me as if they do.

"You were one of the first people I'd met who saw me for who I really was. You spoke to me like I was a person and you gave me really good advice. It helped me a lot.

"But you hate me, don't you, Tenten?"

"Pretty much," admitted Tenten with a smile. No sense in hiding it. Maybe he'd go away now.

"What did I ever do to you?" asked Naruto.

Tenten considered exactly why it was that she hated him. Naruto was slightly more tolerable now than he was before. And it wasn't technically his fault that he was born with every advantage under the sun. Meanwhile, Tenten had been forced to do everything under the sun to make herself a success and she suspected that Naruto was going to surpass her. Now that he was putting the effort in, he'd become very powerful and probably be used as a tool by the opposition to the Uchiha.

So really, Naruto was the antithesis to her ideals, in a way. But that wasn't the sort of thing he'd understand. "Couldn't tell you."

And she walked off with a skip in her step.