Thank you everyone for the compliments and reviews! I appreciate it. I'm glad everyone is enjoying the fanfic so far. This chapter will feature repercussions of Megumi's actions, more Tsubaki and a little team interactions before the Wave mission.

"Let this be a lesson when you humiliate the Hyuga clan." Pearl colored eyes snapped open.

Megumi snapped up into a sitting position. "Wha-arrgh!" He groaned and clutched at his abdomen as pain raced up his body. He fell on his side and tried to ease his pain. What happened? He wondered; his entire body felt like it had been put through a meat grinder.

His forehead throbbed in a familiar agonizing pain. He stilled for a moment and waited for the pain to settle. He peered around through narrowed eyes. The room was dark, only illuminated by the moonlight but it was enough for him to recognize the familiar surroundings.

My room in the Hyuga compound? That can't be right. Last thing he remembered was sitting before a tall, intimidating man with scars and a bandana. Morino Ibiki. Cold sweat broke out across his body as he remembered the penetrating stare from the man.

But why does my body feel like someone dropped a tree on me? Morino didn't lay a finger on him. He didn't need to; Megumi could vaguely remember another man in the room, a Yamanaka if his eyes were anything to go by.

Then it hit him.

five pairs of pearl colored eyes staring down at him with distaste, one of the set belonging to his father.

Bile threatened to spill from his mouth as he was bombarded with memories of the past evening.

The Hokage had him escorted to his office after finding out about him breaking into his home.

Morino Ibiki and a Yamanaka interrogated him, though he conveniently couldn't remember what they asked about.

But the real horror was when he was dragged home and confronted by his father with four chunin clansmen standing beside him. Accusations, yelling and pain. He was assaulted by the four and then finished off with that hand sign from his father that had him screaming.

It was too much for him.

Megumi, pain racked through his body as he did, threw himself to his hands and knees before emptying his stomach on the ground beneath him.

His arms buckled from strain and he fell in his puke. Nausea, pain and anger swirled through his body as he laid there in his own puke. His mind flickered to him walking into the Hokage's office and seeing the man give that same smile he always gave: the kind grandfatherly type of smile.

It was a facade. Megumi sneered at the thought of the Third Hokage but he isn't the bigger concern.

Get up. Megumi ordered himself as he crawled back to his hands and knees, and then stumbled to his feet. Pain isn't an excuse to lay in pity…or throw up, you've been through worse. His body was trembling but he didn't allow himself to fall again.

He headed to his shared bathroom and walked through the open door. He didn't bother with turning on the light since the closed window let in the moonlight and walked to the shower. He caught a glimpse of himself and was surprised to see that he was bandaged up.

My father would never allow someone to treat me after a punishment, not that there are many clansmen who'd attempt to. He brushed it off, his head still splitting with pain and turned on the bath water.

He didn't remove any clothes or bandages; he climbed into the tub as scalding hot water began to fill it steadily. He bit his lip and clenched the edge of the tub with his trembling hand as a whole new pain filled his body.

Megumi turned his gaze upward and stared at the white ceiling. Now what? He wandered. He always counted on the Hokage's kind nature to keep him from truly being punished but the old man got his father involved, who will be keeping a close eye on him. And this won't be the last of my punishment. The only reason his father hadn't let his clansmen hospitalize him is because he had to meet with his team in two days; meaning he needs to be in condition to participate in missions.

The thought of his father was enough to fill him with a healthy amount of hate and anger with a heat that could rival the scalding hot water he stewed in.

I can't wait for the day where I can get away from him. Megumi longed for the day he could get away from his clan. They invoked nasty emotion inside him.

His eyes drifted close. Soon, so very soon. But in the meantime, he'll need to be patient.

Suddenly, Megumi heard a slight melodic humming but didn't open his eyes. His tense body relaxed and he let out a sigh. "Don't worry young prince." was whispered into his ear. "This is your great trial." Fingers combed through his hair. "Your path will be filled with hardships and grief but you can overcome each and every obstacle." The fingers slip up his horns. "Such beautiful horns." Fingers traced over his forehead. "You'll make your mother proud."

A spark of pain made his eyes snap open and turned to see a shadowy figure standing over him with their arm extended.

Megumi's reaction was immediate.

Scalding hot water was splashed from the tub into his assailant's face causing them to gasp in pain and stumble back; but before they could get their bearings, a punch sent them flying to the opposite side of the room and came to a neckbreaking stop when they slammed into the wall next to the window.

Before they could fall to the ground, Megumi pinned them to the wall with a hand wrapped around their throat. His byakugan activated and his body still drenched. Megumi was about to snap their neck out of pure anger before he noticed who was under his hand. "Hinata?" He questioned through clenched teeth.

His twin sister was struggling to get free with a red face and chin that was already beginning to turn purple.

"Why are you here?" He demanded not letting up the pressure he had on her throat.

His sister whimpered out an unintelligible response.

Snorting, Megumi let her drop to the ground before her and took three steps back. He didn't bother with waiting for her to catch her breath as he looked around the bathroom. His tub water was still running and overflowing with water covering the floor but other than that, nothing was out of place.

"I-" He turned back to his twin and raised a brow as she coughed with a hand to her throat and slight tears in her eyes. "I was c-coming to se-see if you were alright." She admitted.

Megumi stared into those identical eyes trying to catch a hint of deceit but couldn't find any, not that he expected there to be any if it was really his twin. "I'm fine." He brushed her off.

If he thought himself capable of feeling guilt, he'd have apologized to his sister or at least offered an explanation but he couldn't bring himself to care as he had very little respect for her.

Instead, he walked over and pulled her to her feet by her arm. He dragged her to his slightly open bedroom door and pushed her on the other side before closing it behind her.

Did he have to be so cold to Hinata? No. Does she deserve it? No. Did he care? No. His relationship with both his sisters could be described in one word: indifferent. He didn't bother with Hanabi, she was too young and their father never allowed them to spar.

Hinata was different. She tried to bridge the gap that was created by years of family tension and clan tradition, by anger and hurt created long before they were born but Megumi didn't care to do the same.

There was no room in his life for someone like his sister.

He predicted the ninja world would chew her up and spit her out soon enough.

Megumi sat on his bed when he noticed it.

His body was no longer in pain.

Megumi began to study his body and because he was distracted he didn't notice that his once closed window was open.

The next morning, Megumi knew better than to let his father catch sight of him, so he snuck out of the compound not caring about the consequences that were sure to come.

He'll be punished regardless.

Megumi walked amongst many others in the Market District, which was as lively as ever. He had his hood pulled up with his horns standing out through the holes of his hood, so he got a couple looks every now and then but that was usual for him.

As he continued down the street, he caught sight of exactly who he was looking for.

Asuma…and Hinata's sensei? Megumi raised a brow as the two talked while walking closely to one another. He eyed the woman, she was pretty but that's all he could comment on. He couldn't remember her name.

He crossed his arms and huffed. Well, there goes my only plans today. He glanced up in the direction he knew an ANBU agent was following him, not even attempting to hide that he was there; probably to discourage him from doing anything he shouldn't.

"Hello, young prince." Megumi stiffened and spun on his heel. Senju Tsubaki stood there with an easy going smile, holding a basket of fruit. "How have you been?" She questioned.

Megumi still wasn't sure what to make of the woman, who claims to have had a friendship with his mother. "I've been fine." He lied.

"Good." Megumi caught the apple tossed to him. "Eat and walk with me, it's very dangerous for a woman of my age to walk home alone."

He snorted as she walked by him without waiting for a response. He bit into the apple and followed after her. "It's broad daylight and you're a Senju, isn't it like a capital offense to attack a Senju?" he questioned.

"Ah, yes, that silly decree the Third and Daimyo created after many of the Senju clan left the village to pursue our Nomadic practice." She looked over her shoulder at him. "Many of the Senju left after the Second Shinobi War, deciding to live in peace and not violence."

"And that's why the Senju clan is all but erased from the village?"

Tsubaki hummed. "That or they were killed during the Second and Third war." She sighed and shook her head. "I, among some others who survived the wars, also became Nomadic."

"Lady Tsunade included?" Megumi questioned. He's surprised the village would actually allow such a valuable ninja to leave. Not that there are any ninja in the village that could have stopped her from leaving. Besides having political power, Tsunade is one of the few ninja from their village that have a "flee-on-sight" order.

"For more or less, the same reasons as the others." Tsubaki commented and stopped in front of a red brick house. "Well, we're here." she pointed out and opened her door. "Why don't you come in and I'll fix you some tea."

Megumi, twirling the core of his finished apple on his finger, shrugged his shoulders and followed her inside. "Fine" He could end his day with training, and then head home.

The pair walked into the kitchen. "Take a seat at the table, dear."

Megumi took one and tossed the core to the open garbage can in the corner of the room. "So, have you kept in contact with members of your clan?" he asked, curiously.

"Every now and again, I'll get a message from them about their current location and journeys." She told him as she began to make tea. "I, like Tsunade, opted to travel alone and not in a group so it makes it slightly difficult to stay in contact but we manage."

"But why travel alone?"

Tsubaki turned with two cups in her hands. "I have my reasons." She placed a cup in front of him, and then took a seat across from him.

Megumi frowned at the brush off but didn't push for an answer. It was clear she wasn't going to talk about it.

"Ah, don't pout." Tsubaki chuckled, reaching over and placing a hand on his own. "Maybe, one day, I'll tell you exactly why and what I learned on my travels."

That caught Megumi's interest and he was filled with curiosity. They fell into a comfortable silence; Megumi looked around and noticed the woman's kitchen was covered with plants of different shapes, sizes and colors.

They're so vibrant. He glanced around and caught sight of an apple tree across her yard. "You grew those apples." He said.

"I cared for them but I didn't grow them." A mysterious smile grew on her face. "I was delivering some baskets to some old friends." she pinned him with a look. "And tried to bring one to you to congratulate you on passing."

Megumi fell silent. She came while I was getting the crap kicked out of me.

"I'd assume you were too tired from your genin test to come to the gate but you don't seem to have a scratch on you." She commented.

Megumi's mind flashed back to the night before. His memory was still a little spotty; he remembered getting into the bath, some humming, and then attacking Hinata. He knew he was missing something because he, also, remembered pain but he woke up absolutely healed. "I guess my doctor was above average." He said slowly into his cup.

"And was that doctor visitation before or after you were escorted to T&I." Megumi met her eyes in surprise. The smile that was once on her face was replaced with a stern frown. "I have eyes and ears around the village, young prince."

This woman…He frowned. "You're very nosy."

"I"m sorry if I overstepped my bounds but I care for you, as the child of my friend."

"Late friend." Megumi corrected.

She ignored the remark. "And I want to be sure that you're being treated fairly inside the village." Her eyes flickered up to the bandages wrapped around his forehead. "As fairly as one in your position can be."

"Nothing about my life is fair." Megumi said, not as a complaint, but as a simple fact. He's long since given up on blaming any and everyone for what is and accepted that for him to have the life he wanted, he'd have to get it himself…by any means necessary.

"Can I, also, assume that you sneaking into the Hokage's home and reading through the Scroll of Sealing is also true?"

"It is." Megumi met her gaze fearlessly. He didn't regret his decision; he didn't find what he was looking for but what he did read gave him a new understanding on ninjutsu and fuinjutsu.

They stared at one another for a couple moments before Tsubaki broke it by smiling and looking down at the half filled cup of tea. "You're very headstrong and passionate, not to mention fearless." She took a sip of his tea. "But you're also reckless."

"What's life without some risks?" Megumi questioned with a shrug.

"Ah, now there's a question without a correct answer." Tsubaki hummed and stood from her chair, grabbing both of their cups. "If you're going to do things that can get you thrown into prison, you're going to need to be more discrete."

Megumi raised a brow. "Shouldn't you be advising me against illegal activities?"

"I cannot order you, young prince, you can do what you want." She put away the clean cups. "But you must also take in every variable with each action you take, weigh the risks and consequences."

Megumi fell silent as he stared at the woman. He broke the silence a moment later. "Why do you refer to me as a prince? I'm not the heir to my clan." He stated.

"Oh, but aren't you?" That smile returned and it made the hair on the back of Megumi's neck stand up straight. He opened his mouth to respond but she waved him off. "Never mind that, you'll learn who you are at your own pace." She grabbed the basket of apples from her counter and placed it in front of him. "This is for you, I have business to attend to soon but don't forget to stop by."

Megumi stared at her, confused and curious but grabbed the basket; he left with a small bow and 'thank you'.

Tsubaki watched him go, even went to her window and watched him until he disappeared around the corner. She smiled and headed to her kitchen.

She dressed herself in her garden attire and the water pail in her hand. As she entered her backyard and garden, she noticed that many of her plants, including her apple tree, grew in the last fifteen minutes. She smirked and chuckled. "You'll learn very soon and it'll be something no one will want to miss." She looked up into the sky. "I feel it, things are about to get very interesting."

(Team 7)

When it came time to meet with his team at training ground 13 at five in the morning, Megumi didn't bother with showing up on time and decided he could afford to show up a little late..

Megumi stared at his reflection. Dressed in a blue jacket just a shade lighter than his own hair, which seemed to be darkening more and more, his hood pulled up with his horns sitting comfortably through the holes and his headband tied around his forehead. His shorts, sandals and his extended knee guards were black.

His eyes passed over the bandages that covered from the first knuckle of his fingers to his elbow to help with his burns. His latest beating session, monitored by his father, was taken to a new level when he decided to use ninjutsu, to spite his father, and destroyed half of the training room but he was also in blast range, thus the burns.

With a huff, Megumi walked over to his window and hopped out. It was only a little after six o'clock and he had some time to waste. He exited the Hyuga compound's gates, ignoring the looks, and began heading for the training field.

When he arrived in the clearing, he could spot his teammates underneath the shade of the trees. The look of aggravation and hunger on Uchiha's face was enough to make him smirk. He caught sight of a half awake Naruto.

Next time, I'll make sure I'm two hours late. He walked over and took his seat underneath another tree and pulled out a book titled Advanced Chakra Theory.

When Kakashi arrived, it was two hours later. "Yo!" He greeted with closed eye and a smile.

Naruto, suddenly wide awake, was on his feet and pointed at the man. "You're late!" He hollered, earning a dark look from the Uchiha boy and a snort from the Hyuga.

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "I got lost on the path of life."

"You liar!"

The silver haired man only clapped his hands. "I'm beginning to not like the three of you again." He announced. "Now, gather around my cute little genin." Once the three stood in front of him, he began. "We're going to begin the day with some exercises and follow up with some spars."

Megumi raised his hand, which earned him a nod from his sensei. "We won't be doing any missions?" he questioned.

"That'll be later today but I want to see more of your skill set and how you'll fare against each other." The three exchanged looks between one another. "The three of you, as a team, will have to rely on one another."

Sasuke scoffed. "Hn, if I have to rely on Naruto, I may as well slit my own throat."

The blonde spun on him. "What's that supposed to mean?" He demanded.

"Do I have to spell it out to you?" Sasuke questioned.

The two began to bicker, Megumi sighed and closed his eyes. "I'm going to give the two of you five seconds to be silent before I get violent." He warned them, not bothering to raise his voice.

The two paused and turned their gazes to their third teammate, who directed his attention back to their sensei. Kakashi smiled. "You're my new favorite."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"As I was saying, each of you have strengths that the other two lack." His gaze traveled through the three of them. "As we continue to train and do missions, the three of you will discover just what I'm talking about but for now, we'll start with getting to know each other more intimately."

Naruto raised his hand. "But we already know each other." He pointed out. "We've known each other since we were six."

Kakashi raised a brow.

Megumi rolled his eyes. "We don't know each other, Uzumaki." He corrected the blonde. "We know of each other but we don't know each other, not that I care for either of you to know me but I'm willing to do whatever you say, Hatake-sensei."

Naruto glared at him. "You're such a freak!" He pointed at the horned boy. "Why are you calling us all by our last names?"

"It keeps a wall between us." Megumi shrugged.

Kakashi sighed as Naruto began his assault of insults and provocation that went expertly ignored by Megumi.

This is going to be hard.

Megumi resisted the urge to bash his head into the gate that his idiotic teammates were painting messily and with two clashing colors. He glanced over his shoulder at their sensei, whose nose was stuck in his book. Is he serious? Megumi glared at him.

The useless missions have been an ongoing annoyance for two months. The dog walking, the cat chasing, baby sitting snotty and sticky children who wouldn't stop grabbing him by the horns or painting gates.

The fact that I haven't knocked either of them out yet is a miracle. Megumi rolled his eyes and walked over to stand next to Kakashi when the owner of the restaurant walked out and saw that not only was his gate painted two different colors but also his yard of grass, outside chairs and tables, and his windows.

And thus, they were sent away without pay after Uchiha and Uzumaki got torn new ones.

As they walked down the street, Kakashi watched each of his students with a critical eye.

Each of them were very different from the other but just as complicated as the next as were their relationships with each other.

And while their teamwork could use a lot of work, they weren't horrible. Sasuke and Megumi could be cordial and professional but only Megumi could tune out Naruto; Sasuke was prone to falling for every provocation from the blonde.

And so, Kakashi didn't complain when Naruto went on a tirade in front of the Hokage, though did give him a good whack over the head, and was only slightly surprised when the Third gave them a C ranked mission. It'd be nice to have a break from D ranks.

"Send in the client."

Team 7 turned to face a visibly intoxicated man in his fifties. The man raised his head and peered at the team from underneath a straw hat. "What's this? A bunch of brats? That's who'll 'cort me?" He asked, slurring his words. "A girly boy, an emo kid and a stupid runt?"

Megumi's eye twitched but otherwise had no outward reaction, unlike Naruto who immediately tried to attack their client but was held back by Kakashi grabbing the back of his jacket. "No killing the clients, Naruto." He reprimanded the blonde, lazily. He turned two of his more reserved students. "We'll be meeting at the gates tomorrow at 5."

Kakashi didn't miss the icy look the Hyuga boy gave their Hokage, very publicly, nor did he miss the glint of remorse on their leader's face. Note to self, look into that when we come back.

Megumi waited with Uchiha at the front gates. There's absolutely no way that Hatake would be late when we have a client that will be here soon. Megumi glanced up at the sun. Atleast, he better be here soon.

Megumi pulled out his book on advanced chakra theory and opened up to the page he left off on. It wasn't long before he began reading that he noticed Uchiha sending him looks and didn't bother with confronting him on it, he didn't care what the boy's problem was.

Not that it isn't obvious to me. Megumi thought as he turned a page. It's the same with Uzumaki.

Uchiha had a glaringly obvious case of inferiority complex and it's been that way since they were in the Academy. Always coming in first put a target on my back by those in class who took their studies seriously. Uchiha, Inuzuka, Uzumaki for example. And our latest spars only cemented that I'm the strongest on the team.

And, that made Uzumaki all the more reckless as he tried to prove himself. It gave Megumi a headache remembering each mission, almost, always ending with them not being paid. It took every ounce of control not to strangle the blonde.

"Hey! I'm here!" The voice almost threatened to break Megumi's eardrums.

I just might kill him by the end of this mission.

End!

I can't wait to post the next chapter! But I've already started and am excited for you all to read it.