Disclaimer: PandoraBoxx777 Does NOT in anyway own the series Naruto or any of its other name rights. Happy Reading!
Kurenai Yuhi was one of the most beautiful, most powerful kunoichis of her time. She studied hard in ninja academy, trained harder every day and quickly rose to become a proficient shinobi and even an Anbu member soon thereafter.
Unfortunately, the only person to see her strength was her best friend, her sister by bond, Anko Mitarashi, who graduated with her in the same year and was her main partner in crime. Both young ladies were inseparable.
Everyone assumed that Kurenai was a serious player in the game of "hard-to-get" and often discredited her abilities and rise to a respectful position simply because of her beauty. Males would often leer at her with their lustful eyes and often made bets about who could 'score' her first. Women would gossip jealousy and whisper behind her back every time she was within eyesight.
As always, Kurenai ignored it, and she did so with grace. She outcasted herself to limit all distractions and heartbreak. She was satisfied with having only Anko at her side and a quiet apartment to live in. She even had a pet cat, which the kind old lady next door would watch over when she was on long missions.
Yes, Kurenai was content, but she was becoming restless. She felt the need to keep herself busier. The Hokage refused her any more missions, especially now that she had just returned from one that kept her far from the village for nearly a year.
"How about a genin team?" He asked in that sly way that always caught her attention.
She unconsciously leaned forward in her seat, interest caught. She couldn't help but give it consideration.
A genin team? Well, that would surely keep her busy. She would be able to test her ability to train others as well. She would have an influence on the future shinobi and help produce world class ninja. Maybe, she could even extend her little family.
Kurenai felt her muscles tense and her eyes narrow at the Hokage, who sat across from her with a smug, knowing look. What's the catch?
"What are you planning, Lord Hokage?" She asked, "There must be a reason you're suggesting this, and not just because you want me to stay in the village."
Sarutobi took a long drag of his pipe and blew it out, seemingly in thought, but Kurenai knew better; he had a trick of some sort up his sleeve.
While the red-eyed beauty put her full trust in the Hokage, obeying orders without question, she knew that he did not say things out of the ordinary just to say them. He was a cunning old man, and every word, down to the last letter, carried a weight of double meaning or carefully thought out intention that not everyone could understand or catch.
She waited until the last of the smoke cleared from his lungs, "I was just thinking, Kurenai," He drawled on lazily, "That it would benefit us all if you were to be in charge of a team of genin. The other shinobi do not treat you very well, and while that is none of my business, it is slowly becoming a problem within the village.
"There are three genin, all from prestigious clans that regard them the same way you are: as if they are not good enough, and honestly, I find myself disgusted. These are children who will be future shinobi protecting the village, and they are being treated poorly. It is awful, simply disgraceful.
"I enlisted the help of Kakashi to take care of the Uchiha boy and young Naruto, both who are no better off, but I couldn't think of anyone else for these three." He grabbed a file from under his robe and handed it to Kurenai. She thumbed through quickly, reading all of the details; she found herself frowning and even shaking at the words printed there.
These poor children…
"I could not bring myself to put them under my son's care." The Hokage sighed, "He's much too inexperienced with these types of situations. He's never really had a hard time making friends or being popular, as you would know."
Oh yes, Kurenai knew how wonderfully perfect Asuma was. He was often the center of attention and everyone loved him. Kurenai could appreciate him as well, as he was kind to even an outcast like herself, but she also envied him for his happiness, for his perfection. She knew that he never really had a hard day in his life concerning family, as he was always so happy, and Sarutobi would often come to visit his son at school and go home to him.
She read over the files once more, "Lord Hokage, I don't think I'm nearly qualified enough to work with these children. I overcame my weaknesses and loneliness by training. I focused on becoming stronger for my precious people, my best friend and you Lord Hokage." She felt herself blush a bit in embarrassment but she knew she meant her words. There was no one else besides Anko and Hiruzen that she was loyal to.
"I became a member of ANBU," She continued, "I learned from different clans and have become a cold killer, nearly a monster. What am I supposed to do with them?"
Sarutobi leaned in, close enough that she could feel the weight of his stare and smell the tobacco of his pipe. He grinned in such a way that she knew he was amused and yet completely serious. "Teach them what you learned." And he sat back with a satisfied smirk.
It all clicked then. He wanted her to create a team of Kurenai, a team of killers.
ANBU was seriously lacking in the tracking department and she knew that they were some of the most dangerous teams out there. They didn't spare mercy to enemies. They were quick and silent and brutally efficient. Trackers were on the same level as assassins and they always got their target.
Kakashi would overpower his team, creating them to be stronger than everyone else and punch away their problems. Asuma would take over the Ino-Shika-Cho and create them as a diversion team, who could slip away as easily as they could slip into a battle. Gai was already on his way to creating his team to be a series of range fighters, close or far.
The other teams were to be made in the spotlight, and they would surely fight over it, while Kurenai's team was to be made in the shadows. They were to hide in the background and strike when an opening was made, and then they were to finish the fight. No bravado, no dramatic speeches, just good old fashioned killing.
She now saw what the Hokage saw: Potential.
She abruptly stood and deeply bowed, "I accept Lord Hokage." She announced. She was more than ready for this. The Hokage knew it as his smirk grew deeper. "Good."
Shino looked behind him that next morning, to see his father and mother standing a respectable distance away, careful not to get too close to their son. They didn't say anything, only nodding for him to continue walking; and so he did. He walked on as if their lack of encouragement did not bother him, but it did; he just didn't know how much it really hurt him.
Kiba left the house as quietly as he could, careful not to draw too much attention on himself. He flinched when he saw his sister sitting on the kitchen counter with a mug to her lips and a scroll in her hand. She glanced over him with a repulsed look and went back to reading. He lowered his head, and continued walking, Akamaru at his heels. He didn't understand what he did wrong.
Hinata took a deep breath and placed the last bit of makeup on her neck. She was careful to blend it all and make sure that it wasn't noticeable. She cursed her ivory skin for bruising so easily and estimated that the marks would mostly fade after two weeks or so. She looked to the blood she had drawn a few moments earlier and sighed, washing the sink and heading out for the academy.
On her way out she glanced over her shoulder to see her sister following their father. Her sister glanced at her with unfeeling eyes and continued walking. Hinata turned away and walked out. The cold of the compound followed after her.
The three students walked their own paths to the academy. They were disheartened and broken. They felt the darkness at the back of their minds eat away at their sanity, their morality. What was left of them from childhood was gone and they dreaded to continue thinking about it.
They sat in their usual seats, waiting for class to start.
Kiba noticed Hinata and the Aburame sitting together quietly. Remembering yesterday, he got up and walked over with his hands in his pockets.
Hinata noticed the shadow looming over her desk and flinched, peering up at a bashful Kiba with a wriggling Akamaru on top of his head. She wasn't sure what he wanted but she wasn't sure it was a bad thing either. She looked to Shino for help who only glanced away and ignored the situation. He learned from yesterday it seemed.
"Hey Hyuga," Kiba said softly, so as not to startle the poor girl, "I'm sorry about freaking you out yesterday, so I got you this." He held out a cinnamon bun crudely wrapped in a napkin. It was a bit malformed from being in his pocket, but it smelled delightful.
Sweets were forbidden in the Hyuga household, having tons of sugar and no real nutritional value. Hiashi abolished sweets, hated them, especially after the death of his wife, who craved them like no other Hyuga. Hinata had never tried a cinnamon bun before, but she always stared at them through windows when she passed by.
She hesitated, slowly taking the sweet treat and holding it as if it were going to explode. She glanced at Kiba who wore a proud grin, "Thank you" She mumbled. She looked at it carefully, wondering why he was being so nice.
Kiba's smile widened slightly, seeing as how she took it without an issue. He waited for her to eat it, but seeing as how she was still nervous in his presence, he didn't linger too long. With a half-hearted wave, he walked back to his seat.
He couldn't help, however, notice the slight difference in skin color over her neck, as if she was wearing makeup; not to mention it looked as if it were just put on in a hurry. Upon closer inspection, he saw nail shaped cuts in the center of the dark bruises under the concealer. He felt bad, but didn't go back to talk again. He would only make it worse.
Hinata felt shame burn on her cheeks. She didn't want to offend him, so she stuffed the dessert in her pocket for later.
She glanced over to Shino, who saw the whole thing, and caught him turning away from her.. There was a wall now, something that wasn't there before as they had been sitting together for a majority of the year. Hinata wasn't sure about what had happened, but she knew now that Shino was going to ignore her.
She felt anger and the familiar sting of rejection, which therein caused more anger. She was stupid to think he cared about her in the least.
"Alright students," Iruka called out. He walked in with a proud grin on his face. He was excited to start the exam it seemed. "I'm going to call you all in one by one and test you. After that, we'll send you home early for a job well done and then select your teams tomorrow."
He looked at his list and began calling the students. All of them came out with happy grins and shouts of success, headbands being worn proudly.
Hinata kept her head lowered and her mind wandered back to the gift that the Inuzuka gave her. She still couldn't understand why he gave her such a thing just because she was being a coward, because he scared her. She was always told that the weak didn't deserve mercy, cowards didn't deserve kindness.
Her father and cousin and every other member of the clan berated her and hated her for her weakness. She was even separated from her sister who wouldn't talk or engage her, she would only stare, as if she were trying to remember her name. Hinata felt that the harshest thing her father could ever do to her was to take away her little sister.
"Hyuga Hinata," She looked up to Mizuki who was glaring at her. She hurried down the aisle and to the empty classroom next door where Iruka was waiting patiently, a kind smile on his face.
He knew how shy and unsure the Hyuga girl was but he had faith in her abilities. "Hello Hinata," He greeted gently, "I just need you to make three shadow clones of yourself for you to pass."
Hinata felt her heart sink. Did they really think she was so bad in her abilities that she only had to create three? She nodded and went through the necessary hand signs; a puff of smoke and three perfectly made shadow clones were standing next to her, all with the same blank stare she had.
Iruka smiled proudly, seeing as how Hinata was the first genin besides Sasuke to create three flawless shadow clones. He knew he was right about her talent in the shinobi arts. He hurriedly handed her the ninja headband with a quiet, "Congratulations," And ushered her out of the door to call on another student.
Hinata stared at the headband in her hands for a moment, soaking it in, and then she tied it around her neck to hide the bruises and keep the noose at bay for just a while longer.
Shino couldn't understand why he felt such guilt. Whatever was happening with those two was not his priority, nor his problem, but he couldn't help the dark, sinking feeling in his chest when Hinata looked to him and he turned away. He ignored her just like his parents did to him.
He shook that thought out of his head immediately. He should be focused on his exam, not something as trivial as his need for attention.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Hinata with a headband tied around her neck enter the room. She neither looked proud, nor excited, just discouraged. He felt more of the sinking pain in his chest when she decided to not sit with him.
"Aburame Shino," He stood up and made his way to the front, refusing to glance back at Hinata.
Kiba noticed that the Hyuga girl refused to sit next to the creepy bug kid. His eyes followed her unwillingly as she sat a small distance away from her original seat. He sighed and turned his head back to the front, trying to ignore the pitiful smells of sorrow and loneliness. He turned his head down further when he heard the bug kid's name being called.
He felt the need to comfort Hinata, to give her the attention and care he was usually denied, though he wasn't sure why.
Akamaru whimpered, sensing his master's turmoil, and pawed at his head a little. Kiba lifted Akamaru off of his head and into his arms, holding him protectively. He began to stroke his fur and calmed down a little bit, resuming his train of thought.
He couldn't help but wonder what her home life was like. Was she treated badly at home? A flash of the carefully hidden bruises played over and over again in his mind. He hoped he wouldn't have to see that again.
"Inuzuka Kiba," He instinctively stood as he heard his name called out and realized that the teacher was waiting for him. He walked slowly down the aisle, glancing around to see that bug boy was sitting in his usual corner, and maybe had been for a while since he was so engrossed in his thoughts.
He looked at Hinata once more, his heart breaking at the sight of her hiding under her hood, her face in her arms. He knew that position all too well. It was loneliness and depression and the thought of death. He shook his head and entered the next classroom over; he needed to focus.
All of the genin, save the quiet few, were chattering excitedly as they all exited the academy with their headbands tied on. Some ran to their parents to show them off, getting loud praise and shouts of joy. Some of the parents didn't shout but the pride was still painfully evident in their eyes.
Hinata's eyes scanned over the families with envy and happiness. She was glad that her classmates were getting the praise they deserved but she couldn't help wish that she was able to get some sort of positive recognition.
Her gaze landed on a lone figure under the tree, slowly swinging as they looked on sadly. It was Naruto.
Hinata felt guilty, suddenly, for passing her exam, as she knew that the test was on a jutsu that Naruto was very bad at.
Her feet started to move without thinking, as she found herself slowly approaching him. He hadn't noticed her yet, there was still time to back out; but her feet were still moving, still walking to him with intention.
She daintily cleared her throat and reached her hand out to wave when a cold, hand slapped itself around her wrist, holding tightly. Hinata yelped and tried to pull back out of shock, failing miserably. She followed the pale hand to the very angry eyes of Hyuga Neji and attempted to pull back more, "Where's Ko?" She whimpered, looking around for her trusted protector.
Ko was the only Hyuga in the clan that cared for Hinata genuinely. He was the closest cousin to her mother, practically her brother since her family adopted him. Because of his love for her mother, Ko loved Hinata just as much and protected her whenever he could.
He would brush her hair and sing her songs that her mother loved. Sometimes he would sneak Hinata her favorite teas as he told her stories of her mother's bravery. He made sure to walk her home from the academy every chance he had and train her as best as he could.
Many people would mock him and whisper behind his back that he was just trying to gain favor with Hiashi but he ignored the whispers and continued loving his adopted niece.
Unfortunately, he was sent on a lot of missions at Hiashi's request and some days he would be too tired to care for Hinata, which she didn't mind since she would rather him be well rested. But he was free today, she even asked and had expected him to pick her up from the academy.
"Lord Hiashi asked that I deliver you to him today, princess." He spat her mock title like it was poison and Hinata couldn't help the cold dread building in her stomach at the words.
Neji's gaze followed her intended path to the poor blonde sitting on the swing and scoffed, "Perhaps you were going to comfort another little failure. Pathetic. You should focus on yourself getting stronger instead of another lost cause; then again, you were fated to forever be weak." He started to drag her away.
Hinata had half a mind to scream and thrash, but forced it down as she didn't want to cause a scene and put more shame on her clan. So she followed and remained completely silent as Neji hauled her into the house and down the halls. Hinata wondered why he hadn't let go of her yet, but pushed the thought away as she was rapidly approaching her father's study.
"Enter," He called, before Neji could knock. Hinata was nearly thrown into the room by Neji who then released her as he followed inside. Hiashi took note of it, but said nothing as Hinata allowed herself to be treated this way by her cousin and the lower branch.
"Hinata," He called stiffly. The girl in question bowed respectfully, keeping her eyes to the floor as she straightened up. Hiashi resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her meekness and continued. "I see you have graduated from the academy. They must have lowered their expectations considerably for you to pass." Hinata said nothing.
"The reason I've called you here today," He continued, "Is to make you aware of new changes now that you are a genin. You are now going to be placed on a team and so we expect your skills to improve, since you've shown nothing but disappointment thus far. Neji will now look after you, as Ko is too busy to be bothered with you. Neji will be your new protector and I assume you'll have to find a new trainer, since you still haven't mastered our clan techniques even under his tutelage. If this continues, I have no choice in handing your birthright status to your sister and branding you to serve as a branch member. You will do these things and accept these changes. Am I clear?"
Hinata felt all of her remaining hope sink into the pit of her gut. She was going to be protected by someone who wanted her dead, at the same time losing the only person who loved her. She felt a twitch in her eyes and saw a vision of herself branded as a branch member, serving under her father and sister, as well as any other main branch who would activate the seal whenever they wanted until she died writhing in pain.
A cold shudder passed through her, nearly unnoticeable to all except for Neji who was standing close enough to feel it. He repressed his own shudder and continued to glare ahead at the wall. "I understand, Father." He heard her say. He dared to glance at her and was slightly surprised to see her face free of tears.
"You may go then; I need to speak to Neji about what is expected of him now." Her father seemed almost pleased that she didn't start crying but knew that she would once she reached her room. Hinata turned and walked out of the room, nearly slamming the door behind her from all of her pent up anxiety. Home will surely be hell for a while.
Shino was almost disappointed to not have seen either of his parents or clansmen waiting for him at the academy gates. He knew he shouldn't have expected it, but he will admit that it would have been nice to have some sort of recognition for his achievement.
He slowly made his way home, thinking of what sort of team he would be placed on. Most likely it would be a tracking team, since the Aburame were known for their tracking bugs, as they were better over long distances than any sensory ninja and he was trained in tracking since he was a young boy.
He broke out of his thoughts as he approached the gate to his clan's compound. He almost decided to not walk in, but pushed the invading thought away and entered his home.
The small buzz throughout the house was letting everyone know he was home and he often wished that he could slip in and out of home without the bugs to alert his parents or other clansmen.
"Shino," His father approached him with a sharp glare in his glasses, staring down his son meaningfully.
Shino presented the headband emotionlessly, "Iruka-sensei said that my clones were perfect. He gave me a high mark." He saw his mother approaching from the corner of his eye and repeated himself for her. She simply nodded and walked away, allowing Shibi to talk with his son.
"Now that you are a genin you will have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders. Not only will you be honoring the shinobi code, you will be honoring the Aburame clan with your service, as I have done before you and my father before me, and his father before him. We expect to see a lot of promise out of you from this day forward, Shino, and you are to live up to those expectations in the name of the Shinobi and of the Aburame.
"Your mother is preparing dinner now, so wash up and rest before then. You meet your team and sensei tomorrow, and we do not want you weary for your first impression."
Shino felt his legs shaking as he walked up the stairs to his room. Not once in that whole speech was his achievement acknowledged, nor did either of his parents express pride. No matter how hard he worked he was never given the time of day, he was never given any sort of recognition.
Shino would settle for a pat on the head, a handshake, or someone simply saying good job. He didn't have to be sung praises to nor have a parade thrown in his honor. He wanted just a little bit of affection, a little bit of love from the people who are supposed to love him; but all he got was bigger expectations and more responsibility to maintain. He could not afford to fail them if he was going to achieve the results he craved.
Shino laid there on his bed, staring at the ceiling and wondering what he could do to improve, what he could do to be better and reach his end goal. He closed his eyes. Tomorrow will be better.
Kiba opened the door with his metaphorical tail tucked between his legs. As quietly as he could he slipped into the house and took off his shoes. Akamaru looked around anxiously and began to pace, sniffing the air and whimpering softly so as not to be heard. "It's alright boy," Kiba soothed, lifting his best friend up to his head, "We'll be alright, like always."
"Kiba?" His mother called. He resisted the urge to flinch as he heard her, "Hey mom," He called back. He wished they could just leave him alone or at least give him some space, but he knew why they didn't; they didn't want another case like his father.
Tsume walked into the room and scrutinized her son's face carefully, looking him over until she noticed the headband hanging out of his pocket. "You passed," She stated, staring at the headband intently.
Kiba almost snatched it out of her view but instead chose to smile and show it off more, despite his instincts telling him to run, "Yeah," He exclaimed, "Iruka-sensei said that I got all of my shadow clones perfect too!"
"Is that so?" Hana walked up with an apple in her hand, and this time, Kiba followed instinct and pushed the headband back in his pocket. Akamaru growled softly, hiding in the hood further.
"That must be nice, getting praise from a teacher." Hana took a bite of the apple and smirked at him as she chewed, "It's probably the last time it'll happen though, little puppy." Kiba hated that nickname more than 'Runt' but chose not to say anything.
Seeing no reaction, Hana changed her game, "Can I see the headband?" Kiba had to be careful now. There was a chance she would take it and torture him further. He thought as quickly as he could before he got a good idea. He took the headband and tied it around his head, fake smiling at his sister as he tightened it, "Like this?" He asked innocently, "Does it look good?"
Hana scowled as she realized he caught onto her and nearly crushed the apple in her hand as a result, "You look like a pathetic little genin." He growled, "Not even I looked that sorry when I graduated." Kiba bit back a smart remark and continued to smile more, saying nothing.
Tsume looked on without interest, sighing tiredly and breaking up a fight that was surely coming up, "How about we have some dinner? I made your favorite Hana." She walked into the kitchen, expecting her daughter to follow, which she did after glaring at Kiba a few seconds longer. "You're trash," She hissed as she walked away.
Kiba let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, hurrying to his room to hide his headband from Hana's companions, who was sure to stick their noses in his room at her command. He would not make the mistake of leaving Akamaru in his room again, seeing as how last time one of the damn dogs bit his leg and injured him for a week
Akamaru was shaking and whimpering after kiba shut the door. Kiba lifted him off his head and hugged him tightly, easing his tremors. "Good job Akamaru," He whispered, "You were a great, brave wolf back there. I'm lucky to have you as my best friend." Akamaru yipped softly and hid further in his master's jacket.
And for a moment, they were calm and safe.