Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
A dark spin to the otherwise happy tale of Naruto. Hope all of you enjoy reading this as much as I did thinking up of the idea. Please review, so I can make the future chapters better
Fraudulent Realities
Prologue
He was eating again. This same yellowish strands... what were they? No, it was not him who ate; it was that boy – blond hair and blue eyes, what was his name?
Other pictures blurred by that steaming bowl of... what was it? Sunlight all around him, leaves falling – green leafs! And beyond the green canopy of leaves he could see birds in flight. Without realizing, he began to count them.
One, the bird in flight spiraled on – the smiling image of a girl with chocolate hair.
Two, another erupted from its cover - he knew that girl, grace hiding deadly metal.
Three, more birds – What was her name?
Four, an avian eruption – Another face, another girl, of windy temperament.
Five, feathered flight – He knew this new girl too, although not as well.
Six, a white, soaring blur – Other faces, also familiar
Seven, a lazy midair spiral – One of shadows, one of similar eyes.
Again, the laughing blued eyed boy swam into view, this time talking to another, dark hair and eyes that bled vengeance. Who were they? And he knew, as he always did, that with the eighth bird, answers would emerge, bursting into the sunlight. The long sought Truth. Senses prickling, he channeled all his energy into one last burst of heightened awareness.
There!
Eight, a lone bird in a lonelier sky. Reaching out his had, he grasped the images, now finally within his reach...
Hyuuga Neji, prodigy of the branch house, awoke to a sharp and maddening pain in his lower spine. Sweat covered his heaving body as his senses came back in full force. He had been dreaming again, that same dream for so many days, the same ending waking him in this painful state. It would subside, he knew. But even as the his breathing once again became regular, the unsettling knowledge that something , somehow was terribly wrong, left a gaping pit of doubt. He had been so close, the answer just grasped and then forcibly ripped away, just as it has been for the past few nights. His usually neutral expression creased into a frown – what was the significance of this dream, and why the intense pain?
Absent mindedly, he scratched at his lower back, hoping that some bump or other imperfection would give the indication of something, anything. His fingers brushed smooth and unbroken flesh.
Further ruminations were interrupted by a buzz from his dispatch unit. The device was nailed to the wall of his small room, the harsh grey metal glaringly in contrast with the softer tones of Japanese furnishing. Following the Ascent, the Hokage had discovered amazing new ways of utilizing chakra, and this device was amongst the first of many innovations. By channeling chakra into the object and using a variant of the Shintenshin no Jutsu, the dispatch unit was able to provide instantaneous communication throughout Konoha. As with everything else, the dispatch unit bore the signet of Konoha, a leaf represented an intricate swirl and triangle. The detail of the signet was such that what seemed as simple lines almost looked alive. In fact, Neji had always maintained that the lines seemed oddly serpentine at times.
Sighing, Neji rose from his bed and hurriedly donned some clothes, for the dispatch unit projected both voice as well as image. More than once, he had wandered about the true purpose of the dispatch unit. A quick glance with his buyakugan had long since revealed a far greater amount of chakra in the device than required by a simple Shintenshin no Jutsu. Such thoughts were carefully brushed aside as he finally activated the unit with a simple hand seal.
"Neji reporting"
Chakra surged out from the device and formed the hazy image of the Hokage, his face as ever, shaded by his hat.
"Neji-san, as you are aware, the recent attacks by rebel forces have resulted in several key ninjas dying in battle. As such, your application for special jounin status has just been approved. Proceed to the administration building to get details on your first mission. I wish you success in our efforts against the rebels who seek to undermine our social cohesion." The image faded, and was borne away by a hot gust of wind from Neji's open window.
Finally, he thought, mentally saying good bye to training genins at the academy. This was not to say that they lacked ability – in fact, he had trained incredibly talented shinobi in his tenor as a sensei. However, the sheer tenacity and rabid patriotism of the current cohorts simply unnerved him. In the wake of the Ascent, the Hokage had initiated a new program to be run co-currently with started shinobi training. Called "Aesthetics" it was run exclusively by the Anbu to "celebrate the culture of Konoha". They even had sessions for Chunins and Jounins. Despite all his colleagues exclaiming how good these sessions were, Neji continuously declined. The steely eyed expressions it produced on his students shocked him, and glimpses of this same coldness in the expressions of his fellow jounins, have long since led the Huuyga to believe that the "Aesthetics" was not as innocent as it seemed. As he prepared a cold breakfast in the tiny kitchen of the apartment, Neji wondered if he had been as frightening during his genin days. As always, his memories of his genin-hood were hazy at best, almost as if essential parts of it were missing, leaving gaping holes. His pale face again was marred by another frown as he resolved to find out what those "Aesthetics" entailed and to make an appointment with the medical nins for some help with what seemed like a failing memory.
The dispatch unit suddenly blared to life with the daily reports of news around Konoha – unfortunately, unlike the messages from the Hokage, these could not be deactivated and Neji simply had to put up with them everyday. A string of reports about the war effort against the country of Rain rattled on about victories and statistics of territory gained. The commentator cheerily added that this has been the 50th consecutive successful effort by Konoha shinobi since the victory over (and consequent assimilation of) the sand nins. Key battles have also been won against the scattered rebel forces. Strangely, even though he wasn't consciously listening, Neji felt a surge of pride for his country and anger towards the treacherous traitors who endangered their own country. This sudden wave of emotions rose to a tremulous crescendo as he finally approached the door of the apartment. Grasping the door handle with firm resolve, Neji found himself pledging to eradicate the scummy rebels in his new post as a special Jounin. After a final check of equipment with bandaged hand, Neji strode confidently towards the streets of Konoha, resolved to work for the greater glory of this fine country.
Yet as the door closed behind him, his eyes, pale expanses of pure white, suddenly blinked. What was he thinking about before the dispatch unit had begun? Some gut feeling yelled that it had been terribly important. Rather confused, Neji glanced about the common hall outside his apartment, and the image of a faded poster was reflected in his eyes. Pasted on the wall between two doors, it depicted a regiment of shinobi running bravely against their enemies. Each bore the forehead protector of the Hidden Leaf. Shrugging whatever thoughts which he may have been thinking – how could they possibly be more important than service to Konoha? – 18 year old Huuyga Neji tightened his forehead protector over the mark of the branch house, and walked towards the exit.
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