.: I'm back again! This is a pretty short chapter; I decided to go a different route instead of going through the plan I originally had, but all for good reason. The next few chapters are probably going to go against the grind and be long. I just hope I can still update frequently so that nothing slows down. :.

The Archangel of the Hidden Leaf

Chapter 21:

Forever an Outsider

The faceless girl knelt at the grave of Toneri Hyuga in silence. Countless flowers, bottles, pictures, and personal trinkets were scattered all around it from members of the Hyuga Clan in remembrance of their fallen relative. Dolia was not family; she was his murderer. But deep remorse coursed through her veins as she prayed for his peaceful transition into the unknown afterlife and his forgiveness for killing him. With the last white rose in her grasp, she tucked it at the base of the gravestone in the middle of all the memorabilia.

This shares the same color as my skin. I leave a piece of me with you, she concluded.

After another minute of sitting in silence, a shadow fell over her. "It's okay to visit the grave of a victim," Kakashi assured her. "I do the same for Rin from time to time."

Dolia pictured the brown-haired girl with purple tape on her cheeks from the picture of Kakashi's youth. He never specifically told her that she died, but it was a strong assumption with the way he went about the topic of her and Obito's current whereabouts. But now he was saying that not only was Rin dead, but he was responsible for her death altogether.

She looked up at the man acting as her guardian. Before she could ask him why or how he did it, he went ahead and clarified: "It was an accident, but I carry the guilt to this day. Only time heals such wounds."

She kept her gaze locked on him for a moment longer before shifting it back to the grave and standing up. "What about Obito?"

"He died during a war. He was an Uchiha like Sasuke. That's how I got this Sharingan."

When Dolia turned her head back in his direction, she saw he had pushed his headband upward so that it uncovered his left eye to reveal the captivating red iris. Even though she had only seen it once before, she remembered how beautiful it was to her.

But…Sasuke didn't have eyes like that in the picture. Neither did Obito, she thought.

But she quickly thought about herself. Right now, her face was not revealing the monstrous form it takes on when she forces chakra to move in her body. The Sharingan must be something similar: unrevealing normally, but forcibly activated.

Kakashi covered his eye back up and took a glimpse at the dwindling group at the entrance. If he wanted to catch Naruto and the others before they left, he would have to go talk to them now. "Come with me," he told Dolia, motioning her to follow.

Together they joined up with the group. Sakura opened up space for them as people talked, particularly to Naruto about his special training. Immediately the arrival drew attention to the faceless girl. Kiba and Shino looked to her with wariness and recognition. They had seen her with Kakashi earlier in the week and were almost hypnotized by what they saw but being up close to her had a deeper effect. Ino looked to Dolia, not to hold the same reaction, but to see if her initial observation was correct. "You're looking better, Dolia," she complimented.

Unsure what she meant, Dolia glanced at her from under the cloak's hood.

"I mean, you're not as scrawny and sickly-looking as you were a few days ago. I guess that means you're getting plenty to eat nowadays," she added with a smile that was still plagued with grief over her lost sensei. But she meant what she said. Back in the hospital, Dolia's face has sunken eye sockets and protruding cheekbones. Presently, she seemed to have lost such physical aspects that told the tale of malnutrition.

Dolia felt shy suddenly and averted her gaze. It was true that Kakashi was feeding her, and she had even snacked on Sakura's food pills a little bit. But to be at a healthy weight, she still had a ways to go. "T-Thanks," she stammered in response.

"How do you know her?" Choji asked in a low voice, a little creeped out by Dolia's presence.

"Remember Sakura's special patient she was taking of in the hospital?" the blonde replied to him with a low voice of her own.

It took Choji a moment to properly recollect, but when she said those words, suddenly the aroma of his favorite barbeque filled his olfactory senses. The last time she spoke of it, they were eating with Shikamaru and Asuma Sensei. "Oh, right…" he trailed.

Kakashi visibly scanned the area, looking over all the teenagers' heads. Kurenai was gone. She must have gone home. The only thing questionable about it was that Kiba and Shino had not gone with her. Also, there was no sign of Hinata and Neji. He wanted to sigh with relief to know that they must have left after their clanmate's funeral was over. Guy joined back up with Lee and Tenten close by, making Dolia have to look up at him. "What's shaking?" he greeted with a thumbs-up. "I'm Might Guy."

She stood frozen as she stared. This man was taller than anyone she met before, aside from Ibiki, who escorted her from the hospital for interrogation. The features that struck her the most were the same hairstyle and thick eyebrows Rock Lee had. Her words caught in her throat, she shifted her eyes to Kakashi, who recognized the face she was making. It was the same one that many people had when they met his odd friend. She did not know how to go about greeting him properly as he had promised would happen after Asuma's service.

"Remember what I told you," he reminded her.

Before arriving here, he had told her that if anyone greeted her, she could greet them back and not be afraid to do it. She looked back to Guy to see the twinkle reflect off his pearly whites as he smiled at her. His flamboyance was what made her uneasy, but he was just being friendly the way he knew how. So, she gave him a thumbs-up back and returned his smile.

Tickled by her silent response, Guy put his hands on his hips. "Any friend of Kakashi's is a friend of mine. That's a promise."

"You say that, but you don't know that she's the reason why there were three funerals instead of just one today," someone interjected.

All heads turned to see Neji step forward. Dread filled Kakashi and Yamato. The confrontation they were hoping to avoid this morning was about to happen. Both their guards went up as their bodies tensed.

"Neji…" Tenten voiced, worried that he would take this opportunity to stir trouble.

"I don't understand how you people can be so accepting of a murderer," he continued. "Does the death of two comrades mean nothing to you?"

Dolia felt herself deflate as she looked in Neji's Byakugan. She remembered how he stood next to Hinata and watched as Hiashi struck her. He was silent the whole time it happened, but she recognized the angry look on his face. The coldness in his voice matched it perfectly; she expected nothing less. Since her cover was blown anyway, she went ahead and slipped the hood off her head to fully reveal herself to the small crowd. Those who had not seen it before, like Choji and Tenten, were taken aback. Her snow-white skin blurred any lines that could have been seen on her face with the help of the shadow cast by the hood. A breeze blew through them all, sending some strands of hair to sway in the same direction it was traveling.

The gesture gave Neji a threatening feeling, so he quickly activated his Byakugan and took a step toward her. In a flash, Yamato had a wrist in his hand and Guy had an arm across his chest as they stood next to him. The Hyuga kept his piercing irises locked on the creature, peering deep inside her to examine the weak chakra network that she possessed. It glowed blue, but not brightly. Two vital chakra points were even empty of chakra, which was very odd but not impossible considering how weak she was.

Dolia stared back, unfazed by his attempt to attack. The lilac color of his Byakugan was intensified by bulging veins around his orbital area. An outline around an invisible pupil formed. She read the anger aimed toward her and accepted every ounce of it. He was justified to feel this way.

"Enough," Yamato warned, keeping a firm grip on the young jonin. "Kakashi has been specifically instructed by the Hokage herself that this prisoner is to be guarded by him. There are outside threats that could be aimed at the Hidden Leaf regarding her. If we lose her, we are all in danger. This is beyond the scope of the Hyuga Clan's concern."

When Neji did not move or alleviate his strength, Kakashi explained further. "I know you're thinking that the Hokage is letting Dolia roam free without punishment for her crimes, but I can promise you that that is not the case. Once the outside threats are gone, she is to face her punishment. The death of Toneri Hyuga is not being swept under the rug by any means."

"Let it go, Neji," Guy stated with a serious tone. "Attacking won't bring back your clansman."

With an irritated exhale through his nostrils, Neji relaxed his Byakugan. The chakra network he was looking into dissipated to only show the unruly outward appearance of Dolia. She watched the veins around his face seep away, but the expression remained the same. Yamato and Guy hesitantly loosened their holds on him to give him the choice to walk away. "Neither will pathetic repentance," he coldly replied, going to walk away from the group. "View her however you want. It'll never change the fact she's a monster."

His last remark hit a nerve with Naruto, making him stare after him – fuming. Did he not their battle against each other in the chunin exams? The only person allowed to shape one's future is oneself. Destiny is never prewritten. Just because Dolia was born with a kekkei genkai did not mean she was doomed to succumb to its complementing blights.

"Kakashi Sensei," Naruto said, his gaze following Neji, "let's resume training today. I'll meet you outside the forest trail." Without waiting for a response, he went ahead and went after Neji.

The Hyuga halted as soon as he felt the hand on his shoulder. Naruto came around to stand in front of him before letting go of him. "You're wrong about Dolia," he defended.

"You don't understand–"

"I understand perfectly fine! Out of everyone in this village, I expected you to understand her the most. You were born into a branch family. You became stronger to show who was worthy. You did that. Me? I was born a monster that everyone hated. I became a ninja. I changed my destiny just like you! Who are you to say Dolia can't do the same?!"

"That thing took lives."

"Yeah? Well so did the demon fox that's inside me. But I don't see anyone looking at me the wrong way once I started making the right decisions in my life. Dolia didn't have choices like that until now. You don't know her or the hell she went through before she ended up here. Now that she's got some choices, she's taking advantage of them to better herself. I thought I proved to you that destiny is your own and nobody else's to decide. Why am I having this discussion with you?"

For once, Neji said nothing in return. He knew Naruto would defend the creature regardless of his reasonings or stance on the situation.

"If my sensei gets penalized whatsoever for carrying out Granny Tsunade's direct order because you told Hinata's father about Dolia, then we're gonna have a problem," he concluded, walking away via an adjacent road. Neji stared after him for just a moment before continuing down the path he was on, back to the Hyuga Clan district.

Sakura and Sai walked together through the Leaf Village after the confrontation with Neji occurred. Something did not sit right with the medical ninja once it was said and done. Was it the way Dolia closed off her emotions and pulled the hood back over her head? Or the uncomfortable silence that encapsulated everyone when they realized she was the culprit? She did not know for sure.

But since Naruto's training was continuing soon, she decided to go home, change clothes, and make a fresh batch of food pills for the day. Sai knew this, too; however, he started to divert down a separate road instead of coming with her. "Sai?" Sakura voiced, stopping.

He stopped as well and looked at her, his dark eyes carrying a twinge of curiosity in them.

"Are you still meeting me at the training grounds?"

"Um, maybe not today," he decided, casting her a fake smile with his eyes closed. "I think I'll go to the library and read."

"Oh…okay," she replied. "Well, have fun with that. I'll see you another time."

"Goodbye."

With that, he turned back toward the road he was on to keep stretching the distance between them farther and farther. His trip to the library would not be about interactions with other humans, but rather an investigation into the types of kekkei genkai. Dolia was something different – a monster, as Neji put it – but it was something he had never seen before. Maybe if he could find a book about what they were all looking at just a few minutes ago, he could find out more about what they were dealing with.