Article 16 - Chapter 13 - In The Wake of Mistakes

Warnings: I do not own Naruto, it's intellectual property is owned by none other than Masashi Kishimoto. I own the OC's that I've added to the story and nothing more.

…

(The Next Day. )

…

A bright light fell blindingly on my face making me try to block it out with my hands. My arms felt heavy and sluggish and I heard a small gasp from beside me.

My eyes fought against illumination trying to dilate. Quickly my vision returned to me in full as I let out a yawn before noticing the relieved expression on the face of the woman beside my bed.

"Ayasha…" I whimpered. She leaned over and grasp my hand holding it in both of hers.

"Oh sweetie, I'm so glad you made it back… I don't know what I would have done if you were gone. —How do you feel?"

It was at this time I noticed another person in the room. The man that made occasional visits to our home, Tokuma Hyūga.

"I feel alright, not 100% but still pretty good." I insisted.

Ayasha pouted and pinched at my cheeks. "If I even hear you mention the thought of training I'll tickle you on your bruises."

It was less the actual threat than the sadness in her eyes.

I had let this angel worry sick over me, and somehow rationalizing it with "she's got to learn to worry for a ninja" didn't help mitigate my guilt.

"Well kid, I've bet you've been through a lot?" The man asked concerned.

Ayasha shot a dark glare at him, likely for his choice of topic.

"Yeah…" I whispered thinking about what I had done. I took a life, probably an innocent, for nothing else but a failed experiment. His life cut short — for what? Experience.

I groaned internally.

"I'm sorry to have to bring this up, but I am supposed to take your statement on what happened." Tokuma said grimly, shooting pitying looks over to Ayasha.

"I understand, the more I can provide quickly, the better they can look for him."

I spun a tale about someone whispering to me at the hospital in an Anbu mask and then not remembering a portion of what happened.

"When I woke up I was tied and restrained with wire strings and the man was talking to another in an Anbu mask. I heard them say something about an organization that works underground, but I never heard them say the name of it. In fact when they talked about it the guy talking tensed up and looked like he was choking for a second before he regained his composure."

Tokuma's face drained of color as he wrote down my words.

"I waited for a better opportunity to break free… When one of the two sent out to scout or something, I broke out but they didn't seem to have the skills of a true Anbu member because I managed to still get away…"

Tears slipped down Ayasha's face as she listened to my fabricated story with a pained expression.

...

A tap sequence sounded from the ceiling tile alerting Hiruzen of his Anbu's return. He gruffly acknowledged it with a grunt and they slipped out, falling to the ground in front of the desk.

He stared into the glowing orb situated on top of the magenta silk pillow. The form of a small girl with ethereal white locks falling to her shoulders and the white washed eyes which were the staple of the Hyuga was in the midst of her personal training.

Something about this girl is offsetting, and unsteady feeling that he could not shake.

He briefly thought back to the first day he had spied on her, the day he put his anbu tracker on her. The way she slinked from location to location activating her byakugan recognizing that she had a tail. It was highly unusual. She seemed to have confirmed being followed, then she immediately went about her day, like she wanted her tracker to believe nothing had happened.

Would a girl this age act like this unless she had something to hide? What could it be?

He was determined to get to the bottom of this, but with all of his spying he didn't seem any closer to his answer, that was until his return.

Hiruzen was invited to the chunin exams hosted by Kusagakure (Village hidden in the Grass) and had been away from his village for over four days. Upon his return he learned that the little girl he had reservations about had disappeared from the spy network of insects, and then many hours later was found at the village gates.

He rolled the flesh from the bridge of his nose in his hands while longingly glancing over to his pipe, but eventually turned away.

"Give me the full report."

"The target headed to the hospital as per usual in her routine, she entered the building so I surrounded the building with my insects, however her chakra signature suddenly vanished. By the time I scouted the hospital, she was nowhere to be found." The anbu reported slightly muffled from behind his mask.

"Yes, and what information did you attain from the battle site in the forest?" The elder asked while bringing his finger tips together.

"The only chakra presence in the forest remaining was hers, however, several of the projectiles were knocked off course and it's certainly possible that there was someone else there who had to guard against her barrage of projectiles. -Also, bloodied wire string was found, In her report she claimed to be restrained with wire string and we confirmed the blood on it was her own."

The kage chewed on those words for a moment. He scanned over the girl's testimony with hawk-like eyes.

He couldn't put it past Donzo to stage a kidnapping, but it was doubtful his agents could let her escape so easily...

Could she have staged this or was he being paranoid. Who was this girl? What would she have had to gain if she had pulled such a stunt?

Nothing was making sense. What was the motive behind this?

There was a traitor in his village. It seemed unlikely this traitor was someone who was solely interested in the Shikotsumyaku.

If they had planned this far, it would be unlikely the girl could slip her captives, but then again, she was a very bright talent and it was still very possible they could have misjudged her skills.

-Or she could have fled the village, staged a battlefield, and returned battered and worn to avoid suspicion… but if so why?

The Hokage's head began to ache slightly and drummed a finger on the desk.

Hiruzen groaned internally at this mess of a situation and again looked longingly at his pipe before turning his attention back to the Anbu.

"What is your opinion of her?" He finally asked.

"She is praised for her intelligence sir, and after following her for so long I can certainly agree. I doubt she staged this. I believe her capable of it, but the plot seemed a little too half-baked for something she could come up with herself. I would expect more from the only child to ever be declared a potential security risk before the age of 5." He said.

"Yes… I've had those same thoughts as well… Alright, your excused. You're also relieved from your post for the night, go get some rest."

Hiruzen pondered the possibility of Donzo's involvement. It was unlikely, but it certainly wasn't in the realm of the impossible.

…

A few days had passed since she returned to the village. The stinging defeat of the unsuccessful operation kept creeping into her mind.

I had taken a risk, a large risk at that, for very little payout.

She could still see the way the boys chakra network fought against preservation. The way he begged before she'd done it. The peace he experienced after it was over. It replayed in a loop through her mind.

What was I thinking? Why had I gone through with it?

She didn't like her own answer — I am becoming very impatient. I'm being blinded by my helplessness. I needed to do something to gain power and utility.

There was one jutsu I wanted to learn above all others at the moment. I knew a few people who had access to it, but it was unlikely any of them would train me.

My focus kept slipping away from my conditioning, so I decided to head back to the compound.

After arriving at the gates, I turned to head for the clan heads residence. Hiashi-sama seemed to have been waiting on me. As soon as he saw me, he slid whatever he had been looking at away from him and gave me his attention.

"I am very glad to see you out and about. I had heard you were discharged from the hospital… training again?" He asked in a concerned voice.

I blankly stared at him… Now that I had been 'kidnapped', he started treating me with more value, probably because he almost lost a strong asset for the clan.

I nodded, agreeing with his deduction.

"Never in all my years, or in any stories, had I heard of the Hyūga needing to intervene so that their students would train less… You will graduate in due time, remember that you can still enjoy the journey rather than obsessing over the destination."

This damn man. Was he growing a heart now of all times?

Perhaps if I slip a bit of truth to him I can exploit this hint of compassion to get what I want.

"I… I just…"

"Yes, out with it."

"I feel absolutely helpless. I train and I train and it seems the fruit of my labors are never enough. I want to become powerful so I don't have to fear abductors, I want to make my clan proud, but my hard work never feels like enough…" I said starting to tear up.

Wow, this performance was becoming something else entirely, my feelings had actually caused tears to swell in my eyes, How fortunate!

"You make me and the clan proud everyday. Your hard work is paying off, you are recognized for your talent by a great many in the village… and yet you are not content? You say you are helpless?" He asked earnestly.

My lip quivered as I nodded in affirmative to him.

"I can still do more…"

He let out a pained sigh before meeting my eyes again. "I have business outside the country coming up—"

"Where!?" I cut in without thinking.

He narrowed his eyes and continued "— and I will be unable to oversee your training for over a month. I'm now considering hiring a competent ninja to oversee your studies and training during the meantime."

My eyes were likely sparkling at his words, making Hiashi chuckle.

"Do you have any suggestions?" He asked before I nearly fell over in my chair. I couldn't contain my excitement as I pondered the question. I had a few in mind, but for the specific jutsu I wanted to be able to learn, only one name came to mind.

"Ebisu-san would be my ideal choice." I said.

He shot me a questioning glance before nodding. "He is indeed an elite trainer. I acknowledge him as one of my own choices. I will attempt to make arrangements."

"Thank you Hiashi-sama. Thank you." I said with real sincerity.

"Mmmmn, alright, that is all, take your leave."

"Yes Hiashi-Sama." I responded while turning around and heading to my home.

…

A hard nudge woke me from my sleep. I needed a few moments to gain my wits, composure, and scan my surroundings.

All the students in the class were headed out to lunch outside, and me and Neji would use this hour break we had to spar.

I had already eaten my food in class much to the annoyance of Watari-sensei. In the beginning he treated me more strictly than the other students. Calling on me to answer more problems and critical in my examinations, but had grown lax because of my work ethic and over-qualified abilities.

As I stepped outside, I overheard some kids sneering at a figure who was running laps around the track.

"That's the kid that said he'd practice twice as hard as anyone in class. Doesn't he know flunkee's are always flunkees?" A tubby kid I recognized as Gohan Kagetsu.

I ignored them and set out to the secluded area Neji and I had chose for ourselves a while back — Until I heard something concerning.

"Maybe we should toughen him up? Show him his limits?" A boy next to him whispered in cold indifference.

My legs stopped.

"Heh, I like the way you think Tatsuya-chan." The tubby boy responded with a smile of malice before leading the group away.

I focused on the figure in the distance to be certain of my assumption. It was indeed Rock Lee.

Neji looked back noticing that I had stopped and gave me a questioning glance.

"Uh, on second thought Neji, I've got something else I should probably take care of — next time!" I shouted before running off to the tree line.

Once there I activated my Byakugan and watched the group of three approach Lee. I crept closer focusing on the mouths of the kids to read their lips.

"Wow! You look like you've been working hard Lee-san!" One said obviously full of sarcasm - even if I couldn't quite hear them.

"Yeah! Maybe you'll get quick enough to run from all your fights Lee! My dad told me tactical retreats are important for a Shinobi." Gohan said.

"If the Hyuga's in our class are geniuses of combat, maybe you can still be the genius of retreating!" The other said.

"Yeah Lee. Maybe you should practice dodging too!" Tatsuya shouted picking up a rock.

The rock was flung into the air but barely missed the angered Lee who continued running around the track.

This is enough. I thought to myself.

I leapt from my hiding spot and quickly ran towards the track.

"DOOOOOORRRK LEEEEEE, DOOOOORRRK LEEEEEE!" the kids chanted in tandem.

I reached down to the ground and picked up three clots of mud, taking one in my dominant hand. I wound up into a pitch, snapping my arm and releasing the mud ball out of hand, then again, and again. All of them arrived at their targets.

The clumps of mud impacted the shorts and pants of the kids and they turned in surprise. They looked at eachother and realized that a glob of mud was on each of their butts and they swiveled around looking for the perpetrator with anger in their eyes.

Finally locking their eyes on me, they looked a bit less confident looking to each other for encouragement.

"Are you Lee's cheerleaders? That's so cute!" I said.

Their looks of uncertainty shifted to scowels and started whispering to each other.

"You boys are so shy."

"Didj'ya throw this 'shit' at us?" Gohan asked Indicating to his backside.

"Hmm? You shit yourselves?" I asked innocently.

"What?!" He said spitting into the air. His brows pulled together while taking a step forward. "What did you say?" Gohan barked.

"I ASKED if you SHIT yourselves."

Gohan had a very annoyed grin and balled up his fists.

"—Don't, she's too strong." Tatsuya whispered—

"—Shut up fag, unlike you I have pride."

"It must be hard shitting yourself with all that pride."

"—Bitch!" He sneered, cocking an arm back.

It was over in an instant. I grabbed him by his neck and choke slammed him to the dirt. I glared over to his friends daring them to come at me before running off leaving Gohan to follow after them.

Rock Lee had been running over but stopped after witnessing me toss the big idiot. I looked over to him and smiled "Sorry about that. Some people are just dumb, stupid, idiots."

He looked like he had no idea what to say before finally jerking into laughter.

"You threw mud at their butts? That is truly funny!" Lee exclaimed. His mouth had pulled into such a big grin even while laughing that his eyes shut.

Something about the earnestness of Lee in this world is undoubtedly refreshing. It's hard to find people who will speak their mind freely.

"Hey lee… How much do you normally run?" I asked energetic.

"I run until I cannot. Then I continue training a different way until I cannot… You see, I am not as blessed as others with natural talent, so I must work at least twice as hard as everyone to make sure that I too become a splendid ninja!"

I smiled. It would seem lee worked hard even as a little kid, and still barely made the cut. Lee knows the unfairness of the world, and somehow still usually came out shining. Somehow that was all the more inspirational knowing.

"Lee-kun, mind if I run with you?"

"You want to … race me?" He asked questionably. "You are quite fast. I do not believe I can win yet."

"Okay, then let's just run together, like joint training. Come-on, You set the pace Lee!"

He flashed the cheesiest smile, even going so far as to give me a thumbs up afterward, before turning around and breaking into a brisk jog.

I know I wanted to stay out of this… but watching it just pisses me off too much. Lee's like a national park, he should never be polluted.

I was already told by Hiashi that there's likely nothing that could be done about Neji and I being paired together. I had thought about it before and it made sense, they would want to spread the byakugan around because of its power and utility.

-But perhaps if I make some social connections I can get an exception. If they wont let me and Neji team up, and I also don't get Lee, so help me god I will slit someones throat.

...

Authors Notes: Zemptai-sama again, I had intended to fit more into this chapter and have it be longer, however I encountered a bit of writer's block and a lack of inspiration. It's going to be a few extra chapters to get to the Uchiha massacre than I originally thought. Bare with me :)

As psychotic as Mina is, I'm hoping that a bit of grounding from her Hero can do her good, but I'm not quite sure how Lee will impact her. I see them as becoming very good friends and rivals in the future. Personally, Lee's one of my favorite characters in the entire season and comparing many of the Shippuden's anime fights to original Gaara vs Lee, So much effort was put into making the fight so crispy and enjoyable (Even with much older technology and more crude art.)

Let me know how I'm doing, your predictions for the future, any plot holes you may think you see, and I'll gladly message you back addressing them. Thanks so much for sticking with my story this far! It means a lot to me. SERIOUSLY! I appreciate every reader and expect a much more smooth, polished story when I finally get to revisions!

Enjoy the story and I earnestly ask anyone who is willing to, to write me a review. I will cherish each and every one of them and respond as best as I can. I write so I can share with you guys, and it warms my heart to hear your opinions and interact with the readers.

…

**SPECIAL THANKS to the great people below who left me a review, It means a lot!**

-Roberto Pelotudo

-Irina Akashira

-Azaira

-Killua Meatrider