Hello! This is my first experience on this site, have been browsing other Naruto stories for a while and I got inspired to type my own up here! Warning though, I don't think I'm a fantastic writer, so I'm sorry if you are disappointed by my writing skills.

Necessary disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters depicted in the Naruto series.

Generally, I will be sticking pretty damn close to the canon plot, since I lack creativity. I am considering writing chapters between Parts l and ll for the time-skip, though I've not decided yet.

Anyways, please enjoy!

Chapter 1: Nirou's First Day

As Nirou awoke from his slumber, his eyes fluttered awake as his alarm clock blared noisily. Eventually, he reached over to turn off the alarm before returning to lay in his bed, his short hair falling upon his eyes.

After a fair few minutes mindlessly staring into the ceiling, he turned to look at the freshly laundered outfit laid out on his desk, ready for the important day ahead: the end of his monotonous days at the Academy, and the beginnings of his career as a shinobi had finally come.

He had waited too long for this day to come; it had only just dawned upon him that he had never really considered what it would actually be like, or what he would do. Who would he have as comrades and who as a teacher, questions he had never even thought of. Still, those pestering questions would have to wait.

Nirou quickly rose from his sleeping quarters to grab his simple ninja outfit, brushing his messy brown hair out of his face so that he could truly admire the clothing before him. It was a very simple attire: a standard set of shinobi sandals, a pair of black shorts, a basic navy top, a couple of pouches for kunai, shuriken, and the like and, of course, the Leaf's hitai-ate, shiny and polished lying perfectly upon his desk.

He quickly dressed himself, struggling to restrain his still widening smile. Stalking over to the mirror, he pulled on a pair of fingerless gloves he found laying lonely on the floor. You could tell the costume was cheap, but he was more than satisfied with it. Would've been nice to have a bigger budget for some nice finishing touches, but he could always add to it later when he started getting funds from the missions he'd soon be partaking in.

He looked over his clothing once more, his gaze wandering to his pale, featureless eyes, before striding towards the room's exit. Now prepared for the day ahead, Nirou opened the door with confidence, the smell of grilled fish already in the air. His favorite, though he felt it wasn't cooked with him in mind.

He slowly strode his way through the Hyūga estate, taking in the soft sunlight shining down onto the wooden walkways. He tread silently around the place, eventually reaching the room he had been searching for. He quickly slid the door to the side, the previous smell of seafood piquing his interest.

As Nirou entered the dining room, the tall figure of his father, Hiashi, glanced dismissively towards him. However, it lingered only for a second before his gaze returned to the table. Nirou simply ignored this, used to the way he was treated, and humbly kneeled at the dining table before him. Hinata's sullen face rose to meet his eye but, as soon as he rose to meet hers, they darted back to the floor before her.

"Remove your forehead protector when eating at the table," Hiashi spoke with disdain, clearly annoyed at such a major inconvenience. Nirou reluctantly obeyed the order, trying to hide his own disdain at such a rude tone. Peeling away the headband that he had long waited for, the pale green seal indicative of a Hyūga side-branch member was put on display as he gently placed the headband upon his lap.

The seal being exhibited now showed the glaring difference between him and the people beside him. Nirou's hair draped desperately over his forehead in an attempt to obscure this shameful mark, a constant reminder of why he was treated so poorly: he had always been regarded as an outsider because he was an outsider, a member adopted from the side into the main branch.

Orphaned at a relatively young age, the main branch had to decide what to do with him. Hiashi and the majority of the main branch were intent on placing him in a community housing center in some dinky cesspool of an apartment, perfect for an unwanted orphan of the Hyūga side branch. Hiashi's wife Hanako, however, fought valiantly to instead take him in, as his father Hizashi had sacrificed his life for the safety of the Byakugan, and Nirou, therefore, deserved to be adopted into the main branch as compensation. This idea faced excessive resistance, but Hanako was very stubborn, and Hiashi eventually submitted with heavy reluctance.

Back then, Nirou had lost the only person that had ever loved him and felt like he was stuck with a family that hated him, wanting this stain on the Hyūga name to be wiped from the history books, forgotten forever.

As his train of thought continued to spiral into increasingly depressing thoughts, the door to the kitchen slid open, revealing a cheerful Hanako (A/N: Yes, Hiashi's wife is alive in this fic).

Snapping Nirou out of his lengthy tangent of thought, she placed down the morning's breakfast in front of them and moved to sit opposite of Hiashi.

Nirou and Hinata quickly thanked her for the food, keen to dig into a delicious helping of grilled fish with a side of simple rice. As his teeth clenched over the adeptly cut piece of salmon, the savory taste of the beautifully made meal overwhelmed him. He had to concentrate to restrain his watering eyes and his swift hands from immediately reaching for another piece.

He and Hinata turned slightly to see Hiashi's reaction to the undoubtedly perfect dish. As he took his first taste, he maintained his typically neutral expression. Still, a reserved smile unwelcome on his face pronounced itself as he continued to eat.

Content with Hiashi's break-in character, Nirou continued with his breakfast, a tad surprised he had stopped himself from taking another bite. That certainly didn't last long though, as both he and Hinata swiftly devoured their portions, both excited for the day ahead and unable to hold back from the amazing meal.

"May we be dismissed from the table?" Hinata asked with required respect.

Hanako and Hiashi both nodded in response, Hanako with an honorable smile while Hiashi frowned scornfully. Still, Hinata rose from the table and walked towards the door with Nirou soon following suit.

As he and Hinata set off for the Academy, Nirou admired the serene beauty of the Hidden Leaf village glistening in the soft morning light. The chirping of birds and the buzzing of bugs hummed together in a chorus of symphony. The light scent of morning dew and the aforementioned song of birds provided a sense of nostalgia he didn't know he had, and he couldn't help but let a smile cross his face.

Still, his eyes shifted to the dirt road before him and to the light brush that lined the path. This did not last, however, as the route ahead quickly turned to furnished road and modest housing soon replaced the previous vegetation. The singular street quickly opened up into a bustling intersection so hectic that any newcomer would be quick to lose their way.

Regardless, they began to weave their way through the busy village.

Walking to the Academy, Nirou's mind began to wander for a while, ultimately settling on the person beside him, his adoptive sister Hinata. She seemed to notice his lingering gaze as her muscles tensed and her calm gait had turned awkward, almost mechanical in a way. Still, he continued to stare.

She certainly acted unusually for a ninja. No other shinobi acted like her; they weren't as shy, as apologetic, or as nervous as her. Despite that, he wouldn't remark it as a bad kind of weird, since she was always overtly polite to him, even when no other Hyūga treats him so kindly.

That was another thing: she was especially unusual when compared to the others of her clan. Her mother was the one that saved him from a dreadful life as an orphan, and she wasn't this overpoweringly nice. Even her sister Hanabi treated him worse, as she had somehow learned to acquire Hiashi's hostility!

He thought that Hinata perhaps understood his perspective since he'd noticed his adoptive father seemed to regard her harshly as well. If she did relate, that would explain why she'd treat him with such additional kindness, though he had seen her being polite to other people too.

He was a black sheep in a family of white; she was treated as if she were a black sheep despite the white wool, a white sheep determined black.

"U-um... i-is something the m-matter, Nirou?" Hinata said worriedly, her voice barely a whisper. Regardless, he was abruptly taken from his speculation.

"No, I'm fine," he reassured. "I just zoned out, that's all. Don't worry about it."

"Oh..." she muttered defeatedly, her eyes quickly making their way to the pavement, visibly upset by her false assumptions.

Nirou remained quiet as an awkward silence developed. He wanted to say something, but he had observed that saying any more typically resulted in Hinata misunderstanding and becoming even more upset. Still, he couldn't let her fret over nothing.

"I wish we could be on the same team," he briskly commented, her face lighting up at the remark. A light blush formed on her face as she gradually registered the compliment.

"Though I doubt we will, which is a real shame," he allowed discontent to show on his face, hoping it lightened the disappointing realization.

"W-why is that?" Hinata questioned, her face painted with worry.

"Well, it's rare that you get two Byakugan users in one graduating class," Nirou explained. "And since we also have overlapping skillsets, they'll put us on different teams for greater variety."

He paused, letting the explanation sink in before persisting.

"It sucks, but it makes sense."

Now even he was getting depressed over this, hoping more and more that they would somehow end up on the same team, as he had never really gotten close with any of his classmates.

The conversation seemed to run dry there as they instead chose to focus on the road ahead. Not like there was much of it left. It had only taken a few minutes before they could see the Academy building, its orange roof distinguishing itself amongst the common red and browns of the surrounding civilian homes. A makeshift banner was draped above the Academy entrance congratulating students on their graduation.

Hesitant, the Hyūga pair eventually made their way through the door, scared, excited, and nervous all into one as they entered the Academy for the last time.

Moving from classroom to classroom, they soon came across the right room, clearly indicated by a bored Iruka standing diligently outside. Zoned out, he was entirely unaware of the approaching students, only coming to when Hinata cleared her throat nervously as to indicate their arrival.

"Good morning, Nirou, Hinata!" Iruka affirmed cheerfully, eager to finally have some entertainment. "I sure hope you're excited to find out who's gonna be on your team!"

Hinata remained awkwardly silent, the previous conversation obviously lingering on her mind.

"I'd say I'm more nervous than excited," Nirou anxiously answered before elaborating, "I don't know anyone in our class real well, so it's a mixed bag for me."

"That's unfortunate," he responded with worry. "I sure hope you get along with your teammates then. Though I believe you'll adjust accordingly!" He winked brashly, a hopeful smile accompanying it as the grin contagiously spread to his students.

He soon gestured to the door beside him, signaling the entrance to the classroom, and praised them for arriving so early. They scanned the fairly vacant area as they entered, admiring the barren room for quite possibly the last time.

After spending way too long ogling the empty classroom, they soon made their way to their chairs. Hinata walked along with the seats, eventually deciding on the stool to the opposite aisle in the furthest back row. Nirou followed in swift pursuit, taking his seat next to hers. He then glanced over to the other graduates dotted around the room, only finding a handful of familiar faces.

He was now beginning to regret arriving so early, an expression reminiscent of Iruka's previous settling on his face. Being slightly early was opportune, but half an hour early was taking it too far. He contemplated striking up another conversation with Hinata, but she didn't seem particularly keen on socialization. Instead, he chose to simply rest his head on his arms, only raising at the sound of the opening door.

As moments passed and less and less time remained, the occasional arrival soon became a steady stream of students, and Nirou's head perched instead upon his hands, watching the new graduates with interest.

As his eyes mindlessly stared at the door, awaiting its next visit, the stool beside him had occupied itself in a seeming instant. He turned nonchalantly in an attempt to casually glance over at the inhabitant but failed in all forms of subtlety.

Their eyes quickly crossed paths, and the character smiled kindly, the short fringe bangs that framed her face swinging as she tilted her head.

"What are you looking at?" She teased, grinning cheekily, her hand rising to cover her smirk.

"Nothing, just inspecting the newbie."

Now it was his turn to smirk. Her jaw dropped in exasperated offense.

As Nirou glanced down to check out her shinobi costume, a pinkish coloration settled on the kunoichi's face. She seemed to be wearing an exotic pink sleeveless blouse paired with basic trousers. He had also noted the two traditional buns that she adorned along with her parted bangs, admiring the unusual choice.

She looked uncomfortable, simply waiting for his gazing eyes to stop scrutinizing her, causing him to feel bad for looking so curiously over her attire.

"What's your name?" He openly asked, trying to distract from the previous moment. Her eyes snapped to him, removing themselves from its last location.

"Tenten," she smiled cautiously. "No last name."

He raised an eyebrow cheekily. "That's odd, does your clan not do them?"

Now he was invested in her answer, attentively waiting with curiosity. Her gaze steeled at his inquiring nature, but her warm smile remained unfaltering.

"No, not really," she answered. "My parents find them 'meddlesome'," she said with exaggerated quotation marks.

Both brows were now raised as he simply stated, "Interesting."

The two turned towards the middle of the room as a commotion stirred in front of them. The noise was seemingly centered around two students he knew, named Naruto and Sasuke. The mob that usually followed the latter seemed to be the cause of the commotion, causing an incredible uproar. He couldn't quite see what was happening between the two, but it caused an even larger outcry amongst the onlookers. Before the pandemonium could continue any longer, however, Iruka burst through the door.

"Quiet!" He practically screamed to be heard over the fuss. It would've completely died down if not for a few stubborn stragglers, but they gradually reduced in noise until the room was indeed silent.

Iruka then cleared his throat before striding to the front, beginning a lengthy speech declaring his pride in their capabilities and the supposedly difficult journey ahead, nothing that particularly interested Nirou.

Soon, he began rattling off names of graduates, nominating the members of each team. Nirou listened intently for his name, keenly awaiting the nomination of himself and his teammates.

He was beginning to zone out as Iruka continued to ramble before a name made itself known amongst the humdrum of noise.

"Team 7: Nirou Hyūga."

Thank you for reading through the first-ever chapter of my first-ever fanfiction! It means a lot to me that you actually read this far.

Next chapter should be out in a week, maybe more. I'm not entirely sure of my pace of writing, so it could vary, but next chapter is gonna be pretty long, so look forward to it!

Sorry for the drawn-out descriptions/lack of action if they're not your cup of tea, couldn't help myself! Next chapter will have plenty of action, so hopefully, you'll like that if this was too dragged out. I'm hoping to pick up the pace a little once we get to the meat of the story, so if it's a tad slow, I'll be adjusting.

Please consider leaving a review. Let me know what needs work, what parts were good, and how to improve, it helps heaps. I'd particularly like to know if the dialogue is any good at all, I'm not used to speech at all, so I hope it was at least tolerable, do let me know.

Anyways, thanks for reading, and I hope you stick around for the next chapter. Bye!!