Krul p: Yes, Natsuha will be part of the harem. It won't happen for a bit, but it's actually because of her and Hinata specifically that the harem becomes a thing. One part unrestrained emotion, one part politics, one part 'no one will stop them from getting what they want'.
Borello: Thank you!
xxx xxx xxx
Chapter 1
- Case: Natsuha -
6 years after Natsuha Uzumaki's birth and the Kyuubi no Youko's sudden attack on Konoha, the 'Village Hidden in the Leaves'-
It was raining that late summer's night as a lone, twintailed little blonde girl in a dirty, ripped and faded orange one piece dress did her best to keep dry and hold onto what little warmth she could as she hid further inside the wooden crate she was currently using as shelter, her tiny knees pressed tightly against her chest with an old red blanket wrapped snugly around her small, shivering frame. There was only a single thought running trough her scared and tired young mind at that moment...
'...Please. Please don't let the mean people find me..! I, I can't run anymore and... and I'm so tired...! So very tired...'
...And before long, unable to keep her eyes open any longer, the little girl slowly let sleep hesitantly claim her.
...
'Jiji. Iruka-nii. Ayame-nee... Anyone... Help, me...!'
...
...Yes. In spite of everything Hiruzen did to keep her identity hidden and let her live as normal a life as possible... he failed. He failed and she paid the price.
- Flashback: a little over 2 years ago -
Hokage Tower, inside Konoha's Governing Council chamber.
*BAM!*
"Silence!" all but roared an enraged 3rd Hokage as he slammed his aged but powerful fist down on the seal reinforced stone council table, his potent killing intent and barely restrained rolling off him in waves as he worked to silence the arguments and shouting going on all around him.
"But, Lord Hokage! Is it really true that not only have you been sheltering the Kyuubi no Youko, but actively kept it secret from us as well!? Was this not something that we, as members of this esteemed Council, should have also been informed of!?" spoke up an especially brave (and somewhat loud) member of the civilian half of Konoha's governing council, giving voice to many of his peers in the process. The Elders and the shinobi half of the council, however, reluctantly held their tongues and continued to silently observe.
"I would mind your tone when speaking to me, councilor," Hiruzen warned with an almost frigid, authoritative tone and looking the man straight in the eye. "No matter what we did or tried, the Kyuubi couldn't be killed and in order to stop it, Minato had no choice but to sacrifice his life in order to seal it within a newborn child, Natsuha Uzumaki. I will only say this once; That child is not the Kyuubi, merely its container and I will not allow ANYONE to call her a demon! The only reason the clan heads and Elders were even informed was because, despite not being a shinobi of the Leaf herself, her very existence was a matter of vital importance to the safety and security of both my shinobi forces and the Village itself. Need I remind you that, in spite of the greater freedoms civilians have here in Konoha enjoy relative to other Hidden Villages, up to and including being allowed a voice on this governing council I might add, Konoha is still very much a military stratocracy. Know your place."
"...So the girl is our latest Jinchuuriki then?" calmly asked a certain older councilor covered in bandages. Unlike the other civilian councilors having once been a shinobi himself, the man showed not an ounce of fear towards the cascading waves of killing intent rolling off his long time rival and once fellow student of the 2nd Hokage. If Hiruzen Sarutobi were the embodiment of Konoha and the Will of Fire's 'Light' then this man, Danzou Shimura, embodied and even fully embraced its 'Darkness' as the shadow that very light would inevitably cast.
"...A 'Jinchuuriki', Lord Shimura?" asked the female councilor who was sitting next to him.
Danzou nodded. "They are a sort of 'living sacrifice' used to contain powerful supernatural beings like demons or celestial spirits. In this case, one of the nine Tailed Beast, the Kyuubi no Youko. Personal feelings and interpretations aside, Jinchuuriki have most often been used as a nation's greatest weapon."
"...And, is that what you're suggesting we use that... thing for, Lord Shimura?" asked that same female councilor.
"Yes. That is precisely what I would suggest we do, not that Lord Hokage would ever allow such a fate to befall that girl though."
"What!? And why not!? What other use is there for that little monster! Is that not why the late Lord Fourth sacrificed his life for, to seal the Kyuubi and allow Konoha to use its power!?" cried out another civilian councilor who was unable to keep his emotions in check.
Again the room was quickly flooded with thick killing intent as Hiruzen, tired of the insolence and long since out of patience, blurred over and appeared before that foolish councilor before lifting him up off the ground by his throat, holding back just enough so as not to crush his windpipe right then and there. "...I will NEVER allow Minato's legacy to be turned into nothing more than a mindless weapon!"
Even through the thick killing intent directed his way and the pressure around his throat, the councilor, spurred on by desperation, grief, and anger over what he has lost that night, still managed to speak up. "...Bu, But the Kyuubi! It k, killed my family And, not just mine either! How can you p, possibly defe-"
"-You aren't the only ones who lost loved ones that night! I lost my wife, my successor, his family, and countless other good shinobi! I won't allow you or anyone to exploit that child in some ridiculous, misguided belief that doing so would be in Konoha's 'best interests!"
"...Kuh!"
As much as he or the other civilian councilors wanted to dispute the old Hokage's scathing words, they couldn't, leaving the room in another very tense silence that only broke when Danzo finally spoke up again.
"You say that but as I said; at the end of the day, and regardless of personal opinion or feeling, a Jinchuuriki is a weapon. That is an undeniable fact of the world, as much as Lord First might have wished otherwise."
"And that is precisely why I will not allow the Leaf to do this, Shimura. Just because it is the 'way of the world' does not mean that we too should simply fall in line and throw away our Will of Fire and sacrifice a child merely because it is convenient for us!"
"...Then what will you do, Lord Hokage? You may have tried to keep it hidden, but her secret's out now and it will spread outside of this council chamber before long."
Unfortunately, emotions ran too high and the breaking point had long since been reached. Konoha and its people, civilian and shinobi alike, had lost so much that night two years ago and had nothing to vent their grief and anger on, so the very fact that Natsuha's identity had been leaked was the perfect match needed to ignite a spark on those long held smoldering, bitter and dark feelings.
"Weapon, Jinchuuriki, child... None of that matters! Hokage or not, if you won't turn that monster into a weapon for Konoha as Lord Shimura suggested then just have it executed or banished! Why else would Lord Fourth seal it into a child in the first place if not so we could either use or easily kill it!"
"Councilor Odawara is correct. Granted, even if its existence is a matter that falls directly under shinobi jurisdiction, that thing is currently not a shinobi and is, at least legally speaking, a war orphan with no known ties of any kind who, under current Konoha law, falls under this council general oversight. Meaning that we do, in fact, have some say in what happens to it," calmly interjected another former kunoichi turned civilian councilor by the name of Haruno. "If nothing else, Lord Hokage, we should at least be able to know her current location so that we might be able to better carry out our oversight duties."
Hiruzen calmly shook his head. "Her status as a Jinchuuriki notwithstanding, there were other reasons why young Natsuha's identity and whereabouts are kept secret. So, after finding out about the leak, I immediately ordered Inoichi and the rest of the T&I Dept. to conduct a thorough investigation on everyone who attended that meeting two years ago to try and ferret out who the traitor might have been. Sadly, our inquiries yielded no results either." Naturally, just hearing the phrase 'T&I' sent a cold shiver down nearly all of the civilian councilors' spines... meaning that the leak could have only come from the outside, yet very likely still from a person or party from within Konoha. "Now, seeing as these are much different circumstances from back then and merely my own thoughts, I can't just let loose the T&I Dept. to have free reign without first having sufficient proof. That, however, doesn't mean there aren't other moves I can still play in the meantime..."
- Flashback end -
As an act of defiance against the decrees Hiruzen eventually passed regarding Natsuha and the burden she carried despite even being shown the truth of attack on that night the same as 4 years ago, the civilian side of the council, and most the civilian population in general, retaliated by doing everything in their power to make the girl's life as hard as possible, even if it meant some of them died in the process. In fact, not only did the they somehow engineer a situation that led to Natsuha being kicked out of the orphanage she was staying in, but also managed to bar ANYONE from moving to adopt the girl once Hiruzen and the shinobi clans found out what happened with the Elders finally showing their true colors by siding with the civilians on most matters concerning Natsuha from that point onward, though a few civilian councilors had to be replaced after forgetting themselves and breaking the ban on speaking of the girl's burden, getting them executed for their stupidity.
xxx xxx xxx
On a nearby rooftop overlooking the alleyway Natsuha was currently hiding/sleeping in-
"...How long must this madness go on...!?" quietly asked a purple haired ANBU agent wearing a cat mask with barely restrained fury.
"Until Weasel and Dove can track down the parties responsible for the attack and Lord Hokage can secure the new apartment near the Hyuga Clan compound grounds. After all, it takes a considerable amount of time dealing with the paperwork while simultaneously ensuring that its location stays sufficiently hidden from the civilian populace at large," calmly replied her spiky silver haired fellow ANBU male partner wearing a dog mask.
"It's been two years already! How long are these people going to hold a grudge against the poor girl!" Cat snapped, gloved fists clenched. "What's worse is that she doesn't even try to fight back! She just runs from them until she can find a safe place to hide! That's no way for a six year old little girl to live! And that's if she's not being attacked and abused by those animals over something she had no say in or even any knowledge of!"
"On that note, I'm honestly amazed how sharp her survival instincts are. The girl's ability to tell who means her harm or if they have ill intent is more than a little impressive. Add to that her natural speed and agility and you have the makings of a real stealth specialist, if not a genius of the craft in the making." Dog couldn't help but smile despite himself at how talented his sensei's beloved only daughter was.
"...Really?" Cat muttered in utter exasperation, shaking her head at her partner's seemingly flippant attitude.
"Sorry," Dog said apologetically, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck (a habit he had picked up from his sensei whenever he was caught saying or doing something he shouldn't have). "It's just, it's hard not to see so much of them in her, and not just with her looks..."
"...That's all the more reason we need to keep her safe! I just don't understand how the people of Konoha could have fallen so low as to isolate and torture such a sweet and innocent child! It's a total disgrace to everything Lord Fourth sacrificed his life for!"
"Grief and a fear of the unknown are hard things for people to let go, and unlike we shinobi who face the monstrous on an almost daily basis, the most civilians might have to deal with, even in these barely peaceful times, are the occasional bandit or the even rarer enemy ninja. The Kyuubi's attack six years ago was like a sudden natural disaster that came and went before anyone had a chance to really process what happened, instead only leaving behind a good part of the village destroyed and countless dead bodies of family and friends to bury and mourn over. I'm not saying it justifies their treatment and hatred of little Natsuha-chan, but..," Dog replied somberly with a hint of resignation in his voice. "It's sad and more than a little unfair I know, but humans can be irrational fools like that sometimes,"
"... 'Irrational', huh? Two hundred assassination attempts, more than a dozen mob related attacks, and two dozen cases of arson! And that's only what's been officially documented!"
"I hear you, but even if hundreds of these bastards get caught, punished and die for their foolish actions, thousands more will slip through so long as they don't openly defy Lord Hokage or break his decrees. I mean, it's not like we can execute every single parent who tells their kids to stay away from a rotten apple or business owners who refuse her any service now can we?" Dog reasoned bitterly. "Unless her life is in direct danger or we have irrefutable proof that someone means her harm, the most we can do is watch from afar. Our hands are tied. We might be ANBU, but that actually limits just how much we actually can do to protect her. Hell, we aren't even allowed to make direct contact with her for fear that it could be seen and used against the Hokage as 'acts of blatant favoritism towards the demon' or some such nonsense. Though, if you think about it, it's not like we shinobi are any better sometimes. Otherwise the Land of Whirlpools wouldn't have been destroyed in the first place. And you and I both know what came out of those poor decisions..."
"..." Cat had no rebuttal to Dog's words. They were true after all, sad as it was. Though, more often than not, the 'truth' was rarely ever a pleasant thing to know or hear. In the end, she could only close her eyes and sigh in frustration at the unfairness of it all.
...
'Lady Kushina, Lord Fourth... I'm so sorry that I can't do more for little Natsuha-chan than this. But, even so... I, no, we promise to keep doing whatever we can to keep her safe and see her grow up to become a splendid kunoichi. '
- Case: Hinata and Hanabi -
Hyuga Clan compound, attached dojo-
*THUD!*
"...Kyyaaahhh!" cried out the young, six year old dark blue haired and lavender eyed prospective heiress of the Hyuga Clan after being struck in the chest with a low powered but still very painful open palm strike that sent her crashing onto the wooden floor several feet back and landing next to her (very slightly younger) twin sister, Hanabi, who was still on her hands and knees, panting for breath after being hit a little earlier herself.
"...Both of you; hurry up and stand back up," all but ordered her father and Clan Head in the usual stern and stoic voice typical of a clan that prided itself masters of keeping their emotions and expressions in check at all times.
"..Y, yes Father...!" Hinata managed to reply, holding her side and quickly getting back to her feet.
"..." Hanabi, on the other hand, just silently pushed herself up off the ground and quickly got back into her 'Gentle Fist' stance.
For the last two years twins Hinata and Hanabi Hyuga, daughters of Hiashi and Hibari Hyuga, have been training not just to activate and use their clan's unique 'Bloodline', the ocular based 'Byakugan', but also in their signature taijutsu, the 'Gentle Fist' as well as etiquette and politics lessons that inevitably go hand in hand with being one of Konoha's oldest and most powerful shinobi clans. Even amongst their peers, the Hyuga were well known for their strict adherence to tradition that, to most outsiders, made them seem both all the more noble and unapproachable... and these two 'princesses' were the prospective heirs to such a long lived and storied heritage.. It was a lot of responsibility to place on their tiny, six year-old shoulders but they bravely bore it with hardly any complaint even as many of the clan's Elders and even some of the 'Main' family started to see the two girls as... 'problematic', for one reason or another.
"Good, no let us continue." their father said, nodding in approval before taking up his stance once more. "We have another forty-five minutes to go before breakfast is ready." The two girls gulped, doing their absolute best to keep their rumbling stomachs (and fear of their impending beating) from getting any worse.
For the elder twin, Hinata, many felt she was far too kindhearted, emotional, and 'weak' to be a 'proper' Hyuga, much less as a prospective heiress to succeed her father. For the younger twin, Hanabi, those same critics felt that the girl, while more suited to the position of heiress in their minds when compared to her sister, was far too vocal about what she intended to do were she to become heiress. Their biggest issue with them both, however, would be how difficult it would be to control and manipulate them so long as they were together.
In the end, all of their disapproval and/or disdain could be traced back to two very important reasons. First was that both gained their their very un-Hyuga like personalities and ideas from their late mother, Hibari Hyuga, who actually married into the Hyuga clan; a rarity among rarities. Second, and more importantly to them, was their very vocal and clear desire to end the divide between the Main and Branch families and reunite them under one banner by both finding a way to safely remove the 'Caged Bird' seal forced on members of the Branch families that all but made them slaves to the Main family, and to ensure that such a practice would forever be permanently outlawed within their lifetime regardless of which of them becomes Clan Head and, if one sister were to be branded in favor of the other, it would only accelerate their plans and even motivate the unbranded sister to purge the old guard that much sooner. No, as is all too common with those too used to the 'status-quo', Hinata and Hanabi represented too much of a threat to the continued power and authority it offered.
"Are you ready, nee-san?" Hanabi asked, already in her own stance and glancing over at her older sister.
"...Y, yes...!" Hinata replied bravely, albeit with her characteristic little stutter.
"Good! Today is Natsu's time to make breakfast so we really need to do our best!" Hanabi added with a twinkle in her sparkling, pupiless lavender eyes. "...Mmm! Bacon...!" This last remark elicited the smallest of barely suppressed giggles fro her sister Hinata.
Their father, meanwhile, just watched impassively before making his move the moment Hinata let that last little giggle slip out, instantly appearing in front of them and lashing out with a flurry of 'Gentle Fist' strikes. "Don't get distracted you two!"
"...E, eep!"
"...Tch!"
Almost on instinct, the twins barely managed to use the very brief opening made when their father, seemingly failing to take into account just how short the two really were, overshot his attacks, moved to counter with 'Gentle Fist' strikes of their own, coming from above and below. From there, the three quickly began another deadly dance of palms strikes, dodges, blocks, and counters that, for all its ferocity, still looked very beautiful and graceful.
After fending off another of the twins' combo attacks and pushing them back once again, Hiashi gave the pair a another small nod of approval. "Well done. You have both done well in mastering the Gentle Fist's first stances and katas, even putting them to good use in actual combat... but, don't let that go to your heads; there is still plenty of room both refine and improve your technique. Here, let me demonstrate."
Before either of them could react or move, their father was once again upon them as he showed them the 'proper' way to execute the moves they just tried to use against him in what loosely amounted to their final lesson for the morning.
- Later that day, after their very well earned breakfast -
Hyuga Can Compound, Memorial Hall-
As was their normal ritual for the last year or so, Hinata and Hanabi would pay their respects to their dearly departed mother after their early morning routine before continuing on with the rest of their daily lessons and duties.
...
"..." 'Please continue to watch over us from up above in the Heavens, dear mother.'
"..." '...W, we'll k, keep doing our b, best to make the c, clan whole again! Hanabi and I, will keep w, working to g, get stronger t, too!'
Normally, such a solemn event would be one of the few times the twins would be allowed anything close to a moment of peace from the eyes and scorn of their clan, but as was more often the case of late, many of their more vocal but less than brave detractors and critics often chose this time away from their busy father and supporters to sneak in insults their way just loud enough for them to hear but quiet enough to let them play it off should they be caught...
"I simply cannot understand why Lord Hiashi refuses to formally appoint the next heir already, instead choosing to focus training them together like this," grumbled one particularly arrogant and narrow-minded main family member to his brother. "While I do not care much for that little whelp Hanabi's willful attitude and brazen criticisms of our traditions and values, I can at least praise her for her skill in our arts. Her, elder sister on the other hand..."
His younger brother nodded. "Indeed. That weakling is far too softhearted not just for this clan, but for the harsh realities of duties expected of her as a shinobi of Konoha. If anything, I almost pity the poor wretch for having been born a member of the Main family, nevermind as a Hyuga. Though, as far the matter of succession is concerned, our hands are tied until their sixteenth birthday when an heir 'must' be decided on. Until then, Lord Hiashi 'is' within his rights to delay making a decision. Well, not unless something 'unfortunate' were to befall one, or both, of them that is... After all, their mother, the late Lady Hibari, did pass away rather suddenly herself, even if she were of slightly frail constitution."
"Hmph. Karma and good riddance I say! Lord Hiashi's wife or not, the woman was still an outsider and didn't know when to keep her mouth shut and stay out of clan affairs! Really, had she not passed when she did...-"
"-Brother! You know that such talk is forbidden! Especially here in this place! Remember. As this is the clan's 'Memorial Hall', it is one of the few places where those blasted 'recording seals' have been set up and regularly checked on! You know that Lord Hiashi still suspects foul play in that matter...!" quietly and quickly admonished the younger brother.
The elder brother just snorted dismissively. "So what if he does? Even if Lord Hiashi did learn of what we've said and investigates, there is no real proof for him to find that he could use to act on. As long as there isn't, then even Lord Hiashi cannot do very much to openly move against us, let alone go to the Hokage for aid. After all," the arrogant main family member said with a smug sneer. "our 'clan privilege' to handle its own affairs as we see fit, in the absence of proof of extenuating circumstances, will keep any unwanted outsiders from poking their noses where they don't belong!"
"...So long as no one changers the rules, at least."
"Feh! Once an heir is selected, we'll be able to get more involved in her training and education," the arrogant man countered, throwing a sidelong glance in the direction of Lady Hibari's memorial. "...At any rate, we need to get going lest we arrive late for our meeting." The younger brother just nodded and followed after.
With that, the two swiftly exited the memorial hall, leaving the twins alone once more.
"..." Hinata could only look down at the ground, hurt by their words but trying her very best not to let her tears flow even as she silently sniffled. Her sister, on the other hand.
"...Those scum!" Hanabi hissed out, tiny fists clenched to the point of turning her knuckles white. 'If they think they can try and turn us into one of their mindless little puppets and keep time frozen in place then they have another thing coming! And how DARE they call Hinata weak!'
For many, it would've looked like the twins were polar opposites, but in truth they were reflections of the their beloved mother and late Hyuga Matriarch. Hinata embodied the kind, outwardly timid shyness that Hibari usually displayed which hid a fierce core of unwavering determination and an unbreakable will. Hanabi on the other hand, embodied their mother's rarely seen brash stubbornness and hatred of all things unfair that was guided by that same sweet kindness that her beloved elder sister expressed so openly.
Frankly, to most of the Main family and clan Elders, Hibari Hyuga was not at all well liked. After all, she was the first in a long, long time who openly questioned and even opposed the clan's more cruel and outdated traditions and values, particularly the treatment of the Branch families and Main family's use of the 'Caged Bird' seal that bound and controlled their fates and lives. It was her influence that slowly changed a young Hiashi for the better and helped repair the then strained relationship between himself and his own twin brother, Hizashi. Finally, it was also because of her that the idea of freeing the Branch families from that wretched seal and reuniting the clan was reignited despite having been so thoroughly stamped out by generations of the Main family and clan Elders' progressively worsening, oppressive rule. It wouldn't have been an understatement to say that, barring a small minority and the Branch families themselves, the Hyuga Clan hated Hibari Hyuga... a sentiment that was clearly passed onto her children who themselves fully embraced their mother's views and ideals.
"...Hinata-nee," Hanabi said quietly yet firmly, gently squeezing her twin's shoulder.
"Hmm?"
"Let's go!"
"Y, yes!" An instant later when Hanabi turned away, Hinata's own normally soft eyes flashed with a fierce spark of determination as she grabbed her younger twin sister's hand.
At that moment, a single thought ran through both their young minds.
'Don't worry Mother! No matter what happens or what we have to do, we will get rid of that evil 'Caged Bird' seal and make our clan whole again!'
...
...Little did the twins know just how long and hard a road that journey to make their dearest wish come true would be, or how deep the darkness of their family's cruelty and hatred for them went...
- Case: Anko -
Outskirts of the northern part of Konoha in the orphanage that Natsuha once lived in, and in the very same room on the third floor that the tiny, twintailed blonde once called her own-
There, sitting alone on the bed closest to the window facing out into the village was a young girl, perhaps around six or seven years old, with medium length, slightly spiky purple hair tied up in a ponytail, a healthy tan complexion, and had a pair of distinctive brown, pupiless eyes that took in everything around her without dropping her guard.
'...It's raining again,' the girl observed with a quiet sigh, a slight and a slight frown on her face. 'I really hate the rain...'
Her name was Anko Mitarashi, the only daughter of a stoic, skilled foreign samurai from the Land of Iron to the north and a kunoichi who wasn't just a talented and fairly well known Jonin, but also the apprentice to one of the legendary Sannin, Orochimaru. However, everything changed the day Orochimaru fled Konoha, taking much of his illegal research and his apprentice, Anko's mother, with him and disappearing to parts unknown... until she was eventually found alone and unconscious in an abandoned lab somewhere in the Land of Grass to the north several years later.
"..." Anko took out and flipped open the silver locket she always wore around her neck. Inside was a picture of her parents. Her father, Anji, was a tall and severe looking man with sharp intimidating features, but had the kindest eyes she had ever seen while her mother Inko, from whom she had gotten most of her looks, stood next him holding her bundled snugly in a blanket infant self, smiling down warmly at her sleeping face. To be honest though, she had no idea what to feel or even think of the woman named Inko Mitarashi. After all, she had never even met her since she vanished shortly after giving birth to her.
Anko was raised by her father during those three years that her mother had gone missing and yet, even after they found and brought Inko back home, she still never got to see her mother until the night of her parents' death half a year later. Being a child herself, Anko wasn't told much aside from the fact that her mother, being tricked by her teacher, was made into a human experiment to test a certain forbidden seal that used a little understood dark and foul energy that, while giving its bearer great strength by feeding off of their emotions and desires, would continue to eat away at their mind and body until they either just died or lost control of themselves and gave in to the seal. Sadly, it was the former that caused her death... and at the hands of her own father no less; an act that also cost him his own life as well, along with the lives of several others. The root causes of what happened that night could be traced back to a combination of the trauma from the experiments, the feelings of being betrayed by Orochimaru, the poisonous intoxication of using the seal's power... and finally, the distrust, blame and hate cast her way by her fellow shinobi for having been the apprentice of a such a monstrous traitor. It was all too much for the already damaged and guilt-ridden woman's fragile psyche and she just... broke, causing her to go on a blind rampage in the ANBU run hospital she was convalescing in. It was there, during a visit with her father, that she saw the monster that Orochimaru's experiments and the village's hate had turned her mother into. Since then, she couldn't help but think back on the terrible memories of that night whenever it rained, just like now.
"...Papa. Mama..." Tears filled with painful and hard to understand emotions clouded her vision and fell without reserve down her cheeks, gently hitting the locket before eventually closing her eyes and putting the locket away and laying back down in her bed, drawing the covers up close to her and hoping that sleep, however fitful, would come soon.
...
Sadly, much like Natsuha and the Hyuga Sisters' own burdens, it didn't take long before Anko was forced to bear the heavy weight and consequences for sins she never should have had to carry in the first place.
- The next day, somewhere on the streets of Konoha -
"...Poor girl..."
"Tch! It's that traitorous snake whore's little runt again...!"
"...Sshhh! You know it s not her or her mother's fault! It was because of Orochimaru that...-"
"-I know! ...I know, but..."
"Just! Just leave it alone, okay?"
"...Tch!"
If they weren't looking at her with eyes filled with a mix of countless dark and bitter emotions, others looked her way with sheer indifference or pity while the rest just ignored her and simply acted as if she didn't exist. Day in and day out, Anko was forced to quietly suffer through the constant pity, disdain and utter apathy of the shinobi and civilians of Konoha when all she really wanted to do was break down and cry or scream at them to all go away. More than anything else though, she wanted to learn the truth of what happened to the mother she never ogt to know and avenge her parents by killing the man who ruined her life and destroyed her family and their reputation.
"...!' Anko couldn't take it anymore. '...Shut up! Shutup!Shutup!Shutup! ... !'
Unable to take it anymore, and afraid she might say or do something stupid, Anko just grit her teeth before lowering her head and quickening her pace down the street and to the next store, completely unaware that she was being watched by those who would love nothing more than to make her 'disappear'...
- On a nearby rooftop -
"That's her then?" asked a tall male figure dressed not unlike an ANBU, yet still 'off' somehow.
"...It is, yes," nodded the second smaller, similarly dressed female standing next to him. "However, she isn't our only target and we only have a small window of opportunity to act."
"The Jinchuuriki and one of the would-be Hyuga heiresses, correct?" asked the male figure. "Those two won't be very easy to get at. One has the backing of most of the shinobi population and the Hokage, as well as a full time rotating ANBU unit watching over her while the other two are the daughters of one of Konoha's oldest and most powerful clans here; nevermind the fact that they possess a bloodline that makes it nearly impossible to sneak up on them."
"Don't worry. Arrangements have already been made concerning the Jinchuuriki and prospective Hyuga heiresses. So long as we don't miss the timing and don't take too long then neither operation should be too difficult," the second figure calmly reassured, smiling underneath her mask. "Besides, this is what we've been training so hard and long for, isn't it?"
"I suppose that's true. Anyway, what now?"
"We keep observing our target for a little while longer and, assuming noting changes or goes horribly awry, make our move either tomorrow night or the night after," his partner replied. "That will be our best, and likely only, chance to make it happen."
"Right, then let's go," the male figure said with a nod before vanishing in a body flicker, his partner quickly following behind.
xxx xxx xxx
- Case: Unknown -
'Somewhere' in the infinite, strangely warm darkness known by those who know as the 'Interstice In Between'-
The young man, having paid the price for saving the world, continued to drift deeper and deeper into the infinite, endless abyss between worlds.
Where was he going? Who knows. Certainly not him, anyway.
Well, that would've been true if he were alone, that is.
"...Hoh? And what is this?" mused a certain, mysterious snow-white haired beauty dressed in a simple white dress, calmly sipping a cup of her favorite spiced red tea with a smile as she watched the unconscious man floating past her off in the distance. "My my. Maya didn't think she would see this sort of thing anytime soon... Least of all with an 'Echo' of my dear guest, no less!"
Now, the being named Maya wasn't the type to usually interfere with her 'Dreams' and those that inhabited them, content to simply let them and their fates play out to whatever ending that awaited them. However, as evidenced by the slightly playful light flickering in her inhumanly beautiful golden yellow eyes, she was perfectly fine with bending her own rules from time to time, with this time being one such occasion.
"Oh, Maya has a great idea! Let's just... give him a parting gift and a little push over off towards 'that' particular Dream then, hmm," said the mysterious, ethereal beauty as she glanced over at one of the countless, myriad glowing bubbles of light that floated about and filled the infinite sea of darkness she called home. Decision made, Maya gently waved her slender, pale hand and sent out a pulse of powerful energy in the young man's direction, pushing him off his previous course and towards the bubble of light she was just looking at instead. With her work done, the girl in white closed her eyes and went back to enjoying her tea with barely contained excitement at just what her little act of capricious whimsy would produce in that unsuspecting Dream.
...
'Now. Do try to keep Maya entertained, won't you? Little Echo of her dear, beloved guest...'
xxx xxx xxx
A/N:
And that wraps up the chapter!
Kinda surprised that it didn't take nearly as long to write up or edit this time too.
The goal of this chapter was to show the aftermath of trying to keep Natsuha's status a secret and how badly it failed while introducing this world's Anko, Hinata, and Hanabi's situations along with setting up for the event that would see them 'vanish' from from Konoha for awhile.
As you might have noticed, I decided to make Hanabi Hinata's (slightly) younger twin sister in this world and make her more of a relevant character as opposed to canon. Plus, it'll still allow me to show how, regardless of which one were the prospective heir, the Main house and clan Elders would've still hated her. For that, I decided to link a lot of their ire to their late mother, Hibari, who served to sow the seeds that would take root in changing the Hyuga Clan, starting with her immediate family. Now, as for whether or not she was poisoned? Who knows, though I'm betting that little scene in the 'Memorial Hall' does imply foul play, but in a still noncommittal way just to leave room for doubt. Frankly, the fact that she died before she could spread her influence is all that mattered to them so I personally think that had they not done it then, then they would have tried later, consequences be damned.
As for Anko? Well, I really liked her character and thought it would be interesting to see her more closely parallel Natsuha's situation from a slightly different angle by shifting some of her canon self's backstory onto her mother instead. Her father coming from a more relevant Land of Iron will come into play later. She's not part of some royalty or anything like that, just has more connections to the samurai culture that developed there here in this world is all.
Now, for the names. Just like with Natsuha, and partly because I get kind of obsessed about these sort of things, I wanted to have my own spin on their names.
For example:
'Sun' is a prominent feature of Hinata, Hanabi, and Hibari's names.
- 'Hinata' is written with the kanji: 日(sun/sunny) and 向 (destination/place)
- 'Hanabi' is written with the kanji: 花 (flower) and 日(sun/sunny)
- 'Hibari' is written with the kanji: 日(sun/sunny), 葉 (leaf), and 里(village)
Anko's name on the other hand, simply takes the first and last kanji from her father and mother's name instead of the canon reason being because it's an ingredient of her favorite food, dango.
- 'Anji', her father, is written with the kanji: 晏 (gentle) and 士 (samurai). Very fitting considering his brief description. Oh, I wrote that description 'before' I looked up the kanji. I got a chuckle out of that little coincidence!
- 'Inko', her mother, is written with the kanji: 韻 (rhyme) and 子 (child)
- Thus, 'Anko', is written with the kanji: 晏 (gentle) and 子 (child). Tbh, there was quite a bit of tragic irony here given what actually ended up happening to the poor girl... But yes, her parents wanted her to grow up to be a gentle, kind girl. But, considering who she is or rather, who she'll be... yyyeeeaaahhh...
As for that last part with the girl(?) named Maya? Well, she doesn't play any real significant role in this story proper, but she is a facet of the 'World' at large as the 'one who dreamed all worlds into existence'. Generally speaking, she's just an observer and never directly interferes with things no matter what ends up happening beyond bending the rules when the situation calls for it. Don't expect her to do any more than that though.
Well, that's all for now. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and see you next update!