Many thanks to these people for reviewing: motroshell, Saamon, AliasTesin, pnda, Colestis, dumdeedum, and sakuramoon1112.

oOo

Chapter Nineteen: For Pushing This Aside

Life moved on. The two of them kept their relationship nothing but professional. Yet Itachi felt guilty when Yamanaka Fu walked into the office. The redhead held a packet of folders tucked under one arm as he bowed to Itachi.

"I have the results of T&I's annual psychological evaluations for ANBU," Fu said quietly.

Hinata began packing her things before Itachi could even look at her. Hence, the guilt. He did not want to kick her out, but protocol demanded so. If he had it his way, she would be at his side at all times.

She bowed to Itachi, then to Fu. "I'll be in the office across the hall if you need anything, Hokage-sama."

"Thank you," he said.

Fu waited until the ANBU left the as well then let Itachi cast a jutsu of silence over the room. Then, Fu began to set down one file after the other, with a brief explanation of their status.

"Inuzuka Kiba, passed. Aburame Shino, passed. Sai, passed. Kido Tsumiki, passed. Kinoto, passed. Hyuga Neji… passed with conditions."

Itachi stopped flipping through the reports. "Conditions?"

Neji always passed with flying colors. Out of his ANBU, Neji was one of the most stable.

Fu tapped a nail against Neji's report. "It would be better to show you. Ibiki had some concerns about Neji's answers."

Itachi nodded and set that folder to the side. "Let's finish the list, and then we can focus on Neji."

"Hinoe, passed. Komachi, passed…"

oOo

When it came time to discuss Neji, Itachi paced from behind his desk and stood in the middle of the room. He faced Fu, who held up his hands in the seal for the Mind Transfer jutsu. Itachi activated his Sharingan, allowing the connection of minds to take hold. His Sharingan whirled idly as it transferred the information provided by the Yamanaka's memory into a genjutsu.

The genjutsu deposited both men into Fu's memories. Instead of seeing everything through Fu's eyes, they saw it as if they stepped onto a film set.

Fu and Itachi were side by side in an interrogation room. The memory of Fu stood in the opposite corner. The memory nodded at Itachi, and Itachi nodded back. With this technique, if he did not acknowledge his presence in the memory, Fu's consciousness would attempt to kick him out.

The memory then motioned to the middle of the room where Neji and Ibiki sat across from each other at a metal table. Ibiki scribbled something on a notepad. Neji took a sip of a cup of water.

Ibiki asked a standard question. "And as a ninja, to whom do you swear your allegiance?"

"My personal and professional allegiance is to Konohagakure and its citizens."

"And who has your allegiance as a clan member?"

The answer was simple. Neji was Hyuga, so his allegiance would be to them. An easy question.

"My personal and professional allegiance is to Konohagakure and its citizens."

Ibiki's pencil slowed and came to a stop. He studied Neji with furrowed brows. "You are of the Hyuga clan."

Neji's impassive face gave nothing away. "That is my ancestry, yes."

"Do you swear allegiance to the Hyuga clan? As you did last year and the year before that?"

Neji tilted his chin upwards in a haughty move. Ibiki's eyes narrowed at the sight.

"I am a true Hyuga," Neji said. "When Konoha was established, the Hyuga swore fealty to Konohagakure, to its appointed Hokage, and to its citizens. So, therefore, my allegiance lies with Konoha."

Itachi and Fu exchanged a glance. Why was Neji making this complicated?

Ibiki pressed the issue. "Are there false Hyuga, if there are true Hyuga?"

"I belong to Konoha and to my family members. That is all."

"Are the false Hyuga disloyal to Konoha?"

"If I knew of such a thing, I would inform my superiors immediately if able to do so. However, no one considers themselves false Hyuga."

"Then, who are the true Hyuga?"

Itachi realized Neji did not have bandages covering his Cursed Seal, only when Neji reached up and brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes. His finger pads slid over the marred skin of his forehead. Neji's eyes locked on Ibiki's and burned ice-hot.

"Figure it out," Neji said.

Ibiki attempted to get more information out of Neji, but Neji only repeated himself or did not budge. Exasperated, Ibiki continued down the list of rote questions. When Neji was released, Ibiki turned to look at Fu from over his shoulder.

"Continue to monitor him, and bring him in two months from now," Ibiki ordered.

"Yes, sir."

"He's cleared for duty. But inside the village only. At that two-month appointment, I want you to mind-walk him."

"Yes, sir. Why not mind-walk him now, Sir?"

Ibiki shook his head and turned back to riffle through his notes. "He can't be expecting it. He would have been anticipating it today and he could have fought back against you. We'll have to come up with an excuse for the two-months follow-up."

"Yes, sir."

Fu, the one next to him, put a hand on Itachi's shoulder. Itachi nodded and let the genjutsu drop. The memory faded, leaving behind the wooden walls of the Hokage office.

"That… is a concern." Itachi finally said.

"He's been taken off your personal protection detail and will be on guard duty in the forests until his follow up appointment. He'll be in two-man teams only."

Itachi sightlessly stared at the closed door to his office and past it, the office where Hinata worked. He wanted to ask her what Neji meant. But he could not.

What was a true Hyuga? Was Hinata one also?

oOo

Coming up: Itachi can't help but think Hinata looks good in his apartment.