The Butterfly Effect Chapter 2, a naruto fanfic

Yay, second chapter is up. I spent a lot of effort into this. A lot more than i should have. So please appreciate it and read it.

I'm on a premature life crisis right now, and am running out of cup noodles. There are like my brain food. As a result I'm gaining weight, I gained like 3 kgs within two weeks. Is that even possible?

I'm trying to grow taller. Does anyone have any tips???

Why did I make those decisions that day? Perhaps her death was a premonition warning me to stop. I took it as an encouragement. Why was I so stupid? How could I, a mere mortal; try to change and bend time with my own will? You may be thinking to yourselves; what made me do it? What drove me over the final ledge?

It's a simple answer really. I loved her.

Neji didn't know what to do. All he knew was that he had to breathe. Neji closed his eyes as he thought of Tenten, what could he have done to make things better?

There was only one place to relive his memories.

Slowly, very deliberately; Neji reached under his bunk and pulled out a box of belongings that he had no touched since he left Konoha.

He pulled out a notebook that was old with age and began to read…

Today, I will go to Tenten's house for dinner, and I shall mete her father. I wonder what a reel father is like….

Neji blinked his eyes. He was tiny! Neji marvelled at the size of his hands; when were they ever that small? Tenten was balancing spaghetti on her arms.

"Nope, I'll be. Oh."

The plate balancing on Tenten's right hand fell onto the ground with a loud crash.

Tenten's father came through the kitchen with a look of fury in his eyes.

Neji tried to speak, but he could not talk, he was gasping for breath as he tried to wiggle his toes.

Tenten's dad raised his open hand and with a swift arc, it connected on the side of Tenten's head knocking her over. The remaining plates of spaghetti toppled over and crashed onto the floor. Tenten crumpled to the floor.

Neji stared at her father horrified. He clenched his fists, when he did so; he realised he could move his body. He grabbed the knife from the dining table and walked towards him.

Tenten's father had expected the young boy to be nervous; but there seemed to be no sign of trembling. All that was on his immature young face was the look of pure fury.

"What you are doing right now, in the end you're just traumatizing your own flesh and blood. So stop it."

It was now Tenten's father's turn to be terrified, the change in the boy was evident. From the way he walked to his sophisticated syntax that surpassed the boy's age.

"I'll be watching you; even if you think I am not there. Lay a finger on her again, and I will not be afraid of doing something unorthodox." Neji waved his knife for measure, "Got that?

"Yess," Tenten's father said, still stunned.

"Good."

Tenten began to stir, she leaned against the wall support her eyes already moist with tears…

Neji's world suddenly went upside down and all went black…

A surge of memories ran through his mind. Tenten no longer, fragile and shattered smiled happily in almost every single one of Neji's new memories.

Laughter at the academy, New Year's Fireworks, a confession on Valentines, and his first kiss on Christmas, a picnic on a rowing boat…

Due to the change in Neji made, Tenten's life changed abruptly…

"Mars to Neji, calling from home planet, Earth." Tenten waved her hand in front of Neji blinked several times, gathering in his surroundings. He didn't really know where he was, but he knew two things. Tenten was there and she was smiling. And that, was enough for Neji. Neji allowed himself a rare smile and replied.

"The library's a bit quiet."

It worked! Tenten was all right! She was no longer the sorrowful, broken person that she was in his 'last time'.

"Let's go out for dinner," Neji said suddenly.

Tenten widened her eyes in surprise. "Already? I thought you reserved at spot at seven." Tenten looked at her watch. "It's only four. Neji, what's the rush?"

Neji had to cover this up with something. "Nothing, my rationality was blown away from the beauty of your smile."

Tenten rolled her eyes, but a smiled tugged at the corners of her lips.

The pair decided to walk down the beach. As the waves lapped the shores, Neji felt at peace for the first time in his short life.

"Oh yeah." Tenten said quietly. "Did you know Sasuke is going to be let out on probation?"

Neji's eyes widened slightly. For those who did know him, it might have been a regular movement. However this minute action spoke of volumes of reaction to those who knew him well. It was the expression of surprise. And fear.

Tenten reassured Neji by slipping her hand into his.

"Don't worry, he won't bother us again. Ever. I'm sure he spent a lot of time thinking in jail."

The lanterns in the restaurant omitted a tranquil glow. Neji felt peaceful, though there was a niggling fear in his mind.

Why was Sasuke in jail? What happened through the change of time?

Tenten looked worriedly at Neji. He was more aloof and spaced out than usual. Was he still worrying over the release of Sasuke? Of course, if it had been anyone in Konoha who committed the same crime as he did, they would be executed. But Sasuke wasn't just any person, he was an Uchiha. The elders, rigid in their biased ways had let the Uchiha off with a five year sentence in jail.

Neji frowned deepened as he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. He whirled around quickly, body tense, ready to block the space between Tenten and the attacker.

It was just the waiter.

Sensing Neji's ominous aura, it was no wonder when he stuttered when he spoke.

"Wwww-would you lll-like anything?"

Neji shook his head, the tension sagging. The waiter bowed and quickly scurried away.

"As expected of the fierce ANBU captain." Tenten teased, "habits die hard, don't they?"

Neji graced Tenten by lifting the corners of his mouth ever so slightly.

"What a couple you two make. The Konoha weapon mistress and the number one ANBU who is rumored to be able to see through Itachi's illusions." a cold sadistic voice sniggered.

Neji turned around and was greeted with an embrace of the fist. The knuckles connected to his jaw, making a small popping sound. Neji feel to the ground. The restaurant hushed instantly. The lanterns illuminated the grotesque contours of the Uchiha's face. The last surviving Uchiha pulled out a katana from his back, where he brought it from was a mystery. As part of the five year sentence, he was not permitted to be close to one. Sasuke raised the sharp blade directly in front of Neji. Sasuke plunged it down, the blade bit into the ground. Sasuke was rusty from jail and Neji had a lot more experience on one-on-one fighting when he became the ANBU captain. Without pausing to think, Neji activated his byakugan, searching for Uchiha's heart. He jammed all his chakra into the Uchiha's heart. Said Uchiha collapsed and breathed his last. Neji stood over his opponent, numb with shock. He, Hyuuga Neji, had killed the last Uchiha.

"Hyuuga Neji is hereby sentenced to lifetime imprisonment for murdering Uchiha Sasuke." the elder banged his pallet with a hammer, ordering silence as an uproar started in the crowd. "There is no possibility of parole and he will be sealed from using his chakra ever again."

Neji's world became numb. However, his eyes could only focus on one thing.

Tenten.

Her eyes were brimming with tears. They were about to be separated for eternity.

Perhaps that was the way it was meant to be.

Hyuuga Neji knew from the moment he felled Sasuke there was no going back. The trial itself was unjust. The elders, enraged at the fact that they had lost Konoha's most powerful bloodline could not think straight. Not that they did normally. Neji often wondered why the Hokage had to obey the elders. Those people were senile and too set in their traditions, failing to see the big picture.

Neji was immediately surrounded by Black ops. They engulfed him. Escape was futile. Besides, where would he run? Neji held his hands out obligingly, behind his back as the chakra handcuff cut him off his chakra for the rest of his life. He was then lead out into the sorting room, where he would find out which cell was going to be his home for life. The prospect of it was dim. The future itself was black…

Neji looked back only once, his eyes full of regret.

Neji's cell partner was not a happy one. Well no one in the prison was happy really. Perhaps the best way to describe him was silent. His eyes were like a hawk with tattered wings.

Once proud but now broken.

Neji had no problem with this. He himself was a man of few words. He was sure, as time progressed he would be known as the man of no words. At night as the lights were switched off and when the stars were the only pinpoints of light, his cellmate spoke one word.

Nana

Neji blinked three times abruptly. His voice as dry as sawdust, unused to many hours, he spoke.

"Who is Nana."

The man did not reply for an age, making Neji believe that he was either deaf or crazy. Only when he heard a flutter did he look up.

The man cradled a photograph with the utmost care. It was a picture of his family. Or what might have been his family. Neji thought.

"Nana, is my beloved wife. There." The man's finger brushed past the young woman's face lovingly. "And there, is my little girl. Yuki. She was four when I was put into prison."

Neji nodded slowly, unsure of what to say.

The man continued, he didn't seem to care about whether Neji was listening or not. All he wanted to was to talk and hopefully relive his memories. In his world, he could see his wife and his daughter everyday. If he did not think or talk about them, bit by bit, they would fade away.

"We were financially distressed. The enemy took advantage of this you see… They ambushed me in a nearby bar and told me to sell weapons to them. They knew I ran a weapons shop." the man sighed as he relived the memories. "I was desperate, desperate to do anything to make Nana smile again, to wipe those lines of worries from her face. So I took their offer, even though I knew it was wrong and that I was going to be caught. I thought it was worth it at that time."

The moonlight shone through the barred window illuminating down on the man. With a closer look, the man was not as old as Neji originally thought he would be. He was young, far too young to spend his life sitting in this hole.

"The ANBU caught me, while I saw trading the final lot of weapons near the bridge, they charged me for committing treason and for indirectly killing three of the academy members. Apparently the dealers sold my weapons to someone else, who set a trap in which resulted in mulitple casulities in Konoha. I didn't know." the man cried into his hands. "All I wanted was to see the smiles of my family members again. Now I will never see them again." Neji's cellmate lifted his head. "My wife divorced me and took our child back to the countryside. She said that she would hide the fact that I was her father forever." he looked over to Neji. "That's my story." he added before resuming his trade-mark silence.

Neji cleared his throat wondering whether he should share with him his memories.

No, he would probably think I'm crazy. But does that even matter? No.

Neji parted his lips and began to speak…

"So in the end you and I are the same." the man finished for him. "All we did was for the smiles of our beloved."

"Yes," Neji said hesitantly. Neji wondered how much of his story the man believed. If someone told him that he was time travelling he would believe they've gone loony.

Perhaps he did.

"You are allowed to choose and item to keep with you. What will you choose? A photo of your beloved or that diary you talked about?"

Will you try to change the past again?

"The diary, I'm not done with the past yet."

Neji received his black notebook. He beckoned his cellmate over.

"Watch over me and make sure no one tries to do anything, particularly when I uh, black out."

Neji's cell mate nodded sceptically.

"Before I leave. What's your name?"

"What is this about leaving?" a loud voice blared through, interrupting their conversation. "Oh it's you," a burly man said, walking over. "You are the one who killed that bastard." the man spat on the ground, "I was supposed to kill him."

The burly man was attracting quite a crowd. Prisoners gathered around forming a circle. Supporters of the burly man chanted, urging the pair to fight.

"What's with that look on your face?" the burly man said, attempting to provoke Neji.

His efforts were in vain. Nothing showed through Neji's poker face.

Unable to cope with this unexpected reaction the burly man threw a punch at Neji.

"Cover me!" Neji yelled to his cell-mate. Obligingly, his cellmate pressed against his back. Neji opened a random page on his book, dodging the punches that aimed at him.

Today I got in trouble for a picture I didn't draw. Neji read aloud. That was all was needed. He prepared himself for the black-out. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he crumpled onto the floor.

Neji was in the academy again. He was young again. In front of Neji saw a blank piece of paper and a set of colour pencils. Everything clicked into place. He knew that many years ago, or in his time, a few moments ago he had saw Tenten scribble frantically at what her dream was. Neji took a marker and hastily began drawing. He drew what he wanted the most. The burly man and all his prisoners in a bloody mess. He took all his memories of ANBU missions and added them into his picture. The end result was horrific. Neji smiled evilly. Perfect. Neji handed the picture to Iruka-sensei. His face was the object of horror. Neji looked at Tenten for one last lingering glance before grabbing a kunai from Iruka's pocket and ramming himself into a wall, knocking himself out.

Neji awoke facing his opponents.

"Welcome back," his inmate said.

Neji noticed that in his left hand was a kunai. "Let's end this," he said.

Within moments, it was all over. Neji lifted his bloodstain hands and wondered whether there would be any point in trying to conceal the fact that he was responsible for the massacre. No, there wasn't.

"I have to go back. Change what happened."

Neji's cellmate nodded. "Please, look for me and stop me from dealing with those traders. Go to my house. And ask for me. Call me by my true name. Everyone calls me Palo, but my true name is Ohno. Call me by that name and I shall believe you, tell me to not deal with them."

"With this, Ohno. I consider our debt paid." Neji said.

Today; for the first time in my life, I was told off by Iruka-sensei. It was the stupid Uchiha's fault. I got all the blame, cause 'Sasuke was going through a rough time'. Though it's supposed to be a secret; everyone knows what happened. You'd have to be hiding under a rock to not notice. Sasuke and his big brother, Itachi are the only Uchihas left. Apparently he murdered his whole clan. I expect Sasuke to feel sorry for himself. He doesn't know how lucky he is. To at least have felt what a mother's warm hug was like and to train with your father. Better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. Do you know what the worst thing is?

Today's my ninth birthday; and the only one who congratulated me was Tenten.

When Neji came to, he was 11 again. Neji was circling Sasuke, Neji knew how this would turn out. Sasuke would tackle him and it would begin their long journey of hatred. Neji vowed to remedy this. If Sasuke had not hated Neji then he would not have attacked him in the restaurant. Thus, Neji would not have killed him. Neji sank to his knees bowing deeply.

"Sorry for trying to fight with you. Of course I will withdraw knowing for certainty that I would loose."

The tight circle was silent. Even Sasuke himself was shocked.

Neji had a way with words and knew how to play it so that he could be left off. "What ever was I thinking? Fighting against an Uchiha? That would be dishonouring my clan. It is the Hyuuga's duty to keep peace in Konoha. Not to destroy it."

Sasuke was sceptically, he tried to read it from all directions to see if there was a second mocking meaning laced between his words. But Hyuuga Neji was calm, too calm. It unnerved Sasuke. To make sure Neji was not making a mockery of him. He played his last card.

"If you are truly resentful, lick my shoes." he smirked.

Neji leaned forward prepared to do so.

"Stop," a voice said in the crowd. A pathway emerged and Lee stood behind the kneeling Neji, glaring fiercely at the Uchiha. "You've gone too far this time, Uchiha. For you to not accept an apology makes you lower than scum." Lee's bushy eyebrows furrowed together. "Neji, this is for you." he added before aiming a well executed spinning kick into the Uchiha's face.

And so it was from then on. The surprise turn of events made it so that Uchiha and Lee not, Hyuuga, were sworn enemies.

Neji had a debt to repay, so he made his way to the Hokage's office. Neji's byakugan had the range of 50m, it was more than sufficient to read what was in the files in the ANBU stack. There were many guards outside the room but no one had thought that a Hyuuga would break the law so they never bothered to prevent the Byakugan from entering the room.

He scanned through the stacks, looking for Palo's name. There it was. Apparently the ANBU knew that Palo was going to trade at the bridge. They were to meet at noon. Neji looked over at the town clock and it read half an hour before noon. Deactivating his byakugan, he sprinted over to the bridge.

A young man stood in front of the bridge, waiting impatiently. Beside his feet was a large metal box. Neji recognized him as Palo. He rushed over to the man, breathless.

"Are you Palo?" he said between gasps.

"Yes." The man said, looking around.

"Don't do it. Stop dealing those weapons. You'll get caught today."

The man jumped back away, surprised. "H-how did you know?"

"I have my ways," Neji said smoothly. "Please, don't deal weapons with the enemy countries anymore. You just want your wife and child to smile right? This will not bring happiness to your family."

Palo backed away. "You're crazy. How did you know these things-. You're a stalker aren't you?"

Neji looked at the clock tower, there wasn't much time left. "This is completely serious, so I shall call you by your true name. Ohno, due to circumstances I know that you are kept under surveillance by the ANBU. They plan to arrest you in act while you're dealing. Please do not deal anymore weapons. Trust me."

Palo nodded slowly. "If you call me by my true name then… Okay I shall agree. I shall not deal any weapons anymore."

"Good," Neji nodded, "now let's get out of here!"

Palo and Neji jumped to the rooftops. There, they could see everything that was going on near the bridge. Half a minute later, a squad of ANBU donned in feline came and searched the area.

"We must have been given false information." the cat mask spoke.

"No, look over their, the ANBU pointed to a man in a dark shaped cloak."

"Capture him." the squadron leader commanded.

The cloak man showed no resistance. He merely put his hands up muttering that he had been double-crossed. When his cloak was taken of, he wore a mist hitai, and his body was covered in many strange markings.

"That's the man that I was going to deal with," Palo said with amazement.

"Yes."

"And I had been trading with him I would have been caught…" Palo bowed down deeply to Neji. "I fully believe you know. I shall vow under the sun. As long as I live, I will not trade weapons."

Neji put his hand on Palo's shoulder, "You may rise. You do not owe me anything. I was the one indebt. I merely paid the price."

And with that, Neji disappeared off into the busy streets of Konoha.

Neji still had quite a few things to change. He had to prevent Sasuke from blowing up his three academy class mates. Or he would have to go to Suna and would never be able to see Tenten ever again.

Neji observed the Uchiha's movements through the next couple of weeks, listening to his whereabouts and always, always, watching. Soon enough he heard where he got the supplies from. The news made him reel over in shock.

Tenten's dad was supplying the Uchiha with explosive notes. Neji decided that he needed to visit Tenten's father again…

Neji rang the doorbell of Tenten's house. When Tenten's father opened the door his eyes opened with surprise and another emotion.

Was it fear?

"What do you want?" hissed Tenten's father.

"Nothing," Neji said casually. "Just checking up on you, didn't I tell you I'd be watching you?"

Tenten's father shrunk back ever so slightly. "Don't just stand out here, come in."

Neji closed the door with a loud bang. "Is Tenten here?"

"No, she's a weapon's training. Why are you here?"

"As I told you. Checking up on you. Have you done anything to her?" Neji's eyes blazed at the mere thought of it.

"No I haven't. I keep my hands off my girl…"

"Good. Now what is this trading with the Uchiha?"

"What are you talking about? I know nothing."

Neji stepped in closer. "Really now? So I search the house I won't find a wooden box full of explosive notes?"

"And what if you do?" Tenten's dad said mockingly. "There's nothing illegal about selling explosive notes. Is there?" sensing Neji's hesitation, his suspicions were confirmed. "Abusing your child is illegal. That's why I stopped it. But selling explosives? There's nothing wrong about that. Don't do your head in little boy, ordering adults around like that. It happened once but won't happen again."

Neji fumed inside. He was right. No one would believe him if he said that he was from the future and that Sasuke blew up three academy students. Neji thought about other options. There was always the option of detaining Sasuke. But he knew that would only lead to one consequence later on in the years. He would have to end up killing him. So that option was not viable.

"If you really must know, I keep this big box of explosives down the basement. It's been there ever since Tenten was born, so it's a big pile of explosives. But there's no way I'm letting you in there.. The only way is to open the door with the key. A key which you don't have. A few years back then you could have just waltzed into here and stole the box. But then you didn't know if its existence." Tenten's father smirked in laughter. "This time you can't do anything."

Neji turned his back away from Tenten's father. "I'll do it. If I want it to happen then it shall happen. Anything for her smile." he said.

Tenten's father laughed cruelly. "You can't change the past, Neji."

Oh little did he know.

Neji knew what must be done. He was going back.

Neji grabbed the black notebook that he knew would be under his bed and read aloud to himself.

Today, I will go to Tenten's house for dinner, and I shall mete her father. I wonder what a reel father is like….

Somewhere high in the air, Neji watched himself faint. Then all was black…

As soon as Neji touched the doorbell Tenten came running down; her face flushed.

"We've been expecting you!" she chimed.

"Tenten, is your friend finally here?" a deep voice shouted from inside the house. "If it's him, then hurry up and get the spaghetti from the oven!"

Tenten grinned, "We're having spaghetti for dinner tonight," she licked her lips in anticipation. "My favourite!"

Neji awkward took off his shoes. "Hurry up!" Tenten pulled him by the arm. "I'm hungry!"

Neji considered removing her arm, but then it felt nice there. Perhaps it's a syndrome of the cooties, he thought to himself.

"It's ready, it's ready." Tenten chimed as she balanced three plates of spaghetti on her small arms.

"Let me help," Neji offered remembering his manners.