"Where am I?" Hoshi asked groggily she must've been dreaming no matter how proficient the Medical nin may be Hoshi was very sure that she couldn't look like a 15 year old
"You just randomly pop up and don't know where you are?" a younger Naruto asked incredulously before whispering into his pink teammate's ear
"Sakura chan something's fishy here" he whispered while the cherry haired nin just rolled her eyes putting a hand on her hip
"The only fishy thing here is your breathe" Sakura replied before giving a hand to the girl
"Here let me help you up" she responded, lifting the girl up as she got her bearings. The place looked like the Leaf Village with the green shrubbery lining the houses across the street and multiple vendors already getting several customers early in the day but the structure was dull. The usual bright orange houses were a grayish shade like they were years old.
*Am I in a genjutsu?* Hoshi thought uneasily seeing the uncanny resemblance between Konoha while knowing full well that it was unlikely she was the daughter of a sharingan user which is known for its strong genjutsu and a byakugan user who is said to be able to see through anything even genjutsu.
"What's your name anyway?" Naruto asked as Hoshi snapped out of her daze
"H-huh? Oh um Hoshi" conveniently forgetting her last name she didn't trust the people infront of her currently but that didn't mean she could skip pleasantries especially if it could help her in the long run, a younger version of her uncle did intrigue her . . .
"Well I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I'm gonna be the next Hokage Dattebayo" the blonde replied cheerily while his pink haired friend sighed, putting a hand to her head. The resemblance was uncanny; she got uneasier by the minute if she really did go back in time. How would she get back? Would she be able to reveal her identity and figure out a plan to go to the future or would she be stuck in the past forever?.
"Hello new friend" a pale figure said from behind the kunoichi making both the Uzumaki and Haruno jump back in surprise Hoshi immediately went into a fighting stance before slowly relaxing it seemed to be a younger version of the head of anbu wait– . . . was he wearing a crop top!?
And sure enough the pale boy seemed to be wearing a black crop top intended for missions, the right sleeve longer than the other. *I got to wake up* Hoshi thought before trying to release herself from the genjutsu stopping the flow of her chakra but to no avail she was still in the world with younger versions of the adults she knew from her world. The only other option is . . . then she remembered her siblings had been with her. She had felt a searing hot pain in her eyes, her siblings were trying to help her when a light blinded them knocking her unconscious and she ended up here. Though it was possible someone had ambushed her, doing something to her eyes and distracting her siblings she had the most unfathomable thought that she might be in the past. No, that was crazy . . . Was it? Her parents had two famous dojutsu both very powerful and fusion of doujutsus had happened before couldn't this be another instance? She couldn't rally anything out so for now she had to play along.
"E-eh Sai!? You scared me" Sakura said, catching her breath. Hoshi snapped out of her thoughts oh right she was still here.
"Oh I'm sorry Ugly" Sai replied sweetly making the Uzumaki groan
*Not again* Naruto thought uneasily as her pink haired friend's face turned dark
Sakura smiled before shouting "WHAT DID YOU SAY! SHANNARO!" aiming her fist at the pale skinned ninja who seemed unaffected by her outburst while the blonde Uzumaki held her down
"Sakura channn I'm sure Sai was just kidding right Sai?" Naruto asked– no pleaded.
"Nope," Sai replied, making the Haruno finally let loose and beat up both of them.
"You just had to annoy her didn't you" Naruto grumbled as he head to the Hokage's office with the rest of Team 7 and the blackberry haired girl
"A book said the truth might hurt but I didn't think it would hurt this bad" Sai muttered under his breath
*At least they got the personalities right* Hoshi thought trying to keep her face neutral as her father always did the Haruno walked with an air in her step few steps ahead of the young Uchiha not at all perplexed by the situation
"So your name is Hoshi right?" the pink haired kunoichi asked the girl as she slightly tilted her head
"H-hai" Hoshi replied hastily *Damn it* if she wanted to survive here she can't get distracted easily. She still didn't know what happened to her or where her siblings were. Her top priority was analyzing her surroundings but if her hunch about being in the past was right then her siblings might be here as well. Hoshi bit her lip deep in thought which Sakura took notice of before asking her a question about the situation she was in.
"How do you think you got here I know you don't remember much but anything you do know can really help us" Sakura said sweetly getting an odd feeling from the girl as if she knew more than she was letting on
Hoshi's eyes very subtly widened at the question before turning back to normal which no one noticed *Crap What do I say?* Hoshi thought trying to come up with a plausible lie
"I um . . . think I was drugged" Hoshi said making Naruto raise an eyebrow
"Huh why would they drug you?" he asked making Hoshi shift uneasily
"Did they steal anything?" Hoshi turned around to hear the question come from Sai
*Thank god for him*
"I think so . . I had a watch in my pocket and some money, I can't find them anymore," she said, stretching her pockets out to prove her point.
Naruto didn't fully believe the girl's words; she was a bit weird, almost like Hinata. *huh weird why'd I think of her* Naruto shrugs off the thought before turning to Hoshi
"We'll get you checked at Konoha's hospital don't want anything weird happening" Naruto says as they continue to walk nearing the Hokage office
"Speaking of Madame Tsunade I hope you don't mind I have to update Madame Tsunade on our latest mission it'll only take a minute you can come with if you like" Sakura replied seeing as the Hokage office neared
"Sure" Hoshi replied a little relieved as far as she knew she wasn't drugged so this gave her time to stall thinking about how to avoid Sakura,Naruto and Sai's suspicions when they found out she wasn't drugged.
"Lady Tsunade I don't mean to offend you but why are we letting him walk freely or even having a discussion he clearly stole those eyes from my clan and he will be punished thoroughly I'll see to that" The Hyuga clan leader Hiashi remarked coldly as he glared at the black haired boy bearing the eyes of the Hyuga. Akito admits seeing this version of his grandfather disturbed him a bit seeing as how he had been a jolly old man in their time who treasured his grandkids, but his mom had said when she was younger he'd been much colder. Turns out she was right but Akito didn't let that distract him. A good ninja would alway keep composure even when it was family members they were fighting.
*Is that supposed to offend him or me?* Tsunade thought glancing between the pair before clearing her throat to give instructions
"I appreciate you worrying about me Lord Hiashi but Akito has given information that is very valuable and may help us in our troubles to come" she replied curtly as Shizune looked worried, *Probably for the kid* she thought. Shizune had always been fond of kids. Hiashi grimaced it was bad enough that he found out a mysterious kid had come bearing the eyes of Hyuga but hearing the Hokage call him by a name and seem to want to give him a chance was even worse but then again as Hokage she had to look at all the possibilities. Hiashi sighed before speaking
"Alright I will test his capabilities but if I deem him to be lying he will be sent to us immediately"
Akito let a faint smile play on his lips, quickly gone as it had appeared he always appreciated a good challenge especially if it was facing his grandfather at full power.(his grandfather was strictly against hurting family members in the future)
"You're not fighting him, you get that right?You're just seeing if he indeed is a Hyuga" Tsunade replied getting up she didn't want to deal with damage costs the budget was getting low already.
"A true Hyuga will prove to be a difficult opponent in a fight, the main branch however will win" he replied getting into a fighting stance with his grandson mirroring his movements. Tsunade sighed there wasn't anything she could do now. The spar began with powerful blows coming from both sides Akito displayed the agility that was unique to the Hyuga but in a strange way it would be normal if he was actually a Hyuga from the future and the variations of their technique was slightly altered but they couldn't take chances Hiashi would do his work and provide results Tsunade was sure of it.
"You're excellent at imitating our clan's moves I'll give you that" Hiashi said as he aimed a blow towards Akito's chest which was quickly blocked by his flexible hands
"It's not imitating if I was taught about it from you grandfather." Akito replied, brandishing his father's signature smirk. Hiashi's blood became hot and the ferocity of his blows increased proving it harder for Akito to keep up, closing in on him but to Hiashi's dismay the boy was . . . . smiling? Akito had his grandfather right where he wanted him as he began envisioning the Eight trigrams circle his grandfather had unknowingly been trapped in and began hitting Hiashi's tenketsu points in rapid succession each blow more impactful than the last. Tsunade was about to intervene when Akito stopped the jutsu midway revealing Hiashi to not be in a perilous state managing to block some of the blows but definitely in worse condition than when he entered the ring. Tsunade walked up to the Hyuga elder and prepared her hands for her infamous mystic palms jutsu putting them near the damage which seemed to be internally more than externally the Hyuga had planned it that way she presumed. After the green glow faded Hiashi stood up.
"Well? Is he legit or are we going to apprehend him" Tsunade asked they Hyuga elder who took a minute to reply
"He's . . . He's from the main branch" Hiashi admitted making Tsunade's eyebrow furrow she had thought so but now what were they going to do with him? Even if he was from the main branch they couldn't trust his word that he came on accident he could've gone rogue and come to the past to cover it up they'd need a proper arrangement for the boy.
Akito walked forward until he faced his grandfather and bowed in apology "I am sorry Oji san I didn't mean to hurt you to that extent"
"Don't apologize, child you helped me learn something about myself your name was?" Hiashi asked
"Akito, Akito Hyuga" the kid couldn't lie his mother's last name felt weird on his tongue but he knew his father's last name would bring him nothing but trouble now. There was a knock on the door *strange I thought I told no one to disturb me* Tsunade thought wondering who it was
"Madame Tsunade, I'm here to give me a mission report" A familiar voice said .Tsunade's doubt subsided, it was just her student Sakura.
"Come in" she replied A cherry pink haired woman along with a blonde and black haired boy came in. *Aunt Sakura, Uncle Naruto and Anbu captain Sai* Akito noted down before looking at his grandfather his eyes seemed to have hardened after seeing the Uzumaki
"Huh" Naruto said seeing Akito "Hey Granny who's that" Naruto asked the fifth Hokage
"I told you to stop calling me that" she replied annoyed but the Uzumaki either didn't pay attention or didn't care as he turned to look at the boy more closely he seemed sophisticated . . . and really boring almost like Neji he thought cheekily remembering the always stiff Hyuga prodigy *Speaking of which, what was Hiashi doing here?* He thought his expression stiffened; he didn't like that man one bit especially after what he did to Neji and Hinata. Tsunade seemed to notice this and cleared her throat.
"Ahem the mission report?" Tsunade asked the pink haired nin who was ogling at the strange boy. He had seemed to have just been in a spar with whom Sakura didn't know. He was wearing a brown poncho, a little strange for the weather, but she figured he had come from a cold climate. His jawline was sharp, giving a cold kind of handsome look to the stranger. A drop of sweat collected at his throat but he didn't bother to remove it and thank heavens he didn't. it just made him look even more enticing.
"Sakura!" Tsunade snapped at the love eyed student of hers *oh brother* she thought putting a palm to her face after realizing who she was looking at. *This girl has a strange infatuation with black haired men* Tsunade thought before getting the mission report from a red faced Sakura
"A-ah right " Sakura said blushing as she gave Tsunade the report hoping the black haired boy didn't catch her staring. Akito however was busy squinting at the door as he felt a presence there. He swore he could feel a trace of familiar chakra
Sai noticed this and asked "are you a ninja?" making Akito's attention drift to the younger version of the anbu captain he knew from his timeline. Akito coughed before responding
"Erm– . . . I-"
"Sai, I would first like to know about the girl who's standing outside the door," Tsunade said, noticing the very faint chakra signature they seemed to have used up almost their chakra. Tsunade wondered if they were in a battle but didn't say anything waiting for Sai's response, crossing her arms tapping her foot impatiently.
"Ah right ugly–"
"What"
"I mean Sakura, could you please call our traveler in" Sai said, quickly correcting his mistake but still getting an ominous glare from Sakura. Despite Sakura wanting to give Sai a good black eye she just took a deep breath and walked towards the door.
"Hey um the Hokage wants to see you– wait a minute where did she go?" Sakura opened the door but Hoshi was nowhere in sight.
Hoshi knew she should've put tight and stayed still but her curiosity got the best of her. That might be the reason why she's currently following Neji Hyuga.
*That looks like that person in the photo mom always looks at but she told me he died maybe I came back to a time before he died* Hoshi thought as she stealthily followed the man her mother always looked at with sad eyes.
Hoshi didn't know who he was exactly only knowing that he was important to her mother and knowing she might not get another chance like this she followed him making sure to hide her chakra signatures which wasn't much of a problem since she had very little chakra anyway *a side effect from coming back to the past* she thought absentmindedly. Suddenly Neji turned a corner and by the time Hoshi had come he was gone.
*Damn it this isn't good* Hoshi tried looking for Neji but couldn't find him. She tried tracing his chakra but to no avail when a sudden thought popped into her head. Had Neji intentionally hidden his chakra? Did he know she was following him? What would he do if he thought she was dangerous, especially since she didn't have her chakra now . . .
Hoshi was suddenly tapped on the shoulder and turned around at lightning speed, her heart in her throat to her surprise it was Rock Lee sensei Shinachiku's teacher and weapons master TenTen his wife but half their age since she was in the past.
"Why hello my fellow youthful shinobi" Rock Lee said cheerfully he had the same bowlcut and green aesthetic. Hoshi couldn't deny he looked better in his younger ages. His youth didn't quite show in her time.
"Lee she's obviously a civilian" Tenten said standing next to him her hand crossed
"Really? I can sense great chakra from this youth . . ." Lee said, pondering his team mate's comment. Even with little chakra he could sense Hoshi's great ancestry; she had to do something about this fast.
"Oh um my parents were good shinobi but I don't think that's the path for me that might be why" Hoshi said, making TenTen give a small smile.
"Hey I get it not everyone wants to be fighting people all day I'm sure whatever career path you choose will be great I'm TenTen and this is my teammate Lee–"
"TenTen" A voice interrupted the group, turned around to see Neji. He had a distrustful and cold expression as he eyed Hoshi.
"Oh Neji Hey–"
"What are you doing with her" Neji stressed the last word speaking about Hoshi venomously one would've thought they were enemies if not given proper context.
"Oh um we were just saying Hi being friendly–"
"A shinobi doesn't have time to be friendly, we need to get our mission report," Neji said walking towards the Hokage office leaving the rest of his team behind. He seemed to be in a bad mood; only Hoshi could guess why.
"Sorry he doesn't like outsiders" TenTen said apologetically.
"I can tell . . ." Hoshi said eyeing the chocolate brown haired Hyuga leaving in an elegant manner but there was clearly an edge to his step.
Neji Pov:
Neji walked to the Hokage's office his team mates followed the were jovial as usual so carefree a trait he used to envy but now admired Neji was different now he used to be cold and high strung he was still calm and collected but he was more . . . open minded.
After his fight with Naruto and his uncle Hiashi explaining the situation clearly things began to change. He was beginning to be taken seriously by the people that mattered most to him and he realized he should begin to change as well.
Neji sensed something was wrong when Hiashi called him for a private meeting one evening.
"Neji I have some news I need to share with you it is highly confidential I'm trusting you with this information because I know you won't disappoint me" Hiashi gave Neji a knowing look and Neji nodded
"Recently on the outskirts of Konoha some people have been impersonating Hyuga clan members for meaningless things for money and feelings of superioress though these may have seemed like harmless pranks the Hokage got a more serious case last week a civilian was injured by this impersonator they were apprehended and are being questioned but aren't saying anything on the matter they were able to copy our chakra signature and few of our well known techniques. We fear they might try to replicate the main branch next. I've been limiting Hinata and Hanabi's movements so they aren't allowed to go out as frequently but there is still a possibility that the impersonators are still out there" Hiashi said his expression was stern but Neji could detect a hint of fear
"Is this related to the Akatsuki matter?" Neji asked quietly and Hiashi's expression hardened
"We are not sure the Hokage has kept this matter under low profile but we fear they're making plans as we speak if you suspect anything deal with the matter carefully"
The memory was fresh for him; it posed a threat to the safety of the Leaf as they knew it but it also made Neji's blood boil for such scoundrels to take the Hyuga's name in vain. It was shameful.
The moment Neji entered the Hokage building he felt something odd it was neither good nor bad it was just a weird feeling as if he was being followed he glanced over his shoulder but saw no one but that only confirmed his suspicions he was being followed alright but that wasn't what disturbed him it was the faint trace of chakra coming from the person it was familiar it was like a warped version of Hinata sama's chakra mixed with something else.
Neji walked a bit faster testing his stalker and he could feel it getting nearer suddenly he turned the corner and used the opportunity to conceal himself when he did he saw the perpetrator it was a girl thirteen at best with long black hair she had a violet purple headband and wore casual clothes no clan symbol normal people would suspect her being a civilian but Neji knew that was far from the truth he wasn't going to trust this girl no he'd keep his eye on her and if she as so much looked like she was going to try something he wouldn't hesitate to take matters into his own hands.
Who are you?
Author's note
Alright, so I wanted to clear up a few things before wrapping up this chapter. Akito isn't stronger than Hiashi, at least not yet. The reason why Akito won the fight was because Hiashi is sensitive about family and when he uses emotion in a fight his moves become weaker or more predictable. Akito knew that and used it to his advantage otherwise he wouldn't stand a chance. Doesn't mean he's weak though he can still put up a good fight.
Neji will be playing somewhat of an important role during the next few chapters so haters of Neji or fans who think I'm writing him wrong speak up.
Hinata and Sasuke will make their grand appearance soon but first I have to settle things with the kids first.
Also I'll be switching povs between Hoshi, Akito and Haru/Yoru through each chapter. It's gonna be one or the other, not all of them usually but that might change.
I am sorry for the slow update I was feeling extremely lazy I am just now getting over Character ai and will try posting normally again