I want honest reviews, help me make this perfect so I never feel the urge to undo it.

I am really trying here.

Hinata smiled, having sworn to visit Mika each day when she could to spar with him or spread their shared knowledge. She did not even notice her father's glare as she walked into her Clan Compound, or rather she chose to ignore him and his cold ways. At least until she went past and he said. "Hinata?"

She turned, looking straight in his eyes for the first time in years. "Yes?"

He cringed, though only she noticed it, at the lack of familial connection in her voice. "You were attacked, again?"

"Yes, it is the risk of being a Hyuuga main branch member." She stood tall, and said something she knew was not wise, but needed to come out. "I know that you are more worried about my eyes than me. They are fine. A friend and I fought off my attacker. Long enough for Ibiki Morino to save us. She was a jonin, my attacker."

"Yes, so I heard. Ibiki had much to say in your defense, he claimed you were something special to behold." His accusation should have ruffled her feathers, but instead it just made her see how pathetic her father was. That he would never look at her like she deserved, like she was his freaking child.

"I did my best, and had a reason to fight, which is something I have not had for years."

He frowned. "You mean your clan is not reason enough?"

"You mean a group of abusive monsters who see me as a pair of eyes more than a person?" He flinched again, this time his entire body recoiling but she was not done. "Or perhaps you, father, who flat out said you could not care less if I was killed? Should I fight for you? Or my grandfather who enjoys enslaving the Branch family, calling it anything other than enslavement?" She smirked, startled at her own cold rage. It was like something in her had been unleashed, only hate and rage filled her heart. "No, father, I fought for myself. The only person in this world to ever treat me like I mattered. I will continue to fight for myself, and you can just endure that."

Turning on heel, she marched away, toward her room where she would sleep peacefully for the first time since her mother passed.

"""

"So, Mika, what have you been training in? I saw you use a blade, but it must have been on your own as the academy does not teach kenjutsu." Ibiki started, looking the boy over, seeing firm wiry muscles on his arms and a sense of power that few chunin could match. Dressed as a common chunin, only with a gray vest and a tanto on his back, the boy looked the part of a ninja.

Mika frowned at him, nervousness in his eyes. "I started on kenjutsu during my last year in the academy. I am self taught, but I had scrolls to use. I started to go through new scrolls for that, conditioning, taijutsu and genjutsu... oh and chakra control when I graduated. I picked it to overcome my size and meager strength."

"I see... good, you are a smart kid, you found where you were lacking and worked to overcome it. I will do my best to help you in that. From ten to four Monday, Wednesday and Friday I'll be training you, sparring with you and so on. I also arranged for you to be given better missions, not the typical shitty D ranks. You will be asked to work at Torture and Interrogation as a messenger."

Mika's smile warmed Ibiki, it was honest but not unaware of the hellish aspects of the reality forced on him. "I do truly appreciate your help, Ibiki. I am not unaware that without help, we are all drastically limited."

"You are right, not even the kages are free of that. There is a reason they all are tied to each other, same with the Sanin. Now... today you will be sparring with me. I need to see where you are at the moment, to see where you need to go. Aim for the kill." Ibiki knew Mika would strike first, and he was right when the boy moved with speeds surpassing the average chunin and slashed at his groin. Ibiki easily twisted around it, grabbing the boy by his vest and threw him away. "Good, but you need to be better. Change of plans... You are carrying village secrets, you need to keep it from me."

Mika's eyes widened, just as Ibiki rushed him with jonin speeds and slammed a fist into the ground shattering the earth. The boy gracefully flipped away, twisting his blade. "I cannot fight you, but I can run... Ja Ne!" And the boy vanished, with a replacement leaving a tree branch in his place.

'Good, but you need to do more than run with me.' Sniffing, he found the boy's soft scent and threw a kunai toward his position to Ibiki's left. The boy slashed his kunai away, flipping to the left and throwing several senbon at Ibiki. "Senbon, I forgot..." Ibiki said, using his trench coat to deflect the senbon. "Nice kid but not enough. Shadow Clone Jutsu." Three clones appeared. " Try to escape me now."

:::

Mika knew planning would be everything, and he knew how to fight Ibiki now. Leaping past one Ibiki clone, he slashed out, dispelling him. Landing, he rolled away from a harsh strike that left a crater, and rose up with a harsh slice just as the clone jabbing his chest three times in his chest. At the clone exploded, Mika gasped, agony burning throughout his chest.

'Nerve clusters, he his nerve clusters... fuck, that hurts.' He did his best to ignore the searing pain, memorizing his past with his father to fight through it. "I've felt worse, try me Ibiki." The pain seemed to change then, clarifying his vision.

Ibiki, the real Ibiki, turned to him from the center of the field. "You shouldn't be used to pain like that... we'll discuss that later. Now... you did forget my last clone."

Mika paled, even as a boot knocked his feet from under him then pinned his shoulder to the ground. "Shit."

Ibiki nodded, even as his clone dispelled. "You are good, kid, I would say you are easily stronger than most chunin. You held back in the academy and your kenjutsu skills are actually good."

"More like I could not go all out, I mean they never challenged us." Mika stood here. "I try, you know, to be great but there is little I can do on my own. I never knew my actual powers were actually higher."

He nodded. "I wonder how high you'll be when I get you training with someone that cares... hmm,... now, why don't we get you started on taijutsu. First off, fight me with just taijutsu, no kenjutsu. I'll show you my style, which is all about causing pain with minimal damage. Also we need to worn on your offense, strength and stamina. Trust me after a few months you'll be unstoppable among your peers. But first, let's see where you are now, shall we?"

And Mika knew, for the first time, that he actually had a real future path built on more than dreams ahead of him.

Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.

This was a lot of fun to write.

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.