Summary: -Hiashi had been protecting Neji .But the elders seek to put Neji back in his cage in fear of him becoming like the infamous Hyuuga Ryouma who attempted an assassination of the Hyuuga clan .Neji has abandoned the idea of being anything other than a lowly branch member,seeking solace in his friends and others around him .When Neji starts talking to itachi and a friend of Rock Lee who specializes in seals,Neji decides to risk it all for a chance at freedom ,but is it worth it the price?

Author's note:This is slightly AU-ish,mostly with Itachi still alive,Sasuke back and there are what I call ronin villages and the 'village hidden in the night',where Lee's friend came from .That and cities do exist and are seen more as well as the trains between all the villages and everyone with cell phones,and computers,etc .

Chapter 1:Friends and Enemies

/ . . .It was raining hard the night that those two figures in black cloaks showed up,one carrying the other .The Larger one,had the smaller one on his back as he reached konohagakure .

"Tell Hokage-sama that my mission is complete .The Akatsuki has been defeated",he said,as the gaurds surounded them .The taller one took the smaller figure's hand and squeezed it tight .

"We're home ,brother",he said . . . ./

/ . . .At the Hokage's office,the two cloaked figures stood,sharingan eyes focusing on lady Tsunade .

"I want proof",she said .The two nodded and unloaded the sack before them .The heads of the Akatsuki members rolled out of the bag .
Lady Tsunade watched,unaffected .She had seen worse things in her years .She got up and walked over to the heads,inspecting them one by one .

"It is decreed that Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi are accepted back into Konoha territory .But the details must remain secret .To the people,you merely wiped out the Akatsuki and Sasuke was your partner,sent to catch up with you to finish the job,your names are cleared .As for the clan . . ."

"We tell them it was Orochimaru"Itachi said .Tsunade nodded .

"You are allowed to work in the village,but you must live in the nearby exile village of Kurogakure,just a mile from here .You will be allowed free passage through the trains,however,for your protection,there will always be at least one ANBU operative shadowing you,do I make myself clear?",she said .

"Yes,Lady Tsunade",they said in unison .

"Good .I will make preperations,for the time being,you will be civilians until I say otherwise",Tsunade said .Both of them rmoved their cloaks,before kneeling before the Hokage .

"It's an honor to be accepted once more to Konoha,Hokage-sama",Itachi said .Tsunade nodded . . ./

Two years later . . .

"C'mon,Neji! Tenten's got a new tv and she said she's not watching it without both of us! Don't you wanna come over and see it?",Rock Lee was practically begging Neji .Neji frowned visibly before turning away .

"I have training to do",Neji said .

"Fine,we'll watch training excercises and run laps around all of Konoha when we finish!That way,you'd still be training!",Lee said,grinning .Neji looked at Lee,annoyed and went back to his training .He took A basic jyuuken stance,closing his eyes .He began striking at the air with grace and precision,hoping Lee would get the idea and leave .Instead,Lee watched Neji as he glided into movements almost as if dancing .

When he opened his eyes ,he was mildly suprised to see Lee still there .Neji glared at Lee .

"I'm not leaving until you say yes",Lee said .

"Damnit ,Lee! Can't you just give up and go?",Neji said,mid pose .

"Nope . I told you,I won't take no for an answer",Lee said .Neji simply side stepped him .Lee followed .He turned away,Lee still followed him .Neji sighed,and stood up and crossed his arms .

"Am I going to have to fight you ?",Neji asked .Lee smirked instantly .

"Why not? You'll be in for a surprise",Lee said .They both took their battle stances and Lee was the first to strike .

Lee appeared in front of Neji coming with a roundhouse kick .Neji blocked it easily .Lee came with another kick,this time Neji caught his ankle and threw him back .Lee came at him with a punch next,but Neji blocked again,this time,slamming his palm into Lee's stomach,making him stumble back before hitting him with a fury of blows,knocking him to the ground .

"Are we done here?",Neji asked,crossing his arms .Lee sat up with a smile on his face .

"I know you can do better than that Hyuuga Neji,I was just testing you .Get ready!",Lee said .

-Twenty Minutes Later-

"This is great! Aren't you happy that we're all spending time together again? All those missions kept us apart but not for long!See, don't you feel better already?",Lee asked,somewhat breathless .He had and Neji had a quick sparring match,which surprisingly to Neji ended in a draw .

They were both breathless and slightly bruised when Neji realized he'd have to use to much energy actually beat Lee now ;it really had been a while since he'd seen him .But as much as he gets annoyed with Lee's antics,he always put a smile on his face and Neji really needed that now more than ever .

"Okay,okay,I'm coming .Race you to Tenten's place!",Neji said and was gone ,taking off into the trees ,Lee close behind .

"No fair! You started before me!",Lee shouted,taking off after him .

Neji was the first to arrive,skidding on the ground , barely a minute before Lee did .

"You did good Lee,but not good enough",Neji said ,smugly patting Lee on the shoulder .Lee huffed and Neji smirked at him and Lee frowned in defeat .

"Took you guys long enough! So who won?",Tenten asked .She leapt gracefully from the roof of her small house and landed in front of the door before approaching Neji and Lee .

"Who do you think won?",Neji said .

"I almost had him Tenten,just thirty seconds behind .Next time,you won't be so lucky!",Lee said,pointing at Neji .Neji lowered his hand and shook his head .

"It's okay Lee,calm down .It's not like you lost to some second rate ninja,you lost to one of the best .Now let's get inside",Neji said .

"Fine,I won't deny your skill,but don't get too cocky! I'll still beat you one day!",Lee said as they entered the house .

"That's nice Lee",Neji said flatly to Lee before turning to Tenten .

"Can I get something to drink ,please?",he asked .

"Already on that,water,ice tea on the tray",Tenten said .

Several hours later,Neji,Tenten and Lee were all passed out on the couch,leaning against one another .They never did watch the training excercises,they watched the bloopers; essentially the latest training fails,including an old video when Neji used a light verson his open palm technique and blew the towels off of Tenten,Temari ,Sakura and Ino while they were leaving a hotspring and Lee jumping face first into a tree yelling something about youth .Tenten stood there pointing and laughing at Rock Lee,Neji snickering from a few feet away .And Temari literally blew the fence down,forcing Neji and Jaraiya to flee .That part wasn't visible,only the part with Neji wlaking pass the fence with a random crowed,his hair obscuring his face .Neji though,specifically remembered what happened .

Lee was in the middle with Tenten lying half over his lap,her head against her arm,the other dragging to the floor,her headband discarded on the coffee table .Neji was leaning with his head on Lee's shoulder,his headband on Tenten's lap from his and Lee's attempt at pranking Tenten by using Chakra charge to make it stick to her .Though they were getting too old for things like that,Tenten's reaction was priceless,especially upon finding Neji to be the guilty one

It was Lee waking up that stirred Neji and Tenten; because when he got up to sue the bathroom Neji fell right over on Tenten,waking them both .And Tenten slipped off the couch,trying to get up .

"That's not funny Neji! Stop laughing and help me up!",she said annoyed .Lee came down stairs just then and the two of them each hauled Tenten up by one of her arms,making her almost stumble forward .

"Hey! I'm delicate,watch it!",Tenten said .

"This is coming from the great Weapon Mistress Tenten?",Neji said .

"Oh,you're flattering me!",she said .

"Not really .Don't tell me you don't remember that time when you made that bet with Naruto tested your new technique on him .How many of his clones did you hit again?",Lee said momentarily glancing up in thought .

"I believe it was all sixty-two of them",Neji said .

"And he's still paying for it to this day .Speaking of which,he's buying me ramen again tomorrow,so you guys can come and he can knock a few weeks off of it",Tenten said as they headed for the door .

"Sounds good,should we call Naruto and let him know?",Lee asked .

"Nah,I'll surprise him with it!",Tenten said,mischievously .

Tenten had run into Naruto and during one of her training sessions with Gai .Though they were no longer on teams ,they all agreed that at least once a month ,they'd make time to spend with their sensei and each other .

While Sakura was trying to test her skill in fighting in groups,Tenten swooped in and took out nearly all of the shadow clones .Naruto challenged her in an attempt to get free ramen out of her ,and she accepted,Neji and Lee stood were there to watch Naruto beg for a rematch .

And he lost again,making ot worse for himself .

Lee and Neji said goodbye to Tenten and headed in their separate ways .Lee suddenly stopped and ran up to Neji .

"Hey Neji?Do you need somewhere to stay tonight?",he asked .Neji bit his lip,averting his gaze .

"I don't know . . .I'll see ",Neji said .Lee frowned visibly .

"But Neji-"

"I don't want to get you in trouble ,Lee .You do remember what happened last time,don't you?",Neji said,turning away from Lee .Lee grabbed his sleeve,catching him .

"It's fine,I've got a barrier up this time .My new uh . . .room mate,she's good at this kind of thing",Lee said .Neji raised his eyebrow at this .

"Who's your new room mate?",Neji asked .

"You'll meet her if you come over .Tenten and her get along well so she's fine",Lee said .Neji shrugged and followed Lee .

"Yeah,I'll come over,just give me a moment",Neji said .He activated his byakugan discreetly and scanned the area .They were alone .

"Alright,let's go",Neji said .Lee smiled at Neji ,and Neji let a slight smile creep on his lips in turn before they took off into the night .

"Hey Lee,oh who's the blind guy?", a girl with brown skin,delicate features and bright purple eyes peeked from behind the door,her long braids falling with her tilted head .Neji glared at her .

"Are you so ignorant that you don't know a Hyuuga when you see one?",he asked .She looked closely before letting them in .

"Oh sorry,it's just I've only seen the main members in my research,so I wasn't really sure .You must be a branch member",she said casually,though for Neji it was a stab in the chest .

"I think I'll take my leave",Neji said,turning .

"Wait,where will you go?",Lee asked .

"I'll sleep in the woods",he said .Lee looked helpless and reached for Neji,only for him to brush him off .

"Don't be such a crab,you .Get over here and get comfortable .I'm actually glad you're a branch member .See,I do seals and stuff and how to manipulate them and I think a House member would see what I'm doing as a threat .By the way,name's Imani",she said,returning to her spot on the old couch .This got Neji's attention and he came back,sitting on the couch beside her .His eyes fell on her head protector,a circle with a crescent moon on it and a slash through it .Lee was at the window,peeking outside .

"I'm not missing,I'm in exile,like Itachi-san .I'm sure you've been to at least one exile village by now,jounin",she said .

"No,I haven't",Neji said .For a moment,he wondered why he hadn't .

"What is that you're looking at?",Neji asked,sitting next to her .

"Curse seals .I was asked if I could do something about this one",she said ,idly scanning a scroll .She showed it to him briefly,before tossing it .As she was going through scrolls,Neji caught a glimpse of some of them and grabbed one that he knew all too well .He unfolded the scroll,his heart beating in his chest,hoping what he saw was true .

It was the caged bird seal

"So how good are you at these seals?",Neji act .

"When the Sanin can't do anything about it,me or one of my clan members would drop by and check the barriers .Because of my kekkei genkai,I have a natural affinity for this kind of thing .I been doing it since I was a small child",Imani said .

"Can you do anything about this one?",Neji said more eagerly than he meant to .He handed her the scroll .Imani looked at it,studied it for a while .

"Hmmm . . . .it's about a century old,originating from Konoha,clan seal . . .and a destruction seal? And it's for humans . . .looks like you can really hurt somebody with this thing .Where did you see it?",Imani asked .

"Don't quite remember ,but I just thought I'd bring it up while I'm here .It looked important",Neji said .

"Well,yes and no .Yes,it can be done theoretically but no,I can't do it .All I could do with that one now would be to temporarily disable it for maybe . .forty eight to seventy two hours at best,but it'll cost you",Imani said .

"It's okay,I was just curious is all",Neji said .

"Anything else you need to know?",she asked .

It was very late at night,by the time the three of them had fallen asleep .Rock Lee was sleeping with his back up against the door .Imani and Neji had fallen asleep on opposite sides of the couch,or at least Imani did .Neji couldn't sleep .He was going through Imani's notes and scrolls,careful not to disturn her and not leave any evidence of him being there .

As much as he wnet through the scrolls,he just ran into a dead end .

Neji got up and went to the bathroom,staring at his reflection in the mirror .

And he hated it .

The Hyuuga eyes,and the curse seal really .

When he looked at his family and saw how many of them had it,it just screamed incest .And there was talk of him marrying Hinata ,which made him sick to his stomach .If he truly were forced too,Neji didn't think he could do it,he'd be sick to his stomach .

And even worse,what if they decided to put the seal on Hinata?And any children Neji would have would be branded forever and . . .

These were old thoughts .Neji hadn't had the seal activated in years,since back before the chunin exams and once after .But the idea still haunted him,it was the most painful thing ever .And though he didn't mention it,it was fucking with his mind to this day .He noticed that it was harder to keep his emotions among other things,and he was sure the seal was doing it to him .

"Eh ,Neji,I gotta piss!",Imani called .Neji quickly bandaged his forehead again before washing his hands .

"I'll be out in a moment!",he called .

"You spoil him,Hiashi",one of the elders said .She was Lady Ayumi,his father's second with wife,and mother of Ryusuke Hyuuga,who is to take over in the event of anything happening to Hiashi,and Maiko Hyuuga ,who is now dead .They said she killed herself because she was being assigned to branch .Ayumi never got over it .

Ayumi looked at Hiashi ,her faded pink hair falling over her shoulders .She sipped her tea on the porch,Hiashi sitting some feet away,keeping hsi distance .

"What do you mean?",Hiashi asked,feigning innocence .

"You know what I mean .He stays out for days at a time,he walks with his head heald high,not cast down like a true branch should .He's arrogant,I've watched .He needs to be knocked down a few pegs .That and he isn't taking proper care of Hinata",Ayumi said .

"He practically worships Hinata",Hiashi said .

"Hm,maybe,but the way she acts so meek,he's doing a bad job",she said

"But she's strong at heart and strong on the battle field",Hiashi said .

"But weak every where else .She acts like a branch member .Just the other day,I saw her serving Neji tea .It's no wonder the other Branch members act the way they do,the treatment she gives him .She ignores the others",Ayumi said bitterly .

'You mean she ignores your sister and brother's children',Hiashi said to himself .

"She is more familiar with Neji ",Hiashi said .Ayumi practically slammed her cup down on the table between them .

"No matter what you do,Hiashi,Hizashi's not coming back .He was not strong enough to handle to accept his duty and chose death .You petting his son won't make things better .In fact,it;s making it worse .Because of your special treatment,the younger members are all starting to follow after your precious little Neji and think that they have a chance of moving up",Ayumi said curtly .Hiashi did not answer,her did not look at her .He just stared out into the garden,watching some of the Hyuuga children run and play in the grass .

"You see? They even incorperate training into their play .Some of them though,are greedy ,like Hizashi's boy",she sneered .

"Neji is different than the others",Hiashi said .

"Yes ,he is .Different that instead of just thinking of killing us,he may very well try and the others would join him if you don't stop this"',she hissed .

"Stop what,exactly?",Hiashi asked .

"Put him in his place Hiashi,or I will",she said .

"It won't bring Maiko back",Hiashi said .For a second,Ayumi looked shocked,before she let a glare cover her features .

"My daughter was of high blood .You put her where she didn't belong",Ayumi said quietly .

"I did the same to my own twin brother",Hiashi said,sitting his cup down .

"You know Hizashi was-"

"Don't you dare talk bad about my brother,do you understand me?",Hiashi said,looking for her for the first time since they began speaking .Ayumi saw anger that she rarely saw in Hiashi,but that didn't stop her at all .The glaring contest went on until the sound of a the door sliding open caught their attention .

"Ryusuke-sama",Ayumi said,bowing her head .

"Ayumi",he smiled warmly at his wife,causing her to blush slightly .

"Could I have a moment alone with my son?",it was more of an order than a question .

"Yes ,my lord",Ayumi said before getting up and gathering her navy blue kimono as she stood .She bowed to her husband and to Hiashi before she left .

"Where is Neji?",he asked .

"I don't know",Hiashi said .

"And why not?",Ryusuke said .

"He will return for his morning duties as always",Hiashi said .

"You remember what happened with Ryouma,don't you?",Ryusuke warned .

"Ryouma was unbalanced",Hizashi said .

"And Neji isn't?",Ryusuke said .Hiashi's hands clinched a bit .

"He's doing better,father",Hiashi said .

"When was the last time you checked on him?",Ryusuke said .Hiashi couldn't help but chuckle,causing Ryusuke to glare at him .

"So that's it .Everyone's afraid of him .Just like Ryouma",Hiashi said .

"Not fear,desire to preserve the clan .It is your duty",Ryusuke said .

"Then let me do my job,I know what I'm doing",Hiashi said .

"There are people who say that your brother would've done better .Would've been more obedient",Ryusuke said .Hiashi shook his head .

"And after all this time,you never knew your own son,",Hiashi said,his eyes again trained on the children in the yard .

'I can see so much more than you can father .I always could'

It was late at night when Ayumi came to the garden alone .The low ,smooth rhythm of their suppressed chakra told her the rest of the compound was sleeping .

Taking one last glance with her byakugan,she stood,barefoot on the porch of the courtyard .

"You may come out now",she said .

Two blindfolded figures clad in black,one male,one female,both with long brown hair pulled into matching ponytails,landed in the grass,kneeling before her .

"Miyuki,Hiyuki .Find your cousin,bring him here .If you do not have him by dawn,return to the compound to receive your punishment and retrieve him in the morning",she said .

"Yes,mother",the two said in unison .They stood and bowed to her once more,before vanishing into the night .

Ayumi returned to her bed,unaware that she was being watched .It was when she was safely tucked away that the silhouette appeared in the garden window .

"Yuriko,follow them",a soft voice said .Another shadow rose by the window .

"Yes,Lady Hinata",a woman's voice said .

With that ,the door slid gently open ,and a woman clad in black, with a veil over her eyes took off into the night,her red hair in a braid trailing behind .

Okay,so what do you think?

I admit the number of OC's is mostly due to this being Hyuuga centric and me not knowing anyone other than Neji ,Hinata,Hanabi,Hiashi .Also,Imani is not and will not be a main character .This is mostly about Neji .