Epilogue

Days and days passed, and Neji spent his time training Tenten and Lee.

Often, however, he would be called up to speak with and advise Hinata. Hinata and Hashirama seemed to be glowing closer. Meanwhile, Hinata was distanced from Madara. So much the better.

And then, when Neji was sitting on the steps to the building they met in, Tobirama came out to meet him. "Tobirama?

"I wasn't expecting to see you out here."

Tobirama sat down. "Discussion on the village is taking longer than expected. Hashirama is of no help at all here, and Madara keeps riling people up for fun. I've been trying to get together a general idea of how much it will cost to relocate.

"But it'll all be a moot point if the clans don't agree to it."

"What makes you say that?" asked Neji.

"Resistance to the idea is mounting," admitted Tobirama. "Even if our' friends' think it worth pursuing, many hardliners resist it. Only the threat of Hashirama and Madara together keeps them from causing trouble.

"And the threat of brute force is no basis on which to form a nation."

"So, what are you doing in your spare time?" asked Neji. "I've seen you reading."

"Just reading some old legends," said Tobirama.

"What about?" asked Neji.

"The Ten-tales," said Tobirama.

"You mean the legendary creator of the Nine-Tailed beasts?" asked Neji.

"Yes," said Tobirama. "Legends say that the Ten-tales was a many formed entity. One ranging from the shape of an animal to a man to a tree. Some legends claim that its roots could devour the chakra from people it touched.

"The Sage of the Six Paths, however, cut the creature into nine pieces, and each of them became a Tailed Beast."

"Why the interest?" asked Neji, surprised.

"I... have a theory of sorts," said Tobirama. "The Tailed Beasts have been wandering the world for a long time now. Whenever they show up, they usually wreck everything. At best, they can be appeased.

"Even if you kill one, they simply reform a few years later. And often, they come back for revenge."

"And this theory is?" asked Neji.

"The Senju Clan has power over wood-style," said Tobirama. "There are a number of legends of the God Tree. The Ten-tales is sometimes called gifting a mortal with divine power. That mortal was the Sage of the Six Paths who, in turn, gifted chakra to humans.

"Although some stories also claim that the God Tree was benevolent and gifted men chakra.

"Either way, both the Senju and the Uchiha have been able to control Tailed Beasts in the past. Usually enough to get them to go away, though it often kills the one who tries it."

"Where are you going with this?" asked Neji.

Tobirama paused. "The Leaf Village is in need of a founding myth.

"A heroic saga that could symbolize the values it represents. In this group, we have some of the most gifted Shinobi of our age."

"You believe we should try to capture one of the Tailed-Beasts," guessed Neji.

Tobirama made a rare smile. "Why not? The Two-Tailed Cat has been seen around here. If we could subdue and seal it, stories would be told. And if we were to capture some of the other Tailed beasts...

"But no.

"It would be difficult to locate such a creature."

"I could probably locate it. The Hyuga specialize in finding others," noted Neji.

"Perhaps," noted Tobirama. "But sealing them itself would be difficult. In the past, there have been Jinchuuriki. That being a ninja that seals a tailed beast into themselves as a power source. But they rarely work out."

Neji looked up in surprise. "Why not?"

"The Tailed Beasts know one another. And they communicate somehow," said Tobirama. "Whenever a mortal succeeds in sealing one of them, all of the others get together. They kill the mortal in question. They then usually destroy his village completely. So while a Jinchuuriki could theoretically be a huge asset, having one is a death sentence."

"Well, what if the village was a moving target?" asked Neji, thinking about it.

"Hmm?" asked Tobirama.

"Suppose Hashirama, Madara, and all of us were to move around and hunt down the Tailed-Beasts one by one," said Neji. "We could avoid fighting more than one at once and stay mobile. If we picked them off over a period of time, we could seal all of them."

"It's a nice idea in theory," admitted Tobirama. "But finding that many people capable of being Junchuuriki is unlikely. Some of our company might qualify, but most of us would die."

"So why do we need Jinchuuriki?" asked Neji. "Why not just seal them away normally. There are urns designed for containing demons and such. It should not be impossible to find nine powerful enough for that purpose."

Tobirama considered it. "...It could be done, couldn't it?

"And attaining such power would gain the Leaf Village the respect of all the nations. We'd need a proper sealing master, of course, but it could be done. Perhaps we could contact the Village Hidden by Whirling Tides; they may be of help.

"I will speak to the others at once."

"Good, I have to meet my students," said Neji, who expected to receive none of the credit.

"Is their training going well?" asked Tobirama.

"As well as can be expected," said Neji. "I need to go."

They parted ways, and Neji walked through the streets. People seemed to be in something of a hurry. A lot more vendors had opened up, and many more people were coming here. As Nendas walked, however, he suddenly saw something odd.

A scrappy, red-haired girl was standing atop a stand with a staff in hand and white robes that didn't quite fit her. "Hear me, people of the Senju!

"I am Mito Uzumaki! And destiny has chosen me for great things! I am going to seal all the tailed beasts! No more will they trouble this town or any other!"

Everyone ignored her, and Neji looked as people kept their eyes down and walked away. Nobody wanted to be associated with someone who might be assassinated in a moment. Ordinary people did not interact with ninja if they didn't have to.

"Why isn't anyone listening?" asked Mito, confused.

"I imagine they didn't think there was anything worth hearing," said Neji. He decided this was, sort of, his responsibility. Best to talk her down.

"What?! What is that supposed to mean?" asked Mito, leaping down. "Are you saying I'm no good!" And she got in his face.

"How many tailed beasts have you actually sealed?" asked Neji.

"I am an Uzumaki! We have exceptionally long lives and massive reserves of chakra. Our kekkei genkai is-" began Mito.

"But how many tailed beasts have you sealed?" asked Neji.

Mito puffed up. "...Well, I'm about to work on my first. I've heard that the Two-tailed Cat should be around here somewhere. I intend to lure it into a trap and-" Neji turned to walk away. "Hey, where are you going?"

Neji walked away. "You aren't going to do what you are you saying you'll do. If you were, you'd be doing it instead of bragging about it."

"Hey! I am serious about this! Once I win, my family will have to acknowledge me!" said Mito.

"Did your family suggest you do this yourself?" asked Neji.

"Well, um... yes," said Mito. "They suggested I capture a tailed beast to prove myself when I wanted a mission. So I'm going to capture all of them! Then everyone will have to acknowledge me and treat me like I'm somebody! And I'll be made the heir instead of my big sister, Karin!"

"Wonderful," scoffed Neji, glancing to where she was beside him. "Let me see if this story sounds familiar to you, Mito. A young, less talented ninja decides she's going to beat the odds and become the leader of her village. And to that end gets sent on a highly dangerous mission on behalf of her village.

"Only to find out that the whole thing was a glorified snipe hunt. One meant to keep her out of their hair until they could stick the knife in. And then, our hero ends manipulated into buying into the system that abused him. And, finally, he is murdered for the momentary tactical advantage of the real hero." He paused. "Let me think...

"You're from the Uzumaki Clan, right?

"Well, you've got bloodlines. So I'm sure the hero will make a eulogy about how he'll never forget you right before he forgets you and goes on to declare your murderer the coolest guy.

"I'd cut your losses."

"This is not a snipe hunt!" shouted Mito. "I mean, yeah, I sort of am no good at a lot of skills, but I'm really good at sealing!"

"Yes, and I suppose the Two-tailed Cat is just going to sit around while you try and seal it?" asked Neji. "You're wasting your time.

"I recommend you take a political marriage and consign yourself to oblivion on your own terms. Hashirama and Madara are up there, and you've got good relations with the Senju. Maybe they'll have a use for you." And he pointed up the way he'd came.

At this point, Mito stepped in front of me. "Listen, mister; nobody gets to tell me what I do with my life! You're just some smug jerk whose so- Hey!" Neji had by now leaped up onto the village wall. "Where are you going?! We're arguing?"

"I have to go to work, Mito. I have students to train," said Neji. "When you're young and with boundless potential. Your parents tell you how special you are and how you'll reach the stars. But as soon as one of your siblings turns out to be more special, you're written off as a loose end and forgotten.

"The game is rigged, and people like Madara and Hashirama are the people who win. Everyone else is just there to add tension. The sooner you accept you're a failure, the sooner you might actually become useful."

"I am not a failure! And you're not any older than I am!" shouted Mito.

"You'll never be the hero of your own story," said Neji simply. "You might become a shallow love interest to your abuser one day, though. Keep your hopes up."

Then he darted off toward the meeting place, feeling exceptionally pleased with himself. At the very least, her humiliation meant nobody would knife her. That kind of thing sometimes happened to ninjas who made a stir.

Also, it had been quite entertaining.

Eventually, he found Tenten and Lee looking up in concern. Tenten moved forward. "Oh, Neji, you're late.

"You're never late."

"I got caught up in discussion with Tobirama about future plans," said Neji. "And then I had to set some things straight for an entitled brat.

"Come on, let's head up to the mountains. Do you have those weights on?"

"Yep," said Tenten.

"Indeed," said Lee. "I stand ready to serve."

"Then we can begin," said Neji, hoisting his pack.

And they set out in high spirits.

The sun was high in the sky, but a brisk wind kept things clear and the bugs from gathering. They made good time, hurrying up the slopes little by little. Lee and Tenten spoke little, as Neji insisted. So these operations, no one talked without relevance, but it was...

Nice.

And then she ruined everything.

"Hey, you! I'm not done with you!" said Mito, behind them. She looked like she had fallen into a puddle of mud and rushed through them brambles.

"Oh no, not her," said Neji. "We're running.

"Just ignore her and keep walking. She'll give up once we get to the higher areas."

"Come back!" said Mito.

And they did hurry off, and Neji was pleased to see that they were outpacing her. Mito was nowhere near as fast as any of them. Soon they scaled up the mountain trail, and Neji was confident she'd given up. Stopping there, he smiled.

"Who is that?" asked Tenten.

"No one," said Neji. "A wandering idiot. She has no relevance to our-" And then he stopped because his Byakugan saw her. "I don't believe it. She's still after us."

"She is?" asked Lee. "That is rather determined."

"Couldn't we just tell her to buzz off?" asked Tenten.

"I already did that," said Neji. Then he considered things and looked up to a sheer cliff. Only... it was wet and uneven. "I have some new training for us. We're going to climb this cliff. We've already done trees, but this cliff is uneven and wet from last night's rainfall.

"It'll be very difficult to get up it. Your mission is to get to the top before Mito Uzumaki reaches us."

"Right," said Tenten and Lee.

Neji, of course, had no difficulty scaling the cliff. He'd done this sort of thing a lot, and Lee was good enough to do it too. But Tenten had the worst of it and kept slipping and falling back. Each time he had to catch her and make her start from the beginning. And all the while, Mito was drawing nearer and nearer.

At last, however, Tenten managed to make it to the top. Lee then drew a length of rope out of her pack. Tying it around a rock, she hurled it off the edge.

"What are you doing?" asked Tenten.

"Mito will try to use the rope," said Lee. "When she scales up it, I will cut it, and she will fall to her death."

"...Lee, we're trying to get away from her," said Neji with a sigh. "She's a nuisance, not a target."

"Yeah, and she might not even know we came this way if we don't leave the rope," said Tenten.

Then Neji had an idea. "Leave the rope, Lee. I want to see how far she'll follow us. Come this way. Keep up, Tenten."

And they hurried off.

This time, Neji took them along the cliff to a glade of the tree where they rested as he kept an eye out. Sure enough, Mito came by and looked up the cliff. She looked intimidated by the height and looked back to the village, then up. And then she grabbed the rope and kept climbing.

"So she hasn't been properly trained," noted Neji. "No one has taught her tree-climbing yet."

"Does not the Uzumaki Clan prefer to shelter girls?" asked Lee. "They are kept in a support role, I think."

"Where did you learn that?" asked Neji.

"You learn things working with merchants," said Lee. "They move around a lot, and I've learned a lot."

"Like what?" asked Tenten.

"Well," said Lee. "The way I see it, there are only two things you can count on. Friends and money."

"What about family?" asked Tenten. "What about your village?"

"I served with Neji," noted Lee. "And I've seen the Uchiha Clan in action. I know how some families operate. You can't count on family."

"Well, what makes you think you can always count on money?" asked Neji.

"Money has value," said Lee. "If it doesn't, it's not money. No matter where a person goes in this world, if you have money, you can buy food. You can get a roof under your head.

"You need things other than money.

"But you can't count on those things all the time. Gold never decays."

"Yes, but gold is given value by people," said Neji. "It's useless without a market."

"Friends are important as well," said Lee. "If someone doesn't stick by you, they aren't a friend by default. The two are the key to a successful merchant's life." He sighed. "I have a confession to make, Neji. I fear I may be the one responsible for this."

"What do you mean?" asked Neji.

"Well," said Lee. "In my journeys, I heard rumors of the Two-Tailed Cat in this region. And I repeated them in the Uzumaki Village. It is possible she got the memo because of me."

"Bad luck, huh," said Tenten.

Neji considered things. "Don't worry.

"In fact. Well done. We've got an opportunity to write our names into history.

"We'd better keep moving. Mito has nearly scaled the cliff." She looked very tired, but she had gotten to the top and was going in their direction.

"Where to now?" asked Tenten.

"Back down," said Neji. "Follow me."

Quickly hurrying out of the grove, they surged toward Mito, who was panting at the top of the cliff. She stood as she saw them running and fell into a stance. However, Neji leaped clear over her, as did Tenten and Lee. Passing over the rope, Neji slashed the rope in midflight. Together, they caught the cliff and sprinted down it together before sliding to a halt at the bottom.

"What the..." Mito turned and looked about to follow but stared at the height. "That's not fair!"

"How is it not fair?" asked Neji. "Why did you follow me up the mountain if you didn't want to get to the top?"

"Why you..." Mito paused. "Just wait until I get down there, you jerk!"

"There is a safer way if you follow the cliff that way," said Tenten, pointing.

"I'll take whatever way I want," said Mito. And grabbing the stones, she began to scale her way gradually down. Her foot slipped, and she slid down, only to catch herself. Little by little, she made her way down, reaching the bottom.

Her hair was a mess; she was covered in scratches and dirt. Her white robes were utterly filthy, and she was soaked in sweat. But she walked forward. "Alright, you jerk, now you're going to... now you're uh..."

"Yes?" asked Neji. "Was there a reason you came all the way out here?"

"...Well, you said I was no good!" said Mito. "You guys were all smug and thought I couldn't keep up with you! But I did everything you did and got through all this myself, so so there!

"You're wrong, and I was right!"

"We didn't even know you were following us at first," said Tenten.

Mito looked disappointed at this.

Neji shrugged and decided to give her what she wanted. "You know what, Mito, you're absolutely right. I did misjudge you. I think you might actually be able to be the hero of your own story."

"Really?" said Mito. "Wow, um, that's a first. No one has ever believed in me before.

"So, you'll tell tales of my greatness?"

"No," said Neji. "I'll do one better. My companions and I are going to help you in your quest to capture the tailed beasts. You'll just get yourself killed without an escort, and we have something to prove anyway."

"You will!" said Mito. "I mean, yes, of course, I knew you would! I am an Uzumaki, and we're farsighted about this kind of thing! The tale of Mito Uzumaki begins... today..."

And then she fainted.

Tenten sighed. "This is not a good start."

Neji disagreed, but he said nothing. If this worked out if he captured a tailed beast...

Well, let's see how Father liked that.