Kaguya?

Kaguya stood motionless in front of the half-painted fence, staring at the streaks of paint she'd slathered across the old wood in fits of frustration. Sweat dripped down the back of her neck, but it wasn't the heat that had her on edge—it was the memory of the Hyuga elders' cold, calculating gazes that haunted her, as if their eyes were searing through her skin.

She could still feel it—their eyes following her every move at the Hyuga compound. The way Hiashi had looked at her, unreadable but with something almost like pity in his gaze. And the elders… she shuddered just thinking about it. It wasn't just curiosity or suspicion. No, their stares were far colder than that. They looked at her like she was a thing to be controlled, dissected, or maybe even destroyed.

Kaguya grit her teeth, the paintbrush trembling in her hand. The elders' eyes weren't the only ones that haunted her. She could still hear the voices from her past life, the villagers' whispers and stares. The judgment. The way they made her feel like she didn't belong.

"Freak."

"Outsider."

"Someone to fear."

It was the same thing, over and over. The same feelings, no matter how much she tried to forget them. The stares from the villagers had faded, replaced by the oppressive weight of the Hyuga elders' expectations. She was still that girl caught between worlds, not fully part of this one, but not entirely free from the past either.

Kaguya's grip tightened around the brush, and she found herself glaring at the fence, unable to stop herself from thinking about it. The Byakugan. That strange, foreign gift of sight that had been thrust upon her the moment she'd opened her eyes. She didn't even know who that woman was—who she may be. She wasn't her. She wasn't a Hyuga, and yet they expected her to be, as if she was born to fulfill their vision of what a Hyuga should be.

Why me? She could feel the words forming on the tip of her tongue but she didn't speak them. They didn't even matter anymore. They were pointless questions that didn't have answers. I don't know who she is. I don't know who I'm supposed to be.

The Byakugan wasn't her legacy. It wasn't something she asked for, something she chose. It felt like a brand, a mark she couldn't escape no matter how hard she tried. She wasn't supposed to be her.

Her thoughts spiraled in frustration as she ran the brush across the wood again, the stroke uneven, the task feeling more and more like a distraction from her overwhelming confusion. I don't even know who I am in this life. And now they expect me to wear this... this thing, this gift, as if it's mine?

Her fingers flexed tightly around the handle, the bristles scratching against the fence in an angry swipe. She wanted to rip it all down, to destroy the evidence of the world that kept forcing her into roles she didn't understand, roles she didn't want. She wasn't like them. She wasn't like the Hyuga, no matter how much they wanted to mold her into something she didn't know how to be.

Crack. In her anger, the pressure she put on the brush caused it to snap in two. The handle flew from her grip, and the bristles tore away from the wood in a frenzied burst of white.

"Oh, come on!" Kaguya yelled in frustration, throwing her broken paintbrush down onto the ground. Her eyes flashed with barely contained anger as she stood there, chest heaving. The old wooden fence loomed in front of her like a symbol of everything that felt wrong in her world.

Sasuke, arms crossed, watched her with his usual impassive expression, his face devoid of emotion as he leaned back against a nearby tree. Sakura, on the other hand, bit her lip, trying to suppress a giggle. She'd never seen Kaguya this irritated before, and it was almost amusing to see her so visibly out of her element. Kakashi, standing nearby, made no effort to stop her, his lone visible eye half-lidded as he read his book, apparently immune to Kaguya's grumbling.

The task seemed never-ending—a mission to paint old man Takina's fence. Kaguya had almost convinced herself that being stuck with menial tasks was a rite of passage for genin, but this was just absurd. It wasn't even her fault that the paint was streaking in weird directions, but she didn't have the patience to deal with it any longer.

"I swear, if one more brushstroke ruins this..." Kaguya muttered under her breath, shaking her head as she glared at the now-splattered fence. It had been hours, and it felt like nothing was going her way.

Sakura, keeping a distance from Kaguya's tantrum, finally let out a quiet laugh. "Doesn't seem that bad," she ventured, though her voice was more teasing than sympathetic. "At least it's not another dog-walking mission."

Kaguya turned toward her with narrowed eyes, her frustration clearly reaching a boiling point. "Shut up, Sakura," she shot back, her lips curling into a faint, wry smile despite herself. "You know, you're lucky we're on the same team right now. I don't usually let people get away with being this annoying."

"Oh, I can tell." Sakura's grin widened, a flicker of amusement in her gaze. She hadn't expected Kaguya to show this side of herself—most of the time, Kaguya had this aloof, almost regal air about her, as though she had it all together. But right now? She was just another frustrated, tired genin who didn't want to be doing chores. And Sakura couldn't help but feel a little better seeing her like this. Perhaps she wasn't so different from the rest of them, after all.

Kakashi closed his book with a deliberate slowness, stretching lazily as if he had all the time in the world. "Well, good news, everyone," he said, his voice lacking any urgency. "We're done with the chores for today."

The words hung in the air for a moment as Kaguya's eyes widened. She froze for a second, her frustration dissipating as the full weight of his words hit her. "Wait, really?" she asked, almost disbelieving.

Kakashi nodded, an almost imperceptible grin pulling at the corners of his mouth beneath his mask. "Yep. No more walking dogs, no more painting fences. We're officially finished with our little break."

Kaguya let out a small, triumphant laugh, her shoulders slumping with immediate relief. "Finally. No more walking dogs or painting fences. I might actually survive this job after all." She dropped her hands onto her hips, surveying the half-painted fence as if she were looking at an enemy that had finally been defeated.

"Good to know you're so committed to your work," Sasuke deadpanned, not even looking up from where he was leaning against the tree.

Kaguya shot him a look but couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips. "Yeah, yeah. I'm committed to surviving, if nothing else."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her, though his face remained impassive. "It wasn't that bad."

"It was horrible," Kaguya retorted with mock indignation, throwing her hands up in the air. She turned to Sakura, who was still suppressing her laughter. "How can you be okay with this? I thought we were ninjas, not laborers!"

Sakura gave her a shrug, looking only half sympathetic. "Well, you could've asked for help," she offered, though there was a teasing edge to her voice. "But I guess we'll just have to keep going with whatever you decide."

Kaguya sighed heavily, wiping her hands on her pants as if trying to rid herself of the lingering frustration. "Okay, okay. Fine. So what's next? When do we leave for the mission?"

Kakashi stretched again and placed his book back in his pouch, the slightest of smirks playing on his lips. "You'll find out soon enough," he replied mysteriously, adjusting the weight of his bag before heading toward the village gates. "But first, we should gather the supplies."

Kaguya's ears perked up. "Supplies?" she repeated, her interest piqued. "What, like, food? Weapons?"

"Exactly," Kakashi responded with a nod. "We need to make sure we're prepared before heading to the Hokage's office."

Kaguya's brow furrowed slightly. "We're going to see the Hokage?"

"That's right," Kakashi said, turning around to address them. "The mission's a bit more involved than you think. We'll need a few things before heading out."

Sakura adjusted her own pouch, looking over at Kaguya with a thoughtful expression. "I'm sure the Hokage's got a lot to do," she mused, a trace of concern in her voice. "I wonder what kind of mission we're going to get."

"Meh, doesn't matter." Kaguya shrugged. "As long as it's not another one of those boring tasks. Just get me out of this village, and I'll be fine."

Sasuke shot her a quick glance but said nothing, instead turning to follow Kakashi as he made his way toward the Hokage's office. Kaguya followed closely behind, feeling the familiar weight of anticipation in her chest. There was something exciting about the idea of leaving the village, something she couldn't quite place, but it felt like the beginning of something bigger.

As the team walked toward the Hokage's office, Kaguya couldn't shake the feeling that this mission—whatever it turned out to be—was going to change things. She just hoped it would be the kind of change that would let her stretch her legs a bit more than these ridiculous chores had.

Sakura's voice broke into her thoughts. "You know, I thought you were some stoic princess, but you're actually pretty... unpredictable."

Kaguya glanced sideways at her, catching the glint of curiosity in Sakura's eyes. "Is that a compliment?"

"I guess so," Sakura said, grinning. "I just figured you'd be a lot more... polished, I guess. But you're pretty... real, I guess."

Kaguya smirked slightly. "Real, huh?" She didn't respond further, letting the comment hang in the air between them. It wasn't the worst thing she'd been called.

The trio made their way through the bustling streets of the village, heading toward the Hokage's office, where they'd finally get the details of their first real mission. Kaguya found herself looking forward to it, though she was still unsure what to expect. All she knew was that the sooner they got out of the village, the better.

…

"What?" Kaguya asked in surprise, her eyes widening as she pointed at an older man, perhaps in his 50s, stumbling slightly as he made his way toward them. He was holding a bottle of sake in one hand, the other clutching a bag that looked too heavy for someone in his condition.

"You want us to escort this old drunkard?" Kaguya's voice was incredulous, her gaze flicking between Kakashi and the man.

Kakashi, who had been walking ahead, stopped and turned back, his signature lazy smile in place. "Yes, that's your mission."

The man waved a hand dismissively in Kaguya's direction, his words slurring just slightly as he tried to brush off the judgment. "Oi! You're the ones the Hokage sent, right? Good. We don't have time to waste." He hiccupped, his eyes darting around, scanning the surroundings like he was expecting someone to jump out from the trees.

Kaguya frowned, crossing her arms. "This is our mission? Escorting a man who can barely hold his own bag?"

The man's gaze snapped to Kaguya, his eyes sharper than his appearance suggested. "You think I'm some drunken fool?" he spat, a growl in his voice. "I don't have time to explain things to kids like you. Just get me home, and everything will be fine. Don't get too cocky, alright?"

"Are these the ninja supposed to protect me?" Tazuna sneered, his voice dripping with frustration. "They're just little brats!"

Kaguya bristled at the insult, her temper flaring. "We're not 'brats,' old man!" she snapped, but before she could say anything else, Kakashi stepped in.

"Let it go, Kaguya," Kakashi said, his voice calm but firm. "We're here to do a job. Just focus on that."

The old man grumbled under his breath, taking a deep swig from his sake bottle, clearly not happy but trying to maintain some semblance of authority. "Yeah, yeah. Just get me to the bridge. That's all I'm asking for." He glanced at Kakashi, his face hardening slightly. "I don't need babysitters, but it's what I've got, so let's just move it."

Kaguya exchanged a quick look with Sasuke and Sakura, both of whom seemed equally confused and wary. Something didn't add up, but Kakashi didn't seem inclined to share more at the moment.

"Fine," Kaguya muttered, her eyes narrowing at the old man. "But I'm not doing this for fun."

"Good," Tazuna shot back. "Neither am I."

Kakashi clapped his hands together, breaking the tension. "Alright, team. Head home and get your bags packed. We'll leave first thing in the morning." His tone shifted to something more businesslike. "Make sure you're prepared for a longer trip than usual. We'll be heading out of the village."

Sakura nodded. "Got it!"

Sasuke simply gave a curt nod, already turning to walk away. Kaguya shot one last glance at the old man, her irritation still evident, before following her teammates.