Masami Hyuga's POV.
Taiju is an anomaly in Konoha's metrics; no birth certificate is available at Konoha's hospital, and there is no trace of kin or a known clan name.
'Maybe he's an orphan?' I pondered.
Even that hypothesis was dismissed by the fact that his calculated age of 24 years would relate to the children abducted 14 years ago by the now rogue ninja, Orochimaru.
The mad Sanin was caught experimenting on children in his attempts to find a host who could handle Hashirama's cells.
Out of 60 children, only one survived and that lone survivor is a part of Danzo's Root division.
Lady Tsunade is aware of all this, it's a dirty wound that the Hokage has to live with since the elders dismissed any acts of confronting the Root head.
Ninja politics are very complex, the one recognised as the strongest in the nation still has to get the approval of her advisors before making a major decision, the same applies to her meddling in ninja subdivisions such as the Anbu, Root and Black OPs, which are two separate systems that operate separately from qualified shinobi.
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A.N: Anbu may be a branch of the Shinobi military system but the chain of command is different.
Black OPs obey the Hokage fully as the first line of defence and espionage.
Root is a branch created by Danzo to deal with the higher-risk missions from assassinations, information gathering from other villages and contingency plans to deal with potential threats.
Danzo doesn't answer to the Hokage when it comes to Root matters such as his actions of allowing Orochimaru to conduct experiments on Konoha citizens and foreign shinobi.
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Back to Masami ~
'From what I've gathered from the data books he was the survivor of another demented experiment conducted by the two monsters, nothing concrete has been discovered on what the goal was but judging on how calm he seems right now, it might be Tenzo level. ' Masami concludes.
"Byakugan. "
Bulging veins appear around her pupilless eyes, focusing her kekkei genkei on him, she studies his chakra circulation, the azure blue energy is flowing normally around his chakra points, no abnormal spikes in chakra no signs of a unique reserve.
"Tsk, why is his chakra so... average?" She mutters in frustration, tracing her eyes to the rest of his squad, they all have similar chakra flows expected of civilians, a steady flow of azure, no dense patterns or sudden spikes.
'This can't be Squad-0?' Masami questions.
"Oi. How long are you going to be staring?" Taiju calls out while still massaging the spoiled triplets.
'...h-he caught me?' Masami internally muses.
Her training in Anbu stealth and the sensory advantage of her Byakugan seem useless against him.
Taiju scowls loudly, turning to face her direction, still hidden metres away on a tree branch, concealed in thick leaves and shadows.
"I've been caught." Masami sighs, deactivating her Byakugan.
Whoosh
She flashes off the tree branch, appearing behind him with the ease of a shadow.
Nearly a whole metre taller than her, Taiju made no reaction to her speed or the kunai hovering by his lower spine.
"Ma-masami?!" Hinata squeaks at the sudden appearance of the woman she considers her older sister.
"What are you doing here?" Hinata presses her swollen chest against Masami's back, no concerns for personal space as the drunk Hyuga is whimpering softly.
"Taiju!" She whines out his name.
"Princess. Who's the lady with the mean eyes." He gestures to Masami.
Hana's triplets are already forming a line to protect their favourite servant.
Kemurimaru growls in warning.
"Easy boy." Taiju soothes his healthy coat, fingers passing through warm skin and damp shampoo.
"Don't encourage them." Hana comes into his proximity, ignoring the Hyuga women in her determination to confront him.
"You..." Hana growls out, her voice vibrating with a feral tune.
"Ladies–"
"Don't even think of making an excuse, Taiju." Kurenai snaps at him, her flushed skin darkens in its shade of red.
Taiju looked around himself, surrounded by women he had latched onto like a parasite from his budding romances with the Ice Queens, Kurenai, Anko, Hana and Yugao. His mentorship of Konoha's next generation of kunoichi talents including Hinata, Tenten and Ino and how could he forget the HR violation of a relationship with Kin and Tayuya.
"You're a man whore, Taiju. " Masami said with a flat unamused pitch.
A chorus of complacent hums followed her statement.
"Hey, now. Let's not slander–"
"Shut up." Kurenai coldly replies, her statement cutting the gossip.
Kurenai looks at the band if girls around him like a mob cornering a heretic.
"Let's not cause a scene. Let's discuss back at my apartment, Hinata needs to sleep before she humiliates herself."
"Hey!" The drunk Hyuga pouts over Masami's shoulders.
"Come here, Princess ~" Tayuya saunters over to Hinata, with a new confident stride in her hip movement, unfamiliar with the tomboy."
Tenten glanced at Ino. Both kunoichi noticed a change in the other members of the Anbu Squad from Tayuya's faint glowing skin to Kin's sharp eyes focusing on Taiju's every move and the unnerving presence of Yugao, keeping her distance but still in the proximity of his warmth.
'What an interesting dynamic. ' Masami hums internally.
"Tayuya–S-stop!" Hinata squeaks out.
Tayuya swooped her off the ground in a princess carry, tucking her against her chest.
"Let's go Taiju. "
Whoosh×5
Squad-0 and Kurenai flicker out of sight, moving along with the night leaving Hana, Ino, Tenten and Masami standing there in shock.
"Sigh–I hate him..." Hana grumbles.
"Woof!" Her companions move to comfort their gloomy mother.
"At least you boys are loyal."
"Woof."
Tenten and Ino also decided to leave, the night's fun depleted by his return and honestly, rest was needed after a battle with cheap sake and broth.
Masami looks up at the moon, a stoic look on her pale face.
'Taiju... what is your purpose?'
---
[Kurenai's apartment]
"Ouff –" Hinata gasps as her body connects with the mattress of Kurenai's guest bedroom.
Tayuya had thrown her on the bed with the care of a brute.
"Be careful with the heiress. " Kin scolds her partner, giving Hinata an apologetic glance before hurrying out of the room.
"Traitor..." Hinata drawls.
Tayuya sat next to the girl, moving strands of her hair from her face, soothing her back with a tender rhythm.
"You're a lightweight, Hina."
"Don't call me that." She groans into the bed sheets.
"Don't worry, I've had my moments of humiliation by liquor, Taiju has seen more of my puke on his clothing than blood."
"That's awful." Hinata shivers at the thought.
"Hey...I'm trying to be supportive. " Tayuya snorts.
"Yeah. "Hinata chuckles softly, letting the moment pass.
"I–I, miss you guys..."
"We miss you too Princess. "Tayuya purrs.
With the words of affirmation, Hinata lets herself drift into slumber, the anxiety of the last month fading away.
"...softie," Tayuya whispers, looking at the sleeping Hyuga.
'He has a thing for the broken types. '
---
Kurenai's room.
In the sanctuary of the resident, Ms. Yuhi has Taiju in a corner he can't escape–accountability.
"You going to explain yourself?"
"The short answer is we were sent there to die as Danzo has had enough of me. " Taiju shrugs.
"Why would he want a whole squad dead?" Kurenai questions.
"It's simple, he fears losing control of his tools, especially one favoured by the Hokage. "
"How did you earn her favour, Taiju?" Kurenai presses herself against him, her ample chest pressing against his flat chest.
"What is your relationship with Lady Tsunade?"
'Kami.'
Taiju realises he's compromised, left with no other choice but to disarm her with his secret technique.
"Let's spoil the night on boring topics..." He snakes his arms around her waist, anchoring her frame to his.
"Taiju–"
"I miss you, Kurenai. " He whispers into her right ear, the practiced sultry tone that comes from his intimate moments with Kin and Tayuya.
"Don't try such a shameless tactic. " She growls at a warning, trailing her fingers on his muscular back.
"Let's just for tonight. Tomorrow you can interrogate me as much as you want."
"You bastard..."
"That's my girl. " He chuckles softly, lifting her off the ground, resulting in her letting out an uncharacteristic squeak. He positions themselves, vertically on the bed, resting on his side as he holds her smaller frame flushed against his own.
"Goodnight, Kurenai. "
"...Goodnight, Taiju. "
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Author's notice:
Naruto's return is the next arc.
Thoughts so far?