Chapter 1: Earning Respect [Mission/Personal Plot Set Up]

The sound of the alarm blaring loudly throughout the made the young man rouse from his sleep. Without looking he reached out his left hand lazily and silenced the alarm, head still buried face first in the pillow. He didn't rise right away, rather he just lay still a moment while allowing his body a chance to wake up naturally. He turned over so that he stared up at the light from the moon reflecting off his mirror. It was still very early in the morning, as was his daily habit. After a few minutes of simply laying in bed, he sat up allowing his long black hair to drape over his shoulders; just barely covering his back and torso. He glanced out the window, which was situated so that his bed and window shared the same wall, to see the quiet village of Sunagakure. The low hiss of the sand as the wind took it had grown on the young Hyuuga since his arrival as a kid. The environment also provided more of a challenge when it came to survival and training due to ever changing sands and the beaming sun. The environment alone had hardened the young shinobi, made him more resilient to the harsh conditions of the desert. Most times he hardly even noticed it, just another aspect of his that came with the path he walked. A yawn escaped his mouth as the young Hyuuga stretched his arms out, before he turned flipped his covers off him and get up from his bed.

He tended to his normal routine of washing up, brushing his teeth, even preparing his own meal; eggs, bacon, cut up potatoes with orange juice to wash it down. His mother, whom was passed out in a recliner chair facing the muted t.v., roused from her own sleep once the smell of bacon was in the air. "Cook enough for the whole class, Bas," she said sleepily though the sarcasm was still apparent. "Only enough for us, mother, the classmates will just have to suffer," he replied back with a smile as he set down his mother's and his own plate. In similar fashion to her son, Lady Claudia let a yawn while covering her mouth her left hand and stretching out with her right. She rose from her seat and joined her son at the table, after first offering a single kiss on his forehead as both a thanks and good morning. "Long night," he said, unphased by his mother's typical habits of kissing his forehead. "Yes, the hospital has been bustling lately and were very understaffed. Doubles are mandatory for at least the next few weeks," she said, tying back her long blonde hair before eating the full plate breakfast. "I've heard as much. I was actually hired to assist with that today," he stated. "I asked you to help me out yesterday and you told me no," she said while giving him a cross look. "Their paying," he replied plainly with a mischievous grin. "I'm your mother. That's payment enough," she retorted as she flung a piece of bacon at her son, whom by now was finishing up his meal with astonishing speed. He responded in kind by catching the bacon with his mouth and stood up from the table. "With a son like you who needs a dog," she said with a grin. "Hilarious, mother, as usual your words cut deep. Old age has turned you into such cold old hag," he said with a grin of his own. Lady Claudia stood up abruptly as if to approach her son, but before she could even stand up fully her son was gone. Leaving only his unwashed dish in his place.

Back in his room, the young hyuuga put on his casual training attire, a white muscle shirt tucked into black jogging pants and laceless running shoes. It was still quite early in the morning judging from the dark skies, though the moon had all but made its descent. He began his routine stretching of his body, to prepare for his daily run around the village. It wasn't until he finished that he noticed he was no longer alone in his room. The second he noticed the intruder, the hyuuga reacted with speed and precision as he attempted to strike out at said intruder. The result was a collision of fists as the intruder revealed himself to be one of the Kazekage's messengers. "Good to see your the same old lunatic, Sabure," the messenger stated as he rubbed his own fist, "Like hitting a damn boulder." "Your interrupting my work out, Bird, what do you want," Sabure stated. "More orders. Looks like your day has been planned for you," he said dropping off more scrolls, aside from the one he already had in regards to the hospital assistance job. "Fine, I will get to it when I finish my run. You can let yourself out, no?" That said, Sabure walked out his room and out the door of his apartment. Locking the door behind himself, he took a few deep breathes before taking off. However before he was more than a few meters away from his door, the messenger appeared again. "Forgot about this one....what's with that look," he said as he handed Sabure a scroll which was swiftly snatched out his hand while he gave the messenger an extremely annoying look. He said nothing, but instead ran faster as to put some distance between the messenger and himself; slowing his pace only after doing so.

Sunagakure was still very inactive aside from the few shop owners and early morning shift workers. Sabure was familiar with the faces, not so much the names since he rarely stopped to chat. Still he was greeted with a wave or nod as he made his run around the village. Sabure liked that the most. In his past he was often ridiculed for having a foreign mother, but that past died when the two left Konohagakure. Sunagakure had been more welcoming to the mother and son, a debt that Sabure knew he could never repay. It was only right that he offered his assistance to the village while maintaining his father's ideals and will. The thought made Sabure pick up his pace again until he made it to the first and only rest stop. By running up the tallest tower to the very top, he was met by a rather marvelous view. The sun was just beginning to rise on the land, its light creating an orange hue across the sky. Sunrise was always beautiful, "Highlight of my day," he said as his moon-like eyes gazed upon one of the world's many wonders. He lingered only a few moments longer before he was ready to finish his run. He leapt from the building, allowing the wind to rush passed him before adjusting his fall so that he would up running down the wall once he was halfway down. As soon as he reached the ground, unfortunately, he was met by the most unlikely of creatures. "A fucking tiger," he said astonished as he evaded, dropping the messenger's scroll in the process, a clawed pounce attack. Not breaking his flow from evading, Sabure countered with a swift palm to the side of the tiger's head while it was still in flight. The animal crumbled to the ground, unconscious from Sabure's strike, and picked up the scroll. "Lucky me, this little guy is the mission," he said as he hoisted up the tiger on his back and took a detour from his normal running route. Once he arrived to his destination, Lady Kimiko's home, Sabure dropped the tiger at her front door. "What's wrong with him," she cried as she rushed to the now drowsy tiger. "He hit a wall. I suggest you do better with keeping this animal in check, Lady Kimiko, least it has another run in with a wall." Sabure could tell the lady wasn't listening, so engrossed in the tiger's well being. Rather than press the issue further, Sabure went on with his run.

By the time he made it home, most of Sunagakure was just waking up to start their day. As he made his way to the shower, he left a trail of his clothing along the way. Almost immediately upon entering the shower, his mother began shouting about his little trail. It was the typical "I'm not your maid stuff" that Sabure only half heard. As if she knew she was being ignored she turn off the cold water which immediately forced Sabure out the shower, "You've lost your mind, you crazy old bat," he shouted as he swung open the bathroom door. He was met with a face full of sweaty clothes, courtesy of his mother. Her response was a amused giggle as she turned to grab her purse to leave, "Find me when you get to the hospital, Bas," she stated before leaving the 1 story house. "As if," he muttered as he went to his room and prepared for his day. Putting on his typical shinobi attire, Sabure took a look at the scrolls left by the messenger. There had been five in total, though with the accidental completion of one during his run, that left only four. The messenger had not lied when he said that Sabure's day was already planned for him. None of them were even challenging, though Sabure would still see them done. He made a mental note to address the Kazekage about this another day, he needed a challenge if was to test his limits properly. Grabbing his bow and tying his arrows around him with a single strap, the quiver slung across his back. He slid the scrolls inside the pockets in his sleeve, though he kept the first mission he intended to do in hand. Fully prepared and ready, Sabure made the exit from his home and made for his first destination.

It didn't take long for him to arrive at Elder Risa's humble abode. "Lady Risa, good morning to you," Sabure greeted. Lady Risa stood in front of her home with a over packed wheelbarrow filled with gardening tools and materials. "Good morning, child. I assume you are here to help me," she inquired. Sabure nodded as he approached the wheelbarrow and inspected it. "Your gonna need to pull that with us. Hope those muscles aren't for show," she said with a chuckle. "I will try to manage, Lady Risa," Sabure retorted as he grabbed the handles and began to pull it on down the road, following Lady Risa. The location they found for the garden was rather large, but covered with litter and a group of boys that seemed to had made the location their own. "Pardon while I give out a few eviction notice, my lady," Sabure said as he set down his burden and approached the group of five. Lady Risa didn't bother responded, though the expression on her face showed signs of intrigue. As he approached, Sabure cracked his knuckles so that the boys could see, "I have but one question, fellas. Is this your mess?" The group burst into laughter as they approached Sabure, moving to surround him. "If it is, its our problem. Piss off, pretty boy," one replied as he flipped off Sabure. "You have one warning. Clean up this mess or I will kick all of your asses to the moon," Sabure said as he got into a stance that had been past down to all Hyuuga. His words served as a trigger as the boys all charged at once.

The first, the assumed leader, was the first to throw a punch aimed for Sabure's face. Seeing the attack coming, Sabure side-stepped to the left at the last moment, swatted the leader's downward simultaneously making him stumble forward. A swift left knee met the leader in the nose as Sabure finished his counter. Just as the knee landed, a second boy rushed in to help from Sabure's immediate left. Maintaining momentum, directly after the knee landed, Sabure shifted his weight so that he struck the second boy's kneecap with side kick; instantly dislocating the knee and sending the boy to ground. Seeing their friends get taken down so easily, the remaining three showed signs of hesitation. Seeing the hesitation only served to spur the Hyuuga on like a predator on its prey. He took a step toward the boys who responded in kind with a step back. "No. You will never progress in this life if you don't commit to your paths. I am a mere obstacle, stopping you from continuing down your wayward route. Don't cower now, show me the extent of your convictions," Sabure said as he once again returned to his stance. "That's quite enough, young man. I believe these boys get the point," the Risa said as she stepped toward the boys, placing a hand on the nearest one's shoulder, "Take those two to the hospital and do be quick about it." The remaining three boys were eager to comply with the Elder's demands. Sabure watched the boys scurry away with their injured friends, "Imperius Rex," he stated as they neared him. Once the boys were gone, Risa switched her attention to Sabure who was already moving toward the wheelbarrow. "You went to far, young one," she said plainly. "Perhaps," he replied as he pulled the wheelbarrow closer, "However, that was also a task set to me by the Kazekage. Resolve the littering issue and, from what I can tell, its resolved." "Having tact also gets the job done," Risa explained. "As you say, Lady Risa."

The task of cleaning the area and assisting with the garden had taken up the rest of the morning and half the afternoon. Tedious as it was, the mission was hardly difficult and without fools to educate, it was rather lack luster. After the job was done, Sabure escorted Lady Risa back to her home and moved on to his next task. Having already found the tiger, cleaned up as much as he could, educated the culprits, and assisted with the garden's ground work set up; Sabure was ready to move on to the next mission. By the time he arrived to the hospital, fatigue was just starting to set in. Hidden behind his stoic expression, few could hardly tell such a thing however. He entered in the building and stepped into chaos. Nurses and Doctors rushed here and there with hopes to accommodate all the injured and sickly. "Sebastian," a familiar voice shouted over the roar of the room. Following the source he found his mother, not a difficult task based on the fact she was the only foreigner in the room. He navigated around the room and met up with his mother whom was stepping from behind the desk. "Your late, Bas," she said handing him a uniform and a nurse hat. "No," he said handing it all back. "It's a requirement to work in a medical facility, son. Now put it on." Reluctant still, Sabure complied though he still refused the hat. "So what exactly do I need to do," he asked, looking around. "We just got two kids that came in a little earlier. Help me tend to them first, before we move on to the rest," she explained as she began heading towards the two injured boy's shared room. Upon arrival, Sabure immediately recognized the two injured boy's as the ones he had fought earlier. "We meet again," he said as he approached the supposed leader of the bunch. "Come to finish the job, ninja," the leader asked, his nose still very much broken and bloody. "No, that mission is complete and I assume you learned from your mistake," Sabure stated plainly as he grabbed some bandages and awaited further instructions from Lady Claudia. "Creating mischief again, Bas," she asked as she reached into a nearby bucket of freshly clean water and revealed a white rag. "Only when its asked of me. These guys asked for it," he said plainly as he watched his mother clean the dried blood and dirt from the young leader's face. He groaned in pain with each touch until the task was done. His mother then took the bandages and properly dressed the injury before bothering to respond, "It doesn't look good for us to be harming villagers, Bas. Your smart enough to handle this bunch without this degree of injury." Sabure didn't respond, though he nodded to show he understood. It was always hard to tell when his mother was serious most times, in this case however, it was quite obvious; a snide remark would only result in a pointless argument followed by a slap to the face. "As you say, Lady Claudia," he finally said, his own sign of showing he seriously understood.

By the time the mission at the hospital was completed, it was night already. Bidding farewell to his mother, who was staying for a few more hours, Sabure made his way to his last destination. He arrived at the entrance to the village, the signs of fatigue now starting to show, despite Sabure calm facade. "Sabure Hyuuga, reporting for patrols," he stated to the apparent shinobi in charge. "Ah, the changing of the guard. Right on time," the shinobi stated as he stretched and cracked his back, "Stay alert on your patrol tonight, Sabure, we have an escaped criminal on the loose and he will be looking for any signs of an opening to exploit." "Noted," Sabure replied as he took up his position. The first half of his shift was relatively quiet, aside from a few drunks and late night delivery men, which was more than fine with Sabure. Given the day he'd had, the patrol was a welcome respite from dealing with a garden and a chaotic hospital. Just then another delivery man arrived at the gate, documents already in hand to be inspected. The other guards had went on a quick break, Sabure himself stayed behind to cover for them. "Evening," the delivery guy stated, handing out a scroll but keeping his head low. Sabure graciously took the scroll and opened it to inspect its authenticity. No sooner had he done so a bright light came from the scroll, blinding Sabure immediately. He was then struck in the chest with enough force to send him reeling backwards. The delivery man scoffed, "Leaving amateurs to protect the gate. Sunagakure has become way to lax," he stated as he discarded his disguise to reveal himself as the escaped prisoner. Wasting no time, the convict quickly began his escape toward the desert. Fatigued and disoriented as he was, Sabure scrambled to his feet and immediately gave chase; with his bow in hand.

The pursuit took them deeper into the desert of Sunagakure, but Sabure was still relentless. With only the moon to illuminate the night, the young Hyuuga had fallen back on his sensory skills to keep track of his target. The chase lasted until a sand storm began to kick up, only then did the convict stop to face his pursuer. "You don't give up, do you kid," he said with a laugh. Sabure said nothing as the sand storm raged around the two. "Your a fool if you think you can take me alone, boy. I've taken out the likes of you before you were even out of diapers." Sabure tucked away his bow behind his back and slowly approached his target. "By order of the Kazekage, you are hereby placed under arrest. Resist if you must. I'd honestly preferred you did," Sabure finally said. Immediately he activated his legacy, the Byakugan, and charged at his target. The convict met the charge with by kicking a nearby rock at Sabure, who countered by repelling the with a roundhouse kick; sending it back at the convict's head, effectively landing. The single hit left Sabure with a opening to exploit and he capitalized on it by striking the convict in first his throat, chest, then stomach; all in sequence. The convict fell to his knees, blood spurting from his mouth, while Sabure delivery a final knock out blow to the convict's jaw. "There are none like me, prisoner," he stated as the man fell unconscious to the ground.

Sabure bound the convicts hands and feet with torn pieces of his the convict's clothing and then proceeded to carry the convict. Having never let down his sensory, Sabure knew the rest of the patrol would find him easily enough; so he didn't rush the return back to the village, only to ensure that the convict was escorted without mishap. Suddenly he could hear chuckling coming from the convict. At first Sabure ignored it, believing it to be nothing more than an attempt to get attention from him. However, with his Byakugan, Sabure soon knew just what the convict found so funny. Sabure had heard about reports of a rather large scorpion spotted this far out into the desert, but he assumed it was nothing more than ghost stories. He'd intentionally avoided the mission to investigate and now it seemed the mission had found a way into his lap anyway. He tossed down the convict, face first into the sand the gave him another swift kick to knock him out once more. He then turned to address the new obstacle in his path, the 9ft scorpion that plagued the deserts of Sunagakure. "Nothing living can stop me, not even a creature such as you," he said as he took his stance with his Byakugan still very much active. The scorpion screeched loudly as it burrowed in the ground to begin its assault. Sabure, however, didn't lose track of his new prey for even a single moment.

First came the tail of the scorpion, bursting forth from directly from under Sabure. In a split second reaction to this, Sabure side stepped the attack with just enough room that the tail was only a mere few inches away from him. Sabure struck the creature's exposed tail with enough force to that could shatter a boulder. The creature hardly flinched as it's tail shot back in the sand only to reveal two giant claws as a replacement. Sabure flipped backwards just narrowly dodging the claws as he drew his bow and prepared an arrow. As if the scorpion read his mind, it revealed its entire body and thrust it's tail once again, this time grazing Sabure's stomach; much to his dismay. However, taking advantage of the opening the scorpion's attack left, Sabure fired an arrow into the screaming mouth of the scorpion. The creature reeled back from the shot and flailed a bit as Sabure landed, albeit on shaky legs. Continuing his assault, Sabure fired another shot into the creatures mouth putting an end to the flailing.

Dead tired and now poisoned, Sabure struggled to remain on his feet as he tried in vain to hoist up the convict. "Quite a damn situation," Sabure said with a grin as he looked up into the night sky. He sat down, his back resting on the body of the giant dead scorpion watching the unconscious convict. He fought the desire to sleep as he focused as much as he could to keep his sensory active, hoping that he would be found. He was aware that he'd die if he fell asleep and to ensure that his mission was accomplished, the need to stay awake soon became the last mission he had left. He lost track of time completely as he sat, his eyes still on the unconscious convict. The young Hyuuga wondered just what he could do if the man awoke. His bindings were cloth and could be broken with some effort. With the poison kicking in and his own fatigue wearing him down, Sabure wondered how he would get out of this alive. Suddenly, he could hear movement heading his way. The sandstorm made it difficult to see and he was to tired to use his byakugan again. He could only manage to stand, if the convict had friends then Sabure would meet them standing. To his relief, it was the patrol unit that had went on break. "T-took...you.....long..enou....," Sabure managed to say before blacking out.

He awoke to a familiar face, smiling at him though her eyes showed remnants of tears. "All that for me," he managed to say, though his voice was raspy. "Ofcourse not, I missed my favorite show. It's rather heartbreaking," Lady Claudia said with a warm smile before kissing her son's forehead. "My condolences," he said with a slight chuckle though it hurt to do even that. "How long," he asked, knowing his mother would catch the intent of the question. "Not very long, a day in fact. They say the poison is out your system, lucky for you that it only grazed you. Your expected to recover in a few days," she explained as she replaced his bandages. Sabure looked to assess the damage, the cut had turned the skin around it purple. "Fuck," he said, both from the pain and embarrassment. "Language, Bas," Lady Claudia replied as she placed a clean bandage on. "So the convict and scorpion," he asked, hoping all his efforts weren't in vain. "The convict was taken back to prison and the scorpion has been brought back to be tested for future vaccines. You've made quite an impression for a genin. To handle so much on your own, your father would be proud." Sabure's body stiffened at the mention of his father, a subject he rarely spoke on. Sensing the reaction, Lady Claudia placed a hand on her son's head, "I will return later, rest up Bas." Sabure nodded and watched her leave the room.

He had only just shut his eyes before he could hear someone entering his room. He opened only his right eye and saw it was the messenger again. "Of course it's you, why wouldn't it be," Sabure stated as he sat up, the effort being a struggle in and of itself. "No need to sit up, Sabure," the messenger said, though ultimately was ignored. He may be injured, but Sabure had his pridevstill very much intact. "Very well, then. I bring word from the Kazekage. For your deeds in actually completing more than your required missions you have earned the honor of being a member of the Kazekage's own squad. Once you have recovered you will report to the Kazekage for further instructions," the messenger said as he handed Sabure the scroll, "Also, heres your payment for the missions. You've done well, Sabure Hyuuga. I'm curious to see where you will go from here." "My thanks for the good news, at least something good came out of this," Sabure replied with smirk as he took the scroll and payment. "Your life, I'm sure, more than qualifies as a good," the messenger said before turning away, "Speedy recovery to you, Sabure Hyuuga." With that said, the messenger turned and left the room. Sabure once again sat back on his bed, going over the events of yesterday in his head. There was still much room for improvement, but at least none can say he left his job half done. None could question his ability to follow through and face his path with courage and determination.

"I won't disgrace your legacy father. I will become the greatest shinobi, no the greatest man to ever walk this earth. That is the path I have chosen to walk. Come what may, I will not be stopped. Then I will come save you from your prison and establish the Hyuuga as the most dominant clan in the land. Just give me more time, father," he thought as sleep finally took him. A serene smile on his as he did so.