Quintessence

A Chouji X Hinata Fanfiction

Hey all! Tankou001 here with a new fic! This fic is the sequel to Pulchritudinous, my previous ChouNata fanfiction! I had to think on the name a bit, but Quintessence seems only fitting! I hope you like it. Mind you the fic is only taking place about a month after Pulchritudinous' final chapter so Chouji, and Hinata are not yet married. They are simply a couple in the Village of Konoha. Both still have their teams still.

I opted to make all of the chapters in this fic have the same general name rules as in Pulchritudinous. That said all of the chapters will either have alliteration, or rhyming names.

So without further ado, and with complete, and total abandon I give you all the first chapter of Quintessence!

Enjoy!

Chapter One: Practice for Perfection.

Several captains stepped into a large room. In the room waited a tall blonde woman with a vast décolletage, and an air about her that told everyone that she was to be obeyed. All of the rookie captains in the room stood in front, the woman speaking out loudly to them. "Rookie captains, step up. If you wish to enroll any of your students in the Chuunin exams please make it known."

Akimichi Chouji, a large man in maroon, and half plate armor, chain mail underneath it, stepped up. "I, Akimichi Chouji wish to register Hatake Anka, Hyuuga Hizano, and Ibana Maya for the Chuunin Exams."

Hyuuga Hinata was next to step up, speaking clearly. "I, Hyuuga Hinata wish to register Nagamori Kyogi, Hazumi Ty Dao, and Utagau Temano for the Chuunin Exams."

Finally Sai stepped forward, a smile upon his face. "I, Shizuka Sai, wish to register Nara Shikani, Nara Shikana, and lastly, Sarutobi Asame for the Chuunin Exams."

Tsunade, the blonde woman, looked at the three, and nodded. "So be it! These three teams will be registered for the Chuunin Exams if they so wish it."

All three spoke out "Yes Sir." and left the room. Chouji, Sai, and Hinata all walked through the halls for a bit, Chouji the first to speak up. "So Sai-kun, Hinata, do you think your students will be able to do it?"

Hinata hesitated for a moment so Sai was the first to answer. "I feel my team is ready for the Chuunin Exam. Whether or not they succeed has yet to be seen. I am, however, looking forward to seeing them try their best."

Hinata finally found the courage to speak up after Sai. "I believe my team is good enough to advance. Kyogi-kun is a bit cocky, and Ty Dao-chan a bit hasty. They may have some troubles, but I am at least sure Temano-kun will be able to advance quickly. What do you think about your team, Chouji?"

Chouji brought his hand behind his had nervously. "Personally I put all of them up for registry to be bold. I do believe they have what it takes to get through the first two rounds. I a sure the preliminaries, and the written test will be easy on them. Still I a not sure about the semi finals, and the finals. I have a plan for Hizano-kun, however. Maya-chan has been sowing exemplary talent, and Anka-chan has always been a valuable combatant. She will prove to be good at least into the finals. I can only hope that my whole team does their best, and makes it as far as possible"

Sai and Hinata both nodded, and Sai stopped for a bit. "This is where I must part, friends. I look forward to seeing you soon at the Chuunin Exams. Still I must train my team as much as I can before the week is up."

Chouji, and Hinata waved to Sai, and continued their walking. "So what plans do you have for Hizano-kun, Chouji?"

Chouji chuckled. "It's a secret. You'll figure it out. Also have you decided the furs for our wedding? It's less than a month away."

Hinata blushed, and shook her head. "I have been making plans as to where my team would go while we are gone. I spoke with Tsunade-sama, and she had agreed to make sure our month away would be during the month's training for the Chuunin Exams. I have had to make sure that My students all have senseis for that time while we are gone."

Chouji nodded. Hinata had truly come a long way. Se no longer stuttered, and only hesitated, or tripped over her words a bit even in mixed company. She was a long way away from a perfect speaker, but she was certainly closing on a good public one. "I have already planned on where my rookies are going to go. Anka-chan is going to train under Kakashi-senpai. I decided it would be best for her that way since Kakashi-senpai would be someone who would train her well, and also be openly accepted. Maya-chan is going to be assigned to Tenten-chan. Since both are primary weapons users I decided it would be a fair pairing. As I said before Hizano's teacher is a secret for now. Who do you have as teachers?"

Hinata smiled. "Kyogi-kun is going to train with Itachi-kun. Since the two both have doujutsu Itachi agreed to train him for the month, and teach him how to hone his skills. Ty Dao-chan is training with Lee-kun. They run at similar speeds so I think it will be good. Temano-kun is training with Shikamaru-kun."

Chouji looked at Hinata skeptically. "What about Tenzou-senpai? They are father, and son after all. Besides, don't you think Shikamaru's laziness may rub off on him?"

Both Hinata and Chouji laughed at this, but Hinata shook her head. "Shikamaru-kun offered. I decided to separate Tenzou-senpai, and Temano-kun because I thought the two ma mesh too well... They would be caught in family more than training, and Temano could fall behind."

Chouji nodded, understanding this well. "Who do you think Sai is putting his students with? I would assume one of them will be with him of course. My bet is on Asame, but he could be passing her off to Kurenai-senpai to save trouble. Still It will be difficult to split up Shikana-chan, and Shikani-chan since they work together so much."

Hinata shrugged. "I better go tell my team what is to happen. You should do so as well. I'll see you tonight, Chouji." Hinata waved goodbye, and flashed off into nothing leaving the Akimichi behind.

Chouji smiled, and looked up at the overcast skies. Konoha was temperate so it didn't get too much snow save for in the higher elevations. Still Chouji knew that he would be in the frozen mountains soon enough. It was only a couple of weeks until The Chuunin Exams started. At that point all of the eligible teams that were registered would travel out to do their tasks, and try to become chuunin. Chouji raced off to call a meeting in his crew, stopping at the hot springs where Maya lived first. Next he picked up Anka at Kakashi's home, and finally Hizano at the Hyuuga compound which had gone under some renovation since a month before after the attempted uprising by Hyuuga Hiashi.

Due to the fact that Hiashi wanted the village as undamaged as possible when he took it over most of the buildings had been left rather untouched. Doors, and windows had been broken, but aside from that it was all an easy fix. As Maya, and Anka made idle chit-chat Chouji went into the Hyuuga compound, meeting Neji training Hizano in the training yard. "I suppose I am not a good enough teacher, then?"

Neji, and Hizano turned in an instant, both bowing to Chouji. "Forgive me Chouji-sama. I was attempting to help Hizano-kun wield his byakugan." Neji stammered. He had been calling Chouji by "sama" ever since a month before after Chouji stopped the attack. All Hyuuga were calling Chouji alike save for Hizano who, of course, addressed Chouji as Sensei.

Still the Akimichi waved a hand, and shook his head. "It was a joke, Neji-kun. And don't call me sama. I just did what was right. Just address me as usual. Now, Hizano, you are coming with me. I have news for the whole team. Anka-chan, and Maya-chan are at the front." Hizano nodded, and followed Chouji, bidding Neji goodbye. The four traveled a ways through Konoha, and finally reached Konoha park, Chouji turning to his team, and giving them all one envelope each. All of the three looked at the envelopes, and then to Chouji, but the Akimichi smiled wide. "You three are going to the Chuunin exams.

Aka gasped, Maya squeaked with joy, and Hizano's eyes went wide. None of the genin seemed to have see such a thing coming. Hizano was the first to speak up, recovering from the surprise early. "Are you sure we are ready, Chouji-sensei?"

Chouji made a look of thought. "Well I don't know. Do you think you are ready, or should I take all of this back?" All three students shook their heads, crying out how they would be fine, and all of the other requests for staying registered to the Chuunin Exams. Chouji smirked. "Well in that case we all have some serious training to do. Let's get to work. Lets go, I have the perfect area in the forest for you all." The group all followed Chouji to the forests outside of Konoha and when they arrived near an hour later they stopped, Chouji looking at his team. "From now on this will be more than just any mission. This is the real deal here guys. If you pass this exam you will be Chuunin. That's the next level to Jounin which I am." All three nodded with attention. Chouji pointed to Anka, the white haired girl jumping in place a bit. "Anka-chan! Want you to practice over there at those boulders. Your task is to work on your lightning jutsu. I want you to break them all. Don't use Chidori, though. Use something different, something less powerful. I can't have you using Chidori three times, and then passing out on me. This training is not to perfect your Chidori, it's to strengthen your other lightning jutsu."

Chouji turned to Maya next. "Maya-chan. I want you on target practice. Climb the trees, and find targets. I'll have one of my little friends set them along the forest ground. Your goal is to slip through the branches, and hit the targets without being caught. When all of the targets are gone he will call out, and set new ones in harder locations." Maya smiled, and climbed up the nearest tree. Chouji bit into the butt of his palm, and slammed it on the ground a medium sized polar bear poofing into reality next to him. "Tadao-kun, I want you to set up targets for my student on the ground. If you see her call her out, and make her start over again. When she is done with all of them set up harder ones." The bear nodded, and loped away. Chouji finally turned to Hizano. "I have some special training for you, Hizano-kun. Come with me."

Hizano nodded hesitantly, and followed Chouji. When the two reached a clearing Chouji looked around, and smiled at Hizano. He started a great kata, similar to his previous ones that he had shown a month before. The whole area was soon covered in ice, the very air chilling into snow. When Chouji stopped he took his shirt off. "Hizano-kun, take off your shirt. This is training for later. I am going to teach you the practice kata for my techniques, The Polar Katas. Normally only the Polar King would be allowed to teach you this, but I have gotten his permission since you will only have so long later on." Hizano looked quizzically at Chouji. The Akimichi shook his head, and waved a hand. "Never mind that. Just take your shirt off. We have to train your endurance."

Hizano nodded, and took off his shirt, a well sculpted torso under it, though admittedly it was still the body of a child. Chouji nodded. "Alright. The first thing we have to learn is the Practice Kata, and it's purpose. Listen well. The Polar Katas are a technique passed down through the polar bears. I have become aware that not only is your uninhibited chakra very potent, but also incredibly vast in quantity. Still these katas don't use your own chakra. I will teach you how to gather, and harness polar energies. These energies are the energies that float about the world, and through our own bodies, unknown, and unusable without specific training. You will stir them into action, and activate th polar winds that your body has the potential to harness." Hizano could only nod, trying to take in everything he could. Still the young Hyuuga couldn't help but shiver a bit. Chouji raised is hand. "Try not to shiver. Remember that if you master these katas as I have you will not shiver from the cold, but instead be strengthened by it. All of the cold in the world will not cause you to hesitate. In fact, you will become more welcome in a freezing wasteland than any other setting."

Hizano's eyes went wide, and Chouji smiled. "Are you ready, Hizano-kun?" Hizano only nodded, his face covered in determination. "Good. Let us begin. First move with me. Move as I do. Try to focus on the world around you, and the frozen ice with which you step on. Everything around you is a potential battery with which to extract energy from. Work to tap into that battery, and draw from it the power to enhance your ow body." Chouji began his kata, and Hizano mirrored his movements. The two circled about for a bit, Chouji's body soon beginning to become coated with frost.

Hizano looked at his teacher as he moved about. How was he doing such a thing? Hizano felt cold as it was, but Chouji was becoming coated in ice as he moved, little shards of frozen water breaking off of the Akimichi as he moved about. Was it Chouji's sweat that was freezing? No, Chouji wasn't sweating. The moisture in the air around him was clinging to his skin, and freezing. Hizano tried as hard as he could to focus on the air, and earth around him, on the frozen ground that he moved over. Still nothing would help. The Hyuuga genin simply felt cold, and miserable. He felt that he would get a cold if he kept his shirt off any longer. Still he kept moving through the practice kata with Chouji, a process that seemed to be taking over an hour.

Finally Chouji stopped, and shook the ice from his body, acting as though it was a simple cool breeze in a summer's day that he was reveling in instead of a sheet of ice that coated his body. He looked at Hizano, and sighed. "I can see you are simply not getting it. I can understand that it is difficult. It took me a year to learn the first three katas. Still we don't have that sort of time. We will have to work in a harder focus." Hizano sighed, but Chouji placed a hand on him, Chouji's flesh strangely warm considering it had been covered in ice only seconds ago. "I am not surprised that you haven't advanced. Our clothes offer far too much insulation. Take your shoes, and socks off." Hizano looked at Chouji like he was crazy, but the Akimichi only spoke out in a firm voice. "This was your wish not mine. I never said that the polar katas would be easy. Normally I did these naked so you are at a disadvantage. Obviously we can't practice nude with your teammates so your shirt, and shoes will have to do for now."

Reluctantly Hizano removed his shoes, and socks as well, sighing, and shivering a bit in the cold. "I don't see how this will help me." He said.

Chouji chuckled. "How do you think I felt, Hizano-kun? I had to be nude standing on a glacier. You have to stand barefoot, and shirtless on a little patch of ice. Just try and think of that ice as chakra. Think of yourself as a sponge of sorts. Soak it all up, and multiply it within your own body." Hizano sighed, and nodded, and slowly the practice kata began again. Chouji had taken off his own shoes, and the two danced about in the kata for another hour or so it seemed. Chouji spoke up through his work. "When you find a comfort zone in your kata, where you think you have the simple movements down, keep it up, and simply concentrate on your surroundings. If you use your byakugan you may be able to see the energy around you. Catch that energy with your movements, and keep it on you. You are a magnet to it."

Hizano did as he was told. He activated his byakugan, and moved about continuously. With his byakugan activated the katas turned out significantly more easy. When he concentrated Hizano could actually see groups of bright color. He swept his arms through those zones, and felt chills run through his arms. Soon enough the air around him grew cold, and although he had no frost attaching to him as Chouji did he definitely felt colder, and yet strangely more comfortable. The cold existed. Hizano simply found some sort of way to ignore it. "You're doing I. Now keep that up. You want to regulate that energy as well. Take in too little, and you will get no power. Take in too much and you will end up a statue of ice."

Hizano audibly swallowed at this statement. He didn't want to turn into an ice statue. Still he kept it up, and soon enough he felt his body hardening to the ice. No longer did the cold bother him, and little flakes of snow were seen swirling around him into the air. He was doing it. Everything felt amazing, and nothing felt really cold to him. Still as Hizano just thought he was getting the hang of it Chouji hit Hizano with a hard swing, slamming him to the ground after a hard hit to the head. Hizano looked up at Chouji insulted that his teacher would catch him off guard. "What was that for Chouji-sensei?"

Chouji sighed. "I warned you of what may happen. You were starting to freeze solid. Didn't you notice the fact that you couldn't bend your arm, or flex your toes?" Hizano hesitated. He hadn't noticed. It was so hard to tell when his whole body was numb to the cold. He shook his head slowly. "You have to be careful, Hizano. I have seen the ice sculptures at Hyōga Sanmyaku. Those aren't art... Those are people who failed to master the polar katas, and paid for their mistakes by permanently being frozen solid. I won't let you end as one of the, Hizano-kun. Let's try again. We still have two more hours until the others are free from their training, and come to get us. Let's do it all from the beginning. I'll hit you if I need to. My hands can expel the polar energy from you if you gather too much."

Two hours, and about twelve beatings later Chouji, and Hizano were still working at the practice kata. Hizano had gone far in only the las few hours. His byakugan helped him detect the polar energies, and also helped to see how much energy he had collected so as not to overload himself, and receive yet another beating from his teacher. Every move he made gathered a bit more cold. His own arms were covered in frost, and ice, but the rest of his body remained free of openly noticeable cold. Chouji's body, of course, was piling on the ice, and frost, his shoulders holding piles of ice as tall as his head on occasion. Chouji ha explained that the excess ice, and frost was due to his body expelling the energy that he didn't need without forcing it violently out of his body. Chouji boasted a few times that at times he could pile ten pounds of ice, and frost on his shoulders, and head, collect frost in his hair, and collect icicles on his arms the length of this own torso if he practiced for a while.

Finally the two stopped Hizano's arms covered in frost, and all of Chouji covered in solid sheets of ice which he Akimichi quickly shook off. In the nearby trees stood Maya, and Anka watching as their teacher, and teammate finished their training. Chouji spotted them, and waved, the two standing with looks of sheer amazement on their faces. Hizano, and Chouji stepped up to them, Chouji's body steaming because he was naturally so warm as far as body temperature went. Hizano hurried to get his shirt back on, and put his socks, and shoes back onto his fee, though he found quickly that his socks had frozen, and he settled with just his sandals. "How did you do that!?!" Anka cried out.

Chouji smiled, and shook his head. "If you really want to know I think I would have to let you train under one of my teachers, and you would have to spend a while in a certain place that I am sure your wouldn't like. I know your dad wouldn't approve of it either. This is s secret between me, and Hizano-kun."

Maya was amazed, but didn't seem interested in really learning. "It look fun, but Maya fine not knowing."

Chouji smiled at this. It was all for the better anyway. He wasn't ready to teach nude girls how to do the practice kata. As it was he would be teaching Hizano soon enough how to use the polar katas nude. E wouldn't do such a thing with women, much less little girls. When he thought on it, actually, Chouji guessed on one woman that he would be happy to teach nude. That was a matter for home, however. "Let's get back to Konoha. It is getting late, and you three need your rest before the exams next week. We will be meeting tomorrow at the park at six in the morning. Hizano bring your lightest clothing. Anka, ask your father about his old tanto... I have already spoken to him about it. Bring the pieces. Maya, bring your spear as usual, and a length of cord that is strong enough to hold your weight." All three genin spoke out with a "Yes sir!" and within a few moments the team had split up. Chouji returning home with great speed. He had some plans for his beloved that night.

Meanwhile Hinata was working with her team, the team having started significantly later than Chouji's own team. Hinata was an expert at night training at least as far as she was concerned in training herself. She had an idea that she would be equally good teaching at night, and she was correct on this. Kyogi had already worked to the next level on his doujutsu. Hinata had centered his training not in violent explosions of heat rays from his eyes as most of Kyogi's traditional family history would have declared. Instead Hinata had read up on Kyogi's doujutsu. Taiyōmoerugan was a powerful doujutsu that could do great damage, but also held the potential fr many passive effects. One such effect was illumination, and Hinata had noted before that Kyogi's night vision was significantly lacking in comparison to his other skills. Kyogi, on many a mission, had complained that he couldn't see well in the dark, and to fix this Hinata was teaching him not how to use his eyes to destroy boulders, but instead to see in the darkest of nights.

Temano was more, or less, self sufficient. Since Hinata had no idea how Temano did what he did with his wood jutsu she told him to practice what he knew, and perfect it, a process that the genin was more than happy to take part in. Ty Dao had to have the most arduous training, however. Because Ty Dao's kekkei genkai was fever jutsu she had to do "fever training". Fever training consisted of quite literally making one's blood boil without dying. As such Ty Dao had constructed a fire pit, and brought with her in a storage scroll, a giant cauldron that was filled with water, and put atop the flame. Hinata, like with Temano, knew not how any of this worked, but would read into it. Ty Dao asked only that her teammates stuck the cauldron lip on after she got into the cauldron of boiling water, and that she would be fine, and knock three times when she was ready to be let out. Due to these conditions Temano stayed close to monitor the cauldron while he trained.

Kyogi stood with Hinata a ways away from Temano, and Ty Dao's training area, Kyogi stretching a bit. "Why do we have to do all o this at night Hinata-sensei? I understand this training is to help my night vision, but couldn't we do it with the option of turning on the lights?"

Hinata shook her head a bit. "We need to force your doujutsu to help you see, and to do that you need to know that there is nothing that you can do to make things brighter any other way. Just focus into the night. Find that power in your eyes, and use it, but burn bright, not hot. This shouldn't be too hard, but considering that your doujutsu is known most of the time as something that is made to destroy it could be difficult to adapt. Remember that your eyes are not weapons, they are tools. They can be used for you, or against your enemies."

Kyogi sighed, and nodded, not even noticing where Hinata was the whole time. In fact the Hyuuga woman had to guide the genin to the dark area of the forest so he didn't trip over things. Anywhere a few feet away from Ty Dao's fire Kyogi had trouble seeing in the dark. "You need to think of your eyes as lights, not flames. Try to get them to only shed illumination. After that we will work on lowering the open illumination, and working on keeping the light internal. If that happens then you will be able to use your eyes in the dark, but not alert anyone to your presence."

Kyogi focused, and instantly fired a blast of heat from his eyes, catching a nearby bush on fire. Hinata was quick to put it out with her water jutsu, however, and spoke up again. "It may be difficult to think that your eyes are not meant as weapons in this case, but try to see them as flashlights. Bright, not hot, Kyogi-kun."

Kyogi nodded, and tried again. This time heat was noticeable, but definitely not visible, or overly damaging. A bit of grass that Kyogi caught in his gaze withered, and died, but it was getting better. Still Taiyōgyōshigan with him weakening the heat so lessened the light. Hinata felt that different measures would be needed. She picked out a white rag from her bag, and waved it in the air. Even someone a night blind as Kyogi would be able to see it. "I want you to aim at this rag. I have plenty so burning them won't be too bad. I thought I would need this method for you anyway so I came prepared. When you fire your eye rays into something you can see just fine since the light is coming out as well as the heat. To work with all of that, and lessen the heat without lowering the light you will do it to white rags. Stress your eyes to see the rags and fire your eyes. Remember to gradually lower the temperature while you keep straining to look at the rag in full view, and keep it from looking dimmer."

Kyogi nodded, and outright incinerated the first rag, Hinata having to toss it from her hand to avoid being burnt from the shoulder down. Kyogi apologized, and continued. Gradually the heat was lowered, and the light began to stay after a few tries. Soon enough Kyogi was literally firing beams of light from his eyes but ha didn't accompany the bright white cones of light. Hinata smiled at this. "Good, Next we have to start working on compacting that light so it exists only in your eyes. According to your clan scrolls your eyes will look like bright orange balls of light after you master this, and aside from that no illumination should come from your eyes."

Kyogi nodded, smiling now that he could see. Still Hinata had prepared for this seemingly impossible task. "Now you may not be able to notice it, but I will be able to. Your eyes put off illumination, but you see as though it is a bright day, and will continue to even after your eyes compact that light into the main body of your eyes. To get past this complication we have to use a barrier that will force your eyes to adjust to a closer viewing target. The best idea for this would be genjutsu. Since your eyes will function in such a situation as they would with solid barriers I will be ale to tell you how close you are getting to total compaction. I will use a genjutsu on you. I want you to not resist it. Now as the illusory barrier gets closer I want you to force your eyes to adjust to a closer target.. After you have fully compacted the light to just your eyes I will cease using the genjutsu. I want you to force your eyes to stay focused at the same place as in the genjutsu. If this works they will forcefully adjust to constant darkness, and you will be done. This shouldn't take long at all since you have already managed to use only light. Now it is just a matter of regulating it. You are ninety percent of the way done."

Kyogi nodded, and Hinata started the genjutsu. Slowly Kyogi was forced to adjust his light to closer, and closer, finally his eyes glowing bright orange as the genjutsu was literally placing an illusory barrier an inch from Kyogi's eyes. When Hinata let the genjutsu go Kyogi tried hard to keep the light compact, but failed. Hinata encouraged him, assuring him that nobody got this sort of thing the first time. A few more hours went on, everybody doing their own training, and Kyogi gradually toning down his eye light. Eventually Kyogi finally managed to make his eyes stay compacted with light, and Hinata smiled. "Now you are ninety-nine percent done."

Kyogi frowned. "I thought I was all done! What else could I learn about this technique?"

Hinata hesitated a bit before answering. "You need to learn to turn them off, and on as they are now. You couldn't go out in the day with your eyes like this. You would be blinded by the concentrated light. The simple part is turning your eyes off. Just find that trigger, and turn it off. Same as making your eyes stop firing rays. After that you will need to turn them on again while still compacting the light in your eyes. I recommend you memorize the feeling that you have now, and replicate it when you turn your light back on." Kyogi seemed to understand, and nodded, his eyes stopped glowing, and them turned back on in a blast of fiery heat. Hinata dodged aside, and sweat dropped. "Maybe you should look away from people... for safety's sake. Try again." Kyogi tried again, and successfully did what he needed to do. The kid was a quick learner, and in a few minutes he had figured everything out.

Hinata congratulated him, and dismissed him. She stepped to Temano, and the cauldron that Ty Dao was in. Temano reported that she had not knocked three times, but to make sure that they knew she was okay she had knocked once several times at certain intervals. Just at that moment three steady knocks came from inside, and Temano used his wood jutsu to lift the massive cast iron lid off of the cauldron. The water was at a roiling boil, and Ty Dao didn't surface. A little air tube poked through the water, and Hinata peered in to see if Ty Dao was alright. In the water a very red, and somehow nude Ty Dao sat curled in a ball. The Hyuuga blushed wildly, and Ty Dao motioned around the cauldron in various side directions. Hinata assumed that she was motioning for the other boys on the team, and Hinata held a finger up quickly shooing the boys off to go home. Unsure why, but not wanting to question the boys left, and Hinata gave Ty Dao the thumbs up from above the cauldron top before stepping back, Ty Dao bursting forth in a splash of boiling water. He whole body was cherry red, and her clothes seemed to have simply deteriorated in the boiling water which explained why Ty Dao had come in all white. She more than likely didn't want the water to make the colors bleed out. "Are you alright, Ty Dao-chan?" Hinata asked.

Ty Dao looked down into the water that she still stood in, and pulled out a piece of mulch-like cloth. Her face mask seemed to be the only thing that had remained not only whole, but had color still in it, the deep purple mask having weathered the hot water perfectly. "I am fine, but my clothes aren't. I have a towel in my bag as well as some clothing. Could you get that for me, Hinata-sensei?"

Hinata rushed to get the towel, and clothing, making sure that nobody else was around to see her naked student. Ty Dao stepped out of the cauldron, and dried off. "I wish they would make sturdier clothing here. The silk that my village made was so much better, and could withstand any heat. My mask is made of that silk."

Hinata piped up at this. "Are you sure you should be boiling yourself... alive?"

Ty Dao nodded as she dried her hair out. "I m sure, Hinata-sensei. I did this a long time before I ever even became a ninja, or came to Konohagakure. The Hazumi family actually dips their children into a pot of boiling water the day of their birth. It readies us for the life ahead, and imbues us with the fever that is to escalate into becoming one with the heat. Some people may call it poor parenting, but it is a needed thing. Without that boiling water dip at birth we would not manifest our kekkei genkai. Actually this water was a bit chilly until I heated it up. My father actually bathed in steam pots. The water inside would grow so hot that it would all tun into condensed steam, and Father would simply sit on the red hot metal while the steam heated his body to super high temperatures. My highest temp is like that of an ice cube to what he could reach."

"So.. why do you do this?" Hinata asked.

Ty Dao giggled, her red body now starting to fade back to tan slowly, but surely. "It's all about speed. By sitting still in the hottest of places the Hazumi clan leaned to become one with the heat around them. The hotter we get the faster we can move. Lightning is super heated gas, and moves as fast as the speed of light naturally. Is is the single hottest thing that can be attained by ninja without the chance of transcendence. The goal of the Hazumi family, my family, is to attain what we call the speed of heat. It's the speed at which heat transfers from one place to another, from one object to the next. It is the single fastest thing in existence. It moves faster than thought, faster than sound, or even light itself. Only one in our family has ever attained such a speed, and he moved so fast that he simply ceased to be upon attaining the true speed of heat. We call this transcendence. I aim to transcend, and achieve the speed of heat. When that happens I will leave this earthly plane, and become a being of heat, and steam. I know it seems awfully self destructive to want to cease to exist as a human, but it is my ninja way. Don't want simply to die. If that was the case the I would have done it long ago. No... I plan on exploding into a mass of heat, and spreading throughout the cosmos faster than anything else. If I achieve that state I will be free of everything."

Hinata didn't quite understand but would be accepting nonetheless. She smiled, and helped Ty Dao with getting dressed, and cooling off. They soon headed home and split up, Hinata arriving at home to see Chouji sitting at the doorway smirking. "It's about time you got home. I have a surprise."

Hinata smiled, and nodded. Se knew what this surprise would relate to, and she knew it would be much longer a night than she had planned originally. She looked forward to every minute to come.

There ya g! That was the first chapter 1 Hope you liked it!

Shizuka is the last name Sai chose so he would be cool like the rest of us save for Tenten who also has no real last name XD

Hyōga Sanmyaku means Glacier Mountain Range. It is the ancestral home of the polar bears, and like the frog home, you can only find it if summoned there. They were there at the end of Pulchritudinous.

Taiyōmoerugan means Solar Flame Eye (Ya I know, really original, huh? XD) It's Kyogi's eyes.

Hazumi means Hot Spring.

So on so forth!

Hope you liked it all!

Yours,

Tankou001