One major difference between Shinobi and Samurai was their way of creating warriors.
Ninja tended to pluck the smartest children who showed the most talent and handed them a kunai, completely disregarding how young the unlucky kid may be. They were expected to kill so young.
Samurai didn't care about how smart or how much talent one displayed. If one wasn't of age they wouldn't even be graced with a glimpse of the sheath to a blade.
Most of the kids from Shinobi settlements didn't even have the mentality to do what their job description entailed and it showed when poor helpless genin froze on the battlefield. Even from before while she had been reading up on the leaf academy credentials, Byakuran didn't think letting just anyone apply was the right approach.
No screening process, no entrance exam, nothing. It was such a waste of time! Half of them dropped out before graduating and that was just wasting not only the teacher's time, but the Hokage's, the village's, and the more deserving. Training canon fodder only got one so far.
Honestly she respected Kumo, Suna, and Iwa way more than the leaf. At least those village's politics weren't completely shit and their Shinobi knew how to keep a leash on their people, weed out the fit from the unfit, and its advisers weren't crazy or backstabbers. At least not to the extent that Konoha's were.
Like really, deciding killing an entire clan because some of them were planning to rebel was just stupid. She was sure there were some Uchiha who weren't down for a betrayal of that level so why didn't they attempt to help those people out.
The Samurai had their own ways of telling the chafe from the wheat. But one wasn't allowed to go through the telling process unless they had proven that they are prepared to take that dedicating step, whether it was mentally, emotionally, or physically. Unlike with the academy, people didn't get to walk away once they've started.
If the person has proven themselves but then they fail the individualized test they had to wait a minimum of two years to try again. Sometimes even more depending on the situation. Unlike the ninja where the next test was a new opportunity, the Samurai recognized that change doesn't happen overnight. It takes time and effort, just jumping back into it without reflecting on what was done wrong or what needed to be improved was stupid. Naruto probably would have graduated earlier if he just took some time to observe, recollect, and not rush into things but whatever.
But Byakuran supposed it was a system that worked for them seeing as how they did have some strong front liners.
Byakuran thought she lucked in the reincarnation wheel because the life of a Samurai suited her the best. There was a discipline and structure to it that she sought, craved, and took to like a duck to water.
Which was why she was currently - read: attempting - to meditate. The goal her mother had given her was locate and concentrate on her chakra. Not to use or manipulate in anyway or even make it flicker, just to observe it.
It was harder than she thought it would be because the first few times she had fallen asleep much to her mother's amusement.
"Focused a little too much my little orchid?" The turquoise haired woman teased every time she found her dozing, one slim eyebrow raised in question as Byakuran ducked sheepishly.
This was her sixtieth attempt at submerging herself today. Her entire body twitched with the need to move but she was determined.
It wasn't that she had a short attention span or that it was hard. But rather how could she concentrated on her internal chakra while the external chakra pranced around on her senses?
At first she tried to ignore it but failed miserably when the pieces floating around tickled her face. Then she attempted to push them away but controlling chakra outside her body was much harder, almost felt as if she was stretching herself to the brink. She stopped after she had somehow fallen over and smacked her head really hard on the floor. The impact brought tears to her face.
Frustrated beyond belief Byakuran let out a growl of discontent which drew the attention of her mom.
"Is something troubling you?" Tatami inquired, delicate brow furrowed in concern.
Glancing towards her mother she shifted indecisively. Byakuran wanted to do this by herself without any assistance from anyone only if to prove a little independence, but she didn't know how to get around this at all. Swallowing her pride she spilled the beans.
"I can feel the chakra everywhere and it keeps bugging me."
Her mother froze, ice purple eyes zipped to meet hers and Byakuran flinched at the hard look.
"Did you try anything with this chakra?" Tatami snapped out.
She frantically shook her head.
"Uh-um I tried to push it away but ah, it felt like stretching and I f-fell so I stopped." Byakuran stammered feeling suddenly guilty for messing around with the foreign entity.
Her mother's shoulders relaxed and she sighed.
"Don't ever mess with that chakra until you receive training from a special sort of teacher." She explained, beckoning her daughter closer.
"Okay but why?" Byakuran asked, settling in her mother's lap.
"It is not an easy chakra to mold. It's different from the energy in our coils because it is completely natural to the earth." Her mother said, running one hand through her hair.
"Does it have a name?"
Tatami hummed. "I believe it's called Sen Chakra."
Byakuran immediately froze, mind flashing back to the frog summit, the statues, and most importantly to sage mode. She could have been turned into a freaking frog.
Her mother took notice of her tenseness and asked her what was wrong.
Thinking quick Byakuran pulled an excuse out of her rectum. "Will I never be able to use normal chakra?"
The blue haired woman laughed gaily. "Of course you will be able to, I'll help you get started. But first explain to me what happens."
And so she did, she told about how there seems to be a block and how it's hard to concrete on herself.
Nodding to herself Tatami seemed to have come to a solution which made the white haired girl visibly perk up.
Placing Byakuran parallel to her she held out one hand that glowed blue.
"This is one of my chakras. Do you know how I made it?"
She nodded, entranced with the glowing appendage. "By combining your energies."
"Very good, but which energies?"
"Physical and mental."
Tatami reached out her hand and held it to the crown if her head.
"Inside of you there is more than just your yin and yang chakra. Every person has seven bases which can also be defined as the gates." Tatami explained, "This one here is called the Sahasrara or 'the crown', it represents knowing and consciousness."
Byakuran nodded as her mother moved her hand to her brow.
"This one here is called the Anja or 'third eye', it represents intuition and psychic prowess. Hone this and you will be a force to be reckoned with."
Moving down to her neck Tatami pressed her chakra covered hand close. "Next is the Visuddha or 'throat', this represents relationships and the right to speak. This chakra is particularly strong in you."
Byakuran grinned, so she had been raised on the freedom of speech, sue her.
"After the Visuddha comes the Anahata or 'the heart', this stands for love, compassion, and forgiveness something I wish for you to keep always." Tapping a palm to her chest, she moved down to her stomach.
"This one is the Manipura or 'sacral center, this is for empowerment and personality. Important as all the others maybe even more so because it is the core of your being."
"Svadisthana is after. It means 'spleen' and represents the right to feel. Emotions are a gift, treat them well." Her mother placed her hand on her abdomen before moving her hand to her tailbone.
"And lastly the Muladhara or 'the root', this is where the need for survival originates from. It represents the right to live and though it is powerful, survival sometimes it not the most important thing."
Moving away Tatami smiled at Byakuran.
"Now that's out of the way how do you feel?"
A bit perturbed at the quick change of subject, Byakuran looked down and shrugged.
"I meant your chakra my little orchid, is it easier to find?"
Closing her eyes she searched deep within herself like she had for the past weeks and nearly jumped with joy when she detected a little spark.
"YOSH! I CAN FEEL IT!" Byakuran shouted before throwing herself at her mother, who caught her easily.
"How did you do it? It was so hard before!"
Her mother smiled. "When you told me your symptoms it seemed that you had a blockage somewhere in your network. I simply searched and got rid of it."
"Wow, so you're like a chakra superhero or something?"
Tatami chuckled. "I'm your chakra superhero."
Rising to a stand her mother beckoned her to follow.
"Come, I'll show you some chakra exercises before you go back to meditating."
"Wait! Kaa-chan! Before we did the gate thingies you said 'one" of your chakras!" Byakuran called, feeling undeniably curious. "You have another?"
Tatami smiled mysteriously. "It's a clan secret I'll let you in on when I feel you are ready."
Great, now she was getting Uchiha-esque on her. Way to set an example mom.
"Now hurry, don't think asking questions will get you out of meditating."
Byakuran groaned, at least it would be easier this time.
Edit: 1/23/16
I'm rewriting the chapters to this story. So every chapter should be back up by monday.