AN: There are three other fics completed in this arc. Rashi is about ten years old here and is a genin. A few more kids get introduced, including both Uchiha siblings. The chapter is mostly about the kids until the end when Neji enters the scene. Just to note: Rashi isn't really as arrogant and a prick as he makes himself out to be (and note he is only like that around Uchiha), although his cynical nature and sarcasm is definitely genuine (which is because of the events in Prodigy for those curious).

Water Walking

"You just focus a bit of your chakra to your feet, like this." Hyuuga Rashi explained to the black haired girl below him "If you put too much into it you'll damage your perch and will probably fall depending on your angle. Too little and nothing will happen."

Hanging upside down on a thick tree branch, white eyes drift over to the girl on the ground sitting with her legs crossed and notebook in hand. She is writing down the boy's words enthusiastically, and the small blush on the boy's face isn't all because he is hanging upside down.

Finished, her bright green eyes look up at him in admiration "You really are amazing Rashi-kun!" she says cheerfully "Although mother has excellent chakra control it would seem that I have not inherited that trait from her." The girl sighs, her expression downcast "It is taking me days what it took my mother minutes to accomplish."

"Uh…" the boy looks slightly nervous "I'm not really…all that great Nadeshiko. Besides, everyone has their weak points. Your taijutsu is amazing so…don't be so hard on yourself." he scratched the back of his head, moving his gaze from her. Even though they were friends he always seemed to feel embarrassed and somewhat shy around her.

His compliment seems to brighten the girl's mood and she stands up, striking what her father would call a 'Dynamic Pose' "You are absolutely right Rashi-kun!" she exclaims "I am sure now that with your advice and hard work, I will surely be able to master the technique!" putting her hands behind her back she looks up at him, smiling "You are always so helpful to me, even though I am not on your team. Thank you."

Highly embarrassed, the Hyuuga heir almost drops to the ground from complete and total lack of concentration. Instead he wavers a bit on one foot for a moment before regaining his balance. Of course, this happens right as another person enters their spot in the training grounds.

"Hyuuga, have you forgotten basic chakra control already?" the newcomer is a boy, the same age and height as Rashi with black hair and dark grey, almost black eyes. "I guess they'll allow anyone to graduate from the academy now."

A small twitch of the eyebrow "Uchiha." The boy grounds out, scowling before he shifts his expression to smug superiority "Wait, I do seem to remember someone graduating second to me and I was top of the class. I wonder who that could be, Second?"

"By a tenth of a point!" the Uchiha exclaims, glaring up at the other boy "It doesn't make you better than me."

"You're an Uchiha. I'm a Hyuuga. I'm better than you by default." Rashi deadpans.

The feud between the two boys has gone on for as long as the Hyuuga has been in Konoha. It had started out somewhat harmless until Rashi had entered the academy and his test scores were well above the long standing champion's, Uchiha Kosuke. He had been surprised and irritated at this new kid that had suddenly arrived with the superior speech and attitude. The Uchiha began to challenge the Hyuuga. The Hyuuga would win. It had been a first for the cocky boy whose only competition up until then had been his older sister. Both graduated at the same time although his early graduation – normally academy students graduate at the age of twelve, not ten – ended up being not as unique as he had been planning. All of a sudden the new boy had made his accomplishments pale in comparison.

It does not help that Rashi does not recognize Kosuke as an equal. It only makes the Uchiha want even more to beat the arrogant boy with the white eyes and long girly hair.

A hand rests on his arm and Kosuke looks over at Haruno Nadeshiko, her green eyes pleading "Please do not fight," she implores "you two are always fighting."

Releasing the chakra keeping his feet on the tree Rashi flips and lands gracefully a few feet from the two. Smoothing out his long dark hair his face is impassive "We don't fight."

"We merely have slightly heated discussions." Kosuke adds, not wanting to upset the girl. For some reason, out of all the females in their graduating class Nadeshiko seems to be the only one who unintentionally accomplishes getting boys to do what she wants. In regards to the two boys, she is simply an extremely pretty and quiet girl. Long black hair with emerald green eyes and a bright smile. Her specialty is taijutsu and despite her looks packs a mean left hook.

"Why are you here anyway, Uchiha?" Rashi asks, tilting his head "I refuse to believe you are here strictly for social purposes."

The other boy blinks and then grins smugly as he remembers the reason he came out here in the first place "My squad has learned a new technique that makes the tree-walking technique pale in comparison."

Rashi waits a moment before raising an eyebrow. "Well, what is it already?" the Hyuuga sounds slightly annoyed "Stop being dramatic, it doesn't suit you."

Ignoring the barb Kosuke keeps up his smile "We've learned the more advanced technique, which is walking on water."

Rashi blinked "And?"

"What do you mean 'and'?" the black haired boy snaps "Can you do it? I'd like to see you try."

Simply because he wants to annoy his 'rival', Rashi puts his hands behind his head and looks bored "You make it sound as if it's something extremely difficult when in reality it's quite simple." The Hyuuga grins "At least, for someone like me, of course."

"Oh really."

He continues to grin. "Walking on water holds the same principle as climbing on trees, the only difference is that you are walking on a liquid and not a solid, therefore, you would have to ensure that your chakra is adjusting accordingly at a consistent rate. It requires good chakra control, which, as a Hyuuga, is my specialty. We have to have excellent chakra control; it is the entire basis for the Gentle Fist." With a small shrug he regarded the Uchiha "So tell us, Uchiha, just how long did it take for you to figure that out and master it? Try to be honest this time, you habitual liar."

"Well, you arrogant prick," Kosuke growled "It took us three days."

The Hyuuga looked thoughtful "How long did it take Itachi to do it?"

Now the younger Uchiha is angry. He has been frustrated this past year because of Rashi's appearance and obvious natural skill, but the fact that the Hyuuga will acknowledge his older sister as an equal and not him digs at him hard. "It took her five hours." He admits.

"Alright then." Rashi looks to Nadeshiko "Would you like to join us at the lake? It might help you understand the tree climbing exercise a little better."

"Oh!" the girl smiles at the suggestion "You are absolutely right, Rashi-kun. I would love to join the two of you." She turns to Kosuke "Would it be too much trouble to ask for some pointers?"

Red rushes to the Uchiha's pale face and he quickly turns away, shoving his hands in his pockets "Yeah, whatever. I don't care." He says flatly.

It is a little after midday by the time the children reach the bridge overlooking the lake. Stopping at the middle of the bridge all three look out into the water. The three say nothing for a long time, merely admiring the view.

Rashi breaks the silence first "You said it took Itachi five hours right?" he looks over at Kosuke.

Kosuke shrugs. "Yeah, that's what they say, anyway."

The Hyuuga heir holds up three fingers "I'll master it in three." And he smirks.

The other two both burst out with words at the same time.

"Wow, really Rashi-kun? That would be so amazing!" Nadeshiko said, excited.

"There's no way you can do it in three hours!" The Uchiha snaps "Stop being so cocky, Hyuuga. It took my sister five hours and she's way better than you are."

Snorting, the other boy begins to walk towards the bottom level "Don't compare me to you, it'll only end in tears." He shrugs "She's older and stronger, but that doesn't mean she's the best at everything." Rashi mused "And she's not that much better than me, otherwise she'd already be a chunnin."

Disgruntled, Kosuke stays with Nadeshiko at the top of the bridge as Rashi reaches the waters edge.

"Do you really think he could do it in three hours, Kosuke-kun?" Nadeshiko asks, still slightly awed by the Hyuuga's proclamation.

"No." he crosses his arms "There's no way; I don't care how good he thinks he is."

The pale-eyed boy is watching the water carefully as he stands at the edge. There is a thoughtful frown on his face before he shuts out anything and everything outside of his realm of focus. Mentally, he goes over the concepts in detail until he feels that he has the way to execute it down. That accomplished, he takes two steps and lightly places his foot above the water, focusing his chakra. He knows through experience that understanding the concepts of a technique is not the same as actual application and he does not wish to just run out there half cocked. The last thing he wants is for Kosuke to have any verbal ammunition to torment him with later.

"Stop being scared and walk out there already!" Kosuke. Rashi ignores him.

A semblance of balance somewhat achieved the Hyuuga begins his wobbly trek towards the middle where the two observers can see and where the water is the deepest. Confusion drifts over him when he realizes that he is not able to keep up the shift of chakra at the rate the water is moving.

With a sharp cry, the boy falls into the lake.

Still confused and slightly frustrated he ignores the Uchiha's laughter when he submerges, raising his hands, frowning at them.

"Kosuke-kun, it is impolite to laugh at another person's failure." The dark haired girl lightly admonishes "Besides, he made it to the middle before falling."

"He deserves it Nadeshiko." Kosuke defends with a small frown; crossing his arms "The guy is arrogant and thinks he's better than everyone."

"But still…" the girl looks a little sad as she watches Rashi still floating in the water, an intense frown on his face. "He is not trying to get back up it seems."

"He's probably realized that he's in over his head."

"Or," a third voice comes in "He could be analyzing where he went wrong and is trying to determine how to fix it."

Suddenly a girl of around twelve to thirteen years of age is standing between the Uchiha and Haruno, an amused smile on her lips. She is leaning forward on the banister, her chin propped up by her hands. This, of course, freaks out the other two as it seems that she has just 'appeared' out of thin air.

"Sister…" Kosuke blinks for a moment and then frowns "Why are you out here?"

Dark eyes slide over to the younger sibling "I can't take a walk around my own village without being questioned now?" Amused, she stands up straight, whipping out a kunai and twirling it absent-mindedly around her fingers. Uchiha Itachi, named after her late uncle, stares over at the younger boy in the water who is beginning to mumble to himself. "Hm?" tilting her head she blinks and her dark eyes shift to crimson. "Oh." She says softly once she realizes what is going on. "So he thinks out challenges by sorting it out verbally." She sounds slightly impressed but not overly so. "The Nara clan would like him." She is musing out loud at this point, not caring if the other two hear or not.

"Itachi-san?" Nadeshiko, who despite being younger is taller than the other girl, gives her a worried look "Rashi-kun said that he would master the water walking technique in three hours, but I am concerned that he might be trying to push himself too hard to prove a point to his long-time rival."

"Che." The younger sibling walks away, going down to watch Rashi from ground level. Itachi laughs softly.

"Don't worry," the older girl says to the green-eyed girl "He'll do it."

"Really? You believe so?" Nadeshiko sounds hopeful.

Tucking a stray strand of long hair behind her ear the Uchiha's expression turns serious "He doesn't have a choice."

This obviously confuses Haruno and Itachi does not elaborate, her focus back on the boy in the water.

"Do you…do you know why they hate each other so much?" the tall girl sighs sadly "They are both my precious friends, it is hard to see them be so mean to each other."

"They don't hate each other," Itachi turns to Nadeshiko, the expression on her pretty face serious "Kosuke is upset about the fact that he has to compete with two people for our father's attention, myself and Hyuuga over there. Even though they're the same age, Kosuke knows the Hyuuga is the better shinobi. Hyuuga Rashi is an absolute genius, they're not on the same level and it's frustrating for him."

"I do not understand, does your father not love him?"

"Quite the opposite." Itachi looks back at Rashi "Kosuke is a lot like father when he was that age, so he's hard on him because he knows that he has unlimited potential if he can merely tap into it. Kosuke takes it as father finding him to be inferior or not good enough, which isn't the case at all." Her eyes turned dark once more "Before the Hyuuga showed up Kosuke had gotten complacent. He was always on top without having to try and everyone always remarked on how good he was going to be. All of that came crashing down on him and he's still not sure how to handle it. It's not that my little brother isn't good, because he is and even Hyuuga understands this."

"Hmm…" Nadeshiko worries her bottom lip "But Kosuke-kun is always saying that Rashi-kun doesn't see him as an equal."

Itachi shrugged "He shouldn't because they're not. Hyuuga is good because he has to be and because he has a serious goal that he is wholly dedicated to. Kosuke does not have that and that is why Hyuuga will always be better." She smiles wryly "As an heir myself, I understand how he feels. We have some big shoes to fill and Hyuuga is one hundred and ten percent dedicated to filling them." Frowning, she turns to Haruno "How long has he been in the water?"

"Um…" she looks at her watch "Thirty minutes, give or take."

A strange amused expression comes over the girl and then she frames her mouth with her hands "Hyuuga!" Itachi calls out "If you don't master that technique in the next thirty minutes I'm going to call you a girl for the rest of the year!"

A long stream of curses come from the middle of the lake and pale eyes glare up at her "Fine! I'll take that bet." He continues to mutter darkly, annoyed by her presence.

"Itachi-san!" green eyes widen in shock "Surely that is not possible…it took you five hours did it not?"

"Four hours and thirty five minutes," she corrected "I just rounded up. If he can't do it, I'll be really disappointed. I knew the Hyuuga was talented but now that I'm looking at him, I really want to fight him."

"Eh?"

"Maybe I'll face him during the chunnin exams," Itachi continues, now talking mostly to herself. "They say that the Byakugan is a powerful bloodline limit, I've wanted to test my skills against someone around my level for a while now."

Nadeshiko made a small noise, smiling nervously "Itachi-san, you have that scary look in your eyes again…"

"It's exciting!" the older girl says, smiling "Having a good challenge, knowing that the opponent is at your level yet you can possibly be beaten." She flips a kunai a few times idly "Hm. I think I'll marry him."

Nadeshiko's jaw dropped. "What?!"

xxxxx

I really wish they would be silent. Rashi thinks miserably. Damn Itachi, why was she around anyway? The girl seemed to have the ability to both irritate and intimidate the young heir and this time she was at her worst. He absolutely refused to be called a girl for the rest of the year, but he is honestly stumped as to what he is doing wrong.

Then, at the forty five minute mark it hits him and he almost slaps his forehead in annoyance. He should have done this from the beginning; it would have made everything easier. Quickly, he does a familiar hand sign.

"Byakugan!"

xxxxx

"He figured it out." The older girl is smiling as she watches the Hyuuga activate his bloodline limit, activating her own. She can see how focused his gaze is on his own body for a moment before nodding to himself. "The Byakugan gives the user an almost three hundred and sixty-five degree range of vision and it also allows the user to see chakra networks and points." Itachi explains to Nadeshiko "Their style of fighting, which requires a lot of chakra control, requires the bloodline limit. Right now he's at the limit where he depends on it a lot more than he thinks he does, which is why he couldn't figure out what he was doing wrong. Now that he can actually see the amount of chakra he needs it makes something like that incredibly simple for him." Leaning back she crosses her arms "I definitely think I'll marry him."

"How can you talk about marriage at such a young age?" Nadeshiko's face is a bright red as she watches Rashi slowly pull himself out of the water. "A-and Rashi-kun is two years younger than you!"

Red eyes blinked twice "Well, if you want to claim first dibs I don't mind fighting you for him." She says nonchalantly.

"That is not what I mean!"

A small sigh and then a shrug. "Listen, I have to think about the future of my clan, which currently consists of less than ten people." Snatching the kunai she was flipping out of the air she puts it back in her pack "He's strong, intelligent, a little girly looking but not too bad on the eyes otherwise, and he has unlimited potential. I have to think about those sorts of things since it's needed for father to rebuild our clan. It's not about love, it's about genetics. As an Uchiha I can't just marry any guy. I have to have standards."

"Uchiha!"

Turning back to the boy who was previously in the water Itachi smiles as she looks at his defiant and angry look, Byakugan still activated. Instead of responding she raises an eyebrow in inquiry.

"I believe I have won our bet." The boy calls out. He glances at Kosuke "Both of yours." He looks back up at Itachi, pointing at her angrily "I demand equal exchange for the hell you intended to put me through should I have failed! And you," he turned to Kosuke "I'll get to you later, my pride as a man is more important right now."

"He looks really angry." Nadeshiko observed with a small frown "He really hates it when people call him a girl."

"But he did it, didn't he?" the Uchiha asks, smiling "That's what I meant by unlimited potential. If he's not in this year's chunnin exams I'll be really upset." She said the latter off handedly. In one fluid motion Itachi jumped on the banister and then jumped again, landing gracefully in front of the Hyuuga heir.

Startled, the eleven year old takes a few steps back and his expression grows wary. "W-what are you up to this time?"

Raising an eyebrow, she takes a few steps toward him "I thought you said you wanted equal exchange." The girl said matter-of-factly.

Rashi took another nervous step back, wariness turning into fear as he pales. "Well…yes b-but I am sure you can d-do so from up there right? Surely you don't need to…be so close."

"You really are a boy, aren't you?" she sighed, sounding exasperated "I have yet to actually harm you Hyuuga, I don't see why you're so afraid of me."

"That's not it," he says, firmer this time "You're just…awkward. And weird. And really, really creepy. I can never tell what you're thinking, which is unnerving."

A delicate eyebrow twitches slightly, the only sign of her irritation "That's a really unfair thing to say, I've been nothing but nice to you since we've met."

The boy snorted, crossing his arms and giving her a 'who do you think you're trying to fool' look. "You look like you want to eat me every time you look in my direction."

Smiling, she leans forward "Maybe I do."

Face now a bright crimson, Rashi backs away even further, pointing accusingly "See? That's exactly what I'm talking about! You're not loud but you're probably the most insane female I've –"

Kosuke makes a strangled noise in the distance. Nadeshiko cries out in alarm. Rashi's eyes are as wide as saucers and he is struck completely immobile. Hands still framing his face Itachi leans back, smiling "There." She says after kissing him "Equal exchange. You have kissed a girl, your manhood has been acknowledged."

The boy just stares at her for a minute before his eyes roll to the back of his head and drops into the water as he passes out.

xxxxx

With a harsh yell pale lavender eyes open and Rashi immediately starts scooting back from his prone position. A strong hand settles down on his shoulder. He doesn't immediately registers it, instead screaming "Stay away from me you psycho!"

Then he blinks, looking around. He's no longer outside at the lake. This is his room. This is his bed. Feeling pressure on his shoulder he looks over at his father who is looking at him with obvious concern.

"What happened?" Neji asks "Lee's daughter and both Uchiha siblings dropped you off saying you had fainted. You were soaking wet, by the way."

Rashi continues to stare at his father blankly before he explodes into motion, grabbing the hand that is resting on his shoulder "Father! I've said that women are insane before but Uchiha Itachi is probably the most dangerous, psychotic female I've ever encountered. Please tell me there is a way to properly defend myself from feminine attacks, I was completely blindsided and I can't let that happen again!"

The boy is almost hysterical and Neji is completely confused. "Feminine attacks? Rashi, what in the world are you talking about?"

"That girl! Th-that…Uchiha girl!" he's so flustered he's beginning to stammer "She…she kissed me and I had no way to defend myself! She's a creepy lunatic and I have no idea how Tenten-san spawned such a creature."

The Hyuuga heir is looking at his father with hope, hope that he holds the key to some secret jutsu that keeps crazy kissing-happy females at bay. Neji doesn't know whether to be upset at the fact that Tenten's thirteen year old daughter kissed his eleven year old son or laugh at the sheer absurdity of it all.

"Are you sure she did this?" the father asks.

"Yes I am very sure, father. I might be eleven but I know what a kiss is." He sounded put out and a little irritated "There was a time when I had wanted to test my skills against her one day when I was ready, now I just want her to go away and take her insanity with her. I am forever mentally scarred now, traumatized. I'm going to have nightmares for years."

It takes every ounce of self control the father has not to smile or smirk or just outright laugh at his overdramatic son. Of course he was going to talk to Tenten about her daughter, the girl really had no business kissing his son in the first place, but Rashi's reaction to it is quite comical.

Taking a breath, Neji sighs "If you want to know how to defend yourself against a girl of Itachi's caliber," he begins "You will simply need to be faster and better than her."

"For some strange reason, I feel that it would only make her worse." The boy muttered darkly "Why me father? Can't she go fawn on her other teammates her own age?"

He is thoughtful for a moment, analyzing the situation in his head based on what he knows about the girl. "Well, I can only assume that her interest in you is due to your abilities and has little to do with you on a personal level. They told me that you were working on the water walking technique and she's aware that you are very skilled for your age." He gave the boy a small smile "I am sure that she will not do such a thing again since it was obvious that it was not something you wanted."

Well, she'll leave him alone until he hits puberty, then we're all doomed. I don't mind being related to Tenten but Uchiha…

Flopping down on his bed the boy covers his eyes with his hands "I never want to lay eyes on another female ever again. My sanity cannot handle their existence."