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Last Time: Both tree climbing and water walking were going well, and I was happy with my plans for incremental improvement over time… A goal that I noted down for the future was to extend the water walking to all types of unstable footing such as mud and sand if possible… I was also happy with the state of my chakra reserves, which had increased to two hundred times what they were when I had first arrived, or twenty times Sakura's level in Wave. It was a bit disappointing that over the last month, the rate of increase had noticeably slowed…

My respect for Sasuke had risen slightly, as I estimated that I was still at less than a tenth of his reserves during the Wave mission. While I intended to surpass that level around the time I joined the academy, he must have done an exceptionally large amount of training on Ninjutsu to have reserves of that size without knowing draining control exercises that could be continually practiced such as tree and water walking.

Chapter Three - The Waiting Years

I sat quietly. The oppressive, awkward silences and stilted speech between Hiashi and Neji illustrating the fractured nature of our family; not that it was a particularly joyous birthday for Neji either. Thankfully, he had refrained from mentioning our confrontation five months earlier to anyone; a frank relief as my position was still vulnerable to any appearance of weakness. Had the humiliating defeat that still caused me pain to recall become public knowledge I would've been forced to take drastic steps to recover the lost face. Ideally, that would take the form of a very public, indisputable loss by Neji to me in Jūken combat.

Unfortunately, while it was within the realm of possibility that I would win, given a flawless performance on my part and a mistake on Neji's, it was in no way guaranteed. Indeed, the odds if I was honest clearly favoured Neji. From what I'd seen during surreptitious observation of his Jūken training, we were closely matched in speed, precision and our technique. The glaring difference was in our sizes, as Neji had a considerable reach advantage. It was something I'd likely struggle to overcome for the rest of my life; that to beat most of my opponents I'd need a significant speed and/or skill advantage to overcome the handicap imposed by my small stature.

Since a crushing victory was out, at least for the next year or two; my only option would have been to utilise my position to punish Neji harshly enough to satisfy the Clan that I had the strength to defend its interests against our enemies. That would've been a problem, as despite making progress in my efforts to condition my way of thinking into that appropriate for the Heir, I doubted that I could follow through on something sufficiently harsh to silence my detractors. Of course even if I failed to punish him, there was no way that he'd be allowed to escape retribution for attacking the Heir, so it was fortunate for both of us he'd kept it to himself.

Briefly I tuned back into the halting conversation between father and Neji; they were talking about training with my father expressing congratulations in his normal heavy-handed manner to Neji on his progress. I fought the temptation to roll my eyes. Judging by the growing fury my cousin mistakenly believed concealed, he was interpreting the congratulations as some form of patronising insult; and if it was noticeable to me, it must have been a glaring neon sign to my father with his greater experience at reading people. Perhaps in response Hiashi wound up his little speech and the silence returned for a minute before Neji requested permission to be excused, the naked emotion bleeding into his voice. At father's assent he rose with indecent haste and left the dining room, the click of the closing screen leaving us alone in awkward contemplation.

Being in his presence like this forcefully brought to mind the memory of having to sit through similarly awkward situations such as Hanabi's birthday, or the recent first anniversary of my mother's death. Hanabi's birthday had been a quiet affair, with only myself, my father and sister sharing a meal. Surprisingly, father stayed after the meal for a time to help Hanabi unwrap presents and play briefly. Watching them, I was at once touched and disturbed, as the game had underlying purpose beyond simple amusement. He would hold a sweet, keeping it away from Hanabi and close to his body as she tried to grab it. The areas he chose to hover the sweet over though, corresponded to the primary Jūken target areas, so in grabbing for the sweet she was already training to strike swiftly towards those locations. It made me wonder how many of the games and activities I vaguely remembered Hinata playing had a secondary purpose.

On the anniversary of my mother's death, we went to the shrine where the ashes of the main house were interred. Although the Caged Bird Seal prevented the exploitation of the Branch house bodies after death so they had the option of burial, Main house members were always cremated to protect the secrets of the Jūken and Byakugan. It was interesting that the Seal protected not only the Byakugan but also prevented the extraction of any usable data from a corpse, including data on fighting styles and jutsu used. I wondered briefly how it worked, as it would have to affect all parts of the body to deny a competent medic-nin that sort of information.

The sound of my father clearing his throat jerked my attention back to the present.

"Your progress has been an improvement since the abduction, and in more than Jūken skill. Nevertheless, your cousin remains beyond the reach of your strength, at present." He stated; eyes seemingly fixed just above my head.

"Yes, Otou-sama, I will redouble my efforts." I quickly replied, wondering where he was going with this. I already knew there remained a gap between me and Neji, albeit one I was closing slowly.

"Your efforts are satisfactory; it is your discretion that requires improvement." Came the cool reply, his eyes dropping to bore into mine. 'What the hell is he talking about?' I thought frantically to myself, holding a rigid expression with difficulty. 'Could he know about the confrontation?' The thought was accompanied by a rising sense of doom.

"I refrained from intervention at the time, in order to observe the play of events and your reaction to them; however, I suggest you give serious consideration to any further unsupervised interaction with your cousin for the near future." He stated, "It would be unfortunate were I forced to take notice of any… untoward… events." He finished with heavy emphasis, eyes rising back to staring over me. I controlled myself enough to respond with only a minor tremor of expressed emotion audible in my reply.

"Yes, Otou-sama, it will be as you say." I accompanied my words with a half-bow of submission to his authority, having difficulty believing that he was willing to overlook what had occurred unless he had no other choice.

His lips tightened for an instant, before he said "Your cousin is not in good control of his emotions at the present time. Any effort to forge a connection with him will have to wait until the right moment; trust in me to know when that time arrives." The tone of his words was laced with disapproval, whether that was for my attempt or Neji's deplorable lack of emotional control I wasn't sure. On reflection, it was most likely a combination of the two. I'd wondered over the past few months why he didn't give Neji the letter I assumed Hizashi had left with him, but obviously he judged that Neji wasn't ready for it in his current state. I grimaced internally at the looming spectre of a fate-obsessed Neji, but prior events had shown that my judgement in emotional matters was far from perfect, and I really had little choice but to comply with my father's wishes.


Air burned its way into my lungs as I fought for some semblance of controlled breathing. My spine bowed as I flicked my upper body back into an arch, parallel to the floor. My hand met my father's arm, an explosion of blue energy deflecting his strike enough that his hand ripped through the air a foot above my face. Simultaneously, my other hand came in from the side; striking for the major tenketsu I was tracking with my Byakugan, now in reach from his slight overextension at not meeting the expected resistance. A lightning-fast disengage on his part saw my strike aborted before I over-committed, the tight grip I maintained with chakra on the floor allowing me to recover almost instantly, snapping forward to follow my father's retreating arm. A blurring exchange of strikes, counter-strikes and blocks followed; I knew that an untrained spectator would see only a wall of faint blue haze between us, as the area where the majority of contact occurred built up a concentration of expelled chakra.

The spar continued as he alternately varied the level of his Jūken, sometimes pressing me to retreat rapidly or be overwhelmed, at other times falling back before me, restricting himself to defensive actions. Through it all, the sweat from the past two hours dripped to the floor, making the polished wood increasingly treacherous, ensuring that no footing without chakra assistance would remain in place without slipping. Speed suddenly doubling, his arm flashed forward from outside my effective reach, disabling my right arm at the shoulder. My internal manipulation was at a level that allowed me to clear that kind of block in seconds; but even if I was minded to reveal that capability, he gave me no time to do so. I was falling back continuously now, left arm darting to intercept his strikes, body bending and flexing to avoid those that got through. The past months of experience allowed me to remain calm, mind both focused and unfocused as my body acted semi-independently to deal with the individual strikes while I consciously attempted to direct the overall flow of combat. I was far from perfect, but it was a great improvement over the panic I would once have been crippled by in this situation.

Finally he halted and stepped back, signalling the end of the day's sparring to prevent any continuation from me.

"Your skill and speed are progressing in a satisfactory manner; ensure that you continue to do so." He stated.

"Yes, Otou-sama." I breathlessly replied, striving to keep the strain from my voice. He stared for a second, as if looking for something to say, then abruptly turned and left the dojo.

I waited until the screen closed with a faint click, shutting out the world outside the dojo, before turning my attention to the blockage in my shoulder, quickly clearing it.


I finished dressing in the semi-formal clothing most Hyūga wore around the compound and paused for a moment to adjust the fit in the bathroom mirror. My hair had grown out from its bowl cut, and now fell to just below my shoulder line. Months of strenuous Taijutsu had stripped some of the baby fat from my face, thinning out the previously round cheeks and granting a more adult profile; though I still occasionally shocked myself on glimpsing a reflected image, the white-on-white eyes making me look like some kind of zombie.

I settled myself by the table, beginning with the chakra control exercises. I had gained mastery of all my tenketsu, able to use any of them to manipulate projected chakra without wastage from the surrounding points, and I was now working on speed. Pieces of paper moved over my body in random paths, the goal to constantly increase their speed. There were multiple benefits as I was forced to stream chakra into some of the areas in my brain related to the Byakugan. Specifically, the areas that allowed me to cope with the incredible scope of vision provided without being overwhelmed.

While experimenting over the past few months, I'd noticed that by directing chakra to those areas it was possible to focus on more than one thing at a time. Presumably this had evolved to allow a Hyūga to focus on more than one opponent while the dōjutsu was active, for example an opponent in the front and behind simultaneously; but with my increased sensitivity to chakra I had memorised the areas used when the dōjutsu was active and experimented cautiously with directing chakra only to those areas without activating the Byakugan. This allowed me to think of more than one thing at a time, which had been a truly unnerving experience for the first few attempts. I hoped that it would make the more complex jutsu easier (should I learn any), but for now it allowed me to have four pieces of paper that moved independently of each other.

The increased chakra control had assisted me with my efforts in walking on different liquids and solids, and I could reliably walk on all surfaces I had attempted without leaving a trace apart from grass, which required such fine control in so many places that I was slowed to a crawling pace when I attempted it. Still, it was possible at least; all that remained was constant practice as I moved from place to place. I was now up to 78 heirs sheathed in chakra during my morning breakfast hour, though I settled for ten on Wednesday, as sparring with father left me with little time to eat. As the length of my hair grew, the utility of the technique increased, the incredible sharpness of the controlled hair ensuring that anyone who mistook my hair for a convenient handle would be missing fingers.

The endless elemental re-composition exercises had finally borne fruit, and I was now certain my primary element was water, and I was able to manipulate bodies of existing water reliably, up to a couple of metres from my position. The wind and lightning exercises showed intermittent progress, with an occasional spark generated and small cuts made on the leaves. Fire and earth though were a dead loss, and although I continued, there seemed to be nothing to show for it. I was moving on to trying to condense water from the atmosphere, which was proving difficult.

I finished with the speed training, at the rate it was going I should have control over all tenketsu at the same level as the ones in my hand by the end of the year, meaning I would be able to attack and block Jūken strikes through any point on my body. Moving to the shelves I retrieved my calligraphy materials and started to practice. I had all of the symbols memorised, what remained was endless repetition to increase speed while keeping perfect form, something I hoped would see a payoff when and if I ever started Fūinjutsu studies. In the meantime my tutor and father were pleased with my dedication to a traditional art appropriate to nobility, and I needed approval in that area after the disastrous music lessons.

A couple of months after I started learning the clan history, the tutor declared us finished; what remained would be covered by the Academy, with the understanding that anything that contradicted the clan history was to be discarded as propaganda for the masses. From there, it was apparently time for me to learn an instrument and sing, in order to possess the skillset expected from someone in my position. It was, to say the least, an utter disaster. Although I could hear the difference in tone when others produced the sound, anything I attempted sounded the same to me; it was only after I listened to a recording that I really understood what had produced the vaguely constipated look on the face of the tutor and music teacher. Despite almost a month of lessons, I failed to improve, and indeed an argument was made that I was getting worse so the lessons were discontinued to my father's dissatisfaction, meaning that I had to make up for it in other areas.

With the mastery of individual tenketsu and water/surface walking, I had spare time each day, and I already had plans for how to fill it.


The following morning I went to the Branch house archives, determined to find information on two related topics that would have a long-term effect. I wanted to learn a secondary Taijutsu style and begin study on the theoretical foundations of medicine, mainly anatomy. The need for another Taijutsu style was driven by a number of factors. Firstly, I wanted a style that wasn't chakra intensive in case I had to fight while conserving my chakra, or if I faced someone with a bloodline that made external chakra injections harmless or possessed a weapon like Samehada, Kisame's chakra eating sword. This would also have the secondary benefits of allowing me to pretend to be a non-Hyūga on missions where the deception was important yet fighting was also required, and give me a style to use in the academy so that I could minimise my use of the Jūken in public; no point giving people unnecessary time to analyse one of my strongest skills.

The style I selected would have to fit in with my requirements and current skillset and body type. Good as the Gōken was, it was entirely unsuitable for someone of my body type, emphasising speed and power over speed and precision, and I would always be physically too small to get the greatest effect from practicing it. It was the final requirement that enabled me to finalise my selection though; at some point if possible I wanted to give Naruto some help in learning a decent style while in the Academy. I'd put considerable thought into what would suit him while satisfying my requirements, and I had found something I could live with.

The scrolls Taijutsu styles were recorded on were not the small handheld things most often used for sealing supplies or mission orders. Instead they used huge cylinders that I estimated were at least twice the size of the Forbidden Scroll in every dimension, and most styles took several such scrolls to fully detail. Even then, the scrolls were intended as a reference for instructors and students only, not as the sole instructional method. If I was going to learn one of these styles, I'd need the assistance of an experienced member of the clan to uncover flaws at the very least. Actual physical practice of the style would wait until the end of the year and the result of my discussion with father regarding attendance at the Academy. When I got permission to attend, I'd also ask him to find a tutor to help me with both the style and projectile weapons.

In the meantime, I could memorise the information on the scrolls and study anatomy. The medical study would have two benefits, both preparing me for any future study in that field, and allowing me to target critical points with my new style. The style I had eventually selected focused on quick strikes to nerve clusters and damage to muscle groups/attachment points when unarmed, but had a heavy armed component with short parrying daggers twice the size of a kunai and thrown weapons, again focusing on critical points.

In defence, the emphasis was on avoidance, with only a few basic blocks and heavy use of kawarimi (replacement). It suited my body type, used very little external chakra and fit the requirements I had for Naruto. I was assuming that he would learn and use the kage bunshin (shadow clone) heavily regardless of the path events took, but it seemed reasonable given his chakra capacity. In canon, his kage bunshin were an irritant at best to most of the foes he fought; mainly because they ran in, usually unarmed, and were dispersed in job lots by his opponents. Give him a style that emphasised striking from range with weapons and avoidance of damage would be a far different story. Make it instinctive, and his clones would automatically use it, making them orders of magnitude more dangerous.


The streets were a riot of colour. Walking beside my father at the forefront of the clan members attending as was proper, I gazed at the celebrations for the Kyūbi Festival in carefully hidden amazement. I'd seen larger and more impressive sights on the home world of my older mind, but this was the first time I'd left the Hyūga clan compound since the abduction; the drastic contrast between the usual rote routine of my days and this was too jarring for words to adequately express. Everywhere I looked there were motifs depicting toads, kanji for Yondaime, little white-coated dolls with a shock of yellow hair and wooden tri-pronged kunai. It was both amusing and unsettling how people became aware of us, took one glance at my father's impassive face and retreated from view, bowing in either respect or fear. Honestly, I wasn't sure which, and didn't feel inclined to investigate too closely. I already had enough on my plate without searching for problems.

While we walked my mind wandered back a few weeks, when I'd been practicing with my Byakugan, trying to shave fractions of a second off the activation time, and the delay to process when I switched between surround and telescopic mode. Usually, I'd activate the dōjutsu without seals; spend several minutes experimenting with tracking multiple objects of interest simultaneously, before changing to telescopic vision and altering the direction of perception and distance without moving my head. Admittedly I was still limited to an arc approximating the bounds of my physical eyes, but that still gave me latitude to pretend that I was observing something else. If I ever found a way to conceal the observable signs of the activation of my dōjutsu, it'd make for an excellent method of recon without tipping anyone off.

Scanning over Konoha with the telescopic vision, my attention was caught briefly by a group of children playing together, and in a reflexive habit I scanned them for any sign of the children that would become the Konoha Twelve. There wasn't any child that I recognised there though, and I spent a few moments watching and vaguely envying them their relative freedom from the burdens I carried. Putting it from my mind, I was about to move on when I saw a hint of movement at the edge of the playground. Standing alone in a little white shirt and yellow shorts, watching the other children play was the whisker-marked form of Uzumaki Naruto.

My focus had sharpened instantly, and I resolved to track Naruto until I found out the basics of what his life was like in Konoha at this age. Hours of monotonous activity had followed, and what I observed by the end of the day was both reassuring and depressing. There had been no mobs, no beatings and screamed imprecations, but from an emotional standpoint what happened instead was almost worse. He'd gotten close to the other children a few times, standing to the side and watching, obviously wanting to be part of the fun, but they determinedly ignored him in a response that was clearly expected by the despondent Naruto.

A few hours later they'd moved off, trailed by their small stalker. They all ended up in a complex of buildings that bore the sign for an orphanage, where the children were welcomed warmly, Naruto coldly. I'd been sure to watch his interaction with the caretakers, and although they had no kind words, he got the same amount of food as the others, and a bed with sufficient blankets for the night. Intermittent observation over the following week had confirmed for me that although his emotional needs were far from being met, physically he wasn't suffering and there was little I could do at this point anyway. I'd check on him tonight after the festival but didn't expect to see anything out of the ordinary.

A ripple, barely seen in the flow of the crowd diagonally ahead of us drew my attention and I used peripheral vision to track the cause. The villagers screening a side street ahead seemed to bulge; breaking to disgorge a small group of dark-haired men with stony expressions and the uniforms of the police force. The leader glanced to the side and saw us, characteristic Uchiha black eyes narrowing slightly; before a perfunctory inclination of the head was offered to my father as the patrol crossed the street ahead. A wave of cool irritation at the arrogant upstart swept through me; such a blatant lack of respect offered to the Clan Head of the Hyūga was only to be expected from an Uchiha.

A mental grinding of gears sounded in my imagination at that last thought. Since when did I really care about the opinions and behaviour of others? Sure, I was learning and practicing the attitude expected of me by the clan; but that was only to secure my position so that I had no need to fear the Caged Bird Seal, not because I actually believed in the inherent nobility and entitlement bestowed by an accident of birth. I mulled it over, looking back at my behaviour and responses over the past half-year, and came to a distressing conclusion.

I already knew that enforced patterns of behaviour quickly became habits, often reworking the neural pathways in the brain to reward compliance, but I'd failed to fully grasp the implications. The longer I acted and spoke the role of the Heir, the more deeply the underlying patterns of thought that supported such actions would be engraved on my mind. I'd have to be extremely watchful that the Clan Heir act remained just that; an act. Otherwise, I could finally reach a position where I had the power to flee Konoha and/or influence the flow of events, only to find my motivation to do either crushed; the bonds of emotion and duty overwhelming my original goals.

Dark thoughts of this nature robbed me of much of my enjoyment of the remainder of the festival; although the sight of a stand selling plush toys reminded me of Hanabi, still too young to leave the clan grounds, and I made sure to use some of the money given me to purchase a large indigo bear as a consolation gift. We retired from the Festival shortly thereafter, and upon confirming Naruto was safely in his room at the orphanage, I lay down with Hanabi's bear facing me in the dark and waited for the embrace of sleep.


I snapped awake, the transition between waking and sleeping almost instant as morning sunlight was just beginning to brighten the day, letting me know my fifth birthday had begun. Today would be an important day for me; not only was I going to ask for permission to attend the Academy in a year's time but I would also request to be assigned a tutor for the Taijutsu style I'd decided on and projectile weaponry.

After pushing myself for the past month, just two days ago I'd mastered using any tenketsu point for the Jūken; not only with control but also speed, making it a private Christmas present to myself. Today was the first time I would use it in a spar, and even though I could have used my arms for this long ago, I wanted to present it to my father as a completed skill; hopefully impressing him enough that my requests would meet a more favourable response.

Dressed, I took a minute to sheathe thirty hairs with chakra, time down to a couple of seconds for each foot-long strand. As the length increased, I found it necessary to suppress the sensations generated as wind caused the hair to move, so that it didn't interrupt my concentration at a critical time. I made my way silently to the Dojo, traction long since automatically assured with unconscious use of the tree-walking exercise, although some conscious effort was still required to silence the sound of my steps on rough terrain.

I settled into a stance and fixed my eyes on Hiashi; today there was no father and daughter in my mind, just two combatants facing each other. The usual pattern was for him to attack first and I waited in silence, Byakugan engaged and mind both relaxed and focused, watching for the minute shifts of chakra and muscle that would herald an attack. Something changed and I was moving forward, chakra spiking in my brain to allow one part of my mind to handle the movement of my body and chakra, a second to observe both the environment we fought in and compensate for any required changes to the overall strategy.

A brief play of muscle beneath the skin of Hiashi's face, stripped bare to the vision of my dōjutsu, suggested both surprise and approval at my uncharacteristic aggression before he was countering the initial strikes smoothly. With the opening exchange blocked as I knew it would be, I pivoted on a leading foot and twisted off to the right, bending forward slightly to avoid the strikes I saw aiming for my upper back. It was not yet time to reveal the fruit of my hard work and I continued the turn, facing Hiashi's flank as he began to move from his initial position. It was as I'd hoped; although he was fast enough to make any manoeuvring I attempted useless, curiosity at what I hoped to achieve caused him to deliberately slow himself, allowing me this opportunity.

Gripping the floor with chakra, I launched myself towards his side, arm extended like a spear for the shoulder facing me. Faint disappointment at the obvious attack showed in his eyes; then the other hand already moving with the rotation, came striking like a snake for the tenketsu on my attacking limb, deliberately left unguarded. This was the moment I'd been planning for, and the tips of his fingers met my arm in faint blue flashes of conflicting chakra, the tenketsu remaining open. Then I was at the shoulder he hadn't moved, confident my arm would be useless for the Jūken. Three times my fingers tapped, and then his reflexive twist took the target out of my shorter reach.

Still not fully comprehending what'd occurred, his other hand attacked again; only to be batted aside as I brought up the arm I'd just attacked with, our forearms making contact with a crack. The planning part of my mind had been tracking his tenketsu, and as our arms touched spikes of chakra were ejected, closing four points and rendering the coils supplying his fingers with chakra closed.

He leapt back instinctively, battle experience preventing shock from freezing his movements. I shot off in pursuit, chakra boosting my speed enormously as I aimed at his still working shoulder. If I could shut that down, there would be nothing stopping me from getting in close, and with my ability to attack from any bodily contact this should shortly be decided in my favour. His head snapped up, eyes meeting mine and face displaying the most surprise I'd ever seen, before his eyes narrowed and he set himself. I only had a moment to feel trepidation before his working arm shot forward, chakra exploding from the palm of his hand towards me. Reflexively I pushed chakra from the points facing the threat just before it struck, to little avail.

My momentum reversed mid-air, and I spun backwards in an awkward somersault, chest stinging. Even as I flew, my ears registered my father's panicked cry,

"Hinata!"

Long practice in the large training area saw me automatically re-orient to land feet first, gradually increasing the chakra to slow to a halt on the polished surface. I fell into the base stance unthinkingly, staring across at my father before he blinked and barked out a harsh "Stop! …Are you injured? Explain yourself!"

I drew my aching body up and gave a brief bow, before straightening and looking him in the eye.

"After considerable effort at controlling my chakra, I have been able to achieve the same control demonstrated by most Hyūga over the tenketsu in their palm and fingers, in all the points on my body. The applications, both in defence and attack, should be obvious." For the first time I omitted the honorifics due him, partly because I was here to raise my status in his eyes, but mostly out of lingering resentment that the plan I'd slaved over for so long was an abject failure.

He didn't seem to notice, staring at me for a moment in silence. "All the ten...? Demonstrate, now."

Almost an hour later, I'd proved my words to his satisfaction, and he deactivated his Byakugan with a sigh.

"If you sought to impress me, you have succeeded in this instance. I do not recall another occasion of a member of the clan achieving the same at any point. Moreover, the use of it in battle was satisfactory for a first attempt, as was the judgement shown in restricting said use until you had mastered all tenketsu, not just a few."

I inclined my head in acknowledgement of his praise, and moved the discussion towards my ultimate goal for the day. "Thank you, Otou-sama. If I might impose on your time to consider an issue of concern to me, regarding my future?"

He looked at me in anticipation, waiting for me to elaborate on my request.

I marshalled my thoughts and spoke, "I have given consideration to the path of my training and how I might best serve the clan. I wish to request admittance to the Shinobi Academy for the year after next." He was silent for a moment then responded.

"Your reasoning?"

"I would have to attend academic classes to complete my education regardless; the Academy can cover those aspects as a part of the curriculum. From the perspective of the villagers and common Shinobi, seeing the Heir of the Hyūga clan attending the academy will serve to reinforce our connection to the village in their eyes. As for the class I will be joining, a large proportion of the Shinobi clans are sending either the Clan Heir or next in line for the Uchiha; attending the same class will allow me to gather information on the future Clan Leaders of Konoha, including how they think and fight.

Informal alliances can also be established with some care over time, which may prove of great benefit to the Hyūga in years to come." I finished the short monologue and hesitated before forging ahead. "There is also the matter of Hanabi. Should I be confirmed as the Heir, her sealing will follow by tradition. If I were to be enrolled in the academy however, there is a realistic chance that I might not survive to take up the mantle of Clan Head. Hanabi's sealing could be postponed until I made Jōnin, giving time for another solution to be found." I waited for his answer with well hidden trepidation.

Hiashi stood in silence for several minutes as I held myself rigidly still, not daring to express emotion. "You make valid points with regard to the unusual composition of that class, and I had not considered that approach with your sister. Conditionally, I will agree."

I refrained from moistening my lips nervously, "Yes Otou-sama. Conditionally?"

"Your rate of progress with Jūken must not suffer at any time, and you are to limit any use of the Jūken where it can be studied at leisure." He replied sternly.

"In order to assist me with that restriction, I would request assistance with learning an alternate Taijutsu style for use at the academy. There may be instances where missions call for disguise and the Jūken is recognisable as a Hyūga-only art. Additionally, there may be need to engage in combat when near to or suffering from chakra exhaustion. The style that I have selected has minimal external chakra use, although it will require training in projectile weaponry also." I finished, hoping that I wasn't pushing him too far.

"You would have required training in the basics of Shinobi arts in any case; you have the reputation of the Hyūga to live up to." There was a pause as he frowned, "Very well, show me the details of this style you have found later today and I will judge if it is suitable. If I find it so, you will be provided with a tutor to assist in learning it; but remember, the Jūken has ultimate priority!" Came the strongly worded warning.

I bowed in acknowledgement. "Yes Otou-sama, it shall be as you say."


I knelt in the Dojo, waiting. I'd been informed that my tutor would be sent to meet me here, where I usually trained in the mornings that I didn't spar with father. He'd come to my rooms to review the style I chose, so old it didn't have a name recorded, at least not one commonly agreed on. He spent several minutes listening to my reasons for selecting the style before granting his approval. I refrained from mentioning my intention to see Naruto learn the style, as I could imagine how badly his reaction might go. It was possible that he wouldn't make any complaint, but in this case I felt it better to ask forgiveness if caught rather than permission.

The soft chuff of the screen sliding behind me drew my attention, and a quick pulse of my dōjutsu revealed the surprising identity of my tutor. I waited 'till he moved in front of me and bowed in greeting, voicing my polite appreciation of his skill and time. It seemed Hyūga Hirameki was to be my sensei in this style as well as in the Jūken.

"Hinata-sama, it has been decided after discussion between the Clan Head and myself to reorganise your physical training sessions. For the next year, you will practice your new style under my supervision on Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday. We will conduct our normal Juken training on Monday; though you are expected to train in your own time. The Clan Head will spar with you on Friday in addition to the usual Wednesday session." He detailed the new regimen in a dry voice, eyes trained on me as he spoke.

I bowed, "Understood, Hirameki-sensei. Thank you for your assistance."

Faint lines developed around his eyes, a Hyūga frown. "I am given to understand your latest spar with the Clan Head was in some way exceptional. He asked if I had seen anything that was outside the usual Juken technique. Perhaps you might enlighten me as to what I have missed?"

A feeling of gratitude swept through me that my father was apparently allowing me to keep this a secret for the time being. I swallowed and tried to look penitent. "I would not feel comfortable sharing information the Clan Head has decided to keep to himself. My apologies, Hirameki-sensei."

He gave a soft exhalation, "Yes, I had thought you might say that. Very well, I have reviewed my knowledge of the style in question, and I was on a Chūnin team with a Shinobi who used it. Demonstrate the five basic stances."

Learning the basics was much the same as my early Juken training, and again my sensitivity to chakra served as a boost to aid my kinaesthetic sense of where my limbs were positioned. We ran through the basic stances for a couple of hours, before he instructed me to stop.

"Should you continue to progress as you have over the past year, we will be able to start learning Kata in mid-January. Do not practice the stances on your own yet, as mistakes at this stage will required significant time to correct if they become ingrained. When you return on Saturday we will begin work on projectile weaponry, beginning with senbon and shuriken."


Four months later, the day of Hanabi's second birthday dawned bright and clear, and I went through my morning routine with a smile. I'd been excused from training today and I hurried over towards her rooms, wanting to spend as much time as possible together. Shigure greeted me with a harried look, and it was obvious that Hanabi was proving a handful in her excitement.

"Hina-nee-chan!" She ran towards me, arms out and little legs pumping. I swept her up into a hug, unconsciously using chakra to boost my strength and provide traction as I swung her 'round.

"Happy Birthday, my little firecracker." I said, rubbing my nose against hers. She giggled, eyes going clumsily cross-eyed as she tried to focus.

"Cake!" Came the exited shout.

"Yes, we'll have cake later; in the meantime, let's get you dressed." Shigure gave me a look of gratitude for the help and we set about making Hanabi presentable for father.

Two hours later I sat silently, rubbing softly at Hanabi's back where it couldn't easily be seen by the elders. We knelt in a row, Hanabi, I and the Clan Head, as the heads of the individual families in the branch house came forward one at a time to present the obligatory gift for Hanabi. Each was carefully chosen to be of good quality, but slightly less valuable than that offered me so as not to give offence or make unfortunate implications

I had wondered what it implied that I noticed the discrepancy immediately and reaffirmed my resolution to treat such things as a competitive social game, not as an entitlement due me. Finally the procession tapered off and I stifled a sigh of relief; we'd had to give Hanabi some cake prior to my father's arrival and the beginning of the birthday ceremonies, but now all she wanted was a nap. I'd had to resort to the terrifying threat of no-more-cake to extort a promise of good behaviour from her.

When we were alone Hiashi and I relaxed minutely, and he turned to Hanabi.

"Happy birthday again, Hanabi-chan. You have comported yourself with dignity, well done." She stared up at him in confusion and I repressed the urge to bury my face in my hands. He had absolutely no idea how to relate to young children, which I suppose was one reason I remembered far more of my mother in Hinata's early memories. Hanabi's face was suddenly split by a jaw-cracking yawn, and I tensed to make an apology on her behalf. Father surprised me though, as the harsh lines that made up his face softened briefly, and he leaned down to press a soft kiss to Hanabi's forehead. "Sleep well, little one." He nodded once at me, before rising smoothly and moving from the room.

As I picked up Hanabi to carry her off to sleep, it struck me again that my father, for all his faults, genuinely did love his daughters. It was simply unfortunate that he was incapable of putting aside the position of Clan Head for more than an instant - a warning sign for my own future if I wasn't careful. Still, sitting there in silence had not been without benefit, as it'd let me consider something that had been bothering me for a while.

It was difficult to remember clearly, but I was fairly sure that I'd been treated far less leniently than Hanabi at or near the same age, even with my mother as a shielding influence. The conclusion that I'd eventually come to, was that it came down to the difference in our positions. I was the Heir, and she wasn't. That might go some way to explaining how the sweet little girl I knew might have turned into the sullen little thing I remembered from the manga.

If I had shown myself unsuited for the position of Heir, would increasing pressure have been levied against Hanabi, to ensure she could pick up the burden when I failed? It was hard to separate myself from the phantom feelings of guilt at the thought that I might have been responsible for such an occurrence; or the canon me, I mean the canon Hinata... Once again, and with a growing feeling of futility I reminded myself not to grow too attached here, or I wouldn't be able to leave if it became prudent to do so. Pushing that to the side for the moment, I turned my attention back to the situation with Hanabi.

There was little action I could take at the moment, and isolating her from the expectations of the clan entirely wasn't feasible, any way I looked at it. I'd simply have to continue as I had been, and excel to the best of my ability to keep any pressure on my sister to a minimum. In the meantime I'd keep a close eye on her and her training and interactions with the elders; the last thing I needed to worry about was another family member with similar attitudes to Neji. Once I got to the Academy I'd have more freedom to arrange my schedule and learn the things that really interested me, outside the Hyūga traditional skills.


Author's Note: I originally intended to show considerably more detail of the year between gaining permission to attend the academy and actually doing so, to say nothing of the first day. After consideration however, I'm going to try moving towards a 'show, don't tell' approach from now on, and while I can demonstrate such things to an extent during a spar, there would have been a ridiculous number of such spars either with Hiashi or Hirameki. The parts that couldn't be demonstrated in such a manner, such as elemental training, would have ended up in large amounts of text spent either reflecting on training progress or repetitive training sequences. From now on I want to cover the introduction of a new field, technique or method in detail, with more information revealed during other activities. The next chapter should cover the intro to the Academy, and you'll see Hinata's progress over time, worked into the actions she takes.

On the update speed, I've been offered work over the break unexpectedly, and while it's good that I can afford to eat more than noodles, how much energy I'll have after working 6am - 8pm daily is debatable. Additionally, I've been seized by inspiration for a few different story ideas over the past weeks, and although I can force myself to work on a story, the quality suffers compared to when I have a moment of inspiration as to how a scene should go. I won't predict when the next chapter will be out - sometimes it'll be slow, and sometimes several chapters will come out fairly quickly. Expect to see me begin publishing one of the other stories I'm working on in the next month, but don't worry that this won't be finished; the speed will just fluctuate depending on real life issues and how cooperative my muse is being.

Credit: 'Hell is a Martial Artist' by Ozzallos is not where I first saw the idea of training someone to strike critical points by positioning something else in front, but rereading it recently certainly brought it to mind. It can be found on my favorites, kudos to him.