Chapter 12

Things had been different lately. Not when Shanan was home, of course, but Shanan had already been on several missions. Nothing too long yet, but it wasn't so bad. She had been placed on Might Guy's team with Neji Hyuga and Rock Lee.

Neji was a pretty stoic and serious guy. But he was actually really nice when he wanted to be. He was very good at enunciating his words and was very, very intelligent and skilled. He was also very smug about his skills. But Shanan discovered that she could discuss books and art with him and had learned not to take his tactlessness personally. He was related to her best girl friend, but the two of them weren't close and he didn't talk about it much. Shanan had hoped to get it out of him one day, though.

"Your chakra is strange," he had told her at their first team training session. "I used to spend a lot of time studying everyone's chakra with my Byakugan and yours has always intrigued me."

Shanan had always thought that Neji had no clue who she was. They never spoke and he never so much as looked in hers, or anyone else's, direction. Or so she had thought. "Really?" she asked curiously. "How so?" She thought this was a strange thing for him to suddenly admit, but she wanted to hear more.

He gladly went on. "You see, most people have one chakra source and that usually resides in the center of their body. Or, their heart, if you like. Chakra flows to and from that source the same as blood. However, you have two sources. The normal one, and the one in your head." He seemed to pause slightly for effect, before going on again. "I expect this is connected to your emotions. Not to mention the fact that I have noticed your chakra's wavelengths behaving differently as well."

Shanan wasn't sure what chakra wavelengths were, but she was hanging on to his every word now.

He was definitely on a roll now. "Most people, I've noticed, well their chakra just flows through their own body and is expelled when they use a jutsu. Which is how you can run out of it if you use too much before it has time to replenish from its source. And yours does expel and behave in that manner, but I've also witnessed you absorbing chakra, which is very, very unusual. And not only do you absorb it, but you seem to give back what you take, almost cycling it through yourself and whoever you're with."

Shanan was a bit confused now. Absorbing chakra? She had never heard of that. "How come I've never felt that... and just how long have you been watching me?" she asked, almost side-eyeing him at this point.

Neji realized how he was coming off. He wasn't the best at social cues or interactions, but he certainly didn't want Shanan to get the wrong impression. "Forgive me, please. You didn't think that I sat in the back of the classroom for no reason. It gave me a wonderful vantage point to study the chakra of everyone in the room. You just happened to be my favorite subject as your chakra was the most unique of anyone I've ever seen. And to answer your other question, you can't feel when you absorb it, because it seems to be linked to your brain source. That source is the most active when you're absorbing and cycling chakra. You might have felt it in the form of comfort or even as heightened joy. I have no doubt that you will be able to do things you can't even dream of with an ability like that. I will keep you updated if I notice any changes." He nodded his head slightly to her, but it seemed as though he had had enough social interaction for the day, so he walked off confidently without another word.

"Wow...," she said to herself in astonishment. She truly had no idea what was happening inside of her, but she suspected that most people wouldn't and couldn't know without something like the Byakugan to look at it. She wondered if Hinata had ever noticed this about her.

Her other teammate was Lee. She didn't get to speak with him as much as she had Neji that first training day, but he made it a point to express his excitement to her as they had always been friendly to eachother all through school. "Shanan! I meant to tell you yesterday. But I am happy we are on the same team! And you too, Neji! I know we will all work hard and train together and become the best of friends!" Lee said most things loud and with much enthusiasm as they would all soon learn.

Lee, too, was very driven and focused. And also, not great at social cues. He was unable to do Ninjutsu and could only do Taijutsu, but he never let it stop him. He used it to his advantage where he could and people always, wrongfully, underestimated him. He was also one of the kindest and most genuine people Shanan had ever known. He was really the only person she had hoped would be on her team.

As the months went on, both guys were proving to be hard-working and formidable shinobi and fierce and loyal friends. Sasuke had been right that she would warm up to them.

And last, but not least, was Guy Sensei. He was such a wonderful and supportive person. She hadn't ever looked up to any of her teachers as much as she'd looked up to him. He knew when to push and he knew when to inspire. He had such a powerful and strange group of kids and his strangeness matched their's, everytime. Especially Lee's, who seemed to want nothing more than to be exactly like Guy Sensei.

Neji often pretended to be embarrassed by how outrageous and silly they could both be, but even he had to laugh with them sometimes.

Shanan wasn't sure who was in charge of assigning these teams. But she was glad that they knew what they were doing and she was hopeful that the boys would be put on compatible teams as well when it was their turn.