A/N: Sorry for the long delay between updates. These last set of life lessons have become a little more challenging. It's taking me longer to find inspiration but I'm not giving up! Only nine more life lessons after this one so bear with me. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and an even bigger thank you for those who take the time to review. It really means a lot to a writer to get feedback. It helps me stay motivated. Enjoy!

TWELVE: Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

It is common knowledge that the Byakugan is a genetically dominant trait. If one parent expresses the white eye phenotype, then the child will inherit the trait as well. It is also well known that the strength of the Byakugan is not the same for each user and it is this quality alone that determines a Hyuga's potential as a shinobi.

What is lesser known is that the Byakugan is a chakra sink, selfishly hoarding chakra reserves within the individual regardless of if its actively in use or not. That is why the Hyugas, as a whole, are notoriously health conscious. They simply cannot afford to neglect their bodies and mind for an extended length of time. To do so, would leave one physically weakened, unfocused and susceptible to illness.

Hyuga Hizashi is painfully aware of this fact because he has a three year old son with a Byakugan of a seasoned shinobi voraciously feeding off the chakra reserves of a child.

"He should grow out of it," the clan medic tried to reassure him at the last check up. "This is not the first case I've seen of an overeager Byakugan."

"Yes, but he started using his Byakugan early," Hizashi reasoned a little anxiously. "I'm concerned about complications as he gets older."

"Hmm, complications are a possibility," the medic acquiesced, "however; I cannot give you a simple answer. There is still much about the Byakugan-chakra interaction we do not understand and Neji is clearly an exceptional case. For now, I can tell you that your son is healthy though I would like for him to gain a little more weight. Just continue to give him plenty of vitamins, wholesome foods and rest and we'll see how he progresses."

Unfortunately, Hizashi learned the hard way that Neji does not like foods that are 'mushy', as his boy puts it, and will happily starve before he eats anything that looks 'funny,' which, to Hizashi's dismay, appeared to be most things.

"Hizashi, you need only to tap into the powers of youth!"

"Gai, I am not in the mood," Hizashi said with as much patience he could muster, who after much harassment from his teammate had finally shared his dilemma while the men returned from a mission.

"Trust me, my friend I have the solution to your problem! Bring your little boy over to my place for dinner tomorrow and I will show you what youth can do!"

Hizashi eventually agreed because he did not want to deal with anymore of Gai's powers of persuasion and the idea of not spending another meal time playing the 'Neji, please eat this or this or that' game was too tempting to pass up.

So the next evening found Hizashi and Neji at Gai's apartment, sitting at the table while the Green Beast busied himself in the kitchen. Neji was happily playing with a toy dinosaur his father allowed him to bring along while Hizashi sat beside the little boy, sipping pensively on a beer.

Finally, Gai breezed into the sitting area with a very large covered dish, placing it on the table triumphantly. 'Wala!"

Hizashi arched an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing, sensing the theatrics were part of the presentation. He glanced over and saw that Neji was riveted.

"What is it?" Neji asked, setting his toy aside.

"This, young man, is you very special dinner," Gai said dramatically. And with a great flourish he removed the cover, "Behold! The World of Dinosaurs!"

"Ha!" Hizashi couldn't help but be impressed by the creativity. Gai had arranged dinosaur-shaped chicken fingers all over the plate with raw broccoli, carrots and cauliflower set up like trees in a forest. He had various dipping sauces that served as lakes, going so far as to arrange a small herd drinking from one of them, and small, bite-sized rice balls that represented various aspects of the terrain.

Neji was instantly hooked, not even waiting for permission before reaching out and grabbing a T-rex shaped chicken finger that then proceeded to terrorize the other dinosaurs on the plate.

Hizashi was relieved to see the boy take an interest in the food and was absolutely delighted when his son absently took a bite out of a carrot as he continued his make-believe play.

"Gai, this is amazing!"

"Thank you, my friend! The powers of youth never let us down. And Gai emphasized his point with his classic thumbs-up move.

Hizashi shook his head in disbelief when Neji voluntarily took a bite from a broccoli floret and appeared to enjoy the crunchy texture. "And you went so far as to buy dinosaur-shaped chicken fingers. I didn't even know they made those. That must have been hard to find."

Gai blushed and his thumbs-up posture lost some of its vigor. "Erh, It wasn't so bad, Hizashi. I just so happened to have some on hand."

Hizashi arched an eyebrow in question, smirking knowingly at the discomfited ninja.

"I like dinosaurs too, you know."

Powers of youth indeed.